Choose and Be Chosen
Notes
Transcript
David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, gathered to him. And he became commander over them. And there were with him about four hundred men. And David went from there to Mizpeh of Moab. And he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and my mother stay with you, till I know what God will do for me.” And he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him all the time that David was in the stronghold. Then the prophet Gad said to David, “Do not remain in the stronghold; depart, and go into the land of Judah.” So David departed and went into the forest of Hereth. Now Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men who were with him. Saul was sitting at Gibeah under the tamarisk tree on the height with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him. And Saul said to his servants who stood about him, “Hear now, people of Benjamin; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, that all of you have conspired against me? No one discloses to me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. None of you is sorry for me or discloses to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day.” Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who stood by the servants of Saul, “I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, and he inquired of the Lord for him and gave him provisions and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.” Then the king sent to summon Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s house, the priests who were at Nob, and all of them came to the king. And Saul said, “Hear now, son of Ahitub.” And he answered, “Here I am, my lord.” And Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and a sword and have inquired of God for him, so that he has risen against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?” Then Ahimelech answered the king, “And who among all your servants is so faithful as David, who is the king’s son-in-law, and captain over your bodyguard, and honored in your house? Is today the first time that I have inquired of God for him? No! Let not the king impute anything to his servant or to all the house of my father, for your servant has known nothing of all this, much or little.” And the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house.” And the king said to the guard who stood about him, “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because their hand also is with David, and they knew that he fled and did not disclose it to me.” But the servants of the king would not put out their hand to strike the priests of the Lord. Then the king said to Doeg, “You turn and strike the priests.” And Doeg the Edomite turned and struck down the priests, and he killed on that day eighty-five persons who wore the linen ephod. And Nob, the city of the priests, he put to the sword; both man and woman, child and infant, ox, donkey and sheep, he put to the sword. But one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord. And David said to Abiathar, “I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have occasioned the death of all the persons of your father’s house. Stay with me; do not be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life. With me you shall be in safekeeping.”
Ignatius of Antioch wrote to his brothers and sisters in Rome of his impending death, and he said this:
All the pleasures of the world, and all the kingdoms of this earth, shall profit me nothing. It is better for me to die in behalf of Jesus Christ, than to reign over all the ends of the earth. “For what shall a man be profited, if he gain the whole world, but lose his own soul?” Him I seek, who died for us: Him I desire, who rose again for our sake. This is the gain which is laid up for me.
Rather than make an enemy of God, Ignatius was willing to lose everything the world had to offer. He was facing martyrdom and with a bold faith accepted what God had planned for him because he desired Christ above all else.
Because in choosing not to make an enemy of God, he gained a different enemy. The world. He didn’t choose the world as an enemy, but because he chose to follow Christ, the world labeled him as an enemy.
And the same is true for us. Look around at what is going on in the western world in 2023 and there is no denying that unless you make God your enemy, the world will make you an enemy.
So we all need to ask ourselves at some point - who would we rather have as an enemy? God, or the world?
This is what we have seen throughout our series in 1 Samuel. Everyone we have read about had that choice to make. Some chose to make themselves enemies of God, and others were made enemies by the world.
We are in the middle of the story of David running for his life from Saul. As we’ve seen and will continue to see, David hadn’t wronged Saul in any way, but David had chosen to obey God and follow Him. So that made him Saul’s enemy.
And we are going to meet some more people in our passage today, and we are going to see, like David, and Saul, and Jonathan, and Eli, and Samuel - everyone makes that same choice whether they realize it or not.
We all have an enemy.
Either we make God our enemy, or the world makes us its enemy.
What have we chosen?
Well, let’s pick up where we left off last week. David is on the run from his enemy, he comes to the priest Ahimelech and is given provisions and the sword of Goliath, and:
David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him.
So we see how dire the situation is now. David flees to Adullam, and lives in a cave.
And as we hear of these places throughout these chapters - from Nob to Gath to Adullam to Keilah to Ziph to Engedi, realize that all of these places are within about 50 miles of each other. They are all in northern Judah or southern Benjamin.
I just want us to get a picture of what’s happening here because these weird Hebrew named places mean nothing to us as we read right past them. But David was only ever about a day away from Saul. That’s why messengers can tell Saul where David is and then Saul can get there so quickly.
And that’s part of how David’s family knows what’s going on. Adullam is only about 40 miles from Bethlehem. So David can send someone to his parent’s house to tell them where he is and they can come to him pretty quickly.
