Session 10 Blinded Personal ambition at the expense of others leads to paranoia and desperate decisions. 1 SAMUEL 22:6-17 6 Now Saul heard that David and his men had been discovered. And Saul was seated, spear in hand, under the tamarisk tree on the hill at Gibeah, with all his officials standing at his side. 7 He said to them, Listen, men of Benjamin! Will the son of Jesse give all of you fields and vineyards? Will he make all of you commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds? 8 Is that why you have all conspired against me? No one tells me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. None of you is concerned about me or tells me that my son has incited my servant to lie in wait for me, as he does today. 9 But Doeg the Edomite, who was standing Date of My Bible Study: 101
with Saul s officials, said, I saw the son of Jesse come to Ahimelek son of Ahitub at Nob. 10 Ahimelek inquired of the Lord for him; he also gave him provisions and the sword of Goliath the Philistine. 11 Then the king sent for the priest Ahimelek son of Ahitub and all the men of his family, who were the priests at Nob, and they all came to the king. 12 Saul said, Listen now, son of Ahitub. Yes, my lord, he answered. 13 Saul said to him, Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, giving him bread and a sword and inquiring of God for him, so that he has rebelled against me and lies in wait for me, as he does today? 14 Ahimelek answered the king, Who of all your servants is as loyal as David, the king s son-in-law, captain of your bodyguard and highly respected in your household? 15 Was that day the first time I inquired of God for him? Of course not! Let not the king accuse your servant or any of his father s family, for your servant knows nothing at all about this whole affair. 16 But the king said, You will surely die, Ahimelek, you and your whole family. 17 Then the king ordered the guards at his side: Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because they too have sided with David. They knew he was fleeing, yet they did not tell me. But the king s officials were unwilling to raise a hand to strike the priests of the Lord. Underline exaggerated claims made by Saul. Look for how Saul used these exaggerated claims as a basis for action. Analyze the statements made by Ahimelek in his defense, paying attention to the order. How did the order of his statements give credence to Ahimelek s defense? 102 Explore the Bible Personal Study Guide
FIRST THOUGHTS Job interview questions never seem to change. What are your strengths and your weaknesses? How do you deal with conflict? What skills do you have that make you a good candidate for this job? Every once in a while, we get a question that surprises us. One such question would be: Who else should we consider for this job? If you were asked Who else should we consider for this job? during a job interview, what would your answer reveal about your own qualifications and character? This question was asked of potential employees of a new company. One candidate was surprised, but he knew the field well and quickly gave names. He later learned that the company already had interviewed all the people whose names he listed. The interviewer had asked each of them the same question, but the other candidates had given no names at all, acting as though they were the only ones able to do that job. This man got the job. Evidently, the people at the company realized that someone who could not acknowledge the talents of other people was not a good bet. They recognized that someone who could appreciate the abilities of other people is much more likely to succeed. Our study today focuses on Saul and his unwillingness to recognize David as the anointed one of God. Instead, the king was consumed by ambitious pride, triggering a chain reaction of jealousy, fear, hatred, paranoia, and desperate decisions. David s popularity, success, and favor with God placed him in Saul s crosshairs. UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT 1 SAMUEL 21:1 23:29 Like everyone else, Saul could see that David was highly gifted and was likely to be the next king. Saul may have even known that Samuel had anointed David (1 Sam. 16:1-13). But with increasing paranoia, Saul instead determined to kill David (18:10-11; 19:1,10-11,15; 20:33). Session 10 : Blinded 103
David was forced to flee for his life. This would have been an extremely demanding time for David. He was constantly on the run, and the hill country he had to traverse was harsh, rugged, and barren. What appears on the map to have been a distance of only a few miles in fact involved a very circuitous route involving constant movement up, down, and around countless hills of bare stone. In addition, he had to train and maintain the morale of his small army men who, for the most part, were far from being the ideal recruits. This experience honed David s leadership skills and forged the bond between himself and his army. EXPLORE THE TEXT PURSUED BY SAUL (1 SAM. 22:6-10) VERSES 6-8 6 Now Saul heard that David and his men had been discovered. And Saul was seated, spear in hand, under the tamarisk tree on the hill at Gibeah, with all his officials standing at his side. 7 He said to them, Listen, men of Benjamin! Will the son of Jesse give all of you fields and vineyards? Will he make all of you commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds? 8 Is that why you have all conspired against me? No one tells me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. None of you is concerned about me or tells me that my son has incited my servant to lie in wait for me, as he does today. Killing David was Saul s top priority. When