Bible 101 - I Samuel Chapters 26-31

Presented November 15, 2004 by Phyllis Gilbert

Review: We left David hiding out in caves last week, a hunted man, with Saul in pursuit. The contrast between the two men is dramatic: David, even on the run, depends on God; Saul, still king, depends on his own strength and mind. And as we've seen, the evidence shows that Saul's mind is a battleground, a conflicted and paranoid turmoil. He sees conspirators everywhere, and at the drop of a spy's hint, is off to chase David across the country. He is not successful. Why? God protects David. And God uses different events and people to keep David on the path: first Samuel (ch. 20), then Ahimelech (ch. 21), later Jonathan goes to him to encourage him in his faith (ch. 23), and finally, Abigail (ch. 25). In addition, God used the Philistine raid to interrupt Saul's near-capture of David (ch. 24) when Saul had to return to more urgent duties on behalf of he nation.

David's tests: We saw God testing David, too. His time in the wilderness, that 10-year period on the run, is God's way of seasoning him and proving his faith. Many of David's Psalms express what he's feeling and what he learns. In them he prays, praises, and even condemns his enemies to God's punishment. Read Psalm 61, for example, and then Psalm 62. In the first, he's crying out to God for help, and then in the second, he acknowledges that "my soul finds rest in God alone." He's learning to trust. These are important years and vital lessons for him, the future king of Israel.

I Samuel 26: Once again some of Saul's subjects let him know where David is hiding, and Saul is off like a shot. He takes 3,000 men, and they camp near Hakilah. David has his own men scout their location, and once he is sure where Saul is, he takes Abishai down to reconnoiter. The two sneak into the camp surrounded by snoring men, and in Saul's tent, grab his spear and jug of water. Abishai tells David "God's given you this chance; kill him," but once again, David honors Saul's position as God's anointed, and leaves Saul alive. Notice that no one wakes up because God had put them into a deep sleep. (He put Adam into a deep sleep in Gen. 2; God's deep sleep is like an anesthetic!)

I Samuel 26:12: After David and Abishai snuck back out, they walked some distance, and stood on a hilltop to shout: "Who's guarding the king?" And Abner, Saul's commanding general is startled. Saul overhears their conversation and once again, says "David, is that you, my son?" The divided mind of Saul is on display here. He's in a camp with 3,000 soldiers on a mission to kill David. David, calling to him in the night, evokes this gentle response. Does David's voice make Saul feel guilty? Does David's voice recall some humanity in Saul? It's hard to tell. But David, honestly questioning Saul about his motives, gets Saul to admit that he's wrong. Saul says, "I will not try to harm you again. Surely I have acted like a fool." And we saw in the previous chapter what happened to Nabal who behaved like a fool. David returned Saul's spear, the symbol of Saul's desire to destroy him. David adds this: "The Lord rewards every man for his righteousness and faithfulness." He preaches a little sermon to the king, in the dead of night, from a hilltop pulpit. I wish I'd been there! Saul goes back home, and David continues to hide out, once again unconvinced that Saul will not try to kill him.

I Samuel 27: David once again goes to live in Philistine territory. Recall that in ch. 21, he'd gone there and because he was recognized, was a marked man there, too. So he acted crazy, and no one thought he was worth taking prisoner. This time he and his 600 men go to King Achish. They took their families, too, apparently to settle in for a long time. David and his men have no become "soldiers for hire," but they need a break. So David asks the king for a place where they can live, and they're granted Ziklag. There they live peacefully for 16 months since Saul, hearing they're in Philistine country, doesn't pursue them. (Saul fears the Philistine army cf 17:11 and 28:5.) But David and his men are busy: they go on raids into nearby enemy territories leaving no survivors. In a sense, they are completing God's orders to Joshua 400 years before: they raid the Geshurites, the Amalekites (whom God told Saul to destroy) and the Girzites - all long-standing enemies of Israel. David is achieving several things here: one, he's eliminating the pagan peoples in Israel who will become a snare to them once he's on the throne. David is God's man, and he's concerned about the spiritual life of Israel. God had told Moses and Joshua that all the pagan peoples in Canaan must be killed or driven out so that their ways wouldn't become Israel's ways. That's his first purpose. Secondly, David is keeping his men sharp. And third, he's impressing Achish with his warrior skills. David brings back cattle, but he destroys all human beings. He gives some of the booty to King Achish. Of course, David tells him nothing about where he's really raiding and getting all these spoils, but Achish is ready to believe that David's raids are making him an enemy to Israel. Thus, David will remain with Achish (he thinks).

I Samuel 28: The Philistines are gathering troops once again to go to war against Israel and Achish expects David and his men to fight with him. David tells him "you've seen what I can do," neither committing himself or rejecting the king's offer, but Achish takes it as a "yes, I'll fight with you." Meanwhile, Saul is terrified. He's on one side of a battlefield and the Philistines are on the other (the Philistines camped at Shunem, and Israel at Gilboa. Once again, it's a standoff reminding us of the days of Goliath's taunts. Saul, without Samuel as a prophet and source of God's word, is attempting to pray. God doesn't answer him. Saul asks other spiritual advisors for help; God still doesn't answer him. So Saul, desperate, goes to a witch. Now earlier, Saul had driven all mediums and sorcerers out of Israel, so he has to inquire around to find one "underground."

