David at Adullam and Mizpah
First Samuel 22: 1-23

At this point in David’s life there was a turning of the tide; he was back in the territory of Y’hudah. So began one of the most interesting periods in the life of this exile. He was a king, anointed of YHVH, but he was hiding in a cave, waiting for God’s time until he should come to the throne. News of David’s return spread around the country very rapidly and soon there were gathered to him a strange assortment of people. Some were in distress, some in debt and some were disconnected. David became their leader, training and disciplining them until he had formed the nucleus of the greatest army the Israelites had ever known. They were destined to win the greatest victories in all their history.⁹¹

David Pretended to be Insane
Before Abimelech
Psalm 34: 1-22

Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, who drove him away. The title says Abimelech rather than Achish because Abimelech was the traditional dynastic name for title for Philistine kings (see Genesis 20, 21:22-34 and 26).

DIG: Who is Abimelek? What does it mean to taste ADONAI and see if He is good? What promises do you see in this Psalm? Which one has your name on it? What destroys the wicked? Why doesn’t the LORD intervene? How might this be Yeshua’s testimony as well as David’s in verses 15 to 22?

REFLECT: Peter uses this Psalm to comfort those who suffer for doing good (verse 8 in First Peter 2:3 and verses 12-16 in First Peter 3:10-12). How do you reconcile the “good things” God promises with the acute suffering experienced by some believers? Yochanan saw verse 20 fulfilled in Yeshua (see John 19:36). In what way is this psalm also your testimony (Romans 8:1)? What does it mean to seek peace and go after it?

Psalm 34 was David’s hymn of praise after God had delivered him from the Philistines. The two basic themes of this Psalm are thanksgiving and wisdom.

I. Thanksgiving for God’s Goodness and Justice: In this Psalm David called on the congregation to praise the LORD for their salvation. The first half of the Psalm alternates between personal testimony and a repeated call to join in the praise and be stimulated in newness of faith (Psalm 34:1-7).

A. Individual and Communal Praise: David begins very personally, I will bless ADONAI at all times; in joy and sorrow, His praise will always be in my mouth. David calls attention to what God has done rather than boastfully point to his own works and accomplishments. When I boast, it will be about YHVH; the humble will hear of it and be glad. Others, like David, have been victimized by the arrogant. When we learn of his experience, we can take heart. Proclaim with me the greatness of ADONAI; let us exalt his name together (Psalm 34:1-3 CJB). Rabbi Sha’ul, in his great passage on boasting, may have remembered this saying and this episode, and recalled his own humiliating escape from another foreign king (Second Corinthians 11:30-33), and the lessons he had learned as a result.

B. Individual and Communal Experiences: David taught from his own experience. He knew what fears were. I sought the LORD, and He answered me; He rescued me from everything I feared. In addition to his personal experience, he had witnessed how the righteous of the TaNaKh radiate confidence and joy. They looked to Him and grew radiant; their faces will never blush for shame. David may have actually pointed to someone in the audience, saying: This poor man cried; YHVH heard and saved him from all his troubles. The author goes moves from the specific to the general. The Angel of the LORD, who encamps around those who fear Him, delivers them (Psalm 34:4-7 CJB). Whenever the phrase: the Angel of the LORD is seen in the TaNaKh, it is always the Second Person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ. It is never a common, ordinary, run of the mill angel. He was with Hagar in the wilderness (see the commentary on Genesis, to see link click Ej – Hagar and the Angel of the LORD); He appeared to Moshe in the burning bush (see the commentary on Exodus Aq – Flames of Fire from within a Burning Bush), and He protected Yerushalayim in the days of Hezekiah (see the commentary on Isaiah Gw – Then the Angel of the LORD Put To Death a Hundred and Eighty Five Thousand Men in the Assyrian Camp).

II. In Praise and Wisdom: After affirming that God is good to those who trust Him, David then instructed the people how to live a long life. The lessons of this part of the Psalm are chiefly that true goodness can only be found in a relationship with God. It is the answer to all life’s most pressing questions (Psalm 34:8-22).⁸⁷

A. Exhortation to Wisdom: Taste, and see that ADONAI is good (Hebrews 6:5; First Peter 2:3). How blessed are those who take refuge in Him! Fear YHVH, you holy ones of His, for those who fear Him lack nothing (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Dt – Do Not Worry about Your Life What Your Will Eat or Drink, or What You Will Wear). Young lions can be needy, they can go hungry, but those who see ADONAI lack nothing good. Come, children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. David writes in the style of the wisdom instructor, as in Proverbs 1-9, with his fatherly tone and his stress on the fear of the LORD as the beginning of wisdom.⁸⁸ Which of you takes pleasure in living? Who wants a long life (evidence of God’s approval) to see good things? [If you do,] keep your tongue from evil and your lips from deceiving talk. The sins of the tongue are severely denounced in Hebrew ethics. Lying and slander were deemed by the rabbis as especially hateful to ADONAI. Turn from evil, and do good; seek peace, go after it (Psalm 34:8-14 CJB).

B. The Rewards of Wisdom: Historian Cassius Dio recorded a revealing event from the life of Hadrian, the Roman Emperor 117-138 AD. “Once, when a woman made a request of [Hadrian] as he passed by on a journey, he first said to her, ‘I haven’t time,’ but afterwards, when she cried out, ‘Then cease being emperor,’ he turned around and granted her a hearing.” How often we say or hear, “Not now, I’m busy” or “I’m sorry, I just don’t have the time.” Yet, our heavenly Father, the Master and Creator of the universe, always has the time for us! David wrote: The eyes of ADONAI watch over the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry. But the face of YHVH opposes those who do evil, to cut off all memory of them from the earth. [The righteous] cried out, and ADONAI heard, and He saved them from all their troubles. God is not like the emperor or a busy executive who tries to avoid interruption. Instead, the Father’s joy is to listen and respond to His children.⁸⁹

The LORD is near to those whose spirit is crushed. David is realistic in his portrayal of life. The righteous suffers many evils, but ADONAI rescues them out of them all. The Torah does not promise immunity to the righteous; just the contrary, just because they love ADONAI they are liable to be victimized by the unscrupulous. He protects all their bones; not one of them gets broken. Evil will kill the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned. But they have their reward in divine deliverance. ADONAI redeems His servants; no one who takes refuge in Him will be condemned (Psalm 34:15-22 CJB). Evil will overcome the wicked. They will perish and receive their sentence by the Judge of the world. The godly, however, will find YHVH to be faithful. Those who trust in Him will never die.⁹⁰

The Philistines Seized David at Gath
Psalm 56: 1-13

For the director of music.
To the tune of “A Dove on Distant Oaks.” Of David. A miktam (probably a musical term)
When the Philistines had seized David at Gath.

DIG: How desperate must David have been to go into the heart of the enemy of Isra’el? Where do you see that despair reflected in this psalm? What’s happening to David? How would you feel in his place, hunted by your former friends? What does it mean that God records you tears? Did David think he was invincible? What does it mean to trust ADONAI in fearful circumstances? How is such trust demonstrated? Or rewarded?

REFLECT: Does being afraid lead you to trust Elohim more, or less? On the other hand, does not trusting in the LORD lead you to be more afraid? Less? Why? How can you choose faith when you are afraid? If YHVH is with us, why do we fear human threats so much? Can head knowledge of God calm fears, which are emotional? How can you overcome your fears? What does the writer to the Hebrews say (Hebrews 11:6).

Psalm 56 was David’s prayer in Gath when the situation got too dangerous. There is no question that he was a frightened man when he was in the Philistine city, but he sustained his faith by remembering God’s promises and the LORD’s call upon his life. And ADONAI heard him. YHVH was merciful and enabled him to escape back to his own land. No matter how we feel or how dismal the circumstances appear, the safest place in the world is with God.⁸²

A. Lament: The prayer begins with a typical prayer for mercy. Instead of building up gradually to his complaint, David pours out his heart immediately. He paints his adversaries in rapid strokes. Be merciful to me, to give me unmerited favor or grace. Elohim, for my enemies are in hot pursuit; all day long they press their attack. His opponents are only men, but considering their animosity and pride, their strength and violence are not to be underestimated. My adversaries pursue me all day long; panting after me in their pride, many are attacking me (Psalm 56:1-2). Their attacks mentioned seem not to be an actual physical attack yet. At this point, there are verbal battles and plots (see verses 5 and 6), which will eventually lead to a frontal assault. In the midst of opposition that has become hounding and lethal, David cries out to ADONAI for mercy. The press of his circumstances and his ability to deal with them throws David into the hands of God.⁸³

B. Trust in God: Difficult as life is, David had learned to trust in ADONAI. Most high, when I am afraid, I put my trust in You. He neither feeds his fear nor stares at his problems, but instead, looks to his Redeemer, who will deliver him. In God, whose word I praise – in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me (Psalm 56:3-4 CJB)? The LORD’s promise is secure and will come true. After all, trusting in YHVH requires a prior commitment to the Word of God.

How did Yeshua endure the terror of the cross? He went first to the Father with His fears. He modeled the words here: When I am afraid, I put my trust in You. Do the same with your fears. Don’t avoid life’s “garden of Eden’s.” Enter them. Just don’t enter them alone. And while there, be honest. Pounding the ground is permitted. Tears are allowed. And if you sweat blood, you won’t be the first. Do what Jesus did; open your heart. And be specific. Christ was. Take this cup, He prayed. Give God the number of the flight. Tell Him what your child needs. Communicate the problems with your marriage. Share the details of the job transfer. He has plenty of time and plenty of compassion. He doesn’t think your fears are foolish or silly. He won’t tell you to “buck up” or “get tough.” He’s been where you are. He knows how you feel. And He knows what you need.⁸⁴

C. Affliction and Imprecation: With confidence in ADONAI’s justice as promised in His Word, David presents his case more clearly before the LORD. All day long they twist my words; all their schemes are for my ruin. They plot so as to undo whatever the godly person has spoken and has planned to do rightly. They treat him unjustly. They conspire, they lurk, they watch my steps, hoping to take my life. Then David invokes God’s judgment upon his enemies. Because of their wickedness do not let them escape; in your anger, God, bring the Gentile nations down. The record and collection of tears serve as assurances to David that YHVH will vindicate him. Record my misery; list my tears on your scroll – are they not in your record? All of David’s sufferings are recorded in God’s book of remembrance (Malachi 3:16). He rests his case with the assurance that God will hear him and respond in justice. Then my enemies will turn back when I call for help (Psalm 56:5-9a).

B. Trust in God: By this I will know that Elohim is for me. The emphatic by this summarizes David’s confidence in God’s acts of vindication. The LORD’s majestic acts are compelling proof of the covenantal relationship. It is to this effect that David looks for the demonstration of Ha’Shem’s love for him so that he may “know” again how much YHVH cares for him. In God, whose word I praise, in ADONAI, whose word I praise – in God I trust and am not afraid. The traditional interpretation of the two divine names is YHVH in His justice and mercy. What can mere humans do to me (Psalm 56:9b-11)?

A. Thanksgiving: Instead of ending with lament and petition, the psalm concludes with a ringing thanksgiving and declaration of victory. David promises to fulfill the vows he had made to God. In anticipation of his deliverance, he said: The vows I made to You Elohim are obligatory upon me to fulfill; I will present my thank offerings to You. The offering was not a payment for deliverance but an expression of devotion. The LORD receives praise because He is true to His promises. For you have delivered me (prophetic perfect) from death (David anticipated God’s action against his enemies) and my feet from stumbling (even though his enemies have marked his steps), that I may walk before God in the light of life (Psalm 56:12-13). This is the goal of godly living. Only life in God’s presence gives meaning to His children. It is as though the light of life is shining as brightly as the sun, in contrast to the darkness of Sh’ol.⁸⁵

David’s alternatives are our alternatives. We either fall into the darkness of death, or stand in the light of God and live. As much as we may fight such a contradictory thought, it is biblical to the core. We either serve YHVH or the devil. There are only two kinds of spiritual food. There’s devil’s food and angel’s food. And if you’re not eating one, you’re eating the other. We go either to heaven or hell. There is no fence to sit on because there is no fence.⁸⁶ But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD (Joshua 24:15).

David at Gath
First Samuel 21: 10-15

DIG: Gath was the strongest of the five Philistine cities. It was the birthplace of Goliath. Why then does David go there? Why do you think David wore Goliath’s sword? Why does David feel it is necessary to act like a madman? What sort of marks does he make and where does he make them?

REFLECT: When have you turned a situation around from being a passive recipient of the actions of others, to being assertive and prepared to take necessary steps? Are you in that situation now? What are you going to do? When has an “insanity plea” or role-play worked for you? How do you honestly face fear? While you were in the valley of the shadow of death, as you look back on that experience, where was God for you?

1015 BC

These verses are an interruption to the main plot of David’s struggle with Sha’ul. They bear witness to the different contracts and elements of support David has developed, to which he can appeal in time of distress. Two important points emerge for the developing characterization of David. First, probably now 25, he is no longer an innocent and unknown shepherd boy. He now is well known, with alliances he can count on, with allegiances he can summon, and with political savvy about his own future. He has important political resources at his disposal. Second, David is no longer a passive recipient of the actions of others, as he has been throughout Chapters 16 through 19. Now he is assertive and prepared to take necessary and bold initiatives. It is a measure of the skill of the narrator that David’s character is traced in this way.⁸⁰

David knew that Doeg the Edomite, would inform Sha’ul of his whereabouts, David immediately fled for his life. The chase was on. David feared that he would be safe nowhere in Isra’el, and was therefore driven to take refuge with the Philistines and offer himself for service. After David received Goliath’s sword from Ahimelek, David fled from Sha’ul, and throwing all caution to the wind, he went to Achish king of Gath. With a subtle appreciation for humor, the narrator records that David fled twenty-three miles to the enemy city of Gath, Goliath’s hometown, wearing the giant’s old sword.⁸¹

Perhaps David was going to try to enlist as an unknown soldier in the service of Achish, but things changed as he was immediately recognized. But the servants of Achish said to him, “Isn’t this David, the king of the land? Now Sha’ul was the king of the land, but due to his many exploits against the Philistines, they applied this title to David showing him a large measure of respect. The natural exaggeration of a popular rumor. Achish no doubt had heard the Israelite gossip. Isn’t he the one they sing about in their dances, ‘Sha’ul has slain his thousands, and David his ten of thousands’ (First Samuel 21:10-11)?” He knew what the women sang, and presumably he knew how the comparison enraged Sha’ul. The narrator builds a compelling case for the inevitability of David’s kingship.

