The Life of David Series: Showbread and a Sword

Doeg stood with a couple of the king’s herdsmen as they awaited their turn to bring the animals they led for the sacrifice. The king was quite particular about making sure the correct sacrifices were made – something Doeg had learned in his relatively short time in Shaul’s service.

Another thing Doeg had learned was that King Shaul hated – absolutely loathed – David.

Ever since he had been captured from his native Edom by one of Shaul’s raiding parties, Doeg had made it his business to be a keen observer of everything that went on in the king’s court. This practice had landed him, eventually, the juicy prize of a job as the head caretaker of the king’s flocks. That fact that he was Edomite did not bother him much, his ambition could serve him equally well serving the king of Edom or the king of Israel. It was just a case of seeing opportunities.

And now Doeg saw that opportunity walking right up to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. Shaul’s hate for David was of obvious to anybody who paid attention at court. And now here was David, at the Tent of Meeting, alone, looking winded and disheveled.

How interesting.

Doeg edged closer, trying to listen without appearing to listen. He was too far away to catch the full conversation, but he caught words like “bread” and “purification”. After a brief but animated exchange Achiymelek the priest disappeared into the tent, emerging with something wrapped in a brown sack. Squinting, Doeg was amazed to see it was what his Israelite companions referred to as the Bread of Fellowship. Though an Edomite, Doeg had learned enough about the strange customs of his captors to know that this bread was only supposed to be eaten by the priests, and only after it had sat out for about a week. What the importance of the priests eating week-old bread was, Doeg’s pagan mind could not fathom.

After another brief conversation with David, Achiymelek went back in the tent, and returned moments later. And Doeg’s mouth dropped as he saw what the priest had in his hand – Goliath’s giant sword!

Comprehension dawned on Doeg. For some reason, David was fleeing from Shaul. Achiymelek was aiding and abetting the fugitive. A smile crept over Doeg’s face as a plan took shape – a plan that would put him forever in the good graces of King Shaul.

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This story, dramatized above from the source material in I Samuel 21:1-9, marks a new and uncertain phase in our hero’s trajectory: David the Fugitive.

Up until this moment we can safely imagine, I think, that David has his future pretty well mapped out. He will continue his faithful service to his father-in-law the king, until such time as the king is no more. Then he will become king…probably as some sort of co-regent with his brother-in-law and dear friend Jonathan.

Saul’s jealous madness has put a kibosh on that idea.  It turns out that not even Jonathan can shield him from the king’s wrath. All his plans have gone up in smoke and now he is fleeing for his life. He has no food, no weapons, no followers (it would appear) and no long-term-plan, to speak of. He is desperate.

And desperate men take desperate measures. That is why he has the boldness to ask the high priest for some of the show bread. It should be noted that in doing so, David also tells a couple whoppers – about his nonexistent orders from the king and about his equally nonexistent men and their nonexistent vows.

Now there is at least a more-than-zero-percent chance that the high priest (Achiymelek in the above story, Ahimelech in the NKJV) is on to what David is doing. A man in his position would certainly know of what was going on at court, and he may have even been privy to the fact that David had been anointed by Samuel. So either he knew what was up and went along with David’s wild tales, or he was a very gullible man. 

Whatever the case, this is a low point in David’s career. Now he is alone, friendless, forced to lie for food, and to arm himself with the weapon of his defeated arch-enemy.

But David has not been abandoned. God’s promise to him is still in effect. And through this event and other ones like it David is going to slowly acquire the skills necessary to be the king over God’s people.

And one of the leadership skills he will learn – that a king’s decisions can have devastating consequences to those loyal to him – is going to be taught to him by the shifty Edomite Doeg.

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!

Surprisingly, this less-than-stellar episode in David’s life ends up having significant christological implications. I have written about this particular aspect of the story not once, but twice. So instead of reinventing the wheel, you can read those articles here and here.

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And be sure to read the action-packed adventures of Missionary Max: Missionary Max and the Jungle Princess and Missionary Max and the Lost City.