1 Samuel Chapter 21

After he leaves Jonathan and from this point until Saul’s death, David was an outcast from the royal court. David begins his life as a fugitive. He moves around from place to place, gathering a group of 400 men, which later increases to 600. Saul, on the other hand, is single-minded in his determination to kill David

1 Then David came to Nob to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech came to meet David trembling and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one with you?” 2 And David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has charged me with a matter and said to me, ‘Let no one know anything of the matter about which I send you, and with which I have charged you.’ I have made an appointment with the young men for such and such a place.

1. Where and who is Ahimelech the priest and why would David go to him?

Nob, a city of the priests, was in the neighborhood of Jerusalem, on the Mount of Olives — a little north of the top, and on the northeast of the city. It is computed to have been about five miles distant from Gibeah, Saul’s home town. David went there for necessary supplies and for comfort and counsel. Ahimelech. Was a great grandson of Eli. Not only is there a rejected king on the throne but also a disqualified priest.

And this that shall come upon your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, shall be the sign to you: both of them shall die on the same day. 35 And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. 1 Sam 2:34-35 (ESV)

The Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant was there. Previously in the time of Joshua and the Judges it has been at Shiloh with the tribe of Ephraim because Joshua was a Ephraimite. Now it was at Nob in the territory of Benjamin, Saul’s tribe. Eventually it would be in Jerusalem, which was David’s tribal territory of Judah. Ahimelech the priest, legitimate or not, was where people went to sacrifice and worship God. David “a man after God’s heart” realizes he need divine help, so it is only natural to go up to nob.

David was willing to see the tabernacle once more, and there worship his God, and inquire of him by the high priest, as he did; to direct him what way he should take, and that he would prosper and succeed him in it, grant him his presence, and keep him in safety.

2. Why would Ahimelech be trembling as he met David?

Hearing that David was coming, the priest went out to meet him, but when he saw him alone he trembled. This was a very unusual visit. Since David was a commander of thousand where was his military escort. If indeed there was rumor of a falling out between David and Saul this could be a very dangerous situation. This was in Saul’s home territory, where Saul would have many connections and Saul was known as a loose cannon prone to violence.

3. Why does God allow David to continue to lie and deceive with this undercover CIA clandestined operation story?

David has a ready-made story for the priest. Nobody knows whether or not the priest believes it, but he does know better than to press David on this point. He takes David’s words at face value. David believes that if he keeps Ahimelech ignorant, Saul will surely not harm him. David is wrong. David tells the priest he is on special assignment for King Saul, that the king has sent him on a top-secret mission, one he cannot even describe to Ahimelech. David tells Ahimelech he is not alone; his men are secretly hidden a short distance away. All of this cloak and dagger stuff adds importance to the mission, or at least David hopes it does.  RD

David, fearing someone might tell Saul where he was, deceived Ahimelech the priest into thinking that he was on official business for the king. He supposed, as many do, that it is excusable to lie for the purpose of saving one’s life. But what is essentially sinful can never, because of circumstances, change its immoral character. David’s lying led tragically to the deaths of the priests in the next chapter. (22:9–18). MSBN

Just because we get by with something now does not mean God will not have us or others suffer the consequences later. The bible is full of actions performed by God’s people which he allowed but they and later generations suffered for. Polygamy, slavery, divorce, deception, rebellion, murder, lust, greed etc.

3 Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever is here.”4 And the priest answered David, “I have no common bread on hand, but there is holy bread— if the young men have kept themselves from women.”5 And David answered the priest, “Truly women have been kept from us as always when I go on an expedition. The vessels of the young men are holy even when it is an ordinary journey. How much more today will their vessels be holy?”6 So the priest gave him the holy bread, for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence, which is removed from before the Lord, to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away.

4. So what’s the big deal about a few loaves of stale bread and where does this come up later in the bible?

Twelve loaves of unleavened bread (representing the 12 tribes of Israel) were placed on the table in the sanctuary and at the end of the week replaced with fresh ones. The old loaves were to be eaten only by the priests. While it was not normally lawful for David and his companions to eat this consecrated bread, neither did God want them to starve, so nowhere does Scripture condemn them for eating. MSBN

In fact Jesus refers back to this incident as a defense when attacked by the Pharisees over his disciples plucking heads of grain in the field when they were hungry and had no food.

At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” 3 He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? 6 I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. 7 And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.” Matt 12:1-8 (ESV)

Pharisees oppose plucking grain on the Sabbath. As the group journeyed through the grainfields, the disciples exercised their legal privilege of plucking and eating the grain: If you go into your neighbor’s standing grain, you may pluck the ears with your hand, but you shall not put a sickle to your neighbor’s standing grain.Deut. 23:25. To the Pharisees, who must have been taking a walk through the same fields, the act appeared not lawfulbecause it involved a breaking of the sabbath day. Rabbinically interpreted, plucking grain was reaping, and thus was work. Christ’s first reply recalls David and the shewbread. Though divine Law restricted the shewbread to the priests(Lev 24:9), extreme human need overruled this regulation, and the rabbis so understood it. A second illustration shows that the law of Sabbath rest was not absolute, for the priests were required by that very law to work on the Sabbath . The argument is, if priests can be guiltless in working on the Sabbath for furthering temple worship, how much more are the disciples guiltless in using the Sabbath for the work of Christ, who is the reality to which the Temple pointed.  WBC

5. Young men and holy vessels?

Each Sabbath the priests replaced this bread with fresh loaves. Ahimelech was careful that David’s men were ritually clean, not having had sexual relations with women that day. So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and consecrated the people; and they washed their garments. 15 And he said to the people, “Be ready for the third day; do not go near a woman.” Ex 19:14-15

David assured him that their bodies were clean ritually. This made it permissible for them to eat the consecrated bread. Ahimelech correctly gave David the provisions he needed.

