In our passage today, we find David, running for his life from king Saul. He has just learned in Chapter 20, that Saul is in fact, still on the warpath, ready to murder David at the first chance he gets. I imagine that David had held onto a small shred of hope that king Saul would have come to his senses and relented from his evil, hate-filled, mindset towards him, but his best friend, Jonathan had just confirmed that nothing had changed and that he better run for his life.

1Then David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech came to meet David, trembling, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one with you?” 2And David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has charged me with a matter and said to me, ‘Let no one know anything of the matter about which I send you, and with which I have charged you.’ I have made an appointment with the young men for such and such a place. 3Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread or whatever is here.” 4And the priest answered David, “I have no common bread on hand, but there is holy bread – if the young men have kept themselves from women.” 5And David answered the priest, “Truly women have been kept from us as always when I go on an expedition. The vessels of the young men are holy even when it is an ordinary journey. How much more today will their vessels be holy?” 6So the priest gave him the holy bread, for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence, which is removed from before the Lord, to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away.

8Then David said to Ahimelech, “Then have you not here a spear or a sword at hand? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s business required haste.” 9And the priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck down in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take it, for there is none but that here.” And David said, “There is none like that; give it to me.”

7Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord. His name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul’s herdsmen. 

Just when David thought that his worst nightmare was possibly over, he learns that his worst nightmare is absolutely true and that he better run for his life and brace himself for what lie ahead. The road ahead will be filled with heartache, loss, and much fear as he runs from king Saul’s unjust fury. What do you do in these moments?

What do you do when you learn that the enemy is still coming after you? Just when you think the enemy may be done toying with you, just when you think the enemy has relented, just when you think the enemy may have grown bored or given up on his attempts to hurt you in every way possible, you learn that he is still hot with rage and anger and murderous thoughts towards you… what do you do to equip yourself for the impending war that lies ahead of you?

#1: FIND NOURISHMENT (VV. 1 – 6)

Physical nourishment is just as important as spiritual nourishment in our war against the enemy. David’s physical enemy is king Saul. But let us not forget that Saul was under the control of a demonic spirit, therefore, David’s enemy was also a spiritual enemy. There was both a physical enemy and a spiritual enemy seeking to destroy David’s life.

I am sure that you have experienced your share of both spiritual and physical enemies who have tried to harm you. The harm you have experienced may have come from the hand or mouth of a close friend or a relative. Or it may be that the harm you have experienced came from the unrelenting assaults from Satan’s lies, Sin’s temptation, or Death’s intimidation. Either way, you and I need both physical and spiritual nourishment in this war against our physical and spiritual enemies.

David sought both physical and spiritual nourishment in a place called Nob (v. 1) where it appears that the priests of Israel had set up shop to do their ministry.2 This would be just like you and I looking for nourishment from a pastor or other spiritual leader in a church today. 

Upon arrival to Nob, in verses 1 – 6, David employs some deception to calm Ahimelech the priest’s fears, he asks him for some food, he assures the priest that he and his men have kept themselves spiritually clean before the Lord, and Ahimelech gives David not only the physical food he needs but he also gives him the reminder to remain spiritually pure (to remain as holy vessels before the Lord).

A lot could be said about David’s employment of deception or Ahimelech’s requirement of sexual purity versus his apparent disregard for the holy bread not being eaten by anyone other priests (and a lot has been written about these things) but at the end of the day, David does not trust the priest to tell the truth, and the priest appears to bend the rules to serve the incoming king who was chosen by God – though he probably did not realize the full extent of his actions in doing so.3

What we can discern from the story we are reading here is that David needed physical and spiritual nourishment, and he received both food and the reminder to remain holy in his fight against his enemy. Spiritual holiness is absolutely vital in our fight against Satan, Sin, and Death; it is definitely vital when we face down physical enemies who attempt to harm or destroy us. But you will not get very far if you do not nourish your physical body.

Pay attention to your spiritual health. Read large chunks of the Bible daily. Pray often throughout the day. Practice spiritual disciplines like silence and solitude, journaling your prayers to God, participating in the regular weekly gatherings of the church, listen to music that edifies you spiritually. Yes, do these things to nourish your spiritual soul. But also, practice healthy eating habits, take naps, limit your social media intake, hit the gym regularly, and enjoy wholesome hobbies. Bottom line, nourish your spiritual soul and your physical body as you wage war or defend yourself against your enemies.

#2: RECOGNIZE POTENTIAL THREATS (V. 7)

The second thing David does as he prepares for the long and exhausting journey ahead of him is he recognizes potential threats or present threats. It is not immediately clear from the text we are studying but when we read in verse 7 that “a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord” and that “His name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul’s herdsmen” we are supposed to discern that this man is a very present threat to David and his men.

Again, it is not immediately clear here that David notices the potential threat, but later in the story (1 Sam. 22:20 – 23) David admits that he had a feeling about this Doeg character and that he regrets putting the priests in danger (either by not telling the priests the truth or by not taking care of Doeg on the spot). 

The point here, for today, is that we must recognize and even be faithful to do something about the presence of any potential threat among us. Ignore the threats and the consequence will be the same as David in the next chapter – regret and widespread damage.

As a husband, father, friend, and pastor, I take very seriously, the responsibility I have to warn people around me of the potential threats we face with both physical and spiritual enemies. I have observed – more often than I wish – the foolish disregard for those warnings, as well as the aftermath of the regret, the damage and the destruction that accompanies the failure to heed those warning signs.

