1 Samuel 22:1-23
22:1 David escapes to the cave of Adullam and his family joins him there. This time is, essentially, David's literal and figurative journey through the wilderness. David believed in God as a child and trusted God as a victorious soldier. Now is his time to believe in God and trust in God while he is pursued by his enemy. Either by temptation or through fear, oppression will try to ensnare. A righteous child of God refuses to be caught by trusting God to keep them free.
22:2 Along with his family, David is joined by others who are in desperate situations. People who were in debt (therefore dangerously close to enslavement) and people who were discontented for their own personal and various reasons. Together they made a group of four hundred.
22:3-4 David and his motley group go to Moab (David has ancestral connections with this land, Ruth). David requests shelter from the king of Moab until he knows what God will do for him. For David is certain that God will not abandon him in his distress. David will not move without God's direction; he understands his ineptitude in navigating wisely and will therefore humbly wait for God's plan and timing.
22:5 Advised by the prophet Gad, David leaves Moab and travels to the land of Judah through the forest of Hereth.
22:6-8 Meanwhile, Saul is actively focused on catching David. Saul learns of David's location and that he has many men with him. Saul is embarrassed and humiliated; his own son made a covenant with David and his entire army respects David. The crowds cheer David's name when Saul so desperately longs to hear his own.
Saul sits, stagnant, with a spear in his hand. This mental image of Saul is revealing: he is not willing to put in the work of achievement and his right hand, his mind, is focused on elevating himself through violence. In contrast, David keeps moving and only according to God's instruction.
Saul tries to retain power through fear. In order to keep his soldiers loyal, he tries to convince them that under David's prospective rule, they would not be taken care of. Saul is grasping at this point; there is no evidence suggesting that David is corrupt or bias. Moreover, David himself has no plans to take over Saul's position. God has it in mind, the people around the region might have it in mind, but David has no personal motivation or intention of becoming king. David was shocked at the idea of even being the kings son in law.
Saul continues to refer to David as the son of Jesse. The use of this phrase instead of David's name is indicative of a metaphor; Jesus himself is considered a Son of Jesse, having been born through that family many generations later. This is foreshadowing, speaking of the ultimate: the philosophy of God against the philosophy of Satan. Righteousness v. Unrighteousness. Unrighteousness will work selfishly, persistently to ensnare righteousness... but will never be able to do so.
22:9-10 Doeg (the same from the previous chapter who directed David to Goliath's sword) tells Saul that in Nob, Ahimelech hosted David. Here is an example of the type of person who will use anyone or any circumstance to elevate themselves. We learn from our wise creator that only the humble are truly brought high.
22:11-15 Saul orders Ahimelech to be brought to him; he accuses the priest of conspiring against him. David pretended to be on an errand for Saul and therefore Ahimelech is innocent. Ahimelech explains that he hosted Saul's honorable and faithful servant David because... well, why wouldn't he? This defense is interesting because it paints David in an innocent light but also reveals Ahimelech's own innocence. Indeed David is those things: honorable and faithful.
22:16 Saul truly is deranged, he sentences Ahimelech and his family to death even though they have done nothing wrong. He was not aware of Saul's pursuit of David and therefore he could not have responded to David in any other way. Why would he refuse the commander of the king's army without reason? That would have been a crime.
22:17 Desperate, paranoid, evil... Saul's intention is to kill anyone who has loyalty to David. Saul still thinks he can change the course of God's will. He orders his guards to kill each of the priests. But the guards refuse to kill servants of God.
22:18-19 Instead of sobering, Saul then commands Doeg (who has proved to be ruthless) to kill the priests. And Doeg does kill them, eighty five men. Continuing through Nob, the city of priests, Doeg kills men, women, children, babies and livestock. All of this is evidence of Saul's destructive and self-motivated rule.
When the children of Israel were led by God through His prophets, they never had to fear that their own king would turn on them. They took for granted the righteous character of God and it is our responsibility to never do the same.
22:20-21 One of the priests escapes: Abiathar flees to find David. Once arrived, he tells David of what Saul has just done.
22:22 David is heartbroken by the news and feels personally responsible. In fact, the house of Eli was prophesied to be extinguished in this book, 2:27-36, because of their corruption. David's lie participated in the sequence of events which led to the slaughter of many men but the situation was bigger than just David himself.
22:23 David invites Abiathar to stay with him: "Stay with me; do not fear. For he who seeks my life seeks your life, but with me you shall be safe." This sentiment will be emphatically echoed by Jesus who in John 15:18-20 said:
“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
What we can take from this is that when we align ourselves with God, we place ourselves behind His shield of protection. Throughout scripture this is God's invitation to us, precisely: Stay with me. Do not fear. We are on the same side. I am the victor. You will be safe.
Remember that our battle is not against men but principalities, Ephesians 6:12. Whether it's Saul or Pharaoh, the Philistines or the Pharisees, the battle is against the principle and force of darkness. Evil humans are killed and pass away, are avoided and triumphed over by children of God. The principles they serve are defeated by God, Who has who has claimed that ultimate battle.
Our battle is to not join that force, to live in opposition to that principle. So long as we do so, we have stayed with God. We have not succumbed to fear. Those who seek our lives seek God... and the limitations of their corruption can never find Him. We are safe.
