Saul and the Medium of En-dor

As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.

Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.

1 Samuel 28:1-2
1 In those days the Philistines gathered their forces for war, to fight against Israel. And Achish said to David, “Understand that you and your men are to go out with me in the army.”
2 David said to Achish, “Very well, you shall know what your servant can do.” And Achish said to David, “Very well, I will make you my bodyguard for life.”

Let’s remember what David has just accomplished with Achish. He has used Achish to provide the city of Ziklag as a base for excursions into the south, allowing David to attack and kill every soul in the town attacked, and then, when informing Achish of his whereabouts and accomplishments, speaks of the raids as upon the very people of Israel, Achish’s arch enemies and David national home.

No wonder Achish was convinced that David would be his servant for ever, for he understood (falsely) that David had turned on his own people and that he had committed multiple atrocities against his own nation.

Well, it appears the chickens are coming home to roost. As my wife often states – Be sure your sin will find you out! Achish is finding in David a tremendous resource, a resource that can “obviously” be trusted, for all he knows.

At this time in David’s life, David was a story teller, a salesman, a conman that worked his enemy. And he was now in between a rock and a hard place. And David made the statement, almost the only thing he could say at this time. Somewhat non-committal, somewhat generic!

Very well, you shall know what your servant can do.

What else could he say? He was up to his neck in deception, and was facing the man he deceived, the man who would kill him if he found out the truth. He couldn’t appeal to Saul for “extradition”, trying some diplomacy thing. That is ludicrous. He couldn’t call on his own army, for 600 men were no match against the Philistine army, and he surely felt he couldn’t count on God for assistance in battle. What else could David do at this point but to be non-committal, generic and without any promise of success

Very well, you shall know what your servant can do.

Yes, Achish would know what his servant can do. What ever that means!

Have you met any who might provide a generic promise, some vague statement that sounds good, but when analyzed and considered after the fact, you realize the message was empty.

Kinda like saying “It is what it is”, or “Time, being what it is”, or “Wherever you are, that’s where you’ll be”. Statements like this may sound profound, but when you sit back and think of them, they convey nothing worthwhile.

I think David resorted to this type of message because he realized he was in trouble! He couldn’t commit, and he couldn’t confess! He had to confuse, or at least confound!

It must have seemed like this situation he was in was fast becoming a trap, and he himself was to blame for much of it. He needed time, and he really needed to have some time in front of God.

That is the solution, is it not? Do you find yourself in a sticky wicket? Whether self inflicted or not, we have a God who is approachable in times of difficulty. If we are becoming non-committal, generic or confusing with others in an effort to avoid a problem or situation, rest assured that we will need to face God eventually and be committed, specific and clear as to our situation.

Its just a matter of time! But He is there for us, for He is not a God of confusion, but of peace.

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