I know I spoke about this last week, in terms of staying clear of those who could corrupt good character. This week I will speak more plainly so there is nothing left to the imagination. Doeg was clearly not a friend of God. He was a servant of Saul and the head of Saul’s shepherds (possibly out of disrespect for David the shepherd boy).4

Because David chose to notice Doeg for the potential threat that he was but did not immediately say something to the priest, the entire priestly gang got wiped out by this wolf named Doeg (1 Samuel 22). I have been guilty of ignoring the warning signs. I typically see the potential threat but sometimes I soft pedal or altogether ignore the warning signs and face the consequences of my foolish ignorance down the road.

How could you and I ever live with ourselves if we saw the potential threat but said nothing and did nothing? Or what if we were warned by someone of the existence of a potential threat, and we still did nothing? Or worst yet, how could we ever live with ourselves if we were found to have been friends with Doeg the wolf, despite the clear, present, and potential threat he was? 

I pray the Spirit shows you what you are to do with this since I cannot speak more plainly than I have here. Bottom line, we must recognize and act upon any presence of a potential threat in our midst or the consequences will be severe in the future.

#3: ARM YOURSELF (VV. 8 – 9)

Lastly, we must arm ourselves well for the fight that lies ahead. In verses 8 – 9, David, realizes that he fled from Saul’s presence in such a hurry that he could not grab his weapons. So, he asked the priest if he had any weapons lying around that he could arm himself with. And of course, being that he was a priest, Ahimelech tells David that the only weaponry he has is the sword of Goliath and David gladly arms himself with it as he continues to run from king Saul.

While nothing is said of how Goliath’s sword went from being in David’s possession, as we learned earlier in the story, to being in the possession of the priest at Nob, we must understand that David rightly arms himself for the intense battle that lies in front of him as God’s chosen king; David would have been a fool to continue forward unarmed.5

Just as David would have a been a fool to advance unarmed, we too would be fools to think that we will endure the war against our enemies, unarmed. Again, I spoke about this in great length last week in speaking about being armed with the armor of God by putting Christ on each and every day. This is still true a week later – whether the enemy we are facing is physical or spiritual. In the words of some American in the past… better stay strapped or get clapped!

CONCLUSION…

In conclusion, when faced with the imminent danger of Saul’s murderous rampage, David did not stick his head in the sand and ignore the situation, he did not try to evangelize Saul, he did not merely pray for Saul, and he did not chalk things up to five points of humanistic, relational conflict resolution points where each party needed to own their failures and then go on about life as though everything was ok.

David sought nourishment, remained alert enough to see the potential threat (though he did nothing about it), and he armed himself for the fight that lay ahead. While we can apply these principles to our warfare against physical and spiritual enemies (and we should) we fall terribly short if we do not recognize Jesus in everything we have just studied.

One commentator rightly points out that we must remember what Jesus said about this very incident when he too faced a physical enemy in the gang of Pharisees and a spiritual enemy in the shadows behind those religious hypocrites, whom we always refer to as Satan, Sin, and Death.6

In Luke 6:1 – 5, the Pharisees (Jesus’ physical enemies) try to accuse Jesus of sinning against God by plucking some food on the Sabbath, and Jesus responds by asking “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry… The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath”. In other words, just as David had physical and spiritual enemies and needed to nourish himself, so too, King Jesus had and still has physical and spiritual enemies, and he is the rightful King over all things.

In light of this truth, that Jesus is the rightful King over all things, that same commentator rightly asks, “Will you join the ranks of Saul, Doeg, and the Pharisees or the body of those who serve the King, whatever the cost?”7 Saul was a demonically controlled religious fanatic. Doeg was a murderous wolf. The Pharisees were whitewashed religious tombs (clean on the outside and filthy on the inside). The priests that served David, and the disciples who followed Jesus, all gave their lives in service to the One True King who gave his life for their eternal freedom.

Make no mistake, the bloody cross, the empty tomb, and the promise of Heaven are a declaration of war against all that is unholy in the physical and spiritual realm. If you claim to follow Christ, you will face many trials and tribulations from both physical and spiritual enemies alike because you will stand against evil of all kinds as you represent – testify and witness to – the power of the gospel of a crucified, risen, and returning Savior.

If you claim Christ, you will not stand idly by in silence when weak or vulnerable people are victimized. You will not downplay evil or abuse as mere relational conflict. You will not revictimize abuse victims for how they responded to their abuser. You will not justify evil. You will not turn a deaf ear or a blind eye to the murder of babies. You will not laugh at crude jokes nor entertain false accusations.

The list of things you will or will not do if you legitimately claim Christ is endless; I have only listed a few things here to help you understand that your posture against evil will mark you as public enemy number one and you – like David and Jesus after him – will accrue for yourself, physical and spiritual enemies who will seek your destruction.

Do not be alarmed when this happens. Do not lose heart when your most trusted friends turn against you because of the accusations of some spiritually disqualified wolf in sheep’s clothing. Do not give up when the wounds of a once trusted, close friend become too much to bear. Do not fight back with the weapons of this world.

Instead, look to Christ my friends. Find physical and spiritual nourishment in the presence of our crucified, risen, and returning Christ. Stay alert and notice and act upon the presence of any potential threats against you. Put on the full armor of God and stay strapped or get clapped.

Above all, seek to remain holy as God is holy and look to him to cover you in His holiness when you fail. Look to Christ to nourish you, to make you alert, and to arm you with his presence, and you will experience victory in this life or in the life to come. – Amen!

1 Unless otherwise specified, all Bible references are to the English Standard Version Bible, The New Classic Reference Edition (ESV) (Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, 2001).

2 John, Woodhouse, 1 Samuel: Looking for a Leader, Preaching the Word Commentary, (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2008), 408.

3 Ibid., 409 – 411.

4 Ibid., 411 – 412.

5 Ibid., 412 – 413.

6 Ibid., 407 – 408; 413 – 414.

7 Ibid., 414.