David Again Spares Sha’ul’s Life
First Samuel 26: 1-25

The noteworthy similarities between Chapters 24 and 26, already noted briefly (to see link click Bj – David Spares Sha’ul’s Life) have led some to assume that the same incident is in view. The differences, however, are equally noteworthy. There really shouldn’t be any difficulty in concluding that there were two separate instances where David spared Sha’ul’s life. The most fundamental difference between the two chapters is that Chapter 24 was a study in David’s restraint when given an opportunity to kill Sha’ul. Chapter 26 is a demonstration of David’s ability to put himself in the position to kill Sha’ul.¹⁵⁵

In addition, there are differences in locations (a cave in En-Gedi and Sha’ul’s camp near Hakilah), times (day and night), activities (Sha’ul came to the cave, while David went to the camp), David’s responses (cutting the corner of Sha’ul’s robe and taking Sha’ul’s spear and water jug), and David’s words (spoken only to Sha’ul and spoken to Abner and Sha’ul). This second experience with Sha’ul was certainly more daring on David’s part since he was actually in Sha’ul’s camp. David’s recent experience with Nabal and Abigail had reassured him of his future reign and had taught him a valuable lesson about revenge. This chapter recounts the final confrontation between David and Sha’ul, and the words of the two men demonstrate the irreconcilable nature of their relationship.¹⁵⁶

David Married Abigail
First Samuel 25: 36-44

David married Abigail DIG: What was Nabal doing in the opening scene? Why was this symbolic of his life? Why did Abigail wait until the next day to tell him what she had done? Who struck Nabal down? How did David react to Nabal’s death? What does the TaNaKh say about that? Then what can we deduce from David’s reaction? Was David’s proposal to Abigail a surprise? Why or why not? Was she forced? How many wives did David have? Why was this a picture of things to come? How is Abigail a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ?

REFLECT: If you were recently widowed, like Abigail, how would you respond to a sudden proposal like David’s? How faithful are you in leaving revenge to YHVH? When did you most recently give someone “what was coming to them?” When did you most recently return good for evil? How do you react when you get what is “rightfully” yours? What can you learn from David’s choices and their consequences? Who is your Abigail? The one who has kept you from sin by appealing to your conscience?

1013 BC

The Death of Nabal: Abigail had told David to let YHVH handle the matter, and now her wisdom came to light. Nabal was feasting when judgment was just around the corner. When Abigail went to Nabal in Carmel, he was in the house holding a banquet like that of a king (this showed his bounty that he could have shared with David). He was in high spirits, very drunk and unapproachable that night. So she told him nothing at all until daybreak. Then in the morning, when Nabal was sober, his wife told him all these things, and his heart failed him and he became figuratively like stone. He evidently suffered a stroke from which he did not recover. About ten days later, ADONAI struck Nabal and he died. Notice that Nabal didn’t merely die from “natural causes” as a result of his earlier stroke. It was the LORD who struck Nabal down. Nabal’s sin had been against YHVH personally, and His judgment had been administered personally.

Not only was Nabal’s sin repaid, but his judgment was also celebrated. Here was a man for whom no one seems to have mourned. David, hearing the news that Nabal was dead, openly rejoiced: Blessed be ADONAI for having taken my side in the matter of Nabal’s insult and for having prevented His servant from doing anything bad. On the contrary, ADONAI has caused Nabal’s bad deeds to return to his own head (First Samuel 25:36-39a CJB). This was not said in a spirit of malice, which took delight in seeing the destruction of his foe. No, in the TaNaKh the divine command was: Don’t rejoice when your enemy falls; don’t let your heart be glad when he stumbles (Proverbs 24:17 CJB). Instead, this was the heart bowing in worship before the sovereignty of YHVH, and believing that the perfect Judge, would administer judgment perfectly.

The Marriage of David and Abigail: Obviously struck by the beauty and character of Abigail, David sent a message that he wanted to make her his own wife. Jewish wedding customs seems not to have changed through the ages. David sent servants to Carmel to fetch his bride (see the commentary on The Life of Christ, to see link click Jw – The Parable of the Ten Virgins). And said to Abigail, “David has sent us to you to take you to become his wife.” In her enthusiasm she bowed down with her face to the ground before David’s servants and said, “I am your servant and am ready to serve you and wash the feet of my lord’s servants.” Abigail quickly got on a donkey and, attended by her five female servants, went with David’s messengers and she became his wife when he was about 27 years old (First Samuel 25:39b-42). Art by Sarah Beth Baca: see more information on Links and Resources.

This marked the beginning of David’s royal harem in violation of Deuteronomy 17:17a, the king must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray (see Ch – Son’s Were Born to David in Hebron). David’s marriage to Abigail provides us with a prophetic glimpse of his fall from grace that did not happen overnight (see Dc – David and Bathsheba). Here, in First Samuel 25, we see David’s desire was to kill a man (Nabal) and later marry his wife (Abigail). Second Samuel 11, the story of David, Uriah and Bathsheba, is the only chapter in the books of Samuel with the same theme.¹⁵² David’s sin with Bathsheba was merely the climax of something that had gone on in his life for about thirty years. His passionate nature had great potential for both good and evil. This incident was a foreshadowing of things to come. David had a lust problem.

The Wives of David: Because of the marriage of David and Abigail, the author takes this opportunity to talk about the wives of David. David had also married Ahinoam of the town of Jezreel in Judah (Joshua 15:56) in the neighborhood of Ma’on and Ziph, and they both were his wives. Ahinoam was the mother of David’s eldest son Amnon (Second Samuel 3:2). In addition to those two wives, after David had fled, Sha’ul had given his daughter Michal, David’s first wife to Paltiel son of Laish (First Samuel 25:43-44).

It is hard to imagine how these ladies, at least one of whom was accustomed to some luxury, endured the constant pressure of life on the run, some detail of which is given in the next few chapters. Michal also had a hard time, being used as a pawn in her father’s political game, but the narrator is not concerned about the royal women, except in so far as they had a part to play in David’s future.¹⁵³

As far as Michal was concerned, there was no legal divorce, so Sha’ul forced her into an adulterous relationship. When David was reigning over the tribe of Judah in Hebron, he demanded that Michal be returned to him (Second Samuel 3:13-16). Eventually, however, Michal became jealous of David’s divine calling. When David brought the ark of the Covenant back to Yerushalayim, David’s election promise (see Ah – Samuel Anoints David), precious to David and the people of Isra’el, was, however, a source of conflict for Michal. She could not accept ADONAI’s decision. So like her father before her, she found herself working against the purposes of God. She died childless (Second Samuel 6:20-23).

As Richard Phillips relates in his commentary on First Samuel, as we consider Abigail riding her donkey into David’s arms, we can see a beautiful picture of the blessing that awaits all who look in faith to Yeshua Messiah, David’s greater descendant. While not identified as a type in the New Covenant, Abigail prepares us for, or foreshadows, the believer’s relationship with Jesus Christ in three ways.

First, Abigail’s earlier speech to David makes it clear that she believed the promises of ADONAI (First Samuel 25:27-31). Faith, trust and belief (Greek: pistis) in Jesus is likewise belief in the LORD’s promises concerning His true Son and divine King, “Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of Your Kingdom” (Hebrews 8:1 quoting Psalm 45:6). Abigail came to David, knowing that as his bride she would reign with him when he became king; likewise, we look to Yeshua, knowing that we will reign with Him as co-heirs of God’s heavenly glory (Romans 8:17).

Secondly, Abigail left behind her former life – a life made squalid by association with corruption and sin – to begin a new life with God’s anointed servant. In turning to Jesus Christ, we likewise, turn our back to the old life of sin, glad to suffer the loss of all things for his sake, in order that we may bear His name in both present disgrace and eternal glory, sure that in His love we will be repaid with eternal life (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer).

Thirdly, David sent his servants with an invitation. There is one last point of contact between Abigail’s marriage to David and our salvation in Yeshua Messiah. How was it that Abigail decided to give her love to noble David? Because David had sent his servants with an invitation. You, too, have a personal invitation to enter into a relationship of love and salvation with Jesus Christ. His offer is contained in the Gospel message, presented to you by the prophets and apostles in the Holy Scriptures. He says: Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears the message of this book say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life (Revelation 22:17).

What a blessed occasion for Abigail when she learned of David’s marriage proposal. How anxious she was to be by his side! How blessed, as well, for every sinner to receive and accept the saving message of Christ. Our Lord says to us: Truly, truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life (John 5:24).¹⁵⁴ We will never die, we will merely change our address to the presence of God. Eternal life can only be a present condition on a just basis. To be justified means to be declared righteous. We are eternally righteous because we have [already] been justified at the moment we were saved (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Bw – What God Does for Us at the Moment of Faith).

Abigail Acted Quickly
First Samuel 25: 14-35

Abigail acted quickly DIG: How did ADONAI show His mercy to David when he felt angry toward Nabal? Did Abigail do the right thing in interceding for her husband and persuading David not to take revenge? What probably would have happened if she hadn’t? What might have happened if she told her husband? What does this tell you about Abigail? How did David receive Abigail’s apology and advice? What does this tell you about David?

REFLECT: What makes you angry? How do you usually deal with your anger? When you are angry, can people talk to you? Or does everyone know to stay away from you? What five steps can you use to turn an offended fellow believer from anger? When has the Lord sent someone to rescue you out of a disastrous situation? Did you respond with words of peace, or righteous indignation? What happened afterwards?

1013 BC

The Report of Abigail: Guessing David’s reaction to Nabal’s rebuff, the servants feared the expected attack. Since it was hopeless to attempt to talk to Nabal, a messenger went to his wife in the hope that she would intervene. One of the servants told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, “David sent messengers from the wilderness to give our master his greetings, but he hurled insults at them. Yet these men were very good to us. They did not mistreat us, and the whole time we were out in the fields near them, nothing was missing. Night and day they protected us the whole time we were herding our sheep near them. Now think it over and see what you can do, because disaster is hanging over our master and his whole household. He is a wicked man” This was a very bold thing to say to a woman about her husband, but somehow he knew she shared his opinion . . . as we will see later. And then he added: No one can talk to him, which is why the servant chose to come to Abigail instead of Nabal (First Samuel 25:14-17). In those days, the parents arranged marriages for their children, so we aren’t surprised to see a wise woman married to a foolish man (Alas, it often happens today without the help of parents!).

