David Hides and Saul's Downward Spiral (1 Samuel:21-22)

After David left Jonathan, he ran to the city of Nob to see Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech got a little nervous when he saw David and asked him. "Why are you here?"
"I am on a special mission from the king." David replied. "Do you have anything for me to eat?"
"No, just the holy bread. (This was bread that had been placed in the temple, but had been replaced earlier that day with fresh bread.) You can heat it only if you have kept yourself pure recently." Ahimelech added.
So David ate the holy bread., because he had kept himself pure. Then David asked the priest, "Do you have a sword or any kind of weapon."
Ahimelech answered, " Do you remember when you killed the giant named Goliath?" David nodded yes. "Well the king's men brought his sword here. It is wrapped in cloth in the back room. I will get it for you."


 While David was standing there he saw Doeg, one of Saul's chief herdsman who was there for ceremonial purification. David knew that Doeg had not heard that Saul was trying to kill him yet, but he knew he had to leave there before word reached him. David took Goliath's sword and left. He ended up in Gath. (The city that Goliath came from)  David asked to see the king there, but the guards were not happy about it. They knew who David was. They escorted David to the king's throne. On the way, the guards were grumbling about how David was honored in Israel with singing and dancing. David heard the grumbling of the guards and became afraid. He realized that going before the king was not a very good idea. So David pretended to be insane, scratching on doors and drooling down his beard. The king took one look at David and said to his guards. "Why have you brought this madman before me! We already have enough madmen in my kingdom. Take him away!"











David left Gath and found a very large cave in Adullam. He stayed in the cave for quite some time. Some other men who were discontent with Saul, heard about where David was staying and joined him in the cave. Soon David was the leader of about 400 men there.

 One day Saul was ranting and raving about how everyone was against him. "Even my own son Jonathan is encouraging David to kill me, and none of you even whispered a word about it to me!" He shouted.  Many of Saul's men were around him listening to the king's bellowing. Then one his his officers, Doeg, spoke up. "When I was at Nob for the purification ceremony, I saw David talking to the priest there. I saw the priest consult the Lord about what David should do. Then he handed him Goliath's spear."
 Saul was outraged! He sent for the priests of Nob. (Eighty-five in all) He brought Ahimelech before him and accused him of treason. The priest defended himself by telling Saul that he had no idea that Saul was after David. It was not the first time that David had visited Nod asking for the priests to consult the Lord.
 "You will surely die!" Saul shouted. "Along with your entire family" Saul ordered his officers to kill all the priests, and they did what he said. Then they went to Nod and killed the priest's family. Only one family member escaped. Abiathar, the son of Ahimelech fled to David's camp and told him that Saul had killed all the priests and their families.  David knew that Doeg must have told Saul about their chance meeting at the temple in Nob. "Stay here with us and we will protect you from the king who wants to kill us both." David told Abiathar.


 It is hard to believe that Saul was once a king who turned to God. Now he was getting more evil as the days passed. Once we turn away from God, things become more unclear. Right and wrong get muddled. Sin is turning away from God. The more we sin, the more separated from God we become..... the more we sin. When we find ourselves in that downward spiral, admit the wrong, stop the sin and turn back toward God. This is called repentance.

David on the Run (1 Samuel 19-20)

  As time went by, King Saul hated David more and more, even though David was married to his daughter Michal and  he was best friends with his son, Jonathan. The king was jealous of David because of his popularity and because he knew that David had been anointed by Samuel to be the next king. Saul wanted his son to keep the throne in the family and David was standing in his way.


