This is a frustrating chapter. I am not sure what to do with it. On the surface David seems to be attacking people indiscriminately in order to plunder them and their land to provide for his family and men. This sounds like an outlaw to me. How do I square this with the 10 Commandments… ‘You shall not murder or steal’…?????
On the other hand, David shows incredible cunning, escaping to the Philistines and concocting the story about raiding
So I sit in a quandary as I read this morning, trying to understand and listen and learn from the Lord. I found no relief through my own pondering alone, so I consulted some commentaries. One older, well respected commentary, Keil and Delitzsch, writes this:
From Ziklag David made an attack upon the Geshurites, Gerzites, and Amalekites, smote them without leaving a man alive, and returned with much booty. The occasion of this attack is not mentioned, as being a matter of indifference in relation to the chief object of the history; but it is no doubt to be sought for in plundering incursions made by these tribes into the land of Israel. For David would hardly have entered upon such a war in the situation in which he was placed at that time without some such occasion, seeing that it would be almost sure to bring him into suspicion with Achish, and endanger his safety. … The Amalekites were the remnant of this old hereditary foe of the Israelites, who had taken to flight on Saul's war of extermination, and had now assembled again (see at 1 Samuel 15:8-9). "For they inhabit the land, where you go from of old to Shur, even to the land of Egypt."
At least there is one possible resolution to my conflict with the text; David was marching against people who were raiding
Speak, Lord, Your servant is listening. Speak, Lord, Your servant is still conflicted with this chapter in Your Word. Speak, Lord, throughout the day that I may do Your bidding as You direct. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
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