1 Samuel 23 (Listen)
David Saves the City of Keilah
23:1 Now they told David, “Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are robbing the threshing floors.” 2 Therefore David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” And the LORD said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.” 3 But David’s men said to him, “Behold, we are afraid here in Judah; how much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?” 4 Then David inquired of the LORD again. And the LORD answered him, “Arise, go down to Keilah, for I will give the Philistines into your hand.” 5 And David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines and brought away their livestock and struck them with a great blow. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.
6 When Abiathar the son of Ahimelech had fled to David to Keilah, he had come down with an ephod in his hand. 7 Now it was told Saul that David had come to Keilah. And Saul said, “God has given him into my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars.” 8 And Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men. 9 David knew that Saul was plotting harm against him. And he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.” 10 Then David said, “O LORD, the God of Israel, your servant has surely heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah, to destroy the city on my account. 11 Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O LORD, the God of Israel, please tell your servant.” And the LORD said, “He will come down.” 12 Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?” And the LORD said, “They will surrender you.” 13 Then David and his men, who were about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah, and they went wherever they could go. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up the expedition. 14 And David remained in the strongholds in the wilderness, in the hill country of the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not give him into his hand.
Saul Pursues David
15 David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh. 16 And Jonathan, Saul’s son, rose and went to David at Horesh, and strengthened his hand in God. 17 And he said to him, “Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Saul my father also knows this.” 18 And the two of them made a covenant before the LORD. David remained at Horesh, and Jonathan went home.
19 Then the Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is south of Jeshimon? 20 Now come down, O king, according to all your heart’s desire to come down, and our part shall be to surrender him into the king’s hand.” 21 And Saul said, “May you be blessed by the LORD, for you have had compassion on me. 22 Go, make yet more sure. Know and see the place where his foot is, and who has seen him there, for it is told me that he is very cunning. 23 See therefore and take note of all the lurking places where he hides, and come back to me with sure information. Then I will go with you. And if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.” 24 And they arose and went to Ziph ahead of Saul.
Now David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah to the south of Jeshimon. 25 And Saul and his men went to seek him. And David was told, so he went down to the rock and lived in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon. 26 Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. And David was hurrying to get away from Saul. As Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them, 27 a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have made a raid against the land.” 28 So Saul returned from pursuing after David and went against the Philistines. Therefore that place was called the Rock of Escape.1 29 2 And David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of Engedi.
(ESV)
1 Samuel 23 Commentary
In 1 Samuel 23, David learned that the Philistines were attacking Keilah and asked God whether he should intervene. God confirmed that David should attack, and despite his men’s fears, God reassured him of victory (1 Samuel 23:1-4). David and his men defeated the Philistines, saving Keilah and seizing their livestock (1 Samuel 23:5). Meanwhile, Abiathar the priest joined David, bringing the ephod with him (1 Samuel 23:6).
When Saul heard David was in Keilah, he believed God had delivered him into his hands and prepared to attack (1 Samuel 23:7-8). David, aware of Saul’s plan, sought God’s guidance using the ephod. God confirmed that Saul would come and that Keilah’s people would hand David over, so David and his 600 men fled and kept moving (1 Samuel 23:9-13).
David stayed in the Wilderness of Ziph, where Saul searched for him daily, but God protected him (1 Samuel 23:14). Jonathan visited David in Horesh, reaffirming that David would be king and making a covenant with him before returning home (1 Samuel 23:15-18).
The Ziphites reported David’s location to Saul and offered to help capture him (1 Samuel 23:19-20). Saul instructed them to gather more information before he moved against David (1 Samuel 23:21-23). David and his men relocated to the Wilderness of Maon, but Saul pursued them closely, nearly capturing them (1 Samuel 23:24-26). At the last moment, a messenger told Saul that the Philistines were attacking, forcing him to abandon his pursuit (1 Samuel 23:27-28). David then moved to the strongholds of En-gedi for safety (1 Samuel 23:29).
David Seeking God
Keilah was a walled city in the Shephelah region of Judah. It was a vulnerable target for the Philistines due to its isolation and proximity to Gath. It was desirable because it was in an agriculturally rich area. The city was likely attacked during the harvest season, making it an appealing prize for plunder.
The fact that it was walled is crucial to the storyline. What we find here is that Saul and David approach the Lord’s will in contrasting ways. David inquires of the Lord (twice) as to whether he should go and attack the Philistines. This was a normal practice in Israel (Jdg 1:2, Jdg 7:15, 1 Sam 14:12). Typically, inquiring of the Lord involved a priest and an ephod. We are not sure how David inquired, but the same answer was given by God on both occasions. David was to attack the Philistines at Keilah because the Lord had already handed them over to him.
