1Samuel chapter 22 comments

 1Samuel 22:1 ¶  David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father’s house heard it, they went down thither to him. 2  And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men. 3  And David went thence to Mizpeh of Moab: and he said unto the king of Moab, Let my father and my mother, I pray thee, come forth, and be with you, till I know what God will do for me. 4  And he brought them before the king of Moab: and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the hold. 5  And the prophet Gad said unto David, Abide not in the hold; depart, and get thee into the land of Judah. Then David departed, and came into the forest of Hareth.

 

From hiding in a field to trying to find safety with a hated enemy David now hides in a cave. It must have been a large cave because he draws about 400 men to him who are going through some rough times. Some are in debt, some discontented with things as they are, and some in some kind of distress. David then places his parents in the hands of the king of Moab for safekeeping from Saul. In the cave he composed this Psalm.

 

Psalm 142:1 ¶  «Maschil of David; A Prayer when he was in the cave.» I cried unto the LORD with my voice; with my voice unto the LORD did I make my supplication. 2  I poured out my complaint before him; I shewed before him my trouble. 3  When my spirit was overwhelmed

within me, then thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me.

 

    4 ¶  I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul. 5  I cried unto thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living. 6  Attend unto my cry; for I am brought very low: deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I. 7  Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me.

 

The prophet, Gad, then directs David and his men to flee to the territory of Judah and they wind up in the forest of Hareth.

 

1Samuel 22:6 ¶  When Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men that were with him, (now Saul abode in Gibeah under a tree in Ramah, having his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him;) 7  Then Saul said unto his servants that stood about him, Hear now, ye Benjamites; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, and make you all captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds; 8  That all of you have conspired against me, and there is none that sheweth me that my son hath made a league with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you that is sorry for me, or sheweth unto me that my son hath stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day? 9  Then answered Doeg the Edomite, which was set over the servants of Saul, and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. 10  And he enquired of the LORD for him, and gave him victuals, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine. 11  Then the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s house, the priests that were in Nob: and they came all of them to the king. 12  And Saul said, Hear now, thou son of Ahitub. And he answered, Here I am, my lord. 13  And Saul said unto him, 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? 14  Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said, And 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 honourable in thine house? 15  Did I then begin to enquire of God for him? be it far from me: let not the king impute any thing unto his servant, nor to all the house of my father: for thy servant knew nothing of all this, less or more. 16  And the king said, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father’s house. 17  And the king said unto the footmen that stood about 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 servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the LORD. 18  And the king said to Doeg, Turn thou, and fall upon the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and slew on that day fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod. 19  And Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings, and oxen, and asses, and sheep, with the edge of the sword.

 

Saul, the paranoid king, believes his son has gone over to David’s camp to overthrow him and condemns his servants; courtiers, officials, commanders, and ministers, who he assume must have known. These are mostly his tribe, his people, that he is disappointed with and yet, an Edomite will show himself faithful.

 

Here is where Doeg the chief herdsman, an Edomite, tells Saul about David’s encounter with the priest, Ahimelech. Doeg will get a promotion here because of the willingness to kill the priestly clan in Nob when Saul’s servants could not. I would suspect that logically the slaughter would include his own subordinates who would help murder these 85 innocent priests and their families. They killed the weak and the innocent with swords, including nursing babies and children, while modern man often uses bombs dropped from high altitudes to do the same thing.

 

1Samuel 22:20 ¶  And one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after David. 21  And Abiathar shewed David that Saul had slain the LORD’S priests. 22  And David said unto 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. 23  Abide thou with me, fear not: for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life: but with me thou shalt be in safeguard.

 

Even though Saul is the perpetrator of this crime through Doeg, his chief herdsman, and Doeg’s servants, David takes responsibility for the deaths of Ahimelech and the priests and their families.

 

Psalm 52:1 ¶  «To the chief Musician, Maschil, A Psalm of David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, and said unto him, David is come to the house of Ahimelech.» Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually. 2  Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. 3  Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah. 4  Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue. 5  God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah.

 

    6 ¶  The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him: 7  Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness. 8  But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever. 9  I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints.