1 Samuel 21
“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”
I Samuel 21:2
The tension between Saul and David has been building over the last chapters to the point where Saul has now openly declared his intention to kill David. It is no longer safe for David to remain in Saul’s service, and so starting with chapter 21 David is now officially on the run.
As we delve into the chapter, there are lessons to learn from David’s example as he suddenly finds himself at a low ebb in life- harrased, alone and a fugitive, he is left with no choice but to trust God to make good His word to Israel’s anointed king.
Unfortunately, the events that unfolded here gave no clue that this was the same David who stood before Goliath of Gath, to recount how God delivered him from the paws of the bear and the paws of the lion. He resorted to self help as the reality of death in the hands of Saul dawned on him. The human nature in David prevailed as we saw what transpired in the first 2 places he visited while on the run.
In the city of Nob, David met with the high priest Ahimelech and lied to him in a bid to get supplies and weaponry.
The exchange between David and Ahimelech may be seen by some to justify telling lies, especially when it seems to have a nice ring to it, such as in a matter of life and death. But we must not shy away from the fact that, even where it appears that the Bible does not explicitly condemn those people who felt compelled to lie in extreme situations (examples are Michal and Jonathan lying to Saul in earlier chapters), it also never approves of their lying. A lie is still a lie, even when told with good motivation to protect someone else.
It’s important to remember that the Bible doesn’t record these lies to teach us that it’s okay to lie. The Bible records these lies because the people involved lied. The Bible doesn’t cover that up. In other words, the Bible is being truthful about people who lied so that we can be fully persuaded of the reality of their strengths and weaknesses. Such that in our dispensation, as we read about them, we will learn and avoid their mistakes.
No doubt, lying can be a real temptation when you’re in times of trouble. It may be convenient, and even might seem like your only option at the time. But the truth in the real sense is that lying demonstrates a lack of trust in God and can create further problems for you and others down the road. In later chapters, we will get to see the consequences of David’s “harmless” lie as it led to trouble not just for Ahimelech, but all the priests of Nob.
With good intentions, David may have thought he was protecting Ahimelech by not getting him involved. But whatever David’s reason for lying, the problem with lying is that it violates the truth and God is a God of truth. Proverbs 6: 16-19 lists seven things which the Lord hates, lying is one of them.
Our Lord Jesus in Luke 21:12-19, gave the apostles a picture of what the end of days potends for believers and truly the days are upon us as persecutions increase and we are faced with testy situations now and again. We must not forget the Lord’s charge in verses 14-15 as we continue in our journey of faith. Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist
The Word came through for the apostles as they went through various trials after they received the baptism of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. May we also walk in the reality of this Word daily in Jesus name. Amen
