Worn down, David decides Saul will get him in the end and defects to the Philistines — sixteen months in enemy country. It nearly traps him into marching against his own people; only the suspicion of the Philistine lords sends him home. He rides back to Ziklag to find it burned, every wife and child carried off, and his own men talking of stoning him. But David encouraged himself in the LORD his God — and went after the raiders, and recovered all.
A study in 1 Samuel 27-30 · Arthur Baldwin · StandUp4Jesus.Org · 10 min read
I Shall Now Perish One Day By The Hand Of Saul
“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… so shall I escape out of his hand.”
1 Samuel 27:1
This decision is made “in his heart” — not before God. David had been told by Samuel he would be king. He had been rescued from Saul over and over. But long trials wear faith thin, and he reasons his way to the exact opposite of the promise: I will die by Saul’s hand. So he goes to live among the people whose champion he once killed.
“David’s conclusion that Saul would certainly accomplish his murderous purpose was formed without the counsel of God… Thus David looked on appearances, and not at the promises of God. He doubted that he would ever come to the throne. Long trials had wearied his faith and exhausted his patience.”
Ellen G. White · Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 672
Saul Saw The Host, And He Was Afraid
“And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled. And when Saul enquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.”
1 Samuel 28:5-6
David’s sixteen months among the Philistines nearly put him in the battle line against his own nation; only the distrust of the Philistine lords sent him back to Ziklag before the fighting began. Meanwhile Saul faces that same army alone. He asks God — and heaven is silent. Not because God turns away sincere seekers, but because Saul had cut every wire himself: he rejected Samuel, exiled David, killed the priests who carried the ephod.
“The Lord never turned away a soul that came to Him in sincerity and humility… He had rejected the counsel of Samuel the prophet; he had exiled David, the chosen of God; he had slain the priests of the Lord. Could he expect to be answered by God when he had cut off the channels of communication that Heaven had ordained?”
Ellen G. White · Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 675
Seek Me A Woman That Hath A Familiar Spirit
“Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and enquire of her… And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do.”
1 Samuel 28:7-15
The man who had himself driven the mediums out of the land now goes to one by night, in disguise. It is the logic of despair: since God will not speak, I will force a word from the dead. What appears is not Samuel — God’s prophet does not come at a sorcerer’s spell — but a satanic impersonation, and its message is calculated to crush what little courage Saul has left.
“It was not God’s holy prophet that came forth at the spell of a sorcerer’s incantation. Samuel was not present in that haunt of evil spirits. That supernatural appearance was produced solely by the power of Satan.”
Ellen G. White · Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 679
David Encouraged Himself In The LORD His God
“So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives… And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him… but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.”
1 Samuel 30:3-6
Everything goes at once — city, families, and the loyalty of his men, who now want him dead. David has nowhere left to look but up. He does not pretend the grief away; he and his men weep “until they had no more power to weep.” But then he turns deliberately to God, goes back over the record of past deliverances, and asks what to do next. That turn is the hinge of the whole chapter.
“David seemed to be cut off from every human support. All that he held dear on earth had been swept from him… In this hour of utmost extremity David, instead of permitting his mind to dwell upon these painful circumstances, looked earnestly to God for help… Though he himself could not discern a way out of the difficulty, God could see it, and would teach him what to do.”
Ellen G. White · Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 692
David Recovered All
“And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives. And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that they had taken to them: David recovered all.”
1 Samuel 30:18-19
God’s answer to the inquiry was total: “pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.” And he did — every wife, every child, every animal, and the raiders’ own herds besides. Then David makes a rule that outlasts him: the two hundred men too exhausted to finish the march still share the spoil equally with the four hundred who fought. The man restored by grace deals graciously.
“All earthly powers are under the control of the Infinite One… God’s power is constantly exercised to counteract the agencies of evil; He is ever at work among men, not for their destruction, but for their correction and preservation.”
Ellen G. White · Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 694