Questions of motivation lie just below the surface. Is Nabal the only Judean to oppose David, and if so, what does he hope to gain by being so rude? Are Nabal’s servants really recalling a genuine favor or merely putting up a good front in the interests of practical survival? Either way, the reader discerns a power struggle between the two men, in which Nabal’s servants expect David to gain the upper hand.¹⁴⁶

The Meeting of David and Abigail: The practical Abigail acted quickly. She took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, a hundred cakes of raisins and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys. Then she told her servants, “Go on ahead; I’ll follow you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal. As she came riding her donkey into a mountain ravine, there were David and his men descending toward her, and they didn’t notice her coming because the road by which she descended into the valley was concealed from the view of the descent from the opposite slope. Therefore, the terrain permitted Abigail to hear what David had said before she was seen. He said: “It’s been useless – all my watching over this fellow’s property in the wilderness so that nothing of his was missing. He has paid me back evil for good. May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by morning I leave alive one male of all who belong to him.” He was in no mood to be friendly. But this was a foolish oath. He was threatening to do to Nabal what Sha’ul did to Nob! They met unexpectedly at the moment when David was vowing to take revenge upon Nabal and his house (First Samuel 25:18-22).

We can track Abigail’s appeal to David for restraint in five steps that should be followed by all believers when seeking to turn an offended fellow believer from anger.

First, Abigail humbled herself in David’s presence: When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed down before David with her face to the ground (First Samuel 25:23). Our culture despises those who will abase themselves before a foe, but in God’s Kingdom this is a mark of special grace. David’s army abruptly stopped.

Second, Abigail confessed the guilt of her sin: From her lowly place at David’s feet, she said: On me alone, my lord, be the guilt. Please let your servant speak, and hear the words of your servant (First Samuel 25:24 ESV). We might object that it was Nabal, and not Abigail, who had wronged David. But as his wife, she owned the sin of her husband and acknowledged it before David. This was not some kind of halfhearted confession so commonly heard today, “I’m sorry you feel the way you do,” and so on. Abigail was not sorry that David was angered but that her husband had offended him. Here we see her true wisdom, for in this one stroke of genius she confronted David not only with the guilt of her worthless husband, but also with repentance of a woman with a servant’s heart. Nabal had sinned against David by withholding what his services had earned (Deuteronomy 24:15), and reconciliation with David required a confession of that sin. So we must also confess our sins that stand between others and us if we want to honor the Lord in godly reconciliation.

Please pay no attention, my lord, to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name – his name means Fool, and folly goes with him. And as for me, your servant, I did not see the men my lord sent. She then said all in one breath: And now, my lord, as surely as ADONAI your God lives and as you live, since the LORD has kept you from shedding innocent blood and from avenging yourself with your own hands because vengeance belongs to YHVH, may your enemies and all who are intent on harming my lord be as worthless as Nabal (First Samuel 25:25-26).

Third, Abigail offered restitution for the wrong done to David: David has been denied rightful compensation, so Abigail brought food supplies to give to him. She said: And let this gift, which your servant has brought to my lord, be given to the men who follow you. Equally important, whereas Nabal had publicly reviled David, Abigail made amends by publicly praising his greatness: Please forgive your servant if I have offended you in any way. And forgiving her would have meant forgiving her husband, which would have prevented the slaughter of the house of Nabal.¹⁴⁷ ADONAI your God will certainly make a lasting dynasty for my lord, because you fight the LORD’s battles (fighting the Philistines was worthy of his status as king, but fighting Nabal would not be worthy as his status as king), and no wrongdoing will be found in you as long as you live (First Samuel 25:27-28). The B’rit Chadashah makes it clear the confession of sin is to be accompanied by sincere attempts to redress wrongs. It did not occur to Zacchaeus, for example, to confess his sins and proclaim his faith in Yeshua without adding: If I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount (Luke 19:8).

Fourth, Abigail pleaded for forgiveness on David’s part: Please forgive your servant if I have offended you in any way (First Samuel 25:28a NLT). It was only after she had humbly approached David, confessed the sin of her house, made a sincere effort to offer restitution and pleaded for forgiveness, that she made her final plea.

Fifth, Abigail appealed to David’s sense of godliness: Instead of acting like the godless Nabal, David should act like the servant of the LORD that he was, and especially to exhibit the gracious characteristics of one so favored by ADONAI. Even though someone is pursuing you to take your life, the life of my lord will be bound securely in the bundle of living by the LORD your God, but the lives of your enemies He will hurl away as from the pocket of a sling (First Samuel 25:29). Was Abigail so skillful as to mention a sling to remind David of his victory through faith over Goliath? She probably was.¹⁴⁸

Although YHVH had already appointed him ruler over Isra’el, David would not exercise effective rule over Isra’el until after Sha’ul’s death. In the meantime, however, Abigail didn’t want David to do anything to jeopardize his future or endanger his throne. When ADONAI has fulfilled for my lord every good thing he promised concerning him and has appointed him ruler over Isra’el, my lord will not have on his conscience the staggering burden of needless bloodshed that he was thinking about or of having avenged himself. In other worlds, David should not begin his kingship with blood on his hands. As Joseph had concluded his conversation with Pharaoh’s cupbearer by requesting that he remember Joseph when all goes well with him (see the commentary on Genesis, to see link click Jn – So the Chief Cupbearer Told Joseph His Dream), so Abigail ended her plea by asking David remember your servant when ADONAI your God has brought my lord success (1 Sam 25:27-31).¹⁴⁹

David’s Repentance: With her skillful words, Abigail turned David’s heart from his murderous rage, so that he accepted her gift and replied with words of peace: Praise be ADONAI, the God of Isra’el, who has sent you to me today to meet me.¹⁵⁰ David, about 27 years old at that time, recognized God’s intervention because he had not inquired of the Urim and the Thummim (see the commentary on Exodus Gb – The Urim and Thummim: The Means of Making Decisions). May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed that day and avenging myself with my own hands. Otherwise, as surely as the LORD, the God of Isra’el lives, who has kept me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, not one male belonging to Nabal would have been left alive by daybreak (First Samuel 25:32-34).

Then David accepted from her hand what she had brought him and said: Go home in shalom. David’s final words must have been like music to her ears: I have heard your words and granted your request (First Samuel 25:35). By her intelligent grasp of the situation, by her prompt action and generous gifts, and by her conciliatory diplomatic address, Abigail more than justifies the Holy Spirit’s description of her as a woman of good understanding (First Samuel 25:3). If we, like David, are willing to receive godly appeals from wise and faithful voices like Abigail’s, we will avoid the tragic effects of much folly and will be spared many regrets that would plague us in later life.¹⁵¹

Nabal Offends David
First Samuel 25: 1-13

DIG: What do Nabal and Sha’ul have in common? How might this story be a “parable” of Sha’ul’s relationship with David? Why did David respond so violently? What breach of diplomacy or oriental cultural values is he reacting to? Why did David seek to kill Nabal? Why did he react so differently with Sha’ul (First Samuel 24:4)? Why was Nabal’s response so obtuse? What were David’s motives in guarding Nabal’s possessions?

REFLECT: What does it mean that God is the writer and producer of our life’s play? When someone dies (like Samuel), how do people talk and act differently about that person compared to when the person was alive? Samuel put the concerns of YHVH ahead of the politics of the day. What are some of the politics in your workplace, your place of worship, or government? How can you put the concerns of ADONAI first?

1013 BC

The Death of Samuel: Now Samuel died. His death marked the end of an era. A public mourning was held, the whole nation assembling to do honor to the one who had spent his life in the service of his people and guided them through one of the most critical transitions in their history. He was the last judge in the book of Judges and a transitional character between the period of the judges and the period of the monarchy. He was between 92 and 96 years old when he died. All Isra’el assembled and mourned for him. The people of Isra’el didn’t always obey Samuel when he was alive, but they were careful to honor him when he died. And they buried him in the modest courtyard of his home in Ramah (First Samuel 25:1a).

Nabal and Abigail: David was hold up in the stronghold of Masada when Samuel died (First Samuel 24:22). He knew it would be dangerous for him to attend the funeral at Ramah because Sha’ul would have his spies there so he moved down into Ma’on, a cone-shaped hill about seven miles south of Hebron, which was, and still is, sheep-rearing country. Carmel was a village in the same area (First Samuel 15:12). David had shown his love and respect for Samuel while the prophet was alive, so there was no need for him to make a public appearance. A certain man in Ma’on, who had property there at Carmel of Y’hudah. Nabal was a very wealthy man, but he was not a very generous man (First Samuel 25:1b-2a).¹⁴²

Nabal had a thousand goats and three thousand sheep, the way wealth was measured in those days, which he was shearing in Carmel. This was normally a time of feasting where the wealthy would show hospitality to the less fortunate. Common courtesy would certainly dictate that Nabal invite David and his men to share his food during the festive season. His name was Nabal (Hebrew: foolish, which indicates that it was not his given name, but an acquired name as a result of his lack of character). And his wife’s name was Abigail (Hebrew: My divine Father is joy). Therefore, the contrast between Nabal and Abigail could scarcely be more stark. She was a woman of good understanding and beautiful besides, but her husband was surly and mean in his dealings – he was of the house of Caleb (First Samuel 25:2b-3). He was of noble origin, but he was not of noble character.

David’s Request of Nabal: While David was in the wilderness, he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep. It wouldn’t be easy to feed 600 men in the wilderness, so he sent ten young men (anticipating carrying back a large donation) and said: Go up to Nabal at Carmel and greet him with a three-fold shalom in my name. Say to him, “Long life and shalom to you, shalom to your household and shalom to everything that is yours. Now I hear that it is sheep-shearing time. When your shepherds were with us (grazing in the very territory controlled by David), we did not mistreat them, and the whole time they were at Carmel nothing of theirs was missing. Ask your own servants and they will tell you.” In short, David was a good neighbor. Instead of allowing his men to take liberties with the available livestock or to use their superior armed strength to intimidate and exploit the people nearby, David’s men protected the innocent who were around them. They respected property. They lived out Rabbi Sha’ul’s teaching to the believers in Galatia: As we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith (Galatians 6:10). Far from the natural expectation that a certain amount of loss was inevitable from having a large roving band in the region, Nabal’s property was unusually preserved so that his gain was increased.

Therefore be favorable toward my men, since we come at a festive time. Please give your servants and your son David whatever you can find for them. David’s request was humble – even naming himself as your son David – and it was reasonable, asking for some provisions at a time when Nabal enjoyed enormous abundance. With all this in mind, David must have sent his men with the expectation of a friendly and generous response. After all, he was not dealing with Canaanites, but fellow Israelites, not only that, even fellow Judeans!¹⁴³ David was even quite willing to accept whatever Nabal had to offer. So when David’s men arrived, they gave Nabal this message in David’s name. Then they waited quietly, waiting for the invitation (First Samuel 25:4-9).

