Then the Ziphites came up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is David not hiding with us in strongholds in the woods, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon? Now therefore, O king, come down according to all the desire of your soul to come down; and our part shall be to deliver him into the king’s hand.” . . . So they arose and went to Ziph before Saul. But David and his men were in the Wilderness of Maon, in the plain on the south of Jeshimon. When Saul and his men went to seek him, they told David. Therefore he went down to the rock, and stayed in the Wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued David in the Wilderness of Maon. Then Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. So David made haste to get away from Saul, for Saul and his men were encircling David and his men to take them. But a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have invaded the land!” Therefore Saul returned from pursuing David, and went against the Philistines; so they called that place the Rock of Escape. 1 Samuel 23: 19, 20, 24-28, NKJV.
Gracious God, how blessed we are that we belong to You! Please help us never to forget that we are the apple of Your eye, and that You have made our well-being Your priority! Thank You so much! We love You dear God. In the name of Jesus Christ, we offer this thanks! Amen.
When I read this part of the chapter my heart was racing as I imagined Saul pursuing David! It skipped a beat when I realized just how close he and his men came to capturing David and his followers! Almost – but not quite! Have any of you ever been where David was? I do not necessarily mean in a literal race for your life. What I am referring to, is a situation in which everything seemed lost! You closed your eyes and said, “Well I have come to the end of my rope!” I will never survive this!” But you did! You were almost gone – but not quite!
What made this situation even more painful, for David was the fact that he had done nothing to deserve this kind of treatment from Saul. David was innocent! Yet I believe that in the midst of his pain, he must have felt some amount of satisfaction knowing that he had done Saul no wrong, not even when the LORD delivered Saul into his hands (see chapter 26: 7-12). Therefore, he could say the following to Saul: “. . . May the LORD repay every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness; for the LORD delivered you into my hand today, but I would not stretch out my hand against the LORD’s anointed” (23).
This incident brings to my mind the words of the apostle Peter, “If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters” (1 Peter 4: 14, 15). David could truly say that the “Spirit of . . . God” rested upon him as he and his men hid themselves in the rock, in the Wilderness of Maon. He had resisted the temptation to do harm to the LORD’s anointed. Now God would show Himself mighty on his behalf!
The NRSV renders the last part of our Scripture for today as follows, “while Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them[.]” At that precise moment, Saul and his men had to leave suddenly! As he was getting ready to attack David, the Philistines attacked his land! Sacred Scripture says, “they called that place the Rock of Escape.” Yes brothers and sisters, “The Lord’s our Rock, in Him we hide, a shelter in the time of storm” (Vernon J. Charlesworth). When you find yourself rescued miraculously from any situation, just remember, that grace has provided you with a Rock of Salvation. Hide in Him!