Ethan: Welcome to Immerse: the daily bible reading experience.
Day 100 and 93
david went to the town of Nob to see Ahimelech the priest.
Ahimelech trembled when he saw him.
Why are you alone?
he asked.
Why is no one with you?
The king has sent me on a private matter, David said.
He told me not to tell anyone why I am here.
I have told my men where to meet me later.
Now, what is there to eat?
Give me five loaves of bread or anything else you have.
We don't have any regular bread, the priest replied, but there
is the holy bread, which you can have if your young men have not
slept with any women recently.
Don't worry, David replied, I never allow my men to be with
women when we are on a campaign.
And since they stay clean even on ordinary trips, how much more on this one?
Since there was no other food available, the priest gave him the holy bread, the
bread of the presence that was placed before the Lord in the tabernacle.
It had just been replaced that day with fresh bread.
Now Doeg the Edomite, Saul's chief herdsman, was there that day, having
been detained before the Lord.
David asked Ahimelech, Do you have a spear or sword?
The king's business was so urgent that I didn't even have time to grab a weapon.
I only have the sword of Goliath, the Philistine, whom
you killed in the valley of Elah.
The priest replied, It is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod.
Take that if you want it, for there is nothing else here.
There is nothing like it, David replied.
Give it to me.
So David escaped from Saul and went to King Achish of Gath.
But the officers of Akish were unhappy about his being there.
Isn't this David, the king of the land?
They asked.
Isn't he the one that people honor with dances, singing, Saul has killed his
thousands and David his ten thousands?
David heard these comments and was very afraid of what King
Achish of Gath might do to him.
So he pretended to be insane, scratching on doors and drooling down his beard.
Finally, King Achish said to his men, Must you bring me a madman?
We already have enough of them around here.
Why should I let someone like this be my guest?
So David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam.
Soon his brothers and all his other relatives joined him there.
Then others began coming, men who were in trouble or in debt, or who were
just discontented, until David was the captain of about four hundred men.
Later, David went to Mizpah in Moab, where he asked the king, Please allow my
father and mother to live here with you.
Until I know what God is going to do for me.
So David's parents stayed in Moab with the king during the entire time
David was living in his stronghold.
One day the prophet Gad told David, leave the stronghold and
return to the land of Judah.
So David went to the forest of Heareth.
The news of his arrival in Judah soon reached Saul.
At the time the king was sitting beneath the Tamarisk tree on the
hill at Gibeah, holding his spear and surrounded by his officers.
Listen here, you men of Benjamin, Saul shouted to his
officers when he heard the news.
Has that son of Jesse promised every one of you fields and vineyards?
Has he promised to make you all generals and captains in his army?
Is that why you have conspired against me?
For not one of you told me when my own son made a solemn pact with the son of Jesse.
You're not even sorry for me.
Think of it, my own son encouraging him to kill me as he
is trying to do this very day.
You Then Doeg, the Edomite, who was standing there with Saul's men, spoke up.
When I was at Nob, he said, I saw the son of Jesse talking to the
priest Ahimelech, son of Ahitub.
Ahimelech consulted the Lord for him.
Then he gave him food and the sword of Goliath, the Philistine.
King Saul immediately sent for Ahimelech and all his family,
who served as priests at Nob.
When they arrived, Saul shouted at him, Listen to me, you son of Ahitub.
What is it, my king?
Ahimelech asked.
Why have you and the son of Jesse conspired against me?
Saul demanded, Why did you give him food and a sword?
Why have you consulted God for him?
Why have you encouraged him to kill me, as he is trying to do this very day?
But, sir, Ahimelech replied, is anyone among all your servants as
faithful as David, your son in law?
Why, he is the captain of your bodyguard, and a highly honored
member of your household.
This was certainly not the first time I had consulted God for him.
May the king not accuse me and my family in this matter, for I knew
nothing at all of any plot against you.
You will surely die, Ahimelech, along with your entire family, the king shouted.
And he ordered his bodyguards, kill these priests of the Lord, for they
are allies and conspirators with David.
They knew he was running away from me, but they didn't tell me.
But Saul's men refused to kill the Lord's priests.
Then the King said to Doeg, you do it.
So Doeg the Edomite turned on them and killed them that day.
Eighty five priests in all still wearing their priestly garments.
Then he went to Nob, the town of the priests, and killed the priest's families,
men and women, children and babies.
And all the cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats.
Only Abiathar, one of the sons of Ahimelech, escaped and fled to David.
When he told David that Saul had killed the priests of the
Lord, David exclaimed, I knew it.
When I saw Doeg the Edomite there that day, I knew he was sure to
tell Saul, Now I have caused the death of all your father's family.
Stay here with me and don't be afraid.
I will protect you with my own life, for the same person wants to kill us both.
One day, news came to David that the Philistines were at Keilah, stealing
grain from the threshing floors.
David asked the Lord, Should I go and attack them?
Yes.
Go and save Keilah, the Lord told him.
But 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.
So David asked the Lord again.
And again the Lord replied, Go down to Keilah, for I will help
you conquer the Philistines.
So, David and his men went to Keilah.
They slaughtered the Philistines and took all their livestock and
rescued the people of Keilah.
Now, when Abiathar, son of Ahimelech, fled to David at Keilah,
he brought the ephod with him.
Saul 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.
So Saul mobilized his entire army to march to Keilah and besiege David and his men.
But David learned of Saul's plan and told Abiathar the priest to bring the
ephod and ask the Lord what he should do.
Then David prayed, O Lord God of Israel, I have heard that Saul is planning to
come and destroy Keilah because I am here.
Will 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.
Again, David asked, will the leaders of Keilah betray me and my men to Saul?
And the Lord replied, Yes.
They will betray you.
So David and his men, about 600 of them now left Keyyah and
began roaming the countryside.
Words soon reached Saul that David had escaped, so he didn't go to Keyyah.
After all, David now stayed in the strongholds of the wilderness and in the
hill country of Saul hunted him day after day, but God didn't let Saul find him.
This concludes today's immerse reading experience.
Thank you for joining us.