Day 87: 1 Samuel 25-27; Psalms 17 & 73

David comes up with some "out-of-the-box" kind of ideas. He decides that the best place for him and his men to remain safe from Saul is in the land of the Philistines...the enemies of Israel. He becomes friends with Achish, king of Gath. If you'll recall, Gath is where Goliath was from! Amazing! And all the while David lives among the Philistines he carries out raids against the Philistines from within:

     Now David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites and the Amalekites. (From ancient times these peoples had lived in the land extending to Shur and Egypt.) Whenever David attacked an area, he did not leave a man or woman alive, but took sheep and cattle, donkeys and camels, and clothes. Then he returned to Achish.
     When Achish asked, “Where did you go raiding today?” David would say, “Against the Negev of Judah” or “Against the Negev of Jerahmeel” or “Against the Negev of the Kenites.” He did not leave a man or woman alive to be brought to Gath, for he thought, “They might inform on us and say, ‘This is what David did.’” And such was his practice as long as he lived in Philistine territory. Achish trusted David and said to himself, “He has become so obnoxious to his people, the Israelites, that he will be my servant for life.” (1 Samuel 27:8-12)

He allowed Achish to think he had the upper hand when all the while David was doing to the Philistines what Saul should have been doing! David lived this way for a year and four months...and Achish never caught on.

David is a complex, intriguing character. I've been thinking of him as confident and humble but he was also brilliant and creative. These characteristics are evident in his dealings with people, his military strategies, as well as in his poetic writings.

He paints a beautiful word picture in Psalm 73. He's talking about "the wicked" when he says this, but I think you could apply this thought to all of the trials, grief and hardship of this life:

They are like a dream when one awakes;
   when you arise, Lord,
   you will despise them as fantasies. (Psalm 73:20)

Then Psalm 73 closes with these words, which cause me to realize just how shallow my commitment really is. Maybe someday I'll get to the point where I'll be able to say this...and it'll be true. Actually, I suppose it is true (except for maybe that "desire" part), it's just that I don't always live like it's true:

Whom have I in heaven but you?
   And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
   but God is the strength of my heart
   and my portion forever. (Psalm 73:25-26)