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1 Samuel 27:5–12
And David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites. For those nations were the inhabitants of the land from of old (v. 8a).
After living for some time in the Philistine city of Gath, probably several months, David asks the king of Gath, Achish, to grant him a small city in the country where he can settle his men and their families. He seems to suggest that he feels unworthy to live in Achish’s shadow and that he doesn’t want his retinue to be a burden to the Philistine king. In reality, of course, he really wants the greater freedom that will come from being out of Achish’s sight, freedom to worship God and to operate as a fighting force on behalf of the people of Israel. The ever-trusting Achish, suspecting nothing, grants David the city of Ziklag, which is some miles to the south but still close to the border with Israel. This city was captured from Israel (Josh. 15:31), but it effectively is returned to Israel when it is given to David, and remains an Israelite possession henceforth.
From Ziklag, David begins to launch raids, attacking the Geshurites (neighbors of the Philistines, Josh. 13:2), the Girzites, and the Amalekites. All of these peoples are enemies of Israel; by attacking them, David is fighting for his people and enlarging the borders of his land, just as Israel’s king should do. We’re told that David kills all of the inhabitants of each settlement he attacks, even women and children, which seems unnecessarily cruel. But Matthew Henry notes that all of these peoples were under God’s holy war edict from the days of Israel’s conquest of Canaan, so David is executing God’s justice on pagans. “We may acquit him of injustice and cruelty in this action because those people whom he cut off were such as heaven had long since doomed to destruction, and he that did it was one whom heaven had ordained to dominion; so that the thing was very fit to be done, and he was very fit to do it,” Henry writes.
But David has another motive in killing all the people in each place he attacks—he wants no witnesses to tip off the Philistines. He makes it a practice to tell Achish that he is regularly attacking Israel, as well as the Jerahmeelites and Kenites, two people groups friendly to Israel (Judg. 1:16; 1 Chron. 2:5, 9, 25ff). In other words, David spins a web of lies to maintain his place among the Philistines. And Achish takes David’s word, smugly concluding that David’s supposed raids on Israel will further increase the antipathy to him back home.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
David was being a “stealth” Israelite. Like him, we sometimes behave as “stealth” Christians. Fearing the world, we try to serve God quietly, without openly declaring our allegiance to Christ. But Jesus calls His followers to acknowledge Him gladly, letting Him handle the consequences. Do your unbelieving friends know where you stand?
For Further Study
- Prov. 3:6
- Luke 12:8–9
- Rom. 10:9
- 2 Tim. 2:12