1 Samuel 23

1 When David was told, “Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are looting the threshing floors,” 2 he inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?”

The LORD answered him, “Go, attack the Philistines and save Keilah.”

3 But David’s men said to him, “Here in Judah we are afraid. How much more, then, if we go to Keilah against the Philistine forces!”

4 Once again David inquired of the LORD, and the LORD answered him, “Go down to Keilah, for I am going to give the Philistines into your hand.” 5 So David and his men went to Keilah, fought the Philistines and carried off their livestock. He inflicted heavy losses on the Philistines and saved the people of Keilah. 6 (Now Abiathar son of Ahimelek had brought the ephod down with him when he fled to David at Keilah.)

7 Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah, and he said, “God has delivered him into my hands, for David has imprisoned himself by entering a town with gates and bars.” 8 And Saul called up all his forces for battle, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men.

9 When David learned that Saul was plotting against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod.” 10David said, “LORD, God of Israel, your servant has heard definitely that Saul plans to come to Keilah and destroy the town on account of me. 11 Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me to him? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? LORD, God of Israel, tell your servant.”

And the LORD said, “He will.”

12 Again David asked, “Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me and my men to Saul?”

And the LORD said, “They will.”

13 So David and his men, about six hundred in number, left Keilah and kept moving from place to place. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he did not go there.

14 David stayed in the wilderness strongholds and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph. Day after day Saul searched for him, but God did not give David into his hands.

15 While David was at Horesh in the Desert of Ziph, he learned that Saul had come out to take his life. 16 And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God. 17 “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “My father Saul will not lay a hand on you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this.” 18 The two of them made a covenant before the LORD. Then Jonathan went home, but David remained at Horesh.

19 The Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah and said, “Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hakilah, south of Jeshimon? 20 Now, Your Majesty, come down whenever it pleases you to do so, and we will be responsible for giving him into your hands.”

21 Saul replied, “The LORD bless you for your concern for me. 22 Go and get more information. Find out where David usually goes and who has seen him there. They tell me he is very crafty. 23 Find out about all the hiding places he uses and come back to me with definite information. Then I will go with you; if he is in the area, I will track him down among all the clans of Judah.”

24 So they set out and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the Desert of Maon, in the Arabah south of Jeshimon. 25 Saul and his men began the search, and when David was told about it, he went down to the rock and stayed in the Desert of Maon. When Saul heard this, he went into the Desert of Maon in pursuit of David.

26 Saul was going along one side of the mountain, and David and his men were on the other side, hurrying to get away from Saul. As Saul and his forces were closing in on David and his men to capture them, 27 a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Come quickly! The Philistines are raiding the land.” 28 Then Saul broke off his pursuit of David and went to meet the Philistines. That is why they call this place Sela Hammahlekoth. 29 And David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of En Gedi.

Points of Interest

• ‘the Philistines are fighting against Keilah’--Keilah is a border town between Israelite and Philistine territory; so it may have been in frequent contention (Walton et. al). The Philistines are taking advantage of Saul’s distraction to gain some ground in their constant back-and-forth war with the Israelites. As king, Saul should be protecting his people against the Philistines; instead, he’s putting all of his efforts into destroying the person who has historically most helped him do so.
• ‘How much more, then, if we go to Keilah’--David’s outlaw band has had to be careful and lay low to avoid being discovered by Saul’s forces. They’ve been successful in Judah, David’s homeland, where they are among sympathetic people and in the places most familiar to most of them. They’re the typical guerrilla force, able to melt into the population or the landscape at the first sign of trouble. David is now wondering whether or not they should engage in a pitched battle to rescue Keilah. This idea makes his men nervous, not so much because they’re afraid of fighting the Philistines as because now Saul will know exactly where to find them.
• ‘Abiathar son of Ahimelek had brought the ephod down with him’--all priests wore ephods; thus, in yesterday’s passage, the author uses ‘men who wore the linen ephod’ as a synonym for ‘priest.’ But this isn’t just any old ephod but the ephod, apparently a particularly important and holy relic, probably even the original ephod of the first high priest Aaron, from the time of Moses, 400 years before. I think the author mentions it here because it is in some way instrumental in making inquiries of the Lord. At this time, speaking to and hearing from God is mostly considered a special skill, the realm of prophets and priests. Even with the priests, having the right equipment matters. In our story so far, we’ve occasionally seen things break out of these strict bounds, with Saul and his men inspired to prophesy; but apparently that’s a rare occurrence, so rare that it provokes the surprised comment, ‘What? Is Saul a prophet now?’ So, in his conversation with God, David uses the ephod-wearing Abiathar as a middleman. Abiathar would use these mysterious objects called ‘the Urim and the Thummim,’ which were some sort of accessory to the high priestly uniform, to receive guidance from God. We don’t know exactly how the Urim and the Thummim worked, but it’s worth noting that whenever David asks for direction from God, he presents two binary options (‘Should we stay or go?’ ‘Will Saul come or not?’ ‘Will they betray us or not?’); so probably there was some way in which it would ‘come up’ Urim or Thummim, like flipping a coin. Urim, for example, might mean help Keilah, but Thummim would mean stay hidden.
• ‘to go down to Keilah to besiege David’--again, we see that Saul is neglecting his kingly duties. When Keilah was being besieged by the Philistines, he couldn’t be bothered to go to help. Now that the town is safe, he suddenly springs to action, to besiege the town himself and capture David. Saul is actually attacking one of his own loyal towns. This puts David into a very difficult position. He is doing Saul’s job for him, while at the same time making sure that he himself doesn’t get captured by Saul.
• ‘Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me and my men to Saul?’--this is harsh. David has just rescued them, and the ungrateful citizenry turn right around and plan to hand him over to Saul. This is certainly a cowardly act, and yet you can understand why they do it. When Nob showed friendliness to David, Saul wiped the whole place out.
• ‘about six hundred in number’--the size of David’s forces continues to grow. After this major battle and the risky move of coming out of cover, rather than losing men to wounds or desertion, he actually has a 50% larger army.
• ‘Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh’-- Saul is running all around the desert following every false lead, trying in vain to track David down, with Jonathan quietly at his side. It turns out that Jonathan knows all along exactly how to find David. But he only uses his information when he thinks David might need him, not when his father wants it. Jonathan is the opposite of the people of Keilah.
• ‘You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you’--I bet being king of Israel seems pretty far away for David right now. Not so long ago, he was pretending to be a madman among the Philistines, and even now he and his band are constantly on the run. Jonathan, the one person in the world who stands to lose the most--in one way of looking at things--if David does become king, goes out of his way to encourage David. Jonathan believes God’s promises to David and looks forward to them coming true. He reminds David that the same God who rescued him from the lion and the bear and the Philistine giant will also rescue him from Saul.
• ‘Even my father Saul knows this’--Jonathan knows that while Saul looks unstoppably powerful he’s actually desperately afraid.
• ‘The Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah’--Gibeah is Saul’s capital. The people of Keilah may succumb to Saul’s threats, but the Ziphites go out of their way to inform on David. They’re making the most of the situation to curry favor with the king.
• ‘Saul broke off his pursuit of David’--apparently this is such a big attack that even Saul, obsessed as he is by pursuing David, can’t ignore it.
• ‘That is why they call this place Sela Hammahlekoth’--that is, ‘Rock of Escape’ or ‘Rock of Parting.’

