READ: 1 Sam.22-23/Proverbs 15:30-33
REFLECT:
Chapter 22 opens with David leaving Gath and hiding in a cave in Adullam. David’s family heard that he was in the cave and his family came to him (22:1). Listen to verse 2. Everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented came to David and he became commander over them, about 400 men. Imagine what David was going through. Would you go to him while he was living in this cave, running for his life? It is not a logical choice except for this: David was the anointed and they must follow the anointed. David led his followers and his parents to a stronghold in Moab. But a prophet came to David and told him to return to Judah and not remain in the stronghold (22:5). The anointed could not stay where it was safe. God sent David back into the danger where Saul was looking for him.
Saul continued to be pictured as completely unhinged at this point. He declared that all of his servants had conspired against him and that David was trying to kill him by the help of his son (22:8). Doeg the Edomite told Saul that he saw David at Nob with the priest Ahimelech. Ahimelech gave David provisions, a sword, and inquired of the Lord for him. Remember that David noticed Doeg there and was concerned about him because he was someone who was on Saul’s side. This is why David spoke as if Saul had sent him on this secret mission. It became clear to Doeg that this is not true. So he told Saul all that he saw. As such, Saul summoned Ahimelech and all the priests at Nob to come to him. He asked Ahimelech why he has conspired against him. Ahimelech made a reasonable defense. David was Saul's faithful servant, his son-in-law, captain over the king's bodyguard, and honoured in Saul's house (22:14). He had inquired of the Lord for David on many occasions (22:15). How would he know that David was no longer with Saul or that he had turned against Saul? In short, why would he question David at all? But Saul did not accept his explanation and ordered Ahimelech and his family to be killed as well as all the priests of Lord who had come from Nob (22:16-17). He said that they were all part of this conspiracy. But Saul’s servants refused to do this. They knew well not to strike down the priests of God. So Saul told Doeg the Edomite to do it and the latter killed 85 priests along with men, women, children, infants, and animals of Nob. He slaughtered them all and only one son of Ahimelech escaped (22:18-20). This was a vicious extermination by Doeg. Ahimelech’s son ran to David and told him that Saul had all the priests of the Lord killed. David told Ahimelech’s son, Abiathar, that he knew that Doeg would go back to Saul when he came to Nob that day. David took responsibility for what had happened and asked Abiathar to stay with him and he would protect him (22:21-23).
Now it is important to note that Ahimelech was the grandson of Phinehas, one of Eli’s wicked sons. Remember what was prophesied concern Eli and his household. God was going to completely cut off Eli’s offspring with a violent death (1 Samuel 2:31,33). This evil act by Doeg at Saul’s command actually fulfilled the prophecy God made against Eli and his descendants. Oddly enough, Saul had done at Nob what he failed to do to the Amalekites: complete destruction.
At this time, the Philistines mounted an attack against Keilah. This is another Israelite town near the border between Philistia and Israel. David asked the Lord if he should go up and attack these Philistines. The Lord responded for David to go ask those Philistines and save Keilah. But David’s men were afraid (23:3). So David inquired of the Lord again and the Lord gave the same response. The Lord was with David and as such, David and his men attacked the Philistines at Keilah and struck them down with a heavy blow.
Now observe how Saul looked at this. He heard that David was in Keilah. But he did not see that God was with David giving Israel victory. He thought that God had given David into his hand (23:7). With that, Saul assembled his whole army to go to Keilah to attack David and his men. David knew this was a risk because this battle would reveal to Saul where he was. As such, he called for Abiathar to bring the ephod to inquire of the Lord. David called out to the Lord in verses 10-12. David asked if Saul was going to come to Keilah and if the people would turn him over to Saul. The Lord answered that Saul was indeed coming and that the people of Keilah would betray David and give him and his men over to Saul. David and his men made a run for it and ended up in the wilderness of Ziph (23:14). Listen to the end of verse 14. “And Saul sought him every day, but God did not give him into his hand.” Saul was hunting for David but God was not going to let Saul find him.
Jonathan went out to David while he was in the wilderness. It is important to see that Saul could not find David because of the Lord while Jonathan could find David because of the Lord. Jonathan encouraged David’s faith. Jonathan told David not to be afraid because Saul was not going to find him and he would be the next king over Israel (23:17).