I Samuel 28:7: His aides tell him there's a woman in Endor, so Saul dresses as a commoner and goes to her at night with two other men. He asks her to consult the man he names, and the man he wants is Samuel. The medium tells him that Saul has forbidden the use of such crafts in Israel; fearing a trap, she refuses. But Saul swears that he will not kill her, and she asks whom he's seeking. Saul tells her Samuel, and that's when she knows he's the king, and not a commoner. She's really upset now, but Saul once again tells her she won't be harmed. He asks her what she sees and she describes a man in robes. At this, Saul prostrates himself. Too bad he didn't develop a relationship with God; God would have revealed his will to Saul had Saul trusted him. Without God, he has to resort to witchcraft; the results aren't pretty. God allows Samuel's appearance, but Samuel is furious at being disturbed. He tells Saul that the reason God won't answer him is because Saul wasn't faithful to God. He reminds him of his failure to destroy the Amalekites, and tells him once again that God has fired him as king, and given the kingdom to David. "You didn't obey God," Samuel says. And further, he tells Saul that God will now hand him over to the Philistines. Saul is even more terrified, and he faints from hunger. The woman helps him, gives him food, and feeds his men, too. Then Saul leaves. We thought we'd seen Saul do the unthinkable before; now we've seen Saul go to the "dark side," as popular movies put it. In Exodus 22 and Leviticus 19, God expressly forbids sorcery and witchcraft and says those who practice such arts must be killed. They are sinning in a way that denies God is in control. In fact, they're dealing with Satan and his demonic forces.

I Samuel 29: Now David is about to be expelled from Achish's army. The Philistines are now close to Aphek and the Israelites near Jezreel. The armies are drilling their troops and a Philistine officer recognizes David and asks Achish "what about these Hebrews? What are they doing marching with a Philistine army?" Achish can only defend him as a great soldier: "I have found no fault in him," he says. But the commanders were upset; they fear that David, at the height of battle, will remember he IS a Hebrew and begin killing the Philistines. He has a history of doing so - killing Philistines. The Philistines, like sailors, don't want a Jonah with them; they see David and his men as bad luck. So Achish reluctantly tells David he and his men will have to return to Ziklag. David leaves, but not before protesting that he's been faithful to Achish, a very ironic statement. In a sense, David's going with them achieved the results David wants: he's forced out of the Philistine army, but he doesn't have to fight anyone on either side. His loyalty has never wavered: he's loyal first to God and second to Israel. He's been in Philistine country as a hideout and nothing more.

I Samuel 30: David and his men return to Ziklag and find that the Amalekites had raided Ziklag and burned it, taking the women and their children captive. Not a good thing. David and his men weep for their losses, and David is criticized by his men who apparently think that if David hadn't led them into Philistine territory none of this would have happened. David, however, continues to trust that God will deliver him and restore his family to him. He asks the priest to seek God's will; God tells David to pursue the raiders and rescue his and the men's families. They do; God gives them success.

I Samuel 30:9: David takes only part of his men (200 are too tired and stay back at their camp to guard what they have left), and they encounter an Egyptian slave who had been abandoned by the raiders David and his men are pursuing. They get good information from him and off they go, recovering not only their wives and children, unharmed, but also plunder in abundance. Some of the Amalekite raiders escape, but on the whole, David and his men are happy because they've gotten their families back. The 200 who were left behind are sure they won't get to share the spoils of the campaign, but listen to David: "No my brothers; you must not do that with what the Lord has given us." In other words, God is the victor, and God is the supplier of all they have. They will share it. And they do - not only with the 200 men who guarded the camp, but also with friends and neighbors in Judah (see v. 27) and in "places where David and his men had roamed." David's generosity is a sign of a spirit fed by God's love.

I Samuel 31: This chapter records the tragic end of Saul. The Philistines come after Israel and Israel runs; Saul's sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malki-Shua are all killed. Saul is wounded, but he doesn't want it said that he died at the hands of the Philistines, so he asks his armor bearer to kill him. He won't. Saul thus falls on his own sword. To the end, he's proud and wants to be remembered as a fighter. His armor-bearer kills himself, too. It's a bitter end to the first king of Israel. And it gets worse. The Philistines want to make trophies of the king's body and those of his sons, and they hang them up on a wall. The "valiant men of Jabesh Gilead" heard about this, they traveled all night to Beth Shan, took down the bodies, burned them and buried their bones at Jabesh. And they fasted for seven days. Saul was king; he deserved respect even in death.

What do we learn from Saul's life? We learn that God is in control, and God wants our love, trust and obedience. Saul gave none of these things to God, instead putting his faith in his own strength. His pride and his failure to do as God told him to do brought him to an ignominious end. He could have been great; he could have set the standard for kings of Israel. Instead, he finished life a mad man. In Greek tragedies, which always end in death or exile, the tragic hero faces an inevitable fall. He can do nothing to reverse the process. But Saul had opportunities to excel in leadership rooted in his faith in God; God tested him and he failed. He didn't have to be the tragic hero.

David is faithful: Perhaps David's faithfulness is made clearer by Saul's unfaithfulness. But David has many tests ahead. II Samuel is about David as king, and it, like any human life, is a mixture of success and failure. But David continues as a "man after God's own heart" because he always looks to God for strength, forgiveness, and guidance. II Samuel begins with David mourning Saul and Jonathan.

Homework for those who want to go deeper:

Let's close in prayer.