Taking it home

• For you: Having first listened to God’s instruction to save Keilah, David later follows up with God, at which point he gets the useful information that the citizens of Keilah will nonetheless hand him over. Multiple check-ins with God seem to be the key to God’s guidance being truly helpful to David. What’s the last thing you felt like you heard from God? Spend some time today checking back in with God about that. Ask what his next set of instructions would be for you.
• For your six: Pray that your six would develop a vibrant relationship with God where they are regularly checking in with him. Ask your six if they ever pray and if they ever feel like they have heard anything from God.
• For our church: Saul’s squanders so much of his talent, potential, and influence because he is distracted by chasing David. Ask God to protect our church from being distracted and chasing things that will only lead us off course. Ask God to help us focus our time and energy on the things God has for us.
• For families: Spend more time talking about what God has called you to as a family. Pray together and ask God for more details: what does it look like? what is our role? what is really important? where do you start? It is okay to ask God to repeat what he said so you can make sure you heard right. Make a picture, poster, or list of the things God confirms so everyone in the family can see them.

1 Samuel 22

1 David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and his father’s household heard about it, they went down to him there. 2 All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their commander. About four hundred men were with him.

3 From there David went to Mizpah in Moab and said to the king of Moab, “Would you let my father and mother come and stay with you until I learn what God will do for me?” 4 So he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him as long as David was in the stronghold.

5 But the prophet Gad said to David, “Do not stay in the stronghold. Go into the land of Judah.” So David left and went to the forest of Hereth.

6 Now Saul heard that David and his men had been discovered. And Saul was seated, spear in hand, under the tamarisk tree on the hill at Gibeah, with all his officials standing at his side. 7 He said to them, “Listen, men of Benjamin! Will the son of Jesse give all of you fields and vineyards? Will he make all of you commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds? 8 Is that why you have all conspired against me? No one tells me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. None of you is concerned about me or tells me that my son has incited my servant to lie in wait for me, as he does today.”

9 But Doeg the Edomite, who was standing with Saul’s officials, said, “I saw the son of Jesse come to Ahimelek son of Ahitub at Nob. 10 Ahimelek inquired of the LORD for him; he also gave him provisions and the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”

11 Then the king sent for the priest Ahimelek son of Ahitub and all the men of his family, who were the priests at Nob, and they all came to the king. 12 Saul said, “Listen now, son of Ahitub.”

“Yes, my lord,” he answered.

13 Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, giving him bread and a sword and inquiring of God for him, so that he has rebelled against me and lies in wait for me, as he does today?”

14 Ahimelek answered the king, “Who of all your servants is as loyal as David, the king’s son-in-law, captain of your bodyguard and highly respected in your household? 15 Was that day the first time I inquired of God for him? Of course not! Let not the king accuse your servant or any of his father’s family, for your servant knows nothing at all about this whole affair.”

16 But the king said, “You will surely die, Ahimelek, you and your whole family.”

17 Then the king ordered the guards at his side: “Turn and kill the priests of the LORD, because they too have sided with David. They knew he was fleeing, yet they did not tell me.”

But the king’s officials were unwilling to raise a hand to strike the priests of the LORD.

18 The king then ordered Doeg, “You turn and strike down the priests.” So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck them down. That day he killed eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod. 19 He also put to the sword Nob, the town of the priests, with its men and women, its children and infants, and its cattle, donkeys and sheep.

20 But one son of Ahimelek son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled to join David. 21 He told David that Saul had killed the priests of the LORD. 22 Then David said to Abiathar, “That day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, I knew he would be sure to tell Saul. I am responsible for the death of your whole family. 23 Stay with me; don’t be afraid. The man who wants to take your life is trying to kill me too. You will be safe with me.”

