People Who Shaped David: Ahimelech
I Samuel 21 & 22
1. Edgar Guest, the famous
American writer, told of a neighbor by the name of Jim Potter. Mr. Potter ran the neighborhood drug store.
They would smile at one another on the street, but their friendship was a
casual one. Then came that tragic night in the life of Edgar Guest when he lost
his first baby. He felt lonely and defeated. These were dark days. Guest went
to the drugstore one morning to pick up something. When he entered Jim Potter
stopped what he was doing and asked Edgar Guest to step to the back. “Eddie,”
he said, “I really cannot express to you the sympathy I have for you in my
heart. If you need anything, you can count on me.” Many years later
Edgar Guest recalled that incident. He wrote: “Just a neighbor across the way,
a passing acquaintance. Jim Potter may have long since forgotten that day when
he extended his hand to me, but I shall never forget it. Never in all my life.
To me it stands out like the silhouette of a lonely tree against a crimson
sunset.”
2. From time to time, we all
need people in our lives like that...people who will befriend us, stand beside
us, and help us through some great difficulty in life...in our continuing study
of people who impacted the life of David, going to see someone who helped David
at a crucial time in his life...most of the people we have met so far in this
study are rather well-known OT characters – Samuel, Saul, Goliath, and
Jonathan...and we have focused on a couple of lesser known characters as well –
Mephibosheth and Abigail…in this session we are going to focus on another
lesser known character, a man named Ahimelech...Ahimelech made the pages of the
Bible because there was a time when he was a tremendous help to David...story
is found in 1 Samuel 21 & 22...
3. David was in trouble...was
being pursued by Saul who fully intended to take David’s life...Jonathan,
Saul’s son and David’s friend, warned David of Saul’s plot, and David quickly
fled...his get-a-way was so sudden, he did not have time to take proper
provisions...he made his way to Nob, a small town about 2 ½ miles south of
Gibeah, the hometown and headquarters of Saul...there, he asks Ahimelech, the
priest of Nob, for help...first he asks for food...look at v.6 to see
Ahimelech’s response...then he asks for a weapon...look at v.9 to see
Ahimelech’s response...it is reported to Saul that Ahimelech helped
David...Saul summoned the priest into his presence...look at what happened in
21:13-16...
T.S. – There are many themes and sub-themes in the story of David and Ahimelech
which we could explore...but want to focus on two important things we can learn
from this story...first, the story teaches us that...
I. You can tell a lot about a person by where that person turns
for help in times of need
1. When your back is against wall...when faced
with some great need in your life...when there is difficulty or danger or
distress on every hand, where do you turn for help?...that’s the situation in
which David found himself, and I think it is significant where he turned for
help...
2. He went to Nob, the city of priests...its
population was made up of 85 priests and their wives and their children and
their livestock ...when arrived in Nob sought out the leader of the priests,
Ahimelech...this person was a representative of God...so by inference, in going
to Nob, the city of priests, David was turning to God...and this wasn’t
something unusual for David...at an earlier time when David was being pursued
by Saul, David sought help from the prophet Samuel at Ramah...
3. It was the pattern of David’s life to turn to
God for help in time of need...and that is a pattern we all need to learn in
our lives...
- I know much has been said and written in derogatory
way about people who turn to God only in times of trouble...writers refer
to such activity as fox hole or death bed religion...and while we
certainly shouldn’t turn to God only in times of trouble...and
while we should nurture our relationship with God all the days of our
lives...I cannot think of a better place to turn for help than to the One
who loves us fully, completely, unconditionally, without limit...
2.
One of the great statements of the Bible is the first
part of Psalm 46:1...”God is our refuge and strength, a very present help
in trouble...”...the word translated “trouble” literally
means “hard place” or “tight spot”...point of statement is that
it is in the very nature of God to help us in time of trouble...and the
statement says God helps us in two specific ways:
--He helps us by becoming our “refuge”...the
idea behind this word is shelter...place of protection...
·
Just as we seek a physical shelter to defend us
from the storms of nature, so God provides spiritual shelter from the storms of
life which inevitably come our way...
·
Just as a child dealing with some hurt can find
protection and comfort in the arms of his/her mother or father, so we can
comfort and protection in the arms of God during the hard times of life...
--He
helps us by becoming our “strength”...it is important to see that
the verse does not say God is our source of strength...it says He is our
strength...our ability to stand and to even move forward in times of hardship
is the result of God being in us...
3. When
understand that “God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in time of
trouble...” it makes perfect sense to turn to Him for help...
