1 Samuel 22

Introduction*

So, as you may remember, David is hiding from Saul.

Saul, wants to kill David.

David, had depended on lies and schemes to hide from Saul and try to cover his tracks.

But God had humbled him using the Philistines, and David finally stopped depending on himself and started depending on the LORD.

We pick up after David has been rescued by the Lord from the Philistines.

V1-2

The cave of Adullam is a well known place in Judah.

It’s location is 10 miles from Gath and about 15 miles from David’s hometown of Bethlehem.

David was still hiding from Saul, but the bright side of his situation was that he was in friendly territory … no longer in danger of the Philistines.

As you may recall … David has been through a lot.

When he was younger, he had been anointed by God’s prophet Samuel as the future king of Israel.

A while later, he had come to Israel’s rescue, defeating the Philistine hero Goliath and routing the Philistine army.

He had suddenly become quite famous in Israel.

He had married into the family of the king.

But he had also become a target of envy by king Saul … Saul had tried to murder him multiple times.

Under the threat of having his life taken, he had to leave behind his best friend, Jonathan, and his wife, and everyday life as he knew it.

Now, he was living life as a fugitive, and he didn’t know how long it would last.

As things were going downhill, David had experienced a brief but intense period of backsliding.

He had taken things into his own hands … depending on lies and schemes, on people, and on himself, rather than on the LORD.

But as we saw in the last chapter, when he found himself in the hands of the Philistines, he had turned back to the Lord.

According to , David did a lot of praying while in Gath, and the Lord heard him.

David learned that the fear of the Lord conquers every other fear (vv. 9–16).

Psalm 34:9 NKJV

Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him.

The slide that started on the road from Jonathan and continued on into Gath is now stopped.

David is trusting in the LORD once again.

This was the difference between David and Saul; both of them slipped.

But Saul kept sliding, while David turned back to the LORD.

David also said in

Psalm 34:4 NKJV

I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears.

​So, in our last chapter, David made a dramatic turn to the LORD and was delivered from the life-threatening situation he was in at the hands of the Philistines.

a dramatic turn to the LORD and deliverance from a life-threatening situation.

The Lord was merciful to David to enable him to escape back to his own land.

But where was David now to go?

He couldn't go to his house - Saul had sent men to kill him there and Saul would have people watching his house to see if he returned.

He couldn't go to the palace - For obvious reasons.

He couldn't go to Samuel - Saul had sent men there to search for him and knew that he had already been there once.

He couldn't go to Jonathan - This would put Jonathan in danger … Saul had already attempted to take Jonathan’s life a couple of times.

He couldn't go to the house of the LORD - That’s where David went in the last chapter and Saul had a spy there.

And he had learned a valuable lesson about going to the ungodly - in the last chapter, David shown up in Gath with Goliath’s sword and had immediately been taken captive.

What David could do is go to a humble cave and find refuge.

And that’s what he did.

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In the first part of chapter 22, we saw how David had made for the area he knew: Adullam (the name means ‘refuge’).

The cave was in Judah, halfway between Gath and Bethlehem.

This was a well-known place in Judah … a very familiar place to him. So David was now in friendly territory, and the fighting men from Judah and Benjamin came to join his band.

All of David’s family joined him at the cave, which meant that his brothers deserted Saul’s army and became fugitives like David.

They had come to understand that David was God’s anointed king, so they linked up with the future of the nation.

This was a wonderful gift from God.

Before this, what David had was trouble and persecution from his family.

Now, they join him at Adullam cave.

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Many others saw in David the only hope for a successful kingdom, so they came to him as well.

Among those who came to him were those in distress because of Saul, those in debt, and those discontented because of the way Saul was ruining the nation (see ).

Even Saul’s own son had recognized the damage Saul was doing to the nation:

1 Samuel 14:29 NKJV

But Jonathan said, “My father has troubled the land. Look now, how my countenance has brightened because I tasted a little of this honey.

God called an unlikely and unique group to David in Adullam cave.

God called an unlikely and unique group to David in Adullam cave. These were not the men that David would have chosen for himself, but they were the ones called to him.

