I Samuel 21:1-15
This morning we are going to turn our attention back to
David.
When we last discussed David he had been warned by
Jonathan that his father Saul was indeed still seeking to
kill him. Saul had already attempted to stab David with
his spear three times, and after some plotting by
Jonathan, it was found out that Saul did in fact want
David dead.
So, now David is on the run. In fact, chapters 21-29
describe David’s time on the run from Saul.
David Flees to Nob
I Samuel 21:1-6
Nob was located just a few miles south of Gibeah where
David had just met with Jonathan.
At Nob he goes directly to the priest, Ahimelech.
He is a great-grandson of Eli.
The Bible tells us that the priest was trembling when he
met David. Why did he have this reaction?
He thinks David is a fugitive, on the run from the king.
He likely fears that helping David could mean the end for
him. If Saul found out he was harboring his enemy, that
would be bad news for the priest. We will see what
happens to Ahimelech in the next chapter.
He asks David, “why are you alone?”
Seeing David without his men was a red flag to Ahimelech.
David reassures Ahimelech that his men are nearby and
he is just working on an errand for the king.
David Receives the Holy Bread
When David asks for bread, Ahimelech tells him he only
has the holy bread.
Now, why in the world did the priest give David the holy
bread?
Leviticus 24:5-9 tells us that the 12 loaves were to be
eaten only by the priests in the holy place. It was the
bread of the Presence that sat on the gold table in the
tabernacle.
Ahimelech allowed David, who is not a priest, to take the
bread outside the holy place and eat it.
He is breaking the Law to show kindness to David.
Notice how Ahimelech describes David in I Sam 22:14
“Then Ahimelech answered the king, ‘And who
among all your servants is so faithful as David, who
is the king’s son-in-law, and captain over your
bodyguard, and honored in your house?’”
Ahimelech offers the bread to David with only one
caveat, that his men had not been with a woman. This
would have made them temporarily unclean.
David assures him that they haven’t and the priest gives
him the bread.
I Samuel 21:7
Verse 7 seems out of place, but we will see why it is
important when we discuss chapter 22. I won’t steal the
thunder this morning.
But we do need to talk about this verse.
What does the Bible tell us about this man?
He is the chief herdsman of Saul.
He is an Edomite.
Right away, David should be suspicious.
Doeg is now a servant of Saul.
Saul had defeated the Edomites back in I Sam 14.
Now it says that Doeg has been detained by the Lord.
That is all that is mentioned about Doeg, but keep in
mind he watched the priest give bread to Saul’s enemy
David.
David Acquires a Sword
I Samuel 21:8-9
Now that David has sustenance, he asks the priest for a
weapon.
Ahimelech tells him he only has the sword of the
Philistine giant Goliath that David has slain in the valley
of Elah.
The priest had obtained the weapon and was keeping it
safe in the tabernacle.
David was on the run and he needed a weapon to defend
himself, and now he has one.
Remember, the most important part of the story of David
is that he was chosen by God not the people.
God had rejected Saul, but chosen David.
David Flees to Gath
I Samuel 21:10-15
Gath is about 25 miles southwest of Nob.
If you remember this city is significant and dangerous to
David because it is a Philistine city, which are the
enemies of Israel, and because it is the city where
Goliath is from.
Isn’t it an interesting choice that David seeks respite
from Saul in a city where he killed their champion and to
top it off he walks in with the very sword that was used
to chop off his head!!
He’s more afraid of Saul than he is of the Philistines.
Of course, the people immediately recognize David.
One of the servants of the king recognizes him and asks
the king, “Is not this David the king of the land? Did they
not sing to one another of him in dances, ‘Saul has struck
down his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?”
Image if Saul was here to hear this conversation.
He would be seething.
Remember the first time he heard the people singing
David’s praises!
The king’s servant also calls David the king of the land.
Isn’t it interesting that he refers to David, God’s king as
the king of the land. Keep in mind he is saying this to the
king of Gath, the place whose best fighter was struck
down by a shepherd boy with a sling and a stone.
Did the servant know that David would replace Saul as
king of Israel?
Verse 12 tells us that David is afraid of Achish the king of
Gath.
David wrote about his fear in one of the Psalms that he
composed. In fact, he wrote about this exact situation.
Turn to Psalm 56
This Psalm is titled: To the Choirmaster: According to the
dove on far-off terebinths. A Miktam of David, when the
Philistines seized him in Gath.
Psalm 56:1-6
“Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on
me;
all day long an attacker oppresses me;
my enemies trample on me all day long,
for many attack me proudly.
When I am afraid,
I put my trust in you.
In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can flesh do to me?
All day long they injure my cause;
all their thoughts are against me for evil.
They stir up strife, they lurk;
they watch my steps,
as they have waited for my life.“
David wrote, when I am afraid – even David, the man
after God’s own heart – experiences fear.
But how does he deal with it?
He shows a healthy response to fear.
He trusts in God.
He praises God.
And his faith takes away his fear.
He understands that there is nothing man can do to him
that can separate him from God.
How do you deal with fear?
Some people let it cripple them.
It paralyzes them and keeps them from being able to
make decisions and live their lives.
God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and
love and self control.
Back to I Samuel 21, let’s look at verses 13-15
David changes his behavior before the king and begins
scratching at the door and drooling down his beard.
David was very cunning to pull this off.
When he saw the way David was behaving, he assumed
he was a madman, and not a threat to him or his
kingdom, so he told his people to get him out of his
house.
David credits God for helping him escape in Psalm 56:13
“For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet
from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of
life.”
He also praises God in Psalm 34
Notice the title – Of David, When he changed his behavior
before Abimelech, so that he drove him our, and he went
away
Psalm 34:1-6
“I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
let the humble hear and be glad.
Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his
name together!
I sought the Lord, and he answered me and
delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces
shall never be ashamed.
This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and
saved him out of all his troubles.”
The fact that God inspired David to write two Psalms
about the impact of his time being chased by Saul shows
that God wants us to understand the significance of this
story.
We will see this same thing again when we talk about
Nathan restoring David after his sin with Bathsheba.
What can we learn from our text today?
APPLICATION
God is teaching us to,
Face our Fears with Faith
We are going to face trials in our life.
The question is how are we going to deal with them?
Will we let fear run our life or will we let God direct our
paths?
We must follow the example of David and face our fear
head on with faith.
Knowing that God is in control and He will
accomplish what He wants to accomplish in our
lives.
Let’s close with a word from Peter
I Peter 4:12-19 “Beloved, do not be surprised at
the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you,
as though something strange were happening to
you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s
sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad
when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for
the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the
Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let
none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an
evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a
Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him
glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgment
to begin at the household of God; and if it begins
with us, what will be the outcome for those who do
not obey the gospel of God? And
“If the righteous is scarcely saved,
what will become of the ungodly and the
sinner?”
Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s
will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while
doing good.”