4. Jesus
said much the same thing when he said in Matthew 11:28 – “Come to Me, all who are weary
and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”...Leslie Weatherhead’s
suggests that the Gospel can be put in six simple words. He writes: “I
suppose to some that Christianity may seem a complicated thing. There are so
many sects and creeds and theologies. Believe me, I am being very serious when
I say that it can all be summarized in the words: Jesus offers his
friendship to you.” [Sermon by Brett Blair]
5. When
you understand that, it is the most natural thing in the world to reach out to
Him in times of need...and the fact that David sought out a priest of God for
help tells us a lot about David’s understanding of God...that’s something can
learn from David...but also something here we can learn from Ahimelech... from
Ahimelech can learn that...
II. You can tell a lot about a person by how
that person responds to those seeking help
- Ahimelech seemed to know or perhaps
sense that it was dangerous to help David...very first verse in chapter 21
says the priest “...came with trembling to meet
David...”...and it seems to me that David tried to protect
Ahimelech from the possible negative consequences of helping him by not
telling the priest the he needed help because he was fleeing from
Saul...however, in spite of that, Ahimelech’s helping David ended up
costing him his life and the lives of 85 other priests and their
families...that’s another whole story in itself...
- What want you see at this point is
that at great risk to himself and others, Ahimelech stepped up and gave
David the help he needed...notice what Ahimelech did for David—
--gave
him provision – David was in need of food...he asked for bread...only bread
available was what v.6 refers to as “the bread of the Presence”...this
was the bread which was placed on the altar before God...when it was replaced
with fresh bread, the bread that had been consecrated to God was consumed by
the priests who were consecrated to God...it was not for the general
population... Ahimelech gave this special bread, bread which was intended for
him, to David...
--he
gave David protection – David was in need of a weapon...he asks whether
there was a spear or sword available...rather strange request of a priest
because last place would expect find a weapon was in hands of a priest...but
sword of Goliath, the Philistine warrior killed by David was on hand...not told
how Goliath’s sword got there ...not told if David knew beforehand it was
there...even though was prized trophy, Ahimelech gave it to David...
--he
gave David direction – While not stated in ch.21, ch.22 makes clear that
the priest prayed for David and sought God’s direction for David during this
difficult time in his life...
3. And what
want you to see in all that is Ahimelech responded to David’s request for help
by helping him...and that act alone tells us a lot about this priest of God...
- Cannot read NT without seeing that
God calls us to offer help, encouragement, and support to others, and
especially to those in need...that haunting statement in I John says it
all: “But whoever has the world’s
goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him,
how does the love of God abide in him?”....and Jesus made it clear
that the way to express our love for him is to care for those who are in
need of food and clothing, who are weak and sick, those who are lonely and
isolated...He reminds us that as we care for people who need help, in the
process we are expressing our love and devotion to Him...
- Helping others is not optional for
followers of Jesus...it is what Christians do...
- Read about a pastor who was last
person leave church building after a Sunday morning worship service...as
leaving saw a man walking up sidewalk toward church...while didn’t
recognize the man, easily identified what he was seeking...as most pastors
have, he had dealt with many a person like this one...was one of those
transients, drifters who seemed to come from nowhere and be going
nowhere...stories were different but really all the same...down on
luck...trying to get to certain destination for some vague reason...could
you help with tank of gas or motel room for night or some money for
food...want you to hear what happened in this pastor’s own words:
I sighed as I watched the man
approach. It had been a long day. I had a meeting to return for that night and
I was anxious to get home. I would meet him at the door, head him off, give him
the only cash I had -- a mere $15.00 as I recall -- and then send him, and me,
on our way.
"What can I do for
you?" I asked with some annoyance in my voice.
"I wondered if you might be
able to help a fella' on the way South," he said. "I was headed down
to...."
"Yes, yes," I said.
"Well, I'm in a bit of a rush. So here is all I have. A five and a ten.
That's all I've got."
The man took the money1 as I
offered it. Looked at it. And without a word, he turned, and headed out toward
the street.
Then he stopped, and turned
toward me as I locked the church door. "I guess you think I'm supposed to
thank you, to be grateful," he said with a surprising tone of defiance.
"Well," I said,
"now that you mention it, a little gratitude wouldn't hurt."
"Well, I'm not going to
thank you. You want to know why?" he sneered.
"Why?" I asked.
"Because you are a Christian. You don't help me because you want
to. You have to help me because he [now thrusting his finger up into the air]
told you to help me!" And then he left.
I stood there, stunned, angry.
The nerve of these people!
On my drive home it finally hit
me. He was right. Amen.
[Professor William
Willimon (Duke University), Sermons: "Commanded to Love," May 4,
1997, Sixth Sunday of Easter, John 15:9-17.]
Conclusion
1. What
can we learn from David’s encounter with Ahimelech?...it’s simple, when we need
help, turn to God...and when people around us need help, respond to them as God
responds to us...
