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1 Samuel 21-1-15

Context: After a tearful and heart wrenching goodbye with Jonathan, Jonathan returns
to his life to live out their covenant in the hostile environment of Saul’s court.
David enters the Wilderness. David does not choose to enter the wilderness,
but rather, he is “chased” there so as to escape Saul’s attempts to kill him.
There are 15 wilderness stories ahead.

Who: David, Ahimelech, the Priest and great grandson of Eli, Doeg, the Edomite, Achish,
the king of Gath, The LORD; also mentioned: Saul, Goliath, the Philistine

What, David’s flight from Saul continues first to Nob, the city of the Priests and then
Where & on to Gath, the hometown of Goliath. Nob’s local is uncertain but likely
Why: within a mile or two from Gibeah.

Themes/Threads:

Repeated Words:

David flees Saul and enters the Wilderness:

I. David at Nob 1Samuel 21:1-9


II. David at Gath 1 Samuel 21:10-15

Section I, David at Nob, 1Samuel 21:1-9:

1-6: In his hurried flight from Saul, David goes to Nob and to Ahimelech, the priest who is
the great grandson of Eli. In Nob there was a sanctuary and a large community of priests;
Nob is referred to as “the city of priests,” in 1 Sam 22:19. David (and his entourage?) has
fled without food or weapons and he is desperately in need of both. Previously, David had
sought help from the Prophet, Samuel, now he seeks aid from the Chief Priest, Ahimelech;
is there significance in David receiving help from the men in these two significant roles of
Prophet and Priest?

Ahimelech was not overjoyed to see David and in fact trembles at the sight of him being
alone, perhaps suspecting that David is a fugitive. David seeks to put the priest’s fears to
rest by telling him of his mission, indicating he is still working for Saul rather than running
from him. David asks for bread. There is only holy bread available, according to the Law
this bread was to be eaten by priests (“Aaron and his sons”) “in a holy place” (Leviticus
24:9). The priest is cautious about giving up the holy bread to one who is not ritually clean.
The priest contrasts the holy, “qds” and profane, “hl”. David responds that even if the
mission is “profane” their vessels are “holy”. Ahmielech gives David the bread since he is
ritually clean and human need necessitates it.

Was David telling the truth to Ahimelech about being clean? Walter Brueggeman
observes, “The narrative does not linger over such a fine question of the law, but is
singularly preoccupied with the success of David; everything else must yield to this
concern.”

In Luke 6:3-4, On a Sabbath day about 1000 years after this event, Jesus said to the
Pharisees who were accusing him of breaking the Sabbath: “Have you not read what
David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the
house of God and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which is not lawful for any but
the priests to eat, and also gave it to those with him?” (Also see Mathew 12: 3-4, Mark
2:25-28).

V7 At this point we are told something that will turn out to be very important when we
come to the sequel to this incident which is recorded in 1Samuel 22. The Narrator draws
our attention to a “certain man”. Apparently, while the conversation had been taking
place between David and Ahimelech, in the background was the almost unnoticed figure
of Doeg, the Edomite. The fact that he is an Edomite introduces a sinister note into the
account, as the Edomites were a people group traditionally hostile to the people of God.
We also learn that he is the chief of Saul’s herdsmen or the “chief shepherd”; thus, he is a
servant of Saul and we remember that in 1 Samuel 19:1, all of the servants of Saul had
been informed of Saul’s intent to kill David. We are also told that Doeg had been
“detained before the LORD.” Again, all these details, which appear insignificant at this
point in the story, will become significant in chapter 22.

V8-9 David needs a spear or a sword. Just as there had been food under the care and
control of the priest, was there perhaps a weapon? That would be a strange thing to ask a
priest, except, of course, that just as David had known very well there was bread under
Ahimelech’s control, it is strongly suspected that he knew a sword had been entrusted to
him. John Woodhouse suggests: “Again there is a story here that we are not fully told. At
the end of the account of the slaying of Goliath we were told that David put the Philistine’s
“armor” or “weapons” in his tent. How and when the sword was entrusted to Ahimelech is
not told, but it is likely that David would have known about it. It seems very probable that
this was the purpose of David’s visit to Ahimelech all along. More important for the
fugitive from Saul than five loaves of bread was the great sword of Goliath. Certainly he
was eager to get it into his hands: “And David said, ‘There is none like that; give it to
me.’”

