Category Archives: Seeking His Kingdom Bible Study

David Hides in the Wilderness

1 Samuel 23:13-29 NLT
David Hides in the Wilderness
¹³So David and his men—about 600 of them now—left Keilah and began roaming the countryside. Word soon reached Saul that David had escaped, so he didn’t go to Keilah after all. ¹⁴David now stayed in the strongholds of the wilderness and in the hill country of Ziph. Saul hunted him day after day, but God didn’t let Saul find him.
¹⁵One day near Horesh, David received the news that Saul was on the way to Ziph to search for him and kill him. ¹⁶Jonathan went to find David and encouraged him to stay strong in his faith in God. ¹⁷“Don’t be afraid,” Jonathan reassured him. “My father will never find you! You are going to be the king of Israel, and I will be next to you, as my father, Saul, is well aware.” ¹⁸So the two of them renewed their solemn pact before the Lord. Then Jonathan returned home, while David stayed at Horesh.
¹⁹But now the men of Ziph went to Saul in Gibeah and betrayed David to him. “We know where David is hiding,” they said. “He is in the strongholds of Horesh on the hill of Hakilah, which is in the southern part of Jeshimon. ²⁰Come down whenever you’re ready, O king, and we will catch him and hand him over to you!”
²¹“The Lord bless you,” Saul said. “At last someone is concerned about me! ²²Go and check again to be sure of where he is staying and who has seen him there, for I know that he is very crafty. ²³Discover his hiding places, and come back when you are sure. Then I’ll go with you. And if he is in the area at all, I’ll track him down, even if I have to search every hiding place in Judah!” ²⁴So the men of Ziph returned home ahead of Saul.
Meanwhile, David and his men had moved into the wilderness of Maon in the Arabah Valley south of Jeshimon. ²⁵When David heard that Saul and his men were searching for him, he went even farther into the wilderness to the great rock, and he remained there in the wilderness of Maon. But Saul kept after him in the wilderness.
²⁶Saul and David were now on opposite sides of a mountain. Just as Saul and his men began to close in on David and his men, ²⁷an urgent message reached Saul that the Philistines were raiding Israel again. ²⁸So Saul quit chasing David and returned to fight the Philistines. Ever since that time, the place where David was camped has been called the Rock of Escape. ²⁹David then went to live in the strongholds of En-gedi.

Examine the Scriptures
1 Samuel 23:13-29 NLT
David Hides in the Wilderness

¹³So David and his men—about 600 of them now—left Keilah and began roaming the countryside.

Word soon reached Saul that David had escaped, so he didn’t go to Keilah after all.

Review:

Saul had informants.

Saul did not show any concern for the people living in Keilah. He only wanted to capture and kill David.

The number of David’s men stayed at 600.

Bible scholars think that David was on the run from Saul for a period of 7 to 10 years.

¹⁴David now stayed in the strongholds of the wilderness and in the hill country of Ziph.

Strongholds, as the term is used here, were not man-made structures but were natural formations that provided refuge.

Strongholds were places that were not easily accessible. Good places to hide.

Ziph was about 5 miles southeast of Hebron or 12 miles southeast of Keilah.

A desolate, hilly, wilderness area and in some places a wooded area.

See verse 16 NKJV

Many ravines and caves are found in this rugged region which provided David with places of refuge from Saul.

Picture two mountains side by side. Both mountains reveal rocks, trees, ravines, and the openings to numerous caves. Paths are winding down the sides of each of the mountains. You can easily see from one mountain to the other, but it would take a long time to travel from one of these mountains to the other.

Psalm 63 NLT
A psalm of David, regarding a time when David was in the wilderness of Judah.
¹O God, you are my God;
I earnestly search for you.
My soul thirsts for you;
my whole body longs for you
in this parched and weary land
where there is no water.…

Saul hunted him day after day, but God didn’t let Saul find him.

God protected David from King Saul.

This is a clear picture of God’s sovereignty ay work.

God’s sovereignty is jumping off the pages of scripture.

Isaiah 46:9-11 NLT
⁹Remember the things I have done in the past.
For I alone am God!
I am God, and there is none like me.
¹⁰Only I can tell you the future
before it even happens.
Everything I plan will come to pass,
for I do whatever I wish.
¹¹I will call a swift bird of prey from the east—
a leader from a distant land to come and do my bidding.
I have said what I would do,
and I will do it.

As we hear the story of David fleeing from Saul, we repeatedly see a picture of God’s sovereignty at work.

¹⁵One day near Horesh,

Horesh was located in the wilderness of Ziph.

David received the news that Saul was on the way to Ziph to search for him and kill him.

Again David had informants telling him that Saul was approaching with soldiers.

¹⁶Jonathan went to find David and encouraged him to stay strong in his faith in God.

1 Samuel 23:16 NKJV
¹⁶Then Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose and went to David in the woods and (encouraged him) strengthened his hand in God.

Jonathan was able to find David. His father King Saul was not able to find David.

David’s last recorded meeting with Jonathan.

Jonathan meets with David in the wilderness of Ziph for a final, brief encounter between the two men.

Jonathan met with David to encourage him to remain strong in his faith in God.

¹⁷“Don’t be afraid,” Jonathan reassured him. “My father will never find you!

David’s situation looks bleak, but Jonathan somehow knows that God will protect David from King Saul.

You are going to be the king of Israel, and I will be next to you, as my father, Saul, is well aware.”

Jonathan recognized God’s selection of David and tells David that David is going to be the king of Israel, and he would willingly serve David. Jonathan also says that his father Saul is well aware of the fact that David is meant to be the next king.

Saul speaking to Jonathan:

1 Samuel 20:31 NLT
³¹As long as that son of Jesse is alive, you’ll never be king. Now go and get him so I can kill him!”

¹⁸So the two of them renewed their solemn pact before the Lord. Then Jonathan returned home, while David stayed at Horesh.

Jonathan and David renew their solemn pact before the Lord.

1 Samuel 18:1-4 NLT
^18:1 After David had finished talking with Saul, he met Jonathan, the king’s son. There was an immediate bond between them, for Jonathan loved David. ²From that day on Saul kept David with him and wouldn’t let him return home. ³And Jonathan made a solemn pact with David, because he loved him as he loved himself. ⁴Jonathan sealed the pact by taking off his robe and giving it to David, together with his tunic, sword, bow, and belt.

At the time when David and Jonathan parted company.

1 Samuel 20:42 NLT
⁴²At last Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for we have sworn loyalty to each other in the Lord’s name. The Lord is the witness of a bond between us and our children forever.” Then David left, and Jonathan returned to the town.

David and Jonathan parted company, reminding themselves of the commitments they had made to each other and to their descendants.

¹⁹But now the men of Ziph went to Saul in Gibeah and betrayed David to him. “We know where David is hiding,” they said. “He is in the strongholds of Horesh on the hill of Hakilah, which is in the southern part of Jeshimon.

Jeshimon, translated wasteland, is another name for the wilderness of Judea.

The Ziphites, who were Judahites, betrayed David to Saul.

Previously the people of Keilah, located in Judah, were also willing to betray David.

²⁰Come down whenever you’re ready, O king, and we will catch him and hand him over to you!”

Psalm 54 NLT (David’s thoughts and prayers.)
For the choir director: A psalm of David, regarding the time the Ziphites came and said to Saul, “We know where David is hiding.” To be accompanied by stringed instruments.
¹Come with great power, O God, and rescue me!
Defend me with your might.
²Listen to my prayer, O God.
Pay attention to my plea.
³For strangers are attacking me;
violent people are trying to kill me.
They care nothing for God. Interlude
⁴But God is my helper.
The Lord keeps me alive!
⁵May the evil plans of my enemies be turned against them.
Do as you promised and put an end to them.
⁶I will sacrifice a voluntary offering to you;
I will praise your name, O Lord,
for it is good.
⁷For you have rescued me from my troubles
and helped me to triumph over my enemies.

²¹“The Lord bless you,” Saul said. “At last someone is concerned about me! ²²Go and check again to be sure of where he is staying and who has seen him there, for I know that he is very crafty. ²³Discover his hiding places, and come back when you are sure. Then I’ll go with you. And if he is in the area at all, I’ll track him down, even if I have to search every hiding place in Judah!” ²⁴So the men of Ziph returned home ahead of Saul.

Saul was relying on the counsel and support of other men.

David has been inquiring of the Lord (v.2, 4, 10-11, 12,

Meanwhile, David and his men had moved into the wilderness of Moan in the Arabah Valley south of Jeshimon.

David moves to the wilderness of Moan, about 5 miles south of Ziph.

Another barren territory.

²⁵When David heard that Saul and his men were searching for him,

Again, David had informants telling him that Saul was approaching with soldiers.

he went even farther into the wilderness to the great rock,

A landmark.

and he remained there in the wilderness of Maon.

But Saul kept after him in the wilderness.

²⁶Saul and David were now on opposite sides of a mountain.

Just as Saul and his men began to close in on David and his men,

Saul and his men were about to close in on David and his men.

²⁷an urgent message reached Saul that the Philistines were raiding Israel again. ²⁸So Saul quit chasing David and returned to fight the Philistines.

Saul had no choice but to withdraw and postpone his pursuit of David. (More of God’s sovereignty at work.)

Ever since that time, the place where David was camped has been called the Rock of Escape.

The timely retreat of Saul’s men led to this name.

²⁹David then went to live in the strongholds of En-gedi.

An oasis on the western shore of the Dead Sea. The location of a freshwater spring and lush vineyards, as well as numerous caves which provided good hiding places for David.

Song of Solomon 1:14 NLT
¹⁴He is like a bouquet of sweet henna blossoms
from the vineyards of En-gedi.

Unity in the Body of Christ

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The Body of Christ (Part 1)

Unity in the Body of Christ

Introduction:

As believers, we are the body of Christ!

We have been called by God.

2 Corinthians 5:20 NLT
²⁰So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”

Matthew 5:14-16 NLT
¹⁴“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. ¹⁵No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

In this lesson Paul begs us to live a life worthy of our calling.

We are to live in unity with other believers.

Ephesians 4:1-6 NLT
Unity in the Body
^4:1 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. ²Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. ³Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. ⁴For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.
⁵There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
⁶one God and Father of all,
who is over all, in all, and living through all.

Examine the scriptures:

Ephesians 4:1-6 NLT
Unity in the Body of Christ

^4:1 Therefore

Reflecting on what Paul had written in Ephesians 1-3.

Remember all that God has done for you.

Ephesians 1:14 NLT
¹⁴… he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT
⁸God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. ⁹Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. ¹⁰For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Colossians 1:12-14 NLT
¹²always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. ¹³For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, ¹⁴who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.

(God) has purchased us to be his own people.

Paul was addressing both Jews and Gentiles.

Paul has taught that God brought Jews and Gentiles into a new relationship with each other.

Paul also taught that the church (the body of believers) is to be the reflection and full expression of the glory of God.

Now in chapters 4-6, the believers are expected to apply the principles taught in chapters 1-3.

I, a prisoner for serving the Lord,

Paul made this same statement in 3:1.

Paul was a prisoner at the time he wrote this letter. (Likely in Rome)

Paul suffered imprisonment or confinement several times for serving Christ.

2 Timothy 1:11-12 NLT
¹¹And God chose me to be a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of this Good News.
¹²That is why I am suffering here in prison. But I am not ashamed of it, for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return.

The walk of faithful Christians can be costly. Paul knows this from personal experience.

(I) beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.

A person’s calling and conduct should be in balance.

Knowing all that God has done for us should have a significant impact on the way we conduct ourselves in our personal lives and in our church life.

Philippians 1:27 NLT
²⁷Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News.

