King James Version
The Book of 1 Samuel
Chapter 27
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Commentary
by G. Neil Armstrong
I am not certain why David went went up, and invaded the Geshurites, and the Gezrites, and the Amalekites. Maybe he was bored. Maybe it was a sense of duty. Some of the inhabitants were left alive merely because there weren't enough Israelite yet to maintain all of the land. To preserve the land, and so that the land won't become a waste land, the Israelites chose to leave some of the heathen nations intact so that they can work the land. I don't know why David chose to come against them at this time, and under these circumstances. It even could be that he is now a warrior at heart and simply missed the battle.
I'd like to think that David was behaving as a king, even before he was king. I suppose that David thinks about that day, long ago, when Samuel came to his fathers house and anointed him for the kingdom. A shepherd boy, fresh out of the field, anointed to be the heir of the thrown. At present, David has time to think about a lot of things. Does he still think of Jonathan, his beloved friend? Is he frustrated that he must live in hiding? David had not forgotten that the Israel army had gone against the Philistines in a number of battles and was beaten by them. David had not forgotten that he had slain the Philistine champion, Goliath, with a sling and a stone. Yet, David lives with the Philistines now, in the land of Gath.
I remember a time when I had a childhood enemy. This boy was a real punk. He was trouble at every waken moment. When I would see him, I would try to go in a different direction to avoid going near him. I felt that if he and I ever had a confrontation, one of us would be badly hurt. We were both very mean and we didn't have much limits as to how much we would injure someone. He had done some very bad things and I have, too. I didn't want anything to happen to me, and I thought I would probably have to try to kill that boy so that he wouldn't injure me like that. It was better to avoid it, if possible. The boy disappeared for a long time, perhaps 5 years or so. When I seen him again, the feeling of foreboding returned to me and I wanted to go in a different direction to avoid him. He seen me and he caught up to me. My heart was beating fast and I was ready for anything. To my surprise, and disbelief, he told me that he had found the Lord.
I didn't believe him at all, but I knew to play along. I didn't want to offend him. He invited me to come over and meet his wife and children. I said I would soon, and I continued on my way... quickly. Three or four times I seen this boy, now a man, and he would come to me and talk about Jesus. I was not living right then, and wanted to avoid the subject. I didn't want to talk about Jesus with one of my mortal enemies. I didn't want to face my shame for turning away from the Lord. When I finally did meet his family, I knew immediately that it was the real thing. Sure, he had a beautiful wife, as he had always had the most beautiful women in his life. He was not a good looking man, but he was very good with women, to an extent. This particular woman was real. My mortal enemy was a born again, Holy Ghost filled, born again believer!
The boy, now a man, wanted to tell me about reprobate. I understood what that meant, but I didn't see how it was relevant to me. As time went on, and especially looking back on it now, I understand that I had been in reprobate. Some people may find this very difficult to believe because it is a very serious matter to be in reprobate with God. It is not irreversible, however. Alone, I could not return to God because my prayers went up and bounced back off of the storm clouds that separated me from God. My new friend, old enemy, prayed me through one day and I had made peace with God after a very long time in darkness.
I have never felt so all alone again, after that. The anger and rage that drove me had left and never returned. I had become more of a coward than a vicious fighter. What used to stir anger in me and cause me to rush into battle had become a deep foreboding fear whenever I faced a dangerous situation. All of that is past now, and I have not seen this boy for over 15 or 20 years, but I still remember it all. In a way, the streets of Columbus was my kingdom and I was a warrior.
Perhaps it was a deep sense of duty that actually did motivate David's actions. I do know that a person needs to practice his skill if he wants to keep it. I also know that eventually all of the heathen nations must be destroyed because their ungodly ways are poison to God's chosen People. I don't know what significance this chapter has, except that it will come more clear to me as I put it together with some of the other chapters, to see the whole story more clearly. For right now, it has helped me to see my own story a little bit more clearly.
