1 Samuel 29: 1 – 11
Don’t overdo it
29 Then the Philistines gathered together all their armies at Aphek, and the Israelites encamped by a fountain which is in Jezreel. 2 And the lords of the Philistines passed in review by hundreds and by thousands, but David and his men passed in review at the rear with Achish. 3 Then the princes of the Philistines said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” And Achish said to the princes of the Philistines, “Is this not David, the servant of Saul king of Israel, who has been with me these days, or these years? And to this day I have found no fault in him since he defected to me.” 4 But the princes of the Philistines were angry with him; so the princes of the Philistines said to him, “Make this fellow return, that he may go back to the place which you have appointed for him, and do not let him go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become our adversary. For with what could he reconcile himself to his master, if not with the heads of these men? 5 Is this not David, of whom they sang to one another in dances, saying: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands’?” 6 Then Achish called David and said to him, “Surely, as the LORD lives, you have been upright, and your going out and your coming in with me in the army is good in my sight. For to this day I have not found evil in you since the day of your coming to me. Nevertheless the lords do not favor you. 7 Therefore return now, and go in peace, that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines.” 8 So David said to Achish, “But what have I done? And to this day what have you found in your servant as long as I have been with you, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?” 9 Then Achish answered and said to David, “I know that you are as good in my sight as an angel of God; nevertheless the princes of the Philistines have said, ‘He shall not go up with us to the battle.’ 10 Now therefore, rise early in the morning with your master’s servants who have come with you. And as soon as you are up early in the morning and have light, depart.” 11 So David and his men rose early to depart in the morning, to return to the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.
Don't Overdo It! Avoid the trap of overselling.
It's every salesperson's nightmare: the sale that unravels just before the deal has been closed. It happens more often than it should, and overselling is quite often the cause. As sales professionals, it's important to recognize that this is a trap that we all can inadvertently set for ourselves. With a little forethought, however, we can learn to avoid making this costly mistake.
In a sales process you explain to the customer your products features and benefits through questions. Having witnessed the customer agree and accept every point you made you review for them everything covered. The finality of a sale is its ‘close’. This means that you take the step to ask the customer to buy your product. If the customer agrees and signs the contract or purchases directly your product you have succeeded. The question I would throw before you then is this, ‘At this point would you ever want to bring up anymore additional features or benefits of your product?’ The answer is a no brainer. Of course, you wouldn’t bring up any more conversations on the product because you might then un-sell the customer by allowing the customer to possibly think that he or she was to quick in making a decision or that they might want to do more research. In most cases you just lost your sale.
Overselling also happens when we promise a customer that they will get more than what they need when they don't need it—even though they didn't specify it and may not ever use it. It creates problems rather than solutions. It raises doubts in the mind of a buyer and does so right at moment when they're looking for reassurance that they're making the right choice.
So, while you might think what you're doing is reinforcing the benefits of the product or service you're selling, what it often does is gives a buyer a reason to pause and ask themselves: maybe I'm paying too much, or maybe this is more than what I need? Even if the buyer doesn't back-peddle in an oversell situation, you risk creating false expectations that you can never meet, in which case you could be damaging your credibility as a trusted salesperson.
So be careful! Be honest and be specific in communicating to the needs of your clients, because overselling could leave you with no sale at all.
Let's look at some specific tips for avoiding the overselling trap.
Confirm your client's expectations
The first step in avoiding overselling is to determine what is most important to your customers. What are their expectations when buying your product or service? Check your assumptions against what your customer tells you. Never operate from the assumption that you know what's best for them.
Ask open-ended questions to get the facts you need
Sometimes, customers give vague answers to a salesperson's questions. This can happen for all kinds of reasons. Some simply don't want to be held accountable for saying what's on their mind. Sometimes people are vague because they really don't know the answers to your questions or are scared to take action.
Great salespeople excel at cutting through this fog. They're skilled at helping customers be clear about their expectations and their needs. To do this, they ask open-ended questions designed to obtain specific facts to help close a sale. Examples:
"You mentioned that three features are important to you when choosing this product. Of these, which is the most important?"
"When you say you don't want to spend too much on this service, what exactly do you mean?"
"What are your most important criteria that define a successful product?"
Communicate with empathy
When asking a customer, a question, be sure to show that you understand and share their feelings. That's what empathy is all about. If you need to, explain that your questions are intended to help you better understand their needs, prevent misunderstandings, and deliver what they are looking for.
