The Lord’s Restraining Hand
1 Samuel 29

Main Truth

Sometimes the hand that stops you is the hand that saves you.

David’s own choices had placed him in a situation he never intended to face. Yet even though David had stopped seeking the Lord and devised his own plan to save himself, the Lord saved David in spite of David.

The Lord had previously saved David from Saul. In 1 Samuel 29, the Lord rescues David from David.

Introduction

As children, many of us thought quicksand would be a much bigger problem in life than it actually turned out to be.

Quicksand looks solid enough, but once you step into it, you can become trapped. Sometimes life works the same way. We follow our own plans, do our own thing, and everything seems to be working out reasonably well. Then comes the quicksand.

Suddenly we find ourselves stuck in a situation we never intended to be in. Our own decisions brought us there, but somehow we never imagined things would turn out this way.

That is where we find David in 1 Samuel 29.

“Why Is David With the Philistines?”

The Philistine armies gather for war against Israel, and there among them are David and his men. That raises an obvious question: How did David end up here?

The Philistines had every reason to hate David. He had killed Goliath and had led Israel’s armies in victories that resulted in the deaths of thousands of Philistines.

But after years of running from Saul, David’s fear and exhaustion had gotten the better of him. Rather than seeking direction from the Lord, David devised his own plan. He went to the one place Saul would not follow him – the land of the Philistines.

Achish, king of Gath, gave David refuge and eventually gave him the city of Ziklag. During his time there, David deceived Achish into believing he had become a loyal ally. For a while, the plan worked.

David’s Plan Puts Him in a Precarious Situation

Then the Philistines gather for war against Israel. Achish tells David: “Understand that you and your men are to go out with me in the army.”
— 1 Samuel 28:1

David’s plan to protect himself from Saul has now put him in a terrible position. His decision to seek refuge with the Philistines – a decision he never asked God about – has brought him to the point where he is marching toward battle against his own people.

We are not told exactly what David intended to do.
Did he really plan to fight Israel?
Did he intend to turn against the Philistines once the battle began?
Did he have no plan at all and simply hope he could figure something out?The text does not tell us. But one thing is clear:
David is caught in the quicksand of his own decisions.

“What Are These Hebrews Doing Here?”

As the Philistine armies assemble, their commanders see David and his men. They immediately object: “What are these Hebrews doing here?”
— 1 Samuel 29:3

Achish defends David, insisting that David has been loyal and trustworthy. But the other Philistine commanders are not convinced. They remember who David is.
“Is not this David, of whom they sing to one another in dances,
‘Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?”
— 1 Samuel 29:5

They fear that once the battle begins, David will turn against them in order to reconcile himself to Saul. Their demand is simple: Send David back.

The issue is suddenly taken completely out of David’s hands.

“Go Back Now”

Achish reluctantly tells David that the other Philistine leaders will not allow him to go into battle. “So go back now; and go peaceably.”
— 1 Samuel 29:7

David continues playing the part of a loyal servant of Achish, but the decision has been made. David and his men must leave. So early the next morning, they turn around and head back toward Ziklag while the Philistine army continues toward Jezreel.

David did not devise the escape.
David did not manipulate the circumstances.
David did not solve the problem.
God closed the door.

God closed the door.

The Lord Rescues David From David

The Lord had repeatedly protected David from Saul. But this time David needed to be protected from himself.

David’s fear had caused him to devise a plan to save himself rather than trust the Lord to save him. He never asked God about going to the Philistines. He created the scheme. He maintained the deception. And eventually his own decisions placed him in an almost impossible position.

And yet:
THE LORD SAVED DAVID IN SPITE OF DAVID.

Even more remarkably:
THE LORD USED THOSE WHO WERE OPPOSED TO DAVID TO SAVE DAVID.

THE LORD USED THOSE WHO WERE OPPOSED TO DAVID TO SAVE DAVID.

The Philistine commanders thought they were protecting themselves. Without realizing it, they became instruments of God’s mercy toward David.

Application

Our Choices May Put Us in Places We Never Intended to Be

David stopped listening to God and began listening to himself. Rather than relying on the Lord, he devised his own plan. But that plan eventually had him marching toward battle against his own people.

When we:

• Leave God out of the mix
• Follow our own hearts
• Choose our own path
• Allow fear, doubt, and despair to drive us

we may end up asking: “How did I get here?”

A Merciful God May Close Doors We Foolishly Opened

David had gotten himself into the quicksand. Then the Philistine commanders asked one question: “What are these Hebrews doing here?”

“What are these Hebrews doing here?”

Their objection became God’s means of restraining David. When doors close, plans change, and life is disrupted, our first reaction may be frustration. But perhaps we should also ask:
Could God be sparing me—and those I love—from greater heartache and deeper loss?

Sometimes a closed door is not God’s rejection. Sometimes it is God’s restraint.

God’s Grace Can Rescue Us Even From Ourselves

Sometimes the greatest deliverance God gives us is not deliverance from our enemies. It is: DELIVERANCE FROM OURSELVES.

We may not understand what God is doing. We may not see His hand. We may not even like what is happening. But the question remains:
Can we trust the Lord in the midst of it?

Conclusion

The invitation of this passage is simple: Trust the Lord.

If you are frustrated with life—trust the Lord.
If things are going well—trust the Lord.
If you are stuck in quicksand of your own making—trust the Lord.
If you have experienced deliverance—trust the Lord.
If you do not know where to turn—trust the Lord.
If you feel lost and without hope—trust the Lord.

Remember:
Whether invited or not, the Lord is always present.
Whether seen or not, the Lord is always at work.

Sometimes the hand that stops you is the hand that saves you.
But at all times, the Lord’s hand is there to lead you.
The question is: Will you take hold of that hand?

Key Takeaway

Sometimes the hand that stops you is the hand that saves you – but at all times, the Lord’s hand is there to lead you.