David and the Shewbread

Transcription

1 David and the Shewbread By Mark Mayberry 6/14/2015 INTRODUCTION In the 1960s, Joseph Fletcher popularized the theory of situational ethics, arguing that men should consider the context of an act when evaluating it ethically, instead of judging it according to absolute moral standards. Fletcher was ordained as an Episcopal priest, but later became a self-identified atheist. Applying his philosophy to the issues of abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia, he justified (and even promoted) these horrific practices. He served as president of the Euthanasia Society of America (later renamed the Society for the Right to Die) from 1974 to As an illustration of his views, consider the following quotation from an article co-authored by Joseph Fletcher, appearing in the April, 1968 edition of The Atlantic Monthly: People in the Bards situation (i.e., having children with Down s syndrome) have no reason to feel guilty about putting a Down s syndrome baby away, whether it s put away in the sense of hidden in a sanitarium or in a more responsible lethal sense. It is sad; yes. Dreadful. But it carries no guilt. True guilt arises only from an offense against a person, and a Down s is not a person. There is no cause for remorse, even though, certainly, there is for regret. Guilt over a decision to end an idiocy would be a false guilt, and probably unconsciously a form of psychic masochism. There is far more reason for real guilt in keeping alive a Down s or other kind of idiot, out of a false idea of obligation or duty, while at the same time feeling no obligation at all to save that money and emotion for a living, learning child. The learning child might be a retarded one with a viable potential, or just an orphan in need of adoption. [Source: Bernard Bard and Joseph Fletcher, The Right to Die, The Atlantic Monthly, 221 (1968 April), p Accessed 6/18/2015 online at Though many today may be unfamiliar with Joseph Fletcher, modern society is dominated by such thinking. People prefer to operate in the grey areas, declaring that nothing is black and white, good or evil, right or wrong. Sometimes folks seek Scriptural justification for such relativistic thinking. On one occasion, as Jesus passed through the grain fields on the Sabbath, His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat. The Pharisees criticized Jesus, saying, Look, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath.

2 Our Lord offered two responses, reminding His accusers of the example of David and the shewbread, and pointing out the allowance made for the priestly service performed on the Sabbath (Matt. 12:1-7; Mark 2:23-28; Luke 6:1-5; cf. Lev. 24:5-9). Matthew 12:1-7 (NASB95) 1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat. 2 But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, Look, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath. 3 But He said to them, Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and his companions, 4 how he entered the house of God, and they ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests alone? 5 Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and are innocent? 6 But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here. 7 But if you had known what this means, I desire compassion, and not a sacrifice, you would not have condemned the innocent. Mark 2:23-28 (NASB95) 23 And it happened that He was passing through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples began to make their way along while picking the heads of grain. 24 The Pharisees were saying to Him, Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath? 25 And He said to them, Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions became hungry; 26 how he entered the house of God in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the consecrated bread, which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests, and he also gave it to those who were with him? 27 Jesus said to them, The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath. Luke 6:1-5 (NASB95) 1 Now it happened that He was passing through some grainfields on a Sabbath; and His disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating the grain. 2 But some of the Pharisees said, Why do you do what is not lawful on the Sabbath? 3 And Jesus answering them said, Have you not even read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him, 4 how he entered the house of God, and took and ate the consecrated bread which is not lawful for any to eat except the priests alone, and gave it to his companions? 5 And He was saying to them, The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath. Leviticus 24:5-9 (NASB95) 5 Then you shall take fine flour and bake twelve cakes with it; twotenths of an ephah shall be in each cake. 6 You shall set them in two rows, six to a row, on the pure gold table before the Lord. 7 You shall put pure frankincense on each row that it may be a memorial portion for the bread, even an offering by fire to the Lord. 8 Every sabbath day he shall set it in order before the Lord continually; it is an everlasting covenant for the sons of Israel. 9 It shall be for Aaron and his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place; for it is most holy to him from the Lord s offerings by fire, his portion forever. How should we understand these two references? Let us consider the latter first, since it is simpler. While the Law of Moses prohibited work on the Sabbath, obvious allowances were made for the priestly service, and also for extenuating circumstances, such as dealing with daily necessities, or assisting a man or beast facing jeopardy and peril (Matt. 12:9-14; Luke 13:14-17; 14:1-6). Matthew 12:9-14 (NASB95) 9 Departing from there, He went into their synagogue. 10 And a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned Jesus, asking, Is it lawful to heal