Points of Interest

• ‘his brothers and his father’s household heard about it’--David and his brothers have done nothing but bicker throughout this story. But now, as so often happens, this outside threat draws them together. It’s probably not just brotherly solidarity that brings his family to David; being the brother of a traitor, as David is now considered, could be dangerous for them as well.
• ‘those who were in distress or in debt or discontented’--David becomes the leader of an outlaw band, rather like Robin Hood and his merry men. Some of the people who come to him are relatives. Many others join him because they, like him, are outcasts from normal society, through legal or financial difficulties, bad fortune, the wrong enemies, or just plain disaffection. While a large number of them are from David’s own tribe, Judah, there are representatives from all over Israel, and even from foreign countries. This ragtag group of outlaws, known as David’s Mighty Men, remains with him his entire life, serving as the core of his military forces even after he becomes king. They’re quite renowned, especially the members of two elite units, known as the Three and the Thirty. You can find their names and read about some of their exploits in 2 Samuel 23:8-39 and 1 Chronicles 11:10-12:22.
• ‘he left them with the king of Moab’--David is sending his parents to neutral territory for safekeeping. It’s possible he chooses Moab because of family connections; Jesse’s grandmother was a Moabite.
• ‘men of Benjamin’--Benjamin is Saul’s own tribe. These would be the troops most closely bound to Saul personally.
• ‘Will he make all of you commanders’--Saul, ever more unhinged, chooses to interpret their inability to catch David as disloyalty. ‘Has he promised to give you all promotions in the new administration? Is that it?’
• ‘Who of all your servants is as loyal as David’--Ahimelek’s words are both completely true and something of a deception. David is, in fact, the most loyal of Saul’s servants; and Saul has indeed often sent David to Ahimelek himself. But Ahimelek did have an inkling that something had gone wrong between Saul and David and chose to support David anyway.
• ‘your servant knows nothing at all about this whole affair’--despite the fact that Ahimelek had sniffed out that something was amiss, this is a reasonable defense of his actions; he had never been officially notified of David’s change in status. ‘How was I supposed to know without you telling me?’ he asks. Saul is not, however, in a reasonable mood.
• ‘unwilling to raise a hand to strike the priests’--even hardened warriors might hesitate to massacre unarmed priests, mistreatment of priests pretty much universally being thought to bring bad luck. Ancient Israelites might be especially reluctant to wipe out all of the priests. In Israel, the priesthood is hereditary; so they would essentially be cutting themselves and their entire nation off from God forever if they killed off the entire family.
• ‘Doeg the Edomite turned and struck them down’--Doeg is a foreign mercenary, from the neighboring kingdom of Edom. Perhaps, as a foreigner and probably a worshipper of different gods, he is less bothered by the stigma attached to killing these priests. Or perhaps he’s just desperate enough for advancement that he’s willing to do anything.
• ‘Abiathar, escaped and fled to join David’--Saul’s efforts to destroy David are actually accelerating David’s advancement. First, David ends up collecting his own army. Now, the remaining priest has switched over to David’s side. David practically has an entire shadow government in operation.
• ‘I am responsible for the death of your whole family’--David knew that stopping at Nob could put Ahimelek in danger; that’s why he lied about being on a mission from Saul. Ahimelek could have denied David the help, and Saul didn’t have to kill Ahimelek; so, David isn’t solely responsible for the situation. Nonetheless, because he put Ahimelek at risk, he feels the responsibility at least to protect and care for Ahimelek’s remaining family.

Taking it home

• For you: Even if David is slowly gaining a band of people who support him, he is still fleeing, in fear for his life, and mostly alone. What are the ways in which you feel alone and under-resourced? Pray some of David’s prayers during this time in his life from Psalm 31:

1 In you, LORD, I have taken refuge;

let me never be put to shame;

deliver me in your righteousness.

2 Turn your ear to me,

come quickly to my rescue;

be my rock of refuge,

a strong fortress to save me.

3 Since you are my rock and my fortress,

for the sake of your name lead and guide me.

4 Keep me free from the trap that is set for me,

for you are my refuge.

5 Into your hands I commit my spirit;

deliver me, LORD, my faithful God.

6 I hate those who cling to worthless idols;

as for me, I trust in the LORD.

7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love,

for you saw my affliction

and knew the anguish of my soul.

8 You have not given me into the hands of the enemy

but have set my feet in a spacious place.

9 Be merciful to me, LORD, for I am in distress;

my eyes grow weak with sorrow,

my soul and body with grief.

10 My life is consumed by anguish

and my years by groaning;

my strength fails because of my affliction,

and my bones grow weak.

11 Because of all my enemies,

I am the utter contempt of my neighbors

and an object of dread to my closest friends—

those who see me on the street flee from me.

12 I am forgotten as though I were dead;

I have become like broken pottery.

13 For I hear many whispering,

“Terror on every side!”

They conspire against me

and plot to take my life.

14 But I trust in you, LORD;

I say, “You are my God.” …

17 Let me not be put to shame, LORD,

for I have cried out to you;

but let the wicked be put to shame

and be silent in the realm of the dead. …

22 In my alarm I said,

“I am cut off from your sight!”

Yet you heard my cry for mercy

when I called to you for help...

24 Be strong and take heart,

all you who hope in the LORD.

• For your six: Pray for the families of your six. Ask God to bring reconciliation to broken family relationships. Pray for unlikely circumstances to bring their families closer together.
• For our church: From Gath, to Adullam, to Moab to Hereth to Gibeah--God both knows and tracks the physical places where his people are. Ask God to use our church in meaningful ways here in our city.
• For families: Parents, spend some time sharing with your children things you feel like God has called you to. Talk about people who have been partners to you along the way in this mission. Ask your family: do you think God is calling us to do anything special with God as a family? Are there others we know of who are also interested in this and might be our partners? If you come up with something specific, see if you can plan a date during Lent to take action on this in some way. Invite those you think might be partners to do it with you.

1 Samuel 21

1 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?”

2 David answered Ahimelek the priest, “The king sent me on a mission and said to me, ‘No one is to know anything about the mission I am sending you on.’ As for my men, I have told them to meet me at a certain place. 3Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever you can find.”

4 But the priest answered David, “I don’t have any ordinary bread on hand; however, there is some consecrated bread here—provided the men have kept themselves from women.”

5 David replied, “Indeed women have been kept from us, as usual whenever I set out. The men’s bodies are holy even on missions that are not holy. How much more so today!” 6 So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence that had been removed from before the LORD and replaced by hot bread on the day it was taken away.

7 Now one of Saul’s servants was there that day, detained before the LORD; he was Doeg the Edomite, Saul’s chief shepherd.

8 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.”

9 The priest replied, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here; it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. 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.”

10 That day David fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath. 11 But the servants of Achish said to him, “Isn’t this David, the king of the land? Isn’t he the one they sing about in their dances:

“‘Saul has slain his thousands,

and David his tens of thousands’?”

12 David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath. 13 So he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard.

14 Achish said to his servants, “Look at the man! He is insane! Why bring him to me? 15 Am I so short of madmen that you have to bring this fellow here to carry on like this in front of me? Must this man come into my house?”

