Day 29: 1 Samuel 22:11–23

Then the king ordered the guards standing by him, “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord because they sided with David” (v. 17).

We are about to see the depth of Saul’s irreverence toward God and the breadth of his madness toward David. This account shows how far the once potentially noble Saul had fallen.

Remember the hinted reference to Doeg the Edomite in 1 Samuel 21:7? He had been in Nob the day David had met with Ahimelech the priest and had overheard their exchange. We sort of suspected that we hadn’t seen the last of this sinister figure.

Sure enough, he tattled to Saul about Ahimelech’s helping David. So on the word of Doeg, Saul sent for Ahimelech and all his family. The priest nobly and bravely testified to the king that David was loyal to Saul. Enraged nonetheless, Saul ordered the murder of all the priests, but his guards refused to carry out the order. Doeg the Edomite then volunteered and murdered eighty-five priests plus all the family members—including women, infants, and children. Only one priest—Abiathar, the son of Ahimelech—escaped and fled to join David.

I’ll never forget seeing this scene in the movie King David. I ran to God’s Word to see if the events portrayed were accurate, and to my horror, they were. At that moment, I ceased to feel pity for Saul. In my opinion, David gave him far too much credit. David gambled on the hope that Saul would never put to death an innocent priest. He was wrong.

Once again, we have the great privilege of seeing the words God inspired from David’s pen after he learned of the tragic slaughter. The NIV note with Psalm 52 reads: “When Doeg the Edomite had gone to Saul and told him: ‘David has gone to the house of Ahimelech.’ ” Take a moment to read this brief psalm yourself.

Assuming David is addressing Saul, verse 1 of this psalm strongly suggests that Saul not only had a multitude of innocent people put to death, many of them priests, but he also bragged about it.

Verse 7 tells us something vile about the ego of King Saul. It says he “grew strong” by destroying others. Have you ever known anyone who made him or herself feel bigger or better by putting others down? Putting others down to build ourselves up is perhaps the ultimate sign of gross insecurity. Thankfully, most people with such insecurity don’t have the kind of power Saul had to destroy people physically. However, if we allow our insecurities to govern our lives, we become destroyers just as certainly.

Don’t miss a wonderful lesson in verse 8, as well. Remember, David was still on the run in the forest of Hereth (1 Sam. 22:5), but even on the run, not knowing where his next meal would come from, David knew that in comparison to Saul, he was “like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God.” Do you see what David did in the face of unimaginable horror? Psalm 52 tells us. When he received the news of the slaughter of innocent people, David responded in four ways to the tragedy.

1. He placed blame where it should have been: on Saul, on evil (vv. 1–4).

2. He reminded himself that God will repay evil (v. 5).

3. He placed his hope solely in God (v. 9).

4. He reminded himself that God is good (v. 9).

I will never forget seeing the first film clips on television from the 1995 bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City. I could not fathom how anyone could be so heartless and depraved. I cried for the children who had been lost or injured; then I tossed and turned most of the night. The day following the bombing I was scheduled to speak at a conference of 4,500 women from the Oklahoma City area—a commitment I had made two years prior to the time. I kept thinking that perhaps we would cancel the event; or perhaps many would not attend. The event was not canceled. Only one person who registered did not come; she was unaccounted for in the rubble of the federal building. Never have I been more frightened that I might give the wrong message. I begged God to be clear with me and not let me say a word on my own. My text was different from Psalm 52, yet the points He sent me to make were almost identical to the ones we’ve noted above:

1. God is not the author of destruction.

2. God will repay evil.

3. Our hope must be in God.

4. No matter how bad things look, God is good.

In the face of unimaginable horror, we must cast our imaginations on Christ, our only hope. His Word will be our anchor when our faith is tossed like the waves. David could not have survived the guilt or the pain of Saul’s horrendous actions had he not cast himself on God and His Word. We must do the same. Keep having faith even in the face of unexplainable evil or disaster. You will be richly rewarded for your faith even when others have scorned you for still believing. God is the only hope in this depraved world. He is faithful who promised.