1 Samuel 27

David in The Philistine City of Ziklag

After multiple narrow escapes from death, David decided that the only place he and his growing company of followers would be safe was in Philistine territory. 

Nothing Better for Me

Escape to Philistine Territory

Vs. 1 - David said to himself, “One of these days I’ll be swept away by Saul.

Some commentators note a discouraged and desperate David in this section, which is an understandable assumption.  Despite multiple promises to the contrary, Saul persisted in his murderous pursuit.  David had refused multiple opportunities to end his own suffering and to leave vindication to God.  But time kept passing, and David was still displaced. 

The sad story of 1 Samuel 27 begins with something David said in his heart.  That was a word of discouragement coming from a heart tired of trusting God for His continued deliverance. In his discouragement, David forgot God’s past deliverance.          - David Guzik

But another consideration is that David’s company must have continued to grow, to become increasingly difficult to move and manage.  Perhaps the decision was motivated by practicality more than panic. 

With the size of David's group, it must have seemed inevitable that Saul would find them in a vulnerable situation and wipe them out.                 - Bryan E. Beyer

From Gath to Ziklag

Vs. 2 - So David set out with his six hundred men and went over to Achish son of Maoch, the king of Gath.

The last time David tried to hide in Gath, the Philistines recognized David and they were afraid of him. So David pretended to have gone insane until he was able to leave Gath (21:10-15).      - Brent Kercheville

The city of Ziklag was originally allotted to both of the tribes of Simeon and Judah, but Israel never conquered it. Now Ziklag came under Israelite control without a fight.            - Bryan E. Beyer

He No Longer Searched

Vs. 4 - When it was reported to Saul that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him.

The author does not speculate as to whether or not God was pleased with David’s decision.  But we do know that, as David suspected, King Saul’s paused his pursuit when he heard that his “rival” had left Jewish territory.  

The Whole Time He Stayed

Delay

Vs. 7 - The length of time that David stayed in Philistine territory amounted to a year and four months.

We are not told how many years had passed since David had been anointed as the future king of Israel, but surely it must have felt like decades at times as he discovered the delays and detours of his life were determined by God. 

Desperation

Vs. 11 - David did not let a man or woman live to be brought to Gath, for he said, “Or they will inform on us and say, ‘This is what David did.’”

Was it God’s will for David to leave Israel and move to Philistia? The text does not say, but there are indications that lead me to believe that he should not have done this, even though he must have felt almost forced to do it. First, there is the statement that David consulted with himself, but he had previously asked God for guidance in prayer. Second, David said he believed he would die if he remained in Israel. Yet Samuel had anointed him as Israel’s next king, Jonathan had said twice that David would be king, as had Saul, and so had Abigail. Third, the name of God does not appear in this chapter, suggesting that David did not get his guidance from the Lord. David’s faith in God’s ability to keep him safe seems to have weakened temporarily. The stress and strain of his hide-and-seek existence with no end in view seem to have worn on David.        - Thomas Constable

Commentators note that we do not know of any songs or prayers that David wrote from this time period in Ziklag.  Though he found external peace in Philistine territory, perhaps his inner conflict only intensified there.  

Many followers of God will experience some season of suffering, a waiting period during which we are tasked with trusting God for deliverance.  And in that season, we may find ourselves desperate for a way to escape.  But God often does His greatest work in us while we are running, while we are hiding from the enemy in caves.  Sometimes, it’s in the middle of external conflict that we find the greatest inner peace, our most beautiful songs, and our most honest prayers. 

Deception

Vs. 12 - So Achish trusted David, thinking, “Since he has made himself repulsive to his people Israel, he will be my servant forever.”

Achish, the Philistine ruler, welcomed him (David), because he now knew that David was Saul’s enemy and not one of his army commanders.  Wisely, David obtained a separate town, Ziklag, for his people. This enabled him to avoid trouble with the Philistines and to hold his followers together. He stayed there sixteen months.

David pleased Achish and enriched his people by carrying out successful raids that Achish thought were against the Israelites or peoples friendly to the Israelites. But David lied to Achish, for the raids were against other peoples, usually those hostile to the Israelites. To his shame David directed his men to slaughter all the inhabitants of the towns he raided. In this way he made sure that no one was left to tell Achish the true story about which people David had plundered.         - Don Fleming

David wiped them out so that no one would tell Achish who David was attacking. But this is also God’s will as we have seen in Numbers, Deuteronomy, and Joshua that these lands were to be conquered for Israel.                 - Brent Kercheville