1 Samuel 21

1 Samuel 21

Vernon McGee points out, "In giving David and his men the bread, the priest was breaking the letter of the law, but not the spirit of the law. You will recall that the Pharisees challenged the Lord Jesus Christ about breaking the law, which He did not do. The Lord refuted their accusations by referring to this incident in the life of David." Michael Andrus - The point I would like to draw from this little vignette is that we too may experience a wilderness of physical deprivation. For us it is probably not going to be caused by hunger or a lack of ammunition. It will more likely come in the form of financial disaster or medical emergency or loss of employment. Sometimes these trials come one on top of another and can be overwhelming. The world calls it “bad luck,” but that is the vocabulary of fatalism not faith. If there is a sovereign God, what others call “luck” is really His providence being worked out according to His perfect plan. But why does God include the wilderness of physical deprivation as part of His plan? Sometimes it may be discipline for disobedience in our lives. But more often, I think, God brings trials across our paths to test our metal and strengthen us for what lies ahead. David, for sure, was not experiencing hunger in the wilderness because of sin in his life; on the contrary, he was there because he was a righteous man running from a wicked king, but all the while God was preparing Him for greater service. Brokenness, as a matter of fact, is a requirement for exceptional service, and there's no place like the wilderness to experience brokenness. I don't know when David wrote the 23rd Psalm, but this and many other Psalms provide his answer to the wilderness of physical deprivation. Read Psalm 23.....Do you know the Lord as your shepherd, your guide, your protector, your provider? He's always available when you find yourself in the wilderness of physical deprivation. He may not relieve the pain immediately, but He will walk with you through it and teach you lessons you could learn in no other way. QUESTION - Was it wrong for David to eat the showbread in 1 Samuel 21:1–6? ANSWER - In 1 Samuel 21, David is on the run from Saul. David comes to the town of Nob, where the tabernacle was, and meets with Ahimelech the priest. David asks for food, but Ahimelech has nothing but the showbread, which was consecrated for use in the tabernacle. Despite the law that reserved the showbread exclusively for the sons of Aaron (Leviticus 24:9), “the priest gave him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence that had been removed from before the Lord and replaced by hot bread on the day it was taken away” (1 Samuel 21:6). The issue of David eating the showbread comes up in Jesus’ response to the Pharisees when they accuse Him of breaking the Sabbath. His disciples had been picking some kernels of grain and eating them as they walked through a field (Matthew 12:1–8; Mark 2:23–28; Luke 6:1–5). The Pharisees objected: “Look!” they said to Jesus. “Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath” (Matthew 12:2). In response, Jesus cites 1 Samuel 21: “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests” (Matthew 12:3–4). Jesus seems to use what David did regarding the showbread as a justification for what His disciples were doing. If that is the case, then David must have been in the right. There are several views on if or why it was allowable for David to eat the showbread. Some have postulated that, since this was the old bread for the priests to eat, not fresh bread currently in use, the priests could give it to someone else. However, there is nothing in the law regarding the showbread that indicates that the priests were allowed to give it away—they were supposed to eat it (Leviticus 24:8–9). Later in the narrative of 1 Samuel, Saul accuses the priest of “inquiring of God” for David (1 Samuel 22:13). This fact leads some to suggest that the priest asked for and received special permission from the Lord to give the bread to David. However, the text is not clear that the priest did actually inquire of the Lord for David, much less that the inquiry was about bread and that the Lord responded affirmatively. This view goes beyond anything even remotely suggested in the text. Third, some suggest that, in the case of an emergency, the ceremonial rules could be set aside for the “greater good.” David seems to appeal to the priest on this basis, and, ultimately, this may have been why