“The Philistines gathered all their forces at Aphek, and Israel camped by the spring in Jezreel. As the Philistine rulers marched with their units of hundreds and thousands, David and his men were marching at the rear with Achish. The commanders of the Philistines asked, ‘What about these Hebrews?’ Achish replied, ‘Is this not David, who was an officer of Saul king of Israel? He has already been with me for over a year, and from the day he left Saul until now, I have found no fault in him.’ But the Philistine commanders were angry with Achish and said, ‘Send the man back, that he may return to the place you assigned him. He must not go with us into battle, or he will turn against us during the fighting. How better could he regain his master’s favor than by taking the heads of our own men? Isn’t this the David they sang about in their dances: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands?”’ So Achish called David and said to him, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, you have been reliable, and I would be pleased to have you serve with me in the army. From the day you came to me until today, I have found no fault in you, but the rulers don’t approve of you. Now turn back and go in peace; do nothing to displease the Philistine rulers.’ ‘But what have I done?’ asked David. ‘What have you found against your servant from the day I came to you until now? Why can’t I go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?’ Achish answered, ‘I know that you have been as pleasing in my eyes as an angel of God; nevertheless, the Philistine commanders have said, “He must not go up with us into battle.” Now get up early, along with your master’s servants who have come with you, and leave in the morning as soon as it is light.’ So David and his men got up early in the morning to go back to the land of the Philistines, and the Philistines went up to Jezreel.”—1 Samuel 29 (NIV) 

In today’s chapter, David is living in Philistine territory and serving King Achish. Just to jog your memory real quick, let’s take a look at 1 Samuel 27:1 (NIV): “But David thought to himself, ‘One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul. The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me anywhere in Israel, and I will slip out of his hand.’” In a moment of fearful and anxious thinking, David decides to take matters into his own hands and change direction for his own protection. He ends up living in Philistine territory and serving King Achish of Gath who gave him another city for him and his 600 men and their families to live in. David lived in this situation for a year and four months (1 Samuel 27:7). 

Although David wasn’t actively fighting against his people in this time, he still was operating from a place of self-protection and avoidance rather than true obedience and trust in God. When it came time for King Achish to partner with the Philistines in battle, they didn’t want to fight with David and the other Hebrews because they knew better! David may have forgotten his identity for a while, but the Philistine’s didn’t. Sometimes, this can be true of our world as well. F.B. Meyer says it like this, “It is very terrible when the children of the world have a higher sense of Christian propriety and fitness than Christians themselves.” 

People who actively choose not to follow Jesus have expectations for how we’re to act as His people! They know we should be kind, gracious, patient, respectful, and have integrity, but what happens when we fail to walk in the identity we’re expected to have? When we make the object of our efforts our own success or protection, instead of making it to serve and worship God, we’ll begin to misrepresent Him and forget who He calls us to be. David was facing this, and he didn’t realize it yet. The Philistines and King Ashich rejecting him was actually the best thing for him at the time because it would lead to this realization. If the ungodly reject us, the Lord will often use it as a wake-up call to expose any blindspots in our hearts. 

The good news about all of this is that God didn’t abandon David, so He most definitely won’t abandon us. When we belong to God’s family, He’ll show up in our seasons of doubt and confusion to make Himself more known. The question is, will we turn and listen? Will we let God touch our hearts, draw us close, and heal our hurts? He’s faithful, even when we’re faithless!

Pause: Do you have any blindspots God is trying to show you? Where might you be trusting in yourself more than God? What hurts are you allowing to inform your behavior instead of letting God take you through a healing journey?

Practice: Write down your answers to these questions in a journal. Have an honest conversation with God about any struggles or doubts you may be having.

Pray: Father God, thank You for being so kind, patient, and faithful! I know there are things I’m still holding onto tightly instead of giving them to You. I’ve been hurt, and I’ve struggled to let go. I’ve believed lies and need Your help debunking them and replacing them with truth. I ask You to take me through that journey, Lord. Show me Your face, Lord. I want to know You better than anyone else, and I choose to trust You even when it’s hard. Amen.