Section II, David at Gath, 1 Samuel 21:10-15:


V10-15 What David did next demonstrates that he was in desperate danger anywhere in
Saul’s kingdom: “And David rose and fled that day from Saul and went to Achish the king
of Gath”. Achish was the city-king of the Palestinian city of Gath. How strange to go to the
king of Gath for refuge! David is recognized immediately and referred to as “the king of
the land,” rather than the slayer of their champion, Goliath, or the commander of Saul’s
armies. The “king of the land,” is not a title that was used in Israel; and though Saul is
officially king, it seems even the Philistines know that David is the soon-to-be king. Clearly,
his name was well known: “Then the princes of the Philistines came out to battle, and as
often as they came out David had more success than all the servants of Saul, so that his
name was highly esteemed” (1 Samuel 18:30). The locals of Gath even know the little
ditty the women sing of him.

Frightened, David takes these words to heart; he is much afraid of Achish, did he think
they wouldn’t recognize him? But because they do know him, he could be killed as an
enemy or held as a valuable hostage. He acts quickly to undo his reputation and he
behaves as a madman. The saliva on the beard was especially convincing, because men in
that culture would consider this something only a man out of his right mind would allow.
“An indignity to the beard was considered an intolerable insult and would not have been
permitted by a normal person.” (Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown). In his commentary,
Eugene Peterson notes that “in ancient cultures, insanity was regarded with some measure
of awe; so instead of killing him, Achish simply wants to get rid of him, he doesn’t even
want him in his prison…once again David defeats the Philistines, but this time with his wits
instead of weapons.”

As David began his journey in the wilderness, he was provisioned and armed at the holy
sanctuary of God. He then escaped the very clutch of Achish, the Philistine king in the
Philistine city of Gath. Throughout David’s story, God has been providentially providing for
him and ensuring his success; the God who had anointed him will continue to provide for
him in the wilderness journey on the way to becoming king.

Psalms 34 and 56:

David’s time in the wilderness was a highly significant time in his spiritual life. No fewer
than seven Psalms are explicitly linked to this time and it is likely that many of his
additional psalms also originated during his dark days as a fugitive. Both Psalms 34 and 56
were written about the events of 1 Sam 21:1-15. Psalm 56 is David’s cry when he found
himself in the terrifying situation of being taken by the Philistines to Achish the king; and
Psalm 34 is his praise song when he was delivered.

Psalm 34:
The title to Psalm 34 indicates that it belongs to the occasion “when [David] changed his
behavior before Abimelech [that is, Achish], so that he drove him out, and he went away.”
Psalm 34 is an acrostic with each verse beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew
alphabet. The pattern of the psalm consists of thanksgiving (vv. 1– 7), exhortation (vv. 8–
14), and praise or instruction (vv. 15– 22). The opening thanksgiving and closing praises
focus on deliverance from distress, and the exhortations in the middle focus on blessing,
especially for provision and long life.

Craig C. Broyles notes, “The final verse, which lies outside the acrostic pattern, highlights
the theme of “redemption.” The teaching in this psalm contains enormous promises (esp.
vv. 9– 10, 20). Most striking are the repeated uses of seemingly absolute, universal terms:
all (vv. 1, 4, 6, 17, 19), always (v. 1), never (v. 5), nothing (v. 9), no good thing (v. 10), not
one and no one (vv. 20, 22). In this regard, verse 19 is key; it admits a righteous man may
have many troubles, but—after some unspecified interval and in some unspecified
manner—the LORD delivers him from them all. Believers are given every confidence to
entrust themselves to YHWH, but they are not given guarantees of avoiding troubles
altogether. YHWH is presented as Deliverer, not as one who preserves his own from ever
experiencing hardship. Trouble is a given. Its mere appearance does not signal a failure on
YHWH’s or the believer’s part”.

