This chapter is based on 1 Samuel 22:20-23; 23 to 27.
(EP 480)
“One of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, ... escaped, and fled after David. And Abiathar showed David that Saul had slain the Lord’s priests. 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. Abide thou with me, fear not: for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life: but with me thou shalt be in safeguard.”
(EP 480.1)
Still hunted by the king, David’s brave band repaired to the wilderness of Ziph. At this time, when there were so few bright spots in the path of David, he received an unexpected visit from Jonathan. These two friends related their varied experiences, and Jonathan strengthened the heart of David, saying, “Fear not: for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee; and that also Saul my father knoweth.” The hunted fugitive was greatly encouraged. “And they two made a covenant before the Lord: and David abode in the wood, and Jonathan went to his house.”
(EP 480.2)
The Ziphites sent word to Saul in Gibeah that they knew where David was hiding and they would guide the king to his retreat. But David, warned of their intentions, changed his position, seeking refuge in the mountains between Maon and the Dead Sea.
(EP 480.3)
Again word was sent to Saul, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi. Then Saul took three thousand men chosen out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats.” David had only six hundred men in his company. In a secluded cave the son of Jesse waited for the guidance of God as to what should be done.
(EP 480.4)
As Saul was pressing his way up the mountains, he entered alone the very cavern in which David and his band were hidden. When David’s men saw this they urged their leader to kill Saul. The king was now in their power—certain evidence that God Himself had delivered the enemy into their hand, that they might destroy him. David was tempted to take this view of the matter, but the voice of conscience spoke to him. “Touch not the anointed of the Lord.”
(EP 481.1)
David’s men reminded their commander of the words of God, “Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul’s robe privily.”
(EP 481.2)
Saul rose up and went out of the cave to continue his search, when a voice fell upon his startled ears, “My lord the king.” Who was addressing him? The son of Jesse, the man he had so long desired to kill. David bowed, then addressed Saul: “Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that the Lord hath delivered thee today into mine hand in the cave: and some bade me kill thee; but mine eye spared thee; and I said, I will not put forth mine hand against my lord; for he is the Lord’s anointed. Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of thy robe in my hand: for in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe, and killed thee not, know thou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in mine hand, and I have not sinned against thee; yet thou huntest my soul to take it.”
(EP 481.3)
Saul was deeply moved as he realized how completely he had been in the power of the man whose life he sought. With softened spirit, he exclaimed, “Is this thy voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice, and wept.” Then he declared to David: “Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil... . For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away? wherefore the Lord reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day. And now, behold, I know well that thou shalt surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thine hand.” And David made a covenant with Saul that he would not cut off his name.
(EP 481.4)
David could put no confidence in the assurances of the king, so when Saul returned home, he remained in the mountains.
(EP 482.1)
After evil-minded men do and say wicked things against the Lord’s servants, the Spirit of the Lord strives with them, and sometimes they humble their hearts before those they have sought to destroy. But as they again open the door to the evil one, the old enmity is awakened and they return to the same work they repented of. Satan can use such souls with far greater power than before, because they have sinned against greater light.
(EP 482.2)
“And Samuel died; and all the Israelites were gathered together, and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah.” A great and good prophet and an eminent judge had fallen in death. From his youth up, Samuel had walked before Israel in the integrity of his heart. Although Saul had been king, Samuel had wielded a more powerful influence than he, because his record was one of faithfulness and devotion.
(EP 482.3)
The people saw what a mistake they had made in desiring a king that they might not be different from the nations around them. Many looked with alarm at the condition of society, fast becoming leavened with godlessness. Well might Israel mourn that Samuel, the prophet of the Lord, was dead.
(EP 482.4)
The nation had lost him to whom the people had been accustomed to go with their great troubles—lost one who had constantly interceded with God in behalf of the best interests of its people. “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” James 5:16. The king seemed little less than a madman. Justice was perverted, and order was turned to confusion.
(EP 482.5)
Bitter were the reflections of the people as they looked upon Samuel’s quiet resting place and remembered their folly in rejecting him as their ruler; for he had had so close a connection with Heaven that he seemed to bind all Israel to the throne of Jehovah. Samuel had taught them to love and obey God, but now he was dead. The people felt they were left to the mercies of a king who was joined to Satan and who would divorce the people from God and heaven.
(EP 483.1)
David knew that Samuel’s death had broken another bond of restraint from the actions of Saul, and he felt less secure than when the prophet lived. So he fled to the wilderness of Paran. In these desolate wilds, realizing that the prophet was dead and the king was his enemy, he sang:
(EP 483.2)
He that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, He that keepeth Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep... . The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in From this time forth, and even forevermore. Psalm 121:3-8
(EP 483.3)
David and his men protected the flocks and herds of a wealthy man named Nabal, who had vast possessions in Paran. Nabal’s character was churlish and niggardly.
