Deeper Reflection
DAVID FLED TO GATH to save his life from Saul’s pursuit twice (v.10; 1 Sam 27:1-5). It was God’s will for David to remain in “the land of Judah” – the place of his “divinely ordained destiny”² – as God spoke to him through the prophet Gad (1 Sam 22:5). But it made David very vulnerable to Saul’s attack on him. Nevertheless, David had to trust in God that He would protect and deliver him (cf. 1 Sam 19:18-24; 23:13-14), and fulfil His purpose for him (cf. 1 Sam 16:12-13; 24:16-17). David fled to Gath because he wavered in his faith and took things into his own hands. His flight to Gath means he had gone off course from God’s will and God’s way. And in both flights to Gath, David had made things dangerous and difficult for himself. But God in His quiet presence delivered him from the same mistake – once (vv.11-15) and again (1 Sam 29:1-11). God’s grace is so tenacious. He will deliver us from our mistakes again and again. “God’s mercy and patience are not exhausted when we choose our foolish Philistia.”³ However, we should not assume from David’s experience that God always extracts us so easily when our faith in Him wavers and we go off course from His way. Sometimes God does so; at other times He allows us to experience the pain of negative experiences so that we may learn and grow. In either case, God’s grace and mercy are tenaciously present.

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² Robert B. Chisholm Jr., 1 & 2 Samuel, Teach the Text Commentary Series (Baker, 2013), 143

³ Dale Ralph Davis, 307