David took these words to heart and he understood that they viewed him as the true king, and was very much afraid of Achish, the king of Gath for over forty years. So he pretended to be insane in their presence. In those days, an insane person was considered to be possessed by the gods. And while he was in their hands he acted like a madman (the verb translated he acted like a madman is used elsewhere in the Bible to describe drunkenness as in Jeremiah 25:16), making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva drool down his beard.

Achish had seen enough and said to his servants, “Look at the man! He is insane! Why bring him to me?” Achish probably held the common ancient superstition that harming lunatics brought bad luck. Sarcastically declaring: Am I so short of madmen that you have to bring this fellow here to carry on like this in front of me? Must this man come into my house” (First Samuel 21:12-15)? Achish’s attempt to place the blame on his servants for David’s introduction to his court seems to be an example of the common defense mechanism of anticipating criticism, by turning the blame on others. Hence, David was merely left alone. David’s deception of Achish worked, as it would again in Chapters 27 and 29. But this experience in Gath led to the writing of two Psalms: to see link click Ax – The Philistines Seized David at Gath and Ay – David Pretended to be Insane Before Abimelek.

He will visit Gath again, but here, he was a lone fugitive with no one he could trust. This was probably his lowest point. But although he was in the valley of the shadow of death he discovered that ADONAI was with him, enabling him to devise plans and survive danger.

David at Nov
First Samuel 21: 1-9

DIG: What did Ahimelek fear? Why? How does David seek to calm his fears? As far as David is concerned, who is “the king” that sent him on an urgent mission? What’s the possible sin involved in consuming the bread of the Presence (Lev 24:9)? Then why did Ahimelek give it to David? What was so special about David carrying Goliath’s sword?

REFLECT: When, if ever, have you experienced the truth that “the fear of the LORD conquers every other fear.” How do you think we develop this good, healthy, fear of ADONAI? Yeshua supported David for eating the consecrated bread. Why? When is it right to disregard sacred rituals (Luke 6:6-9)? You can learn a lot about a person by seeing where they turn in times of trouble. Who do you turn to? With what “sword” has He armed you? What can we learn about David from the way others responded to him?

1015 BC

David went to Nov, which had taken the place of Shiloh as the city of the priests. It was half way between Jerusalem and Sha’ul’s palace at Gibeah (First Samuel 21:1a). That was the place where the Tabernacle had been standing since the destruction of Shiloh and where eighty-six priests lived (First Samuel 22:18-19). Their quietness probably wasn’t disturbed much except for an occasional visitor who came to perform his vows before God. There is no account in First Samuel of the burning of Shiloh (was that even too painful to be remembered?), and there is only one other passage in the TaNaKh that even indirectly indicates what had happened. We read in Psalm 78:60: ADONAI abandoned the tabernacle at Shiloh, the tent He had made where He could live among the people. The same thing happened in Jeremiah’s day, the Temple had become a good luck charm. So what happened to Shiloh happened to the Temple and Jerusalem for the same reason (see the commentary on Jeremiah, to see link click Cc – False Religion is Worthless).⁷⁸

Just as David had earlier sought the sanctuary with Samuel at Ramah (First Sam 19:18), so now he went to find sanctuary with Ahimelek. David went to Nov to see Ahimelek the priest. The fact that David arrived alone frightened Ahimelek, the high priest, who was a great-grandson of Eli. Ahimelek trembled when he met him, and filled with fear, he asked, “Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?” Because by then it was common knowledge that David commanded Sha’ul’s army and a person of David’s rank would not normally be traveling alone. David answered: The king sent me on a mission and said to me, “No one is to know anything about the mission I am sending you on.” The unnamed “king” here is not Sha’ul, but YHVH, who not only sent David, but also gave him instructions. As for my men, I have told them to meet me at such-and-such place (Hebrew: peloni’almoni). This is a rare Hebrew idiom that is used when one either does not know the name of a person (see the commentary on Ruth Ba – Boaz Obtains the Right of Redemption), or a place (as is the case here with David) when the speaker is deliberately trying to conceal it (First Samuel 21:1b-2). His “army” was not in Ahimelek’s sight, but they were not far away.

“Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever you can find.” But the priest answered David, “I don’t have any ordinary (unconsecrated) bread on hand; however, there is some consecrated bread  here.” Because this was holy bread Ahimelek had to make a condition to receive it: “provided the men have kept themselves from women.” War was regarded as sacred, and women were forbidden to men engaged in it. The holy bread could only be eaten by the ritually clean and according to Leviticus 15:16-18 sexual intercourse rendered the couple unclean. David replied, “Indeed women have been kept from us, as usual whenever I set out. The men’s bodies are holy even on missions that are not holy. How much more so today! So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread except the bread of the Presence (see the commentary on Exodus Fo – The Bread of the Presence in the Sanctuary: Christ, the Bread of Life) that had been removed from before ADONAI in the Tabernacle and replaced by hot bread on the day it was taken away on Shabbat (First Samuel 21:3-6).

Since the priestly privileges were for the priests and their families only (Exodus 29:32-33; Leviticus 22:10-16), how could Ahimelek in good conscience give the consecrated bread to David and his men, who were not priests? The answer provided by Yeshua, the authoritative Lord of the Sabbath, seems to be that human need takes priority over the ceremony of the Torah (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Cv – The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath).⁷⁹

In verse 7 the narrative pauses. Now one of Sha’ul’s servants was there that day, detained before the LORD for the fulfillment of a vow or for purification. This was a divine encounter because his presence would lead to the fulfillment of the prophecy concerning the house of Eli. He was Doeg the Edomite, Sha’ul’s chief (Hebrew: abbir meaning violent) shepherd (see Bd – Sha’ul Kills the Priests at Nov). By nationality, he was an Edomite. Therefore, it seems that he was either a convert to Judaism or a mercenary pressed into service as a result of Sha’ul’s wars against Edom (First Samuel 21:7). His presence here is ominous, and is introduced parenthetically in anticipation of his sinister role later.

David asked Ahimelek, “Don’t you have a spear or a sword here?” David presumably knew that it was in safe keeping at Nov. “I haven’t brought my sword or any other weapon, because the king’s message was so urgent.” The priest replied, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here; it is wrapped in a cloth (it was customary to wrap in cloths all articles that were especially valuable or sacred) behind the ephod (see the commentary on Exodus Fz – Make the Ephod of Gold, Blue, Purple and Scarlet Yarn). Apparently, David must have dedicated it to the LORD by giving it to the priests. In other words, it was kept in a very secure place, behind the priest’s most important vestments. If you want it, take it; there is no sword here but that one.” David said, “There is none like it, give it to me” (First Samuel 21:8-9). The entire confrontation reflects great haste, urgency . . . and danger. Having accomplished his mission, the young future king dared not linger.

David on the Run
First Samuel 21:1 to Second Samuel 1:27
and First Chronicles 12:1-22

At times the stories of Sha’ul and David intersect, at other times they go on their own way – only to interlace again and again, their fates being bound together. Every action movie has a great chase scene and the books of Samuel are no different. The chase scenes involving Sha’ul and David make for one of the most riveting and gripping sections of the entire Bible.

Sha’ul spent the rest of his life hunting David. Why this irrational passion? Because he knew ADONAI had chosen David to be Isra’el’s next king. David spent those same years as the hunted . . . fleeing, hiding, and patiently surviving until Sha’ul died. Though Sha’ul nearly captured him on several occasions, YHVH protected David, all the while using the harsh demands of his lifestyle to shape him into an exceptional leader and commander.

During those years, on occasion, Y’honatan found ways to meet his friend in order to encourage him and repeat his loyalty to him. Y’honatan consistently affirmed what Sha’ul was desperately trying to prevent – that David would be Isra’el’s next king. With remarkable love and humility, the prince explained to David, “Don’t be afraid. My father Sha’ul will not lay a hand on you. You will be king over Isra’el, and I will be second to you. Even my father knows this” (First Samuel 23:17).

Y’honatan willingly gave up his own claim to the throne because he understood that God had chosen David instead of him. And he had no resentment, only affection for the one who would reign in his place. Ironically, while Sha’ul stubbornly tried to retain the throne for his son, his son happily offered it to the man he knew was YHVH’s choice to be Isra’el’s ruler.

Y’honatan’s character is shown most clearly in his attitude toward David. Without question, he was a mighty warrior, a noble prince, and a loyal friend. But it was his steadfast faith in Ha’Shem’s plan for him and his future that set him apart. Y’honatan did not merely accept his role – he embraced it wholeheartedly, eagerly protecting and promoting the one whom the LORD had appointed to be king instead of him.⁷⁷

This begins the wanderings of David as a fugitive for about five years, from about the time he was 25 until he was 30 and anointed as king a second time at Hebron.

Y’honatan Defends David
First Samuel 20: 24b-42

DIG: How is the Adversary’s influence seen in the life of Sha’ul? How did Sha’ul justify his anger? What did it take for Y’honatan to finally catch on to his father’s true intent with regard to David? Why is Y’honatan so slow to catch on? Does he want to believe the best about his father at all costs? Or is Sha’ul that good at masking his motives? Knowing his father tried to kill him also, why did Y’honatan go back home instead of going into hiding with David? How do you think Y’honatan felt about being caught in the middle? How did Y’honatan demonstrate his friendship with David in Chapter 20? What did it cost him?

REFLECT: In your experience, how common is deep and faithful friendship between women? Between men? When is it right going against authority in obeying ADONAI? When is it wrong? What elements in civil disobedience or family dissonance are never right? Has the pressure of some trial thrown you into despair, causing you to doubt God’s promises? Do you have the peace of the Lord that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7)? Why or why not? What are some examples of this peace in your life?

1016 BC

Y’honatan’s Defense of David Before Sha’ul: Y’honatan’s duty to David required him to go back to the presence of his father in his palace at Gibeah. When Rosh-Hodesh came, the king sat down to eat his sacrificial meal on the first day, which could only be eaten in ceremonial cleanliness. Constantly afraid of personal attack, the king sat at his usual place with his back against the wall. Y’honatan stood up, and Abner sat next to Sha’ul (which was highly unusual because he normally sat next to his father) and Y’honatan sat across from his father. All the principles were there, but David’s place was empty. However, Sha’ul didn’t say anything that day; because he thought, “Something has happened to him to make him ceremonially unclean. And as if Sha’ul were trying to convince himself that uncleanness was the only reason for David’s absence, he repeated the phrase over and over again to himself. Yes, that’s it, surely he is unclean. An acceptable excuse . . . once (First Samuel 20:24b-26 CJB).

But the day after Rosh-Hodesh, the second day, David’s space was still empty and Sha’ul said to Y’honatan his son, “Why hasn’t Jesse’s son (the use of this name is deliberately contemptuous) come to the meal either yesterday or today? Uncleanness only lasted one day (Leviticus 15:16), so that could not account for his absence. Y’honatan answered Sha’ul, “David begged me to let him go to Beit-Lechem.” He said, “Please let me go, because our family has a sacrifice in the city and my brother demanded that I come. The eldest brother exercised a measure of authority over the others. So now, if you look on me favorably, please let me get away and see my brothers.” That’s why he hasn’t come to the king’s table (First Samuel 20:27-29 CJB). However a savvy person such as Sha’ul was able to see right through him. The king’s explosive response was stunning.

It took almost nothing to set Sha’ul off when the subject was David. At that Sha’ul flew into a rage, but instead of attacking David, Sha’ul attacked his own son! Had YHVH not intervened back in Ramah, Sha’ul would have killed David in the very presence of Samuel (First Samuel 19:22-24) and now he detested his own son, saying: You son of a perverse (meaning thoroughly perverse in his resistance to his father’s will) and rebellious woman! In the Near East it is the greatest possible insult to a man to call his mother names. Don’t I know that you’ve made this son of Jesse (couldn’t even say his name) your best friend? You have chosen him over me! You don’t care that you’re shaming yourself and dishonoring your family? Because as long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, you will not be crowned king, neither you nor your kingdom will be secure. Sha’ul was haunted by the fear that David’s popularity with the people would secure for him the succession to the throne. But, Y’honatan already knew that David would be the next king, moreover, he wasn’t concerned about his own ambitions. By this point, even Sha’ul must have realized that David must have been the one that God chose according to Samuel’s prophecy (First Samuel 15:28) and he blindly thought he could reverse it. With these poisoned darts planted in Y’honatan’s heart, Sha’ul than issued his demand: Now send someone to bring him to me, for he must die (First Samuel 20:30-31)!

Sha’ul’s great concern was the preservation of the Kingdom that ADONAI had already token from him! YHVH had made it very clear that none of Sha’ul’s sons would ever inherit the throne and David was the king of God’s choice, so Sha’ul was fighting the will of the LORD and asking his son to do the same thing.⁷⁵

Y’honatan answered his father, “Why should he be put to death? What has he done.” In the heat of the moment Sha’ul threw his spear at him, aiming to kill, but narrowly missing his target. Nobody moved. The only sound in the room came from the still-vibrating spear handle plunged ominously into the wall. Y’honatan could no longer doubt that his father was determined to put David to death. This incident erased any doubt in Y’honatan’s mind that his father wanted to kill the next king of Isra’el, his best friend – David. The tension for Y’honatan had become unbearable. Silently seething with rage, he got up from the table and made a quick exit. He ate no food the second day of the month, although it was a feast day, both because he was upset over David and because his father had put him to shame (First Samuel 20:32-34 CJB). In retrospect, this was an act of stunning loyalty on Y’honatan’s part.

If anyone comes to Me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters – yes, even their own life – such a person cannot be My disciple. The word hate here is not an emotion, but rather the act of choosing or not choosing (Malachi 1:2-3). A better translation would be: Anyone who comes to Me but refuses to let go of parents, spouse, children, brothers and sisters – yes, even one’s own life! – such a person cannot be My disciple. The theme of this verse is not alienation from one’s family, but the cost of discipleship; nothing, not love for father or mother or even one’s own life, is to come before loyalty to ADONAI and His Meshiach. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple (Luke 14:25-27 The Message).

