Year 1, Day 315: 1 Samuel 29

Keeper of the Heads

There is a phenomenal play on words in this passage that you simple don’t get unless you know Hebrew.  Not being a Hebrew scholar, I am not going to take credit for the first piece of wisdom brought in this paragraph.  Instead, the credit goes to Lawrence O. Richards and it comes from The Bible Reader’s Companion.  He reminds us that Achish has promised to make David the “chief bodyguard,” which in the original Hebrew literally means “keeper of the head.”  In a literal sense, this makes a lot of sense! 

However, look at what the Philistine leaders are afraid of in this section.  Verse 4 tells us that they are afraid of David reconciling himself to Saul “with the heads of these men here.”  Achish has promised to make David the “keeper of the head,” and the leaders are afraid that David might take that job description a little too seriously and keep their heads as a gift for Saul!  For the record, the Philistines have good reason to be concerned.  1 Samuel 14:21 has already told us of one incident where Hebrews living among Philistines turned on the Philistine.

Sent Home

So, this means that David gets sent home.  But before we get there, I want to look at some backsliding from David’s perspective.  Maybe it is just me, but I find David speaking and acting deplorably here.  I’ll give you some examples:

Verse 6 tells us that Achish believes David to have been honest with him.  Achish genuinely believes that David has been forthright and loyal.  However, remember that during this time David has been going out and raiding Canaanite villages and killing everyone that he finds in those villages.  He’s been killing innocent people to hide his actions from Achish.

Verse 8 gives us a complete lie on David’s behalf.  David asks, “What have I done?”  David knows full well what he has been doing and hiding from Achish.

Verse 8 also gives us an example of manipulation.  David asks, “What have you found in your servant from the day I entered your service until now?”  Well, David knows full well that Achish has nothing to offer.  However, David also knows full well that Achish doesn’t know about his activities because he’s been actively covering up his tracks and hiding them from Achish.  Asking a person who has been kept ignorant of evil to verify loyalty is not a true sign of loyalty.   It is a true sign of manipulation!

Verse 8 also tells us of David’s switching allegiance.  What title does David give to Achish?  David calls him “my lord the king.”  David’s allegiance to God is on shaky ground here when he starts calling Achish his “lord the king.” 

There are some who think that when David says “my lord and king” that he actually is meaning Saul.  If that is the case, then David is not being unfaithful to Israel in this story but he is still being dishonest and deceitful to Achish!  I find this unlikely, though, because if it was true and David was desiring to fight with the Hebrew people and turn on the Philistines, he certainly still could have joined the battle in a flanking position!  The fact that David goes home tells me that he was not likely going to turn on the Philistines in battle.

Achish’s Response to David’s Deception

Achish calls David “blameless as an angel of the Lord.”  This should have stung in David’s soul.  David is nowhere near blameless, but his lies and deception have allowed him to appear that way.  The fact that David allows the compliment to go unchecked tells me that David is still interested in weaving his network of schemes and lies with Achish.

In the end, I have to look at this chapter as a weak point in David’s life.  I’m not one of those people who can stand back and say “Well, they were the Philistines; David doesn’t have to be honest and faithful to them.”  I can’t go there.  I don’t believe God goes about his purposes through lies and deceit just because the recipients are “the bad guys.”  My understanding is that God loves the Gentiles – loves them enough to send Christ to die for them and Paul to evangelize to them.   

I cannot simply say that they were Philistines and they deserved no better than the lies and deceit David gave them.  No, they were human beings and they should have been won to God through faithfulness and genuine pursuit of God’s character.  I can give David no passing grade with respect to this chapter.

Of course, I am judging David no more harshly than I judge myself.  Have I never told a lie?  Have I never tried to manipulate people?  Have I never tried to cover up my actions?  Ha!  I am as guilty as David on each of these terms.  But that is no reason to not call David out.  It is every reason to judge myself as a sinner along with David.  Only through faithful examination can we truly come to the terms of repentance and spiritual growth.

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