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Chapter 23: David Continues to Evade Saul
1 Samuel 23:1-6 ~ David saves the town of Keilah from the Philistines
In verse 6 we learn when Abiathar escaped the massacre at Nob that he managed to bring with him the high priest's ephod that contained the ocular devises of the urim and thummim (see Ex 28:6-30; 39:8-21). The word "ephod" has been used previously to refer in various ways to any article of clothing, textile, or image used in association with worship of Yahweh or in profane practice (Judg 8:27), but in this case the reference is to the specially designed sacred garment that the high priest wore with his other vestments (Ex chapter 28-39). The priestly ephod was made of finely woven linen embroidered with gold, blue, red and purple threads. It had two shoulder straps that fit over the shoulder and a waistband that tied around the waist of the high priest fitting as in an apron-like garment. A doubled over and embroidered linen piece in the same colors as used in the ephod and covered in twelve precious and semi-precious stones in four rows adorned the "breastplate of judgment" that was attached to the front of the ephod on the high priest's chest. The "breastplate of judgment" held the urim and thummim (Ex 28:23-30). The ephod was worn over the priest's blue robe that was worn over his white linen tunic: see the chart of the High Priest's Vestments (Ex 28:1-5).
Question: What is the significance of David having Abiathar with him who has in his possession the high priest's ephod?
Answer: Now David not only has the support of the people and the soldiers but also the priesthood. He also has possession of the holy ocular device that gives him the means by which to contact God through a descendant of Aaron. It has come to him from a Chief Priest who is under his protection. The priesthood and priestly counsel of the divine oracle have been officially transferred from Saul to David.
David hears that Keilah, a walled town located about eight and a half miles northwest of Hebron in Judahite territory (Josh 15:44; 1 Chr 4:19), is under siege by the Philistines. He consults Yahweh through the urim and thummim to ask if he should go and rescue the Israelite town.
Question: What is God's answer to David's inquiry but what complication arises and why? See verses 2-3.
Answer: God tells David to go and liberate the town; however, his men are fearful that they cannot succeed.
The four hundred fighting men with David are probably not properly armed and most are probably not trained soldiers. They are also afraid that David's own tribe may betray them and turn them over to Saul. To reassure his men, David consults Yahweh a second time (verse 4) and when the answer is the same there is no hesitation: they march on Keilah and, with God on their side, they defeat the Philistines and carry off the Philistines' animals and supplies (used during the siege of Keilah), which David's people probably desperately needed.
David and Jonathan (Gustave Dore)
1 Samuel 23:7-14 ~ Saul prepares to attack David at Keilah
Notice that unlike Saul who prefers to make his own decisions (see 14:18-19), that David continually seeks God's will before taking action. Also note that David has good intelligence coming from inside Saul's court as to Saul's actions and intentions.
Question: Why does Saul feel that he now has David trapped?
Answer: Keilah is a walled town and after the victory David and his men are now staying within the town. If Saul's army can surprise David and surround the town, he is confident that the townspeople will not risk having their town destroyed like Nob and will give David up.
Question: When David consulted Yahweh about a possible siege by Saul and about the attitude of the town elders, what did God reveal to David?
Answer: When David inquired of Yahweh concerning what he can expect from Saul and from the town elders, Yahweh tells him that Saul will come and that the town elders will indeed betray him.
David and his men escape just in time and find a refuge in the mountainous wilderness region of Ziph in the southern territory of the tribe of Judah (Josh 15:24). It is a region that is west of the southern end of the Dead Sea in the eastern Negeb.
Question: How many men did David have in 22:2 and how many men does he have with him now?
Answer: David had four hundred at the Cave of Adullam, but now two hundred more men have joined him and he has a fighting force of six hundred men.
1 Samuel 23:15-18 ~ Jonathan visits David at Horesh
David may be in communication with Jonathan who risks his life in coming to see David in his stronghold at Horesh. It is the last time they will ever meet. Horesh means "forest" and is believed to be just southeast of Hebron.
