Immerse: Kingdoms Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 143
1S
| 27:1–28:6
S am u el – K I N G S
131
But David kept thinking to himself, “Someday Saul is going to get me. The
best thing I can do is escape to the Philistines. Then Saul will stop hunting
for me in Israelite territory, and I will finally be safe.”
So David took his 600 men and went over and joined Achish son of
Maoch, the king of Gath. David and his men and their families settled
there with Achish at Gath. David brought his two wives along with h im—
Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, Nabal’s widow from Carmel. Word
soon reached Saul that David had fled to Gath, so he stopped hunting
for him.
One day David said to Achish, “If it is all right with you, we would rather
live in one of the country towns instead of here in the royal city.”
So Achish gave him the town of Ziklag (which still belongs to the kings
of Judah to this day), and they lived there among the Philistines for a year
and four months.
David and his men spent their time raiding the Geshurites, the Girzites,
and the Amalekites—people who had lived near Shur, toward the land of
Egypt, since ancient times. David did not leave one person alive in the villages he attacked. He took the sheep, goats, cattle, donkeys, camels, and
clothing before returning home to see King Achish.
“Where did you make your raid today?” Achish would ask.
And David would reply, “Against the south of Judah, the Jerahmeelites,
and the Kenites.”
No one was left alive to come to Gath and tell where he had really been.
This happened again and again while he was living among the Philistines.
Achish believed David and thought to himself, “By now the people of Is
rael must hate him bitterly. Now he will have to stay here and serve me
forever!”
About that time the Philistines mustered their armies for another war with
Israel. King Achish told David, “You and your men will be expected to join
me in battle.”
“Very well!” Dav id agreed. “Now you will see for yourself what we
can do.”
Then Achish told David, “I will make you my personal bodyguard for
life.”
Meanwhile, Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him. He
was buried in Ramah, his hometown. And Saul had banned from the land
of Israel all mediums and those who consult the spirits of the dead.
The Philistines set up their camp at Shunem, and Saul gathered all the
army of Israel and camped at Gilboa. When Saul saw the vast Philistine
army, he became frantic with fear. He asked the Lord what he should do,
but the Lord refused to answer him, either by dreams or by sacred lots