We learn more about David in these chapters. We learn
that he is resourceful – and not above lying or faking insanity to get out of a
scrape. First, he lies to the priests at Nob, saying that he is on an errand
for Saul when he is really fleeing from him. We don’t know why he lies; perhaps
it is to spare them from charges of harboring a known fugitive. (If that’s the
case, his plan backfires horribly – as Saul orders their execution anyway.) Then
he convinces the priest to give him and his men the holy bread, which was set
aside as a thank offering to the LORD to be eaten only by the priests. (Jesus
will later cite this story as a precedent for breaking ritual law when
compassion requires it – Mark 2:25-26). Then before he leaves, David asks for
and receives the only weapon of defense in their possession – Goliath’s sword. To
his credit, David recognizes his role in the priests’ deaths and promises to
protect Abiathar – the only priest who manages to escape. (Abiathar will become
one of David’s high priests once he is king.)
David then moves into Philistine territory in Gath,
perhaps hoping he’ll go unrecognized. But when the servants of King Achish do
recognize him, David fears for his life – so he fakes insanity in order to
escape. This wouldn’t seem so noteworthy, except that this episode is somehow
connected with Psalms 34 and 56 (“O taste and see that the LORD is good; happy
are those who take refuge in him” – 34:8; “In God I trust; I am not afraid.
What can a mere mortal do to me?” – 56:11). While we don’t know the exact
historical relationship between this event and these psalms, it was easy for
the ancient Israelites to believe they were written by David. There is no proof
that they weren’t. Does our view of him change at all as a result?
By the end of these chapters, both Jonathan (23:17) and
Saul (24:20) recognize that David will one day be king of Israel. Once again,
Jonathan proves his friendship – when he has perhaps the most to lose from
David’s success (namely, the throne) and, at the moment at least, David has
nothing to offer in return. This is
their last recorded meeting. What do we learn of friendship and covenantal
loyalty from them?
The chapters end with two wilderness episodes. First, David
escapes Saul in the wilderness of Ziph after Saul is called away by a
Philistine attack – an event referred to in the superscription of Psalm 63.
Then, more dramatically, David spares Saul’s life in the cave of Engedi. (See
the superscription for Psalm 57). Saul enters the cave to relieve himself (or “cover
his feet” as the ancient Hebrews euphemistically put it), not knowing that
David is hiding within. But David refuses to take advantage of Saul’s
vulnerability; he will not kill the LORD’s anointed.
Saul’s response is unexpected, to say the least. He asks,
“Is this your voice, my son David?” and weeps (24:16). He goes on to say, “You
are more righteous than I; for you have repaid me good, whereas I have repaid
you evil” (24:17). He then makes David promise “that you will not cut off my
descendants after me, and that you will not wipe out my name from my father’s
house” (24:21), and David agrees. How long does Saul hold this stance? Does David keep his promise? Stay tuned!
What do you notice in these chapters and psalms? Click on
“comments” and add your thoughts!
From Ron Spych...
ReplyDeleteThese are a few of my thoughts....In 1 Samuel 21, David is "a man of many wiles" not unlike his literary counterpart, Odysseus. He employs subterfuge, not lies, in dealing with the priests of Nob and the king of Gath. After all, the most powerful man he knows, King Saul, is determined to kill him. It is difficult for David to distinguish between friend and foe. In such a precarious atmosphere, it is necessary to adopt David's point of view. Perhaps we can ascertain his uncertainty in Psalm 56, when David says, "All day long they twist my words; all their schemes are for my ruin. They conspire, they lurk, and they watch my steps, hoping to take my life."
Is David paranoid? He sounds like Fred C. Dobbs in "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" who keeps mumbling over and over to himself, "Nobody gets the best of Fred C. Dobbs!" Unlike Dobbs, David has good reason to KNOW "the man" is out to get him. He (David) has been warned of Saul's evil intent by the king's own son, Jonathan, who is David's trusted friend. David is on the run, frightened, without food, a weapon or a companion he can rely on.
HE IS ALONE. Or is he?
David, a man of action, puts his trust in the Lord, who keeps his "feet from stumbling" and is the source of the inner spiritual strength that refuses to be daunted. Think of the times, in your own experience, when circumstances seemed overwhelming...did you call on the Lord? Did God answer your prayer? We do know He answers all of our prayers, in ways we see and sometimes, in surprising ways we never expected. But ALWAYS, God's Will will be done.
God was David's faithful companion throughout his trials. David continues moving along with a sense of urgency, praying to God for guidance. David receives it, and develops a stratagem to escape from the king's murderous design that involves using the priests of Nob. Contacting Alimelek, the high priest, David concocts a tale of being on a "secret mission" for the king, which he began in haste and neglected to procure adequate supplies for (so he says). Ahimelek, knowing David only as Saul's favored and not as a fugitive he has become, provides him with consecrated bread and the sword of Goliath. This, Alimelek hopes, will prove sufficient for David to accomplish the supposed task at hand. Unfortunately, in the shadow of a pitched tent, an oily "servant" of Saul, Doeg the Edomite, witnesses Ahimelek providing David with the provisions and weapon. While David flees to unfriendly Gath, Doeg returns to Saul and snitches on Ahimelek, surmising something is afoot and a reward may be had. (This sounds like shades of Judas and his 30 pieces of silver for betraying Jesus, a descendant of the House of David).
More to come if you're interested...Comments on my comments?
Like these comments. Certainly David seems never alone, in his constant sense of the presence of the Lord.
DeleteIn David’s trials and escapes and faith, I see connections not only with the NT, but also with modern life.
