1 & 2 Samuel

1 Samuel Chapter 23

David Saves the City of Keilah

1Samuel 23:1 Then they told David, saying, Behold, the Philistines fight against Keilah, and they rob the threshingfloors.

This was common for surrounding enemy nations to wait until harvest time to enter another country and steal their wheat or any other food that was grown. This would be worse than stealing money because it could cause starvation to the victims. The very opposite of love thy neighbor as thyself.

1Samuel 23:2 Therefore David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go and smite these Philistines? And the LORD said unto David, Go, and smite the Philistines, and save Keilah.
3 And David's men said unto him, Behold, we be afraid here in Judah: how much more then if we come to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?

Even though David asked the Lord before going out to fight but his men were not so sure and were understandably afraid, so this caused David to be sure he heard right and asked the Lord again.

1Samuel 23:4 Then David enquired of the LORD yet again. And the LORD answered him and said, Arise, go down to Keilah; for I will deliver the Philistines into thine hand.
5 So David and his men went to Keilah, and fought with the Philistines, and brought away their cattle, and smote them with a great slaughter. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.

The Lord has different ways to speak to us. After the coming of Jesus and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, He speaks through the Holy Spirit mostly however, I've heard many times of God speaking to people different ways so I will not limit God to my own thinking. He speaks through the written word also to those that have the written word in their possession. He uses angels, prophets, preachers, and others who walk close to Him. God also spoke through Urim and Thummim before the coming of Jesus. I have never quite understood what that was or how it was used. God spoke to Abraham and Moses before they even knew Him or had an ephod or Urim and Thummim so some things we just don't know but we do know that if God wants us to hear from Him, He will have a way of doing it. Another way is to cast lots. We see that in the book of Acts in choosing an apostle to take the place of Judas. This is spoken of in Acts 1:26 just before the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Their faith was strengthened after David heard from the Lord, so they went as the Lord instructed. They had great success and brought away the cattle. I don't know if it was the cattle of the enemies or the cattle the enemies had taken from the inhabitants of Keilah.

1Samuel 23:6 And it came to pass, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David to Keilah, that he came down with an ephod in his hand.

Abiathar was a priest that had the ephod which was a way to inquire of the Lord. It seems as if the ephod was used to seek the Lord's advice to escape Saul.

1Samuel 23:7 And it was told Saul that David was come to Keilah. And Saul said, God hath delivered him into mine hand; for he is shut in, by entering into a town that hath gates and bars.
8 And Saul called all the people together to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men.

I don't know how Saul found out but winning a battle and saving the people of Keilah would not be something that could be kept quiet.

There are always people that get excited and tell the wrong people even good news and there are those also that actually love to tell the ones to get on the good side of those in power in order to cause trouble. That is why we need to examine our motives when we tell things we overhear. Do we want to cause trouble, do we desire to spread gossip to make people like us, or do we want to see good happen as a result of what we say and do? What is our motive?

1Samuel 23:9 And David knew that Saul secretly practised mischief against him; and he said to Abiathar the priest, Bring hither the ephod.
10 Then said David, O LORD God of Israel, thy servant hath certainly heard that Saul seeketh to come to Keilah, to destroy the city for my sake.
11 Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? will Saul come down, as thy servant hath heard? O LORD God of Israel, I beseech thee, tell thy servant. And the LORD said, He will come down.
12 Then said David, Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul? And the LORD said, They will deliver thee up.
13 Then David and his men, which were about six hundred, arose and departed out of Keilah, and went whithersoever they could go. And it was told Saul that David was escaped from Keilah; and he forbare to go forth.
14 And David abode in the wilderness in strong holds, and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand.

The men of Keilah would deliver David into the hand of Saul to save themselves so David departs with his men. This is easy to understand but hard at the same time. David saved them from the Philistines and they seem ungrateful and desired to save themselves instead of protecting David yet they had to think of their women and children. Still why didn't they just ask him to leave? What a messy situation, but God showed David what they would do and David was able to escape.

All Saul would have had to do was repent and turn to God and all the bad that happens later would have been avoided and he wouldn't have killed innocent people. Yet he kept pursuing David not realizing that he couldn't fight against God and God's will for David to become king.

Saul Pursues David

1Samuel 23:15 And David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life: and David was in the wilderness of Ziph in a wood.
16 And Jonathan Saul's son arose, and went to David into the wood, and strengthened his hand in God.
17 And he said unto him, Fear not: for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee; and that also Saul my father knoweth.
18 And they two made a covenant before the LORD: and David abode in the wood, and Jonathan went to his house.

It took a lot of bravery for Jonathan to look beyond his own circumstances and take the side of David. He recognized that David was to be the next king and his own father would be put out of office. He recognized the will of God in this matter. It couldn't have been easy. Sometimes it is difficult to see the will of God over and above the will of men. Jonathan saw the unfairness of his father in this matter and choose the right way. He had the fear of God within him.

1Samuel 23:19 Then came up the Ziphites to Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself with us in strong holds in the wood, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon?
20 Now therefore, O king, come down according to all the desire of thy soul to come down; and our part shall be to deliver him into the king's hand.
21 And Saul said, Blessed be ye of the LORD; for ye have compassion on me.

So we see some not agreeing with David for some purpose we don't know of. Perhaps they had purposes of their own to gain. Saul actually seemed to believe he was in the Lord's will. Imagine us being so deceived that we can plot against an innocent person and justify it in our own minds. David did nothing to deserve all this yet those that plotted against him we able to deceive themselves into believing David was deserving of being captured and stopped. At no time did David pursue the kingdom as we shall see in further chapters.

1Samuel 23:22 Go, I pray you, prepare yet, and know and see his place where his haunt is, and who hath seen him there: for it is told me that he dealeth very subtilly.
23 See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking places where he hideth himself, and come ye again to me with the certainty, and I will go with you: and it shall come to pass, if he be in the land, that I will search him out throughout all the thousands of Judah.
24 And they arose, and went to Ziph before Saul: but David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the plain on the south of Jeshimon.
25 Saul also and his men went to seek him. And they told David: wherefore he came down into a rock, and abode in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon.

Looks like they had spies on both sides reporting to both David and Saul. Yet we will see the will of God become the final outcome in this thing. The prophet Samuel anointed David as God told him to do. Nothing can stop it although at no time did David seek to be king. What he is doing here is trying to save his life and the life of those with him.

1Samuel 23:26 And Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain: and David made haste to get away for fear of Saul; for Saul and his men compassed David and his men round about to take them.
27 But there came a messenger unto Saul, saying, Haste thee, and come; for the Philistines have invaded the land.
28 Wherefore Saul returned from pursuing after David, and went against the Philistines: therefore they called that place Selahammahlekoth.
29 And David went up from thence, and dwelt in strong holds at Engedi.

While Saul was busy trying to get David, the Philistines were able to invade and threaten the safety of all Israel. This can happen in the spiritual realm. We could be so heavy involved in fighting between ourselves over some disagreement that the church is hindered from spreading the gospel and doing the works Jesus called us to do. I've seen this over and over in the past. Church splits over things has caused people to walk away. Jesus said to walk in love. We are not perfect and we must be careful to forgive, seeking always the will of God and finding out how He wants us to do things. We must never cease praying for God to help us in discernment when disagreements arise. We must seek to walk in the Spirit and not give in to the flesh and do things out of God's ways. DC

1 Samuel Chapter 24