Introduction
In this study we will see David taking the responsibility to defend and protect the people of Israel, something the king ought to have been doing instead of chasing him. The incident regarding the Philistine attack on Keilah reveals David as someone who would be a good leader in the days to come. The important thing to note in this passage is that he seeks God’s face for direction.
Direction
“Then they told David, saying, Behold, the Philistines fight against Keilah, and they rob the threshingfloors. Therefore David inquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go and smite these Philistines? And the LORD said unto David, Go, and smite the Philistines, and save Keilah” (1 Samuel 23:1-2).
While he was encamped in the Forest of Hareth, David learned that the Philistines were attacking Keilah. Immediately David sought God’s will on the matter instead of flying off to join in the fight. The threshingfloors, being outside the city walls, were always at risk from raiders, so we see that the event itself offered no indication of how David should respond. Without going to the Lord in prayer his actions may have been foolhardy.
Too many Christian believe they already know the will of God for their lives and see no need to constantly seek Him in prayer. David knew that prayer was important, for he had experienced the problems of a prayerless life recently. His simple prayer concerned direction rather than about gaining reputation or followers. He could go, but was it God’s will? Charles Chapman, writes concerning David, “There perhaps never was a life, except that of our Saviour, in which habitual submission to a supreme will was more conspicuous.” The apostle Paul encourages us not to be “unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:17).
We notice that no-one rushed off to seek Saul’s protection; instead they came to the one who they knew could help them. At his coronation Israel acknowledged David’s leadership at this time. “Also in time past, when Saul was king over us, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and the LORD said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be a captain over Israel” (2 Samuel 5:2). David prayed because he had a deep concern for the people of Keilah.
God gave David permission to go and deliver the people of Keilah from the Philistines. We see then that David’s life was not governed by circumstances or people, but by the authority of God’s word.
Doubt
“And David's men said unto him, Behold, we be afraid here in Judah: how much more then if we come to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?” (1 Samuel 23:3).
There will always be someone who will disagree with us about God’s revealed will for our lives. Usually such people operate out of fear rather than faith. While David was eager to go to defeat the enemy, some of his followers thought it was unwise to attempt it. Unless these men changed their attitude from cowardliness to confidence, they would be no use to David. We need both faith and courage to do God’s will. “Be strong and of good courage” (Joshua 1:9). While others think that the way is to hard, it is what God thinks that matters.
Discernment
“Then David inquired of the LORD yet again. And the LORD answered him and said, Arise, go down to Keilah: for I will deliver the Philistines into thine hand” (1 Samuel 23:4).
To some degree, they must have got to David and weakened his faith for a moment, or else why would he have taken the matter before the Lord again? Nevertheless, it was the right thing for David to do if he had any doubt regarding the will of God. He did not set up a council to determine if it was the Lord’s will, instead he went back to prayer. The answer he received was no different from the previous one, for God’s word never changes.
Debt
“So David and his men went to Keilah, and fought with the Philistines, and brought away their cattle, and smote them with a great slaughter. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah. And it came to pass, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David to Keilah, that he came down with an ephod in his hand” (1 Samuel 23:5-6).
David obeyed God and delivered Keilah from the Philistine raiders. While he had his own problems to deal with, obedience to God’s will had top priority in his life. Surely the inhabitants of Keilah were now indebted to David for the kindness he had shown them!
Danger
“And it was told Saul that David was come to Keilah. And Saul said, God hath delivered him into mine hand; for he is shut in, by entering into a town that hath gates and bars. And Saul called all the people together to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men. And David knew that Saul secretly practiced mischief against him; and he said to Abiathar the priest, Bring hither the ephod. Then said David, O LORD God of Israel, thy servant hath certainly heard that Saul seeketh to come to Keilah, to destroy the city for my sake. Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? will Saul come down, as thy servant hath heard? O LORD God of Israel, I beseech thee, tell thy servant. And the LORD said, He will come down. Then said David, Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul? And the LORD said, They will deliver thee up” (1 Samuel 23:7-12).
While David realised that he was always going to be on the run from Saul, he did not expect that the people of Keilah would sell him out to the king. David took the problem to the Lord in prayer again. He needed both the will and the wisdom of God to know what to do next. “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him” (James 1:5).
Departure
“Then David and his men, which were about six hundred, arose and departed out of Keilah, and went whithersoever they could go. And it was told Saul that David was escaped from Keilah; and he forbare to go forth” (1 Samuel 23:13).
David decided to leave Keilah once he learned from God that the people would hand him over to Saul when he arrived. It looks like 200 men were added to his ranks, possibly they were Keilahites. Saul did not bother perusing David when he heard that he was no longer in Keilah.
Conclusion
Instead of honour, David continued to be rejected by those who helped the most, but he seems to take this in his stride. He is now a man of prayer and faith, someone who was willing to be led b the Spirit of God instead of his or another’s desires or deductions.
© 18/5/2009