Bibliography

There is a sense in which everyone who writes a commentary on any book of the Bible climbs on the shoulders of previous commentators. The books of Samuel have been particularly well served, not only with commentaries, but scholarly research. The resulting literature amounts to a mini-library. Therefore, I would like to thank the contributing authors below.

Baldwin, Joyce, First and Second Samuel, TOTC Inter-Varsity, Downers Grove, IL, 1988.

Barker, Kenneth, NIV Study Bible. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1985.

Blaikie, William, First Samuel, Edinburgh: Counted Faithful, 2019.

Blaikie, William, Expository Lectures on the Book of First Samuel, Birmingham, Solid Ground, 2005.

Brueggemann, Walter, First and Second Samuel, Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1990.

von Clausewitz, Carl, On War. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1968.

Coleman, Lyle, The Serendipity Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1988.

Craigie, Peter, The Problem of War in the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1978.

Erickson, Millard, Christian Theology. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1985.

Fee, Gordon and Stuart, Douglas, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1982.

Flanigan, J. M., What the Bible Teaches: Psalms. Avon, England: The Bath Press, 2001.

Freedman, Rabbi H, First and Second Samuel, First and Second Kings, First and Second Chronicles. London: The Soncino Press, 1949.

Fruchtenbaum, Arnold, MP3bbs – First and Second Samuel. San Antonio: Ariel Ministries, 2017.

Gabizon, Jacques Isaac, BethAriel Congregation, Quebec, Canada

Gill, Dan, Subterranean Waterworks of Biblical Jerusalem: Adaptation of a Karst System, Science 254, December 1991.

Gladwell, Malcolm, David and Goliath. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 2013.

Gustafson, Tim, Our Daily Bread. Grand Rapids: RBC Ministries, different years.

Gunn, David, The Fate of King Saul: An Interpretation of a Biblical Story. Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Supplement Series 14, Sheffield: JSOT, 1980.

isthebiblecontradictory.wordpress.com

Japhet, Sara, First and Second Chronicles. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1993.

JewishEncylopedia.com

Keil, C. F., The Books of Chronicles, Volume 3. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1982.

Kiddie, Gordon, Dawn of a Kingdom: The Message of 1 Samuel, Darlington, Evangelical Press, 1988.

Kidner, Derek, Psalms 1-72 TOTC. Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 1973.

Laney, J. Carl, Answers to Tough Questions. Eugene: Wipf & Stock, 1997.

Laney, J. Carl, Everyman’s Bible Commentary: First and Second Samuel. Chicago: The Moody Bible Institute, 1982.

Lucado, Max, Grace for the Moment, Volume One. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2000.

Mabie, Frederick, Chronicles – Job, Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 4. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010.

MacArthur, John, 1 Samuel, Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee, 2016.

MacArthur, John, Twelve Unlikely Heroes, Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Nashville, 2012.

McCasland, David, Eric Liddell: Pure Gold, Grand Rapids: Discovery House, 2004.

McConville, J. G., First and Second Chronicles. DSB. Westminster John Knox, 1984.

Morris, Henry, The Bible Has the Answer. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1991.

Motyer, Alec, The Message of Chronicles. Nottingham, Inter-Varsity, 1987.

Phillips, Richard. First Samuel, Reformed Expository Commentary, Westminster, 2012.

Pratt, Richard, 1 and 2 Chronicles, A Mentor Commentary, Christian Focus Publications, Geanies House, Fearn Tai, Ross-shire, Great Britian, 1974.

Redpath, Alan, The Making of a Man of God: Lessons from the Life of David. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1990.

Ryle, J. C., Luke, Two Volumes, Edinburgh, Banner of Truth, 1986.

Shirer, Priscilla. Jonah: Navigating a Life Interrupted. Nashville, LifeWay, 2010.

Stern, David, The Complete Jewish Bible. Clarksville: Jewish New Testament Pub, 1998.

Tsumura, David, First Samuel, TOTC, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, MI, 2019.

VanGemeren, William. Psalms, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 5. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008.

Walvoord, John and Zuck, Roy, The Bible Knowledge Commentary of the Old Testament. Wheaton: Victor Books, 1986.

Welsh, John, Chiasmus in Antiquity. Provo: Research Press, 1981.

Wiersbe, Warren, First Samuel. Colorado Springs: Published by David Cook, 2001.

Wilcock, M, The Message of Chronicles: One Church, One Faith, One Lord. BST Inter-Varsity, Downers Grove, IL, 1987.

Williams, Donald, Psalms 1-72, The Preacher’s Commentary. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1986.

Woodhouse, John, 1 Samuel: Looking for a Leader, Crossway Publications, Wheaton, Il, 2008.

worldchristianfoundations.blogspot.com

Youngblood, Ronald. First and Second Samuel, Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 3. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009.

End Notes

There are three kinds of end notes. First, when you take an idea or concept that you had never heard of before and cite it. This is done mostly in an academic environment, and this is not a strictly academic commentary, but I included them nonetheless in an effort to be thorough. Secondly, you reword a section written by another author. And thirdly, you quote directly. I have included all three types of end notes to be detailed. Most authors don’t include all three. If the Life of King Sha’ul was bound as a book it would be 368 pages with 442 references. That averages out to a very reasonable ratio of 1.2 references per page.

1. The Jewish New Testament Commentary, by David Stern, Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc, Clarksville, Maryland, 1992, page 4.

2. 1 and 2 Samuel, Expositor’s Bible Commentary, by Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2009, page 23.

3. The Bible Knowledge Commentary, by John Walvoord and Roy Zuck, Victor Books, Wheaton, Illinois, 1986, page 779.

4. Psalms, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, by Willem Vangemeren, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2008, page 23.

5. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 4, Frank Gaebelein General Editor, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1988, pages 24-26.

6. They Mystery of Shiloh, by Yossi Ives, Chabad.org

7. First Samuel, by David Toshio Tsumura, NICOT, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2007, pages 34-37.

8. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, pages 49-50.

9. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, pages 17-18.

10. Ibid, pages 17-18.

11. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, page 50.

12. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pages 6-7.

13. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 1 Samuel to 2 Kings, Volume 3, by Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 45.

14. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 19.

15. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, page 8.

16. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, page 52.

17. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, page 12.

18. Ibid, pages 12-16.

19. Ibid, pages 17-18.

20. 1 Samuel: Looking for a Leader, by John Woodhouse, Crossway Publications, Wheaton, Illinois, 2008, page 30.

21. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pages 18-20.

22. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, pages 52-53.

23. Expository Lectures on the Book of First Samuel, by William Blaikie, Solid Ground Publications, Birmingham, Alabama, 2005, page 10.

24. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 20.

25. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pages 21-22.

26. Ibid, page 22.

27. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 21.

28. 1 Samuel: Looking for a Leader, by John Woodhouse, Crossway Publications, Wheaton, Il, 2008, page 32.

29. 1 Samuel, Sermon 1, by Jacques Isaac, Beth Ariel, Montreal, Canada.

30. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, page 23.

31. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, page 53.

32. Interpretation, First and Second Samuel, by Walter Brueggemann, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1990, page 14.

33. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pages 24-26.

34. First Samuel, by William Blaikie, Counted Faithful, Edinburgh, Scotland, 2019, page 16.

35. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, page 26.

36. First Samuel, by William Blaikie, Counted Faithful, Edinburgh, Scotland, 2019, pgs 17-18.

37. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pages 26-27.

38. 1 Samuel, by John MacArthur, MacArthur Bible Study, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2016, page 5.

39. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, page 29.

40. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 22.

41. 1 Samuel, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,1stsam01.mp3

42. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, page 31.

43. First Samuel, by David Toshio Tsumura, NICOT, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2007, pages 129-131.

44. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, pages 54-55.

45. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pages 38-39.

46. Ibid, pages 35-38.

47. First Samuel, by William Blaikie, Counted Faithful, Edinburgh, Scotland, 2019, page 22.

48. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, page 38.

49. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by n C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 23.

50. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, page 41.

51. Ibid, page 42.

52. Expository Lectures on the Book of First Samuel, by William Blaikie, Solid Ground, Birmingham, Alabama, 2005, page 26.

53. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Robert Bergen, New American Commentary, Broadman & Holman, Nashville, TN, 1996, page 75.

54. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, page 44.

55. First Samuel, by William Blaikie, Counted Faithful, Edinburgh, Scotland, 2019, page 28.

56. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 25.

57. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, page 46.

58. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 25.

59. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pages 46-47.

60. Ibid, pages 49-50.

61. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 27.

62. The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Roy Zuck OT Editor, Cook Communications Ministries, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1983, page 434.

63. Interpretation, First and Second Samuel, by Walter Brueggemann, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1990, pages 21-22.

64. 1 Samuel, by John MacArthur, MacArthur Bible Study, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2016, pages 13-14.

65. The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Roy Zuck OT Editor, Cook Communications Ministries, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1983, page 434.

66. Interpretation, First and Second Samuel, by Walter Brueggemann, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1990, pages 22-23.

67. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pages 52-53.

68. 1 Samuel, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,1stsam02.mp3

69. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, page 60.

70. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, page 53.

71. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 1 Samuel to 2 Kings, Volume 3, by Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 60.

72. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, page 60.

73. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 29.

74. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, page 54.

75. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 29.

76. 1 Samuel, Sermon 4, by Jacques Isaac, Beth Ariel, Montreal, Canada.

77. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pages 53-54.

78. Ibid, page 55.

79. Life of King Sha’ul, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,1stsam02.mp3

80. Numbers, Sermon 4, by Jacques Isaac, Beth Ariel, Montreal, Canada.

81. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pages 57-58.

82. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, page 61.

83. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 30.

84. Ibid, page 30.

85. Ibid, page 31.

86. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 1 Samuel to 2 Kings, Volume 3, by Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 64.

87. Eric Liddell: Pure Gold, by David McCasland, Discovery House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2004, page 204.

88. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 31.

89. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pages 62-63.

90. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, pages 62-63.

91. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, pages 31-32.

92. Life of King Sha’ul, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,1stsam03.mp3

93. 1 Samuel, by John MacArthur, MacArthur Bible Study, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2016, page 15.

94. Ibid, page 16.

95. Life of King Sha’ul, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,1stsam03.mp3

96. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 33.

97. Ibid, page 33.

98. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, page 73.

99. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, pages 33 and 206.

100. 1 Samuel, by John MacArthur, MacArthur Bible Study, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2016, page 17.

101. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 1 Samuel to 2 Kings, Volume 3, by Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 68.

102. Interpretation, First and Second Samuel, by Walter Brueggemann, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1990, page 26.

103. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, page 64.

104. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 34.

105. 1 Samuel, by John MacArthur, MacArthur Bible Study, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2016, page 17.

106. Ibid, page 17.

107. Interpretation, First and Second Samuel, by Walter Brueggemann, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1990, page 26.

108. The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Roy Zuck OT Editor, Cook Communications Ministries, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1983, page 436.

109. 1 Samuel, by John MacArthur, MacArthur Bible Study, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2016, page 19.

110. First Samuel, by David Toshio Tsumura, NICOT, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2007, page 184.

111. Interpretation, First and Second Samuel, by Walter Brueggemann, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1990, pages 28-29.

112. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, pages 37-38.

113. 1 Samuel, by John MacArthur, MacArthur Bible Study, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2016, pages 23-24.

114. Interpretation, First and Second Samuel, by Walter Brueggemann, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1990, page 29.

115. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, page 68.

116. Dawn of a Kingdom: The Message of 1 Samuel, by Gordon Kiddie, Darlington, Evangelical Press, Darlington, UK, 1988, pages 61-62.

117. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pages 77-81.

118. 1 Samuel, by John MacArthur, MacArthur Bible Study, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2016, pages 24-25.

119. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pages 82-83.

120. Ibid, pages 85-87.

121. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, page 71.

122. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 1 Samuel to 2 Kings, Volume 3, by Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 75.

123. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pages 87-88.

124. Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 40.

125. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, page 89.

126. First Samuel, by David Toshio Tsumura, NICOT, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2007, page 200.

127. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, page 72.

128. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 1 Samuel to 2 Kings, Volume 3, by Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 75.

129. Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, pages 40-41.

130. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, page 90.

131. Ibid, pages 91-93.

132. Ibid, pages 93-95.

133. Ibid, page 96.

134. Interpretation, First and Second Samuel, by Walter Brueggemann, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1990, pages 34-35.

135. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pages 96-98.

136. 1 Samuel, by John MacArthur, MacArthur Bible Study, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2016, page 26.

137. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pages 98-99.

138. Interpretation, First and Second Samuel, by Walter Brueggemann, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1990, page 36.

139. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 1 Samuel to 2 Kings, Volume 3, by Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, pages 77-78.

140. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, page 74.

141. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 42.

142. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, page 75.

143. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pages 102-104.

144. 1 Samuel, by John MacArthur, MacArthur Bible Study, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2016, page 27.

145. Interpretation, First and Second Samuel, by Walter Brueggemann, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1990, page 38.

146. Ibid, page 39.

147. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pages 104-106.

148. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 46.

149. Life of King Sha’ul, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,1stsam06.mp3

150. Life of King Sha’ul, Sermon 6, by Jacques Isaac, Beth Ariel, Montreal, Canada.

151. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pages 110-111.

152. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, page 76.

153. Ibid, page 76.

154. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, page 113.

155. Interpretation, First and Second Samuel, by Walter Brueggemann, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1990, pages 41-42.

156. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pages 111-112.

157. Interpretation, First and Second Samuel, by Walter Brueggemann, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1990, pages 42-43.

158. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pages 113-114.

159. Ibid, pages 114-115.

160. First Samuel, by David Toshio Tsumura, NICOT, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2007, page 228.

161. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, page 115.

162. Ibid, pages 115-116.

163. 1 Samuel, by John MacArthur, MacArthur Bible Study, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2016, page 36.

164. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pages 116-117.

165. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, pages 49-50.

166. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, page 119.

167. 1 Samuel, by John MacArthur, MacArthur Bible Study, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2016, page 37.

168. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, page 119.

169. 1 Samuel, by John MacArthur, MacArthur Bible Study, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2016, page 37.

170. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 50.

171. 1 Samuel, by John MacArthur, MacArthur Bible Study, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2016, page 37.

172. The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Roy Zuck OT Editor, Cook Communications Ministries, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1983, page 439.

173. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, page 124.

174. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 1 Samuel to 2 Kings, Volume 3, by Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 87.

175. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, page 79.

176. 1 Samuel, by John MacArthur, MacArthur Bible Study, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2016, pages 38-39.

