1 Samuel 21-23 "The Messiah Betrayed" The adventures of David really do fit a rather neat pattern. After his grand introduction in his conquest over Goliath, we saw last time how Saul's family (and all Israel) follow David. Interesting, isn't it, that Saul is the one father in 1 Samuel who produces faithful children! Tonight we come to part two: The Messiah in Hiding, in which David flees to Ahimelech the priest, then to Achish the Philistine King of Gath, and then to the cave of Adullam, to Moab and to the forest of Hereth. These three flights are paralleled in chapters 22-23 by three betrayals: the betrayal of the priests by Doeg, the warning from God that the men of Keilah will betray David, and the betrayal by the Ziphites. Our next section, The Adventures of David, Part 3, will focus on the two times that David spares Saul's life, sandwiched around the death of Samuel and the lengthy narrative of how David married Abigail (1 Sam 24:-26). The final section of 1 Samuel then deals with David among the Philistines, and Saul among the dead. We could take a slower pace and look more at the details, but I would in effect be preaching the same sermon over and over with slightly different details! So we'll take the big chunks! Tonight is all about the Messiah betrayed. The book of Samuel makes frequent reference to "the LORD's anointed" Ha Meshiach Yahweh. David often uses it to refer to Saul (as we'll see next time), but it has an unmistakable connection to David as well, because David is also the LORD's anointed. He is the Messiah. Once you have seen this, it is easy to see parallels to Jesus as he teaches and makes disciples in Galilee hiding in the wilderness, gathering followers, as he awaits God's timing. Jesus recapitulates the history of Israel and since Israel has failed, and God has anointed David to be the king who succeeds where Israel fails, it is not surprising to see David himself recapitulating the history of Israel. David must wander in the wilderness (as Israel had done, and as Jesus would do), and wait for the LORD's appointed time. The new feature is the feature of betrayal. This wasn't as much of an issue for Israel in the wilderness, because their treason arose from within. But David is not only supposed to succeed where Israel failed, but he is to lead Israel back into the right way and not surprisingly, not all Israel will be entirely eager to follow! The LORD's anointed the Messiah has no place to lay his head, and worse, he will be betrayed even by those whom he has delivered from their enemies! 1. David Flees to Ahimelech the Priest (21:1-9) Things start out well. David left Jonathan in the field, and went to Nob, where Ahimelech the priest lived. And David told Ahimelech that he was on a secret mission from Saul. There are two problems with what happens in this passage. First, David deceives Ahimelech. Second, Ahimelech offers holy to bread to David (bread which only the priests were to eat). It would be easy to say that both of them were wrong for doing this especially because Ahimelech is the grandson of Phineas (the worthless son of Eli)-- and so you would not expect great fidelity to the law from him! When David asked from bread, Ahimelech says that the only bread available is the holy Bread of the Presence, but offers it on condition that the men have kept themselves from women (any sexual intercourse rendered a man unclean until sundown). But Leviticus 24:5-9 is very clear: this bread is for Aaron and his sons to eat. It is not for the king, nor is it for "the young men" that David was supposedly going to meet. It is for the priests. But, as we saw this morning, Jesus says that Ahimelech did what was right David was not guilty of profaning the holy bread. Because David was the Lord's anointed. In Matthew 12 Jesus uses another example as well: the priests profane the Sabbath (by doing their work) and yet are guiltless. Even as the work of worship is proper activity for the Sabbath, so also nourishing the Lord's anointed and his people is the proper function of the holy bread. At this point we hear that Doeg was present, but nothing more is said of him until the middle of the next chapter. Because rather than go straight to the sequel of this story, we must first establish David's flight pattern! 2. David Flees to Achish the King of Gath (21:10-15) And, with the sword of Goliath David fled to Achish, the king of Gath. This may not have been so smart! Gath was one of the five cities of the Philistines, and Goliath is also known as "Goliath of Gath." So for Goliath's killer to come to Goliath's home with Goliath's sword, does not exactly count as one of David's most brilliant moves. But his ability to imitate a madman certainly does! Psalm 34 reflects on this experience. Psalm 34 praises God because "I sought the LORD and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears." David may have delivered the performance of a lifetime when he persuaded Achish to declare him insane, but David recognized that it was God who delivered him. After all, it would have been easy to say "He's just faking it kill him!" Psalm 34 is also very explicitly a Psalm of the cross: verse 20 is quoted in John 19:36 "He guards all his bones; not one of them is broken." It is not just my imagination