The Final Separation Between David and Y’honatan: The next morning the melancholy prince found his way out into the country at the [place] he had arranged with David to discuss the test, taking with him a young boy. As they had prearranged, he told the boy, “Now run and find the arrows I’m about to shoot.” As the boy ran, he shot an arrow far beyond him. When the boy reached where the arrow was that Y’honatan had shot, with a heavy heart, the prince shouted to the boy, “Isn’t the arrow beyond you?” That coded question meant that Sha’ul was angry and set to kill David. And he shot more arrows far beyond him. And Y’honatan continued shouting after the boy, “Quick! Hurry! Don’t just stand there!” Y’honatan’s boy gathered the arrows and returned to his master, but the boy didn’t understand anything about the matter – only Y’honatan and David understood. Y’honatan gave his weapons to his young boy and said to him, “Go, carry them to the city” (First Samuel 20:35-40 CJB). When David heard Y’honatan dismiss the boy, indicating that he wished to stay behind, David understood that Y’honatan felt that it was safe for the two of them to have a few minutes together before they finally parted.

As soon as the boy had gone, David got up from his hiding place behind the Departure Stone and came to say goodbye to Y’honatan, who had remained. Pent up emotion found relief, first in tears and then in remembrance of their mutual commitment before YHVH. David fell down on the ground and prostrated himself three times; and they kissed one another as brothers and wept together until it became too much for David. Then Y’honatan repeated the oath of First Samuel 20:23, but now the stakes of the covenant are much higher. He said to David, “Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of ADONAI, saying, ‘ADONAI is a witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants (to see link click Da – David and Mephiboseth) forever” (First Samuel 20:41-42a). There is something final and breathtaking about these words. It is as though Y’honatan now fully recognized that the tide had turned. Sha’ul had failed, and his own life as Sha’ul’s son was gravely in danger. David would have his way in the future and Y’honatan wanted access to the future that only David could give.

Then Y’honatan went back to Gibeah. David was only about 24 years old when he left his friend (First Samuel 20:42b). David slowly departed and Y’honatan went back to his path of duty to live with a father who didn’t understand him at all, who hadn’t the slightest interest in his principles. Only once more, briefly in a desperate and dangerous setting, would the two men meet again in life. Though physically separated and pulled apart by different obligations they would remain inseparably joined by the oath they swore.

Y’honatan speaks the final words in this bitter chapter, “Go in shalom.” On the face of it, these words are ridiculous. They were leaving for war and conflict. David was about to flee for his life and would live for five years as a fugitive, and Y’honatan was returning to the service of his wicked and deranged father. How could Y’honatan speak of their going in shalom? The answer was the covenant they had made, which established peace between them. Although troubles would come, both men would be faithful to their covenant till the day they died. So in the midst of great conflict, they departed in peace and lived in peace. If we will likewise commit to a life of faithfulness in covenant with others, we too will enjoy peace in a world of conflict.

More important still was the peace they received through their covenant with ADONAI. Their shalom rested on YHVH’s covenant promises and His faithfulness to keep His oath. This is where our souls find peace as well. We gain peace with God through the covenant of grace, which says: Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved (Acts 16:31). Through faith in Messiah’s blood, we are forgiven of our sins and justified (meaning just as if I’d never sinned) in His sight. His covenant promise then secures our peace, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1). Though all the world should overwhelm us, Ha’Shem’s covenant of faithfulness will calm our souls. Like Y’honatan and David, we do not have the power to control the events around us. Nevertheless, like them, we can live in troubled times with the peace of the Lord that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7).

Just as Y’honatan and David separated in peace, having rested their hearts in a bond of covenant love, we rest our souls in the promised grace of our sovereign Lord and Savior. He promises to His covenant people: What I AM leaving with you is shalom – I AM giving you My shalom. I don’t give the way the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid (Yochanan 14:27 CJB).⁷⁶

Y’honatan Helps David Escape
First Samuel 20: 1-24a

DIG: What did Y’honatan have to lose by helping David survive? In view of the risk, why did Y’honatan do it? How do you think Y’honatan felt upon hearing David’s anguish-filled complaint against his father? Who does Y’honatan prefer to trust at this point? Why? Which do you think angers Sha’ul more, David’s absence from the table, or his own son’s collusion with David? Why?

REFLECT: Have you ever had a friend that you would die for? Whose circumstances and emotions do you most readily identify with? Sha’ul, trying to preserve your own self-interests? David, trying to escape and torn by conflict of interests? Or Y’honatan, losing a loved one?

1016 BC

The fact that Sha’ul was out of action (to see clink click Ap – Sha’ul Tries to Kill David) gave David the opportunity to seek out Y’honatan, who had already been a successful mediator between Sha’ul and himself, and who might be able to do it again.⁷⁰ In all of literature, David and Y’honatan stand out as examples of devoted friends. Y’honatan had the more difficult situation because he wanted to be loyal to his father while at the same time being a friend to the next king of Isra’el. Therefore, two themes are familiar to us in this study of the Life of David. First is the friendship of Y’honatan and David, and the second is David’s real fear of Sha’ul’s madness and his flight for his life. These two themes witness the hidden resolve of YHVH that Sha’ul should decrease and David should increase.⁷¹

David’s Consultation with Y’honatan: Then David fled from Naioth at Ramah while Sha’ul lay naked on the ground (First Samuel 19:24). And David, breathless, went to Y’honatan and passionately protested his innocence: What have I done? What is my crime? How have I wronged your father, that he is trying to kill me?” David needs the matter settled once and for all. Above all, David needs his friend to believe him. But Y’honatan was in denial. Sha’ul had thrown his javelin at David twice (18:10-11 and 19:9-10), he had sent three groups of soldiers to kill him without success, so finally the king went to Ramah himself to do the job (18:20-24). How much evidence did Y’honatan need? The prince thought that his relationship with his father was closer than it really was and that Sha’ul would confide in him; but subsequent events would prove him wrong for Sha’ul would eventually even try to kill his own son Y’honatan.

Y’honatan, a trusting son and loyal friend, protested to David, saying: “Never! You are not going to die! Y’honatan still ignorantly clung to his father’s oath in 19:6 that David would not die. Look, my father doesn’t do anything, great or small, without letting me know. Why would he hide this from me? It isn’t so!” Y’honatan refused to believe that Sha’ul had any deliberate design on David’s life, attributing all the evidence to the contrary to his fits of madness until it became painfully obvious to him (First Samuel 20:1-2 CJB).

But David took an oath and said: Your father knows very well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said to himself, “Y’honatan must not know this or he will be upset.” As surely as ADONAI lives, as surely as you are alive, there is only a step between death and me. Finally, Y’honatan begins to believe David and said: Anything you want me to do for you, I’ll do (First Samuel 20:3-4 CJB).

David devised a simple test to remove any doubts about the king’s intentions: David answered Y’honatan, “Look, tomorrow is Rosh Hashanah, and I ought to be dining with the king. This New Moon festival was a time when shofar’s sounded and many offerings were given (Numbers 10:10, 28:11-15; Psalm 81:3). This was the festive meal, and David’s presence was expected. Instead, let me go and hide myself in the countryside until evening of the third day when the festival would be over.

If your father misses me at all, say: David begged me to let him hurry to Beit-Lechem, his city; because it’s the annual sacrifice there for his whole family. If he says: “Very well,” then your servant will be all right. But if he gets angry, you will know that he has planned something evil. Therefore show kindness (see the commentary on Ruth Af – The Concept of Chesed) to your servant, for you bound your servant to yourself by a covenant before ADONAI. Y’honatan took the initiative to make this covenant, ADONAI being the witness. But if I have done something wrong, kill me yourself! Why turn me over to your father to be killed by him!

Y’honatan said: Never! Then Y’honatan reaffirms his covenantal promise: If I were to ever learn that my father had definitely decided to harm you, wouldn’t I tell you first? Then almost as an afterthought, David asked Y’honatan, “Who will tell me in the event that your father gives you a harsh answer?” Because it might have been neither possible nor safe for Y’honatan to do it himself. Then Y’honatan set the plan in motion. He said to David, “Come, let’s go out into the countryside where it is safe to talk.” So they both went out (First Samuel 20:5-11 CJB).

The Covenant: When they got there, Y’honatan said to David, “ADONAI, the God of Isra’el is my witness: After I have sounded out my father, about this time tomorrow, or the third day, then, if things look good for you, I will send a messenger and let you know. But if my father intends to do you harm, he will communicate with David personally. May ADONAI deal with me ever so severely, if I do not let you know and send you away in peace. May the LORD be with you, just as He used to be with my father (First Samuel 20:12-13 CJB).

Y’honatan went beyond the immediate crisis to deal with future events. When a new king came to power in the ancient world, it was expected that the family and supporters of the previous regime would be put to death. However, you are to show me ADONAI’s kindness not only while I am alive, so that I do not die; but also, after ADONAI has eliminated every one of your enemies from the face of the earth, you are to continue showing kindness to my family forever” (First Samuel 20:14-15 CJB). Y’honatan was fully aware that he had renounced his throne in favor of David and the possible implications of that action. The scenario feared by Y’honatan here is exactly what happened later in Second Samuel Chapters 3 and 4, but David would remember his oath to Y’honatan by honoring his son (see Da – David and Mephiboseth), and by sparing him from death (2 Samuel 21:7). It was the least David could do to fulfill his covenant commitment to his friend Y’honatan.

Y’honatan’s speech is terribly ironic. The voluntary commitment to sacrificial love is rare and deeply moving. In Y’honatan’s case it was accompanied by a naiveté regarding his own father. He failed to see that David represented any threat to his father and is accordingly reluctant to acknowledge that Sha’ul actually intended to harm David (First Samuel 20:1-7). When he invoked the LORD’s vengeance on David’s enemies, he didn’t realize he was talking about his own father!⁷²

So Y’honatan made a covenant with the house of David, saying to him, “May ADONAI seek its fulfillment even though David’s enemies, which would include the house of Sha’ul. Y’honatan had David swear it again, because of the love he had for him (see First Samuel 18:1) – he loved him as he loved himself (First Samuel 20:16-17 CJB). This was reminiscent of the oath between Jacob and Laban (see the commentary on Genesis Hs – So Jacob Took a Stone and Set It Up as a Pillar and He Called It Galeed), meaning that YHVH would Himself avenge any breach of the covenant to which He had been a witness. Y’honatan was about 44 at the time and David was about 24.

These verses seem to ignore the immediate crisis of coping with the murderous Sha’ul. Here, he has no significant presence. It is the future of this friendship rooted in the covenant that matters. By Sha’ul’s absence, the narrative asserts that he is irrelevant to the future of both David and Y’honatan. David is a man of loyalty and will honor his commitment to Y’honatan. That leaves the future secure.⁷³

The Sign Between David and Y’honatan: Y’honatan said to him, “Tomorrow is Rosh-Chodesh, and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty. The third day, hide yourself well in the same place as you did before; stay by the Stone of Departure. The rabbis teach this is a “sign-stone” that was an unmistakable place where the sling of the arrows could be safely performed. I will shoot three arrows to one side, as if I were shooting at a target. Then I will send a young boy to recover them. If I tell the boy, ‘They’re here on this side of the Stone, take them,’ then come because it means that everything is peaceful for you; as ADONAI lives, there’s nothing wrong. But if I tell the boy, ‘The arrows are out there beyond the Stone,’ too far to retrieve, then go back home, because ADONAI is sending you away. The sign was prearranged in case Y’honatan was being watched and found direct communication with David dangerous. As for the matter we discussed earlier, ADONAI is between you and me forever.” So David hid himself in the countryside, clearly agreeing with the plan (First Samuel 20:18-24a CJB).

Like Y’honatan and David, believers today are to guide our way through life’s challenges by the compass of faithfulness to our covenant duties. Few of us face death when the leader of our country changes, but we do confront various difficult challenges in life. My mother took care of my ailing father for many, many years at the end of his life. She had promised faithfulness “in sickness and in health” and her duty to him was neither glamorous nor dramatic, but covenantal. We could cite other examples, a husband remaining faithful to his difficult wife, believers keeping a business which makes only a small profit, church members pulling together during a pastoral transition, or in other cases messianic believers taking a costly stand for ADONAI’s Word despite the scorn of civic leaders and friends.⁷⁴

David and Y’honatan
First Samuel 20: 1-42

It is sad to say, but from the moment that David killed Goliath, his days of peace in Isra’el were numbered. The reason was the insane jealousy of King Sha’ul, who saw David only as a threat, despite the young man’s continual record of humble and faithful service. In the chapters that follow David’s victory, we are inching toward his exile, with each chapter presenting a different character study during this time of crisis and trial. In Chapter 18, the key actor is David in his response to Sha’ul’s sudden attempts to take his life. Chapter 19 focuses on Sha’ul, whose evil spirit drives him from one failed attempt against David to another. Chapter 20 returns our focus to Y’honatan, Sha’ul’s son and David’s covenantal friend. Y’honatan finds himself trapped in what many people would consider a terrible vise, with his faith and godliness competing against ambition and personal gain. Y’honatan shows us how a man of God approaches a situation which appears to be governed by anger, fear, and hatred, but in fact is governed by his faith and the bonds of covenant faithfulness.⁶⁹

The rabbis teach that this chapter raises problems that are quite baffling. Y’honatan had been urged by his father to kill David (First Samuel 19:1-2), yet here he seems ignorant of his father’s intention (First Samuel 20:2). After his three escapes, as recorded in the previous chapter, why should David have ventured back to Gibeah for the New Moon festival? Still more surprising, why should he have taken it for granted that Sha’ul would expect to see him in his usual place at the king’s table? And when Sha’ul realizes David’s absence, why was he so forgetful of his murderous attempts on David’s life as to think that the reason for David’s absence was ritual uncleanness? And then to inquire of Y’honatan why David was not present? One of the best answers to these seemingly perplexing actions is found by understanding David’s godly heart and attitude. David could have stayed in Naioth for however long it took Sha’ul to give up or to die. The Ruach HaKodesh protected David in Naioth in a powerful way. Yet David left for a good reason: He wanted to know if Sha’ul’s heart had changed, and if there was still a chance to reconcile with him. David also wanted to know if Y’honatan had come to a place of agreement with his father Sha’ul. David’s willingness to seek reconciliation, even in a situation of life and death, shows he was a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22).

Sha’ul Sent Men to Kill David
Psalm 59: 1-17

For the director of music.
To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam (a title, probably a musical term)
When Sha’ul had sent men to watch David’s house in order to kill him.

DIG: Whom does David credit for his escape? Is he out of danger yet? Why does David include all Gentiles in his plea? What are his enemies like? What is their attitude toward God? What comfort and hope does David draw from the promise of God’s personal and worldwide judgment? What does judgment show about God’s view of injustice in the world? What would it mean if God did not judge evil? How did ADONAI answer David’s prayer (see Ap – Sha’ul Tries to Kill David)? Is this what he had in mind?