 One day Saul had enough. He sent a couple of his men to David's house. "Kill him when he comes out in the morning!" Saul ordered. That evening the men went to David's house and waited outside until David came out the next morning so they could kill him.
 Michal, David's wife, was looking out the window. She noticed that a couple of her father's men were hanging around. She overheard them saying that they were supposed to kill David. She woke up David. "Hurry my husband! You must climb out the window right away and get away. My father has ordered some of his men to come and kill you!" So she helped David climb out the widow. Then she put some things in his bed along with a furry goat pillow to make it appear as if David was still in bed. David fled into the forest.
 The next morning, David never came out of his house, so Saul's men went inside. "Where is David?" they asked.
 "I'm sorry, David is not feeling well today." Michal told them as she motioned toward the bed. The men saw the "fake" David under the covers. His bushy hair partially exposed from under the covers. Saul's men returned to the castle to report to the king.
 "Did you kill David?" Saul asked.

 "No, he was ill and in bed, so we left him alone." The men stated.
 Saul got very angry! "So what!" He shouted. "Bring his bed with him lying in it, and I'll kill him myself!" So Saul's men went back to David's house. When they picked up David's bed, they realized that they had been tricked and reported back to Saul right away. Saul stormed over to David and Michal's house.
 "Where is David?" Saul inquired of his daughter. "Why have you tricked me?"
 Even though Michal had done the right thing by helping David escape, she did the wrong thing by lying to her father. " David threatened to kill me if I didn't help him escape!" She said. This made Saul burn with more anger still.


 Sometimes we do the right thing in God's eyes, but the when confronted by man, we become afraid and undo the good that we have done. God wants us to do the right thing, then stand by our actions when confronted by others. By doing this, we are trusting God and bringing him glory. Trust in God rather than man. (Psalm 118:8) as a side note: Psalm 118:8 is the exact center of the bible. That's cool!


  Meanwhile David found Jonathan out in the fields. "Your sister Michal told me that she overheard your father's men talking, and your father wants to kill me." David told him.
 "My sister has a tendency to exaggerate. I'm sure it's not true." Jonathan replied.
 "Ok, I have an idea." said David. " Tomorrow is the New Moon Festival. I always sit with your father during the meal. If he asks where I am, tell him that I requested to celebrate with my family instead and that you approved my request. You will see how he reacts and let me know the day after tomorrow. I'll be waiting here."
 The next day, at the festival, Saul noticed that David was not there, but didn't say anything. Then the next day, David was still a no show. "Where is David?" Saul asked Jonathan.
 "Oh, I told him that he could celebrate with his family this year."Jonathan replied.
 Saul flew into a rage and hurled a spear at Jonathan, nearly missing Him. Saul called his son a bunch of names and told him to go get David so he could kill him. Jonathan rebuked his father and said that David was a good man and didn't deserve to be killed. Jonathan knew that his sister was right. David's life was in danger. He returned to David and told him. Through tears Jonathan and David parted ways. They vowed their friendship forever, even to any relatives that may be left behind if either of them should be killed. This is important as we will see in upcoming chapters.


 Michal and Jonathan both did the right thing by protecting David, however Michal chickened out when confronted by her father. Jonathan on the other hand stood strong for what was right. Even to his father, the king.

King Saul Becomes Jealous of David (1Samuel18)

 After defeating Goliath with just a slingshot, David stood before King Saul. Saul was very impressed with David and asked him to stay in the palace with him. (Up until this time, David had split his time between playing the harp for Saul and tending his father's sheep)
  While at the palace, David met Saul's son, Jonathan. They became instant best friends. Jonathan wanted to show David that he would be David's BFF, so he gave him his robe, sword, bow and belt as a promise. This was really amazing because Jonathan was next in line for the throne, but he knew that David was anointed to be king. Instead of being jealous, Jonathan pledged his friendship to David.

 King Saul appointed David as commander over his palace army of 10,000 men. David was very successful in every battle and he became famous throughout the kingdom. People began singing a song about David and Saul. The song went something like this:
                                      "Saul has killed his thousands,
                                        and David his ten thousands"

  Saul found out about what the people were singing and got very upset. He said, "They are singing about me killing thousands, but they are giving David more credit by singing that he has killed ten thousands! His jealousy got the best of him and the very next day Saul threw a spear at David while he was playing the harp. David had to duck or it would have killed him. Even after this happened, David stood by the king and continued to play the harp in an effort to ease the king's mind. But Saul did the same thing. He tossed another spear in David's direction! Saul intended to kill David. "I wanted to pin him to the wall!" he said to himself.

