1 Samuel 29-30 Return of the King

CONTEXT The are amassing all their forces to wage war against Israel, having been appointed as Achish’s bodyguard. , in great fear, inquires of the LORD, and when there is no answer, Saul resorts to seeking out a medium to get Samuel’s counsel. Samuel does appear, but only to repeat his rebuke to Saul for his disobedience and to foretell his death. The medium ministers to Saul with his last supper before Saul departs for his last battle with the Philistines. WHO Philistines • lords – rulers of the five Philistine cities (1 Sam 6:4), including Achish. • commanders* - military leaders of hundreds and thousands (such as Abner, David) • Achish* - the king of Israelites • David* • his men (including wicked and worthless fellows*) • Abiathar the priest • elders of Judah Egyptian* The LORD* WHAT David’s heart returns to the LORD as events unfold leading to the death of Saul and David’s eventual coronation. A Rejected by Philistine Commanders (adversary) 29:1-5 B Relieved from Battle (guilt?) 29:6-11 C Raid on Ziklag (grief) 30:1-6a X Return to the LORD (trust) 30:6b-8 C’ Recovering All the Lost (joy) 30:9-20 B’ Ruling on those Relieved from Battle (grace) 30:21-25 A’ Reaching out to the Elders of Judah (friend) 30:26-31 WHERE Aphek About 60 mi N of Ziklag, 40 mi S of Jezreel Jezreel a city on the NW spur of Mount Gilboa Ziklag Brook Besor 15 mi SW of Ziklag

epaaske 03.23.15 Page 1 of 6 WHEN Events of these chapters occur concurrently with the events of chapters 28 and 31. Following is a timeline given by Fokkelman:

Day Amalekites David Saul 30:14 Raids start in 1 28:112 march to Aphek with Achish the Negev nd 2 (2 day of march) rd 3 (3 day of march) Ziklag burned, 4 29:1 muster in Aphek; David rejected (Philistines gather in Aphek) Egyptian left (30:12 3 days and 3 5 29:11 David departs back to Ziklag (Philistines march toward Shunem) nights with nd 6 no food or drink) (2 day of march home) 30:1 arrive in Ziklag, inquire of the 7 Egyptian found 28:4,5 Saul visits medium in En-dor LORD, start pursuit, attack at twilight 8 38:17 fight all night/day til evening Philistines attack and kill Saul

2 Sam 1:1 David returns to Ziklag, 31:8,12 Philistines find Saul’s corpse, 9 recovering all Jabeshites recover his body that night nd 31:13 Saul cremated and buried, start 10 (2 day in Ziklag) week’s mourning rd 11 2 Sam 1:2 3 day receive news

WHY These chapters give David an alibi for Saul’s death. But more than that, they show a stark contrast between the two kings of Israel. KEY WORDS return, go back, 5x rescue, recover, 5x go, depart, set out, follow, roamed, 10x take, capture, brought 5x give, 5x good, 3x 29:6 right, approve (lit “good in the eyes”), 29:9 blameless evil, 3x 29:6,7 wrong, displease (lit “evil in the eyes”), 30:22 wicked day, 12x idea of “from that day… to this day” 4x strengthen, 1x also seen in 23:16. to strengthen, prevail, harden, be strong. same word used to describe Pharaoh’s hardening his heart. hand, 2x again, with reference to the LORD (30:23) CONTRASTS good v. evil give v. take adversary (“Satan”) v. angel of God friend (“neighbor”) v. enemy epaaske 03.23.15 Page 2 of 6 NOTES 29:1-5 Rejected by Philistine Commanders David and his men have journeyed from Ziklag to Gath, where Achish makes David his bodyguard (27:1-2) before they all move up to Aphek to prepare for war against Saul. • v.1 All the Philistines are mustered in Aphek, ready to march up north toward Mount Gilboa/Jezreel where Saul’s army is encamped. • v.2 “rear” – Achish brings up the rear of the army with David and his men guarding the tail. As his bodyguard, David holds a crucial position, vulnerable to the enemy flanking them. • v.4 “adversary” – literally, “Satan”. Even though Achish is blind, the others can see that David can turn, just as others have in the past (14:21). • v.5 quote of the song – third time repeated. 1st was to Saul (18:7) -> jealousy. 2nd to Achish (21:11) -> David feigns madness. 3rd here -> we know this may lead to trouble!

29:6-11 Relieved from Battle Even though Achish has made David his bodyguard for life, he dismisses him here in response to pressure from his fellow Philistine kings. Note the apologetic tone of his words to David, and the cunning response of David. • v.6, 9 Note the two references to God are by Achish, the Philistine • v.6, 9 Three evaluations given by Achish of David, all of which are unfounded. - “you have been honest” - “I have found nothing evil in you” - “you are as good in my sight as an angel of God” How would these statements have affected David? Guilt? Pride at having fooled the king so completely? • v.7 “go in peace” – Achish wants to maintain peace. • David’s responds with a question, not a statement of denial – subtle and cunning, enough to imply his innocence, but with a double meaning. • v.11 “return to the land of the Philistines” – David is still not home. It is rather the Philistines who are going to Israel.

