Series: Youth for Jesus
Number: Vol. 8, No. 25
“So Achish called David and said to him, “As surely as the LORD lives, you have been reliable, and I would be pleased to have you serve with me in the army. From the day you came to me until now, I have found no fault in you, but the rulers don’t approve of you. Turn back and go in peace; do nothing to displease the Philistine rulers.”” (1Sam 29:6-7NIV)
From what we see in our opening bible text, the only reason Achish, a Philistine ruler, would not allow David and his men to march with his army on that occasion was that other Philistine rulers did not approve of him.
As for Achish, he trusted David very much and considered him to be one of his loyal servants. So, if he had any battle to fight, he would not hesitate at all to allow him to fight along with his men, even though he was not a Philistine but an Israelite. And that was because David had cleverly done all that he could to gain the man’s trust.
However, that day, the battle was going to be between the Philistines and the Israelites. And though David had gained the trust of Achish, he had not gained the trust of the other Philistine rulers. So, they judged that he may suddenly go back to his former master, King Saul, in the heat of the battle, and betray them. And that was unacceptable for them.
Therefore, they insisted that Achish send him and his men back home, which he did.Now were they right to judge David in that manner? Yes, they were. To say the fact, if Achish himself had known all the truth about what David had been up to, since he started staying with him, he would not have trusted him as he had done.
And even if David had been entirely true to him, it would still have been unwise for all those other kings to assume that they would have his unfailing devotion in fighting against his own people, the Israelites. So, they were right to send him and his men away that day. (Cf. 1Sam 27)
Did that, then, please David and his men? No, it did not please them at all. Why? It does not matter, actually. That is because whether they intended to truly fight for the Philistines or they planned to betray them at the battle front, their expectations did not come to pass.
So, they couldn’t have been happy. But since Achish had told them not to do anything to anger the Philistine rulers, they had to leave in peace.Thankfully, that disappointment turned out to be a blessing in disguise for them. How? Well, as we are further shown in the account, while they were with the Philistines, getting ready for battle, Amalekite raiders were already raiding their camp. And by the time they got back there on the third day, all their wives, children and possessions had been captured and taken away. (Cf. 1Sam 30:1-2)
That, of course, demoralised all of them terribly. But David still managed to find strength in God in that hour to purse those raiders and take back all that they had stolen from them. And when they came back from dealing with them, they had become exceedingly wealthy. (Cf. 1Sam 30:3-31)
But what if they had not met with disappointment from the Philistine rulers? They would certainly have gone with them to battle against the Israelites. And regardless of the outcome of that battle, they would not have been in a position to save their families and possessions from those Amalekite raiders. It would just have been too late for them to do so. So, the disappointment they suffered was actually a blessing in disguise.
What, then, is this teaching us? It is that we should not lose ourselves or our minds because of any form of disappointment. And we should not allow any disappointment to make us destroy or discard a good and edifying relationship. That is because that disappointment may just be a blessing in disguise.
See, one main reason people disappoint us, even when they mean well, is that they are not God. As such, they are not in charge of life or its circumstances. God is the one in charge of all of life. And because He is the one in charge of life, He can turn any circumstance of life, including a disappointing one, around for our good. (Cf. Rom 8:28)
So, we should learn to anticipate disappointments and to prepare our minds not to allow it to discourage us or to ruin beautiful relationships for us. That way, if we are disappointed by anyone, we will be able to see what God has done, is doing or can do to turn that disappointment into a blessing in disguise.
Cheers!
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