1 Sameul 23 - Our Rock of Escape

1 Samuel 23 – Our Rock of Escape

 

Previously in 1 Samuel, we saw David flee to the cave of Adullam to take refuge in the Lord. While there, David’s family and men who were in distress, discontent, or in debt began to join him. As we left off with David, he was hiding in the wilderness of Hereth. Meanwhile, Saul had found out that David had received provisions and weapons from Ahimelech the priest, and began an inquisition on the priests. Saul, at the hand of Doeg the Edomite, had 85 priests and all the city of Nob killed with the edge of the sword. However, one of Ahimelech’s sons, Abiathar, escaped and joined David in the wilderness.

As we pick up in chapter 23, some men came and told David that the Philistines were fighting against Keilah, and were robbing the threshing floors. Keilah was a city on the border of Israel and Philistine country, so the Philistines were waiting for the Israelites to harvest their grain in order to steal it. So, David inquired of the Lord whether or not he should go fight with the Philistines. This was a risky move for David on several accounts: First, he only had 400 men who, as we will see, were afraid to go to battle. Second, David would make himself further despised by the Philistines. Third, this move would put him out in the open for Saul to see. The Lord said, “Go and attack the Philistines, and save Keilah.” David’s men objected, stating that they were afraid where they were. How much more afraid would they be in battle with the Philistines? David could have ignored the concerns of his men, but he did not. He wisely chose to take their concerns back to the Lord in prayer. There was no point going into battle with scared men unless you know the Lord is in it. The Lord answered, “Arise, go down to Keilah. For I will deliver the Philistines into your hand.” So, David and his men went and fought with the Philistines, beat them soundly, and took away their livestock.

Now, when Saul found out that David was in Keilah, he said, “God has delivered him into my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars.” Notice Saul’s warped thinking here: He’s somehow convinced himself that, although he was in direct rebellion to God, that God had delivered David into his hand. This is what unrepentant sin always does, it warps our thinking, even to the point of believing the Lord is for what we are doing when He is actually against it. Saul was not willing to defend Keilah against the Philistines, but he was willing to pursue a man of God in order to kill him. Then Saul gathered his men and pursued after David to Keilah.

When David found out Saul’s intentions, he asked Abiathar to bring the ephod to him. This was probably because Abiathar had the Urim and Thummim (lights and perfection) which were used to determine the Lord’s will in a situation. One stone was for yes, and the other for no. It is believed that one or the other would light up to indicate a yes or no answer, or that the priest would reach into a bag and pull one of the stones out. David asked the Lord if Saul would come down to Keilah and if the men of the city would deliver him into Saul’s hand? The Lord answered him that Saul would come down and that the men of the city would deliver him up, so David and his men (about 600 in number by now) left the city, fleeing wherever they could go. We might ask why the Lord led David to Keilah to be betrayed by the very people whom he had saved, but they were probably afraid of what Saul would do to them after finding out what had happened to the priests at Nob. The Lord had sent David to do a job that their king would not do. When Saul found out that David had escaped, he called off the pursuit.

David and his men stayed in the wilderness of Ziph, in strongholds and in mountains. Ziph was a town below the southern tip of the dead sea, and belonged to the tribe of Judah. Saul sought after David daily, but God did not deliver him into his hand. While in the forest of Ziph, Jonathan came to meet David, and strengthened his hand in God. It is always a blessing to have friends who will encourage us and strengthen us in the Lord during difficult times. Friends like this are hard to find; Jonathan was the only friend David had like this in all of Israel. Jonathan said, “Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Even my father Saul knows that.” Saul knew David would be king, yet he would continue to fight it every step of the way. They made a covenant (or renewed the old one), which was a mixture of God’s promises and their own hopes. After this, Jonathan went back to his house. This would be the last time David would see Jonathan.

Next, the Ziphites came up to Saul at Gibeah, and said, “Is David not hiding with us in strongholds in the woods, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon? Now therefore, O king, come down according to all the desire of your soul to come down; and our part shall be to deliver him into the king’s hand.” Betrayal is hard to deal with, but this had to be particularly difficult for David that those in his own family (tribe) would so blatantly betray him to his enemy. When Saul heard this, he replied, “Blessed are you of the Lord, for you have compassion on me.” Again, this is Saul’s warped thinking here. Saul told them to go find out for sure where David was, and then he would go with them. If David was there, Saul would search for him throughout all the clans of Judah. He was bent on destroying David, but the Lord had other plans.

When David found out Saul was on his way, he and his men went down into the wilderness of Maon, to a rock in a plain south of Jeshimon. David and his men were on one side of a ridge, and Saul and his men were on the other side of the ridge. Saul’s men began encircling David and his men, so they were, again, forced to retreat. It would not have been wrong for David to defend himself against Saul, but David viewed any possible retreat as the better option. David would have likely faced capture or fighting Saul’s army if word had not come to Saul that the Philistines were invading the land. This was a narrow escape for David and his men, and as a result, they named it The Rock of Escape. Then David and his men went to the wilderness of En Gedi.

This was another remarkable deliverance from the Lord for David and his men, and the same is available to you and me. Jesus is our bread from Heaven, our refuge, and our rock of escape from sin and the wrath of God. We have no more reason to fear His wrath or torment if we are Christians. The apostle John writes, “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us.” God is love, and He will make us perfect in His love if we will only receive Jesus by faith. Also, Jesus is our escape from the troubles of this life. Sometimes He spares us altogether, and sometimes He gives us the grace to go through them. The Scriptures are full of examples of God’s deliverances out of and through trials for His children. An angel delivered the apostles out of prison in Jerusalem, Paul and Silas were miraculously delivered from prison at Philippi, and the Lord stood by Paul as he was headed to stand trial before Caesar at Rome. David was safe because he was in God’s will, and the Lord was not through with him. So too, in the turbulent times to come, we can trust He will take care of us until it is our time to go be with Him. In the next chapter we will see David have an opportunity to kill Saul, and how he responds to this opportunity.

 

Psalm 54

 

To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A Contemplation of David when the Ziphites went and said to Saul, “Is David not hiding with us?”

Save me, O God, by Your name, and vindicate me by Your strength. Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth. For strangers have risen up against me, and oppressors have sought after my life; they have not set God before them. Selah

Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is with those who uphold my life. He will repay my enemies for their evil. Cut them off in Your truth. I will freely sacrifice to You; I will praise Your name, O Lord, for it is good. For He has delivered me out of all trouble; and my eye has seen its desire upon my enemies.