David Becomes The Shepherd Of Outcasts by Kevin E. Jesmer

1 Samuel 21:1 – 23:29                                                                                                  Lesson 13

Key verse 22:2                                                                                                By Kevin E. Jesmer 4-25-15

“All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him.”(NIV)

David, the man after God’s own heart, the anointed king, became a man without a country. Saul’s jealousy knew no bounds and he was determined to kill David. So David fled. David had no place to go.  He was rejected by men but embraced by God. Saul drove David into a “wilderness life” but God used the wilderness life to humble David and teach him to depend on God alone. Indeed, God disciplines those he loves. His loving, divine discipline on David’s life enabled David to grow as a shepherd. Others were blessed along with David, for those in trouble and distress came to him, and he became their shepherd. He took care of the outcasts, and homeless people. These men became the nucleus of a strong army. Through this passage may we thank God for his loving discipline in our lives. May we learn to trust God’s love and depend on God alone even within our “wilderness life.” May God make us shepherds like David, who can take care of outcasts because of the grace we have received. And finally, may God raise up real shepherds like David for the young people of this land.

Part l: Saul, A Leader Who Received No Divine Discipline

God anointed Saul as king of Israel. But he could not serve his position well, mainly because he did not fear God. Instead, he feared everything else. He feared the military forces of the Philistines which had been a tenacious foe to Israel. He also feared David, who had made a sudden rise from obscurity to vie for the position of king. In fact, Saul could not serve God’s purpose in his generation, as God had intended, because he was also enslaved by jealousy toward David. This was an even greater problem…more than the harassment of the Philistines. In this passage we also see other major reasons why he could not serve God.

What was a major contributing factor to Saul’s present spiritual condition? When we carefully study the book of 1 Samuel, we see that one of his serious problems was that he never received divine discipline before becoming king. He was a foot taller than the rest of his peers. He looked the part, but he was never prepared through hardships and sufferings. It was like he was just propped up into the position of king with no “street cred.” There is a great difference between those who have paid their dues and those who have not.

When we study the Old Testament, God disciplined his chosen people in the furnace fires of Egypt and in the wilderness filled with scorpions, vipers and formidable enemies. It was intended to make them well-disciplined soldiers in the hope that God would use them to establish the nation of Israel and eventually spread the knowledge of God to the whole world. Therefore, divine discipline is the beginning point of any great work in a person’s life or even a nation’s life.

Most people reject divine discipline, thinking that divine discipline is a waste of their time or it violates their human rights. But without discipline human beings become like weeds, thorns or thistles in a field that were meant to be pure wheat. A large percentage of our young people suffer from not having enough discipline during their grade school years. They are surprised when they can not achieve as they would like to, in their post secondary studies. They are also surprised when they discover they are not on the track of becoming moguls. They are stuck in extended adolescence. Some grow to have inferiority complexes because, without discipline, they are unable to achieve things of lasting worth. It is shocking and paralyzing. Saul was floundering because he didn’t grow through God’s divine discipline.

But God disciplines those whom he loves. When we read the remaining part of 1 Samuel, the young man David receives lots of divine discipline. He confronts one trouble after another until he finds himself totally helpless to do anything. But through many unbearable hardships and sorrowful events in his young age, he does not become bitter. He responds well to God’s fatherly love in his life. He learns how to love and fear God better with each situation. He also learns how to shepherd God’s flock during the time of joy and victory, and also at the time of trouble and distress. But David was not by himself through all of this. God was with him.  God was with him when he was wandering and running for his life as a political criminal. The hardships and distress that he confronted were not just many strokes of bad luck, but were precisely the divine discipline that God intended to subject him to. God did not subject him to difficulties and distress to trouble him, but to raise him as a well-disciplined king, full of faith, who could effectively shepherd his people. God disciplines his beloved ones. (Hebrews 12:7-11) Therefore, we must accept God’s discipline as his best love and thank God for helping us to grow mature, spiritually.

Part 2: David Visits Ahimelech The Priest For Help. (21:1-9)

After bidding a sorrowful adieu to Jonathan, David has to go somewhere else. But he had no place to go or hide. So he headed toward Nob. Ahimelech, the priest, lived in a temple in holy seclusion. David went there to get some help, because he trusted Ahimelech, who feared God. Ahimelech trembled when he saw David, because he knew that if David was showing up, then there would be some serious action coming his way. David asked him for some bread to save himself and his men from starvation while running for their lives. Ahimelech had no bread except the consecrated bread, which ordinary people were forbidden to eat, and which was only for priests. But Ahimelech the priest ended up giving him the consecrated bread. He was not bound by legalism. Before the eyes of God, he was right to offer the men the consecrated bread, because he chose to save people who were in need. When David asked him for some weapons, Ahimelech also gave him the sword of Goliath that was preserved as a souvenir of the victory over the Philistines. Though it seemed that David was surrounded by enemies, there was a man of God, Ahimelech who supported him. David was greatly encouraged by the help of Ahimelech. It was actually the encouraging hand of God for God works through others to encourage his servants at crucial moments in their lives.