Points of Interest

• ‘David went to Nob’--at this point, the Israelites don’t really have what you would call an organized religion. Instead, the land is dotted with shrines built around the site of a visitation from God or the possession of an honored relic. Nob is apparently one of these shrines.
• ‘Ahimelek trembled when he met him’--David is a famous and important general. He would usually travel with a big entourage, if not an entire army. So, when he arrives alone, unarmed, and perhaps a bit bedraggled, Ahimelek immediately knows that something is wrong.
• ‘The king sent me on a mission’--this is, of course, a lie. I don’t know if David is truly trying to hide his plans from Ahimelek, or if he’s trying to give Ahimelek plausible deniability. In other words, if Ahimelek ever got into hot water for helping David, Ahimelek could honestly say, ‘David told me he was on a royal mission.’
• ‘I have told them to meet me’--while the part about being sent by the king is a lie, this part might be true. David is trying to collect more food than might be necessary just for him. And he and his men do indeed meet up shortly after this.
• ‘there is some consecrated bread here’--twelve loaves of bread were continually set out in the sanctuary as a memorial to the way God fed the twelve tribes of the Israelites miracle bread as they wandered in the desert. Once a week, the priests would bake new loaves and eat the old ones. Ahimelek is offering David his own food, food that only priests were supposed to eat. That’s why Ahimelek shows some hesitation and asks the strange question about whether or not they’ve had sex recently. If he’s going to give the priestly food to non-priests, he wants to at least make sure that they are what’s called ‘ritually clean,’ that is, adequately prepared for religious service. For whatever reason, refraining from intimate contact with women is one element of that ritual preparation. Serendipitously, at least as far as getting the bread is concerned, being away at war has kept the men away from women; so they’re good on that front.
• ‘Now one of Saul’s servants was there that day’--perhaps Doeg is the audience for David’s line about being on assignment from the king.
• ‘The sword of Goliath the Philistine’--David drops into a random shrine looking for food and a weapon. Amazingly, not only is there, in fact, a sword he can borrow, but it’s his own sword, the one he won by killing Goliath. I imagine that this must have been pretty encouraging to David. Right now, things aren’t how he might have expected them to be. But every time he looks down at his sword, he can remember that God did indeed come through for him in an amazing way in the past; maybe that’s enough to bolster his belief that God will come through again in the future.
• ‘behind the ephod’--the ‘ephod’ is the special garment worn by the priest while performing his official duties. It’s hard to tell from this passage whether the ephod is being displayed when it isn’t in use, or is being stowed in a closet, with the sword stuffed in a corner behind it.
• ‘There is none like it’--the Philistines had a local monopoly on the best metalwork (ch. 13:19-22).
• ‘went to Achish king of Gath’--Gath is one of the Philistine cities; it’s Goliath’s hometown. David is trying to put himself well outside of Saul’s reach. It seems like David is trying to enter the town incognito and get some work as a mercenary. This is perhaps not the best thought-out plan ever. Very quickly people start to ask, ‘Hey, don’t we know you from somewhere?’ And they figure out that he’s the subject of that irritating, omnipresent hit song, ‘David Slew his Ten Thousands’--surely a song that was a lot less liked in Philistia than in Israel.
• ‘he acted like a madman’--I get the impression David is improvising here; the best chance he has of staying alive is to pretend to have gone insane. It’s just possible that in that case he’d be pitied or mocked or feared instead of hated and killed. It’s quite a steep decline for David. Not so long ago, he had defeated Goliath, chased the Philistine army off, and become his country’s biggest hero and most respected general. Now, he’s an exile, hiding out in Goliath’s own town, and letting the spittle collect in his beard so that people will leave him alone.

Taking it home

• For you: Goliath’s sword serves as a reminder of a time when God worked miraculously on David’s behalf. When did God last do something truly miraculous in your life? Take some time to remember, and to thank God for that time. If it seems like a long time ago, tell God that you want to experience God’s power more regularly. Ask God to give you all the encouragement and reminder signs you need today to continue to trust him.
• For your six: When David went to the priest, it wasn’t for spiritual guidance; David just needed some food, his lunch for the day. Sometimes, it’s the simple things that matter most. When is the last time you shared a meal with your six? Take one of your six out for dinner or a drink, or invite them over. Pray that this time together would hit the spot, just like the bread did for David.
• For our church: A big part of David’s job during this phase of his life is to keep persevering. Earlier, he experienced glory and stardom. Now, he’s basically just trying to survive. As a church, we too have had our high times and our more difficult times, and I’m sure we’ll have them both again. Pray that God would make us a church that perseveres well through seasons of difficulty.
• For families: We can do practical things for our friends as well as pray for them. Think of one of your friends. Ask God to tell you if there is anything this person needs that you might be the right person to help them with.

1 Samuel 20

1 Then David fled from Naioth at Ramah and went to Jonathan and asked, “What have I done? What is my crime? How have I wronged your father, that he is trying to take my life?”

2 “Never!” Jonathan replied. “You are not going to die! Look, my father doesn’t do anything, great or small, without letting me know. Why would he hide this from me? It isn’t so!”

3 But David took an oath and said, “Your father knows very well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said to himself, ‘Jonathan must not know this or he will be grieved.’ Yet as surely as the LORD lives and as you live, there is only a step between me and death.”

4 Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do for you.”

5 So David said, “Look, tomorrow is the New Moon feast, and I am supposed to dine with the king; but let me go and hide in the field until the evening of the day after tomorrow. 6 If your father misses me at all, tell him, ‘David earnestly asked my permission to hurry to Bethlehem, his hometown, because an annual sacrifice is being made there for his whole clan.’ 7 If he says, ‘Very well,’ then your servant is safe. But if he loses his temper, you can be sure that he is determined to harm me. 8 As for you, show kindness to your servant, for you have brought him into a covenant with you before the LORD. If I am guilty, then kill me yourself! Why hand me over to your father?”

9 “Never!” Jonathan said. “If I had the least inkling that my father was determined to harm you, wouldn’t I tell you?”

10 David asked, “Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?”

11 “Come,” Jonathan said, “let’s go out into the field.” So they went there together.

12 Then Jonathan said to David, “I swear by the LORD, the God of Israel, that I will surely sound out my father by this time the day after tomorrow! If he is favorably disposed toward you, will I not send you word and let you know? 13 But if my father intends to harm you, may the LORD deal with Jonathan, be it ever so severely, if I do not let you know and send you away in peace. May the LORD be with you as he has been with my father. 14 But show me unfailing kindness like the LORD’s kindness as long as I live, so that I may not be killed, 15 and do not ever cut off your kindness from my family—not even when the LORD has cut off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth.”

