Chapter 23

1 David, enquiring of the Lord by Abiathar, rescueth Keilah. 7 God shewing him the coming of Saul, and the treachery of the Keilites, he escapeth from Keilah. 14 In Ziph Jonathan cometh and comforteth him. 19 The Ziphites discover him to Saul. 25 At Maon he is rescued from Saul by the invasion of the Philistines. 29 He dwelleth at En-gedi.

1. Keilah. A town about 2 1/2 mi. (4 km.) south of Adullam, perched on the rocky sides of the Wadi esРSur as it emerges from the mountain district into the plain of Elah. Keilah was about 9 mi. (14.4 km.) from the city of Hebron. It is now known as Khibet QйЖlaµ.

Threshingfloors. The season was well toward early summer, for the grain had been harvested and threshed and the golden heaps were piled on the threshing floors awaiting distribution. Much of this kind of work was a community project. Three factors were taken into consideration in the selection of these floors: (1) the need for a flat surface, preferably rock; (2) the necessity of a place high enough to permit a good breeze to blow away the chaff; and (3) the convenience of a location as central in the community as possible (see 1 Chron. 21:18–26).

2. David enquired. This is considered by some as evidence that Abiathar was now with David and that inquiry was made by the Urim and the Thummim (see on v. 9), although the text does not mention the manner of inquiry. But v. 6 seems to imply that Abiathar did not reach David until he was at Keilah. Prior to this, however, Gad the seer was with David (ch. 22:5). A seer was the one through whom men normally inquired of God at that time (ch. 9:9). So it could easily have been through Gad that David sought guidance from God.

3. Afraid here in Judah. Should David’s men as much as show themselves at this time, they would be in danger of immediate detection. As soon as Saul would discover their hiding place he would send a force against them. Fearful for their lives among their own tribe, they hesitated to face a strong foreign enemy. They would be glad to help protect Israel against the unprovoked attacks of their enemies, but how much good could so-called outlaws do in towns that were supposed to be loyal to the crown, and that would be expected to aid the king in apprehending opposition forces? Despite Saul’s weaknesses, the majority of the people were obedient to the crown. David and his counselors were in a real dilemma, and they felt the only wise course was to present their problem before the Lord.

4. Go down. God is happy to have His children consult His will. The more consistently they do this, the more confidence they will have in His way out of difficulty. God was strengthening Israel to put down the depredations of the Philistines. If David should take an active stand in this matter, he could win the favor of the people, who would know that his policies were to strengthen the kingdom and not to foment a revolution against it.

5. Went to Keilah. The consent of the men to follow the divine direction indicates that during the months of association, David had convinced those who were with him of their need first to determine the will of God, and then to go forward fearlessly, trusting in the opening providences. The same careful inquiry into the will of God concerning every act and attitude should mark the course of Christians today.

Keilah was a walled town (v. 7), but the unprepared inhabitants had no chance against the experienced soldiers of Philistia. Saul was many miles away, but David and his men were removed only a short distance. Action was immediate, and the surprised Philistines were routed.

Brought away their cattle. Either the defeated Philistines were driven so far into their own territory that David could collect reparations for the damage done, or the cattle were the oxen the Philistines had brought to cart away the grain. How much of the booty David gave to Keilah, and how much he kept for his own men, we are not told. Several hundred men would need a large store of provisions.

6. Abiathar. The supervisor from Nob seems to have reached David at Keilah with news of the massacre (ch. 22:20, 21). Although some have understood “to Keilah” to go with the following verb “came down,” the phrase is generally regarded as meaning that Abiathar first met David at Keilah.

7. Shut in. David evidently stayed long enough in Keilah to make Saul feel that he was trapped at last.

8. To besiege David. In his efforts against David, Saul was probably convinced that God was leading him. A man can think evil so long that it becomes good in his eyes, and he can be conscientious in carrying out the thoughts and intents of his heart. For example, Korah felt convinced that God had appointed him to lead in the rebellion against Moses; Miriam was confident of right when she criticized the wife of Moses; and Jehoiakim, apparently without any qualms, refused to accept Jeremiah’s prophecy of Israel’s Babylonian captivity and burned the prophetic scroll (Jer. 36:22–30).

David, on the contrary, had in his heart the desire to maintain the justice and dignity of his people before neighboring tribes, as well as to assist any in Israel who might be suffering hardship. He was not revolting against Saul by ingratiating himself with members of his own tribe. Neither was he fighting, as the Philistines were doing, for the booty obtainable by raiding towns in nearby districts.

9. The ephod. By his own malicious act against the priests Saul had deprived himself of the benefits of the Urim and the Thummim, if indeed the Lord had communicated with him in this manner since his rejection (see ch. 28:6). No longer receiving divine communications, he quieted his accusing conscience by seeing, in every opening, a revelation of God to himself that was in harmony with the cravings of his diseased mind. By divine providence, and doubtless because of David’s consecration to do God’s will at all costs, the ephod, lost by Saul, found its way to David.

The Scriptures do not disclose the exact way in which the Urim and the Thummim gave the answers to inquiry. This silence has caused much speculation among the rabbis. The Babylonian Talmud states that the oracle was called Urim because it gave explanatory light to its utterances; it was called Thummim because its declarations were always complete. The tradition took these stones to be the ones on which the names of the 12 tribes were inscribed, and taught that the letters needed to spell out the reply were raised like the letters on a coin. The letters composing the names of the 12 tribes did not make up the letters of the entire Hebrew alphabet, but tradition added to these the names “Abraham,” “Isaac,” “Jacob,” and “Tribes of Jeshurun” (Treatise Yoma 73, a, b).

