Tag Archives: Clever

Transfer of Power

114 – Transfer of Power

1 Kings 1:1-53

When David became old and frail, he was always cold. Covering him with blankets didn’t help. Finally, they decided to provide him with a nurse that would sleep with him. They found a beautiful virgin and she was his constant nurse. She slept with him, but they didn’t have sex.

Adonijah was the fourth son of David, a younger brother of Absalom. He was just as handsome as his brother. David never disciplined Adonijah, or even corrected him.  

Since David was old and bedridden, Adonijah said, “I’ll be the next king.” He hired 50 bodyguards to run before him as he rode through the streets in a chariot. He asked Joab to help him, and also enlisted the help of the high priest. Others refused to help, including Nathan the prophet. 

Adonijah hosted a banquet and invited those who supported him. He also invited his brothers, David’s servants, and officials of Judah. But he didn’t invite those who opposed him, and he didn’t invite Solomon.

Bathsheba was Solomon’s mother. Nathan went and told her what was happening. He said, “The king doesn’t know what Adonijah is doing. If we don’t stop this, you and your son will die.” He then told her exactly how they should tell the king.

She went to David’s bedroom, where his nurse was serving him. Bathsheba said, “My lord, you said Solomon would be king after you. But now Adonijah has made himself king without you knowing it. All of Israel is looking to you to tell them exactly who should be king. If you die without telling them, Solomon and I will be killed as criminals.”

At that exact moment, Nathan came in and said, “My lord king, did you make Adonijah king? Today he’s having a banquet with the officials of Israel. They’re eating and drinking and saying ‘Long live the King.’ Many of us weren’t invited. I’m surprised you authorized this without letting me know.”

David said to Bathsheba, “As sure as the Lord lives, your son Solomon will be king after me. It will happen today.”

He then gave an assignment to certain priests, officials, and the prophet Nathan. “Have Solomon ride on my personal mule to the place where you’ll anoint him king. Afterwards, blow the rams horns and shout ‘Long live King Solomon!’ Then have him sit on my throne. Tell everyone he’s the one I’ve selected to be king after me.”

The men followed David’s instructions. As soon as Solomon was pronounced king, the people flowed into the streets shouting, playing flutes, and celebrating. 

The people at Adonijah’s banquet heard the noise and wondered what was happening. Men rushed in and told them. “King David has made Solomon king of Israel! Right now he’s sitting on the royal throne.”

Everyone quickly left the banquet and went home. Adonijah was terrified of what Solomon would do to him. He went to the Tabernacle and grabbed the horns of the altar. He sent a message to Solomon saying “I’m your slave. Please promise me you’ll not kill me.”

Solomon sent a message back. “I won’t kill you if you act like a man of character. But if not, I’ll have you killed.”  So Adonijah went and bowed down before Solomon and gave him honor as the new king.

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Citadel of David courtyard from above, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com
Citadel of David moat from south, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com
Citadel of David minaret with full moon, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com
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Wise Woman of Abel

111 – Wise Woman of Abel

II Samuel 19:13 20:1-26 I Chronicles 2:16-17

David removed Joab from his command of the army. He replaced him with Amasa, who was also his nephew. He said to Amasa, “Gather my troops in three days so you can hunt down Sheba.”

Amasa started gathering an army, but it took him too long. He wasn’t back in three days. David said to Joab’s brother, “We must act fast if we’re to defeat Sheba. If we give him time, he’ll be a bigger danger then Absalom ever was. Go after him immediately.”

Joab joined his brother, and together they quickly organized an army. They then left Jerusalem to capture Sheba.

Along the way, Amasa finally caught up with them. Joab walked over to him, “Amasa, my cousin. How are you?” He then reached up with his right hand as if to draw Amasa closer and greet him with a kiss. Amasa didn’t see the knife in Joab’s left hand.

Joab stabbed Amasa in the stomach. He fell to the ground, dying but not yet dead. Joab turned and left to continue his search for Sheba. A soldier stood next to Amasa and shouted, “Follow Joab if you’re loyal to king David.”

As the army followed Joab, they kept slowing down as they passed Amasa, who was groaning in extreme pain. Some even stopped to look at him. Finally, a soldier pulled Amasa off to the side of the road and threw a blanket over him. Then the army moved along quickly.

They chased Sheba all around the country. He finally took his men to a city called Abel. Joab’s troops lay siege on the city and built a ramp against its walls. The purpose was to tear down the walls and destroy the city.

As they were working, a woman yelled out to them. She was known around that area as woman of wisdom. She said, “Go get Joab so I can talk to him.”

