From Agent of to Anti-God
Notes
Transcript
I remember the scene in “Braveheart” when Malcolm and John Wallace go to a meeting of land owners, telling young William to stay behind. Well, William always was more concerned about freedom, so he tailed along, only to find the entire meeting of Scotsmen murdered and hung by the English. It’s a gruesome and shocking scene to start off the movie. Well, today’s scene is no prettier as we find David on the run and Saul on the hunt.
As the story begins, Saul is sitting with his inner-circle under the tamarisk tree, leaned up on his spear and addressing all of the men. He is quite appalled at what has taken place. What, has David offered you “fields and vineyards” and will he give you positions in the palace? Is this why “all of you have conspired against me?” Nobody thought to tell me that “my son makes a covenant” with my enemy? Seriously, you let my own son stir “up my servant against me?”
Crickets…
Nobody said anything. What do you say to a king, let alone one that has a reputation of being a little mad?!
That is, no one until Doeg the Edomite. Remember him? Creep character lurking in the corner last episode? In a passage of Scripture that deals in types, Doeg will prove to be a shining example of Edomites. Just for a little reference, Edomites descend from Esau, Jacob’s brother, the twin sons of Isaac. They came from the womb against each other, and even though there is a reconciliation when Jacob returns home, their descendants carry on their battle. It all comes to a head when refugees fleeing Israel during the Babylonian invasion are brutalized by Edom as they flee. All this to say, Edom is a type of foreshadow. Just as Esau (who would be called Edom) was against Jacob (who would be called Israel), so the world will be against people of God. Doeg absolutely fleshes this out.
But, back to the story. Doeg says,
“I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub,
We knew, when we read about Doeg being there back in the beginning of chapter 21, it was going to be bad news, and here we are. He tells Saul, ‘I saw it all…’ “…he inquired of the LORD for him and gave him provisions and gave him the sword of Goliath…”
So the king sends for Ahimelech. He has to get to the bottom of this. He calls him into account — what is this you have done? Ahimelech gives about as good a response as you could, it’s both honest and reveals his ignorance and innocence.
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.”
Even if Ahimelech was nervous when David showed up alone at his door, he still was not privy to all that had gone down. Still, Saul’s mind is made up. He orders his servants to “turn and kill the priests of YHWH.” But, the servants refuse to do it. They dared not to put their hands on “the priests of YHWH.”
So, Saul turns to Doeg — you do it! Horror ensues. Look at the latter part of 1 Samuel 22:18 “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.”
And it didn’t stop there. Verse 19, Doeg goes to “Nob, city of the priests,” and put them to the sword…not just the priests, but “man and woman, child and infant, ox, donkey and sheep.” Notice the sick irony of Saul’s rule — he refused to devote to utter destruction the Amalekites, as God had instructed, but now he does devote to utter destruction the city of Nob. This section could be called the Gore at Gibeah and the Annihilation at Nob. So, what can we learn from this text?
God uses His Enemies to Prove His Truthfulness
God uses His Enemies to Prove His Truthfulness
Wait, what? That can’t be right. *Checks Notes* No, that’s the first point. The actions in this passage by Saul and Doeg are downright atrocious. Horrible. Brutal and unthinkable. Yet, we should have seen it coming. Remember Eli’s wretched sons, Hophni and Phinehas? Remember that God judged Eli’s household because of their actions? It was back in chapter two. Here’s what was said in verses 31-33:
Behold, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your house. Then in distress you will look with envious eye on all the prosperity that shall be bestowed on Israel, and there shall not be an old man in your house forever. The only one of you whom I shall not cut off from my altar shall be spared to weep his eyes out to grieve his heart, and all the descendants of your house shall die by the sword of men.
There had been at least a few decades to pass since God made this declaration, but understand, the slowness of God to act does not negate the veracity…the truthfulness of His word. Doeg’s heinous actions prove that God’s word will be accomplished. Now, this is not to say that God is behind this terrible act — Saul and Doeg bear the full weight of responsibility. However, it is a reminder that God, in His sovereignty, uses even the sinful actions of man to accomplish His purposes. That’s a level of rule that is, quite frankly, mind-blowing. This type of divine sovereignty ensures that what God promises will come to pass. So, Davis sums up:
“Even in opposing God’s kingdom, God’s enemies only bring to pass God’s word.”
Peter had a similar thought in his message on the day of Pentecost:
this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.
If we know that even when the enemy opposes God, it still accomplishes His purposes, then how much more confidence should we have? Sure, we will still face sorrow and grief and suffering, but in the midst of it, we have the calm assurance of victory. Even what seems like a victory in the enemy’s book was part of God’s masterful plan in the first place. If His word and His promises are so certain, then we have all the more reason to take comfort and refuge in them.
God’s People will be Hated for their Association
God’s People will be Hated for their Association
Daniel 7 and Revelation 13 give us the wonderful assurance that we will be hated and waged war against because of our association with Jesus. In a way, Saul is a type of antichrist in this passage of Scripture. He has a hatred, whether he would voice it or not, for God and the things of God, and he proves it by his actions. The response of Saul’s servants, who were by no means delicate men, serve as a startling contrast to Saul’s actions. The servants refuse to wage war, but Saul refuses to relent as Doeg does his bidding. Some might contend that Saul doesn’t kill all of Israel, so is it really that bad? The answer seems implied and simple enough — he ordered the murder of those responsible for the things of God, equivalent to an attack on God Himself. Yes, it really is that bad.