he heard that David and his men had been discovered, he was seated under the tamarisk tree on the hill at Gibeah. It s possible that the hills outside Gibeah were dedicated places of pagan worship (see Ezek. 16:24-25,39). Saul s officials were standing at his side, and Saul s spear was in his hand. The spear in Saul s hand may have served as a ruling scepter (a symbol of leading the nation) or as an indication of Saul s psyche (a symbol of a paranoid man who thought someone was always trying to kill him). Saul addressed his servants as men of Benjamin. Due to the fact that a king kept his closest advisors around him, it would suggest that the highest positions in Saul s government were saved for his kinsmen (1 Sam. 9:1-2). Saul asked two rhetorical questions designed to appeal to their sense of tribal loyalty and personal ambition: Will the son 104 Explore the Bible Personal Study Guide
of Jesse give all of you fields and vineyards? Will he make all of you commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds? The questions were asked in such a way as to suggest that they had much to lose if a Judahite became their king. The questions turned to accusations, exaggerations, and self-pity. Not only did Saul accuse his servants of conspiring against him, but he exaggerated every facet of this imagined sedition (Is that why you have all conspired against me? None of you is concerned about me). The drama and self-pity are palpable. Saul s paranoia led him to assume that all his men were co-conspirators with David and that Jonathan masterminded an ambush for him. Pride places us as the center of the world and then assumes we must be at the center of everyone else s world. Saul was willing to do anything necessary to achieve his ambitions. He assumed everyone else would do the same. How do unchecked ambition and pride lead to paranoia and fear? How can people convince themselves that what they want to believe is true? VERSES 9-10 9 But Doeg the Edomite, who was standing with Saul s officials, said, I saw the son of Jesse come to Ahimelek son of Ahitub at Nob. 10 Ahimelek inquired of the Lord for him; he also gave him provisions and the sword of Goliath the Philistine. Doeg, the Edomite man who was standing with Saul s officials, responded to Saul s pity-laced lecture with a little bitterness of his own. He imitated Saul s earlier reference by referring to David as the son of Jesse and Ahimelek as son of Ahitub. The reference to David emphasized how despised David was in Saul s eyes. Just mentioning David s name seemed to bother Saul. It may be the equivalent of a child getting in trouble and one parent saying to the other parent, Your son was acting up today. The chapter also refers to Ahimelek as son of Ahitub several times (22:9,11,12,20). This specific and repeated reference highlights Ahimelek s connection to the condemned family of Eli the high priest (14:3). Session 10 : Blinded 105
Doeg s report helps us see that the full story is often pieced together through multiple texts. Doeg told Saul that Ahimelek inquired of the Lord for David. However, that fact was not mentioned in the original narrative (21:1-9). We know that Doeg s report was accurate because Ahimelek later admitted to inquiring of the Lord for David (22:15). Doeg also reported that Ahimelek gave David provisions and also gave him... the sword of Goliath the Philistine. Both expressions are put in emphatic positions in their respective clauses. The construction of the statement indicates that Doeg considered each act treasonous. In Doeg s mind, Ahimelek willfully assisted Saul s enemy. BIBLE SKILL: Outline a passage. Psalm 52 records David s response to the actions taken by Doeg the Edomite. Read the psalm, seeking to outline the major points expressed by David. What insights do you gain about unchecked ambition from David s response? The information provided by Doeg can paint two very different pictures. From David s perspective, it showed an ongoing desire to hear from God and submit to God s plan. From Saul s perspective, it showed Ahimelek using the powers of his office (as priest) to help an enemy of the king. Saul promised to kill Ahimelek and his father s whole family (22:16). How can unchecked ambition of one person add fuel to the unchecked ambition of others he or she may influence? How can the person who is influenced become an enabler of the person who is influencing? 106 Explore the Bible Personal Study Guide
GUILT BY ASSOCIATION (1 SAM. 22:11-15) VERSES 11-15 11 Then the king sent for the priest Ahimelek son of Ahitub and all the men of his family, who were the priests at Nob, and they all came to the king. 12 Saul said, Listen now, son of Ahitub. Yes, my lord, he answered. 13 Saul said to him, Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, giving him bread and a sword and inquiring of God for him, so that he has rebelled against me and lies in wait for me, as he does today? 14 Ahimelek answered the king, Who of all your servants is as loyal as David, the king s son-in-law, captain of your bodyguard and highly respected in your household? 