author: Ryan Hayden Take your Bibles with me and turn to 1 Samuel 21. 1 Samuel 21.
Have you ever felt like the walls were closing in on you? Like you were in big trouble, and there was no solution in sight? Have you ever felt like everyone was out to get you - and you weren't getting any breaks?
If you have, I think you are going to be able to resonate with our story tonight.
Last week, we were talking about David. He's not King David yet. Saul is still king. And at the end of the story last week David became a fugitive. He went from the pinnacle of success: the king's son-in-law, the leader of the army, a member of the royal court - to a man on the run.
From this point on, he is a public enemy. The army he helped lead is now tasked with chasing hims down. He is homeless. He's in big trouble.
And the first place he goes, naturally, is to the house of God. He runs to a city called "Nob" where the Tabernacle was (Bethel was destroyed and the ark of the covenant was in storage.) But apparently the tabernacle still existed and was setup in this new town called "Nob."
David runs there and goes to the priest, a man named Ahimelech.
Let's read that interaction (verses 1-6):
[1] Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why [art] thou alone, and no man with thee? [2] And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, The king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me, Let no man know any thing of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee: and I have appointed [my] servants to such and such a place. [3] Now therefore what is under thine hand? give [me] five [loaves of] bread in mine hand, or what there is present. [4] And the priest answered David, and said, [There is] no common bread under mine hand, but there is hallowed bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women. [5] And David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truth women [have been] kept from us about these three days, since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and [the bread is] in a manner common, yea, though it were sanctified this day in the vessel. [6] So the priest gave him hallowed [bread]: for there was no bread there but the shewbread, that was taken from before the LORD, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.
Now, let's be clear here: David lied to Ahimilech. He told him he was on the king's business. There could have been a few justifications for that:
- Perhaps he was on war footing. You cannot win a war without some deception.
- Perhaps he was trying to keep Ahimilech from being retaliated against for helping him.
But he tells Ahimilech he's on the king's business and that he needs to eat, and Ahimilech helps him and and the few men he was with him and gives them the shewbread from the Tabernacle. This was the special bread put in the Holy Place across the curtain from the Ark (which wasn't there). It was replaced every day with new bread and the priests ate the old bread.
Now, what Ahimilech did was questionable too. The law specifically stated that the only people who were supposed to eat that bread were priests - and David and his men were certainly not priests.
So technically David was lying, and technically Ahimilech was breaking the law to give David this bread.
But I want to show you something interesting. Hopefully this is fresh on your memory from a few weeks back.
In Luke 6, when the disciples picked the corn on the sabbath and the Pharisees got onto them. Jesus brought up this story.
Listen to this:
[Luk 6:3-5 KJV] [3] And Jesus answering them said, Have ye not read so much as this, what David did, when himself was an hungred, and they which were with him; [4] How he went into the house of God, and did take and eat the shewbread, and gave also to them that were with him; which it is not lawful to eat but for the priests alone? [5] And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
You see - Jesus brought up this story and justified both David and Ahimilech.
I think the key is that David was God's anointed. David was the (little m) messiah of Israel. He was God's plan and God's man. And in this case He was more important than a rigid interpretation of the Sabbath laws.
And Jesus was the Lord of the Sabbath. He was in charge of the Sabbath. So Jesus can bend those laws too.
It's a tricky passage, and I wouldn't want to make too much of it - but I do think it illustrates the point that God understands that sometimes the spirit of the law is more important than the letter of the law.
Lets keep reading:
[1Sa 21:7-9 KJV] [7] Now a certain man of the servants of Saul [was] there that day, detained before the LORD; and his name [was] Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of the herdmen that [belonged] to Saul. [8] And David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thine hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought 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 thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it [is here] wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take [it]: for [there is] no other save that here. And David said, [There is] none like that; give it me.
David is given this bread and then he asks for something else. He asks for a sword. Again he lies and says that in his haste, he forgot to grab one.
Ahimilech tells him that the Goliath's sword is all they have, and David says "give to to me, there is none like that."
And so Ahimilech gives David a sword.
Now, I do think there is something to be said here for us. We cannot do God's will without bread - God's provision and sustenence and the sword - with which we battle on God's behalf - both are pictures for us of the word of God and there is no better place to find that than in God's house.
So when you are running, when you are trouble, church is a good place to go. God's word is a good place to go. God will feed you with His word and outfit you for the battles you face.
