While David and his men now live in the little town in Philistia by the goodness of its king, they are reminded that they must war against their homeland and Saul who is still the king of Judea. The king of Philistia, Achish, said, "You must understand that you and your men will accompany me in the army." David brazenly said, "Then you will see for yourself what your servant can do."
Now, Samuel was dead, and Israel mourned him, but before he died he had expelled all mediums and spiritualists in the land, which put Saul in a difficult place, for when he saw the Philistine army he became terrified, and thought of a woman who was a medium in a city nearby. Saul dressed himself in the clothes of another for a disguise, and at night he and two others went to the medium, and asked her to bring up some spirits for him, and he would choose. The medium questioned him, for she thought it was a trap which would end in her death. But Saul persisted and asked for the man Samuel, who had always told him what the Lord desired. When Samuel came up he looked like an old man, but the woman knew him, and at once knew the man who asked for him...Saul!
Samuel turned to Saul and said, "Why do you consult me, now that the Lord has turned away from you and become your enemy? The Lord has done what he predicted through me. The Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors...David. Because you did not obey the Lord or carry out his wrath, the Lord has done this to you today. The Lord will hand over both Israel and you to the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me in death, and the Lord will hand over the army of Israel to the Philistines." And Saul fell forward full length onto the ground, filled with fear.
At this same time, the commanders of all the Philistine cities asked Achish, David's commander, "Wait! What about these Hebrews?" And Achish replied, "Is this not David, who was an officer with me for over a year, and from the day he left Saul until now, I have found no fault in him." But the Philistines commanders were angry, so Achish went to David and discharged him and his men, assuring David he had done nothing wrong. So David and his men got up early in the morning to go back to the land of the Philistines, and the Philistines went on to fight against Israel and Saul.
When David and his men reached their homes, they discovered them burned and raided. Their wives had been taken captive and carried off. This needed the Lord's direction, so David had Abiathar, their priest, bring him the ephod, and David asked the Lord, "Should I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?" And God answered, "Pursue them. You will overtake them and succeed in the rescue."
And the men were off, finding an old Egyptian slave who had been abandoned by the raiding party because of illness and he told David which way to go. And there they were, the raiders, scattered around eating and drinking, reveling in their plunder and their success. David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his wives. Nothing was missing. But the men wanted to destroy those who had taken their goods, and take their plunderers' plunder, but David said, "No! Do not do wrong! The Lord has given us what we now protect and also what has been handed back to us." And when they returned home, he sent some of their earlier plunder to those men and families who were from many of the towns and cities in their homeland, giving them thanks.
Strange, isn't it? The Study has an interesting thought: "David found his strength in God and began asking for a solution instead of a scapegoat. When facing problems, remember that it is useless to look for someone else to blame or criticize. Instead, consider how you can help find a solution."
From the gist of this story it's hard to tell...Whose on first? An old joke, but true, I think. Such fighting written down for all the world to see. I guess we are no different....We are the world!
Hoping soon to clear the air of this entanglement between David and Saul.
Hanging in there!
Jo INMN
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