NOTES for Sa1 23:1-28

Again and again David has to wander, fleeing persecution. Yet David had to endure not only Saul’s persecution but also betrayal by the people.

First, the inhabitants of Keilah, whom David had freed from the Philistines, are ready to betray him. Well, ingratitude was not born yesterday. But David does not take revenge on the people of Keilah for their ingratitude; he simply leaves the city, although sorrow can be heard in the calmness of his departure. The Ziphites, inhabitants of the wilderness of Ziph where David hoped to hide, also intend to hand him over.

But beside betrayal there is faithfulness: the best in Israel rise to David’s support. It is precisely in unfaithful Keilah that the priest Abiathar, son and successor of Ahimelech, comes to David. Once again it is confirmed that David is fighting for a holy cause. From now on, any patch of land on which David’s army appears will become territory where the name of the Lord can be freely invoked.

And in the wilderness of Ziph, faithful Jonathan reached David. He not only encouraged David with his support but also made a covenant with him. Jonathan acknowledged David’s primacy in Israel because his heart tells him that David is worthy to be first. Jonathan does not cling to power; more than royal authority, he values the possibility of remaining beside David.