August 30, 2023

Our actions and words should be ones that point others toward God.

1 Samuel 29

Chelsea Jeffery
Wednesday's Devo

August 30, 2023

Wednesday's Devo

August 30, 2023

Wednesday's Devo

August 30, 2023

Wednesday's Devo

August 30, 2023

Big Idea

Outward appearances can be deceiving. God looks at the heart.

Key Verse | 1 Samuel 29:8-9

And David said to Achish, "But what have I done? What have you found in your servant from the day I entered your service until now, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?" And Achish answered David and said, "I know that you are as blameless in my sight as an angel of God. Nevertheless, the commanders of the Philistines have said, 'He shall not go up with us to the battle.'"

1 Samuel 29

The Philistines Reject David

1 Now the Philistines had gathered all their forces at Aphek. And the Israelites were encamped by the spring that is in Jezreel. 2 As the lords of the Philistines were passing on by hundreds and by thousands, and David and his men were passing on in the rear with Achish, 3 the commanders of the Philistines said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” And Achish said to the commanders of the Philistines, “Is this not David, the servant of Saul, king of Israel, who has been with me now for days and years, and since he deserted to me I have found no fault in him to this day.” 4 But the commanders of the Philistines were angry with him. And the commanders of the Philistines said to him, “Send the man back, that he may return to the place to which you have assigned him. 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? 5 Is not this David, of whom they sing to one another in dances,

‘Saul has struck down his thousands,
    and David his ten thousands’?”

6 Then Achish called David and said to him, “As the LORD lives, you have been honest, and to me it seems right that you should march out and in with me in the campaign. For I have found nothing wrong in you from the day of your coming to me to this day. Nevertheless, the lords do not approve of you. 7 So go back now; and go peaceably, that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines.” 8 And David said to Achish, “But what have I done? What have you found in your servant from the day I entered your service until now, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?” 9 And Achish answered David and said, “I know that you are as blameless in my sight as an angel of God. Nevertheless, the commanders of the Philistines have said, ‘He shall not go up with us to the battle.’ 10 Now then rise early in the morning with the servants of your lord who came with you, and start early in the morning, and depart as soon as you have light.” 11 So David set out with his men early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. But the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

S2:168 1 Samuel 29

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Dive Deeper | 1 Samuel 29

Have you ever found yourself in a situation surrounded by people who don't know God and are living a life that looks different from what we're called to as Christians? It can be easy to try to blend in so you're not called out for your differences.

But instead of blending into the Philistines to make his life more comfortable, David is called out for being different. David protests being sent home from the battle, asking, "But what have I done?" (1 Samuel 29:8a); and Achish defends David's character and loyalty as someone who is "as blameless in my sight as an angel of God." (1 Samuel 29:9a)

David's words and actions toward Achish must have stood out as radically different if Achish so publicly proclaimed David's loyalty. Achish points to David's relationship with God as the reason for his work ethic, honesty, and faithfulness. Even in the midst of a time of challenge and hardship when he is surrounded by people who don't know God, David's words and actions still point others to God. God is David's source of strength, comfort, and peace in his life; and this gained the trust of nonbelievers.

As Christians, we have been made new in Christ and adopted into God's family. We are not of this world anymore, and the world will hate us for that (John 15:19, 17:14). But we should still speak and act in a way that is winsome for the Lord, pointing to Him as our hope, and acting above reproach so that even those who don't agree with our beliefs cannot attack our character (1 Peter 2:12, 3:15-17). This isn't something we can do on our own—it can only be done through the work of the Holy Spirit within us to renew our minds and help us discern what is good, acceptable, and perfect (Romans 12:1-2). 

When you find yourself in a situation in which it is tempting to conform to the world, turn toward God, allowing Him to work through your words and actions to set an example so different from those around you that others can't help but notice a positive difference. And when they ask why, point them to Him.

This month's memory verse

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

– Mark 10:45

Discussion Questions

1. If you were to poll the nonbelievers that you know, would they say there's something different about you in a positive way? Would they say it's your relationship with Jesus that makes you different?