But there’s more here, because remember Saul had now been speaking outright to his men about his plans for David. And among his soldiers was not just Jonathan, but remember that David’s older brothers served in the army of Israel. Word would have gotten to them about what was going on, if they hadn’t heard it from Saul directly.
And also remember, when David was anointed by Samuel, we read this:
Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.
His brothers knew that David was anointed. Then, they saw David kill Goliath. They knew of the renown that he had. And now they know that Saul was out to get him. They now realize that they are in danger because of all of this.
And Jesse - he saw the anointing. And Saul asked specifically about David’s father, if you’ll remember. And when he had his outburst against Jonathan, he didn't use David’s name, but called him “the son of Jesse.” Jesse and his whole family were now in danger.
So they come to David. They join themselves to him, because Saul had made them his enemies.
David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him.
But it isn’t just them who come to David.
And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, gathered to him. And he became commander over them. And there were with him about four hundred men.
David has a little militia form around him.
So we have his family - those who by now know the deal - that David is God’s chosen king, and that Saul - the current king - is his enemy.
And we have these other men. Everyone, we’re told, who was in distress. Whose very souls were troubled. Who were facing hardships, both financially and emotionally.
In other words, these are all people who have nowhere else to go. They have come to the end of themselves. They have exhausted their physical resources. They have exhausted every other idea. They are distressed and are seeking relief from their burdens.
The band that gathers around David is not unlike the band that gathered around Jesus. Think about many of those that believed and were willing to associate themselves with Jesus instead of the world. Tax collectors and, according to the world: sinners, drunkards, and prostitutes. The poor. The uneducated. The marginalized. People who had exhausted every option and realized they had nowhere else to go.
And the band that gathered around David, and the band that gathered around Jesus when He came the first time, is not unlike those of us that gather around Him now.
And maybe we didn’t exhaust ourselves financially, or maybe we did.
Maybe we weren’t addicted to drugs, alcohol, or sex, or maybe we were.
Maybe we weren’t earning our money in an unethical manner, or maybe we were.
Maybe we weren’t marginalized by the world, or maybe we were.
But what we all were, were in desperate need.
And thank God, we all realized that we had no where else to go - no One else to come to, but Jesus - to have our real need met.
As He said:
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
And this was in no way about ease in the world. Jesus wasn’t offering financial relief to the poor. He wasn’t offering power to those who were marginalized and oppressed. He wasn’t offering an easy way to be rid of our worldly problems.
He was offering Himself to us. This is about rest for our souls. This is spiritual ease.
And there is no where else to go for that but Jesus Christ. And that is why we have gathered ourselves around Him. Why we have chosen Him over the world. Why we are the ragtag bunch that came to Him like this ragtag bunch came to David.
And this is what the church is. The church is not a collection of people that have it all together. We are not a group that meets some standard and are allowed into the club. We are not chosen by God because we have what it takes.
No. The church is a group of broken people who know we don’t have it all together. We know we fall far short of any standard of good. We know that we don’t have what it takes.
We know we need to be made whole, to be made right - we know that we need to release the burden we carry in this world.
And Jesus is the only One Who can take that burden from us.
We came to our King because we know we have no where else to go.
Like those that gathered themselves to their king. David.
And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, gathered to him. And he became commander over them. And there were with him about four hundred men.
And then:
And David went from there to Mizpeh of Moab. And he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and my mother stay with you, till I know what God will do for me.” And he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him all the time that David was in the stronghold.
So David’s brothers - all warriors - come to David. These other men join themselves to him - about 400 men.
And then there’s ma and pa Jesse the Bethlehemite. They came to David for protection, but David knows they aren’t safe, because he knows he isn’t safe.
So, here is where David takes a bit of a longer trip and leaves Judah, crosses the Jordan over to Moab. This is to the east of the Dead Sea, right below the eastern tribal inheritances of Israel.
But why does David go here? Why Moab? Well, David knew that he and his parents would be safer outside of Israel, and he chose Moab for a few reasons.
First, if you know the story of Ruth, you know the book bearing her name ends with a genealogy. She has a son named Obed, who was the father of Jesse, who was the father of David.
And from where does Ruth come? Moab. David and his father were part Moabite. They are coming back to their extended family. Just like Jacob was sent to Rebekah’s family when he needed protection from Esau.
