God's Sabbath

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E NTERING INTO G OD ’ S S ABBATH R EST

had to persevere in naked faith while every visible evidence argued that his case was hopeless. As David left the problem completely in God’s capable hands and made no plans for his own deliverance, the angels were able to work on the hearts of those Philistine lords who were to join Achish in his war against Israel. The Philistine princes were so stirred with apprehension that they went to the king to protest against the presence of David and his force in the army marching towards the approaching conflict. “As the Philistine rulers marched with their units of hun dreds 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 him 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 Da vid they sang about in their dances: “Saul has slain his thou sands, and David his tens of thousands”?’” 1Samuel 29:2–5. “The slaughter of their famed champion and the triumph of Is rael upon that occasion were still fresh in the memory of the Phi listine lords. They did not believe that David would fight against his own people; and should he, in the heat of battle, take sides with them, he could inflict greater harm on the Philistines than would the whole of Saul’s army.” Patriarchs and Prophets , 691.2. God understood the fears which deeply disturbed the Philistine lords. He knew that they would take action as their fears were stimulated by remembering the danger attendant upon David’s presence among them. God foresaw that their combined argu ments would persuade the king, but He did not force them to go to him. Through the ministry of holy angels He merely inspired them to realize more fully the real nature of the threat that ac companied them. In going to the king, they were entirely motivat ed by self-interest and did not know of the wonderful service which they were simultaneously rendering to God’s cause.