Light in the Darkness

To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam of David, when he fled from Saul, in the cave.

1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
    for in you my soul takes refuge;
in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
    till the storms of destruction pass by.
2 I cry out to God Most High,
    to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
3 He will send from heaven and save me;
    he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah
God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!

4 My soul is in the midst of lions;
    I lie down amid fiery beasts—
the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows,
    whose tongues are sharp swords.

5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
    Let your glory be over all the earth!

6 They set a net for my steps;
    my soul was bowed down.
They dug a pit in my way,
    but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah
7 My heart is steadfast, O God,
    my heart is steadfast!
I will sing and make melody!
8     Awake, my glory!
Awake, O harp and lyre!
    I will awake the dawn!
9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
    I will sing praises to you among the nations.
10 For your steadfast love is great to the heavens,
    your faithfulness to the clouds.

11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
    Let your glory be over all the earth! – Psalm 57:1-11 ESV

Because of Saul’s unjustified vendetta against him, David was forced to seek refuge in the wilderness. During his 13-year-long exile from Judah, David and his faithful band of men lived in constant fear for their lives, trying to stay one step ahead of Saul and his posse of well-trained mercenaries.

David wrote this psalm during this emotionally draining and confusing phase of his life. Yet despite the less-than-pleasant conditions in which he was forced to live, David remained confident in the Lord’s care and concern for him.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy!
    I look to you for protection.
I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings
    until the danger passes by. – Psalm 57:1 NLT

While caves had become a source of physical refuge, David never stopped trusting in God as his ultimate protector and provider. Even as he hid in the dark recesses of some dank and unhospitable cave, David trusted his fate to God, believing that the Almighty would one day restore his fortunes.

I cry out to God Most High,
    to God who will fulfill his purpose for me.
He will send help from heaven to rescue me,
    disgracing those who hound me. – Psalm 57:2-23 NLT

Though David was renowned for his military prowess, he viewed himself as a helpless bird huddled under the protective wing of its mother. During his extended trial, David had found God to be a constant source of strength and encouragement, showing up at just the right time and delivering him from the hands of his enemies. His escape from King Achish and the Philistines had not resulted from his award-winning acting skills, but because God had intervened on his behalf (1 Samuel 21:10-15).

David was a realist and not an overly optimistic, glass-half-full kind of guy. He knew the desperate nature of his circumstances and was more than willing to paint his conditions in realist terms.

I am surrounded by fierce lions
    who greedily devour human prey—
whose teeth pierce like spears and arrows,
    and whose tongues cut like swords. – Psalm 57:4 NLT

But as he expressed in the previous psalm, David saw no reason to fear men as long as God was on his side.

…my enemies trample on me all day long,
    for many attack me proudly.
When I am afraid,
    I put my trust in you.
In God, whose word I praise,
    in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
    What can flesh do to me? – Psalm 56:2-4 ESV

This I know, that God is for me.
In God, whose word I praise,
    in the Lord, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
    What can man do to me? – Psalm 56;9-11 ESV

David was in God’s leadership training school, where he received on-the-job training in trust and obedience. His path to the throne of Israel was proving to be anything but smooth and pleasant, but his awareness of God’s power and provision increased daily. 

His life was an up-and-down, roller-coaster affair filled with constant threats to his life that required persistent reliance upon God. But even during his darkest moments, David never stopped viewing himself as a servant of God whose role was to shepherd and protect the people of God. At one point, he heard that the Philistines were stealing grain from the town of Keilah. Apalled by this act of aggression, David sought to know what God would have him do. When he asked the Lord, “Should I go and attack them?” (1 Samuel 23:2 NLT), he received a positive response.

So David and his men went to Keilah. They slaughtered the Philistines and took all their livestock and rescued the people of Keilah. – 1 Samuel 23:5 NLT

When Saul received news that David had rescued the town of Keilah, he didn’t rejoice in this unexpected defeat of the Philistines. Instead, he saw an opportunity to capture David.

“We’ve got him now! God has handed him over to me, for he has trapped himself in a walled town!” So Saul mobilized his entire army to march to Keilah and besiege David and his men. – 1 Samuel 23:7-8 NLT

Fresh off his victory over the Philistines, David soon received news that Saul was coming. What made this report so disturbing was the fact that Saul intended to destroy his own people just to capture David. So, David sought the will of God once again.