Next, pick one or two serious and common problems that your product or service can solve, and focus on those when speaking with your customers. After all, it's always easier for people to discuss problems (especially with salespeople) when they hear that others have had similar experiences. In doing so, you can follow-up with clarifying questions, such as:
In our conversation today, you and I have talked about a common problem. How is that problem affecting you in your business?
How long has your organization been struggling with this problem?
What have you done to try and resolve it?
So steer away from overselling at all cost! Engage in open, honest communication with your customers. Uncover important facts about the needs and expectations of your customers. Not only will this help you close more sales successfully, it will also help you build great business relationships, generating repeat sales as well as referrals.
Today we are going to see that David is not a good salesperson. He will overdo his conversation and overdo his acting with the king of the Philistines. Fortunately for him he has a Great and Wonderful God watching over him, so he will not step into a situation that will cause him additional problems.
This passage brings out how very much the concentration of the Holy Spirit Is on the personalities involved. Here was one of the great moments of history when the massed hosts of the Philistines, stronger than ever before, were about to overwhelm Israel, and, probably for the first time since their arrival in Canaan, extend their empire over the River Jordan. It is covering the period of the establishment of the Philistine Empire at its largest, and the total subjugation of most of Israel. Our Precious Holy Lord God focuses on the one who did not take part in the battle because he was not to be trusted by the Philistines (David), and what he meanwhile accomplished against a gathering of the tribes of Amalekites. In other words what the Holy Spirit Is interested in is what happened with David, and what subsequently happened to Saul. His interest is in Yahweh’s activity in history. The Philistines’ activities are simply colorful background. What he is concerned with here is the outworking of Yahweh’s purposes.
David was certainly put on the spot because of the call to join in the invasion of Israel. If he had to do so it would be questionable as to whether he would ever have been able to re-establish his acceptability to the Israelites. But we are expected to see that Yahweh intervened and prevented him from having to do so.
This being turned back was also providential for another reason, for while the Philistine army was on the march, unknown to anyone the Amalekites had taken advantage of the situation to invade the southern parts of Judah and Philistia, including Ziklag. With David on call to assist the Philistine king, and gone for the duration, and both Judah and Philistia emptied of its main fighting troops, it was seen by the Amalekites as too good an opportunity to be missed. And it would give them even more satisfaction in that they would be gaining vengeance for what David had done to their fellow-tribesmen. They never dreamed that because Yahweh was at work watching over His people David might return so soon.
29 Then the Philistines gathered together all their armies at Aphek, and the Israelites encamped by a fountain which is in Jezreel.
It would appear that the speed of movement of the invasion forces had taken Saul by surprise, so that although the call went out to the tribes in the north and in Transjordan, neither sets of soldiers had time to reach him prior to the battle with the result that they could only watch in dismay, (the northern tribes from across the valley of Jezreel), while those whom Saul had been able to gather initially were cut to pieces, first at Jezreel and then as they fled over Mount Gilboa (31.7).
Saul may have encamped where he did, rather than further southward, precisely because he was in expectancy of being joined by the tribal levies from the northern tribes and hoped that they might arrive before the Philistines did, something which unfortunately for him may never have occurred (31.7), simply because of the early Philistine arrival in Jezreel. If that is so the Transjordanian military forces also never had time to reach him (31.7).
2 And the lords of the Philistines passed in review by hundreds and by thousands, but David and his men passed in review at the rear with Achish.
Meanwhile the Philistines marched on Jezreel, perfectly organized in military units both small (‘hundreds’) and large (‘thousands’). And with them marched David and his ‘hundreds’, acting as bodyguards to Achish who was taking up the rear. The fact that he had made them his bodyguard demonstrated that he saw them as some of his best troops. It was an army to be feared.
3 Then the princes of the Philistines said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” And Achish said to the princes of the Philistines, “Is this not David, the servant of Saul king of Israel, who has been with me these days, or these years? And to this day I have found no fault in him since he defected to me.”
But the other ‘lords’ of the Philistines, (here also described as ‘princes’, although this latter term may have indicated a wider group) were not pleased to see the Hebrew contingent among their forces. Possibly their memories went back to how Hebrew contingents had previously proved false when the heat of the battle was on (14.21). So they asked Achish why he had brought these Hebrews along. Achish’s reply was that this was David, the former servant of Saul, who had proved himself a loyal servant to Achish through the years.
4 But the princes of the Philistines were angry with him; so, the princes of the Philistines said to him, “Make this fellow return, that he may go back to the place which you have appointed for him, and do not let him go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become our adversary. For with what could he reconcile himself to his master, if not with the heads of these men?
