1 Samuel 21

1 Samuel 21

Barber comments that "It has been said that trials never weaken us. They only show us that we are weak. Through his experiences, David came to know his own weaknesses and learned firsthand the danger of taking his eyes off the Lord. Left to himself, he resorted to carnal expediency. The events through which he passed, showed him the wretchedness of such self-dependence. Through David's experience, we learn something of what it is to suffer wrongfully, to be unjustly deprived of love and companionship of one's wife and trusted friend, and to be forced to endure social ostracism and economic hardship. Under such conditions of anxiety, loneliness, and the constant fear of betrayal, the strongest heart would fail, and the most stoic spirit would be inclined to give way to either resentment or despair. David shows us that the response to injustice is never to seek revenge, nor to doubt God's providence. First we must be rooted in a strong sense of belonging to God the Father so that no matter what storms arise, we trust ourselves entirely to His care. Through His inner working, we are given the ability or feeling of competence to face each God-appointed task with confidence, no mattter how difficult it may appear." (Books of Samuel - The Sovereignty of God) 1 Samuel 21:6 So the priest gave him consecrated bread; for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence which was removed from before the LORD, in order to put hot bread in its place when it was taken away. BGT 1 Samuel 21:7 (follows Hebrew numbering) καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ Αβιμελεχ ὁ ἱερεὺς τοὺς ἄρτους τῆς προθέσεως ὅτι οὐκ ἦν ἐκεῖ ἄρτος ὅτι ἀλλ᾽ ἢ ἄρτοι τοῦ προσώπου οἱ ἀφῃρημένοι ἐκ προσώπου κυρίου παρατεθῆναι ἄρτον θερμὸν ᾗ ἡμέρᾳ ἔλαβεν αὐτούς LXE 1 Samuel 21:6 So Abimelech the priest gave him the shewbread; for there were no loaves there, but only the presence loaves which had been removed from the presence of the Lord, in order that hot bread should be set on, on the day on which he took them. KJV 1 Samuel 21:6 So the priest gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there but the shewbread, that was taken from before the LORD, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away. NET 1 Samuel 21:6 So the priest gave him holy bread, for there was no bread there other than the bread of the Presence. It had been removed from before the LORD in order to replace it with hot bread on the day it had been taken away. CSB 1 Samuel 21:6 So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, for there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence that had been removed from the presence of the LORD. When the bread was removed, it had been replaced with warm bread. ESV 1 Samuel 21:6 So the priest gave him the holy bread, for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence, which is removed from before the LORD, to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away. NIV 1 Samuel 21:6 So 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. NLT 1 Samuel 21:6 Since there was no other food available, the priest gave him the holy bread-- the Bread of the Presence that was placed before the LORD in the Tabernacle. It had just been replaced that day with fresh bread. NRS 1 Samuel 21:6 So the priest gave him the holy bread; for there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence, which is removed from before the LORD, to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away. NJB 1 Samuel 21:7 (follows Hebrew numbering) The priest then gave him what had been consecrated, for the only bread there was the loaves of permanent offering, which is taken out of Yahweh's presence, to be replaced by warm bread on the day when it is removed. NAB 1 Samuel 21:7 (follows Hebrew numbering) So the priest gave him holy bread, for no other bread was on hand except the showbread which had been removed from the LORD'S presence and replaced by fresh bread when it was taken away. YLT 1 Samuel 21:6 And the priest giveth to him the holy thing, for there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence which is turned aside from the presence of Jehovah to put hot bread in the day of its being taken away. gave him: Mt 12:3,4 Mk 2:25-27 Lu 6:3,4 bread: Lev 24:5-9 1 Samuel 21 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: Mark 2:25-27+ And He *said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions became hungry; 26 how he entered the house of God in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the consecrated bread, which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests, and he also gave it to those who were with him?” 27Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Leviticus 24:5-9+ “Then you shall take fine flour and bake twelve cakes with it; two-tenths of an ephah shall be in each cake. 6“You shall set them in two rows, six to a row, on the pure gold table before the LORD. 7 “You shall put pure frankincense on each row that it may be a memorial portion for the bread, even an offering by fire to the LORD. 8 “Every sabbath day he shall set it in order before the LORD continually; it is an everlasting covenant for the sons of Israel. 9“It shall be for Aaron and his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place; for it is most holy to him from the LORD’S offerings by fire, his portion forever.” 1 Thessalonians 4:4 that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, So - Term of conclusion. The priest heard that David and his men were on a special mission from the king and were hungry and were ritually clean, so he concludes he could give them the consecrated bread. the priest gave him consecrated (qodesh) bread; for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence (see showbread) which was removed from before the LORD (Jehovah - Yahweh), in order to put hot bread in its place when it was taken away - The Septuagint translates consecrated (qodesh) as "bread of the presence (Lxx = prothesis = literally "a placing before")" which is synonymous with "bread of the Presence" (Lxx = prosopon = face) both terms speaking of this bread being before the face of Yahweh. "Hot bread" was put out before the face of the LORD weekly in the Tabernacle. As alluded to above "It was the duty of the priest each sabbath day to place fresh or hot bread on the table (1Sa. 21:6). The old cakes then became the perquisite of Aaron and his sons who ate them in the holy place because they were ‘most holy’ (Lev. 24:5–9). It was these loaves that David requested of Ahimelech, the priest, for himself and his men (1Sa. 21:1–6; cf. Mt. 12:4; Mk. 2:26; Lk. 6:4)." When moral and ceremonial obligations come into conflict, the ceremonial gives way to the moral. Michael Andrus - Under normal circumstances, Jesus says, you shouldn't generally break religious rules, but people are more important than things, and one must live by the spirit of the Law, not the letter! Wycliffe Bible Commentary on bread of the Presence (KJV = shewbread) - called because it was solemnly placed as an offering in the presence of Jehovah. A golden table for the shewbread in Solomon's Temple is mentioned in 1Ki 7:48; and the form of the table, as it existed in Herod's Temple, is preserved in the sculptures on the Arch of Titus at Rome. The shewbread was renewed every Sabbath, and the loaves that remained were to be eaten by the priests in the Holy Place. Jesus referred to this incident (Mt 12:3, 4; Mk 2:25, 26; Lk 6:3-5), to show that when moral and ceremonial obligations come into conflict, the ceremonial gives way to the moral. The high priest was bound to preserve David's life, even at the expense of a ceremonial rule. (Borrow Wycliffe Bible Commentary) John Davis - According to the law, the old bread was to be eaten by the priest and only in the holy place (Lev. 24:9); however, an exception was made in this situation. The whole transaction was not carried out in secret, and was openly witnessed by a man who would ultimately bring destruction to the city of Nob. (Borrow Israel: from conquest to exile : a commentary on Joshua-2 Kings) Eugene Merrill points out that "David's eating illustrated a concession that the Law permitted—life is more holy than bread (Matt. 12:7-8).(Borrow Bible Knowledge Commentary - Old Testament ) J.