177. Interpretation, First and Second Samuel, by Walter Brueggemann, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1990, page 51.

178. 1 Samuel, by John MacArthur, MacArthur Bible Study, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2016, pages 39-40.

179. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, page 81.

180. First Samuel, by David Toshio Tsumura, NICOT, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2007, page 241.

181. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 1 Samuel to 2 Kings, Volume 3, by Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, pages 89-90.

182. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 53.

183. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pages 133-134.

184. Life of King Sha’ul, Sermon 6, by Jacques Isaac, Beth Ariel, Montreal, Canada.

185. 1 Samuel, by John MacArthur, MacArthur Bible Study, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2016, pages 48-49.

186. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 54.

187. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 1 Samuel to 2 Kings, Volume 3, by Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 92.

188. 1 & 2 Samuel, by Bill Arnold, NIV Application Commentary, Grand Rapids, Zondervan, 2003, page 135.

189. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pages 135-136.

190. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 1 Samuel to 2 Kings, Volume 3, by Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 92.

191. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 54.

192. 1 & 2 Samuel, by Bill Arnold, NIV Application Commentary, Grand Rapids, Zondervan, 2003, page 135.

193. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pages 135-136.

194. 1 Samuel, by John MacArthur, MacArthur Bible Study, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2016, page 50.

195. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 55.

196. 1 Samuel, by John MacArthur, MacArthur Bible Study, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2016, page 51.

197. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, page 137.

198. Ibid, page 138.

199. Ibid, pages 138-139.

200. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 56.

201. 1 Samuel, by John MacArthur, MacArthur Bible Study, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2016, page 52.

202. Answers to Tough Questions, by J. Carl Laney, Wipf & Stock, Eugene, Oregon, 1997, page 70.

203. Life of King Sha’ul, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,1stsam08.mp3

204. Answers to Tough Questions, by J. Carl Laney, Wipf & Stock, Eugene, Oregon, 1997, page 70.

205. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, pages 56-57.

206. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pags 146-147.

207. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 1 Samuel to 2 Kings, Volume 3, by Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 99.

208. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, page 148.

209. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 57.

210. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pages 147-148.

211. 1 Samuel, by John MacArthur, MacArthur Bible Study, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2016, page 61.

212. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 1 Samuel to 2 Kings, Volume 3, by Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 101.

213. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, page 149.

214. 1 Samuel, by John MacArthur, MacArthur Bible Study, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2016, page 62.

215. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, page 149.

216. Ibid, pages 156-157.

217. 1 Samuel, by John MacArthur, MacArthur Bible Study, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2016, pages 59-60.

218. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, page 89.

219. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 1 Samuel to 2 Kings, Volume 3, by Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 102.

220. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, page 151.

221. Life of King Sha’ul, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,1stsam08.mp3

222. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 1 Samuel to 2 Kings, Volume 3, by Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 102.

223. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 1 Samuel to 2 Kings, Volume 3, by Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 102.

224. Life of King Sha’ul, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,1stsam09.mp3

225. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, page 90.

226. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 1 Samuel to 2 Kings, Volume 3, by Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 102.

227. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 59.

228. 1 Samuel, by John MacArthur, MacArthur Bible Study, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2016, page 66.

229. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, page 90.

230. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 59.

231. Ibid, page 59.

232. Ibid, pages 59-60.

233. Life of King Sha’ul, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,1stsam10.mp3

234. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, page 153.

235. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, page 91.

236. Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 1 Samuel to 2 Kings, Volume 3, by Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 106.

237. Life of King Sha’ul, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,1stsam10.mp3

238. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, pages 61-62.

239. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, page 92.

240. The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Roy Zuck OT Editor, Cook Communications Ministries, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1983, page 441.

241. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 1 Samuel to 2 Kings, Volume 3, by Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 110.

242. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, page 94.

243. Life of King Sha’ul, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,1stsam08.mp3

244. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pgs 166-168.

245. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 1 Samuel to 2 Kings, Volume 3, by Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 111.

246. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, pages 95-96.

247. Ibid, pages 95-96.

248. Ibid, page 96.

249. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pages 171-172.

250. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, page 97.

251. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, page 173.

252. Ibid, pages 173-174.

253. Ibid, page 177.

254. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, page 98.

255. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pgs 177-179.

256. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, page 99.

257. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pgs 182-183.

258. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 70.

259. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, page 183.

260. Ibid, pages 184-185.

261. Life of King Sha’ul, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,1stsam12.mp3

262. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 1 Samuel to 2 Kings, Volume 3, by Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 125.

263. Life of King Sha’ul, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,1stsam12.mp3

264. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 72.

265. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 1 Samuel to 2 Kings, Volume 3, by Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, pages 126-127.

266. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 72.

267. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pages 190-191.

268. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 1 Samuel to 2 Kings, Volume 3, by Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 130.

269. Life of King Sha’ul, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,1stsam12.mp3

270. Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pages 192-193.

271. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 1 Samuel to 2 Kings, Volume 3, by Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 132.

272. 1 Samuel, by John MacArthur, MacArthur Bible Study, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2016, pages 71-72.

273. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 1 Samuel to 2 Kings, Volume 3, by Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 132.

274. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pgs 196-197.

275. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 74.

276. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, page 198.

277. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, pages 104-105.

278. 1 Samuel, by John MacArthur, MacArthur Bible Study, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2016, pages 73-74.

279. Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pages 199.

280. Answers to Tough Questions, by J. Carl Laney, Wipf & Stock, Eugene, Oregon, 1997, page 71.

281. 1 Samuel, by John MacArthur, MacArthur Bible Study, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2016, page 74.

282. Life of King Sha’ul, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,1stsam13.mp3

283. 1 Samuel, by John MacArthur, MacArthur Bible Study, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2016, page 74.

284. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, page 105.

285. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, pages 77-78.

286. Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pages 199.

287. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, pages 105-106.

288. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 78.

289. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, pages 105-106.

290. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 78.

291. The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Roy Zuck OT Editor, Cook Communications Ministries, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1983, pages 445-446.

292. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, page 203.

293. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 79.

294. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pgs 203-204.

295. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, pages 83-84.

296. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pages 207-209 and 211.

297. Ibid, pages 210-211.

298. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, page 107.

299. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 84.

300. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, page 214.

301. Ibid, page 214.

302. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 86.

303. Ibid, pages 86-87.

304. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pgs 216-217.

305. Ibid, pages 218-219.

306. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 87.

307. Ibid, pages 87-88.

308. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pgs 219-220.

309. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 220.

310. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, page 220.

311. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 220.

312. Life of King Sha’ul, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,1stsam14.mp

313. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pgs 222-223.

314. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, page 110.

315. Life of King Sha’ul, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,1stsam14.mp3

316. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pgs 224-225.

317. Life of King Sha’ul, by Arnold Fruchtenbeum,1stsam14.mp3

318. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pgs 227-228.

319. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, page 111.

320. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 1 Samuel to 2 Kings, Volume 3, by Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 151.

321. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, page 111.

322. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 1 Samuel to 2 Kings, Volume 3, by Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2012, page 151.

323. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 91.

324. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, page 112.

325. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, pages 91-92.

326. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, pages 112-113.

327. Ibid, page 114.

328. 1 Samuel, by John MacArthur, MacArthur Bible Study, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 2016, page 75.

329. Jonah, Navigating a Life Interrupted, by Priscilla Shirer, LifeWay Press, Nashville, TN, 2014, page 123.

330. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, page 114.

331. Ibid, page 114.

332. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 93.

333. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, page 238.

334. 1 Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, Published by David C. Cook, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, pages 93-94.

335. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, page 115.

336. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pages 240-241.

337. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, page 116.

338. Answers to Tough Questions, by J. Carl Laney, Wipf & Stock, Eugene, Oregon, 1997, page 72.

339. 1 and 2 Samuel, Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI, 2009, page 163.

340. The Bible Knowledge Commentary, by John Walvoord and Roy Zuck, Victor Books, Wheaton, Illinois, 1986, page 447.

341. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P&R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, page 256.

342. 1st sam 16.mp3, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum

343. The NIV Application Commentary: 1 & 2 Samuel, by Bill Arnold, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, page 233.

344. Ibid, page 233.

345. Ibid, page 233.

346. OT Commentary on First Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, David Cook Publisher, Colorado Springs, CO, 2001, page 104.

347. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P&R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, page 271.

348. First and Second Samuel, by Walter Brueggemann, John Knox Press, Louisville, KY, 1990, pages 125-126.

349. 1 and 2 Samuel, Expositor’s Bible Commentary, by Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2009, page 174.

350. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P&R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pgs 278-279.

351. David and Goliath, by Malcolm Gladwell, Little, Brown and Company, NT, 2013, pgs 3-4.

352. Ibid, page 14.

353. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P&R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, page 291.

354. Ibid, page 285.

355. First and Second Samuel, by Walter Brueggemann, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1990, page 130.

356. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P&R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, page 283.

357. OT Commentary on First Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, David Cook Publisher, Colorado Springs, CO, 2001, page 111.

358. David and Goliath, by Malcolm Gladwell, Little, Brown and Company, NY, 2013, page 9.

359. First and Second Samuel, by J. Carl Laney, Everyman’s Bible Commentary, Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1982, page 73.

360. Manners and Customs of the Bible, by James Freeman, Logos International, Plainfield, New Jersey, 1972, page 136.

361. David and Goliath, by Malcolm Gladwell, Little, Brown and Company, NY, 3013, page 11.

362. OT Commentary on First Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, David Cook Publisher, Colorado Springs, CO, 2001, page 112.

363. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 1988, pages 129-130.

364. OT Commentary on First Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, David Cook Publisher, Colorado Springs, CO, 2001, page 118.

365. Ibid, page 118.

366. 1st sam18.mp3, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum

367. First and Second Samuel, by Walter Brueggemann, John Knox Press, Louisville, KY, 1990, pages 139-140.

368. Twelve Unlikely Heroes, by John MacArthur, Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee, 2012, page 102.

369. OT Commentary on First Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, David Cook Publisher, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 121.

370. First and Second Samuel, by Walter Brueggemann, John Knox Press, Louisville, KY, 1990, page 143.

371. Ibid, page 144.

372. OT Commentary on First Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, David Cook Publisher, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 124.

373. First and Second Samuel, by Walter Brueggemann, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1990, page 146.

374. OT Commentary on First Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, David Cook Publisher, Colorado Springs, CO, 2001, pages 123-124.

375. The Making of a Man of God, by Alan Redpath, Fleming H. Revell, A Division of Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1990, pages 60-63.

376. The Preacher’s Commentary Psalms 1-72, by Donald Williams, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 1986, page 437.

377. Ibid, pages 438-439.

378. OT Commentary on First Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, David Cook Publisher, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 132.

379. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P&R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pgs 359-360.

380. First and Second Chronicles, by J. G. McConville, The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1984, page 17.

381. 1st sam31.mp3, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum.

382. 1st Sam22.mp3, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum.

383. First and Second Samuel, by Walter Brueggemann, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1990, page 158.

384. 1st sam22.mp3, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum.

385. OT Commentary on First Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, David Cook Publisher, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, pages 137-138.

386. Ibid, page 140.

387. First and Second Samuel, by Walter Brueggemann, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1990, pages 160-162.

388. Psalms 1-72, by Derek Kidner, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 1973, page 212.

389. Psalms, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, by Willem Vangemeren, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2008, page 440.

390. Ibid, page 440.

391. First and Second Samuel, by Walter Brueggemann, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1990, page 162.

392. 1st Sam23.mp3, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum.

393. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Pub, Phillipsburg, New Jersey, 2012, page 391.

394. Second Samuel, by Walter Brueggemann, John Knox Press, Louisville, KY, 1990, pg 163.

395. Ibid, page 164.

396. 1st Sam23.mp3, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum.

397. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, page 144.

398. Second Samuel, by Walter Brueggemann, John Knox Press, Louisville, KY, 1990, pg 165.

399. OT Commentary on First Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, David Cook Publisher, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 149.

400. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P & R Pub, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pages 407-408.

401. The Preacher’s Commentary Psalms 1-72, by Donald Williams, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 1986, page 402.

402. Ibid, page 403.

403. Psalms, Expositor’s Bible Commentary, by Willem VanGemeren, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2008, page 449.

404. Ibid, page 449.

405. 1 and 2 Samuel, Expositor’s Bible Commentary, by Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2009, page 231.

406. OT Commentary on First Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, David Cook Publisher, Colorado Springs, CO, 2001, page 150.

407. Ibid, page 150.

408. 1st sam24.mp3, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum.

409. First and Second Samuel, by Walter Brueggemann, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1990, pages 171-173.

410. The Making of a Man of God, by Alan Redpath, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1962, page 117.

411. The Preacher’s Commentary Psalms 1-72, by Donald Williams, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 1986, page pages 419-420.

412. Psalms 1-72, by Derek Kidner, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 1973, page 224.

413. Psalms, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, by Willem Vangemeren, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2008, page 464.

414. The Preacher’s Commentary Psalms 1-72, by Donald Williams, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 1986, pages 423-424.

415. 1 and 2 Samuel, Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI, 2009, page 253.

416. OT Commentary on First Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, David Cook Publisher, Colorado Springs, CO, 2001, page 165.

417. First and Second Samuel, by Walter Brueggemann, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1990, page 183.

418. 1st sam26.mp3, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum.

419. First and Second Samuel, by Walter Brueggemann, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1990, page 184.

420. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P&R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, page 453.

421. First and Second Samuel, by Walter Brueggemann, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1990, pages 186-187.

422. OT Commentary on First Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, David Cook Publisher, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 167.

423. 1 and 2 Samuel, Expositor’s Bible Commentary, by Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2009, page 259.

424. First and Second Samuel, by Walter Brueggemann, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1990, page 187.

425. 1 and 2 Samuel, Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI, 2009, pgs 260-261.

426. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, page 156.

427. 1 and 2 Samuel, Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI, 2009, page 261.

428. 1st sam27.mp3, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum.

429. 1 and 2 Samuel, Expositor’s Bible Commentary, by Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2009, page 276.

430. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, Intervarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, page 165.

431. 1st sam29.mp3, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum

432. 1 and 2 Samuel, Expositor’s Bible Commentary, by Ronald Youngblood, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2009, page 276.

433. OT Commentary on First Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, David Cook Publisher, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, page 183.

434. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, page 159.

435. First and Second Samuel, by Walter Brueggemann, John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 1990, pages 194-195.

436. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P&R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pgs 479-480.

437. 1 and 2 Samuel, by Joyce Baldwin, TOTC, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988, pages 160-161.