“O Lord, God of Israel, I have heard that Saul is planning to come and destroy Keilah because I am here. Will the leaders of Keilah betray me to him? And will Saul actually come as I have heard? O Lord, God of Israel, please tell me.” – 1 Samuel 23:10-11 NLT

God confirmed David’s suspicions, so rather than risk the lives of the people of Keilah, David and his men vacated the town and headed back into the wilderness.

So David and his men—about 600 of them now—left Keilah and began roaming the countryside. Word soon reached Saul that David had escaped, so he didn’t go to Keilah after all. David now stayed in the strongholds of the wilderness and in the hill country of Ziph. Saul hunted him day after day, but God didn’t let Saul find him. – 1 Samuel 23:13-14 NLT

That last line is key and explains why David had such confidence in God. He understood that God was responsible for his safety and security. Yahweh had provided every last-minute escape and led them to just the right cave to serve as their “stronghold.”  

Looking back at his circumstances, David crafted a song to tell others what he had learned about his God. He penned the lyrics to a hymn of praise that chronicled God’s goodness even in the worst of times. David was being chased and hounded. His very life was in danger. He was surrounded by enemies and facing seemingly insurmountable odds. Yet he had been anointed by the prophet Samuel and appointed by God to be the next king of Israel. That is why he kept trusting in and crying out to the one “who will fulfill His purpose for me” (Psalm 57:2 NLT). Despite all that had happened since his anointing, David continued to trust God for the future.

My heart is confident in you, O God;
    my heart is confident.
    No wonder I can sing your praises! – Psalm 57:7 NLT

When Samuel traveled to Jesse’s house to find Saul’s replacement as king, David heard the Lord say, “This is the one; anoint him” (1 Samuel 16:12 NLT). Then Samuel poured the anointing oil on David’s head, and God poured His Spirit into David’s heart. In doing so, God promised David that he would one day be the next king of Israel. Yes, Saul was still on the throne and David was hiding out in a cave in the wilderness, but despite those circumstances, God would keep His promise.

David could sing God’s praises because He had learned to trust God’s promises. He didn’t delay his praise until God had fulfilled all his promises and he was sitting on the throne of Israel. No, David sang God’s praises from the depths of a cave in the middle of the wilderness, years before he ever put a crown on his head or set foot in the city of Jerusalem. David sang of God’s love and faithfulness in anticipation of God’s future fulfillment of His promises.

I will thank you, Lord, among all the people.
    I will sing your praises among the nations.
For your unfailing love is as high as the heavens.
    Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. – Psalm 57:9-10 NNLT

David had learned to praise God in the midst of his problems, not just after they were gone. He could sing in the darkness of the cave, when the light of God’s glory was difficult to discern and the hope of His promises was hidden from view.

Like David, we can praise God for what He has yet to do, because He always comes through. He keeps His word. The Lord never lies or reneges on His commitments.

God is not a man, so he does not lie.
    He is not human, so he does not change his mind.
Has he ever spoken and failed to act?
    Has he ever promised and not carried it through? – Numbers 23:19 NLT

David cried out to God, knowing that He would send help from heaven to rescue him. In due time, God would do what He had promised to do. And He still works the same way today. We can trust Him because He is trustworthy. We can sing in the cave because God is there. We can rejoice in the darkness because God’s light never diminishes or dims.

Father, may I be able to say, “My heart is confident in you, my heart is confident.” And may I be able to say it long before You’ve proven it true. May I praise You based on Your reputation for faithfulness, not just when I’ve seen it lived out. I tend to want to praise You when Your promises have been fulfilled in full. But David sang of Your greatness even when his circumstances painted a different picture. Strengthen my faith so that I might praise You even when I can’t see You. Amen 

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Their Hearts Are Far From Me

A Psalm of Asaph.

1 The Mighty One, God the LORD,
    speaks and summons the earth
    from the rising of the sun to its setting.
2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
    God shines forth.

