The Tyrant, The Toad, and The True King Text: 1 Samuel 22:6-23
Introduction: The Anatomy of Apostasy
When a man, or a nation, turns his back on God, the descent into madness is not a gentle slide. It is a catastrophic, bone-jarring collapse. The rejection of God is the rejection of reality itself, and so a man who makes himself the center of the universe must then spend all his energy frantically trying to glue the pieces of that shattered universe back together around himself. He must invent conspiracies to explain his failures. He must bribe and threaten to maintain loyalty. He must silence every voice that speaks a truth he does not want to hear. In short, he becomes a tyrant.
We are living in an age that is watching this process unfold on a grand scale. Our culture has rejected the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and as a result, it is consuming itself with the politics of paranoia, envy, and slander. We see leaders who cannot abide criticism, who surround themselves with flatterers, and who view any form of faithfulness to a higher authority as treason to them. This is not a new story. It is the ancient story of Saul, and it is recorded for us here as a stark and bloody warning.
This chapter is one of the darkest in all the historical books. It is a story of political paranoia, malicious tale-bearing, a judicial mockery, and a sacrilegious massacre. But it is not ultimately a story of despair. For in the midst of Saul's collapsing, blood-soaked kingdom, we see the true kingdom taking shape. In the shadow of the tyrant on his throne, we see the true king in his cave. And we see that the path to the true king's court is often paved with suffering and sorrow, as the remnant flees from the ruins of the old order. This is the story of how God preserves His people and His purposes, even when the appointed leadership has gone murderously insane.
The Text
Then Saul heard that David and the men who were with him had been discovered. Now Saul was sitting in Gibeah, under the tamarisk tree on the height with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing around him. And Saul said to his servants who were standing around him, “Hear now, O Benjamites! Will the son of Jesse also give to all of you fields and vineyards? Will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds? For all of you have conspired against me so that there is no one who reveals in my ear when my son cuts a covenant with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you who is sorry for me or reveals in my ear that my son has caused my servant to rise up against me to lie in ambush, as it is this day.” Then Doeg the Edomite, who was standing by the servants of Saul, said, “I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. And he asked of Yahweh for him, gave him provisions, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”
Then the king sent someone to summon Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s household, the priests who were in Nob; and all of them came to the king. And Saul said, “Listen now, son of Ahitub.” And he answered, “Here I am, my lord.” Saul then said to him, “Why have you and the son of Jesse conspired against me, in that you have given him bread and a sword and have asked of God on his behalf, so that he would rise up against me by lying in ambush as it is this day?”
Then Ahimelech answered the king and said, “And who among all your servants is as faithful as David, even the king’s son-in-law, who is captain over your guard, and is honored in your house? Did I just begin to ask of God on his behalf today? Far be it from me! Do not let the king impute anything to his servant or to any of the household of my father, for your servant knows nothing small or great of this whole affair.” But the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s household!” And the king said to the guards who were standing by him, “Turn around and put the priests of Yahweh to death because their hand also is with David and because they knew that he was fleeing and did not reveal it in my ears.” But the servants of the king were not willing to put forth their hands to fall upon the priests of Yahweh. Then the king said to Doeg, “You turn around and attack the priests.” And Doeg the Edomite turned around and attacked the priests, and he put to death that day eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod. So he struck Nob the city of the priests with the edge of the sword, both men and women, infants and nursing babies; also oxen, donkeys, and sheep he struck with the edge of the sword.
But one son of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of Yahweh. Then David said to Abiathar, “I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. It is I who have turned against every person in your father’s household. Stay with me; do not be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life, for you are safe with me.”
(1 Samuel 22:6-23 LSB)
The Poison of Paranoia (vv. 6-8)
The scene opens with a portrait of a king consumed by suspicion. Saul is sitting under a tree, spear in hand. This spear has become his scepter, an instrument of rage and intimidation. He has already tried to pin David to the wall with it, and Jonathan as well. It is the symbol of his rule by brute force.
"And Saul said to his servants who were standing around him, 'Hear now, O Benjamites! Will the son of Jesse also give to all of you fields and vineyards? Will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds?'" (1 Samuel 22:7)
Saul begins with an appeal to tribalism and greed. He is a Benjamite, speaking to his fellow Benjamites. His argument is entirely materialistic. He is essentially saying, "Stick with me, and I'll make you rich. Do you really think this upstart from Judah will do the same for you?" This is the logic of all corrupt political machines. Loyalty is purchased with patronage. He cannot appeal to righteousness, or to God's blessing, or to justice, so he appeals to their wallets.
Then the paranoia overflows. "For all of you have conspired against me... there is none of you who is sorry for me." This is classic tyrannical self-pity. The world revolves around him and his feelings. He twists the beautiful covenant friendship between his son Jonathan and David into a political conspiracy. In his mind, Jonathan hasn't made a friend; he has aided an enemy. David isn't fleeing for his life; he is lying in ambush. The tyrant must always be the victim. He cannot admit fault, so he must invent enemies. He is blind to his own sin and therefore sees sin everywhere else.