Second, Moab was an enemy of Saul. They are the first nation listed in 1 Samuel 14 where we read:
When Saul had taken the kingship over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, against the Ammonites, against Edom, against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines. Wherever he turned he routed them.
Sometimes, you unite with people as friends because you have a common friend. Sometimes, you unite with people as friends because you have a common enemy.
The Moabites gladly made an ally of the great warrior David who was now on the outs with king Saul.
But I want to notice one more thing here.
And David went from there to Mizpeh of Moab. And he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and my mother stay with you, till I know what God will do for me.”
Notice, David is leaving his parents here to keep them safe “until he knows what God will do for him.” David knows that God has a plan. And David knows that that plan may - and does and will - include suffering. It will include danger and opposition.
Think about it. David has had multiple attempts on his life, he has been forced to flee multiple times, and now he lives in a cave hiding for his life. Yet he is trusting and waiting on God to work it out.
David has faith in God, but he doesn’t assume that means all things will be good from an earthly standpoint.
And yet, he is expectant of what God will do for him. He knows that God will still bring him good even though the world has come against him. Even though he has lost all he had in this world.
He still has faith that God’s plan is better than his.
Now that’s faith!
So, David now leaves his parents in Moab, and he and his militia stay in an unknown place that is referred to simply as “the stronghold.”
And he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him all the time that David was in the stronghold.
And this stronghold was somewhere away from Saul and the troubles they all had back in Judah. Where exactly, we don’t know, and it doesn’t matter.
What matters is what happens next:
1 Samuel 22:5 (ESV)
Then the prophet Gad said to David, “Do not remain in the stronghold; depart, and go into the land of Judah.”
As we saw last week, David fled for his life and asked for help from Ahimelech without consulting God. He was flying solo on his escape journey.
And we don’t read anywhere that David stopped to pray or consulted God in any way when he fled to Adullam, or came to Moab, or stayed in this stronghold.
But we know that David is God’s chosen. And even when God’s chosen go their own way - even when we stray away from God’s will and do things our own way, God calls us back.
And that’s what God is doing here. God speaks through His prophet. He sends Gad to David and calls him back - literally. And He tells David to go back to Judah.
Now, I want to notice two things here. David is on the run from Saul. Saul wants him dead. He’s in real danger if he goes back to Judah.
His brothers are on the run from Saul because they are his enemies by association. Being David’s family, they are in danger if Saul finds them. They are in danger if they go back to Judah.
Then there are these 400 men who had come to a place where they abandon any earthly comforts they may have had, they abandon their worldly associations and even their safety. They are in danger if they go back.
And yet, that is exactly where God calls them all to go.
And again, we see that God doesn’t always do things the way we want. He doesn’t do things the way we would. In fact, we see here that He sometimes calls us to do the exact opposite thing we want to do or think we should do.
Sometimes, He calls us to move towards the trouble - towards the conflict - towards the danger. Often, He calls us to do what we really don’t want to do.
And He does this not just for David. He was including David’s brothers and this band of malcontents. He does this for all of us.
And He may not send a prophet to us with a “thus says the Lord” statement. But God nonetheless speaks to us and tells us what He wants us to do.
We have His completed Word. He tells us what He wants us to do. And a lot of it is not what we would choose to do on our own.
But if you wonder what God wants for you specifically or in a specific situation, I wouldn’t expect an answer if you aren’t doing those things that He tells us all to do in every situation.
And often, when we are living in accordance with God’s revealed Word, God’s specific path for us becomes quite clear.
And when we are seeking God through prayer and hearing Him speak through the Bible, it becomes easier to discern His will for us. It becomes crystal clear in most cases.
So for those who aren’t doing the things that God clearly calls us to do: if you wonder what God’s specific will is for you in any given situation, at least don’t wonder why you don’t know.
Because God has not left us without clear direction as His people.
God speaks. That is not the question.
The question is, are we willing to listen, no matter what? Because, second, realize that God often calls us into danger. He calls us into discomfort. He calls us at times to meet the enemy head on.
He here calls David back to Judah - back to where Saul is. David is perfectly safe in some stronghold outside the country, and God tells him to leave the safety and comfort he chose for himself and enter the danger God calls him to.
Will we listen when God gives us direction, even it means abandoning our comfort?
Do we listen?
David did.
Then the prophet Gad said to David, “Do not remain in the stronghold; depart, and go into the land of Judah.” So David departed and went into the forest of Hereth.
God spoke, and David listened. And he walks himself and those he lead right back into the danger.
