1 Samuel - Odessa, Missouri Community of Christ

110 Dr. Constable's Notes on 1 Samuel 2007 Editionwith the Last Supper of Jesus Christ, the vice-regent who always listened to and obeyedGod faithfully. Saul ate this meal in dread as he anticipated death the next day whereasJesus ate His Last Supper in perfect peace anticipating death the next day.We would expect that with such a striking warning Saul would have withdrawn Israel'sarmy and fled south toward Gibeah and safety, but he did not. He evidently still felt thathe could oppose God's word and succeed. He went into battle the next day and perished.God removed His unfaithful anointed because he proved to be an insubordinate andinattentive vice-regent. He also disciplined the nation Saul represented by allowing thePhilistines to defeat Israel.This pericope helps the reader appreciate the serious consequences of not listening toGod's word and not obeying His will. Saul could not get guidance from God because Godhad ceased giving His rebellious servant directions. People sometimes cannot getguidance from God because they have been unwilling to listen to God and obey Him. Hestops speaking to them. Saul then tried to get guidance from elsewhere. God graciouslyprovided it to him in the form of a final warning, but Saul disregarded that too. Heplunged forward to his death. Similarly Judas received a final warning from Jesus in theUpper Room, but he disregarded it and died within 24 hours. How important it is not toharden our hearts when God speaks to us (cf. Ps. 95:6-11; Heb. 3:7-8, 15; 4:7)!Yahweh's providential protection of David ch. 29As Saul reached the depth of his fortunes, David attained the height of his popularity thusfar. This chapter seems to antedate the previous one slightly. The writer appears to haveincorporated it in his narrative here to highlight the contrasts between Saul and David inchapters 27—31.The Philistine commanders' fear of David 29:1-5The lords or commanders of the Philistine city-states mustered their troops and marchednorth to the town of Aphek. 305 Aphek stood near Philistia's northern border with Israel.The Philistine lords were on their way to the Jezreel Valley to battle King Saul. Jezreelwas a town on the northwestern slope of Mt. Gilboa about three miles south of Shunem(cf. 28:4). David and his 600 mercenaries were bringing up the rear in the Philistineprocession. The Philistine lords noticed David and his men and asked each other whyHebrew soldiers were accompanying them since they were going to war against theIsraelites. 306 Achish, whom David had deceived into thinking that he was no longer loyalto Saul, came to his defense. David had lived in Philistia now for almost one year andfour months (cf. 27:7). The other Philistine kings could hardly believe how naive Achish305 It is interesting that the first place the Philistines mustered their troops for battle against the Israelites inthis book was at Aphek (4:1), and the last place they did so that the writer recorded was also at Aphek. Thisindicates that Israel had not subdued her neighbor enemy effectively during Saul's reign because of hisfailure as her leader.306 "Hebrew" is the common word that non-Israelites used to describe the Israelites, according to the OldTestament writers. It was an ethnic designation.