1 Samuel 27:12- 28:2
Verse 28:1 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 thought he had it all figured out but Achish had it decided in a different angle. David may have found safety for the families of he and his men but that meant he may have had placed himself in a pretty sticky position. With Achish seeing this new arrangement as a way to keep David as his servant, he makes the refugee his personal bodyguard.
David had been a bodyguard before. In fact he had been a bodyguard of King Saul’s, such a trusted servant that he would eat with the king frequently. Being a bodyguard, especially a trusted one, was an honor and David knew it. To be told by Achish that he was now the Philistine king’s bodyguard would have been something that David never would have imagined but was ready to accept.
Achish is giving David a clear picture of what will be expected of him. He will have to go into battle and stand between him and the enemy. Achish knew that he had David just where he wanted him. This wasn’t an arraignment built on the trust of friendship, it was built in the military man who know what he wanted and had figured a way to get it.
David on the other hand may only have been thinking about the honor this position. He may have been seeing it through the experience of his previous position of bodyguard and the closeness of relationship that he had remembered. Or maybe he was just hoping to stay in good standing with the man who had given them a place to reside. No matter his reasoning there seems to be something that hadn’t occurred to him yet because he told Achish that he would soon see the warrior that David was.
Achish knew about David. Being from Gath the story of Goliath, the town’s most famous warrior on record, had been killed by David when the guy was still a kid, then there were all the stories about David’s conquests over the years. There was no doubt that this Israelite was a warrior extraordinaire, but all men have their limits. Achish is interested to see when David’s limits will show up and what that will say about the new bodyguard.
Making It Personal
What can be a danger of accepting honor from someone? Why is pride so destructive in the Christian life? What way can you best fight against pride in your life?
Making It Personal Kids
What is pride? How can feeling better about yourself than other people hurt your relationship with them and with Jesus? How should you think about others?
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for this reminder that we need to be wise and humble in accepting compliments and promotions. Help us see that it is more important we see You in Your proper position than allowing us to put ourselves into the God position. In Jesus’ name, amen.