Nabal’s Refusal: But Nabal had no intention of sharing his produce with the riff-raff commanded by David. He knew perfectly well who David was and had no time for runaway servants. Nabal answered David’s servants and began with an insult: Who is this David: Who is the son of Jesse? Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days. This was not true of David himself, but it was true of some of David’s men. This insult led to Nabal’s refusal. Why should I take my bread and water (the most basic food and drink), and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where (First Samuel 25:10-11). Nabal didn’t merely refuse to offer any hospitality, he also chose to insult David. Ironically, Nabal stubbornly refused to see what his own servants had accepted, namely, that David was on his way to becoming king.¹⁴⁴

What led Nabal to be so stingy with his possessions? Look above and see how many times I and my occur. We are reminded of the rich fool in Yeshua’s parable, who spoke so constantly in the first person that he only had himself to talk to: Then he said, “This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build up bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain.” And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” The problem was, as Messiah pointed out, that his own life didn’t even belong to him, much less his possessions: But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you.” The sting of the words lies, however, not in the announcement that he must die, but in the following question, which clearly shows the real poverty of his life. He is lonely and friendless in the midst of his vast wealth. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God (Luke 12:18-21). The phrase rich toward God is a synonym for treasures in heaven. David said: The fool says in his heart, “There is no God” (Psalm 14:1), therefore, in effect, that’s what Nabal was saying. He had left God out of the picture.

David’s Threat: David’s men turned around and went back. When they arrived, they reported every word. But David did not inquire of the Urim and the Thummim as he had done previously (see the commentary on Exodus, to see link click Gb – The Urim and Thummim: The Means of Making Decisions). His immediate reaction to this rebuff was quick and harsh. David said to his men, “Each of you strap on your sword!” So they did, and David strapped his on as well. David was prepared to act forcibly and, if necessary, violently. He did not flinch from the prospect of shedding blood. About four hundred men went up with David, while two hundred stayed with the supplies. They were not considered inferior in any way and would expect to share in whatever plunder would be seized (First Samuel 25:12-13).

David was on the verge of committing a sin that would have cast a dark shadow upon his whole life. Nabal’s reaction really got to him. Have you ever thought like that? Your kindness has been met by harshness, your service has been unrecognized, and your motives have been misrepresented. If truth be told, your patience has run out!

Can you picture David’s blazing temper? Muttering to himself, “It’s been useless – all my watching over this fellow’s property in the wilderness so that nothing of his was missing. He has paid me back evil for good” (First Samuel 25:21). David! David! What’s wrong with you? One of the most wonderful things we have learned about you recently is your patience with Sha’ul. You learned to wait upon the LORD, you refused to lift your hand against ADONAI’s anointed, although he had been your enemy for many, many years. But now, look at you! Your restraint has gone to pieces and a few insulting words from a fool of a man like Nabal has made you see red! David . . . what’s the matter?

“I am justified in doing this,” David would reply. “There’s no reason why Nabal should treat me like this. He has repaid all my kindness with insults. I will show him he can’t mess with me. It is one thing to take it from Sha’ul, who is my superior at this point, but this sort of man – this arrogant individual must be taught a lesson!”

Has that ever been your reaction? Doesn’t it expose something that ought to make us embarrassed in the presence of Ha’Shem? For this is the chronic sinfulness of the human heart, even when renewed by grace. Does it now show beyond a shadow of a doubt that I cannot stand against the Adversary unless the Lord upholds me moment by moment? This story tells me that however long I have been saved, no matter how often I may have overcome one temptation or another, no matter how many times I have defeated sin in one area of my life, it can strike in another area and crush me in a moment. I am not talking about salvation here (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer), but sanctification: Being conformed into the image of Christ (Romans 8:29b). The victories that I win, through the grace of YHVH, the blood of Jesus and the power of the Ruach ha-Kodesh, cannot give me strength in the future. No spiritual triumph in my life can give me the power to resist the devil the next time he comes calling. I must abide in Messiah moment by moment.¹⁴⁵

Lord, keep me, hold me, and let me abide in You. Jesus, I can’t do it alone. It’s not so much that I hold onto You, but that You hold on to me. Thank You for that. It seems like I fail all the time. I have the desire to do good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do . . . Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me . . . Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 7:19b-25).

David, Nabal and Abigail
First Samuel 25: 1-44

Chapter 25 is the central section that comprises Chapters 24 to 26. As such, it not only anchors the literary unit but also facilitates the fact that Chapters 24 and 26 mirror each other. Beginning with the death of David’s friend Samuel, it ends with Sha’ul’s giving David’s wife Michal to another man and thus considering David as good as dead. It is therefore possible to interpret Chapter 25 as marking the low point of David’s fortunes. At the same time, however, in this chapter David acquires a wise wife (Abigail), who had successfully persuaded him not to kill a typical fool (Nabal). Sha’ul, who figures prominently in Chapters 24 and 26, appears only in the last verse of Chapter 25. Sha’ul, while physically absent, is nevertheless figuratively present in Nabal, his alter ego.¹⁴¹

When David Fled From Sha’ul into the Cave
Psalm 57: 1-11

For the director of music. Set to the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David, a miktam.
When David had fled from Sha’ul into the cave.

DIG: David cries out to ADONAI to vindicate him. In what way did David need to be vindicated (see First Samuel 24:12)? In the court of heaven, which heart was cold as ice and which heart was righteous? How confident was David of his innocence? What evidence could he offer as his defense?

REFLECT: What promises of the LORD do you lean on in hard times? Can you expect God’s protection from every disaster? Why or why not? Verses 5 and 11 are the same except for their context. Verse 5 expresses faith in hard times and verse 11 expresses joy after deliverance. Which context is yours right now? How can you pray?

One of God’s greatest gifts to His children is joy in the midst of sorrow, triumph in the midst of tears. Yeshua knew that joy, the joy of ADONAI’s presence and power, though He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:3). Many are able to endure pain when they see relief coming. To have joy in the midst of the pain, however, is a different matter. Rabbi Sha’ul tells us that we . . . rejoice in our troubles (Romans 5:3 CJB). And he also reminded the Thessalonians that although they were going through severe troubles, they received the Word with joy from the Ruach ha-Kodesh (First Thessalonians 1:6 CJB).

It was on the voyage to the colonies from England that John Wesley first came into contact with Moravian settlers (started by Jan Hus and became part of the Bohemian Reformation). Wesley was influenced by their deep faith and spirituality rooted in pietism. At one point in the voyage a storm came up and broke the mast off the ship. While he panicked, the Moravians calmly sang hymns and prayed. This experience led Wesley to believe that the Moravians possessed an inner strength that he lacked. Hence, he trusted in Christ, Christ alone for salvation, and had the assurance Jesus had taken away his sins.

In Psalm 57 David experienced the calamities coming from an enemy who would devour him. It was as if he was among the lions out for a kill. Although they set a trap for him, he was confident it was they who would fall into it. In the midst of the crisis, David declared his trust in God, hiding in the shadow of His wings, knowing God would act on his behalf. This psalm consists of two sections, each ending with a refrain in verses 5 and 11, in which David expressed his desire that God should be exalted.¹³⁷

Prayer: David sought ADONAI’s protection. Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me now, for in You I take refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of Your wings until the disaster (like a raging storm) has passed. Taking refuge in the shadow of YHVH’s wings is a metaphor for protection and shelter (Psalm 17:8, 36:7, 61:4, 91:4). See the commentary on Ruth As – Bo’az’s Grace and Ruth’s Gratitude. Yeshua also said: How often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings (Matthew 23:37a). I cry out to God Most High, to YHVH, who vindicates me. He sends from heaven and saves me, rebuking those who hotly pursue me – Elohim sends forth his grace and truth (Psalm 57:1-3). Selah

The Selah is unusual in the middle of this section. It may be intended to underscore the sin of the enemy, and so corresponds with the other Selah in verse 6, which is also in an unusual place, and points to the enemies ruin as this does to their wickedness.

As a hunted man, David prayed in answer to the attacks upon him. I am surrounded by lions. I am lying down among people breathing fire, whose hearts are blazing in hatred and a burning desire to destroy me, men whose teeth are spears and arrows and their tongue sharp-edged swords. David looked up from his own problems to see the big picture. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be over all the earth (Psalm 57:4-5 CJB). In such a crisis, this is equivalent to: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name (see the commentary on The Life of Christ, to see link click Dp – When You Pray, Go Into Your Room and Close the Door), was both a victory in itself and a weapon against the enemy.¹³⁸ If the LORD is exalted and His glory can be clearly seen, then the lies of David’s enemies will fade into nothing. After his prayer, the tables were turned.

Praise: They spread a net for my feet – I was bowed down in distress. Being human, David feels the effects of their pursuit despite his trust in God; but that trust saves him from the utter despair that leads to surrender. They dug a pit in my path – but they have fallen into it themselves (Psalm 57:6). Selah

The LORD is true to His word. The wicked receive their due judgment and the righteous draw comfort from ADONAI’s rule over the earth. Evil people scheme in order to bring the righteous down. They are like hunters who catch their prey with a net or by digging a pit. They use each and every scheme so as to stumble the righteous, which David readily admits. But David trusted in YHVH’s promise to honor those who are bowed down (Psalm 145:14) and to keep the godly from slipping (Psalm 37:2 and 55:22). David rejoiced in Ha’Shem’s goodness to him, for he had seen the wicked entrapped in their own scheming (Psalm 7:15 and 9:15). Evil returns on those who practice it like a boomerang. Those who commit it come to nothing because in due time their foot will slip (Deuteronomy 32:25).¹³⁹

Over the fall of the wicked is the newly found security of David. My heart, Elohim, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast. Out of a grateful heart David sings songs of praise and makes a joyful noise on his instruments: I will sing and make music. Awake, my soul! Awake, my harp and lyre! By his singing and praise he will awaken at dawn. So great is his gratitude that he prays that all the Gentile nations may know and fear the LORD. His worship becomes a witness. I will praise you, Adonai, among the nations: I will sing of You among the peoples. For great is Your chesed (see the commentary on Ruth Af – The Concept of Chesed), reaching to the heavens. God’s kindness, goodness, mercy, love and compassion is higher than our highest thoughts and binds heaven and earth together. Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, be lifted up in worship O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be over all the earth (Psalm 57:7-11).

