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Day 113: Broken Trust
Chapter 21: David the Outcast
1 Samuel 21:1-10/20:42b-21:9 ~ David and the Priests at Nob
Hastily leaving Gibeah without food or weapons, David travels south about two or three miles to Nob, a city in the territory of Benjamin known as "the city of the priests" and where Yahweh's Sanctuary is now located since the destruction at Shiloh (1 Sam 22:19; Is 10:27-32; Neh 11:31-35).
Question: What excuse does David give for coming alone to the Sanctuary? Is his excuse believable and what request does he make?
Answer: David's excuse for coming alone is that he is on a secret mission for the king. He requests five loaves of bread for food. David's excuse does not seem to be believable. Why would he go on a mission for the king without provisions and without weapons?
David's lie is meant to protect the priests at Nob from being accused of knowingly helping the king's enemy. If Ahimelech knows that Saul hates David, he probably has also guessed that David is the man God has chosen to replace Saul. Perhaps David's thinly disguised fiction is meant to let Ahimelech feel safe in giving David assistance because he can truthfully swear that David told him he needed help for the king's mission.
Question: The priest accepts David's explanation, but what bread does he tell David that he can offer and why is this bread significant? What does Ahimelech's offer suggest about the day of the week David's visit occurred? See Ex 25:23; 37:10-15; Lev 24:5-9 and 1 Sam 21:7.
Answer: The only bread that is available is the holy bread called the "Bread of the Presence (of God)" that is on the golden table in the Sanctuary's Holy Place. These are the twelve loaves of bread that are newly placed in the Holy Place on the golden table every Sabbath. The week old loaves are only to be eaten by the priests when the new loaves replace them; therefore the day of David's visit has to be the Sabbath (Saturday).
The literal translation of the "Bread of the Presence" (lehem happanim) is the "Bread of the Face (of God)," plural.
Question: Ahimelech offers David five of the twelve loaves of the Bread of the Presence but on what condition?
Answer: David and any of his men who might eat the holy bread must be ritually pure which includes having abstained from sexual contact.
Sexual intimacy with one's wife was good, but chastity was holy. See for example Exodus 19:10-15 where the Israelites are instructed to wash themselves and their clothes and to refrain from sexual contact in order to purify themselves for their meeting with God. Israelite soldiers who served God as His holy warriors were to also observe the rules of ritual purity in consecrating themselves for battle (Josh 3:5). David assures the priest that his men always observe the holiness laws (see 2 Sam 11:11). It is significant that Ahimelech makes an exception to the law concerning the eating of the holy bread that is reserved only for the priestly descendants of Aaron. Ahimelech judges that in this case mercy is more important than ritual law.
The Edomite servant of Saul who was "detained in Yahweh's presence" is probably Saul's spy sent to Nob to keep an eye on the chief priests and to report back to Saul if anything unusual is said of anything unusual occurs. As we will see in next week's lesson, Doeg will be responsible for bringing about a tragedy.
Ahimelech, who seems to have completely accepted David's excuse, or that he has decided to help David and plead ignorance if challenged by Saul, does not even question that David has come without a weapon. He offers David the sword of Goliath that was being kept at the Sanctuary probably as a relic. Here the word ephod is used in the generic sense to mean something associated with the Sanctuary. David accepts the weapon that he won in mortal combat a few years earlier. Not only have Saul's children assisted David in his escape but now the religious establishment of Saul's kingdom is also involved in preserving David's life.
1 Samuel 21:11-16/10-15 ~ David's audience with King Achish of Gath
David is an outcast. He can't go to his family in Bethlehem because that is the next place Saul will look for him after Ramah, and taking refuge with his family could cause their deaths. In his desperation David may have been thinking of the ancient saying: "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." As soon as he left Nob, David fled to the west, seeking refuge in the nearest Philistine city of Gath that was about twenty-three miles west-southwest from Nob.
David enters the presence of Achish the king of Gath. The Philistines know that Saul is king of Israel but they recognize David and are commenting on his tremendous popularity with the people and assume that he is probably a chieftain/ruler among the Israelites. David may have intended to take on an assumed name to seek sanctuary with the Philistines, but now that they have recognized him, David discerns that he is in grave danger.
Question: What does David do to protect himself?
Answer: He cleverly feigns madness.
David is alone and without a friend except for his God. This was probably one of the lowest points in David's life, and yet we do not hear that the icy fingers of despair gripped him, nor does the inspired writer record that he railed against God in what appears to be a hopeless situation. David trusted God in his darkest hour and put those feelings into the beautiful poetry of the psalms that are attributed to him, like the 23rd Psalm that is a perfect expression of David's experiences in this dark period of his life.
Psalm 23: A Psalm of David
The LORD [Yahweh] is my shepherd, I shall not want;
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters;
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil;
for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
thou anointest my head with oil,
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall
follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD [Yahweh] forever.