438. First Samuel, by Richard Phillips, P&R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2012, pgs 482-483.

439. OT Commentary on First Samuel: Be Successful, by Warren Wiersbe, David Cook Publisher, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2001, pages 187-188.

440. First and Second Chronicles, by J. G. McConville, The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1984, page 17.

441. 1st sam31.mp3, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum.

442. Twelve Unlikely Heroes, by John MacArthur, Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee, 2012, pages 107-108.

Sha’ul Takes His Own Life
First Samuel 31:1-13 and First Chronicles 10:1-14

Sha’ul takes his own life DIG: Why does Sha’ul ask his armor-bearer to kill him? Why did the armor-bearer refuse Sha’ul’s request (see Second Samuel 1:14)? When then did each take his own life? Why do the Philistines cut off Sha’ul’s head (see 17:51)? Why do the Philistines put Sha’ul’s armor in their temple (see 5:2 and 21:9)? Why do the people of Jabesh Gilead risk harm to retrieve the bodies of Sha’ul and his sons (see Chapter 11)? Is Sha’ul in heaven or hell (to see link click Dq – Sha’ul and the Medium at Endor)? Why?

REFLECT: As part of their witness as believers the Puritans stressed the importance of “dying well.” What relation between “living well” and “dying well” is typified by Sha’ul’s life? By Jonathan’s life? Do you think suicide is an unpardonable sin (see my commentary on The Life of Christ Em – Whoever Blasphemes Against the Holy Spirit Will Never Be Forgiven)? Was Sha’ul numbered with the righteous of the TaNaKh? Why? Why not? Jonathan took to heart the words of the LORD; Sha’ul took to heart his own sword. What will you take to heart from this first book of Samuel? What will be your legacy be?

Sha’ul’s career began with promise, but ended in tragedy;
it began with victory, but ended in defeat;
it began with hope but ended with despair.

The Philistine threat hung like a dark cloud over Isra’el throughout First Samuel almost from the beginning (4:1-11), and the end had not come until now. The Philistines attacked the Israelites on Mount Gilboa, which lay at the head of the great east-west Valley of Esdraelon, below Galilee. Its loss by Isra’el enabled the Philistines to penetrate to the Jordan and even beyond.

The death of Sha’ul and his three sons: Now the Philistines fought against Isra’el, as they had done at the beginning of Sha’ul’s reign (13:5). Sha’ul’s divine commission had been to save Isra’el from their hand (9:16), but ironically he died at their hand, and thus a reflection of his failure. The Israelites were no match for the Philistine army with its large divisions and its many chariots. The Philistines preferred to fight on level ground because they depended on their chariots, while Isra’el tried to lure them into the hill country around Mount Gilboa. Isra’el was outnumbered and outclassed. But even if they had boasted superior forces, Philistines still would have been defeated. However Sha’ul’s hour of judgment had come. Without Samuel’s prayers and David’s anointed leadership, the army of Isra’el was destined to defeat.⁴³⁹ The Israelites fled before the Philistines, and as all too often under Sha’ul’s erratic leadership, many fell dead on Mount Gilboa (2 Samuel 31:1; First Chronicles 10:1). This was in stark contrast to David’s killing of Goliath that galvanized the Israelite army with the result that the Philistines dead were strewn along the roadside (17:52).

Samuel’s prophecy was about to be fulfilled. The Philistines were in hot pursuit of Sha’ul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malki-Shua. Sha’ul’s youngest son Ish-Bosheth, probably wasn’t present on the battlefield. Once his sons were killed, the Philistines concentrated their efforts to kill the king of Isra’el and the fighting grew fierce around Sha’ul. With Sha’ul helpless and virtually alone, the Philistines moved in for the kill. And when the archers overtook him, and in shooting range, they wounded him critically. At that point, he was afraid of being tortured before he died. Therefore, Sha’ul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through, or these uncircumcised fellows will come and run me through and make a mockery of me while I am still living.” But his armor-bearer was terrified to lay his hand upon the king, and would not do it. Since Sha’ul was determined to die on his own terms, he had no alternative but to take his own sword and fall on it. When the armor-bearer saw that Sha’ul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died with him. Therefore, Sha’ul and his three sons and his armor-bearer and his royal bodyguard died together that same day (First Samuel 31:2-6; First Chronicles 10:2-6).

The defeat of Isra’el: When the Israelites along the north side of the valley of Jezreel and those across the Jordan saw that the Israelite army had fled and that Sha’ul and his sons had died, they abandoned their towns and fled. The fact that the Philistines were focusing their efforts to kill Sha’ul and his three sons allowed many of the Israelite soldiers to escape. And the Philistines came and engaged them (Second Samuel 31:7; First Chronicles 10:7). The rest of the Israelites managed to escape as a result of the Philistines’ concentration on the pursuit of Sha’ul.

The desecration of the bodies: The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Sha’ul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. As David had earlier cut off the head of Goliath, they now cut off the head of Isra’el’s king (don’t think for a minute they had forgotten about that national humiliation). They cut off his head and stripped off his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temple of their idols and among their people. They put his armor in the temple of their god of sex and war, the Ashtoreth, and fastened his mutilated body and his severed head (Sha’ul’s suicide did not in fact prevent his body from being abused) to the wall of Beth Shan in the Temple of Dagon as a public warning to others (Second Samuel 5:2-5; Second Samuel 31:8-10 and First Chronicles 10:8-10).

The rescue of the bodies: When the people of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Sha’ul, all their valiant men marched fifteen miles through the night to Beth Shan (a major city between Gilboa and the Jordan) and went to Jabesh. Sha’ul had previously rescued them from the Ammonites (11:1-11). Even though more than thirty years had passed they still remembered the good deed that he had done. That rescue preceded this rescue and they took down the bodies of Sha’ul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan and took them back to Jabesh where they burned them. They took their bones and buried them under a great tamarisk tree at Jabesh. Cremation is not a Jewish practice, normally only reserved for criminals (Joshua 7:25). Jews do not normally embalm dead bodies and the deceased are usually buried within twenty-four hours of death. So they probably burned their bodies to prevent the spread of disease since it had been possibly weeks until they heard of Sha’ul’s and Jonathan’s death, retrieved the bodies, and brought them back to Jabesh Gilead. And then they fasted for seven days (2 Samuel 31:11-13; First Chronicles 10:11-12).

The two books of Samuel were originally one, and the division of the two was a matter of scribal convenience rather than literary skill. But the death of Sha’ul the first king of Isra’el forms a fitting conclusion to the first book, as the history of David’s reign is an appropriate opening to the second.

Sha’ul’s legacy: Sha’ul died because he was unfaithful to ADONAI. The accusation of faithlessness is especially severe. The Hebrew word used is ma’al, which is normally reserved for serious sin against God, often associated with idolatry and carrying with it the death sentence. It is the seriousness, rather than the particular kind of sin, that the word implies.⁴⁴⁰ He did not keep the word of the LORD and even consulted with a medium for guidance, nor did he inquire of YHVH but did what was best in his own eyes (Judges 21:25). So Ha’Shem put him to death and turned the Kingdom over to David son of Jesse (First Chronicles 10:13-14). His career began with promise, but ended in tragedy; it began with victory, but ended in defeat; it began with hope but ended with despair.⁴⁴¹

Jonathan’s legacy: As John MacArthur relates in his book, Twelve Unlikely Heroes, Jonathan functioned both as a foil to his father and a friend to his father’s successor. When Sha’ul should have been initiating the attack on the Philistines, it was Jonathan who led the charge. When Sha’ul was doubtful and disobedient, Jonathan displayed faith and courage. His levelheaded response to his father’s violent mood swings and irrational behavior set him apart as a striking contrast to the reckless king.

Early in Sha’ul’s reign, Jonathan learned that his father’s kingdom would never belong to him. A typical response to that kind of disappointment would include anger and resentment. But Jonathan’s response was far from typical. Rather than fighting against his future, the prince embraced it – to the extent that he became a loyal friend to the man who would one day be king instead of him. While his father tried to destroy David, Jonathan bravely protected David and defended his reputation – demonstrating heroic loyalty to him at every turn. Though Sha’ul’s legacy is one of disobedience, distrust, and disappointment; the legacy of Jonathan is completely the opposite. Here was a man who had every reason in the world to be threatened by David, just like his father was. Yet he let his crown go with no remorse and lived for the well-being of the one who would take his place, as YHVH had determined.

Jonathan’s first recorded words revealed his absolute faith in ADONAI’s will and power, when he told his armor-bearer: Come, let’s go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side . . . perhaps the LORD will act on our behalf. Nothing can hinder YHVH from saving, whether by many or a few (14:1 and 6). His last recorded words, spoken to David, highlight his confidence in ADONAI’s perfect plan for his future and for Isra’el. “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. Even my father knows this” (23:17).

Unlike his selfish father, this noble prince was eager to obey YHVH. So out of the tragic account of Sha’ul comes the legacy of Jonathan’s heroic selflessness and unwavering friendship. Yeshua said: Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends (John 15:13). Without question, Jonathan would have sacrificed his life in death to protect his friend. This is the ultimate sacrifice. Jonathan chose this sacrifice of gladly giving up all personal honor, power and position for a friend who takes those things because it is the Lord’s will to do so.⁴⁴²

Dear heavenly Father, what an awesome, loving and wise Father You are! There is much to learn from Sha’ul’s fall from grace. You are full of steadfast love, and have given us the freedom to choose our actions. But we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions. Even though we may try to minimize or even justify a sinful decision, just like Sha’ul, we will eventually have to face the consequences. May You heavenly Father give us the foresight to carefully weigh the outcome of our choices. Your graciously offer the wonderful gift of salvation to all who come to You in love. Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28)  But whoever did receive Him, those trusting in His name, to these He gave the right to become children of God (John 1:12).

But that does not make anyone immune to the consequences of their choices, for Your gracious offer must be received with a heart of love (John 14:23) that trusts and obeys You as their Lord and Savior. For if you confess with your mouth that Yeshua is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart it is believed for righteousness, and with the mouth it is confessed for salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever trusts in Him will not be put to shame.” (Romans 10:9-11)

Do not be deceived – God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows, that he also shall reap.  For the one who sows in the flesh will reap corruption from the flesh. But the one who sows in the Ruach will reap from the Ruach eternal life (Gal 6:7-8). Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.  Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in Your name, and drive out demons in Your name, and perform many miracles in Your name?’  Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Get away from Me, you workers of lawlessness (Mt 7:21-23)! Thank You for Your wonderful gift of salvation. I choose to love and to follow You – no matter what pain or earthly trials that brings me; for someday I will then go to be with You in Your eternal home in heaven. In Messiah’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Sha’ul and the Medium at Endor
First Samuel 28: 3-25

Sha’ul and the medium at Endor DIG: How did YHVH communicate His will at this time in Isra’el’s history? But how did Sha’ul do it? Why did Sha’ul expel spiritists and mediums from Isra’el (see Leviticus 19:31, 20:6; Deuteronomy 18:10-13)? Why then did he consult one anyway? And why in secret? Why did the woman fear she might die? Considering Sha’ul’s assurance in verse 10, who fears the living God more – the Israelite king or the pagan witch? Why is she terrified when she saw Samuel? Why had YHVH stopped responding to Sha’ul when he called? How had Sha’ul responded to ADONAI’s calls in the past? How is Sha’ul like and unlike Yeshua? Explain. How do you think Sha’ul enjoyed his last meal? Was Sha’ul numbered with the righteous of the TaNaKh? Why? Why not?

REFLECT: Sha’ul was prone to say one thing (expel the spiritists and mediums) and do quite another (consult them). What area(s) of your life are like that? Where do your actions speak louder than your words? What “great distress” in your life has you seeking God’s will in earnest? Where are you looking for answers? Whom are you consulting? Do you temporarily “repent” during hard times, only to “harden your heart” when things get better? In light of your present relationship with God, what are your feelings about death and dying? Are you a “Sha’ul” or a “David?” Do you know with certainty where you are going to spend eternity? What is the basis for your certainly?

The witch asked, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” And Sha’ul answered, “Bring up Samuel!”

When this episode begins, the battle lines are already drawn, but Sha’ul had no heart for battle. He urgently needed someone to talk to for advice and encouragement, but found himself totally isolated, desperate, and in need of counsel. Of all the “night scenes” in the Bible – and there are many of them – this one is perhaps the strangest and most dramatic. A dead man returned to announce the doom of a despairing king who couldn’t find any way to escape. Samuel and Sha’ul would meet for the last time, and it wasn’t a happy meeting.⁴³³

The Silence of God: In 28:3-6 we learn that Samuel had died, and all Isra’el had mourned for him and buried him in his own town of Ramah. This is a summary of 25:1. But the point the author makes in this context is that Sha’ul could not go to Samuel for advice as he was able to do in the past. Although Sha’ul had expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land (Leviticus 20:27; Deuteronomy 18:9-14), he had sunk down to that which he had banned. The fact that he regretted his decision indicates how far he had departed from his earlier commitment. At this time, he had the worst of both worlds.

The Philistines assembled and came and set up camp at Shunem a few miles north of the valley of Jezreel at the mountain of Gilboa and had penetrated into the largest valley in northern Isra’el, while Sha’ul gathered all Isra’el and set up camp at Gilboa (28:4). Sha’ul had moved his army from the plane of Jezreel, where he would have been at a disadvantage because of the superiority of the Philistine chariots, to the mountain of Gilboa. When Sha’ul saw how much larger the Philistine army was than he thought it would be, he was afraid and terror filled his heart. He inquired of ADONAI, but YHVH did not answer him by: the usual method of dreams (see Genesis Hd – Jacob Saw a Stairway with the Angels of God Ascending and Descending), or by the Urim and Thummim (Abiathar had taken the Ephod with him and was with David), or prophets (see the commentary on Jeremiah Eo – The Days are Coming, declares the LORD, When I Will Make a New Covenant with the People of Yisra’el). No matter what Sha’ul tried, he received no answer from God.

The Medium of Endor: Therefore, Sha’ul said to his attendants, “Find me a woman who is a medium who consults the dead to determine the future,” so I may go and inquire of her.” These mediums were possessed by demons, which impersonated the dead. So Sha’ul was in a very desperate condition. This was a direct violation of the Torah spelled out in (Leviticus 19:31 and 20:6). “There is one at Endor,” they said. It is very interesting that Sha’ul’s servants knew about her despite of its unlawfulness (28:7). Fearful of Philistine strength, Sha’ul wanted to know how to proceed, and thus was willing to go to any lengths to find out what to do.

