David’s Story: Hiding From God

1 Samuel 27-31

The Ten Signposts of the Bible
CAMDE—400—CALY
Creation. Abraham. Moses. DAVID. Elijah. 400. Christ. Apostles. Letters. Yet-to-Come.

Have you ever been spiritually exhausted…from doing the right thing?

Ask the teenager committed to staying pure while experiencing hormonal explosions. Ask the couple staying in a challenging marriage. Ask the single parent burning the candle at both ends. Ask the young adult who is waiting (and waiting) for God to send the right spouse. Sometimes we can become worn out by obedience.[1] That’s what happened to David.

For over eight years, David had been running from Saul. Twice David had the opportunity to kill Saul, but both times he refused to harm “the LORD’s anointed.” After each occasion, when Saul was at a distance, David held up the items he had taken–a corner of Saul’s robe and his spear–as proof that he had spared the king’s life. Each time, Saul responded, “I have sinned. Return, my son David, for I will no more do you harm, because my life was precious in your eyes this day. Behold, I have acted foolishly, and have made a great mistake” (1 Sam. 26:21). Yet David could not trust Saul’s volatile intentions. At last, he said, in effect, “I’m done.”

1 Samuel 27:1
Then David said in his heart, “Now I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of seeking me any longer within the borders of Israel, and I shall escape out of his hand.”

Worn out and worn down, David’s self-counsel, (said in his heart), led him to believe that God’s promises could not be trusted. He no longer believed he would become the king of Israel, as Samuel had promised. Convinced that moving into enemy territory was his best option, David took his six hundred men, along with their wives and children, and crossed over into the land occupied by the Philistines.

David found favor with Achish, one of the five Philistine kings. Achish provided David with a small country town in which to reside, and he lived there in Ziklag for eighteen months. It was the place where David hid.

Where do you go to hide? From family? Friends? God? Where is your Ziklag?

The problem with settling in enemy territory is that it requires a life of lies and cover-up. That is exactly what David faced. He and his men continued to raid Israel’s enemies, but David reported to King Achish that he was attacking the Philistines’ enemies instead. Every lie demanded a cover-up. To protect his secret, “David would leave neither man nor woman alive to bring news to Gath, thinking, “lest they should tell about us and say, ‘So David has done.’” Such was his custom all the while he lived in the country of the Philistines” (1 Sam. 27:11).

When the Philistine forces readied to fight against the Israelites, David and his men joined with Achish’s army at the rear. Achish trusted David completely but the four other Philistine kings refused to let David fight for fear he and his men would join up with Israel in the middle of the battle. Displeased with the rejection, David headed back home while the Philistines headed out in their campaign against Israel.

As David and his men returned to Ziklag, they saw smoke rising in the distance. When they arrived, their worst fears were confirmed: the city was burning, and the Amalekites had raided their homes and taken the women and children captive. David and his men “raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep” (1 Sam. 30:4).

Then the situation got worse for David. “The people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God” (1 Sam. 30:6). 

One of my favorite passages in Scripture is the end of 1 Samuel 30:6, a verse filled with grace and mercy: David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.

By this point, David had spent eighteen months in enemy territory, covering up his actions. He had wiped out entire families and villages so there would be no witnesses to report back to Achish about his deceptive raids. Now, with his own men talking of killing him, David had no one except God. And it turns out that when God is all you have, God is all you need.

God allowed David and his men to pursue and overtake the Amalekites. They recovered their wives and children and all that the enemy had taken. “Nothing was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that had been taken. David brought back all” (1 Sam. 30:19).

Here is where God’s story in David takes a decisive turn.

In the battle between the Israelites and the Philistines that David and his men were not allowed to join, Saul and his three sons were struck down (1 Sam. 31:2). On that day, David became the king of Judah.

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD
Read and reflect on 1 Samuel 27-31. What “Ziklag” might you be running to when you feel spiritually exhausted or discouraged?

Talking to God: Ask God to help you stay away from Ziklag. What boundaries do you need to set up?

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I invite you to visit the Living Grounded YouTube channel, where we share conversations to help you stay rooted in your faith. Be sure to check out The Living Grounded Podcast with Cliff Graham. Cliff is the author of The Lion of War series, based on the life of David, which Tunch Ilkin introduced me to years ago. See Episode 124 here: [Living Grounded YouTube Channel].

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