”Then David arose and went over with the six hundred men who were with him to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath. So David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, each man with his household, and David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal’s widow. And it was told Saul that David had fled to Gath; so he sought him no more.“
I Samuel 27:2-4 NKJV
a. David arose and went over with the six hundred men: David’s discouraged and despairing heart didn’t only affect himself; he led six hundred men out of the land of promise to live with the ungodly. Before David sunk into his pit of discouragement and despair, he would have never dreamed of doing this.
i. 1 Samuel 27:3 makes it even worse: Each man with his household. David’s defection to the Philistines touched even more than the six hundred men, it touched all their families. It directly touched David’s household also, because Ahinoam and Abigail were with him.
b. So David dwelt with Achish at Gath: Previously (recorded in 1 Samuel 21:10-15), David briefly went over to Achish of the Philistines, believing there might be a place of refuge for him. God allowed that experience to quickly turn sour, and David pretended to be a madman, so he could escape. In his discouragement and despair David will go down a road of sin he has been down before.
i. Achish received David this time when he would not in 1 Samuel 21:10-15 for two reasons. First, it is clear now when it wasn’t clear before that David and Achish share the same enemy, Saul. Second, David now brings with him 600 fighting men, whom Achish can use as mercenaries.
c. It was told Saul that David had fled to Gath; so he sought him no more: David accomplished his immediate goal because Saul stopped pursuing him. But now David is in a place of compromise that will leave him worse off than before. He is actually submitting to a Philistine master.
i. We have no record of any Psalms that David wrote during this time. This was not a high point in his spiritual life. In this period, David didn’t write sweet psalms to the Lord.
ii. “The sweet singer was mute. He probably acquired a few new strains of music, or even mastered some fresh instruments, while sojourning at Gath, a memory of which is perpetuated in the term Gittith, a term which frequently occurs in the inscriptions of the psalms composed afterward. But who would barter a song for a melody, a psalm for a guitar? It was a poor exchange.” (Meyer)
(Guzik)
A Poor Exchange!
A compromise in faith will always end up a poor exchange!
If Adam and Eve could talk from the pages in the Bible they would scream, don’t do it.
If the Israelites who wandered for forty years in the wilderness could scream, they would shout don’t do it!
Peter who denied Jesus three times regretted it for the rest of his life.
Paul teaches the reader that a compromise in faith isn’t worth the price!
Compromise with the devil is always a poor exchange, you’ll regret it later!
Are you bartering your faith and playing with fire 🔥?
Blessings
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