Just as it seems like this encouragement would help David, the people in the wilderness of Ziph went to Saul and tell Saul where David was hiding. So we see even more Israelites betraying David, his own people that he was anointed by the Lord to rule over. Shortly, Saul and his men were closing in on David, pursuing them to the wilderness of Maon (23:25). In verse 26 Saul had them. David was on one side of the mountain and Saul and his men were on the other side of the mountain. Look at the end of verse 26. Just as Saul was about to capture David and his men, a messenger came to Saul and asked him to hurry back because the Philistines have started raids on Israel. So Saul and his men left the mountain to fight the Philistines. The mountain was then called the Rock of Escape. God rescues David from this betrayal and from the hand of Saul.
RELATE:
We have been seeing throughout our study of this book that we are being given glimpses of the what the Christ will experience when God sends him to save the world. First, we see that the anointed will be sent into trials. When David appears to be safe in a stronghold in Moab, God through a prophet sends him back to Judah to continue to go through his ordeals. We see a similar picture with Jesus in Matthew 4:1 where we are told that the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. We are going to see this happen with David now and in the next three chapters where he must go into the wilderness for his trials. Second, we see another amazing picture of the anointed. When the anointed comes, a town will be exterminated by an Edomite. David’s arrival in Nob causes Doeg the Edomite to wipe out the inhabitants of the town. When Jesus is born in Bethlehem, an Edomite named Herod, decrees the slaughter of all the male children two years and under in Bethlehem and in all that region. Third, the anointed will be recognized as king by Gentiles but not by Israel. We see David acknowledged as the king when he is in Gath (21:11). This is amazing considering Saul is king. But the Philistines say that David is king. But the people of Keilah and people of Ziph do not see David as king and turn him over to Saul. This leads to the fourth picture of the anointed. The anointed will be betrayed but God will rescue him. Both the people of Keilah and Ziph betray David to Saul. But God rescues David both times. Christ will be betrayed by his own disciple, Judas. But God will rescue him from death through the resurrection from the dead. Finally, the anointed will be man of troubles and sorrows. All we will see with David is the constant struggles and troubles in his life. Recall what Isaiah prophesied about the Christ:
He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. (Isaiah 53:3 NIV)
God will fulfil his purposes through the hands of wicked people. Peter declared this in his sermon after Jesus’ resurrection:
This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. (Acts 2:23–24 ESV)
God was the one who delivered Jesus up to be killed by wicked people. God was the one who led David into the wilderness to suffer as the Lord’s anointed.
Another important picture we are seeing in this passage is the need to have faith to follow the anointed. Jonathan risked great danger to his own life and sacrificed his right to the throne to follow David, the Lord’s anointed. The outcasts and downtrodden leave where they are living to come to the anointed to live in a cave and have to fight against Saul and his armies, as well as against the Philistines. The outcasts have the faith to follow the anointed to a cave and to follow him into battle. We see Ahimelech has the faith to help David and it costs him his life. All that we are seeing in these two chapters is the danger involved in following the anointed. Think about how we see this for the disciples of Jesus. They experienced great danger to follow Jesus. They gave up their jobs to follow Jesus. They gave up their families to follow Jesus. They gave up their lives to preach Jesus. They gave everything, disregarding the danger, to follow Jesus. It takes great faith to be a follower of the Anointed. Listen to what the apostle Paul said as he encouraged Timothy:
Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. (2 Timothy 3:12–13 ESV)
Listen to what Paul exhorted the churches:
After they had preached the gospel in that town and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, to Iconium, and to Antioch, strengthening the disciples by encouraging them to continue in the faith and by telling them, “It is necessary to go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:21–22 CSB)
REST:
There is nothing easy about following Jesus, the Anointed. It is through many difficulties that we follow Jesus and enter His kingdom. We cannot be like Saul who resisted God’s purpose and outcome. He was trying to two-time God and the world. But it cannot happen. In the same way, we cannot try to live our own ways and remain with God. Jesus said that whoever tries to save his life will lose it. Only those who will give their lives completely for the Lord will save their lives (Luke 9:24). We cannot resist the will of the Lord. So will we have the faith to follow Jesus, the Anointed, on whatever road He takes us down?
TAN TEE KHOON
(Content adapted and used with permission from West Palm Beach Church of Christ Bible Study Notes on 1 & 2 Samuel)
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