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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Tuesday, 5 August 2025:
1 Samuel 22:1 — David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him.
In isolation and desperation, David found refuge not in a palace but in a cave. The cave of Adullam became a crucible of transformation, much like wilderness seasons in the Christian life. It is significant that his family came to him, perhaps seeking safety from Saul, but also showing a growing recognition of David’s God-ordained role. The rejected shepherd boy was becoming a spiritual refuge and rallying point. In the shadow of rejection and fear, God was forging a king not on a throne, but in a cave.
1 Samuel 22:2 — And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, gathered to him. And he became commander over them. And there were with him about four hundred men.
This verse beautifully foreshadows the Gospel invitation of Christ: the broken, the indebted, the desperate came to David, and he received them. These were not warriors — they were wounded. But David became commander over them and forged them into a mighty force. Great leaders don’t demand greatness, they cultivate it. Like Jesus with His disciples (Matthew 4:18–22), David gathered ordinary men and poured leadership into them. God delights to raise up His kingdom from what the world calls weak and foolish (1 Corinthians 1:27–29).
1 Samuel 22:3-4 — And David went from there to Mizpeh of Moab. And he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and my mother stay with you, till I know what God will do for me.” And he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him all the time that David was in the stronghold.
Even while fleeing for his life, David made provision for his parents. He honored his father and mother, fulfilling the fifth commandment despite his hardships (Exodus 20:12). His appeal to the king of Moab also shows strategic diplomacy — David’s great-grandmother Ruth was a Moabite. But note David’s statement: “till I know what God will do for me.” He waits on the Lord’s direction. His leadership was grounded in dependence on divine guidance, not personal ambition.
1 Samuel 22:5 — Then the prophet Gad said to David, “Do not remain in the stronghold; depart, and go into the land of Judah.” So David departed and went into the forest of Hereth.
In contrast to Saul, who silenced prophets and ignored God’s word, David receives direction from the prophet Gad. The true mark of spiritual leadership is a willingness to be guided by God, even when the guidance is inconvenient. God leads David back into Judah, the very land where Saul holds power, because obedience is often risky. But God’s presence is always better than human safety.
1 Samuel 22:6-8 — Now Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men who were with him. Saul was sitting at Gibeah under the tamarisk tree on the height with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him. And Saul said to his servants who stood about him, “Hear now, people of Benjamin; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, that all of you have conspired against me? No one discloses to me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. None of you is sorry for me or discloses to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day.”
Saul descends further into, defensiveness, cynicism, suspicion, cynicism, delusion and paranoia. Under the tree with spear in hand, an image of insecurity, he rants about conspiracies. His accusations reveal narcissism: “None of you is sorry for me.” He demands loyalty not through moral authority but through bribes of land and power. The self-absorbed heart is incapable of true leadership. Saul paints himself as a victim while accusing others of treason, blind to his own crumbling integrity.
In various ways, all of us can fall into the trap of trying to demand love and respect — pressuring others to meet our emotional needs through guilt, manipulation, or conditional acceptance. When we do this, we echo Saul’s insecurity, expecting people to serve us rather than inviting them into something higher. We become blind to the limits of others’ maturity, impatient with their shortcomings, and resentful when our needs aren’t met. Likewise, many of us have suffered under this kind of emotionally coercive leadership or relationship, where love is earned by performance and respect is extracted by fear or bribery. But true, lasting love and respect cannot be commanded or bought; they can only be inspired and cultivated.
This is where David, and ultimately Christ, shows us a better way. David did not build loyalty through manipulation or power plays. He didn’t bribe men with land or rank. Instead, he attracted the distressed, indebted, and disillusioned and transformed them into mighty men (1 Samuel 22:2) through shared purpose, humble example, and steadfast character. David gave them something Saul never could: a leader worth following. His strength flowed not from status, but from submission to God, faithfulness to his calling, and grace toward the broken. This is also the way Christ leads, inviting the weak, the sinful, and the rejected to follow Him not through coercion, but by demonstrating love, truth, sacrifice, and integrity.
Practically, this means that if we desire love and respect from others, we must focus more on becoming the kind of person others would freely choose to love and respect, not because they must, but because they see in us something true, gracious, and godly. And if we long to see others grow in love and respect themselves, we must show it to them first, not conditionally, but in a way that nourishes their development. Love doesn’t force change; it invites transformation. Respect doesn’t demand reciprocation; it plants seeds of worth and trust. This is how God loves us and how He calls us to lead and relate to others.