Question: If Jonathan is on David's side, why doesn't he join David's band of outcasts?
Answer: Perhaps it is because Jonathan is more valuable to David living within the court of Saul.
It is obvious that David has an ally in Saul's camp and information is being passed to David that includes warnings of Saul's military plans.
Question: How many times is David warned concerning Saul's plans to capture him?
Answer:
- David is warned that Saul knew he was at Keilah and planned to trap him there.
- David is told that Saul is planning to trap him at Horesh.
- Later David will be warned that Saul is coming after him when he is in the desert of Maon.
Question: Jonathan realizes that his friend is feeling overwhelmed with his many struggles and worries not only about his own safety but the safety of the men who have linked their destinies to his. How does Jonathan encourage David?
Answer:
- He tells David not to be afraid; Saul will not capture him.
- He tells David he is destined to be Israel's king and he will support David in his kingship.
- He renews his covenant with David as a sign of his loyalty.
1 Samuel 23:19-28 ~ Saul Attempts to Trap David at Horesh
Some men from the city of Ziph, south of Hebron, went to betray David to Saul and to offer to assist in capturing him. In the meantime, David and his men are coming down from the mountainous wilderness of Ziph and on the way to Maon, probably a site about twelve and a half miles south of Hebron. David has a very close call when Saul and his army are on one side of a gorge and David and his men are on the other. Divine providence intervenes when Saul receives news of another Philistine attack and breaks off his pursuit of David. David wrote about the experience:
For the choirmaster. On stringed instruments.
Poem of David when the Ziphites went to Saul and said, "Is not David hiding with us?"
Arrogant men are attacking me, bullies hounding me to death, no room in their thoughts for God. But now God is coming to my help, the Lord , among those who sustain me. May their wickedness recoil on those who lie in wait for me. Yahweh, in your constancy, destroy them. How gladly will I offer you sacrifice, and praise your name, for it is good, for it has rescued me from all my troubles, and my eye has feasted on my enemies.
Psalm 54:3-7
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A Daily Defense
Dy 114 Too Inclusive?
CHALLENGE: “The Catholic Church is too inclusive when it says non-Christians can be saved. Jesus said, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me’ (John 14:6), and Peter declared, ‘There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved’ (Acts 4:12).”
DEFENSE: Salvation is through Christ alone, but that does not mean that only Christians can be saved. When Peter says that salvation is not found in anyone besides Jesus, he asserts that there is no Savior besides Jesus; when Jesus says no one comes to the Father but by him, he refers to his unique role in God’s plan and, implicitly, to his atoning death on the cross.
However, neither Jesus nor Peter says one must consciously embrace the Christian faith or be damned.
Indeed, we have good reason to think that some individuals will be saved who do not consciously embrace Christianity in this life. For example, there is a stage in everyone’s life when we are incapable of understanding the Christian message because we are too young.
Unless we are willing to consign all infants and small children to hell (or at least all unbaptized ones), then we must be prepared to say that it is possible for them to be saved despite their lack of conscious faith in Jesus.
Similarly, righteous Jews before the time of Christ did not know that Jesus of Nazareth would be the Messiah and thus did not have conscious faith in him. It certainly was not commonly expected that the Messiah would be the Son of God or die for the sins of the world. Yet we have the explicit testimony of Scripture that many were saved despite their lack of conscious faith in Jesus (Matt. 8:11; Heb. 11).
This means that people can be saved through Jesus (who is “the way, the truth, and the life”) without consciously understanding in this life that he is the means by which they are saved. The same principle applies to others who do not know the truth of the Christian faith through no fault of their own (see Day 113). We even have hints of this when Paul says that God “overlooked” times of Gentile ignorance (Acts 17:30) and that non-Christian Gentiles may find that their consciences excuse them on the day of judgment (Rom. 2:15–16).
Jimmy Akin, A Daily Defense: 365 Days (Plus One) to Becoming a Better Apologist
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