the priest gave him the bread. The priest did make sure that David and his men had “kept themselves from women” (1 Samuel 21:4–5), as sexual relations would have made them ceremonially unclean for the day (see Leviticus 15:18). Finally, it is possible that both David and the priests simply have an inadequate understanding of the law. They both seem to assume that, if David’s men are in a state of ritual purity, then eating the showbread would be proper. (Of course, it is also possible that this was simply a quick justification that would not have held up under scrutiny.) If Jesus had never commented on this incident, there would be little question about David’s actions. In fleeing for his life, he lied to a priest, tricked him perhaps, and ate bread that was not meant for him. While David was a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14), he had many failures and shortcomings, and he is not an example to follow in every instance. The words of Jesus seem to make clear that David was violating the law by eating the showbread. Jesus says it was unlawful: “He went into the house of God, and he and his companions broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread” (Matthew 12:4NLT). Taken at face value, these words show that David was a lawbreaker. On the other hand, it is possible that Jesus was using irony when He said David did what was “not lawful.” Jesus could have been using what today we call “air quotes.” In the next verse, Jesus also says that the priests “desecrate” the Sabbath in the performance of their Sabbath-day duties (Matthew 12:5). It is obvious that, when Jesus uses the word desecrate, He is speaking tongue-in-cheek. Could He be doing the same thing with the description not lawful in verse 4? As Jesus pointed out, priests work on the Sabbath, so, clearly, there are some exceptions to the Sabbath-day rule (Matthew 12:5). Could this also imply that there are some “common sense” exceptions to other laws—such as the one regarding the special bread that David ate? In Matthew 12:7 Jesus quotes from the Old Testament: “I desire mercy not sacrifice” (Hosea 6:6). This suggests that alleviating human suffering is more important than following the letter of the law. Yes, David broke the letter of the law, but those in need received mercy. In a parallel passage, Jesus states, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). In other words, the Sabbath was designed to serve and benefit man, not the other way around. Caring for human needs takes precedence over keeping the letter of the law. Jesus uses this principle of caring for others as a rationale for healing on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:9–14). This line of reasoning corresponds with the third view, above: in cases of emergency or to extend mercy, the ceremonial rules can be bent. There’s no need to stand on ceremony when someone is in distress. In the same context, Jesus also points out that He is Lord of the Sabbath (Matthew 12:8; Luke 6:5). That is, He is the One who makes the rules—a definite claim to deity. As Lord of the Sabbath, He can determine what is allowable on the Sabbath. Certainly, God could have granted David special permission to eat the showbread, just as Jesus could grant special permission for the disciples to pick and eat grain on the Sabbath. Jesus’ main point seems to be that the Pharisees are being hypocritical nitpickers. What David did was not lawful, yet they saw David as a great hero. What Jesus’ disciples did was lawful since they were not truly harvesting grain but simply plucking some grains to munch on as they walked along. The Pharisees did not condemn David for actually breaking the law, but they were willing to condemn Jesus for doing something that was actually allowable. If the Pharisees justified David in eating the showbread because of the “greater good,” then they should have no problem with what Jesus did. If the Pharisees justified David on the premise that God could have given him special permission, then they should have no problem with Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath, who had the authority to make exceptions. If they had no problem with David, a flawed man doing something unlawful, then they should have no problem with David’s greater Son doing something they did not like, but which was legal. Ultimately, Jesus’ commentary is not on what David did but on the Pharisees’ opinion of David versus their treatment of Jesus, the Son of David. It seems clear that, when