2. Has there been a time recently when you've fallen into the temptation to conform to the world? If yes, confess it to the Lord and seek forgiveness of those whom you may have misled or harmed through your words and actions. If not, thank the Lord for leading you to stand firm in faith and pray that you will— through His work within you—make His name more famous.

3. When do you feel most tempted to conform to the world around you? What sin is at the center of that temptation? Ask your community group to pray for you and hold you accountable in these situations.

As we gear up to release even more features for Join The Journey in 2025, our staff team, unfortunately, no longer has the margin to continue to support the comment functionality. We have big things in store for Join The Journey 2025. Stay tuned!

HS

Hugh Stephenson

Good morning, Chelsea. Love this from your devo; a real bullseye. -“When you find yourself in a situation in which it is tempting to conform to the world, turn toward God, allowing Him to work through your words and actions to set an example so different from those around you that others can't help but notice a positive difference. And when they ask why, point them to Him.” Q1. Would friends say that it’s Jesus that makes me different? I’d like to think that they’d say my life reminds them of Jesus. But not after a long call with tech support or customer service. I embrace that unity is the goal, (John 14:20). God does not move the goal posts. I just keep running out of bounds. Q2. Romans 12:1-2. This is a HAHA question. I laugh because the answer is ALL OF THE TIME. The key for me is confession. That opens the door to repentance, forgiveness. and amends. And ultimately reconciliation. Q3. The temptation to conform depends on the setting and the people. -In a restaurant of loud drunk people, no pressure. -In a fancy setting with lots of affluence and the beautiful people… yes there’s pressure. But the real issue is do I want to leave and remove that temptation.
HS

Hugh Stephenson

Amy and I have several friends from college and high school whose lives have turned out very differently than anyone would have thought in the early/mid 1980’s when they/we graduated. They seemed to have everything needed to pursue and live out the life they would want- marriage, kids, family, material blessings, healthy relationships etc. Looking back 40+ years later at these friends we see how the movie played out as a slow-motion train wreck- not a happily ever after Rom-Com. We can see the sequence of decisions that led to the outcomes. Yet it’s still puzzling. Is it just their unhealthy choices? Or bad luck? Lack of faith? Overwhelming personal sin? God’s sovereign choice? Our lives were externally/materially overachieving but internally/spiritually way under achieving. But God…brought is to our Luke 15:16 moment. But not them? These are the types of questions that I bring to 31 days of reflecting on Saul and David. The Israelites have been taught the truth and promise of the Messiah from Genesis 3:15. Is this what separates and explains the difference in temperament of David and Saul?
HS

Hugh Stephenson

Is it possible that David “knew” Jesus in some sense? Did Saul? David, despite his up and down episodes while he is on the run, has some sense of peace and contentment that Saul does not. Deep down, despite all the flaws, I’m confident that David has a very good sense of Shalom. Psalm 23 is the “tell”. The Eden Project guys offer this on what we call “peace”. Biblically it’s called “Shalom”- https://www.theedenproject.com “The webbing together of God, humans, and all creation in justice, fulfillment, and delight is what the Hebrew prophets call shalom. We call it peace, but it means far more than mere peace of mind or a cease-fire between enemies. In the Bible, shalom means universal flourishing, wholeness, and delight—a rich state of affairs in which natural needs are satisfied and natural gifts fruitfully employed, a state of affairs that inspires joyful wonder as its Creator and Savior opens doors and welcomes the creatures in whom he delights. Shalom, in other words, is the way things ought to be.” - Neil Plantinga Wow. The EP guys say Eden is the home I’ve never been to. I’ve paid a few visits to the home called “Peace”. But not to the home called “Shalom”.
MS