ReplyDeleteIn ch. 21, David is fleeing Saul’s murderous intent. With a lie, he persuades the priest Abimelech to give him food and a weapon. [God seems to tolerate strategic lying—as when Abraham passed off Sarah as his sister.] When David reaches the country of Gath, he fears for his life, and pretends to be mad. The potentially treacherous king of Gath is fooled, and says “Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence?” (21:15) [Anyone fed up with Too Many Meetings may empathize.]
Ch 22 opens with a foretaste of the NT. “Everyone who was in distress…gathered to him….” (22:2) Compare “Come to me, all you that are weary…, and I will give you rest.” (Mt. 11:28) But Saul is increasingly suspicious of David; having summoned the priests of the Lord, orders them all killed, and their city and its inhabitants and animals all destroyed. [One wonders at Doeg the Edomite, who carried out these orders, after Saul’s personal guards refused.]
David firmly puts himself in the right, with God and with Saul, by sparing Saul when he had an easy opportunity to kill him in the cave. David astutely avoided his own death sentence by telling Saul what had happened, swearing loyalty to Saul and his descendants. Saul achieves a moment of clarity. “You are more righteous than I, for you have repaid me good, whereas I have repaid you evil.” (24:17) (Compare “Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Rom.12:20)
Authorship of the psalms is notoriously uncertain. Maintaining righteousness and trusting in the Lord while threatened (Ps.34) sounds like David, but does not identify the author with David. Thanks to God for deliverance (Ps.56) certainly echoes David’s gratitude for escape from potentially lethal adventures, but is hardly unique to David. Praising God’s “steadfast love” (Ps. 57) sounds like David, but also reflects a more general human condition. And Ps.63 reflects an inner David, but not a unique inwardness.
My overall impression of this part of the David story is that despite the remoteness of time and place, the dangers and struggles have a contemporary ring. Unsure of that? Consult Dilbert, where almost every day no good deed goes unpunished.
From Ron Spych...
ReplyDeleteHere, in Samuel's narrative, I (we) need to digress to talk about the shape and color of the characters.
King Saul is as tragic and "star crossed" as any Shakespearean king. He is a warrior without peer who has had "greatness" thrust upon him, because he stands head and shoulders among men, in a time when Israel has demanded a king. God is not happy with this decision, but he grants it. Saul is conflicted in his "all powerful" role because he is not really a leader of men. He looks like one, but he doesn't have the "fire in his belly" that would make the "greatness" his own.
Saul blunders about and his kingly decisions are countermanded by the prophet Samuel. God is not pleased with Saul's performance and Samuel withdraws his support. King Saul feels dissed. When faced with the taunts of the giant, Goliath, at the head of an enemy army, Saul procrastinates. Not knowing what to do, the king allows a young lad, David, to step up and be his champion on the field of battle. Armed with only a sling, a stone and trust in God to guide his aim, a shepherd boy defeats Israel's most fearsome enemy, adding another humiliation to Saul's long list, giving rise to the lyric, "Saul has slain his thousands and David his tens of thousands." This is not a way to begin a mutual admiration society. Saul begins to suffer blinding headaches and consults mediums for guidance, which just puts him more and more out of sorts and isolated from reality. David, not the enemies of Israel, and they are legion, becomes the greatest threat to Saul's tenuous hold on power. Saul decides to murder David.
From Ron Spych...
ReplyDeleteWere there ever two men who shared such a close friendship as David and Jonathan? When we think of "bromance", visions of Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer come to mind or perhaps Butch and Sundance or Robert Culp and Bill Cosby as the erstwhile, hip secret agents of I Spy. I'm sure there are more contemporary pairings, I'm dating myself, but you get the idea. Any man, who has ever loved another like a brother, understands the deep feelings and beauty of such a relationship. So it was with David and Jonathan. Imagine Jonathan's dilemma when he discovered, to his horror, the father that he loved and respected wanted to kill his best friend. This doesn't just give a body pause; it shakes the foundations. What to do? What to do? Jonathan makes his difficult decision as the most honorable of men. He warns his friend of the treachery about to be visited upon him, but pledges fraternity to David forever. Then, he returns to serve his father as his conscience and duty dictates.
Ahimelek is a loyal subject of the king who pays the ultimate price for being misled by David. Saul arrives in Nob with his men after being tipped off by Doeg, the snitch. When Ahimelek realizes that he has been deceived by David, he tries to explain to the king how he was "not in the loop" and only knew David as a favorite of the court and not an outlaw. Saul will have none of it and in his paranoid rage has Ahimelek and all of the inhabitants of Nob slaughtered. The carnage is undertaken by the weasel, Doeg, when Saul's soldiers refuse to undertake the job.
David's fame precedes him in Gath. The servants of King Achish recognize him as the hero of the ditty I have mentioned before. "Saul has slain his thousands and David his tens of thousands." David employs subterfuge again, improvising a "loose screw" act that convinces Achish he is batty, not brave. Thus saved by his wit again from another life-threatening danger, David makes haste and escapes to the cave of Adullam. There he meets the lone survivor of the holocaust that has taken place in Nob. Abiathar, the son of Ahimelek, tells of the horrors Saul has inflicted on his innocent subjects in his mad pursuit of David. Recognizing his responsibility in the event that has transpired, David keeps Abitahar under his protective wing and begins a relationship that will last a lifetime. As word spreads of Saul's quest to liquidate David, the marked man's family and the discontented, four hundred in all, rally around this biblical Robin Hood and he becomes their commander. Abiathar will serve as priest to David's band of "outlaws". Later, when David ascends to the throne of Judah, Abiathar will be appointed High Priest.