1 Samuel Chapter 29
The Philistines Reject David
A. The Philistine rulers object to David’s presence among the Philistine army.
(1 Samuel 29:1–3)
“Then the Philistines gathered together all their armies at Aphek, and the Israelites encamped by a fountain which is in Jezreel. And the lords of the Philistines passed in review by hundreds and by thousands, but David and his men passed in review at the rear with Achish. Then the princes of the Philistines said, ‘What are these Hebrews doing here?’ And Achish said to the princes of the Philistines, ‘Is this not David, the servant of Saul king of Israel, who has been with me these days, or these years? And to this day I have found no fault in him since he defected to me.’”
The chapter opens with the armies of the Philistines gathering at Aphek, while the Israelites encamp near the fountain in Jezreel. The two forces prepare for what will become one of the most critical confrontations of Saul’s reign. The Philistines’ intention is clear—they mean to deliver a decisive, crippling blow to Israel. The army of Israel, weakened under Saul’s failing leadership, stands on the edge of destruction, and the tension of the moment cannot be overstated.
As the Philistine lords pass in review, inspecting their troops in organized ranks of hundreds and thousands, David and his men appear in the rear under Achish’s command. This alone is a tragic sight, for David, once the champion of Israel, is now marching with the enemies of God’s people. His discouragement, compromise, and loss of faith in the LORD’s protection have brought him here. When David fled to Philistia out of despair, he left the land of promise and fellowship with God’s people (1 Samuel 27). Now, in his self-imposed exile, he finds himself aligned with the very enemies of Israel, ready to go to war against the nation he was anointed to lead.
When the Philistine princes see David and his men, they are astonished and indignant, asking, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” Their question pierces to the heart of David’s compromise. Even the pagan rulers can see that David and his men do not belong among them. Though David had tried to blend in, the Philistines recognize the contradiction. They worshiped other gods, lived by other standards, and followed other loyalties. They knew instinctively that a Hebrew—a servant of the God of Israel—could not truly be one of them.
This reveals a sobering truth: the world often perceives the inconsistency of a believer living in compromise more clearly than the believer himself. The Philistine leaders could discern what David could not—that he was out of place, that he was called to a higher standard. When a child of God forgets his identity and begins to imitate the world, he loses his discernment and spiritual vision. But even unbelievers may see the contradiction and say, as these Philistine rulers did, “What are these Hebrews doing here?”
F. B. Meyer observed the moral irony of this scene, writing that it is “very terrible when the children of the world have a higher sense of Christian propriety and fitness than Christians themselves.” When unbelievers recognize that God’s people are acting out of character, it is a shameful testimony to spiritual decline.
Achish’s defense of David deepens the tragedy. He says, “Is this not David, the servant of Saul king of Israel, who has been with me these days, or these years? And to this day I have found no fault in him since he defected to me.” These words should have struck David’s heart like a dagger. To hear an ungodly Philistine ruler speak of his loyalty and faithfulness as if David belonged to him is devastating. Achish’s statement implies that David had identified himself so completely with the ungodly that even his enemies regarded him as trustworthy among them.
It is one thing to be falsely accused by the world, but another to be sincerely defended by it. When an unbeliever can say of a Christian, “I find no fault in him,” because the Christian behaves just like the world, it is a sign of deep compromise. Achish’s testimony was not false; David’s own words in 1 Samuel 28:1–2 gave Achish every reason to believe that David would indeed fight alongside him against Israel.
This episode exposes the dangerous end of compromise. It begins with discouragement, grows through worldly association, and ends with near disaster. David’s presence among the Philistines was not a single act of disobedience, but the culmination of many small steps away from trusting God. Now, as the armies prepare for battle, he stands on the verge of betraying his own people, and it is the ungodly who must remind him of who he really is.
(1 Samuel 29:4–5)
“But the princes of the Philistines were angry with him; so the princes of the Philistines said to him, ‘Make this fellow return, that he may go back to the place which you have appointed for him, and do not let him go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become our adversary. For with what could he reconcile himself to his master, if not with the heads of these men? Is this not David, of whom they sang to one another in dances, saying: Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?’”
The reaction of the Philistine princes was swift and filled with anger. They were greatly offended that Achish would even consider allowing David and his men to accompany them into battle against Israel. Their response reveals that, while Achish may have been deceived by David’s loyalty, the other Philistine leaders were not. They saw through the pretense and recognized the danger of bringing a Hebrew warrior—especially one with David’s reputation—into the ranks of their army.
The Philistine princes said, “Make this fellow return, that he may go back to the place which you have appointed for him.” Their command is firm and dismissive. To them, David is no trusted ally but a potential traitor. They knew the risk of having him within their lines was far too great. They feared that once the battle began, David might turn against them and use the chaos to slaughter their own men. Their words, “lest in the battle he become our adversary,” show that even these pagan leaders understood what Achish, in his misplaced trust, did not—David’s true allegiance could never lie with the enemies of Israel.