  Finally , Saul transferred David out of the palace and put him in charge of only one thousand men. Much to Saul's dismay, David continued to be successful in his battles against the Philistines. Saul became even more afraid of David's popularity because he knew that God was with him. He was afraid that he would lose the throne to David because David was becoming so popular with the people. Saul needed to come up with a plan....

  Saul summoned David before him." This is my daughter, Merab. I will give her hand in marriage to her if you fight and defeat the Philistines in the next battle." (Saul planned on letting David be killed by the Philistines, probably by ordering his army to retreat just at the right time, leaving David vulnerable) But David humbled himself and said that he was not worthy to be in the royal family. Saul ended up giving his daughter, Merab to another man. Saul was disappointed that his plan failed.

Meanwhile, Saul's other daughter, Micah, was falling in love with David. When Saul was told about this, he was very pleased. This time he worked on David through his attendants. Saul ordered them to talk to David. They told David how much Saul loved him and how he would love to be his father-in-law. So when Saul had David before him again, he said. "David, you have a second chance to become my son-in-law. My daughter Micah has shown a deep affection for you. If you kill one hundred Philistines and bring back proof, I will give Micah's hand in marriage to you." David agreed.

  God was with David. He killed 200 Philistines! When he returned, Saul was surprised. He had no choice but to let David marry his daughter. Saul became more afraid of David and continued to plan how he would kill him.

First of all, we can see how jealousy can be so destructive. Jonathan chose to be friends instead of being jealous. We will see how deep that friendship remained throughout their lives. Saul chose to be jealous. His jealousy took over his mind and actions causing him to sin over and over. We can choose.We should choose love not jealousy. Love does not envy or boast. It is not arrogant (1Corinthians13:4) Where jealousy is, there is disorder and sin (James 3:16)

  Secondly, we can see God's hand in David's life. God's plans cannot be altered by men. God had told Samuel to anoint David as the next king. No matter what King Saul did, God was with David. Protecting and Guiding him. God has a plan for your life. Get on the same page with God and He will make sure that His plans are carried out through you. He will guide and protect you. The Lord keeps you from harm and watches over your life. (Psalm121:7) Teach me your will Lord, and the Holy Spirit lead me. (Psalm 143:10)

David and Goliath (1Samuel 7:32-58)

So David stood before king Saul. The king asked him. "What's with all the questions about the reward for killing the Philistine soldier known as Goliath?"
 David replied. "Don't worry about a thing. I will go and defeat the giant."
"Don't be ridiculous!" The king replied. "You are just a boy! He has been in the army since before you were even born!"
David persisted. ""God has been with me when bears and lions attacked my father's sheep. I clubbed the beasts and sometimes would even have to kill them with my bare hands."

David remembered how God helped him through the tough times. When we are faced with difficult situations, it helps to remember the times when God was there for us in the past. David also realized that the lions and bears were training him for something bigger. Are you going through a tough time? It may be that God is preparing you for something great.

 Finally Saul agreed to let David go and fight Goliath. He even gave David his own personal armor to wear. But Saul was very tall and the armor felt clunky and uncomfortable to David. So he took it off. He wasn't used to wearing any type of armor when he was defending his father's sheep. David grabbed his staff and a slingshot. Then he headed down to the river where he picked up five smooth stones and put them into his pouch.
 Goliath was already out in the clearing taunting the Israelite army. David came up from the bank of the river and ran toward Goliath and his armor bearer.

To everyone it looked like two against one.... and a very lopsided two against one at that, because one was a giant with a spear, armor and a shield bearer and the other was a boy.  It WAS lopsided, but not a giant against a boy, but God and a boy against two men. 