(EP 483.4)
It was the time of sheepshearing, a season of hospitality. David and his men were in need of provisions, and the son of Jesse sent ten young men to Nabal, bidding them greet him in their master’s name: “Peace be both to thee, and peace be to thine house, and peace be unto all that thou hast. And now I have heard that thou hast shearers: now thy shepherds which were with us, we hurt them not, neither was there ought missing unto them, all the while they were in Carmel. [Not Mount Carmel, but a place in the territory of Judah.] Ask thy young men, and they will show thee. Wherefore ... give, I pray thee, whatsoever cometh to thine hand unto thy servants, and to thy son David.”
(EP 483.5)
This rich man was asked to furnish from his abundance some relief to the necessities of those who had done him such valuable service. The answer Nabal returned indicated his character: “Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? There be many servants nowadays that break away every man from his master. Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men, whom I know not whence they be?”
(EP 484.1)
David was filled with indignation. He determined to punish the man who had denied him what was his right, and had added insult to injury. This impulsive movement was more in harmony with the character of Saul than that of David. The son of Jesse had yet to learn patience.
(EP 484.2)
Without consulting her husband, Abigail made up an ample supply of provisions, which she sent forward in the charge of servants, and herself started out to meet David. When Abigail saw David, “She hastened, and lighted off the ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, upon me let this iniquity be: and let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine audience.” Abigail addressed David with as much reverence as though speaking to a crowned monarch. With kind words she sought to soothe his irritated feelings. Full of the wisdom and love of God, she made it plain that the unkind course of her husband was in no wise premeditated, but simply the outburst of an unhappy, selfish nature. She then offered her rich provision as a peace offering to the men of David.
(EP 484.3)
She said, “The Lord will certainly make my lord a sure house; because my lord fighteth the battles of the Lord, and evil hath not been found in thee all thy days.” Abigail implied that David ought to fight the battles of the Lord. He was not to seek revenge for personal wrongs, even though persecuted as a traitor. “And it shall come to pass, when the Lord shall have done to my lord according to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee, and shall have appointed thee prince over Israel; that this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offense of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed blood causeless, or that my lord hath avenged himself.”
(EP 484.4)
The piety of Abigail, like the fragrance of a flower, breathed out all unconsciously in face and word and action. The Spirit of God was abiding in her soul. Her speech, seasoned with grace, shed a heavenly influence. David trembled as he thought of his rash purpose. “Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God.” Matthew 5:9. Would that many more like this woman of Israel would soothe irritated feelings, prevent rash impulses, and quell great evils by words of calm wisdom.
(EP 485.1)
David’s passion died away under the power of Abigail’s influence and reasoning. He was convinced that he had lost control of his own spirit. With humble heart, he received the rebuke, in harmony with his own words, “Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil.” Psalm 141:5. He gave thanks and blessings because she advised him righteously. How few take reproof with gratitude and bless those who seek to save them from pursuing an evil course.
(EP 485.2)
When Abigail returned home she found Nabal and his guests in drunken revelry. Not until the next morning did she relate to her husband what had occurred in her interview with David. When he realized how near his folly had brought him to sudden death, he seemed smitten with paralysis. He was filled with horror and sank down in helpless insensibility. After ten days he died. In the midst of his making merry, God had said to him, as to the rich man of the parable, “This night thy soul shall be required of thee.” Luke 12:20.
(EP 485.3)
David afterward married Abigail. He was already the husband of one wife, but the custom of the nations of his time had perverted his judgment. The bitter result of marrying many wives was sorely felt throughout all the life of David.
(EP 486.1)
Again the Ziphites, hoping to secure the favor of the king, informed him of David’s hiding place. Once more Saul summoned his men of arms and led them in pursuit of David. But friendly spies brought tidings to the son of Jesse; and with a few of his men, David started out to learn the location of his enemy.
(EP 486.2)
It was night when they came upon the tents of the king and his attendants, and saw, unobserved, the camp quiet in slumber. In answer to David’s question, “Who will go down with me to Saul to the camp?” Abishai promptly responded, “I will go down with thee.”
(EP 486.3)
Hidden by the shadows of the hills, David and his attendant entered the encampment. They came upon Saul sleeping, his spear stuck in the ground and a cruse of water at his head. Beside him lay Abner, his chief commander, and all around them were the soldiers, locked in slumber. Abishai raised his spear. “God hath delivered thine enemy into thine hand this day: now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear even to the earth at once, and I will not smite him the second time.” He waited for permission, but there fell upon his ear the whispered words: “Destroy him not: for who can stretch forth his hand against the Lord’s anointed, and be guiltless? ... As the Lord liveth, the Lord shall smite; ... or he shall descend into battle, and perish. The Lord forbid that I should stretch forth mine hand against the Lord’s anointed; but, I pray thee, take thou now the spear that is at his bolster, and
(EP 486.4)
the cruse of water, and let us go... . And no man saw it, nor knew it, neither awaked: ... because a deep sleep from the Lord was fallen upon them.”
