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英文原文
How Saul, who was forsaken of God, when he was in a strait was more and more perplexed and embarrassed with his own counsels, we read in the foregoing chapter. In this chapter we find how David, who kept close to God, when he was in a strait was extricated and brought off by the providence of God, without any contrivance of his own. We have him, I. Marching with the Philistines, 1Sa 29:1,2. II. Excepted against by the lords of the Philistines, 1Sa 29:3-5. III. Happily dismissed by Achish from that service which did so ill become him, and which yet he knew not how to decline, 1Sa 29:6-11.
1-5
David with the Philistines (1055 BC)
大卫在非利士人中（主前1055年）
¹ 非利士人将全军聚到亚弗；以色列人在耶斯列的泉旁安营。 ² 非利士人的首领各率百人千人前进；大卫和跟随他的人在后方与亚吉同走。 ³ 非利士人的首领说：「这些希伯来人在这里作什么？」亚吉对非利士人的首领说：「这不是以色列王扫罗的臣子大卫吗？他在我这里有些日子，有些年分；自从他降服我直到今日，我未曾见他有过错。」 ⁴ 非利士人的首领向他发怒，对他说：「你要叫这人回去，好叫他回到你所派他去的原处；不可叫他同我们出战，恐怕他在阵上作了我们的仇敌。他岂能用别样与主人和好呢？岂不是用我们这些人的首级吗？」 ⁵ 从前众人跳舞说唱，所指的不是这个大卫吗？说：扫罗杀死千千，大卫杀死万万。
这里：I. 大卫所处的大窘境——想必他自己也有所察觉，虽然我们没有读到他曾求问神，也没有看到他有何脱身之计。非利士与以色列两军已安营待战（撒上29:1）。向来厚待大卫的亚吉，曾要求他亲自带着兵力前来服役。大卫依命前来，阅兵之时被发现与亚吉同在后队的岗位上（撒上29:2）。此时：1. 两军交战之际，他若撤离岗位，便会背上洗不掉的污名——不仅是怯懦与背信，更是对亚基的卑鄙忘恩，因亚基是他的保护者、恩人，对他投以信任，又委他以极体面的差事。这样无原则之事他断不能行。2. 他若如人所望为非利士人与以色列争战，便会被视为与神的以色列为敌、是本国的叛徒，会使自己的百姓恨他，齐心反对他登基——因为他既曾于未受割礼之人的旗下与他们争战，便不配以色列人之名，更不配以色列王之尊荣与信任。若扫罗在此役中被杀（后来果真如此），这罪便会算在大卫账上，仿佛是他所杀。这样看来，两边都既有罪又有丑闻。这就是他所处的窘境；对一个敬虔人而言，这是极大的窘境——看见罪在前比看见患难在前更难。他是因自己的轻率、离开犹大地而到未受割礼之人中间，才陷入此窘境的。凡与恶人结交、与他们亲密起来的人，若全无过错或忧愁（或两者兼有）而脱身，那才奇怪。他自己打算如何行，并未说明。也许他只打算担任王的护卫，即所派的岗位（撒上28:2），而不对以色列采取任何攻势。但离罪之崖如此之近而不坠落，实在艰难。所以，尽管神本可公义地把他留在这难处中作为对他愚昧的惩治，却因他心向神正直，便不叫他被试探所胜，总能给他开一条出路（林前10:13）。
II. 为他从这窘境中得脱救开了门。神使非利士众首领的心反对他在战中任用，坚持要他被打发回去。这样，他们的敌意反倒成了他的朋友，这是他一切朋友都不能为他作的善事。1. 他们阅兵时所问的话甚为得当："这些希伯来人在这里作什么？"（撒上29:3）我们能对他们存什么信心？又能指望他们什么效力？一个希伯来人离开了他的本位，若他还有希伯来人的灵，便是在非利士营中离了他的本分，理当在那里不安。大卫向来恨恶恶人的会（诗26:5），不论他此时为何混迹其中。亚基在此事上为大卫作了可敬的见证。他看大卫为一个逃亡者，逃避本国不义的控告而投于他保护之下；因此按公义他有责任照顾他，按精明他也以为可以用他。"因为（他说）他在我这里有些日子，有些年分"，即一段不短的时日——在宫廷许多日子，在本国一两年——却从未见他有过错，未见任何不信实的缘由，只见他诚心归附。由此可见，大卫行事极其谨慎，巧妙地把对自己同胞仍存的情谊隐藏起来。我们实在需要用智慧与外人交往，在恶人面前谨守口舌，常存戒备之心。3. 然而众首领却毫不含糊，非要他被打发回去；他们所持的理由也充足。(1) 因他向来是非利士人的旧敌；为歌颂战胜他们的功绩所唱的就是明证：扫罗杀死千千，大卫杀死万万（撒上29:5）。"窝藏并信任如此一个杀我们百姓的出名杀手是我们的羞辱；也不能想象，他当时与扫罗同仇敌忾、奋勇行事，如今却能真心攻打扫罗。" 谁还贪图众人的称赞喝彩呢？就连称赞日后也可能被人拿来作他的羞辱。(2) 因他可能成为他们最危险的仇敌，比扫罗全军所加的伤害更大（撒上29:4）："他在阵上可能作我们的仇敌，趁他们军队在前面进攻时，从后队袭击我们；我们大有理由想他会这样行，借出卖我们而在他主人面前与他和好。" 一个既有爱国之情、又以背叛我们为他利益所在的人，谁能信任呢？把信心放在一个和好的仇敌身上是危险的。
英文原文
David with the Philistines (1055 BC)
¹ Now the Philistines gathered together all their armies to Aphek: and the Israelites pitched by a fountain which is in Jezreel.
