The children of Israel had asked for a king, and the Lord gave them one. What they had thought would bring them safety from the nations that were against them on every side, instead caused a huge internal division. For years, Saul chased after David leaving a rift even after Saul’s death where David ruled over Judah and Saul’s son Ish-Bosheth ruled over other tribes. Abner, commander of Saul’s army and now second to Ish-Bosheth, comes to David in peace and David receives him. But Joab must have revenge and kills Abner. Then two men bring David the head of Ish-Bosheth. Yes, Abner and Ish-Bosheth had been David’s enemies, but David was only interested in one thing now, reconciliation. David has these two wicked men put to death to end the fighting and is anointed as king over all Israel as the Lord had anointed him to be through Samuel many years before.

To Establish the Throne of David

2 Samuel 3:1-11 

So You Can Reign Over All

2 Samuel 3:12-23
Abner, the commanders of Saul’s army, the enemy that has chased David for these years, now comes to David and offers him all of the Kingdom that had been in Saul’s hands in

2 Samuel 3:12 Abner sent messengers to David where he was, saying, “To whom does the land belong? Make your covenant with me! Look, my hand is with you to bring all of Israel over to you!”

David, of whom God said in

Acts 13:22 And after removing him (Saul), he raised up David for their king, about whom he also said, testifying, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse to be a man in accordance with my heart, who will carry out all my will.’

David does not take any retribution or hold any grudge, but openly accepts Abner’s proposition because it means reconciliation for all of the children of Israel who had been divided for these many years. David prepares a feast for Abner and his men in 2 Samuel 3:20, and he listened to Abner, and in 2 Samuel 3:22 “he dismissed him, and he had gone in peace”.

I and My Kingdom are Innocent

2 Samuel 3:24-30

Good in the Eyes of All the People

2 Samuel 3:31-39 

When Wicked Men Kill a Righteous Man

2 Samuel 4:1-12
Not everyone in David’s camp was as forgiving as David had been. Abner had killed Asahel, Joab’s brother in 2 Samuel 2:23 So, after Abner met with David, Joab sought him out and killed him.

Then, two from the tribe of Benjamin, the tribe that had agreed with Abner to reconcile with David, killed Ish-Bosheth, the son of Saul and king of Israel in

2 Samuel 4:7–8 he was lying on his couch in his bedchamber, and they attacked him and killed him … They brought the head of Ish-Bosheth to David at Hebron, and they said … Yahweh has given to my lord the king vengeance this day on Saul and on his offspring.”

But David had never lifted his hand against Saul or any of Saul’s descendants and these two do not get the reception they expected. These two had done what might have been common in the world, to kill your opponent, but David says in

2 Samuel 4:11 “ … when wicked men kill a righteous man in his house, on his bed! So then, shall I not seek his lifeblood from your hand, so that I may destroy you from the earth?”

So, David had these wicked men killed and buried the head of Ish-Bosheth in 2 Samuel 4:12. 

We Are Your Flesh and Blood

2 Samuel 5:1-5
What had begun as Saul’s disobedience to the Lord, and then Saul’s spear thrown at David and finally a great rift between the tribes of Israel is finally over in

2 Samuel 5:1 So all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron, and they said, “Here we are, we are your flesh and blood.

and they all together accepted what the Lord had done through Samuel in

1 Samuel 16:13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. Then the Spirit of Yahweh rushed upon David from that day on. Then Samuel got up and went to Ramah.

Now, we have the fulfillment of the Lord’s promise to David, the power of the “Spirit of Yahweh” had brought David to this place where

2 Samuel 5:3 All the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron in the presence of Yahweh; then they anointed David as king over Israel.

