After his interview with Saul at Hachilah, David continued his wandering life in the wilderness of Judah, with his band of followers. But it was becoming increasingly difficult to elude the hot pursuit of the royal troops, who – after all this time – would have become more and more familiar with his hiding-places. And it became more and more perplexing to find provisions for the large body of followers that was now attached to him. The household of David himself was accompanying him; and it seems that the majority of his band consisted of men who had wives, sons, daughters, and property – and the presence of these more tender souls made it perilously difficult to maintain a perpetual readiness for flight. In his days of healthier faith, these considerations would not have shaken the constancy of David’s much-tried soul. He would have stayed himself upon the Lord. But his faith had recently become impaired, and the strength of his Godly courage had slackened; and so at last, he said in his heart, “I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should escape into the land of the Philistines.”

What a foolish resolution – to go back to a place where he had been kicked out some seven or eight years earlier! (chapter 21:10-15) His despair and all-absorbing fear of Saul made him reckless and blinded him to the dangers which he would incur by going back to the land of the Philistines. His resolution was the suggestion of worldly thinking! His forgetfulness of God’s care for him kept him from consulting with the Lord about his plans. Moreover, David failed to remember that the Lord had sworn to make him king. And these promises had been confirmed by Samuel, Jonathan, Abigail, and even Saul himself! How impossible it was for God to lie or forget His covenant, and allow David to perish at the hands of Saul!

But alas! How often we ourselves have doubted God’s help! But have we ever had the shadow of a reason to doubt our Father’s goodness? Have not His lovingkindnesses been marvelous? Has He ever failed to justify our trust? No! He has not left us at any time! We have had dark nights, but the star of Jesus’ love has shone forth amid the blackness. The conclusion from our past experience is that He Who has been with us in six troubles will not forsake us in the seventh. Our faithful Savior will keep us to the end!

Achish received David and his followers kindly; but while we give him credit for his hospitality, we cannot look upon it as being entirely unselfish. Achish knew that David was at enmity with Saul, and – seeing so many men accompanying him – he calculated on receiving substantial assistance from David in any military service in which he might engage. Hence, when David asked that he might have a place in some town in the countryside, Achish gave him Ziklag – a town which had been allotted to the tribe of Judah in the days of Joshua; but which was probably uninhabited at this time, because it had been taken by the Philistines. Here at Ziklag, David and his men – with their wives and children – lived for sixteen months.

Using Ziklag as his home-base, David made invasions upon the Geshurites, the Gezrites, and the Amalekites. He and his men lived upon the spoils which they took from them; and they put every man, woman, and child among them to death, so that no one might remain to tell where they had been. Whenever he returned, he made Achish believe that he had been out against those who were the enemies of the Philistines – those who were either David’s own countrymen, or their friendly allies. Hence Achish was certain that David would become his reliable supporter; and he calculated that because he had made his own people to abhor him, he would become valuable in his service. Of course, there is no possibility of vindicating David for all of this! We cannot even offer a plausible excuse for him. We would like to say that some allowance must be made for him in the circumstances in which he was placed. But his own fear and distrust of the Lord had prompted him to place himself in these circumstances. His going to Achish was a wrong thing to begin with, and no sin can ever excuse another. And as to the falsehood of his life during these months – we must plainly and emphatically condemn it! Throughout it all, he was seeking his own interests, and not God’s glory. And in fact, he was even blind in seeking his own best interests; for he ought to have known that a day of reckoning would come, sooner or later.

In this dark chapter of David’s life, let us take note of the prolific progeny that sprang from the one parent-sin of unbelief. Prayerlessness, desertion of the place of duty, theft, murder, and falsehood – all these sins germinated from one innocent-looking little seed, which was loss of confidence in God! At this time in his life, Davis was not acting under the Lord’s approval. And God, for the time being, left him to his own devices, in order to let him see how far – without His grace – he would run into iniquity; and also to let us learn, from his example, what an evil and bitter thing it is to forsake our Savior!

Join other families all around the globe and receive the full-color, freely downloadable format of these Bible study notes in your email every day! It’s my prayer that you and your family will be equipped to receive abundant blessings from the hand of the Lord as you study His Word and worship in His presence together.