1 Samuel 22 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

1 Samuel 22

David at the Cave of Adullam

22:1 David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. 2 And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul,¹ gathered to him. And he became commander over them. And there were with him about four hundred men.

3 And David went from there to Mizpeh of Moab. And he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and my mother stay² with you, till I know what God will do for me.” 4 And he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him all the time that David was in the stronghold. 5 Then the prophet Gad said to David, “Do not remain in the stronghold; depart, and go into the land of Judah.” So David departed and went into the forest of Hereth.

Saul Kills the Priests at Nob

6 Now Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men who were with him. Saul was sitting at Gibeah under the tamarisk tree on the height with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him. 7 And Saul said to his servants who stood about him, “Hear now, people of Benjamin; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, 8 that all of you have conspired against me? No one discloses to me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. None of you is sorry for me or discloses to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day.” 9 Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who stood by the servants of Saul, “I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, 10 and he inquired of the LORD for him and gave him provisions and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”

11 Then the king sent to summon Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s house, the priests who were at Nob, and all of them came to the king. 12 And Saul said, “Hear now, son of Ahitub.” And he answered, “Here I am, my lord.” 13 And Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and a sword and have inquired of God for him, so that he has risen against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?” 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 over³ 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.”

Footnotes

[1] 22:2 Or discontented
[2] 22:3 Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew go out
[3] 22:14 Septuagint, Targum; Hebrew and has turned aside to

Commentary

v1: David's family came to him, doubtless to seek safety from Saul.

v2: David built an army from those who came to him;

Those in distress, troubled, in anguish;
Those in debt, subject to the authority of others, under condemnation;
And those who were discontented, unhappy, dissatisfied.
Not many mighty are chosen; contrast 14.52, where Saul took the mighty men for himself. But David turned the weak into the mighty; in him they found a captain and a friend. To identify with David meant to reject Saul; there was therefore a real risk for these people, Heb 13.3; John 15.18-20; in the same way, true Christians identify with Christ, even though that brings cost.
Here David wrote Psalm 57, expressing personal devotion and trust in God. David endured "these calamities" (Ps 57.1); men "prepared a net" (Ps 57.6) in which to trap him, but David found his security in God. Even here we see Christ, full of mercy and truth, Ps 57.10.

v3-4: David had a concern for his parents. He sent them to Moab, perhaps because of the link through Ruth the Moabitess, but he put his loved ones in the hands of the ungodly. Again, there was no place of safety amongst the people of God.

How sad when a Christian feels it necessary to leave the company of God's people to seek solace in the world.

v5: David had a prophet with him; it was essential that he stay in touch with God.

v6-8: Saul's attitude towards his own leaders, and to David, is disturbing. He did not use David's name, calling him the "son of Jesse". Saul was distrust-full, almost paranoid, fearing that his own leaders had conspired against him. He also lied about David, saying that David planned to kill him.

v9-10: Doeg the Edomite, one of Saul's leaders, a cruel man (Obad 10-11). Doeg just happened to see David go to the priest. This indicates the truth that time and chance happen to us all (Eccl 9.11). Circumstances can turn against us. We have to learn to respond in faith. Later, he alone of Saul's men was willing to kill the priests.

v11-12: Saul ordered the priests to attend him, bringing them from Nob.

v13-15: Saul brought his accusation against Abimelech. Abimelech had acted in innocence, knowing David to be a faithful servant of Saul, he did not know of the conflict that had grown between Saul and David. He knew nothing of David's alleged plan to kill Saul.

v16: Saul's decision was quick, that the priests must die. It seems that Saul had made up his mind before hearing Abimelech's explanation.

v17: "Kill the priests"; another indication of Saul's departure from God. To their credit, Saul's servants would not obey him here. Whether they could have actually saved the priests is another matter, after all, Saul was the king.

v18-19: Doeg was a ruthless man. He killed everyone in the city. Psalm 52 refers to Doeg, a man who live devil rather than good, lying rather than speaking righteousness (Ps 52.3). Presumably, Doeg had men with him, such that he could put to the sword the whole town of Nob.

v20-21: Abiathar, alone of the priests' family escaped to David, to bring the news. Abiathar arrived when David was at Keilah (23.6).

v22-23: David felt his responsibility. His carelessness cost the lives of many.