1 Samuel 22:9-10 — Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who stood by the servants of Saul, “I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, and he inquired of the Lord for him and gave him provisions and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”
Doeg, a foreigner and opportunist, seizes the moment to elevate himself at the expense of God’s priest. He tells a half-truth with dangerous implications. Yes, Ahimelech helped David, but unknowingly. This is weaponized truth, manipulated to cause harm. Doeg is the kind of person every corrupt system cultivates: those who serve power, not truth.
1 Samuel 22:11-15 — Then the king sent to summon Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s house, the priests who were at Nob, and all of them came to the king. And Saul said, “Hear now, son of Ahitub.” And he answered, “Here I am, my lord.” And Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and a sword and have inquired of God for him, so that he has risen against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?” Then Ahimelech answered the king, “And who among all your servants is so faithful as David, who is the king’s son-in-law, and captain over your bodyguard, and honored in your house? Is today the first time that I have inquired of God for him? No! Let not the king impute anything to his servant or to all the house of my father, for your servant has known nothing of all this, much or little.”
Ahimelech pleads with both truth and humility. His defense of David is courageous, especially before a furious and irrational king. But Saul is past reason. Here again we see the downward spiral of guilt and fear: the guilty often project their own motives onto others. Saul accuses others of conspiracy because he himself is consumed by jealousy and vengeance.
1 Samuel 22:16-17 — And the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house.” And the king said to the guard who stood about him, “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because their hand also is with David. And they knew that he fled and did not disclose it to me.” But the servants of the king would not put out their hand to strike the priests of the Lord.
Saul’s depravity reaches new depths, ordering the murder of God’s priests. But even his own guards refuse. Their refusal is a quiet but bold act of conscience. Sometimes the most courageous thing a believer can do is simply say “no” to unrighteous authority, even at great personal risk (Acts 5:29).
1 Samuel 22:18–19 — Then the king said to Doeg, “You turn and strike the priests.” And Doeg the Edomite turned and struck down the priests, and he killed on that day eighty-five persons who wore the linen ephod. And Nob, the city of the priests, he put to the sword; man and woman, child and infant, ox, donkey and sheep, he put to the sword.
Doeg does what Saul’s servants would not. Like the Amalekites Saul failed to destroy, Saul himself becomes the merciless destroyer of the innocent. The irony is staggering. Saul spared what God commanded him to destroy (1 Samuel 15) but destroyed what God had consecrated. God does not always spare His people from persecution, but He always works redemptively (Romans 8:28). The blood of the priests will not be forgotten — judgment will fall on Saul, and the priestly line will survive through Abiathar.
1 Samuel 22:20 — But one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David.
Even in the darkest chapters, God preserves a remnant. Abiathar escapes and will serve as David’s priest and spiritual companion. When all seems lost, God ensures that His witness and His purposes endure. This recalls the survival of Gideon’s son Jotham after Abimelech’s massacre (Judges 9:5).
1 Samuel 22:21–23 — And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord. And David said to Abiathar, “I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have occasioned the death of all the persons of your father’s house. Stay with me; do not be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life. With me you shall be in safekeeping.”
David takes responsibility. He does not minimize, excuse, or shift blame. He acknowledges his part in the tragedy and commits to protecting Abiathar. This is true repentance, not mere words, but ownership and action. David models Christlike leadership here: embracing responsibility, comforting the afflicted, and offering refuge to the persecuted. In contrast to Saul’s selfishness, David embodies self-giving protection. In time, this attitude will make him not only a king of Israel but a man after God’s own heart.
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 5 August 2025: Be a leader who brings healing, not harm. Seek to cultivate the broken rather than criticize them. Repent fully when your choices hurt others, own your part, don’t excuse it. Offer protection and comfort to those harmed by injustice, even when you didn’t cause it directly. And when God places hurting, bitter, or distressed people around you, don’t turn them away, lead them as David did, with hope, vision, and strength rooted in God’s promises.
Pray: “Father, You are a refuge to the broken and the lifter of the lowly. Help me to lead with humility and take responsibility like David did. Keep me from the self-deception and blame-shifting that consumed Saul. Make me faithful to Your voice like Gad, and willing to protect the wounded like David did for Abiathar. In every cave, crisis, and calling, may I wait to see what You will do for me. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 