Click here to read Scripture
Now, David was greatly upset and disappointed with the decision of King Achish! It had been some time since David took refuge under the wings of Achish, the king of Gath from the menacing pursuit of King Saul (1 Samuel 27:2-5). In return, David had faithfully served as the bodyguard to king Achish. (1 Samuel 28:5) As part of Gath military expansion, David and his men would go and make raids against the neighbouring enemies like the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites. King Achish trusted David and kept David as his close companion.
The time has come for the Philistine to attack the Israelites. Verse 1 of today’s reading tell us that they had gathered all their forces at Aphek, and it meant that they were going all out in their fight against the Israelites. Being part of the Philistine force, David had to accompany Achish to fight against the Israelite, and it seemed like David was ready to fight against his own people.
However, when the Philistinian commanders found out that David and his men were marching with the army, they were angry with Achish and demanded that they cannot be part of the fight. The commanders were sceptical of David’s intention and they were fearful that David might turn against them. After all, the scene of David slaying Goliath seemed fresh in their minds.
David was upset and disappointed with the decision! And David said to Achish, “But what have I done? What have you found in your servant from the day I entered your service until now, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?” (v8) David had taken pride in his faithfulness to the master he served and had always given his best. To remove him from the position of battle was to doubt him of his integrity and loyalty. That was like a slap in the face of a man who valued loyalty and integrity. He was rejected in spite of his loyalty to Achish. Although he was unhappy, David still obeyed the orders of his commander and returned back to the land of Philistines.
In the same way, dear brothers and sisters, even with the best and purest intention, we too can be rejected or misunderstood. We can attempt to be faithful in our own area of studies and work, wanting to honour God with all the things He has called us to do, but still be misunderstood for having ulterior motives or personal gain. Good works might not always result in good results. In the same way, our good intention to sharing the gospel with our loved ones might be met with angry remarks or misunderstanding.
When that happens, be like David who after sounding his perspective, respectfully and humbly take a step back. He obeyed the orders and returned back to the land of Philistine, rather than to fight for his own rights. Or worse, to resign from his position out of an angry response to Achish. He did not react in anger, but respond in obedience to his authority.
If we look further into the next few chapters, we will come to see that God had used the Philistinian commanders to prevent David from going into the battle field. Because he and his army returned to their homeland, they could prevent their wives and children from falling badly into the hands of the Amalekites who raided their homeland. Because they returned, David did not have to face the moral dilemma of having to kill God’s anointed King Saul or his beloved friend, Jonathan out of his loyalty to King Achish. God is sovereign even in David’s rejection. Dear brothers and sisters, God is sovereign even in our rejection! Can you surrender your disappointment and the unknown rejections to God, trusting that He is in charge of them. The Lord help us!
Prayer : Dear God, there are things that sometime happen in my life that I do not understand. But when those things happen, would you help me to surrender to your sovereign will and trust that you will lead me through them. Thank you God. In Jesus name I pray, amen.