3 Our God comes; he does not keep silence;
    before him is a devouring fire,
    around him a mighty tempest.
4 He calls to the heavens above
    and to the earth, that he may judge his people:
5 “Gather to me my faithful ones,
    who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!”
6 The heavens declare his righteousness,
    for God himself is judge! Selah

7 “Hear, O my people, and I will speak;
    O Israel, I will testify against you.
    I am God, your God.
8 Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you;
    your burnt offerings are continually before me.
9 I will not accept a bull from your house
    or goats from your folds.
10 For every beast of the forest is mine,
    the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know all the birds of the hills,
    and all that moves in the field is mine.

12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
    for the world and its fullness are mine.
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls
    or drink the blood of goats?
14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
    and perform your vows to the Most High,
15 and call upon me in the day of trouble;
    I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”

16 But to the wicked God says:
    “What right have you to recite my statutes
    or take my covenant on your lips?
17 For you hate discipline,
    and you cast my words behind you.
18 If you see a thief, you are pleased with him,
    and you keep company with adulterers.

19 “You give your mouth free rein for evil,
    and your tongue frames deceit.
20 You sit and speak against your brother;
    you slander your own mother's son.
21 These things you have done, and I have been silent;
    you thought that I was one like yourself.
But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you.

22 “Mark this, then, you who forget God,
    lest I tear you apart, and there be none to deliver!
23 The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me;
    to one who orders his way rightly
    I will show the salvation of God!” – Psalm 50:1-23 ESV

Asaph, the apparent author of this psalm, was a Levite who headed up a contingent of musicians who provided worship music to accompany the people’s offering of sacrifices before the Ark of the Covenant in the Temple.

David appointed the following Levites to lead the people in worship before the Ark of the LORD—to invoke his blessings, to give thanks, and to praise the LORD, the God of Israel. Asaph, the leader of this group, sounded the cymbals. Second to him was Zechariah, followed by Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom, and Jeiel. They played the harps and lyres. The priests, Benaiah and Jahaziel, played the trumpets regularly before the Ark of God’s Covenant. – 1 Chronicles 16:4-6 NLT

Asaph’s role in leading the people in worshipping Yahweh must have inspired him to write this psalm. Observing his fellow Israelites as they offered their sacrifices to God gave him a perfect vantage point to witness their hypocrisy and duplicity. Asaph was not a Levitical priest, so he had no authority to address what he believed to be the people’s blatant disregard for Yahweh. This prompted him to write this psalm as an extended speech. from the lips of God Himself.

He opens the psalm with a description of Yahweh’s glory.

The LORD [Yahweh], the Mighty One, is God,
    and he has spoken;
he has summoned all humanity
    from where the sun rises to where it sets. – Psalm 50:1 NLT

What God had to say would be addressed to “all humanity,” not just the people of Israel. This extended audience was intended to make what He had to say all the more convicting for His chosen people. He was about to expose their dirty laundry for all the world to see. And Asaph goes out of his way to establish God’s glory and majesty, describing Him as beautiful and radiant but also surrounded by a consuming fire. God’s splendor is contrasted with His judgment, setting up the bad news the people of Israel are about to hear.

He calls on the heavens above and earth below
    to witness the judgment of his people. – Psalm 50:4 NLT

This will not be a private rebuke, but instead, it will be a public declaration of Israel’s disobedience and well-deserved judgment. Asaph portrays Yahweh as a justifiably angry husband whose wife has committed adultery. They have broken their covenant relationship with Him by refusing to remain faithful and responding to His care and compassion with disinterest and disrespect. In a command laced with sarcasm, Asaph has God call His covenant people to the stand.

“Bring my faithful people to me—
    those who made a covenant with me by giving sacrifices.” – Psalm 50:5 NLT

Asaph recalls the fateful day when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the Book of the Covenant containing God’s laws. He had read every one of God’s commands, making sure the people understood the nature of the commitment they were about to make.

Then Moses went down to the people and repeated all the instructions and regulations the LORD had given him. All the people answered with one voice, “We will do everything the LORD has commanded.”

Then Moses carefully wrote down all the LORD’s instructions. Early the next morning Moses got up and built an altar at the foot of the mountain. He also set up twelve pillars, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. Then he sent some of the young Israelite men to present burnt offerings and to sacrifice bulls as peace offerings to the LORD. Moses drained half the blood from these animals into basins. The other half he splattered against the altar.

Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it aloud to the people. Again they all responded, “We will do everything the LORD has commanded. We will obey.” – Exodus 24:3-7 NLT

They had repeatedly expressed their intentions to keep the Lord’s commands. But now, Asaph was exposing their failure to live up to their commitment, and he did so by having Yahweh deliver the bad news.

“O my people, listen as I speak.
    Here are my charges against you, O Israel:
    I am God, your God!” – Psalm 50:7 NLT

But what God has to say to His people is surprising. He doesn’t complain about the quality of their sacrifices or their failure to keep the various rituals associated with Temple worship.

“I have no complaint about your sacrifices
    or the burnt offerings you constantly offer.” – Psalm 50:8 NLT

They weren’t guilty of bringing shoddy sheep or blemished lambs. They hadn’t offered improper or inappropriate sacrifices. It wasn’t the quality of their offerings that was the problem; it was the condition of their hearts. Asaph has Yahweh expose the meaninglessness of their repeated sacrifices by declaring His lack of need for them.

“But I do not need the bulls from your barns
    or the goats from your pens.
For all the animals of the forest are mine,
    and I own the cattle on a thousand hills.” – Psalm 50:9-10 NLT

God isn't hungry. He has no need or insufficiency that requires their provision of food. He is the Creator of the universe who spoke all life into existence. So, He is fully capable of meeting His own needs without their help. But He makes the real problem clear.

“Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God,
    and keep the vows you made to the Most High.” – Psalm 50:14 NLT

Gratefulness and obedience were the missing ingredients to their sacrifices. Bulls and goats were not what God was looking for. The prophet Isaiah records a similar indictment from God, accusing His covenant people of simply going through the motions when it came to their worship of Him.

“What makes you think I want all your sacrifices?”
    says the LORD.
“I am sick of your burnt offerings of rams
    and the fat of fattened cattle.
I get no pleasure from the blood
    of bulls and lambs and goats.
When you come to worship me,
    who asked you to parade through my courts with all your ceremony?
Stop bringing me your meaningless gifts;
    the incense of your offerings disgusts me!
As for your celebrations of the new moon and the Sabbath
    and your special days for fasting—
they are all sinful and false.
    I want no more of your pious meetings.” – Isaiah 1:11-13 NLT

Asaph was expressing a similar dissatisfaction without the behavior of his fellow Israelites. As he witnessed their repeated sacrifices, he could tell their hearts were not in it. It had all become nothing more than a ritualistic observance that no longer carried any weight and was missing any sincerity or passion. And to drive home his point, Asaph has God be the bearer of bad news.

“Why bother reciting my decrees
    and pretending to obey my covenant?
For you refuse my discipline
    and treat my words like trash.
When you see thieves, you approve of them,
    and you spend your time with adulterers.
Your mouth is filled with wickedness,
    and your tongue is full of lies.
You sit around and slander your brother—
    your own mother’s son.” – Psalm 50:16-20 NLT

From God’s perspective, it was all pretense and posturing. Their sacrifices were meaningless and heartless. The people of Israel were guilty of saying one thing and doing another. Their worship of Yahweh, expressed through their offerings and sacrifices, was all a hypocritical and worthless display. Again, the prophet Isaiah recorded God’s displeasure with this disengenuous behavior on the part of His people.

And so the Lord says,
    “These people say they are mine.
They honor me with their lips,
    but their hearts are far from me.
And their worship of me
    is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.” – Isaiah 29:13 NLT

In his role as a Levitical musician, Asaph had repeatedly witnessed this egregious behavior and been appalled by it. Now, he was taking the opportunity to highlight it by having the LORD condemn it for what it was – disobedience and disrespect for His glory. To accentuate the gravity of their transgression, Asaph has God declare that His patience has run out. No longer willing to tolerate their breaking of their covenant vows to Him, Yahweh threatens rebuke unless they repent.

“While you did all this, I remained silent,
    and you thought I didn’t care.
But now I will rebuke you,
    listing all my charges against you.
Repent, all of you who forget me,
    or I will tear you apart,
    and no one will help you.” – Psalm 50:21-22 NLT

If Asaph intended to compose a song that would stir the people to change their ways, this one is more of a dirge than a call to contrition and recommitment. It is more depressing than inspiring. Yet, he closes his song with a merciful call from Yahweh, offering the people of Israel an opportunity to do the right thing.

