1 Samuel 21:1-9
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?”
2 David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has commissioned me with a matter and has said to me, ‘No one is to 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.’
3 Now then, 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, “Be assured, women have been denied to us as previously when I left and the bodies of the young men were consecrated, though it was an ordinary journey; how much more then will their bodies be consecrated today?”
6 So the priest gave him consecrated bread; for there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence which was removed from its place before the Lord, in order to put hot bread in its place on the day 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 no spear or 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.”
David Flees to Nob
Help of Ahimelech
After the destruction of Shiloh, the Tabernacle was relocated to Nob, which was where David, now a fugitive, first fled to. (1) Seeing David arrive alone, Ahimelech the priest felt uneasy. It was inconceivable for someone of David’s status to be traveling alone. (2) When asked, “Why are you alone, and no one with you?” David lied, saying he was on a secret mission from Saul. (3) In response to David’s request for bread, Ahimelech gave him the “consecrated bread (also called the bread of the Presence),” which normally only the priests were allowed to eat. However, this bread could not be eaten by anyone ceremonially unclean, so Ahimelech made sure that David and his men were clean before giving it to them (ref. Lev. 15:16–18). The Law of God are given not to bind people but to give life. The priest Ahimelech prioritized mercy over the Law. This decision is supported by the Lord Jesus Himself. When His disciples were picking and eating heads of grain on the Sabbath, Jesus cited this incident to defend them (Matt. 12:1–8).
The sword of Goliath
On that day, Doeg, a servant of Saul, was also in Nob. He was an Edomite, likely made a slave through war. He had come to the Tabernacle for purification or to make a petition. Of course, he was not there out of true piety. Later, because of this man’s betrayal, a great massacre occurs in Nob, the town of priests. We can see that David’s faith is wavering. For the sake of protecting himself, he lied to Ahimelech. He also sought a weapon in addition to the bread. Finding out that Goliath’s sword was there, he gladly took it. When he fought Goliath, he had only taken a sling and a few stones, but here, he takes up a sword. This shows a wavering in David’s faith. Later, David greatly regretted the mistake he made here. When our faith wavers, let’s remember David’s failure. Let’s walk in truth and trust in the Lord Jesus alone.
Today's prayer
Heavenly Father God, my faith also can waver at times. Please help me make the right decisions moment by moment. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.