3 on the Sabbath? so that they might accuse Him. 11 And He said to them, What man is there among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath. 13 Then He said to the man, Stretch out your hand! He stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him, as to how they might destroy Him. Luke 13:14-17 (NASB95) 14 But the synagogue official, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, began saying to the crowd in response, There are six days in which work should be done; so come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day. 15 But the Lord answered him and said, You hypocrites, does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the stall and lead him away to water him? 16 And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day? 17 As He said this, all His opponents were being humiliated; and the entire crowd was rejoicing over all the glorious things being done by Him. Luke 14:1-6 (NASB95) 1 It happened that when He went into the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees on the Sabbath to eat bread, they were watching Him closely. 2 And there in front of Him was a man suffering from dropsy. 3 And Jesus answered and spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not? 4 But they kept silent. And He took hold of him and healed him, and sent him away. 5 And He said to them, Which one of you will have a son or an ox fall into a well, and will not immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day? 6 And they could make no reply to this. The former illustration is more problematic. To understand Jesus allusion to David s eating the consecrated bread, we should consider background of this event, as recorded in 1 Samuel 17 and following. The Philistines and Israelite armies were drawn up against one another in battle array. Goliath taunted the armies of Israel, but no one, including king Saul, accepted the challenge. Young David, hearing these words, accepted the challenge, and killed Goliath. Afterwards, he and Jonathan, the king s son, became fast friends. Moreover, the people rejoiced, saying Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands. Being filled with anger and jealousy, king Saul was suspicious of David from that day onward. In the months that followed, king Saul made repeated attempts upon David s life. Yet, the son of Jesse prospered because God was with him. As reward for killing the Philistine champion, David was promised the king s daughter in marriage, with the added condition that he slay 100 Philistines. He killed 200, providing the required proof, forcing Saul to fulfill his promise. During these trials, Jonathan s friendship with David was unwavering. Saul s son and daughter warned David, protecting him from the repeated plots of their father. With this background, let us consider the events recorded in 1 Samuel 21. During the time that David was a fugitive from king Saul, he came to Nob, a town allotted to the priests (1 Sam. 22:19) in the territory of Benjamin (Neh. 11:32), about two miles northeast of Jerusalem (vs. 1). Since Saul s relentless

4 pursuit of David was well known, Ahimelech, priest at Nob, came trembling to meet David, saying Why are you alone and no one with you? 1 Samuel 22:19 (NASB95) 19 And he struck Nob the city of the priests with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and infants; also oxen, donkeys, and sheep he struck with the edge of the sword. Nehemiah 11:32 (NASB95) 32 at Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah, 1 Samuel 21:1 (NASB95) 1 Then David came to Nob to Ahimelech the priest; and Ahimelech came trembling to meet David and said to him, Why are you alone and no one with you? Being less than forthright about the nature of his journey, David lied to Ahimelech, saying, The king has commissioned me with a matter and has said to me, Let no one know anything about the matter on which I am sending you and with which I have commissioned you; and I have directed the young men to a certain place. (vs. 2). Ahimelech helped David, offering him the shewbread for sustenance, and as a weapon, the sword of Goliath (vs. 3-9). 1 Samuel 21:2 (NASB95) 2 David said to Ahimelech the priest, The king has commissioned me with a matter and has said to me, Let no one know anything about the matter on which I am sending you and with which I have commissioned you; and I have directed the young men to a certain place. 1 Samuel 21:3-9 (NASB95) 3 Now therefore, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever can be found. 4 The priest answered David and said, There is no ordinary bread on hand, but there is consecrated bread; if only the young men have kept themselves from women. 5 David answered the priest and said to him, Surely women have been kept from us as previously when I set out and the vessels of the young men were holy, though it was an ordinary journey; how much more then today will their vessels be holy? 6 So the priest gave him consecrated bread; for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence which was removed from before the Lord, in order to put hot bread in its place when it was taken away. 7 Now one of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord; and his name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul s shepherds. 8 David said to Ahimelech, Now is there not a spear or a sword on hand? For I brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king s matter was urgent. 9 Then the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the valley of Elah, behold, it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod; if you would take it for yourself, take it. For there is no other except it here. And David said, There is none like it; give it to me. Afterwards, David fled from Saul into the territory of the Philistines, and was brought before Achish, king of Gath. When some in the court suspected his true identity, he feigned madness, thus escaping the wrath of the king (vs ). 1 Samuel 21:10-15 (NASB95) 10 Then David arose and fled that day from Saul, and went to Achish king of Gath. 11 But the servants of Achish said to him, Is this not David the king of the land? Did they not sing of this one as they danced, saying, Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands? 12 David took these words to heart and greatly feared Achish king of Gath. 13 So he disguised his sanity before them, and acted insanely in their hands, and scribbled

