1 Samuel 21-22
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Spend some time doing a catch up with Phil and Grace!
Explain why we have decided to step down from youth
Grace is pregnant
We needed to focus our time more on small group, work, and missions
We did not want to be half in and half out with the you
We still want to hang with the youth, get lunch, and study the Bible, but just not as consistently as your new leaders will do with you
Briefly Pray Together
Does anyone remember what happened last week in chapters 18-20?
Saul became fearful of David because he saw and knew that the Lord was with him
Saul tries to kill David multiple times
Jonathan sides with David and tells him to flee
God Preserves His Anointed King
1 Then David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech came to meet David, trembling, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one with you?” 2 And David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has charged me with a matter and said to me, ‘Let no one know anything of the matter about which I send you, and with which I have charged you.’ I have made an appointment with the young men for such and such a place. 3 Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever is here.” 4 And the priest answered David, “I have no common bread on hand, but there is holy bread—if the young men have kept themselves from women.” 5 And David answered the priest, “Truly women have been kept from us as always when I go on an expedition. The vessels of the young men are holy even when it is an ordinary journey. How much more today will their vessels be holy?” 6 So the priest gave him the holy bread, for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence, which is removed from before the Lord, to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away. 7 Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord. His name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul’s herdsmen. 8 Then David said to Ahimelech, “Then have you not here a spear or a sword at hand? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s business required haste.” 9 And the priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck down in the Valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take it, for there is none but that here.” And David said, “There is none like that; give it to me.” 10 And David rose and fled that day from Saul and went to Achish the king of Gath. 11 And the servants of Achish said to him, “Is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another of him in dances, ‘Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?” 12 And David took these words to heart and was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. 13 So he changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in their hands and made marks on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard. 14 Then Achish said to his servants, “Behold, you see the man is mad. Why then have you brought him to me? 15 Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this fellow to behave as a madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?”
Abimelech’s Mercy in David’s Deceit
In verses 1 through 9, we see the mercy of Ahimelech. When Ahimelech first sees David, the Scriptures say that he is trembling. He is said to be trembling because he is genuinely afraid as to why David is by himself and there was no forewarning of this. If something is needed someone in another city, the higher officials would typically send someone on their behalf or they would come with warning and many attendants.
Ahimelech seemingly worried for his safety and thus responds with the question “Why are you alone, and no one with you?”.
David responds, but with a lie. He says that he is on a secret mission from the King. Yet, he actually is a fugitive running for his life.
Now, lying is typically not permissible, even from the mouth of Jesus where he urges his people to let their “yes be yes and their no be no”. Or Colossians 3:9-10
9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
God does not intend for his people to lie to each other. Yet, David deceives Ahimelech.
In the Scriptures, we see people rewarded when they lie to protect innocent life. Remember the Hebrew midwives who lied to the king of Egypt when they saved the infant boys. Or Rahab when she hid the Israelite spies and lied to the officers about it.
These women were rewarded for their deceit because it protected innocent life. The same can be said for the Christians who hid Jews in Nazi Germany.
In David’s instance, it seems as if he is trying to give Ahimelech the priest plausible deniability. It seems that he does not want him to know that David is a fugitive because he doesn’t want to put the priest in the spot of either siding with Saul and detaining or killing David, or the alternative being Ahimelech helps David and is now aiding a fugitive.
Whether David is wrong in his deceit is unclear, but his plan of sparing the life of the priest unfortunately does not work out as he intended, as we will soon see.
The text then mentions David asking for bread for him and his men, which is not a contradiction to David being with Ahimelech alone because his guys probably just walked around while David met with the priest alone.
It is significant that the priest gives them Holy bread though. This kind of bread was only to be eaten by those who were clean, and having relations with women made them unclean, but was typically only eaten by the priests, which none of them are.
Jesus brings light to this in Matt 12:1-4
1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” 3 He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? 6 I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. 7 And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”
The priest is breaking the law, but for the sake of mercy. God never intended the law to be followed to the detriment of his people. He made the law so that his people would flourish. He wanted them to willingly obey the law because they had faith in the God who gave it to them. The faith behind the law was always more important than the law itself. This is why Jesus quotes Hosea 6:6
6 For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
So, we ought not to condemn the priest for breaking the law. He is choosing to be merciful to the Lord’s anointed.
Between the giving of bread and Goliath’s sword, we see a small line about Doeg, the Gentile, who was one of Saul’s servants. We are not sure as to how Doeg is detained, but he is and sees the whole exchange between David and the priest.
David Flees to Gath
The priest then gives him Goliath’s sword and David heads off to Goliath’s hometown, Gath. He shows up with Goliath’s sword, maybe as a flex to the king to help him in one way or another. This quickly backfires, because the people recognize him as the one who killed tens of thousands, of their brothers. You have to remember that David is know speaking to the Philistines. He killed a bunch of Philistines and now the Philistines recognize him as such. SO you can imagine what is going through his head. He’s got to get out of there or they’re going to kill him.
Which is why he pretends to be mad and escapes to the next city.
Look down with me to the next chapter in Samuel…
1 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. 2 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. 3 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.” 4 And he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him all the time that David was in the stronghold. 5 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. 6 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. 7 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, 8 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.” 9 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, 10 and he inquired of the Lord for him and gave him provisions and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.” 11 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. 12 And Saul said, “Hear now, son of Ahitub.” And he answered, “Here I am, my lord.” 13 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?” 14 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? 15 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.” 16 And the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house.” 17 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. 18 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. 19 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. 20 But one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. 21 And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord. 22 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. 23 Stay with me; do not be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life. With me you shall be in safekeeping.”
David attracts the lowly (vv. 1-5)
After escaping from the land of Gath, he now finds himself in a cave surrounded by the lowly. The strugglers and stragglers chose to come to him. The weakest seem to be coming to him in faith, trusting that God was with David.
This should remind us of Jesus who ate with the tax collectors and the prostitutes. David should point our eyes to the Christ who says in Matthew 11:28-30
28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 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. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
As all of those who were heavy laden in a variety of ways came to David in faith, so should all of the heavy laden come to Jesus in faith and rest. Because of the sacrifice of Jesus we can rest knowing that his righteousness has been added to us by faith and we are now holy and blameless because of it. Passages like this one in 1 Samuel are meant to point our eyes to Jesus, and not merely look at what is happening to David.
David soon goes to the Land of Moab which is where his grandmother Ruth was born. He figured he would have favor in this land and be able to leave his parents there, which is exactly what happens.
David, in verse 5, is confronted by Gad, the prophet, and told to go back to Judah even though it was a very dangerous place for him. And in faith, he begins that journey.
Now, let’s briefly discuss the wickedness of Saul.
Saul’s Destroys his own people (vv. 6-23)
In these verses, Saul throws an actual temper tantrum. He claims that he gave his servants a bunch of stuff and that nobody is sorry for him. He is now at the point where he can not even trust his own servants. The problem is, the things that he is asking for his servants to tell him about they have no idea about. They more than likely have no idea about the private covenant between Jonathan and David. They have no idea that Saul was chasing after David to kill him.
And Saul now even thinks that David is the one trying to kill him, which is the furthest from the truth. He is just trying to preserve his own life.
Doeg the Edomite is the only one who responds to this tantrum. He tells Saul exactly what happened which in turn through all of the people of this land under the bus.
Saul responds summoning Ahimelech and all the rest of the priest at Nob. Saul once again claims that Ahimelech has helped David so that David can try and kill Saul. However, Ahimelech knew nothing about David being a fugitive. Ironically, he even reminds Saul that David was his most faithful servant, he would never conspire against the king.
Ahimelech has helped David many times, so this time was not an unusual circumstance, other than the fact that he was alone. He had no reason to believe David was conspiring against Saul, and he wasn’t conspiring in the first place, he was escaping the hands of Saul.
Saul refuses to believe that Ahimelech did not know that David was fleeing from him. And continues with this fairy tale that Ahimelech gave him Goliath’s sword so that he could kill Saul, which David would never do. What happens next is one of the saddest moments in the Bible. He chooses to kill every living thing in the land of Nob.
It is commendable that none of his servants would do this at Saul’s request. But once again Doeg the Gentile sides with Saul and slays everyone. Saul is ordering a Gentile to kill his own people. People who are wearing a linen ephod which highlights the fact that they are unarmed. He then goes on to kill everyone in the city.
It is ironic that Saul kills every person in this town, even though it is his own people. Yet, just a few chapters before God commanded that he kill every living thing in a heathen land and to kill all of the Amalekites and he does the opposite. God said in 1 Sam 15:3
3 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.’ ”
and Saul did this in 1 Sam 15:9
9 But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction.
It is obvious that Saul is a wicked man that cares not about the glory of the Lord and his kingdom coming, but only about his own power, riches, and glory.
This section does not close with Saul’s wickedness, but rather a glimmer of hope. Abiathar the priest escapes the hand of Saul, and comes running to David, and tells him what happened.
And David takes responsibility for the death of the kings even though it is not his fault, the guilt lies with Saul.
Why would David do this?
David feels like his presence in that place, even if it was only for bread and a sword led Saul to wrongfully kill all of those people. David potentially could have slayed Doeg the Edomite when he saw him in chapter 21, but he did not. By trying to give the priest plausible deniability, Saul’s wickedness and corruption overruled that and everyone died anyways.
David closes this chapter with a promise to the priest. Saying that the priest ought not to be afraid because he is safe. For David knows that the Lord his God, the one who has anointed him as king will not fail in saving him from his enemies and placing him as head over the Israelites. David’s faith shines forth once more to close this chapter.