Goliath sneered at David. "Am I a dog that you come at me with a stick? Come over here and I'll feed you to the wild animals!" He shouted.
 David shouted back. "You come to me with a spear, javelin and a sword. But I come to you in the name of the Lord God Almighty. Today He will conquer you, then I will feed you to the wild animals and the whole world will know that there is one true God! This battle is not mine, but it is the Lord's because you have defiled His people." David continued running toward Goliath as he reached into his pouch and took out a stone.

When facing problems in our lives, do we look at the problem and give up or panic? Or do we have the confidence that comes with knowing that God is on our side. If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)

                                                              As David ran toward Goliath, Goliath moved toward David. Placing the stone in the slingshot, David hurled it toward Goliath. It hit Goliath in his head. Goliath fell with a great thump face down to the ground. He was dead. David triumphed over the Philistine giant with only a stone and a sling.
 The Philistine army saw Goliath fall to the ground and ran away. The Israelite army, now full of confidence, shouted triumphantly and chased the Philistines out past the gates of Ekron.

God doesn't want us to sit back and wait for Him to fight our battles. He also does not want us to do it all by ourselves. He wants us to team up with Him.  He loves you and everything He allows into your life is for His greater purpose. Trust Him in the little things, the big things and the difficult things.



  

David Hears About Goliath and the Reward (1Samuel17a)

  So David worked for the king as well as caring for his father's sheep. He would travel back and forth
between his home and the palace. While he was home, the Israelite army had gathered to battle the Philistine army. The Philistines had set up camp just outside of Judah. So the Israelites set up on an opposite hill with a valley between the armies. David's three oldest brothers had already gone ahead to join the army to fight the Philistines. As he was getting ready to go back to king Saul, David's father gave him some grain and bread to take to his brothers and some cheese to take to their captain. He also asked David to see how they were doing and to bring back a letter from the brothers.

  When David arrived at the camp. The Israelite army was just leaving for battle. But today would be the same as the last forty days. The two armies would be on opposite sides of the valley. One of the Philistine soldiers would come out and stand between the armies and begin taunting the Israelites. This was no ordinary soldier however. His name was Goliath and he was nine feet tall! He was an  honored champion among the Philistines. He wore a bronze helmut and had a spear on his back. The head of the spear alone weighed over fifteen pounds. He also had an armor bearer in front of him with a huge shield.
  For forty days, twice a day, Goliath would strut in front of the Israelite army and shout at them. "Do you need a whole army to settle this?" He would sneer. " Choose someone to fight for you, and I will represent the Philistines. We will settle this dispute in single combat. If your man is able to kill me, then we will be your slaves. But if I kill him, you will be our slaves! I defy the army of Israel!" Goliath taunted. "Come on! Send out someone who will fight with me!"

 King Saul and the Israelite army would shake with fear every time Goliath would come out. Many of them ran away in fright. David was going toward the battle. Some of the Israelite army were grumbling among themselves as they were headed away from the front lines. "Have you seen the size of that guy?  They asked each other. "Even with the king's huge reward, there is no way I'm fighting that guy!" David was curious about this huge reward, so he stopped one of the frightened  men and asked him about it. "Yes, the king has offered a huge reward to any man that kills the giant." The man continued. "King Saul will give that man one of his daughters in marriage and the family of the man who kills the giant will never have to pay taxes again."

  David went a little farther and asked a couple more soldiers who were standing near the front lines. "What will the man receive for killing this Philistine and putting an end to his abuse of Israel?" David asked. "And who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?" Some of the soldiers answered him. "What you have heard is true. The family of the man who kills the Philistine will be exempt from taxes forever, and that man will marry one of the king's daughters."

  But David's older brother Eliah, was nearby. He saw David and heard the questions that he was asking about the reward. "What are you doing?" Eliah asked angrily. "You are supposed to be tending to those couple of sheep on the mountainside away from everyone! You don't belong here and you certainly don't need to know about the reward for killing the giant! Go home!"
  "What did I do now?" Asked David. "I was only asking a question." Eliah walked away in anger and David continued to ask questions. Soon king Saul heard that David was inquiring about the reward and he sent for him.