² And the lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds, and by thousands: but David and his men passed on in the rereward with Achish.
³ Then said the princes of the Philistines, What do these Hebrews here? And Achish said unto the princes of the Philistines, Is not this David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, which hath been with me these days, or these years, and I have found no fault in him since he fell unto me unto this day?
⁴ And the princes of the Philistines were wroth with him; and the princes of the Philistines said unto him, Make this fellow return, that he may go again to his place which thou hast appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he be an adversary to us: for wherewith should he reconcile himself unto his master? should it not be with the heads of these men?
⁵ Is not this David, of whom they sang one to another in dances, saying, Saul slew his thousands, and David his ten thousands?
Here is, I. The great strait that David was in, which we may suppose he himself was aware of, though we read not of his asking advice from God, nor of any project of his own to get clear of it. The two armies of the Philistines and the Israelites were encamped and ready to engage, 1Sa 29:1. Achish, who had been kind to David, had obliged him to come himself and bring the forces he had into his service. David came accordingly, and, upon a review of the army, was found with Achish, in the post assigned him in the rear, 1Sa 29:2. Now, 1. If, when the armies engaged, he should retire, and quit his post, he would fall under the indelible reproach, not only of cowardice and treachery, but of base ingratitude to Achish, who had been his protector and benefactor and had reposed a confidence in him, and from whom he had received a very honourable commission. Such an unprincipled thing as this he could by no means persuade himself to do. 2. If he should, as was expected from him, fight for the Philistines against Israel, he would incur the imputation of being an enemy to the Israel of God and a traitor to his country, would make his own people hate him, and unanimously oppose his coming to the crown, as unworthy the name of an Israelite, much more the honour and trust of a king of Israel, when he had fought against them under the banner of the uncircumcised. If Saul should be killed (as it proved he was) in this engagement, the fault would be laid at David's door, as if he had killed him. So that on each side there seemed to be both sin and scandal. This was the strait he was in; and a great strait it was to a good man, greater to see sin before him than to see trouble. Into this strait he brought himself by his own unadvisedness, in quitting the land of Judah, and going among the uncircumcised. It is strange if those that associate themselves with wicked people, and grow intimate with them, come off without guilt, or grief, or both. What he himself proposed to do does not appear. Perhaps he designed to act only as keeper to the king's head, the post assigned him (1Sa 28:2) and not to do any thing offensively against Israel. But it would have been very hard to come so near the brink of sin and not to fall in. Therefore, though God might justly have left him in this difficulty, to chastise him for his folly, yet, because his heart was upright with him, he would not suffer him to be tempted above what he was able, but with the temptation made a way for him to escape, 1Co 10:13.
II. A door opened for his deliverance out of this strait. God inclined the hearts of the princes of the Philistines to oppose his being employed in the battle, and to insist upon his being dismissed. Thus their enmity befriended him, when no friend he had was capable of doing him such a kindness. 1. It was a proper question which they asked, upon the mustering of the forces, "What do these Hebrews here? 1Sa 29:3. What confidence can we put in them, or what service can we expect from them?" A Hebrew is out of his place, and, if he has the spirit of a Hebrew, is out of his element, when he is in the camp of the Philistines, and deserves to be made uneasy there. David used to hate the congregation of evil doers, however he came now to be among them, Ps 26:5. It was an honourable testimony which Achish, on this occasion, gave to David. He looked upon him as a refugee, that fled from a wrongful prosecution in his own country, and had put himself under his protection, whom therefore he was obliged, in justice, to take care of, and thought he might in prudence employ; "for (says he) he has been with me these days, or these years," that is, a considerable time, many days at his court and a year or two in his country, and he never found any fault in him, nor saw any cause to distrust his fidelity, or to think any other than that he had heartily come over to him. By this it appears that David had conducted himself with a great deal of caution, and had prudently concealed the affection he still retained for his own people. We have need to walk in wisdom towards those that are without, to keep our mouth when the wicked is before us, and to be upon the reserve. 3. Yet the princes are peremptory in it, that he must be sent home; and they give good reasons for their insisting on it. (1.) Because he had been an old enemy to the Philistines; witness what was sung in honour of his triumphs over them: Saul slew his thousands, and David his ten thousands, 1Sa 29:5. "It will be a reproach to us to harbour and trust so noted a destroyer of our people; nor can it be thought that he will now act heartily against Saul who then acted so vigorously with him and for him." Who would be fond of popular praise or applause when, even that may, another time, be turned against a man to his reproach? (2.) Because he might be a most dangerous enemy to them, and do them more mischief then all Saul's army could (1Sa 29:4): "He may in the battle be an adversary to us, and surprise us with an attack in the rear, while their army charges us in the front; and we have reason to think he will do so, that, by betraying us, he may reconcile himself to his master. Who can trust a man who, besides his affection to his country, will think it his interest to be false to us?" It is dangerous to put confidence in a reconciled enemy.