As all true believers are being renewed by the Holy Spirit, we are coming alive in worship. The devil hates this and wants to do all in his power to keep God’s people from praising Him with all their hearts; thus the Adversary sends opposition and destruction. He seeks to snatch away the joy in our lives and the truth of God’s Word. He wants to choke out the fruitfulness of the Word, and so the storms come. ADONAI, however, gives us songs for the storms. As our voices awaken our praise, the dawn will come and we will sing until we are in the very presence of YHVH. Amen. Come Lord Jesus.¹⁴⁰

David Spares Sha’ul’s Life
First Samuel 24: 1-22

DIG: What brought Sha’ul to En Gedi? To this particular cave? Why did David cut off a corner of Sha’ul’s robe? Why did he feel guilty about it? Why didn’t David kill Sha’ul? What pressures did he have that might have justified killing him? Why did David prostrate himself before Sha’ul? What kind of kingdom could David have ruled if he had gained the throne by bloodshed? Was Sha’ul’s repentance sincere? Did David think so? What irony do you see in verses 21-22? How are their roles reversed?

REFLECT: Have you ever been talked into taking revenge on someone? If so, how did you feel afterwards? Is there an authority figure in your life that you have a difficult time submitting to? How would David act in your position? How is David a good example for our leaders and us? Are you as content as David seemed to be to simply let YHVH effect His will, His way, in His time? Or, are you likely to play Holy Spirit and “help God out” in some way? Can you think of an example? How can you tell if someone is sincere in wanting to “turn over a new leaf?” By your own standards, how do you do on that sincerity test? David returned good for evil. What are some opportunities you have to do this? Why is it so often so hard to do?

1013 BC

Chapters 24 and 26 are virtually mirror images of each other, beginning with Sha’ul’s receiving a report about David’s latest hiding place (24:1 and 26:1), focusing on David’s refusal to lift a hand against Sha’ul, ADONAI’s anointed (24:6, 10 and 26:11), and concluding with the words of a remorseful Sha’ul and his returning home from pursuing David (24:17-22 and 26:21, 25). The two chapters form a frame around the central Chapter 25, where the crude and ill-tempered Nabal functions as an alter ego of the rejected Sha’ul. Additionally, the divine protection that keeps David from shedding innocent blood runs as a unifying thread throughout all three chapters.¹³¹

The first time David spares Sha’ul’s life: After Sha’ul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, “David is in the Desert of En-Gedi.” So Sha’ul took three thousand able young men from all Isra’el and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the famous Wild Goats of En-Gedi. The reference to wild goats stresses the inaccessibility of the site. The whole countryside is full of caverns that might have served as hiding places for David and his men (First Samuel 24:1-2). The chase was on!

He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there. These were caves that had a stonewall at the entrance that provided protection for sheep. And Sha’ul went in to relieve himself (First Samuel 24:3a). The Torah was very strict when it came to matters of sanitation, especially in the army camp (Deuteronomy 23:12-14). Each soldier was required to leave the camp to relieve himself, and he had to carry a small shovel among his weapons so he could dig a hole to cover his feces. This meant that Sha’ul was away from the camp and would therefore be quite vulnerable. He naturally wanted privacy and felt that he was not in danger. The fact that he walked right into David’s hiding place not only proved that his spies were incompetent, but also that ADONAI was still in control.¹³²

David and his men were far back in the darkest part of the very same cave, unbeknownst to Sha’ul. Sha’ul couldn’t see them, but they could see his every move. Not all of David’s four hundred men were in the cave because he had spread them out amongst the various caves of En-Gedi. And David’s men said: Look! The day has come that ADONAI told you about when he said to you, “I will turn your enemy over to you, and you will do to him whatever seems good to you.” But when did God say this? Were they referring to Samuel’s words to Sha’ul in First Samuel 15:26-29, or to YHVH’s message to Samuel in First Samuel 16:1? Perhaps the idea came from Y’honatan’s words in First Samuel 20:15, which some of the men might have heard personally. It’s likely that the leaders of the 600 men discussed these matters among themselves, for their future was wrapped up in David’s future. They interpreted this as an opportunity to kill Sha’ul, but they obviously came to some false conclusions (First Samuel 24:3b-4a).¹³³ But David was too wise in the truth of God’s Word to interpret this event as a signal for him to kill Sha’ul (see the commentary on Exodus Dp – You Shall Not Murder).

Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Sha’ul’s robe. This would be tangible proof that David had the opportunity to kill him. But sometime afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe, which was an act of disrespect. Evidently David’s men had asked him, “Why didn’t you kill Sha’ul when you had the chance?” So he said to his men, “ADONAI forbid that I should [harm] my lord, ADONAI’s anointed, and raise my hand against him! At this point Sha’ul is totally outside the will of God and in total rebellion against God. But since a prophet anointed Sha’ul, YHVH was the One who needed to deal with him and not David. After all, he is the LORD’s anointed. By saying this, David stopped his men from any other criticism for his refusal to kill Sha’ul and would not let them do anything to him. Sha’ul got up, left the cave with his life intact and went on his way not realizing just how close he came to death (First Samuel 24:4b-7 CJB).¹³⁴ This incident resulted in David writing Psalm 57 (to see link click Bk – When David Fled From Sha’ul into the Cave).

David’s Speech: Then David went out of the cave and called out to Sha’ul from a distance: “My lord the king,” giving him the utmost respect. When Sha’ul looked behind him, David bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground. David still respected Sha’ul’s position as the king of Isra’el. He said to Sha’ul, “Why do you listen to men say, ‘David is bent on harming you?’ This day you have seen with your own eyes how the LORD delivered you into my hands in the cave. Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said: I will not lay my hand on my master because he is YHVH’s anointed” (First Samuel 24:8-10).

Then David presented his proof that he had the opportunity to kill Sha’ul. See, my father (a term of respect, but reminding the king that he is, after all, Sha’ul’s son-in-law), look at this piece of your robe in my hand! I cut off the corner of your robe (a symbol of God cutting the Kingdom from Sha’ul) but did not kill you. Continuing to protest his innocence, David reasons: See that there is nothing in my hand to indicate I am guilty of wrongdoing or rebellion. I have not wronged you, but you are hunting me down to take my life. Unwilling to submit their dispute to human arbitration, David prays that the only fair and impartial Judge, Ha’Shem Himself may judge between you and me. And may the LORD avenge the wrongs you have done to me, but no matter how many times I have the opportunity, my hand will not touch you. As the old saying goes, “From evildoers come evil deeds, so my hand will not touch you,” which simply meant that if David was wicked (guilty) there would be evidence of his wickedness (First Samuel 24:11-13). Yeshua put it this way: By their fruit you will recognize them (Matthew 7:16a). But Sha’ul can cite no evidence. There is no guilty fruit from David’s hand.

Then David showed how ridiculous Sha’ul’s pursuit had been. Against whom has the king of Isra’el come out? Who are you pursuing? A dead dog? A flea? The phrase dead dog was a humiliating term of reproach in those days (1 Samuel 17:43; 2 Samuel 3:8, 9:8, 16:9), so David was humbling himself before YHVH and the king. David closed his defense by saying: May ADONAI consider my cause and uphold it; may He vindicate me by delivering me from your hand (First Samuel 24:14-15). David was about 27 years old at this time.

Sha’ul’s Confession and Request: Now Sha’ul must answer. When David finished saying this Sha’ul asked, “Is that your voice, David my son?” Sha’ul’s heart was touched even though his mind was failing. And he wept aloud (First Samuel 24:16). He wept because he must now face what he has long known. He wept because he must now confront the truth he has long avoided. He must acknowledge that David would be victorious, and not only that, but he must face the fact that his whole effort to be faithful, powerful or righteous, had failed. But the reality was that ultimately he failed because YHVH was with David.

Sha’ul was temporarily sorry for his actions, but his sorrow did not lead to repentance. “You are more righteous than I,” he said. The evidence was: You have treated me well, but I have treated you badly. You have just now told me about the good you did to me; the LORD delivered me into your hands, but you did not kill me. When a man finds his enemy, does he let him get away unharmed? This showed that David was not Sha’ul’s enemy. May YHVH reward you well for the way you treated me today (First Samuel 24:17-19). This is the voice of a beaten man who wants out of the struggle.

Then surprisingly Sha’ul confessed that he knew David would be the next king. I know that you will surely be king and that the kingdom of Isra’el will be established in your hands. Earlier Samuel had told Sha’ul that because of his rebellion against God, his “kingdom” would not endure but would be given to a man after the LORD’s own heart (First Samuel 13:14). That was about thirty years earlier, and by this time Sha’ul had figured out that David would be his successor because God was with him. But even then Sha’ul’s major concern was his own name and descendants, not the spiritual welfare of the people: Now swear to me by the LORD that you will not kill off my descendants or wipe out my name from my father’s family. How tragic it was that Sha’ul’s own sins destroyed his family, all but Y’honatan’s crippled son whom David took care of (see Cz – David and Mephiboseth).

David’s response is brief and understated. So David gave his oath to Sha’ul. The narrator does not elaborate. Then Sha’ul, having secured the promise he needed, returned home to Gibeah. He had gotten from David all he could expect to receive.¹³⁵ However David and his men went up to the stronghold at Masada (First Samuel 24:20-22). Despite his emotional tears and speech, Sha’ul would soon take up the chase again.

David’s decision not to kill Sha’ul when he had the chance was one of the highest spiritual pinnacles of his entire life. He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city (Proverbs 16:32 NKJV). What a difference it made to his future that David honored ADONAI during his time of trial. And how important is it for us that we pass the tests of faith that God sets before us, for in many cases our future testimony and the effectiveness of our ministry may be on the line.¹³⁶

When the Ziphites Had Gone to Sha’ul
Psalm 54: 1-7

For the leader. With stringed instruments. A maskil of David,
When the Ziphites came and told Sha’ul, “David is hiding with us.”

DIG: What strangers attack David (First Samuel 23:19-20)? Why do they betray the man who saved them from the Philistines? How does David feel? How do you account for the switch in tone in verses 6 and 7?

REFLECT: How would you feel or react if you had been in David’s shoes? Has your faith been attacked? Was the attack intellectual, theological, emotional or social? How did you respond? Have you seen evil recoil back on those who promote it? Explain.

To be betrayed by Doeg the Edomite (to see link click Be – When Doeg the Edomite Had Gone to Sha’ul) was hardly a surprise, but now David found himself rejected by men of his own tribe (First Samuel 23:19-24 and 26:1), in spite of his rescue of one of their border towns from the Philistines (see Bf – David Saves Keilah). In this dangerous and disillusioning situation David, once again, turned to Ha’Shem.