RSV Catholic edition
SAUL CONTRASTED WITH DAVID| SAUL | DAVID |
| Saul is the son of a wealthy man of the tribe of Benjamin. | David is born in Bethlehem into the humble family of Jesse a descendant of Ruth and Boaz of the tribe of Judah. |
| Saul is his father's heir. | David is Jesse's eighth son and a shepherd. |
| Saul's destiny is changed while looking for his father's lost donkeys with a servant. | David's destiny is changed when he is called in from herding his father's sheep. |
| Samuel anoints Saul king of Israel as an adult. | Samuel anoints David king of Israel when still a boy. |
| Saul's first campaigns against Israel's enemies are successful. | Young David becomes a musician at Saul's court. |
| Saul disobeys Samuel and makes a presumptuous sacrifice resulting in the judgment of the loss of his dynasty. | David kills Goliath and becomes a commander in Saul's army. God is with David. |
| Saul makes a foolish vow and attempts to kill his son Jonathan. | David makes a covenant of friendship with Saul's son Jonathan. |
| Saul disobeys God's command concerning the Amalekites and loses his fellowship with God. | David marries Saul's daughter. |
| Saul becomes mentally unstable and tries to kill David. | David escapes Saul and becomes an outlaw. |
| Saul massacres the priests at Nob. | The priests of Nob help David and his men. |
| Saul seeks help from a medium and receives a prediction of doom. | David has the opportunity to kill Saul but refuses to kill one who is the anointed of God and king of Israel. |
Saul is defeated in battle with the Philistines, his sons are all killed, and he commits suicide.
He probably reigned 20 years. | David becomes King of Judah and 7 years later King of Israel. He reigns 40 years.
David unites the political and religious center of Israel by moving the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. |
| Saul's dynasty ends with the death of his remaining son Ishbaal. | David's dynasty is eternal and continues through his heir Jesus Christ.
|
David's Valiant Men (James J. Tissot)
Chapter 22: David the Outlaw
1 Samuel 22:1-5 ~ David Seeks Refuge for Himself and His Parents
David seeks refuge in cave in the rugged hill country of Judah near Adullam, a Hebrew word meaning "closed in place" (also see 2 Sam 23:13). It is a town in the tribal lands of Judah (Josh 15:35) about five miles south of Beth-shemesh in the Valley of Sorek on the border between the tribal lands of Judah and Benjamin.
When David is able to send word to his family in Bethlehem, his brothers and his clan (extended family including uncles and cousins) immediately join him. In addition to David's family, Israelites who feel they have been wronged by Saul's regime join David in the hope that he can secure justice and a better life for them: All those in distress, all those in debt, all those who had a grievance, gathered round him and he became their leader. David was probably thinking of these men when he wrote: Psalm of David when he was in the cave; prayer: The upright gather round me because of your generosity to me (Ps 142: title and verse 7).
1 Samuel 22:6-11 ~ Betrayal of the Priests of Nob
Saul was presiding over his court seated at his usual place under a tree. The court of an Israelite king is quite modest in this period and different from the ostentation of kingship in the era of Solomon and his successors. The tamarisk tree is a deciduous tree that grew up to 20 feet tall with small feathery leaves and pink flowers in the spring. Abraham planted one at Beersheba (Gen 21:33) and Saul will be buried under a tamarisk tree at Jabesh-Gilead (1 Sam 31:12-13). The spear in his hand symbolized his kingly status (see 18:10; 19:9; 20:33) just as the crook and flail symbolized royal power in the hands of the Egyptian pharaoh or the bow and the mace symbolized the kingly status of the Assyrian kings.
None of the Israelites in Saul's command, not even men from Saul's own tribe, want to betray David. David is admired and respected by everyone, including Saul's servants (18:5).
Question: Saul says he knows of the favor David enjoys and berates his own tribal kinsmen by asking what rhetorical question? What is Saul's point in verse 7?
Answer: Saul asks: "Is the son of Jesse going to give you all fields and vineyards and make all of you commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds 8 that you all conspire against me? Saul berates the men of his tribe serving on his staff by reminding them that they have him to thank for enriching them by his royal favor in giving them their commands, the grants of tracks of land, and the other favors. His point is if David was king all those favors would be going to the tribe of Judah, David's tribe.
That Saul cannot name any one act of treason committed by David points to David's innocence and to Saul's continuing paranoia.
Question: What new accusation does Saul make against his son in verses 8b-9 and what knowledge does he have about the relationship between Jonathan and David?
Answer: Saul accuses Jonathan of conspiring to turn David against him, and he apparently knows about the loyalty covenant between Jonathan and David.
1 Samuel 22:12-16 ~ Saul interrogates Ahimelech
Question When Saul doesn't like someone how does he refer to them?