5 on the doors of the gate, and let his saliva run down into his beard. 14 Then Achish said to his servants, Behold, you see the man behaving as a madman. Why do you bring him to me? 15 Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this one to act the madman in my presence? Shall this one come into my house? In 1 Samuel 22, David escaped to the cave of Adullam, where he was joined by his brothers and various other followers (vs. 1-2). From there, David travelled into the land of Moab, home of his ancestor Ruth. He brought his mother and father there for safe-keeping (vs. 3-4). Guided by the prophet Gath, David departed Moab and returned to the land of Judah (vs. 5). 1 Samuel 22:1-2 (NASB95) 1 So David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam; and when his brothers and all his father s household heard of it, they went down there to him. 2 Everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him; and he became captain over them. Now there were about four hundred men with him. 1 Samuel 22:3-4 (NASB95) 3 And David went from there to Mizpah of Moab; and he said to the king of Moab, Please let my father and my mother come and stay with you until I know what God will do for me. 4 Then he left them with the king of Moab; and they stayed with him all the time that David was in the stronghold. 1 Samuel 22:5 (NASB95) 5 The prophet Gad said to David, Do not stay in the stronghold; depart, and go into the land of Judah. So David departed and went into the forest of Hereth. King Saul, consumed by insane jealousy of David, raged against his servants, accusing them of disloyalty and conspiracy (vs. 6-8). Doeg the Edomite, reported what had previously transpired at Nob, maliciously misrepresented the priests, accusing them of having knowingly offered aid and support to David, an enemy of the king (vs. 9-10). Saul summoned Ahimelech, questioning his loyalty, charging him with conspiracy (vs ). 1 Samuel 22:6-8 (NASB95) 6 Then Saul heard that David and the men who were with him had been discovered. Now Saul was sitting in Gibeah, under the tamarisk tree on the height with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing around him. 7 Saul said to his servants who stood around him, Hear now, O Benjamites! Will the son of Jesse also give to all of you fields and vineyards? Will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds? 8 For all of you have conspired against me so that there is no one who discloses to me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you who is sorry for me or discloses to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me to lie in ambush, as it is this day. 1 Samuel 22:9-10 (NASB95) 9 Then Doeg the Edomite, who was standing by the servants of Saul, said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. 10 He inquired of the Lord for him, gave him provisions, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine. 1 Samuel 22:11-13 (NASB95) 11 Then the king sent someone to summon Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father s household, the priests who were in Nob; and all of them came to the king. 12 Saul said, Listen now, son of Ahitub. And he answered, Here I am, my lord. 13 Saul then said to him, Why have you and the son of Jesse conspired against me, in that

6 you have given him bread and a sword and have inquired of God for him, so that he would rise up against me by lying in ambush as it is this day? Ahimelech defended David and proclaimed his own innocence (vs ). King Saul ordered the summary execution of the priests of Nob. When the king s servants refused to obey, Doeg the Edomite killed 85 priests who wore the linen ephod, striking the city of Nob, slaying all its inhabitants (vs ). 1 Samuel 22:14-15 (NASB95) 14 Then Ahimelech answered the king and said, And who among all your servants is as faithful as David, even the king s son-in-law, who is captain over your guard, and is honored in your house? 15 Did I just begin to inquire of God for him today? Far be it from me! Do not let the king impute anything to his servant or to any of the household of my father, for your servant knows nothing at all of this whole affair. 1 Samuel 22:16-19 (NASB95) 16 But the king said, You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father s household! 17 And the king said to the guards who were attending him, Turn around and put the priests of the Lord to death, because their hand also is with David and because they knew that he was fleeing and did not reveal it to me. But the servants of the king were not willing to put forth their hands to attack the priests of the Lord. 18 Then the king said to Doeg, You turn around and attack the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned around and attacked the priests, and he killed that day eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod. 19 And he struck Nob the city of the priests with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and infants; also oxen, donkeys, and sheep he struck with the edge of the sword. The one individual who escaped and reported these tragic events to David was given sanctuary. Afterwards, David confessed, I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have brought about the death of every person in your father s household (vs ). 1 Samuel 22:20-23 (NASB95) 20 But one son of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. 21 Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord. 22 Then David said to Abiathar, I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have brought about the death of every person in your father s household. 23 Stay with me; do not be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life, for you are safe with me. One can understand David s false statement to Ahimelech: undoubtedly, he was fearful that no aid would be offered if the priests of Nob knew he was a fugitive. Instead of fully trusting in God, David misrepresented the nature of his trip, seeking assistance of one who acted on behalf of the king, rather than one who was fleeing for his life. One could argue that this was a small offense, a harmless or trivial untruth, a little white lie. Yet, the lives of 85 priests of God, along with their families, were forfeit as a result. Earlier, young David confronted Goliath - the Philistine champion- with naught but a sling, five smooth stones and a heart full of faith (1 Sam. 17:40). Here, his faith wavered. He relied upon deception, with tragic results. 1 Samuel 17:40 (NASB95) 40 He took his stick in his hand and chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the shepherd s bag which he had, even in his pouch, and his sling was in his hand; and he approached the Philistine.

