23:1Threshing floors were open circular areas where the grain kernels were separated from their husks. (in order to separate the grain from the husk, farmers would toss their grain into the air. The wind would blow the husks away, leaving only the grain. This process is called winnawing.) By looting the threshing floors, the Philistines were robbing Keilah’s citizens of all their food supplies. (For more on threshing, see the note on Ruth 3:2.)
Life Application Study Bible1 SamuelChapter 23
1 Samuel 23
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 448, 449
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231 Samuel 23
David Protects the Town of Keilah
123 One day news came to David that the Philistines were at Keilah stealing grain from the threshing floors. 2David asked the LORD, “Should I go and attack them?” “Yes, go and save Keilah,” the LORD told him. 3But 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!” 4So David asked the LORD again, and again the LORD replied, “Go down to Keilah, for I will help you conquer the Philistines.” 5So David and his men went to Keilah. They slaughtered the Philistines and took all their livestock and rescued the people of Keilah. 6Now when Abiathar son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, he brought the ephod with him. 7Saul soon learned that David was at Keilah. “Good!” he exclaimed. “We've got him now! Cod has handed him over to me, for he has trapped himself in a walled town!” 8So Saul mobilized his entire army to march to Keilah and besiege David and his men. 9But David learned of Saul’s plan and told Abiathar the priest to bring the ephod and ask the LORD what he should do. 10Then David prayed, “O LORD, God of Israel, I have heard that Saul is planning to come and destroy Keilah because I am here. 11Will 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.” 12Again David asked, “ Will the leaders of Keilah betray me and my men to Saul?” And the LORD replied, “Yes, they will betray you.”
David Hides in the Wilderness
1313So David and his men—about 600 of them now—left Keilah and began roaming the countryside. Word soon reached Saul that David had escaped, so he didn’t go to Keilah after all. 14David now stayed in the strongholds of the wilderness and in the hill country of Ziph. Saul hunted him day after day, but God didn’t let Saul find him. 15One day near Horesh, David received the news that Saul was on the way to Ziph to search for him and kill him. 16fonathan went to find David and encouraged him to stay strong in his faith in God. Don’t be afraid,” Jonathan reassured him. “My father will never find yout You are going to be the king of Israel, and I will be next to you, as my father, Saul, is well aware.” 18So the two of them renewed their solemn pact before the Lor. Then Jonathan returned home, while David stayed at Horesh. 19But now the men of Ziph went to Saul in Gibeah and betrayed David to him. “We know where David is hiding,” they said. “He is in the strongholds of Horesh on the hill of Hakilah, which is in the southern part of Jeshimon. 20Come down whenever you're ready, O king, and we will catch him and hand him over to you!” 21“The LORD bless you,” Saul said. “At last someone is concerned about me! 22Go and check again to be sure of where he is staying and who has seen him there, for I know that he is very crafty. 23Discover his hiding places, and come back when you are sure. Then I'll go with you. And if he is in the area at all, I'll track him down, even if I have to search every hiding place in Judah!” 24So the men of Ziph returned home ahead of Saul. Meanwhile, David and his men had moved into the wilderness of Maon in the Arabah Valley south of Jeshimon. 25When David heard that Saul and his men were searching for him, he went even farther into the wilderness to the great rock, and he remained there in the wilderness of Maon. But Saul kept after him in the wilderness. 26Saul and David were now on opposite sides of a mountain. Just as Saul and his men began to close in on David and his men, 27an urgent message reached Saul that the Philistines were raiding Israel again. 28So Saul quit chasing David and returned to fight the Philistines. Ever since that time, the place where David was camped has been called the Rock of Escape.* 29*David then went to live in the strongholds of En-gedi.
Textual footnotes
- 23:11 Some manuscripts lack the first sentence of 23:11.
- 23:28 Hebrew Sela-hammahiekoth.
- 23:29 Verse 23:29 is numbered 24:1 in Hebrew text.
Life Application Notes 5 notes
23:2Through the Urim and Thummim that Abiathar the priest brought (23:6), David sought the LORD’s guidance before he took action. He listened to God's directions and then proceeded accordingly. Rather than trying to find God’s will after the fact or having to ask God to undo the results of our hasty decisions, we should take time to discern God's wil! beforehand. We can hear him speak through the counsel of others, his Word, and the leading of his Spirit in our heart, as well as through circumstances.
23:6An ephod was a sleeveless linen vest worn by priests. The high priest’s ephod was brightly colored and had a breastplate with 12 gemstones, each stone representing one of the 12 tribes. The Urim and Thummim were kept in a pouch of the high priest’s ephod. (See the note on 2:18 for a more detailed explanation of the ephod.)
23:7When Saul heard that David was trapped in a walled city (one with gates and bars), he thought God was putting David at his mercy. Saul wanted to kill David so badly that he would have interpreted any sign as God's approval to move ahead with his plan. Had Saul known God better, he would have known what God wanted and would not have misread the situation as God's approval for murder. Not every opportunity is sent from God. We may want something so much that we assume any opportunity to obtain it is of divine origin. As we see from Saul’s case, however, this may not be true, An opportunity to do something against God’s will can never be from God because God does not tempt us. When opportunities come your way, double-check your motives. Make sure you are following God’s desires and not just your own.
23:16-18This may have been the last time David and Jonathan were together. As true friends they were more than just companions who enjoyed each other's company. They encouraged each other’s faith in God and trusted each other with their deepest thoughts and closest confidences: These are the marks of true friendship.
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LIFE OF DAVID VERSUS LIFE OF SAUL
Life of Saul Saul was man’s kind of king (1 Samuel 10:23, 24) Saul was a man after people’s praise (1 Samuel 18:6-8) Saul’s kingship was rejected (1 Samuel 15:23) Saul was cruel (1 Samuel 20:30-34; 22:11-19) Saul was unforgiving (1 Samuel 14:44; 18:9) When confronted, Saul lied (1 Samuel 15:10-31) Saul was fearful (1 Samuel 17:11; 18:12) Saul was separated from God (1 Samuel 16:14)
Life of David David was God’s kind of king (2 Samuel 7:8-16) David was a man after God’s heart (Acts 13:22) David's kingship was eternal (through Jesus) (2 Samuel 7:29) David was kind and benevolent (2 Samuel 9; 1 Chronicles 19:2) David was forgiving (1 Samuel 26) David repented (2 Samuel 12:13; 24:10) David was courageous (1 Samuel 17; 1 Chronicles 18) David was at peace with God (Psalms 4:8; 37:11)