  Did you notice David's response to Goliath's taunting. He had the right perspective. David saw the Israelite army as God's army. He knew that God was on their side. He heard Goliath's threat as a threat against God, not just men. Don't be afraid to stand up for what is right. God is on your side. (Romans 8:31) God did not give us a spirit of fear. (2Timothy1:7) Do the right thing and God will be with you. (Deuteronomy 6:18)

David is Anointed King (1 Samuel 16)

 After Samuel called Saul on his disobedience, the two men went their separate ways. Samuel was very sad because he and Saul had a long history between them. Finally God called to Samuel. "You have mourned for Saul long enough. Now it is time to anoint a new king. I want you to take some oil and head to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse. One of his sons will be the next king of Israel."

God understands our disappointments. But there comes a time when we have to get back to what we are supposed to do. 

 Samuel answered with a tinge of fear in his voice. "What if Saul finds out? He will have me killed!"
 "Don't worry." God said. "Bring a heifer and tell everyone that you are there to make a sacrifice."
 So Samuel took a cow and headed to Bethlehem. When he arrived, the people got nervous. "What happened? Why are you here? Is there something wrong?" They questioned.
 "Relax." Samuel replied. "I am only here to make a sacrifice in the town square. Invite everyone in the town. Make sure that you invite Jesse and his sons."
 Samuel had just begun the purification sacrifice when Jesse and his sons arrived. Samuel took one look at Eliab, Jesse's oldest son and thought to himself, "This is surely the next king of Israel. He is tall and handsome." But the Lord said to Samuel, Don't judge by appearance and height for I have rejected him. People judge by appearance, but I the Lord, judge by a person's heart."

We don't have to do things to make us look good. God sees our heart. He knows our motives, which means that He knows why we do things. The good things that we do should be an overflow of our hearts, not to rack up points with God.

 Then Jesse told his son Abinadab to step forward. Again, the Lord rejected him, even though Samuel again thought that this was the one. Then Shammah stepped forward. And again God said, "No." One by one all seven of Jesse's sons stepped forward. And one by one they were rejected.
 Finally Samuel asked Jesse. "Do you have any other sons that are not here?"
 "Yes" Said Jesse. "There is one more, my youngest, David. He is working out in the field watching the sheep."
 "Send for him at once," ordered Samuel. "We will not sit down and eat until David gets here."
 When David arrived, Samuel saw that he had red hair, pleasant eyes and he was handsome. God told Samuel that David was the one. So Samuel poured oil on David's head and anointed him. As soon as Samuel anointed David, the Holy Spirit came upon him.


 In the old testament, the Holy Spirit came upon people. The Holy Spirit would descend upon and leave people as God saw fit to accomplish His purposes. Now, after Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside us if we have made Jesus the Lord of our life. And He is with us forever! It is one of God's most amazing promises!

 Meanwhile, Saul was in his throne room. The Holy Spirit had departed from him and Saul became agitated and fearful. One of Saul's servants suggested that Saul needed music to calm him down. Another servant suggested a young man that he had heard about who played the harp very well. His name was David!

God is always working behind the scenes, even when we don't see it. 

 Saul sent a message to Jesse to send his son David. Jesse sent David to the king along with some gifts. David played the harp for Saul and it helped Saul. Saul liked David very much and soon David became the armor bearer as well at the royal musician.

The Fall of Saul (1 Samuel:13-15)

  When we left last time, Samuel had anointed Saul as king. Samuel warned the people that God was not very pleased with them about choosing a king over Him. But that as long as they looked to God first for everything, that He would continue to bless them.

