1 Samuel 23:7 - Meaning and Application

Here we see Saul plotting David’s destruction in his own mind (1 Samuel 23:7, 8). He heard that David had come to Keilah, and he also knew why David was there. David had bravely rescued Keilah from the Philistines, so you would expect Saul to honor him for it. Instead, Saul seized on the event as a chance to do David harm. He was deeply ungrateful, and he was not fit to receive any service or kindness.

David could rightly say that his enemies repaid him evil for good, and hatred for his love (Psalm 35:12; Psalm 109:4). Christ was treated in the same shameful way (John 10:32). Saul also abused God, because he treated providence, God’s guiding care, as if it approved his evil plan. He said, “God has delivered him into my hand,” as if God now favored Saul and had trapped David. Saul was boasting before he had won anything, and he forgot how many times he had already had better chances and still failed. We must never think that one favorable turn of events makes a sinful cause right, or guarantees it will succeed (Psalm 140:8).

Saul also abused the people of Israel by making them serve his hatred against David. He called all the people together for war, and they were to hurry to Keilah under the pretense of fighting the Philistines. In truth, he meant to surround David and his men, though he kept that plan secret (1 Samuel 23:9). It is a miserable thing when a ruler becomes a tyrant, because then some people suffer directly, and others are turned into tools of his cruelty.

David, meanwhile, turned to God for guidance and protection. He had heard that Saul was planning to destroy him (1 Samuel 23:9), so he went to his great Protector for direction. As soon as the ephod, the priestly garment used for seeking God’s guidance, was brought to him, he used it. We have the Scriptures, God’s living word, in our hands, and we should seek counsel from them in uncertain situations.

David’s prayer was both reverent and specific. He twice called God the Lord God of Israel, and three times called himself God’s servant (1 Samuel 23:10, 11). Those who come to God must remember who they are speaking to and keep a proper reverence. David also described the situation clearly: he had reliable news that Saul was planning to attack Keilah. He did not say first that Saul wanted to kill him, but that Saul meant to destroy the city for his sake, just as he had recently destroyed Nob. David seemed more concerned for the people’s safety than his own. He was willing to put himself at risk anywhere, if only they would not suffer because of him.

David’s questions were also very specific, and God allows us to be that specific in prayer. He asked, “Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard?” The answer was yes, Saul had already made up his mind and would come, unless he heard that David had left the city. David should then have asked next whether the people of Keilah would protect him. God answered that too. When Saul demanded David, the people would give him up rather than face Saul’s fury. They now seemed grateful to David, their rescuer, but they would not stand firm when pressure came.

This shows that God knows people better than they know themselves. He knows their character, their strength, and what they will do in difficult situations. He also knows not only what will happen, but what would happen if He did not stop it. That is why He can rescue godly people from temptation and also repay each person according to their works.

Once David learned enough to see the danger, he left Keilah (1 Samuel 23:13). By then his followers had grown to 600 men. He went out not knowing where he was going, but he chose to follow God’s leading and place himself under God’s care. This ruined Saul’s plan. Saul thought God had handed David over to him, but in fact God had rescued David from his hand, like a bird escaping from a hunter’s snare. When Saul heard that David had escaped from Keilah, he did not go out with the whole army as he had planned (1 Samuel 23:8). Instead, he took only his personal guards and went after David.