Day 58 – 1 Samuel 23:13-18
Scripture Review
1 Samuel 23:13-18
David has just learned that Keilah would hand him over. So he is back in the wilderness, moving from place to place. Saul is still hunting.
"Then David and his men, which were about six hundred, arose and departed out of Keilah, and went whithersoever they could go. And it was told Saul that David was escaped from Keilah; and he forbare to go forth."
(1 Samuel 23:13)
David had asked the LORD about Keilah, and once he knew the truth, he "arose and departed." He did not stay to test the warning. He does not argue with clear direction from God. The phrase "went whithersoever they could go."means they did not have one settled place. They moved wherever they were able, wherever refuge could be found. The number has grown to "about six hundred." God is still gathering men to David, even in hardship.
"And David abode in the wilderness in strong holds, and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand."
(1 Samuel 23:14)
David living in "strong holds." These were natural places of safety, fortified hiding places, rocky refuges, hard places to reach. He is not resting in comfort. He is surviving in rough country. "the wilderness of Ziph." A wilderness in Scripture is not just empty sand. It is a lonely, rugged, uncultivated place, away from settled life. Ziph was in Judah, so David is still in his own land, but he is living like an exile inside it. Have you ever felt like an outcast in your own home or family? I've been there before and it is not a great feeling.
Then I see one of the most encouraging portions of scripture, "Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand." Saul's effort is daily. But God's protection is daily too. Preservation is not always one great miracle. Sometimes it is God keeping me one day at a time.
"And David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life: and David was in the wilderness of Ziph in a wood."
(1 Samuel 23:15)
David "saw" what Saul was doing. He is "in a wood." A wood is not the same as a city or a house. It is a wooded, hidden place, giving cover and concealment. David is living without earthly security, but he is still under God's eye.
"And Jonathan Saul's son arose, and went to David into the wood, and strengthened his hand in God."
(1 Samuel 23:16)
What a verse! Jonathan "went to David into the wood." He did not wait for David to come to him. He rose and went to the hidden, hard place and "strengthened his hand in God." That means he helped David grow strong, not merely in emotion, but in faith. He did not strengthen David's hand in revenge, self-pity, or military confidence. He strengthened him in God.
True friendship does not merely comfort with human words. It points the weary soul back to God.
"And he said unto him, Fear not: for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee; and that also Saul my father knoweth."
(1 Samuel 23:17)
Jonathan begin with "Fear not." This is faith speaking into fear. He gives David promise, perspective, and submission. "Thou shalt be king over Israel." Jonathan knows God's purpose for David still stands. And then he says, "I shall be next unto thee." That is remarkable humility toward David and submission to the will of God. Jonathan is the king's son, but he is willing to take second place under God's will.
Saul's secret is out. "that also Saul my father knoweth." Saul fights what he already knows in his heart. Resisting God's will does not erase it, it only hardens the heart of the one resisting it.
"And they two made a covenant before the LORD: and David abode in the wood, and Jonathan went to his house."
(1 Samuel 23:18)
Friendship sealed again, "they two made a covenant before the LORD." They made a solemn binding commitment with God as witness.
They part again. "David abode in the wood, and Jonathan went to his house." David stays in hardship. Jonathan returns home. But their bond remains before the LORD. This is a great reminder to me that even though I may encourage someone in the Lord, they will return to the wilderness, and I will return to comfort.
This scripture is full of wilderness, but it is also full of mercy. David leaves Keilah, hides in strongholds, and is pursued every day. Yet God keeps him, and Jonathan comes at just the right time to strengthen his hand in God.