1 Samuel 29 Leadership and Submission: The Bible Blog
The Bible Blog: Reading through the Bible one chapter at a time, one week at a time for as long as it takes.
1 Samuel 29 Leadership and Submission
Summary:
1 Samuel 29:1 picks up where 1 Samuel 28:1 left off, after taking a slight detour that Saul took with the medium. David is with King Achish in Philistine country for the past year, and has served him loyally. The Philistine Lords have heard of David's famous battles and are not comfortable taking him into battle with them against his own people. They fear he will turn and fight with Israel mid way through the battle. They are also aware of his reputation as a fierce warrior.
King Achish defends David's honor, but does not argue with the Philishine leaders decision. He submits to their wishes and sends David and his men back to their home. David is also a little bent out of shape at the command, however he also submits. After a good night sleep he and his men head home leaving the Philistines to their battle against the Israelites.
My take away:
A wise leader once said that in order to be an effective leader I would first need to learn to be a good follower. I think the wisdom of that statement is buried in what motivates a good leader. A good leader is willing to do what needs to be done. He is willing to serve his followers while showing the way to reach their goal. Including putting aside his own agenda. I believe this is what Davis shows in this chapter.
David was probably not excited about fighting Israel. His men would have felt the same way. He was caught between a rock and a hard place. In order to protect his men and stay in hiding he needed to appear to be loyal to King Achish. God protected him from what could have been a much worse situation, as David had already sworn he would not lift a hand against God's anointed King (in this case Saul).
Achish may have also been relieved to send David away from the battle that day. Either way both men submitted to the leadership of another, and in the end David and his men were not forced into a battle against Israel.
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