Written by: Revd Tim Sledge - Diocesan Mission Enabler

1 Samuel 22 v 3-5
From there David went to Mizpah in Moab and spoke to the king of Moab. He said, “Please let my father and mother come and stay with you until I learn what God is going to do for me.” So he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him as long as David was hiding in the stronghold.
But the prophet Gad said to David, “Don’t stay in the stronghold. Go to the land of Judah.” So David left and went to the forest of Hereth.

Notes
David didn’t know whether he was coming or going! He was effectively homeless and moving from one place to another. He was like a fugitive. It was incredibly unsettling. So maybe to make him feel a bit more secure, he sorted his parents out and made sure that they were safe and secure.

He then went and sought refuge in his stronghold. But no sooner had he got back to the caves where he was seeking refuge than the prophecy told him to move on.

When I was younger I went to a boarding school, which meant that every six weeks I was packing and unpacking and moving from “Home One” – a big dormitory at school - to “Home Two”, where my parents lived. The result was that I never really felt that I was in one place for very long! So it was easy to feel rootless.

The same must have been true for David. “I just want to unpack my bags and make the place feel like home,” you can imagine him saying! There are many times when we feel rootless - that change is round the corner: exam results, new college, new job, new home. You may be feeling some of this at present. It can make you feel very rootless.

But even though David was all over the place, he was also in one place – the heart of God. When everything around us is changing and we feel a bit insecure, we know we have a stronghold in God where we can take refuge. He may well move us on, but he will never move us on alone. We will always be with him.

Prayer point
Pray for someone who you know whose life is unsettled at present.

1 Samuel 22 v 6-8
Saul heard that David and his men had been seen. Saul was sitting under the tamarisk tree on the hill at Gibeah, and all his officers were standing around him. He had a spear in his hand. Saul said to them, “Listen, men of Benjamin! Do you think the son of Jesse will give all of you fields and vineyards? Will David make you commanders over thousands of men or hundreds of men? You have all made plans against me! No one tells me when my son makes an agreement with the son of Jesse! No one cares about me! No one tells me when my son has encouraged my servant to ambush me this very day!”

Notes
Oh dear! Saul was in a real mess here, but it was all of his own making. He was holding court, a war council, with his officers - none of whom he trusted. He couldn’t even bring himself to mention David by name, such was either his hatred and his mistrust. As a leader and team builder, Saul left much to be desired!

But what he did is what we often do. When we feel our backs are against the wall, we lash out at everyone else and often slate other people. We love to knock people and to make the most of their faults, but this is not kingdom-building language.

Our call as Christians is to buck that trend and speak with affirmation of people – especially if others are slating them. It may feel like walking up the down escalator and going against the grain, but that is our call as Christians – to be counter to some of the values of this present age.

Prayer point
Pray for the ability to speak with affirmation of those we dislike so much that we can’t even speak their name!

1 Samuel 22 v 9-13
Doeg the Edomite, who was standing there with Saul’s officers, said, “I saw the son of Jesse. He came to see Ahimelech son of Ahitub at Nob. Ahimelech prayed to the LORD for David and gave him food and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”
Then the king sent for the priest Ahimelech son of Ahitub and for all of Ahimelech’s relatives who were priests at Nob. And they all came to the king. Saul said to Ahimelech, “Listen now, son of Ahitub.”
Ahimelech answered, “Yes, master.”
Saul said, “Why are you and Jesse’s son against me? You gave him bread and a sword! You prayed to God for him. David has turned against me and is waiting to attack me even now!”

Notes
Doeg blew the cover! You know when you want to keep a secret and someone lets you down? Well, here Doeg was like a tell-tale, trying to get on Saul’s side by dishing the dirt on David. But actually it backfired since it gave Ahimelech an opportunity not just to bear witness to David, but also to show that he was praying for him. But whilst Doeg just talked people down, Ahimelech built David up in prayer and also with practical support – he really put his money and possessions where his mouth was! He didn’t just pray, but gave him practical support too – in this case food and a sword.

Don’t get me wrong – prayer is our very lifeblood. But maybe when we are praying we should ask God if there is anything else that we could do – maybe practical help and support. It was St Francis of Assisi who said, “Go into the whole world and preach the gospel; use words if you have to.” Maybe we need to offer something more than just words to build people up.

Prayer point
Pray for those on your heart today, but pray also for their needs to be met and how you might play your part.

1 Samuel 22 v 14-15
Ahimelech answered, “You have no other servant who is as loyal as David, your own son-in-law and captain of your bodyguards. Everyone in your house respects him. That was not the first time I prayed to God for David. Don’t blame me or any of my relatives. I, your servant, know nothing about what is going on.”

Notes
“Stand up and be counted” … “Your country needs you” … “To boldly go” … “England expects”… “Say what you think” ... “Don’t sit on the fence” … etc. We know these phrases very well!

This is exactly how Ahimelech acted. How bold he was! What a testimony to the honour of David. What a supporter to have on your side! Now, when was the last time you read a story in the papers or a magazine that boosted or affirmed someone? Everyone wants to knock everyone else. The higher we build people up, the lower we want them to fall.