David ate the showbread, he broke the law, as he did many other times in other ways. God overlooked David’s sins in view of the final sacrifice that would be offered on the cross (Romans 3:25–26). There are many places in the Old Testament where the biblical characters do things that are neither condemned nor commended. In such instances, we must be careful about using their actions as patterns to follow. GotQuestions.org QUESTION - Why does Jesus call Abiathar the high priest in Mark 2:26, when 1 Samuel 21 indicates it was Ahimelech? ANSWER - In Mark 2:26, Jesus refers to “Abiathar the high priest” who was on hand when David and his men ate the showbread from the tabernacle in Nob. This statement has raised some interpretive questions because, in 1 Samuel 21, Ahimelech seems to have been the high priest who helped David, not Abiathar. In Mark 2, Jesus has a discussion with the Pharisees, who were critical of Jesus and His disciples for “harvesting grain” on the Sabbath—in point of fact, the disciples were simply plucking some heads of grain to munch on as they walked through a grainfield (Mk 2:23). In defending the lawfulness of His disciples’ action, Jesus cited the Old Testament story of David and Abiathar (or was it Ahimelech?) at the tabernacle (Mark 2:25–26; cf. 1 Samuel 21:1–6). In 1 Samuel 21, David approaches “Ahimelech the priest” in Nob and asks for provisions for his men (1Sa 21:1–5). David and his men were on the run from Saul, but David keeps that fact from Ahimelech. Ahimelech gives David some of the “bread of the Presence” (verse 6) and then, at David’s request, gives him Goliath’s sword, which was being kept there in Nob (1Sa 21:8–9). Later, when King Saul summons the priests to Gibeah for interrogation, Ahimelech is the priests’ spokesman (1Sa 22:6–14). The passage implies that Ahimelech is the chief priest during the time David fled from Saul. To explain why Jesus spoke of Abiathar as the high priest during that time, several theories have been put forward: 1) Since Abiathar was the son of Ahimelech (2Sa 8:17), it is possible that both men took part in high priestly duties. We see a similar arrangement in the time of Eli, when Eli’s sons seemed to have shared his duties (1Sa 4:4); and in the time of Christ, when Annas and his son-in-law Caiaphas both served in the role of high priest (Luke 3:2; John 18:13). 2) Abiathar was more closely associated with David than Ahimelech was. Abiathar was present when David came to the tabernacle, and he was the sole survivor of Doeg the Edomite’s slaughter of the priests of Nob (1 Samuel 22:18–20). Abiathar immediately showed his loyalty to David: he brought the ephod to David and later oversaw the transport of the ark of the covenant to David and was a long-time high priest during David’s reign (1 Samuel 23:6–9; 2 Samuel 15:29). 3) Abiathar, being present in Nob when David visited the tabernacle, is called the “high priest” in anticipation of his future title. We often do this very type of thing; for example, we may speak familiarly of “President Eisenhower” giving the order to invade Normandy on D-Day, although D-Day was almost nine years before Eisenhower was inaugurated President. Mark 2:26 is a difficult passage, but Jesus was not in error, and He did not contradict 1 Samuel 21. There are workable explanations for why Jesus called the high priest Abiathar, and His words in Mark 2 can be reconciled with the Old Testament account. GotQuestions.org Related Resources: Who was Abiathar in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org 1 Samuel 21:7 Now one of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the LORD; and his name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul's shepherds. BGT 1 Samuel 21:8 (follows Hebrew numbering) καὶ ἐκεῖ ἦν ἓν τῶν παιδαρίων τοῦ Σαουλ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ συνεχόμενος νεεσσαραν ἐνώπιον κυρίου καὶ ὄνομα αὐτῷ Δωηκ ὁ Σύρος νέμων τὰς ἡμιόνους Σαουλ LXE 1 Samuel 21:7 And there was there on that day one of Saul's servants detained before the Lord, and his name was Doec the Syrian, tending the mules of Saul. KJV 1 Samuel 21:7 Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the LORD; and his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of the herdmen that belonged to Saul. NET 1 Samuel 21:7 (One of Saul's servants was there that day, detained before the LORD. His name was Doeg the Edomite, who was in charge of Saul's shepherds.) CSB 1 Samuel 21:7 One of Saul's servants, detained before