16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the LORD call David’s enemies to account.”17 And Jonathan had David reaffirm his oath out of love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself.

18 Then Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the New Moon feast. You will be missed, because your seat will be empty. 19 The day after tomorrow, toward evening, go to the place where you hid when this trouble began, and wait by the stone Ezel. 20 I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I were shooting at a target. 21 Then I will send a boy and say, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I say to him, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you; bring them here,’ then come, because, as surely as the LORD lives, you are safe; there is no danger. 22 But if I say to the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ then you must go, because the LORD has sent you away. 23 And about the matter you and I discussed—remember, the LORD is witness between you and me forever.”

24 So David hid in the field, and when the New Moon feast came, the king sat down to eat. 25 He sat in his customary place by the wall, opposite Jonathan, and Abner sat next to Saul, but David’s place was empty. 26 Saul said nothing that day, for he thought, “Something must have happened to David to make him ceremonially unclean—surely he is unclean.” 27 But the next day, the second day of the month, David’s place was empty again. Then Saul said to his son Jonathan, “Why hasn’t the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?”

28 Jonathan answered, “David earnestly asked me for permission to go to Bethlehem. 29 He said, ‘Let me go, because our family is observing a sacrifice in the town and my brother has ordered me to be there. If I have found favor in your eyes, let me get away to see my brothers.’ That is why he has not come to the king’s table.”

30 Saul’s anger flared up at Jonathan and he said to him, “You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Don’t I know that you have sided with the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of the mother who bore you?31 As long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Now send someone to bring him to me, for he must die!”

32 “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” Jonathan asked his father. 33 But Saul hurled his spear at him to kill him. Then Jonathan knew that his father intended to kill David.

34 Jonathan got up from the table in fierce anger; on that second day of the feast he did not eat, because he was grieved at his father’s shameful treatment of David.

35 In the morning Jonathan went out to the field for his meeting with David. He had a small boy with him, 36 and he said to the boy, “Run and find the arrows I shoot.” As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 37 When the boy came to the place where Jonathan’s arrow had fallen, Jonathan called out after him, “Isn’t the arrow beyond you?” 38 Then he shouted, “Hurry! Go quickly! Don’t stop!” The boy picked up the arrow and returned to his master.39 (The boy knew nothing about all this; only Jonathan and David knew.) 40 Then Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy and said, “Go, carry them back to town.”

41 After the boy had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone and bowed down before Jonathan three times, with his face to the ground. Then they kissed each other and wept together—but David wept the most.

42 Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the LORD, saying, ‘The LORD is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever.’” Then David left, and Jonathan went back to the town.

Points of Interest

• ‘Why would he hide this from me?’--I guess this answers my question from yesterday. Saul has started to hide his plans from Jonathan, knowing that they have different attitudes toward David.
• ‘Whatever you want me to do’--this is a pretty big step, I think. Jonathan goes from advocating for David with his father to actively siding with David over against his father.
• ‘let me go and hide in the field until the evening’--I think the idea here is for David to lay low to give Saul a chance to cool down. It seems like a risky proposition, though. David is planning to skip out on a holiday feast; for such a highly ranked person as David to be so conspicuously absent could in and of itself be taken as evidence of disloyalty.
• ‘If I am guilty, then kill me yourself’--David is very unsettled. He’s even a little bit suspicious that Jonathan is setting him up.
• ‘not even when the LORD has cut off every one of David’s enemies’--it seems to me that Jonathan has his father in mind here. Jonathan foresees that David will end up winning this showdown with Saul. Right now, David is weak and needs Jonathan’s help. Someday, it’ll be the other way around; Jonathan’s family will be at David’s mercy. Jonathan will protect David now, if David shows mercy to his family later. It’s a risky proposition for both of them. Jonathan is siding with a poorly-resourced usurper against his own father, the king; if it goes badly for David, it’ll go badly for Jonathan too. And David, by promising to keep Jonathan’s family alive, is practically welcoming future political trouble. It would be standard protocol for the founder of a new dynasty to wipe out the former royal family, to eliminate once and for all any rival claimants to the throne.
• ‘son of a perverse and rebellious woman’--in other words, ‘You didn’t learn this kind of behavior from me!’
• ‘Don’t I know that you have sided with the son of Jesse’--this reminds me of the old line, ‘Just because you’re paranoid, it doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you.’ Saul is clearly a raving lunatic, and he’s absolutely right.
• ‘neither you nor your kingdom will be established’--here is the difference between Saul and Jonathan. Saul is willing to do anything to stay king. Jonathan would rather lose the kingdom than lose his friendship and partnership with David. For Jonathan, the kingdom is more important than his kingship; and he knows David is good for the kingdom.
• ‘After the boy had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone’--David and Jonathan set up this elaborate system of signals so that David wouldn’t need to show himself if there’s trouble. And Jonathan uses the signals. But David can’t help himself. Instead of staying hidden and sneaking off, he breaks cover, because he has to give Jonathan a proper good-bye.

Taking it home

• For you: Thank God for each person in your life who in one way or another acts like a Jonathan to you. Tell that person today that you are grateful for them and say what they mean to you.
• For your six: How can you commit to support and look out for your six? Ask God for open doors and ways that you can be a Jonathan to your six.
• For our church: Ask God to make our church a place of incredibly great friendships, where everyone would feel like they have caring community of people who love them.
• For families: Tell one another about your friends and why they are good friends to you. Have each person in your family make a list of their close friends, and take time together to pray for each friend. Consider continuing to pray for your family’s friends throughout Lent. Add any answers to prayer to your poster about what God has done during Lent. Older children might enjoy keeping a journal instead of using a poster.

1 Samuel 19

1 Saul told his son Jonathan and all the attendants to kill David. But Jonathan had taken a great liking to David 2and warned him, “My father Saul is looking for a chance to kill you. Be on your guard tomorrow morning; go into hiding and stay there. 3 I will go out and stand with my father in the field where you are. I’ll speak to him about you and will tell you what I find out.”

4 Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, “Let not the king do wrong to his servant David; he has not wronged you, and what he has done has benefited you greatly. 5 He took his life in his hands when he killed the Philistine. The LORD won a great victory for all Israel, and you saw it and were glad. Why then would you do wrong to an innocent man like David by killing him for no reason?”