1 Thessalonians 2:12 NLT
¹²We pleaded with you, encouraged you, and urged you to live your lives in a way that God would consider worthy. For he called you to share in his Kingdom and glory.

Colossians 1:9-10 NLT
⁹So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. ¹⁰Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.

Live a life worthy of your calling.

Paul mentions three virtues that should be enhancing our daily walk.

At home, on the job, and in the community.

²Always be humble

The pagan culture of Paul’s did not consider humility an admirable quality.

Many people today feel the same way.

Freedom from pride.

Humility promotes unity. Pride, the opposite of humility, promotes disunity.

Humility involves recognizing your limitations and weaknesses and acknowledging that you need God’s help to overcome them.

Humility also involves treating others with respect and kindness, regardless of their social status or background.

Proverbs 11:2 NLT
²Pride leads to disgrace,
but with humility comes wisdom.

Proverbs 29:23 NLT
²³Pride ends in humiliation,
while humility brings honor.

and gentle (or meek).

Gentleness or meekness does not mean weakness.

Gentleness is strength under control.

Gentleness is having one’s emotions under control.

It takes a strong man to be truly gentle.

Philippians 4:5 NIV
⁵Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

Be patient with each other,

Calm and unruffled temper.

Romans 12:12 NLT
¹²Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.

Galatians 6:9 NLT
⁹So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.

Proverbs 15:18 NIV
¹⁸A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict,
but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.

making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.

Colossians 3:12-14 NLT
¹²Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. ¹³Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. ¹⁴Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.

Gently and humbly get your brother back on the right track.

Galatians 6:1 NLT
6 Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.

Practicing humility, gentleness, and patience will enhance our daily walk.

³Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.

All believers.

Jews and Gentiles

Colossians 3:14-15 NLT
¹⁴Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. ¹⁵And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

In his final prayer, found in John 17, Jesus prays for the unity of all believes.

John 17:21-23 NLT
²¹I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.
²²“I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. ²³I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.

As members of the body of Christ we are called to preserve the unity which God had established.

Even with ethnic differences (Jews and Gentiles) all believers have a lot in common:

⁴For there is one body

The church

All believers

Ephesians 2:16 NLT
¹⁶Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.

Ephesians 3:6 NLT
⁶And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus.

1 Corinthians 12 – One body with many parts.

and one Spirit,

The Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 2:22 NLT
²²Through him (Jesus Christ) you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.

just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.

Christians will live with God forever.

⁵There is one Lord,

Jesus Christ.

one faith,

John 3:16 NLT
For this is how God loved the world. He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.

John 14:6 NLT
⁶Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

one baptism,

One response – a profession of faith.

⁶one God and Father of all,

God the Father.

Here the word all refers to all believers, not all mankind.

One, one, one, one, one, one, one (7 ones)

One Spirit, one Lord, one God.

One body, one hope, one faith, one baptism.

Remember, Paul is speaking to Jews and Gentiles.

(one God) who is over all, in all, and living through all.

God is present everywhere.

Psalm 139:7-12 NLT
⁷I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
⁸If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave, you are there.
⁹If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
¹⁰even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.
¹¹I could ask the darkness to hide me
and the light around me to become night—
¹² but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
Darkness and light are the same to you.

1 Corinthians 6:19 NLT
¹⁹Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself,

Galatians 2:20 NLT
²⁰My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Colossians 1:27 NLT
²⁷For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.

When Christians are living a life worthy of their calling there is unity in the body of Christ.

With God living in us, we are certainly equipped to live a life worthy of our calling.

David Protects the Town of Keilah

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David Protects the Town of Keilah

Review David’s travels (Chapters 19-22)

Take note of how often David prays to God in these 13 verses.

1 Samuel 23:1-13 NLT
David Protects the Town of Keilah
^23:1 One day news came to David that the Philistines were at Keilah stealing grain from the threshing floors. ²David asked the Lord, “Should I go and attack them?”
“Yes, go and save Keilah,” the Lord told him.
³But David’s men said, “We’re afraid even here in Judah. We certainly don’t want to go to Keilah to fight the whole Philistine army!”
⁴So David asked the Lord again, and again the Lord replied, “Go down to Keilah, for I will help you conquer the Philistines.”
⁵So David and his men went to Keilah. They slaughtered the Philistines and took all their livestock and rescued the people of Keilah. ⁶Now when Abiathar son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, he brought the ephod with him.
⁷Saul soon learned that David was at Keilah. “Good!” he exclaimed. “We’ve got him now! God has handed him over to me, for he has trapped himself in a walled town!” ⁸So Saul mobilized his entire army to march to Keilah and besiege David and his men.
⁹But David learned of Saul’s plan and told Abiathar the priest to bring the ephod and ask the Lord what he should do. ¹⁰Then David prayed, “O Lord, God of Israel, I have heard that Saul is planning to come and destroy Keilah because I am here. ¹¹Will the leaders of Keilah betray me to him? And will Saul actually come as I have heard? O Lord, God of Israel, please tell me.”
And the Lord said, “He will come.”
¹²Again David asked, “Will the leaders of Keilah betray me and my men to Saul?”
And the Lord replied, “Yes, they will betray you.”
¹³So David and his men—about 600 of them now—left Keilah and began roaming the countryside. Word soon reached Saul that David had escaped, so he didn’t go to Keilah after all.

Examine the Scriptures

1 Samuel 23:1-13 NLT
David Protects the Town of Keilah

^23:1 One day news came to David that the Philistines were at Keilah stealing grain from the threshing floors.

Keilah, a fortified city in the Judean plain, was being terrorized by the Philistines and was in need of help.

The Philistines were a constant enemy of Israel.

Not much is known about Keilah.

In addition to being mentioned in 1 Samuel 23, Keilah is also mentioned in Joshua 15:44 and Nehemiah 3:17-18.

²David asked the Lord, “Should I go and attack them?”

Four times in this lesson (vv. 2, 4, 10, 11), David inquired of the Lord.

This is something Saul did not do.

As Saul’s disregard for God’s law increased, David’s submission to the LORD increased.

David in chapter 23 acts much differently than he did in chapter 21 (two lessons ago).

At this time, David was fleeing from Saul.

David led a band of about 600 men who served to protect David as well as making themselves available to fight against enemies of the Israelites.

We read about David and his men going on the offensive against other enemies of the Israelites in chapters 27 and 30.

While in flight from Saul, David and his men sought to defend their countrymen from their hostile foreign enemy.

It is clear that David inquired of the Lord before engaging in battle with the Philistines. It is not clear as to exactly how he did this.

Skip ahead to verses 6 and 9.

⁶Now when Abiathar son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, he brought the ephod with him.

⁹But David learned of Saul’s plan and told Abiathar the priest to bring the ephod and ask the Lord what he should do.

Abiathar, the High Priest, could use the Urim and Thummim to determine the Lord’s will for His people.

Exodus 28:30 NLT
³⁰Insert the Urim and Thummim into the sacred chestpiece so they will be carried over Aaron’s heart when he goes into the Lord’s presence. In this way, Aaron will always carry over his heart the objects used to determine the Lord’s will for his people whenever he goes in before the Lord.

It seems that David was inquiring of the Lord before Abiathar met up with him at Keilah.

“Yes, go and save Keilah,” the Lord told him.

Saul should have come to the rescue of Keilah, since he was the king of Israel, but there is no mention of him doing so.

³But David’s men said, “We’re afraid even here in Judah. We certainly don’t want to go to Keilah to fight the whole Philistine army!”

David’s men had a reason to fear the Philistine army.

Keilah appears to be less than 10 miles from the Philistine border.

David’s band of men, now numbering 600, in human terms would be no match for a larger, better trained Philistine army.

⁴So David asked the Lord again,

and again the Lord replied, “Go down to Keilah, for I will help you conquer the Philistines.”

⁵So David and his men went to Keilah. They slaughtered the Philistines and took all their livestock and rescued the people of Keilah.

God gave David and his men victory over the Philistines.

⁶Now when Abiathar son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, he brought the ephod with him.

Again Abiathar joins up with David.

Apparently Abiathar had remained in the forest of Hereth when David took his men to attack the Philistines in Keilah. (See 22:5)

⁷Saul soon learned that David was at Keilah. “Good!” he exclaimed. “We’ve got him now!

Thanks to informants Saul was able to stay on David’s trail.

Saul soon learned that David was at Keilah. (v.7)

Word soon reached Saul that David had escaped, (v. 13)

David also had informants.

One day news came to David that the Philistines were at Keilah stealing grain from the threshing floors. (v. 1)

David’s primary advantage was his access to divine guidance which Saul no longer had.

God has handed him over to me, for he has trapped himself in a walled town!”

Keilah evidently had only one gate by which people could enter and exit the town. Saul felt confident that he could control the gate and so trap David. (Dr. Constable’s Notes)

“God has handed him over to me” wasn’t true.

1 Samuel 23:14 NLT
¹⁴David now stayed in the strongholds of the wilderness and in the hill country of Ziph. Saul hunted him day after day, but God didn’t let Saul find him.

⁸So Saul mobilized his entire army to march to Keilah and besiege David and his men.

Saul planned to go to Keilah to capture David.

⁹But David learned of Saul’s plan and told Abiathar the priest to bring the ephod and ask the Lord what he should do.

Ask the Lord by means of the Urim and Thummim through the High Priest.

¹⁰Then David prayed, “O Lord, God of Israel, I have heard that Saul is planning to come and destroy Keilah because I am here.

David believed that Saul would destroy Keilah, just to get to him.

¹¹Will the leaders of Keilah betray me to him? And will Saul actually come as I have heard? O Lord, God of Israel, please tell me.”

Again David inquired of the Lord.

And the Lord said, “He will come.”

Again the Lord answered David’s prayer.

Pray about everything.

Philippians 4:6-7 NLT
⁶Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. ⁷Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

¹²Again David asked, “Will the leaders of Keilah betray me and my men to Saul?”

And the Lord replied, “Yes, they will betray you.”

David and his men had gone to Keilah to protect them from the Philistines who were stealing their grain from the threshing floor.

David and his men had “slaughtered the Philistines and took all their livestock and rescued the people of Keilah”.

After defeating the Philistines and rescuing the people of Keilah, the people of Keilah were about to betray David and his men to Saul.

Galatians 6:9-10 NLT
⁹So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. ¹⁰Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.

Do not get tired of doing what is good.

Galatians 1:10 NLT
¹⁰Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.

¹³So David and his men—about 600 of them now—left Keilah and began roaming the countryside. Word soon reached Saul that David had escaped, so he didn’t go to Keilah after all.

Saul did not show any concern for the people living in Keilah. He only wanted to capture and kill David.

The number of David’s men stayed at 600.

Bible scholars think that David was on the run from Saul for a period of 7 to 10 years.

David at the Cave of Adullam / The Slaughter of the Priests

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David at the Cave of Adullam / The Slaughter of the Priests

Introduction:

David at the Cave of Adullam / The Slaughter of the Priests

Look for:

Saul’s irrational behavior.

Saul’s paranoia. (Once again Saul’s character is on display.)

Doeg the Edomite’s evil behavior.

David’s leadership.

God’s sovereignty at work.