Joab came to that part of the wall and yelled, “What do you want?”

She yelled back, “Are you Joab?”

“Yes, what do you want?”

She said, “People say, ‘Go to Abel to get the best advice.’ That’s because we know how to solve problems. So why would you want to destroy a valuable resource like Abel? Our city is like a mother to Israel.”

He said, “We’re not here to destroy your city. We’re chasing Sheba, who has rebelled against David, our king. If you give us this man, we’ll leave your city alone.”

The woman said, “I’ll hold you to that. We’ll throw Sheba’s head out to you.”

The woman went and talked to the city officials. They trusted her wisdom, so they caught Sheba, cut off his head, and threw it out to Joab.

Once Joab saw it, he blew the ram’s horn, and his army went home. Joab went back to Jerusalem, where he was once again made commander of David’s army.

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Absalom’s Revolt

108 – Absalom’s Revolt

II Samuel 15:1 – 17:23

Absalom was a handsome man with beautiful thick hair. He was also ambitious and wanted to be king. To impress people, he rode in a chariot with 50 men running ahead of him. 

In the morning, he stood by the road that went to the city gate. He honored anyone who bowed down to him. If he saw someone going to see the king about a problem, he asked, “What city are you from?” If they were from one of the northern tribes, he’d say, “I understand your problem. It’s too bad the king won’t listen to you. If I were king, I’d make sure you were heard.”
 
Soon, the northern tribes of Israel became loyal to Absalom. When the time was right, he sent messengers to them saying, “Listen for the ram’s horn. When you hear it, shout, ‘Absalom is king!’” 

The conspiracy spread quickly. More and more people started supporting Absalom. He left the city and enlisted the help of Ahithophel, one of David’s advisors. Both David and Absalom knew that Ahithophel’s wisdom was a gift from the Lord.

David didn’t hear about this until it was too late. By then he knew his life was in danger, so he and his servants quickly left the city. He took off his shoes, covered his head, and openly cried as he walked up the Mount of Olives. People came and cried along the path.

Once he arrived on top of the Mount, he saw Hushai, one of his friends and advisors. David said to him, “Don’t come with me. Go tell Absalom that you’ll serve him just like you served me. Advise my son against Ahithophel’s counsel if you can.” 

They then set up a way Hushai could send David information about Absalom’s plans. Hushai returned to Jerusalem just as Absalom and a large crowd were entering the city. Ahithophel was at his side. Hushai bowed before Absalom and said, “Long live the king!”

Absalom said, “Why didn’t you go with your friend?”

Hushai said, “I’ll serve the one the Lord and the people have chosen. I’ll serve you just as I served your father.”

As David was leaving, he passed by the home of a man named Shimei. He was from the family of Saul. Shimei started throwing stones at David and yelling, “You deserve this, you filthy murderer! God is judging you for what you did to King Saul. Go hide in a hole, where you belong.”

A soldier pulled out his sword and said, “This filthy dog is dead! I’m going to cut off his head!”

David turned to him, “Why would you do that? It was the Lord who said to him, ‘Shimei, go curse David!’ Why would we fight God at a time like this? Maybe the Lord will see what I’m going through and have pity on me.” 

So David and his men continued down the road with Shimei on a ridge above them. He kept yelling curses and throwing stones and dirt at David.

Once Absalom was in the palace, Ahithophel said, “Allow me to take 12,000 men and chase after David tonight. I’ll attack him while he’s weak and tired. This will cause his people to panic and they’ll scatter. I’ll only kill the king, and bring all the others back to you. We’ll have peace when people see that you’ve only killed the king and allowed everyone else to live.”

This proposal seemed good to Absalom, but he said, “Send for Hushai. I want to hear his advice.”

When Hushai heard this plan, he said, “Oh no! Don’t do that. You know your father and his men. They’re warriors. Right now they’re like a wild bear, robbed of her cubs. Your father knows how to fight. He’s probably hiding in one of the caves, waiting for your men to come out. If you act now, some of your men will get killed. Once the people hear that, they’ll say that David is slaughtering your forces. Everyone will believe it because they know your father is a skilled warrior.

“Here’s what you should do. Gather a great army from all over Israel. Personally lead them into battle. Attack David wherever you find him. With a massive army, you can make sure he doesn’t escape. If any city hides him, totally destroy that city and don’t leave one stone on top of another.”