The battle happens exactly as God said it would. David and his men overtake the Philistines and capture their livestock. At this point, Abiathar, son of Ahimelech, joins David and his men. He is the only priest from Nob who survived Saul’s massacre in 1 Samuel 22. This is huge for David. Abiathar brought with him the ephod, a special priestly garment described in the Torah (Exo 28:6-35). This ephod had a pouch containing the Urim and Thummim, which were sacred objects used to seek God’s guidance. With Abiathar’s arrival, David now had a reliable way to ask for God’s direction, resolving his earlier uncertainty about making the right decisions.
David has been on the run and has been trying to figure out where God wants him to go and who God wants him to be during this time. He has not only received direct instruction from God, as we see here in 1 Samuel 23, but he has also received God’s instruction indirectly (through the prophet Gad in 1 Samuel 22). Throughout this entire ordeal, he has continued to seek God. By God’s sovereignty, he preserved Abiathar from Saul’s carnage for such a time as this. David has trusted in the Lord with all his heart, and God has shown favor and given him clarity (Pro 3:5-6).
Saul’s Delusions
“When it was reported to Saul that David had gone to Keilah, he said, “God has handed him over to me, for he has trapped himself by entering a town with barred gates.””
1 Samuel 23:7 CSB
Saul discovered David’s location in Keilah and saw it as an opportunity to capture him. He does not inquire of God. In fact, he takes God’s Name in vain by stating, “God has handed him over to me.” This is what Saul believes. Ironically, this is exactly what happens to people when they do not seek the Lord with all their heart. God sends a strong delusion.
“For this reason God sends them a strong delusion so that they will believe the lie, [12] so that all will be condemned—those who did not believe the truth but delighted in unrighteousness.”
2 Thessalonians 2:11-12 CSB
While this verse in 2 Thessalonians specifically refers to the end times and people rejecting the Gospel, a similar principle can be seen in Saul’s life. Saul repeatedly rejected God’s guidance, leading to his spiritual downfall. He convinced himself that capturing David was God’s will, despite clear evidence that God had chosen David. His distorted perception led him to bless traitors (the Ziphites) and ignore God’s true will.
“It seems impossible that Saul could either have misunderstood or forgotten the word of the Lord delivered to him by Samuel; and yet he here speaks as though his pursuit of David was undertaken with the Divine approval, and puts an entirely false meaning upon his present position.”
Preacher’s Homiletic Commentary
So, as you can see, God’s will is front and center here in 1 Samuel 23.
“First, the incident demonstrated David’s reliance on the Lord; though David was Israel’s greatest military hero, he would make no military move without divine approval. Second, the success David experienced in communicating with the Lord demonstrated the vitality of his relationship with the God of Israel. Third, the short narrative heightened the contrast between David and Saul; Saul would repeatedly fail to establish a link with the Lord, while David would have easy and extended dialogue with him. Finally, it demonstrated the effectiveness of the Torah-prescribed means of receiving divine counsel.”
The New American Commentary
It is also ironic that Jonathan was able to find David, but Saul could not. This again shows that the Lord was divinely working against Saul, but was divinely working with both David and Jonathan.
Should I Stay Or Should I Go?
Aligning with the theme of God’s will, we see an intriguing series of events occur when David inquires of the Lord. 1 Samuel 23 demonstrates that in His sovereignty, God has knowledge of all hypothetical situations. Some scholars, like philosopher/theologian William Lane Craig, would call this “middle knowledge.”
When David inquires of the Lord (1 Samuel 23:10-12), God reveals not just what will happen, but what would happen given particular free will decisions by humanity:
- If David stays in Keilah, Saul will come.
- If Saul comes, the people of Keilah will betray David.
Of course, neither scenario occurs in reality; however, what this reveals is that God is sovereign in knowing all possible outcomes that align with the free will choices of humanity. Note: God’s foreknowledge does not force David’s choices or Keilah’s betrayal. David responds freely to God’s foreknowledge.
Imagine you are playing a game of chess against a grandmaster. The grandmaster already knows every possible move you could make and how the game could unfold depending on your choices. However, that doesn’t mean you are forced to make a specific move. You still get to decide what to do.
This is similar to how God’s knowledge works.
- People have real choices. David wasn’t forced to leave. He made that decision based on what God revealed.
- God’s knowledge is complete. He knows every possible outcome of every decision people could make. However, this doesn’t mean He forces people to act a certain way (though He certainly can if He desires to).
Ultimately, no matter what choices people make, God’s ultimate plan isn’t at risk. He always has a way to accomplish His purposes. So, while we have real freedom of choice, God is still in control and ensures that His will is carried out in the end.
