1 Samuel 21:1 – 15 “Then David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And when Ahimelech met David, he trembled and asked him, “Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?”
“The king has given me a mission,” David replied. “He told me no one is to know about the mission or charge. And I have directed my young men to meet me at a certain place. Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever can be found.”
“There is no common bread on hand,” the priest replied, “but there is some consecrated bread—provided that the young men have kept themselves from women.”
David answered, “Women have indeed been kept from us, as usual when I set out. And the equipment of the young men is holy, as it is even on common missions, and all the more at this time.” So, the priest gave him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread there but the Bread of the Presence, which had been removed from before the LORD and replaced with hot bread on the day it was taken away. Now one of Saul’s servants was there that day, detained before the LORD. And his name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief shepherd for Saul.
Then David asked Ahimelech, “Is there not a spear or sword on hand here? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s business was urgent.”
The priest replied, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here; it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want, you may take it. For there is no other but this one.”
And David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.”
That day David fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath. But the servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David, the king of the land? Did they not sing about him in their dances, saying:
‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands’?”
Now David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. So, he changed his behavior before them and feigned madness in their hands; he scratched on the doors of the gate and let his saliva run down his beard.
Then Achish said to his servants, “Look, you can see the man is insane! Why have you brought him to me? Am I in need of madmen, that you have brought this man to rave in my presence? Must this man come into my house?”
David is really on the run! Jonathan has warned David that Saul is truly out to kill him, no matter what. When David and his men come to the city of Nob, where many of the priests live, they are tired and hungry and have no weapons apart from any slings that they might have carried with them. Ahimelech, the high priest, is terrified when David shows up. Nob isn’t that far away from Jerusalem or Gibeah and Ahimelech may already have heard of Saul’s attempts to kill David. David tells Ahimelech a half – truth, telling him that Saul has sent David on an urgent mission. Well, Saul certainly has given David an urgent reason to travel. If David had remained in Saul’s vicinity, Saul would have killed him! When David asks for bread, Ahimelech gives David and his men the show bread that has already been removed from the tabernacle. Technically, only the priests were supposed to consume that bread; however, Ahimelech sensibly feels that as long as David and his men have abstained from sex for several days, they are ritually clean. Ahimelech also gives David Goliath’s sword. Unfortunately, Saul’s chief shepherd, an Edomite named Doeg, witnesses the entire transaction. Doeg’s only interest is whatever he can get from King Saul.
From Nob, David flees to the Philistine city of Gath where Achish is king; however, the king’s servants immediately recognize David and rat him out to the king. David realizes that he has made a mistake and saves himself by pretending to be mad. Evidently, David’s men have remained outside Gath, hiding somewhere else since David is the main target of Saul’s fury.
APPLICATION: Mark 2:23 – 28 tells the story of how Jesus and his disciples were walking past grain fields on the Sabbath. The disciples began pulling off some of the heads of grain and eating them; however, the Pharisees immediately began criticizing Jesus, accusing his disciples and him of working on the Sabbath. Jesus referred to this story of David and the showbread and concluded that “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. So, the Son of Man is even Lord of the Sabbath.” Jesus used the story of the showbread to emphasize the fact that compassion was more important than rules. By the time of Jesus, the Pharisees had developed so many rules regarding the Sabbath that only very wealthy people could afford to follow all of them.
It appears that David is lying to Ahimelech when he tells Ahimelech that Saul has sent David on an urgent mission; however, it is quite possible that Ahimelech realizes exactly what is happening. Certainly, Saul has been behaving strangely and the news has to have traveled throughout Israel. Saul has never really been a friend to priests; he is no believer. But David doesn’t realize that there is someone who can report to Saul until he sees Doeg. David is undoubtedly worried that he has put Ahimelech in a dangerous position; however, by this point, there is nothing he can do except to leave as quickly as possible. David goes to Gath because he figures that is the last place where Saul is likely to search for him.
Ahimelech helps David even though he undoubtedly knows that there is more to the story than David is admitting. As a high priest, Ahimelech would have access to many sources of information. Perhaps Ahimelech even realizes that Saul is after David and that David is a fugitive. But Ahimelech is a believer and follows the laws of Moses. Hospitality is a fundamental virtue in this culture, and Ahimelech gives David what he can, hoping that he will be able to give Saul a suitable answer if Saul shows up; this might well be why Ahimelech appears to believe David’s lies.
Doeg the Edomite is an interesting character. Why is Saul employing a foreigner as his chief shepherd? Has Saul abused his Israelite workers to the point that nobody in Israel wants to work for him? What is Doeg doing in Nob anyway? There’s no indication that Saul has any sheep in that area. Perhaps Saul is using Doeg as a spy and has sent him to Nob, thinking that David might turn up there.
Doing the right thing can sometimes be very perilous. As I am writing this, I am following the posts of a missionary family in Ukraine who are assisting refugees to flee the country. This family has put themselves in a very dangerous position, and it is quite possible that if their town is overrun by the Russians, they may be slaughtered. A Roman centurion was about to set off into a very dangerous area. Someone asked him what he expected to happen. The centurion replied, “It is necessary for me to go. It is not necessary that I return.”
This is Easter time and we are celebrating the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus knew full well what awaited him when he went up to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover; yet, he went. Had Jesus turned around and hidden himself, he might have dodged the crucifixion but mankind would have been eternally damned. Because Jesus chose to willingly lay down his life, all who will believe in him will have eternal life.
How far are you willing to go to fulfill God’s perfect will for your life? If God asks you to do something dangerous to help friends, will you help or will you hide? Will you choose as Jesus did, risking everything? Choose well. You are choosing for eternity.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, protect all those believers who are caring for refugees in dangerous situations. Help those of us who currently live in safety to be willing to help and to even lay down our lives if it becomes necessary. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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