
Plot Twist: The Choice of Two Swords
1 Samuel 21 – 22
August 6, 2023
Jay Haugh
And as soon as the boy had gone, David rose from beside the stone heap and fell on his face to the ground and bowed three times. And they kissed one another and wept with one another, David weeping the most. Then Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, because we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord shall be between me and you, and between my offspring and your offspring, forever’.” And he rose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city. —1 Samuel 20:41-42 ESV
God has severed him from everything dear to him.
David’s failure
Then David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech came to meet David, trembling, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one with you?” And David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has charged me with a matter and said to me, ‘Let no one know anything of the matter about which I send you, and with which I have charged you.’ I have made an appointment with the young men for such and such a place. Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever is here.” —1 Samuel 21:1-3 ESV
Whenever we’re put in stressful situations there’s a tendency to lie in order to protect or provide.
All of us can resort to fleshly tactics.
And the priest answered David, “I have no common bread on hand, but there is holy bread—if the young men have kept themselves from women.” And David answered the priest, “Truly women have been kept from us as always when I go on an expedition. The vessels of the young men are holy even when it is an ordinary journey. How much more today will their vessels be holy?” So the priest gave him the holy bread, for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence, which is removed from before the Lord, to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away. —1 Samuel 21:4-6 ESV
Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord. His name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul’s herdsmen. Then David said to Ahimelech, “Then have you not here a spear or a sword at hand? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s business required haste.” And the priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck down in the Valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take it, for there is none but that here.” And David said, “There is none like that; give it to me.” And David rose and fled that day from Saul and went to Achish the king of Gath. —1 Samuel 21:7-10 ESV
He’s going to a Philistine ruler with a Philistine sword to get a Philistine’s protection.
And the servants of Achish said to him, “Is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another of him in dances, ‘Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?” And David took these words to heart and was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. —1 Samuel 21:11-12 ESV
David is looking for protection and now realizes his decision has put him in a very precarious position.
So he changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in their hands and made marks on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard. Then Achish said to his servants, “Behold, you see the man is mad. Why then have you brought him to me? Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this fellow to behave as a madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?” —1 Samuel 21:13-15 ESV
God separates David from everything he has.
David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, gathered to him. And he became commander over them. And there were with him about four hundred men. —1 Samuel 22:1-2 ESV
And David went from there to Mizpeh of Moab. And he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and my mother stay with you, till I know what God will do for me.” —1 Samuel 22:3 ESV
And he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him all the time that David was in the stronghold. —1 Samuel 22:4 ESV
Then the prophet Gad said to David, “Do not remain in the stronghold; depart, and go into the land of Judah.” So David departed and went into the forest of Hereth. —1 Samuel 22:5 ESV
David’s weapon and power is the “word of God.”
God says you’re not going to hide!
God puts David back together again.
Now Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men who were with him. Saul was sitting at Gibeah under the tamarisk tree on the height with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him. —1 Samuel 22:6 ESV
And Saul said to his servants who stood about him, “Hear now, people of Benjamin; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, that all of you have conspired against me? No one discloses to me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. None of you is sorry for me or discloses to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day.” —1 Samuel 22:7-8 ESV
Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who stood by the servants of Saul, “I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, and he inquired of the Lord for him and gave him provisions and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.” —1 Samuel 22:9-10 ESV
Then the king sent to summon Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s house, the priests who were at Nob, and all of them came to the king. And Saul said, “Hear now, son of Ahitub.” And he answered, “Here I am, my lord.” And Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and a sword and have inquired of God for him, so that he has risen against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?” Then Ahimelech answered the king, “And who among all your servants is so faithful as David, who is the king’s son-in-law, and captain over your bodyguard, and honored in your house? Is today the first time that I have inquired of God for him? No! Let not the king impute anything to his servant or to all the house of my father, for your servant has known nothing of all this, much or little.” —1 Samuel 22:11-15 ESV
And the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house.” And the king said to the guard who stood about him, “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because their hand also is with David, and they knew that he fled and did not disclose it to me.” But the servants of the king would not put out their hand to strike the priests of the Lord. —1 Samuel 22:16-17 ESV
Then the king said to Doeg, “You turn and strike the priests.” And Doeg the Edomite turned and struck down the priests, and he killed on that day eighty-five persons who wore the linen ephod. And Nob, the city of the priests, he put to the sword; both man and woman, child and infant, ox, donkey and sheep, he put to the sword. —1 Samuel 22:18-19 ESV
Powerful men without God are beasts.
But one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord. And David said to Abiathar, “I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have occasioned the death of all the persons of your father’s house.” —1 Samuel 22:20-22 ESV
Lying may have immediate results that are successful, but it always backfires.
“Stay with me; do not be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life. With me you shall be in safekeeping.” —1 Samuel 22:23 ESV
BIG IDEA:
Sin may provide immediate success or satisfaction, but it will always backfire.
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Memory Verse: 1 Peter 5:5b-6 NIV
“God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
Read 1 Samuel 21
David is alone and on the run. How do you deal with feelings of loneliness, isolation, and being overwhelmed? What happens to your faith during these times? What can we do as a Small Group to continually grow as a support system for each other?
David lies to Ahimelech, the priest, for his own self-gain. What are some reasons that have caused you to lie? Is lying ever justified, such as protecting someone’s feelings or preventing harm? Remembering there is a difference between something that is descriptive in the text vs prescriptive, what does Scripture teach us about lying?
David faced Goliath without a sword but now thinks he needs one against Saul. David has always viewed God as his protection, and he travels to Philistine land for sanctuary. In these two examples, what behaviors do you see being exhibited by David that are contrary to his norm? When you are stressed, do you ever act in ways that are other than normal? What is it about these situations that get us taking our eyes off of God? What are some practical ways to remind ourselves of God’s faithfulness in challenging moments?
David is convicted of his sins when standing before Achish, the king of Gath. What has brought conviction in your life in the past? What kind of response does that conviction provoke within you? Do you have unconfessed sin you are holding onto?
Read 1 Samuel 22
What kinds of people were attracted to David? How is it similar to the kinds of people who were attracted to Jesus and those whom Jesus sought out? How do you see yourself? Do you recognize yourself as someone in distress, in debt, or discontent? If so, what kind of gospel promises does Jesus offer to people like you?
Because David deceived Ahimelech, there were real consequences as a result of his sin. What are some consequences that can come from bending the truth or withholding information? Which of these consequences have you experienced? In moments when we want to lie for the purpose of protection or provision, what can we do instead to lean into honesty and transparency?
Discuss the stark differences in leadership style between Saul and David. Saul offers worldly gain for those who align themselves with his purposes. Have you ever been caught in the trap of greed and focusing on material gain? Why can material wealth be a significant draw for some people? What draws people to David? What do you see in his leadership that you can apply to your life?
After Ahimelek escapes to David, David acknowledges his guilt and says to him, “Stay with me; don’t be afraid. The man who wants to kill you is trying to kill me too. You will be safe with me.” David is looking forward and wants to provide for the need in front of him. After repenting of sin, what are some steps people should take to restore what sin destroyed?