“Then David asked, ‘Will the men of Ke‘ilah hand me and my men over to Sha’ul?’ Adonai said, ‘They will hand you over.‘“-1 Samuel 23:12
The last time we left off David and his men had just saved the food supply of the Judean city of Ke’ilah from the Philistines.
Recall the goal of the Philistines was to just capture the grain so they could resell it for their financial benefit.
They didn’t attack the city or the people living there.
Remember, this was how nations operated in those days.
A lot of nations weren’t interested in gaining land or building empires.
They just wanted food and wealth and figured the best way to get those things was to steal them.
Even when Nebuchadnezzar attacked Judah about four centuries after David’s time, he didn’t come to destroy.
He wanted Hebrew wealth and even took the most educated of the Israelites back to Babylonia to strengthen his nation.
The destruction of cities and people usually happened as a means to get back at nations for rebellion.
Anyway, let’s get back on track.
So after rescuing Ke’ilah from the Philistines, of course, David and his men (now political rebels against Saul) wanted to kick back and enjoy the comforts of city life after dwelling in caves and outside camps for so long.
But alas, that was not to be.
When David heard that Saul knew where they were and was coming for them, he worried about what the leaders of Ke’ilah would do.
Would they support David or hand him over to Saul to avoid trouble?
David asked the Lord, and the Lord, through the Urim and Thummim stones used by Avyatar, sadly said the people of Ke’ilah would turn David over to Saul.
This leads us to our takeaway for today.
Imagine how David must have felt when he found out the people of Ke’ilah would hand him over to Saul so easily…
ESPECIALLY AFTER he had risked not only his life but the lives of 600 of his men to save them.
Isn’t it amazing how the very folks who benefited from David’s sacrificial action and courage were so quick to betray him?
On two levels we see a portrait of the future Messiah coming to life here.
First, is how the anointed David so unselfishly laid down his life for all the people at Ke’ilah.
Second, despite David’s sacrifice, the people quickly turned on him.
Isn’t that exactly what happened when Yeshua was arrested?
All betrayed him.
Peter denied him three times.
And the crowds voted to have him crucified over Barabas.
This isn’t a criticism against those specific people who betrayed Yeshua.
It’s a tragic reflection of the horrible tendency so thoroughly embedded in our fallen human natures.
Ya feel me here?
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“Then Yeshua said to them,
‘You will all fall away because
of me this night.
For it is written,
‘I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep of the flock
will be scattered.'”
-Matthew 26:31
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