Fridays with David

Read 1 Samuel 29:3-4 – 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.” 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?... ” (NKJV)

In this story, David’s ultimate agenda isn’t the good of Philistia, and Achish’s men know it. David’s scheme to gain the trust of Achish has its limits. Even though he has effectively deceived the Philistine king into believing him an ally, Achish’s men are not fooled. They know David’s heart and fully expect him to turn back to Israel at any opportunity. David isn’t where he belongs. As such, David’s scheme has reached its limit. The time of decision has come and the right choice is for David to be the man God has called him to be rather than continue his self-designed exile. True friends can only be those who want what you truly want. Only when we are on the same path can we walk together and fight our battles together. We are too easily fooled by people’s words and make friends of those who aren’t headed in the path we want for our lives. When life’s battles come, friends whose true hearts don’t match their words prove to be a hindrance to our pursuit of God.

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.