1 Samuel chapter 22

David at the cave of Adullam. Saul slaughters priests.

 


 

DAVID AT THE CAVE OF ADULLAM

 

VERSE 1. David therefore departed from there, and escaped to Adullam’s cave. When his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him.

 

VERSE 2. Everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented, gathered themselves to him; and he became captain over them. There were with him about four hundred men.

David is fleeing for his life. He is exiled in a foreign land. He owns nothing more than he can carry.

Yet even in this miserable state, God watches over him. This ragtag band of rejects will go on to do mighty things, become great leaders and epic heroes of the faith.

In our own lives, we can count on God to watch over us. No situation we can end up in will be too difficult for God to provide assistance.

 

VERSE 3. David went from there to Mizpeh of Moab, and he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and my mother come out with you, until I know what God will do for me.”

 

VERSE 4. He brought them before the king of Moab; and they lived with him all the time that David was in the stronghold.

 

VERSE 5. The prophet Gad said to David, “Don’t stay in the stronghold. Depart, and go into the land of Judah.” Then David departed, and came into the forest of Hereth.

 

VERSE 6. Saul heard that David was discovered, with the men who were with him. Now Saul was sitting in Gibeah, under the tamarisk tree in Ramah, with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing around him.

with his spear in his hand. Saul is marked by paranoia. Many leaders are quite fearful.

 

VERSE 7. Saul said to his servants who stood around him, “Hear now, you Benjamites! Will the son of Jesse give everyone of you fields and vineyards? Will he make you all captains of thousands and captains of hundreds,

 

VERSE 8. that all of you have conspired against me, and there is no one who discloses to me when my son makes a treaty with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you who is sorry for me, or discloses to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as it is today?”

 

VERSE 9. Then Doeg the Edomite, who stood by the servants of Saul, answered and said, “I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub.

stood by the servants of Saul. Saul surrounds himself with yes-men. They feed his paranoia.

 

VERSE 10. He inquired of the LORD for him, gave him food, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”

 

SAUL SLAUGHTERS PRIESTS

 

VERSE 11. Then the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s house, the priests who were in Nob; and they all came to the king.

 

VERSE 12. Saul said, “Hear now, you son of Ahitub.” He answered, “Here I am, my lord.”

 

VERSE 13. Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread, and a sword, and have inquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as it is today?”

 

VERSE 14. Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said, “Who among all your servants is so faithful as David, who is the king’s son-in-law, captain of your body guard, and honored in your house?

 

VERSE 15. Have I today begun to inquire of God for him? Be it far from me! Don’t let the king impute anything to his servant, nor to all the house of my father; for your servant knows nothing of all this, less or more.”

 

VERSE 16. The king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you, and all your father’s house.”

 

VERSE 17. The king said to the guard who stood about him, “Turn, and kill the priests of the LORD; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew that he fled, and didn’t disclose it to me.” But the servants of the king wouldn’t put out their hand to fall on the priests of the LORD.

 

VERSE 18. The king said to Doeg, “Turn and attack the priests!” Doeg the Edomite turned, and he attacked the priests, and he killed on that day eighty-five people who wore a linen ephod.

Turn and attack the priests! Based on his own paranoid theory that the priests had helped David, Saul has all the priests slaughtered.

 

VERSE 19. He struck Nob, the city of the priests, with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and nursing babies, and cattle and donkeys and sheep, with the edge of the sword.

 

VERSE 20. One of the sons of Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after David.

 

VERSE 21. Abiathar told David that Saul had slain the LORD’s priests.

 

VERSE 22. David said to Abiathar, “I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I am responsible for the death of all the persons of your father’s house.

 

VERSE 23. Stay with me. Don’t be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life. For you will be safe with me.”

you will be safe with me. David takes Abiathar the priest under his protection.

Nobody can get to Abiathar without first mowing down David and his ragtag band of mighty warriors.

Some Christians call this “headship.” They means that you are only as safe and protected as your spiritual overseer can make you be. Thus you want to find a really good spiritual leader.

 


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1 SAMUEL

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