The Sycophant's Service (vv. 9-10)
Into this toxic atmosphere steps the man for the hour. When a tyrant creates a demand for slander, a supplier will always emerge.
"Then Doeg the Edomite, who was standing by the servants of Saul, said, 'I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub...'" (1 Samuel 22:9)
It is no accident that the informant is Doeg the Edomite. He is a descendant of Esau, an outsider, a man with no deep covenantal loyalty to Israel or Israel's God. He is Saul's chief herdsman, a man of worldly substance, eager to advance his position in the court. He sees his opportunity and he takes it. Notice what he does. He reports facts, but he does so with malicious intent. Everything Doeg says is technically true. David did go to Ahimelech. Ahimelech did inquire of the Lord, give him bread, and give him Goliath's sword. But Doeg presents these facts stripped of their context, knowing full well they will pour gasoline on the fire of Saul's paranoia. He frames an act of pastoral kindness as an act of political treason. This is the essence of slander. A slanderer is not primarily a liar, but a murderer who uses the truth as his weapon.
The Mockery of Justice (vv. 11-16)
What follows is not a trial; it is a show trial. The verdict has been determined before the accused even arrives.
"Saul then said to him, 'Why have you and the son of Jesse conspired against me...?'" (1 Samuel 22:13)
Saul doesn't ask what happened. He asks "Why have you conspired?" The accusation is the conclusion. Ahimelech's defense is perfectly reasonable and respectful. He points out David's sterling reputation. "Who among all your servants is as faithful as David, even the king's son-in-law... honored in your house?" He is saying, "From my perspective, I was helping a loyal and honored member of your own administration who was on a secret mission for you." He then pleads his own ignorance: "your servant knows nothing small or great of this whole affair."
But reason and truth are powerless against a mind that has made itself the arbiter of reality. Saul's response is the fiat of a madman. "You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father's household!" The punishment is wildly disproportionate, and it is federal. Not just Ahimelech, but his entire family must be exterminated. This is how a man possessed by a spirit of rage and jealousy acts. He does not see individuals; he sees enemy blocs that must be liquidated.
Sacrilege and Slaughter (vv. 17-19)
Here we reach the awful climax. Saul, the anointed king of Israel, commands the murder of the anointed priests of Yahweh.
"But the servants of the king were not willing to put forth their hands to fall upon the priests of Yahweh." (1 Samuel 22:17)
In this dark moment, there is a flicker of light. Saul's own guards, his Israelite soldiers, refuse the order. This is a profound act of civil disobedience. They feared God more than they feared the king. They understood that there are lines you do not cross, and striking down the Lord's priests was one of them. Their refusal is a damning indictment of Saul. Even his own men knew this was a sacrilegious abomination.
But where the Israelites feared to tread, the Edomite rushed in. "Then the king said to Doeg, 'You turn around and attack the priests.'" Doeg, the man with no fear of God, the consummate opportunist, becomes the king's executioner. He slaughters eighty-five priests. But his bloody work is not done. Saul's madness commands a full-blown herem, a holy war, to be carried out not against the Canaanites, but against the priestly city of Nob. "Men and women, infants and nursing babies; also oxen, donkeys, and sheep." This is the ultimate apostasy. Saul has become Pharaoh. He is slaughtering the innocent children of the covenant. He is using the very forms of covenantal judgment against the covenant people themselves. He has become the enemy of God.
The Remnant and the Refuge (vv. 20-23)
But God will not be mocked, and His purposes will not be thwarted by a mad king. A remnant escapes.
"But one son of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David." (1 Samuel 22:20)
This is a pivotal moment. The priesthood of Israel, represented by this lone survivor, abandons the house of Saul and joins the house of David. The ephod, the means of discerning God's will, goes with him. Saul has cut himself off from God, and now the formal apparatus of worship follows God's anointed to the wilderness.
David's response is crucial. When Abiathar tells him the horrific news, David does not deflect or make excuses. He takes responsibility. "I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. It is I who have turned against every person in your father's household." David understands that his lie to Ahimelech in the previous chapter, however well-intentioned, set the stage for this tragedy. This is the mark of a true man of God. He owns his sin and its consequences. Saul blames everyone else; David blames himself.
And then David makes a gospel promise. "Stay with me; do not be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life, for you are safe with me." This is the promise of the true king. David, the hunted one, becomes the protector. He offers refuge. He says, in effect, "My enemies are your enemies, and my safety will be your safety." This is a profound type of Christ. Jesus is our great high king who was hunted by the Sauls of this world. And He says to all the battered and terrified refugees from the kingdom of darkness, "Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." He who seeks our life seeks His life, and in Him, and only in Him, we are truly safe.