the LORD, was there that day. His name was Doeg the Edomite, chief of Saul's shepherds. ESV 1 Samuel 21:7 Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the LORD. His name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul's herdsmen. NIV 1 Samuel 21:7 Now one of Saul's servants was there that day, detained before the LORD; he was Doeg the Edomite, Saul's head shepherd. NLT 1 Samuel 21:7 Now Doeg the Edomite, Saul's chief herdsman, was there that day, having been detained before the LORD. NRS 1 Samuel 21:7 Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the LORD; his name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul's shepherds. NJB 1 Samuel 21:8 (follows Hebrew numbering) Now one of Saul's servants happened to be there that day, detained in Yahweh's presence; his name was Doeg the Edomite and he was the strongest of Saul's shepherds. NAB 1 Samuel 21:8 (follows Hebrew numbering) One of Saul's servants was there that day, detained before the LORD; his name was Doeg the Edomite, and he was Saul's chief henchman. YLT 1 Samuel 21:7 And there is a man of the servants of Saul on that day detained before Jehovah, and his name is Doeg the Edomite, chief of the shepherds whom Saul hath. detained: Jer 7:9-11 Eze 33:31 Am 8:5 Mt 15:8 Ac 21:26,27 Doeg: 1Sa 22:9 Ps 52:1 shepherds: 1Sa 11:5 Ge 13:7,8 26:20 1Ch 27:29 2Ch 26:10 1 Samuel 21 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passage: Psalm 52:1 For the choir director. A Maskil of David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul and said to him, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.” Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man? The lovingkindness of God endures all day long. DASTARDLY DOEG DESCRIBED Dastardly often implies behavior that is both cowardly and treacherous or skulking or outrageous. a dastardly attack on unarmed civilians Now one of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained (atsar; Lxx- sunecho - can mean hold in custody) before the LORD (Jehovah - Yahweh); and his name was Doeg ("fearful," "anxious") the Edomite, the chief of Saul's shepherds - This somewhat parenthetical detail will come front and center in the next chapter as Doeg reveals to Saul David's interaction with the priests. Is this just "bad luck" or part of God's providence? (There is no such thing as luck with our sovereign God!) NAB paraphrases Doeg as one of "Saul's chief henchman." As the story unfolds, Doeg certainly fulfills the criteria of a spy and an assassin! The English translation of the Septuagint has Doeg was "tending the mules of Saul." GWN paraphrases "detained" as "was obligated to stay in the LORD's presence." Another version has "He had been made to stay at the holy tent for a while." (1Sa 21:7NIRV) What does this mean? Why was Doeg being made to remain in the LORD'S presence? Commentators are not in agreement. Charles Ryrie has one reasonable explanation commenting that "Doeg was detained at the sanctuary at Nob as a proselyte or because of a vow, a need for cleansing, or because he was suspected of leprosy (Lev 13:4)." (Borrow Ryrie Study Bible) Doeg may be an Edomite from Saul's victory over Edom in 1Sa 14:47. John Walton on chief of Saul's shepherds - Doeg the Edomite is probably a mercenary in the employ of Saul. Many translations allow a slight emendation, rendering “runner” for this word. This would fit well with his function as a royal messenger or spy, whose job was to carry instructions throughout the kingdom and report unusual happenings like David’s visit to Nob. A similar use for royal messengers is found in the Mari texts. Nevertheless, chief of shepherds is a common administrative designation, used, for instance, in the titles of the scribe who copied the Ugaritic Myth of Baal and Mot. (IVP Background Commentary) Don Anderson poses an interesting reason for Doeg being detained - He has been detained before the Lord on this occasion in order to teach the lesson to David of the high cost of lying." Ed comment - Certainly Doeg was not there by accident but by the sovereignty of God, so there is truth in Anderson's comment. John Davis - The question has been raised as to why an Edomite would be present at a place like this, and holding the position of “chiefest of the herdman that belonged to Saul”. Three views have been suggested in solving this problem. The first is that Doeg was a proselyte and therefore had won acceptance in the royal court of Saul as a religious functionary. Another view is that the term “Edomite” is used only as geographical designation and Doeg was, in effect, an Israelite who had lived in Edom. The final suggestion is that Doeg was one of many captives brought back as a result of Saul’s campaign recorded in 1Sa 14:47.