1 Samuel 22 NLT
David at the Cave of Adullam
22 So David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. Soon his brothers and all his other relatives joined him there. ²Then others began coming—men who were in trouble or in debt or who were just discontented—until David was the captain of about 400 men.
³Later David went to Mizpeh in Moab, where he asked the king, “Please allow my father and mother to live here with you until I know what God is going to do for me.” ⁴So David’s parents stayed in Moab with the king during the entire time David was living in his stronghold.
⁵One day the prophet Gad told David, “Leave the stronghold and return to the land of Judah.” So David went to the forest of Hereth.
⁶The news of his arrival in Judah soon reached Saul. At the time, the king was sitting beneath the tamarisk tree on the hill at Gibeah, holding his spear and surrounded by his officers.
⁷“Listen here, you men of Benjamin!” Saul shouted to his officers when he heard the news. “Has that son of Jesse promised every one of you fields and vineyards? Has he promised to make you all generals and captains in his army? ⁸Is that why you have conspired against me? For not one of you told me when my own son made a solemn pact with the son of Jesse. You’re not even sorry for me. Think of it! My own son—encouraging him to kill me, as he is trying to do this very day!”
⁹Then Doeg the Edomite, who was standing there with Saul’s men, spoke up. “When I was at Nob,” he said, “I saw the son of Jesse talking to the priest, Ahimelech son of Ahitub. ¹⁰Ahimelech consulted the Lord for him. Then he gave him food and the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”

The Slaughter of the Priests
¹¹King Saul immediately sent for Ahimelech and all his family, who served as priests at Nob. ¹²When they arrived, Saul shouted at him, “Listen to me, you son of Ahitub!”
“What is it, my king?” Ahimelech asked.
¹³“Why have you and the son of Jesse conspired against me?” Saul demanded. “Why did you give him food and a sword? Why have you consulted God for him? Why have you encouraged him to kill me, as he is trying to do this very day?”
¹⁴“But sir,” Ahimelech replied, “is anyone among all your servants as faithful as David, your son-in-law? Why, he is the captain of your bodyguard and a highly honored member of your household! ¹⁵This was certainly not the first time I had consulted God for him! May the king not accuse me and my family in this matter, for I knew nothing at all of any plot against you.”
¹⁶“You will surely die, Ahimelech, along with your entire family!” the king shouted. ¹⁷And he ordered his bodyguards, “Kill these priests of the Lord, for they are allies and conspirators with David! They knew he was running away from me, but they didn’t tell me!” But Saul’s men refused to kill the Lord’s priests.
¹⁸Then the king said to Doeg, “You do it.” So Doeg the Edomite turned on them and killed them that day, eighty-five priests in all, still wearing their priestly garments. ¹⁹Then he went to Nob, the town of the priests, and killed the priests’ families—men and women, children and babies—and all the cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats.
²⁰Only Abiathar, one of the sons of Ahimelech, escaped and fled to David. ²¹When he told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord, ²²David 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. ²³Stay 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.”

Examine the Scriptures

1 Samuel 22 NLT
David at the Cave of Adullam

^22:1 So David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam.

David is on the move.

David leaves Philistia and moves back into the area ruled by Saul and hides in the cave of Adullam. (Adullam is in Judah.)

Soon his brothers and all his other relatives joined him there.

David’s family members came from Bethlehem, about 12 miles away.

David’s family would have been in danger from Saul.

Kings frequently killed all of the family members of their “enemies”.

David’s brothers and all of his other relatives joined him at the cave of Adullam.

²Then others began coming—men who were in trouble or in debt or who were just discontented—until David was the captain of about 400 men.

Other men joined up with David. These were men who were in trouble or in debt or who were just discontented. David became the captain of about 400 men.

Note: Here David’s actions foreshadowed those of Jesus.

Matthew 11:28 NLT
²⁸Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

Luke 5:30-32 NLT
³⁰But the Pharisees and their teachers of religious law complained bitterly to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with such scum?”
³¹Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. ³²I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”

We might describe these men as a “bunch of misfits”.

The number of men with David soon increased to 600.

1 Samuel 23:13 NLT
¹³So David and his men—about 600 of them now—left Keilah and began roaming the countryside.

Under David’s leadership this group of men (misfits) at Adullam became an effective fighting force.

1 Samuel 23:5 NLT
⁵So David and his men went to Keilah. They slaughtered the Philistines and took all their livestock and rescued the people of Keilah.

1 Samuel 27:8 NLT
⁸David and his men spent their time raiding the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites—people who had lived near Shur, toward the land of Egypt, since ancient times.

³Later David went to Mizpeh in Moab, where he asked the king, “Please allow my father and mother to live here with you until I know what God is going to do for me.” ⁴So David’s parents stayed in Moab with the king during the entire time David was living in his stronghold.

Life in the wilderness, living in a cave, would have been difficult for David’s aging parents.

This would have been a long journey from Adullam to Moab for David and his men.

Moab was where David’s great grandmother Ruth had lived.

David had Moabite blood from his great grandmother Ruth.

The king of Moab was probably an enemy of Saul.

David moves his parents to Moab, while he and his men were living in “his stronghold”.

David’s parents may have stayed in Moab for the 10 years David was fleeing from Saul.

David’s stronghold may have been the fortress of Masada. (See #8 on the map.)

The last holdout of the Jews in A.D. 73.

⁵One day the prophet Gad

Here in the story, the prophet Gad is advising David.

2 Samuel 24:11 NLT
¹¹The next morning the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, who was David’s seer.

1 Chronicles 29:29 NLT
²⁹All the events of King David’s reign, from beginning to end, are written in The Record of Samuel the Seer, The Record of Nathan the Prophet, and The Record of Gad the Seer.

God provides David with a prophet.

told David, “Leave the stronghold and return to the land of Judah.” So David went to the forest of Hereth.

After leaving Moab David moved to the Forest of Hereth.

⁶The news of his arrival in Judah soon reached Saul. At the time, the king was sitting beneath the tamarisk tree on the hill at Gibeah,

In the Old Testament court was often held under a tree.

Judges 4:5 NLT
⁵She ( Deborah) would sit under the Palm of Deborah, between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites would go to her for judgment.

holding his spear and surrounded by his officers.

If Saul was holding a spear, he was a threat to friend or foe alike.

⁷“Listen here, you men of Benjamin!” Saul shouted to his officers when he heard the news.

Saul is addressing the officers of his army.

He may have been pitting men from the tribe of Benjamin against men from the tribe of Judah.

“Has that son of Jesse (from the tribe of Judah) promised every one of you fields and vineyards? Has he promised to make you all generals and captains in his army?

Can David give you more than what you already have?

⁸Is that why you have conspired against me? For not one of you told me when my own son made a solemn pact with the son of Jesse. You’re not even sorry for me.

Think of it! My own son—encouraging him to kill me, as he is trying to do this very day!”

This is not true. Saul is showing signs of paranoia.

Saul is angry with his own officers, accusing them of conspiring against him.

At this point in time Saul is unable to trust in anyone, including his own servants.

Saul’s behavior throughout this story is irrational.

⁹Then Doeg the Edomite,

The Edomites were the descendants of Esau.

1 Samuel 14:47 NLT
Saul’s Military Successes
⁴⁷Now when Saul had secured his grasp on Israel’s throne, he fought against his enemies in every direction—against Moab, Ammon, Edom, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines. And wherever he turned, he was victorious.

who was standing there with Saul’s men, spoke up. “When I was at Nob,” he said, “I saw the son of Jesse talking to the priest, Ahimelech son of Ahitub (A hi tub). ¹⁰Ahimelech consulted the Lord for him. Then he gave him food and the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”

Doeg the Edomite tries to get on Saul’s “good side”.

The fact that “Ahimelech consulted the Lord for him” is not recorded in chapter 21. Doeg may have been lying about this.

The Slaughter of the Priests

¹¹King Saul immediately sent for Ahimelech and all his family, who served as priests at Nob. ¹²When they arrived, Saul shouted at him, “Listen to me, you son of Ahitub!”
“What is it, my king?” Ahimelech asked.

¹³“Why have you and the son of Jesse conspired against me?” Saul demanded. “Why did you give him food and a sword? Why have you consulted God for him? Why have you encouraged him to kill me, as he is trying to do this very day?”

This is not true.

Ahimelech was not conspiring against King Saul.

¹⁴“But sir,” Ahimelech replied, “is anyone among all your servants as faithful as David, your son-in-law? Why, he is the captain of your bodyguard and a highly honored member of your household!

Ahimelech believed that David was a faithful servant of Saul.

David was Saul’s son-in-law.

To many, David was seen as the captain of Saul’s bodyguard and a highly honored member of Saul’s household.

1 Samuel 16:21 NLT
²¹So David went to Saul and began serving him. Saul loved David very much, and David became his armor bearer.

David had deceived Ahimelech into thinking that he was on a mission for Saul.

¹⁵This was certainly not the first time I had consulted God for him! May the king not accuse me and my family in this matter, for I knew nothing at all of any plot against you.”

¹⁶“You will surely die, Ahimelech, along with your entire family!” the king shouted.

Proverbs 14:29 NLT
²⁹People with understanding control their anger;
a hot temper shows great foolishness.

¹⁷And he ordered his bodyguards, “Kill these priests of the Lord, for they are allies and conspirators with David! They knew he was running away from me, but they didn’t tell me!”

The priests may not have known that David was running from Saul.

Scripture does not say that David told them that he was running from Saul.

But Saul’s men refused to kill the Lord’s priests.

Saul believed that Ahimelech and the other priests were conspiring against him so he ordered his bodyguards to kill all of them.

Saul’s own men, his body guards, refused to kill the Lord’s priests.

¹⁸Then the king said to Doeg, “You do it.” So Doeg the Edomite turned on them and killed them that day, eighty-five priests in all, still wearing their priestly garments.

The name “Doeg the Edomite” is mentioned in 21:7, 22:9, 18, and 22.

It took a “foreigner” to betray David and kill the 85 priests. It appears that Doeg had no fear of the Lord.

Doeg the Edomite killed 85 priests.

¹⁹Then he went to Nob, the town of the priests, and killed the priests’ families—men and women, children and babies—and all the cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats.

Doeg killed the priests’ families—men and women, children and babies—and all the cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats.

Doeg the Edomite killed the 85 priests of Nob along with their families and livestock.

Josephus wrote that he killed “Ahimelech and all his family, who were in all three hundred and eighty-five.”

This fulfilled the curse on Eli’s house.

1 Samuel 2:31 NLT
³¹The time is coming when I will put an end to your family, so it will no longer serve as my priests. All the members of your family will die before their time. None will reach old age.

²⁰Only Abiathar (A bi a thar), one of the sons of Ahimelech, escaped and fled to David.

David was joined by Abiathar the son of the priest Ahimelech.

Abiathar remains with David, until David’s death, providing him with true priestly counsel.

God provides David with a priest.

²¹When he told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord, ²²David 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.

1 Samuel 21:1-2 NLT
^21:1 David went to the town of Nob to see Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech trembled when he saw him. “Why are you alone?” he asked. “Why is no one with you?”
²“The king has sent me on a private matter,” David said. “He told me not to tell anyone why I am here. I have told my men where to meet me later.

David had lied to Ahimelech which led to the death of Ahimelech and the members of his family.

²³Stay 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.”

This marked the beginning of David’s priestly staff which would later lead the tabernacle worship in Jerusalem.

David Runs from Saul

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David Runs from Saul

A story of questionable decisions.

