22:7,8Apparently Saul’s key officers were from the tribe of Benjamin, just as he was. David was from the neighboring tribe of Judah. Saul was appealing to tribal loyalty to maintain his hold on the throne.
Life Application Study Bible1 SamuelChapter 22
1 Samuel 22
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 446, 447
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221 Samuel 22
David at the Cave of Adullam
122 So David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. Soon his brothers and all his other relatives joined him there. 2Then others began coming—men who were in trouble or in debt or who were just discontented—until David was the captain of about 400 men. 3Later David went to Mizpeh 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.” 4So David's parents stayed in Moab with the king during the entire time David was living in his stronghold. 5One day the prophet Gad told David, “Leave the stronghold and return to the land of Judah.” So David went to the forest of Hereth. 6The 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. 7“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?* 8Is 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!” 8Then 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. 10Ahimelech consulted the LORD for him. Then he gave him food and the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”
The Slaughter of the Priests
1111King Saul immediately sent for Ahimelech and all his family, who served as priests at Nob. 12When they arrived, Saul shouted at him, “Listen to me, you son of Ahitub!” “What is it, my king?” Ahimelech asked. 13“'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?” 14But 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.” 16“ You will surely die, Ahimelech, along with your entire family!” the king shouted. *7And he ordered his bodyguards, “Kili 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. 18Then the king said to Doeg, “ You doit.” So Doeg the Edomite turned on them and killed them that day, eighty-five priests in all, still wearing their priestly garments. 8Then he went to Nob, the town of the priests, and killed the priests’ families—men and women, children and babies—and all the cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats. 20Only Abiathar, one of the sons of Ahimelech, escaped and fled to David. 21When he told David that Saul had killed the priests of the LORD, 22David exclaimed, “I knewit! 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. 23Stay 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.”
Textual footnotes
- 22:7 Hebrew commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds?
Life Application Notes 3 notes
22:18Why would Saul have his own priests killed? Sau! suspected a conspiracy among Jonathan, David, and the priests. His suspicion came from Doeg’s report of seeing David talking to Ahimelech, the high priest, and receiving food and a weapon from him (22:9, 10). Saul’s action showed his mental and emotional instability and how far he had strayed from God. By destroying everything in Nob, Sau! was placing the city under the ban (declaring it to be utterly destroyed) described in Deuteronomy 13:12-17, which was supposed to be used only in cases of idolatry and rebellion against God. But it was Saul, not the priests, who had rebelled against God.
22:18,19Why did God allow 85 innocent priests and their families to be killed? Their deaths served to dramatize to the nation how a king could become an evil tyrant. Where were
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Saul's advisers? Where were the elders of Israel? Sometimes God allows evil to develop to teach us not to let evil systems flourish. Serving God is not a ticket to wealth, success, or health. God does not promise te protect good people from evil in this world, but he does promise that ultimately all evil will be abolished. Those who have remained faithful through their trials will experience great rewards in the age ta come (Matthew 5:11, 12; Revelation 21:1-7; 22:1-21). 22:20 Abiathar escaped to David with an ephod (23:6), a priestly garment containing the Urim and Thummim, two objects David used to consult God. The ephod was probably the only symbol of the priesthood that survived Saul’s raid and made it into David's camp (23:6). Saul destroyed Israel’s priesthood, but when David became king, he installed Abiathar as the new high priest. Abiathar remained in that position during David's entire reign.