Because, as we saw, David trusted God more than himself. He trusted God’s plan more than his own.
And that’s faith.
And now we come to Saul. He is a few days behind on David’s trail at this point. He hears that David has been seen and wants some information. So he goes to Benjamin, which is where Nob, the city of the priests, is.
And he starts to ask some questions:
And Saul said to his servants who stood about him, “Hear now, people of Benjamin; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, that all of you have conspired against me? No one discloses to me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. None of you is sorry for me or discloses to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day.”
Basically, Saul says: “I’m the king and I can make things good or bad for you. David can’t do that. And I’ll make it worth your while if you rat him out.”
And note here that Saul refers to that covenant between Jonathan - his own son - and David. And this word here for "conspired” is the same word for “knit” that we saw back in chapter 18.
So Saul is also playing the pity card here. He is saying: “my own son has turned on me! Everyone is against me.”
And who happens to be there? Doeg the Edomite. Saul’s chief herdsman. Remember him? He happened to be at the Tabernacle the day David came looking for help. He heard what was said, and saw what was done.
So he tells Saul. But he puts a little spin on the story:
Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who stood by the servants of Saul, “I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, and he inquired of the Lord for him and gave him provisions and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”
Notice how he leaves out the part where Ahimelech thought it was strange that David was alone and asking for provisions. He leaves out the part where David lies to Ahimelech about everything.
He just says: “David came to Ahimelech, and Ahimelech inquired of YHWH,then gave David bread, and even armed him with a sword.”
Sometimes dishonesty is about what we don’t say.
Now note that according to Doeg’s abridged account, Ahimelech the priest inquired of YHWH for David and then acted. That is something David failed to do, as we’ve seen. He acted without turning to God first.
And here we see a variation on a theme. We have seen how things have turned out horribly for David even though he had done nothing wrong. In fact, Saul was seeking David’s harm even though David had done only good for Saul.
Here, regardless of Doeg’s selective storytelling, Ahimelech did nothing wrong. He did only right by YHWH and by David. Yet David’s failure to inquire of God and rely on Him has a great impact on Ahimelech and all the priests.
Then the king sent to summon Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s house, the priests who were at Nob, and all of them came to the king. And Saul said, “Hear now, son of Ahitub.” And he answered, “Here I am, my lord.” And Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and a sword and have inquired of God for him, so that he has risen against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?”
Here we have our same word “conspire” again. Saul is very much a conspiracy theorist.
Think about how this situation has gotten so far out of hand. Is it because David is against Saul? Is it because Jonathan is against Saul? Is it because the men of Benjamin are against him? Is it because the priests are against him?
No! In fact, Saul has chosen to make all of these people enemies, and here he is blaming everyone else for what’s happening.
We see that Saul is not thinking clearly. He is so eager to hold onto what he believes is his - what he thinks he has a right to - that he has made enemies of all these people. In particular, he has made enemies of everyone who has chosen to follow God.
And this shows the fallenness of man’s thinking. I know we talk a lot about the heart of man - our will and intentions - but realize: our minds are just as affected by sin.
This is why Saul believes everything that’s happened is because everyone is against him!
Here are some things I’ve learned about fallen man: liars think everyone lies, thieves think everyone steals, those against God think that everyone for God is against them. This is how fallen minds process reality. I think this is pretty evident in the way the world vilifies Christians.
Because if those of the world saw things as they really are, they’d be here on their knees along with us attaching themselves to the true King. They would know they deserve nothing and have no good aside from the true King.
But we see in Saul the only logical outcome of making God an enemy. Of taking no responsibility for our sin, of holding so tightly onto what we have in this world, and of choosing the world over God.
And then, Saul hears the truth from Ahimelech:
Then Ahimelech answered the king, “And who among all your servants is so faithful as David, who is the king’s son-in-law, and captain over your bodyguard, and honored in your house? Is today the first time that I have inquired of God for him? No! Let not the king impute anything to his servant or to all the house of my father, for your servant has known nothing of all this, much or little.”
Again, Saul hears how David has done nothing wrong. Saul hears how Ahimelech has done nothing wrong.
And here’s the choice Saul has to make. Things are what they are. And if Ahimelech isn’t wrong, then Saul is.
Will he repent and turn from his sin or double down on it?
That’s the choice the world has to make day by day, and that is the choice Saul has to make here.
And he makes the wrong choice.
