19 The Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah and said, ‘IS NOT DAVID HIDING AMONG US IN THE STRONGHOLDS AT HORESH … ? 20 Now, Your Majesty, come down whenever it pleases you to do so, and WE WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR GIVING HIM INTO YOUR HANDS.’ 1 Samuel 23
Immediately after Jonathan, son of Saul, had come to David and encouraged him and made another covenant with David, the Ziphites came to Saul to betray David. In fact in 1 Samuel 23 and 26:1 they came to Saul twice at Gibeah, so they were fully intent on helping the king destroy David and his followers. The question is why did they do this? Where they seeking personal reward or promotion from the King? Where they just loyal to the ruling monarch and saw David as a usurper? (Nabal, husband of Abigail, insulted David to his young men, when he said, ‘many servants are breaking away from their masters in these days’. 1 Samuel 25:10) There was also the prophetic word given by Samuel when he anointed David, as just a youth at Bethlehem, to be the next king of Israel. The Ziphites came from Judah and were most likely aware of the prophecy over David’s life. Yet, they still went to Saul, a king who’d lost God’s favour and indeed His love (2 Samuel 7:15), seeking to betray David.
Johnny Enlow on a recent Episode of Elijahstreams was speaking about weighing prophetic words (and also Bible teaching). He said that we should always discern how a word sat with our hearts i.e. do we feel positive and at peace about what’s been spoken. If the word and the speaker don’t sit well with us then we shouldn’t accept what they say! I agree fully with this test for discerning the truth of words and the spirit behind them. Johnny went on to make a further statement which I can only paraphrase here. He said that, ‘people with good hearts are drawn towards the good, but people with impure hearts are equally drawn along the wrong paths’. Could the Ziphites have been such a people? Whether they knew it or not they were opposing God’s choice of man to be Israel’s next leader. How many are doing the very same thing today, sincere but sincerely wrong and opposing God’s sovereign choice?
The chapter concludes with king Saul coming to hunt down David and his men in the desert, both separated by a rock or mountain. (Jesus is referred to as the Rock in scripture). Just when Saul was close to capturing David, he received an urgent call that the Philistines were attacking and he had to break off and withdraw, so David escaped him again.
26 Saul was going along one side of the mountain, and David and his men were on the other side, hurrying to get away from Saul. As Saul and his forces were closing in on David and his men to capture them, 27 a messenger came to Saul, saying, ‘Come quickly! The Philistines are raiding the land.’ 28 Then Saul broke off his pursuit of David and went to meet the Philistines. That is why they call this place Sela Hammahlekoth. (Rock of parting) 29 And David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of En Gedi. 1 Samuel 23
As we’ve seen in previous blogs, GOD IS WELL ABLE TO KEEP AND PROTECT THOSE WHO TRUST HIM. Saul and his men were drawn to fight another battle, while David lived to fight another day.
May the Lord bless and keep you today. Immanuel, God is with us.