REFLECT: How should we pray for those who persecute God’s people? How do you balance the hatred of evil with the love for your enemies? How would you relate this psalm to the B’rit Chadashah teaching that suffering is redemptive (First Peter 4:12-13; Colossians 1:24)? David could easily have become cynical. Why didn’t he? How could David’s use of joyful worship be your freedom to cynicism?

David’s escape at night from an upper story window of his house (to see link click Ap – Sha’ul Tries to Kill David) sets the scene for this psalm. David was in the presence of a gathering cloud. When we first encounter David in Sha’ul’s presence as a young man, he came and stood before the king. Sha’ul loved him greatly, and David became his armor-bearer (First Samuel 16:21). But jealousy set in when the women sang, “Sha’ul has slain his thousands,” and “David his tens of thousands.” From that time on Sha’ul kept a fearful eye on David (First Samuel 18:7-9). But Sha’ul was afraid of David, because ADONAI was with David, but had departed from Sha’ul (First Samuel 18:10-12). Then he stood in awe of him (First Samuel 18:15); then he was even more afraid (First Samuel 18:29). Sha’ul, tried to pin David to the wall with his spear while he was playing the lyre. But David eluded him as Sha’ul drove the spear into the wall. That night David made good his escape (First Samuel 19:8-10). Therefore, he sent men to David’s house to watch it and to kill him in the morning (First Samuel 19:11). Can you see the cloud relentlessly rising over the horizon ready to burst at any time?

But before we go any further I would pause to ask if you are facing something like this? Is the pressure on you being applied until it has almost overwhelmed and broken you? As far as you know you are clear of guilt; you have done nothing to justify the attack that is being made upon you, yet this cloud has gathered. You saw it coming and you tried to avoid it, but you could not; you find yourself in the middle of a cyclone, and there is no escape. How real is the pressure of a gathering cloud!

A. Prayer for Deliverance: David begins this psalm by casting himself upon the LORD for deliverance, saying: Deliver me from my enemies, O God; be my fortress against those who are attacking me. Deliver me from evildoers and save me from those who are after my blood, thirsting for my life. See how they lie in wait for me! Fierce men conspire against me for no offense or sin of mine, God (Psalm 59:1-3).

B. Innocence and Protests: I have done no wrong, yet they are brazenly ready to attack me, openly gathering themselves to execute me. Arise to help me; look on my plight! He accumulates all the titles he can think of to call heaven to his aid in this crisis: LORD, I need all of You, ADONAI Elohei-Tzva’ot, God of Isra’el, arouse yourself to punish all the nations; spare none of those wicked traitors (Psalm 59:4-5 CJB). In the teeth of the wind that is now against me, in the thick of the clouds that are engulfing me . . . I need every bit of Your omnipresence. Selah

That prayer was not at all presumptive. David knew that he was innocent, therefore he described his enemies as snarling dogs. Where did his confidence lie? David knew that Sha’ul was fighting against YHVH. Samuel had told Sha’ul that he was rejected and David had been anointed king. Therefore, David knew the pressure was coming from an enemy that was actually doing battle against the will of God. In his attempt to take David’s life, Sha’ul was deliberately seeking to frustrate the will of ADONAI.

C. The Wicked and God: They return at evening, like snarling dogs, and prowl about the city after dark searching for food. The metaphor changes: See what they spew from their mouths – the words from their lips are sharp and deadly as swords, and they think, “Who can hear us?” By their words and deeds they showed themselves to be arrogant, thinking that not even God could hear them. But David was confident that his enemies would not succeed: You laugh at them LORD; You scoff at all those nations (Psalm 59:6-8).

The God who adds a little dewdrop upon a flower in the morning is the same God who puts the stars in place and designed the path of every constellation in the heavens. And if ADONAI can care for all that, then surely He can care for you and me . . . That’s David’s argument.⁶⁶

C. Hope in God: These verses, celebrating the turning point that has now been reached, are basically repeated in verse 17 to round off the psalm. ADONAI is stronger than any enemy. David declared: You are my strength, I wait (Hebrew: shamar) for You. Ha’Shem was his secure anchor in the middle of the storm. You, God are my fortress, You are my God on whom I can rely. God will go before me (Psalm 59:9-10a). David prayed himself out of any panic (if he had any), out of fear or doubt into confidence and then into joyful song. His circumstances didn’t change, but his cry for deliverance became a calm waiting on YHVH and then a song of victory even with the enemy pressing him on all sides.

B. Imprecation on the Wicked: God, let me gloat over those who slander me. But don’t kill them, or my people will forget. The prayer don’t kill them is not absolute. It asks only for the unhurried course of judgment until the bitter end. Instead, by Your power, make them wander to and fro in humiliation as outcasts and fugitives, a visible monument and sign of God’s righteous judgment. Bring them down to Sh’ol, Adonai our Shield. David spoke not only for himself but for all the congregations of God. He is concerned with more than his own danger, he also thinks about the effect upon the entire nation when such lawless men are its leaders. Hence, the reference to my people. For the sins of their mouths, for the words of their lips, let them be exposed, caught in their pride. This is the climax of David’s call for judgment. First, in the near historical future, he wants his enemies scattered but not killed. He wants their own lies to find them out. But in the far eschatological future, he wants Ha’Shem to destroy all the wicked, proving that ADONAI is the true and living God.⁶⁷ For the curses and lies they utter, consume them in your wrath, consume them till they are no more. Then it will be known to the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob (Psalm 59:10b-13 CJB). Selah

A. Confidence in God’s Response: David was confident that despite the presence of his enemies, he would praise God. They return at evening, like snarling dogs, and prowl about the city. The whole night is spent in searching for their prey, but it passes without finding any success. Their mission fails. But I will sing of Your strength, which frustrated their plot and enable me to survive the persistent and determined attempts upon my life. In the morning I will sing of Your love; for You are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. What a sense of relief he feels, to know that that danger is over and he came through the ordeal unharmed. You are my strength, I sing praise to You. Many a hard-pressed child of God has learned to put Jesus Christ between themselves and the enemy, and start singing. You, God are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely (Psalm 59:14-17).

Ultimately, our enemy is the Adversary and his demons. He is the one who revolts against God, works injustice and is out for our blood. It is also he who growls like a dog, using his tongue like a sword to lie and deceive. He is also the source of all pride. Thus, in calling ADONAI to defend us, we are really asking Him to deliver us from the evil one (Matthew 6:13). Here we have the deep assurance that the God who is our shield and our hiding place is also the God who has come in His Son to overpower the devil and his followers. So Yochanan writes: You are of God, little children, and have overcome, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world (First John 4:4). Later, he adds that because YHVH keeps His children, the wicked one cannot harm them (First John 5:18). Indeed, the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work (First John 3:8).⁶⁸

Sha’ul Tries to Kill David
First Samuel 19: 1-24

DIG: Why is Sha’ul so eager to kill David? How did David respond to Sha’ul’s hatred of him? What did that say about David? How is Sha’ul fighting God’s will? Why would a person knowingly do this? Why do you think Y’honatan seems more loyal to David than to his own father? Why did David seem to trust Sha’ul’s vow at this point? Why did YHVH send an evil spirit to Sha’ul again? What is the LORD trying to do? Why did David play the lyre again, after all he and Sha’ul had been through? Like Y’honatan, does it surprise you that Michal, David’s wife, was more loyal to him than to her father? The prophesying here was probably singing and praising ADONAI. Why did this seem to keep Sha’ul’s men from capturing David? Why is it ironic that Sha’ul ends up prophesying also? How might this have been God showing His mercy toward Sha’ul?

REFLECT: Has someone ever hated you for no good reason? How did you react? How has your loyalty to friends been tested recently? Did you pass the loyalty test? How so? Is there any situation in your life right now in which you feel like “the enemy is closing in?” Have you devised a plan of escape? Have you had to make good on it yet? Do you have any less than loyal plans that ADONAI might be frustrating? What would it take for you to submit to the Lord’s stronger and wiser will? How can praise and worship help you in your times of trouble?

1017 BC

Sha’ul – ever fearful and threatened, as well as aware that his dynasty was cursed and his kingdom would not last – soon grew suspicious of the young champion, saw him as his rival, and sought to murder him. Under this deadly threat, David would have had no chance. But he had an ally in the court, his friend and brother-in-law, Y’honatan. Their lives had been knit together in such a way that they made a covenant of loyalty to each other even though David, who was about 23 years old at the time, was half Y’honatan’s age (First Samuel 18:3).⁵⁹

Sha’ul Tries to Kill David by His Servants: Sha’ul was tired of behind-the-scenes plots and was out to destroy his son-in-law in the quickest way possible, so he told his son Y’honatan and all his servants to kill David. Apparently Sha’ul was not aware of the deep friendship between his son and David. When this happened the prince warned David of his father’s intention. But Y’honatan was very fond of David, and told him, “My father Sha’ul is out to have you killed. Therefore you must be very cautious tomorrow morning. Find a well-concealed place to hide in. The conspiracy was well planned. I will go out and stand next to my father in the countryside where you’re hiding. I will talk with my father about you; and if I learn anything, I’ll tell you” (First Samuel 19:13 CJB).

Y’honatan even interceded with his father and spoke well of David, “Let not the king do wrong to his servant David; he has not wronged you, and what he has done has benefited you greatly. He took his life in his hands when he killed the Philistine. YHVH won a great victory for all Isra’el, and you saw it and were glad. Why then would you do wrong to an innocent man like David by killing him for no reason? Sha’ul, enjoying a sane moment, listened to Y’honatan and took this oath, “As surely as ADONAI lives, David will not be put to death.” So Y’honatan called David and told him the whole conversation. He brought him to Sha’ul, and David was with Sha’ul as before (First Samuel 19:4-7). It’s remarkable that such a magnificent son could belong to such a wicked father! Had Y’honatan been selfish, he could have helped to eliminate David and secure the crown for himself, but he submitted to ADONAI and assisted David.⁶⁰

Sha’ul Tries to Kill David by the Spear Again: After an initial and successful attempt by Y’honatan to smooth his father’s feelings toward David, Sha’ul continued his jealous attack against Isra’el’s future king. Once more war broke out, and David again went out and fought the Philistines and again he was extremely successful. He struck them with such force that they fled before him. Sha’ul was elected king to free the nation from the Philistines, but David was more successful than Sha’ul ever thought of being. Therefore, all of Y’honatan’s efforts left Sha’ul unmoved and murderous in his resolve. So YHVH treated Sha’ul like Pharaoh and hardened his heart, and knowing the evil intentions of his heart, gave him over to an evil spirit as he was sitting in his house with his spear (scepter) in his hand. The Adversary is a liar and murderer (John 8:44), and because the Evil One controlled Sha’ul, he tried to pin David to the wall with his spear while he was playing the lyre. But David eluded him as Sha’ul drove the spear into the wall. That night David made good his escape (First Samuel 19:8-10).

David was then a hunted man, sought by the king. David was thus far in the narrative completely passive. He took no initiative, nor are we told of his responses to Sha’ul. The story simply gives room for the venom of Sha’ul to have its full, self-destructive play.⁶¹

Sha’ul Tries to Kill David by the His Messengers: Sha’ul can now think of nothing except the threat of David. So he sent men to David’s house to watch it and to kill him in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, knowing her father’s thought processes, warned him, “If you don’t run for your life tonight, tomorrow you’ll be killed.” So Michal let David down through a window (evidently an unguarded position with the messengers watching only the doors), and he fled and escaped. While Michal was scheming, David was praying (to see link click Aq – Sha’ul Sent Men to Kill David). Then Michal took one of her own idols (the house of Sha’ul was not totally free of idolatry) and laid it on the bed, covering it with a garment and putting some goat’s hair at the head. Apparently the men went back to Sha’ul and told him that David never came out. But when Sha’ul sent the men back a second time to capture David, Michal said, “He is ill.” They did not enter the house to check out Michal’s story so Sha’ul sent the men back a third time to see David and told them, “Bring him up to me in his bed so I may kill him.” But when the men entered, they discovered what the reader already knows: David was not there. There was the idol in the bed, and at the head was some goat’s hair. Only then does the father speak to his daughter. Only then do we hear the anguish in Sha’ul’s voice: Why did you deceive me like this and send my enemy away so he escaped?” Sha’ul’s sadness, however, wasn’t enough to compel Michal’s honest respect. She told him, “He said to me, ‘Let me get away. Why should I kill you’ (First Samuel 19:11-17)?”

We seem to be watching a soap opera. There is nothing here about ADONAI, ADONAI’s will, or ADONAI’s Kingdom. We are watching calculating humans that do not measure up to our expectations. Michal despised David in her heart so she chose to do wrong out of a selfish heart- just like her father. The hardened and selfish heart attitude of Sha’ul had infected the whole scene. David had escaped and Sha’ul was left with his evil spirit and without the object of his intense hatred. As a result of his obsession to kill David, Sha’ul had lost a son, and then a daughter.⁶²

David Flees to Ramah: When David had fled and made his escape, he went to Samuel at his home in Ramah and told him all that Sha’ul had done to him. This was a logical place because it was Samuel who anointed David as the next king in place of Sha’ul. Then he and Samuel went to Naioth, a section of Ramah containing the school of the prophets, which would provide a measure of sanctuary, and stayed there.

But Sha’ul’s spies were everywhere, and they reported to the king where he could find David. Word came to Sha’ul, “David is in Naioth at Ramah,” so he sent men to capture him. But when they saw a group of prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing there as their leader, the Ruach Ha’Kodesh came upon Sha’ul’s men, and they also prophesied. Keep in mind, this is not a blessing – but a judgment. They fell into a trance-like state that made it impossible for them to harm David. Sha’ul was told about it, and he sent more men a third time, and they also prophesied. Finally, in sheer exasperation, Sha’ul takes matters into his own hands by going to Ramah and went to the great cistern at Seku.

The Ruach Ha’Kodesh also came upon Balaam (Numbers 23:5 and 15). In that case the Spirit of God came upon (or, over) him. The same expression is used of the messengers of Sha’ul (First Samuel 19:20), and King Sha’ul himself (First Samuel 10:9-12). The prophecy of Caiaphas (John 11:46-52) affords another instance of the sovereign power of the Spirit as displayed through the medium of wicked men. From this we can conclude that the Ruach Ha’Kodesh can use anyone whom He wants to for His purposes.