And the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house.” And the king said to the guard who stood about him, “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because their hand also is with David, and they knew that he fled and did not disclose it to me.” But the servants of the king would not put out their hand to strike the priests of the Lord. Then the king said to Doeg, “You turn and strike the priests.” And Doeg the Edomite turned and struck down the priests, and he killed on that day eighty-five persons who wore the linen ephod. And Nob, the city of the priests, he put to the sword; both man and woman, child and infant, ox, donkey and sheep, he put to the sword.
Saul here doubles down. And we see very clearly whose side he has chosen. Like his faithful son Jonathan has chosen the side of God, Saul has chosen the side of Saul, and he has chosen the world.
Now, Saul has made David his enemy. He has made his own son his enemy. He has made David’s family his enemies. He has even made the priests of God his enemies.
Why?
Because Saul has made God his enemy.
Because, like all these others, God has not wronged Saul in any way. God allowed him to become king. And God did not take that away from Saul because God made Himself Saul’s enemy. He did it because Saul made himself God’s enemy.
It was Saul that turned on God, remember.
Listen, God does not choose His enemies. They always make that choice. And they can blame others for their situation. And they can feel as if what they deserve has been withheld from them. And they can try to eliminate every friend of God from their life.
They can rationalize their sin myriad ways. They can even convince themselves that they are in the right.
But in the end, if they have made God their enemy, they have chosen wrong. And they have chosen to fight a losing battle. That’s why things keep getting worse and worse for Saul.
And note here, this is now out in the open. Saul is an enemy of God. He has the priests killed, and every man in the city, and every woman, and every child and all the livestock.
Does this sound familiar to anyone? This is exactly what God commanded Israel to do to some of the cities of the pagans when they took the Promised Land. This is what God did to those who made themselves His enemies.
Here, Saul is doing this to God’s people. Remember, he refused to do it to the Amalekites. Way back in chapter 15, he was told by God:
Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ ”
But he saved the king. And he saved the livestock. And he saved everything he thought was good. He was unwilling to choose God over what the world had to offer.
And here, there is a contrast being drawn. Saul would not go all in for God, but here, he goes against the people of God with his whole heart. And what he wouldn’t do to God’s enemies, he does to God’s people, who he has chosen as his enemies.
And Nob, the city of the priests, he put to the sword; both man and woman, child and infant, ox, donkey and sheep, he put to the sword.
Saul now overtly, and emphatically, has revealed which side he has chosen.
And remember back to the beginning of this series. Remember Eli and his evil sons who were the priesthood? God destroyed that priesthood. He removed the priesthood that was, when He destroyed the house of Eli.
Now Saul puts himself in the place of God and destroys the priesthood God put in place. He denied who God chose.
And now, Saul is the enemy of not just God’s king, but God’s priest.
He has done what the world does with Jesus Christ - our King and Priest.
This is making yourself God’s enemy.
And while I don’t want to give any spoilers here if you don’t know how the book of 1 Samuel ends or how the Bible ends, I want to tell you something. This never fails t play out. When someone chooses to make God an enemy, he loses.
It is a guarantee.
We have few guarantees in life. Death. Taxes. The leads will wind up together at the end of a Hallmark movie.
I’ll give you close to 100% on those.
But nothing is more sure than this: which side you choose matters. It is a matter of life and death. If you choose to make God an enemy, you lose.
Will you choose God or the world?
Will you be an ally of the King, or His enemy?
And what is just as sure, is that if you choose God, the world will make you its enemy. And you will suffer. And you may lose all you have in this world. But like David, you can be sure that God has a plan for you, and that it is better than your own plan.
You may - and probably will - lose in the world, but what you gain for eternity far surpasses anything this world has to offer.
But if you choose the world, and choose to make God your enemy, you will lose everything, forever.
David wrote Psalm 52 about what we’re reading today. Listen to his words:
To the choirmaster. A Maskil of David, when Doeg, the Edomite, came and told Saul, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.” Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man? The steadfast love of God endures all the day. Your tongue plots destruction, like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit. You love evil more than good, and lying more than speaking what is right. Selah You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue. But God will break you down forever; he will snatch and tear you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah The righteous shall see and fear, and shall laugh at him, saying, “See the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches and sought refuge in his own destruction!” But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever. I will thank you forever, because you have done it. I will wait for your name, for it is good, in the presence of the godly.
Which side will you choose?
