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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadPaul Kretzmann Commentary - 1 Samuel 27:1 - 27:7
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David in Gath and Ziklag
v. 1. And David said in his heart, taking counsel with himself, expressing the inmost conviction of his heart, I shall now perish, be cut down, snatched away, swept off, one day by the hand of Saul; there is nothing better for me, literally, "There is nothing good for me," there was no advantage, no sense in his staying in the territory of Israel, than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines, that was his one place of refuge; and Saul shall despair of me to seek me any more in any coast of Israel, desist from the pursuit as a hopeless undertaking; so shall I escape out of his hand.
v. 2. And David arose, and he passed over with the six hundred men that were with him, whose number had remained unchanged in recent years, unto Achish, the son of Maoch, king of Gath, evidently the same man with whom he sought refuge a number of years before, 1Sa_21:10, who by this time, however, must have been convinced that David was no longer an ally of Saul.
v. 3. And David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, with his family, even David with his two wives, Ahinoam, the Jezreelitess, and Abigail, the Carmelitess, Nabal's wife, 1Sa_25:42-43.
v. 4. And it was told Saul that David was fled to Gath, where the latter had some leisure to devote to music and poetry, Psalms 8; and he sought no more again for him, David thus gaining his object.
v. 5. And David said unto Achish, If I have now found grace in thine eyes, let them give me a place in some town in the country, one of the suburbs or country-cities, that I may dwell there; for why should thy servant dwell in the royal city with thee? David's plea and suggestion was that his men were overcrowding the city and that their expenses were very large, but his real motive undoubtedly was to get away from the idolatrous customs of the Philistines, which surely must have brought him, as the guest of the king, into unpleasant situations at times.
v. 6. Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day, a city which had been apportioned to the tribe of Simeon, Jos_19:5, but had evidently been taken by the Philistines only recently and was still deserted; wherefore Ziklag pertaineth unto the kings of Judah unto this day, having been given to David as an outright present.
v. 7. And the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months. It was undoubtedly weakness of faith which caused David to leave the territory of Judah, for he had expressly been told by the Prophet Gad to remain there. It happens time and again that even staunch servants of the Lord become weak under continued suffering, forgetting entirely that God's merciful power is able to keep them in all dangers. But the Lord has compassion with the weakness of His children.