Day 56 – 1 Samuel 23:7-8

Scripture Review

1 Samuel 23:7-8

"And it was told Saul that David was come to Keilah. And Saul said, God hath delivered him into mine hand; for he is shut in, by entering into a town that hath gates and bars."

(1 Samuel 23:7)

"David was come to Keilah." That should have stirred gratitude, because David had just saved the city from the Philistines. But Saul does not think like a shepherd of Israel anymore. He thinks only like a hunter. Saul says something that reveals he still thinks God is on his side. "God hath delivered him into mine hand." Saul talks as if the Lord is helping him, but he is using God's name to bless his own jealousy. Sometime people can become so twisted that they call their own sinful desire "the will of God."

Saul's reasoning: "he is shut in, by entering into a town that hath gates and bars." A town with gates and bars was a fortified place. The gates were the entry points, and the bars were the heavy securing beams that shut the city in. Saul thinks David has trapped himself inside a walled place where escape will be hard.

"And Saul called all the people together to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men."

(1 Samuel 23:8)

Saul doesn't formulate a great plan he moves fast. He "called all the people together to war." That means he is using the strength of the nation, not to fight Philistines, but to trap David.

That word "besiege" in reference to the city means to surround it, shut it in, and choke off escape or supply until the people inside are trapped. Saul is treating David like an enemy king inside a fortress.

These two verses show me how blind Saul has become. David just saved Keilah, but Saul can only think about capturing David. He sees a fortified city and thinks God has trapped his enemy for him. But Saul is the one truly trapped. He is trapped in jealousy, pride, and resistance to God's will.

Saul has made David a King in his own heart!