1 Samuel 21 NLT
David Runs from Saul
21 David went to the town of Nob to see Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech trembled when he saw him. “Why are you alone?” he asked. “Why is no one with you?”
²“The king has sent me on a private matter,” David said. “He told me not to tell anyone why I am here. I have told my men where to meet me later. ³Now, what is there to eat? Give me five loaves of bread or anything else you have.”
⁴“We don’t have any regular bread,” the priest replied. “But there is the holy bread, which you can have if your young men have not slept with any women recently.”
⁵“Don’t worry,” David replied. “I never allow my men to be with women when we are on a campaign. And since they stay clean even on ordinary trips, how much more on this one!”
⁶Since there was no other food available, the priest gave him the holy bread—the Bread of the Presence that was placed before the Lord in the Tabernacle. It had just been replaced that day with fresh bread.
⁷Now Doeg the Edomite, Saul’s chief herdsman, was there that day, having been detained before the Lord.
⁸David asked Ahimelech, “Do you have a spear or sword? The king’s business was so urgent that I didn’t even have time to grab a weapon!”
⁹“I only have the sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the valley of Elah,” the priest replied. “It is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. Take that if you want it, for there is nothing else here.”
“There is nothing like it!” David replied. “Give it to me!”
¹⁰So David escaped from Saul and went to King Achish of Gath. ¹¹But the officers of Achish were unhappy about his being there. “Isn’t this David, the king of the land?” they asked. “Isn’t he the one the people honor with dances, singing,
‘Saul has killed his thousands,
and David his ten thousands’?”
¹²David heard these comments and was very afraid of what King Achish of Gath might do to him. ¹³So he pretended to be insane, scratching on doors and drooling down his beard.
¹⁴Finally, King Achish said to his men, “Must you bring me a madman? ¹⁵We already have enough of them around here! Why should I let someone like this be my guest?”

Examine the Scriptures
1 Samuel 21 NLT
David Runs from Saul

21 David went to the town of Nob

David was close to the age of 20 at this point in time. He will be on the run from Saul for about 10 years.

Nob was known as “The city of Priests”. (The religious center at this point in time.)

Nob was known as “The city of the priests”.

Nob was located halfway between Jerusalem and Gibeah, (Gibeah of Saul). (refer to map)

The tabernacle was presumed to be at Nob. The ark would have been in Kiriath-jearim.

1 Samuel 7:1-2 NLT
^7:1 So the men of Kiriath-jearim came to get the Ark of the Lord. They took it to the hillside home of Abinadab and ordained Eleazar, his son, to be in charge of it. ²The Ark remained in Kiriath-jearim for a long time—twenty years in all.

to see Ahimelech (Ahijah?) the priest.

Ahimelech was a great grandson of Eli.

This is not a good thing.

1 Samuel 2 NLT
A man of God speaking to Eli
³¹The time is coming when I will put an end to your family, so it will no longer serve as my priests. All the members of your family will die before their time. None will reach old age.

Ahimelech was a descendant of the condemned family of El.

Note: Eli’s family will no longer serve as priests.

Saul has been rejected as king.

1 Samuel 15:23 NLT (Samuel talking to Saul)
²³… because you have rejected the command of the Lord,
he has rejected you as king.”

Ahimelech trembled when he saw him. “Why are you alone?” he asked. “Why is no one with you?”

Ahimelech trembled.

He would not want to be accused of supporting an enemy of the king. Doing this could result in death.

He may have wondered why someone who ate at the king’s table (not knowing the whole story) would be coming to see him.

David is alone at this point. He will be joined by his family at the cave of Adullam. (chapter 22)

1 Samuel 22:1 NLT
David at the Cave of Adullam
22 So David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. Soon his brothers and all his other relatives joined him there.

Ahimelech trembled when he saw David.

²“The king has sent me on a private matter,” David said. “He told me not to tell anyone why I am here. I have told my men where to meet me later.

At this point, David was most likely traveling very light, without a weapon and food.

David lied, both to conceal his “outlaw” status and to dispel Ahimelech’s worries.

David’s actions appeared to lead to the deaths of the priests.

Looking ahead:

1 Samuel 22:16-17 NLT
¹⁶“You will surely die, Ahimelech, along with your entire family!” the king shouted. ¹⁷And he ordered his bodyguards, “Kill these priests of the Lord, for they are allies and conspirators with David! They knew he was running away from me, but they didn’t tell me!”

Looking back:

David told a “costly” lie.

³Now, what is there to eat? Give me five loaves of bread or anything else you have.”
⁴“We don’t have any regular bread,” the priest replied. “But there is the holy bread, which you can have if your young men have not slept with any women recently.”

⁵“Don’t worry,” David replied. “I never allow my men to be with women when we are on a campaign. And since they stay clean even on ordinary trips, how much more on this one!”
⁶Since there was no other food available, the priest gave him the holy bread—the Bread of the Presence that was placed before the Lord in the Tabernacle. It had just been replaced that day with fresh bread.

We might say that Ahimelech was “bending the rules.”

The bread in question had been replaced with “fresh bread”.

1 Samuel 22:10 NLT (the meaning of this verse is vague.)
¹⁰Ahimelech consulted the Lord for him. Then he gave him food and the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”

It was O.K. for Ahimelech to give David some of this bread.

In Mark 2:26 Jesus talks about David “breaking the law” by eating sacred loaves of bread, but does not appear to be condemning David for doing so. The spirit of the Law in respect to human need took priority over the letter of the law. People’s physical needs take precedence over the letter of the law. Mercy takes precedence over the law.

Later, in the New Testament, Jesus did not appear to condemn David for eating the holy bread.

⁷Now Doeg the Edomite, Saul’s chief herdsman, was there that day, having been detained before the Lord.

Doeg may have been detained, since it was unlawful to travel on the Sabbath.

While David was at Nob he was spotted by Doeg, Saul’s chief herdsman.

Doeg witnessed the transaction between David and Ahimelech and would later report David’s meeting with Ahimelech to Saul.

While David was at Nob he was spotted by Doeg, Saul’s chief herdsman, who witnessed the interaction between David and Ahimelech.

⁸David asked Ahimelech, “Do you have a spear or sword? The king’s business was so urgent that I didn’t even have time to grab a weapon!”

Another lie.

David was traveling without a weapon.

⁹“I only have the sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the valley of Elah,” the priest replied. “It is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod.

Ephod – garment worn by the priests.

Stored in the place for the sacred vestments.

Goliath’s sword was a memorial to the divine goodness in the deliverance of Israel.

Take that if you want it, for there is nothing else here.”

“There is nothing like it!” David replied. “Give it to me!”

David continues his flight from Saul, leaving Nob and going to Gath.

¹⁰So David escaped from Saul and went to King Achish of Gath.

David was desperate.

This seems to be a dangerous place to go.

Gath was one of the five great Philistine cities.

Achish would have been an enemy of Saul.

David was the Philistines greatest enemy.

David carried Goliath’s sword into Goliath’s hometown.

David apparently thought that he would not be recognized.

Some of David’s decisions appear to be questionable.

¹¹But the officers of Achish were unhappy about his being there. “Isn’t this David, the king of the land?” they asked. “Isn’t he the one the people honor with dances, singing,
‘Saul has killed his thousands,
and David his ten thousands’?”

The officers of King Achish recognized David.

It is interesting that they called him “the king of the land”.

¹²David heard these comments and was very afraid of what King Achish of Gath might do to him. ¹³So he pretended to be insane, scratching on doors and drooling down his beard.

David fearing for his life pretended to be insane. In the East drooling in one’s beard was considered an intolerable indignity.

David was hoping that his behavior would convince Achish to send him away.

¹⁴Finally, King Achish said to his men, “Must you bring me a madman? ¹⁵We already have enough of them around here! Why should I let someone like this be my guest?”

King Achish was extremely uncomfortable with David’s behavior and was ready for David to move on.

Jonathan Helps David (Part 2)

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Jonathan Helps David (Part 2)

Introduction:

God has a plan and purpose for our lives.

Living out that plan can be difficult.

Emotions can run high. Tears might be shed.
We might experience rejection by others, including family members.
Personal sacrifices might be required.
We might be faced with personal harm or injury.

However, when we live out the life God has planned for us the hardships are far outweighed by the blessings, hope, and promises found in the scriptures.

The David we read about in the Bible experienced many challenges and difficulties during his lifetime.

1 Samuel 20:18-42 NLT
Jonathan’s Secret sign
¹⁸Then Jonathan said, “Tomorrow we celebrate the new moon festival. You will be missed when your place at the table is empty. ¹⁹The day after tomorrow, toward evening, go to the place where you hid before, and wait there by the stone pile. ²⁰I will come out and shoot three arrows to the side of the stone pile as though I were shooting at a target. ²¹Then I will send a boy to bring the arrows back. If you hear me tell him, ‘They’re on this side,’ then you will know, as surely as the Lord lives, that all is well, and there is no trouble. ²²But if I tell him, ‘Go farther—the arrows are still ahead of you,’ then it will mean that you must leave immediately, for the Lord is sending you away. ²³And may the Lord make us keep our promises to each other, for he has witnessed them.”
Jonathan talks to Saul about David.
²⁴So David hid himself in the field, and when the new moon festival began, the king sat down to eat. ²⁵He sat at his usual place against the wall, with Jonathan sitting opposite him and Abner beside him. But David’s place was empty. ²⁶Saul didn’t say anything about it that day, for he said to himself, “Something must have made David ceremonially unclean.” ²⁷But when David’s place was empty again the next day, Saul asked Jonathan, “Why hasn’t the son of Jesse been here for the meal either yesterday or today?”
²⁸Jonathan replied, “David earnestly asked me if he could go to Bethlehem. ²⁹He said, ‘Please let me go, for we are having a family sacrifice. My brother demanded that I be there. So please let me get away to see my brothers.’ That’s why he isn’t here at the king’s table.”
Saul’s rage against Jonathan.
³⁰Saul boiled with rage at Jonathan. “You stupid son of a whore!” he swore at him. “Do you think I don’t know that you want him to be king in your place, shaming yourself and your mother? ³¹As long as that son of Jesse is alive, you’ll never be king. Now go and get him so I can kill him!”
³²“But why should he be put to death?” Jonathan asked his father. “What has he done?” ³³Then Saul hurled his spear at Jonathan, intending to kill him. So at last Jonathan realized that his father was really determined to kill David.
³⁴Jonathan left the table in fierce anger and refused to eat on that second day of the festival, for he was crushed by his father’s shameful behavior toward David.
Jonathan warns David of the danger.
³⁵The next morning, as agreed, Jonathan went out into the field and took a young boy with him to gather his arrows. ³⁶“Start running,” he told the boy, “so you can find the arrows as I shoot them.” So the boy ran, and Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him. ³⁷When the boy had almost reached the arrow, Jonathan shouted, “The arrow is still ahead of you. ³⁸Hurry, hurry, don’t wait.” So the boy quickly gathered up the arrows and ran back to his master. ³⁹He, of course, suspected nothing; only Jonathan and David understood the signal. ⁴⁰Then Jonathan gave his bow and arrows to the boy and told him to take them back to town.
⁴¹As soon as the boy was gone, David came out from where he had been hiding near the stone pile. Then David bowed three times to Jonathan with his face to the ground. Both of them were in tears as they embraced each other and said good-bye, especially David.
⁴²At last Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for we have sworn loyalty to each other in the Lord’s name. The Lord is the witness of a bond between us and our children forever.” Then David left, and Jonathan returned to the town.

Examine the Scriptures
1 Samuel 20:18-42 NLT

Jonathan Helps David (Part 2)

From previous lesson:

David believed that Saul would try again to kill him again if showed up at the king’s table.

Jonathan’s Secret sign

¹⁸Then Jonathan said, “Tomorrow we celebrate the new moon festival. You will be missed when your place at the table is empty.

Jonathan was planning to use David’s absence from the celebration of the new moon festival to determine Saul’s feelings about David.

If Saul became upset about David’s absence, then David would know that there was little hope in patching up their differences. If Saul was amenable, there was hope for restoring this relationship.

¹⁹The day after tomorrow, toward evening, go to the place where you hid before, and wait there by the stone pile.

The day after the new moon festival, Jonathan and David planned to meet by the “stone pile”

This was a well-known landmark.

Many translations call it “the stone Ezel”.

Ezel may mean:

Separation.
The Departure Stone.
The Going Away Rock.

This location became the place of the meeting and parting for David and Jonathan.

