1 Samuel 23-31
23:2, 4
David inquires of the Lord twice, and hears that he should attack the Philstines at Keilah. His guidance and protection by God here and in the following chapters, contrasts with Saul's unsuccessful attempts to discern God's will (14:37 onwards).
23:6-14
Following God's word results in victory for David at Keilah. But Saul believes that “God has given him into my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars” (7). David inquires of Lord again, however, and discovers that that it's not safe to stay at Keilah and escapes before Saul arrives.
23:15-18
At Horesh, in the wilderness of Ziph, Jonathan visits David in the last meeting recorded in 1 Samuel between the two of them. After Jonathan has strengthened his [David's] hand in God (16) they make another covenant, relating to David's forthcoming and certain kingship.
23:24-29
But David continues to evade Saul in the wilderness of Maon (23), although Saul is closing-in (26) the pursuit is stopped, this time by a Philistine raid that Saul has to combat elsewhere and therefore retreats from his pursuit. The rock/mountain that divided David and Saul before the latter's retreat was therefore was named in memory of the incident, using a familiar biblical metaphor for salvation - the 'rock of parting', or the 'rock of escape'.
24:1-7
After the Philistine interruption, Saul sets off to find David in the wilderness of Engedi. But David finds Saul, and we read of the first of two encounters where David spares Saul's life. Not only refraining from taking Saul's life, he becomes conscience-stricken about cutting off the corner of Saul's robe when he catches him unawares in a cave. Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul's robe. And afterward David's heart struck him... He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord's anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord's anointed.” (5-6)
24:8-19
Outside the cave, David calls to Saul from a distance, bows with his 'face to the earth' and pays 'homage' to Saul (8). The dialogue which follows, apparently with raised voices at a safe distance for David, Saul confesses David's innocence, acknowledging '...that you did not kill me when the Lord put me into your hands'.
24:20-22
Saul goes on to admit that his pursuit of David is unjust and futile 'And now, behold, I know that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand'. (20) The scene concludes after David swears an oath at Saul's request that when he becomes king he won't cut off (i.e. destroy) Saul's family (21-22).
25:1-42
David's departure to another wilderness area with his company of fighting men suggests that despite the events of the previous chapter, he didn't expect his situation with regard to Saul to change. The IVP New Bible Commentary says of the next episode
in chapter 25:
Meanwhile David had the daily task of finding provisions for his followers, and this passage shows how difficult that could be. He tried to win support and provisions from rich farmers like Nabal by giving them assistance and protection from raiders (like the Amalekites), and then seeking generosity from them. No doubt there were other farmers who gladly helped David, and probably some who helped rather reluctantly; Nabal was mean by nature in his dealings and rudely refused.
The account which follows is an insight into the growth in David's relationship with God, as he is prevented from sinning by taking revenge on Nabal by the intervention of Nabal's wife Abigail*The woman was discerning and beautiful, but the man was harsh and badly behaved... (3b). Abigail appeases David's anger and shows him that he doesn't have to exact revenge on his own account, so that David says: “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me! Blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodguilt and from working salvation with my own hand!" (32-33).
Nabal dies (38) and Abigail becomes David's wife. The writer's belief that ...the Lord struck Nabal, would likely have been shared in the region of Judah where the events took place, so the marriage would have increased David's reputation and support.
* Recommended article: Did Abigail betray her husband? What is her role in David’s rise to power?
26:1-25
Once again, Saul receives a tip-off as to David's whereabouts and goes in pursuit, but David finds Saul first. Also as before, David is presented with, and declines, the opportunity to end Saul's pursuit by ending Saul's life, showing again his loyalty to the Lord's anointed (11). David again explains to his companion about the guilt that would be incurred by taking Saul's life, but on this occasion expresses his faith that God himself will bring this campaign against David to a conclusion. And David said, “As the Lord lives, the Lord will strike him, or his day will come to die, or he will go down into battle and perish. The Lord forbid that I should put out my hand against the Lord's anointed..." (10-11) A passage that strongly suggests that David has learnt from his experience with Nabal in the previous chapter, that implementing justice is God's work.
The dialogue that follows David's infiltration of Saul's camp (13-25) again conducted from a distance with raised voices, bears a lot of study and reflection. It might have been summed up in two or three sentences but (no doubt for important reasons) we are given a detailed account. Here and now though, it will suffice to note that Saul concedes again to David's plea of innocence as well as, perhaps, conceding that he has succeeded only in endangering his own life on at least two occasions.
