1 Samuel 23:19-29
19 Then Ziphites came up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is David not keeping himself hidden with us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is south of Jeshimon?
20 Now then, O king, come down, since you fully desire to do so; and our part shall be to hand him over to the king.”
21 Saul said, “May you be blessed of the Lord, since you have had compassion on me.
22 Go now, be more persistent, and investigate and see his place where he is hiding, and who has seen him there; for I am told that he is very cunning.
23 So look, and learn about all the hiding places where he keeps himself hidden, and return to me with certainty, and I will go with you; and if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.”
24 So they set out and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah to the south of Jeshimon.
25 When Saul and his men went to seek him, they informed David, and he came down to the rock and stayed in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard about it, he pursued David in the wilderness of Maon.
26 Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain; and David was hurrying to get away from Saul, while Saul and his men were surrounding David and his men to apprehend them.
27 But a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have launched an attack against the land!”
28 So Saul returned from pursuing David and went to confront the Philistines; therefore they called that place the Rock of Division.
29 And David went up from there and stayed in the strongholds of Engedi.
The Rock of Division
Betrayal of the Ziphites
The people of Ziph went to Saul and reported that David was hiding in their area. (1) Perhaps they feared being destroyed like the city of Nob, where the priests were massacred. This betrayal was worse than that of the people of Keilah because the Ziphites actively went up to Saul. (2) Upon hearing this information, Saul was very pleased and expressed a desire for more precise details before setting out to the Ziphites. (3) When David heard that Saul’s forces were coming to pursue him, he was in the wilderness of Maon, about 6 miles south of Ziph. The pursuing army and the fleeing army were moving along opposite sides of the mountain. It was only a matter of time before the two forces encountered each other. (4) It was at such time, a news of the Philistine invasion was brought to Saul, which forced him to retreat reluctantly. This mountain was called “the Rock of Division,” because it became a symbol of God’s providential hand. David was under God’s protection, while Saul was pushed outside of God’s blessing. Having escaped safely, David moved to the stronghold of Engedi, located on the western shore of the Dead Sea.
Psalm 54
David sings about this experience in Psalm 54 (I encourage you to take a moment to read it). The theme of the psalm is “salvation by the name of the Lord.” The name represents the specific nature of God. God’s name includes El, Shaddai, Elohim, YHWH, among others, but in this psalm, Elohim (God) and YHWH (Lord) are used. David calls upon His name, seeking God’s power, judgment, and salvation. “Selah” is a musical interlude or pause. This psalm is divided by “Selah” into two parts: the first part is a plea to God, and the second part is thanksgiving to God. David heard God’s voice in the silence and was convinced that his prayer had been answered. David’s prayer is also our prayer. “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Rom. 10:13). The name of Jesus has special power and authority. Let us also walk today, placing our trust in this name.
Today's prayer
Father God of Jesus Christ, please protect me with Your “Rock of Division.” I pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.