Last week we left David hiding with Abiathar. This week we will find him traveling to Keilah. We continue our study from 1 Samuel Chapter 22.
As David was hiding again with Abiathar, someone came to them proclaiming the Philistines were in Keilah. They were robbing from the harvesting of the threshing floors. This was a common practice in the land at that time. The people of God suffered greatly when these wicked marauders appeared. The thieves took their newly harvested crops right out from under them. Then the Philistines used these crops they did not sew or harvest for their own use. One farmer could not fight or defend himself from the bands of evil men who went from place to place stealing the rewards of the labor from the hands of others.
You may recall in the story of Ruth and Boaz, that Boaz (an ancestor of David) was sleeping at the threshing floor. This was when Ruth asked him to spread his garment over her as a kinsman redeemer. Boaz was doing what many grain farmers had to do in those days. He was guarding the harvest from robbers and thieves who roamed the lands.
GOD SAYS TO GO
David was a man of honor. Such evil acts from organized thievery would have bothered him greatly. We know that David had such a heart for his people. When he heard of such terrible news, he would have wanted to go out and help them, even if it meant risking his own life. However one thing we know about David is the fact that he never did anything without first consulting God.
David prayed. He asked God if he should fight the Philistines. God told him to “Go.” He was encouraged by God to smite the Philistines. God assured David victory for the town of Keilah.
At the time David heard this news, he and his men were hiding in Judah. David’s men reminded him that they were already unsafe. They would be in much more danger (from Saul) if they went in to Keilah to fight against the Philistines.
But God had answered David with the same word that he had given to Abraham long ago. God said “Go” and when God says “go” any true servant of The Kingdom will move out into the unknown with faith.
To be very sure he was hearing correctly, David prayed again, using the priestly ephod. https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/understanding-ephod/. Again, the answer was for David to go to Keilah. God promised to deliver the Philistines into his hands.
OBEDIENCE WHEN THINGS SEEM UNREASONABLE
Has God ever asked you to do something that seemed very unreasonable? Did you have enough faith to trust God in spite of all the crazy reasons the world might decide to throw at you? David knew the odds were against him, but he trusted God enough to step out in faith and do what God had told him to do.
This is a lesson we all could learn from David. God knows what we don’t know. He sees what we could never see, even into the future. If He asks us to do something, there is always a good reason. Often we will not see it or know the reason until we have followed through in faith.
GOD HELPS DAVID TO SAVE KEILAH
After this strong confirmation from God, David and his men left for Keilah. They fought the Philistines and God gave them a great victory. David and his mighty men handled this battle with ease. After the Philistines were slaughtered, they even took their cattle.
Keilah was saved because of the bravery of David and his band of loyal followers. Of course they had followed God. God was the one who had actually given the victory. He simply used David and his mighty men in the process. Because they stepped up and were obedient a whole town was saved.
When Abiathar heard what had happened, he came to see David in Keilah. He had an ephod in his hands. He asked David to pray about leaving Keilah because Saul had been told that David was there. Abiathar knew that Saul would not spare the town of Keilah if it took destroying the whole town in order to kill David.
GOD WARNS DAVID AND ABIATHAR
Saul thought he surely would capture David now because Keilah was a city with gates and bars. There David could be locked inside and easily caught. Saul would have burned the whole city with David locked inside the gates if he had the chance.
When David heard that Saul knew where they were, he asked Abiathar to bring forth the ephod. David prayed to God seeking answers. He asked if Saul would come against Keilah for the sake of capturing him there. Would Saul actually destroy the whole town they had just saved in order to destroy David? God answered that this would happen.
David was once again being very careful to verify that he was in God’s will. Again, David asked God if the men from Keilah would deliver him up to Saul in order to save their town. Again, God answered that this would happen. It seemed that David might be in danger from the very men he had delivered from the Philistines. Saul would force them to turn him over by threatening to harm their city.
RETURNING TO THE WILDERNESS
After hearing this Word from God twice, and knowing that Saul’s army was told to destroy Keilah, David and his 600 men fled back out into the wilderness. David wished not to put another life in jeopardy for the sake of saving his own. Once back in the wilderness David and his men hid in any strongholds they could find. They were not welcomed by Israel because of Saul. They were not safe in the lands of the Philistines either. There was nothing left to do but to hide. The band of David found themselves abiding in the land around Ziph. They were hiding deep within the woods of that area.
JONATHAN SEEKS COVENANT WITH DAVID
Jonathan came to the hiding places seeking David. He wanted to pray for him and to warn him that Saul was still after him. I would imagine that he brought supplies and ammunition along with him. Jonathan had vowed to always be loyal to David. He was carefully letting David know he would be keeping that vow. Also, Jonathan had news to share with David about Saul.
1 Samuel 23:17 records the words from Jonathan to David:
And he said unto him, Fear not: for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee; and that also Saul my father knoweth.
Again, we hear of David and Jonathan making a covenant between them before the LORD. It was clear that Saul knew of Jonathan’s loyalties to David. Then Jonathan went home. David stayed in the woods.
THE ZIPHITES REVEAL THE HIDING PLACE
Of course, the Ziphites reported to Saul that David was hiding in the strongholds in the woods. They knew he was at the hill of Hachilah, which was on the south of Jeshimon. I imagine they were just that specific with their report to Saul. Maybe they were thinking they would find favor with the King. These men vowed if Saul came down to them they would help to deliver David into Saul’s hands. Most likely they were counting on collecting a great reward from Saul and/or obtaining tax relief for their efforts.
Saul blessed them for showing him compassion. He commanded them to go and verify the place where they thought David was hiding. Saul told them to scope out the camps of David. He asked them to spy and learn all they could about his hiding places. It was pointed out that David was crafty. Saul wanted to know every detail of what they knew of David. They were to find out all that they could. Then Saul would come to join them in the search.
HIDING IN THE ROCK
While David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the plain on the south of Jeshimon, the men of Ziph and another separate group with Saul came seeking him.
David came to a rock in the wilderness of Maon and he hid there. Have you noticed how many times David comes to a rock to hide or seek answers? Maybe David was aware of his ancestors traveling through the wilderness and the rock that moved with them. We now know that this rock was Our Messiah in another form. It was because of Him that the people survived in the wilderness.
He was also with David as David hid from Saul in the wilderness. This was an open area near the Dead Sea and it would have seemed easy for Saul to find David in this area. Yet God hid him safely in the place beside the rock.
Many think it was during these days that David wrote the Psalm we all know so well which says; “thy word is a light unto my path and a lamp unto my feet.” It was clear that God was leading and protecting David every day that he was in hiding.
SAUL IS CALLED AWAY
Saul and his men came to that same area. They camped on the side of the mountain opposite David and his men.
As they were in the very same area as David, Saul received a message telling him to hurry and come, for the Philistines had invaded the land. Most people agree that this was God’s supernatural intervention to protect David. As King, Saul would feel the need to go tend to the nation for a while.
So, Saul left the pursuit of David, feeling he should return to battle against the Philistines.
They came to call that place Selahammahlekoth. Selahammahlekoth means “cliff of divisions.” It was the name of the great gorge which lies between Hachilah and Maon, south-east of Hebron. This gorge is now called the Wady Malaky.
As Saul went to battle elsewhere. David then went up into the strongholds of Engedi.