Whose Side Are These Hebrews On?

Then said the princes of the Philistines, What do these Hebrews here? And Achish said unto the princes of the Philistines, Is not this David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, which hath been with me these days, or these years, and I have found no fault in him since he fell unto me unto this day? —1 Samuel 29:3

It should have been no surprise that on the eve of battle, the Philistine princes would question the presence of David and his men.

The question of where his loyalties lay should have awakened in David the same question. “He should not have sought refuge among the Philistines in the first place. The step had been taken without seeking divine guidance. Now the crisis was approaching. David was in great straits. He had no desire to take up arms against his brethren.” David’s men were marching at the end of the Philistine column, accompanying the Philistine king and his entourage.

Even though Achish attempted to allay the fears of his men, his vote of confidence in David was not accepted. Under these circumstances, it would be better not to trust David. Although delighted at this turn of events, David responded with feigned hurt: “But what have I done? and what hast thou found in thy servant so long as I have been with thee unto this day, that I may not go fight against the enemies of my lord the king?” (1 Samuel 29:8).

“In a moment of discouragement, and not knowing which way to turn, David had taken steps that placed him in a dilemma from which he was totally unable to escape without outside help. . . . How merciful was the Lord in using the ill will and animosity of the Philistines to open the door for his release from disgrace, whichever way the battle turned!” Achish excused David from participating in the coming battle (vv. 9, 10) and tactfully admonished him to leave the Philistine camp before dawn, lest the princes kill him.

“Heavenly messengers moved upon the Philistine princes to protest against the presence of David and his force with the army in the approaching conflict.” Often an error in judgment places us in desperate need of God’s intervention.