August 22, 2023

Lies and half-truths can lead to destruction.

1 Samuel 21 - 22

Andrew Weak
Tuesday's Devo

August 22, 2023

Tuesday's Devo

August 22, 2023

Tuesday's Devo

August 22, 2023

Tuesday's Devo

August 22, 2023

Big Idea

Outward appearances can be deceiving. God looks at the heart.

Key Verse | 1 Samuel 22:15-16

"Is today the first time that I have inquired of God for him? No! Let not the king impute anything to his servant or to all the house of my father, for your servant has known nothing of all this, much or little." And the king said, "You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father's house."

1 Samuel 21 - 22

David and the Holy Bread

1  1 21:1 Ch 21:2 in Hebrew Then David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech came to meet David, trembling, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one with you?” 2 And David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has charged me with a matter and said to me, ‘Let no one know anything of the matter about which I send you, and with which I have charged you.’ I have made an appointment with the young men for such and such a place. 3 Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever is here.” 4 And the priest answered David, “I have no common bread on hand, but there is holy bread—if the young men have kept themselves from women.” 5 And David answered the priest, “Truly women have been kept from us as always when I go on an expedition. The vessels of the young men are holy even when it is an ordinary journey. How much more today will their vessels be holy?” 6 So the priest gave him the holy bread, for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence, which is removed from before the LORD, to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away.

7 Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the LORD. His name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul's herdsmen.

8 Then David said to Ahimelech, “Then have you not here a spear or a sword at hand? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste.” 9 And the priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck down in the Valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take it, for there is none but that here.” And David said, “There is none like that; give it to me.”

David Flees to Gath

10 And David rose and fled that day from Saul and went to Achish the king of Gath. 11 And the servants of Achish said to him, “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’?”

12 And David took these words to heart and was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. 13 So he changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in their hands and made marks on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard. 14 Then Achish said to his servants, “Behold, you see the man is mad. Why then have you brought him to me? 15 Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this fellow to behave as a madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?”

David at the Cave of Adullam

1 David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down there to him. 2 And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, 2 22:2 Or discontented gathered to him. And he became commander over them. And there were with him about four hundred men.

3 And David went from there to Mizpeh of Moab. And he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and my mother stay 3 22:3 Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew go out with you, till I know what God will do for me.” 4 And he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him all the time that David was in the stronghold. 5 Then the prophet Gad said to David, “Do not remain in the stronghold; depart, and go into the land of Judah.” So David departed and went into the forest of Hereth.

Saul Kills the Priests at Nob

6 Now Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men who were with him. Saul was sitting at Gibeah under the tamarisk tree on the height with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him. 7 And Saul said to his servants who stood about him, “Hear now, people of Benjamin; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, 8 that all of you have conspired against me? No one discloses to me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. None of you is sorry for me or discloses to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day.” 9 Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who stood by the servants of Saul, “I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, 10 and he inquired of the LORD for him and gave him provisions and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”

11 Then the king sent to summon Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, the priests who were at Nob, and all of them came to the king. 12 And Saul said, “Hear now, son of Ahitub.” And he answered, “Here I am, my lord.” 13 And Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and a sword and have inquired of God for him, so that he has risen against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?” 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 4 22:14 Septuagint, Targum; Hebrew and has turned aside to your bodyguard, and honored in your house? 15 Is today the first time that I have inquired of God for him? No! Let not the king impute anything to his servant or to all the house of my father, for your servant has known nothing of all this, much or little.” 16 And the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father's house.” 17 And the king said to the guard who stood about him, “Turn and kill the priests of the LORD, because their hand also is with David, and they knew that he fled and did not disclose it to me.” But the servants of the king would not put out their hand to strike the priests of the LORD. 18 Then the king said to Doeg, “You turn and strike the priests.” And Doeg the Edomite turned and struck down the priests, and he killed on that day eighty-five persons who wore the linen ephod. 19 And Nob, the city of the priests, he put to the sword; both man and woman, child and infant, ox, donkey and sheep, he put to the sword.