The other leaders of the Philistines were, however, not impressed, and expressed their feelings forcefully. They demanded that David and his men return to the city that Achish had appointed him, and not go with them to battle, because they were afraid that in the heat of battle he might suddenly turn on them to win favor with Saul. They were, of course, totally unaware of the detailed history of the antipathy that Saul had for David. Given what had happened previously, and in the light of what they knew, their fears were perfectly justified.
It should be noted that they appear to have had nothing personal against David and his men (apart from viewing him with contempt as expressed by ‘the man’ and ‘this one’) and were quite content for Achish to employ them as mercenaries under any other circumstance. They were presumably even confident that David would not leave them and join up with Saul (what a difference it might have made). What they were not willing to do was have Hebrews among them when they were going to battle against Hebrews, and especially such a one as David. And they were clearly confident of their strength without him and his men.
5 Is this not David, of whom they sang to one another in dances, saying: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands’?”
They then reminded Achish of David’s famed prowess in battle, and especially against Philistines. Had not the Israelite women in earlier days acclaimed him as the greatest warrior in Israel so that his name had become proverbial? This is the third time that it has been cited, emphasizing the completeness of David’s superiority to Saul in the eyes of all. It brings out that his triumphs had never been forgotten in Israel, so much so that they were also well known in Philistia. (Had it only been said on one occasion it would not have become so prominently remembered. But it was clearly a sore point with the Philistines). They were thus pointing out to Achish that David was a famed slayer of Philistines. While they acknowledged that that was in the past they did not want that to happen again.
6 Then Achish called David and said to him, “Surely, as the LORD lives, you have been upright, and your going out and your coming in with me in the army is good in my sight. For to this day I have not found evil in you since the day of your coming to me. Nevertheless, the lords do not favor you.
Reluctantly Achish gave way to their request and called David to him and explained that while he himself had every confidence in David’s loyalty, having never found any fault in him, the lords of the Philistines did not favor him, partly because he was a Hebrew (which was how foreigners would see him) and partly because of his reputation.
7 Therefore return now, and go in peace, that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines.”
So he now requested David to go in peace and return to Ziklag so that he might not displease or annoy the lords of the Philistines any further. Now watch David’s overplay on words and acting to Achish’s orders. Here our Lord has spared David from getting involved in a no win situation and David over acts his cause.
8 So David said to Achish, “But what have I done? And to this day what have you found in your servant as long as I have been with you, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?”
David’s response was to profess his total loyalty to Achish. He asked on what grounds he was being sent home and challenged Achish to produce any evidence to support the doubt being cast on him. And he affirmed his willingness to fight on behalf of Achish against any of his enemies. By this David was trying to ensure that Achish would not have any suspicion about his being unwilling to fight.
It is difficult, however, to believe that David was not secretly relieved. He could not have been looking forward to entering into battle against his own countrymen, as his past behavior brings out and had he gone into battle alongside the Philistine forces he would almost certainly have lost the goodwill in Judah and Israel that he had carefully built up. But he would not want Achish to doubt his total loyalty, and thus strongly argued his position, probably quite aware that any such argument would be pointless. The decision was no longer in Achish’s hands. Once again, he is seen as leading Achish on a string. Just imagine if somehow Achish responded favorable to David’s oversales pitch and agreed to let David come and fight with them in spite of what the other Philistine leaders wanted. How would David then get out of that predicament?
9 Then Achish answered and said to David, “I know that you are as good in my sight as an angel of God; nevertheless, the princes of the Philistines have said, ‘He shall not go up with us to the battle.’
Achish strove to assure David that he himself had no doubt at all about his loyalty. Indeed, to him David was so highly esteemed that he was as a messenger from God. But he then pointed out that the issue was no longer in his hands. In the circumstances he had no alternative but to bow to the will of the other lords of the Philistines, and they had forbidden David’s presence at the coming battle.
10 Now therefore, rise early in the morning with your master’s servants who have come with you. And as soon as you are up early in the morning and have light, depart.”
So, David was ordered to depart along with his men for Ziklag, as soon as the sun arose, and there was light. There was to be no delay. The battle was about to start.
11 So David and his men rose early to depart in the morning, to return to the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.
So early the next morning David and his men rose up and returned to Philistia, while the Philistines themselves advanced on the valley of Jezreel, where battle would take place on Israelite soil. Yahweh had ‘stepped in’ again in order to prevent David from acting against his fellow-countrymen.