7 Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord. His name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul’s herdsmen. 8 Then David said to Ahimelech, “Then have you not here a spear or a sword at hand? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s business required haste.”9 And the priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck down in the Valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take it, for there is none but that here.”And David said, “There is none like that; give it to me.”

6. Why is Doeg the Edomite mentioned here?

The head shepherd of Saul’s herd, who witnessed the encounter between David and Ahimelech and tells Saul in the next chapter,had embraced the Hebrew religion and was at the tabernacle, perhaps detained because it was the Sabbath and he could not travel. MSBN

7. What would be significant of this sword?

Having previously requested provisions of Ahimelech , David now asked for protection, namely, a sword . Goliath’s huge sword, which had initially rested in David’s tent, was now in the tabernacle wrapped in the priest’s ephod, perhaps because it was a historic relic. David eagerly accepted it from Ahimelech since there was no sword like it. CN

10 And David rose and fled that day from Saul and went to Achish the king of Gath. 11 And the servants of Achish said to him, “Is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another of him in dances, ‘Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?” 12 And David took these words to heart and was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath.13 So he changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in their hands and made marks on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard.14 Then Achish said to his servants, “Behold, you see the man is mad. Why then have you brought him to me? 15 Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this fellow to behave as a madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?”

8. Ok let me get this straight, David flees to Gath the capitol of his hated arch enemy Philistines and the hometown of Goliath the giant he beheaded, while carrying the dead giant’s famous sword. Is he crazy?

It is truly amazing what David does here. David flees from Israel to the land of the Philistines. He leaves the people of God for the enemies of God. He seeks refuge from King Achish with whom he has done battle before. David has been to Gath before –well, almost. After he killed Goliath, the Philistine champion, David and the Israelites pursued the Philistines, killing them right up to the cities of Gath and Ekron. Now, David approaches Gath again, but this time as a political refugee seeking asylum from Achish. David comes to Gath seeking protection and sanctuary, but this is the hometown of Goliath whom he killed. To make matters worse, David is carrying Goliath’s sword. I would think David must be crazy to come to Gath, even more so than his conduct at Gath. If these verses tell us anything, it is how intent Saul is on killing David. If David is forced to seek sanctuary among his enemies, what does this tell us about his “friend,” Saul? This is but another confirmation of the hostility (even insanity) of Saul. Things are desperate indeed!RD

9. How is David received by the king of Gath?

It was not unusual for kings to take in political refugees from nearby nations. If they were given sanctuary, they might become grateful allies, if not loyal subjects. These refugees are a kind of trophy, a living testimony to the military dominance and power of the host nation. Achish is brought back to reality by his servants. Does the king not remember that David was designated as Israel’s next king? Does he not remember Goliath’s death and their defeat by Israel under David’s leadership? Has he forgotten the song sung about David, proclaiming him to be greater than Saul: “Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands” Achish is forced to think through his offer to give David sanctuary in Gath. While he is thinking about this, David is thinking too. He has heard of the counsel the king’s servants gave to Achish. He knows that if their advice is taken, he might be put to death. He is in trouble, a lot of trouble. How can David get out of this predicament with his life? It turns out there is a way. David does escape with his life, but not with his dignity. If he arrives as a dreaded warrior, greater even than Goliath, he leaves as a lunatic. David somehow lands on the idea of acting insane. If he can convince the king that he has lost his sanity, he will no longer be taken seriously, and he might even be allowed to live. So David begins to carry out his plan. He scribbles on the doors of the city gate and lets the saliva run down his face and in his beard. He is disgusting and pathetic.If his act convinces no one else, it convinces the king. Achish really does not want to kill David anyway. He seems to genuinely like him. This is his way out. The king needs not take a madman seriously! There is no glory in killing David. There is no benefit to keeping him in Gath. Gath is not a mental asylum! They have enough crazy Philistines in town; they do not need an Israelite madman as well. And so Achish has David run out of town. David’s life is spared, and the concerns of the advisors of the king are dealt with. This, so it seems, is a win-win situation.

·        ACC …. Adam Clarke’s Commentary

·        BBC………..Bridgeway Bible Commentary

·        BDB………….. Barclay’s Daily Study Bible (NT)                                  

·        BKC……….Bible Knowledge Commentary, the

·        BN …..Barnes Notes

·        CMM………….Commentary on Matthew and Mark                         

·        CN …… Constables Notes

·        CSC…….Chuck Smith Commentary

·        Darby………..John Darby’s Synopsis of the OT and NT                   

·        ESVN………….ESV Study Bible Notes                          

·        Gill………..John Gill Exposition of the Bible

·        IC……….Ironside Commentary                                                         

·        JFB…………..Jamieson  Fausset Brown Commentary

·        Johnson………Johnson’s Notes on the New Testament.                   

·        JVM ….J Vernon McGee,

·        MH………..Matthew Henry Commentary

·        MSBN…….MacArthur NASB Study Notes      

·        NET………Net Bible Study Notes.

·        NIVSN…..NIV Study Notes

·        NTCMM……..The New Testament Commentary  Matthew and          Mark.                           

·        RD………….Robert Deffinbaugh  bible.org

·        VWS……………..Vincent Word Studies                        

·       

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