Saul made his choice. And he tries to wipe out the priesthood - those God appointed to offer sacrifices for His people and allow them to enter into His presence.
Saul is effectively trying to sever all ties to God in Israel.
That’s the same thing the world tried to do to Christ.
Our society is doing this and doing it well.
But even when it looks as if the world has won, you can be assured they have not. They cannot.
Even here, the world - the enemies of God - try to wipe out all of God’s chosen priests, and they cannot.
But one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David.
Like names of places, names of people seem weird- we pass them right by. Hebrew names all have meanings - some of them epic and some of them ironic
Ahimelech - brother of the king - who died to help David is brother of the king
Abiathar - who escaped while 85 other priests were killed - father of those left over
Why does that matter?
The world came against God’s people - His priests - but God kept one left over.
No matter how the world comes against us, God always saves His remnant of faithful believers (like He told Elijah in 1 Kings 19, or like those He saved out of Babylon, or like the disciples of Christ He preserved, and ultimately like the Church)
We are in this age the remnant of priests that God has preserved. We are those left over.
And God will always preserve a faithful remnant of those that choose to follow Him.
In fact, the whole history of redemption - and the entire Bible - is the story of God preserving His people.
And here in 1 Samuel - just like in 2023 - the world wants God’s priests all gone, but God preserves His priesthood.
But one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord. And David said to Abiathar, “I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have occasioned the death of all the persons of your father’s house.
David now knows what his actions have caused. David acted impetuously when he faced danger - when the world came against him. He acted without first seeking God.
And we see here that there are consequences when that happens.
And we will see in the next chapter that David starts seeking God before he takes action.
But notice the contrast once again between David and Saul. Saul refuses to take responsibility for what he has done. He has made himself the enemy of many, including God, and yet cries “woe is me” because he believes everyone is against him.
He is holding on to what God told him was no longer his - he believes he has a right to it. And whatever it takes, he is going to try to keep it.
And then here’s David. God has anointed him as king, and yet he won’t take the throne for himself. He will wait - and trust - to see how God works it out.
He here takes responsibility for his actions even though the consequences were not what he intended.
We see the difference between someone who chooses God, and someone who chooses the world.
And for one, the victory is guaranteed, as we’ll see.
For the other, defeat is guaranteed, as we’ll also see.
This is what we saw way back in chapter 2. Hannah is given a son by God, and she prays her prayer of thanks to God.
Listen again to that prayer in light of all we have seen with Saul and David.
1 Samuel 2:1–10 (ESV)
And Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation.
“There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God. Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble bind on strength. Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger. The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children is forlorn. The Lord kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up. The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he exalts. He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and on them he has set the world.
“He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail. The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; against them he will thunder in heaven. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.”
And, of course, this ultimately points us to Christ our King and those who choose to follow Him, and those who choose the world.
So I say this morning: choose this day who you will follow.
But realize, either you make God your enemy, or the world will make you its enemy. You can’t have both no matter how hard you try.
And in the here-and-now, that is a difficult struggle, isn’t it? Because in this world, it so often seems as if the enemies of God win, and we lose. And the Bible tells us it will be seem this way often.
And that’s why we need to have faith. Faith like David, who even when everything in the world was going wrong, trusted that God was working it all out.
Brother and sisters, whatever your burden today, don’t forget: God is working it all out.
And remember, God didn’t make Saul his enemy, it was the other way around. David didn’t make Saul his enemy, that was Saul’s choice, too. The priests didn’t choose to be Saul’s enemy, Saul made that choice.
So too, if we choose to follow Christ, we need to realize that though the world makes itself our enemy, we can’t do the same.
The world may be against us, but we are not against the world. Saul was against David, but David wasn’t against Saul.
The world was against Christ, but Christ was so for the world that He gave His life to save it.
And we may suffer in this life, but we shouldn't expect ease in the world. And we can’t forget that God calls us into the fray - out of our comfort zone - in order to carry out His will in us. Don’t expect ease in this world. Because the burden Christ takes from us is a spiritual one.
And being freed form that burden, we are free to abandon our sin and our fear and our comfort, and be the remnant of priests that God will use to save even His enemies.
And even though we are broken, poor, distressed, at the end of ourselves - we are who God calls to join the King and release our burdens to Him.
We see that the 400 here left behind all their burdens and joined the king.
God calls us to do the same.
If you have never released your burden - release it to Jesus Christ
If you have joined yourself to the King - stop carrying your burden and give it to Him