The chapter concludes with Saul repenting from seeking to harm David (21) and saying “Blessed be you, my son David! You will do many things and will succeed in them.” So David went his way, and Saul returned to his place (22).This incident did indeed prove to be the last episode in Saul's pursuit of David, as the following chapters of 1 Samuel record David's role in the build-up towards further conflict between Israel and the Philistines, together with Saul's final failures of leadership and eventual death in battle, as anticipated by David (26:10-11).
27:1-4
At the start of chapter 27, however, David remains certain that he is in danger: Then David said in his heart, “Now I shall 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..." (1a)
It seems reasonable to think that David's vacillation between faith and fear is a normal human response to changing circumstances: one moment in a position of control, and the next back to life as a fugitive.
27:5-12
Having made a deal with Achish, King of Gath (5-7) with whom he had sought refuge previously (21:10), David establishes himself in Ziklag for 16 months (7) which provides a base for making raids for spoil against various people and places (8) as part of a new plan to deceive Achish into seeing David as a defector from Israel and an ally.
The location of Ziklag is key to understanding this passage. At a frontier to the south of Gath, it was close to several tribes that were enemies of both Israel and the Philistines, as well as to an Israelite frontier at Judah. Leaving no one alive from the raids on the the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites (8) to tell Achish a different story, David allows him to believe that he was raiding places that belonged to, or were controlled by Judah. Achish sees only the plunder from the raids (9). Without condoning deceit and cruelty, 1 Samuel shows the desperate nature of the situation for David that Saul had created, as well as David's loyalty to Israel. As verse 12 shows, the deception worked: And Achish trusted David, thinking, “He has made himself an utter stench to his people Israel; therefore he shall always be my servant.”
28:1-2
As war between Israel and the Philistines approaches again, the deception of Achish seems complete, as he says to David “...I will make you my bodyguard for life.” (2)
28:3-7
Contravening his own rule, Saul is forced to consult a medium, as his rejection by God is evidenced by failure again, when he inquired of the Lord (6).
28:8-25
Although Saul succeeds in his mission to get counsel from the now-deceased Samuel, it proves completely self-defeating. The message of disaster he receives is prefaced by a reminder: And Samuel said, “Why then do you ask me, since the Lord has turned from you and become your enemy?" (16) and finishes with a prediction of defeat by the Philistines.
29:1-5
Back with David and the build-up to war, the Lords of the Philistines (2) prove to be less easily deceived than Achish and they instruct him “Send the man back... He shall not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become an adversary to us. For how could this fellow reconcile himself to his lord? Would it not be with the heads of the men here..." (4). The Philistine Lords recalled David's legendary reputation (5) and did not believe he would fight for them.
29:6-11
In the concluding dialogue of the chapter, David maintains his deception of Achish, but concedes (with protest) to his exclusion from the forthcoming battle and returns to his base.
30:1-6
In David’s absence, the Amalekites raid and take captives from Ziklag, setting fire to it. The resulting anger of David's men was apparently directed at himself, but David's response in this case is one of faith. And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God (6).
30:7-10
David's response was careful rather than vengeful, and once again (see 23:6, 9) he called for Abiathar the priest to support him in inquiring of God, only setting off in pursuit of the Amalekites when he receives confirmation that it was the right course of action.
David and his men learn the location of the raiding band from the young servant of an Amalekite who had been at the raid of Ziklag, but had been left behind in the withdrawal. The servant takes them to the location as the price of sparing his own life (15). The following fight, leading to rescue of the captives and retrieval of the spoil from David's own raids was a comprehensive success (19-20).
30:21-25
The narrative then recounts an incident that shows David's integrity. 200 of the men in David's company had been too exhausted to go on the rescue mission and had been left to mind the baggage at the Brook Besor. When David and his 400 raiders return, verse 22 records that the wicked and worthless fellows among the men who had gone with David said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered..." David's leadership and the successes of his company notwithstanding, the writer's assessment of some of the group remains strongly negative, but more importantly, we see that David rules their claim decisively out of order, saying that those who guarded the baggage would receive their proper share of the spoil, with the text adding he made it a statute and a rule for Israel from that day forward to this day (25).
30:26-31
The account which concludes the chapter confirms that of chapter 27 (8-12) that David had been conducting raids on behalf of Israel, and Judah in particular: When David came to Ziklag, he sent part of the spoil to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, “Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the Lord.” (26)
The last chapter of 1 Samuel records the death of Saul - as predicted by Samuel in chapter 28 - in defeat by the Philistines at Mount Gilboa. Although just 13 verses, there is much significance in the details of the event (see Constable's Expository Notes here if required) but the brevity of the report seems to confirm that Saul had already been cut off as Israel's God-appointed king and consigned to history.
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