But from a human perspective, these were not the men that David would have chosen for himself.

They were in distress:

They had problems of their own, but God called them to His man, David.

They were in debt:

That might be surprising, because so often it is implied in sermons that debt disqualifies people from being used by God.

The “You were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things” verse from often get’s used by prideful Christians to exalt themselves over those who have debt.

But that scripture doesn’t even deal with debt … in fact, in the parable, the “faithful stewards” each risked what the man had committed to them.

The one who didn’t take a risk is the one called wicked and lazy.

Yep, debt is not a good thing, as Paul says, “Owe no one anything except to love one another.”

The New King James Version. (1982). (). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.” verse from often get’s used by prideful Christians to exalt themselves over those who have debt. Yep, debt is not a good thing, but sometimes it’s inevitable and it doesn’t prevent God from using a person.

God called an unlikely and unique group to David in Adullam cave. These were not the men that David would have chosen for himself, but they were the ones called to him.” verse from often get’s used by prideful Christians to exalt themselves over those who have debt. Yep, debt is not a good thing, but sometimes it’s inevitable and it doesn’t prevent God from using a person.

Don’t read below:

Romans 13:8 NKJV

Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.

Owe no one anything except to love one another

But sometimes debt just happens and it doesn’t mean someone is unfaithful, nor does it prevent God from using a person.

but sometimes it’s inevitable and it doesn’t prevent God from using a person.

but sometimes it’s inevitable and it doesn’t prevent God from using a person.

The greatest debts that God is concerned with is our sin debt and how we forgive others.

They were discontented:

The Hebrew for discontented is bitter of soul.

They knew the bitterness of life, and they were not satisfied with their lives or with King Saul.

They wanted something different, and something better, and God called them to David at Adullam cave.

So, David ended up with 400 high quality fighting men, and the number later increased to 600.

Saul, however, had an army of over 3,000 men.

But of course the Spirit of the Lord had deserted Saul .... and the LORD was with David.

The name Adullam means refuge, but the cave wasn't to be David's refuge.

The LORD wanted to be David's refuge in this time of discouragement.

In , David said:

Psalm 142:5 NKJV

I cried out to You, O Lord: I said, “You are my refuge, My portion in the land of the living.

Most archaeologists believe that the Cave of Adullam was not too far from the place where David defeated Goliath.

Most archaeologists believe that the Cave of Adullam was not too far from the place where David defeated Goliath, in the hills of Judah. David couldn't help but think, "Boy, I've come a long way from the Valley of Elah! From a great victory to running around like a criminal, hiding in a cave."

I can’t help but imagine that David, hiding in this cave, thought back to the time when he had his great victory against Goliath … and now here he is cowering in a cave.

Was he discouraged?

Well, in , which is associated with his time in this cave, he wrote:

Psalm 142:1–4 NKJV

I cry out to the Lord with my voice; With my voice to the Lord I make my supplication. I pour out my complaint before Him; I declare before Him my trouble. When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, Then You knew my path. In the way in which I walk They have secretly set a snare for me. Look on my right hand and see, For there is no one who acknowledges me; Refuge has failed me; No one cares for my soul.

David certainly seems down, yet he finished the Psalm with this:

Psalm 142:7

Psalm 142:7 NKJV

Bring my soul out of prison, That I may praise Your name; The righteous shall surround me, For You shall deal bountifully with me.”

David was down, but he knew he was in the LORD’s hands, and the LORD was strengthening him.

is also associated with David’s time in the cave and from this Psalm we get an understanding of where his mind was at.

We know that he was depending on God’s mercy.

Psalm 57:1 NKJV

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, Until these calamities have passed by.

And verse 2 says that David was seeking God in prayer:

Psalm 57:2 NKJV

I will cry out to God Most High, To God who performs all things for me.

Other verses reveal to us that David was not “naming it and claiming it” but was very honest with the LORD about his situation:

,

Psalm 57:4 NKJV

My soul is among lions; I lie among the sons of men Who are set on fire, Whose teeth are spears and arrows, And their tongue a sharp sword.

