1 Samuel 21

David Fled from Saul to The Cities of Nob and Gath

When David became convinced that Saul’s jealous anger would not be appeased, he was forced to flee for his life.  This initial escape began what would become a long season of running and hiding for the future king.

David Went to Nob - A City of Priests

The first place to which David fled was Nob, which, since the destruction of Shiloh, had become the city of priests.              - Don Fleming

Fabricated Mission

Vs. 2 - David answered the priest Ahimelech, “The king gave me a mission.”

By this time in his life, David had proven to be a man of courage, a brave defender of God’s name and His people.  But when the full force of Saul’s hatred came down on him, and he was finally forced to run for his life, the author allows us to see him struggle.  

This was deception at best and a lie at worst, rooted ultimately in selfishness and lack of faith in God. David made some mistakes in his early years as a fugitive. He handled himself better as time passed. During this time God was training him for future service.           - Thomas Constable

Consecrated Bread

Vs. 6 - So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, for there was no bread there except the Bread of the Presence that had been removed from the presence of the Lord. When the bread was removed, it had been replaced with warm bread.

The tabernacle of the LORD had a table that held twelve loaves of bread, symbolizing God’s continual fellowship with Israel.  The importance and meaning of the bread are found in its name. Literally, showbread means “bread of faces.” It is bread associated with, and to be eaten before, the face of God.

The showbread was not to be treated casually. In fact, it was to be eaten by the priests: “And it shall be for Aaron and his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place” (Leviticus 24:9). While this passage in Leviticus does not specifically say that only priests can eat the showbread, it establishes the principle that it must be regarded as holy and can’t be distributed casually. So Ahimelech asked David for a basic level of ceremonial cleanness before he gave him the showbread.

The showbread was always to be fresh. Ahimelech would give David the old showbread, which had been taken from before the LORD, in order to put hot bread in its place.

In giving David the bread, Ahimelech broke with priestly custom but not with God’s word. He rightly understood that human need was more important than Levitical observance.

When Jesus’ disciples were criticized for breaking religious custom by eating against traditions, Jesus used what Ahimelech did to explain the matter (Matthew 12:1-8, Mark 2:23-28). Jesus approved of what Ahimelech did, and Jesus honored him by standing on Ahimelech’s same ground.

The point with Ahimelech and Jesus is powerful: human traditions are never more important than God’s word itself. If God had said, “Only the priests can eat this bread,” it would have been different. But God never said that. To put the “only” in there seemed logical, but it was adding to God’s word. We must never elevate our extension or application of God’s word to the same level as God’s word itself.         - David Guzik

A Sword and Saul’s Servant

We are not told why Doeg, an Edomite servant of Saul, or the sword of Goliath, the Philistine giant, would have been at the tabernacle in Nob.  That Doeg witnessed this conversation between David and Ahimelech proved to be tragic timing (1 Samuel 22:9). 

David Went to Gath - A City of Philistines

Fleeing to the Enemy

Vs. 10-11 - David fled that day from Saul’s presence and went to King Achish of Gath. But Achish’s servants said to him, “Isn’t this David, the king of the land?

From Nob David went to the Philistine city of Gath. He expected that the Philistines would welcome him as a deserter from the Israelite army and so give him refuge. But the Philistines had not yet heard of David’s break with Saul. They knew only that David had killed thousands of their own Philistine people. Thinking he may have been spying in preparation for more attacks, they decided to kill him.        - Don Fleming

Feigning Insanity

Vs. 13 - He acted like a madman around them

It is painful to the last degree to see one whose faith towered to such a lofty height in the encounter with Goliath, coming down from that noble elevation, to find him resorting for self-protection to the lies and artifices of an impostor.         - Blaikie

We see a desperate and deceptive David in this account.  He was looking over his shoulder at every turn, fearing for his life and doubting everyone around him.  It was the beginning of a long and difficult season of preparation for the future king, during which he would learn to trust God for deliverance. 

1 Samuel 21 helps us see the mixture of right and wrong in David’s actions, but David’s psalms clarify the proper response that the godly should make when opposition assails them.            - Thomas Constable

David Reflected on His Deliverance

Psalm 34 is David’s declaration of joy when he escaped from Gath with his life. The title of Psalm 34 reads, A Psalm of David when he pretended madness before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed.

Psalm 34:1-4 - I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the LORD; the humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together. I sought the LORD, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. 

David is especially joyful because the LORD got him out of a mess that David himself made. God’s amazing goodness is shown when He delivers us when we don’t really deserve it.        - David Guzik