20 But one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. 21 And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the LORD. 22 And David said to Abiathar, “I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have occasioned the death of all the persons of your father's house. 23 Stay with me; do not be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life. With me you shall be in safekeeping.”

Footnotes

[1] 21:1 Ch 21:2 in Hebrew
[2] 22:2 Or discontented
[3] 22:3 Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew go out
[4] 22:14 Septuagint, Targum; Hebrew and has turned aside to

S2:162 1 Samuel 21 - 22

Listen Now

Dive Deeper | 1 Samuel 21 - 22

Here we see David struggling a bit in his early days as a fugitive. When asked by Ahimelech why he was alone, David replied that "the king" had sent him (1 Samuel 21:2). David's reply was deceitful. He clearly wanted Ahimelech to believe Saul had sent him. For a moment, David stopped trusting the Lord as his protector, and he looked to his own ways (deceit) to protect himself. This deceit had drastic consequences and resulted in the death of 85 priests and their families, as David recognizes in 1 Samuel 22:22.

Later in 1 Samuel 21:10, we see David fleeing with Goliath's sword to Gath (Goliath's hometown). It probably wasn't the wisest decision for the one who defeated Goliath to flee to Goliath's hometown with Goliath's sword! In fact, the Philistines recognize David right away, and again David resorts to deception to save himself. 

Despite these mistakes, David ultimately still  sought to trust God as his protector. He wrote Psalm 56 while a captive in Gath. Psalm 56:4 reads, "In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?"

David's posture toward the Lord is in stark contrast to Saul's at this point. Saul stopped trusting the Lord as his protector some time ago (1 Samuel 13:9-14). Now he is in outright opposition to the Lord when he orders the slaying of the Lord's priests. Even Saul's loyal soldiers refuse to obey his order. The killing of the priests' families shows still further opposition, as the law bans the killing of children for their parents' sins (Deuteronomy 24:16).

In spite of David's mistakes, he still subjected himself to the Lord's authority. Saul, however, rejected the Lord's authority and looked to himself. This was, ultimately, the reason for the Lord's rejection of Saul in favor of David. We have the same choice before us. Like Saul, we can reject God's authority and look to ourselves as our own authority, or, like David, we can see the Lord as our ultimate authority even though we will make mistakes along the way.

This month's memory verse

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

– Mark 10:45

Discussion Questions

1. In what ways are you not trusting the Lord enough to follow His ways completely?

2. Are there times in your life that you are telling half-truths or withholding information in an effort to protect yourself?

3. Are there ways that you can be more honest and transparent with your community group?

4. Whom do you ultimately look to as your authority? What do your daily actions say about where you recognize authority? Do you pray for guidance, or do you act without seeking the Lord? Do you submit to God's Word, or do you disregard it?

As we gear up to release even more features for Join The Journey in 2025, our staff team, unfortunately, no longer has the margin to continue to support the comment functionality. We have big things in store for Join The Journey 2025. Stay tuned!

HS

Hugh Stephenson

Good morning, Andrew, Love this piece from your devo. It wraps up the whole section for me. -“In spite of David's mistakes, he still subjected himself to the Lord's authority. Saul, however, rejected the Lord's authority and looked to himself.” Praying for more of the heart of David to be in me as I also pray to have the Holy Spirit take away any semblance of what was in Saul, (Psalm 51:10). ———————————————————— Q1. Trust issues- Part of my role at work is to study the big picture issues across markets, politics, culture, foreign exchange etc. It’s getting really worrisome. Do I 100% trust God. It’s easy to say yes…if I think I personally won’t have to experience pain, hassles, and suffering. The constant daily barrage of insanity in the news has me longing for Jesus to come back soon. Q2. Half-truths. B.C.? Yes. It was a regular practice. A.D.? The conviction of the Holy Spirit is strong and quick. Q3. Transparency, accountability, and confession are great hallmarks of our group. Even so, it’s hard to confess to the same sins over and over. Q4. As a reined and trained control person it’s very hard to consciously pray first before anything else. Another B.C. v A.D. difference. Sanctification is ongoing with a great deal of ground to gain. SIDEBAR- The Chosen has several short episodes from the OT. The link below has them. The 3rd one is David and Ahimelech. Please take a few minutes and watch each one. 17 minutes total. https://youtu.be/xzvJws1H5OE Then watch this linked incident from Mark 2:23-28, Matthew 12:1-8, Luke 6:1-5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AX-6hFTnXUE Please do this. I am confident it will bless you as much as it has me.
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Hugh Stephenson