Ahimelech’s generosity would cost him dearly however. At that time, Doeg the Edomite was there. He was an opportunist. David, though he was a man after God’s own heart, had become an outlaw and Doeg was looking for a way to benefit himself at the expense of David’s suffering. Ahimelech would suffer because of this guy. When we look at his name, Doeg, we are reminded of “dog”.

Second, David Acted Like A Madman. (21:10-15)

Since David was an outlaw in his own land, it was too risky to roam around freely within the borders of Israel. So he decided to cross the border and seek refuge in the Philistine territory. David fled from Saul and went to Achish, King of Gath. There David hoped for political asylum. But the servants of Achish said to Achish, “Isn’t this David the king of the land? Isn’t he the one they sing about in their dances, ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands?’” (21:11) David thought that he was not known in the land of the Philistines. But they knew him too well.

On hearing the king’s subjects, David realized that, instead of coming into the company of supporters, he had come into a den of ferocious lions. He was in the hands of Achish, King of Gath, who knew everything about him. When he thought about his situation, David felt like going crazy. But David did not go crazy, David depended on God. When he did, God intervened to deliver David from danger. First, God gave him wisdom. He knew that he should act like a madman, expressing his impulsive feelings publically, and making marks on the doors of the gate, (possibly through stiking them with rocks or sticks or sword, or urinating on them.) and letting saliva run down his beard. God also moved the heart of Achish, King of Gath until he said, “Am I so short of madmen that you have to bring this fellow here to carry on like this in front of me? Must this man come into my house?” (12:15) Who would have thought that such a ploy would have worked? When there was no way, God made a way. David had no friends and no place to go. He was in the hands of the enemy king. He was in a desperate situation. But God was with him and protected him and miraculously delivered him once more.  God knows better than we do.

Third, David Became A Shepherd Of Bums And Outcasts (22:1-5)

David had to leave Gath and flee to the cave of Adullum in order to escape. David was the youngest son of Jesse. He had been a young shepherd. He was anointed by Samuel as the future king of Israel. But now he was a fugitive who had to live in caves. His human situation could only be described as totally helpless. But God had a great plan for David.

There was a motley crowd of people beginning to gather around him. They were those who were in distress or in debt or discontented. There were also his family members. They came to the cave of Adullum to seek David’s help. They were not just five or ten people. This might have been manageable. There were about four hundred men. When David was in Saul’s palace, he might have had the resources and the means to help them. But since David was branded as a political criminal and thrown into exile as a wanted man, he seemed unable to help anyone other than himself.

Did David send them away? No. He decided to help them no matter what. In order to help them, David had to care for his parents first. They were likely too old to keep up with the outlaw/cave lifestyle. David went to the king of Moab, at Mizpah, to ask his favor to accept and protect his parents. (22:4) It was not easy for David to do this. It was heart wrenching to say “good bye” to his parents, but it needed to be done. Maybe he should have sent everyone away and taken care of himself. He might have had a better chance of surviving. But he did not. He accepted this call from God, spending his time helping these helpless people. David took care of the helpless with all his heart, soul, mind and strength. In this event, we remember John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”  When David was a shepherd, he learned so many principles about taking care of actual sheep. This knowledge could be used to take care of people in great need. And so David embraced them as their leader. He shepherded them. And for these people, something wonderful happened. They learned from David how to love and fear God. They were happy and became a loyal nucleus of David’s strong army. This seemed to be a small event. But it was a time of God’s testing, David shepherded this small, difficult flock. Later God would entrusted him with the entire nation of Israel. If a person is faithful with a little God will entrust them with a lot.

Fourth, King Saul Destroyed The Priest, Ahimelech And His Family (22:6-23)

King Saul should have been the shepherd of his people. But since he disobeyed God and was possessed by evil spirits, he became a man filled with jealousy instead. He was incapable to being a shepherd for the people. He did not care about anything other than himself. He was obsessed with killing David. Evil men gathered around him and offered up their insidious advice. When he was rebuking his officials for not co-operating, Doeg, the Edomite, told him that Ahimelech helped David. So the king sent for Ahimelech and his father’s whole family. Saul asked him, “Why have you conspired against me?” His verdict was that the priest gave David bread and a sword and prayed for him. (22:13)

Ahimelech, was full of faith and very, very brave. He did not shrink back in fear. He answered the king, “Who of all your servants is as loyal as David, the king’s son-in-law, captain of our bodyguard and highly respected in your household? Was that day the first time I inquired of God for him? Of course not! Let not the king accuse your servant or any of his father’s family, for your servant knows nothing at all about this whole affair.”  (22:14,15) Ahimelech was innocent, doing what was right before the eyes of the Lord, but the king ordered that he and all his family members be destroyed. Saul’s officials were not willing to raise a hand to strike the priests of the Lord. Then the king ordered Doeg to strike the priests. Doeg had no conscience and that day Doeg killed 85 men who wore the linen ephod. Having been compelled by God, Ahimelech helped David in his helpless situation. But it was costly. He and his family members were killed by Saul. But we must know one thing for certain…Ahimelech was not a victim of evil. From God’s point of view, he was the torch of the truth of God at the time of his death, and for as long as human history exists. Doeg, the opportunist did not get any reward for the information, rather he was used in murdering the servants of God. One day he will receive what he has prepared for himself. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” (2 Cor 5:10) Evil people think that they are getting away their evil schemes, but they are not. God’s justice will follow them.

