1 Samuel Chapter 27
Showing all 12 verses for 1 Samuel Chapter 27.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand. "
"David said to himself, "One of these days I'm going to be killed by Saul. My best move is to escape into Philistine territory right now. Then Saul will give up looking for me anywhere in Israel, and I'll finally be free of him.""
After every deliverance I have already given him, David still says in his heart, 'I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul' — this is what fear does even to those who have seen Me work again and again. I am not condemning David for this moment of weariness, and I do not condemn you for yours; I only invite you to notice how quickly fear can talk over faith, even in a heart that loves Me.
"And David arose, and he passed over with the six hundred men that were with him unto Achish, the son of Maoch, king of Gath. "
"So David set out with the six hundred men who were with him, and went to Achish son of Maoch, king of Gath."
David seeks safety among Israel's enemies because it is the only door he can see open — and I do not abandon him there, even though it is not the ideal path. When your circumstances push you towards imperfect shelter, know that My care does not require your situation to be tidy first; I work with you in the middle of your compromises, not only after you've escaped them.
"And David with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, even David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal’s wife. "
💡 Highlighted words feature Jacobean 1611 tooltips to clarify shifted 17th-century English terms.
"David settled in Gath with Achish, along with his men, each with his own family, and David himself with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, Nabal's widow."
David does not go into exile alone — his household, his wives, his whole company go with him, and they share this uncertain season together. There is real comfort in not carrying hardship in isolation; let this remind you to gather your people close in seasons of exile rather than pulling away from them.
"And it was told Saul that David was fled to Gath: and he sought no more again for him. "
"When Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, he stopped searching for him."
Once David is out of reach, Saul finally stops the chase — sometimes the wisest response to a relationship that only brings harm is distance, not another confrontation. I do not always call you to stay and fight every battle; sometimes love for yourself and for the other person means simply stepping out of range.
"And David said unto Achish, If I have now found grace in thine eyes, let them give me a place in some town in the country, that I may dwell there: for why should thy servant dwell in the royal city with thee? "
"David said to Achish, "If I've found favour with you, please give me a place to live in one of the country towns, rather than having me stay here with you in the royal city.""
David asks for a small town rather than a place beside the king in the capital — he does not seek proximity to power or prestige, only a quiet place to live. Contentment with a modest portion, rather than grasping for status even in a place of refuge, is a mark of a heart at rest in Me.
"Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day: wherefore Ziklag pertaineth unto the kings of Judah unto this day. "
"So Achish gave him the town of Ziklag that very day — which is why Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah ever since."
A pagan king, without knowing it, hands David the very town that will one day belong to Judah's kings forever — I am always working through people and circumstances that do not know they are serving My purposes. Trust that My plans can move forward even through the decisions of those who do not acknowledge Me at all.
"And the time that David in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months. "
💡 Highlighted words feature Jacobean 1611 tooltips to clarify shifted 17th-century English terms.
"Altogether, David lived in Philistine territory for a year and four months."
A year and four months is named exactly — this season of exile has a measured length, even though it must have felt endless while David was living it. Whatever waiting you are in right now, know that it is not open-ended in My hands; I number your seasons even when you cannot see the end of them.
"And David and his men went up, and invaded the Geshurites, and the Gezrites, and the Amalekites: for those nations were of old the inhabitants of the land, as thou goest to Shur, even unto the land of Egypt. "
"David and his men would go out and raid the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites — peoples who had lived in that region a long time, stretching towards Shur and the border of Egypt."
David goes to war against ancient enemy peoples in the old way of his age — I want you to see this honestly rather than smoothing it over: this is the violence of a world not yet reshaped by the way I would later teach, love your enemies, put up your sword. I do not ask you to admire the killing here; I ask you to notice how far the world has needed to travel towards the peace I came to bring, and to walk further down that road than David could.
"And David smote the land, and left neither man nor woman alive, and took away the sheep, and the oxen, and the asses, and the camels, and the apparel, and returned, and came to Achish. "
"David attacked these territories and left no man or woman alive, taking the sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels, and clothing, before returning to Achish."
David leaves no survivors, not out of pure conviction but partly to protect a lie he is telling Achish — this is what fear and self-preservation can drive even a man after My own heart to do. I will not pretend this is good; I want you to see it clearly as a warning of how far compromise can carry someone, and to choose instead the harder, truer path even when it costs you safety.
"And Achish said, Whither have ye made a road to day? And David said, Against the south of Judah, and against the south of the Jerahmeelites, and against the south of the Kenites. "
"Achish would ask, "Where did you raid today?" and David would say, "Against the south of Judah," or "against the Jerahmeelites," or "against the Kenites" — implying he'd attacked his own people."
David lies to Achish about where he has raided, protecting himself through deception rather than truth. I do not excuse the lie, even from someone I love — but I also know the fear that produces it, and I invite you to notice where your own small deceptions come from fear rather than malice, and to choose truthfulness even when it feels riskier.
"And David saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring tidings to Gath, saying, Lest they should tell on us, saying, So did David, and so will be his manner all the while he dwelleth in the country of the Philistines. "
"David left no one alive to bring word back to Gath, out of fear they might report, "This is what David did," and reveal what he'd actually been doing the whole time he lived among the Philistines."
David silences every witness so his deception can hold — the fear of exposure pushing him deeper into ruthless compromise than he might have imagined at the start. This is how fear works: it rarely stays small, it asks for more the longer it is fed. Notice in your own life where a small self-protective choice keeps demanding a bigger one, and let that be the moment you choose honesty instead.
"And Achish believed David, saying, He hath made his people Israel utterly to abhor him; therefore he shall be my servant for ever. "
"Achish believed David completely, thinking, "He has made his own people, Israel, hate him thoroughly — so he'll be my servant for good.""
Achish is completely deceived, believing David has turned against his own people — a reminder of how thoroughly appearances can mislead even someone who trusts you. Take comfort that even when others, or your own choices, obscure the truth about you, I always see your heart exactly as it is.