Psalm 34
This week I want to focus a bit on a fascinating turn of events that will in time lead David to write Psalm 34. It all starts in the Old Testament book of 1 Samuel, starting around chapter 21.
For those of you who may not be familiar, do yourself a favor, take some time and study 1 and 2 Samuel. Especially 1 Samuel chapters 21-23. Then read Psalm 34. It’s interesting to see how it all comes together. These are two the most exciting books in the Old Testament, reading almost like an adventure novel. In chapter 21, David’s life has reached a critical crossroad. He’s established himself as a powerful military leader serving under King Saul, Israel’s first king. As David’s fame grows in the kingdom, so does Saul’s jealousy towards him and that jealousy leads to Saul trying to kill David, throwing a spear at him while David’s sitting one day, just strumming on his harp. David dodges the spear but is clearly more than just a little freaked out by this sudden turn in his relationship with the king.
Saul sends troops to surround David’s house with orders to kill him on sight. Fortunately for David, he happens to be married to Saul’s daughter, Michal and she helps him to escape. Later, Jonathan, David’s best friend – and Saul’s son – tells David that his father is for sure determined to see David dead.
Now, at this point in his life, the LORD has been open in showing His love for David. The LORD gave him the strength, determination and courage needed to kill the giant Goliath. He sends Samuel the prophet to Bethlehem to anoint David and name him the future king of Israel. David’s the guy who will bring Israel to worldwide greatness. Jesus Himself will come from the line of David. David is a man after God’s own heart. Yet even with all that going for him, when this life-threatening danger comes along, David takes a pass on turning to the LORD for help and instead he takes off, running for his life. And in order for David to save himself, he resorts to using what he sees as justified lies and deceptions.
His first stop is a place called Nob. There, he seeks out Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech knows who David is and wants to know why he’s traveling solo. David then tells his first lie, telling Ahimelech, 21:2, “The king has sent me on private matter, he told me not to tell anyone I am here. I told my men to meet me here later.” And then he asks Ahimelech for something to eat. Ahimelech, buying David’s story, offers him the holy bread from the tabernacle on the condition that David swears that he and his men haven’t had sexual relations with any women recently. David drops lie number two, telling the priest, “No worries, I don’t allow myself or my men to engage in any funny business when we are on a mission for the king.” Ahimelech, wanting to be understanding and loyal gives the bread to David, even though doing so is kind of a compromise of tabernacle protocols.
Next comes lie number three and this is the big one. David asks Ahimelech if he has a spear or sword that he can borrow because, when the king sent him out on this secret mission, he had to move quickly, and wouldn’t you know? He left his sword at home. Ahimelech, who apparently struggles with gullibility tells David, “I only have the sword of Goliath the Philistine, who you killed in the valley of Elah.” David is thrilled and tells Ahimelech, “There is nothing like that sword…give it to me!”
I had to park on this for a second. It really gave me pause. Think about this; especially if you’ve ever faced a season in your life – as I have – where it seemed to make more sense to create a truth built on lies than to ask Jesus for His guidance. David knows what he knows about the LORD and it is a knowledge based on one of the most intimate relationships the Creator of all things has ever had with one of His creations. The LORD loves David and has promised to prosper him and do great things through him and yet…
In the moment that things go sideways, David runs. And to protect himself, he lies. And through his lies, he drags innocent people like Ahimelech into his deception. He makes this innocent priest compromise his authority over the Tabernacle. And then, amazingly, David places his trust in the earthly weapon of an enemy of the LORD who David himself defeated. He puts his faith in the sword of Goliath the Philistine, even though the LORD has already shown Himself to be superior to this sword. It’s in our nature to look past the grace Jesus so willingly extends to us and depend instead on things that ultimately won’t do us all that much good.
If you struggle with some ongoing sin, such as but not limited to addiction, then you know what this is about. You lie to survive in a sense, and you turn to things of the world in the hopes they will provide a peace and protection that they simply aren’t capable of providing. And do you want to know the downside to living that way?
While Ahimelech is helping David, a very bad guy, Doeg the Edomite, sees them talking. He reports Ahimelech to Saul and Saul, along with Doeg head to Nob where Doeg slaughters Ahimelech, the 85 priests who serve with him and then the entire population of the town. This made me think a bit about how at one time my self-centered deceit brought so much unintended harm to the lives of people who cared for me, starting with my own wife and daughter. The reason why? I was trusting in alcohol, my equivalent of Goliath’s sword. And it wasn’t until I found myself, like David, alone with Jesus that I resorted to placing my trust in Him instead of beer. And once I surrendered control back to Jesus, things in my life began to change for the better.
And look. David’s life will never be easy. His affair with Bathsheba sets the stage for a lifetime of domestic dysfunction. But God never forsakes David and even more important for us to see is that David continually turns to God when he knows he’s sinned and those humble confessions in the face of disobedience is what makes David a man after God’s own heart. And when you think about it, there is nothing in the confines of that relationship that you and I can’t have as well. Jesus is waiting. Just go read Psalm 34!
We just have to want His grace, mercy and love more than our personal sword of Goliath.