In our 28 years of marriage, my wife and I have found that big decisions are sometimes easier to make than small ones. Maybe it’s just us, but we have found that the significance of big decisions helps us have clarity about them. Big decisions are also quite rare. I’m not saying that buying a house or choosing a career are easy decisions. I’m just saying that those massive choices are so rare, and often so consequential, that we have found them easier than the small ones.
It’s the small decisions that trip us up because we have to make them every day, and their consequence is so minute that we can have a difficult time deciding how to choose. If we’re getting take-out, should we get burgers, pizza, chicken, or ethnic food? I love them all. I don’t care which option we choose. The apathy evident in my “I don’t care” is revealing. It’s hard to make decisions when we don’t really give a hoot about them.
As we continue studying the Life of David in 1st Samuel, David is on the run, a fugitive from King Saul who is trying to kill David, and he has some decisions to make. As he is hiding, a small revolutionary force of 400 other malcontents has gathered around David as their leader. Also, one of the Lord’s priests escaped a horrid slaughter at the command of King Saul, because Saul believed the priests were secretly helping David. That priest, Abiathar has fled to David, bringing with him the priestly ephod (apron) and breastpiece (pocket), holding the Urim and Thummim, the two stones God gave the people for inquiring of his will. We studied that in the previous post. Now we return to the story of David and his fugitive army.
As you read 1st Samuel 23, verses 1-5, below, notice David’s decision-making process:
“When David was told, ‘Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are looting the threshing floors,’ he inquired of the Lord, saying, ‘Shall I go and attack these Philistines?’ The Lord answered him, ‘Go, attack the Philistines and save Keilah.’ But David’s men said to him, ‘Here in Judah we are afraid. How much more, then, if we go to Keilah against the Philistine forces!’ Once again David inquired of the Lord, and the Lord answered him, ‘Go down to Keilah, for I am going to give the Philistines into your hand.’ So David and his men went to Keilah, fought the Philistines and carried off their livestock. He inflicted heavy losses on the Philistines and saved the people of Keilah.”
On the one hand, we could summarize the story of verses 1 through 5 very quickly: David’s small revolutionary army defeats the Philistines who were marauding the Israelite town of Keilah. That’s the headline. But read between the lines and what do we see? David inquires of the Lord, and the Lord directs him. We can imagine what this would have looked like. David and his men are in the forests of Judah, hiding from King Saul, when they get news that a nearby Israelite town is being ravaged by the enemy Philistines.
This is exactly the kind of military situation that David had responded to numerous times before he became a fugitive. David is accustomed to battling the Philistines, especially when the Philistines attacked Israelite territory. So of course, David thinks he should respond again. David wants to defend his fellow Israelites.
But notice the key piece of info in verse two: “he inquired of the Lord.” Link that phrase with verse 6, which we studied in the previous post, and we know how David inquired of the Lord. He would have asked Abiathar the priest to bring the ephod and pocket, and use the Urim and Thummim. “Yes or No, should I attack the Philistines?” Answer? Yes!
But just as David is strapping on his sword to go fight, his men interrupt him saying, “Woah, woah, woah, hold on a minute, David. Let’s pause a minute and think about this. We are already afraid here in Judah. We are hiding from King Saul. We are wanted men. How can you possibly think it is a good idea for us to come out of hiding and at the same time fight another battle?” They make a good point. What David is suggesting is very risky. I love how seriously David takes the perspective of his men. David welcomes their opinion to the point that he wonders if perhaps he was wrong. David’s decision-making process includes other people. Wise decision-making invites the people around us, asking for their input.
But notice that he doesn’t just assume that his men are correct. Here again, David, practices healthy decision-making. He evaluates what the people around him say. The majority opinion is not necessarily the right opinion.
David knows that there is at least one other important opinion to consider. God’s opinion. So when David’s men rebuke him, he wonders, “Did I hear correctly from God?”
David goes right back to the Urim and Thummim, asking to hear again from God. In verse 4, God confirms that Yes, David is to go rescue the town of Keilah. This is enough to now convince everyone, and they go and rescue Keilah.
Do you see what is going on here? David’s heart desire is to hear from God. David is passionate about submitting to God, and doing only what God wants him to do. David is not swayed by the very justifiable fear that his men express to him.
But the men were not wrong to be fearful. By going to Keilah, David and his men take on a risk. King Saul is hunting them, and the king has a national network of spies who are watching out for any sign of David coming out of hiding. Of course, when David and hundreds of men show up at a public place like a town, and fight the Philistines, David and his men will get noticed. Even if the townspeople of Keilah are super grateful for being rescued, you know that someone is going to report them to the King.
That’s exactly what happens. People loyal to Saul report that David is in Keilah. In verses 7-8, Saul calls up his military to trap David in Keilah. But thankfully, just as there are people who are loyal to Saul, we learn that there are also people loyal to David. Look at verse 9.
“When David learned that Saul was plotting against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, ‘Bring the ephod.’ David said, ‘Lord, God of Israel, your servant has heard definitely that Saul plans to come to Keilah and destroy the town on account of me. Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me to him? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? Lord, God of Israel, tell your servant.’ And the Lord said, ‘He will.’ Again David asked, ‘Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me and my men to Saul?’ And the Lord said, ‘They will.’ So David and his men, about six hundred in number, left Keilah and kept moving from place to place. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he did not go there.”
When David first hears that Saul is on the move, trying to trap David at Keilah, you’d think David would just get out of there as fast as he could. But no, David pauses. It probably wasn’t a long pause, but it is still quite amazing that before David makes any kind of response to Saul’s army’s impending arrival, he once again inquires of God. He turns to Abiathar the priest, and he asks for God’s input using the Urim and Thummim. David’s heart is to hear from God, to follow God’s leading. David shows his humility, his dependence on God. David is a wonderful example of healthy decision-making.
And God leads David. God confirms that David should leave Keilah. Even though David has rescued Keilah from the Philistines, those people from Keilah will sell David out to Saul. David’s prayer in verse 10 shows us that David also remembers Saul’s insanity. Saul had, as we learned last week in chapter 22, slaughtered a town of priests. Saul could easily be coming to Keilah to do the same in his crazed pursuit of David.
So David leaves, and we learn that his army has been growing, now 600 men strong, but 600 is still not nearly large enough to face off against Saul’s thousands. David’s escape from Keilah forces Saul to change his tactics. We learn in verses 14 and 15 that David hides in the Desert of Ziph, and Saul is unable to find him because God was protecting David from being found by Saul.
What we have learned in 1st Samuel 23 verses 1-15 is the David practices healthy, humble decision-making, involving others in his process of choosing. But in the end, he prizes God’s opinion above all else. As we continue the story in the next post, we’ll continue observing David’s practice of decision-making.
Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash
Engaging Scripture 