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Kidron Valley, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com
Jerusalem Old City and Kidron Valley from northeast,from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com

Absalom’s Return

107 – Absalom’s Return

2 Samuel 14:1-33

After three years, David finally stopped mourning for Amnon. Then he started to miss his son Absalom. Still, he wouldn’t ask him to return from hiding. 

Joab noticed this, so he hired a woman who was good at acting. He told her to go to the king, and he gave her the words she should say. She went before David dressed in clothes of mourning. She bowed before him and said, “Help me, my king.”

David said, “Tell me your problem.”

“I only had two sons after my husband died. Recently they got into a fight and no one stopped them. Soon, one killed the other one. Now my family says I’m to give them the only son I have left.  They say he must die because he’s a murderer. My king, this would remove my husband’s name from the earth.”

David said, “You can go home. I’ll take care of this for you. If anyone says this isn’t right, bring them to me.”

She said, “Oh, please swear by God that my son won’t be killed for what he did.”

David said, “I swear it by the Lord who lives. Your son won’t die for this.”

She said, “May I ask you one more question?”

“Yes, what is it?”

“I knew you’d give me a right judgment because the wisdom of God is in you. You clearly see what is good and what is evil. That’s why this judgment was good.

“So, why don’t you follow your own judgments? You’re wronging the nation of God by not bringing back your son. We’re all going to die someday, but God is the God of life. He wants us to be reconciled to one another.”

David said, “You asked me a question, now I have one for you. Listen to me carefully. You must tell me the truth. Did Joab send you here to talk to me?”

She said, “My lord the king has the wisdom of an angel of the Lord. No one can get anything around him. Yes, your servant Joab told me what to say, but it’s only because he loves you and wants what’s best for you.”

The king called for Joab and said, “Go and bring Absalom back in peace, but I don’t want to see him.” So Joab went and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem. He was allowed to live in his own house.

Two years went by and he still wasn’t allowed to see the king. Finally, he decided to ask Joab to arrange a meeting between him and his father. He sent for Joab, but he didn’t come. He sent for him a second time, but he still didn’t come.  Finally, Absalom sent his servants to set a fire to Joab’s barley field.

Joab went and yelled at Absalom. “Why did you set fire to my field?”

“I had to get your attention. Now tell me. Why did you bring me back to Jerusalem? I was better off where I was. Go to the king and arrange a meeting between the two of us. I want to see him even if he kills me.”

So Joab arranged a time when the king and his son could meet. Absalom went before his father and bowed down with his face to the ground. David got up and went and kissed his son.

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Tamar

106 – Tamar

2 Samuel 13:1-39

Amnon was David’s oldest son—and his favorite. Amnon had everything he wanted, except one thing. He wanted his half-sister Tamar. She was beautiful and a virgin. He thought about her all the time. He literally got sick wishing he could go to bed with her.

He had a cousin who was known to be crafty. Once he heard how Amnon felt, he came up with a plan.  He said, “Lay in your bed as if you’re sick. When the king asks about you, tell him you want Tamar to come make some bread in your room. Tell him you want her to feed it to you.”

Amnon followed this plan, so the king asked Tamar to go help her brother with some food. While she was there, Amnon sent all the servants out of the room. As she handed him some food, he grabbed her and said, “Get in bed with me!”

She begged him, “No, please. Stop this. This is a horrible sin. You’re putting me to shame. Ask the king and he’ll give me to you. He’ll give you anything.”

But Amnon wouldn’t listen. He pulled her into bed and raped her. As soon as he was done, he no longer wanted her. In fact, he hated her. He said, “Get out of here!”

She yelled, “No! Don’t throw me away. What you’ve done is wrong, but sending me away is worse.”

He shouted for his servant. “Take this woman out of here and lock the door behind her.”

After Tamar was put out, she tore her clothes, the ones that showed she was a virgin. She put ashes on her head and cried as she walked along. 

Her brother was Absalom. As soon as he heard what happened, he vowed to kill Amnon. But he knew it had to be planned out carefully. So, he had his sister move into his house. He told her, “For now, try to put it out of your mind. Don’t say anything about it.” 

From that day on, Tamar was sad and moody, and Absalom totally stopped speaking to Amnon. The king was furious when he heard about the rape. Still he didn’t do anything about it. 

Two years later, Absalom held a sheep shearing party and invited all of David’s sons. He made sure Amnon would be there. Absalom provided a large banquet for the occasion. Everyone had plenty to eat and drink. 

Absalom told the servants to watch Amnon carefully. He said, “Wait until he’s had plenty to drink, then kill him. Don’t be afraid. You won’t get into trouble. You’re simply following my orders.”