Psalm 57:6 NKJV

They have prepared a net for my steps; My soul is bowed down; They have dug a pit before me; Into the midst of it they themselves have fallen. Selah

Instead of making demands on the LORD as if he could manipulate God with faith, shows David trusting the LORD in praise:

,,

Psalm 57:9 NKJV

I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing to You among the nations.

Psalm 57:5 NKJV

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; Let Your glory be above all the earth.

Psalm 57:11 NKJV

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; Let Your glory be above all the earth.

It reminds me of Jesus, in the Garden praying to the FATHER about His coming passion and submitting Himself to the Father’s will (Matthew 26).

It is easy to submit ourselves to God’s will when things are good.

But it’s when we are in the cave submitting ourselves to God’s will … that’s when we have the mind of Christ.

V3-4

David sought to make sure that his mother and father were protected, so he asked the king of Moab to shelter them until his days of exile were over.

The Moabites were the descendants of Lot.

In the days of Moses, the Moabites and the Jews were contentious toward one another.

But remember that David’s great-grandmother Ruth came from Moab ().

This may have helped David to gain their support.

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According to the second part of verse 4, David then returned to Adullam.

V5

David had support and help from the prophets.

Saul's dealing with the prophets (such as Samuel) was almost always negative, because Saul resisted the word of God.

On the other hand, David received God's word.

And in this case, the Word was probably difficult for David to receive.

That is because Gad counsels David to LEAVE his own stronghold, and to go back to the stronghold of Saul.

This probably wasn't what David really wanted to hear, but he obeyed anyway.

David was learning to trust God in the midst of the danger, not only on the other side of the danger.

But other than a lesson in trusting Him, why else did God want David in Judah?

One reason why God wanted David in Judah was so that he could do some good.

David may have thought he would just wait out the years until Saul died, isolated in the wilderness.

But God had other plans … desiring that David be active.

Jesus also could have remained in heaven, but to save people, He had to come down to earth among mankind and be active within the stronghold of Satan.

In like manner, we operate in enemy territory.

Ephesians 6:12 NKJV

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Like David, we rely on God’s power, rather than our own.

We put on the whole armor of God.

We draw on the power of Scripture—the Word of God is the Spirit’s sword.

We pray in perseverance and holiness, making our appeal to God.

We stand firm (); we submit to God; we resist the devil’s work (), knowing that the Lord of hosts is our protector.

Ephesians 6:13–14 NKJV

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

James 4:7 NKJV

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Ephesians 6:13–14 NKJV

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

James 4:7 NKJV

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

As David wrote: “Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken” ().

Psalm 62:2 NKJV

He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved.

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ii. "Hereby also God would exercise David's faith, and wisdom, and courage; and so prepare him for the kingdom, and uphold and increase his reputation among the people." (Poole)

As we move on now, we discover why the writer mentioned Doeg in verse 7 of chapter 21.

Now we discover why the writer mentioned Doeg in verse 7, for now he steps forth as a key actor in the drama. Wherever there is a scheming leader, he will have scheming followers, for we reproduce after our own kind. These are people who will do anything to gain the leader’s approval and receive his rewards, and Doeg was such a man. This was the perfect time for him to use his knowledge to please the king and raise his own stature before the other officers. The fact that he was accusing God’s anointed king didn’t bother him, or that he lied about what the high priest said and did. It is no wonder that David despised Doeg and expressed his loathing in the words of .

Wiersbe, W. W. (2001). Be successful (p. 119). Colorado Springs, CO: Victor/Cook Communications.

Saul was a scheming leader and of course he would have scheming workers who would do anything to gain his favor.

Be Successful 4. Doeg: A Deceitful Servant (1 Sam. 22:6–23)

Now we discover why the writer mentioned Doeg in verse 7, for now he steps forth as a key actor in the drama. Wherever there is a scheming leader, he will have scheming followers, for we reproduce after our own kind. These are people who will do anything to gain the leader’s approval and receive his rewards, and Doeg was such a man. This was the perfect time for him to use his knowledge to please the king and raise his own stature before the other officers. The fact that he was accusing God’s anointed king didn’t bother him, or that he lied about what the high priest said and did. It is no wonder that David despised Doeg and expressed his loathing in the words of Psalm 52.