Michael Sisson

Re: 1Sam 29:6 1Sam 29:6 (NASB) Then Achish called David and said to him, “As the LORD lives, >>>you have been upright, and your going out and your coming in with me in the army are pleasing in my sight; for I have not found evil in you from the day of your coming to me to this day.<<< Nevertheless, >>>you are not pleasing in the sight of the lords.<<< Yesterday, some commentators on chapters 27 & 28 accused David of: 1) failing to trust G-d, and 2) sinning further among the Philistines. Yet, the text itself never condemns David’s reasoning or actions (c.f. David’s time with Achish may literally fulfill Ps 23:5). On the contrary, here Achish attests to David’s righteousness before him. Referring directly to the G-d of Israel, Achish sounds like a man powerfully affected by David’s righteous example. None the less, the other Philistine lords distrusted and rejected him. (See 1Sam 29:9)
GJ

Greg Jones

Tough part of the story of David for me to understand. He’s gone over to the dark side, the anointed one of Israel is about to take his men and fight against Saul and the army of Israel. For some context are his brothers still with Saul’s army? Earlier David is saving Saul from, his, men, it would seem. Now it seems Achish’s men, in a way, are saving Saul from David’s hand in their rebuke of him.
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Sue Bohlin

Thank you, Chelsea! It's interesting how there can be such different perspectives on this section of David's story. I appreciate your positive takeaway, as well as Michael's observation that the text doesn't condemn David's reasoning or actions. Very helpful. David Guzik had some intriging commentary on this chapter: "In many ways, David was in the worst place for any child of God. He had too much of the world in him to be at peace in the LORD, and he had too much of the LORD in him to be at peace in the world. God spoke to David through this, but David had to listen." "That you may not displease the lords of the Philistines (v. 7): David used to displease the lords of the Philistines all the time. He used to be a mighty warrior for the cause of God, and he used to strike fear in the heart of every enemy of God. Now, David is concerned about displeasing the lords of the Philistines. "Is this the same David who fought Goliath? Could you imagine someone coming to David before that battle, and saying, “Excuse me, David. I don’t think you should do that. You might displease the lords of the Philistines.” What do you think David’s response would be? He might say, “Of course I will displease the lords of the Philistines. I want to displease the lords of the Philistines. I can’t wait to displease the lords of the Philistines. Let me know if I ever stop displeasing the lords of the Philistines.” But all that was a distant memory in this time of backsliding and compromise for David." "He shall not go up with us to the battle…. as soon as you are up early in the morning and have light, depart (v. 9-10): David wanted to fight with the Philistines against Israel but God wouldn’t let him. David’s heart was in a bad place, but God didn’t abandon him. We should praise God for the times when He keeps us from sinning as badly as we might want to."
AL

Amy Lowther

1. Yes, nonbelievers of my life would say there is something different about me in a positive way because of the strength provided to me by Jesus. 2. No, God is helping me see temptations for what they are and not to stress over them. Prayer: God thank you for being there for me when I need you and when I don’t. Thank you for your words and your examples. Amen. 3. On any day of the week there is temptation in the world to not listen to God. Knowing and understanding God helps me resist temptations. The potential sin would be listening to my environment and paying attention to materialistic things versus listening to God. Prayer: God, thank you for all you do. Thank you for your belief in me and in others. May we glorify you in everything we do. Amen.
JC

Jason Cromwell

"Is this one for the people or is this one for the Lord?" I know I definitely have moments like anyone where it's so easy to give in and look just like everyone else, but then there's always someone who says "Jason you're not supposed to be here you're supposed to be different ." I used to hate those moments, but now I'm thankful for them, because it reminds me I am different (and I love it).
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Michael Scaman

Taste and see the Lord is Good at the center of Psalm 34 which by title is A Psalm of David when he pretended madness before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed, The title Abimelech is son of the king in he Psalm The same person, in this account from Samuel, goes by Achish Achish means angry and in the story he is called 'angry' It's funny ho the writers play with names. Ironic the Mr Angry would say David was like an angel of God. "So David set out with his men early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. But the Philistines went up to Jezreel." David heads back to the land of the Philistines. He will have his hands full rescuing the relatives of fmaily and frieds. In the providence of God this all will keep David from being involved in a final battle between the Philistines and Saul. This is because Philistines are now headed to Jezreel which is near Mt Gilboa and where the Philistines will fight and kill Saul and several of Saul's sons including Jonathan on Mt Gilboa/