So Sha’ul disguised himself putting on common clothing instead of royal clothing, and at night he and two men traveled about ten miles and went to the witch. This was a very dangerous journey for the king because to get to Endor from Gibeah he would have to pass over the shoulder of a hill on which the Philistines were encamped. The darkness of the night matched the darkness of Sha’ul’s soul. “Consult a spirit for me,” he said, “and bring me up from Sh’ol the one I name” (28:8). Like a noose around his neck, this was a desperate attempt to escape the fate that was closing in all around him.

But the woman said, her words dripping with irony: Surely you know what Sha’ul has done. He has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why have you set a trap for my life to bring about my death? She neither admitted nor denied what she was. She wanted to make sure that this wasn’t a trap. But Sha’ul swore to her by ADONAI, “As ADONAI lives, you will not be punished for doing this” (28:9-10 CJB). The rabbis teach that Sha’ul was like a woman who swears by her husband’s life when in bed with her lover. In a practice forbidden by ADONAI, he swears by ADONAI’s name.

Then the woman asked: Whom shall I bring up for you? And Sha’ul answered: Bring up Samuel. Despite the finality of Sha’ul’s last confrontation with Samuel (15:10-35), Sha’ul still longed for the word of ADONAI that he had received through the prophet who first anointed him and proclaimed him king. He must have hoped that Samuel would somehow reverse the judgment that he had pronounced, much in the same way that some people today refuse to take seriously the consequences of sin in their lives.⁴³⁴

She left the room and drawing on the demonic powers of necromancy (Deuteronomy 18:10-11), she called up the apparition of Samuel. Even the rabbis do not speculate as to her technique in conjuring up Samuel, but simply say, “She did what she did, and she said what she said, and raised him. When the woman saw Samuel, she recognized something was different. Normally, she would bring up a demon that would impersonate the dead. But in this case, it seems to follow the view held by the rabbis that the text records a genuine appearance of Samuel that YHVH Himself brought about. When the real Samuel came up and she cried out at the top of her voice. It was cry of shock and a cry of fear because this didn’t normally happen. It shows that she herself had nothing to do with Samuel coming up. YHVH took over and allowed Samuel to come up from Sh’ol. She said to Sha’ul, “Why have you deceived me? She immediately realized that it was the work of God and not herself and that her disguised night visitor was none other than King Sha’ul. She declared indignantly: You yourself are Sha’ul” (28:11-12)!

When the king heard her cry out, he called to her, saying: Don’t be afraid – you will not be executed. What do you see?” What this tells us is that Sha’ul was in another room. The woman had the capacity to see the unseen world. Hers was a demonic power, but a power nonetheless. She said: I see a god-like being coming up out of the earth. He asked her, “What does he look like?” She said: An old man wearing a robe is coming up. Before glorification, Samuel appeared the age in which he died. He was in death exactly as Sha’ul knew him in life: unaccommodating and unwilling to cosign Sha’ul’s sin. Then Sha’ul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground as if before the LORD (28:13-14 CJB).

The Message of Samuel: Samuel’s shalom in sh’ol was disturbed, and he didn’t like it at all. He said to Sha’ul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Sha’ul laid the full weight of his abandonment and despair before Samuel, “I am in great distress. The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has departed me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams.” Sha’ul justifies his action by saying he needed God and had no alternatives. “So I have called on you to tell me what to do” (28:15).

Samuel said: Why do you ask me this, you have answered your own question. Now that the LORD has departed from you, He has become your enemy! Samuel explained, in an impatient, serious tone, that ADONAI and he are allied and nothing can come between them; if God had departed, Sha’ul may be sure that Samuel had also departed. If the LORD had no answer, there was no reason to believe that Samuel had any answer. No wedge could be driven between them. Then Samuel painstakingly reviewed the record: YHVH has done what He predicted through me (15:28). The record had not changed, and the verdict had not softened. ADONAI has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors . . . to David (28:16-17). This is no surprise to us, and it surely is no surprise to Sha’ul. The entire story has been building the case for the utterance of his name.

28:18-19 is structured like a lawsuit that asserts the verdict and sentence against Sha’ul. The cause is Sha’ul’s disobedience. Because you did not obey the LORD or carry out His demand to utterly destroy the Amalekites (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Ag – The Problem of Holy War in the TaNaKh), ADONAI has done this to you today. He had no one to blame but himself. The verdict was that because he did not utterly destroy the Amalekites, God would utterly destroy him (15:18-19). Then the sentence against Sha’ul is pronounced: YHVH will deliver both Isra’el and you into the hands of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your three sons will die (see Dk – Sha’ul Takes His Own Life). Samuel’s speech is final and absolute. There will be no appeal, no protest, no argument, and no alternative. The narrator does not mention Samuel’s departure. It doesn’t matter. It is the Voice that counts, and that Voice only speaks of death and doom for Sha’ul. Since Chapter 15, Sha’ul’s career has been carried out under the omen of this irrevocable decision.⁴³⁵

But the question remains, was Sha’ul saved? Which side of sh’ol did he end up in for eternity (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Hx – The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus)? When Jewish believers talk about the righteous of the TaNaKh, the emphasis is on the righteous. Not perfect, but having a loving, obedient heart that desires to please the LORD. But Sha’ul, possessed by an evil spirit and having a murderous heart, selfishly worked against the known purposes of God. We see no repentance from Sha’ul after this encounter with Samuel. He only felt sorry for himself. Like the rich man in the parable above, he was spiritually dead. Though Sha’ul’s selfishness was awful, God would have forgiven him if there had been a softening of the heart that led to repentance. Peter denied Messiah three times, yet he was forgiven due to a repentant heart. David also sinned; but David’s heart was so grieved by his sin and totally repentant before God that he also was forgiven. When there is true repentance, God always forgives. There is no sin too big that God can’t forgive. All sins are forgivable – when the heart is truly grieved over the sin and turns away from sin to lovingly follow God.

When people abandon YHVH, their only desire is that ADONAI leave them alone to their own devices. But when the LORD abandons people, He assigns to them the judgment of death, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Sinful mankind has violated the law of YHVH and rebelled against His sovereign rule, the only possible result is that foretold by Yeshua in the parable of the Ten Minas: The king said, “But those enemies of mine who rebelled and did not want me to be king over them – bring them here and kill them in front of me” (Luke 19:27).

If we think this is a dreadful picture of God’s justice and wrath, let us not forget His spurned offer of grace and the sacrificial blood of His own Son. If you have heard but refused the Gospel offer of forgiveness through the blood of Messiah, your judgment will be not only for rebellion against His divine authority, but also for contempt of His saving grace. The application from Sha’ul’s plight is both urgent and unwavering: Seek the LORD while He may be found and call on Him while He is near. Now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts, let them turn to the LORD, and He will have mercy on them, and to our God, for He will freely pardon (Isaiah 55:6-7; Second Corinthians 6:2b).⁴³⁶

Do you have peace with God? If so, that’s great. If not, would you like to accept Messiah right now? If so, there is a prayer I would like you to repeat. But before you do I want you to remember that saying a prayer does not save you, trusting in Messiah does. Say these words: God, I admit that I have sinned. I believe Yeshua Messiah died for my sins, and I want to trust Him to save me right now. If you were to die right now, where would you go? That’s right, heaven. Why should God let you into His heaven? That’s right, because Yeshua died to pay for your sins (see The Life of Christ Fr – Jesus the Bread of Life: see imputation).

Yeshua’s last words from the cross were: It is finished (John 19:30). That is the translation in Aramaic because that was the common language of His day. But the original Greek text in the B’rit Chadashah reads, tetelestai, which means paid in full. This word is actually an accounting term. After the destruction of Herod’s Temple in AD 70, many Jews found their way to Alexandria, Egypt. There they had one of the greatest libraries of the ancient world by the second century. But by then, the international language was Greek. And while the Jews spoke Aramaic, they wrote in Greek, not Hebrew. Archaeologists have discovered an underground storage area there with thousands of clay accounting tablets. Across each one was written tetelestai. It is important for you to understand that your sins have been paid in full by the blood of the Messiah on the cross. All of your sin, past, present, and future. And as a result, you now possess living water (John 4:4-14, 7:37-39; Revelation 7:17), or eternal life (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30).

Sha’ul’s Last Supper: Samuel ended his message by saying that the LORD would also give the army of Isra’el into the hands of the Philistines. Thus, Sha’ul, who had not seen the divine vision, but had heard only to plainly the prophet’s words, was as good as dead already. The fatal truth overwhelmed him and he immediately fell full length on the ground, filled with fear because of Samuel’s words. His strength was gone, for he had eaten nothing all that day and all that night (28:20). Most people in fear for their lives lose their appetite rather quickly.

When the woman came to Sha’ul from another room (it seems likely that she had an inner sanctum where she practiced her secret rites) and saw that he was greatly shaken. She said: Look, your servant has obeyed you. I took my life in my hands and did what you told me to do. Now please listen to your servant and let me give you some food so you may eat and have the strength to go on your way. She was thinking in human terms of some way to boost the morale of the king. Though she couldn’t save him from his fate, she could give him temporary help and comfort to strengthen his fainting spirits. But she was astute enough to realize that Sha’ul was in no mood to eat. So she reasoned that since she had risked her life for him, he should be willing to do something for her.⁴³⁷

Initially, he refused and said: I will not eat. Without a doubt, he was not hungry. But his men joined the woman in urging him, and finally he listened to them. He got up from the ground and sat on the couch. The woman had a fattened calf at the house, which she butchered at once. She took some flour, kneaded it and baked bread without yeast. Then she set it before Sha’ul and his men, and they ate. That same night Sha’ul arose and dejectedly walked off into the darkness (28:21-25).

As Richard Phillips comments on his commentary on 1 Samuel, reflecting on Sha’ul, we should remember another Last Supper (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Kd – The Last Passover in the Upper Room) when Yeshua Messiah gathered with His apostles on the night He was betrayed. Sha’ul brings to mind one of the apostles, who for all his privileges as one close to the Savior had nonetheless rejected Yeshua in his heart. John says of Judas Iscariot that after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night (John 13:30). John was not merely noting the time, but also the state of Judas’ soul and the destiny to which he was turning to unbelief. Like Sha’ul, Judas had a heart of darkness. Messiah’s words about Judas are true of all those who turn from His light to the darkness of sin and self-rule: It would have been better for that man if he had not been born (Matthew 26:24).

After the Last Supper, our Savior Himself would head into darkness. Like Sha’ul, Yeshua bore the curse of a prophesied death upon His head. The only completely righteous man, the One who had perfectly obeyed the will of YHVH every moment of His life, the Son of David who was far more unlike Sha’ul than even David, would be nailed to the cross to die for sin. As Mark records: When the sixth hour came, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Yeshua cried with a loud voice . . . My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me (see my commentary on The Life of Christ Lv – Jesus’ Second Three Hours on the Cross: The Wrath of God)? As God’s Son prepared to die in the sin-cursed darkness, the words spoken by Sha’ul to Samuel could equally be said of Yeshua, “God has turned away from me and answers no more” (First Samuel 28:15).

Yet how great, how infinitely great, was the difference between Sha’ul in the darkness of his own sin and Messiah in the darkness of the sins He did not commit. Sha’ul with his hardened heart and in his rebellion against YHVH had entered a darkness that would last forever in sh’ol. But the Savior, Yeshua Messiah, in obedience to the saving will of the Father, became sin on our behalf (Second Corinthians 5:21) so that He might take its curse away forever from the people who belong to Him by faith. Yeshua entered the darkness of the cross that we might enter life and light of His resurrection glory. On the third day He rose in the light of the open tomb, and all those who place their sins on His cross may know the joy of eternal life in His grace. The Bible teaches that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present or the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Messiah Yeshua our Lord (Romans 8:38-39).⁴³⁸

Dear heavenly Father, praise You for Your gracious offer of the gift of salvation. For if by the one man’s transgression, death reigned through the one, how much more shall those who receive the overflow of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the One, Messiah Yeshua (Romans 5:17). Your gift cost You a huge amount of pain and shame (Hebrews 12:2), yet some people think they can live for themselves and still have the gift; but a gift must be received in order for the gift to belong to someone. The gift is received when someone receives you as their Lord and Savior (Romans 10:9-11) which makes them Your child. But whoever did receive Him, those trusting in His name, to these He gave the right to become children of God (John 1:12).

How gracious You are to not only offer salvationbut to also promise those who hear the Gospel message and then trust in Messiah Yeshua, to receive an inheritance, the promised Ruach Ha’Kodesh. After you heard the message of truth – the Good News of your salvation – and when you put your trust in Him, you were sealed with the promised Ruach Ha’Kodesh. He is the guarantee of our inheritance, until the redemption of His possession – to His glorious praise! As David delighted in praising You, even in the midst of his hard trials, so I also love to praise and to worship You! I will praise You, my Lord, among the peoples. I will sing praises to You among the nations. For Your lovingkindness is great up to the heavens, and Your truth to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let Your glory be over all the earth (Psalms 57:9-10)! In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

The Timeline for David’s Return to Ziklag, and Hearing About Sha’ul’s Death

Day Six: On the third day an Amalekite arrived from Sha’ul’s camp and told David of Sha’ul’s death (see the commentary on the Life of David Bx – David Hears of Sha’ul’s Death), where David wrote a lament.

Day Five: David and his men stayed in Ziklag a second day and continue to mourn.

Day Four: David and his men wept and mourned in Ziklag.

Day Three: David reaches Ziklag and discovers the Amalekites had taken the Israelite women and children captive (see the Life of David Bz – David Inquired of the LORD).

Day Two: David and his 600 men travel to Ziklag.

Day One: Achish sent David back to Ziklag (see Dh – Achish Sends David Back to Ziklag), saving him from having to attack the Philistines and guaranteeing Sha’ul death.

Day One: The Philistine army headed for Shunem to set up their war camp.

Day Two: The Philistine army reached Shunem and set up their war camp. Sha’ul saw their vast army and was terrified. He inquired of ADONAI, but YHVH refused to answer him; therefore, that night he went to see a witch to call Samuel up from the dead and tell him what to do (see Dj – Sha’ul and the Medium at Endor).

Day Three: The Philistine army attacked the Israelites on Mount Gilboa. Sha’ul was critically wounded by arrows and was afraid of being tortured by the Philistines so he fell on his own sword rather than being captured. Jonathan, and two other sons of Sha’ul were also killed in the battle (see Dk – Sha’ul Takes His Own Life).