(Borrow Israel: from conquest to exile : a commentary on Joshua-2 Kings) Brian Bell - Beware, sin is expensive! - (1Sa 22:22) God may forgive & restore you, but the consequences of your sin may involve not only you but others who are innocent. Detained (checked, restricted, retained)06113) atsar to restrain, retain, hold back, shut in, to keep in slavery, to keep from, to prevent (Ge 16:2). Of stopping something like plague (Nu 16:48, 30, 25:8). Shutting up the heavens (Dt 11:17). Refers to one enslaved or kept in bondage (Dt 32:36). To bind as in prison (2Ki 17:4). This same verb atsar is used in 1Sa 21:5 to describe David's men as having "kept" themselves from women. QUESTION - Who was Doeg the Edomite? ANSWER - Doeg the Edomite is first mentioned in 1 Samuel 21:7 and described as a servant of King Saul. Doeg is called Saul’s chief shepherd, which probably means he was in charge of all the servants tending Saul’s animals. Doeg was an Edomite, not a Hebrew. Israel had been at war with Edom, so Doeg may have entered Saul’s service as either a captive or a traitor to his people (1 Samuel 14:47). Doeg was an evil man. Although he pretended to serve Israel, he served only himself. One day while David was running from Saul, he stopped to seek assistance at the tabernacle in Nob, and it so happened that Doeg was also at the tabernacle that day, “detained before the Lord” (1 Samuel 21:7). It could be that Doeg was at the tabernacle because it was the sabbath day, and he could travel no farther without breaking the law; or it could be that he was there to offer a sacrifice to complete a vow or to be ceremonially cleansed. Regardless of why Doeg was there, this was a fateful encounter with David. At the tabernacle, the priest Ahimilech gave David and his men some consecrated bread from the table of showbread (1 Samuel 21:6) and Goliath’s sword (verses 8–9). Doeg witnessed all this and later told Saul of David’s whereabouts: “I saw the son of Jesse come to Ahimelek son of Ahitub at Nob. Ahimelek inquired of the Lord for him; he also gave him provisions and the sword of Goliath the Philistine” (1 Samuel 22:9–10). By sharing this information while Saul was in a petulant mood, Doeg placed all the Lord’s priests in peril. King Saul summoned Ahimilech and his family and, when they stood before the king, charged them with treason. “Then the king ordered the guards at his side: ‘Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because they too have sided with David. They knew he was fleeing, yet they did not tell me’” (verse 17). Saul’s Israelite guards refused to murder God’s anointed priests, so the king turned to Doeg the Edomite and told him to kill them. The wicked Doeg may have seen this as an opportunity to ingratiate himself with the king, so he murdered eighty-five priests, but he did not stop there. Doeg continued the slaughter by wiping out the entire population of Nob, the city where David had sought help: “He also put to the sword Nob, the town of the priests, with its men and women, its children and infants, and its cattle, donkeys and sheep” (1 Samuel 22:19). One priest, a son of Ahimilech, escaped and ran to join David’s band of men. He told David what had happened. Sorrowful, David replied, “That day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, I knew he would be sure to tell Saul. I am responsible for the death of your whole family. Stay with me; don’t be afraid. The man who wants to kill you is trying to kill me too. You will be safe with me” (1 Samuel 22:22–23). Doeg the Edomite was a self-seeking, bloodthirsty man and an enemy of God. After the incident at Nob, David wrote Psalm 52: “Why do you boast of evil, you mighty hero? Why do you boast all day long, you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God? . . . You love evil rather than good, falsehood rather than speaking the truth” (Psalm 52:1, 3). Destruction is promised for the Doegs of the world: “Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin; . . . he will uproot you from the land of the living” (verse 5). In contrast, the man who follows the Lord has hope for the future: “But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever” (verse 8). GotQuestions.org 1 Samuel 21:8 David said to