David in Ziklag

David, still playing the role of a Philistine marauder in Ziklag, found himself in the camp of the enemy as they were marching up against Israel. But the lords of the Philistines disapproved of this and petitioned Achish to send him and his men away. God kept David from killing his brethren that day, but when they returned to Ziklag, they found that the Amalekites had raided their city and taken their wives and children. So David sought God and pursued the Amalekites to overtake them, bringing back their wives and children. God gave them favor, and the women, children, livestock, and goods were saved! David got his first true taste of what it meant to be king.

In our last episode we saw how David once again had the chance to kill Saul but did not. Rather than take the easy way out and fix things in his own way and his own time, David stood firm in his conviction that God would deal with Saul, but not through David’s sword. But despite Saul’s apparent regret for having chased David again, and his promise to leave him alone, David’s faith wavered and he fled into Philistine country, forming an alliance the a foreign king. Today we’ll learn how David’s loyalty to Israel will be tested and how his decision to settle in enemy territory will bring peril to his people.