6-11
David Leaves the Philistines (1055 BC)
大卫离开非利士人（主前1055年）
⁶ 亚吉叫大卫来，对他说：「我指着永生的耶和华起誓，你是正直人。你随军在营中出入，我看你为善；自从你投奔我到如今，我未曾见你有什么过失；只是众首领不喜悦你。 ⁷ 现在你可以平平安安地回去，免得非利士人的首领不欢喜。」 ⁸ 大卫对亚吉说：「我做了什么呢？自从仆人到你面前，直到今日，你查出我有什么过错，使我不去攻击我主我王的仇敌呢？」 ⁹ 亚吉说：「我知道你在我眼前是好人，如同 神的使者一般；只是非利士人的首领说：『这人不可同我们上阵。』 ¹⁰ 故此你和你的主人仆人，就是你带来的那些人，明日清早起来，天一亮就回去吧。」 ¹¹ 于是大卫和跟随他的人清早起来回去，回到非利士地。非利士人也上耶斯列去了。
亚吉信任大卫的理由，若强过众首领所提出的不信任他的理由（我看不出在策略上他们更强，因为众首领实在是正确的），亚吉仍是五人之一，虽然居首，且是唯一有王号的；因此在为此事召开的一次军事会议上，他被多数票否决，不得不辞退大卫，尽管他极其宠爱大卫。君王并不总能随心所欲，也不能身边常有自己愿意有的人。
一、亚吉给他的遣散十分体面，并且不是最终遣散，只是免去他此次的差事。1. 亚吉表明自己在他身上、在他相处中所获得的极大喜悦和满足：「你在我眼前是好人，如同 神的使者一般」（撒上29:9）。智慧良善的人无论到哪里，必从一切懂得正确评估人之处事的人得着尊重，尽管他们在宗教信仰上有所不同。亚吉论大卫所说的话， 神藉着先知论「大卫家」时也说（亚12:8），他必「如耶和华的使者」。但前者不过是宫廷的恭维；后者却是属 神的应许。2. 亚吉给他一份品行良好的证明（撒上29:6），十分详尽，措辞恳切：「你向来正直，你的一举一动在我眼前都为善，我没有在你身上见什么恶事。」扫罗本不会给他这样一份证明，虽然大卫为他所做的远比亚吉所做的更多。 神的百姓当始终行事无可指责，尽可能赢得一切与他们交往之人的称赞；对于那行事端正的人，给予称赞是我们欠他们的债。3. 亚吉把他被遣散的过错全推在众首领身上，他们决不容他继续留在营中。「王完全爱你，愿意将性命交在你手中；但众首领不喜悦你，我们不能得罪他们，也不能反对他们；所以你平平安安地回去吧。」他宁可放弃他的宠臣，也不愿在他的将军中惹起嫌恶、在军中引起哗变。亚吉暗示他们不安的一个原因。与其说是为大卫自己，不如说是为随从他的兵丁——他称他们为「你的主人仆人」（即扫罗的仆人，撒上29:10）。他们可以信任他，却不能信任他们。（4）亚吉吩咐他天一亮、一有光就走（撒上29:10），为要防止他们进一步的恼怒，以及他若拖延可能惹起的猜疑。
二、大卫对这番话的反应十分恭维；但恐怕不无几分虚饰。大卫说：「什么？我岂可离开我应当护卫的『我主我王』，正逢他要亲赴战场之时？为何我不能去与『我主我王的仇敌』争战呢？」（撒上29:8）。他似乎急于要事奉他，而此刻他实际上正急于离开他，却不愿亚吉知道他如此。没有人知道那些侍候大人物的人所受的恭维和虚伪的试探有多大，要避免它又是何等困难。
三、 神的护理为他作了智慧而满有恩典的安排。因为，不但那网罗破裂了，他从起初所陷入的两难中得着释放，这事更成了促使他赶快回去救援自己城邑的吉事——那城极需要他，虽然他并不知道。这样，非利士众首领加在他身上的羞辱，竟从多方面成为他的益处。「义人的脚步被耶和华立定，耶和华也喜悦他的道路。」他向我们所作的，我们如今不知道，后来必明白，并要看见全是为我们的益处。
英文原文
David Leaves the Philistines (1055 BC)
⁶ Then Achish called David, and said unto him, Surely, as the LORD liveth, thou hast been upright, and thy going out and thy coming in with me in the host is good in my sight: for I have not found evil in thee since the day of thy coming unto me unto this day: nevertheless the lords favour thee not.