Ahimelech, "Now is there not a spear or a sword on hand? For I brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's matter was urgent." BGT 1 Samuel 21:9 (follows Hebrew numbering) καὶ εἶπεν Δαυιδ πρὸς Αβιμελεχ ἰδὲ εἰ ἔστιν ἐνταῦθα ὑπὸ τὴν χεῖρά σου δόρυ ἢ ῥομφαία ὅτι τὴν ῥομφαίαν μου καὶ τὰ σκεύη οὐκ εἴληφα ἐν τῇ χειρί μου ὅτι ἦν τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦ βασιλέως κατὰ σπουδήν LXE 1 Samuel 21:8 And David said to Abimelech, See if there is here under thy hand spear or sword, for I have not brought in my hand my sword or my weapons, for the word of the king was urgent. KJV 1 Samuel 21:8 And David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thine hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste. NET 1 Samuel 21:8 David said to Ahimelech, "Is there no sword or spear here at your disposal? I don't have my own sword or equipment in hand due to the urgency of the king's instructions." CSB 1 Samuel 21:8 David said to Ahimelech, "Do you have a spear or sword on hand? I didn't even bring my sword or my weapons since the king's mission was urgent." ESV 1 Samuel 21:8 Then David said to Ahimelech, "Then have you not here a spear or a sword at hand? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste." NIV 1 Samuel 21:8 David asked Ahimelech, "Don't you have a spear or a sword here? I haven't brought my sword or any other weapon, because the king's business was urgent." NLT 1 Samuel 21:8 David asked Ahimelech, "Do you have a spear or sword? The king's business was so urgent that I didn't even have time to grab a weapon!" NRS 1 Samuel 21:8 David said to Ahimelech, "Is there no spear or sword here with you? I did not bring my sword or my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste." NJB 1 Samuel 21:9 (follows Hebrew numbering) David then said to Ahimelech, 'Have you no spear or sword here to hand? I did not bring either my sword or my weapons with me, because the king's business was urgent.' NAB 1 Samuel 21:9 (follows Hebrew numbering) David then asked Ahimelech: "Do you have a spear or a sword on hand? I brought along neither my sword nor my weapons, because the king's business was urgent." YLT 1 Samuel 21:8 And David saith to Ahimelech, 'And is there not here under thy hand spear or sword? for neither my sword nor my vessels have I taken in my hand, for the matter of the king was urgent.' GWN 1 Samuel 21:8 David asked Ahimelech, "Don't you have a spear or a sword here? I didn't take either my spear or any other weapon because the king's business was urgent." 1 Samuel 21 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries DAVID CONTINUES HIS DECEPTION David said to Ahimelech, "Now is there not a spear or a sword on hand? For I brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me - As noted earlier, this definitely a cause for some suspicion of David as what warrior would go on a mission with his weapons? David, how about a sling, a stone, and the Lord of Hosts? (Read 1Sa 17:50+)! because the king's matter was urgent - Liar, liar, pants on fire is what I used to tell my children when they lied blatantly! Because is a term of explanation as to why David brought no weapons. Sadly David tells another lie. What was urgent was his need to flee Naioth while Saul and his men were prophesying and God's Spirit was providing David an opportunity to escape. Sin is a little like "compound interest," for a little time goes by and we only "compound" our problem with another sin! RIGHT QUICK The king's business required haste. 1 Samuel 21:8. - Vance Havner When I was a boy, my father had a habit of calling me to do things with the summons, "Come, right quick!" I didn't mind the come but the right quick irritated me sometimes. He didn't mean, "Take your time, think it over, come if you feel like it." I had the impression that I had better feel like it! Father considered himself to be the head of the house and the rest of us were inclined to agree with him. I didn't talk back. We didn't have much dialogue in those days! The big word with God is now. If we are going to get anything done for Him, we had better get at it now. He is the I Am, the Eternal Contemporary. And the time is short. He would have us come and go and do right quick! Robert Neighbor - “Because the King’s business required “haste.” (1 Sam. 21:8.) The King’s command, thou must obey it, Begin to do, not to delay it, Strike in your stake; Don’t tarry till you feel more like it, Don’t disobey, if you dislike it, Your duty shake; Just