Spend time in prayer and silence with God asking him to meet you and speak to you.
Bible Reading
Then David said to Achish, “If I have found favor in your eyes, let a place be assigned to me in one of the country towns, that I may live there. Why should your servant live in the royal city with you?” So on that day Achish gave him Ziklag, and it has belonged to the kings of Judah ever since. David lived in Philistine territory a year and four months.
Now David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites and the Amalekites. (From ancient times these peoples had lived in the land extending to Shur and Egypt.) Whenever 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 become so obnoxious to his people, the Israelites, that he will be my servant for life.”
In those days the Philistines gathered their forces to fight against Israel. Achish said to David, “You must understand that you and your men will accompany me in the army.”
David said, “Then you will see for yourself what your servant can do.”
Achish replied, “Very well, I will make you my bodyguard for life.”
– 1 Samuel 27:5-28:2
Devotion
David was once a man who despised the Philistines because they mocked the God of Israel, yet now he was living among them, seeking refuge from them and even fighting for them! Not only was David living among his nation’s enemies, David had also allowed lying to become a normal practice for him. He told Achish that he was raiding Israelite towns while he was actually raiding Philistine towns and destroying the enemies of Israel. David may have thought he was doing something noble, however he was acting deceitfully. He may have been using these raids as a band aid for his conscience, knowing that his decision to move to Gath and away from Israel was not part of God’s plan. His disobedience to God became so great that he even became the bodyguard for the King of the Philistines. How quickly things had changed for David!
The Big Question
When have you seen a bad ethical decision that you’ve made spiral out of control? What can you do to walk in obedience to God and avoid the consequences of sin in the future?
Conclude in prayer and silence reflecting on what you’ve learned.