1 Samuel Chapter 27

David Flees to the Philistines
A. David joins with the Philistine leader Achish.

1. (1 Samuel 27:1) David’s discouraged decision.
“And David said in his heart, Now I shall perish someday 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.”

a. David said in his heart: The account of David’s flight to the Philistines begins with a statement made not aloud, but inwardly. The narrative reveals a sobering truth: what we say in our hearts can alter the course of our lives. Scripture teaches that the heart is the seat of our reasoning and faith. When the heart loses confidence in God, faith begins to wither, and fear begins to rule. David had previously strengthened himself in the Lord, but here his inward thoughts turned to doubt. The words we allow to settle in our hearts shape our choices, our actions, and ultimately our destiny.

b. Now I shall perish someday by the hand of Saul: This thought reveals a lapse in David’s faith. After years of miraculous deliverance—from Goliath, from Saul’s spear, and from countless ambushes—David’s heart faltered. Fatigue and fear crept in, and he concluded that Saul would eventually kill him. This was not a statement of truth, but of despair. He momentarily forgot God’s covenant promises and His anointing upon him as Israel’s future king. Discouragement often blinds the believer to past victories and divine faithfulness. It convinces the weary soul that the future will not reflect God’s proven record of care.

Charles Spurgeon once reflected on such moments of spiritual inconsistency, saying, “I remember on one occasion, to my shame, being sad and doubtful of heart, and a kind friend took out a paper and read to me a short extract from a discourse upon faith. I very soon detected the author of the extract; my friend was reading to me from one of my own sermons.” Like Spurgeon, David here failed to live up to the faith he had once preached through his life and psalms.

c. There is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape to the land of the Philistines: Discouragement clouded David’s judgment, making him believe that leaving God’s land and God’s people was the best option. In a moment of spiritual weakness, David thought he would find safety among idolaters rather than under the shadow of the Almighty. This is the nature of despair: it persuades the believer that compromise will bring peace. David’s choice shows that even the most faithful men can stumble when they take their eyes off God’s promises and look instead at their fears.

d. Saul will despair of me, to seek me anymore in any part of Israel. So I shall escape out of his hand: Previously, David’s confidence had rested in God’s protection, as he declared in Psalm 18:2, “The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust.” Now that confidence was replaced with human reasoning. David calculated that Saul would eventually give up searching if he fled to Philistia. Yet this plan, though logical in the flesh, was spiritually misguided. Faith never instructs the believer to leave the place of God’s promise for refuge among God’s enemies.

i. Saul will despair: In truth, Saul would not despair if David abandoned the land of promise and the fellowship of God’s people. Saul’s pursuit was driven by jealousy, not faith, and David’s departure served Saul’s purpose rather than hindered it. It was David himself who was despairing. The danger Saul posed to David’s life had not changed, but David’s perspective had. The greater battle was not against Saul’s spear, but against his own discouraged heart.

ii. Saul could never drive David to the Philistines: No external pressure from Saul could have forced David into Philistia; only despair could. Saul’s armies could not succeed where spiritual despondency did. Discouragement is a more dangerous adversary than any physical enemy, for it weakens faith and dulls discernment. This episode reminds us that the greatest battles of the believer are not fought on the battlefield but in the heart, where faith and fear contend for control.

2. (1 Samuel 27:2–4) David goes over to Achish, leader of Gath.
“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. And David dwelt 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. And it was told Saul that David was fled to Gath: and he sought no more again for him.”

a. David arose and went over with the six hundred men: David’s discouraged heart now led to decisive but misguided action. What began as a private word in his heart soon became a public course of conduct. Discouragement, if left unchecked, never remains a private struggle; it spreads to those under our influence. David’s despair infected his leadership, and six hundred loyal men followed him into compromise. This shows the tremendous responsibility of a spiritual leader, for when faith falters in the leader, the faith of those under him often weakens as well.

David’s despondency caused him to leave the land of promise entirely. He took with him not only his soldiers but also their families, as the text notes, “Each man with his household.” The fallout of unbelief is never contained to one life—it affects entire households. When David left Judah, he was not merely stepping out of danger, he was stepping out of divine protection and into spiritual peril. Even David’s own wives, Ahinoam and Abigail, followed him into Philistine territory, illustrating how far-reaching his decision truly was.

b. So David dwelt with Achish at Gath: This was not David’s first encounter with Achish, king of Gath. Back in 1 Samuel 21:10–15, David had fled to Achish in panic, only to discover that the Philistines viewed him as Israel’s champion and therefore an enemy. To escape, he feigned madness before Achish. God had graciously delivered him from that earlier folly, teaching him that there could be no true refuge among idolaters. Yet here David returns to the same error, choosing the same path that once brought humiliation. His earlier failure should have warned him away, but discouragement often dulls spiritual memory.

Achish, however, received David gladly this time. Two reasons explain the change. First, David and Achish now shared a common enemy in Saul. Second, David came not as a solitary fugitive but as the leader of six hundred seasoned warriors. To Achish, this was a political and military advantage; David could serve as a valuable mercenary, a Hebrew commander fighting under Philistine oversight. Thus, Achish’s acceptance of David was not born of friendship, but of opportunism.