Ahimelech was not going to be dragged down to Saul’s level. He remained on a different level. He refused to engage in what Saul was up to. In standing up for David, he set himself against Saul. This involved great personal risk.

Our God needs us to “stand up and be counted”, to “say what we believe” and not to “sit on the fence”. This may bring us a hard time, but it will bring God respect and honour.

David needed people like Ahimelech to build God’s rule. God has called us to be confident in our defence of Jesus Christ to build God’s kingdom.

Prayer point
Pray for courage to stand up, both for our friends and colleagues and for our God.

1 Samuel 22 v 16-19
But the king said, “Ahimelech, you and all your relatives must die!” Then he told the guards at his side, “Go and kill the priests of the LORD, because they are on David’s side. They knew he was running away, but they didn’t tell me.”
But the king’s officers refused to kill the priests of the LORD.
Then the king ordered Doeg, “Go and kill the priests.” So Doeg the Edomite went and killed the priests. That day he killed 85 men who wore the linen holy robe. He also killed the people of Nob, the city of the priests. With the sword he killed men, women, children, babies, cattle, donkeys and sheep.

Notes
As a priest, I wear my dog collar on most days – it’s the uniform! A few years ago, I was in a railway station concourse with my dog collar on, and someone came up to me and shouted “Ugh! Look! A Christian!” and spat down my front. I was a bit taken aback (to say the least) for some time. But once I had recovered from the shock and people around me were saying how terrible it was, I began to think about how Jesus went through far more persecution than just spitting, for me. He endured so much because of his love for me. And then it made me think – why haven’t I been spat at more? Why haven’t I put my head above the parapet and professed the good news of Jesus Christ more often?

There are many ministers of God’s church who die each year for the faith that they faithfully and boldly proclaim.

Saul’s massacre of the priests was an appalling one. He used his power via one of his henchmen, Doeg, to wipe out whole families and livelihoods. This was ethnic cleansing before the phrase was even invented.

It happened then; it is happening now. It must stop. And we have a part to play. 

It was Karl Barth, a German theologian, who said, “To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world.” Get clasping!

Prayer point
Pray today not for yourselves but for all those who face persecution, both in this country in small ways, and abroad in major civil and religious unrest.

1 Samuel 22 v 20-23
But Abiathar, a son of Ahimelech, who was the son of Ahitub, escaped. He ran away and joined David. He told David that Saul had killed the LORD’s priests. Then David told him, “Doeg the Edomite was there at Nob that day. I knew he would surely tell Saul. So I am responsible for the death of all your father’s family. Stay with me. Don’t be afraid. The man who wants to kill you also wants to kill me. You will be safe with me.”

Notes
Every footballer who fouls another player, gets up, looks at the referee and says: “Wasn’t me”, and tries to look sweet and innocent. They then get angry when they receive a yellow or red card. But if you kick someone in the shins, and trip them up at high speed and send them flying, what do you expect?

Very few people take responsibility for their actions and own up. Very few politicians admit when they have made a mistake. David did. He was so human – full of frailties and vulnerabilities - but he knew that when the going gets tough, God gets going! He went on to say to the fortunate Abiathar, “Don’t be afraid... You will be safe with me.” Because all the priests had been killed, David was at his most vulnerable and weak, and yet it was at these very times that David realised the source of his strength in God. He was weak in some ways, but stronger in others.

God provides safety provided that we stay with him, sheltered under the shadow of God’s loving and caring Spirit.

Prayer point
Pray that we would not disguise our weaknesses, but that God’s strength may be made perfect in our weakness.

1 Samuel 23 v 1-5
Someone told David, “Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and stealing grain from the threshing floors.”
David asked the LORD, “Should I go and fight these Philistines?”
The LORD answered him, “Go. Attack them, and save Keilah.”
But David’s men said to him, “We’re afraid here in Judah. We will be more afraid if we go to Keilah where the Philistine army is.”
David again asked the LORD, and the LORD answered, “Go down to Keilah. I will help you defeat the Philistines.” So David and his men went to Keilah and fought the Philistines and took their cattle. David killed many Philistines and saved the people of Keilah. 

Notes
If you have taken a flight somewhere recently, you will be aware of a large increase in safety procedures both in airports and on planes. Whilst the air stewards are showing you the exits and life jackets, the pilots are checking and double-checking everything to ensure safety.

David did the same here with God in prayer. He asked the Lord what he should do, but his men were not happy with the answer! That is not to say that they didn’t have faith, but even people with strong faith still have brains to think. So David checked with God again to make sure. His prayers were rooted in the reality of the situation – he listened both to his men and to God.

I wonder about prayers sometimes, that we just ask and don’t think, or that we go and do something without asking or spending time discerning God’s will. The thing is that God’s will does not just come to us in prayer. God speaks to us through others. The key is to be open to listen, to be willing to ask questions and to be guided at all times and not just when we are “in prayer”. The victory for David was less important than the process. 

Prayer point
Pray for wisdom and discernment to do the right thing, and to be constantly listening to God speaking to you in prayer, but also through other people.


word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text taken from the Youth Bible, New Century Version (Anglicised Edition) copyright 1993 by Word Publishing Milton Keynes