They reasoned further, “For with what could he reconcile himself to his master, if not with the heads of these men?” The Philistine leaders suspected that David, though estranged from Saul, would see an opportunity in battle to regain Saul’s favor. They believed that the best way for David to repair his relationship with Saul would be by turning on them in the middle of combat and slaughtering Philistines as a show of renewed loyalty to Israel. Ironically, their reasoning was sound. David had no intention of remaining loyal to the Philistines, though his compromise and deceit had brought him dangerously close to this moral disaster.
Their final words echo a haunting reminder from David’s past: “Is this not David, of whom they sang to one another in dances, saying: Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?” That song, first sung after David’s victory over Goliath in 1 Samuel 18:6–7, had once been the anthem of triumph for Israel and the cause of Saul’s jealousy. It celebrated the power of God working through David to deliver His people from the Philistines. Now, years later, those same words echo again—but this time from the mouths of David’s enemies.
The faith-filled moment that had once defined David’s courage now confronts him as a painful reminder of how far he has fallen. The Philistines remember David’s victory over their champion, even if David himself has forgotten the faith that made it possible. They remember the song that declared his triumph over them, and they cannot understand why the same man would now march beside them. This moment exposes the foolishness of compromise—when believers live in disobedience, they lose their witness, but the world never forgets what they once were.
God, in His mercy, used the objections of these pagan princes to deliver David from his own deception. Though David’s disobedience had led him into a situation that could have destroyed his reputation and calling, God providentially intervened through the very voices of the ungodly. Their anger, though rooted in suspicion and self-interest, became the instrument of divine protection that spared David from fighting against his own people and forfeiting his God-given destiny.
B. David Heads Back to Ziklag
(1 Samuel 29:6–7)
“Then Achish called David and said to him, Surely, as the LORD lives, you have been upright, and your going out and your coming in with me in the army is good in my sight. For to this day I have not found evil in you since the day of your coming to me. Nevertheless the lords do not favor you. Therefore return now, and go in peace, that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines.”
Achish’s words to David are striking and carry layers of irony. Here is a pagan ruler speaking with reverence and using an oath in the name of the LORD, saying, “Surely, as the LORD lives, you have been upright.” This phrase, which is common on the lips of God’s prophets and men of faith, sounds foreign and out of place coming from a Philistine king. As commentator Joyce Baldwin noted, it is doubtful that Achish had truly converted to worshiping the LORD. Rather, it is likely an expression of courtesy to David, an attempt to speak to him in his own religious language. Nevertheless, the statement shows how thoroughly David’s presence among the Philistines had blurred the lines between light and darkness. When the enemies of God can speak the language of God’s people comfortably to them, something is wrong.
Achish’s view of David’s conduct—“you have been upright... I have not found evil in you”—is tragic. The words sound commendable on the surface, but they reveal how far David’s spiritual discernment had fallen. For Achish to find “no fault” in David was not a compliment but an indictment. It meant that David had so effectively concealed his allegiance to Israel that even an ungodly king believed he was entirely loyal to the Philistines. The man who once stood as Israel’s champion now appeared, at least outwardly, as a trustworthy servant of the enemy.
Achish continues, “Nevertheless the lords do not favor you.” Here David faces the consequences of his compromise. When he had grown discouraged and fearful in 1 Samuel 27:1, he told himself that there was no safety or peace for him in Israel, saying in his heart that he would perish by Saul’s hand. So he sought refuge among the Philistines, thinking that he could find peace there. Yet, now he discovers that he is unwelcome even among them. His attempt to live between two worlds—between obedience and compromise, faith and fear—has left him homeless in both.
This is often the experience of a believer who drifts from fellowship with God. The world never truly accepts the child of God, and the child of God can never be content in the world. David’s rejection by the Philistines, though painful, was an act of divine mercy. God would not allow His servant to remain comfortable in disobedience. The same principle holds true for all believers who wander from the Lord: God will not let His own find peace in rebellion. He will stir up discomfort, rejection, and unrest until His child turns home again.
David’s situation also reminds us that God can use the rejection of the ungodly to accomplish His purposes. No one enjoys being rejected or cast out, but such moments can be instruments of grace. Many Christians shrink back from living boldly for Christ because they fear the disapproval of the world. Yet, as David would soon learn, it is far better to be rejected by men and accepted by God than to be accepted by men and estranged from Him.