“But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me.
    If you keep to my path,
    I will reveal to you the salvation of God.” – Psalm 50:23 NLT

It was King David who declared the real sacrifice that God required of His people. Having been convicted of his adulterous affair with Bathsheba and his role in the murder of her husband, David expressed the valuable lesson he had learned from this self-induced but highly painful experience.

You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one.
    You do not want a burnt offering.
The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit.
    You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. – Psalm 51:16-17 NLT

That is what Asaph longed to see in the people of Israel, and so he composed a song that would lead them to worship God rightly, respectfully, and reverently.

Father, Iit is so easy to just go through the motions when it comes to worshiping You. Showing up to church each Sunday is easy. Making the effort to spend time in Your Word takes discipline, but none of that matters if my heart is far from You. I can do all the right things but miss the point that my heart is not right with You. I don't want to be hypocritical or duplicitous. I know I can fool others but I can't fool You. Help me to live openly and honestly before You, displaying abroken and contrite heart when necessary, but also a grateful and fully submissive heart each day of my life. Because You are worthy and well-deserving of my honor, love, time, and attention. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Unfathomable Ways of God

14 Then Ahimelech answered the king, “And who among all your servants is so faithful as David, who is the king’s son-in-law, and captain over your bodyguard, and honored in your house? 15 Is today the first time that I have inquired of God for him? No! Let not the king impute anything to his servant or to all the house of my father, for your servant has known nothing of all this, much or little.” 16 And the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house.” 17 And the king said to the guard who stood about him, “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because their hand also is with David, and they knew that he fled and did not disclose it to me.” But the servants of the king would not put out their hand to strike the priests of the Lord. 18 Then the king said to Doeg, “You turn and strike the priests.” And Doeg the Edomite turned and struck down the priests, and he killed on that day eighty-five persons who wore the linen ephod. 19 And Nob, the city of the priests, he put to the sword; both man and woman, child and infant, ox, donkey and sheep, he put to the sword.

20 But one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. 21 And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord. 22 And David said to Abiathar, “I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have occasioned the death of all the persons of your father’s house. 23 Stay with me; do not be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life. With me you shall be in safekeeping.” – 1 Samuel 22:14-23  ESV

The moral, spiritual, and mental state of King Saul was on a steep and rapid decline. His animosity toward David was insatiable and he would not let anyone or anything stand in the way of his quest to eliminate David once and for all. So, while his treatment of Ahimelech and the priests of Nob may shock us, it should not surprise us. Even the priests of God were fair game and subject to Saul’s wrath. But while Saul seemed to have lost all fear of and respect for God, his troops had not. He was unable to recruit any of them to carry out his vindictive order to kill the priests. But there was one man who was more than willing, most likely driven by a desire to see himself rewarded with a promotion for his efforts.

Doeg the Edomite, the man who had been at Nob when David showed up, had made a beeline to King Saul with the news. This Edomite, a foreigner, was more than willing to carry out Saul’s death sentence on the defenseless priests of Nob. Doeg was “the chief of Saul’s herdsmen” (1 Samuel 21:7 ESV), and, like any other ambitious individual, was probably seeking a way to get out of the pasture and climb the palace social ladder. By carrying out Saul’s command when no one else would, he knew he would ingratiate himself to the king and secure his favor. So Doeg slaughtered 85 priests of God that day, along with every living inhabitant of Nob. It was a bloodbath – a senseless, sinful, and Satan-inspired act that would turn the priesthood from Saul to David.

A solitary priest, Abiathar, miraculously escaped the carnage that day and made his way to David with the news of what had happened. David was wracked with horror and guilt. He felt responsible for the deaths of Ahimelech and his fellow priests; it was his deception that had led to their destruction. He had lied to Ahimelech that day by telling him he was on a secret mission for Saul. His rash decision to seek refuge from the priests and then lie to secure their help had put them at great risk. Saul, in his ever-present paranoid state, saw them as traitors and had them summarily executed.

David most likely assumed that Saul, as the king and a servant of Yahweh, would show the priests the respect they were due. He never imagined that Saul would dare to lift his hand against the priests of God. But David was proven wrong and the aftermath of Saul’s senseless slaughter at Nob left him furious. His respect for Saul all but disappeared that day. David’s mental state at the time is revealed in a psalm he wrote to commemorate the event. In it, he reveals his feelings about Saul.