They did exactly as they were told. When the time was right, they killed Amnon. The other sons ran for their lives. 

News of this quickly got back to the king. He was told Absalom had killed all of the king’s sons. David ripped his clothes and fell to the ground. Finally, someone told him that it wasn’t true. Only Amnon had died. They said, “Absalom has been planning this since his sister was raped.”

Finally, the other sons of David came down the road and went before the king. Everyone cried together.

Absalom ran to a neighboring country to hide from his father. David grieved for Amnon for three years.

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Bathsheba

104 – Bathsheba

II Samuel 11:1-27

When it was spring, it was time to once again attack the Ammonites. Normally David would go with his men, but he decided to stay home.

After taking a nap one afternoon, he walked along the sundeck that was on the roof of the palace. From there, he saw a beautiful woman taking a bath. He sent for a servant and asked, “Who is that woman?”

“Oh, her name is Bathsheba. She is the wife of Uriah, one of your 30 fighting men.” 

David sent for her, so she came to the palace. He slept with her that night. In time she realized she was expecting a baby, and she knew it was from the night she spent with the king.  She sent word to David that she was pregnant. 

He decided he had to hide what he had done. So he immediately sent a message to Joab. “Send Uriah to me.”

The soldier arrived and the king asked him, “How is the battle going? Is Joab well?”  After Uriah gave a report, the king told him he could go home to his wife before going back to the battle. He even sent a gift for the couple.

Uriah left the king, but didn’t go home. He slept the night at the door of the palace with all of the king’s servants. In the morning, the king called him in and asked, “Why didn’t you go home?”

“No, I wouldn’t do that. The Ark of God is on the field of battle. The army of Israel sleeps in tents. Joab and his officers are on the field. I can’t go to my house and live in ease. I can’t eat and drink with my wife while they are sacrificing for our nation.”

David said, “Stay here one more day, and then I’ll send you back to the battle.”

The king then asked Uriah to eat and drink with him. During the course of the evening, David got him drunk. Still, he didn’t go home, but slept on a cot at the palace doors.

The next morning David wrote a letter to his commander. “Put Uriah in the front where the fighting is the fiercest. At an assigned moment, have your men fall back, leaving him to die.” 

The king gave the sealed letter to Uriah, and told him to take it to Joab. He went back to the battle and gave the letter to his commander. Joab obeyed the order and put Uriah at the exact place that was the most dangerous. At the assigned moment, everyone else fell back and Uriah was killed. Bathsheba heard that her husband died in battle, and she mourned his death.

Joab continued his battle against the Ammonite capital city. Finally, he broke through and captured their water supply. He sent word to David. “Come quickly! Lead the army into the city and capture it so you’ll get the glory.”

David went and led the army to victory over the Ammonite cities. He had the Ammonite people totally tear down their walls and all of their buildings. He took everything of value, and put the people to work making bricks. 

David then went back to Jerusalem. Once Bathsheba’s time of mourning was over, he made her his wife. Soon afterwards, she gave birth to their son. Only God knew about their sin, and he was not pleased.

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Amman citadel fortifications, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com
Amman Citadel northern end view to northwest, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com
City of David excavations aerial, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com
City of David, Palace of David excavation area, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com
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David’s Mighty Men

100 – David’s Mighty Men

2 Samuel 5:1-25 23:13-23 I Chronicles 11:1-23

David had developed a group of 30 men that were the core of his fighting force.  Joab’s brother, Abishai, led the group because of his bravery.

All 30 of these fighting men were proven warriors with skill and courage. But the mightiest of them were an inspiration to the entire army—they were called “the Three.”  One of the Three personally killed 800 soldiers in a battle. Another stood firm when the rest of the army retreated.  While they fell back, he turned and attacked the Philistines by himself.  He fought so hard and so long that his hand stuck to his sword. The others finally came back, but only to plunder the dead bodies around him.

Before David became king, there was a time when he and his men were in hiding. He became thirsty and said, “Oh, I long for the water from the well in Bethlehem!” At that time, Bethlehem was in the hands of the Philistines.

The Three heard David longing for that water. They slipped out of the camp and went to Bethlehem. They crept into the city and got water from the well. They were then able to get safely back out of the Philistine area.

When they brought the water to David, he was shocked at what they had done. He said, “I won’t drink this water! This is precious like the blood of the men who risked their lives to get it.” He stood before the Lord and poured it out as an offering to God.

 All of David’s men remained loyal to him after he became king. God was with him and established his kingdom over Israel.