Psalm 56:

Psalm 56 is called “A Miktam of David, when the Philistines seized him in Gath.” In this
psalm David speaks of the enemies threatening him. It seems he is thinking not only of his
Philistine captors in Gath but also of Saul and his servants. These oppressors are joined in
David’s mind. “All day long,” he cried. There seemed to be no end to the threats to
David’s life. Behind these words lie the experiences of 1 Samuel 19–21 - one attempt after
another by Saul to kill him. Now he found himself very afraid and in the presence of Achish
and the Philistines. Psalm 56 emphasizes the reality of the wicked threats against him. The
verbs he uses tell the story: “tramples, oppresses, attack, injure, stir up, strife, lurk, watch,
waited.” This was David’s experience “all day long.” The wickedness of these threats
against God’s anointed is indicated by “proudly” and “for evil.” In this psalm David speaks
of his fear and perhaps this psalm helps explains why he is so rarely afraid in the accounts
of his life in the books of Samuel:

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?

In David’s mind, the antidote to being “much afraid” was to trust in God. John
Woodhouse states, “This was not some kind of vague piety. The God he trusted was the
God who had spoken, the God “whose word I praise.” No doubt David knew the word
that God had spoken at Mount Sinai, which any Israelite could claim. But with David there
was a more particular word. God had said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he” (1 Samuel
16:12). This is likely the word that was particularly in his mind here. God’s word had
identified David as the one to whom the kingdom would be given (1 Samuel 15:28).
Trusting in the God who had spoken that word he asks, “What can flesh do to me?”

Wrap up and Application:

David’s circumstances forced his flight into the wilderness, yet at every step, he finds
YHWH’s assurance and provision for his journey. Assurance in that God is making David’s
kingship known through out the land, even the uncircumcised Philistines recognize him as
“king of the land.” Provision in that his needs for food and sword are met at the sanctuary
of God, and through every trial he is miraculously kept alive.

Jesus himself spent time in the wilderness so it is quite likely that at some point in our
spiritual life, we will find ourselves in the wilderness too. Eugene Peterson observes,
“Everybody – at lease everybody who has anything to do with God – spends time in the
wilderness, so it is important to know what can take place there.” The wilderness can be
very disorienting for us, we find ourselves in unknown territory, and everything familiar is
gone. How do we get reoriented in such a disorienting place? We can look to Jesus and
David’s wilderness experiences to find answers. Jesus quoted God’s word when he was
tempted in the wilderness. David’s faith in the LORD served as his compass in the
wilderness. David’s prayers, as recorded in the Psalms, show us that by seeking God’s
grace, pouring out his concerns, and trusting in what he knew to be true about God, he
was able to regain his footing. The truth about who God is and knowledge of His word
can light our way in the wilderness.

When you find yourself in the wilderness, disoriented or afraid, how do you look for God’s
presence, guidance and purposes?

In these two wilderness Psalms of David:


What concerns and emotions does he express?
What do you learn from this and how does this encourage you?

Where is David’s focus in the Psalm?


Where does your focus tend to be in times of uncertainty, trouble or fear?

How do these Psalms help you realign your focus and provide a pattern for your prayers in
troubling or disorienting times?

What do you learn from our text and Psalms about responding to your own disorienting
wilderness experiences?
Sources (other than the Bible and my own tiny brain) used in compiling notes: Holman’s Shepherd’s Notes 1&2 Samuel;
Interpretation Commentary for Teaching and Preaching 1&2 Samuel, Walter Brueggemann; Verse by Verse Commentary
1 Samuel, David Guzik; 1 Samuel Preaching Outlines, Brian Morgan; 1&2 Samuel Commentary, Eugene Peterson; An Old
Testament Theology, Bruce Waltke with Charles Yu; 1 Samuel: Looking for a Leader (Preaching the Word), John
Woodhouse; Psalms (Understanding the Bible Commentary Series), Craig C .Broyles

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