6 Saul listened to Jonathan and took this oath: “As surely as the LORD lives, David will not be put to death.”

7 So Jonathan called David and told him the whole conversation. He brought him to Saul, and David was with Saul as before.

8 Once more war broke out, and David went out and fought the Philistines. He struck them with such force that they fled before him.

9 But an evil spirit from the LORD came on Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand. While David was playing the lyre, 10 Saul tried to pin him to the wall with his spear, but David eluded him as Saul drove the spear into the wall. That night David made good his escape.

11 Saul sent men to David’s house to watch it and to kill him in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, warned him, “If you don’t run for your life tonight, tomorrow you’ll be killed.” 12 So Michal let David down through a window, and he fled and escaped. 13 Then Michal took an idol and laid it on the bed, covering it with a garment and putting some goats’ hair at the head.

14 When Saul sent the men to capture David, Michal said, “He is ill.”

15 Then Saul sent the men back to see David and told them, “Bring him up to me in his bed so that I may kill him.” 16 But when the men entered, there was the idol in the bed, and at the head was some goats’ hair.

17 Saul said to Michal, “Why did you deceive me like this and send my enemy away so that he escaped?”

Michal told him, “He said to me, ‘Let me get away. Why should I kill you?’”

18 When David had fled and made his escape, he went to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went to Naioth and stayed there. 19 Word came to Saul: “David is in Naioth at Ramah”;20 so he sent men to capture him. But when they saw a group of prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing there as their leader, the Spirit of God came on Saul’s men, and they also prophesied. 21 Saul was told about it, and he sent more men, and they prophesied too. Saul sent men a third time, and they also prophesied. 22 Finally, he himself left for Ramah and went to the great cistern at Seku. And he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?”

“Over in Naioth at Ramah,” they said.

23 So Saul went to Naioth at Ramah. But the Spirit of God came even on him, and he walked along prophesying until he came to Naioth. 24 He stripped off his garments, and he too prophesied in Samuel’s presence. He lay naked all that day and all that night. This is why people say, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”

Points of Interest

• ‘Saul told his son Jonathan and all the attendants to kill David’--with none of his clever plans working, Saul dispenses with the subterfuge and simply orders a hit.
• ‘As surely as the LORD lives’--has Jonathan genuinely persuaded Saul, or has Saul simply learned he needs to keep his true intentions hidden from Jonathan? I can’t tell. At the very least, it buys some time. Saul doesn’t immediately assassinate David.
• 'Saul tried to pin him to the wall with his spear’--it’s gotten to the point that Saul takes victory in war as bad news. He’d rather lose to the Philistines than see David continue to succeed.
• ‘David made good his escape’--I guess even David can only tolerate so many spears thrust in his direction.
• ‘But Michal, David’s wife, warned him’--Saul is really on his own. Even his own son and daughter are on David’s side.
• ‘Michal took an idol and laid it on the bed’--we get an interesting glimpse into ancient Israelite home life. God had in no uncertain terms prohibited the Israelites from making idols, even as physical representations of himself. God wanted it to be clear that they were in an actual relationship with an actual living God; there was no need for imitations made of wood, metal, or stone. This was the first and most important of the Ten Commandments, the foundation of God’s alliance with the Israelites. Yet, it seems that in real, everyday life, things weren’t so clear. Even David and Michal have a life-sized idol in their home. Granted, they don’t seem too serious about it, since they’re willing to dress it up with goat’s hair and use it as a dummy.
• ‘he went to Samuel’--it’s Samuel who started this mess, after all. I don’t know whether David is going to Samuel for protection or guidance or both.
• 'the Spirit of God came on Saul’s men’--this is an unexpected form of defense. Saul and his men are so overcome by an impulse to speak God’s words that they can’t arrest David. I wonder what they are saying.

Taking it home

• For you: You have to wonder if hearing suddenly that he might be killed was a little panic-provoking for David, sending him into flustered crisis mode. In the end it proved to be a false alarm as God turned the terrible situation around. What have been the situations lately that have been sending you into panic mode? Ask God to take to any feelings of panic and despair away, and to turn whatever emergency situations you encounter this week around.
• For your six: Who do your six turn to when they are desperate or in trouble? Ask God to be their refuge in these times and to give them lots of people like Samuel to whom they can turn, and who will help point them toward God.
• For our church: Pray that God’s spirit would show up and follow our church around. Saul’s men weren’t exactly the good guys in this story. However, God doesn't seem to mind. Even as they actively tried to kill his chosen servants, they are still able to experience God’s presence. Pray that people who often find themselves hostile toward and on the outskirts of faith would find themselves suddenly experiencing God in tangible ways through our church like Saul’s men did. Pray that our church would be a place where everyone feels welcome and is able to connect with God.
• For families: Sometimes we have days when it feels like nothing is going right and everyone is against us. Can you remember a time like this? Spend some time sharing about tough days like this. How can we invite God into times like this? Have you ever done that? How did it turn out? Read Psalm 40:1-3 together to hear how David talks about this.

Psalm 40

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

1 I waited patiently for the LORD;

he turned to me and heard my cry.

2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit,

out of the mud and mire;

he set my feet on a rock

and gave me a firm place to stand.

3 He put a new song in my mouth,

a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear the LORD

and put their trust in him.

1 Samuel 18

1 After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. 2 From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return home to his family. 3 And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. 4 Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt.

5 Whatever mission Saul sent him on, David was so successful that Saul gave him a high rank in the army. This pleased all the troops, and Saul’s officers as well.

6 When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with timbrels and lyres. 7 As they danced, they sang:

“Saul has slain his thousands,

and David his tens of thousands.”

8 Saul was very angry; this refrain displeased him greatly. “They have credited David with tens of thousands,” he thought, “but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?” 9 And from that time on Saul kept a close eye on David.

10 The next day an evil spirit from God came forcefully on Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the lyre, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand 11 and he hurled it, saying to himself, “I’ll pin David to the wall.” But David eluded him twice.

12 Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with David but had departed from Saul. 13 So he sent David away from him and gave him command over a thousand men, and David led the troops in their campaigns. 14 In everything he did he had great success, because the LORD was with him. 15 When Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him. 16 But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he led them in their campaigns.