This alliance with Achish marked a step downward for David. The one who had slain Goliath now served under the authority of Goliath’s king. Compromise always inverts the order of victory. David, once Israel’s deliverer from Philistine oppression, now became a subject of Philistine rule. It was a shameful reversal that arose not from defeat in battle, but from defeat in faith.

c. It was told Saul that David had fled to Gath; so he sought him no more: In the short term, David’s plan appeared successful. His primary fear was Saul’s relentless pursuit, and now that threat was gone. Yet the end does not justify the means. David’s immediate relief came at the expense of spiritual integrity. By taking refuge with Achish, David gained peace from Saul but forfeited fellowship with God’s people.

Outwardly, this may have looked like progress—David was safe, his men were settled, Saul was no longer hunting him—but spiritually it was regression. The peace he found was the peace of compromise. True peace is found only in trusting God, not in aligning with the enemies of God.

It is significant that Scripture records no psalms from this period of David’s life. The one who had once written, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” (Psalm 27:1), now wrote nothing. His harp was silent. When a believer chooses the comfort of compromise over the cost of obedience, the song of the Lord departs from his lips.

As F. B. Meyer observed, “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... But who would barter a song for a melody, a psalm for a guitar? It was a poor exchange.” Indeed, David traded divine inspiration for worldly accommodation, and the result was a silent soul.

B. David Becomes a Bandit

1. (1 Samuel 27:5–7) David receives the city of Ziklag.
“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? Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day: wherefore Ziklag pertaineth unto the kings of Judah unto this day. And the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months.”

a. David said to Achish, ‘If I have now found favor in your eyes’: These words show how far David had fallen in spirit. Once he sought only the favor of the Lord; now he sought the approval of a Philistine ruler. The man who had been chosen by God to shepherd His people was now seeking comfort and protection under the very enemies Israel had long fought against. This reveals the deceitfulness of discouragement and compromise: when faith grows weak, the believer begins to look for safety in worldly alliances rather than divine provision. David, once the anointed king in waiting, humbled himself before an idolater, saying in effect, “If I please you.”

b. ‘Why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you’: It is painful to hear David call himself “your servant” to a Philistine king. The phrase reveals how deeply he had conformed to his surroundings. David no longer saw himself as the servant of the living God, but as the servant of Achish. He sought a town of his own, not because he desired holiness or separation, but because he wanted freedom to operate independently without being closely watched. Sin and compromise thrive in isolation. In distancing himself from Achish’s court, David was also distancing himself from accountability.

c. ‘Let them give me a place... that I may dwell there’: David’s words reveal that this was not a temporary retreat but a long-term settlement. He was not merely visiting Philistia; he intended to dwell there. For one full year and four months, David lived outside the land of promise. Though he and his six hundred men now had homes and fortifications, they were spiritually homeless. Ziklag represented material security but spiritual barrenness. David’s choice demonstrates that a believer may dwell in comfort and yet be outside the will of God.

While David may have thought this move provided stability for his men and families, in truth it represented a step away from faith. They lived in a fortified city, surrounded by walls and gates, but no fortress is safe when the heart has departed from the Lord. As Psalm 127:1 later declares, “Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.”

2. (1 Samuel 27:8–9) David’s new occupation: a roving bandit.
“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. 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.”

a. David and his men went up and raided: The Hebrew term translated raided carries the sense of “to strip bare,” particularly referring to stripping the slain of their possessions. This was a brutal form of warfare driven by profit, not by divine command. David, once the man after God’s own heart, had now become a mercenary leader. He launched raids on surrounding tribes, killing and plundering to maintain favor with Achish and to provide for his people. Though these acts were against the enemies of Israel, his motive was no longer to glorify God but to sustain his own survival.

b. The Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites: David’s targets were indeed traditional enemies of Israel—people who had long opposed God’s purposes. By attacking them, David could justify his actions in his conscience. Yet his justification was hollow. Selective obedience is still disobedience. David had not been commanded by God to wage these campaigns; he acted entirely on his own initiative. Many believers, when living in compromise, attempt to soften their guilt by comparing their deeds to worse sins, saying, “At least I’m not as bad as others.” But righteousness is not measured by degrees of wickedness; it is measured by obedience to God’s Word.

c. ‘He left neither man nor woman alive, but took away...’: David’s raids were ruthless. He annihilated entire settlements to ensure no survivors could report his true activities to Achish. This was not holy war under divine commission like Joshua’s conquest; this was cold, calculated slaughter for personal advantage. Though he struck down Israel’s enemies, he did so without the sanction of God and for motives unworthy of a man of faith.

David’s conduct during this period reveals a profound moral decline. He fought wars not for God’s honor but for gain. His sword, once wielded for the Lord’s glory, was now stained by the blood of profit. It is telling that during this season of David’s life, Scripture records no psalms of worship or repentance. His heart had become silent toward heaven.