²⁰I will come out and shoot three arrows to the side of the stone pile as though I were shooting at a target. ²¹Then I will send a boy to bring the arrows back. If you hear me tell him, ‘They’re on this side,’ then you will know, as surely as the Lord lives, that all is well, and there is no trouble.

Jonathan was still hoping that the relationship between Saul and David could be restored.

The son, Jonathan, was hoping that his father, Saul, would do the right thing.

²²But if I tell him, ‘Go farther—the arrows are still ahead of you,’ then it will mean that you must leave immediately, for the Lord is sending you away.

Jonathan recognized the Lord’s role in all of these activities.

“… the Lord is sending you away.”

²³And may the Lord make us keep our promises to each other, for he has witnessed them.”

The scripture tells us that God witnessed the vows Jonathan and David made with each other.

NIV: “… remember, the Lord is witness between you and me.”

CEB: “… the Lord is witness between us forever regarding the promise we made to each other,”

ESV: “… the Lord is between you and me forever.”

“… may the Lord make us keep our promises to each other …”

Numbers 30:2 NLT
²A man who makes a vow to the Lord or makes a pledge under oath must never break it. He must do exactly what he said he would do.

Ecclesiastes 5:5 NLT
⁵It is better to say nothing than to make a promise and not keep it.

Promises are meant to be taken seriously.

Jonathan talks to Saul about David.

²⁴So David hid himself in the field, and when the new moon festival began, the king sat down to eat. ²⁵He sat at his usual place against the wall, with Jonathan sitting opposite him and Abner beside him.

Abner was Saul’s cousin and commander of his army.

But David’s place was empty. ²⁶Saul didn’t say anything about it that day, for he said to himself, “Something must have made David ceremonially unclean.”

Saul thought that David was absent from the new moon festival because he was ceremonially unclean.

Because the feast involved sacrifices, one had to be clean to participate.

Leviticus 7:20-21 NLT
²⁰If you are ceremonially unclean and you eat meat from a peace offering that was presented to the Lord, you will be cut off from the community. ²¹If you touch anything that is unclean (whether it is human defilement or an unclean animal or any other unclean, detestable thing) and then eat meat from a peace offering presented to the Lord, you will be cut off from the community.”

²⁷But when David’s place was empty again the next day, Saul asked Jonathan, “Why hasn’t the son of Jesse been here for the meal either yesterday or today?”

Under many conditions, a person who had become unclean was unclean until the evening of the same day.

David’s continued absence, on the second day, required an explanation,

Saul did not even use David’s name.

²⁸Jonathan replied, “David earnestly asked me if he could go to Bethlehem. ²⁹He said, ‘Please let me go, for we are having a family sacrifice. My brother demanded that I be there. So please let me get away to see my brothers.’ That’s why he isn’t here at the king’s table.”

David’s oldest brother Eliab, serving as the family leader, would have been the position to call the family together to observe an annual family sacrifice.

Saul’s rage against Jonathan.

³⁰Saul boiled with rage at Jonathan. “You stupid son of a whore!” he swore at him.

Saul directed his rage against Jonathan.

Saul used some strong words to curse his son Jonathan.

Saul was cursing his son Jonathan, not Jonathan’s mother.

“Do you think I don’t know that you want him to be king in your place, shaming yourself and your mother? ³¹As long as that son of Jesse is alive, you’ll never be king.

At this point in history, the King’s oldest son was likely to become the next king.

Saul was beginning to realize that David, not Jonathan, was the LORD’s anointed who would one day replace him as king.

Saul thought that Jonathan was being foolish for not aggressively pursuing the throne.

Saul is incapable of understanding Jonathan’s lack of concern for his own succession to the throne.

Saul himself almost prevented Jonathan from becoming the next king (verse 33).

Now go and get him so I can kill him!”

Again Saul expresses a desire to kill David.

Saul continues to pursue David (1 Samuel 21 – 1 Samuel 27)

David on the run from Saul (1 Samuel 21 – 1 Samuel 31)

³²“But why should he be put to death?” Jonathan asked his father. “What has he done?”

Jonathan interceded for David again.

Previously:

1 Samuel 19:4 NLT
⁴The next morning Jonathan spoke with his father about David, saying many good things about him. “The king must not sin against his servant David,” Jonathan said. “He’s never done anything to harm you. He has always helped you in any way he could.

³³Then Saul hurled his spear at Jonathan, intending to kill him.

Saul attempted to kill his own son because Jonathan had advocated for David.

Saul was filled with rage toward David and also toward Jonathan.

So at last Jonathan realized that his father was really determined to kill David.

Reality set in. Jonathan had been reluctant to believe the truth about his own father but he could no longer deny it.

³⁴Jonathan left the table in fierce anger and refused to eat on that second day of the festival, for he was crushed by his father’s shameful behavior toward David.

Jonathan was crushed by his father’s behavior.

Jonathan warns David of the danger.

³⁵The next morning, as agreed, Jonathan went out into the field and took a young boy with him to gather his arrows. ³⁶“Start running,” he told the boy, “so you can find the arrows as I shoot them.” So the boy ran, and Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him. ³⁷When the boy had almost reached the arrow, Jonathan shouted, “The arrow is still ahead of you. ³⁸Hurry, hurry, don’t wait.” So the boy quickly gathered up the arrows and ran back to his master. ³⁹He, of course, suspected nothing; only Jonathan and David understood the signal. ⁴⁰Then Jonathan gave his bow and arrows to the boy and told him to take them back to town.

Jonathan proceeded to communicate Saul’s intentions to David in the way they had previously planned.

⁴¹As soon as the boy was gone, David came out from where he had been hiding near the stone pile. Then David bowed three times to Jonathan with his face to the ground.

David bowing down more than once acknowledged Jonathan as the prince.
David gave proper respect to Jonathan as the king’s son.

Both of them were in tears as they embraced each other and said good-bye, especially David.

Jonathan and David wept together.

⁴²At last Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for we have sworn loyalty to each other in the Lord’s name. The Lord is the witness of a bond between us and our children forever.”

They parted, reminding themselves of the commitments they had made to each other and to their descendants.

Jonathan was willing to give up the throne for the love of a friend.

Then David left, and Jonathan returned to the town.

David was an outcast from the royal court.

Jonathan most like went to Gibeah, the home of his father Saul.

Jonathan will only be mentioned two more times in 1 Samuel.

1 Samuel 23:16-18 NLT
¹⁶Jonathan went to find David and encouraged him to stay strong in his faith in God. ¹⁷“Don’t be afraid,” Jonathan reassured him. “My father will never find you! You are going to be the king of Israel, and I will be next to you, as my father, Saul, is well aware.” ¹⁸So the two of them renewed their solemn pact before the Lord. Then Jonathan returned home, while David stayed at Horesh.

1 Samuel 31:2 NLT
²The Philistines closed in on Saul and his sons, and they killed three of his sons—Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malkishua.

Review:

God has a plan and purpose for our lives.

Living out that plan can be difficult.

Emotions can run high. Tears might be shed.
We might experience rejection by others, including family members.
Personal sacrifices might be required.
We might be faced with personal harm or injury.

However, when we live out the life God has planned for us the hardships are far outweighed by the blessings, hope, and promises found in the scriptures.

Jonathan Helps David

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Jonathan Helps David

Jonathan was always willing to help his friend David in spite of the cost.

As we go through this lesson, note how frequently the relationship between David and Jonathan was addressed.

1 Samuel 20:1-17 NLT
^20:1 David now fled from Naioth in Ramah and found Jonathan. “What have I done?” he exclaimed. “What is my crime? How have I offended your father that he is so determined to kill me?”
²“That’s not true!” Jonathan protested. “You’re not going to die. He always tells me everything he’s going to do, even the little things. I know my father wouldn’t hide something like this from me. It just isn’t so!”
³Then David took an oath before Jonathan and said, “Your father knows perfectly well about our friendship, so he has said to himself, ‘I won’t tell Jonathan—why should I hurt him?’ But I swear to you that I am only a step away from death! I swear it by the Lord and by your own soul!”
⁴“Tell me what I can do to help you,” Jonathan exclaimed.
⁵David replied, “Tomorrow we celebrate the new moon festival. I’ve always eaten with the king on this occasion, but tomorrow I’ll hide in the field and stay there until the evening of the third day. ⁶If your father asks where I am, tell him I asked permission to go home to Bethlehem for an annual family sacrifice. ⁷If he says, ‘Fine!’ you will know all is well. But if he is angry and loses his temper, you will know he is determined to kill me. ⁸Show me this loyalty as my sworn friend—for we made a solemn pact before the Lord—or kill me yourself if I have sinned against your father. But please don’t betray me to him!”
⁹“Never!” Jonathan exclaimed. “You know that if I had the slightest notion my father was planning to kill you, I would tell you at once.”
¹⁰Then David asked, “How will I know whether or not your father is angry?”
¹¹“Come out to the field with me,” Jonathan replied. And they went out there together. ¹²Then Jonathan told David, “I promise by the Lord, the God of Israel, that by this time tomorrow, or the next day at the latest, I will talk to my father and let you know at once how he feels about you. If he speaks favorably about you, I will let you know. ¹³But if he is angry and wants you killed, may the Lord strike me and even kill me if I don’t warn you so you can escape and live. May the Lord be with you as he used to be with my father. ¹⁴And may you treat me with the faithful love of the Lord as long as I live. But if I die, ¹⁵treat my family with this faithful love, even when the Lord destroys all your enemies from the face of the earth.”
¹⁶So Jonathan made a solemn pact with David saying, “May the Lord destroy all your enemies!” ¹⁷And Jonathan made David reaffirm his vow of friendship again, for Jonathan loved David as he loved himself.

Examine the Scriptures
1 Samuel 20:1-17 NLT

Jonathan Helps David

Jonathan was always willing to help his friend David in spite of the cost.

In our previous lesson Saul was pursuing David. He wanted to kill David, but God prevented this from happening.

^20:1 David now fled from Naioth in Ramah and found Jonathan. “What have I done?” he exclaimed. “What is my crime? How have I offended your father that he is so determined to kill me?”

As he was fleeing from Saul, David found Jonathan.

David wanted to know why Saul was so determined to kill him.

David was wondering if he had done something wrong that had provoked Saul’s hatred.

We sometimes doubt our own actions.

²“That’s not true!” Jonathan protested. “You’re not going to die. He always tells me everything he’s going to do, even the little things. I know my father wouldn’t hide something like this from me. It just isn’t so!”

Jonathan was naïve about his father’s intentions.

Jonathan appeared to be convinced that his father was not seeking to kill David.

Jonathan may not have known about Saul’s recent attempts on David’s life (Refer to previous lesson.) or he may have been in a state of denial.

Jonathan was probably remembering his recent conversation with his father. (1 Samuel 19:6 NLT) ⁶So Saul listened to Jonathan and vowed, “As surely as the Lord lives, David will not be killed.”

³Then David took an oath before Jonathan and said, “Your father knows perfectly well about our friendship, so he has said to himself, ‘I won’t tell Jonathan—why should I hurt him?’

David took an oath in order to emphasize the seriousness of the situation.

But I swear to you that I am only a step away from death! I swear it by the Lord and by your own soul!”

David knew that Saul wanted to kill him, and wanted to convince Jonathan of the seriousness of Saul’s intentions.

⁴“Tell me what I can do to help you,” Jonathan exclaimed.

As always, Jonathan was committed to helping David.

More about this in verse 8

⁵David replied, “Tomorrow we celebrate the new moon festival.

The first day of each month, referred to as the New Moon” was celebrated with a sacrificial meal.