Yahweh the God of Hosts Was With Him

2 Samuel 5:6-16

Study Verses

• 2 Samuel 3:12-23 So You Can Reign Over All
• 2 Samuel 4:1-12 When Wicked Men Kill a Righteous Man
• 2 Samuel 5:1-5 We Are Your Flesh and Blood

Today’s Reading

• 2 Samuel 3:1-39
• 2 Samuel 4:1-12
• 2 Samuel 5:1-16

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The first king of Israel is dead at the hand of Israel’s enemy the Philistines. The people of Israel had asked for a king because of their fear of the nations around them. Now though, they not only have enemies around them, they have division internally. David is anointed the king over Judah with Joab commander of his army. Abner, commander of Saul’s army sets Ish-Bosheth, Saul’s son as king over Israel. As Abner and Joab come together, fighting breaks and in 2 Samuel 2:17 “the battle became increasingly fierce on that day”. Finally, Abner calls out to Joab in 2 Samuel 2:26 “Will the sword devour forever?” and in 2 Samuel 2:28 “Joab blew on the trumpet and all the people stopped, and they no longer pursued after Israel, and they did not fight with them again”. 

They Fell Slain

1 Samuel 31:1–13
David had taken refuge from Saul with the Philistines, but now, the Philistines sent David away in 1 Samuel 29:3 as they prepared for battle with Saul and his army. Saul had used a medium in 1 Samuel 28:7 to seek guidance from Samuel and said in

1 Samuel 28:19 “And Yahweh will also give Israel with you into the hands of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me, and Yahweh will also give the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.”

Even so, Saul stood with his army “In a regular engagement, in which the two armies met (1 Sa 28:1–4), the Israelites were forced to give way, being annoyed by the arrows of the enemy, which, destroying them at a distance before they came to close combat, threw them into panic and disorder”.¹

1 Samuel 31:1–3 Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines, and they fell slain on Mount Gilboa. 2 And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines killed Jonathan and Abinadab and Malki-Shua, the sons of Saul. 3 Saul was in the thick of the battle, and the archers spotted him, and he was badly wounded by the archers.

Saul witnesses the defeat of the army of Israel, the death of his three sons, and then took his own life in 1 Samuel 31:4 “So Saul took the sword and fell on it”. The battle was just as Samuel had said and in

1 Samuel 31:6 “So Saul died, and his three sons, his armor bearer, and all his men together that same day.”

Stand Over Me and Kill Me

2 Samuel 1:1–9

Your Mouth Has Testifies Against You

2 Samuel 1:10–16

How The Mighty Have Fallen

2 Samuel1:17-27
This marks the end of David’s days of running for his life. His enemy is dead, but there is no celebration. David laments the loss of Saul, Israels first anointed king and Jonathan who David loved. Their deaths are not a tail to be told, but a memory to hold with weeping.

May Yahweh Show Loyal Love and Faithfulness With You

2 Samuel 2:1–11
David steps into his rightful place as king in

2 Samuel 2:4 Then the men of Judah came, and they anointed David there as king over the house of Judah, and they told David, “The men of Jabesh-Gilead buried Saul.”

In his first act as king, David commands a blessing on those that retrieved Saul’s body from the Philistines in

2 Samuel 2:5–6 So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-Gilead and said to them, “May you be blessed by Yahweh because you did this loyal love with your lord, with Saul, and you buried him. 6 Now may Yahweh show loyal love and faithfulness with you. I will also show the good with you that you have done in this matter.

But there are still factions as men seek to maintain their positions. Abner is commander of Saul’s army and Ish-Bosheth is the surviving son of Saul who in

2 Samuel 2:9 He (Abner) made him king over Gilead, over the Ashurites, over Jezreel, over Ephraim, over Benjamin, and over Israel, all of it.

 

They Fell Together

2 Samuel 2:12–23
The lament for the children of Israel does not end with the death of Saul and three of his sons. There is still a division between David who has been made the king of Judah and Abner who has made Ish-Bosheth king over Israel. They each send emissaries in

2 Samuel 2:13 Then Joab the son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went out, and they met at the pool of Gibeon. The one group sat on one side of the pool, and the other sat on the other side.

Each side sent their twelve to fight, the more honorable way to wage war, but they killed each other, every one in

2 Samuel 2:16 Then each seized his opponent by the head and each thrust his sword in the side of his opponent, so they fell together. So they called the name of that place Helkath Hazzurim, which is in Gibeon.

So, instead of finishing with a small hand to hand skirmish, in

2 Samuel 2:17 Then the battle became increasingly fierce on that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated before the servants of David.