say, “I will,” and start to do it, The King will surely see you through it, So undertake. David said to Abimelech, “The king’s business required haste.” When the Queen of England asked a merchant to go on a journey for the crown, he is said to have demurred, complaining that his own business interests were at stake. The Queen is reputed to have replied, “You attend to my business, and I will attend to yours.” When God speaks to us, there is no place for quibbling. It is ours not to reason why, it is ours but to do, and, if necessary, to die. One other thing: Obedience must be prompt. Obedience delayed, is obedience robbed of its glory. To hesitate is to impugn the wisdom, or to question the authority of our Lord. The angel said to Philip, “Arise and go.” “And he arose and went.” When the call from Macedonia came to Paul in a vision by night, Paul, loosing from Troas, came with a straight course to Samothracia, and on to Philippi, Macedonia’s chief city. Jesus Christ never turned aside from the work His Father had given Him to do until He could say, “I have finished the work”; then, He lay down His armor and went back to the Father. The servant who wrapped his pound in a napkin brought sorrow to his Lord and lost his reward. Let us not be classed among the “do-nothings.” Help me to do it all, not part; To do it with a willing heart, To do it ere I must depart To be with Thee; May naught assigned be left undone, And nothing stopped when scarce begun; May ev’ry fight be fully won, And then, with Thee. 1 Samuel 21:9 Then the priest said, "The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the valley of Elah, behold, it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod; if you would take it for yourself, take it. For there is no other except it here." And David said, "There is none like it; give it to me." BGT 1 Samuel 21:10 (follows Hebrew numbering) καὶ εἶπεν ὁ ἱερεύς ἰδοὺ ἡ ῥομφαία Γολιαθ τοῦ ἀλλοφύλου ὃν ἐπάταξας ἐν τῇ κοιλάδι Ηλα καὶ αὐτὴ ἐνειλημένη ἐν ἱματίῳ εἰ ταύτην λήμψῃ σεαυτῷ λαβέ ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἑτέρα πάρεξ ταύτης ἐνταῦθα καὶ εἶπεν Δαυιδ ἰδοὺ οὐκ ἔστιν ὥσπερ αὐτή δός μοι αὐτήν LXE 1 Samuel 21:9 And the priest said, Behold the sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou smotest in the valley of Ela; and it is wrapt in a cloth: if thou wilt take it, take it for thyself, for there is no other except it here. And David said, Behold, there is none like it; give it me. KJV 1 Samuel 21:9 And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me. NET 1 Samuel 21:9 The priest replied, "The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck down in the valley of Elah, is wrapped in a garment behind the ephod. If you wish, take it for yourself. Other than that, there's nothing here." David said, "There's nothing like it! Give it to me!" CSB 1 Samuel 21:9 The priest replied, "The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here, wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want to take it for yourself, then take it, for there isn't another one here." "There's none like it!" David said. "Give it to me." ESV 1 Samuel 21:9 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." NIV 1 Samuel 21:9 The priest replied, "The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here; it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want it, take it; there is no sword here but that one." David said, "There is none like it; give it to me." NLT 1 Samuel 21:9 "I only have the sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the valley of Elah," the priest replied. "It is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. Take that if you want it, for there is nothing else here." "There is nothing like it!" David replied. "Give it to me!" NRS 1 Samuel 21:9 The priest said, "The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the valley of Elah, is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod; if you will take that, take it, for there is none here except that one." David said, "There is none like it; give it to me." NJB 1 Samuel 21:10 (follows Hebrew numbering) The priest replied, 'The sword of Goliath the Philistine whom you killed in the Valley of the Terebinth is here, wrapped in a piece of clothing behind the ephod; if you care to take it, do so, for that is the only one here.' David said, 'There is nothing like that one; give it to me.' NAB 1 Samuel 21:10 (follows Hebrew numbering) The priest replied: "The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Vale