Numbers 28:11-15 NLT
The Monthly Offerings (from the community)
¹¹“On the first day of each month, present an extra burnt offering to the Lord of two young bulls, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs, all with no defects. ¹²These must be accompanied by grain offerings of choice flour moistened with olive oil—six quarts with each bull, four quarts with the ram, ¹³and two quarts with each lamb. This burnt offering will be a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. ¹⁴You must also present a liquid offering with each sacrifice: two quarts of wine for each bull, a third of a gallon for the ram, and one quart for each lamb. Present this monthly burnt offering on the first day of each month throughout the year.
¹⁵“On the first day of each month, you must also offer one male goat for a sin offering to the Lord. This is in addition to the regular burnt offering and its accompanying liquid offering.

I’ve always eaten with the king on this occasion, but tomorrow I’ll hide in the field and stay there until the evening of the third day.

David normally celebrated the new moon festival with the king. (11 months out of the year.)

David believed that Saul would try again to kill him again if showed up at the king’s table.

⁶If your father asks where I am, tell him I asked permission to go home to Bethlehem for an annual family sacrifice.

Apparently, David’s family held an annual family reunion that coincided with one of the monthly new moon celebrations.

1 Samuel 20:28-29 NLT
²⁸Jonathan replied, “David earnestly asked me if he could go to Bethlehem. ²⁹He said, ‘Please let me go, for we are having a family sacrifice. My brother demanded that I be there. So please let me get away to see my brothers.’ That’s why he isn’t here at the king’s table.”

David (and Jonathan) lied about his intensions.

⁷If he says, ‘Fine!’ you will know all is well. But if he is angry and loses his temper, you will know he is determined to kill me.

⁸Show me this loyalty as my sworn friend—

Here David appeals to Jonathan as a sworn friend.

David is relying on the faithfulness of a covenant partner.

(The relationship between David and Jonathan is being addressed.)

for we made a solemn pact before the Lord—

When David first met Jonathan, there was an immediate bond between the two young men. Now David is referring back to the “solemn pact” that was made at that time.

We discussed this in previous lessons.

Clearly this was a result of God’s intervention.

This bond clearly came from the Lord.

Addition verses about friendships:

Proverbs 20:6 NLT
⁶Many will say they are loyal friends,
but who can find one who is truly reliable?

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 NLT
⁹Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. ¹⁰If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.

John 15:12-13 NLT
¹²This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. ¹³There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

Proverbs 17:17 NLT
¹⁷A friend is always loyal,

Proverbs 27:17 NLT
¹⁷As iron sharpens iron,
so a friend sharpens a friend.

Jonathan was a true friend and true friends are faithful in times of adversity.

Jonathan continues to be David’s best friend, even when he knows David, not him, will be the next king of Israel.

This pact between David and Jonathan appears again in verses 17 & 42:

¹⁷And Jonathan made David reaffirm his vow of friendship again, for Jonathan loved David as he loved himself.

⁴²At last Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for we have sworn loyalty to each other in the Lord’s name. The Lord is the witness of a bond between us and our children forever.” Then David left, and Jonathan returned to the town.

This solemn pact was repeated in 1 Samuel 23:18

1 Samuel 23:18 NLT
¹⁸So the two of them renewed their solemn pact before the Lord. Then Jonathan returned home, while David stayed at Horesh.

or kill me yourself if I have sinned against your father. But please don’t betray me to him!”

David asked Jonathan to kill him, if he had in fact sinned against Saul.

David always recognized Saul as “the Lord’s anointed king” and David never wanted to do anything that would harm the king.

David did not want Jonathan to betray him to Saul.

David wanted to die at the hand of his friend rather than at the hand of his enemy.

David always recognized Saul as “the Lord’s anointed king”.

David had temporarily lost sight of God’s promise that he would rule over Israel.

⁹“Never!” Jonathan exclaimed. “You know that if I had the slightest notion my father was planning to kill you, I would tell you at once.”

¹⁰Then David asked, “How will I know whether or not your father is angry?”

¹¹“Come out to the field with me,” Jonathan replied. And they went out there together. ¹²Then Jonathan told David, “I promise by the Lord, the God of Israel, that by this time tomorrow, or the next day at the latest, I will talk to my father and let you know at once how he feels about you. If he speaks favorably about you, I will let you know.

Jonathan then suggested a plan by which he could communicate Saul’s intentions with David without revealing David’s location.

¹³But if he is angry and wants you killed, may the Lord strike me and even kill me if I don’t warn you so you can escape and live.

By this point in time Jonathan clearly understood the seriousness of this situation.

May the Lord be with you as he used to be with my father.

This was amazing insight on Jonathan’s part. Somehow Jonathan knew that David had received the blessing from God that his father once had. It appears that Jonathan knew here what he verbalized in chapter 23:

1 Samuel 23:17 NLT
¹⁷… You are going to be the king of Israel, and I will be next to you, as my father, Saul, is well aware.”

Jonathan knew that David had received the blessing from God that his father once had.

¹⁴And may you treat me with the faithful love of the Lord as long as I live. But if I die, ¹⁵treat my family with this faithful love, even when the Lord destroys all your enemies from the face of the earth.”

Jonathan was reminding David of their loyalty to each other as sworn friends.

In the Old Testament, is was not uncommon for a newly appointed king to kill all of the living relatives of the previous king.

Jonathan reminded David of their loyalty to each other as sworn friends.

Later in 2 Samuel chapter 9 David demonstrated that he, in fact, would honor Jonathan’s request.

2 Samuel 9 NLT
David’s Kindness to Mephibosheth
^9:1 One day David asked, “Is anyone in Saul’s family still alive—anyone to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” ²He summoned a man named Ziba, who had been one of Saul’s servants. “Are you Ziba?” the king asked.
“Yes sir, I am,” Ziba replied.
³The king then asked him, “Is anyone still alive from Saul’s family? If so, I want to show God’s kindness to them.”
Ziba replied, “Yes, one of Jonathan’s sons is still alive. He is crippled in both feet.”
⁴“Where is he?” the king asked.
“In Lo-debar,” Ziba told him, “at the home of Makir son of Ammiel.”
⁵So David sent for him and brought him from Makir’s home. ⁶His name was Mephibosheth; he was Jonathan’s son and Saul’s grandson. When he came to David, he bowed low to the ground in deep respect. David said, “Greetings, Mephibosheth.”
Mephibosheth replied, “I am your servant.”
⁷“Don’t be afraid!” David said. “I intend to show kindness to you because of my promise to your father, Jonathan. I will give you all the property that once belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will eat here with me at the king’s table!”

¹⁶So Jonathan made a solemn pact with David saying, “May the Lord destroy all your enemies!”

This would include Jonathan’s father Saul.

Again, Jonathan was looking out for David’s welfare.

Jonathan continued to look out for David’s welfare.

¹⁷And Jonathan made David reaffirm his vow of friendship again, for Jonathan loved David as he loved himself.

Jonathan needed to be reassured that their vow of friendship was still intact.

Michal Saves David’s Life

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Michal Saves David’s Life

The Lord Works in Mysterious Ways (FYI: This phrase is not found in the Bible.)

Isaiah 55:8-9 NLT
⁸“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
⁹For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways
and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

Ecclesiastes 11:5 NLT
⁵Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things.

However, we can understand what is happening in today’s story.

Today’s lesson includes attempted murder, lies, idols, prophesying, indecent exposure, and more.

1 Samuel 19:11-24 NLT
Michal Saves David’s Life
¹¹Then Saul sent troops to watch David’s house. They were told to kill David when he came out the next morning. But Michal, David’s wife, warned him, “If you don’t escape tonight, you will be dead by morning.” ¹²So she helped him climb out through a window, and he fled and escaped. ¹³Then she took an idol and put it in his bed, covered it with blankets, and put a cushion of goat’s hair at its head.
¹⁴When the troops came to arrest David, she told them he was sick and couldn’t get out of bed.
¹⁵But Saul sent the troops back to get David. He ordered, “Bring him to me in his bed so I can kill him!” ¹⁶But when they came to carry David out, they discovered that it was only an idol in the bed with a cushion of goat’s hair at its head.
¹⁷“Why have you betrayed me like this and let my enemy escape?” Saul demanded of Michal.
“I had to,” Michal replied. “He threatened to kill me if I didn’t help him.”
¹⁸So David escaped and went to Ramah to see Samuel, and he told him all that Saul had done to him. Then Samuel took David with him to live at Naioth. ¹⁹When the report reached Saul that David was at Naioth in Ramah, ²⁰he sent troops to capture him. But when they arrived and saw Samuel leading a group of prophets who were prophesying, the Spirit of God came upon Saul’s men, and they also began to prophesy. ²¹When Saul heard what had happened, he sent other troops, but they, too, prophesied! The same thing happened a third time. ²²Finally, Saul himself went to Ramah and arrived at the great well in Secu. “Where are Samuel and David?” he demanded.
“They are at Naioth in Ramah,” someone told him.
²³But on the way to Naioth in Ramah the Spirit of God came even upon Saul, and he, too, began to prophesy all the way to Naioth! ²⁴He tore off his clothes and lay naked on the ground all day and all night, prophesying in the presence of Samuel. The people who were watching exclaimed, “What? Is even Saul a prophet?”

Examine the Scriptures
1 Samuel 19:11-24 NLT
Michal Saves David’s Life

Previous lesson:

Saul Tries to Kill David
1 Samuel 19:9-10 NLT
⁹But one day when Saul was sitting at home, with spear in hand, the tormenting spirit from the Lord suddenly came upon him again. As David played his harp, ¹⁰Saul hurled his spear at David. But David dodged out of the way, and leaving the spear stuck in the wall, he fled and escaped into the night.

¹¹Then Saul sent troops to watch David’s house. They were told to kill David when he came out the next morning.

Saul sent troops (agents, guards, men, messengers, officers) to kill David.

Again, Saul wants David destroyed.

Saul sent troops to David’s house with instructions to kill David.

But Michal, David’s wife, warned him, “If you don’t escape tonight, you will be dead by morning.”

Michal was instrumental in saving David’s life.

Michael, at this point in time, displayed love and faithfulness.

Both Jonathan and Michal (two of Saul’s children) saved David from their father and undermined their father’s plans to eliminate him.

Michal was instrumental in saving David’s life.

¹²So she helped him climb out through a window, and he fled and escaped.

¹³Then she took an idol and put it in his bed, covered it with blankets, and put a cushion of goat’s hair at its head.

The Hebrew word for idol (as it is used here) is teraphim.

The teraphim was a figurine or image in human form called a household idol.

Some sources refer to a teraphim as a “household good luck image”.

The Hebrew people appeared to have a strange attraction to these “household idols”.

Michal employed the use of a household god (teraphim) in trickery and out of loyalty for her husband rather than her father.

Josiah said the use of teraphims was a detestable practice.

2 Kings 23:24 NLT
²⁴Josiah also got rid of the mediums and psychics, the household gods, the idols, and every other kind of detestable practice, both in Jerusalem and throughout the land of Judah. He did this in obedience to the laws written in the scroll that Hilkiah the priest had found in the Lord’s Temple.

Zechariah 10:2 NLT
²Household gods give worthless advice,

Israelites using idols appears throughout the scriptures,

Genesis 31:34 NLT
³⁴But Rachel had taken the household idols (idols belonging to Laban) and hidden them in her camel saddle, and now she was sitting on them. When Laban had thoroughly searched her tent without finding them,

Judges 17:5 NLT
⁵Micah set up a shrine for the idol, and he made a sacred ephod and some household idols.

The use of household idols appears to be a practice influenced by pagan idol worship.

¹⁴When the troops came to arrest David, she told them he was sick and couldn’t get out of bed.

Michal lied.

Previously in scripture, Rahab also lied to save the two Hebrew spies she was hiding.

