1 Samuel 27:1

DAVID'S LIFE AMONG THE PHILISTINES; DAVID DECIDED TO LEAVE ISRAEL

"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 escape to the land of the Philistines; then Saul will despair of seeking me any longer within the borders of Israel, and I shall escape out of his hand." So David arose and went over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath. And David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, and David with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal's widow. And when it was told Saul that David had fled to Gath, he sought for him no more."

"And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul" (1 Samuel 27:1). David had been warned upon another occasion when he was in Moab to return to Judah (1 Samuel 22:5); and it does not appear that it was God's will for David to dwell in Philistia at this time. There is no mention of him having consulted the sacred ephod or having sought the will of God in this matter. David's character during this sojourn in Philistia did not measure up to the high standard that would have pleased God.

Nevertheless, one can sympathize with David's thoughts during this period of his frustration and weakness of faith. As Henry said, "Long trials are in danger of tiring the faith and patience of even the best men."[1] From the human standpoint, David's situation was desperate. He and his six hundred men were hopelessly outnumbered by Saul and his thousands; and, having tried twice to persuade Saul to accept a reconciliation and without success, David decided to leave Israel.

The mention of David and his men bringing their wives and families into Gath indicates that the increasing danger to those families was one of the considerations that led David to this action.

"David went over ... with his six hundred men" (1 Samuel 27:2). "Achish welcomed David, no doubt because of the six hundred men which he commanded."[2]

"When it was told Saul that David had fled to Gath, he sought for him no more" (1 Samuel 27:4). A very important observation on this verse is that of Willis who wrote that, "The Bible does not tell us how long this sojourn in Gath lasted."[3] This means that even many years saw this arrangement continued. The word here that, "Saul sought for him no more," certainly suggests a considerable passage of time. Matthew Henry's quaint observation on this reads thus: "Saul would have continued his efforts to kill David if he could have done so, but he did not dare go down into Gath after him. Thus men seem to leave their sins, but really their sins leave them; and they would still sin if they could."[4]