As Abner is chased, he pleads for an end. Abner will stop because he is commander of Saul’s army and a man of war, but he pleads that Asahel his pursuer will relent and Abner will avoid killing the brother of Joab, Abner’s counterpart and commander of David’s army in

2 Samuel 2:22 So Abner said to Asahel once again, “For your own sake, turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you down to the ground? How could I show my face to Joab your brother?”

 

Will The Sword Devour Forever

2 Samuel 2:24–32
Joab and the army of David continue the pursuit of Abner and his army joins around him in

2 Samuel 2:25 The descendants of Benjamin rallied after Abner, and they became as one fighting group and stood on the top of a certain hill.

Finally, Abner calls out to Joab to break off this conflict in

2 Samuel 2:26–27 Then Abner called to Joab and said, “Will the sword devour forever? Do you not know that there will be bitterness in the end? How long will you not tell the people to turn away from pursuing their brothers?”

and Joab responds agreeing to stop their pursuit in

2 Samuel 2:27 Joab said, “As God lives, for if you had not spoken, the people would surely have gone up in the morning, each one of them from following after his brother.”

How have the children of Israel come to this place of bitter division, fighting and killing their brothers? They have had the king they asked the Lord to give them, but at what cost? Finally, here, Abner sees the truth of their actions, “Will the sword devour forever?”

Study Verses

• 1 Samuel 31:1–13 They Fell Slain
• 2 Samuel 2:12–23 They Fell Together
• 2 Samuel 2:24–32 Will The Sword Devour Forever

Today’s Reading

• 1 Samuel 31:1-13
• 2 Samuel 1:1-27
• 2 Samuel 2:1-32

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References

• 1. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 195). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

David and his men find refuge in the land of the Philistines. It is an unusual request, but David is the known enemy of Saul so he asks in 1 Samuel 27:5–6 Then David said to Achish, “Please, if I have found favor in your eyes, then let them give me a place in one of the country towns that I can live there”. Saul sees the Philistines preparing against him and in 1 Samuel 28:6 And Saul inquired of Yahweh, but Yahweh did not answer him, not by dreams or by the Urim or by the prophets. So Saul goes to a medium who brings up Samuel for him to speak to. Samuel responds in 1 Samuel 28:17–19 Yahweh has done to you just as he spoke by my hand! Yahweh has torn the kingdom from your hand and has given it to your neighbor, to David. 18 Because you did not obey Yahweh and did not carry out the fierce anger of his wrath against Amalek, therefore Yahweh has done this thing to you today”. Then Samuel pronounces Saul’s death at the hand of the Philistines. David and his men are not part of this battle with Saul, but the Amalekites have burned their city and taken their families captive. David inquires of the Lord and they go after the Amalekites and recover all and in 1 Samuel 30:17 Then David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped”. 

If I Have Found Favor in Your Eyes

1 Samuel 27:1-12
David and his men have been fugitives from Saul for years, maybe ten, and David seeks refuge for himself and his men and their households in the land of the Philistines in

1 Samuel 27:5–6 Then David said to Achish, “Please, if I have found favor in your eyes, then let them give me a place in one of the country towns that I can live there. Why should your servant live in the royal city with you?” 6 So Achish gave him Ziklag on that day. (Therefore, Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah until this day.)

David has tried this once before on his own “in 1 Sam 21:10–15, where David escapes from Saul and seeks refuge with King Achish of Gath … David fears for his own safety and deceives Achish by feigning insanity … (now) In 1 Sam 27:1–12 and 28:1–2, David again seeks refuge with Achish and the Philistines—this time accompanied by 600 men—and Achish permits David and his men to settle in Ziklag (1 Sam 27:1–12; 1 Sam 28:1–2)”.¹

Now, David had his own army. Now, David was an enemy of Saul, the king of Israel. And, now, “Achish stood to gain from having David’s army to protect his southern territory; he may also have hoped to have won the support of Judah against Saul, which might have enabled him to take the whole land, as he very nearly did in the battle of Mount Gilboa (1 Sam. 31:7).²

1 Samuel 27:2–3 So David got up and crossed over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, the king of Gath. 3 David settled with Achish in Gath, he and his men, each with his household. David took along his two wives Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.

Why Are You Setting a Trap for my Life

1 Samuel 28:1-12 

Why Have You Disturbed Me?