17 Saul said to David, “Here is my older daughter Merab. I will give her to you in marriage; only serve me bravely and fight the battles of the LORD.” For Saul said to himself, “I will not raise a hand against him. Let the Philistines do that!”

18 But David said to Saul, “Who am I, and what is my family or my clan in Israel, that I should become the king’s son-in-law?” 19 So when the time came for Merab, Saul’s daughter, to be given to David, she was given in marriage to Adriel of Meholah.

20 Now Saul’s daughter Michal was in love with David, and when they told Saul about it, he was pleased. 21 “I will give her to him,” he thought, “so that she may be a snare to him and so that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” So Saul said to David, “Now you have a second opportunity to become my son-in-law.”

22 Then Saul ordered his attendants: “Speak to David privately and say, ‘Look, the king likes you, and his attendants all love you; now become his son-in-law.’”

23 They repeated these words to David. But David said, “Do you think it is a small matter to become the king’s son-in-law? I’m only a poor man and little known.”

24 When Saul’s servants told him what David had said, 25 Saul replied, “Say to David, ‘The king wants no other price for the bride than a hundred Philistine foreskins, to take revenge on his enemies.’” Saul’s plan was to have David fall by the hands of the Philistines.

26 When the attendants told David these things, he was pleased to become the king’s son-in-law. So before the allotted time elapsed, 27 David took his men with him and went out and killed two hundred Philistines and brought back their foreskins. They counted out the full number to the king so that David might become the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave him his daughter Michal in marriage.

28 When Saul realized that the LORD was with David and that his daughter Michal loved David, 29 Saul became still more afraid of him, and he remained his enemy the rest of his days.

30 The Philistine commanders continued to go out to battle, and as often as they did, David met with more success than the rest of Saul’s officers, and his name became well known.

Points of Interest

• ‘Jonathan became one in spirit with David’--Jonathan is Saul’s oldest son, his heir apparent, and the crown prince. David and Jonathan quickly become like brothers, or perhaps more accurately closer than brothers. Jonathan shows David the kindness, respect, and appreciation that David’s actual older brothers never did. And perhaps Jonathan finds in David the companion and peer he’s always been looking for from his younger brothers. I get the impression, simply from the fact that they are hardly ever mentioned during the war with the Philistines, that Jonathan’s brothers are nowhere near the leaders or warriors that Jonathan and David are. Now, in David, Jonathan has someone to spur him on to and accompany him in great deeds.
• ‘did not let him return home to his family’--the time of commuting back and forth between the sheep and the court is over.
• ‘Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David’--people always seem to be giving David their clothes. It seems to me like Jonathan is ceding pride of place to David here. Earlier, David said to Saul, ‘Your clothing and armor don’t suit me.’ Now, Jonathan is saying to David, ‘My clothing and armor fit you better than me.’ Jonathan may be the crown prince, but he recognizes that David is actually greater than him.
• ‘Saul has slain his thousands’--the singers seem to be giving Saul more credit than he actually deserves in this instance; we don’t hear of him doing any slaying at all. Nonetheless, Saul is offended because they put David ahead of him. Saul and Jonathan are having very different reactions to the arrival of this new leader among them.
• ‘He was prophesying in his house’--the original sign of God’s anointing of Saul was a spirit of prophecy (1 Samuel 10:1-7). Perhaps it’s an ability that has stuck with Saul. Then again, several translations say, ‘raving,’ rather than, ‘prophesying’ here; apparently, the Hebrew word can go either way (Baldwin). ‘Raving’ makes more sense to me here. Apparently, Saul is having one of his episodes, which David is trying to soothe with music, as he has done in the past. This time, though, Saul proves impervious to soothing, perhaps particularly by David.
• ‘David eluded him twice’--it’s the ‘twice’ part that sticks out to me here. Saul misses once, and David sticks around to give him a second try.
• ‘So he sent David away from him’--I guess Saul is protecting himself against a possible palace coup by putting some distance between David and him. Saul is the one throwing spears, but he’s also the one who is afraid.
• 'I will give her to you in marriage’--David has already served Saul bravely, and has already been promised one of his daughters as a wife (17:25). But he holds the reward back, hoping David will overreach and get himself killed.
• ‘Who am I’--Eliab accused David of being a self-promoter; and Saul fears that he’s a usurper. But David makes clear here that he isn’t motivated by his own advancement. He killed Goliath and fights the Philistines simply to show God’s power and to play a part in God’s rescue of the Israelites.
• ‘and little known’--apart from the fact that the hit song of the day is all about his exploits, that is.
• 'and killed two hundred Philistines’--everything Saul tries to do to ruin David ends up backfiring. The more Saul schemes, the more honorable, humble, and brave David proves to be. Saul is certain that David would die before collecting one hundred Philistine ‘scalps,’ but David effortlessly collects twice that.
• 'and brought back their foreskins’--a remarkable way of keeping count, but I imagine it’s pretty reliable. The Philistine soldiers certainly wouldn’t part with their foreskins unless they were dead.
• ‘his daughter Michal loved David’--the promise of being a king’s son-in-law wasn’t enough to get David together with Merab, the older sister. Maybe David has been worn down by Saul’s persistence, or maybe an actual loving affection between him and Michal makes this time different.

Taking it home

• For you: Pray some of Psalm 59 (listed below), a prayer of David’s during this time in his life. In the parts where David talks about the enemies against whom Saul was sending him in battle day after day, pray against any spiritual enemies that might seek to send you off course today.

Psalm 59 (excerpts)

Deliver me from my enemies, O God;

be my fortress against those who are attacking me.

2 Deliver me from evildoers

and save me from those who are after my blood.

3 See how they lie in wait for me!

Fierce men conspire against me

for no offense or sin of mine, LORD.

4 I have done no wrong, yet they are ready to attack me.

Arise to help me; look on my plight!...

9 You are my strength, I watch for you;

you, God, are my fortress,

10 my God on whom I can rely.

God will go before me

and will let me gloat over those who slander me.

11 But do not kill them, Lord our shield,

or my people will forget.

In your might uproot them

and bring them down.

12 For the sins of their mouths,

for the words of their lips,

let them be caught in their pride.