7 David referenced these events in Psalm 52. Denouncing Doeg the Edomite, David said, Your tongue devises destruction, like a sharp razor, O worker of deceit. You love evil more than good, falsehood more than speaking what is right You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue. Yes, Doeg the Edomite lied to king Saul about the actions of Ahimelech, putting the worst possible interpretation on his deeds, accusing him of conspiracy against the crown. However, David also lied Psalm 52 (NASB95) For the choir director. A Maskil of David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul and said to him, David has come to the house of Ahimelech. 1 Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man? The lovingkindness of God endures all day long. 2 Your tongue devises destruction, Like a sharp razor, O worker of deceit. 3 You love evil more than good, Falsehood more than speaking what is right. Selah. 4 You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue. 5 But God will break you down forever; He will snatch you up and tear you away from your tent, And uproot you from the land of the living. Selah. 6 The righteous will see and fear, And will laugh at him, saying, 7 Behold, the man who would not make God his refuge, But trusted in the abundance of his riches And was strong in his evil desire. 8 But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the lovingkindness of God forever and ever. 9 I will give You thanks forever, because You have done it, And I will wait on Your name, for it is good, in the presence of Your godly ones. Instead of viewing David s actions as justifiable, based upon the concept of situational ethics, would it not be better to recognize his words represent a failure of faith. One that is understandable, but nevertheless wrong. What about Jesus reference to these events? Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and his companions, how he entered the house of God, and they ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests alone? David was the great hero of the Jewish people; the idealized king, prefiguring the Messiah. Yet, David was a mortal man, subject to sin. Could not the words of Jesus be understood in the following manner? To paraphrase our Lord, He said, Consider David. He did wrong, lying about the nature of his mission, and eating the consecrated bread; yet, you don t complain about his actions, but count him as a hero. Why do you criticize my disciples for picking the heads of grain and eating as they passed through grainfields on the Sabbath, when such action does not violate any Biblical principle? Preparation of food was prohibited on the Sabbath, but not the consumption of the same. Inspired record of Sacred Scripture presents Biblical characters accurately and honestly, with their virtues and vices clearly on display. Abraham, the father of the faithful, was unchivalrous towards Sarah, asking repeatedly that she represent herself as his sister rather than his wife (Gen. 12:10-13; 20:1-2). Moses, the great lawgiver, struck the rock (instead of speaking to it as God had instructed), saying, Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock? (Num. 20:8-13). Genesis 12:10-13 (NASB95) 10 Now there was a famine in the land; so Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. 11 It came about when he came near to Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, See now, I know that you are a beautiful woman; 12 and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, This is his wife ; and they will kill me, but they

8 will let you live. 13 Please say that you are my sister so that it may go well with me because of you, and that I may live on account of you. Genesis 20:1-2 (NASB95) 1 Now Abraham journeyed from there toward the land of the Negev, and settled between Kadesh and Shur; then he sojourned in Gerar. 2 Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister. So Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. Numbers 20:8-13 (NASB95) 8 Take the rod; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it may yield its water. You shall thus bring forth water for them out of the rock and let the congregation and their beasts drink. 9 So Moses took the rod from before the Lord, just as He had commanded him; 10 and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. And he said to them, Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock? 11 Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation and their beasts drank. 12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them. 13 Those were the waters of Meribah, because the sons of Israel contended with the Lord, and He proved Himself holy among them. Although David is described as a man after God s own heart (1 Sam. 13:13-14; Acts 13:22), the account of his life is brutally honest: By failing to transport the ark of the covenant in the manner God directed, David was responsible for the death of Uzzah. Looking and lusting after Bathsheba, David committed adultery and, attempting to hide his transgression, murdered her husband Uriah. Lifted up with pride, David numbered the people, which resulted in the death of thousands of Israelites. 1 Samuel 13:13-14 (NASB95) 13 Samuel said to Saul, You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, for now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 But now your kingdom shall not endure. The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you. Acts 13:22 (NASB95) 22 After He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My will. So in our present context, as David was fleeing from the wrath of king Saul, he yielded to sinful expediency, lying about his mission and eating food that was permitted only for the priests. We should not be shocked or surprised. In moments of anxiety and stress, difficulty and danger, has not our faith also wavered? Have not we also, on occasion, taken the path of least resistance? This does not make it right. It simply means that David was human, falling short of the ideals he cherished. Such situations call for repentance and prayer, not a repudiation of the divine standard of right and wrong (1 John 1:5-10). 1 John 1:5-10 (NASB95) 5 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; 7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and

9 the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.