 Saul was 30 years old when he became the first king of Israel. He ruled for 40 years. Saul had a son named Jonathan. Jonathan became a great soldier in Saul's army. In one battle, Saul took 2,000 men and gave Jonathan 1,000 men. Jonathan defeated a garrison of Philistines with half the men that his dad had. Saul sent a message out that he had won a great battle against the Philistines. The Philistines got mad and mounted a great attack with chariots and horsemen. Saul and his men got scared and camped at Micmash.
  Samuel the Prophet sent a message to Saul. The message said that he would be there within seven days to pray and make a sacrifice to God. Saul waited and waited. But his men began deserting. Some hid in caves, and some crossed the Jordan River and ran. After seven days, Saul was too fearful to wait any longer. "Bring me the burnt offering." he shouted.

 Just a Saul had finished the sacrifice, guess who shows up? Yep Samuel.
 "What have you done!?" Samuel asked. " Sacrifices must only be offered up by priests and prophets. That was a very foolish thing to do."
 "I didn't think you were coming. All my men were leaving and I thought that the Philistines were ready to attack." Saul replied. Then Samuel told Saul that his disobedience would result in losing the crown.... and that God already had someone after His own heart in mind. Then Samuel left.
 There were only 600 men left with Saul. They left Micmash just in time, because the massive Philistine army showed up there and set up camp.  Saul and his army were in Geba, not far from where the Philistines were set up.Without telling his father, Jonathan took one of his servants. They snuck up on the Philistines. Jonathan told his servant that God would be with them. They attacked the Philistines. The Philistine army was so confused, that they began killing each other! Saul's lookout saw something going on and reported it to Saul. Then he saw the Philistine army running off in every direction. Saul knew that he had to get over there to help Jonathan before the Philistines regathered their troops. He called his men together to pray, but it was taking too long, so he said to forget it, and they left. When they arrived. The Philistine army was gone. The Lord saved Israel that day, but the battle was far from over.

 In the years that followed, Saul fought against Israel's enemies in every direction. He won battles against Moab, Ammon, Edom and Zobah. The Israelites continued to battle the Philistines.
  One day Samuel said to Saul. " I have anointed you as king because God told me to. So now listen to what the Lord wants you to do. He wants you to destroy the country of Amelek because of the evil they did against the Israelites when the left Egypt during Moses' day." Samuel continued. " Make sure you follow these instructions exactly. Destroy everything and everyone. Do not take anything or anyone or any animal. from the land."
  So Saul gathered his army. They destroyed most of Amelek. Saul took the king as prisoner and brought back the best sheep, donkeys and cattle and anything else that appealed to them.

  God said to Samuel the Prophet. " I am sorry that I ever made Saul king. He has been disloyal to me and has disobeyed me at every turn." Samuel was so upset with Saul that he set right out to confront him. When Samuel finally reached the camp, he asked one of the men where Saul was. Guess where he was? He was out in a field surrounded by all the sheep, goats, and cattle that he took from Amelek and he was building a monument.... to himself!
  "I did it!" Saul exclaimed. " I followed God's commands."

 "Then what is all the bleating of sheep and lowing of cattle that I hear?!" Samuel was very angry.
"Oh, I was going to sacrifice them to God later." Saul lied.
"Obedience is much more important to God than sacrifices!" Samuel retorted.
Saul knew he had done wrong. He confessed, but Samuel told him that the since he had rejected the Lord's command..... the Lord will now reject him as king.

   We can see Saul's gradual fall away fro God. We can learn from his mistakes. Let's look at his demise:
1. Saul took credit for Jonathan's victory.
2. Saul sacrificed without Samuel. (He thought of it as a magic wand, not as communing with God)
3. Saul didn't pray because it would have taken too long.
4. Saul directly disobeyed God's commands.
5. Saul thought more of himself than God. (When he built a monument to himself.)
 We should continually check ourselves. Do I take credit for things I did not do. Do I treat the things of God (prayer and bible reading) like a magic lamp? Do I hurry through my prayers or forget about them altogether? Do I break any of God's commandments. Do I think more of myself than of God? All of these things pull us away from God. He loves us and wants us near. He is always in the same place. we are the ones who pull away.