Day Four: While stripping the bodies of the slain Israelites, the Philistines discover the body of Sha’ul. An Amalekite took Sha’ul’s crown and set out to tell David of his death.

Day Five: The Amalekite traveled a second day to Ziklag.

Day Six: On the third day, the Amalekite reached Ziklag and told a lie about how he assisted Sha’ul in his death, but because he supposedly lifted his hand against the LORD’s anointed, David had him executed (see the Life of David Bx – David Hears of Sha’ul’s Death).

Achish Sends David Back to Ziklag
First Samuel 29: 1-11

Achish sends David back to Ziklag DIG: Why were five Philistine kings present? What reservations did the Philistine generals have about David fighting on their side? What did King Achish think? Why? Do you think David would have fought against Isra’el? Or was he bluffing? Why?

REFLECT: In your life right now, where are you “between a rock and a hard place,” caught in the middle of a situation that you have no control over? In such dilemmas, how does your faith in God affect how you decide? Is the LORD obligated to step in and save us from results of our own sinful decisions? Do we reap what we sow? How would David reap what he had sown in the years to come?

The Philistine rulers didn’t trust David and his army to fight against their own people.

This was the battle in which Sha’ul and Jonathan would soon die (to see link click Dk – Sha’ul Takes His Own Life), and it was therefore providential that the hand of ADONAI kept David and his men from having to fight against their own people, the Israelites.

The Philistine Generals rejected David: The Philistines gathered all their forces at Aphek, and Isra’el camped by the spring of Jezreel. Here the Philistines were some thirty miles (or 48 kilometers) further north of Aphek, well on their way to the Valley of Jezreel, but still about forty miles (or 64 kilometers) or two days short of Shunem where they would set up camp. At that time, the Israelite army was already in Jezreel getting ready to take up their positions for battle on Mount Gilboa (28:4a). Therefore, the battle would take place in three days.

As the Philistine generals marched with their units of hundreds and thousands, David and his men were marching at the rear with Achish. As the troops were reviewed, all five of the Philistine rulers were present representing the cities of Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron and Gath. Their personal involvement demonstrated their perception that this battle was crucial.⁴²⁹ Therefore, it was a sizable army. David and his men happened to be a part of the army of Gath. And as they passed before the reviewing stand, the Philistine rulers were obviously uneasy at the presence of David the Israelite and his six hundred men, so they asked: What about these Hebrews (29:1-3a)? The other four Philistine ruers were irate that Achish could possibly be so naïve as to think it safe to include David in the order of battle for their invasion of Isra’el.

If the Philistine rulers were hostile to David’s presence, Achish could not say enough in David’s defense: Is this not David, who was an officer of Sha’ul king of Isra’el? He has already been with me for over a year, and from the day he left Sha’ul until now, I have found no fault in him. This shows how well David was able to mask his own activities. But the Philistine rulers were angry and said: Send the man back, that he may return to the place you assigned him. He must not go with us into battle, or he will turn against us during the fighting (exactly what David was thinking). How better could he regain his master’s favor than by taking the heads of our own men?” pointing to the Philistine troops marching by in full display. The other four Philistine rulers had accurately perceived David’s true intent, namely, to turn on them in the heat of battle so as to strike a decisive blow for Isra’el.

But ADONAI had other plans. There would be no rescue of Sha’ul because YHVH would bring up Samuel in two days to declare to the Israelite king that he would indeed die in the upcoming battle (see Dj – Sha’ul and the Medium at Endor). David had no way of knowing that and, in his predicament, saw no other alternative than to strike the Philistines in the heat of battle. But like I said, God had other plans.

The Philistine rulers concluded their critique by reminding Achish of the song sung by the women of Isra’el in honor of David. Isn’t this the same David they sang about in their dances, “Sha’ul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands? (29:3b-5)? That Jewish saying had become famous, even among the Philistines and they took the song as a sign of solidarity between David and Sha’ul. The Philistine rulers suspected that David had aspirations for the throne of Isra’el. David, they argued, could become acceptable to Sha’ul and Isra’el only by putting Philistines to death, so they demanded that he should be sent back to Ziklag.⁴³⁰

David Was Sent Back to Ziklag: So Achish, not willing to buck his peers, called David and to impress him with his own sincerity, he used the name of David’s God and not his own. The Philistine ruler said to him, “As surely as the LORD lives, you have been reliable, and I would be pleased to have you serve with me in the army. From the day you came to me until today, I have found no fault in you, but the other four rulers are unconvinced and don’t approve of you. Now turn back and go in peace; do nothing to displease the Philistine military rulers (29:6-7).

“But what have I done,” asked David? “What have you found against your servant from the day I came to you until now? Why can’t I go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?” David pretended to be outraged – but this saved him from his deadly dilemma. For the third time Achish vindicated David’s honor and dependability, saying: I know that you have been as pleasing in my eyes as an angel of God. The threefold formula of Pontius Pilate’s acquittal of Yeshua sounds like a strange echo of the words of Achish. Pilate declared of Messiah, “I find no fault in this man in anything of which you are accusing him” (Luke 23:14 Aramaic Bible in Plain English). Having examined Yeshua, Pilate rendered his verdict: I find no guilt in Him (John 18:38 NASB). And then, for the third time Pilate spoke to the crowd, “What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty” (Luke 23:22).

Nevertheless, the Philistine rulers said, “He must not go up with us into battle.” Now get up early, along with [the Israelites] who have come with you, and leave in the morning as soon as it is light. So David and his men got up early in the morning to go back to the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel (29:8-11). On the one hand, YHVH saved David from his dilemma; but on the other hand, God didn’t want David to turn on the Philistines and save Sha’ul because ADONAI had already decreed that the king would die in three days.⁴³¹ Thus, David, doubtless relieved, avoided fighting against his own countrymen . . . and did so with the blessing of the Philistines. It was very ironic that the very same Philistines who would finally dispose of Sha’ul were the ones who unwittingly rescued David.⁴³²

Dear heavenly Father, praise You that are You an awesome God of love and holiness, and You are also wise in your planning and care for me. You delight in blessing those who love You. Even when You have to discipline, You are never too harsh, but You discipline with the goal of producing the fruit of righteousness. My son, do not take lightly the discipline of Adonai or lose heart when you are corrected by Him, because ADONAI disciplines the one He loves and punishes every son He accepts (Hebrews 12:5 and 11). You are able to bring good, even out of hard trials. Now we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). God does not promise to make a bad thing good, or that everything would turn out exactly as we would like, nor has He assured us that He will keep bad things from happening to us. Much of what happens in our world is evil and bad, but YHVH specializes in bringing good out of it.

Sometimes when I call on You for help, You do not choose to solve the problem right away; but allow it to go on for a while, as David spent many months and years fleeing from Sha’ul. You see all that happens, so it’s not that You don’t know all about the problem; but in Your wisdom You know the perfect moment to step in with the right solution. It is often hard to wait for Your timing, but when I look up to You and praise You in the midst of the trial – then I can rest in Your peace. But they who wait for ADONAI will renew their strength. They will soar up with wings as eagles. They will run, and not grow weary. They will walk, and not be faint (Isaiah 40:31). To Him who sits at Your right Hand. Amen

David Among the Philistines
First Samuel 27:1 to 28:2 and First Chronicles 12:1-22

David among the Philistines DIG: Given King Achish’s last encounter with David, how do you think he felt about David’s arrival and settlement in Gath? Why does David desire to move to Philistia? What was David’s motive for totally annihilating those whom he raided? Was David justified in raiding the outlying towns (1 Samuel 15:2-3)? In what ways did David deceive Achish (1 Samuel 28:1-2)? What was the result?

REFLECT: David escapes Sha’ul only to land in Achish’s lap. When has an escape play of yours turned into a similar “out-of-the-pan-into-the-fire” experience? What good, if any, came of the fiery situation? What are you getting away with right now (at home, work, school or social setting) that you fear someone might blow the whistle on? What long-standing agreement with the Lord remains unfulfilled in your life?

Even though Sha’ul had promised not to harm him, David still did not trust the king.

In reality, the story of the rise of David continues beyond Sha’ul’s death in Chapter 31 and through the accounts of David’s elimination of other rivals to his divinely granted rule over Isra’el in Second Samuel Chapters 1 through 5. At the same time, however, there is a distinct literary break (to see link click Dj – Sha’ul and the Medium at Endor), which begins the narrative that describes Sha’ul’s final hours. So the scene depicting David’s escape to the land of the Philistines is a convenient point to highlight David’s rise and Sha’ul’s decline.⁴²⁵

It was with a measure of desperation that David felt that he was prepared to consider approaching the very enemies he had successfully fought on Isra’el’s behalf, and offer them his services. Not that he had any intention of turning traitor to his beloved Y’hudah, but he would have to appear to do so in order to reassure his Philistine allies. This was not David’s first attempt to enlist Philistine protection (see the commentary on the Life of David Aw – David at Gath), but that effort would not have helped him on this second attempt. This time the situation was very different.⁴²⁶

God’s name is not mentioned either in Chapters 27:1 to 28:2, or in Chapter 31. This suggests that Sha’ul had entered his final battle against the Philistines without YHVH’s assistance (ominously in 28:6), and that David did not consult ADONAI (maybe believing that he could not do so because he was no longer in Isra’el, his homeland, see the comments on 26:19-20a) when he decided to escape to Philistine territory.⁴²⁷

The Reason for the Fight: Even though Sha’ul had promised not to harm him (see Df – Sha’ul Promises Not to Harm David), David still did not trust the king. So he thought to himself, “One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Sha’ul.” He obviously didn’t believe that Sha’ul had repented. “The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines.” This sojourn to Gath would end his running from Sha’ul, and he would shortly become king over all Isra’el. Then Sha’ul will give up searching for me anywhere in Isra’el, and I will slip out of his hand (27:1). David was immortal until God’s purpose for him had been fulfilled. YHVH had already promised him that he would be king.

So David and six hundred men with him left and went over to Achish son of Maok king of Gath. David and his men settled in Gath with Achish. Each man had his family with him, and David had his two wives: Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, the widow of Nabal. When Sha’ul was told that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him (27:2a-4). This implied that it was David’s move to Gath that stopped Sha’ul dead in his tracts. It also showed that Sha’ul’s second change of heart was as temporary as his first change of heart.

Ziklag: After living with Achish at Gath probably for a month or two, David asked Achish, “If I have found favor in your eyes, let a place be assigned to me in one of your country towns, that I may live there. Why should your servant live in the royal city with you?” David wanted to be away from the watchful eye of the Philistines, and to avoid assimilation with the Philistines. He still saw himself as a loyal Israelite. So on that day Achish gave him Ziklag. Within the territory controlled by Gath, he goes to his final stopping place before moving back into the Land, which was Ziklag. Originally it was assigned to the tribe of Y’hudah (Joshua 15:31). But they did not occupy it and the Philistines retained it. Ziklag was in the southeast corner of Gath’s territory, and was far enough away from the heart of Philistine territory that it gave him an opportunity to carry out his own agenda without being discovered. And it has belonged to the kings of Judah ever since. This shows that the books of Samuel were written sometime after the division of the Kingdom.⁴²⁸ David lived in Philistine territory a year and four months (27:5-7). David was about 28-29 years old during that time and lived sufficiently long in Ziklag to build up relationships with Israelites living in the south (30:26-31).

These were the men who had been with David for the sixteen months that he lived in Philistine territory while he was banished from the presence of Sha’ul. They were among the warriors who helped him in battle; they were armed with bows and were able to shoot arrows or to sling stones right-handed or left-handed. They were from the tribe of Benjamin, which was Sha’ul’s tribe, and the defection of some of his men to David was a sure sign that the pendulum had swung against the faithless king. Even though they were Sha’ul’s fellow tribesmen, they recognized that YHVH had chosen faithful David. Ahiezer the Benjaminite chief and Joash the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; Jeziel and Pelet the sons of Azmaveth; Berakah, Jehu the Anathothite, and Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty warrior among the Trinity (see the Life of David Ej – David’s Mighty Warriors); Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah and Shephatiah the Haruphite; Elkanah, Ishiah, Azarel, Joezar and Jashobeam the Korahites; and Joelah and Zeadiah the sons of Jeroham from Gedor (First Samuel 27:2b; First Chronicles 12:1-7).

Some Gadites defected to David at his stronghold in the wilderness. They were brave warriors, ready for battle and able to handle the shield and spear. They were fierce as lions, and they were as swift as gazelles in the mountains. Fierce as lions and swift as gazelles means they were mighty and experienced warriors. Ezer was the chief, Obadiah the second in command, Eliab the third, Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth, Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh, Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth, Yirmeyah the tenth and Makbannai the eleventh. These Gadites were army commanders; the least was a match for a hundred, and the greatest a thousand. This description is not about their rank, but their reputation. It was they who crossed the Jordan in the first month when it was overflowing all its banks (which makes the Gadites’ achievement all the more noteworthy), and they put to flight everyone living in the valleys, to the east and to the west (First Chronicles 12:8-15).

Other Benjamites and some men from Judah also came to David in his stronghold. David went out to meet them and said: If you have come to me in peace to help me, I am ready for you to join me. But if you have come to betray me to my enemies when my hands are free from violence, may the God of our ancestors see it and judge you. For some reason David feared possible treachery. Perhaps he remembered his betrayal by Doeg the Edomite, resulting the subsequent slaughter of virtually the entire priestly community (see Cx – Sha’ul Kills the Priests of Nov). Then the Ruach Ha’Kodesh came upon (Hebrew: labesh meaning clothed Himself) Amasai, chief of the Thirty (see the Life of David Ej – David’s Mighty Warriors), and he said: We are yours, David! We are with you, son of Jesse! Success, success to you, and success to those who help you, for your God will help you. Amasai’s words, therefore, have the character of prophecy, rather than mere well wishing. So David received them and made them leaders of his raiding bands (First Chronicles 12:16-18).

Some of the tribe of Manasseh defected to David when he went with the Philistines to fight against Sha’ul. (He and his men did not help the Philistines because, after consultation, their rulers sent him away. They said: It will cost us our heads if he deserts to his master Sha’ul). When David went to Ziklag, these were the men of Manasseh who defected to him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu and Zillethai, leaders of units of thousands in Manasseh. They helped David against raiding bands, for all of them were brave warriors, and they were commanders in his army. Day after day men came to help David, until he had a great army, like the army of God (First Chronicles 12:19-22).

