1 Samuel 21
McGeeCHAPTERS 21 AND 22THEME: David involves the priests; David gathers his mighty men; Saul slays the priests of God
1 Samuel 21:1
DAVID INVOLVES THE PRIESTSDavid is very much alone as he flees from Saul. His young men are with him, of course, so he is not alone in that respect. He is alone in that no one in his party is wearing the livery of King Saul.
1 Samuel 21:2
The thought in this portion of Scripture is simply that the only bread available was on the table of showbread, which was not to be eaten except by the priest and only at a certain timewhich was at the changing of the bread each Sabbath day.
1 Samuel 21:5
Although Israel had a God-given religion, and this bread was dedicated for religious purposes, there were some hungry men present who needed food. That bread would have become commonplace if it could not have been used to feed hungry mouths. That is what David was saying. In giving David and his men the bread, the priest was breaking the letter of the Law but not the spirit of the Law. You will recall that the Pharisees challenged the Lord Jesus Christ about breaking the Law (which He did not do). The Lord refuted their accusations by referring to this incident in the life of David. Mar_2:23-28 tells us, “And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn. And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful? And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungered, he, and they that were with him?
How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him? And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.” What the Lord was saying in His day was, “If David could do it, and it was all right, there is One here greater than David, and He can do it also.” David ate the showbread because he had need. Christ is saying that human need supersedes all ritual and ceremonial laws.
1 Samuel 21:7
There is a “Judas Iscariot” in the crowd that day at the tabernacle. His name is Doeg, and he is an Edomite. He is in Saul’s service, and he is going to betray David and the high priest. David has a great deal to say about this man in Psalms 52.
1 Samuel 21:8
Now I would like to call your attention to the way that last clause is misquoted. I have heard it said that certain things should be done for the Lord and done quickly because “the King’s business requires haste.” To begin with, let’s understand what David is actually saying. He does not have a sword or a spear because he had to leave in a hurry. Also David is not on a mission for his kinghe is misrepresenting here. I am here to say that the King’s business does not require haste. Have you ever noticed how patiently God works? He is going to work that way in the life of David. David is going to be schooled and trained in the caves of the earth. That is God’s method. God is in no hurry.
Moses was in a hurry, and he wanted to deliver the children of Israel forty years before God was ready. Moses was not ready either. God put him out in the desert and trained him and schooled him for forty years until he was ready. God brought His Son into the world thirty-three years before He went to the Cross! The thing that marks the work of God is not haste but the fact that He works slowly and patiently. Oh my, how impatient we become!
I am sure my wife would say, “Yes, and you are not the one to talk to people about patience because you are a very impatient man.” That is true, I am impatient. I am trying, now that I am retired, to learn the art of waiting before the Lord. That is something we all need to learn. David needed to learn it too. God has had to train His men like that. God has had to teach patience to every man He has ever used.
God moves and works slowly. If you want to see the way He moves, look how long it takes Him to make a diamond or a redwood tree. God’s work does not require haste, friends. That is not God’s method. David is saying something in this chapter that is not true, as the context reveals. David was not on a mission for the king, and “the king’s business requires haste” is in no way applicable to Christian work.
1 Samuel 21:9
It is interesting that David could use the slingshot when he was a youngster, but he has been in the king’s palace a long time. Perhaps he has lost his cunning with the slingshot. Now he needs a sword and he uses Goliath’s sword because it is available.
1 Samuel 21:10
David got as far away from Saul as he possibly could and went to Achish. When he arrived among these foreigners, he found he was in danger. They were enemies of Israel; so David had to pretend that he was a madman. He had to put on an act. Shakespeare’s Hamlet had to do the same thing to keep from being slain.
1 Samuel 21:15
David’s act was good and the king of Achish believed it. David would not be in danger there.