A. Prayer for Deliverance: Only YHVH could deliver David, so he prayed: God, deliver me by Your name; in Your power, vindicate me. David not only wanted to be saved from his enemies, he also wanted his righteousness to be established by the LORD’s judgment. What’s more, salvation and vindication come from the Name and the power of God. So when Abram camped between Bethel and Ai he built an altar and called on the name of ADONAI (Genesis 12:8). Notice that he didn’t merely call on ADONAI, but he called on His name. To know God’s name is to be able to contact Him.¹²⁶ Consequently, David prayed: Elohim, hear my prayer; listen to the words from my mouth (Psalm 54:1-2 CJB).

B. Occasion of the Prayer: The need for intercession is now stated: For ruthless men (MSS and the Targum) are rising against me, violent men are seeking my life. If the ruthless men were the Ziphites, or possibly the inhabitants of Keilah who were of Canaanite origin, violent men would be Sha’ul and his followers. They do not worship God because they give no thought to YHVH (Psalm 54:3 CJB). This suggests that the insolent men were idolaters.

C. Declaration of Faith, Trust, and Belief: Surely God is helping me. In Psalm 30:1-3 God’s help is His mercy in healing and deliverance, and in Psalm 28:7 God helps us because He is David’s strength and shield. The psalm shifts from worry over the ruthless men to a confident trust in YHVH. Adonai (literally, my Lord, a word used in the Hebrew Bible used to refer to God) is the sustainer of my soul (Psalm 54:4 CJB). Here, ADONAI helps David arm for battle, and protects his life.¹²⁷

B. Resolution of the Prayer: May He repay the evil to those who are lying in wait for me. In Your faithfulness, destroy them (Psalm 54:5 CJB)! The resolution of the prayer lies in the conviction that YHVH is just. He will not permit His children to suffer without vindication. David’s statement here is not vindictive, but expressive of trust in divine justice. Evil must be repaid. The faithlessness of his enemies stands in stark contrast to God’s faithfulness. ADONAI is faithful in His relationship to His people; therefore, David is trusting that Ha’Shem will protect him from his enemies.¹²⁸

A. Fellowship and Deliverance: In full confidence that God had heard his prayer and would deliver him from all the trouble brought on by his enemies, David promised to praise God with a fellowship offering that accompanied and expressed praises for deliverance. It was offered voluntarily by the righteous of the TaNaKh (see my commentary on Exodus Fg – The Peace Offering).¹²⁹ Then I will sacrifice a fellowship offering to you; I will praise Your name, ADONAI, because it is good, because he rescued me from all trouble, and my eyes look with triumph at my enemies (Psalm 54:6-7 CJB). The verbs here are all in the prophetic perfect. David was not fleeing from the reality of Sha’ul’s wish to have him killed. He must deal with his enemies, but only after he had dealt with YHVH. David expected that the LORD would hear his prayers and answer them by going into battle on his behalf. Consequently, the fugitive king meets Ha’Shem in the crisis, knowing that it is only God who can save and vindicate him.

When life’s problems come crashing down upon us, we can either flee from God or run to Him. The promise of the gospel is that He will meet us right where we are and be there as we go through it, no matter the outcome.¹³⁰ With Yeshua by our side, we can go from near-despair to freedom.

When David Was in the Desert of Y’hudah
Psalm 63: 1-11

A psalm of David when he was in the Desert of Judah.

DIG: Why is David in the desert? What dangers await him there? What memories keep David going? What is better than life? How can David devote himself to the love of God at a time and place like this? What does it mean to swear by God?

REFLECT: How desperate is your longing for a relationship with ADONAI? What do you long for the most? Which verse of this Psalm best fits your relationship with God? Are you a “clinger” in relationships? How tight is your grasp on YHVH? Explain.

This Psalm is associated with David’s stay in the Judean wilderness during his escape from Sha’ul. Once more, the worst had brought out David’s best, in words as it did in deeds. In this poem he tells of the longing for the Sanctuary that consumed him, and the consolation he found in reflecting upon YHVH during his banishment from home. There may be other psalms that equal this outpouring of devotion; but few, if any, that surpass it.¹²⁰

A. Longing for ADONAI: O God, You are my God; I will seek You earnestly. The phrase I will seek You earnestly comes from the Hebrew root (shr), to which the noun dawn is related. This gave rise to the tradition of Psalm 63 as a morning psalm with the translation early will I seek You.¹²¹ The longing in these verses is not the groping of a stranger, feeling his way toward the LORD, but the eagerness of a friend, almost of a lover, to be in touch with the one held dear.¹²² My heart thirsts for You, my body longs for You in a land parched and exhausted, where no water can be found (Psalm 63:1 CJB). As the traveler there pines for water, so David yearns for the spiritual refreshment that only God can provide. David’s whole soul is deeply restless and unsatisfied without the LORD.

B. Vision of God’s Grace: David gives another reason for his thirsting after God. Having so often known the reality of His chesed (see my commentary on Genesis Af – The Concept of Chesed), the desire to offer praises to ADONAI had become the real purpose of his life, more precious than existence itself. I used to contemplate You in the Sanctuary, seeing Your power and glory; for your chesed is better than life. My lips worship You (Psalm 63:2-3 CJB). David changes metaphors from that of the desert to that of a prophetic vision. He has a vision of God’s holiness, power and glory. Even as Isaiah had a vision of God’s holiness and glory (see the commentary on Isaiah, to see link click Bo – In the Year King Uzziah Died), so David confesses that he has had a glimpse of the beatific vision. The great God he worships is the Great King, who promised to be present among His people in the Sanctuary. The symbol of His presence was the ark of the Covenant (see the commentary on Exodus Fr – The Ark of the Covenant in the Most Holy Place: Christ at the Throne of Grace).¹²³

C. In Praise of ADONAI: Yes, I will bless you as long as I live; in Your name I will lift up my hands (First Kings 8:54; Psalm 28:2; Lamentations 3:41; Ezra 9:5). The result of this worship is that David’s soul is satisfied. I am as satisfied as with rich food, literally as with marrow and fatness. The Torah demanded that no fat be eaten because all the fat belongs to ADONAI (Leviticus 3:16). Here, as a result of worship, YHVH gives His own food to David and he is filled. Again David responds in praise. My mouth praises you with joy on my lips (Psalm 63:4-5 CJB).

A. Longing for ADONAI: David not only worships the LORD in public, but he also seeks Him in private. It is a good thing to meditate on what God has done for us. It shows how faithful Ha’Shem has been in our lives. When I remember You on my bed in the stillness of the night and meditate on You in the night watches. The verb meditate is also used in Psalm 1:1-2: How blessed are those who reject the advice of the wicked, don’t stand in the way of sinners or sit where the mockers sit! Their delight is in ADONAI’s Torah; on His Torah they meditate day and night. David found security even in the perilous hours when an enemy could strike under the cover of darkness. For you have been my help; in the shadow of Your wings I rejoice; my heart clings to You; Your right hand supports me (Psalm 63:6-8 CJB).¹²⁴ Thus God kept him safe even though Sha’ul wanted to kill him.

B. Vision of God’s Judgment: David is in a battle. His enemies sought to destroy his life. Because of God’s power and glory, however, they would be destroyed. They will go down to the lowest parts of the earth, namely Sh’ol (see the commentary on Jude Ak – The Angels Did Not Keep Their Positions of Authority). May they be given over to the power of the sword; may they become prey for jackals to come and eat their corpses, without a proper burial (Psalm 63:9-10 CJB). The weapons that they intended to use against the innocent will be turned against them, and they will be destroyed.

Like David, we too have our enemies. Rabbi Sha’ul reminds us, however, that our real foes are not human and thus our weapons must be spiritual: For although we do live in the world, we do not wage war in a worldly way; because the weapons we use to wage war are not worldly. On the contrary, we have God’s power for demolishing strongholds. We demolish arguments and every arrogance that raises itself up against the knowledge of God (Second Corinthians 10:3-5a CJB). While the devil comes to steal and kill and destroy (John 10:10), it is he who will finally go to the lowest parts of the earth, even the lake of burning sulfur where he will be tormented day and night for ever and ever (Revelation 20:10). So it is vital that, like David, we remember ADONAI at night and know Him as our help, our Protector, and our power. Under His wings we can join David and rejoice and shout for joy.

C. In Praise of ADONAI: David concludes that the king will rejoice in God. The third person singular is “court language,” so that means that this psalm applies to the line of Isra’el’s kings climaxing in Messiah. Notice David’s joy is not merely in winning the battle; it is in the God who wins the battles for him. The danger in worshiping ADONAI for His benefits when we receive the overflowing of His gifts, is that we end up worshiping the benefits and not the God who gives them to us. Furthermore, all who swear by God will glory in Him. To swear by God is to take an oath of loyalty. While the mouths of the liars will be reduced to silence in Sh’ol by God’s judgment. Our King is Yeshua. As He rejoices in YHVH, so do we (Ps 63:11 CJB).¹²⁵

Sha’ul Pursues David
First Samuel 23: 7-29

DIG: By the time Sha’ul decided to attack Keilah, he had completely lost perspective and was abusing his authority. How did Sha’ul get to that point? Why was Sha’ul so pleased to hear that David was held up in Keilah? What are the citizens of Keilah like? What do you learn about God from His responses to David? From His control of circumstances? What are David’s motives in leaving Keilah? What did that decision say about him? How did Y’honatan help David find strength in YHVH? What does that say about Y’honatan? What motivated the Ziphites to come to Sha’ul? What was ironic about the Ziphites being concerned about Sha’ul?

REFLECT: What distinguishes those who are “driven” as Sha’ul obviously was? Do you have any of Sha’ul’s explosive anger, paralyzing self-pity or compulsive behavior? Who has helped you find strength in the Lord? How so? How have you or could you help a friend of yours find strength in God? Pick one tough situation facing you right now. How is YHVH in control of that? If you are “on the run” in any way, how does ADONAI fit into your flight pattern? Who can encourage you right now?

1013 BC

It does not surprise us any longer that David must flee for his life. Nor does it surprise us that Sha’ul will desperately pursue him in order to kill him. Sha’ul would pursue David until he takes his own life (to see link click Bw – Sha’ul Takes His Own Life). Indeed, Sha’ul now has no other purpose other than killing David. But it is an unequal contest between the pursuer and the one pursued, more unequal than Sha’ul could ever know. Unlike Sha’ul, David doesn’t travel alone. He travels with adoring friends and loyal followers. He travels with Abiathar the priest, Gad the prophet, and divine approval. Indeed, David travels with the resolve of the narrator that the story will not end until David is settled, safe, and on the throne.¹¹⁰

The Betrayal by Keilah: Sha’ul was told that David had gone to Keilah, and he said, “God has delivered him into my hands for David has imprisoned himself by entering a town with gates and bars.” It would be easier to capture David in a city than by attempting to track him down in the hill-country of Judah, where he would have the advantage of familiarity with every detail of the country. But Sha’ul was only fooling himself. And Sha’ul called up all his forces for battle, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men. Having an efficient spy system, when David learned that Sha’ul was plotting against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring me the ephod (see the commentary on Exodus Fz – Make the Ephod of Gold, Blue, Purple and Scarlet Yarn) with the Urim and Thummim (see the commentary on Exodus Gb – The Urim and Thummim: The Means of Making Decisions) in it.” While Sha’ul was mobilizing his army, his plans were somehow leaked to David. David had to be very careful what he did and where he went. There might be another Doeg lurking in the shadows.