“Rules without relationship lead to rebellion.” In my first weeks in Prodigal my group leader taught me this truth. A set of rules for my prodigal to follow would, on their own, fail. He’s become a box checker, at best. What was really needed in addition to the house rules was for me to seek to see him as God does and to love him as God does. Psalm 23 is my model. Here’s the book that opened God’s way of shepherding to me- A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 https://a.co/d/3u6J3En Why does God call me/us to focus on relationships? I’m taught that His deepest desire is for unity with me; as it was in the garden before my ancestors Adam and Eve made a terribly wrong choice. When discovered, there was blame shifting by both. What if Adam had shown real leadership. The kind God desired and designed? What if Saul had an accurate understanding of God’s design? What if David didn’t? And Jonathan? I see leadership as important because relationships are important. God has made it clear that His kingdom will advance through the acts of His people as they know Him and desire unity with Him. Jesus communicated this to me in John 17. If you haven’t read it recently, please stop and do so. I’m told many think it’s the greatest prayer ever. As noted prior, I have had at best count, nearly 20 CEOs in 40 years. And close to that many Managing Directors. The two most effective and successful in the combined group had a deep understanding of how to connect as God designs. I have many stories. Their accomplishments were extraordinary. All the others were managing by top-down decree combined with some form of intimidation. Always promising. Virtually never delivering. All their subordinates managed by kissing-up. Virtually no real attention was focused on accomplishing the mission through others. In seeing this I see once again the stark contrast in leadership style and relationship models between Saul-David-Jonathan. David protects Ahimelech by not telling him everything. The notes point out the wrongdoing. It seems a likely that the other priests know/believe that Ahimelech is honest with Saul and has done nothing wrong. What I am focusing on is how Saul’s “team” feels when he had Doeg execute all the priests and then Doeg kills everyone and everything else. Management by tyrannical rule using fear as a tool is not only non-Biblical but nearly certain to be substantially less effective long term. As a husband, father, boss, ministry co-leader and any other role. Good gives me a choice: servant leader or tyrant. Praying it is only the Great Shepherd that I emulate.
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Hugh Stephenson

From Constables notes: When people refuse to submit to God's authority over them, they begin to deteriorate: spiritually, socially, psychologically, and physically (Rom. 6:23). Eli and Saul had both refused to submit to God's authority. Eli, the priest, put his family before God. Consequently God cut off his family. Even though David was the cause of 85 priests' deaths, this was one way God partially fulfilled the prophecy concerning Eli's descendants (2:27-36). God used David's folly to accomplish His will. So even in this David became a blessing. This in no way justifies David's lie (21:2), but it does show how even in his sinning, David was used by God for blessing (cf. Ps. 76:10; Rom. 6:1-2). Saul, the king, put himself before God. He became increasingly paranoid, isolated from others, hateful even toward his supporters as well as his enemies, and guilty of shedding innocent blood. God ended his life prematurely. Conversely, when people submit to God's authority over them, they really begin to thrive (John 10:10). David submitted to God's authority over him. His sins, including deceiving Ahimelech, bore bad consequences for himself and others. Nevertheless God continued to bless and use David. He blessed him personally: David continued to rise to the throne. God also blessed him by using him to accomplish God's will, here the pruning of Eli's descendants. Therefore we conclude that the most important issue is one of long-term authority, not incidental acts. Acts are important, but who is in control—God or self—is even more important. For a believer, the most important issue is authority. Believers can determine who is in control of our lives fairly easily by asking ourselves two test questions: Do I ask God for guidance, or do I ignore Him and make my own plans and decisions without praying? And, do I submit to His Word, or do I disobey it, having ignored it or disregarded it? https://www.planobiblechapel.org/tcon/notes/html/ot/1samuel/1samuel.htm
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Michael Sisson