Fifth, David, A Man Of Prayer. (23:1-29)

When David heard that the Philistines were fighting against Keilah, he was bewildered, not knowing what to do. Most people, who do not know what to do, usually give up. But David was not like most people. He was a man of faith and he had a way to find the solution. David came to God and prayed, “Lord, shall I go and attack these Philistines?” The Lord answered him, “Go, attack the Philistines and save Keilah.” (23:1,2) David was ready to go on the rescue mission. But his men were afraid to do so because they thought it was impossible for them to fight against the Philistines. They were not the regular army of Israel, but a collective body of outcasts under the supposed political criminal, David. How could they fight against a national army?

What did David do? He prayed again. Look at verse 4. “Once again David inquired of the Lord, and the Lord answered him, ‘Go down to Keilah, for I am going to give the Philistines into your hand.’” It is amazing to know that David came to God in prayer when he was in deep trouble. The privilege of prayer is always open to each of us. After prayer, David and his men went to Keilah, fought hard, and inflicted heavy losses and saved Keilah. God gave David victory and people were blessed when he prayed.

After his rescue mission, David learned that Saul was plotting against him. What did David do? David again sought God in prayer. David said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod.” David talked freely to God, saying, “O Lord, God of Israel, your servant has heard definitely that Saul plans to come to Keilah and destroy the town on account of me. Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me to him? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O Lord, God of Israel, tell your servant.” And the Lord said, “He will.” Obeying God, David and his men, about six hundred in number, left Keilah and kept moving from place to place. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he did not go there. (13-15) When David prayed, God answered his prayer. And when he obeyed God, God rescued his life. This can be our story too. But we need to learn to pray each step of the way.

David was also encouraged by other people of faith. When David was in the desert of Ziph, Jonathan went to him and helped him find strength in God. “Don’t be afraid,” He said. “My father Saul will not lay a hand on you. You will be king o over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this.” The two of them made a covenant before the Lord. Then Jonathan went home, but David remained in Horesh. (17,18) The Ziphites, however, betrayed him to Saul, and he was almost captured. But God rescued David by frustrating Saul’s plot through a Philistine invasion. God is faithful to his chosen ones.

In this passage we can see the importance of God’s divine discipline. It is necessary for any person to grow into a mature servant of God and a shepherd for God’s people. Let us embrace all of the hardships and struggles that God has allowed in our lives as his best love for us and grow strong through them all. Let us also grow to be people who pray to God for all things. God is faithful and he will be sure to give us clear direction when we have a heart to pray.  Let us also trust completely in God’s hand of deliverance. He is with as we live as his people. He is sure to come to our aid and guide us through turbulent waters. He will strengthen us and enlarge our hearts to embrace those in need around us. God will do it. Pray and discover it is true!

1. As David began his life as a fugitive, where did he go first? (1a) Who was Ahimelech

and how did he help David? (1b-3, 6, 9) What rules did he break and what risks did he

take to do so? (Lev 24:5-9) Who witnessed the event? (7)

2. Where did David seek refuge after this? (10) Why? Why could he not find refuge there?

(11-12; 18:7) How did he escape? (11-15) What does this show about him? (Heb 12:5-11)

3. Locate the cave of Adullum on a map. (1a) Describe the motley crew of men who came

to him there. (1b-2, 2 Samuel 23:8ff) How are they like those who come to Jesus? (Mtt

11:28-29,  Lk 6:13-16))What was David’s situation? (3-5) How did he show himself to be a

shepherd of his people despite his situation? (Php 2:19-21, John 10:11)

4. In the meantime, what was Saul’s preoccupation? (22:6-8) How did Doeg show himself

to be an opportunist? (22:9-10) What happened to Ahimelech, his family and his city?

(22:11-19, Deut 13:12-17) Why? Who escaped? (22:20-23) Though it seems tragic what

is God’s reward for those who remain faithful? (Matthew 5:11,12;  Revelation 21:1-7;

22:1-21)What does this show about  Saul?

5. When David heard that the Philistines had attacked Keilah, what did he do? (1-2)

When his men were afraid to go to the rescue of Keilah, what did David do? (3-4) What

happened? (5-6)

6. When David heard that Saul was after him, what did he do? (Psalm 54) How did God

answer his prayer, rescue and protect him? (7-13) How did Jonathan encourage him?

Who betrayed David and how did God rescue him?