9Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who stood by the servants of Saul, “I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, 10and he inquired of the LORD for him and gave him provisions and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”
11Then the king sent to summon Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s house, the priests who were at Nob, and all of them came to the king. 12And Saul said, “Hear now, son of Ahitub.” And he answered, “Here I am, my lord.” 13And Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and a sword and have inquired of God for him, so that he has risen against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?”
14Then Ahimelech answered the king, “And who among all your servants is so faithful as David, who is the king’s son-in-law, and captain overc your bodyguard, and honored in your house? 15Is today the first time that I have inquired of God for him? No! Let not the king impute anything to his servant or to all the house of my father, for your servant has known nothing of all this, much or little.”
16And the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house.” 17And the king said to the guard who stood about him, “Turn and kill the priests of the LORD, because their hand also is with David, and they knew that he fled and did not disclose it to me.” But the servants of the king would not put out their hand to strike the priests of the LORD.
18Then the king said to Doeg, “You turn and strike the priests.” And Doeg the Edomite turned and struck down the priests, and he killed on that day eighty-five persons who wore the linen ephod. 19And Nob, the city of the priests, he put to the sword; both man and woman, child and infant, ox, donkey and sheep, he put to the sword.
20But one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. 21And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the LORD.–1 Samuel 21
Saul found out that David was seen with the priests and that the priests had blessed David. Saul of course got offended and sought their death. This is the original cancel culture. He couldn’t get his soldiers to carry out the order, but leaned upon his foreign mercenary.
And yet in God’s sovereign plan, one priest escaped and fled to David. There was hope for the relationship between God and man. Even in the midst of a horrible tragedy and loss. That priest joined 400 other broken men who were in messy situations and needing care. God had brought former shepherd David another flock to care for before giving him the nation.
- Where do you turn in broken, messy times?
- How do you emotionally react when you are hurt? I know I struggle with this.
- What is the last person or thing you “cancelled?”
- Do you see God’s sovereign hand in your situation?
- Do you trust God?
Thanks for pondering these questions with me.–JMB
Joel M Bradshaw 
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