Day 31: 1 Samuel 23:7–18

Saul searched for him every day, but God did not hand David over to him (v. 14).

When Saul heard that David had rescued the inhabitants of Keilah, the king thought he had trapped his prey in a walled city. When David learned that Saul was gathering his forces, David consulted God and asked two questions. He wanted to know if Saul would pursue him and if the people of Keilah would defend him.

David received both answers from God: Yes, Saul would pursue him, and yes, the citizens of Keilah would give him over to Saul. So David again fled, this time to the Desert of Ziph.

We have the blessing of studying several psalms that coincide with David’s experiences. I wish I could invite you to expect a coinciding psalm at every venture, but God’s Word only tells us the occasions surrounding a few of the psalms. God inspired David to write Psalm 54 after the Ziphites told Saul his whereabouts. David began the psalm with the words, “Save me, O God, by your name.” Before David had finished, he called on God with a multitude of names. David seemed to have as many names for God as he had needs! Why? Because God was everything to him! One of my favorite ways David referred to God is the little word “my.” In Psalm 62:6–7, he said, “He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress . . . my mighty rock, my refuge.” Aren’t you glad his God can be yours and mine as well? No wonder, in spite of his human frailties, David was a man after God’s own heart!

Psalm 54 concludes with David’s vowing to sacrifice a freewill offering to the Lord. According to Deuteronomy 16:10, the freewill offering was to be “in proportion to the blessings the Lord your God has given you.” Do you remember that well-known hymn, “Count Your Many Blessings”? Counting our blessings when we are betrayed, wrongly accused, and hunted by ruthless men is a different kind of worship than counting our blessings in the safety of Sunday worship. David responded to his helpless estate by giving a freewill offering to God in proportion to His blessings.

He left us a wonderful example.