Slices
Prepare
Hold your hands open and upwards and slow your breathing. Repeat this simple prayer: ‘Come, Holy Spirit.’
Bible passage
David at Nob
21 David went to Nob, to Ahimelek the priest. Ahimelek trembled when he met him, and asked, ‘Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?’
2 David answered Ahimelek the priest, ‘The king sent me on a mission and said to me, “No one is to know anything about the mission I am sending you on.” As for my men, I have told them to meet me at a certain place. 3 Now then, what have you to hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever you can find.’
4 But the priest answered David, ‘I don’t have any ordinary bread to hand; however, there is some consecrated bread here – provided the men have kept themselves from women.’
5 David replied, ‘Indeed women have been kept from us, as usual whenever I set out. The men’s bodies are holy even on missions that are not holy. How much more so today!’ 6 So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence that had been removed from before the Lord and replaced by hot bread on the day it was taken away.
7 Now one of Saul’s servants was there that day, detained before the Lord; he was Doeg the Edomite, Saul’s chief shepherd.
8 David asked Ahimelek, ‘Don’t you have a spear or sword here? I haven’t brought my sword or any other weapon, because the king’s mission was urgent.’
9 The priest replied, ‘The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here; it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want it, take it; there is no sword here but that one.’
David said, ‘There is none like it; give it to me.’
David at Gath
10 That day David fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath. 11 But the servants of Achish said to him, ‘Isn’t this David, the king of the land? Isn’t he the one they sing about in their dances:
‘“Saul has slain his thousands,
and David his tens of thousands”?’
12 David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath. 13 So he feigned insanity in their presence; and while he was in their hands he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard.
14 Achish said to his servants, ‘Look at the man! He is insane! Why bring him to me? 15 Am I so short of madmen that you have to bring this fellow here to carry on like this in front of me? Must this man come into my house?’
Explore
As God’s chosen people, the nation of Israel had the task of living out of a sense of ‘otherness’, worshipping God: Holy, mysterious and ‘other’ to all creation. The priest’s duty, in this case Ahimelek, was to keep the practices of the sanctuary holy.
Ahimelek was unnerved by David’s entrance. David was a popular and high-profile figure, yet here he was alone, dishevelled and oddly requesting to eat the consecrated bread. Twelve loaves would be laid on the altar each Sabbath as an offering to God. Once replaced, only the priests could eat them (Leviticus 24:5–9), as David would well have known.
Sanctuary worship was scaffolded by law, ritual and process, designed to ensure the otherness of God was rightly respected. But for all his failings, David knew this was a place where his most earthy needs – food and a sword – could be met. Ahimelek too understood the heart of the law and, much later, received the tacit approval of Jesus himself for his actions that day (Matthew 12:1–5). Life can be terribly messy, but we’d be mistaken to do anything other than run towards God’s sanctuary in times of need.
Respond
God is our ultimate place of safety. As the only one whom we should rightly fear, through Jesus he offers us unconditional love and acceptance. Turn towards him now and tell him what you need to keep going.
Deeper Bible study
‘Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.’1
Many commentators harshly condemn David for his lies, especially for bringing death on the priests of Nob in the next chapter. Yet it is difficult to know what he could have done differently. Perhaps he could have avoided the priests altogether, but he needed help. If he had told Ahimelek the truth, the man could not have helped him without being accused of treason, while David’s lies at least gave him a cloak of innocence. David also could not have foreseen Saul’s ruthless massacre of the priests: the holiness of the priesthood made this a particularly heinous act.
Nevertheless, we feel some discomfort about David’s attitude and it is a good reminder that he is not perfect and has some growing to do. Yet God sees the potential, even behind false starts and mistakes, and he gives David (and us) the benefit of the doubt. David under pressure acts differently from Saul. Whereas Saul usurped priestly rights by offering a sacrifice despite being told to wait for Samuel,2 David asks – he does not forcefully take from the priest (vs 3,8).3
Although God is not mentioned, there are hints that he is providing for David. Despite his initial suspicion (v 1), Ahimelek bends over backwards to help David, even breaking the law by giving him consecrated bread (v 4) that only the priests are permitted to eat.4 As so often before, God’s favour on David elicits loyalty and help from others. Additionally, there is a symbolism in his receiving bread from a priest and the sword with which he fought God’s battle against Goliath, hinting at divine support. Likewise, David is rescued when he makes an error of judgement about going to the Philistines. God is generous in his provisions.
Thank God for being generous in helping us out of trouble, even when our mistakes landed us in it. Pray for growth in godliness as we learn from the past.
1 Ps 34:8 2 1 Sam 13:9 3 SB Chapman, 1 Samuel as Christian Scripture, Eerdmans, 2016, p175 4 Lev 24:5–9
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Ezekiel 6,7; James 2
Pray for Scripture Union
Teachers and students in schools in and around Reading are supported by Local Mission Partner Reach. Pray for the team as they deliver lessons and assemblies, support those leading Christian Unions and provide pastoral care to individual students.