⁷ Wherefore now return, and go in peace, that thou displease not the lords of the Philistines.
⁸ And David said unto Achish, But what have I done? and what hast thou found in thy servant so long as I have been with thee unto this day, that I may not go fight against the enemies of my lord the king?
⁹ And Achish answered and said to David, I know that thou art good in my sight, as an angel of God: notwithstanding the princes of the Philistines have said, He shall not go up with us to the battle.
¹⁰ Wherefore now rise up early in the morning with thy master's servants that are come with thee: and as soon as ye be up early in the morning, and have light, depart.
¹¹ So David and his men rose up early to depart in the morning, to return into the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.
If the reasons Achish had to trust David were stronger than the reasons which the princes offered why they should distrust him (as I do not see that, in policy, they were, for the princes were certainly in the right), yet Achish was but one of five, though the chief, and the only one that had the title of king; accordingly, in a council of war held on this occasion, he was over-voted, and obliged to dismiss David, though he was extremely fond of him. Kings cannot always do as they would, nor have such as they would about them.
I. The discharge Achish gives him is very honourable, and not a final discharge, but only from the present service. 1. He signifies the great pleasure and satisfaction he had taken in him and in his conversation: Thou art good in my sight as an angel of God, 1Sa 29:9. Wise and good men will gain respect, wherever they go, from all that know how to make a right estimate of persons and things, though of different professions in religion. What Achish says of David, God, by the prophet, says of the house of David (Zec 12:8), that it shall be as the angel of the Lord. But the former is a court-compliment; the latter is a divine promise. 2. He gives him a testimonial of his good behaviour, 1Sa 29:6. It is very full and in obliging terms: "Thou hast been upright, and thy whole conduct has been good in my sight, and I have not found evil in thee." Saul would not have given him such a testimonial, though he had done far more service to him than Achish. God's people should behave themselves always so inoffensively as if possible to get the good word of all they have dealings with; and it is a debt we owe to those who have acquitted themselves well to give them the praise of it. 3. He lays all the blame of his dismission upon the princes, who would by no means suffer him to continue in the camp. "The king loves thee entirely, and would venture his life in thy hand; but the lords favour thee not, and we must not disoblige them, nor can we oppose them; therefore return and go in peace." He had better part with his favourite than occasion a disgust among his generals and a mutiny in his army. Achish intimates a reason why they were uneasy. It was not so much for David's own sake as for the sake of his soldiers that attended him, whom he calls his master's servants (namely, Saul's), 1Sa 29:10. They could trust him, but not them. (4.) He orders him to be gone early, as soon as it was light (1Sa 29:10), to prevent their further resentments, and the jealousies they would have been apt to conceive if he had lingered.
II. His reception of this discourse is very complimental; but, I fear, not without some degree of dissimulation. "What?" says David, "must I leave my lord the king, whom I am bound by office to protect, just now when he is going to expose himself in the field? Why may not I go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?" 1Sa 29:8. He seemed anxious to serve him when he was at this juncture really anxious to leave him, but he was not willing that Achish should know that he was. No one knows how strong the temptation is to compliment and dissemble which those are in that attend great men, and how hard it is to avoid it.
III. God's providence ordered it wisely and graciously for him. For, besides that the snare was broken and he was delivered out of the dilemma to which he was first reduced, it proved a happy hastening of him to the relief of his own city, which sorely wanted him, though he did not know it. Thus the disgrace which the lords of the Philistines put upon him prove, in more ways than one, an advantage to him. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delighteth in his way. What he does with us we know not now, but we shall know hereafter, and shall see it was all for good.
我们在前一章读到，被神弃绝的扫罗在困境中如何因自己的计谋而愈发困惑、愈加窘迫。在本章中，我们看到紧紧倚靠神的大卫在困境中如何被神的护理解救并安然脱险，无需他自己的任何筹算。我们有以下记载：I. 大卫随非利士人出征，撒上 29:1,2。II. 被非利士的众首领所反对，撒上 29:3-5。III. 被亚吉从这项与他极不相称、他却不知如何推辞的差役中欣然辞退，撒上 29:6-11。