David and the Holy Bread David part 4

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Amie Reynolds
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1 David and the Holy Bread David part 4 Last time, we saw how Jonathan saved David once more from his dad who attempted to kill David so many times. The two friends promised each other that they will continue showing the same kindness the Lord does, even to their families. 1Sa 20:14 (ERV) As long as I live, show me the same kindness the LORD does. And if I die, never stop showing this kindness to my family. Be faithful to us, even when the LORD destroys all your enemies from the earth." 1Sa 20:16 So Jonathan made this agreement with David and his family, and he asked the LORD to hold them responsible for keeping it. 1Sa 20:17 Jonathan loved David as himself, and because of this love, he asked David to repeat this agreement for himself. 1Sa 20:42 Then Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace. We have taken an oath in the LORD'S name to be friends forever. We have asked the LORD to be a witness between us and our descendants forever." We also learned last time that we are the Lord s friend if we obey His commandments. When King Saul learned his son Jonathan helped David, he threw a spear at him! When it comes to faith, sometimes our very own family hates us as we follow the Lord and serve those the Lord is with. As David fled from Saul, he went to a city called Nob. There, David went to a temple where he was met by a priest called Ahimelech. Ahimelech wondered why David came alone, after all, he was the king s son in law. This tells us Ahimelech had no idea king Saul was after David. This is an important detail that we will revisit in a later part of this story. 1Sa 21:2 (CEV) "I'm on a mission for King Saul," David answered. "He ordered me not to tell anyone what the mission is all about, so I had my soldiers stay somewhere else. 1Sa 21:3 Do you have any food you can give me? Could you spare five loaves of bread?" 1Sa 21:4 "The only bread I have is the sacred bread," the priest told David. "You can have it if your soldiers didn't sleep with women last night." 1Sa 21:5 "Of course we didn't sleep with women," David answered. "I never let my men do that when we're on a mission. They have to be acceptable to worship God even when we're on a regular mission, and today we're on a special mission."

2 1Sa 21:6 The only bread the priest had was the sacred bread that he had taken from the place of worship after putting out the fresh loaves. So he gave it to David. Our Lord, like David, also had many enemies when He lived in the flesh. Our Lord retold this part of David s story to justify what His followers did in a Sabbath. Mat 12:1 (CEV) One Sabbath, Jesus and his disciples were walking through some wheat fields. His disciples were hungry and began picking and eating grains of wheat. Mat 12:2 Some Pharisees noticed this and said to Jesus, "Why are your disciples picking grain on the Sabbath? They are not supposed to do that!" Mat 12:3 Jesus answered: You surely must have read what David did when he and his followers were hungry. Mat 12:4 He went into the house of God, and then they ate the sacred loaves of bread that only priests are supposed to eat. Mat 12:5 Haven't you read in the Law of Moses that the priests are allowed to work in the temple on the Sabbath? But no one says that they are guilty of breaking the law of the Sabbath. Mat 12:6 I tell you that there is something here greater than the temple. Mat 12:7 Don't you know what the Scriptures mean when they say, "Instead of offering sacrifices to me, I want you to be merciful to others?" If you knew what this means, you would not condemn these innocent disciples of mine. Mat 12:8 So the Son of Man is Lord over the Sabbath. The Pharisees were the religious leaders in those days. They were criticizing the Lord s followers for plucking and eating some grain during the Sabbath. They were right, you were not supposed to do any work on a Sabbath. During the time of Moses, a man was stoned to death because he was picking up some sticks. Why did our Lord connect this situation with what happened to David, when he and his followers ate the sacred bread in the temple? It s because these religious leaders missed the point of the Sabbath. The Sabbath was given to Israel for them to stop their own works, and start doing the true works of God. Rev 2:4 (MKJV) But I have against you that you left your first love. Rev 2:5 Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent, and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and will remove your lampstand out of its place unless you repent.

3 It s called the first works because it s the work of Jesus Christ within us, who is the firstborn of every creature. The work of Jesus Christ is not about rituals and traditions. Our Lord s work is showing mercy and kindness to others. After our Lord justified His followers using the story of David, He then proceeded to heal a man the same day, which He was not supposed to do. Mat 12:9 (CEV) Jesus left and went into one of the Jewish meeting places, Mat 12:10 where there was a man whose hand was crippled. Some Pharisees wanted to accuse Jesus of doing something wrong, and they asked him, "Is it right to heal someone on the Sabbath?" Mat 12:11 Jesus answered, "If you had a sheep that fell into a ditch on the Sabbath, wouldn't you lift it out? Mat 12:12 People are worth much more than sheep, and so it is right to do good on the Sabbath." Mat 12:13 Then Jesus told the man, "Hold out your hand." The man did, and it became as healthy as the other one. Mat 12:14 The Pharisees left and started making plans to kill Jesus. Let s continue David s story: 1Sa 21:7 (ERV) One of Saul's officers was there that day. He was Doeg the Edomite, the leader of Saul's shepherds. He had been kept there before the LORD. 1Sa 21:8 David asked Ahimelech, "Do you have a spear or sword here? The king's business is very important. I had to leave quickly, and I didn't bring my sword or any other weapon." 1Sa 21:9 The priest answered, "The only sword here is the sword of Goliath the Philistine. It is the sword you took from him when you killed him in the Valley of Elah. That sword is behind the ephod, wrapped in a cloth. You may take it if you want to." David said, "Goliath's sword there's not another one like it. Give it to me." 1Sa 21:10 That day David ran away from Saul and went to King Achish of Gath. 1Sa 21:11 Achish's officers said, "Isn't this David, the king of the land of Israel? He is the one the Israelites sing about. They dance and sing this song about him: "Saul has killed thousands of enemies, but David has killed tens of thousands."

