1S27-3: The One Biblical Principle You Should NEVER Ignore

Let’s pause to get our bearings on where we’re at in 1 Samuel.

It’s good to do this occasionally since we’re dealing with so many different characters and places.

So the current situation is that David has given up all hope he’ll ever be able to have peace with Saul.

He has concluded that as long as he remains in Canaan, the mentally unstable and deranged Saul will always be after his life.

So what does he decide to do?

He decides to do what no Hebrew should do.

He packs his bags and leaves Israel taking his family and soldiers with him.

This is reminiscent of the time when David fled to Moab to buddy up with the King there.

However, the prophet Gad stopped David in his tracks and told him he was NOT to leave the Promised Land to avoid Saul.

There’s a huge takeaway here on why no Hebrew should leave the land God has set aside for them, and live in unkosher gentile lands where pork-based cuisine and Shabbat-breaking are the norm.

But I’ve already beaten that horse to death.

Let’s move on.

So David decided to flee to a city called Gath in Philistine territory.

He and his 600 men were warmly welcomed by the king there (Achish).

Interestingly, this was the second time David encountered Achish.

The first time they met, David had to pretend he was a crazy man so he could flee to Judah and then Moab.

But this time, David’s return was voluntary.

And he returned with something of great value:

An army he could use to support Achish’s ambitions to battle against Israel.

This situation is amazing, isn’t it?

God’s anointed NAGID (king-in-waiting) has left his homeland to support a sworn enemy of Israel which is a nation he will soon be ruling over.

This would be akin to the general of the IDF abandoning Israel to support Hamas or something.

Onward.

In the beginning, David, his family, and his soldiers lived in the royal city of Gath as the king’s special guests.

However, it soon became obvious this couldn’t be a long-term arrangement.

Hosting members of a sworn enemy nation in your backyard simply ain’t feasible.

So when David asked to be given a place on the outskirts of the city, Achish happily complied.

No doubt, because of political and social tensions brewing beneath the surface between David’s group and his own.

The bottom line is that David and his men followed Israelite ways…

While Achish and his people were Philistines who worshipped different gods…

The two could never meet.

And that’s your takeaway for today.

Or should I say reminder?

Remember, ever since God divided the light from the darkness back in the book of Genesis, one of the Lord’s foundational principles has always been DIVISION, SEPARATION, and ELECTION.

This hasn’t changed then, and it hasn’t changed now.

If you are a Hebrew…

Or a gentile believer who has been grafted into the commonwealth of Israel…

You are NOT to mix with the world…

You are in the world but not of the world.

This is the one fundamental Scriptural principle you should NEVER ignore.

See ya all next time.

CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT

“They are not of the world,
even as I am not of it.”
-John 17:16