Jerusalem was a walled city on Mount Zion controlled by the Jebusites. David said to his men, “Whoever is able to conquer this city will become the commander of my army.” Joab conquered it by getting inside the walls through the water tunnels. So he became the commander of the army. 

David renamed the town, “The City of David,” and from that time on it was the center of his government. 

When the Philistines heard about him becoming king of Israel, they decided to fight against him. David asked the Lord, “Should I go fight them?”

The Lord said, “Go. I will give them to you.” So David went and defeated them.

Later, they invaded Israel again. So he asked the Lord, “Should I go fight them?”

The Lord said, “Go, but this time circle around behind them. Put your camp in a grove of trees. Wait until you hear the sound of marching in the top of the trees. Then you’ll know that I have marched ahead of you.

David did exactly what the Lord told him to do. He defeated the Philistines and totally ran them out of the land.

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The Rephaim Valley connects Jerusalem to the Sorek Valley

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Rephaim Valley aerial, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com

Sparing God’s Anointed

94 – Sparing God’s Anointed

1 Samuel 26:1 – 27:12

Saul once again took 3,000 of his best warriors and went after David. That night they set up camp beside the road. David heard where they were, so he went there during the night.

Saul was asleep in the middle of the camp with his men circled around him. Next to him was Abner, the commander of the army. The Lord caused a deep sleep to come over all of them.
 
David took Abishai and walked right up to where Saul and Abner were sleeping. Abishai said, “Today God gave you your enemy. Say the word and I’ll thrust him through with this spear and pin him to the ground.”

David said, “No. God anointed him king of Israel. Only God can take that away. He has appointed a time for Saul to die, and we will accept that. I’ll never touch a man anointed by God.”

David took the king’s water jug and the spear that was stuck in the ground next to Saul’s head. They left the camp without anyone waking up. 

When they were at a safe distance on the top of the next hill, David yelled at Saul’s camp. “Abner, listen to me.”

Abner woke up and then yelled back. “How dare you wake up the king? Who are you?”

David said, “Abner, you’re the best soldier in Israel. Yet, you failed to protect the king, God’s anointed. Men came into the camp while you were sleeping. Look around. Where is the king’s spear and water jug? You should be executed.”

Saul yelled back, “My son David, is that your voice I hear?”

“Yes, my king. It’s my voice. What have I done to cause you to hunt me down like a criminal? Whoever turned you against me should be cursed. They’re making me leave the land that is blessed of God.”

Saul said, “Oh, my son David. Once again you had a chance to kill me and you didn’t. It’s now clear to me that I’ve sinned. I’ve been a fool. Come back to me. I won’t hurt you.”

David said, “Yes, it’s true. The Lord gave you to me, but I knew that I wasn’t to touch His anointed king. May God value my life and spare me, just like I value your life. I want him to see that I’m righteous and loyal. Send a young man over here to get your spear.”

Saul said, “My son, you are blessed of God. You will do great things for the Lord.” With that, King Saul went back home.

David said to his men, “Eventually Saul will find me, and when he does he’ll kill me. I must go to a place that is out of his reach. What better place than with the king of the Philistines.”

So David took his 600 men to Gath. All of them took their families with them. David said to the king, “Please give me a small town nearby. I don’t deserve to live in the same town with so great a king.” So he gave David the town of Ziklag. David and his men stayed there for a year and four months. The king of the Philistines learned to trust David as one of his own countrymen.

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Running from Saul

91 – Running from Saul

1 Samuel 21:1-22:23

David escaped from Saul with only a few men to help him. They went to Ahimelech, the priest who was in charge of the Ark of God. The priest said, “Why are you here?”

“The king sent me on a special mission. He told me not to tell anyone about where I’m going. I left so fast that we don’t have anything to eat. Please give us some bread.”

Ahimelech said, “The only bread we have is the old showbread taken from the holy place. Only priests are allowed to eat it.”

This was old bread they took from the altar when they put new bread there. The priest said, “I suppose you can have the old bread, but only if your men have kept themselves clean before the Lord.”

David said, “We’re all on a mission for the king, so of course we’ve all kept ourselves holy before the Lord.”

So Ahimelech gave them the old bread. David noticed that Doeg, the Edomite, saw this whole thing. He was the chief shepherd for Saul.

David said to Ahimelech, “I left so fast that I forgot to bring my weapons. Do you have a spear or sword that I could use?”

“The only sword I have is the one you took from Goliath. You can have that one back. It’s all I have.”