And he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” David’s presence in Ramah was no secret because the people knew where they were. “Over in Naioth at Ramah,” they said. So Sha’ul went to Naioth at Ramah. But the Ruach HaKodesh came even on him, which was a judgment because it made it impossible for Sha’ul to carry out his wicked plan. And he walked along prophesying until he came to Naioth. He stripped off his garments and he too prophesied in Samuel’s presence. This would be their last meeting until that fateful night when Samuel came up from Sh’ol to pass judgment on the king (See By – Sha’ul and the Medium at Endor). Sha’ul lay naked (a person was called naked whose outer clothes were thrown aside, leaving nothing but a long tunic next to the skin) in judgment all that day and all that night. And this gave David ample time to escape (First Samuel 19:18-24a). This pitifully embarrassing scene is that of this once great man, still tall but no longer great, prostrate on the ground, clearly not in control, shamed, now rendered powerless.

Sha’ul had a similar experience after Samuel had anointed him king at Ramah (First Samuel 8:4) and from it came the proverbial saying: Is Sha’ul also among the prophets (First Samuel 10:9-13). These two events prove that a person can have a remarkable religious experience and yet have no change of heart. In Sha’ul’s case, both experiences were actually sent by Ha’Shem, but Sha’ul didn’t profit from either one. Judas preached sermons and even performed miracles (Matthew 10:1-8), yet was not a believer. He ended up betraying the Lord and ended up committing suicide (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Lm – Judas Hangs Himself). Sha’ul, like Judas, had many opportunities to see God’s hand at work, and yet he never had a life-changing experience.⁶³

Even though the people asked: Is Sha’ul also among the prophets (First Samuel 19:24b)? this question, however, can be asked in two very different tones of voice. In the first instance the question can be asked with expectancy, suggesting this surprising king, then powerfully energized by the Ruach HaKodesh, would rule in obedience to YHVH. But all that is left in the end is an empty shell of hate, no longer a king. Sha’ul’s career will be winding down for a while, but the narrator wants us to see that his rule is, in fact, finished.⁶⁴

While Sha’ul was occupied at the school of the prophets, David slipped away from Ramah and went to meet Y’honatan somewhere near Gibeah. David and Y’honatan would make one final attempt to reconcile with the king, and it would almost cost Y’honatan his life. Sha’ul was double-minded and unstable in all his ways (James 1:8). He would try to rule Y’hudah and defeat the Philistines while also chasing David all over the landscape trying to kill him. The longer David eluded him, the more fanatical Sha’ul became until he finally ended his own life on the battlefield, lacking the help of the one man who could give him victory.⁶⁵

Sha’ul’s Jealousy of David
First Samuel 18: 10-30

DIG: What resulted from Sha’ul’s deep jealousy of David? Why do people see Sha’ul and David so differently? Why does Sha’ul offer his oldest daughter in marriage? Why did she marry another instead? Why did Sha’ul offer Michal to David? Why did David continue to refuse to become the king’s son-in-law? Do you think David suspected Sha’ul’s motives? Why or why not? How did Sha’ul react when his offer was accepted? What did that say about Sha’ul’s relationship to ADONAI? Why weren’t any of Sha’ul’s plots against David successful?

REFLECT: How can popularity and praise from people test and prepare someone? How do you respond to someone out to get you, either personally or professionally? Why has your jealousy been aroused by someone dismissing your achievements in relation to a rival? What do such interpersonal relationships reveal about your relationship to God? In what area of your life do you compare yourself to others? Do you compare your weaknesses to others’ strengths? Does that work for you?

1018 BC

At one time, Sha’ul loved David (First Samuel 16:21), but his attitude changed into jealousy and then hatred. ADONAI was with David, however, and Sha’ul was not permitted to harm him. During the five years that David was a fugitive (to see link click Au – David on the Run), YHVH not only thwarted Sha’ul’s plans repeatedly, but He even used the king’s hostility to mature David and make him into a man of courage and faith. While Sha’ul was guarding his throne, David was being prepared to replace him.⁵⁵

Sha’ul Tries to Kill David by the Spear: Jealousy got into Sha’ul’s soul, and it ripened until it became a murderous intent (James 1:13-15). The very next day an evil spirit from God came forcefully on Sha’ul who went into a frenzy while David was playing the lyre, as David usually did. Sha’ul had a spear in his hand (serving as his scepter) and he hurled it, saying to himself, “I’ll pin David to the wall.” Before the music had had its effect, Sha’ul had twice made an attempt on David’s life. To Sha’ul, David came to represent the enemy. Sha’ul was afraid of David, because ADONAI was with David, but had departed from Sha’ul (First Samuel 18:10-12). Note the gradual growth of Sha’ul’s hatred. First, he was afraid of David (verse 12), then he stood in awe of him (verse 15), then he was even more afraid (verse 29), and in the end he gave orders for David’s assassination (First Samuel 29:1).

Faith is living without scheming, but Sha’ul was better at scheming than in trusting God. If the king disobeyed YHVH, he always had an excuse ready to get himself out of trouble, and if people challenged his leadership, he simply got rid of them. Possessed by anger, paranoia and envy, and determined to hold on to his crown, Sha’ul decided that David needed to die.⁵⁶ The king apparently hoped that David, a young and inexperienced officer, (only about 22 years old at the time) would be killed leading his men into battle. So he sent David away from him and gave him command over a thousand men, and David led the troops in their campaigns. But in everything David did he had great success, because the LORD was with him. When Sha’ul saw how successful David was, he stood in awe (Hebrew: gur) of him. And all Isra’el and Y’hudah loved David, because he led them to victory in their campaigns and he became the darling of the people. This only increased Sha’ul’s fear of David all the more (First Samuel 18:13-16).

Sha’ul Tries to Kill David by the Philistines: This involved the story of two of Sha’ul’s daughters. Sha’ul said to David, “Here is my older daughter Merav. I will give her to you as your wife.” This should have already taken place because of Sha’ul’s promise to give his daughter to whoever killed Goliath (see Al – David Kills Goliath). But now there was a new condition he wanted to add: only continue displaying your courage for me, and fight ADONAI’s battles. Sha’ul was thinking, “I don’t dare touch him or the people would turn against me, so let the Philistines do away with him.” Again, his hope was that David would die in battle. But what Sha’ul wanted to do to David, David would later do to Uriah the Hittite (see Dd – David and Bathsheba). David’s response to Sha’ul was appreciation: Who am I, and what is my family or my clan in Isra’el, that I should become the king’s son-in-law? Now David probably does sense a trap. However, he did not clearly reject the offer and he fulfilled the added condition of defeating the Philistines in battle. But Sha’ul broke his promise. When the time came for Merav, Sha’ul’s daughter to be given to David, she was given to Adriel of Meholah instead (First Samuel 18:17-19 CJB). This was not only an insult to David, but all Isra’el would know that Sha’ul broke his commitment.

1017 BC

Now Sha’ul’s younger daughter Michal was in love with David, and when they told Sha’ul about it, he was pleased to have another chance to have David killed by the Philistines. Sha’ul wasn’t beneath using his own daughter as a tool to get rid of David. “I will give her to David,” he thought, “so that she may be a snare to him (he assumed she would side with him) and so that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” So Sha’ul said to David, “Now you have a second opportunity to become my son-in-law” (First Samuel 18:20-21).

There were two attempts to convince David to marry Michal because at this point he didn’t trust Sha’ul, and for good reason. First, Sha’ul ordered his attendants to speak to David privately because he didn’t trust Sha’ul, having been deceived in the case of Merav. They said: Look, the king likes you, and his attendants all love you, now become his son-in-law. Sha’ul’s servants relayed the king’s message to David, but he replied: Do you think being the king’s son-in-law is something to be treated so casually, given that I’m a poor man without social standing and would not have enough money to pay the bride price. Sha’ul’s servants reported back to him how David had responded (First Samuel 18:22-24 CJB).

Then Sha’ul made a second attempt, saying: Here’s what you are to say to David, “The king doesn’t want you to pay the bride price; instead, he wants a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, so that he can have vengeance on the king’s enemies. The assumption was that to kill that many Philistines, it would take many sword fights, and the odds of David surviving all of them would not be good. For Sha’ul was hoping to have David killed by the Philistines. When the king’s servants said these words to David, it pleased him to become the king’s son-in-law. The date was set and David had to kill the allotment of Philistines before time ran out. But even before it was time to be married, David and his men got up, set out and killed two hundred Philistines and brought back their foreskins and gave all of them to Sha’ul in order to become the king’s son-in-law (First Samuel 18:25-26).

Then Sha’ul had run out of excuses, and he gave his daughter Michal to David to be his wife because he wouldn’t dare to break his promise a second time. Too many people were involved in conveying this commitment to David. Sha’ul saw and understood that ADONAI was with David because he survived the dangerous exploits that he had sent him on, and that Michal his daughter loved him. In fact, she loved him so much that she would side with her husband over her father and would not be a snare to David that Sha’ul had hoped. This only made Sha’ul even more afraid of David and Sha’ul became David’s enemy for the rest of his life. The Philistine commanders continued to attack; but whenever they did, David was more successful than any of Sha’ul’s officers, so that his name became well known, which only increased Sha’ul’s jealousy of David (First Samuel 18:27-30 CJB).⁵⁷

Failing to understand the spiritual reality of the situation, Sha’ul was placed in an impossible circumstance. David drives Sha’ul crazy, but only David could soothe Sha’ul’s soul. Therefore, Sha’ul was left with an endless cycle of rage and comfort, where the comforter evokes more rage, which requires more comfort. Given this no-win state of affairs, Sha’ul gave up trying to have David killed by the Philistines. He would try more direct methods.

By the end of this chapter, Sha’ul is a remarkably isolated man. He sees clearly that he is losing control, and like sand slipping through his fingers, he is helpless to hold on to it. In every instance YHVH is keeping His promise to give the Kingdom over to this one after His own heart (First Samuel 13:14). David takes no initiatives. He doesn’t assert himself or express any ambition. He only receives what is given. David has received the submission of Y’honatan, Sha’ul’s heir apparent. He is married to the king’s daughter who loves him. He is the hero to the people. A new history had begun in this man by the power of God. The defeat of Goliath started David’s rise, but it was not a sufficient explanation for his enormous success and popularity. The only explanation is that ADONAI was with him. Sha’ul was not yet ready to yield . . . but he already knew.⁵⁸

Needless to say, fighting against God is a losing battle!

David and Y’honatan’s Friendship
First Samuel 18: 1-9

DIG: Why do you think David and Y’honatan became such close friends? What was their age difference? How do we know the two were not involved in a homosexual relationship? Why did Sha’ul insist that David stay in the royal court permanently? What especially galls Sha’ul about the little jingle sung by the women? What did the women’s song say about them? How did their song compare with Miriam’s? What did that say about the spiritual condition of Isra’el? What did Sha’ul understand about God’s will for David at this time? What made him suspicious?

REFLECT: In their first meeting, Y’honatan and David were immediately bound together for life. Do you have a friend like that? Do you have any older friends? Any younger friends? John the Baptist said: He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). How does that scripture reflect your life? Are you increasing or decreasing?

1020 BC

Chapters 18-20 describe David’s service in Sha’ul’s court. The story is told in terms of the relationship between David and Y’honatan. It is the Holy Spirit’s purpose to show that the very man David displaced in succession to the throne was his best friend, and that Sha’ul’s own son acknowledged the legitimacy of David’s rule.⁴⁷

The Friendship of David and Y’honatan: Sparked by the incident with Goliath years earlier, a deep friendship developed between David and Y’honatan: After David had finished talking with Sha’ul, that the soul of Y’honatan, who was much older, was knit to the soul of David, and Y’honatan loved him as he loved himself (First Samuel 18:1). The name Y’honatan means gift from ADONAI, and the prince would certainly prove himself to be that for David. The two would survive the clash of loyalty between a father and a friend. It would overshadow a sense of jealousy over David’s ascent to the throne, even though Y’honatan was older than David and the apparent heir to the king. Many people still view David and Y’honatan as two lighthearted teenagers who liked each other because they had many common interests, but this picture is shallow and mistaken. Y’honatan had already been the commander of one-third of the army and won two great victories (First Samuel 13:1-4 and 14:1-23). This indicates that he was a seasoned soldier and not an inexperienced young man. Y’honatan was about 40 and David was probably half his age.

Today there are homosexual opponents of the Bible that claim that David and Y’honatan had a sexual relationship, and thus, it justifies a homosexual lifestyle. More than that, they believe that the Bible endorses homosexuality (see the commentary on Genesis, to see link click Ey – Two Angels Arrived at Sodom in the Evening). But the verb love (Hebrew: aheb), is never used elsewhere to express homosexual desire or activity, for which the TaNaKh uses the verb to know (Hebrew: yada), in the sense of having sex with (Genesis 19:5 and Judges 19:22). The narrator probably used the ambiguous word aheb because it meant more than natural affection however deep and genuine it may have been.⁴⁸ The same Hebrew word aheb is used of Jacob’s love for Benjamin in Genesis 44:30 and no one is claiming that the patriarch was having sex with his youngest son.

From that day forward Sha’ul kept David with him and did not let him return home to his family (1 Sam 18:2). After David’s remarkable victory, Sha’ul insisted that the young musician and giant killer come live at the palace. He gave David his own daughter to marry, along with a position of leadership in the army. In addition to his duties as a musician in the royal court, Sha’ul gave David his own daughter to marry and a position of leadership in the army. And as a consequence, YHVH prospered David so that he became immensely popular with the people.⁴⁹

No doubt Y’honatan recognized the kindred spirit of one whose faith was in the LORD in the face of deadly enemies. And Y’honatan made a covenant of brotherhood with David because he loved him as himself. Y’honatan took off his robe (a symbol of the Israelite Kingdom) he was wearing and gave it to David as a ratification of the covenant, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt (First Samuel 18:3-4). Y’honatan’s action in stripping off his royal insignia, and his royal armor and weapons, only to give them to David, was more than spontaneous generosity to meet the need of his new-found friend. He was, in effect, transferring to him his own status as heir.⁵⁰ When people saw David wearing Y’honatan’s clothing they would understand that the king’s son was not jealous over God’s blessing of David.

The Jealousy of Sha’ul: After David’s dramatic victory over Goliath, Sha’ul brought him into his palace once again. Initially, the relationship was quite good. Whatever mission Sha’ul sent him on (indicating a time lapse of years between the slaying of Goliath and now), David was so successful that Sha’ul gave him a high rank in the army, commander of a thousand despite his young age. He had to be at least 20 to serve in the army and was probably only about 15 when he killed Goliath. This pleased all the troops, and Sha’ul’s officers as well (1 Sam 18:5). But from the start of his relationship with Sha’ul at the king’s court, David found himself in a life-threatening conflict with King Sha’ul.