15 Was that day the first time I inquired of God for him? Of course not! Let not the king accuse your servant or any of his father s family, for your servant knows nothing at all about this whole affair. By the time Saul sent for the priest Ahimelek and the other priests (all the men of his family), his mind was already made up about their guilt. He specifically accused Ahimelek of conspiring against him by inquiring of God for David and giving David bread and a sword. In Saul s mind, Ahimelek did these things so that David would rise up against Saul and lie in wait. Saul had convinced himself that David was the aggressor and Ahimelek was cooperating with him. Ahimelek s response to Saul was honest, sincere, and well-crafted. He defended David s character by reminding Saul of five truths about David. David was Saul s servant, loyal, the king s son-in-law, captain of his bodyguard and highly respected in his household. How was Ahimelek to know that David was not being completely truthful about his business in Nob (21:1-2)? If the king trusted David so deeply, why would Ahimelek ever question David s integrity? The second part of Ahimelek s response was to characterize his interaction with David as normal. It s true that he inquired of God for David. However, this was not the first time. When one of the king s most trusted warriors and family members asks for help you help. The final part of Ahimelek s response was to affirm his loyalty to Saul (referring to himself as Saul s servant twice in v. 15) and to deny any knowledge of David s intentions. From Ahimelek s perspective, he was an innocent participant who performed a routine task while Session 10 : Blinded 107
considering it service to the king. He emphatically denied any knowledge of wrongdoing. Therefore, Saul should not accuse Ahimelek or his father s family. How do anger, jealousy, or envy cause you to judge others irrationally? In our law courts we have due process for dealing with an accused person. What kind of internal due process should take place in our heads when dealing with people that we think have done something wrong to us? How could a person use the approach taken by Ahimelek when responding to a critic or when accused? Are there other steps Ahimelek could have taken that would not have compromised his integrity? DESPERATE MEASURES (1 SAM. 22:16-17) VERSES 16-17 16 But the king said, You will surely die, Ahimelek, you and your whole family. 17 Then the king ordered the guards at his side: Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because they too have sided with David. They knew he was fleeing, yet they did not tell me. But the king s officials were unwilling to raise a hand to strike the priests of the Lord. Saul was convinced that the conspiracy against him was larger than previously imagined. It was no longer just Jonathan, David, and his closest advisors (1 Sam. 22:7-8) conspiring against him. Saul believed the entire priestly system from Nob was also against him. In an effort to quash a suspected revolt, Saul pronounced a death sentence on Ahimelek and his family. He ordered the guards to kill the priests of the Lord, because they too have sided with David. However, the order fell on deaf ears. But the king s officials were unwilling to raise a hand to strike the priests of the Lord. The same verb for unwilling was later used of David s unwillingness to harm Saul (26:23). 108 Explore the Bible Personal Study Guide
The soldiers rejection of Saul s command may seem unusual, but there were possible contributing factors. It s possible that those who received this command were recently under David s command and still held David in high esteem (22:14). If that were the case, David described this group of men as holy (21:5). Out of reverence for God, it s not surprising that they were unwilling to raise a hand to strike the priests of the Lord. Another possible reason for their disobedience to Saul was the grounds on which the order was given. There was no real evidence supporting a conspiracy against Saul; therefore, no priests needed to die. Regardless of their reasons, this event marked the second time when Saul s men refused a foolish order (14:44-45). KEY DOCTINE: Social Order Every Christian should seek to bring industry, government, and society as a whole under the sway of the principles of righteousness, truth, and brotherly love. When the Israelite guards were unwilling to kill the priests, Saul gave the same order to a non-israelite servant. Doeg the Edomite fulfilled the order by killing eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod (22:18). The slaughter did not end there. According to verse 19, he also killed the inhabitants of Nob ( men and women, its children and infants, and its cattle, donkeys and sheep ). Saul pursued his prideful ambition at any cost. This led to foolish orders, wild conjecture, and horrific crimes. Our king, King Jesus, showed us a different and better way. In contrast to Saul s unyielding pursuit of power, Jesus humbled Himself and took on the form of a servant, which led Him to the cross (Phil. 2:7-8). The apostle Paul said: have the same mindset as Christ Jesus (Phil. 2:5). How does unchecked ambition lead to irrational decisions and actions? How can other unchecked emotions and desires lead to the same kinds of irrational decisions and actions? Session 10 : Blinded 109
IN MY CONTEXT Personal ambition when left unchecked can lead to sin and destruction. Believers may face opposition simply for doing the right thing. Believers need to stand against laws that violate God s laws and principles. As a group, how can the community of believers help people detect their blind spots when it comes to pride? Review how you respond to people who oppose Jesus and who also oppose you as a result of your commitment to Him. How can you give those people a confident yet loving response? What steps do you need to take today in preparation for giving an answer for your faith? Identify laws that are contrary to biblical teachings and principles. How can you stand against such laws without being disrespectful or compromising? What are you doing to work to change these laws? MEMORY VERSE I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul. Psalm 31:7 110 Explore the Bible Personal Study Guide