Then David said: ADONAI, God of Isra’el, your servant has heard that Sha’ul definitely plans to come to Keilah and destroy the city on account of me. He already knows what Sha’ul did to the city of Nov, what would he do to the city of Keilah? So David asked two questions of YHVH: Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me to him? Will Sha’ul come down, as your servant has heard? LORD, God of Isra’el, tell Your servant. But the Urim and the Thummim could only answer one question at a time with a yes or no answer, and if two questions were asked, God would only answer the last question asked. So YHVH answered the second question with one Hebrew word: He will. So again David asked his first question that wasn’t answered previously: Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me and my men to Sha’ul? And ADONAI again answered in one Hebrew word: They will. They betrayed David to save themselves because they feared that what Sha’ul did to the people of Nov he would do to them.¹¹¹ So David and his men, which had grown to about six hundred in number, left Keilah and kept moving from place to place. It was during this time that David wrote Psalm 63 (See Bh – When David Was in the Desert of Y’hudah). When Sha’ul was told David had escaped from Keilah, he did not go there (First Samuel 23:13).

Like David, when we make a habit of carefully consulting the Lord, not only are we enriched through God’s Word, but we are also rescued from all kinds of dangers. It does not restrict us, but protects us. Consider the sexual sins of our day. Despite all the temptations we face, the Bible teaches us to flee from sexual immorality (see the commentary on Exodus Dq – You Shall Not Commit Adultery). By following this counsel, believers are spared from many woes. God’s Word rescues us from this danger.¹¹² Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Y’honatan Visits David for the Last Time: Inserted in the middle of “the great chase,” is Y’honatan’s final appearance in David’s life. Y’honatan’s intervention proved to be a turning point for his friend. David was afraid because Sha’ul came out to take his life. Therefore, he stayed in the wilderness strongholds and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph, a desolate hilly and wooded area between Hebron and the Dead Sea, 2,900 feet above sea level. It was a very strategic vantage point to be able to see troop movements from all directions. Day after day Sha’ul searched for him, but YHVH did not give David into his hands. While David was at Horesh in the Desert of Ziph, he learned that Sha’ul had come out to take his life. The narrator tells us the meaning of this cat-and-mouse game. The escape does not mean that David was faster or more clever than Sha’ul. No, the escape was possible only because YHVH intervened. The various episodes in the chase between David and Sha’ul simply play out the overriding reality of the sovereignty of God, which neither Sha’ul nor David could change.¹¹³

And Sha’ul’s son Y’honatan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in Elohim because the prince knew David had God’s favor. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “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.” Y’honatan, a spiritual man, has no trouble submitting to what he knows is God’s will. But he does not know that he will die before David becomes king. “Even my father Sha’ul knows this.” This is an important admission, even if we do not have the actual concession speech from Sha’ul. He knows, but he cannot yet publicly concede. More than that, Sha’ul knows but he cannot admit it to himself. Sha’ul knows, but he must keep up appearances for the sake of his reputation, even his very own identity. Sha’ul knows, but he does not yet know that he knows, and so his son Y’honatan knows on his behalf.¹¹⁴

Unlike his son, Sha’ul will not submit to God’s will. The two of them made a covenant before ADONAI. Y’honatan had said his piece, then he went home. In the meantime the chase must continue, then David remained at Horesh (First Samuel 23:14-18). Proverbs 18:24 says: One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother, and Y’honatan was that friend to David. True friends help you find strength in God during the low points of life.

The First Betrayal by the Ziphites: Back to the chase. The Ziphites went up to Sha’ul at his palace at Gibeah. This is the first of two times that the Ziphites would betray David. This was a betrayal because the Ziphites were Judeans and were from the same tribe as David, but remained loyal to Sha’ul. No doubt they hoped to profit in some way from their betrayal of David’s position. Opposed to the citizens of Keilah, who were passive and would only turn David over to Sha’ul to save themselves, the Ziphites were aggressive, initiating the betrayal. David’s assessment of them was that they were violent men are seeking my life; they give no thought to YHVH. Their thinking was that since David did not save them from anything, they didn’t owe him anything. And not wanting to become another Nov, they said: Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hakilah, south of Jeshimon? Now, Your Majesty, come down whenever it pleases you to do so, and we will be responsible for giving him into your hands (First Samuel 23:19-20).¹¹⁵

Sha’ul replied: May ADONAI bless you for your concern for me. But he wanted to avoid going on a wild-goose chase so he said: Go and get more information. Find out where David usually goes and who has seen him there. They tell me he is very crafty (Hebrew: arum), the same word that was used of the Adversary in Genesis 3:1, a point which would not have been lost on a Jewish audience. Find out about all the hiding places he uses and come back to me with definite information. Then I will go with you; if he is in the area, I will track him down among all the clans of Y’hudah. So they set out and went to Ziph ahead of Sha’ul (First Samuel 23:21-24a). It was during this time that David wrote Psalm 54 (see Bi – When the Ziphites Had Gone to Sha’ul).

The Desert of Ma’on: Now David and his men were in the Desert of Ma’on, ten miles southeast of Hebron, in the Arabah south of Jeshimon. Sha’ul and his men began the search, and when David was told about it, he went down to the rock and stayed in the Desert of Ma’on. Eventually, Sha’ul tracked David down on a particular hill, identified by rocks that made it a landmark. When Sha’ul heard this, he went to the Desert of Ma’on in pursuit of David. Sha’ul was going along one side of the mountain, and David and his men were on the other side, hurrying to get away from Sha’ul. At the last minute David found that his trust in ADONAI had not been misplaced. A Philistine raid demanded Sha’ul’s attention. His personal feud must give way to national security, so David, at about the age of 27, was rescued solely because YHVH had intervened.¹¹⁶ As Sha’ul and his forces were closing in on David and his men to capture them, a messenger came to Sha’ul saying, “Come quickly! The Philistines are raiding the land.” It is always the Philistines! Then Sha’ul broke off his pursuit of David and went to meet the Philistines. Sha’ul turned from David, one of his long-term preoccupations, to the Philistines, his other enduring project.¹¹⁷ God had used the distraction of the Philistines to rescue David from the tentacles of Sha’ul.

David continued to hide in the rocks. He may eventually be King of Isra’el, but for now he is a fugitive from Sha’ul. He is in serious danger and has little maneuverability. To commemorate this great escape, the Jews called the place Sela Hammahlekoth, or the rock of divisions because the two armies were divided as Sha’ul abandoned his pursuit of David. The Hebrew carries the idea of “a smooth rock” and therefore “a slippery rock,” in other words, “the rock of slipping away.”¹¹⁸ And David quickly went up from the Desert of Ma’on and lived in the strongholds of En-Gedi, an oasis ten miles north of Masada on the Dead Sea (First Samuel 23:24b-29). The chase would be continued from there.

Scripture tells us that there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 19:24), and the ultimate example of that is the Son of God, who willingly died to free us from our sins. Like Y’honatan, Yeshua came from a place of safety into our world of hardship and danger. Like Y’honatan, Messiah remembered our need and, reflecting on our misery, brought words of salvation. Indeed, if we find ourselves in need with no Y’honatan to come alongside, we may turn to Jesus and find a friend who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses and offer grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:15-16).

Many heroes of the faith have found Christ to be the best of friends. Andrew Bonar, minister of the free church in Scotland in the 1800s, wrote in his journal of a certain wood where he would go to be strengthened through fellowship in prayer with Christ. He named it his “Wood of Ziph.” He recorded, “God has often strengthened my hands, my divine Y’honatan meeting me there.” Jonathan Edwards, whose preaching started the Great Awakening during the colonial period, on his deathbed likewise called out for “Jesus of Nazareth, my true and never-failing friend.” Rabbi Sha’ul said the same of his trial before Caesar: No one came to stand by me, but all deserted me – but the Lord stood by me and strengthened me (First Timothy 4:16-17).

Not only does Yeshua strengthen our hand to believe in YHVH, but He is also the way to God’s love, atoning for our sins with His own blood. Messiah says to us: I will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5, quoting Joshua 1:5). Consequently, we persevere by leaning our souls upon His saving grace. And we serve the Lord well when we stand by our friends, speak to them the words that strengthen faith, and, in Christ’s name, share in their troubles and sorrows. Jesus said of Himself: Greater love has no one than this,that someone lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13). If we will be true friends to fellow believers and reach out to unbelievers, then something like that may be said of us. Christ will use our ministry to strengthen the hands and hearts of many to persevere until the day when He returns and His Kingdom is ushered in.¹¹⁹

David Saves Keilah
First Samuel 23: 1-6

DIG: Why did the people come to David rather than to Sha’ul? Why was the city of Keilah so dangerous? By what means did David inquire of the LORD the first time? The second time? Why do David’s men hesitate to go with him to Keilah? Why is David determined to continue on? How old was he when he led the attack?

REFLECT: When faced with a similar call to arms, or to serve, do you normally respond like David’s men, or like David? Why? When have you paused to pray about God’s will before an action or a decision? What difference did it make? When ADONAI says, “Go,” how long do you usually wait before actually going? By what means do you seek the LORD to make your decisions? God’s Word? Prayer? Mature believers? Or have you sometimes used other means like secular books or the horoscope (see the commentary on Genesis Lw – The Witness of the Stars)? What happened?

1014 BC

While in flight from Sha’ul, David did more than remain in hiding. The Philistine threat, relegated to the background for several chapters returns, and acting like a true king, David fought them on behalf of his beleaguered people, including the Ziphites.

