April 4 Daily Devotional

1 Samuel 22

One day while Saul was sitting under a tamarisk tree near “his palace in Gibeah, he pondered over his troubles and wondered what to do. He turned to his servants and told them how distressed he was, because none of them would help him. He mentioned that even Jonathan was letting David have the first place in the hearts of all the people of Israel. Then Doeg the chief herdman of the king came forth boldly and said, “I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. And he enquired of the Lord for him, and gave him victuals, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”

Saul believed that Ahimelech had assisted David to find a safe hiding place. Immediately he sent for Ahimelech and all the priests at Nob. When they came, Saul turned to the high priest and said, “Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him bread, and a sword, and hast enquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?” Ahimelech was surprised to hear this and replied, “Who is so faithful among all thy servants as David, which is the king’s son in law, and goeth at thy bidding, and is honorable in thine house?” This remark aroused the anger of the king and he cried, “Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father’s house.”

Continuing in his madness, the enraged king commanded the footmen that stood before him, “Turn, and slay the priests of the Lord; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not shew it to me.” But the footmen feared God more than the wicked king. They did not move to fulfill the cruel command. Then the king’s eye fell on Doeg the Edomite and he said, “Turn thou, and fall upon the priests.” The Edomite obeyed, and all the priests were slain on that day. Not only did he kill the priests, but he hurried away to Nob to continue the horrible carnage. In that city he killed every man, woman and child he could find.

But one of Ahimelech’s sons, named Abiathar, escaped and fled from the city. He came to David, bringing the sad news of the king’s mad command and the cruel way in which it had been carried out. It filled David’s heart with much grief and he said to Abiathar, “I knew it that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul: I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father’s house. Abide thou with me, fear not; for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life: but with me thou shalt be in safeguard.” And David took Abiathar and kept him safely. Afterwards he became the high priest and served for many years in the tabernacle of God, while David was king at Jerusalem.