When he told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord, David exclaimed, “I knew it! When I saw Doeg the Edomite there that day, I knew he was sure to tell Saul. Now I have caused the death of all your father’s family. Stay here with me, and don’t be afraid. I will protect you with my own life, for the same person wants to kill us both.” 1 Samuel 22:21-23 NLT
Read 1 Samuel 21-22.
David is getting his first taste of life on the run, and here is my thinking. When Saul had first tried to kill David, it was immediately after he had slain Goliath. Since David was not yet in the army and fighting with his brothers, he must have been less than 20 years old, the age men joined the military in Israel. Considering the references to David being just a boy reinforces the idea.
Therefore, while David was on the run from Saul, he must have still been quite young, and that shapes my perspective of imagining him hiding in caves and living off the land. He had led men in a number of victorious battles, but it couldn’t have been very long since he had just left his father’s home and had been living in the palace with Saul. He suddenly finds himself having to fend for his own needs but very soon leading his own band of warriors.
To begin, he needed sustenance and a weapon if he was going to survive. He knows right where to go, and that is to see Ahimelech the priest, in the town of Nob. David hides the real reason he is there so as not to arouse any suspicions, and Ahimelech is eager to help. He gives David the old showbread that had just been replaced in the temple and Goliath’s sword.
Unfortunately, one of Saul’s cronies, Doeg, just happened to be nearby and spied the entire transaction. I smell trouble!
Meanwhile, David fled to the king of Gash, Achish, for asylum. When the king’s servants saw him and recognized him, I can imagine them whispering back and forth, “Could this be the one and only David that slew the mighty giant, Goliath? Is he the David that everyone has been singing about? ‘Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten-thousands’?”
Maybe they were excited about a famous person in their midst, or maybe they were afraid and were planning to attack him. Either way, David wasn’t about to take a chance. He had heard their remarks and became afraid. His brilliant defense was to act like a madman, drooling all over his beard and scratching on doors. Who would want to touch someone like this? Perhaps this would fend off anyone who might intend to harm him.
King Achish wasn’t about to host a madman in his home. I like the way The Message puts it:
Achish took one look at him and said to his servants, “Can’t you see he’s crazy? Why did you let him in here? Don’t you think I have enough crazy people to put up with as it is without adding another? Get him out of here!” (verses 14-15)
When David left, he settled at the cave of Adullam. His family joins him, and so does a very interesting group of disgruntled losers. David is going to have his hands full with this motley group! Can you imagine what a challenge it will be to lead those whom the Bible describes as “all those who were in distress or in debt or discontented” (verse 2).
When David’s parents joined him, he was concerned about their safety. Perhaps life on the road was going to be a bit too strenuous for them. He requests for the King of Moab to take care of them in Mizpeh during the time he is on the run. What some may not remember is that his great-grandmother was none other than Ruth, the Moabitis. Yes, the very same Ruth from the book of Ruth! David had relatives in this land and knew that his parents would be taken care of.
A little later, the prophet Gad told David to go back to Judah. Upon his arrival to the nearby forest of Hereth. The news of David’s arrival did not settle well with Saul at all! He became agitated and began taking it out on his officers. How dare they keep the pact his son had made with David a secret from him! How dare they allow David to escape!
At that, Doeg spoke up. Remember him? He was the one who just so happened to witness the priest helping David when he was in Nob. He told Saul of how Ahimelech had sought the Lord for David and had provided food and a sword for him.
If Saul was about to boil over before, he was a raging inferno now! When he sent for the priest and his entire family, Ahimelech had no idea how furious Saul was toward him. After all, he didn’t realize he had aided David’s escape; he had simply done what he would have done on any other ordinary day.
Saul confronted Ahimelech and accused him of helping David plot against him. Ahimelech, of course, defended himself and explained that he had no idea of the situation. He vouched for David’s character and questioned Saul’s accusations.
Saul, in turn, ordered his men to kill all the priests. He accused them all of conspiring with David against him. However, for fear of the Lord, they refused to comply.
This part really gets me, but it is a clear display of the evil in King Saul’s heart, as well as Doeg’s. It also shows how foolish and irrational a hot head can be. Giving in to our tempers never produces good fruit!
Doeg brutally slew 85 priests on the spot! They were all still wearing their priestly garb as well. He then went to Nob and killed their entire families – men, women, children, babies, and all their animals too.
One of Ahimelech’s sons, Abiather, escaped and told David what had happened. David grieved that it was his fault this happened because he knew Doeg had seen him at the temple that day. Therefore, he asked Abiather to stay with him, and he would protect him with his life.
This was one of the most unbelievable stories I have ever read in the Bible, but what a display of how far evil can take a person! At one time, Saul was God’s chosen, but his disobedience toward God and his jealousy toward David took root and grew into the most hideously evil moments in Biblical history! While none of us could ever imagine doing something so horrible, what we can learn from this is that we must nip our sin in the bud before it has a chance to grow into a gruesome beast.
It only takes a small compromise or a season of spiritual neglect to lead us into a pit, and then we wonder how in the world we ever got there. It happens gradually, and we usually don’t recognize our downward spiral until it has taken us farther than we ever expected.
However, there is hope! The cure for this snowball effect of sin is to give our lives to the only one who has the remedy, the one who carried our sins to the cross and bore the punishment in our place. If we confess our sin, He will forgive our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). If we give our lives to Him, He will exchange them for new life in Him (2 Corinthians 5:17).
If you have questions about being saved, this should answer your questions, How Can I Be Saved?
Let me know if I can pray with you!
God bless!