1 Samuel 28:13-25
Saul has killed the priests of Nob, now Samuel has died and David has taken his men, with Abiathar the surviving priest to Gath, the land of the Philistines. David had a way to inquire of the Lord as in

1 Samuel 23:9 When David learned that Saul was plotting evil against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.”

but Saul now finds himself, not only cut-off from the spirit of the Lord, but without anyone that could inquire of the Lord for him as it says in

1 Samuel 28:6 And Saul inquired of Yahweh, but Yahweh did not answer him, not by dreams or by the Urim or by the prophets.

So, Saul sought out a medium and said in 1 Samuel 28:8 “Please consult a spirit for me through the ritual pit, and bring up for me the one whom I tell you.” and she brought up a man and in 1 Samuel 28:14 “it was Samuel”. Samuel asks in 1 Samuel 28:15 “why have you disturbed me?” And Saul said, “I am in distress! For the Philistines are about to make war against me, but God has turned away from me”. Samuel begins with the same message he has already given Saul in

1 Samuel 28:17–19 Yahweh has done to you just as he spoke by my hand! Yahweh has torn the kingdom from your hand and has given it to your neighbor, to David. 18 Because you did not obey Yahweh and did not carry out the fierce anger of his wrath against Amalek, therefore Yahweh has done this thing to you today”.

Samuel is saying to Saul, you didn’t need to rouse me to hear this, you already knew it. Then, since Saul has roused Samuel, he goes on to say in

1 Samuel 28:19 And Yahweh will also give Israel with you into the hands of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me, and Yahweh will also give the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.”

This is the end of the long-suffering of the Lord. Saul is about to die.

He Will Not Go Down With us Into the Battle

1 Samuel 29:1-11 

Their wives, Sons, and Daughters Had Been Taken Captive

1 Samuel 30:1-10
The Philistines were arrayed against Saul and his army and refused to allow David and his men to fight with them. So, in

1 Samuel 30:1 Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. When they attacked Ziklag, they burned it with fire.

and in

1 Samuel 30:3 When David and his men came to the city, they saw, and it was burned with fire, and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive.

So, in 1 Samuel 30:4 “David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept” and in 1 Samuel 30:6 “the souls of all the people were bitter … But David strengthened himself in Yahweh his God.” and David called for Abiathar to inquire of the Lord in

1 Samuel 30:8 And David inquired of Yahweh, saying, “Should I pursue after this band of raiders? Will I overtake them?” He said to him, “Pursue them, for you will certainly overtake them, and you will certainly rescue them.”

And they did overtake them and they did recover their families and their goods, and in

1 Samuel 30:17 Then David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped except four hundred young men who rode off on camels and fled.

None of Theirs Was Missing

1 Samuel 30:11-20

They Will Share Alike

1 Samuel 30:21-31

Study Verses

• 1 Samuel 27:1-12 If I Have Found Favor in Your Eyes
• 1 Samuel 28:13-25 Why Have You Disturbed Me?
• 1 Samuel 30:1-10 Their wives, Sons, and Daughters Had Been Taken Captive

Today’s Reading

• 1 Samuel 27:1-12
• 1 Samuel 28:1-25
• 1 Samuel 29:1-11
• 1 Samuel 30:1-31

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References

• 1. Gilboy, J. J. (2016). Achish, Son of Maoch. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, … W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
• 2. Baldwin, J. G. (1988). 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 8, p. 168). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

David speaks out to Saul again saying in 1 Samuel 24:12 “May Yahweh judge between me and you, and may Yahweh avenge me on you, but my hand will not be against you!” and Saul must recognize David is speaking the truth because he weeps at these words, but Saul doesn’t reconcile with David. David and his men are on the move after mourning the death of Samuel and ask to share in a feast being held by a wealthy man, Nabal. This request is something they might do strictly on the basis of the custom of hospitality, but David also asks because they have been protectors of this mans herdsmen. Nabal turns David’s men away coldly. David reacts in anger and is riding to meet Nabal with his sword but is met by Nabal’s wife Abigail who has brought food for David and his men. When she later tells Nabal that David was on his way to kill him if she had not intervened, in 1 Samuel 25:37 “his heart died within him, and he became like a stone”. The Lord has protected David from shedding this man’s blood by the wisdom of this woman. 