David took the sword and continued his escape from Saul. He went to Gath, a city of the Philistines. There, he would be out of Saul’s reach. But people told the king of the Philistines, “This is David, the one they sing about: ‘Saul has killed his thousands, but David has killed his tens of thousands.’ ”

When David heard this, he immediately pretended like he was insane. People of that day didn’t hurt those who were insane because they were afraid there might be an evil spirit in them. David fell down and started clawing on the doorpost. He let drool flow into his beard. When the king saw this, he said, “This man is crazy. Get him out of here!”

David left Gath and hid in a cave. His brothers brought him all their relatives so they’d be safe from Saul. David took his parents to Moab and left them in the protection of the king there.

Soon men started arriving to join David. These were men who were in some kind of trouble or overwhelmed with debt. Finally there were 400 men who rallied around David, and he became their leader.

Meanwhile, Doeg, the Edomite, went to Saul and said, “I saw Ahimelech give David food and the sword of Goliath.”

Saul sent for Ahimelech and all 85 priests that were with him. “Why did you help this son of Jesse? You know he wants to kill me.”

Ahimelech said, “I thought he was your faithful servant. After all, he’s your son-in-law. I didn’t know there was trouble between you.”

Saul turned to his guards. “Kill these men, all of them. They’re on David’s side.”

The guards were shocked. They didn’t move because they weren’t about to kill the priest of the Lord.

Saul then turned to Doeg, the Edomite. “Kill all of these men and everything they own.” So, Doeg killed all of the priests, their wives, their children, and even their livestock. Only one son of Ahimelech was able to escape. He ran and told David all that happened.

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Givat Shapira, possible Nob, Iron Age fortress, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com
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Three Arrows

90 – Three Arrows

1 Samuel 20:1-42

David said, “Jonathan, why is your father trying to kill me? What have I done?”

He said, “The king doesn’t want to kill you. I would know about it if he did. He doesn’t hide anything from me.”

David said, “As sure as there is a God, and as sure as you’re alive, your father wants to kill me. He doesn’t tell you because he knows we’re best friends.”

Jonathan said, “What do you want me to do? Name it and I’ll do it.”

David said, “Tomorrow, I’m scheduled to go to a three-day banquet with the king. If he notices that I’m not there, tell him you gave me permission to go to Bethlehem for an annual sacrifice. Tell him it was important that I be there because it involves my entire clan.  

“If your father accepts that answer, then we’ll know all is well and he doesn’t hate me. But if he gets angry, then it will be clear to both of us that he wants to kill me.

“Jonathan, if you find out that he has good reason to hate me, then come … and kill me yourself.”

Jonathan said, “I’ll go and find out exactly what my father thinks about you. If you’re right and he wants to kill you, I’ll send you away in peace. But remember, we made a vow to each other before the Lord. If I die and God blesses you, take care of my family. Love my household as if they’re your own.

“Here’s my plan. Hide next to the big rock in the field. I’ll find out what my father thinks about you. Then I’ll come here and shoot three arrows toward the rock. I’ll send my servant to get them. As he goes, I’ll yell something to him. If I say, ‘They are on this side of the rock.’ That’s your sign that all is well and you can come back.

“But if I yell, ‘They’re on the other side of the rock,’ That’s your sign that you need to run for your life because my father is trying to kill you.”

During the first day of the banquet, Saul noticed that David was not in his place, but he didn’t say anything. On the second day, Saul said to Jonathan, “Where is that son of Jesse? He’s missed both days so far.”

“Oh, I gave him permission to go to Bethlehem. His family is having a big annual sacrifice, and his brothers insisted that he be there.”

Saul yelled at his son. “You son of a prostitute! I know what you’re doing. You’re taking his side. Don’t you realize he’s going to take away your kingdom? You’re a shame to our family. Now go get him and bring him here so I can kill him.”

Jonathan yelled back. “What has he done? Why do you want to kill him?”

Saul grabbed a spear and threw it at his son. Jonathan got up from the table and left. He didn’t eat for a whole day because he was ashamed of his father.

In the morning, he went to the field with his servant. He shot three arrows out beyond the rock. As the servant ran out to get them, Jonathan yelled, “They are on the other side of that rock. You need to hurry. Go as fast as you can.”

The servant found the arrows and brought them back. Jonathan then told him to take the equipment and go back to the city. 

After he left, David came out of hiding. The two men hugged and cried. Jonathan said, “You’re right. My father is determined to kill you. Go. But remember our pledge to one another, and between your children and my children.” With that, David left, and Jonathan went back to the city.

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