Josephus said: “God declared beforehand, by those twelve stones which the high priest bare on his breast, and which were inserted into his breastplate, when they should be victorious in battle; for so great a splendor shone forth from them before the army began to march, that all the people were sensible of God’s being present for their assistance” (Antiquities iii. 8. 9). However the Urim and the Thummim were not the 12 stones of the breastplate but 2 stones of great brilliance, one on each side of the breastplate. Approval was indicated by a light encircling the stone at the right and disapproval by a shadow on the stone at the left (see PP 351). The answers ascribed to the Urim and the Thummim were not always the equivalent of Yes or No (see Judges 1:2; 20:18; 1 Sam. 23:11, 12), but it is possible that the priest gave an answer in sentence form, in answer to a series of questions.

10. Destroy the city. There is no doubt that the inhabitants of Keilah were most grateful for David’s help, and for the moment probably gave no thought to any future involvements. Instead of remaining in the forest at Hareth, David found the city opened to him and his men, and the people doubtless did all they could to provide for the needs of such a large company. But news travels fast, and it was not long before Saul was notified of the details of the encounter with the Philistines, and the complexion of the situation changed overnight. The men of Keilah realized they would be forced to decide, on the one hand, between loyalty to Saul, with the retention of their status in Israel, and on the other hand, the implied rejection of Saul through their befriending of the outlawed David, with the consequent destruction of their city.

David revealed foresight in anticipating such a situation, but even with his long experience, he knew not which way to move. He had come to Hareth under divine guidance at precisely the time his presence was needed to save Keilah. Yet he knew if he remained within the walls, he would be fighting against the Lord’s anointed and initiating a civil revolution, which his very soul rebelled against.

12. They will deliver. God did not instruct David to leave Keilah as He had instructed him to fight a short time before. David was left to use his own judgment after knowing what would take place. He showed his good generalship in not thinking so much of his own safety as of that of the entire community.

God had provided the same divine guidance for Saul earlier in his career. Saul refused to act on God’s counsel; David profited by it and went on from victory to victory. David quietly withdrew from Keilah, his men following him unhesitatingly. Day by day each new experience encouraged his own heart and inspired the confidence of his men in their beloved leader.

14. Ziph. A town on a plateau 3 3/4 mi. (6 km.) southeast of Hebron. Hebron is situated west of two mountains of 3,000 ft. (915 m.) elevation. A deep wadi lies between these two hills. On the slope of the eastern hill toward the Dead Sea begins the Wilderness of Ziph, which extends eastward for several miles. This district is a barren, sun-scorched desert, full of deep wadies that make excellent hiding places. The “strong holds,” or fortresses, were lookouts commanding large areas of country, and placed near enough together so that it was impossible for anyone to traverse this section without being noticed. Probably David placed his men at various strategic positions, and every day word reached him of the location of Saul’s forces. Water and food were almost unobtainable.

15. A wood. Heb. chorshah, which probably should be rendered as a place name, “Horesh.” Some have located this site 1 3/4 mi. (2.8 km.) due south of the town of Ziph, on the main traveled road from Hebron to En-gedi. Perhaps David went here in search of food or drink.

16. Went to David. Jonathan found some means of arranging a meeting with David. Perhaps some of the soldiers sent out on these searching parties gave Jonathan information that was kept from Saul. If so, David would be convinced of sympathy on the part of many.

He needed the encouragement that such a visit could give. Although the title of the 11th psalm does not give the time of its composition, its tone of confidence has caused some to feel that after Jonathan’s visit, David expressed his trust in the providential openings of the Lord in its lines (see Ps. 11; PP 660, 661).

19. The Ziphites. The Hebrew does not here use the definite article; hence the phrase might be better translated “some Ziphites.” This suggests that not all the Ziphites sought to betray David. When David heard that he had been betrayed, he composed the 54th psalm.

Hill of Hachilah. The exact location of this hill is not known. Some have identified it with a long ridge of chalky limestone, running from the Wilderness of Ziph toward the Dead Sea.

Jeshimon. Literally, “wilderness” (see Deut. 32:10; Ps. 68:7), or “desert” (see Ps. 78:40; 106:14; Isa. 43:19, 20). Whether “Jeshimon” should here appear as a proper name is questionable.

24. Maon. A town about 8 mi. (12.8 km.) south of Ziph. The Wilderness of Maon is east of the town extending toward the Dead Sea. The site is now known as Tell MaФйЖn.

28. Sela-hammahlekoth. Literally, “the cliff of divisions.” According to Conder: “Between the ridge of El Kфlah (the ancient hill of Hachilah) and the neighbourhood of Maon there is a great gorge called Ѕthe Valley of Rocks,’ a narrow but deep chasm, impassable except by a detour of many miles, so that Saul might have stood within sight of David, yet quite unable to overtake his enemy; and to this Ѕcliff of division’ the name Malвky now applies, a word closely approaching the Hebrew Mahlekoth. The neighbourhood is seamed with many torrent beds, but there is no other place near Maon where cliffs such as are to be inferred from the word selaФ can be found. It seems to me pretty safe, therefore, to look on this gorge as the scene of the wonderful escape of David, due to a sudden Philistine invasion, which terminated the history of his hair-breadth escapes in the south country” (Tent Work, vol. 2, p. 91).

Ellen G. White comments

1–29PP 660, 661

5, 14, 16–18PP 660

19, 20, 24, 25  PP 661