David Protects the Town of Keilah
1One day news came to David that the Philistines were at Keilah stealing grain from the threshing floors. 2David asked the LORD, “Should I go and attack them?”
“Yes, go and save Keilah,” the LORD told him.
3But David’s men said, “We’re afraid even here in Judah. We certainly don’t want to go to Keilah to fight the whole Philistine army!”
4So David asked the LORD again, and again the LORD replied, “Go down to Keilah, for I will help you conquer the Philistines.”
5So David and his men went to Keilah. They slaughtered the Philistines and took all their livestock and rescued the people of Keilah. 6Now when Abiathar son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, he brought the ephod with him.
7Saul soon learned that David was at Keilah. “Good!” he exclaimed. “We’ve got him now! God has handed him over to me, for he has trapped himself in a walled town!” 8So Saul mobilized his entire army to march to Keilah and besiege David and his men.
9But David learned of Saul’s plan and told Abiathar the priest to bring the ephod and ask the LORD what he should do. 10Then David prayed, “O LORD, God of Israel, I have heard that Saul is planning to come and destroy Keilah because I am here. 11Will the leaders of Keilah betray me to him?* And will Saul actually come as I have heard? O LORD, God of Israel, please tell me.”
And the LORD said, “He will come.”
12Again David asked, “Will the leaders of Keilah betray me and my men to Saul?”
And the LORD replied, “Yes, they will betray you.”
David Hides in the Wilderness
13So David and his men—about 600 of them now—left Keilah and began roaming the countryside. Word soon reached Saul that David had escaped, so he didn’t go to Keilah after all. 14David now stayed in the strongholds of the wilderness and in the hill country of Ziph. Saul hunted him day after day, but God didn’t let Saul find him.
15One day near Horesh, David received the news that Saul was on the way to Ziph to search for him and kill him. 16Jonathan went to find David and encouraged him to stay strong in his faith in God. 17“Don’t be afraid,” Jonathan reassured him. “My father will never find you! You are going to be the king of Israel, and I will be next to you, as my father, Saul, is well aware.” 18So the two of them renewed their solemn pact before the LORD. Then Jonathan returned home, while David stayed at Horesh.
19But now the men of Ziph went to Saul in Gibeah and betrayed David to him. “We know where David is hiding,” they said. “He is in the strongholds of Horesh on the hill of Hakilah, which is in the southern part of Jeshimon. 20Come down whenever you’re ready, O king, and we will catch him and hand him over to you!”
21“The LORD bless you,” Saul said. “At last someone is concerned about me! 22Go and check again to be sure of where he is staying and who has seen him there, for I know that he is very crafty. 23Discover his hiding places, and come back when you are sure. Then I’ll go with you. And if he is in the area at all, I’ll track him down, even if I have to search every hiding place in Judah!” 24So the men of Ziph returned home ahead of Saul.
Meanwhile, David and his men had moved into the wilderness of Maon in the Arabah Valley south of Jeshimon. 25When David heard that Saul and his men were searching for him, he went even farther into the wilderness to the great rock, and he remained there in the wilderness of Maon. But Saul kept after him in the wilderness.
26Saul and David were now on opposite sides of a mountain. Just as Saul and his men began to close in on David and his men, 27an urgent message reached Saul that the Philistines were raiding Israel again. 28So Saul quit chasing David and returned to fight the Philistines. Ever since that time, the place where David was camped has been called the Rock of Escape.* 29*David then went to live in the strongholds of En-gedi.
March 21 Reflection & Worship
True Strength
GOOD CHARACTER IS LIKE GOOD SOUP—IT IS USUALLY HOMEMADE.
LOOK BACK The young boy Samuel shows that you don’t have to be old—just attentive—to hear and obey the voice of God.
Though “tuned in” to God in many ways, Samuel neglects the proper discipline of his sons, resulting in a national call for a king despite the dire predictions of what a king would do. God instructs Samuel to anoint Saul, a man of great physical stature but scant spiritual character. Saul’s early successes soon give way to disobedient excesses, resulting in God’s verdict of “rejected” and the anointing of Saul’s successor. David, the young shepherd boy plucked from the pasture, would soon sing and “sling” his way into the hearts of his countrymen. But the path to the palace would be fraught with danger, discouragement, and deadly intrigue as David runs for his life from a crazed King Saul.
LOOK UP Q: Who had more strength—Samuel or Samson?
A: It all depends on your definition of strength.
If by strength you mean “the physical ability to bring down the house,” then it’s no contest. He-man Samson beats little boy Samuel every time.
But if by strength you mean inner moral character, the ability to do what is right even when no one is watching, godliness, self-control, and ethical integrity, then little boy Samuel beats Samson hands down.
Samson spent his entire life seeing how close to the edge of moral collapse he could get without falling over. In the end he lost his sight, his influence, and eventually his life. To be sure, God won a great victory over the Philistines at Samson’s death, but imagine how many other victories might have been achieved if not for Samson’s compromising stance toward right and wrong.
By contrast, in his early years Samuel was intent on hearing and obeying God’s voice. And despite any failure as a father of which he may have been guilty, “the LORD was with him, and everything Samuel said proved to be reliable” (1 Samuel 3:19). Samuel is a good example of someone who tuned in to what God was saying to him.
LOOK AHEAD What a strange, upside-down world we live in when those receiving the greatest public applause and financial reward are those who can dunk a basketball, act in front of a camera, or sell a million albums—with no regard to their moral character or ethical conduct.
By contrast, those in line for God’s recognition and reward are those who “realize their need for him . . . are humble . . . are merciful . . . work for peace . . . [and] are persecuted for doing right” (Matthew 5:3-10). No, you’re not likely to see them in the spotlight this side of heaven. But when God hands out his “Well done, . . . good and faithful servant” awards (Matthew 25:21, 23), you can be sure there will be some surprises.
Incidentally, which type of recognition are you striving to receive?