that connects the sufferings of David with the sufferings of Jesus: John's imagination got there first! And before all of that was God's imagination, as he laid out the history of redemption. But now is not the time for the crowds to say "crucify him!" And so the Messiah is brought through trial and tribulation out of the hands of his enemies. And so David escaped. David, like the ark of the covenant, has passed through Gath in triumph. Remember that! The ark of the covenant had been captured and sent to Gath, where it destroyed the Philistines. Now David, the slayer of Gath's mighty warrior, escapes from their clutches as well! 3. David Flees to the Cave of Adullam (22:1-5) Then David escaped to the Cave of Adullam. Adullam is in Judah, not far from Bethlehem. And the whole area is pocked with caves. And there at the Cave of Adullam David was joined by his father's house (no doubt they were afraid of what Saul would do to them), along with "everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul." (22:2) This is sometimes used to point to Saul's failure as a king. But if only 400 men were unhappy with Saul (and I should point out that the text nowhere blames Saul for their misfortune), then Saul's reign must have been pretty decent for the Israelites. Older commentators often worked hard to demonstrate that these 400 men were respectable, and not a band of brigands. But I am inclined to point out that these were the "down and out" just as Jesus called the "down and out" to himself. God uses the foolish things to shame the wise! But having said that, we should also note that this group includes David's family (one of the leading families of Bethlehem), along with the prophet Gad and at about that time the lone surviving priest, Abiathar, also joins them. So it was not merely the riff-raff who fled to David! And David went to Mizpeh of Moab and asked the king of Moab to shelter his parents "Till I know what God will do for me." Why is this significant? David's great-grandmother was a Moabitess named Ruth. In other words, she was Jesse's grandmother. Just as Saul's story connects to his great-great-grandmother's city of Jabesh-Gilead, so also David's connects to Moab. But the prophet Gad warned David not to remain in the stronghold (probably Mizpeh), and so David departed and went into the forest of Hereth (probably the region around the caves of Adullam). Here in central Judah, David had the best chance to avoid both Saul and the Philistines. So long as no one rats him out! But chapters 22-23 tell us that rats were plenty common in the Messiah's day! 4. David and the Priests Betrayed by Doeg (22:6-23) First we have the murderous Doeg the Edomite. He had been in Nob on the day that David came there, "detained before the LORD" (no doubt he was unclean in some way) (21:7). When Saul hears news that a young upstart is in the forest of Hereth, gathering a band of malcontents, he does what any decent king would do. He sets out to crush the rebellion before it gets too big. Saul starts by berating his servants those from his own tribe of Benjamin: Hear now, people of Benjamin; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, that all of you have conspired against me? No one discloses to me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. None of you is sorry for me or discloses to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait as at this day. You can see what Saul is thinking. Saul thinks that David is preparing an assault to try to take the throne. But even so, no one answers except Doeg the Edomite. A foreigner a son of the rejected Esau takes the side of the rejected Saul. And when Doeg tells Saul what the priests had done for David, Saul summons the priests and demands an explanation for their conspiracy against him: why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and sword and have inquired of God for him, so that he has risen against me, to lie in wait, as at this day? (22:13) Ahimelech's reply demonstrates that there was no conspiracy. Now we can understand why David deceived Ahimelech. If he had spoken honestly to Ahimelech, then Ahimelech would have been put into the awkward position of having to choose between David and Saul. David was trying to protect Ahimelech but even his best efforts failed. Convinced that everyone is against him, Saul refuses to believe Ahimelech, and he orders his guard to kill the priests. But they are good Israelites and whatever faults they may have, they know better than to strike down the priests of the LORD! So Saul said to Doeg you do it! And so Doeg struck down 85 priests (those who wore the ephod), slaughtering the whole city of Nob, both man and woman, child and infant, ox, donkey and sheep (22:19). Saul had failed to devote the Amalekites to destruction, but he now devotes the priests of Yahweh to destruction! And while this is properly viewed as a horrible crime, it is also the fulfillment of what God had said to Eli, that his household would be cut off. The rejected king renders judgment upon the rejected priest by the hand of the rejected son Doeg the Edomite ("Jacob have I loved, but Esau I hated"). And so the last heir of Eli, Abiathar, the son of Ahimelech, fled to David, and David acknowledges that he was indeed the cause of the