Bro. Bruce's commentaries for the books of Genesis, Exodus, and Leviticus are
now available in hard copy for $7.50. Just mail your request for COMMENTARY ON GENESIS to the address above.

1SAMUEL
CHAPTER 21

1 Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee? 2 And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, The king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me, Let no man know any thing of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee: and I have appointed my servants to such and such a place.

With emotions of deep sorrow and conflict of heart, David runs to the place where he finds the high priest. the only possible explanation for the high priest being afraid is that he knew the trouble that had been progressively worsening between Saul and David. He inquired as to why David had come alone.
David, under the tremendous stress LIED! He said he was alone because the king had sent him on a secret mission, and he had told all his men to go to an appointed place.
People, when under stress, do not always act naturally; neither do they always act right.
This lie has AWFUL consequences. Remember this as you read the next chapter.
I don't know who said it, but someone once wrote, "Oh. What a tangled web we weave, when at first we seek to deceive."
Even the smallest of lies has consequences.

3 Now therefore what is under thine hand? give me five loaves of bread in mine hand, or what there is present. 4 And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under mine hand, but there is hallowed bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women. 5 And David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truth women have been kept from us about these three days, since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in a manner common, yea, though it were sanctified this day in the vessel. 6 So the priest gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there but the shewbread, that was taken from before the LORD, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.

David asked for food. The priest told him he had nothing except the "consecrated bread." That is the bread which comes from the table in the Holy Place of the temple. It is "consecrated" because God gave specific instructions that only the priests should eat it (Leviticus 24:5-9).
The high priest indicated that the bread could be given to the men if they were on a "holy mission." (verse 4)
David replied that he and his men had been "sanctified" and had kept themselves free from defilement. His reply also tells us that the "shewbread" would become "common" if not given to sanctified men. In other words, David is saying that it is better to FEED the needy than to be so legalistic as to withhold from their need.
Our Lord, Jesus also said this very thing. He used this instance in David's life to say that ritualistic practice should not supercede need (Mark 2:23-28).
One very interesting aspect of Jesus' statement in Mark 2: 23-28, is that He KNEW David was LYING!!
Now those who know me can testify, that I believe in ritualistic service to God. I believe that the Bible teaches us that we should PRAY and STUDY our Bible every day. I believe that the Bible teaches us taht we should be REGULAR and INVOLVED in the work of the local church. I believe that the Bible teaches us that we should be CLEAN and NEAT and presentable as witnesses of God to the world around us. I believe that the Bible teaches us that we should be DILIGENT about our WORK, and supply the needs of our families first. Indeed, we should be HOLY VESSELS in an UNHOLY world!!
HOWEVER, when our practice of Christianity is so rigid that we fail to share the gospel of Jesus with the lost, then we have allowed ritualistic practice to supercede need. That's because Jesus is the BREAD OF LIFE, and is to be shared with sinners (the NEEDY)!
ALSO, when we, as Christians, allow a ritualistic and legalistic manner to supercede helping and ministering to one another according to need, then we have VIOLATED the principals of God.

7 Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the LORD; and his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of the herdmen that belonged to Saul.

This is interesting indeed! This man, Doeg, was chief of Saul's herdmen. He cared for Saul's cattle. And this verse says that he was "detained before the Lord." In other words, he was there in a form of worship, perhaps even offering sacrifices.
Yet, this man goes and tells Saul what David is doing and how Ahimelech the high priest helped David.
Only God can discern the hearts of men when they come to the church to offer worship!
There are some people who come to genuinely worship God and edify the Body of Christ (the church). But some people don't come to church to pray, they come to prey. Some people don't come to church to praise, they come to presume.

8 And David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thine hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste. 9 And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me.

David had left in haste and had not taken his weapons. He asks Ahimelech if there is not some form of weapon there. It just so happened that the sword David had taken from Goliath was there. Do you see here how God's GRACE is providing for His servant, even though the servant is being untruthful?
Not only was there a sword, but MY! WHAT a sword!,br> God has supplied us Christians with the greatest and most magnificent sword of all- the WORD OF GOD! (See Hebrews 4:12.
With THIS sword we have "..doctrine, reproof, ..correction...instruction in righteousness." (2Timothy 3:16).
With this Sword, we have the defense against the devil himself. In Matthew 4:1-11, Jesus used the WORD of GOD as His ONLY defense against Satan!

10 And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath. 11 And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands? 12 And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath. 13 And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard. 14 Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad: wherefore then have ye brought him to me? 15 Have I need of mad men, that ye have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house?

Now, why David decided to go to Gath (city of Philistines) is beyond me. Perhaps in this stressful condition he thought the safest place to be was with the enemies that Saul could not defeat. I don't know.
Neither do I understand why sometimes the saints of God will become distressed in church and wind up in consort with the devil. This happens sometimes when people become overly afraid, or have a problem with another person in church, or face tremendous difficulties in life. Sometimes Christians will leave the church and become involved in unholy things.
I don't understand it, but I can tell you it is not a SAFE thing to do!
When David was brought before the king of Gath, Achish KNEW who David was by the stories that had been told. And he made a statement which intimated he had an opportunity to KILL David. David had to fake insanity just to escape the danger.
My friend, if circumstances overwhelm you, remember that running AWAY from God's church and God's people is NOT SAFE!! The devil will try and destroy you.
It is far better to find a place of quiteness even in a "cave" of the church than to be in company with the devil!!
You will notice that David left this UNholy land and went back to reside in the caves of the HOLY Land!

Please continue to follow along with us in Bible Study.