Yet even here, God’s hand of providence was not absent. Though David’s choices were wrong, the Lord would use even this period of compromise to prepare him for repentance and restoration. In the years to come, Ziklag would burn, and David would be driven to his knees once more, learning that the safety of man’s schemes is no match for the security of God’s promises.

3. (1 Samuel 27:10–12) David lies to Achish.
“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. 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 was his manner all the while he dwelt in the country of the Philistines. And Achish believed David, saying, He hath made his people Israel utterly to abhor him; therefore he shall be my servant for ever.”

a. And David would say, “Against the southern area of Judah”: Here David sank even deeper into compromise. Not only was he dwelling among the enemies of God’s people, but now he began to lie to them in order to maintain his position. He told Achish that his raids were against the people of Judah and their allies, when in reality they were against Israel’s enemies. David did not lie out of shame, but out of calculation. He wanted to maintain Achish’s trust and favor, and he knew the Philistine ruler would rejoice to hear that David had turned on his own nation. This deceit shows how far David had strayed from the integrity that once defined him. The man who had refused to lift his hand against Saul, even when justified, now used deceit to advance his security.

When a believer compromises, deceit often follows close behind. Sin breeds more sin, as one lie demands another to keep the illusion alive. David’s deception was not a single slip of the tongue—it became a consistent pattern, as verse 11 says, “Thus was his behavior all the time he dwelt in the country of the Philistines.”

b. David would save neither man nor woman alive, to bring news to Gath: David’s lies led to bloodshed. In order to prevent any survivors from revealing the truth to Achish, he slaughtered entire communities—men and women alike. What began as a decision rooted in fear of Saul now resulted in unnecessary cruelty. David’s goal was to hide his sin, not to honor God. His conscience had become dulled by the deceit he maintained.

This pattern anticipates a later and more infamous failure in David’s life—the sin with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband Uriah. The seeds of that tragedy were planted here in 1 Samuel 27, where David first learned to cover sin with more sin. Every sin that is not confessed and uprooted takes root deeper in the heart and grows more dangerous with time. The unchecked sin of deceit here became the murderous cover-up of adultery later.

c. So Achish believed David, saying, “He has made his people Israel utterly abhor him; therefore he will be my servant forever”: Achish was completely deceived. He believed David had severed all loyalty to Israel and would serve him indefinitely. The Philistine king thought he had trapped David, and from a worldly standpoint, it looked as though David was indeed caught in his own web of deceit. Achish saw David as a tool—an Israelite general turned Philistine mercenary—someone who could never return to his people.

Spiritually, this was one of the darkest moments of David’s life. He had made himself appear as an enemy of God’s people. Yet even here, God’s mercy did not abandon him. Though David could burn his bridges with men, he could never destroy the bridge of divine grace. The Lord would intervene to deliver David from this tangled web before he could lift his sword against Israel.

4. (1 Samuel 28:1–2) David takes sides with the Philistines against Israel.
“And it came to pass in those days, that the Philistines gathered their armies together for warfare, to fight with Israel. And Achish said unto David, Know thou assuredly, that thou shalt go out with me to battle, thou and thy men. And David said to Achish, Surely thou shalt know what thy servant can do. And Achish said to David, Therefore will I make thee keeper of mine head for ever.”

a. Achish said to David, “You assuredly know that you will go out with me to battle, you and your men”: The day of reckoning arrived. David’s deception now forced him into a situation that threatened his very identity as a man of God. Having pretended to war against Israel, he now faced the possibility of actually doing so. His lies had carried him to the edge of betrayal against God’s covenant people. When Achish announced that David would fight alongside the Philistines, David’s own words had entrapped him. This is the inevitable consequence of deceit—it creates situations that destroy one’s freedom to do right.

David’s scheme had worked too well. Achish trusted him completely, believing David to be loyal to Philistia. David had become ensnared in the web of his own making, and the Lord would soon have to intervene to save him from himself.

b. David said to Achish, “Surely you know what your servant can do”: David’s response was evasive, neither a direct lie nor a confession. He gave Achish just enough affirmation to maintain the illusion. Yet these words show a man entirely compromised. David, who once stood before Goliath declaring, “I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel” (1 Samuel 17:45), now called himself the “servant” of a Philistine. His confidence was not in God’s anointing but in his ability to play both sides.

Many have attempted to excuse David here, imagining he was acting as a “double agent,” intending to turn on the Philistines during battle. But Scripture gives no indication of such noble intent. The text presents David as a man entangled in the consequences of his own compromise, not as a secret hero.

i. To some degree, most believers have known what it is to be in David’s place—a state of backsliding where decisions made in fear and compromise carry us further than we ever meant to go. We can understand his reasoning, but it remains sin nonetheless. It is a dangerous position when a believer begins to live by calculation rather than conviction.

ii. As the commentator Matthew Poole wisely observed, “But it pleased God to leave David to himself in this, as well as in other particulars, that those might be sensible demonstrations of the infirmities of the best men; and of the necessity of God’s grace, and daily direction and assistance; and of the freeness and riches of God’s mercy, in passing by such great offences.” David’s failure stands as a lasting testimony to both human frailty and divine mercy.