With Saul constantly chasing after him, David was getting tired, and so he returned to Philistia, hoping to convince their king Achish to take him in.
Perhaps by this time, Achish had heard of David’s troubles and was more inclined to trust him. And so he gave David and his men some land to live in.
While he was there, David and his men started attacking Israel’s other enemies. But whenever Achish asked David what he had been doing, David lied and said he had been attacking Israel.
Why did he do this? Undoubtedly, he was trying to win the favor and trust of Achish.
But I can’t help but think that David also thought to himself, “This is for a good cause. I’m attacking Israel’s enemies. I’m helping God’s people.”
He may have been helping Israel, but he was also lying. And it got him into trouble. His act was so convincing that when Achish gathered his troops to attack Israel, he told David,
You must understand that you and your men will accompany me in the army. (1 Samuel 28:1)
And at that point, David was stuck. What was he going to say? “I can’t attack my own people?” Because of his lie, all he could say was,
Then you will see for yourself what your servant can do. (28:2)
It was only through God’s mercy and working, causing the other Philistine commanders to complain about letting David and his men fight with them, that David avoided having to attack his own people.
How often do we convince ourselves that our sin is not really wrong because it’s for a good purpose.
Remember that in God’s eyes, sin is never good, and we are to avoid it at all costs. Otherwise, we’ll find ourselves with the same kinds of problems that David had.
Are there any sins in your life that you’re trying to justify?
Moment to Moment (Bible blog) 