David is running for his life because King Saul and his army are after him. To save a nearby town from the Philistines, David must reveal his location to the king.
He asks God for guidance, likely using the Urim and Thummim inside the ephod to determine God’s will.
When David was told, “Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are looting the threshing floors,” he inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?”
The LORD answered him, “Go, attack the Philistines and save Keilah” (1 Samuel 23:1-2).
The priest wore the ephod, and David asked him to throw the Urim and Thummim on the ground, similar to how we might throw dice. They believed God would control these items and reveal His will through them.
David followed the procedures set by God. He was destined to rule the country as its king. However, he needed to learn God’s will from the priests or prophets. They discerned God’s will, communicated it to him, and he acted accordingly.
David’s men didn’t want to save the small town from the Philistines. They knew doing so would reveal their position to Saul. David asked the priest again to seek God’s will, and this time, God clearly wanted them to save the town.
David and his men won because God was on their side. They saved the town and defeated the Philistines completely.
Saul Vs. David
The writer of 1 Samuel shows the difference between Saul and David. David seeks guidance from God and follows His will, even when it’s risky. Saul, however, relies on others for direction.
The key difference is that David turns to God, while Saul does not.
Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah, and he said, “God has delivered him into my hands, for David has imprisoned himself by entering a town with gates and bars.”
And Saul called up all his forces for battle, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men (1 Samuel 23:7-8).
There was only one way in and out of Keilah. If the entrance was blocked, David would be trapped. Saul could then take his time to defeat David and his army.
Once again, David turned to the Lord for guidance.
David asked God twice if the good citizens of Gilead would hand him over to Saul. Both times, God said yes, they would.
When David learned that Saul was plotting against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod.”
David said, “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? LORD, God of Israel, tell your servant.” And the LORD said, “He will.”
Again David asked, “Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me and my men to Saul?” And the LORD said, “They will.”
So 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 (1 Samuel 23:9-13).
This happened after David had saved them from the Philistines. Despite his help, they were still so scared of Saul that they were ready to betray David. God guided David to leave the town and also led Saul to spare the community.
Reflections
For the past few weeks, I’ve been listening every day to an excellent reading of John 13-17 on YouTube. In these chapters, Jesus talks about love more than anything else.
He speaks these words knowing he is about to face unjust charges in three religious courts and three civil courts. He will be beaten and crucified in one of the worst possible deaths.
How can someone who is doing something as right as loving others be treated so harshly?
David followed God’s will by doing the right thing. He was saved by God from Saul while rescuing a small town from the Philistines’ attacks.
Jesus, the beloved Son of God, did what was right by loving the world. However, this time, God couldn’t save him from his fate. What happened to Jesus was part of God’s plan from the start.
During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3).
On the cross, Jesus was a poor in spirit person. No one could save him, and he couldn’t save himself.
He had to wait three days for the resurrection to reach the kingdom of heaven—and he did.
As we follow his example, we might also feel poor in spirit at times. But we can trust that God will grant us a “kingdom of heaven” experience.
YouTube Discussion
Today is the last solo videos on Bible passages that I will be doing. Tomorrow, I will be joined by Rudy Ross and Bruce Kirby. Like you, I am looking forward to conversing with the two of them.
Real Voices 