(EP 487.4)
When David was at a safe distance from the camp, he cried with a loud voice to Abner, “Art not thou a valiant man? and who is like to thee in Israel? wherefore then hast thou not kept thy lord the king? for there came one of the people in to destroy the king thy lord. This thing is not good that thou hast done. As the Lord liveth, ye are worthy to die, because ye have not kept your master, the Lord’s anointed. And now see where the king’s spear is, and the cruse of water that was at his bolster. And Saul knew David’s voice, and said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And David said, It is my voice, my lord, O king. And he said, Wherefore doth my lord thus pursue after his servant? for what have I done? or what evil is in mine hand?”
(EP 487.1)
Again the acknowledgment fell from the lips of the king: “I have sinned: return, my son David; for I will no more do thee harm, because my soul was precious in thine eyes this day: behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly.”
(EP 487.2)
David answered, “Behold the king’s spear! and let one of the young men come over and fetch it.” Although Saul had made the promise, “I will no more do thee harm,” David did not place himself in his power.
(EP 487.3)
In parting, Saul exclaimed, “Blessed be thou, my son David: thou shalt both do great things, and also shalt still prevail.” But the son of Jesse had no hope that the king would long continue in this frame of mind.
(EP 487.4)
David despaired of reconciliation. It seemed that he should at last fall victim to the malice of the king. With the six hundred men under his command, he passed over to Achish, the king of Gath.
(EP 487.5)
David’s conclusion that Saul would accomplish his murderous purpose was formed without the counsel of God. Even while Saul was plotting his destruction, the Lord was working to secure David the kingdom. Looking at appearances, men interpret the trials and tests that God permits as things that will only work their ruin. David looked on appearances and not at the promises of God. He doubted that he would ever come to the throne. Long trials had wearied his faith and exhausted his patience.
(EP 487.6)
The Lord did not send David for protection to the Philistines, the most bitter foes of Israel. Yet, having lost all confidence in Saul and in those who served him, David threw himself upon the mercies of the enemies of his people. God had appointed him to set up his standard in the land of Judah, and it was want of faith that led him to forsake his post of duty.
(EP 488.1)
The Philistines had feared David more than Saul; and by placing himself under the protection of the Philistines, David discovered to them the weakness of his own people. Thus he encouraged these relentless foes to oppress Israel. David had been anointed to stand in defense of the people of God. The Lord would not have His servants give encouragement to the wicked by disclosing the weakness of His people.
(EP 488.2)
Further, the impression was received by his brethren that he had gone to the heathen to serve their gods. By this act, many were led to hold prejudice against him. The very thing Satan desired to have him do, he was led to do. David did not renounce his worship of God nor devotion to His cause, but he sacrificed his trust in Him to his personal safety.
(EP 488.3)
David was cordially received by the king of the Philistines. The king admired him and was flattered to have a Hebrew seek his protection. David brought his family, his household, and all his possessions, as did also his men. To all appearance he had come to settle permanently in the land of Philistia. This was gratifying to Achish, who promised to protect the fugitive Israelites.
(EP 488.4)
At David’s request, the king graciously granted Ziklag as a possession. In a town wholly separated for their use, David and his men might worship God with more freedom than in Gath, where heathen rites could prove a source of evil.
(EP 489.1)
While dwelling in this isolated town David made war upon the Geshurites, the Gezrites, and the Amalekites, and left none alive to bring tidings to Gath. He gave Achish to understand that he had been warring against his own nation, the men of Judah. By this dissembling he strengthened the hand of the Philistines, for the king said, “He hath made his people Israel utterly to abhor him; therefore he shall be my servant forever.” David was not walking in the counsel of God when he practiced deception.
(EP 489.2)
“And it came to pass in those days, that the Philistines gathered their armies together for warfare, to fight with Israel. And Achish said unto David, Know thou assuredly, that thou shalt go out with me to battle, thou and thy men.” David answered the king evasively, “Surely thou shalt know what thy servant can do.” Achish pledged his word to bestow upon David a high position at the Philistine court.
(EP 489.3)
But although David’s faith had staggered somewhat at the promises of God, he still remembered that Samuel had anointed him king of Israel. He reviewed the mercy of God in preserving him from Saul and determined not to betray a sacred trust. Even though the king of Israel had sought his life, he would not join his forces with the enemies of his people.
(EP 489.4)