May Yahweh Judge Between Me and You

1 Samuel 24:12–22
David continues trying to convince Saul that he has not conspired against him and says in

1 Samuel 24:12 May Yahweh judge between me and you, and may Yahweh avenge me on you, but my hand will not be against you!

David does three things:

1. David has called on the Lord as judge between them and then repeats this call in 1 Samuel 24:15 “May Yahweh be the judge, and let him judge between me and you”.
2. David asks the Lord to avenge him on Saul because Saul has wicked intent as David goes on to say in 1 Samuel 24:13 “From the wicked, wickedness goes out”. Then David asks in 1 Samuel 24:14 “After whom are you pursuing?” then he says in 1 Samuel 24:15 “may he see (the Lord) and plead my case” and closes his words with, in 1 Samuel 24:15 “May he (the Lord) vindicate me against you!”.
3. David had also said in 1 Samuel 24:12 “my hand will not be against you” and says it again in 1 Samuel 24:13 “but my hand will not be against you”.

Saul wept at Davids words in 1 Samuel 24:16 and says in 1 Samuel 24:17 “You are more righteous than I” and in 1 Samuel 24:18 “you have dealt well with me”. Then Saul seems to turn and accept that he has lost the kingdom and seeks assurance from David for the life of his descendants in

1 Samuel 24:20–21 So now then, look, I know that you will certainly be king and the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hand. 21 So then, swear to me by Yahweh that you will not cut off my descendants after me and that you will not wipe out my name from my father’s house.”

But as has happened every time in the past, Saul is soon seeking again to kill David in 1 Samuel 26:1. 

Should I Give to Men I Do Not Know

1 Samuel 25:1–12
David and his men are still fugitives, probably as in

1 Samuel 23:29 David went up from there and stayed in the strongholds of En Gedi.

And now, Samuel died and in

1 Samuel 25:1 “all Israel assembled and mourned”

but Saul is not mentioned.

As David and his men are traveling, they come to Carmel in 1 Samuel 25:2 and certainly “Nabal can, after all, afford to be generous, and Eastern hospitality, as well as the Israelite law, traditionally extended to the poor, the outcast, those ‘for whom nothing is prepared’ (Neh. 8:10; cf. Esth. 9:19)”.¹ Yet, even more than that, David and his men had been protectors for Nabal’s herdsmen so David sent and asked in 1 Samuel 25:8 “because we have come on a feast day. Please give whatever you have on hand for your servants and for your son David.” But Nabal turns them away without a thought in

1 Samuel 25:10 But Nabal answered David’s servants and said, “Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? Today, there are many servants breaking away from the presence of their masters.

Nabal was a stingy, greedy man anyway in

1 Samuel 25:11 Should I take my bread and my water and my meat which I have slaughtered for my shearers and give it to men whom I do not know where they are from?

He Returned Evil Against Me in Place of Good

1 Samuel 25:13–22

You Have Prevented Me From Bloodguilt

1 Samuel 25:23–34 

Yahweh Has Returned the Evil on His Own Head

1 Samuel 25:35–44
Nabal’s wife Abigail has intervened and reached out to David with food for his men so David puts his sword away and spares the lives of Nabal and his men and in

1 Samuel 25:35 Then David took from her hand what she had brought for him, and he said to her, “Go up to your house in peace. See, I have listened to your voice, and I have granted your request.”

As Abigail arrives at home, Nabal, after snubbing David coldly, is in 1 Samuel 25:36 “holding a feast in his house like the feast of the king. Nabal was enjoying himself, and he was very drunk”. So this woman, with wisdom, waits until the next day and then tells Nabal all that had happened in

1 Samuel 25:37–38 And then in the morning when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these words. Then his heart died within him, and he became like a stone. 38 And then, about ten days later, Yahweh struck Nabal and he died.

Now, David realizes how the Lord has protected him by the actions of this woman, in

1 Samuel 25:39 When David heard that Nabal had died, he said, “Blessed be Yahweh who has vindicated the case of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and he has kept back his servant from evil; but Yahweh has returned the evil of Nabal on his own head.” Then David sent and spoke with Abigail to take her for his wife.