Achish concludes, “Therefore return now, and go in peace, that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines.” These words are painfully ironic. Once, David’s great desire was to displease the Philistines. When he faced Goliath in the valley of Elah, he longed to bring dishonor upon their gods and defeat upon their armies. If someone had told that young shepherd-warrior, “You might displease the lords of the Philistines,” he would have rejoiced at the thought. His entire heart was set on defending the honor of the LORD and advancing His cause. But now, in his backslidden condition, David finds himself concerned about maintaining peace with the very enemies he once destroyed.
This is what compromise does to a believer’s zeal. It dulls conviction, weakens courage, and reshapes priorities until what once seemed intolerable becomes acceptable. David, who once could not rest while the enemies of God blasphemed His name, now seeks to “go in peace” to avoid offending them. Thankfully, God is about to bring David to the end of himself, restoring his heart through the events that await him at Ziklag.
(1 Samuel 29:8–10)
“So David said to Achish, But what have I done? And to this day what have you found in your servant as long as I have been with you, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king? Then Achish answered and said to David, I know that you are as good in my sight as an angel of God; nevertheless the princes of the Philistines have said, He shall not go up with us to the battle. Now therefore, rise early in the morning with your master’s servants who have come with you. And as soon as you are up early in the morning and have light, depart.”
David’s response to Achish reveals just how far his heart has wandered from the steadfast faith that once defined him. He asks with apparent sincerity, “But what have I done?” The words suggest genuine disappointment that he is not permitted to join the Philistines in battle against Israel. David, the man after God’s own heart, has fallen into a spiritual fog so thick that he is pleading for the opportunity to fight against his own people—the covenant nation of the LORD. Such is the deceitfulness of compromise. When a believer lingers too long in disobedience, sin dulls spiritual discernment until what once seemed unthinkable begins to appear reasonable.
He continues, “And to this day what have you found in your servant as long as I have been with you?” The irony here is profound. David is defending his faithfulness not to God, but to a pagan ruler. Once, his loyalty was to the covenant promises of the LORD and to the people of Israel. Now, he defends his reputation before an uncircumcised Philistine king. The words that follow—“that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king”—are even more tragic. Whether David meant Saul or Achish by “my lord the king” is ambiguous, but in either case, the statement reveals confusion. His allegiance, once clear and unwavering, has become blurred by fear and self-preservation.
Achish’s reply heightens the tragedy: “I know that you are as good in my sight as an angel of God.” This is a remarkable statement coming from a Philistine. Achish is not mocking David; he sincerely believes in David’s loyalty and virtue. Yet, such praise from an ungodly man is not a compliment—it is a condemnation. The fact that a pagan king could see nothing amiss in David’s conduct shows how far David had compromised his witness. When a man of God becomes so indistinguishable from the world that even the ungodly see him as blameless, it is a sign that his testimony has been deeply corrupted.
Nevertheless, Achish yields to the decision of his fellow Philistine lords: “He shall not go up with us to the battle.” Though David’s intentions were misguided, the unseen hand of God was at work through these circumstances. David wanted to fight against Israel, but the LORD prevented him. This moment stands as an example of divine intervention in a believer’s backslidden path. Many times, God restrains His children from plunging deeper into sin than they otherwise would. Like a shepherd rescuing a wandering sheep from the edge of a cliff, God’s providence can use even the decisions of the ungodly to deliver His own from disaster.
Achish’s final instruction—“Now therefore, rise early in the morning... and as soon as you are up early in the morning and have light, depart”—closes this chapter of shame and mercy. The dawn that follows will not only mark David’s departure from the Philistine camp but also the beginning of God’s work to restore his heart.
(1 Samuel 29:11)
“So David and his men rose early to depart in the morning, to return to the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.”
With this verse, the narrative transitions from the Philistine encampment at Aphek back to the land of the Philistines, and soon, to Ziklag. David obeys Achish’s order, leaving the battlefield he was never meant to enter. Though David is spared from sinning further, he has yet to grasp the full weight of his compromise. The text states that he returned “to the land of the Philistines,” an indicator that his spiritual condition has not yet been corrected. Instead of seeking repentance and renewal, David simply goes back to the comfort of the land that symbolizes his disobedience.
Here, the Holy Spirit begins to set the stage for David’s awakening. These events serve as a divine warning and a prelude to the crisis that will soon break over him at Ziklag. God had spoken through circumstances, through rejection, and through irony, but David had not yet listened. The Lord’s patience and mercy are evident: rather than condemning His servant, He continues to guide him through providence. Yet, the lesson remains clear—compromise always brings confusion, and peace cannot exist outside of obedience to God.
It will take the coming catastrophe at Ziklag to shatter David’s self-reliance and bring him back to the place of faith and dependence upon the LORD. This chapter therefore ends not with David’s restoration, but with God’s gracious prevention—a pause before the storm that will soon lead to repentance and renewal.