4 1Sa 21:12 David paid close attention to what they said. He was afraid of King Achish of Gath, 1Sa 21:13 so he pretended to be crazy in front of Achish and his officers. While David was with them, he acted like a crazy man. He spat on the doors of the gate. He let spit fall down his beard. 1Sa 21:14 Achish said to his officers, "Look at the man! He is crazy. Why did you bring him to me? 1Sa 21:15 I have enough crazy men. I don't need you to bring this man to my house to act crazy in front of me. Don't let this man come into my house again." Poor David, he was forced to hid in Gath where the giant Goliath was from. When the people there recognized him, he had to pretend he was crazy in order to escape them. 1Sa 22:1 (BBE) So David went away from there and took cover in a strong place at Adullam; and his brothers and all his father's people, hearing of it, went down to him there. 1Sa 22:2 And everyone who was in trouble, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, came together to him, and he became captain over them: about four hundred men were joined to him. The kind of people who joined David are the kind of people who joins the Lord and His body. We are in trouble, we are in debt, realizing we cannot pay for our sins. We are brokenhearted, we are all humbled and crushed as we approach our Lord and ask for His mercy. 1Sa 22:3 And from there David went to Mizpeh in the land of Moab: and he said to the king of Moab, Let my father and mother come and make their living-place with you till it is clear to me what God will do for me. 1Sa 22:4 And he took them to the king of Moab and they went on living with him while David was in his safe place. 1Sa 22:5 And the prophet Gad said to David, Do not go on living in this place but go into the land of Judah. Then David went away and came to the woodland of Hereth. Saul was in Gibeah when he heard that people had seen David and all that were with him. 1Sa 22:7 (CEV) He told them: Listen to me! You belong to the Benjamin tribe, so if that son of Jesse ever becomes king, he won't give you fields or vineyards. He won't make you officers in charge of thousands or hundreds as I have done.

5 1Sa 22:8 But you're all plotting against me! Not one of you told me that my own son Jonathan had made an agreement with him. Not one of you cared enough to tell me that Jonathan had helped one of my officers rebel. Now that son of Jesse is trying to ambush me. Saul is trying to divide Israel here. He is trying to pit the Benjamin tribe against David and the tribe of Judah. 1Sa 22:9 (ERV) Doeg the Edomite was standing there with Saul's officers. Doeg said, "I saw Jesse's son at Nob. David came to see Ahimelech son of Ahitub. 1Sa 22:10 Ahimelech prayed to the LORD for David and gave him some food. He even gave David the sword of Goliath the Philistine." 1Sa 22:11 Then King Saul ordered some men to bring the priest to him. Saul told them to bring Ahimelech son of Ahitub and all his relatives who were priests at Nob. So all of them came to the king. 1Sa 22:12 Saul said to Ahimelech, "Listen now, son of Ahitub." Ahimelech answered, "Yes, sir." 1Sa 22:13 Saul said to him, "Why did you and Jesse's son make secret plans against me? You gave David bread and a sword. You prayed to God for him. And right now, David is waiting to attack me." 1Sa 22:14 Ahimelech answered, "David is very faithful to you. Not one of your other officers is as faithful as David. He is your own son-in-law and the captain of your bodyguards. Your own family respects David. 1Sa 22:15 That was not the first time I prayed to God for David. Not at all! Don't blame me or any of my relatives. We are your servants. I know nothing about what is happening." 1Sa 22:16 But the king said, "Ahimelech, you and all your relatives must die." What a horrible king. Not only is Saul bent on killing David for his own selfish reasons, he was also merciless to those who helped David. Ahimelech helped David innocently. He didn t know Saul was after him. If Saul wasn t such a hypocrite, why don t he kill his son Jonathan who helped David knowing that his father wants David dead? Saul ordered his servants to kill Ahimelech the priest but they were to afraid to kill the priest of the Lord. He then ordered Doeg the Edomite to do it and Doeg did not even hesitate to slay Ahimelech and 84 other priests. Doeg even killed the whole town of Nob. 1Sa 22:20 (KJV) And one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after David.

6 1Sa 22:21 And Abiathar shewed David that Saul had slain the LORD'S priests. 1Sa 22:22 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. 1Sa 22:23 Abide thou with me, fear not: for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life: but with me thou shalt be in safeguard. Why is this very bloody event preserved for us to read? There must be a lesson our Lord wants us to learn from this. And surely, there is. Doeg the Edomite is a descendant of Esau. Esau is the twin brother of Jacob. Esau is a symbol of our flesh, our carnal mind. Jacob is a symbol of the spirit. The story of Jacob and Esau is showing us of the constant struggle within us between the flesh and the spirit. Do we want to please ourselves or do we want to please the Lord? We cannot please both. Our selfish desires are always against what the Lord wants us to do. That is the same theme we saw in all the stories we have studied so far. Cain vs Abel, Joseph vs his evil brothers, Moses vs Pharaoh, Jacob vs Esau, Saul vs David, Doeg the Edomite vs the priests of God. Abiathar, the son of Ahimelech escaped and David assured of his safety while he stayed with him. The servants of our Lord will always escape their enemies and they also are guarantied safety in our Lord s hands.

The Church of The Desperate

The Church of The Desperate I. David the Desperate Now David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest, (1 Samuel 21:1) 1. David the Desperate "the city of the priests" (1 Samuel 22:19) 1. David the Desperate