Then the narrator gives us a flashback to show how the tension began in the mind of Sha’ul years earlier when the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine. The women came out from all the towers of Isra’el to meet King Sha’ul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with tambourines and lyres (1 Samuel 18:6). As they danced, half of the women sang, “Sha’ul has slain his thousands,” and the other half responded, “David his tens of thousands.” This little jingle became widely known because even the Philistines heard of it and used it against David later in First Samuel 21:12. Sha’ul was very angry; this refrain displeased him greatly. “They have credited David with tens of thousands,” he thought, “but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?”

For Sha’ul, as well as for David, it was a great homecoming. David was hailed as the warrior, Sha’ul as the commander. There was enough joy for both of them to share fully. There was no need for any tension. But when the women sang that new celebration song, Sha’ul had neither the maturity nor the security to accept it; but instead, he became embittered and incurably jealous.⁵¹ In one sense their praise was exaggerated (in true Hebrew fashion). The slight to Sha’ul, though probably unintended, was inevitable. It poisoned his relationship with David and from that time on Sha’ul kept a fearful eye on David with envy and suspicion (First Samuel 18:7-9). Sha’ul’s proud heart, darkened in sinful brooding, could not bear a comparison that was tilted toward another.

Only the narrator Samuel, David and the readers know that David is destined for the throne. As yet, Sha’ul had no clue of the LORD’s resolve for David. But Sha’ul is frightened enough and suspicious enough to see what others cannot see. On his own terms and through his own fear, Sha’ul also sees David’s future. There is profound irony in that fact that the fearful discernment of Sha’ul and the grand intent of ADONAI converge in seeing David destined for royal power. The king had it right for all the wrong reasons. Sha’ul knows more than he understands, for he sees David as merely ambitious – not destined. This means that Sha’ul is destined to struggle against the rise of David but he cannot succeed against it.⁵²

The women’s song revealed more than political naivety, however. Isra’el’s low spiritual state was revealed by the fact that no praise was given to YHVH, but only to men. Compare this with the Song of Miriam and the women after the destruction of Pharaoh’s army (see the commentary on Exodus Cl – Then Miriam the Prophetess Took a Tambourine in Her Hand). No praise was devoted to Moses, who had stretched out his hand over the Sea of Reeds so that it parted, because the people knew that the power and the glory belonged to Ha’Shem alone. It also reveals the low spiritual state of believers when they take after the world in praising men and women instead of God. Yet this is the very tendency we can see today in the marketing of celebrity ministers and their empires. We should, of course, give thanks for able and faithful believers, but glory should be reserved for ADONAI alone.⁵³

Sha’ul’s response to David’s success was exactly the opposite of John the Baptist when he was told of the great success of Yeshua, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). Envy is a dangerous and insidious enemy, a cancer that slowly eats out our inner life and leads us to say and do terrible things. Proverbs 14:30 correctly calls it the rottenness of the bones. Envy is the pain we feel within when somebody achieves or receives what we think belongs to us. Envy is the sin of successful people who can’t stand to see others reach the heights they have reached and eventually replace them. By nature, we are proud and want to be recognized and applauded. Envious people max out their credit cards to buy things they don’t need just to impress people who really don’t care!⁵⁴

Sha’ul’s Growing Fear of David
First Samuel 18:1 to 20:42

Joyous dancing and singing, accompanied by instrumental music, welcomed the victorious army home, as the women expressed their appreciation of the heroes of the battle. Not surprisingly, David was hailed as the number one hero, while Sha’ul was put in second place, a judgment that he couldn’t handle, but, which annoyed and festered into incurable jealousy. It just ate him up inside. The song was not meant to be derogatory to the king in the process of celebrating the outstanding bravery of David, but, in the light of Samuel’s rejection of Sha’ul (First Samuel 15:1-34), the words seemed to point to David as his replacement. This realization poisoned Sha’ul’s relationship with David from that point forward.⁴⁶ Sha’ul tried to kill David by using his spear (18:10-16), by the Philistines (18:17-30), by his servants (19:1-7), again by using his spear (19:8-10) and by his messengers (19:11-17).

David Kills Goliath
First Samuel 17: 17-58

DIG: How would you describe the sibling rivalry between David and Eli’av? What might be the root cause of that jealousy? How did David seek to persuade Sha’ul to let him fight Goliath? Where does David find the confidence to face Goliath? Why did David take five smooth stones with him? How does David’s attitude compare with Sha’ul’s? What is the end result of David’s boldness for Goliath? For the men of Isra’el and Y’hudah? For the Philistines? For David himself?

REFLECT: What’s holding you back from taking the “bull by the horns” (or Goliath by the sling)? What do you fear might happen if you turned and faced the enemy who taunts you and defiles God? Having imagined that, re-write the end result with ADONAI on your side. Where have you seen God’s name ridiculed or blasphemed? What could you have done to set the record straight? David’s oldest brother thought he was conceited (17:28). How can you tell the difference between conceit and faith? What evidence of faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob did David demonstrate in this chapter? As you look at your own life, how does this story affect you?

1025 BC

David’s Arrival at the Camp: Now Jesse said to his son David, who may have been about 15 at that time, “Hurry to the camp and take these five bushels of roasted grain and ten loaves of bread to your brothers. Also bring these ten cheeses to the commander of their unit. Find out if your brothers are well, and bring back some token from them so I can know that they are safe. They are with Sha’ul and all the men of Isra’el in the Elah Valley, fighting against the Philistines” (First Samuel 17:17-19).

Early in the morning David left the flock in the care of a shepherd, loaded up, and set out, just as his father had directed. David’s obedience saved the nation. He reached the camp just as the army was going out to their battle positions and shouting the war cry. Isra’el and the Philistines had set up their battle lines facing each other across the Elah Valley. David left the roasted grain, loaves of bread and cheeses with the keeper of supplies, ran to the battle line and asked his brothers if they were well. As providence would have it, just as he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his battle line and shouted his usual defiance – and David heard it (First Samuel 17:20-23). David arrived at the very moment when the Spirit-less Sha’ul and his dispirited army were at their lowest point.

Their defeatist attitude proved Isra’el to be devoid of faith in their God. Goliath’s challenge was really a test of their confidence in YHVH. It was as if Goliath was saying, “Am I not a pagan, God-hating Philistine? Then why won’t any of you men of ‘the living God,’ come and fight me? You must not really believe in Him at all! In fact, you must believe that a nine-foot warrior is actually stronger than your ‘living God’ when it comes to a real battle.”

This is the kind of test the world still delights to pose for believers, often with Goliath-like mockery. “We know what you teach, but let’s see how you do when faced with real-life sensual temptation, or an opportunity to get rich by cheating. Let’s see the look on your God-praising face when you receive a terrifying medical diagnosis or your stock portfolio crashes! Let’s see how you respond when given an opportunity to cheat on an important college exam!” Behind Goliath was the same devil that wages spiritual warfare today. The issue is always the same, “Do you really trust a loving God of power and grace?”

Perceiving this spiritual dynamic helps us to understand David’s shocking reaction to the sight before him. This may have been the first time that he had ever heard anyone blaspheme the name of ADONAI. How humiliated David must have been when he saw all the Israelites run away in great fear (First Samuel 17:24).³⁷

Now while the king would not risk his own neck and fight the formidable Philistine, he was willing to richly reward anyone who would. The Israelites had been saying to each other, “Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Isra’el. Whoever kills him, the king will give a rich reward; he’ll also give him his daughter in marriage and exempt his father’s family from all military service and taxes in Isra’el.” Thinking of his family, David asked for some clarification and verification of what he had just heard to make sure that it was just not a rumor. So he said to the men standing with him, “What reward will be given to the one who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Isra’el? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” They repeated to him what they had been saying and told him, “This is what will be done for the one who kills Goliath” (First Samuel 17:25-27).

Despite the reward, the only reason David did what he was about to do was for the glory of YHVH. David came to the contest in the name of ADONAI-Tzva’ot, and he wanted Goliath, the Philistine army, and all the Gentile nations to know that the true and living God was the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

When Eli’av, David’s oldest brother heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness?” “I know how conceited you (but David was humble) are and how wicked your heart is (but this is a young man after God’s own heart); you came down only to watch the battle.” Just as Joseph’s older brothers reacted with jealous hatred to his dreams of sovereignty over them (see the commentary on Genesis, to see link click Iz – Joseph’s Dreams), so also David’s older brother misunderstood and angrily questioned David’s motives for coming down to the battlefield. David’s response to Eli’av was respectful but firm. “Now what have I done?” answered David. “I only asked a question.” He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter, and the men answered him as before. Then David’s contempt for Goliath was overheard and reported to Sha’ul, and the king sent for him (First Samuel 17:28-31).

David prepared before the battle: Finally David came to Sha’ul, being summoned because the king had heard of David’s bold, defiant question (17:26). Undaunted by his brothers rebuke, David said to Sha’ul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.” It had been a long time since Sha’ul had such a brave volunteer, but his initial response was to dismiss David: You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; but you are just an inexperienced youth (Hebrew: naur) and Goliath has been a warrior from his youth” (First Samuel 17:32-33).

But David said to Sha’ul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by the hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. Then David said: ADONAI, who rescued me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will rescue me from the paw of this Philistine! Up until now no one else in the story has named the name of ADONAI. The others were cowards, because they had abandoned their only source of courage. Finally Sha’ul agreed and said to David, “Go, may the LORD be with you” (First Samuel 17:34-37). It was though David had given the king the courage and faith to speak again of YHVH.³⁸

As a rule, the soldiers will reflect the spirit of their leader. And that was the problem, for the Ruach HaKodesh had departed from Sha’ul and he was left to his own limited resources.³⁹ When Y’honatan attacked the Philistine outpost (First Samuel 14:1-23), Sha’ul was merely a spectator, and his bad decisions almost cost them the victory. Here, once again, Sha’ul simply watched as David defeated the enemy single-handedly. Unfortunately, this would be Sha’ul’s pattern of leadership to the tragic end of his life.⁴⁰

Sha’ul still didn’t get it. He tried to dress David in his own armor – he put a bronze helmet on his head and gave him a coat of armor to wear. Isra’el had yearned to have a king like the Gentile nations (First Samuel 8:5). So God gave them Sha’ul, and he was preparing David for battle just like the Gentile giant. David buckled the king’s sword on his armor and tried to walk around, but it was too heavy and he wasn’t used to such equipment. Then David said to Sha’ul, “I can’t move wearing these things, because I’m not used to them.” So David took them off (First Samuel 17:38-39). David refused to be like Sha’ul, or like the Gentile nations, or like the Philistine.

Then David took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag (1 Sam 17:40a). Why five smooth stones? David was merely being prepared. ADONAI had not promised that he would kill Goliath with the first stone. And what if the Philistines had attacked? How would he defend himself? Five would be just right. Such was David’s alternative to conventional modes of self-defense.

And with his leather sling in his hand, approached the Philistine (First Samuel 17:40b). This was not a kid with a toy on the battlefield. It took an extraordinary amount of skill and practice, but in an experienced hand, the sling was a devastating weapon. Shepherds could whip their slingshots six to seven times per second before hitting their target. An experienced slinger could kill or seriously injure a target 200 yards away with accuracy. The Benjamites had seven hundred slingers, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair and not miss (Judges 20:16). They could hit birds in flight. The stones released from their slingshots had the impact of firing a .45 caliber handgun. David was a master marksman . . . a sharpshooter, if you will.⁴¹

As Sha’ul watched David going out to meet Goliath, he said to Abner, commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is that young lad (Hebrew: naar)?” Notice that Sha’ul didn’t ask who David was. The king could hardly forget the red headed youth (see First Samuel 16:12, from the Hebrew word adom, meaning to be red, the same as Esau in Genesis 25:25) that had been his court musician, but apparently had forgotten the name of David’s father. He needed that information in order to reward the family for the victory (see 17:25b above).⁴² Abner replied, “As surely as you live, your majesty, I don’t know.” The king said, “Find out whose son this young lad is” (First Samuel 17:55-56).

David prevailed in the battle: Meanwhile, Goliath, with his limited eyesight and double vision (see Ak – Goliath Mocks Isra’el), had his shield bearer in front of him to guide him. As he came closer to David he was finally able to see him. The Philistine looked David up and down and had nothing but scorn for what he saw – a boy with ruddy cheeks, red hair and good looks. Shepherds carried a staff that they held at the center. It was used not only for support in climbing hills, but also for the purpose of beating bushes and low brushwood in which the flocks stray, and where snakes and other reptiles could be found. It would also be used for correcting the shepherd dogs and making them obey.⁴³ Enraged, Goliath said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” David had only one staff. Goliath saw two. And the Philistine cursed David by his Philistine gods, saying: Come here to me and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals (First Samuel 17:41-44 CJB). Why didn’t Goliath go to David? He couldn’t. He was a statue. The giant’s supposed greatest strength, his height and size, was his greatest weakness. On top of that, he could hardly see. What happened next was historic.

David preserved God’s name: David was undaunted and said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of ADONAI-Tzva’ot, the God of the armies of Isra’el, whom you have defied (see Af – The Problem of Holy War in the TaNaKh). This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole Gentile world will know that there is a God in Isra’el. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that ADONAI saves; for the battle is Ha’Shem’s and He will give all of you into our hands (First Samuel 17:45-47). Just as David was confident that he would be victorious over Goliath, he was also confident that Isra’el would be victorious over the Philistines.

The talking was over. As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David, taking the offensive rather quickly, ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him powered by courage and strength. What could Goliath do? He was carrying over a hundred pounds of armor. He was prepared for a battle at close range where he could stand, immobile, warding off blows with his armor and delivering a mighty thrust of his javelin. He watched David approach, first with scorn, then with surprise, and then with anger. He seemed oblivious to what was happening or the danger he was in.⁴⁴

While still running, David reached into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead (Hebrew: metsch), his only point of vulnerability, and the giant fell face down on the ground. In boxing terms, it was a technical knockout with 5 seconds in the first round. The stone had stunned the giant, and now the sword must kill him. He took hold of the Philistine’s heavy sword with both hands and drew it from the sheath. After killing him, David cut off his head with the sword. Thus David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down Goliath and killed him. (First Samuel 17:48-51a). He was too big, too slow, and too blurry eyed to comprehend the way the tables had been turned until it was too late.

