David left, and Jonathan went back to the town.
And so it begins… This part of David’s life – on the run – will give birth to the Psalms, much in the in the same way that Job’s life mired in his own grief gave birth to the book in his name. Thank you, Father, for these absolute gems.
David went to Nob, to Ahimelek the priest. Ahimelek trembled when he met him, and asked, “Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?”
Ahimelek had every reason to be troubled by these very strange circumstances.
David answered Ahimelek the priest, “The king sent me on a mission… The men’s bodies are holy even on missions that are not holy. How much more so today!”
Lies and double talk. Desperate times call for desperate measures, I suppose…
Now one of Saul’s servants was there that day, detained before the Lord; he was Doeg the Edomite, Saul’s chief shepherd.
This wasn’t by accident (does anything happen by accident?). Saul had not yet committed an act which merited his death but that would change (1 Samuel 22:18-23). Like the hundreds of years the Israelites were “wasting away” in Egypt, we most often don’t know the reasons behind the circumstances (Genesis 15:16). May I patiently wait, Father, knowing that you have everything under control (Job 42:1-6).
David asked Ahimelek, “Don’t you have a spear or a sword here? I haven’t brought my sword or any other weapon, because the king’s mission was urgent.”
The priest replied, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here… If you want it, take it; there is no sword here but that one.”
David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.”
That day David fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath.
Seriously?! David is showing up at Gath with the sword he used to kill Goliath, the hero of Gath (1 Samuel 17)! I get the enemy of my enemy is my friend, but what kind of greeting was he expecting?