In Chapter 21, Doeg had witnessed David receive help from the priest, Ahimelech, at Nob.

And now, this was the perfect time for him to use his knowledge to please the king and raise his own stature, but he’s also going to twist the truth.

This was the perfect time for him to use his knowledge to please the king and raise his own stature before the other officers.

The fact that he was accusing God’s anointed king didn’t bother him, or that he lied about what the high priest said and did.

It is no wonder that David despised Doeg and expressed his loathing in the words of .

Among other things, David says about Doeg in that Psalm:

Psalm 52:2–3 NKJV

Your tongue devises destruction, Like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. You love evil more than good, Lying rather than speaking righteousness. Selah

Psalm 52:

V6-10

V6-8

King Saul, was holding court under a tree on a hill near Gibeah.

He was busy accusing his servants, holding his spear in hand as a symbol of his authority, (and probably as a threat).

This was when Doeg spoke up.

In his fleshly, self-focused world, everything revolves around Saul.

He becomes paranoid and whines, and he leads through guilt and accusation.

Always suspicious of treachery in the ranks, Saul reminded the men that he was king and therefore was the only one who could reward them for their faithful service.

By contrast, he pointed out that David, the son of Jesse, could not give them fields and vineyards and give them positions of authority.

David attracted men who were willing to risk their lives for him, but Saul had to use bribery and fear to keep his forces together.

Saul used this event as an occasion to berate his officers, all of whom were from his own tribe of Benjamin. Always suspicious of treachery in the official ranks, Saul reminded the men that he was king and therefore was the only one who could reward them for their faithful service. David attracted men who were willing to risk their lives for him, but Saul had to use bribery and fear to keep his forces together. Saul was sure that his officers were conspiring against him because they had refused to tell him that David and Jonathan had covenanted together concerning the kingdom. Jonathan was the leader of a conspiracy that included some of the very men Saul was addressing. These traitors were working for David because David had promised to reward them. Furthermore, Saul was sure that David was plotting to kill him!

Saul was sure that his officers were conspiring against him because they had refused to tell him that David and Jonathan had covenanted together concerning the kingdom.

Saul could not accept the truth that David and Jonathan were in the right, and he was in the wrong.

Saul could not accept the truth that David and Jonathan were in the right, and he was in the wrong.

Furthermore, Saul was sure that David was plotting to kill him!

And to push Saul even deeper into paranoia, Doeg stepped up to tell Saul about his encounter with David and the priest at Nob.

Furthermore, Saul was sure that David was plotting to kill him!

Doeg told the truth when he said he saw David at Nob.

And he told the truth when he said Ahimelech the high priest gave him food and the sword of Goliath.

But there’s no evidence that the high priest inquired of the LORD for David.

The sword of Goliath was kept behind the ephod, so the priest did not even have the urim and thummim on him.

However, the lie made Doeg look good and David look bad.

And Saul’s anger now moves from his own servants to the priests.

v11-15

It was but a short distance from Gibeah to Nob.

So as soon as he heard from Doeg, Saul sent for the high priest, all his family, and the priests of Nob.

Notice in verse 12 that Saul calls Ahimelech, “Son of Ahitub.”

Saul refused to address the high priest by his given name, but like Doeg did earlier, he called him “the son of Ahitub.”

Saul refused to address the high priest by his given name, but like Doeg did earlier, he called him “the son of Ahitub.”

The name Ahimelech means “Brother (as in fellow countryman) of the king” … a seemingly fitting name for a priest.

But Saul didn’t want to be reminded of any Higher Authority, so he used , while “Ahitub” which means “Good brother.”

The king was doing all he could to degrade the high priest, when he should have been confessing his sins and seeking God’s forgiveness.

Saul was actually conducting an illegal trial, presenting four charges:

1. Ahimelech gave David bread.

2. He provided him with a weapon.

3. He inquired of God for him, and

4. He was part of David’s “conspiracy” to kill Saul so that David could become king.

Saul was actually convinced that he was the victim … when in fact, he was the guilty party.