For the curses and lies they utter,

13 consume them in your wrath,

consume them till they are no more.

Then it will be known to the ends of the earth

that God rules over Jacob.

14 They return at evening,

snarling like dogs,

and prowl about the city.

15 They wander about for food

and howl if not satisfied.

16 But I will sing of your strength,

in the morning I will sing of your love;

for you are my fortress,

my refuge in times of trouble.

17 You are my strength, I sing praise to you;

you, God, are my fortress,

my God on whom I can rely.

• For your six: Pray that God would have favor on your six just like he had on David. Pray for protection and success in whatever they have going on.
• For our church: Pray that God would make us a community that is always trying to seek the best for others, as opposed to Saul who wished destruction on David. Ask God to make us a place that encourages, celebrates, and supports every group and organization that is working for good in our city. Ask God to protect us from ways in which we are prone to feel competitive or prideful; pray that we would instead help build unity among churches, organizations, and businesses in our city.
• For families: Discuss a time when each member of your family felt like someone else was getting the attention they wanted. What was it like to feel that way? What other options do we have when we start to feel jealous? How could we ask God to give us the attention and love we need in those moments?

1 Samuel 17:38-58

38 Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. 39David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them.

“I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.

41 Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. 42 He looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he despised him. 43 He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44“Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!”

45 David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

48 As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. 49 Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.

50 So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.

51 David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and drew it from the sheath. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword.

When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran. 52 Then the men of Israel and Judah surged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath and to the gates of Ekron. Their dead were strewn along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron. 53 When the Israelites returned from chasing the Philistines, they plundered their camp.

54 David took the Philistine’s head and brought it to Jerusalem; he put the Philistine’s weapons in his own tent.

55 As Saul watched David going out to meet the Philistine, he said to Abner, commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is that young man?”

Abner replied, “As surely as you live, Your Majesty, I don’t know.”

56 The king said, “Find out whose son this young man is.”

57 As soon as David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with David still holding the Philistine’s head.

58 “Whose son are you, young man?” Saul asked him.

David said, “I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem.”

Points of interest

• ‘Saul dressed David in his own tunic’--now not only is God giving David the anointing that used to belong to Saul, but Saul himself is giving David his clothes.
• ‘I am not used to them’--this reminds me of God’s words to Samuel when he was having dinner at Jesse’s house: ‘The LORD does not look at the things human beings look at.’ David is not going to fit into Saul’s pattern. Saul has all of the right trappings: he has the looks of a king; he has all of the right equipment; he even has the title. But he’s not a good king. David has none of the trappings. The armor doesn’t fit; and he wouldn’t know what to do with a sword. But God sees in him the right stuff to be a good king. At this point, the right stuff seems to be an expectation that God will use what little David has to accomplish great things.
• ‘David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him’--I have to admit that I sometimes think that David doesn’t beat Goliath fair and square. It’s like a duel with one person swinging a sword and the other shooting a pistol. Doesn’t David win just because he picks Goliath off before Goliath can ever reach him? But I must be missing something. The story gives a few clues that David is being brave here, and that his victory is more than just unfair advantage. First of all, Goliath also thinks the fight is unfair, to his advantage; he can’t believe David is coming against him so poorly armed. Secondly, Goliath also has a ranged weapon, a javelin; he just never throws it. And thirdly we have this: David runs toward Goliath. That’s not the smart thing for the guy with the sling to do. David should be hanging back out of Goliath’s reach as long as he can, but instead he closes with Goliath; the guy with the stick and the stone going on the attack against the guy with the sword.
• ‘David took the Philistine’s head and brought it to Jerusalem’--I think this is a reference to the future. Jerusalem isn’t an Israelite city until David conquers it later in the story, and it’s quite a distance from the battle site. And David has more important things to do right now than take a side trip to safely stow his trophy; there’s an army of Philistines to pursue. I think the author is telling us that David kept Goliath’s head all the way until the time, many years later, when he could carry it with him into his new capital city. Goliath’s head is a sort of down payment on God’s promise to turn David into a king.
• ‘whose son is that young man?’--like I said yesterday, it’s hard to get a read on who David is and what his relationship with Saul is thus far. Is he a brave warrior, or a punk kid? Is he a stranger to Saul, or one of Saul’s favorites? Yesterday, I hypothesized that we are actually being given two different versions of the story of David’s beginnings. Today, though, I wonder if it’s just that Saul is having such a hard time recognizing David because he’s so different from the David he usually sees. Could Tuesday’s soothing harp player really be the same young man who just chopped off a giant’s head with the giant’s own sword on Thursday?

Taking it home

• For you: David had to walk around in Saul’s armor for a few steps before realizing that what worked for Saul wouldn't work for him. Often it’s easy to let others, our circumstances, or our roles and responsibilities throw all sorts of expectations and obligations on us, maybe without us even realizing it. Additionally, there is often so much going on beneath the surface of our busy lives that we can fail to listen and really know ourselves. Take some time just to be still and silent in God’s presence. Ask God to sift through all the ‘coverings’ you might be wearing, to show you who you are, and to bring what is going on in your heart to the surface. As you sit silently, pay attention to what your heart is saying. What emotions rise to the surface? Are there certain circumstances, where you need to be like David and say ‘this isn’t me’?
• For your six: Ask God to bless the uniqueness of each of your six, and to give them the ability to live out that uniqueness well. Write down the name of each of your six. Spend some time thinking about something that makes them who they are. Consider affirming that quality in them today--by phone, text, email or in person.
• For our church: I picture David as a 5th grade boy saying he’s going to slam dunk over Shaq--clearly impossible and kind of presumptuous. David was willing to step out so audaciously in fighting Goliath because he seemed to know right from the get-go that it was God who was actually going to do the real work. Pray that our church would completely bank on God to be the one who miraculously comes through and makes the impossible possible; and pray that we would then have the courage to act bravely like David.
• For families: As parents, sometimes we can assume our children are just like us and push them to respond to things in the same way we would. Spend some time talking about the ways your children are similar to you, and ways they are different from you. Ask older children to think about the similarities and differences that they see. If applicable, ask your children for forgiveness for ways you have treated them as though they were you, missing their different, yet valid, way of approaching a circumstance. Bless your children for the ways they are really their own person.