1Sa 29:4-11 | MHM | STEP | v. 4 : And the princes of the Philistines were wroth with him; and the princes of the Philistines said unto him, Make this fellow return, that he may go again to his place which thou hast appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he be an adversary to us: for wherewith should he reconcile himself unto his master? should it not be with the heads of these men? The Philistine leaders became angry and insisted that David should not go to battle with them. They were afraid that in the middle of the fight, David might switch sides to please Saul, his old master, and attack the Philistines from behind.

‏ 1 Samuel 29:4-11

v. 4:And the princes of the Philistines were wroth with him; and the princes of the Philistines said unto him, Make this fellow return, that he may go again to his place which thou hast appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he be an adversary to us: for wherewith should he reconcile himself unto his master? should it not be with the heads of these men?The Philistine leaders became angry and insisted that David should not go to battle with them. They were afraid that in the middle of the fight, David might switch sides to please Saul, his old master, and attack the Philistines from behind.

v. 5:Is not this David, of whom they sang one to another in dances, saying, Saul slew his thousands, and David his ten thousands?The leaders remembered the songs the Israelites sang about David’s many victories over the Philistines, saying,Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands. This made them even more certain that David could not be trusted in their army.

David Leaves the Philistines

This part tells how David was released from his dangerous position among the Philistine army. Achish, the Philistine king, wanted to keep David, but the other Philistine leaders did not trust him. Even though Achish liked David, he could not overrule the other leaders. This shows that even kings sometimes cannot do whatever they want. God used this situation to help David escape from a difficult problem, showing that God can use even the plans of those who do not believe in Him to help His people.

v. 6: Achish calls David and tells him, "As the Lord lives, you have been upright, and your going out and your coming in with me in the army is good in my sight: for I have not found evil in you since the day you came to me" . Achish praises David for being trustworthy and good. He says David has done nothing wrong since joining him. This is a good example for all believers to act well wherever they are, so even those who are not friends of God respect them. Still, Achish says, the Philistine leaders do not trust David, so he cannot let David stay with them in the battle.

v. 7: Achish tells David to return home peacefully, saying that the other Philistine rulers do not approve of him fighting with them. Even though Achish cares about David, he cannot go against the wishes of the other leaders. Achish blames David's dismissal on the leaders, not on David's own actions.

v. 8: David responds to Achish with respectful words. He asks, "But what have I done? And what have you found in your servant as long as I have been with you, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?" . David acts like he wants to fight for the Philistines, but in truth, he is glad for a way out. Sometimes, people are tempted to say things that are not completely true to please those in power, and it can be very hard to avoid this.

v. 9: Achish repeats his praise for David, saying, "You are as good in my sight as an angel of God" . But again, he tells David that the Philistine leaders do not trust him, so David must leave. Achish tells David to leave early in the morning to avoid more trouble.

v. 10: Achish orders David and his men to get up early and leave as soon as it is light . He wants them to go quietly so there is no argument or suspicion from the other Philistine leaders.

v. 11: David and his men obey and leave the Philistine camp in the morning. They return to the land of the Philistines, while the Philistine army marches on to Jezreel to fight Israel. God worked out all things for David’s good, even using people who didn’t know Him. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delights in his way (Psalm 37:23 ^a).