death of Ahimelech's house. Perhaps if he had been truthful with Ahimelech, the priests would have been more careful? (If you are going to involve someone in a dangerous plan of yours, it would be prudent to inform them so that they can be aware of the risks they are taking!) But at any rate, David takes upon himself the obligation of protecting the last priest of the house of Eli. 5. David Nearly Betrayed at Keilah (23:1-14) So while Saul is busy pursuing David and slaughtering the priests of Yahweh, David is defending Judah from the Philistines, and protecting the last priest of Yahweh! Of course, having the priest around is helpful, because then you can inquire of the LORD! So when David hears that the Philistines were attacking Keilah and robbing the threshing floors, he inquires of the LORD, "Shall I go and attack these Philistines?" And the LORD answered, "Go and save Keilah." But David's men were afraid. They were hiding the hills and caves! If they are afraid to face Saul, how can they face the Philistines? So David inquired again of the LORD. The LORD's anointed was concerned for his men. And the LORD honors that by answering again, Arise, go down to Keilah, for I will give the Philistines into your hand. Of course, the one problem with defeating the Philistines is that everybody hears about it! Saul now knows exactly where they are. The irony between verses 4 and 7 is not accidental: the LORD says to David, "I will give the Philistines into your hand," and Saul says to himself, "God has given David into my hand." Don't count your providences before they're hatched! David hears that Saul will come after him, and so David again inquires of the LORD: will Saul come to Keilah? and will the men of Keilah surrender me to Saul? And God says Yes and Yes! Do you see how sin works? If Saul had not slaughtered the priests, then David would not have had a priest with an ephod through whom to inquire of the LORD. He might have remained in Keilah, trusting in kinship to save him. But as it is, the murder of the priests comes back to haunt Saul. (If you think of the end of Saul's life, haunting might be just the right word!) But David fled into the Wilderness of Ziph, and though Saul sought him, God did not give him into his hand. 6. David Betrayed by the Ziphites (23:15-29) David and Jonathan's parting in chapter 20 was not the last time they saw each other. There is the little-known meeting in 1 Samuel 23:16-18, which also contains the third covenant-making between Jonathan and David. While Saul is pursuing David and trying to kill him, Jonathan "strengthens his hand in God." Once again the hand plays an important role. God gave the Philistines into David's hand, but he would not give David into Saul's hand, and so now Jonathan, rather than give David into Saul's hand, (betraying David like everyone else!) strengthens David's hand in God. (The hand will also play a large role in chapter 24-26 next time) But David was now in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh, and the Ziphites do not appear to have liked him very much (no reason is given). Perhaps they were just loyal to their king! So they play the Judas and came to Saul and revealed David's whereabouts. Judas is exactly the right comparison. The Ziphites come to the ruling power in Israel, and offer to hand over the Lord's anointed, whose very presence is a threat to the ruling powers. Not only that, but the ruling power was itself appointed by God. The chief priests in Jesus' day were the Lord's anointed. And they eagerly accepted the offer of treason by the one who could give the Messiah into their hand. Because it is only through trial and temptation that the Messiah can be made perfect. As Hebrews says, he was perfected through what he suffered (Hebrews 2:10). Indeed, the problem with Saul is that he walked an easy road to glory. He became king without any suffering. (I'm not saying Saul never suffered I'm saying that 1 Samuel doesn't report it! The point that 1 Samuel is making and is making at great length-- is that the only sort of king that you want, is a king who has suffered.) And so Saul pursues David through the wilderness, but just as Saul is catching up, he gets a message: the Philistines are raiding! Chapter 23 started with David saving Keilah from Philistines raiders. Chapter 23 ends with the Philistines saving David from Saul. In the same way that Egypt the land of death and cursing becomes a refuge for the people of God in Joseph's day, so also the Philistines become an ironic benefactor to David, both now and later! God will defeat both his and our enemies. Until then he will use them to accomplish the salvation of his people. He will use radical Islam as his instrument of judgment against the apostate west (just as he used the Philistines against the apostate Saul), and yet through their attacks, many (both Muslim and apostate Christian) are yet being brought to repentance. Brothers and sisters, if we have paid attention even slightly to what God has revealed in David, and then, far more clearly in Jesus (!) we should be fearless. What can separate us from the love of God in the Messiah? If God brought Jesus through suffering to glory, and has now made us partakers with Jesus, then why should cross or trial grieve me?