Bird's-eye view
In these opening verses of 1 Samuel 28, the stage is set for a monumental collision. The Philistines, Israel's perennial adversaries, are marshaling their forces for a decisive battle. This historical movement serves as the backdrop for a severe personal crisis for David. Having fled from Saul, David has taken refuge with Achish, the king of Gath, and has been living a life of elaborate deception. Now, that deception is called to account. Achish, fully trusting David, summons him to join the Philistine army in their campaign against Israel. David is caught in a trap of his own making. His response is a masterpiece of ambiguity, which Achish misinterprets as a pledge of loyalty, promoting him on the spot. These verses show us the sovereign hand of God tightening the screws on His servant, bringing David to a point where he must rely on God alone for deliverance from the tangled web he has woven.
Outline
- 1. The Inevitable Summons (1 Sam. 28:1)
- a. The Philistines Muster for War (v. 1a)
- b. Achish Calls His Vassal (v. 1b)
- 2. The Politic Reply (1 Sam. 28:2)
- a. David's Ambiguous Promise (v. 2a)
- b. Achish's Mistaken Confidence (v. 2b)
Context In 1 Samuel
These verses pick up the thread of David's exile among the Philistines, a story that began in chapter 27. For over a year, David has been living in Ziklag, a town given to him by Achish. He has been pretending to raid southern Judah while actually attacking the Geshurites, Girzites, and Amalekites. He has been playing a very dangerous double game. Meanwhile, Saul's spiritual and political decay has continued unabated. God has departed from him, and he is growing increasingly desperate. This chapter will culminate in Saul's infamous consultation with the medium at En-dor, while David faces the consequences of his own compromises. The external conflict between Israel and the Philistines mirrors the internal turmoil of both its current king and its king-in-waiting.
Verse by Verse Commentary
1 Samuel 28:1
Now it happened in those days that the Philistines gathered their armed camps for war, to fight against Israel. And Achish said to David, "Know assuredly that you will go out with me in the camp, you and your men."
The story opens with the machinery of war grinding into motion. The Philistines are gathering their forces. This is not just a border skirmish; it is a full-scale mobilization. The narrator presents this as a simple fact of history, "it happened in those days." But for the reader of Scripture, we know that the mustering of armies is never outside the purview of God. God is the one who raises up kings and brings them down, and He is the one who directs the course of battles. This impending war is the crucible in which both Saul and David will be tested.
And so the test comes directly to David. Achish, his Philistine benefactor, issues a direct command. The language is emphatic: "Know assuredly." There is no room for negotiation. David has accepted Achish's patronage, lived in his land, and enjoyed his protection. Now the bill comes due. He is being called upon to fulfill his role as a vassal. He and his six hundred men are expected to march with the Philistine army against his own people, against the Israel of God. This is the logical, entirely predictable outcome of David's decision to seek refuge with the enemy. When we make compromises with the world, the world will eventually expect us to fight for its causes.
1 Samuel 28:2
And David said to Achish, "Very well, you shall know what your servant can do." So Achish said to David, "Very well, I will make you my bodyguard for life."
David's reply is a marvel of what we might call constructive ambiguity. On the surface, it sounds like the eager pledge of a loyal soldier. "You'll see what I'm made of! I'll show you my worth on the battlefield." This is precisely how Achish takes it. But if you look closely at the words, David promises nothing. "You shall know what your servant can do." This is a statement of fact, not a pledge of allegiance. What can his servant do? He can fight for Israel. He can turn on the Philistines. He can trust God to deliver him. David is walking a razor's edge, using words that will satisfy his pagan lord without committing him to treason against God's people. He is in a terrible spot, one of his own making, and he is trying to navigate it with clever words. This is not necessarily a commendation of his method, but it is an acknowledgment of the tight corner he is in.
Achish, being a man of the world and not privy to the covenant promises of God, hears exactly what he wants to hear. He is so taken with David's apparent loyalty that he gives him a field promotion. "Very well," he says, "I will make you my bodyguard for life." The Hebrew is literally "head of my body." This is the most trusted position in the king's retinue. The irony is thick enough to cut with a sword. David, the anointed king of Israel, is appointed as the chief bodyguard to a Philistine king, and his primary duty would be to protect that king in battle against Israel. God's providence is a wonderful and fearful thing. He uses the blindness of the ungodly to advance His own purposes, and in this case, He uses Achish's gullibility to put David in an even more impossible position, from which only a divine deliverance will suffice.
Key Issues
- Providence in Compromise: David made a foolish and compromising decision to align himself with the Philistines. Yet, God's sovereign hand is still at work, not to bless the compromise, but to use the consequences of it to teach, discipline, and ultimately deliver His servant. God's plan is never thwarted by our foolishness.
- The Danger of Deception: David's life in Ziklag was built on a lie. This passage shows us the inevitable outcome of such a life. Sooner or later, our deceptions are called into question, and we are forced to declare our loyalties. The web we weave for others often ends up trapping us.
- The Blindness of Unbelief: Achish is completely taken in by David. He cannot conceive that David's ultimate loyalty lies elsewhere. The ungodly world consistently misjudges the people of God because it cannot understand their ultimate allegiance to a heavenly King.
Application
Every Christian finds himself in situations where loyalties are tested. We live as exiles in a world that is not our home, and like David, we can be tempted to make unholy alliances for the sake of security or comfort. We might try to manage these alliances with cleverness and ambiguous words, hoping to keep a foot in both worlds.
This passage serves as a sober warning. The day will come when the Achish of this world will call in the debt. It will demand that we march in its armies and fight for its causes against the kingdom of our God. We cannot serve two masters. David's predicament here is a direct result of his own sinful choices. He tried to solve the problem of Saul with carnal wisdom instead of faith.
And yet, the story is also full of hope. Even in the mess David has made, God has not abandoned him. God is working providentially, through the summons of a pagan king, to bring David to the end of his own resources. He is about to be delivered, not by his own cleverness, but by the intervention of God. When we find ourselves in a tangled mess of our own making, the path forward is not more cleverness, but repentance. We must confess our foolish compromises and cast ourselves entirely on the mercy of God, who is faithful to deliver us, not always from the consequences, but always through them for His glory.