Reading: I Chronicles 11-13
And there came of the children of Benjamin and Judah to the hold unto David. And David went out to meet them, and answered and said unto them, If ye be come peaceably unto me to help me, mine heart shall be knit unto you: but if ye be come to betray me to mine enemies, seeing there is no wrong in mine hands, the God of our fathers look thereon, and rebuke it. Then the spirit came upon Amasai, who was chief of the captains, and he said, Thine are we, David, and on thy side, thou son of Jesse: peace, peace be unto thee, and peace be to thine helpers; for thy God helpeth thee. Then David received them, and made them captains of the band (I Chr. 12:16-18).
Chapter 12 of the Book of I Chronicles takes us back to the difficult time of the latter days of Saul’s kingship over Israel, when David was living in self-imposed exile in the land of the Philistines. And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand. And David arose, and he passed over with the six hundred men that were with him unto Achish, the son of Maoch, king of Gath (I Sam. 27:1-2).
Scripture is not clear what prompted David to flee Israel other than that moment of soul-deep weariness and discouragement. It gives us no indication that he consulted with God before acting, but it does show us much of the good that God bought about through David’s stay in Philistine territory. First, the city of Ziklag, which had been a part of the territory God had given to the tribe of Judah as their inheritance (Josh. 15:31), was returned to David and from that point forward remained under Israelite/Judean control (I Sam. 27:6). Second, from the relative safety of that stronghold, David and his men were able to clear large swaths of the surrounding land of God’s enemies (I Sam 27:8-11). Lastly, David was able to provide others who believed in his cause or had otherwise fallen out of favor with Saul a safe place to seek refuge (I Chr. 12). David did not judge those that sought him out, but rather received them openly, in friendship and peace. For at that time day by day there came to David to help him, until it was a great host, like the host of God (12:22). He trusted in God to determine their true intentions and to deal with any hidden treachery in His own way and time.
The biblical record of the time David spent in Philistine territory offers us a valuable lesson in the faithfulness and grace of God. If we believe not, yet He abideth faithful: He cannot deny himself (II Tim. 2:13). Just as David did in fleeing Israel, we are all at times going to make life decisions without first ensuring that they fall within the perfect will of God. Decisions that, once made, we will find difficult or even impossible to roll back. But whatever troubles we garner for ourselves, we can take comfort in knowing that God is still actively working in our lives to bring good from every situation. If we follow Him, He can and will lead us forward even when we have needlessly complicated the path we have to walk.
Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert(Is. 43:19).
Thought For TodayStraying from the path of God can happen even to the most faithful and doesn’t have to mean that we are permanently lost, but we cannot continue to progress until we are once again following Him.
Christ Portrayed : By David, the anointed king (I Chr. 11:3). Christ is the Anointed One who will soon reign forever as KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS (Rev. 19:16).
Word Studies: 11:16 hold = stronghold; 12:1 close = restricted in his movements; in hiding; 12:17 knit = joined, united; 12:19 fell . . . to David = shifted allegiance to David.
Pray for Radio:Sponsored by Thursday Morning Prayer • Country: Morocco (32,649,130) Northwest Coast of Africa • Major Languages: Arabic, Tamazight, French • Government very hostile to Christians and missions • 99% Sunni Muslim; 1% Other (Christian, Jew, Baha’i, Shia Muslim) • Prayer Suggestion: Have faith that God always keeps His promises (Gen. 17:16 & 21:2-3).
Optional Reading: I Corinthians 2.