David’s Raids: Now being stationed in the southeast corner of Philistine territory, David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, probably a small tribe dwelling between Philistia and Egypt (Joshua 13:2); the Girzites, Canaanites occupying Gezer, a town to the northeast of Philistia, and the long-hated Amalekites, on the eastern frontier of Egypt. From ancient times these peoples had lived in the land extending to Shur, on the eastern frontier of Egypt, all the way to Egypt, but they were living within the borders of the Promised Land. Therefore, David was merely finishing some of the work left undone by Joshua and the Judges, because YHVH had commanded the total destruction of these people earlier (Ex 17:14; Joshua 13:13; 1 Samuel 15:2-3).

Whenever David attacked an area, he did not leave a man or woman alive, but took sheep and cattle, donkeys and camels, and clothes (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Ag – The Problem of Holy War in the TaNaKh). Then he returned to Achish regularly to share the spoil with the king of Gath. When Achish asked, “Where did you go raiding today?” While actually raiding Jewish enemies, David would say that he had raided various tribes in Judah. It was deceptive, but necessary to stay alive. David would say: Against the Negev of Judah, or against the Negev of Jerahmeel, or against the Negev of the Kenites. He did not leave a man or woman alive to be brought to Gath, for he thought, “They might inform on us and say: This is what David did. And such was his practice as long as he lived in Philistine territory” (27:9-11).

In fact David fought against their common enemies, nevertheless, Achish trusted David and therefore was deceived in his report. Achish said to himself (because of his false belief that David did his raiding in the Negev of Y’hudah), “He has become so utterly despised to his own people of Isra’el, that he will be my servant for life” (27:12). Another Philistine of Gath (Goliath) had likewise prematurely predicted much the same thing for David’s fellow Israelites (17:9). It didn’t work out too well for him either.

The Preparation for War: When David was living in Ziklag, making his various raids, the Philistines gathered their forces to fight against Isra’el. Achish commanded David, “You must understand that you and your men will accompany me in the army.” David and his men were to become part of the army of Gath against his own people, the Israelites. David’s answer was ambiguous: Then you will see for yourself what your servant can do. He was bluffing. He was buying time because he had no other choice. David had no intention of fighting against his Jewish brothers. At just the right moment, he and his men would switch sides and fight against the Philistines. Achish replied: Very well, I will make you the head of my royal bodyguard for life (28:1-2).

Dear heavenly Father, praise Your all-knowing wisdom and steadfast love! For Your lovingkindness is great up to the heavens, and Your truth to the skies (Psalm 57:10). David was a man after Your heart. ADONAI has sought for Himself a man after His own heart (First Samuel 13:14). I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do My will (Acts 13:22). David always trusted You in his trials and so can I, even when I don’t know why something is happening, for you know the why. All I have to do is to trust You and follow. How wonderful that You live within me. Yeshua answered and said to him: If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him (John 14:23).  You desire to greatly bless me, so Your love allows trials that will mold and shape me to be strong and glorify You. Just as a coach gives his team hard workouts to make them stronger, so You allow my trials to strengthen me in trusting You in a deeper way. Thank You for Your loving hand that molds me. In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Sha’ul Promises Not to Harm David
First Samuel 26: 13-25

Sha’ul promises not to harm David DIG: What was the penalty for Abner not protecting Sha’ul? Why didn’t David call Sha’ul “my father” as he had done before? What did David mean when he said that people had said to him, “Go, serve other gods?” What was David’s point when he compared himself to a flea and a partridge? Was Sha’ul sincere in his confession? Did it matter? In what way were Sha’ul’s words, God’s words concerning David? How do you think each man felt as they departed?

REFLECT: How can we tell the difference between true repentance and mere emotion? Why do we need to know this? In what area of your life do you need to be comforted with this reminder: The LORD rewards righteousness and faithfulness? Where is your faithfulness being tested? Describe one of your “desert experiences” from the past. Are you in one right now? What do you hope to learn from this one?

Nothing had changed, Sha’ul headed off to ultimate disgrace and death,
and David to ultimate glory and victory.

Throughout First Samuel, we have seen David contrasted to King Sha’ul. From the start, David was intended to be ADONAI’s replacement for the apostate leader (13:14). In this chapter, we see them together for the last time . . . Sha’ul declining into his depravity and David growing in God’s grace. On these respective courses, time has only served to widen the gap between them. Imagine how great the gulf is when advanced into eternity! The real difference, of course, was their respective relationship with the LORD, which set them on their different paths. Our standing with ADONAI is what matters to each of us. A relatively moral person who is a stranger to God’s grace is bound to move in a godless direction, if only in his or her own heart. However, a relatively immoral person who comes to faith in Christ, is bound to become more and more holy over time.⁴²⁰

David’s Message to Abner: Then David and his nephew crossed over to the other side and stood on top the hill opposite the hill of Hakilah some distance away (to see link click De – Do Not Lay a Hand on ADONAI’s Anointed). There was a wide space between them so David could not be easily caught. He called out to the army to waken them, and specifically called Abner, Sha’ul’s general (and thus by association to the king himself), by name, taunting him, “Aren’t you going to answer me, Abner?” After waking up, Abner replied: Who are you who calls to the king? Abner’s snooty response is only an invitation for David’s baiting speech. In a few words, David managed to honor Sha’ul, to take Abner seriously, and yet to ridicule him.

David said: You’re a man, aren’t you? And who is like you in Isra’el? Why didn’t you guard your lord the king? Someone came to destroy your lord the king. What you have done is not good. As surely as ADONAI lives, you and your men must die, because you did not guard your master, the LORD’s anointed. Look around you. Where are the king’s spear and water jug that were near his head (26:13-16)? The absence of the spear and water jug was evidence enough that someone had indeed been close enough to the king to have killed him. So Abner, whose responsibility it was to protect the king, was guilty. Abner could not know, of course, that his failure was due to the deep supernatural sleep sent by YHVH (26:12b CJB). ADONAI was with David, and Abner was sure to fail. Sha’ul’s general stood indicted, and was reduced to silence.⁴²¹

David’s Message to Sha’ul: David was careful not to humiliate Sha’ul in the presence of his men, although Sha’ul couldn’t easily escape the embarrassment of the situation. He recognized David’s voice because it was still too dark to recognize his face and figure and said: Is that your voice, David my son? But David didn’t call him “my father” as he had done before (24:11). He replied: Yes it is, my lord the king. And he added, “Why is my lord pursuing his servant? What have I done, and what wrong am I guilty of? Now let my lord the king listen to his servant’s words. Had David’s suffering come from the hand of God or the hands of men? If ADONAI has incited you against me, then may He accept an offering. If, however, people have done it, may they be cursed before the LORD! If David had broken the commandments of the Torah, then he was willing to bring a sacrifice and have his sins forgiven. But if Sha’ul was treating David like a criminal because of the lies his people had told him, then they would have to pay for their sins.

They had driven David from the Land, the very inheritance that YHVH had given his family, and if David moved to other lands, how could he worship ADONAI away from the priesthood and the ark of the Covenant?⁴²² It was as if Sha’ul was saying: Go, serve other gods. Consequently, David pleaded: Now do not let my blood fall to the ground (to die a violent death) far from the presence of ADONAI outside the Land, away from the Sh’khinah glory (see the commentary on Isaiah Ju – The Glory of the LORD Rises Upon You). The rabbis teach that the God of Isra’el could only be properly worshiped in the Land of Isra’el; hence, banishment was equivalent to his being told to go and serve other gods. The king of Isra’el has come out to look for a single flea – as one hunts a partridge in the mountains. This was an undignified pursuit, hardly worthy of the dignity of the king of Isra’el (26:17-20). The species of partridge common in the Holy Land tries to save itself by running, rather than by flight, and is continuously chased until, when fatigued, it is killed by sticks thrown along the ground.

Sha’ul’s Promise: Once again Sha’ul lapsed into one of his sentimental moods and promised: I have sinned. Come back to the palace of Gibeah, David my son. Because you considered my life precious today, I will not try to harm you again. Sha’ul admitted that he, like his alter ego Nabal (see the commentary on the Life of David Bm – Nabal Offends David), had acted like a fool and had been terribly wrong (26:21). In this contrite state of mind, Sha’ul wanted David to return, however David had learned his lesson – Sha’ul couldn’t be trusted under any circumstances. Therefore, he submitted Sha’ul to the indignity of having to send a soldier to fetch his spear.

David’s Response: David offered to return Sha’ul’s spear, the symbol of death, but not the water jug, the symbol of life.⁴²³ “Here’s the king’s spear,” David answered. “Let one of your young men come over and get it. YHVH rewards everyone for their righteousness and faithfulness. David ignored Sha’ul’s invitation to return to the palace. He had no reason to trust him. God would judge Sha’ul. The LORD delivered you into my hands today, but I would not lay a hand on ADONAI’s anointed. As surely as I valued your life today, so may YHVH value my life and deliver me from all trouble (26:22-24). David had spared Sha’ul’s life, and he knew that Ha’Shem would reward him for what he had done. ADONAI, who dispenses judgment to the peoples, vindicate me, ADONAI, according to my righteousness and as my integrity deserves (Psalm 7:8 CJB). At this point David didn’t need anything from Sha’ul, only from YHVH. Sha’ul, in fact, had become irrelevant.⁴²⁴

The Final Separation of Sha’ul and David: Sha’ul here is a pathetic figure as he pronounced a blessing on David and foresaw his many successes, which foreshadowed Sha’ul’s own death. Then Sha’ul, resigned to his destiny, said to David, “May you be blessed of God and protected by Him; David my son, you will do great things and surely triumph.” So David went on his way, and Sha’ul returned home (26:25). Nothing had changed, Sha’ul headed off to ultimate disgrace and death, and David to ultimate glory and victory. The two would never see each other again. David was about 28 years old at that time. One day he would look back on those difficult years and see in his painful experiences only the goodness and mercy of the LORD when he wrote: Goodness and mercy will pursue me all the days of my life; and I will live in the house of ADONAI forever (Psalm 23:6).

Dear heavenly Father, praise You for Your love, wisdom and tender care for me. It is such a joy that my relationship with You guarantees my eternal home in heaven. I will not get to heaven by what I do, but what I believe. And I believe in You! For no one can lay any other foundation than what is already laid – which is Yeshua the Messiah.  Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, it is to be revealed by fire; and the fire itself will test each one’s work – what sort it is.  If anyone’s work built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward (First Corinthians 3:11-14).

Relationship with You brings great meaning and joy into life! Sha’ul was the king of Isra’el; but he had neither joy nor content. David, on the other hand, had a relationship with You. He focused on Your character, Your lovingkindness and strength. This gave David a heart that could sing, even in the midst of an extreme trials. King Sha’ul had sent men to watch and then kill David. But even then, he could say: I sing of Your strength! Yes, in the morning I sing aloud of Your lovingkindness. For You have been my fortress, a refuge in the day of my trouble. O my strength, to You I sing praises. For God is my strong tower – my God of lovingkindness (Psalm 59:16-17).

It is a joy to make time to focus and meditate on how wonderful You are! Life is full with so much that has to be done; but what matters most is to focus on eternity, even during very difficult times, just as David did. I love You and are so grateful that You opened the door for all who trust You to be Your children. But whoever did receive Him, those trusting in His name, to these He gave the right to become children of God (John 1:12). Thank You for being such a wonderful, loving and almighty heavenly Father. In Messiah’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Do Not Lay a Hand on ADONAI’s Anointed
First Samuel 26: 1-12

Do not lay a hand on ADONAI’s anointed DIG: Compare this passage and David’s encounter with Sha’ul in the cave. What are the differences? How has YHVH humbled Sha’ul? Exalted David? Given this setting, how would you have responded to David’s invitation in verse 6? Why did David turn down Abishai’s advice? What evidence do we have that ADONAI was with David? Why had the LORD twice delivered Sha’ul into David’s hands this way? Would Ha’Shem really have been angry if David had killed Sha’ul?

REFLECT: How hard is it for you to wait on ADONAI before you act? Failing to see ADONAI act on your behalf, are you tempted to take matters into your own hands? In what area? Have you gotten ahead of the LORD in the past? How did that work out? How did it change you? How can you help others?

God forbid that I should raise my hand against ADONAI’s anointed.

Since Chapter 16, the narrative has been shaped so that Sha’ul and David are on a collision course. But in the end, the confrontation between them has an odd settlement. For a long stretch of the narrative, Sha’ul is the stalker seeking out David; David is the one stalked, who must always seek escape. Here, however, their roles are reversed. Abruptly and unexpectedly, Sha’ul is the one being hunted and David is the hunter. This reversal is done very skillfully. David, we know is sure to succeed. The chase must come to an end. But we also learn that he is unwilling to seize his crown, his unavoidable success, with violence. The sheer intensity of Chapter 26 surpasses that of Chapter 24. This is the last meeting and last exchange between the antagonists who have become deadly rivals. Sha’ul will appear again only in a secret, disastrous meeting (to see link click Dj – Sha’ul and the Medium at Endor) and in his own death scene (see Dk – Sha’ul Takes His Own Life). In terms of its power and significance, Chapter 26 culminates Sha’ul’s part in David’s story.⁴¹⁷

The Second Betrayal by the Ziphites: The Ziphites went to Sha’ul at Gibeah. Once again we see that there was an active betrayal on their part. They were related to Caleb (First Chronicles 2:42), so being members of the tribe of Judah, they should have been loyal to David. But hoping to gain the king’s approval, they betrayed David for a second time. And they said: Is not David hiding on the hill of Hakilah, which faces Jeshimon? This time Sha’ul is so desperate that he did not send the Ziphites back to scout out the territory (First Samuel 23:19-20), this time he went himself to finish the job.

Not much had changed in Sha’ul since his last appearance. Notice how ready he was to commit evil. Given Sha’ul’s words at the end of his prior meeting with David (see Db – David Spares Sha’ul’s Life), we might have expected the king to ignore the intelligence and send the Ziphites away with a warning to leave David alone. Yet exactly the opposite happened. Hadn’t Sha’ul figured out by then that Ha’Shem wasn’t going to allow him to take David’s life? No . . . his sin had blinded him! So Sha’ul went down from the high ground at Gibeah to the Desert of Ziph, with his three thousand select Israelite troops, to search there for David and his six hundred men. Sha’ul made his camp beside the road on the hill of Hakilah facing Jeshimon, but David was already far ahead of him, for his spies had located Sha’ul’s camp. David, sensing that Sha’ul had followed him there, sent out scouts to confirm the fact and learned that Sha’ul had definitely arrived (26:1-4).

