God's Sabbath

D AVID E NTANGLED

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Having placed himself under the Philistines’ protection, Da vid set about ensuring that nothing would threaten it. He had to make it appear that he was really and finally disconnected from his own people. Therefore, when he went raiding against south ern allies of the Philistines, he reported to the king that he had been devastating Israelite territory instead. This was a direct lie of which God was certainly not the author. “Now David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites and the Amalekites. (From ancient times these peo ples had lived in the land extending to Shur and Egypt.) When ever David attacked an area, he did not leave a man or woman alive, but took sheep and cattle, donkeys and camels, and clothes. Then he returned to Achish. “When Achish asked, ‘Where did you go raiding today?’ David would say, ‘Against the Negev of Judah’ or ‘Against the Negev of Jerahmeel’ or ‘Against the Negev of the Kenites.’ He did not leave a man or woman alive to be brought to Gath, for he thought, ‘They might inform on us and say, “This is what David did.”’ And such was his practice as long as he lived in Philistine territory. Achish trusted David and said to himself, ‘He has be come so odious to his people, the Israelites, that he will be my servant forever.’” 1Samuel 27:8–12. As David saw Achish’s acceptance of his reports, he had rea son to feel satisfied with the means he was using to convince the Philistine king that he could be trusted. We do not know how many times these untruths were repeated, but it would be as many times as David sallied forth destroying Israel’s enemies over a period of “a year and four months.” (See verse 7.) David’s conscience must have smitten him every time he deceived his protector, the king, but he presumably quieted the inward voice with the argument that the end justified the means. It is understandable (although not excusable) that a person may utter a falsehood under the pressure of unexpected temp tation, but for David to know long beforehand that he would tell the same untruths to the king every time he came back from battle, is more difficult to comprehend. The fact was that David had no other choice once he had undertaken the responsibility of decision maker. He needed to solve the problems he had cre ated by whatever means were available. The use of force was