David was told, “Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are looting the threshing floors.” Notice it was to David that this report was brought and not to Sha’ul. This shows that David was viewed as the champion of the people and he would do what the king should have done. Not only that, Keilah was in the tribal territory of Y’hudah; therefore, the people of Y’hudah believed that David would come to their aide, rather than the Benjaminite Sha’ul. This was not a full-scale war, but merely a raid.¹⁰⁶

Keilah was a border town in Judah, about twelve miles from the Philistine city of Gath and some ten miles west of the forest of Hereth where David and his six hundred men were hiding. Situated close to the enemy, Keilah was extremely vulnerable, especially during the harvest season when the Philistine army was searching for food. Had King Sha’ul been concerned about defending his people, he would have sent a detachment of soldiers to protect Keilah, but instead he was obsessed with finding David and killing him.¹⁰⁷

The first thing David did was to inquire of the LORD by using the Urim and Thummim (see the commentary on Exodus, to see link click Gb – The Urim and Thummim: The Means of Making Decisions) within the Ephod (see the commentary on Exodus Fz – Make the Ephod of Gold, Blue, Purple and Scarlet Yarn). Abiathar son of Ahimelek had brought it with him when he fled for his life from Nov to David at Keilah (First Samuel 23:7). The inquiry was: Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Then ADONAI gave him a one-word answer through the Urim and Thummim, saying: Go . . . in effect directing him to attack the Philistines and save Keilah (First Samuel 23:1-2).

But when David’s men learned that the LORD had responded affirmatively to his first inquiry, they said to him, “Here in Y’hudah we are afraid.” After all, they said, even in the relative security of certain parts of Judah (the forest of Hereth for example) we are afraid. But by going to Keilah, even closer to the Philistines who were dressed for battle and armed to the teeth, it would be even worse. They could easily be surrounded and their retreat blocked. How much more afraid, then, would we be if we go to Keilah against the Philistine forces (First Sam 23:3)! In fact, it would be too frightening to think about it.¹⁰⁸

Consequently, David inquired of YHVH once again to the prophet Gad to ease the apprehension of his men. This time God answered him saying that He Himself (the I is emphatic) would guarantee David’s victory over the Philistines. This gave them the assurance to go forward with the attack. So when David was about 26 years old, he and his men went to Keilah, fought the Philistines and carried off their livestock. He inflicted heavy losses on the Philistines and saved the people of Keilah (First Samuel 23:4-6). As in Chapter 17 (see Al – David Kills Goliath), so also here, the LORD didn’t chose the rejected King Sha’ul, but the fugitive King-elect David to deliver His people.

The true king of Isra’el was to rule by God’s word, in close company with God’s prophet Gad, and God’s priest Ahimelek. We can therefore see why the Davidic kingship came to its ultimate fulfillment in Yeshua Messiah, who not only is King over God’s people, but is Himself our true Prophet and perfect High Priest as well.¹⁰⁹

When Doeg the Edomite Had Gone to Sha’ul
Psalm 52: 1-9

For the director of music. A maskil of David.
When Doeg the Edomite had gone to Sha’ul and told him,
“David has gone to the house of Ahimelech.”

DIG: What type of man was Doeg the Edomite? What was he willing to do that Sha’ul’s officials were not? What was Doeg’s boast? How does David account for Doeg’s success? Why are the righteous often compared to trees (see Psalm 1:3)? What did olive trees provide in David’s time? How is David’s trust in God evident in his actions?

REFLECT: Doeg was someone who “used people and loved things.” Do you see that attitude in yourself at all? In the past? What changed? Has anyone ever suffered for helping or taking a risk for you? What happened? Are you flourishing in the house of God? What is lacking in your spiritual life? What helps you flourish?

This Psalm relates to one of David’s bitterest experiences. In flight from Sha’ul, David had talked Ahimelek the priest into giving him a few provisions, but Ahimelek had been denounced to the king, and a whole priestly community was massacred. The informant was Doeg the Edomite, and it was he who carried out the slaughter (to see link click Bd – Sha’ul Kills the Priests of Nov).¹⁰³

The contrast between the godless and the godly is cast in the figurative language of an uprooted tree and a fallen tent over against the common olive tree in the house of YHVH. Such are the ends of folly and wisdom. Doeg serves as a symbol of all evildoers, who will meet their well-deserved judgment; whereas David represents the righteous who will be exalted. The righteous will prevail, regardless of the opposition.¹⁰⁴

A. The Folly of Evil: By means of a question followed by a series of accusations, the folly of evil is shown for what it is. Why do you boast of evil, you mighty hero? Why do you boast all day long, you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God? He not only does evil, but also prides himself in it. The treacherous man, Doeg, had a deceitful tongue as sharp as a razor, for what he said put an end to others (James 3:6-8). He thrived on a wicked and false way of life, loving words that destroyed people. You who practice deceit, your tongue plots destruction; it is like a sharpened razor. You love evil rather than good, falsehood rather than speaking the truth. You love every harmful word, you deceitful tongue. Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin (Psalm 52:1-4).

B. God’s Complete Judgment: Because of such wickedness, David predicted that YHVH will snatch you up and pluck you from your tent. He will uproot you from the land of the living, that is, death would swiftly remove him forever (Psalm 52:5). A righteous God cannot and will not tolerate evil forever.

B. Wisdom Derived from God’s Judgment: The righteous learn a lesson from the judgments of YHVH. Those who live and act independently of Ha’Shem, who trust in themselves at the expense of others will be brought down. Their fleeting security of power, riches and houses will all be taken away and their lives will fall apart.¹⁰⁵ The righteous will see and fear; they will laugh at you, saying, “Here now is the man who did not make Elohim his stronghold but trusted in his great wealth and grew strong by destroying others” (Psalm 52:6-7)! They would see what happens to a person who trusts not in ADONAI, but in his own ill-gotten riches for strength.

A. The Blessing of Righteousness: In striking contrast to Doeg, the treacherous man, David portrayed his own blessed state in the LORD. But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God. In contrast to Doeg who is plucked out of his tent, David is a welcome guest in God’s house. David flourished because of God’s unfailing love, which he said lasted forever and ever. So he vowed to go on praising God for what He had done. David would always praise the name of God in the presence of His faithful people. The godly response to God’s righteousness is praise! And I will hope in Your name, for Your name is good (Psalm 52:8-9). The name of YHVH assures them that God is righteous and loving. In addition to praising God for what He had just done, David will look forward to future demonstrations of the LORD’s nature as the Protector of the righteous.

Sha’ul Kills the Priests of Nov
First Samuel 22: 6-23

DIG: What is Sha’ul’s mental and emotional state? What motivates Doeg the Edomite to testify against Ahimelech? What defense does Ahimelech offer? Who is really guilty for all these deaths? Why do Sha’ul’s officials refuse to kill Ahimelek and his whole family? Why don’t you think Sha’ul can see what he’d become? What kind of a person did Doeg the Edomite prove to be?

REFLECT: When, if ever, have you been consumed with a desire for revenge? What “little sin” have you committed, only to be shocked at its far-reaching consequences? How can you “count the cost” of each temptation? When have you, however unwittingly, caused someone great pain or even harm? How do you make amends? Why do you think scheming leaders usually gather self-interested followers like Doeg, rather than honest men like Ahimelech? The priests Ahimelech and Abiathar showed courage in the face of imminent danger, as did David, in a situation that many people were kissing-up to a cruel leader. What are some ways in which our lives call for courage?

1014 BC

We now resume the main story line left at 21:9 (to see link click Av – David at Nov). Sha’ul is taking counsel with his men. Unlike David, Sha’ul as usual has his spear (serving as his scepter) in his hand. The king’s opening speech shows how agitated and uneasy he was.

Sha’ul’s Complaint: Now Sha’ul heard that David and his men had come back into the borders of Y’hudah and had been discovered. And Sha’ul (from the tribe of Benjamin) was seated, spear in hand, under the tamarisk tree on the hill at his palace in Gibeah, with all his military officials standing at his side. He said to them, “Listen, men of Benjamin! Will the son of Jesse give all of you fields and vineyards? No. Will he make all of you commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds? Again, no. It is plain from this passage that Sha’ul used his kingship to benefit his own tribe. Once again, this shows a lack of character on his part. Then, sitting at the head of his own “pity-party” he said: Is that why you have all conspired against me? This was the ranting of a paranoid madman. No one tells me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. None of you is sorry for me or tells me that my son has incited my servant to lie in wait for me, as he does today” (First Samuel 22:6-8). Sha’ul had become paranoid of his own son. He even accuses Y’honatan of turning David against him. But that was all Sha’ul’s doing and not Y’honatan’s. He was living in his own world of terrified illusion.⁹⁷

When Sha’ul finished his tirade, there must have been an embarrassed silence among his followers. Awkward! No, they did not think they would be better off with David. No, they had not conspired against Sha’ul. No, they had not withheld information. Rather, they had been unaware. They had no way to answer Sha’ul. As the silence continued, it became even more difficult to break it. The tension grew thick and unresolved. Finally, there was a voice. It was not, however, a Benjaminite. It was an outsider, a hired gun . . . an Edomite.⁹⁸

Doeg’s Revelation: But Doeg the Edomite, who was standing with Sha’ul’s officials, said, “I saw the son of Jesse come to Ahimelech son of Ahitub at Nov. Doeg was an outsider who should have known better than to speak in the midst of a family quarrel. But Doeg had news and he was very eager to share it. He filed his intelligence report, which was correct in two out of three items. Ahimelech did give David provisions and he did give him Goliath’s sword. But the third element of Doeg’s statement was a lie. He falsely accused Ahimelech of inquiring of ADONAI for David by means of the Urim and the Thummim (see my commentary on Exodus Gb – The Urim and Thummim: The Means of Making Decisions). Then the king sent for the priest Ahimelech son of Ahitub and all the men of his family, who were the priests at Nov, and they all came to the king (First Samuel 22:9-10).

The Slaughter of the Priesthood: Doeg’s report fed on the king’s own suspicions. Sha’ul said: Listen now, son of Ahitub. This was only the scornful equivalent of “Son of Jesse,” demonstrating Sha’ul’s anger over what Ahimelech had supposedly done. “Yes, my lord,” he answered. Ahimelech appeared not to have been alarmed by the summons of the king. His conscience was clear and he spoke up for David, who he had always respected. However, Sha’ul’s question was in fact an accusation: Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, giving him bread and a sword and inquiring of YHVH for him, so that he has rebelled against me and lies in wait for me, as he does today (First Samuel 22:11-13). Sha’ul trusted Doeg’s report in full, no doubt because it contained what he wanted to hear (Second Timothy 4:3). The king was losing his mind. If his accusations against Ahimelech were true, then God Himself would be a co-conspirator.

Ahimelech answered the king, “Who of all your servants is as loyal as David, the king’s son-in-law, captain of your bodyguard and highly respected in your household. Was that day the first time I inquired of God for him? Of course not! Let not the king accuse your servant or any of his father’s family, for your servant knows nothing at all about this whole affair” (First Samuel 22:14-15). This is true because David had been deceptive to Ahimelech about why he had come to Nov.

