Tusite Tisema 21, 2021
Now David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest
PEA a‘u ‘a Tēvita ki Nopi, kia ‘Ahimeleki ko e taula‘eiki
1 Samiuela 21 (1 Samuel 21)
(v. 1-2) PEA a‘u ‘a Tēvita ki Nopi, kia ‘Ahimeleki ko e taula‘eiki; pea tete ‘a ‘Ahimeleki ‘i he‘ene ‘alu ke fe‘iloaki mo Tēvita, ‘o ne pehē ki ai, Ko e hā ‘oku ke toko taha ai, ‘o ‘ikai ha‘u mo e ni‘ihi? Pea tali ‘e Tēvita kia ‘Ahimeleki ko e taula‘eiki, Ko e fekau au ‘e he tu‘i ‘i ha me‘a, ‘o folofola mai, Ke ‘oua na‘a momo‘i ‘ilo ‘e ha taha ‘a e me‘a kuo u fekau ai koe, mo e me‘a kuo u tu‘utu‘uni atu; pea kuo u tala ‘a e kau tama ki he potu ko Me‘a.
(v. 1-2) Now David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech was afraid when he met David, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one is with you?” So David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has ordered me on some business, and said to me, ‘Do not let anyone know anything about the business on which I send you, or what I have commanded you.’ And I have directed my young men to such and such a place.
Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible
Under such trying stress, the land itself seemed too hot to hold David, and he takes refuge in flight. The story of his period of exile, with its varied experiences, follows. His movements during this time were characterized sometimes by faith and sometimes by fear.
He first found his way to the city of the priests, where Ahimelech fed him with the shewbread, the justification of which, interestingly enough, was declared long after by our Lord Himself in the days of His ministry. David's going to Ahimelech, although an exile, was an action of faith.
We next find him at Gath among the Philistines, with Achish their king. It is impossible to read this without feeling how unworthy a picture he presents. Whereas it is easy to understand his state of mind at the time, it remains true that the picture of God's anointed reduced to the necessity of feigning madness to protect himself is full of sadness. It affords a perpetual warning against the folly of taking refuge from peril among those who are the enemies of God.
David Guzik :: Study Guide for 1 Samuel 21
To Ahimelech the priest: In his uncertain circumstances David went to the right place – the house of the Lord.
Ahimelech was afraid when he met David: It seemed unusual to Ahimelech that a prominent man like David wandered around the villages of Judea by himself. It made Ahimelech think something was wrong so he asked David, “Why are you alone, and no one is with you?“
It seems that Ahimelech knew nothing of the conflict between David and Saul. It seemed strange and dangerous to him that David traveled alone. Plus, we can imagine that David looked tired, weary, disheveled, and probably looked like he had been crying a lot.
The king has ordered me on some business: This was a plain lie. David came to the house of the Lord but he lied to protect himself. David elaborated on his lie when he put false words in the mouth of Saul to establish an environment of secrecy (Do not let anyone know anything about the business on which I send you), and when he refered to “my young men“(David was all alone).
In many ways, we can understand why David lied and even sympathize with him. Many of us would have done the same or worse in the same situation. At the same time, David would come to horribly regret this lie (as he says in 1 Samuel 22:22).
“Some go about to excuse David’s lying here: but that cannot be. The consequences of it were very sad... and afterward made his soul melt for very heaviness.” (Trapp)
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