When Fear Drives Us
Nob, a city of the priests (1 Sa 22:19), was in the neighborhood of Jerusalem, on the Mount of Olives—a little north of the top, and on the northeast of the city. It is computed to have been about five miles distant from Gibeah.
In his emergency David had quickly to decide the people he could count on as allies. Food and shelter were his immediate needs, but he was also unarmed. He made first for Nob, which had taken the place of Shiloh as the city of the priests (1 Sam. 22:19), and was close at hand, about two miles (3 km) in the direction of Jerusalem (cf. Isa. 10:32).
Ahimelech was the brother of Ahijah, who had joined Saul as his spiritual adviser after Samuel withdrew his services (1 Sam. 14:3; cf. 22:9). For that reason David was unsure whether to trust Ahimelech, and decided to make up a plausible story to account for the fact that he was on his own. Even so, Ahimelech must have been suspicious, in view of the certainty that a royal ambassador would always have royal provisions, and a bodyguard. Nevertheless Ahimelech makes no demur, accepts the need for secrecy, and a planned rendezvous with associates, and the request for loaves of bread.
The king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me, Let no man know—This was a direct falsehood, extorted through fear. David probably supposed, like many other persons, that a lie is quite excusable which is told for the sole purpose of saving the speaker’s life. But what is essentially sinful, can never, from circumstances, change its immoral character; and David had to repent of this vice of lying (Ps 119:29).
Twelve loaves of freshly baked bread were placed on the table of the Presence to symbolize the twelve tribes of Israel (see Ex 25:23–30). They were replaced by new loaves each Sabbath, and the old loaves were to be consumed by the priests (see Lev 24:5–9).
Although Israel had a God–given religion, and this bread was dedicated for religious purposes, there were some hungry men present who needed food. That bread would have become commonplace if it could not have been used to feed hungry mouths. That is what David was saying.
In giving David and his men the bread, the priest was breaking the letter of the Law but not the spirit of the Law.
What the Lord was saying in His day was, “If David could do it, and it was all right, there is One here greater than David, and He can do it also.” David ate the showbread because he had need. Christ is saying that human need supersedes all ritual and ceremonial laws.
If “the king” in 21:2 refers to the Lord Jehovah (see 20:42), then David isn’t lying, for David certainly was doing the Lord’s business and would be for the rest of his life. But if this statement was a deliberate lie, then David was scheming instead of trusting. His motive was probably to protect the high priest from Saul’s future investigations, but the plan failed; for Saul killed Ahimelech and all the priests except Abiathar, because they conspired with his enemy.