But there is something else we see here - there is a bystander in the Tabernacle, a man named Doeg the Edomite. Doeg isn't a jew. He's an Edomite, a descendent of Essua. It turns out that he's one of Saul's chief shepherds. Perhaps he was there to deliver lambs to be sacrificed. But Doeg takes not of what happens - that's going to come into play in the next chapter.
But before we get there, we need to read the rest of this chapter, starting in verse 10:
[1Sa 21:10-15 KJV] [10] And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath. [11] And the servants of Achish said unto him, [Is] not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands? [12] And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath. [13] And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard. [14] Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad: wherefore [then] have ye brought him to me? [15] Have I need of mad men, that ye have brought this [fellow] to play the mad man in my presence? shall this [fellow] come into my house?
David does something very suspicious here: he goes to Philistia as a refugee. (Gath is Goliath's hometown.) And David goes there seeking refuge.
This was a terrible idea. We don't need to seek refuge with God's enemies when we are trouble, we need to seek refuge with God.
David gets there and while he is there, they bring up that old top ten radio hit "Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands."
So David is terrified. Here he is in the heart of enemy territory, boldly carrying the famous sword of a local whose head he cut off, and they are turning on him quick.
So what David does is pretend to be crazy. He starts spitting on himself and clawing at the door. The Philistines apparently had superstitions about crazy people - and so they threw him out (instead of killing him.). That's how God delivered him.
Another thing is interesting though - did you catch this in verse 11? The philistines call David "David, king of the land."
Even though David is on the run, David's stock is rising in the eyes of the people and Saul's stock is sinking. That's going to really come into play in chapter 22.
Let's read the first five verses:
[1Sa 22:1-5 KJV] [1] David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father's house heard [it], they went down thither to him. [2] And every one [that was] in distress, and every one that [was] in debt, and every one [that was] discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men. [3] And David went thence to Mizpeh of Moab: and he said unto the king of Moab, Let my father and my mother, I pray thee, come forth, [and be] with you, till I know what God will do for me. [4] And he brought them before the king of Moab: and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the hold. [5] And the prophet Gad said unto David, Abide not in the hold; depart, and get thee into the land of Judah. Then David departed, and came into the forest of Hareth.
David hides out in a cave and starts his own little court.
Do you know what this reminds me of? When I was a kid I was obsessed with Robin Hood. Remember, Robin Hood went into Sherwood forrest and setup his own little army with all these people in debt to the crown. This is probably where that legend comes from.
So quickly, David gets a little following of 400 men. They live together in the wilderness. David lives in a cave.
A prophet comes to David and tells him he need to go into Judah (his home country) and so he does. This shows us that 1) God is still with David and 2) the people are willing to protect him.
Do you know what is happening here? God is starting to put the pieces in place for David to become king. It's hard to see it here. You have to kind of squint. But this is the seed of a kingdom.
But for David to have a kingdom, unfortunately, Saul had to lose it. And that's what most of this chapter is about.
Let's keep reading in verse 6:
[1Sa 22:6-8 KJV] [6] When Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men that [were] with him, (now Saul abode in Gibeah under a tree in Ramah, having his spear in his hand, and all his servants [were] standing about him;) [7] Then Saul said unto his servants that stood about him, Hear now, ye Benjamites; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, [and] make you all captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds; [8] That all of you have conspired against me, and [there is] none that sheweth me that my son hath made a league with the son of Jesse, and [there is] none of you that is sorry for me, or sheweth unto me that my son hath stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?
So Saul is brooding under a tree, spear in hand, and he's upset that David is still alive and that people are flocking to him and helping him.
He tries to bribe his court - especially the Benjaminites - his tribe. Then accuses them all of conspiring against him. Saul is really unhinged here and it seems like everyone knows it.
And that is when Doeg the Edomite comes back. Look at verse 9:
[1Sa 22:9-10 KJV] [9] Then answered Doeg the Edomite, which was set over the servants of Saul, and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. [10] And he enquired of the LORD for him, and gave him victuals, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.
Ok, so Doeg tells on Ahimelech. He spills the beans. He says "the high priest gave David advice and food and a sword."