But to Sha’ul, Ahimelch’s statement was the same as a confession of treason. The priest had helped David, his enemy, and he had failed to inform Sha’ul of David’s movements. The king said, “You will surely die, Ahimelch, you and your whole family.” This is the verdict of a demon-possessed madman (19:9). Even if the high priest had been guilty, which he was not, it was illegal to punish the whole family for the father’s crime (Deut 24:16). Then the king ordered his official executioners at his side, “Turn and kill the priests of YHVH, because they too have sided with David. They knew he was fleeing (which was not true, but the executioners didn’t know that), yet they did not tell me.” But the king’s official executioners were unwilling to raise a hand to strike the priests of the LORD. They knew the sentence was unjust and would be a sacrilege if they killed the very priests of God Himself. They were Jews who had that sensitivity. Only an Edomite would carry out such an order. Therefore, the king ordered Doeg, “You turn and strike down the priests.”

So Doeg the Edomite, who had no problem doing so, turned and struck them down. A liar and a murderer at heart (John 8:44), Doeg went beyond Sha’ul’s orders and went to Nov where he virtually wiped out the entire population as well as the farm animals. That day he killed eighty-five men who wore the white linen ephod. But Sha’ul wasn’t satisfied with killing eighty-five priests. He also put to the sword Nov, the town of the priests, with its men and women, its children and infants, and its cattle, donkeys and sheep. The wholesale slaughter was not unlike the cherem or utter destruction of God (Deut. 20:13-16). It was ironic and telling that Sha’ul refused to execute such a massive destruction against the Amalekites (First Samuel 15:9), but now in his decline he would act violently against his own people. Honoring God had no place in his life (First Samuel 22:16-19).⁹⁹

Whenever you see a scheming leader, he will have scheming followers, for we produce after our own kind. These are people who will do anything to gain the leaders approval and receive his rewards, and Doeg was such a man. This was the perfect time for him to use his knowledge to please the king and raise his own stature before the other officers. The fact that he was accusing YHVH’s anointed king didn’t bother him, or that he lied about what the high priest had said and did. It was no wonder that David despised Doeg and expressed his disgust in the words of Psalm 52 (see Be – When Doeg the Edomite Had Gone to Sha’ul).¹⁰⁰

The Escape of Abiathar: There is a footnote to this massacre. By the providence of God, one of the sons of Ahimelech named Abiathar, escaped and fled to join David at Keilah (see Bf – David Saves Keilah). When David moved from Hereth to Keilah, having a priest with an ephod was a tremendous advantage to David and his fugitive band. The four hundred men had Gad the prophet, Abiathar the priest, and David the king, and they were fighting the battles for YHVH.¹⁰¹

He told David that Sha’ul had killed all of the priests of the LORD except for him. Then David said to Abiathar, “That day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, I knew he would be sure to tell Sha’ul. In retrospect, David can now recall Doeg. I am responsible for the death of your whole family. The picture of David taking responsibility for what happened is in sharp and intentional contrast to the picture of Sha’ul, who was irresponsible to the extreme. Stay with me; don’t be afraid. The man who wants to kill you is trying to kill me too. David promised to keep Abiathar safe. If Sha’ul sought Abiathar it was only to get to David. David would keep Abiathar, even as he kept his own life. David became the protector of the priesthood. They had a common enemy in Sha’ul (First Samuel 22:20-23).

This episode gives us a clear picture of the history of the priesthood in Isra’el. In First Samuel 2:31-36 we see that the house of Eli would end, that one man from that priestly house would be spared, but his would end in grief, and that a new, and faithful, priestly house would be instituted. How true is God’s Word! Now here, as the story progressed, Sha’ul destroyed the house of Eli; ADONAI saved one man, Abiathar; and a new faithful order of priests, the house of Zadok, was fully established (First Chronicles 29:22). Later, Abiathar would foolishly choose to side with Adoniyah when he tried to seize the Kingdom from Solomon, God’s chosen successor (see En – Adoniyah Sets Himself Up as King). And thus his life ended in grief as King Solomon executed him.

This chapter concerns the demise of Sha’ul, who was then deeply alienated from his own people. David is scarcely mentioned. Sha’ul had nothing left but raw power. He had no divine support, no legitimacy, no Spirit, and no charisma. Meanwhile, David waited. And Isra’el waited with him. Partly they were waiting for Sha’ul to die. And partly they were waiting for the Kingdom to come, still promised, but not yet a reality.¹⁰²

David Went to Mizpah in Mo’av
First Samuel 22: 3-5

1014 BC

Meanwhile, David, sensing a threat to his own family, left Adullam and took them to Mo’av to stay among the relatives of his great grandmother, the Moabitess, Ruth (see the commentary on Ruth, to see link click Bd – Coda: The Genealogy of David). And he said to the king of Mo’av, “Would you let my father and mother come and stay with you until I learn what God will do for me, or until the timing of God making David king became a reality. Then they would be safe to come back into the Land. Until then, Mo’av would be a safe place to keep them from the hand of Sha’ul. Their advanced age would have prevented them from moving freely from David’s mighty warriors.⁹⁵ So he left them with the king of Mo’av, and they stayed with him as long as David was in the stronghold at Masada (meaning fortress or stronghold), by the Dead Sea, about thirty-five miles southwest of Adullam.

But the prophet Gad (who along with Nathan would be the two prophets of King David) said to David, “Do not stay in Mo’av. It isn’t safe. Go instead into the land of Y’hudah.” Although he was a fugitive in Y’hudah, he must stay within the borders of the Promised Land. It’s that Land, and only that Land, that he was anointed king. So David left and went to the forest of Hereth, east of Adullam, in Judah, no doubt to be among his own people over whom YHVH had appointed him to reign. David was about 26 years old at this time.

This kind of ready obedience to God’s word is the mark of true and living faith. If we are to profess faith in David’s God, then we must be willing to obey as David did when the Bible speaks clearly to our lives. In the arrival of Gad the prophet to his refuge at Adullam, David saw God’s favor in his life. We likewise should treat the Word of ADONAI as the surest sign of His will for our blessing. The Ruach ha-Kodesh will never contradict God’s Word. Therefore, we prize the Scriptures and eagerly believe and obey them.⁹⁶

David Prayed
When He Was in the Cave of Adullam
Psalm 142: 1-7

A maskil of David. When he was in the cave. A prayer.

DIG: What is the tone of this lament? How free is David to express his true feelings? What’s painful about his immediate circumstances? Is this an exaggeration? What does David mean buy portion (see Numbers 18:20)? Why will the righteous gather around him? What do the righteous tend to do when the chips are down (Job 36:8-9)?

REFLECT: Are there complaints you keep from God? Feelings you consider inappropriate to bring up? Do you think He doesn’t know them already? Do you have someone you can talk to about them? Is the LORD your portion? Or are you seeking an earthly inheritance? Both? Where do you want to be?

David speaks of the great distress in which he found himself. The strain of being hated and hunted is almost too much, and faith is being stretched to its limits. But faith is undefeated, and in the final words it is at last joined by hope.⁹³

The Complaint: I cry aloud to ADONAI; I lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy. I pour out before Him my complaint; before Him I tell my trouble. David’s adversity and prayers had brought him to the point of total exhaustion. However, even in this state of spiritual depression, he relied on YHVH, who knew everything he was going through. When my spirit is overwhelmed within me, it is You who knew my path . . . the way out of his present adversity. In the path where I walk people have hidden a snare for me. Look and see, there is no one at my right hand to defend me; no one is concerned for me. I have no refuge; no one cares for my life (Psalm 142:1-4). Mercifully again, ADONAI knows and cares. In the darkness of the cave, the LORD answered abundantly, sending David’s brothers and all his father’s house to join him. All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their commander. About four hundred men were with him (First Samuel 22:1-2). They would become the nucleus of his Kingdom. This low ebb in his fortunes, therefore, proved in fact to be a turning point.

The Prayer: Although verses 6 and 7 are made up almost entirely from phrases that are found elsewhere in the Psalms, they do not read like an artificial compilation, but have an intensity that is unmistakable. I cry to You, ADONAI; I say: You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living. Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me. In his desperate situation, likened to a prison, he petitioned the LORD to rescue him from his strong enemies. Set me free from my prison, so that I may praise Your name. Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me (Psalm 142:5-7). The psalm ends on a high note, where faith, joined now by hope, looks to the future. He looked forward to bringing a thank-offering at the time of public worship, when he would be a free man once again. He knew he would be the king at some future time. So even in his darkest hour, this vision was renewed.⁹⁴

David Escapes to the Cave at Adullam
First Samuel 22: 1-2

DIG: Where was Adullam? Why was it a good hiding place? Why did David’s family and four hundred other men join his band of rejects? Are they likely to be reliable?

REFLECT: Are you a follower or a leader? What qualities make a good leader? What leadership qualities did David possess? Where do you go when you are in distress, in debt or embittered? When you go there do you believe that God is there with you?

1014 BC

When David was about 26 when he left Gath, escaping with his life by pretending to be insane, and took refuge in a cave near the town of Adulam (which means refuge), about half way between Gath and Bethlehem (David’s home town). This was near the Philistine border, so it was a very good place to hide, like a no-man’s-land right between two armies. It was an area known for its caves, which provided a natural shelter for the homeless David, though his movements were traced. David was at least in friendly territory, and the fighting men of Judah and Benjamin came to join his band (First Chronicles 12:16-18).

When his seven brothers and the rest of his father’s family heard of it, they went down to see him there for they were then in danger from Sha’ul as well. Then all the people in distress, in debt or embittered began gathering around him, and he became their leader; there were about four hundred with him. David trained a loyal army. They were attracted to the charismatic leader. Later in First Samuel 23:13 this number will grow to six hundred men. He appears to have accepted all comers. This is the beginning of David’s mighty men (to see link click Ej – David’s Mighty Warriors), and resulted in David writing another psalm (see Bb – David Prayed When He Was in the Cave of Adullam).

True leaders attract the best people who see in the leader those qualities of character that they most admire. The people around David would never have been noticed in history were it not for their association with him, just as our Lord’s disciples would have died unknown had they not walked with Jesus. God usually doesn’t call the great and the powerful to be His servants, but those who have the heart for Him and an eagerness to obey His will (First Corinthians 1:26-31). David’s little band of rejects represented the future of the nation, and YHVH’s blessing was with them. History reveals that it is the devoted remnant, small as it might be, that holds the key to the future of ADONAI’s work on this earth.⁹²

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.