We also may react in anger and attempt to take retribution by our own hands, but if we will allow him to be, the Lord will vindicate us and as David said return their evil on their own head.

Yahweh Forbid Me From Stretching Out My Hand

1 Samuel 26:1–12

Your Life Was Precious in My Eyes This Day

1 Samuel 26:13–25

Study Verses

• 1 Samuel 24:12–22 May Yahweh Judge Between Me and You
• 1 Samuel 25:1–12 Should I Give to Men I Do Not Know
• 1 Samuel 25:35–44 Yahweh Has Returned the Evil on His Own Head

Today’s Reading

• 1 Samuel 24:12-22
• 1 Samuel 25:1-44
• 1 Samuel 26:1-25

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References

• 1. Baldwin, J. G. (1988). 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 8, p. 158). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

The full force of Saul’s wrath is poured out on the priest of Nob. Saul can’t hear anything the priests have to say, and even though in 1 Samuel 22:17 “the servants of the king were not willing to raise their hand to attack the priests of Yahweh”. Saul pressed on until eighty-five were dead simply because they had given hospitality to David. David risks himself and his men to help the people of Keilah defend themselves from the Philistines, but they have no allegiance to David when they hear Saul is on his way. So, in 1 Samuel 23:29 David went up from there and stayed in the strongholds of En Gedi. Saul walks into the very cave they are hiding in and David spares Saul’s life and quietly takes the hem of his garment, proof that David is not conspiring to kill him. David then openly declares in 1 Samuel 24:11 Now, my father, see, yes, see, the hem of your robe in my hand! For when I cut the hem of your robe I did not kill you. Know and realize that there is no evil or rebellion in my hand”. Even so, Saul soon takes up the pursuit of David again. 

You Must Certainly Die

1 Samuel 22:12–23
The priest Ahimelech greets Saul with honor and Saul, caught up his delusion of conspiracy pours out accusations against the priests in

1 Samuel 22:13 Then Saul said to him, “Why did you conspire against me, you and the son of Jesse, when you gave to him bread and a sword, and by inquiring of God for him so that he might arise against me to ambush me as has been done this day?”

Ahimelech is surprised by the kings words and replies back with a glowing report of a David, the faithful servant of the king in

1 Samuel 22:14 But Ahimelech answered the king and said, “And who among all your servants is as faithful as David? He is the son-in-law of the king who moves quickly to safeguard you and is honored in your house.

Saul is hard set and replies in

1 Samuel 22:16 Then the king said, “You must certainly die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s household!”

but even Saul’s servants refused to raise a sword against the priests in

1 Samuel 22:17 But the servants of the king were not willing to raise their hand to attack the priests of Yahweh.

so Saul reaches out to the one that informed on David and Doeg pulled out his sword in

1 Samuel 22:18 Then the king said to Doeg, “You turn and attack the priests!” So Doeg the Edomite turned and attacked the priests himself, and on that day he killed eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod.

Shall I Go

1 Samuel 23:1–5 

Will the Rulers Deliver Me

1 Samuel 23:6–13
David had just rescued these people from the Philistines and thought he might have allies among them. So, when he hears that in

1 Samuel 23:8 Saul then summoned all of the army for the battle, to go down to Keilah to lay a siege against David and his men.

David calls for the priest, the only one we know of that remains from Saul’s slaughter of the priests in the city of Nob. And David asks Abiathar to “bring the ephod here” in 1 Samuel 23:9.

“Like Samuel, and unlike Saul, David always seeks divine counsel in his decision making; in this case, he seeks it through the ephod”.¹

David asks two questions, first, “will Saul come down” in 1 Samuel 23:11 and the second was in

1 Samuel 23:12 Then David said, “Will the rulers of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul?” And Yahweh said, “They will deliver you.”

When it came time to stand with David against Saul, the people of Keilah were not willing to risk their own slaughter as had happened to the priests in Nob in 1 Samuel 22:18.

