1 Samuel 22:6-23 – Saul: the Destructive King
The section starts ominously. David is discovered – has he been spied upon; are there informers in his camp? Saul is holding court under the Tamarisk tree. This does not sound ominous to us, but kings in the nations around Israel were often portrayed as sitting under sacred trees. He is a king like the kings of the pagan nations around them (8:5). He has his spear in his hand, a hint of the coming violence. Two times he has thrown it at David and once at Jonathan – you do not want an angry man to have a spear in his hand! There are tensions in the royal court – Saul is suspicious of conspiracy (verse 8a) and is tarring everyone, even his son and heir. In fact, Jonathan seems to bear the brunt, and Saul can’t even bring himself to say his name (verse 8b). Like a paranoid nut he is threatened when there is no threat, fearful that David is “lying in wait”, when in fact David is hiding. This scene of conspiracy, suspicion, and imagined threat is replayed when the priests are summoned. The priests are addressed the same way (“hear now”, verses 7 and 12); he cannot bring himself to say Ahimelech’s name (verse 12), and he speaks of their conspiracy, rising up and lying in wait.
We see this for what it is – baseless paranoia. We are given repeated insights into David’s innocence: no-one from Israel will inform on David and it’s left to a Gentile, Doeg; Ahimelech is firm in his defence of David (verse 14); Saul’s guards refuse to carry out his order (verse 17). Saul is now a paranoid conspiracy theorist, and there is no truth in the matter.
It all culminates in a great tragedy as the death sentence is pronounced on Nob (verse 16). It is a gross miscarriage of justice. Even if the accusations were true, no-one was to be put to death on the testimony of one witness (Numbers 35:30). Nob, the priestly city, is treated like an enemy city – totally destroyed. You can’t escape the picture of king Saul: the “king like the nations” is a destructive king.
Questions
- What leads Saul, a king like the nations, to this course of action? Where does it begin?
Prayer Points
- Pray that God would give you insight into the destructive ways of the world, that we might love his ways instead.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.