Joshua 2:4-5 NLT
⁴Rahab had hidden the two men, but she replied, “Yes, the men were here earlier, but I didn’t know where they were from. ⁵They left the town at dusk, as the gates were about to close. I don’t know where they went. If you hurry, you can probably catch up with them.”

Michal lied to save David.

¹⁵But Saul sent the troops back to get David.

Saul was persistent.

He ordered, “Bring him to me in his bed so I can kill him!” ¹⁶But when they came to carry David out, they discovered that it was only an idol in the bed with a cushion of goat’s hair at its head.

Idols and lies were used to keep David from being murdered.

¹⁷“Why have you betrayed me like this and let my enemy escape?” Saul demanded of Michal.

“I had to,” Michal replied. “He threatened to kill me if I didn’t help him.”

Michal lied again.

¹⁸So David escaped and went to Ramah to see Samuel, and he told him all that Saul had done to him.

Then Samuel took David with him to live at Naioth.

Naioth in Ramah (verse 19)

A section of Ramah

¹⁹When the report reached Saul that David was at Naioth in Ramah, ²⁰he sent troops to capture him. But when they arrived and saw Samuel leading a group of prophets who were prophesying, the Spirit of God came upon Saul’s men, and they also began to prophesy.

What just happened here?

David was saved by “the Spirit of God”.

Saul’s men joined with the group of prophets and being filled with the Holy Spirit (controlled by the Holy Spirit) they no longer sought to capture David.

This seems to imply that the troops, inspired by the Holy Spirit, were acting in an enthusiastic, uncontrolled manner, praising of God.

The troops sent to kill David were incapable of carrying out their mission.

Editorial comment: “Troops” controlled by the Holy Spirit would appear to us to be acting in a “strange” manner.

²¹When Saul heard what had happened, he sent other troops, but they, too, prophesied!

The same thing happened a third time.

God repeatedly saved David from capture by Saul.

This is “strange” but it could have been worse.

A story from:
2 Kings 1:2-17 NLT
Elijah Confronts King Ahaziah²One day Israel’s new king, Ahaziah, fell through the latticework of an upper room at his palace in Samaria and was seriously injured. So he sent messengers to the temple of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether he would recover.
³But the angel of the Lord told Elijah, who was from Tishbe, “Go and confront the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, ‘Is there no God in Israel? Why are you going to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether the king will recover? ⁴Now, therefore, this is what the Lord says: You will never leave the bed you are lying on; you will surely die.’” So Elijah went to deliver the message.
⁵When the messengers returned to the king, he asked them, “Why have you returned so soon?”
⁶They replied, “A man came up to us and told us to go back to the king and give him this message. ‘This is what the Lord says: Is there no God in Israel? Why are you sending men to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether you will recover? Therefore, because you have done this, you will never leave the bed you are lying on; you will surely die.’”
⁷“What sort of man was he?” the king demanded. “What did he look like?”
⁸They replied, “He was a hairy man, and he wore a leather belt around his waist.”
“Elijah from Tishbe!” the king exclaimed.
⁹Then he sent an army captain with fifty soldiers to arrest him. They found him sitting on top of a hill. The captain said to him, “Man of God, the king has commanded you to come down with us.”
¹⁰But Elijah replied to the captain, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and destroy you and your fifty men!” Then fire fell from heaven and killed them all.
¹¹So the king sent another captain with fifty men. The captain said to him, “Man of God, the king demands that you come down at once.”
¹²Elijah replied, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and destroy you and your fifty men!” And again the fire of God fell from heaven and killed them all.
¹³Once more the king sent a third captain with fifty men. But this time the captain went up the hill and fell to his knees before Elijah. He pleaded with him, “O man of God, please spare my life and the lives of these, your fifty servants. ¹⁴See how the fire from heaven came down and destroyed the first two groups. But now please spare my life!”
¹⁵Then the angel of the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down with him, and don’t be afraid of him.” So Elijah got up and went with him to the king.
¹⁶And Elijah said to the king, “This is what the Lord says: Why did you send messengers to Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, to ask whether you will recover? Is there no God in Israel to answer your question? Therefore, because you have done this, you will never leave the bed you are lying on; you will surely die.”
¹⁷So Ahaziah died, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah.

At least Saul’s troops weren’t killed.

²²Finally, Saul himself went to Ramah and arrived at the great well in Secu. “Where are Samuel and David?” he demanded.

“They are at Naioth in Ramah,” someone told him.

²³But on the way to Naioth in Ramah the Spirit of God came even upon Saul, and he, too, began to prophesy all the way to Naioth!

This was the last time the Spirit of God would rest on Saul.

God is preventing Saul from harming David. He turned Saul’s heart to prophecy and not to harm David.

Proverbs 21:1 NLT
21 The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord;
he guides it wherever he pleases.

Psalm 22:28 NLT
²⁸For royal power belongs to the Lord.
He rules all the nations.

Again, God prevented Saul from harming David.

More details:

²⁴He tore off his clothes and lay naked on the ground all day and all night, prophesying in the presence of Samuel.

Prompted by the Holy Spirit, Saul tore off his clothes and lay naked on the ground.

A very humiliating experience.

The Spirit of God made Saul incapable of killing David.

There was another time previous to this when the Spirit of God came powerfully upon Saul, and he began to prophesy.

Review the time when Samuel anointed Saul as king.

1 Samuel 10:5-7 & 9-11 NLT
Samuel Anoints Saul as King
⁵“When you arrive at Gibeah of God where the garrison of the Philistines is located, you will meet a band of prophets coming down from the place of worship. They will be playing a harp, a tambourine, a flute, and a lyre, and they will be prophesying. (Praising God and instructing the people.) ⁶At that time the Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them. You will be changed into a different person. ⁷After these signs take place, do what must be done, for God is with you.
⁹As Saul turned and started to leave, God gave him a new heart, and all Samuel’s signs were fulfilled that day. ¹⁰When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, they saw a group of prophets coming toward them. Then the Spirit of God came powerfully upon Saul, and he, too,

began to prophesy.

A familiar Old Testament expression relating to empowerment for some God given task.

Saul was being empowered by the Holy Spirit to carry out the role of King of Israel.

¹¹When those who knew Saul heard about it, they exclaimed, “What? Is even Saul a prophet? How did the son of Kish become a prophet?”

Saul removing his royal garments was symbolic of God’s rejection of Saul as king over Israel.

In the O.T. the indwelling of the Holy Spirit was not a permanent status.

David knew that the presence of the Holy Spirit could be removed from a person.

Psalm 51:11 NLT
¹¹Do not banish me from your presence,
and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.

The people who were watching exclaimed, “What? Is even Saul a prophet?”

The people were witnessing the power of the Holy Spirit working in Saul, however they would not have understood all that was happening.

Saul Tries to Kill David

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Saul Tries to Kill David

Review:

The birth of Samuel.
– Samuel’s parents were Elkanah and Hannah.

Samuel given to the Lord by Hannah, his mother.
– Samuel became an apprentice in the temple under the supervision of Eli the priest.

Eli the priest and his worthless sons.

The Lord calls Samuel.
– Samuel was a priest, prophet, and judge.

Samuel was God’s spokesman for all of Israel.

The Philistines capture the Ark of God.

The Philistines return the ark of God.

Samuel, as the Judge of Israel, leads the Israelites to victory over the Philistines.

Israel requests a king.

Samuel privately anoints Saul as king.

Initially Saul was a good king.

Continued war with the Philistines.

Jonathan was Saul’s son.
– Jonathan most likely would have made a good king, but that was not God’s plan for Israel.

The Lord rejects Saul. Saul’s kingship was a failure.

Samuel privately anoints David as king.

David kills Goliath.

The conclusion of the previous lesson.

1 Samuel 18:27-30
… So Saul gave his daughter Michal to David to be his wife.
²⁸When Saul realized that the Lord was with David and how much his daughter Michal loved him, ²⁹Saul became even more afraid of him, and he remained David’s enemy for the rest of his life.
³⁰Every time the commanders of the Philistines attacked, David was more successful against them than all the rest of Saul’s officers. So David’s name became very famous.

There was a time when Saul loved David.

1 Samuel 16:21-22 NLT
²¹So David went to Saul and began serving him. Saul loved David very much, and David became his armor bearer.
²²Then Saul sent word to Jesse asking, “Please let David remain in my service, for I am very pleased with him.”

Saul was afraid of David, and he remained David’s enemy for the rest of his life.

David continued to succeed in everything he did, for the Lordwas with him.

1 Samuel 19:1-10 NLT
Saul Tries to Kill David
^19:1 Saul now urged his servants and his son Jonathan to assassinate David. But Jonathan, because of his strong affection for David, ²told him what his father was planning. “Tomorrow morning,” he warned him, “you must find a hiding place out in the fields. ³I’ll ask my father to go out there with me, and I’ll talk to him about you. Then I’ll tell you everything I can find out.”
⁴The next morning Jonathan spoke with his father about David, saying many good things about him. “The king must not sin against his servant David,” Jonathan said. “He’s never done anything to harm you. He has always helped you in any way he could. ⁵Have you forgotten about the time he risked his life to kill the Philistine giant and how the Lord brought a great victory to all Israel as a result? You were certainly happy about it then. Why should you murder an innocent man like David? There is no reason for it at all!”
⁶So Saul listened to Jonathan and vowed, “As surely as the Lord lives, David will not be killed.”
⁷Afterward Jonathan called David and told him what had happened. Then he brought David to Saul, and David served in the court as before.
⁸War broke out again after that, and David led his troops against the Philistines. He attacked them with such fury that they all ran away.
⁹But one day when Saul was sitting at home, with spear in hand, the tormenting spirit from the Lord suddenly came upon him again. As David played his harp, ¹⁰Saul hurled his spear at David. But David dodged out of the way, and leaving the spear stuck in the wall, he fled and escaped into the night.

Examine the Scriptures

1 Samuel 19:1-10 NLT
Saul Tries to Kill David
^19:1 Saul now urged his servants and his son Jonathan to assassinate David.

David’s success against Israel’s enemy, the Philistines, caused Saul to act irrationally.

Prior to this, Saul was hoping that David would be killed by the Philistines.

1 Samuel 18:12-16 NLT
¹²Saul was then afraid of David, for the Lord was with David and had turned away from Saul. ¹³Finally, Saul sent him away and appointed him commander over 1,000 men, and David faithfully led his troops into battle.
¹⁴David continued to succeed in everything he did, for the Lord was with him. ¹⁵When Saul recognized this, he became even more afraid of him. ¹⁶But all Israel and Judah loved David because he was so successful at leading his troops into battle.

Saul’s urged his servants and his son, Jonathan, to kill David.

Saul wants David completely out of his life.

But Jonathan, because of his strong affection for David,

Previous chapter

^18:1 After David had finished talking with Saul, he met Jonathan, the king’s son. There was an immediate bond between them, for Jonathan loved David.

When David met Jonathan, there was an immediate bond between the two young men.

Where did this affection come from? (Clearly this was a result of God’s intervention.)

1 Thessalonians 4:9 NLT
⁹But we don’t need to write to you about the importance of loving each other, for God himself has taught you to love one another.

1 Thessalonians 3:12 NLT
¹²And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows.

1 John 4:7 NLT
⁷Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God.

1 John 3:16 NLT
¹⁶We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.

Proverbs 17:17 NLT
¹⁷A friend is always loyal,
and a brother is born to help in time of need.

Jonathan was a true friend and true friends are faithful in times of adversity.

Jonathan continues to be David’s best friend, even when he knows David, not him, will be the next king of Israel.