Make Certain Again

1 Samuel 23:14–22

Hurry and Come

1 Samuel 23:23–29 

I Am Giving Your Enemy Into Your Hand

1 Samuel 24:1–11
David and his men leave Keilah and have been on the run from Saul for some time. Now, in

1 Samuel 23:29 David went up from there and stayed in the strongholds of En Gedi.

This was “an area with many caves along the high cliffs. The whole region between the Dead Sea and the hill country of Judea consisted of steep valleys and gorges cut by the streams and wadis that flowed into the Dead Sea. It was a natural area for mountain goats, but outlaws also made good use of the rugged terrain. En-gedi means “spring of the goats” because of the excellent water source located there”.²

Saul does not relent, in

1 Samuel 24:2 So Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel, and he and his men went to search for David in the direction of the Rocks of the Mountain Goats.

While Saul and his men could not find David, as it happens, in

1 Samuel 24:3 “He (Saul) came to the sheep pens beside the road, and a cave was there. Then Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost part of the cave”.

When David’s men saw what was happening in

1 Samuel 24:4 And David’s men said to him, “Look, today is the day about which Yahweh said to you, ‘See, I am giving your enemy into your hand, and you can do to him whatever seems good to you.’ ” So David got up and secretly cut the hem of Saul’s robe.

David could easily have killed Saul at that moment or had any of his men kill Saul, but while David was the enemy of Saul, it was not reciprocal. Saul was not the enemy of David. But David has not been able to convince Saul that he has not conspired against Saul. David refuses to take Saul’s life. Instead, David takes this opportunity to demonstrate his heart to Saul. David stands up for all to see and shows the piece of Saul’s garment in

1 Samuel 24:11 Now, my father, see, yes, see, the hem of your robe in my hand! For when I cut the hem of your robe I did not kill you. Know and realize that there is no evil or rebellion in my hand. I did not sin against you, but you are hunting down my life to take it.

Study Verses

• 1 Samuel 22:12–23 You Must Certainly Die
• 1 Samuel 23:6–13 Will the Rulers Deliver Me
• 1 Samuel 24:1–11 I Am Giving Your Enemy Into Your Hand

Today’s Reading

• 1 Samuel 22:12-23
• 1 Samuel 23:1-29
• 1 Samuel 24:1-11

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References

• 1. Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (1 Sa 23:9). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
• 2. Wolf, H. M. (1995). 1-2 Samuel. In Evangelical Commentary on the Bible (Vol. 3, pp. 208–209). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.

David recognizes that Saul has set himself to kill David. Jonathan, Saul’s son and apparent heir to the throne of Israel must choose between his father and David. Jonathan recognizes his fathers’ delusion and establishes an oath with David in 1 Samuel 20:42 Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, because we have sworn, the two of us, an oath in the name of Yahweh, saying, “Yahweh will be between me and you, and between my offspring and your offspring forever”. Saul sits with his back to a tree and a sword in his hand and believes everyone has collaborated against him as he says in 1 Samuel 22:8 “For all of you have conspired against me, and no one discloses to me … that my son commissioned my servant against me to ambush me as has been done this day!” This is real trouble for David, his family, and everyone that has any interaction with him. Nothing will convince Saul that he is not being conspired against by David.

Show Loyal Love to Your Servant

1 Samuel 20:1–11 

Do Not Cut Off Your Loyal Love From My Family

1 Samuel 20:12–19
Saul had not been able to carry out his plan to capture David because in 1 Samuel 19:23 “the Spirit of God came upon him also”. But David was sure that Saul intended to kill him. So, Jonathan agrees to inquire of Saul in

1 Samuel 20:12 Then Jonathan said to David, “Yahweh the God of Israel is my witness that I will question my father by this time the day after tomorrow. And look, if he is well disposed toward you, will I not send word to you and disclose it to you?

But Jonathan also knows that when the judgement of the Lord is involved, the family line is affected as it was with Eli in

1 Samuel 2:31 Look, days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of the house of your ancestor so that no one in your house will live to old age.

Jonathan knows that as Eli and his sons were cut off, the Lord will deal with David’s enemies. Jonathan promises he will disclose Saul’s plans to David if David will spare Jonathan’s life in 1 Samuel 20:12-15 then in 1 Samuel 20:17 Jonathan “made David swear an oath” that as the Lord deals with his enemies in

1 Samuel 20:16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May Yahweh call the enemies of David to account.”

David will not hold his fathers error against him and his family after him in

1 Samuel 20:15 And do not cut off your loyal love from my family forever, not even when Yahweh exterminates each of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.”