Answer: When he doesn't like someone, Saul refuses to use their proper name and only refers to them by their patrilineal name, as in referring to David as "son of Jesse" and Ahimelech as "son of Ahitub."
Ahimelech and Ahijah are the sons of Ahitub, and Ahijah has been serving as Saul's chaplain (see 14:3, 18). They may have been co-high priests since both men controlled the urim and thummim.
Question: Ahimelech begins his defense by defending David. How does he defend David?
Answer: He declares that David character and conduct is incomparable to any other of Saul's servants as far as his loyalty is concerned. He makes three points to support his statement of David's loyalty:
David is a member of Saul's family since he is Saul's son-in-law.
David is the captain of Saul's bodyguard.
David is held in esteem by Saul's household.
The "bodyguard" probably refers to Saul's personal guards who are now commanded by Doeg. It is not to Doeg's advantage to have David returned to his former position, and this may account for his willingness to accuse David of treason.
Question: What is Ahimelech's argument in his own defense?
Answer: Since David is loyal to Saul and has committed no sin against Saul, it was reasonable for Ahimelech to give assistance to David. He did not know his actions could be considered as conspiring against the king.
Despite Ahimelech's defense, Saul announced that he and his whole family must die. This unjust verdict violates the law of reciprocal punishment ("an eye for an eye") in that the punishment must not exceed the crime and a man's family cannot pay the price for his sin.
Saul's verdict also violates the law in which a person can only be found guilty of a crime on the testimony of two or three witnesses and certainly cannot be put to death unless two or three witnesses testify to witnessing the crime.
Saul subjected Nob to herem, the curse of destruction that is only to be inflicted on Israel's worst enemies at God's command and never on Israelites.
1 Samuel 22:17-23 ~ Massacre of the Priests of Nob and their Families
The Israelite soldiers/servants refuse to harm the priests, but Doeg and his Edomite mercenaries are willing to kill the priests, their wives, children and every living thing in the town of Nob. Saul has inflicted the ban of herem, the "curse of destruction," that is only intended for Israel's enemies and peoples of great wickedness like the Amalekites on his own people.
Question: Who was the only person to escape the massacre?
Answer: Ahimelech's son Abiathar.
It is not so much that David knew Doeg would inform Saul but he feared it would happen, and yet he could not bring himself to kill a man who had not yet committed an act of violence against him. Still, David takes responsibility for what has happened to Abiathar's family and gives him sanctuary. David will make Abiathar his chaplain and later when he is king, Abiathar (a descendant of Aaron's son Ithamar) will become a co-high priest with his distant kinsman Zadok (a descendant of Aaron's son Eleazer).
During this period of his life, David's faith and trust in God are continually tested. David will write about the pain of being slandered, relentlessly being pursued by his enemies, and being unable to defend his good name in Psalms 54-55. In Psalm 55 he writes: I shudder at the enemies' shouts, at the outcry of the wicked; they heap up charges against me, in their anger bring hostile accusations against me. My heart writhes within me, the terrors of death come upon me, fear and trembling overwhelm me, and shuddering grips me (verses 3-4). But he concludes his prayer by expressing his trust in God's providence: You, God, will thrust them down to the abyss of destruction, men bloodthirsty and deceptive, before half their days are spent. For my part, I put my trust in you (verse 23).
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A Daily Defense
Day 113 Too Exclusive?
CHALLENGE: “How can Catholics and other Christians be so exclusive when it comes to salvation? The idea that God would damn people to hell just because they never heard of him is abhorrent.”
DEFENSE: That’s not the teaching of the Catholic Church.
The Church holds that “those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience—those too may achieve eternal salvation” (CCC 847).
Although a person who knows the truth of the Faith is obliged to embrace it—to do otherwise would be to knowingly and deliberately reject the truth—God is not going to send people to hell merely because they are not Christian or Catholic.
We need not fear that someone will be damned simply because they never heard of Jesus. According to the above, for people to be lost they would need to: • reject the gospel or the Church through their own fault, • refuse to sincerely seek God, • refuse to be moved by God’s grace, or • refuse to do God’s will as they understand it according to their conscience. Ultimately, the same principle applies to everyone: “God predestines no one to go to hell; for this, a willful turning away from God (a mortal sin) is necessary, and persistence in it until the end” (CCC 1037).
God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4), but even if they are hindered from arriving at a full knowledge of the truth in this life, he still has ways of reaching them with his grace: “Since Christ died for all, and since all men are in fact called to one and the same destiny, which is divine, we must hold that the Holy Spirit offers to all the possibility of being made partakers, in a way known to God, of the Paschal mystery [i.e., Jesus’ saving death on the Cross]” (CCC 1260). Thus the Church acknowledges that the kind of prayer by which one “walks with God . . . is lived by many righteous people in all religions” (CCC 2569).
Jimmy Akin, A Daily Defense: 365 Days (Plus One) to Becoming a Better Apologist
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