When the Philistines saw that their hero (Hebrew: gibor meaning a mighty one) had been decapitated with his own sword, they turned and ran. Then the men of Yisra’el and Y’hudah surged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath and to the gates of Ekron. Their dead were strewn along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron. When the Israelites returned from chasing the Philistines, they plundered their camp (First Samuel 17:51b-53). YHVH is the hero of this story.

As soon as David returned from killing Goliath, Abner took him and brought him before Sha’ul, with David still holding the Philistine’s head. “Whose son are you, young man?” Sha’ul asked him. David replied: I am the son of your servant Jesse of Beit-Lechem (First Samuel 17:57-58). Now the king knew whose family to reward for David’s victory.

David took Goliath’s head and brought it to Yerushalayim, which at the time was a city controlled by the Jebusites, would have been quite happy to see Goliath’s head. And as grisly as it was, it would also remind the Jebusites that David’s God was very powerful indeed. He put the Philistine’s weapons in his own tent on the battlefield (First Samuel 17:54). Later, Goliath’s sword will show up with the Jewish priests in Nov (see Av – David at Nov), so David must have dedicated it to the LORD by giving it to the priests.

It has been said that there are people who make things happen, people who watch things happen, and people who don’t know what happened. David had insight into Isra’el’s plight and knew what was happening. He realized that it wasn’t a physical conflict between two armies, but a spiritual battle between truth and error, faith and superstition, the true and living God and dead, lifeless idols. David’s faith lifted the war to a much higher plane, just as Rabbi Sha’ul did with the church at Ephesus: Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12).⁴⁵

Goliath Mocks Isra’el
First Samuel 17: 1-16

DIG: What does Goliath’s armor and weaponry reveal about him? What is a possible explanation for his extraordinary height? What other problems would it cause? Why didn’t the Philistines and the Israelites charge each other? What motivated David to fight Goliath? What is at stake for the victor? For the loser?

REFLECT: Is your attitude more like Sha’ul’s or David’s? Are there any areas in your life that you have tried to throw off your shackles and have your own way with God? Finances? Relationships? Career? How can that attitude be changed? How can David’s actions of faith, godliness and courage be a model in your walk with ADONAI?

1025 BC

The Challenge of Goliath: Now the Philistines gathered their troops for war and assembled in the Elah Valley in Judah (First Samuel 17:1a). At the heart of ancient Palestine is the region known as the Shephelah, a series of ridges and valleys connecting the Judean Mountains to the east with the wide, flat expanse of the Mediterranean plain. It is an area of breathtaking beauty, home to vineyards and wheat fields and forests of sycamore and terebinth. But it was also of great strategic importance.

Over the centuries, numerous battles have been fought for control of the region because the valleys rising from the Mediterranean plain offer those on the coast a clear path to the cities of Hebron, Beit-Lechem, and Yerushalayim, in the Judaean highlands. The Elah Valley was the most important valley in Aijalon, in the north; but the most storied is Elah. It was where Saladin faced off against the knights of the Crusades in the twelfth century. The Elah Valley played a central role in the Maccabean wars with Syria more than a thousand years before that, and most famously, during the days of TaNaKh, it was where the fledgling kingdom of Isra’el squared off against the armies of the Philistines.

The Philistines pitched their camp on the southern ridge between Sokoh and Azekah in Ephes Dammim (meaning the boundary of blood, for all the battles that had been fought there). Sha’ul and the men of Isra’el set up their camp along the northern ridge of the Elah Valley, and drew up their battle line opposite the Philistines. The two armies looked at each other across a deep and narrow gorge cut out by a stream running down the middle of the valley. The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites the other (First Samuel 17:1b-3). Neither army dared to move. To attack meant descending down the ridge and then making a suicidal climb up to the enemy’s position on the other side.³⁴

Finally, the Philistines had enough. A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. The word champion means a challenger, a representative, or the man of the between. In those days it was common for two armies to choose two representatives to fight each other. Whichever man won the individual battle, also won for his nation, the battle between the two armies. The Philistines sent Goliath out as their representative. In the Israelite camp, no one moved. Who could win against such a terrifying opponent?

Goliath was nine feet, nine inches tall. But he probably had a very serious medical condition. He looked and sounded like someone suffering from what is called acromegaly. A disease caused by a benign tumor of the pituitary gland. The tumor causes an overproduction of the human growth hormone, which would explain Goliath’s extraordinary size. And furthermore, one of the common side effects of acromegaly is a vision problem. The pituitary tumors can grow to the point where they compress the nerves leading to the eyes, resulting in severely restricted eyesight and double vision.³⁵

Not only was his height imposing, but his armor was also intimidating. He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he wore a coat of scale armor of bronze, fashioned from several hundred small bronze plates that resembled fish scales, weighing one hundred and twenty-five pounds, very advanced military equipment. He had bronze armor protecting his legs and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. His shaft of his javelin was like a weaver’s rod, and its iron point weighed twenty pounds. Because he could not see very well, his shield-bearer went ahead of him and guided him to the spot where he would stand (First Samuel 17:4-7). The Hebrew word for shield here is not magm, which means a small shield, but is tzinah, which is a large shield that would protect the whole body.

The only thing that matched Goliath’s size was his bluster. He stood and shouted to the armies of Isra’el, “Why do you come out and line up for battle? There is no need for two whole armies to fight. Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Sha’ul, so choose a man for yourselves, and have him come down to me. If he can fight me and kill me, we’ll be your slaves; but if I beat him and kill him, you will become slaves and serve us. Then the Philistine taunted and mocked the Israelites, “This day I defy the armies of Isra’el. Give me a man and let us fight each other!” Having thrown down the gauntlet, the Philistine challenger had no takers at first.

Before Goliath, there was King Sha’ul. That is, before going out to fight the giant, David had to overcome his own lethargic and unbelieving king. Sha’ul, after all, was Isra’el’s Goliath: the tall and impressive champion, the one whose prowess would gain the nation victory. But the taller Philistine had bested Sha’ul, and now he was cowering in fear.³⁶ When Sha’ul and all Isra’el heard the Philistine’s words, they were shaken and terrified (First Samuel 17:8-11). This sets the stage for David’s heroic act.

Rabbinic tradition teaches that Orpah (see the commentary on Ruth, to see link click An – Your People Will Be My People and Your God My God) was the mother of Goliath. In the Aggadah, it gives her real name was Harafu and that when she returned to Mo’av she was given a new husband, the Philistine king of Gath, resulting in a shrewd political alliance between Eglon King of Mo’av and the Philistines. In those days there were still giants living in Mo’av, but most of them had moved to Philistia. Rabbinic tradition also teaches that Orpah became the wife of one of those giants and the mother of Goliath. Naomi’s other daughter-in-law, Ruth, chose the harder path of leaving her homeland of Mo’av to follow the God of Isra’el. Ruth gave birth to David, a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22). Even when the path is hard, it is better to follow the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

The Family of David: While the giant’s physical features are highlighted to impress us, it is David’s covenant lineage that sets him apart: Now David was the son of an Ephrathite Judah named Jesse. It is clear from Genesis 35:19, Ruth 4:11 and Micah 5:2, that Ephrath(ah) was another name for Beit-Lechem in Judah (opposed to Beit-Lechem in Zebulun – Joshua 19:10). Jesse had eight sons, and in the time of Sha’ul he was very old – the years had taken their toll. Jesse’s three oldest sons, loyal warriors, had followed Sha’ul into battle. The firstborn was Eli’av; the second was Avinadav; and the third was Shammah. David may have been fifteen years old, and the youngest. The three oldest followed Sha’ul, but David went back and forth from Sha’ul to tend his father’s sheep at Beit-Lechem (First Samuel 17:12-15).

For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand (Hebrew: yatsar), denouncing the armies of Isra’el (First Samuel 17:16). The Bible uses the number forty for a definite period of testing. We can think of Isra’el’s forty years in the wilderness (Numbers 32:13), and Yeshua’s forty days of temptation (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Bj – Jesus is Tempted in the Wilderness). Therefore, David’s arrival occurred at the exact point when Isra’el’s army had completely failed the challenge set before them by Goliath.

The psalter agreed with the Ruach when he wrote: Why do the Gentile nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? Why do they even bother? The kings of the earth take their stand (Hebrew: yatsar) against ADONAI and against His anointed, saying: Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles. The kingdoms of this earth are by nature opposed to the rule of YHVH and His Messiah. However, the One enthroned in heaven, laughs; ADONAI scoffs at them. He rebukes them in His anger and terrifies them in His wrath, mocking the feeble attempts of anyone to overthrow Him, saying: But as for Me, I (in the emphatic position) have set My King on Tziyon, My holy mountain (Psalm 2:1-6). After the earlier bombast, God has the final say, not only with the kings of the earth, but also with the Philistine giant.

David and Goliath
First Samuel 17: 1-58

The Bible commonly teaches issues of faith and righteousness by using contrasts. And of all these contrasts, none is more powerful than that between Sha’ul and David. The battle between David and Goliath in Chapter 17 begins in earnest a contest between David and Sha’ul that will take up the remainder of First Samuel. Here, in David’s first public appearance, Sha’ul and David are contrasted in their response to the Philistine giant’s challenge: Give me a man, that we may fight each other (First Samuel 17:10 NET)!

The account of David slaying the giant Goliath is a classic tale, having the ingredients of drama and excitement, anticipation and the satisfaction of “the good guy” defeating “the bad guy” against all odds. “David and Goliath” has become a stock phrase for any “little guy” who takes on and defeats a bigger, stronger foe, whether in war, sports, business or politics. The prominence of the story is not accidental. This is the longest of all the accounts in Samuel, including more quotations than any other and featuring the longest and most vivid speech from one of Isra’el’s enemies. Careful attention is paid to small details, such as the number of cheeses brought by David, the pieces and weight of Goliath’s armor, the number of small stones picked up by David, and so on.

As we approach this great chapter, we should realize that David’s victory does not primarily foretell triumphs that we will personally achieve by faith, but rather, the victory of Messiah for our salvation. David as a hero and king presents a foreshadowing portrait, a type if you will, of his greater descendant, Jesus Christ. Furthermore, while we may recognize David’s faith, character, experience from shepherding, and application of biblical principles as having played a role in his success, David triumphed primarily because the Holy Spirit indwelt him, the Ruach ha-Kodesh having rushed upon him at his anointing (First Samuel 16:13). Therefore, David’s actions remind us that faith, godliness, and courage should always result from a Spirit-filled life, and that ADONAI will often use these qualities to aid us as we walk with Him daily.³³

David in Sha’ul’s Service
First Samuel 16: 14-23

DIG: How was the Ruach ha-Kodesh at work in the life of David and Sha’ul? In what ways was David especially suited for the work YHVH had for him to do? How could the evil spirit tormenting Sha’ul be from God, when He is holy and loving? Why do you think YHVH sent an evil spirit to Sha’ul? Why is music advised for Sha’ul’s troubled soul? What was David’s most attractive attribute that the servant saw in him?

REFLECT: When have you sinned and tried to find relief through remedies other than repentance? When others look at you, can they see the LORD working in your life? What do you think the servant meant when he said: The LORD is with him (16:18)? Can the same be said of you? Explain.

1028 BC

Sha’ul had run afoul of Ha’Shem and His prophet Samuel. The LORD had given Sha’ul one last chance to obey His word, but Sha’ul had followed his own counsel and the people’s greed instead of God’s commands. As a result, Samuel told him, “Because you have rejected the word of ADONAI, ADONAI has rejected you as king over Isra’el” (First Samuel 15:28b CJB). God’s rejection had two immediate results.

First, the Spirit of YHVH had departed from Sha’ul (First Samuel 16:14a CJB). The chaotic situation during the rest of Sha’ul’s life reflects the fact that the Spirit was no longer empowering Sha’ul to serve as King. It is important to remember that whereas the indwelling of the Ruach ha-Kodesh in the Dispensation of Torah (Exodus 19:1 to Acts 1:26) was selective and temporary, in the Dispensation of Grace (Acts 2:1 to Revelation 19:21) the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is permanent among believers (see the commentary on The Life of Christ, to see link click Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer). But as the Ruach departed from Sha’ul . . . that same Spirit filled David.

Second, an evil (Hebrew: ra’ah) spirit from YHVH would suddenly come over Sha’ul (First Samuel 16:14b CJB). Just as God had sent an evil spirit to perform His will during the days of Abimelech (Judges 9:23), so He also sent a demon to Sha’ul. The Hebrew implies that the demon terrified Sha’ul. The presence of this evil spirit was manifested in Sha’ul by his manic depression, insecurity, periods of intense despair, homicidal tendencies for no reason, and delusions of plots against him.

Sha’ul, once so impressive a young man, had become gloomy and unstable. His court of course, noticed this. His attendants believed music was the answer, and they said to him, “See an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. Let our lord command his servants here to search for someone who can play the lyre (similar to a harp, but smaller). He will play when the evil spirit from God comes on you, and you will feel better. So Sha’ul said to his attendants, “Find someone who plays well and bring him to me” (First Samuel 16:15-17). The king agreed to the solution. Yet their remedy was superficial. In ancient times the playing of the lyre was widely held to combat evil spirits, and even today we know the soothing power of music. However, Sha’ul’s true problem was his sin against ADONAI. Spiritually sound advice would have urged the king to turn to YHVH in heartfelt repentance. God’s grace is always available to anyone who will repent and believe: Return to Me and I will return to you (Zechariah 1:3).³⁰ But Sha’ul was a suspicious and revengeful man, and this gave the demon a beachhead for his operation (Ephesians 4:25-27).

God, who plans for the future before it happens, had a servant in Sha’ul’s household who knew of David’s feats of mighty strength in defeating wild animals and of the Lord being with David. One of the servants answered, “I have seen a son of Jesse of Beit-Lechem who knows how to play the lyre. He is strong (Hebrew: gibbor), with the heart of a warrior (evidently David’s defense of his sheep from the lion and the bear was well known). He speaks well and is fine-looking. But how would a member of Sha’ul’s household know about someone from such an obscure Judean village? The reader, however, knows of David’s secret anointing (see Ah – Samuel Anoints David).³¹ And besides, ADONAI is with him” (First Samuel 16:18). This was the key to David’s success in life. This was also the secret of the success of Joseph (Genesis 39:2-3, 21, 23), Joshua (Joshua 6:27), and Samuel (First Samuel 3:19). It’s also the basis for success in every believer’s life today. So the hand of God was beginning to move to bring David into the court of the king of Isra’el.