David, the man after God’s own heart, one who should be a man of integrity, is portrayed here as a man of duplicity. But God is gracious. The LORD spares David from a very sticky situation: from having to choose between killing Saul or alienating the Philistines with whom he has found refuge. Even if David had felt the prickings of a guilty conscience from Achish’s evaluation of him, the overwhelming emotion would have been that of relief. David is off the hook. Or is he?

epaaske 03.23.15 Page 3 of 6 30:1-6a Raid on Ziklag David and his men would have been gone for at least six days, and with the Philistines gone to war, the Amalekites have taken advantage of their absence and gone out on raiding parties. • v.1 The exhilarating sense of relief turns into a sense to doom as they see the smoke rising from a distance. • v.2-5 “captive” 3x - the LORD spares the family from the fates of those David and his men have raided in chapter 27. • v.4 “wept” – the last time David wept is in parting from Jonathan (20:41) • v.6 “greatly distressed” – Saul was greatly distressed because of the enemies, but David is facing his own men wanting to kill him. • v.6 “bitter in soul” – same description used for the men that gathered to David in the cave of Adullam (22:2). They had come to David for hope, but now they have lost everything, even their own family, because of David. David’s choices have ramifications that extend to all those around him.

30:6b-8 Return to the LORD This is a turning point in David – in the face of the worst possible nightmare, he turns to the LORD. • v.6b “strengthened himself” – at another very low point in David’s life as a fugitive, Jonathan had come to strengthen David’s hand in God (23:16). In contrast to his men whose grief turns into bitterness, David chooses to become strong in “the LORD his God”. Note that David’s faith here is not dependent on whether the LORD answers him or not. (Saul never referred to God as his.) • v.7-8 David inquires of the LORD after he renews his trust in God. This is the first time he inquires of the LORD since Keilah (23:2,4). Note that when Saul inquires of the LORD out of “great distress”, he just wants answers. Or he has already made up his mind (14:36). Thus, Saul gets no answers. • v. 8 David, when faced with a very pressing crisis, takes time to seek the LORD’s leading when every single cell in his body would have been screaming to go after his family at all costs. • v.8 David asks two questions, and the third isn’t even put into words. Perhaps too afraid even to ask? Yet God answers the unspoken question, the foremost question in the minds of all – “Will I be able to rescue them?” God’s answer is in the most definitive – “overtaking, you shall overtake, and rescuing, you shall rescue.” Gracious God!

epaaske 03.23.15 Page 4 of 6 30:9-20 Recovering All the Lost David and his 600 men immediately set out on a rescue mission, after having spent the last week traveling 60+ miles back and forth to Aphek. Grief turns to joy as they recover all that they had lost; all the while, Saul is fighting the Philistines to his death. • v.9-10 After 15 miles of travel, they leave 200 behind who are exhausted. • v.11-15 God has sustained the Egyptian servant for three days and three nights so that he can guide David to his people. Note that while the medium is reviving Saul from his fast (for one day), David is reviving this slave from his fast of three days. Note that David cares for him without knowing that this man could help. • v.16 “behold” – v.3 also has “behold” when they find Ziklag on fire. Amalekites are completely defenseless –still under the assumption that David is far away. • v.17 They attack the same evening (3rd day) and fight all night til the following evening – 24 hours of battle, which coincide with Saul’s battle to death. • v.17 why the 400 young men who got away? Did God spare them because David and his 400 should have died but were spared? • Note the sense of completeness (all, 5x) in David’s victory, and the complete turnaround in the men’s feelings toward David.

30:21-25 Ruling on those Relieved from Battle On the way back with their families and the spoils, they meet those they left behind at Brook Besor. Whatever feelings he may have had in being relieved from fighting with the Philistines, he now extends grace to those who were relieved from fighting. • v.21 “greet” – literally, “asked peace”. Achish also extended peace to David whom he relieved from battle. • v.22, 23 “wicked” – evil. “worthless” – also used to describe Nabal. Whereas David responded to Nabal in swift anger, he calls them his “brothers” and reasons with them. Note the return to references to the LORD in David’s speech. • v.23 The basis of David’s reasoning is that he sees everything as a gift from the LORD. Out of God’s grace to us comes grace we can extend to others.

30:26-31 Reaching Out to the Elders of Judah Whereas he was seen as an adversary by the Philistines, he now reaches out to the elders of Judah as his friends. We don’t know if he had shared his spoils with them from earlier raids (ch.27), but it is recorded for the first time here. • v.26 David’s message to the elders creates a common bond of the LORD and their share of same enemies. • v.27-31 list of cities, ending with Hebron, which will be the seat of David’s kingdom of Judah. Note that some of these are the ones he reported to Achish about raiding. epaaske 03.23.15 Page 5 of 6

LANDING ON CHRIST • David’s trust in God at the darkest moment of his life prefigures Jesus who, facing the time of his death, chose to put himself into God’s hands: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Lu 24:46). • David’s deliverance of the captives was complete with nothing left behind. So Jesus, who came to “proclaim liberty to the captives” (Lu 4:18), “is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them” (Heb 7:25). • David shared the spoil with others. Jesus, “when he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men” (Eph 4:8).

APPLICATIONS • David was far from God, dwelling in the land of the Philistines and living a life of duplicity, yet he found his way back to God. How is God calling you to return to him today? How has God restored you in your darkest times? • How is God calling you to seek his will and guidance? • Is there a root of bitterness I am dealing with? How can I give that over to God and find strength in him? • How is God calling me to extend grace to others, knowing that all I have is a gift from God? • How does God’s grace toward David and his sovereign working of his plan despite David’s faithlessness encourage you today?

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