David Spares Sha’ul’s Life Again: This would be the final encounter between the two adversaries. When David was about 28 years old, he took the initiative and went to the place where Sha’ul had camped. From a distant vantage point he saw where Sha’ul and Abner, the commander of the army, had lain down. Sha’ul was lying inside the heart of the camp, with the army encamped around him. David then asked Ahimelek the Hittite to go with him. There were still remnants of the Hittite empire in the Land, in fact, centuries earlier Abraham bought the cave of Machpelah from Ephron the Hittite (see Genesis Fu – Abraham said: I am an Alien Among You, Sell Me Some Property So I can Bury My Dead), and David had Hittites in his army such as Uriah the Hittite (Second Samuel 11:2b-3). David also asked Abishai (the brother of Joab who would become the commander of David’s army) son of Zeruiah (half sister of David), “Who will go down into the camp with me to Sha’ul?” So these two were David’s nephews (1 Chronicles 2:16). This is the first mention of these two, but especially Joab will play an important role in David’s career as king (1 Chronicles 26:5-6a).⁴¹⁸

Far from being intimidated by the impossible odds, David worked out a plan for which he needed a companion. The challenge was, “Who will go down into the camp with me to Sha’ul?” Abishai said: I’ll go with you. So David and Abishai went to the army by night, and there was Sha’ul, lying asleep inside the camp with his spear, the symbol of his authority, stuck in the ground near his head. Abner and the soldiers were lying around him. Abishai, who was convinced that it was God’s will that he kill Sha’ul and put an end to his selfish rule, said to David, “Today YHVH has delivered your enemy into your hands. Now let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of the spear; I won’t need to strike him twice.” Abishai knew of David’s oath not to harm Sha’ul, so he volunteered to do the dirty work himself (26:6b-8).

But David commanded Abishai, “Don’t destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless. . . ADONAI forbid that I should raise my hand against ADONAI’s anointed” (26:9 and 11a CJB)! David realized that it would be sinful to take personal revenge against Sha’ul, a lesson that he had learned from Abigail (see the commentary on the life of David Bn – Abigail Acted Quickly). Abishai’s brazen offer to pin Sha’ul to the earth with his spear showed all the signs of vengeance of Sha’ul’s earlier attempts to pin David to the palace wall with the very same weapon. Only Abishai’s was an act of self-preservation while Sha’ul’s act was a selfish act of hatred.

David had learned from his experience with the foolish and greedy Nabal that he shouldn’t try to force God’s hand. In his anger over Nabal’s insults, David had been on the verge of committing mass murder until Nabal’s gracious wife Abigail intervened (see the Life of David Bm – Nabal Offends David). Afterwards, YHVH took care of Nabal in a much better way than David ever could have. David learned from this experience to wait upon the LORD in the confident hope that He would work things out justly and wisely. Then David added, “As the LORD lives, ADONAI will strike him down, or the day will come for him to die, or he will go down to battle and be swept away (First Samuel 26:10 CJB).

But now, David did what he came to do, an act the bloodthirsty Abishai could hardly appreciate, saying: We’ll take the spear by his head and the jug of water, and get out of here. Previously in the cave at En-Gedi, David had taken the corner of Sha’ul’s robe as a symbol of Sha’ul’s authority, but here David took the spear and the water jug from Sha’ul’s head and got away. The spear was prominent everywhere in Sha’ul’s life, as defense, as safety, as an expression of anger, and as a sign of authority. Now all that was in David’s hand.⁴¹⁹ Nobody saw or knew about it, and no one awoke, because they were all asleep – a deep supernatural sleep from ADONAI had fallen over them (26:11b-12 CJB). Therefore, David and Abishai, unseen and unheard, vanished into the night.

David’s growth in grace involved his awareness of YHVH’s goodness, justice and wisdom. Knowing that he served an omnipotent, sovereign, faithful God who had promised his salvation, David chose to wait on ADONAI to find a solution in dealing with Sha’ul rather than coming up with his own. The moral and spiritual authority so necessary to David’s kingdom would have been impossible with Sha’ul’s blood on his hands. David reasoned that if Ha’Shem intended for him to be king, and if Sha’ul’s wickedness stood in the way of his reign, then the LORD would take action against Sha’ul. An important lesson for us also. Rather than taking matters into our own hands when confronted with a hostile situation, God’s people are to wait upon the LORD in prayerful humility, refraining from anger and violent retribution. Put your hope in ADONAI, be strong, and let your heart take courage! Yes, put your hope in ADONAI (Psalm 27:14 CJB).

Dear heavenly Father, Praise You that all Your promises are totally trustworthy! You never go against a friend. Sha’ul spoke kindly to David and said: May ADONAI reward you with good (1Samuel 24:19); yet Sha’ul’s words were not to be trusted. David helped the Ziphites, yet twice they betrayed him to Sha’ul. It hurts when people betray you and break their word to you, but David did not let that keep him down. He looked up and saw Your goodness, justice and wisdom. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne. Lovingkindness and truth go before You (Psalms 89:14). David knew You to be righteous and just. When the things of this world were unfair and against him, David could let the hard times go without harboring bitterness. Lord, help me to do likewise. What a comfort it is to have such a wise and loving heavenly Father who is faithful and who can always be trusted. I trust in God’s lovingkindness forever and ever. I will praise You forever for what You have done. I will hope in Your Name, for it is good (Psalm 52:8b-9b). In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

 

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

The noteworthy similarities between Chapters 24 and 26, already noted briefly (to see link click Db – 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.⁴¹⁵ 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.⁴¹⁶

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.

When David fled from Sha’ul into a cave DIG: David cries out to ADONAI to vindicate him. In what way did David need to be vindicated (see 1 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? How could he defend himself?

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? 

I will take refuge in the shadow of Your wings until my trial has passed.

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 Messiah, and in Messiah alone for salvation, and had the assurance Yeshua 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.⁴¹¹

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, to see link click 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, blessed be Your Name (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Dp – When You Pray, Go into Your Room and Close the Door), was both a victory in itself and a weapon against the enemy.⁴¹² 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 live up to 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).⁴¹³

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 Yeshua.⁴¹⁴

Dear heavenly Father, praise You that this world is not my home. Someday You will return to take me to my eternal home. Do not let your heart be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me.  In My Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to Myself, so that where I am you may also be (John 14:1-3). Though life on earth is often filled with trials, one day these problems will be over. For I consider the sufferings of this present time not worthy to be compared with the coming glory to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18). As I focus on loving and praising Your awesome character that never changes, it brings peace and joy into my life. Meditating on how wonderful you are is like being wrapped in a warm blanket on a cold day or sipping a cool drink on a hot day. You satisfy the deepest longings of my heart with Your tender love, and gracious compassion. David’s praise was focused on Your eternal greatness. He was not merely thinking of himself being rescued, but focused on how wonderful You are . . . and that made his heart steadfast. My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast. I will sing, yes, I will make music. In the midst of David’s trials, his heart trusted God so much that he was overflowing with praise. All glory, honor and praise be to Your name! In Messiah’s Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

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

David spares Sha’ul’s life 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?

ADONAI forbid that I should [harm] my lord, ADONAI’s anointed.

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 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.⁴⁰⁵

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 (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 (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.⁴⁰⁶

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 15:26-29, or to YHVH’s message to Samuel in 16:1? Perhaps the idea came from Jonathan’s words in 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 opportunity to kill Sha’ul, but they obviously came to some false conclusions (24:3b-4a).⁴⁰⁷ 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, to see link click 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, as 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 (24:4b-7 CJB).⁴⁰⁸ This incident resulted in David writing Psalm 57 (see Dc – 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” (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 there would be evidence of his wickedness (24:11-13). Yeshua put it this way: By their fruit you will recognize them (Mt 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 (First Samuel 17:43; Second 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 (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 (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 (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 (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 Jonathan’s crippled son whom David took care of (see the Life of David Da – 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.⁴⁰⁹ However David and his men went up to the stronghold at Masada (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.⁴¹⁰

Dear heavenly Father, praise You that when things look out of control and impossible to figure out, You already have the answer all ready. Not only do You know the best answer, You have the wisdom and power to guide every situation. You are always in control, even when everything looks impossible.  For nothing will be impossible with God (Luke 1:37). Thank You that You see into hearts (First Samuel 16:7) and can discern repentance that is true or false. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.  For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal (Second Corinthians 7:10-11b). Thank You for being my loving heavenly Father who is always in control. Even when I cannot see the outcome, I can trust in You. This I know – that God is for me. In God – I keep praising His word – in ADONAI – I keep praising His word –  in God I trust, I will not be afraid (Psalm 56:9c-11a). In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

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.”

When the Ziphites had gone to Sha’ul 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.

Surely God, the sustainer of my soul, is helping me.

To be betrayed by Doeg the Edomite (to see link click Cy – 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 the Life of David 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.⁴⁰¹ 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). Here, God helps David arm for battle, and protects his life.⁴⁰²

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.⁴⁰³

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).⁴⁰⁴ 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.

Dear heavenly Father, praise You for the comfort of knowing that when I am in a dire situation and there doesn’t seem to be any way out, You are still sovereign over all things. Though Your children are the boots on the ground and must deal with the impossible situation before us, when we place the trial in Your hands and seek Your help, it is Your almighty power that will guide the events! What peace it brings to know that your steadfast love is totally trustworthy forever and ever. David wrote: I trust in God’s lovingkindness forever and ever. I will praise You forever for what You have done (Psalm 52:8b-9a). Prayer is like grasping tightly to one’s parent. It is feeling their nearness and knowing that they are nearby and ready to protect their child. Prayer looks to You for the answer and ignores the size of the problem for prayer recognizes You as the almighty Sovereign of the universe. Thank You for granting those who love and trust You, the right to be Your child. But whoever did receive Him, those trusting in His name, to these He gave the right to become children of God (John 1:12). You are a wonderful Father and I delight in pleasing You. In the holy Name of Messiah Yeshua and the power of His resurrection. Amen

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

Sha’ul pursues David 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 Jonathan help David find strength in YHVH? What does that say about Jonathan? What motivated the Ziphites to come to 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 ADOANI fit into your flight pattern? Who can encourage you right now?

Sha’ul would not submit to God’s will.

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 Dk – 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.³⁹¹

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 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 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.³⁹² 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 the commentary on the Life of David 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 (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.³⁹³ 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).

Jonathan Visits David for the Last Time: Inserted in the middle of “the great chase,” is Jonathan’s final appearance in David’s life. Jonathan’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.³⁹⁴

And Sha’ul’s son Jonathan 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.” Jonathan, a spiritual man, has no trouble submitting to what he knows is God’s will. But he doesn’t know that he will die before David becomes king. “Even my father Sha’ul knows this.” This is an important admission, even if we don’t have the actual concession speech from Sha’ul. He knows, but he can’t publicly concede. More than that, Sha’ul knows but he can’t admit it to himself. He needed to 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 Jonathan knows on his behalf.³⁹⁵

Unlike his son, Sha’ul will not submit to God’s will. The two of them made a covenant before ADONAI. Jonathan had said his peace, then he went home. In the meantime the chase must continue, then David remained at Horesh (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 Jonathan 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 seeking his life; giving 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 (23:19-20).³⁹⁶

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 Judah. So they set out and went to Ziph ahead of Sha’ul (23:21-24a). It was during this time that David wrote Psalm 54 (see Da – 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.³⁹⁷ 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.³⁹⁸ 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.”³⁹⁹ 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 (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 Jonathan, Yeshua came from a place of safety into our world of hardship and danger. Like Jonathan, Messiah remembered our need and, reflecting on our misery, brought words of salvation. Indeed, if we find ourselves in need with no Jonathan 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 Jonathan 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.⁴⁰⁰

Dear heavenly Father, praise You that You are Almighty and All-Powerful. What a comfort it is that I can always trust in Your steadfast love. Though David had many trials, he was confident that he could alwys trust in Your lovingkindness. As he wrote, I trust in God’s lovingkindness forever and ever. I will praise You forever for what You have done. I will hope in Your Name, for it is good (Psalm 52:8c-9b). Your love is great and awesome; but it is not a blind love. You are also holy. One (seraph) called out to another (seraph), and said: “Holy, holy, holy, is ADONAI-Tzva’ot! The whole earth is full of His glory (Isaiah 6:3). Your love and Your holiness work together. Your holiness demands a sacrifice for sin, so You sent Messiah Yeshua to be the guilt offering and to conquer death (Isaiah 53:10).

Please help me to remember that when I am going through a trial, I can run to You for help; I do not need to fear, for you are right there with me to help. God Himself has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you,” so that with confidence we say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear (Hebrews 13:5c-6b). Though the trial may go on for a while, as David’s trial with Sha’ul; it is not because You do not see it. You never slumber, nor sleep; but are always watching closely over me. My help comes from ADONAI, Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip. Your Keeper will not slumber. Behold, the Keeper of Isra’el neither slumbers nor sleeps (Psalm 121:2-4). It is a joy to praise and worship You, for I know that someday You will take me to live with You in Your eternal home (John 14:1-3). Praise You forever! In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

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.”

When Doeg the Edomite had gone to Sha’ul 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? Are you flourishing in the house of God? What is lacking in your spiritual life? What helps you flourish?

I will hope in Your name, for Your name is good.

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 Cx – Sha’ul Kills the Priests of Nov).³⁸⁸

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.³⁸⁹

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.³⁹⁰ 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.

Dear heavenly Father, praise You for Your lovingkindness and for always being good. I trust in God’s lovingkindness forever and ever. I will praise You forever for what You have done. I will hope in Your Name, for it is good (Psalm 52:10c-11). Thank You that all of Your righteousness is transferred to my spiritual bank account the moment I trusted in You. Thank You that I possess all of Your righteousness, minus Your deity. He made the One who knew no sin to become a sin offering on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). Praise You for redeeming and sealing me with Your Spirit. After you heard the message of truth – the Good News of your salvation – and when you put your trust in Him, you were sealed with the promised Ruach Ha’Kodesh.  He is the guarantee of our inheritance, until the redemption of His possession – to His glorious praise (Ephesians 1:13-14)! Praise You for being such a wonderful Father whom I can always trust, worship and praise! To the One who sits at Your right hand. Amen

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

Sha’ul kills the priests of Nov 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?

The thief comes to kill, and steal, and destroy.