Then Sha’ul sent messengers to Jesse and said: Send me your son David, who is with the sheep. Unwittingly, Sha’ul summons the very one who possessed the Ruach HaKodesh and would, in due time, displace him. When Sha’ul was sitting on his tarnished throne, David’s royal training began. No one appeared before the king empty-handed, so Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them with his son David to Sha’ul (First Samuel 16:19-20). So when David was about 12 years old, he came to Sha’ul and entered his service. David, however, returned to his father’s house to tend his sheep when needed. Thus, David was given an invaluable introduction to the royal court.

Sha’ul liked him very much. Then Sha’ul sent word to Jesse, saying, “Allow David to be of service to me, for I am pleased with him.” Whenever the evil spirit from God came on Sha’ul, David would take up his lyre and play and the Ruach would return to the king. Then relief would come to Sha’ul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him (First Samuel 16:21-23). However, that affection was gradually replaced by envy, and then fear, until Sha’ul was determined to kill David. Sha’ul became David’s enemy; but David never treated Sha’ul like an enemy. David behaved wisely and tried to help Sha’ul get over his fits of depression, but they only became worse. Like all of us, without YHVH in our lives, Sha’ul was a total failure.

The chapter ends with young David, Isra’el’s future king, coming to serve a rejected and dejected ruler who is totally unaware of the implication of his welcoming him into his court. Not just “a handsome peasant with a rustic lyre,” Jesse’s son was the anointed king.³²

Samuel Anoints David
First Samuel 16: 1-13

DIG: Why was Samuel mourning? Why does Samuel hesitate to go to Beit-Lehem? What do Samuel’s fears say about Sha’ul’s character? How does YHVH calm his fears? Why do the elders of the town tremble at the sight of Samuel? What does that say about the rift between Sha’ul and Samuel? Beyond normal worship, what does Samuel’s sacrifice signify? Why did Samuel initially think Eli’av was the LORD’s anointed? What is the irony here? The Jews had chosen a king that looked like Eli’av (see 10:23-24), but that would end in disaster. When else had ADONAI ignored tradition and chosen one with a heart for God to fulfill His covenant (Genesis 25:23)? What was the significance of the anointing of David by Samuel?

REFLECT: What do you look for when you search for a leader you can trust? When have you judged a fellow believer because of their appearance? What difference would it make if you saw him or her as YHVH does? What is God calling you to do despite what other people think?

1030 BC

The people had chosen Sha’ul because he looked like a king. But he wasn’t a godly man and failed his nation and his God miserably. Therefore, YHVH spoke through His prophet Samuel to choose another who would be king over all Isra’el (First Samuel 15:1-35). After Sha’ul’s further rebellion against ADONAI and his subsequent rejection by God, Samuel was commissioned to seek out the one who would succeed Sha’ul on the throne of Isra’el. This one had already been identified as a man after God’s own heart (First Samuel 13:14) and one of Sha’ul’s neighbors who was better than he (First Samuel 15:28). David had been chosen from eternity past to be ruler of Isra’el.

The rejection of Sha’ul did not force Ha’Shem to a new course of action. Rather, God’s action followed His omniscient plan in such a way as to use Sha’ul’s disobedience as the human occasion for implementing His higher plan. YHVH had permitted the people to have the king of their choice. Now that that king and their mistake in choosing him had been clearly seen, the LORD proved the superiority of His own wisdom in raising up a king who would come in fulfillment of His perfect will.²²

As the story begins, we see an aged man. He is the greatest man of his time, one of God’s mightiest servants. At one time, this man had been used by God to rescue His people in one of their darkest hours (First Samuel 2:12-3:21). But now Samuel, Isra’el’s last judge and still God’s prophet, trembles and weeps. The cause of Samuel’s grief is Isra’el’s king, whom Samuel had tried to serve and help for decades. King Sha’ul, chosen by the people because of his worldly qualifications, proved to have none of the spiritual qualities needed for leading God’s people. Sha’ul would not obey the voice of the LORD, so Samuel was called by YHVH to rebuke and ultimately reject him as king.²³ In the end, God regretted that He had made Sha’ul king over Isra’el, and Samuel grieved over Sha’ul (First Samuel 15:35).

Samuel’s Journey: ADONAI said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Sha’ul, since I have rejected him as king over Isra’el? It was very difficult for Samuel to accept the fact that Sha’ul had failed, and God was replacing him with another king. But YHVH is a God of action, and He commanded Samuel to move forward despite his sense of personal loss. Fill your horn with oil (for the purpose of anointing) and be on your way.

Earlier in First Samuel ADONAI selected someone of His own choosing after His own heart (First Samuel 13:14), someone better than Sha’ul (First Samuel 15:28), to replace him as king. I am sending you to Jesse of Beit-Lechem (see the commentary on Ruth, to see link click Bd – Coda: The Genealogy of David). I have chosen for Myself one of his sons to be king” (First Samuel 16:1 CJB). The people had chosen King Sha’ul, but this time ADONAI will make the choice. Now Samuel knew that Ha’Shem had rejected Sha’ul as king over Isra’el (First Samuel 15:26), but he didn’t know who the new king would be. Here, at least, the search was whittled down to Jesse and his sons.²⁴

As Isra’el’s judge and prophet, Samuel had the right to travel where he pleased. But the times were difficult because Sha’ul was a suspicious man, and his spies were everywhere. The road from Ramah where Samuel lived, to Beit-Lehem where Jesse lived, went right through Gibeah, where Sha’ul lived. If the king found out that Samuel was in Beit-Lehem to anoint a new king, he would have viewed Samuel’s actions as treason. So Samuel said: How can I go? If Sha’ul hears about it, he will kill me. So YHVH said: Take a heifer with you and say, “I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.” If questions arose about his visit to Beit-Lehem, Samuel could simply say he was there to sacrifice to ADONAI. He told the truth and protected his life at the same time. Secrecy is not the same as deceit. Samuel only told Sha’ul only what he needed to know at that time. This principle is seen in the B’rit Chadashah when Yeshua sent out His apostles. They were not to be naïve. He warned them: I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore, be as shrewd as serpents and as innocent as doves (Matthew 10:16). This was a matter of life and death, requiring honesty with carefulness to answer in a non-incriminating way. Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and anoint for me the one I indicate” (First Samuel 16:2-3). Since it was common for Samuel to go to various towns to sacrifice, this wouldn’t seem unusual. Samuel did what Ha’Shem said.

When he arrived in Beit-Lechem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him because they knew Samuel and Sha’ul were estranged. Whenever the high officials of the court came to a village, there was only trouble and risk. Such officials never came to give, but always to take. Either Samuel was loyal to Sha’ul, which meant trouble, or he was not, which put them at risk with the king. The elders thought they were in a no-win situation. They asked, “Do you come in peace or judgment?” Samuel replied: In peace, therefore alleviating the noticeable tension. I have come to sacrifice to ADONAI. Consecrate yourselves (which would have been by ritual immersion) and come to the sacrifice with me. Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons (all but one as we shall see) and invited them to the sacrifice (First Samuel 16:4-5). Before the guests sat down to enjoy the fellowship feast, Samuel looked over seven of Jesse’s sons.

The Rejection of the Seven Brothers: Samuel may have looked at their faces and their forms, but the LORD examined their hearts. When they arrived, Samuel saw Jesse’s first son Eli’av and thought to himself, “Surely the LORD’s anointed stands here. This was not the first time Samuel had considered impressive physical appearance a criterion for ruling Isra’el as king (First Samuel 10:23-24). But looks can be deceiving. ADONAI said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height like Sha’ul, for I have rejected him. YHVH does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but ADONAI looks at the heart (First Samuel 16:6-7).

Looks can be deceiving and often are. Samuel needed help in learning to see God’s perspective regarding David. Likewise, we need God’s perspective in our lives. We often fail to see the God-potential in others (or in ourselves) because the wrong things too easily impress us. David, who would become the ideal anointed figure, is an unassuming sort when we first meet him. He would not have naturally attracted attention as a potential savior of his people. He is too young, too inexperienced, and too insignificant in his family’s birth order. But David is also a forerunner to One greater than he, to Messiah, who also bore no especially striking physical characteristics: He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we esteemed Him not (Isaiah 53:2b-3).²⁵

Then Jesse called his second son Avinadav and had him pass in front of Samuel. But the prophet said: The LORD has not chosen this one either. Jesse then called on his third son Shammah to pass by, but Samuel said: Nor has God chosen this one (First Samuel 16:9). Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel. The firstborn was Eli’av, also called Elihu in First Chronicles 27:18; the second was Avinadav; the third was Shim’a, also called Shim’ah in Second Samuel 13:3 and 32; the fourth Nethanel; the fifth Raddai, the sixth Ozem, and the seventh son is unnamed, which probably means that one of David’s older brothers died without offspring and is therefore omitted from the genealogy in First Chronicles 2:13-15. But the prophet said to him, “YHVH has not chosen any of these” (First Samuel 16:8-10). We also learn from First Chronicles 2:16-17 that Jesse had two daughters. One of these daughters was named Zeruiah, she is the mother of David’s nephews Abishai, Joab and Asah’el, all of whom will have major roles in his life. The second daughter was Abigail, the mother of Amasa, whose father was Jether the Ishmaelite (Second Samuel 17:25; First Chronicles 2:17).

David was the eighth son. The number eight in the Bible represents a new beginning. Jewish boys were circumcised on the eighth day (Leviticus 12:3) and the number eight symbolizes circumcision of the heart through Messiah and the receiving of the Ruach HaKodesh (Romans 2:28-29; Ephesians 2:10 and 4:23-24). In addition, like the Passover Lamb, Jesus was selected as the Lamb of God on the 10^th of Nisan. He was crucified on the 14^th of Nisan. His resurrection occurred three days and three nights after He was buried, which was at the end of Shabbat that fell on the 17^th of Nisan, eight days after being chosen as the Passover Lamb (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ix – The Examination of the Lamb). Therefore, God used David to bring a new beginning to Isra’el.

The Choosing of David: The number seven is a number of fullness and completeness (see the commentary on Genesis Ae – The Number Seven), indicating Samuel appeared to have reached the total of sons available. No one feels it necessary to include the youngest son of Jesse. So he asked, “Are these all the sons you have?” He was apparently so unlikely a candidate it hardly seemed necessary to summon him.²⁶ There is still the youngest, ”Jesse answered: He is off tending the sheep.” Samuel said: Send for him; we will not sit down for the sacrificial meal until he arrives (First Samuel 16:11). Unlike Sha’ul, who was physically impressive, the LORD chose a diminutive shepherd boy, probably about ten years old. As a pre-teen youth, the youngest of eight brother’s, David wasn’t the tallest or the strongest. But as God had reminded Samuel, “People look at the outward appearance, but ADONAI looks at the heart” (First Samuel 16:7).

Apparently no one thought this young boy could possibly be God’s choice. But YHVH often turns things upside down. It is a common theme in the TaNaKh that Ha’Shem often uses the least likely to accomplish His purposes. When twins were born to Rebekah, it was the older that would serve the younger (see the commentary on Genesis Gm – Two Nations, One Womb). Among the sons of Jacob, Reuben was older and Judah was stronger. But it was Joseph who acquired the right of the firstborn (First Chronicles 5:1-2). This, the firstborn is often displaced by a younger sibling, as with Abel and Cain, Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau. Likewise in the stories of Ephraim and Manasseh, Moses and Aaron, Solomon and Adonijah, it is regularly the younger who rises to prominence in the LORD’s economy. In addition, it is not only the youngest but often the weakest whom ADONAI chooses to use. God’s salvation can come in the form of an infant (see the commentary on Isaiah Cb – The LORD Himself Will Give You A Sign), or a suffering servant (see the commentary on Isaiah Iy – The Death of the Suffering Servant).²⁷

So Jesse sent for him and had him brought in. Once summoned, however, YHVH quickly confirmed His choice: With ruddy cheeks, red hair, and beautiful eyes, he was handsome in appearance. Then ADONAI said: Stand up and anoint him, he’s the one. So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed David (Hebrew: beloved) in the presence of his brothers, and from that day forward the Ruach Ha’Kodesh rushed upon him with power (First Samuel 16:12-13a). But at the same time the Spirit departed from Sha’ul. Isra’el would never be the same again. The anointing was not a public event, that would happen much later (see Cm – David Anointed King Over All Isra’el), but it was a sacred act binding YHVH to this new vision of the Kingdom.

Samuel must have been moved to sing with Simeon: Now, ADONAI, as You have promised in Isaiah, You may now dismiss Your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen Your salvation (Luke 2:29-30; Isaiah 40:5). Simeon was not speaking English but in Hebrew. The Hebrew word for salvation is Yeshuah; the Hebrew word for Jesus is almost the same, Yeshua. Both come from the same Hebrew root yasha, which means to save. The only difference is the final letter “h” which is silent. Therefore, in Hebrew the word salvation and the word Jesus sound the same. In a real way, what he said was not only my eyes have seen Your salvation, but also, my eyes have seen Your Yeshua that You have prepared in the sight of all nations, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for the glory of Your people Isra’el (the commentary on The Life of Christ Au – Jesus Presented in the Temple).

Then Samuel went home to Ramah (First Samuel 16:13b CJB). His job was done, he had fulfilled his calling. It is likely that Samuel privately told David that he had been chosen to be the next king. If so, David’s behavior while serving Sha’ul was remarkably mature for a young boy who would one day wear the crown. No doubt it was the assurance of this future hope that helped to keep David faithful during the ensuing years of trial and persecution. But his trials during those wilderness years helped to build his faith and develop his godly character and prepare him for the ministry that God had planned for him.²⁸ Samuel may have gone back to Ramah, but the narrative is sent in more powerful directions than Ramah: toward Yerushalayim, kingship, and power.

Yeshua sees us with the eyes of the Father. He sees our defects, errors, and blemishes. But He also sees our value. What did Jesus know that enabled Him to do what He did? Here’s part of the answer. He knew that each human being is a treasure. And because He did, people were not a source of stress for Him, but a source of joy.²⁹

Young David
First Samuel 16:1 to 20:42

David was most likely born in 1040 BC

Just as the story of the beginning of Israelite monarchy (First Samuel Chapters 8-15) begins with an account of the rise of Sha’ul (First Samuel Chapters 8-12), so does the story of the establishment of that monarchy begin with an account of the rise of David. In this case, however, the rise of David is so intimately intertwined with the decline of Sha’ul that the story occupies much more space in the telling.²¹