Samuel Part III
David has fled to Naioth in Ramah and makes an plan with Jonathan on how to escape from Saul. David stayed away from the palace for three days to determine is his live was in danger. On the third day Saul realized that David was not in the palace, he asked Jonathan where David was. Jonathan told him he had gone home to a family worship service. Saul became angry, yelling at Jonathan telling him that David was planning to take over as king. The next morning Jonathan went out into the field where David was hiding and shot arrows, leaving one in the field as a warning to David that Saul wanted him dead. David left the place where he was hiding and with a few men left to Nob the city of priests where he met with Ahemelech to ask for bread and weapons. The only bread available was the showbread that was hallowed bread, which Ahimelech gave to David as well as the sword of Goliath. While they were with Ahemelech, a servant of Saul who was an Edomite named Doeg was there worshiping God and saw David. David moves around the country to stay out of reach of Saul and his men, hiding in the wilderness and fighting other enemies. Doeg tells Saul about seeing David, bringing Saul to hunt David to kill him until finally Saul and David come to the wilderness of Ziph, where David hides with six-hundred men. But before Saul could attack David, he was pulled away by the invasion of Philistines.
While Saul was preoccupied with the Philistines, David and his men fled to the natural stronghold and oasis of Engedi near the Dead Sea. After defeating the Philistines Saul and Jonathan come to Engedi with 3,000 men, here they encamp in a place where shepherds pin their sheep. In this place was a cave where Saul slept. Meanwhile David and his men are hiding on the other side of the mountain with the cave. So David seeing his chance, sneaks into the cave while Saul slept, he cut off a piece of his robe to show that he was never trying to harm Saul let alone Jonathan to steal the throne, even though both Saul and Jonathan knew that David had been anointed by Samuel to be king. In the morning Saul rose to leave the cave, when suddenly he hears David calling his name. He showed Saul the piece of his robe, declaring that he could have killed him but did not! Saul realized his sin, that he accused David falsely. Saul weeps and asks David to spare his family from death that he will not kill off his descendants. David promises that he will never harm Saul’s family. So Saul and his men left Engedi to go back to the palace while David, not trusting Saul, stays. At this time the prophet and high priest Samuel, dies. All of Isreal came to Ramah to mourn him. Then David travels to the Wilderness of Paran where he sends some of his men to offer help to a rich man and his wife who were shearing their three-thousand sheep in the city of Maon near Carmel. The man’s name was Nabal, a descendant of Caleb, one of the two faithful spies. But David’s men were told to leave, David took offense, he gathered four-hundred men to go confront Nabal. A servant came to Nabal’s wife Abigail and told her everything that happened. Nabal was a Baal worshiper. Wanting to stop all fighting, Abigail had her servants prepare two hundred loaves of bread and two bottles of wine and five sheep already butchered, corn, raisins, and two hundred fig cakes and had this all placed on donkeys for David. Abigail’s husband knew nothing of what was happening. Abigail to the donkeys herself to go to David to stop any fighting. As she came down the hill she met David. She came down from the donkey and fell down before his feet asking him to forgive her husband’s evil, even though Nabal worships Baal, to have mercy, that God will deal with her husband! But when David is king and God has dealt with Nabal, remember her. David blessed her and took what she brought him. Abigail told her husband everything that happened the next morning, ten days later God caused Nabal’s death for all the evil that he did! Then David sent for Abigail and married her!
Reading: I Samuel 20-26
DVD: A Story of David, Nova: The Palace of King David,
Video: David, The Giant Slayer
Articles: “Textiles from the time of King David Found in Israeli mines,” Fox News
About Bible Prophecy: King David
Web: Bible Places: Engedi, Bible Walks: Engedi
A Multimedia Guide To The Bible 