One commentator takes this “type” of antichrist foreshadowing and names Saul among other treacherous characters that oppose God:
Pharaoh murdering Israelite babies in Egypt.
Jezebel who tries to purge the land of the prophets of YHWH.
Athaliah who tried to wipe out the whole Davidic line.
Haman who wanted to destroy all of the Jews.
Antiochus Epiphanes who committed the desecration of abomination.
These are all biblical examples to the opposition of God, but history is not without its examples, either. From the edicts of Diocletian to the atrocities committed in the name of atheism, there is an ongoing animosity that is expressed in terrible ways, a true “antichrist” tradition that has been carried through the ages against God and His people.
Even still, I’d point this out.
What happened to Pharaoh?
And Jezebel?
Was David’s line fully extinguished?
Did Haman destroy all the Jews?
Does atheism win?
The resounding answer, over and over again, is this: NO! They don’t win. Christ still reigns. God is not deterred. His will is accomplished, and even when the world is not worthy of the martyrs of God, they rest in the fact that He is irrevocably moving history toward His determined end, when all of the enemies of Christ are made a footstool beneath His feet, when all of creation bows before Him who is truly king, confessing that He is Lord of lords, to His infinite glory, adoration, and praise, forever and ever. Amen!
God’s Remnant Points to the Church’s Victory
God’s Remnant Points to the Church’s Victory
As you get to the end of verse 19, and we see the extent of the destruction brought about by Saul and Doeg, it seems quite the despairing situation. But, let us quickly turn our attention to verse 20 — there was one who escaped: Abiathar. This is no small thing as we see yet another contrast between Saul and David. Whereas Saul breathes out murderous decrees (1 Samuel 22:16 “And the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house.””), David promises safety for the priest (1 Samuel 22:23 “Stay with me; do not be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life. With me you shall be in safekeeping.””)
His escape is no trivial matter, for it once more shows us one of the ways in which God works.
We mentioned Pharaoh earlier, and in his desire to destroy see Israelite baby boys drowned in the Nile, one was placed in a basket and floated to safety.
Jezebel’s threats against the priests of YHWH left Elijah feeling all alone, but God let him know there were 7,000 that would never bend the knee to Baal.
Even though Athaliah’s sword ran red with the blood of the Davidic line, Joash did not fall to his sword.
And one day, a furious Herod would decree the death of every toddler boy 2 years and under, but God’s plan of redemption could not be undone.
Herein lies the truth — Abiathatar doesn’t mean that we will escape the harsh treatment and even death from the hands of the world. What it does encourage us with, however, is living proof…proof of concept that when Christ builds His church, the gates of hell cannot prevail against it. Historically, even when paganism runs amuck in the camp of His own people, there will always be a remnant faithful to the Lord. He is always preserving and persevering His people. The tides of persecution shift from this church to that, and the flood of the torrents of hell wash over that church and this, but there will always be a remnant, no matter what, that stands victorious when the storm has passed, because Christ’s church will not be finally done away with. Abiathar bears witness to this.
Key on the last verse: 1 Samuel 22:23 “Stay with me; do not be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life. With me you shall be in safekeeping.”” So it is with all who commit themselves to the GREATER DAVID. Gospel gives us hope — “all who call upon the name of the Lord WILL BE SAVED.
Conclusion
This passage confronts us with the sobering reality that God’s Word stands firm even when human evil seems to reign unchecked. Saul’s paranoia, Doeg’s cruelty, and the massacre at Nob are horrific — but they do not derail God’s purposes. Instead, they unfold exactly as God said they would generations earlier. The delay of judgment did not mean God had forgotten; His promises were simply ripening. That truth steadies us when wickedness appears to triumph in our own world. The schemes of the enemy, the hostility of culture, the injustice we witness — none of it escapes God’s rule. Even what opposes Him ends up serving His sovereign design. And if God’s Word cannot be thwarted by any and all manners of atrocities, then His promises of protection, justice, and final victory are all the more reason for us to take refuge in Him with unwavering confidence.
At the same time, this story reminds us that following the Lord will inevitably draw the world’s hostility. Saul’s hatred of David spills over onto anyone associated with him, just as opposition to Christ spills over onto His people. Yet Scripture shows again and again that such hostility never wins. Pharaoh falls. Jezebel falls. Haman falls. Herod falls. Every supposed “antichrist” figure exhausts himself against the purposes of God. And in the middle of the ruin at Nob, God quietly preserves His remnant. Abiathar’s survival is not a guarantee that believers escape suffering — it is proof that the people of God will never be extinguished. Christ’s church may be pressed, but it cannot be crushed; persecuted, but never forsaken; struck down, but never destroyed. When we stand with Christ, we stand with the One whose kingdom cannot be undone, whose church cannot be overrun, and whose victory cannot be reversed. Thus, even in days of hostility, we walk in courage and hope, knowing that the Lord preserves His people and will one day make every enemy bow before the true King.