Notice in verse 14 that when Ahimelech heard these accusations, he first defended David … before giving an account of his own actions.

Ahimelech is unaware of the hatred Saul has for David and so he praises David before the king.

In fact, when David came to Ahimelech, the priest questioned him carefully, wondering why he would be alone.

Instead of telling Ahimelech the truth, David lied to him, saying he was on a mission for Saul.

This lie is going to have terrible consequences for Ahimelech, his family, and the priests of the Lord.

In his ignorance of the situation, he reminded the king that David had been a faithful servant, an argument Saul’s own son Jonathan had previously used ().

1 Samuel 19:4–5 NKJV

Thus Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father, and said to him, “Let not the king sin against his servant, against David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his works have been very good toward you. For he took his life in his hands and killed the Philistine, and the Lord brought about a great deliverance for all Israel. You saw it and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood, to kill David without a cause?”

Not only did Jonathan speak favorably of David, but so did Ahimelech … In fact, the entire nation honored David as a courageous and faithful warrior.

But even more, David was Saul’s son-in-law, a member of the royal family, one who had always done the king’s bidding.

He was held in high esteem in the king’s household and even served as captain of Saul’s personal bodyguard.

If he had wanted to kill Saul, David certainly had plenty of opportunities to do so even before he fled.

Perhaps the priest’s words reminded the king that it was Saul who tried to kill David, not David who tried to kill Saul.

And, as we noted earlier, Ahimelech denied using the ephod to determine God’s will for David.

He closed his defense by stating that he and his family knew nothing about any conspiracy and therefore could in no way take part in a conspiracy.

He closed his defense by stating that he and his family knew nothing about any conspiracy and therefore could in no way take part in a conspiracy.

He closed his defense by stating that he and his family knew nothing about any conspiracy and therefore could in no way take part in a conspiracy.

v16-19

There was no evidence that Ahimelech had ever committed a capital crime, but Saul announced that he and his household must die.

Saul was in such a place of rebellion and sin that he couldn’t stand to see an innocent, fair and forthright man like Ahimelech not be in agreement with him.

Even if the high priest had been guilty, which he was not, it was illegal to punish the whole family for the father’s crime ().

This goes back to Deuteronomy … and Saul should have known this … or someone among them should have spoken up in defense of the priest.

Deuteronomy 24:16 NKJV

“Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall children be put to death for their fathers; a person shall be put to death for his own sin.

Saul is going faster and faster down ... declining away from the LORD.

Saul is going faster and faster down the decline away from the LORD. He had tried to kill David many times before, and had even tried to kill his own son. But now he commands the death of complete bystanders to the problem. He commands the death of priests of the LORD. And he commands the death of their families.

He had tried to kill David many times before.

He had even tried to kill his own son.

But now he commands the death of complete bystanders … people who hadn’t even been involved in any of this.

He commands the death of priests of the LORD.

And he commands the death of their families.

Their crime, according to Saul, was knowing that David had fled and not reporting it to him.

Again, David’s lie is reaping a terrible consequence.

The things that Samuel had warned about the monarchy and even more were now taking place ().

1 Samuel 8:10–18 NKJV

So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who asked him for a king. And he said, “This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen, and some will run before his chariots. He will appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties, will set some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. And he will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants. He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage, and give it to his officers and servants. And he will take your male servants, your female servants, your finest young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work. He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you will be his servants. And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the Lord will not hear you in that day.”

Saul had a police state in which each citizen was to spy on the others and report to the king anybody who opposed his rule.

Israel had asked for a king “like the other nations,” and that’s what they received!

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Rightly, the guards nearest the king refused to slay the priests.

This is like the time in chapter 14 when Saul commanded the people to kill Jonathan for violating the oath, and they refused to obey him (14:41–46).

It is interesting that Saul has shown himself hesitant to kill the enemies of the Lord in obedience to God, but now has no problem commanding the murder of the priests of the LORD.

And who does he turn to?

An Edomite … an enemy of Israel since the time of Jacob and Esau.

Doeg was probably captured by Saul and allowed to live and serve him as a spy and he turns out to be the murderer of God’s people at the will of Saul.