We now resume the main story line left at 21:9 (see the commentary on the Life of David, to see link click Av – David at Nov). Sha’ul was taking counsel with his men. Unlike David, Sha’ul usually had his spear (serving as his scepter) in his hand. The king’s opening speech showed 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. This showed a lack of character on his part. 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” (22:6-8). Sha’ul had become paranoid of his own son. He even accuses Jonathan of turning David against him. But that was all Sha’ul’s doing and not Jonathan’s. He was living in his own world of terrified illusion.³⁸²

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.³⁸³

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 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 (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 (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” (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 (Deuteronomy 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 (Deuteronomy 20:13-16). It was ironic and telling that Sha’ul refused to execute such a massive destruction against the Amalekites (15:9), but now in his decline he would act violently against his own people. Honoring God had no place in his life (22:16-19).³⁸⁴

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 Cy – When Doeg the Edomite Had Gone to Sha’ul).³⁸⁵

The Escape of Abiathar: There is a footnote to this massacre. By in the providence of God, one of the sons of Ahimelech named Abiathar, escaped and fled to join David at Keilah (see the Life of David 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.³⁸⁶

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 (22:20-23).

This episode gives us a clear picture of the history of the priesthood in Isra’el. In 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 Adonijah when he tried to seize the Kingdom from Solomon, God’s chosen successor (see the commentary on the Life of David En – Adonijah 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.³⁸⁷

Dear heavenly Father, praise Your wonderful and steadfast love (Psalm 136), Your wisdom that knows all (First Samuel 16:7). The basis by which You rule is righteousness and justice. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne. Lovingkindness and truth go before You (Psalm 89:14). You can always be trusted, even when we don’t understand why something has happened. David showed his confidence in Your judgements when he wrote of what you would do to the evil Doeg. God will pull you down forever, and snatch you, rip you out of your tent, and uproot you from the land of the living. Selah Then the righteous will see and fear, and laugh at him (Psalm 52:5-6). But those who trust in you will be like an olive tree flourishing in the House of God. I trust in God’s lovingkindness forever and ever.  I will praise You forever for what You have done. I will hope in Your Name, for it is good, in the presence of Your kedoshim (Psalm 52:8-9). Thank You for being such a wonderful Father, who has knowledge, wisdom and love far beyond our understanding and whom we can trust to make all things right in the future. In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and the power of His resurrection. Amen

David Kills Goliath
First Samuel 17: 17-58

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

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

David knew that he would kill Goliath because the giant had insulted ADONAI.

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

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

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

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

Perceiving this spiritual dynamic helps us to understand David’s shocking reaction to the sight before him. This may have been the first time that he had ever heard anyone blaspheme the name of ADONAI. How humiliated David must have been when he saw all the Israelites run away in great fear (17:24).³⁵⁴

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

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

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

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

But David said to Sha’ul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by the hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defiled the armies of the living God. Then David said: ADONAI, who rescued me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will rescue me from the paw of this Philistine! Up until now no one else in the story has named the name of ADONAI. The others were cowards, because they had abandoned their only source of courage. Finally Sha’ul agreed and said to David, “Go, may the LORD be with you” (17:34-37). It was though David had given the king the courage and faith to speak again of YHVH.³⁵⁵

As a rule, the soldiers will reflect the spirit of their leader. And that was the problem, for the Ruach Ha’Kodesh had departed from Sha’ul and he was left to his own limited resources.³⁵⁶ When Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost (14:1-23), Sha’ul was merely a spectator, and his bad decisions almost cost them the victory. Here, once again, Sha’ul simply watched as David defeated the enemy single-handedly. Unfortunately, this would be Sha’ul’s pattern of leadership to the tragic end of his life.³⁵⁷

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

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

And with his leather sling in his hand, approached the Philistine (17:40b). This was not a kid with a toy on the battlefield. It took an extraordinary amount of skill and practice, but in an experienced hand, the sling was a devastating weapon. Shepherds could whip their slingshots six to seven times per second before hitting their target. An experienced slinger could kill or seriously injure a target 200 yards away with accuracy. The Benjamites had seven hundred slingers, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair and not miss (Judges 20:16). They could hit birds in flight. The stones released from their slingshots had the impact of firing a .45 caliber handgun. David was a master marksman . . . a sharpshooter, if you will.³⁵⁸

As Sha’ul watched David going out to meet Goliath, he said to Abner, commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is that young lad (Hebrew: naar)?” Notice that Sha’ul didn’t ask who David was. The king could hardly forget the red headed youth (see 16:12, from the Hebrew word adom, meaning to be red, the same as Esau in Genesis 25:25) that had been his court musician, but apparently had forgotten the name of David’s father. He needed that information in order to reward the family for the victory (see 17:25b above).³⁵⁹ Abner replied, “As surely as you live, your majesty, I don’t know.” The king said, “Find out whose son this young lad is” (17:55-56).

David prevailed in the battle: Meanwhile, Goliath, with his limited eyesight and double vision (see Cp – Goliath Mocks Isra’el), had his shield bearer in front of him to guide him. As he came closer to David he was finally able to see him. The Philistine looked David up and down and had nothing but scorn for what he saw – a boy with ruddy cheeks, red hair and good looks. Shepherds carried a staff that they held at the center. It was used not only for support in climbing hills, but also for the purpose of beating bushes and low brushwood in which the flocks stray, and where snakes and other reptiles could be found. It would also be used for correcting the shepherd dogs and making them obey.³⁶⁰ Enraged, Goliath said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” David had only one staff. Goliath saw two. And the Philistine cursed David by his Philistine gods, saying: Come here to me and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals (17:41-44 CJB). Why didn’t Goliath go to David? He couldn’t. He was a statue. The giant’s supposed greatest strength, his height and size, was his greatest weakness. On top of that, he could hardly see.

What happened next was historic.

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

The talking was over. As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David, taking the offensive rather quickly, ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him powered by courage and strength. What could Goliath do? He was carrying over a hundred pounds of armor. He was prepared for a battle at close range where he could stand, immobile, warding off blows with his armor and delivering a mighty thrust of his javelin. He watched David approach, first with scorn, then with surprise, and then with anger. He seemed oblivious to what was happening or the danger he was in.³⁶¹

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

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

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

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

It has been said that there are people who make things happen, people who watch things happen, and people who don’t know what happened. David had insight into Isra’el’s plight and knew what was happening. He realized that it wasn’t a physical conflict between two armies, but a spiritual battle between truth and error, faith and superstition, the true and living God and dead, lifeless idols. David’s faith lifted the war to a much higher plane, just as Rabbi Sha’ul did with the church at Ephesus: Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12).³⁶²

Dear heavenly Father, praise You as the wonderful Father that ever could be! Your steadfast love is so awesome! (Psalms 36:7). Your wisdom is perfect, even knowing the secrets of men’s hearts (Matthew 9:4, 1 Samuel 16:7, Jeremiah 17:10). You are the living eternal God who knows the future as though it already happened. But Adonai Elohim is truth. He is the living God and eternal King. At His wrath the earth quakes and the nations cannot endure His indignation (Jeremiah 10:10 see also Daniel 6:26).

What a joy and comfort to know that your Holiness, steadfast love and great wisdom all work together to guide what happens in my life. It is wonderful when all is going well; but Your love and wisdom are still guiding me when things do not go well. Times of trial are opportunities to trust You even stronger and continue to praise You, as king Jehoshaphat did when several mighty armies came against his kingdom (2 Chron 20:18-22). You are still on the throne, in control and able to conquer and win when there are problems and temptations (1 Cor 10:13). Trials are opportunities to trust You. David went thru many severe trials and huge problems, but as he kept his trust in You, he was encouraged and not afraid. My foes trample me all day. For many are fighting me arrogantly. In a day when I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. In God – I keep praising His word – in God I trust, I will not fear (Psalms 56:2-4a).

David’s faith gave him courage to kill the mighty giant. Abraham’s faith enabled him to be the Father of many nations, though his body was as good as dead (Romans 4:19). Faith in Yeshua, the promised Messiah, results in the wonderful blessing of being sealed with an inheritance, the promised Ruach Ha’Kodesh. After you heard the message of truth – the Good News of your salvation – and when you put your trust in Him, you were sealed with the promised Ruach Ha’Kodesh. He is the guarantee of our inheritance, until the redemption of His possession – to His glorious praise! (Ephesians 1:13-14). How wonderful to have faith in You, for You are so wise and loving! It is a joy to love, trust and to follow You! In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

The Fall of King Sha’ul
First Samuel 21:1 to 31:13
First Chronicles 10:1-14 and 12:1-22

The more Sha’ul tried to hold on to his kingship, the tighter he gripped the crown, the more it seemed to slip through his fingers. Samuel had already rebuked him (to see link click Cc – Samuel Rebukes Sha’ul), and told him that God would raise up another after His own heart to lead the nation. More importantly, ADONAI had also rejected him (see Ck – God Rejects Sha’ul); nevertheless, Sha’ul, becoming more and more paranoid, thought the answer to his problems was to kill David (see Cz – Sha’ul Pursues David). As he moved further and further away from ADONAI, he became more and more under the control of Satan. The Bible teaches us that the thief comes only to kill and steal and destroy (John 10:10a), and the first thing Sha’ul does in this section was to kill all the priests of Nov, including their wives, their children, and their cattle, donkeys and sheep (see Cx – Sha’ul Kills the Priests at Nov). Then, the last thing he did was to consult a medium (see Dj – Sha’ul and the Medium of Endor), before killing himself (see Dk – Sha’ul Takes His Own Life). Sha’ul died because he was unfaithful to ADONAI. The accusation of faithlessness is especially severe. The Hebrew word used is ma’al, which is normally reserved for serious sin against God, often associated with idolatry and carrying with it the death sentence. It is the seriousness, rather than the particular kind of sin, that the word implies.³⁸⁰ He did not keep the word of the LORD and even consulted with a medium for guidance, nor did he inquire of YHVH, but did what was best in his own eyes (Judges 21:25). So Ha’Shem put him to death and turned the Kingdom over to David son of Jesse (First Chronicles 10:13-14). His career began with promise, but ended in tragedy; it began with victory, but ended in defeat; it began with hope but ended with despair.³⁸¹

Jonathan Defends David
First Samuel 20: 24b-42

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

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

David and Jonathan swear an oath of brotherly love and faithfulness,
both men kept the oath until their dying day.

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

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

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

Sha’ul’s great concern was the preservation of the Kingdom that ADONAI had already token from him (to see link click Ck – God Rejects Sha’ul)! YHVH had made it very clear that none of Sha’ul’s sons would ever inherit the throne and David was the king of God’s choice, so Sha’ul was fighting the will of the LORD and asking his son to do the same thing.³⁷⁸

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Just as Jonathan and David separated in peace, having rested their hearts in a bond of covenant love, we rest our souls in the promised grace of our sovereign Lord and Savior. He promises to His covenant people: What I Am leaving with you is shalom – I Am giving you My shalom. I don’t give the way the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid (John 14:27 CJB).³⁷⁹

Dear heavenly Father, praise and thank You that Your peace is a deep and eternal peace that far surpasses any short-lived happiness on earth. I know that as I seek to glorify You in all things, there will come trials and problems; but the eternal joy of heaven far surpasses the weight of the early trials. For I consider the sufferings of this present time not worthy to be compared with the coming glory to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18). Thank You, that when I go through the trials of life, You are my friend, as You have said: No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. Praising and thanking that You do not leave me, but give me shalom all the time. In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen

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

For the director of music.

To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam (a title, probably a musical term)

When Sha’ul had sent men to watch David’s house in order to kill him.

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

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

You, God are my fortress, You are my God on whom I can rely.

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

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

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

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

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

C. The Wicked and God: They return at evening, like snarling dogs, and prowl about the city after dark searching for food. The metaphor changes: See what they spew from their mouths – the words from their lips are sharp and deadly as swords, and they think, “Who can hear us?” By their words and deeds they showed themselves to be arrogant, thinking that not even God could hear them. But David was confident that his enemies would not succeed: You laugh at them LORD; You scoff at all those nations (Psalm 59:6-8). The God who adds a little dewdrop upon a flower in the morning is the same God who puts the stars in place and designed the path of every constellation in the heavens. And if ADONAI can care for all that, then surely He can care for you and me . . . That’s David’s argument.³⁷⁵

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

B. Imprecation on the Wicked: God, let me gloat over those who slander me. But don’t kill them, or my people will forget. The prayer don’t kill them is not absolute. It asks only for the unhurried course of judgment until the bitter end. Instead, by Your power, make them wander to and fro in humiliation as outcasts and fugitives, a visible monument and sign of God’s righteous judgment. Bring them down to Sh’ol, Adonai our Shield. David spoke not only for himself but for all the congregations of God. He is concerned with more than his own danger; he also thinks about the effect upon the entire nation when such lawless men are its leaders. Hence, the reference to my people. For the sins of their mouths, for the words of their lips, let them be exposed, caught in their pride. This is the climax of David’s call for judgment. First, in the near historical future, he wants his enemies scattered but not killed. He wants their own lies to find them out. But in the far eschatological future, he wants Ha’Shem to destroy all the wicked, proving that ADONAI is the true and living God.³⁷⁶ For the curses and lies they utter, consume them in your wrath, consume them till they are no more. Then it will be known to the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob (Psalm 59:10b-13 CJB). Selah

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

Ultimately, our enemy is the Adversary and his demons. He is the one who revolts against God, works injustice and is out for our blood. It is also he who growls like a dog, using his tongue like a sword to lie and deceive. He is also the source of all pride. Thus, in calling ADONAI to defend us, we are really asking Him to deliver us from the evil one (Matthew 6:13). Here we have the deep assurance that the God who is our shield and our hiding place is also the God who has come in His Son to overpower the devil and his followers. So John writes: You are of God, little children, and have overcome, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world (First John 4:4). Later, he adds that because YHVH keeps His children, the wicked one cannot harm them (First John 5:18). Indeed, the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work (First John 3:8).³⁷⁷

Dear heavenly Father, praise You that no matter how severe the trial, You are always wiser, greater and know how to ultimately achieve the outcome that You desire.  For nothing will be impossible with God (Luke 1:37). What a comfort and safeguard it is to sing praises to You in the midst of trials. But I – I sing of Your strength! Yes, in the morning I sing aloud of Your lovingkindness. For You have been my fortress, a refuge in the day of my trouble. O my strength, to You I sing praises. For God is my strong tower – my God of lovingkindness (Psalms 59:16-17). Thank You for always being with me. Yeshua answered and said to him: If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him (John 14:23). In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen