The Philistines send David back to Ziklag
29
📚Now the Philistines gathered all their armies together at Aphek, and the Israelites camped by a spring which is in Jezreel. 2 📚And the lords of the Philistines marched on, by hundreds and by thousands, but David and his men marched on in the rear with Achish. 3 📚Then said the commanders of the Philistines, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” And Achish said to the Philistine commanders, “Is this not David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, who has been with me these days, or indeed these years? And I have found no fault in him since he deserted to me to this day”.
4 📚But the Philistine commanders were angry with him, and the Philistine commanders said to him, “Make this fellow go back, so that he will return to his place which you have assigned him, and do not let him go down with us to fight. Otherwise in the battle he may become our enemy. For with what would he regain his master’s favour, if not with the heads of these men? 5 📚Is this not David, of whom they sang to one another in dances, saying, ‘Saul killed his thousands, and David his tens of thousands?’”
6 📚Then Achish called David and said to him, “As the LORD lives, you have certainly been upright, and your going out and your coming in with me in the army has been good in my sight, for I have not found evil in you from the day of your coming to me to this day. However, you are not acceptable to the lords. 7 📚Therefore return now, and go in peace, so that you do not displease the Philistine lords”.
29:1-7 Note at 28:1. This was God’s way of saving David from the sin of fighting against God’s people.⚜
8 📚And David said to Achish, “But what have I done? And what have you found in your servant as long as I have been with you to this day, that I may not go fight against the enemies of my lord the king?”
29:8 David kept up his pretense of loyalty to Achish. No doubt inwardly he was rejoicing in this escape from going into battle against Israel.⚜
9 📚And Achish answered and said to David, “I know that you are good in my sight, like an angel of God. However, the Philistine commanders have said, ‘He shall not go up with us to the battle.’ 10 📚So now rise up early in the morning with your master’s servants who have come with you, and leave as soon as you are up early in the morning and have light”.
11 📚So David and his men rose up early in the morning to leave and to return to the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.