Summary of 1 Samuel 29:
The Philistines prepare for war against the Israelites. The other rulers/commanders of the Philistines outside of Achish do not trust David (rightfully so) to fight against the Israelites. So they send him away. David protests but probably just to keep putting on the show.
BSF Study Questions People of the Promised Land 1: Lesson 15, Day 3: 1 Samuel 29:
6) The men of Achish did not trust David since he was an Israelite and demanded David be sent back and not be allowed to go into battle against the Israelites.
7) God did not put David in a situation where he would jeopardize his safety and have to fight against his own men.
8 ) Personal Question. My answer: God has protected me too many times to count. He kept me safe when I was young and did stupid things and put myself in stupid situations. He protects me now as I go about my daily life, living His will for me.
Conclusions: BSF Study Questions People of the Promised Land 1 Lesson 15, Day 3: 1 Samuel 29:
I love how God works here. He places doubt in the minds of Achich’s men, and David is saved from having to fight the Israelites. Despite David (and our’s) stupid decisions, God protects us and saves us from ourselves.
End Notes BSF Study Questions People of the Promised Land 1 Lesson 15, Day 3: 1 Samuel 29:
Scholars don’t know if in these chapters David is pretending to be with the Philistines or if his heart really has turned from God to the Philistines. Here, the Philistines recognize this conflict of interest and keep David out of the battle.
Achish defends David. Again, it’s hard to tell if Achish is completely fooled by David or he knows David has turned from God.
Achish swears by the Lord, perhaps being courteous to David.
David didn’t like being rejected by the Philistines. Still, God uses the rejection of the ungodly for the Godly — in this case, David.
Even though we don’t know if David is faking or not, God did not put David in the situation to find out. God keeps David from sinning.