And, as you can imagine, this makes Saul VERY angry. He calls for Ahimilech (verse 11)
[1Sa 22:11-15 KJV] [11] Then the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, the priests that [were] in Nob: and they came all of them to the king. [12] And Saul said, Hear now, thou son of Ahitub. And he answered, Here I [am], my lord. [13] And Saul said unto him, Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him bread, and a sword, and hast enquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as at this day? [14] Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said, And who [is so] faithful among all thy servants as David, which is the king's son in law, and goeth at thy bidding, and is honourable in thine house? [15] Did I then begin to enquire of God for him? be it far from me: let not the king impute [any] thing unto his servant, [nor] to all the house of my father: for thy servant knew nothing of all this, less or more.
Saul demands to know what happened and accuses Ahimelech of conspiring against him.
Ahimilech, for his part, boldy takes David's' side and says "Who is so faithful and honorable as David?"
And then says (truthfully) that he didn't know.
Now, here comes the saddest part of this story...
[1Sa 22:16 KJV] [16] And the king said, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father's house.
Saul commits to killing this man and all of the priests. This is madness. This is crazy.
But Saul has a problem. Look at verse 17:
[1Sa 22:17 KJV] [17] And the king said unto the footmen that stood about him, Turn, and slay the priests of the LORD; because their hand also [is] with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not shew it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the LORD.
No one is going to kill the priests. No jew would do it. They disobey this order from their king. It's wrong.
But here comes Doeg again:
[1Sa 22:18-19 KJV] [18] And the king said to Doeg, Turn thou, and fall upon the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and slew on that day fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod. [19] And Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings, and oxen, and asses, and sheep, with the edge of the sword.
Doeg is not a jew and Doeg has no problem obeying this command. He goes and kills Ahimilech and all kills 85 priests. Then he goes to Nob, the priests city. and kills everyone. Their wives, their babies, their kids. Everyone. He even kills their animals.
Now, here there is some irony here. Because God actually told Saul to do this to a gentile city and Saul refused. He didn't finish the job. But here, Saul is committing this genocide of the priests in his jealous, envious hatred.
And you have to think - word of this got out. You have to think a bunch of people in Israel were probably thinking - "whoa." And I don't think many people were helping Saul after this. I think "the stage lost the room." And Saul's popularity and days as king were numbered here.
Now, the chapter kind of ends on a happy note. Let's read the last few verses:
[1Sa 22:20-23 KJV] [20] And one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after David. [21] And Abiathar shewed David that Saul had slain the LORD'S priests. [22] And David said unto Abiathar, I knew [it] that day, when Doeg the Edomite [was] there, that he would surely tell Saul: I have occasioned [the death] of all the persons of thy father's house. [23] Abide thou with me, fear not: for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life: but with me thou [shalt be] in safeguard.
One priest makes it out and where does he flee? To David. Saul was trying to kill him, but David took him in. David says "Stay with me. I'll guard you. I'll protect you."
Now, as we close tonight I want to draw an obvious parallel here:
Here in 1 Samuel, we see this other messiah beginning a kingdom with a motley crew of outcasts - and (it's hard to see it now) that little seed would grow to be the greatest kingdom in the history of Israel.
Remember, I mentioned Jesus in Luke 6. What did Jesus do right after He declared himself to be "the lord of the Sabbath?" Do you remember? (Hint, I preached about it Sunday.)
Jesus called his apostles, the leaders of his new kingdom. And who were his apostles? They were a ragtag crew of nobodies. They were a motley crew. And they extended His kingdom to the ends of the earth.
Do you see how David points us to Jesus? God's anointed one? God's Messiah?
And Saul, Saul is a good example of all the alternate messiah's that people hitch their wagons to. Saul makes big promises, he looks the part, but he becomes this unhinged, demanding, murderous madman - he promises to deliver God's people and he ends up being the destroyer of God's people.
And David, David is everything that Saul is not. David is humble. David fights for God. David is spiritual. David is truly God's anointed. Saul is a destroyer, and David is a protector.
Church, who have you aligned yourself with? Have you aligned yourself with the world or with Christ? The world has no end of false messiahs it presents to us:
- money
- fame
- relationships
- prestige
- power
- accomplishments
All those things promise to deliver us - but in the end, they are bondage, they are destroyers. Christ is the true deliverer, and even if we are just a ragtag bunch joining Christ in a cave and not in a palace, even if we are renegades - we will be so much better to join ourselves to Him.
Let's stand for prayer.