of the Terebinth, is here (wrapped in a mantle) behind an ephod. If you wish to take that, take it; there is no sword here except that one." David said: "There is none to match it. Give it to me!" YLT 1 Samuel 21:9 And the priest saith, 'The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou didst smite in the valley of Elah, lo, it is wrapped in a garment behind the ephod, if it thou dost take to thyself, take; for there is none other save it in this place.' And David saith, 'There is none like it -- give it to me.' GWN 1 Samuel 21:9 The chief priest answered, "The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Elah Valley, is here. It is wrapped in a cloth behind the priestly ephod. If you want to take it, take it. There's no other weapon here." David said, "There's none like it. Let me have the sword." The sword: 1Sa 17:51-54 the valley: 1Sa 17:2,50 behold: 1Sa 31:10 behind: Ex 28:6-14 1 Samuel 21 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Ahimelech Giving the Sword of Goliath to David Aert de Gelder DAVID SECURES GOLIATH'S SWORD Then the priest said, "The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the valley of Elah, behold, it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod; if you would take it for yourself, take it. For there is no other except it here." MacArthur on behind the ephod says it "was kept in the place for storing the sacred vestments ("the ephod") deposited there as a memorial to divine goodness in the deliverance of Israel." (Borrow The MacArthur Study Bible) And David said, "There is none like it; give it to me." - The sword undoubtedly weighed more than most normal swords since it had been Goliath's for war. Krummacher points out, "And David said, 'There is none like it; give it to me.' The priest then gave it to him. Once the shepherd sling alone was necessary for our hero. Now he asks for that sword which had not even availed him, for whose giant hand it had been fabricated. And besides, he says of it, 'There is none like it,' as if the victory were connected with a weapon and did not depend on the arm of the Lord alone. Poor David. But patience, the Lord will yet know how to lead him back into the right path." McGee points out, "It is interesting that David could use the sling shot when he was a youngster, but he has been in the king's palace a long time. Perhaps he has lost his cunning with the slingshot. Now he needs a sword and he uses Goliath's sword because it is available." John Walton on behind the ephod - The ephod, as described in Exodus 28:6–14, was a garment worn by the high priest. In the ancient Near East the ephod was one of the garments used to clothe the image of the deity. Since no image is mentioned here, another alternative is that it hung on a stand of some sort (also a possible explanation of Gideon’s ephod in Jdg 8:24–27). With the ark still out of the picture, the ephod may have become the holiest relic of the sanctuary. Captured articles of power such as Goliath’s sword would therefore be kept there (just as the ark had been put in the temple of Dagon, 1Sa 5:2). (IVP Background Commentary) The Old Sword - Ian Paisley - A Text a Day "And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me." I Samuel 21:9 God has two great witnesses—two in Scripture is the number of witness—THE INCARNATE WORD THE HOLY SON, THE INSPIRED WORD THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. Both are unique. Both are always under attack. They are closely inter-related. They bear the same titles. To reject One is to reject the Other. They stand and fall together. The Bible is the Old Sword not of man but of God. The Bible an Inexplicable Fact The Bible is here. That cannot be denied. It dwells amongst us. No other book is like it or can be like it. It is indestructible. If it were not it would have been destroyed long since. The Bible an Inexhaustible Fulness It is light. It is DIVINE light (Genesis 1:3 and Matthew 4:16). It is DIVIDING light (Exodus 10:23 and Matthew 5:14). It is DOMINATING light (Leviticus 24:2 and Matthew 5:15). On the inexhaustible fulness of the divine, dividing and dominating light of Holy Scripture. See Psalm 119:105. The Bible an Inextinguishable Fire "Is not my word like as afire" Jeremiah 23:29. As fire destroys, purges, warms and energises so does the inextinguishable fire of the Holy Word of God. The Bible is a fire of God's kindling and can never be put out. It is the bush which burns and is always ablaze. F B