1 Samuel 22:1-23 - Leader of the Needy

1 Samuel 22:1-23

David’s Four Hundred Men (1 Chronicles 12:16–18)

1 David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. So when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. 2 And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him.

3 Then David went from there to Mizpah of Moab; and he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and mother come here with you, till I know what God will do for me.” 4 So he brought them before the king of Moab, and they dwelt with him all the time that David was in the stronghold.

5 Now the prophet Gad said to David, “Do not stay in the stronghold; depart, and go to the land of Judah.” So David departed and went into the forest of Hereth.

Saul Murders the Priests

6 When Saul heard that David and the men who were with him had been discovered—now Saul was staying in Gibeah under a tamarisk tree in Ramah, with his spear in his hand, and all his servants standing about him— 7 then Saul said to his servants who stood about him, “Hear now, you Benjamites! Will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, and make you all captains of thousands and captains of hundreds? 8 All of you have conspired against me, and there is no one who reveals to me that my son has made a covenant with the son of Jesse; and there is not one of you who is sorry for me or reveals to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as it is this day.”

9 Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who was set over the servants of Saul, and said, “I saw the son of Jesse going to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. 10 And he inquired of the LORD for him, gave him provisions, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”

11 So the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s house, the priests who were in Nob. And they all came to the king. 12 And Saul said, “Hear now, son of Ahitub!”

He answered, “Here I am, my lord.”

13 Then Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and a sword, and have inquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as it is this day?”

14 So Ahimelech answered the king and said, “And who among all your servants is as faithful as David, who is the king’s son-in-law, who goes at your bidding, and is honorable in your house? 15 Did I then begin to inquire of God for him? Far be it from me! Let not the king impute anything to his servant, or to any in the house of my father. For your servant knew nothing of all this, little or much.”

16 And the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house!” 17 Then the king said to the guards who stood about him, “Turn and kill the priests of the LORD, because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled and did not tell it to me.” But the servants of the king would not lift their hands to strike the priests of the LORD. 18 And the king said to Doeg, “You turn and kill the priests!” So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck the priests, and killed on that day eighty-five men who wore a linen ephod. 19 Also Nob, the city of the priests, he struck with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and nursing infants, oxen and donkeys and sheep—with the edge of the sword.

20 Now one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. 21 And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the LORD’s priests. 22 So David said to Abiathar, “I knew that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have caused the death of all the persons of your father’s house. 23 Stay with me; do not fear. For he who seeks my life seeks your life, but with me you shall be safe.”

David drew the discontented and needy to himself an formed a small force of four hundred men and stayed awhile with permission from the king in Mizpah of Moab, that country which descended from the incestuous son (Genesis 19:35-37) of Lot.  A prophet named Gad told David to leave there and stay in a forest of Judah instead.  Saul discovered how David and his men before this had stopped for bread and the sword of Goliath from the priest Abimelech in Nob as Doeg the Edomite spilled the beans to the king.  Saul hurriedly summoned the priest and all who were there at Nob to come and answer to him for these actions.  He was already angry that nobody told him of his son Jonathan’s covenant of protection and support with this son of Jesse, and took out his wrath on the priests with the man who became his right hand, Doeg the Edomite, by slaughtering all the priests for assisting David when the guards refused to do so.  It is interesting that the Edomites of Esau’s descendants, the same Esau who hated his brother Jacob (Israel) and was denied the inheritance that he sold for a price and that we see again in Romans 9:13 concerning the calling of faith over the inheritance of blood.  Doeg had no inheritance with or love for God’s people, just a personal gain in helping Saul.  On;y one son of the priests escaped to inform David of the slaughter of the priests of the LORD and came under David’s protection along with the other four hundred in need.  We find a parallel of sorts in how we all come to the physical descendant and Branch of David who is Christ the Messiah.  He calls us as the needy and (Matthew 11:28) overburdened in life to the Lord and King of all as His army of His righteousness in the proclamation of the gospel that others may also be set free (John 8:36) from bondage (Galatians 4:3, Hebrews 2:15) and tyranny of the soul due to sin.  Jesus the Christ is leader of the needy and downtrodden under sin’s cruel oppression; He alone sets us free indeed to fight (1 Timothy 1:18, 6:12, 2 Timothy 4:7) for the right King until His return.