Re: 1Sam 21:7 1Sam 21:7 (NASB) Now one of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the LORD; and his name was >>>Doeg the Edomite<<<, the chief of Saul's shepherds. As we’ll see in the next chapter, Doeg is another in a long line of villainous Edomites throughout Scripture who collude against the Despised Messiah, His progenitors, and His prophets. Re: 1Sam 21:15 See Ps 56, written by David in Gath. Re: 1Sam 22:2 1Sam 22:2 (NASB) >>>Everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him; and he became captain over them.<<< Now there were about four hundred men with him. David’s followers sound somewhat those drawn to Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus). Re: 1Sam 22:18-19 Like an agent of ha Satan (the Adversary) himself, Doeg the Edomite is quick to act upon Saul’s murderous rage against the L-rd’s anointed (1Chr 16:22, Ps 105:15) including: Ahimelech, his fellow priests, and every man, woman, child, and infant of the priestly city of Nob and their livestock. Re: 1Sam 22:22 1Sam 22:22 (NASB) Then David said to Abiathar, “I knew on that day, when >>>Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul.<<< I have brought about the death of every person in your father's household. See Ps 52, written when Doeg the Edomite told Saul about David visiting Abimelech.
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Sue Bohlin

Thanks, Andrew! Reading the accounts of what happened in these chapters, I am struck by the lack of God's commentary; there are no "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" emojis in the margin to let us know when people do good things or bad things. The text just records history and lets us wrestle with the implications, and connect the dots to later consequences both good and bad. This is one way we love God with our minds (Matt. 22:37). Today I'm enjoying connecting the dots between David's time fleeing from the murderous Saul, and his wonderful Psalm 56 with the powerful verse worth drawing on over and over: "When I am afraid, I will trust in you."
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Michael Scaman

Doeg the Edomite was 'detained' in the city of priests. Thy had authority to do that for 7 days for skin issues , ceremonial issues etc as was their job. That would be the providence of God that that happened where God knew what holding Doeg there at that time would lead to. Doeg may have been embittered because they detained him and callous enough to please Saul by massacring allt he men, women, children and even animals, except one person who escaped to David. That is the bitterness and sin of man who is not absolved from responsibility with destruction following. David was not completely forthright, on the other hand when Samuel went to annoint David and was worried Saul would kill him, God said just say you are going to sacrifice. So perhaps it depends on the nature of the withholding of information. Both the providence of God and the sin of man were at work. Not happenstance but providence. God accomplishing His ends. Doeg will even get a Psalm written about the judgement of the wicked in Psalm 52. And if someone thinks that they are not as wicked as Doeg and don't have to be concerned about judgement, Psalm 53 follows and emphasizes 'there is none righteous no not one' ending a series of five Psalms 49 though 53, David's model prayer for mercy in center, on judgement and echoing Psalm 14 which begins a series of Psalms running 14 though 24 ending with the good shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep, the king. There is none righteous no not one form Psalms 14 and 53 will be repeated and quoted in Romans. And those in distress and somewhat malcontent went to be with David, not the cream of the crop of society.
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Amy Lowther

1. I trust the Lord and follow His ways completely in everything I do. 2. No. 3. Nope, things are going in the right direction. 4. I look to God as an authority because He is good at helping everyone. My daily actions support that I believe in God as an authority. I pray for guidance from the Lord. I submit to God”s Word consistently.