1 Samuel 21: Bread of Presence

Then David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech came to meet David, trembling, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one with you?” 2 And David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has charged me with a matter and said to me, ‘Let no one know anything of the matter about which I send you, and with which I have charged you.’ I have made an appointment with the young men for such and such a place. 3 Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever is here.” 4 And the priest answered David, “I have no common bread on hand, but there is holy bread—if the young men have kept themselves from women.” 5 And David answered the priest, “Truly women have been kept from us as always when I go on an expedition. The vessels of the young men are holy even when it is an ordinary journey. How much more today will their vessels be holy?” 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. 
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. 
 
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.” 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.” 
David Flees to Gath
10 And David rose and fled that day from Saul and went to Achish the king of Gath. 11 And the servants of Achish said to him, “Is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another of him in dances, 
       ‘Saul has struck down his thousands, 
and David his ten thousands’?” 
12 And David took these words to heart and was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. 13 So he changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in their hands and made marks on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard. 14 Then Achish said to his servants, “Behold, you see the man is mad. Why then have you brought him to me? 15 Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this fellow to behave as a madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?” 
 
Meditation
Psalm 34 celebrates the event in today’s reading as commencing David’s wilderness run from Saul, inviting worshippers to “taste and see the Lord is good!” (Psalm 34:8). The Lord delivers His people from trials and troubles! The Lord rescues all who look to Him for refuge! The Lord provides the bread of His presence for all who look to Him to satisfy our heart hunger for hope.
 
David’s deceit does not derail the Lord’s deliverance. Ahimelech’s reception of David reveals the tension all Israel feels from the friction between David and Saul. Ominously, Doeg the Edomite sees Ahimelech giving David and his men the Bread of Presence. Humanly, David grabs what he can for provision (even Goliath’s sword) and flees to his enemies for protection (where he pretended to be insane- literally translated, “made himself to look foolish”). Faithfully, God does not forsake David for his deceptive and foolish actions. From grace, God nourishes David with the Bread of Presence.
 
David’s difficulties intensify, but God hears his cry (Psalm 34:6). Divine grace will not disqualify His people for their failures because God is faithful to His covenant promises. Jesus reflects on this episode when condemning self-righteous Pharisees (Matthew 12:1-8; Mark 2:22-28), but Jesus does not condemn David. Religious rituals must yield their place to works of necessity and mercy involving meeting human needs (Leviticus 24:5-9).
 
“The Lord redeems the life of His servants” (Psalm 34:22), His sovereign grace delivering believers from both our sin internally (even deceit) and external hostility. Greater than the bread of presence, Jesus is the “bread come down from Heaven” (John 6:41). Jesus will satisfy our hunger for hope as He will protect and provide.
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you from today’s reading, especially in regards to God’s provision and protection in spite of David’s deceit and foolishness?
 
-How does the worship of Psalm 34 reflect David’s hearts to trust the Lord, despite his sinful steps?
 
-Where does the grace of God fuel your faith and focus your heart to look to Jesus as the bread of life, feasting on Him to satisfy the hunger of your heart?
 
Key Verse
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.