He Earnestly Asked Permission To Go

1 Samuel 20:20–29 

Yahweh Will Be Between Me and You Forever

1 Samuel 20:30–42
Jonathan is Saul’s son, Saul’s heir, the next in line for the throne according to the natural way of men. It would be natural for Jonathan to support his fathers actions and to honor and be obedient to all his father asks of him and this was also in Jonathan’s personal interest in

1 Samuel 20:31 For as long as the son of Jesse is alive on the earth, you and your kingdom will not be established! So then, send and bring him to me, for he will surely die!”

But Jonathan also knows David and that David is a faithful servant of the Lord and also of Jonathan’s father Saul. Jonathan has a dilemma, how can he serve the Lord and be honest and upright in his own life and fulfill his duty to his father and his friend? Jonathan has recognized that his father is wrong since in

1 Samuel 19:1 “Now Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants about killing David”

David is hiding, and Jonathan has agreed a signal to communicate Saul’s intent. Was Saul really intending to kill David? Yes, Saul had said in 1 Samuel 20:31 “he will surely die”. So, Jonathan sends the message and he and David meet one last time before David flees from Saul’s decree. Before David leaves, Jonathan reminds him of their oath and assures him in

1 Samuel 20:42 Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, because we have sworn, the two of us, an oath in the name of Yahweh, saying, “Yahweh will be between me and you, and between my offspring and your offspring forever.” Then he got up and left, and Jonathan went into the city.

There Is Only Holy Bread

1 Samuel 21:1–9

He Felt Severely Threatened

1 Samuel 21:10–15 

All of You Have Conspired Against Me

1 Samuel 22:1–11
David has fled, and his family goes with him in 1 Samuel 22:1. Others join in 1 Samuel 22:2 but David knows his family is in danger so David seeks refuge from his great grand mothers people in

1 Samuel 22:3 And David went up from there to Mizpah of Moab. He said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and my mother stay with you until I know what God will do for me.”

While Moab and Israel were enemies, and particularly, “The king of Moab was an enemy of Saul (1 Sa 14:47) … and the great-grandson of Ruth, of course, was related to the family of Jesse. David, therefore, had less anxiety in seeking an asylum within the dominions of this prince than those of Achish, because the Moabites had no grounds for entertaining vindictive feelings against him, and their enmity, to Saul rendered them the more willing to receive so illustrious a refugee from his court”.¹

But look at Saul’s condition. He is sitting with his back to a tree with a sword in his hand in

1 Samuel 22:6 Now Saul heard that David and the men who were with him had been located. Saul was sitting at Gibeah under the tamarisk tree at Ramah. Now his spear was in his hand and all his servants were stationed around him.

Then, Saul speaks to all of his men in

1 Samuel 22:8 For all of you have conspired against me, and no one discloses to me the making of an agreement between my son and the son of Jesse! None of you have had sympathy for me or disclosed to me that my son commissioned my servant against me to ambush me as has been done this day!”

Saul suffers from what today we might call, according to webmd.com, “Delusional disorder, previously called paranoid disorder, (which) is a type of serious mental illness called a psychotic disorder. People who have it can’t tell what’s real from what is imagined … (it is an) unshakable beliefs in something that isn’t true … But that doesn’t mean they’re completely unrealistic … (these are) situations that could happen in real life, like being … conspired against … (however) in reality, the situations are either not true at all or highly exaggerated”.²

No one can convince Saul that David has not conspired against him and it seems, that anyone coming in contact with David is also a conspirator!

Study Verses

• 1 Samuel 20:12–19 Do Not Cut Off Your Loyal Love From My Family
• 1 Samuel 20:30–42 Yahweh Will Be Between Me and You Forever
• 1 Samuel 22:1–11 All of You Have Conspired Against Me

Today’s Reading

• 1 Samuel 20:1-42
• 1 Samuel 21:1-15
• 1 Samuel 22:1-11

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References

• 1. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 189). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
• 2. Delusional Disorder. (n.d.). Retrieved March 14, 2019, from https://www.webmd.com/schizophrenia/guide/delusional-disorder