It’s an interesting possibility that Saul could be a picture of the Antichrist and Doeg the Edomite, his False Prophet.

Just as there are many “Types” of Christ in scripture, like David in our chapter, so there are many Antichrist “types” in scripture … Pharaoh, Cain, Lamech, Nimrod, Absolam, Herod … and Saul are a few.

Biblically, a “type” refers to a resemblance between something present and something future.

For instance, Joseph is a “type” of Christ in over 77 ways, such as being handed over to Gentiles by his own brothers.

We could also say that Joseph “foreshadows” Christ, who would also be turned over to the Gentiles (Romans) by his own brothers (Israel.)

Well, we are speaking of Saul here, and in several ways Saul foreshadowed the Antichrist.

Almost the first thing told us about Saul is that he was "from his shoulders and upward higher than any of the people" (, which is repeated in 10:23).

As such he prefigured the coming man of lawlessness, who in intelligence, governmental power, and satanic might, will so tower above all his contemporaries that men shall exclaim, "Who is like unto the Beast?" ().

Revelation 13:4 NKJV

So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”

Next, Saul was Israel’s choice (), so also will the Antichrist be as Israel will make a covenant with him.

Also, Saul was a priest-king, blatantly performing the office of the Levite, as the Antichrist will re-institute the sacrificial system which Jesus fulfilled.

Additionally, the time of his reign was immediately before that of David, as that of the Antichrist will immediately precede that of David's Son and Lord.

Saul was a rebel against God ().

Saul hated David (,,; , etc.).

Also, Saul slew the servants of God (,).

There are a few more ways … and we’ll get to those as we continue to study through 1 Samuel.

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So, Saul knew that Doeg was ready to do the evil deed.

He gave him permission to execute Ahimelech and his household, 85 priests of the Lord.

Like his father, the devil, he was a liar and murderer at heart ().

Doeg went beyond Saul’s orders and went to Nob where he wiped out the entire population as well as the farm animals.

John 8:44 NKJV

You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

While this unjust trial and illegal sentence disturbs us, we must keep in mind that it was part of God’s plan.

This slaughter of the priests goes back to Eli and chapter 2.

It was a partial fulfillment of the prophecy that had been given to unfaithful Eli, for God promised to replace the house of Eli with the house of Zadok (; ).

That prophecy is finally fulfilled in .

Abiathar escaped this massacre, but was later removed by Solomon, leaving the house of Zadok as the priestly family.

v20-23

So, the lone survivor was Abiathar, a son of Ahimelech.

He then became the high priest.

He knew that his only hope was to join David.

Abiathar, a son of Ahimelech, who then became the high priest. He knew that his only hope was to join David, so he fled to Keilah where David was now camped (23:6). When David moved from Hereth to Keilah isn’t revealed in the text, but having a priest with an ephod was a tremendous help to David and his company. The 400 men had Gad the prophet, Abiathar the priest, and David the king; and they were fighting the battles of the Lord. David took the blame for the slaughter of the priests, but he also took the responsibility of caring for Abiathar and making sure he was safe.

And so he fled to Keilah, a city in the lowlands of Judah where David was now camped (23:6).

The text doesn’t tell us when David moved from Hereth to Keilah.

We’ll discover in our next chapter that he and his men would defend Keilah from the Philistines.

And we’ll discover that having a priest with an ephod was a tremendous help to David and his company.

NOW the 400 men had Gad the prophet, Abiathar the priest, and David the king.

AND they were fighting the battles of the Lord.

David took the blame for the slaughter of the priests, but he also took the responsibility of caring for Abiathar and making sure he was safe.

We know from both 1 Samuel and the Psalms that David turned his heart back to the LORD and asked forgiveness after his lies to Ahimelech.

David was restored, but there was still bad fruit to come of the lies, and now David sees and tastes that bad fruit.

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So, we’ll stop here for tonight.

Wiersbe, W. W. (2001). Be successful (p. 122). Colorado Springs, CO: Victor/Cook Communications.

David was now officially an outlaw, but the Lord was with him and he would one day become Israel’s greatest king.