1 In those days the Philistines gathered their forces for war, to fight against Israel. And Achish said to David, “Understand that you and your men are to go out with me in the army.” 2 David said to Achish, “Very well, you shall know what your servant can do.” And Achish said to David, “Very well, I will make you my bodyguard for life.”
3 Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had put the mediums and the necromancers out of the land. 4 The Philistines assembled and came and encamped at Shunem. And Saul gathered all Israel, and they encamped at Gilboa. 5 When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. 6 And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets. 7 Then Saul said to his servants, “Seek out for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “Behold, there is a medium at En-dor.” – 1 Samuel 28:1-7 ESV
The last few chapters have featured a series of repetitive encounters between Saul and David, providing a stark contrast between the lives of the two men. The back-and-forth nature of the narrative repeatedly shifts the focus from one man to the other, revealing aspects of their lives that set them apart. One minute we’re given a look into the life of David, and then the scene shifts to that of Saul. Sandwiched in between were two awkward face-to-face encounters between the two men in which David had been given the opportunity to take Saul’s life but refused to do so.
In this chapter, the two men appear together but not physically. The opening verses of the chapter provide a brief but sobering look into what happens when someone decides to disobey God and take matters into their own hands. While the author has gone out of his way to contrast David and Saul, this preface to chapter 28 appears to make both men responsible for the events about to unfold. Both men have created unnecessary and uncomfortable circumstances for themselves because they have chosen to disobey God.
David is living with the Philistines. Granted, his troops and their families occupy the city of Ziklag, in a more remote area within Philistia but they are still considered vassals or servants of the Philistine king, Achish. In fact, because of David’s deception, King Achish had the false impression that David and his 600 men were actually fighting against Israel on his behalf. Where would he have gotten such an idea? From David himself. Each time David and his troops went on a raid, they would attack the enemies of Israel. But when they returned, they would report to Achish that they had been raiding areas within Judah (1 Samuel 27:8-12). So Achish believed that David, because of Saul, had switched his loyalties and was now a faithful servant of the Philistines.
David must have considered himself some kind of genius. By moving to Philistia, he had escaped the constant pursuit of Saul and found a safe haven from which to continue his attacks against the enemies of Israel. David’s plan seems to have turned out well, but his reliance upon deception was about to blow up in his face because the inevitable happened. The Israelites declared war on the Philistines and King Achish demanded that David and his men accompany him in battle against the Israelites.
King Achish told David, “You and your men will be expected to join me in battle.” – 1 Samuel 28:1 NLT
The dream scenario David had created was about to turn into a nightmare. If he refused to fight alongside the Philistines, King Achish would question his loyalty and, perhaps, renege on his offer of hospitality and protection. Worse yet, the king might realize that David had been deceiving him all along and turn against him.
If David agrees to fight with the Philistines, he will be forced to attack his own people and forfeit any right to the crown of Israel. Maintaining his cover in Philistia would require David to be a traitor to his people. So, in the heat of the moment, David gave Achish an ambiguous commitment.
“Very well!” David agreed. “Now you will see for yourself what we can do.” – 1 Samuel 28:2a NLT
David is forced to continue his deception of King Achish, delaying the inevitable decision he must make. The king assumes that he has David’s full support and allegiance and gives him a promotion.
Then Achish told David, “I will make you my personal bodyguard for life.” – 1 Samuel 28:2b NLT
David, who once served as the personal bodyguard of King Saul, now finds himself offering his services to the king of the Philistines (1 Samuel 22:14). Imagine David’s embarrassment at having to try and explain this promotion to his men. This was a predicament to end all predicaments. David was between a rock and a hard place and it was all his fault; he had no one to blame but himself.
What about Saul? He faced a war against the Philistines and was missing one of his best warriors and 600 of his most battle-hardened soldiers – all because he had chosen to make David and his men outlaws. His obsessive attempt to take David’s life had forced David to switch sides (or so Saul had concluded). In addition, Saul was operating without the aid of a prophet of God because Samuel was dead. To make matters worse, God had removed His Spirit from Saul, leaving him without divine direction. He was a king without a Sovereign to whom he could turn for help and guidance. But this didn’t prevent Saul from attempting to seek God’s help.
When Saul saw the vast Philistine army, he became frantic with fear. He asked the Lord what he should do, but the Lord refused to answer him, either by dreams or by sacred lots or by the prophets. – 1 Samuel 28:5-6 NLT
God had gone silent, the prophet was dead, David was AWOL, the Israelites were vastly outnumbered, and Saul was scared out of his wits. But this desperate situation had been of his own making. He is the one who disobeyed God and failed to wipe out the Amalekites. He is the one who refused to wait for the prophet and offered sacrifices to God in direct disobedience to the law of God. He is the one who refused to accept God’s decree for David to be the next king of Israel. Instead, he had repeatedly attempted to take David’s life. Now David had sided with the enemy and Saul was facing consequences that were a direct result of his disobedience and poor decision-making. Like David, Saul found himself between a rock and a hard place, and in a last-gasp attempt to solve his predicament, he would make one more ungodly decision he would live to regret.
Saul then said to his advisers, “Find a woman who is a medium, so I can go and ask her what to do.” – 1 Samuel 28:7 NLT
Because God refused to answer him, Saul decided to turn to a witch for help. His desperate need for guidance drove him to disobey the will of God. Saul knew what he was doing was wrong because God had clearly communicated His policies concerning witchcraft and the occult.
“If a person turns to mediums and necromancers, whoring after them, I will set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people.” – Leviticus 20:6 ESV
“There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord.” – Deuteronomy 18:10-12 ESV
Saul had even banned from the land of Israel “all mediums and those who consult the spirits of the dead” (1 Samuel 28:3 NLT). But, as Saul felt the walls closing in on him, he denied his own edict and disobeyed the command of God.
Saul then said to his advisers, “Find a woman who is a medium, so I can go and ask her what to do.”
His advisers replied, “There is a medium at Endor.” – 1 Samuel 28:7 NLT
Two men. Two different circumstances. But both found themselves in a predicament of their own making and all because of their disobedience to God. Rather than seeking and submitting to the will of God, they had determined to take matters into their own hands. Now they were faced with the consequences of their Godless decision making. Thomas L. Constable provides us with a sobering summary of what is going on here.
“This whole pericope illustrates that, when opposition from ungodly people persists, God’s people should continue to pray and trust Him for protection rather than taking matters into their own hands. If we initiate a plan without seeking God’s guidance, we may remove one source of aggravation and danger only to find ourselves in another. Such plans may result in some good, but they may also put us in situations where we find it even more tempting to disobey God (cf. Jacob). We should, instead, remember God’s promises (e.g., 1 Pet. 1:3-9; 2 Pet. 1;2-4) and pray for His guidance (cf. Phil. 4:6-7). – Dr. Thomas L. Constable, Notes on 1 Samuel, 2009 Edition
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.