1 Samuel 23:17 NLT
¹⁷“Don’t be afraid,” Jonathan reassured him. “My father will never find you! You are going to be the king of Israel, and I will be next to you, as my father, Saul, is well aware.”

Back to 1 Samuel 19:

²told him what his father was planning.

^19:1 Saul now urged his servants and his son Jonathan to assassinate David.

God, in His infinite mercy, used Saul’s son Jonathan to inform David of Saul’s evil intensions.

“Tomorrow morning,” he warned him, “you must find a hiding place out in the fields.

³I’ll ask my father to go out there with me, and I’ll talk to him about you. Then I’ll tell you everything I can find out.”

Jonathan was truly concerned about David’s welfare.

⁴The next morning Jonathan spoke with his father about David, saying many good things about him. “The king must not sin against his servant David,” Jonathan said. “He’s never done anything to harm you. He has always helped you in any way he could. ⁵Have you forgotten about the time he risked his life to kill the Philistine giant and how the Lord brought a great victory to all Israel as a result? You were certainly happy about it then. Why should you murder an innocent man like David? There is no reason for it at all!”

Jonathan stood up for David.

Jonathan reminded his father, Saul, that David had done nothing to deserve death.

Jonathan appealed to his father to do the right thing.

⁶So Saul listened to Jonathan and vowed, “As surely as the Lord lives, David will not be killed.”

Jonathan temporarily convinced his father that it would be wrong for him to kill David.

⁷Afterward Jonathan called David and told him what had happened. Then he brought David to Saul, and David served in the court as before.

⁸War broke out again after that, and David led his troops against the Philistines. He attacked them with such fury that they all ran away.

⁹But one day when Saul was sitting at home, with spear in hand, the tormenting spirit from the Lord suddenly came upon him again. As David played his harp,

The Lord had turned away from Saul. (1 Samuel 18:12)

The Lord sent a tormenting spirit. This was a tormenting spirit, not the Lord Himself.

Evil spirits are subject to God’s control.

Saul was mentally unbalanced.

Saul’s behaviors are predictable.

Galatians 5:19-21 NLT
¹⁹When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, ²⁰idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, ²¹envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

¹⁰Saul hurled his spear at David. But David dodged out of the way, and leaving the spear stuck in the wall, he fled and escaped into the night.

Saul:

Jealousy, rage, and anger once again dominated Saul and he attempted to kill David.

1 Samuel 18:10 NLT (the previous chapter)
¹⁰The very next day a tormenting spirit from God overwhelmed Saul, and he began to rave in his house like a madman.

Jeremiah 17:9 NLT
⁹“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things,
and desperately wicked.
Who really knows how bad it is?

David:

The Lord was with David.

^18:12Saul was then afraid of David, for the Lord was with David and had turned away from Saul.

^18:14David continued to succeed in everything he did, for the Lord was with him.

Psalm 18:1-3 NLTA psalm of David, the servant of the Lord. He sang this song to the Lord on the day the Lord rescued him from all his enemies and from Saul. He sang:
¹I love you, Lord;
you are my strength (defender).
²The Lord is my rock (protector), my fortress, and my savior;
my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
He is my shield, the power that saves me,
and my place of safety.
³I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
and he saved me from my enemies.

Psalm 145:20 NLT
²⁰The Lord protects all those who love him,
but he destroys the wicked.

The Lord protects all those who love him.

Encouragement for us.

1 John 4:9-15 NLT
⁹God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. ¹⁰This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
¹¹Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. ¹²No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.
¹³And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. ¹⁴Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. ¹⁵All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God.

All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. (1 John 4:15)

David Marries Saul’s Daughter

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David Marries Saul’s Daughter

1 Samuel 18:17-30 NLT
¹⁷One day Saul said to David, “I am ready to give you my older daughter, Merab, as your wife. But first you must prove yourself to be a real warrior by fighting the Lord’s battles.” For Saul thought, “I’ll send him out against the Philistines and let them kill him rather than doing it myself.”
¹⁸“Who am I, and what is my family in Israel that I should be the king’s son-in-law?” David exclaimed. “My father’s family is nothing!” ¹⁹So when the time came for Saul to give his daughter Merab in marriage to David, he gave her instead to Adriel, a man from Meholah.
²⁰In the meantime, Saul’s daughter Michal had fallen in love with David, and Saul was delighted when he heard about it. ²¹“Here’s another chance to see him killed by the Philistines!” Saul said to himself. But to David he said, “Today you have a second chance to become my son-in-law!”
²²Then Saul told his men to say to David, “The king really likes you, and so do we. Why don’t you accept the king’s offer and become his son-in-law?”
²³When Saul’s men said these things to David, he replied, “How can a poor man from a humble family afford the bride price for the daughter of a king?”
²⁴When Saul’s men reported this back to the king, ²⁵he told them, “Tell David that all I want for the bride price is 100 Philistine foreskins! Vengeance on my enemies is all I really want.” But what Saul had in mind was that David would be killed in the fight.
²⁶David was delighted to accept the offer. Before the time limit expired, ²⁷he and his men went out and killed 200 Philistines. Then David fulfilled the king’s requirement by presenting all their foreskins to him. So Saul gave his daughter Michal to David to be his wife.
²⁸When Saul realized that the Lord was with David and how much his daughter Michal loved him, ²⁹Saul became even more afraid of him, and he remained David’s enemy for the rest of his life.
³⁰Every time the commanders of the Philistines attacked, David was more successful against them than all the rest of Saul’s officers. So David’s name became very famous.

Examine the Scriptures
1 Samuel 18:17-30 NLT

David Marries Saul’s Daughter

¹⁷One day Saul said to David, “I am ready to give you my older daughter, Merab, as your wife. But first you must prove yourself to be a real warrior by fighting the Lord’s battles.”

David had already “earned” the right to marry one of Saul’s daughters. Now Saul was adding addition conditions to his original promise.

Saul reneged on a promise he had already made to David.

1 Samuel 17:25 NLT
²⁵“Have you seen the giant?” the men asked. “He comes out each day to defy Israel. The king has offered a huge reward to anyone who kills him. He will give that man one of his daughters for a wife, and the man’s entire family will be exempted from paying taxes!”

“Fighting the Lord’s battles” would be a challenging appeal to David.

Saul knew that David was committed to serving the Lord.

For Saul thought, “I’ll send him out against the Philistines and let them kill him rather than doing it myself.”

Saul’s gesture was a snare. It was an attempt to have David killed in battle.

Saul did not grasp the fact that “the Lord was with him (David)”.

Why didn’t Saul kill David? As king he could have easily arranged to have David killed.

David was loved by the people of Israel and Judah.

1 Samuel 18:16 NLT
¹⁶But all Israel and Judah loved David because he was so successful at leading his troops into battle.

Most likely Saul did not want to kill David for fear of a negative response from the people of Israel and Judah.

Note:

Notice the similarity between Saul’s treachery and that of David with Uriah.

2 Samuel 11:15 NLT
¹⁵The letter instructed Joab, “Station Uriah on the front lines where the battle is fiercest. Then pull back so that he will be killed.”

¹⁸“Who am I, and what is my family in Israel that I should be the king’s son-in-law?” David exclaimed. “My father’s family is nothing!”

David felt unworthy to marry a daughter of the king.

Family lineage was normally crucial when marrying into the king’s family.

Note who King Solomon married.

1 Kings 11:3 NLT
³He had 700 wives of royal birth …

Frequently kings married the daughters of other kings to form alliances.

Saul was interested in David’s lineage.

Previously Saul was asking about David’s lineage:

1 Samuel 17:55-58 NLT
⁵⁵As Saul watched David go out to fight the Philistine, he asked Abner, the commander of his army, “Abner, whose son is this young man?”
“I really don’t know,” Abner declared.
⁵⁶“Well, find out who he is!” the king told him.
⁵⁷As soon as David returned from killing Goliath, Abner brought him to Saul with the Philistine’s head still in his hand. ⁵⁸“Tell me about your father, young man,” Saul said.
And David replied, “His name is Jesse, and we live in Bethlehem.”

¹⁹So when the time came for Saul to give his daughter Merab in marriage to David, he gave her instead to Adriel, a man from Meholah.

Another broken promise.

Before anything happened between David and Merab, Saul gave Merab to another man.

Note:
Later, we read where David handed over 5 of Merab and Adriel’s sons to the Gibeonites to be executed.

²⁰In the meantime, Saul’s daughter Michal had fallen in love with David,

Two of Saul’s children loved David while their father Saul was trying to kill him.

and Saul was delighted when he heard about it. ²¹“Here’s another chance to see him killed by the Philistines!” Saul said to himself. But to David he said, “Today you have a second chance to become my son-in-law!”

Here again Saul this as an opportunity to get rid of David.

²²Then Saul told his men to say to David, “The king really likes you, and so do we. Why don’t you accept the king’s offer and become his son-in-law?”

This is clearly a lie.

Saul lied to David.

²³When Saul’s men said these things to David, he replied, “How can a poor man from a humble family afford the bride price for the daughter of a king?”

Normally the “bride price” or dowry was money and the amount of money for a king’s daughter would be far more than David could afford.

David’s family could not afford the bride price to marry a king’s daughter.

²⁴When Saul’s men reported this back to the king, ²⁵he told them, “Tell David that all I want for the bride price is 100 Philistine foreskins!

Such mutilation of the bodies of slain enemies was commonly practiced in ancient warfare.

In place of the normal dowry, David could earn the privilege of marrying Michal by killing 100 Philistines.

Vengeance on my enemies is all I really want.” But what Saul had in mind was that David would be killed in the fight.

Saul lied again.

Proverbs 12:22 NLT
²²The Lord detests lying lips,
but he delights in those who tell the truth.

Saul used Michal to lure David into what he thought would be a fatal encounter with the Philistines.

²⁶David was delighted to accept the offer. Before the time limit expired, ²⁷he and his men went out and killed 200 Philistines.

God protected David, and he and his men were able to kill twice as Philistines than Saul had specified.

Then David fulfilled the king’s requirement by presenting all their foreskins to him. So Saul gave his daughter Michal to David to be his wife.

David became Saul’s son-in-law by marrying Michal.

²⁸When Saul realized that the Lord was with David

It appears that Saul himself never made any attempt to restore his relationship with God.

and how much his daughter Michal loved him, ²⁹Saul became even more afraid of him, and he remained David’s enemy for the rest of his life.

Saul’s fear of David was unfounded. David consistently honored Saul as king.

David did not kill Saul when he had the opportunity to do so.

1 Samuel 24:6-7 NLT
⁶He (David) said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this to my lord the king. I shouldn’t attack the Lord’s anointed one, for the Lord himself has chosen him.” ⁷So David restrained his men and did not let them kill Saul.

1 Samuel 26:9-11 NLT
⁹“No!” David said. “Don’t kill him. For who can remain innocent after attacking the Lord’s anointed one? ¹⁰… ¹¹The Lord forbid that I should kill the one he has anointed! …

³⁰Every time the commanders of the Philistines attacked, David was more successful against them than all the rest of Saul’s officers. So David’s name became very famous.

David’s military successes continued and his popularity increased.

1 Samuel 18:14 NLT
¹⁴David continued to succeed in everything he did, for the Lord was with him.

David continued to succeed in everything he did, for the Lord was with him.

A reminder for us.

Isaiah 41:10 NLT (The promise of God’s presence is central to the Bible.)
¹⁰Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

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Category Archives: Seeking His Kingdom Bible Study

David Hides in the Wilderness

Unity in the Body of Christ

David Protects the Town of Keilah

David at the Cave of Adullam / The Slaughter of the Priests

David Runs from Saul

Jonathan Helps David (Part 2)

Jonathan Helps David

Michal Saves David’s Life

Saul Tries to Kill David

David Marries Saul’s Daughter