Why do you boast about your crimes, great warrior?
    Don’t you realize God’s justice continues forever?
All day long you plot destruction.
    Your tongue cuts like a sharp razor;
    you’re an expert at telling lies.
You love evil more than good
    and lies more than truth. – Psalm 52:1-3 NLT

As a warrior, David was no stranger to violence and death, but what Saul had done to the priests of Nob was the act of a madman, not a man of war. David was appalled and couldn't believe that someone he once admired and idolized could commit such an egregious crime. But he knew that God would not let Saul’s actions go unpunished.

You love to destroy others with your words,
    you liar!
But God will strike you down once and for all.
    He will pull you from your home
    and uproot you from the land of the living. – Psalm 52:4-6 NLT

David was confident that God would bring justice and retribution against Saul. He would not allow this immoral act to go unpunished. While David was in no position to do anything about it, he knew that God would.

The righteous will see it and be amazed.
    They will laugh and say,
“Look what happens to mighty warriors
    who do not trust in God.
They trust their wealth instead
    and grow more and more bold in their wickedness.” – Psalm 52:6-7 NLT

Through the misguided and unrighteous actions of Saul, David learned some valuable lessons regarding those who fail to place their trust in God. He saw in King Saul a stark portrayal of the godly man who abandons his faith in God for reliance upon his own strength and resources. Saul’s blatant betrayal of God was difficult for David to understand but it drove him in his commitment to place his trust in and maintain his reliance upon God, whatever happened.

But I am like an olive tree, thriving in the house of God.
    I will always trust in God’s unfailing love.
I will praise you forever, O God,
    for what you have done.
I will trust in your good name
    in the presence of your faithful people. – Psalm 52:8-9 NLT

Abiathar, the sole remaining priest, sought refuge with David. The future king of Israel and the future high priest of Israel were suddenly united by one man’s hatred and God’s divine plan for them. Yet neither David nor Abiathar knew what God had in store for them. David had no idea what the next few years of his life would hold. Abiathar only knew that he was alone and no longer able to exercise his priestly duties. Both men were unaware of all that God was doing behind the scenes. There was no silver lining to the dark cloud that hung over them. There was no light at the end of the foreboding tunnel in which they found themselves. But they would learn to trust in God by having to place all their hope in God.

As David hid within the confines of the cave near Adullam, he was forced to call upon God to protect and preserve him. He had his merry band of misfits but little else to comfort him in his time of distress. This period of intense isolation and loneliness forced David to take his cares and concerns directly to the Lord. Psalm 57 reflects David’s heart as he sought refuge from the relentless efforts of Saul.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy!
    I look to you for protection.
I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings
    until the danger passes by.
I cry out to God Most High,
    to God who will fulfill his purpose for me.
He will send help from heaven to rescue me,
    disgracing those who hound me. – Psalm 57:1-3 NLT

And God heard and answered David’s prayer, sending him Abiathar the priest as a spiritual companion and confidant. This young man, who miraculously escaped the slaughter at Nob, would serve as David’s personal priest throughout his years as a fugitive and during his lengthy reign as king. Abiathar’s escape from the sword of Doeg was not a case of good luck, karma, or fate. It is evidence of the sovereign hand of God working behind the scenes and orchestrating the affairs of men to accomplish His divine will.

It’s difficult to discern the reasoning behind Saul’s order of the deaths of all the priests of Nob. Certainly, vengeance played a key role in his decision to annihilate these men of God. But his over-the-top reaction seems counterproductive and self-defeating. For a man who had been abandoned by God, the elimination of all the priests of God would only intensify his sense of isolation. But Saul wasn’t playing with a full deck.

Under the influence of an evil spirit, Saul was making unwise and illogical decisions that would only make matters worse for himself. His slaughter of the priests of Nob would not ingratiate himself with the people of Israel. With their deaths, the sacrificial system was all but shut down and any hope of forgiveness for sin was made impossible. Saul’s obsessive-compulsive desire to preserve his reign at all costs was backfiring in his face. He had declared a personal vendetta against the man whom God had anointed as the next king of Israel. He had ordered the deaths of hundreds of innocent people, including 85 priests of God. In essence, Saul had declared war on God Himself, a decision he would come to regret and a battle he would surely lose.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.