To Encourage You

1 Samuel 21:6-9 “So the priest gave him the holy bread, for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence . . . And the priest said, ‘The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck down in the Valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take it, for there is none but that here.’ And David said, ‘There is none like that; give it to me.’”

In 1 Samuel 21 we have an account of David fleeing from his archenemy Saul as Saul sought his life.  In desperation David flees to the town of Nob, to Ahimelech the priest.  Ahimelech asks David why he has fled there all by himself.  He knew that David was part of the royal household, and apparently those in such a position rarely traveled without an entourage.  It says Ahimelech was trembling when he spoke to David.  He was likely aware that David was in trouble and he knew of the intentions of King Saul.  David attempted to put Ahimelech at ease by claiming that he was actually on a secret mission from the king. That’s why he was alone.  It was a lie, designed to save David’s skin.  Then David asked Ahimelech for two things:  food, because he was famished, and a sword, for he had none and needed protection.  In response, the priest provides David with the consecrated bread from the tabernacle (bread that was to be eaten only by the priests) and the sword of Goliath, that had somehow been secured by the priest since the time of David’s victory over him.  Unwittingly, Ahimelech helps David, thinking that it was all because David was serving Saul rather than fleeing from him. It was these acts that placed Ahimelech in jeopardy, and when Saul caught wind of what Ahimelech had done, he puts him and 84 other priests to death. 

It’s in Ahimelech that we have a shadow of our great High Priest, Jesus Christ.  As David fled for refuge to Ahimelech when his life was in danger, so we are to come to our great high priest, “that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).  We see in the account of Ahimelech that he offered David two things – the consecrated bread and a great sword, of which David exclaimed, “There is none like that” (1 Samuel 21:9).  And so, our great High Priest has provided us with both bread and a sword.  It was this bread that Jesus spoke of when He so wonderfully said, “This is my body, which is given for you” (Luke 22:19). Similar to how Ahimelech gave his life for David’s safety, so Jesus gave His life for us.

But what about the sword? Well, there is a great sword that Jesus has provided to us. Again, this points to Himself, for the Sword of the Spirit is the very Word of God (Ephesians 6:17, John 1:1).  It is Jesus and specifically His words to which we flee for our protection. It is these, the great promises that have come to us from the mouth of God, that are our greatest protection against the enemy of our souls.  And like David said of Goliath’s sword, we can say of the Sword of the Lord, “there is none like that in all the world.”

But note in all of this that Ahimelech’s provisions, the bread, the sword, and ultimately his life, were all given to David unwittingly. It was because David had lied to him that he provided these things.  And it was David’s lies that, ultimately, led to Ahimelech’s death. By contrast, our Savior offered Himself up for us knowing full well about our sin. It was “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).  He wasn’t tricked into dying on the cross for us.  He came to earth with His eyes wide open from all eternity.  He committed himself to us from the very beginning. It was for the very fact that we were sinners that He came to earth. It was for the very purpose of giving His life that He came to us.  Listen to His words from John 10:18: “No one takes it (i.e., my life) from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

What an awesome thing this is, the sacrifice of the Son of God in response to our sin.  What an awesome High Priest is this One Who died that we might live!