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Running from Saul - The Book of 1 Samuel · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. And David answered the priest and said
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  Speaker 1: unto him, Of a truth, women have been kept from
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  Speaker 1: us about these three days, since I came out. And
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  Speaker 1: the vessels of the young men are holy, and the
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  Speaker 1: bread is in a manner common, yea, though it were
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  Speaker 1: sacrificed this day in the vessel. 1 Samuel 21 5
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  Speaker 1: Dear Heavenly Father, When the weight and burden of pursuing
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  Speaker 1: my calling becomes too much, fortify my mind, so that
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  Speaker 1: the thought of going crazy isn't even an option. Instead,
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  Speaker 1: when my vision begins to wear on me, I will
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  Speaker 1: position myself and begin to worship you for who you
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  Speaker 1: are and for your faithfulness. For I know that that
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  Speaker 1: worship is my worship and will allow me to regain
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  Speaker 1: mental growth when I feel that my foundation is becoming unstable.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for always placing me on the heart of
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  Speaker 1: my family and loved ones. Thank you that, like David
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  Speaker 1: in today's reading, at just the right time, they will
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  Speaker 1: come and comfort me in my time of need. Lord,
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  Speaker 1: as you begin to build the community for my dreams,
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  Speaker 1: I will not be taken back by what appears to
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  Speaker 1: be misfits, for I know that it is in the
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  Speaker 1: unlikeliest of relationships that greatness and loyalty are formed. So,
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  Speaker 1: I celebrate the difference. I celebrate the uniqueness. I celebrate
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  Speaker 1: the fact that through uncommon relationships, uncommon blessings and breakthroughs
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  Speaker 1: are born. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for praying
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  Speaker 1: with me today. Continue listening for an incredible Bible story
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  Speaker 1: brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: In our last story, we learned how David and Jonathan
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  Speaker 2: made promises to one another. Jonathan would protect David from Saul,
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  Speaker 2: and David would show favor and love to Jonathan and
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  Speaker 2: his family for all his days. Jonathan learned that Saul's
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  Speaker 2: hatred for David still burned hot, so he warned David.
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  Speaker 2: David fled to the wilderness. In this story, we will
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  Speaker 2: learn how David continues to flee and visits Ahimelech, is
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  Speaker 2: given Goliath's sword, and then in Gath pretends to be
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  Speaker 2: crazy in front of Achish, as inspired by the book
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  Speaker 2: of 1 Samuel.
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  Speaker 3: Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the
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  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year podcast. In yesterday's story, we heard
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  Speaker 3: how Jonathan helped David evade Saul and how the two
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  Speaker 3: made an oath, a covenant together, that they would always
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  Speaker 3: seek each other's good. This is a touching picture of
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  Speaker 3: a friendship that is stronger even than family bonds. We
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  Speaker 3: saw how David fled from an increasingly angry and insane king,
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  Speaker 3: King Saul. Today, we'll continue this story with David on
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  Speaker 3: the run. He will use clever deception to protect himself.
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  Speaker 3: His intentions are always noble, and soon other outcasts will
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  Speaker 3: gather around him, furthering the anger of Saul. Let's listen
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  Speaker 3: now to today's reading from God's Word.
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  Speaker 2: David's chest was about to burst. Heavy rain fell and
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  Speaker 2: lightning filled the skies with light. David's heart was racing
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  Speaker 2: and his lungs couldn't gasp fast enough. He was completely exhausted.
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  Speaker 2: Running from Saul had cost him a great deal of energy.
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  Speaker 2: David needed food. David stumbled to Nob near the temple
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  Speaker 2: and Ahimelech the priest came out to greet him. Ahimelech
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  Speaker 2: was afraid to see David, for he knew he was
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  Speaker 2: one of Saul's commanders. Why are you here alone? Ahimelech asked.
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  Speaker 2: David was overcome with hunger, thirst, and exhaustion. Out of angst,
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  Speaker 2: David lied to Ahimelech, saying, The king sent me on
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  Speaker 2: an important mission. I have an appointment with a young
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  Speaker 2: man here in Nob. Please, give me five loaves of
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  Speaker 2: bread or whatever you have here. The priest shook his
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  Speaker 2: head and said, Sadly, I only have the holy bread
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  Speaker 2: meant for ceremony. Only the priests and men who have
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  Speaker 2: kept themselves from women are allowed to eat it. David
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  Speaker 2: regained his composure and spoke with less desperation in his voice, saying,
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  Speaker 2: Whenever I or my men are on expedition, we are
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  Speaker 2: kept from women. We are truly worthy of the bread.
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  Speaker 2: David acted as though he was with a whole team
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  Speaker 2: of people to get more bread. The priest, not wanting
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  Speaker 2: to question David's authority, took the bread off of the
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  Speaker 2: altar and gave it to David. Do you have any weapons?
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  Speaker 3: David asked.
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  Speaker 2: The king's business required I leave immediately, so I did
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  Speaker 2: not bring any sword or spear. The priest's eyes lit up.
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  Speaker 2: He said nothing and beckoned David inside. The temple was
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  Speaker 2: warm and dry. David held the bread close to his chest,
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  Speaker 2: still feeling a slight sting of guilt as he carried it.
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  Speaker 2: The priest led David into a room. There was a
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  Speaker 2: figure on a table wrapped in cloth. The priest took
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  Speaker 2: it in his hands and began to unwrap it. A
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  Speaker 2: beautiful sword glistened in the candlelight. The priest lifted it
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  Speaker 2: up and gave it to David. He held it in
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  Speaker 2: his hands. It was a large sword but felt familiar
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  Speaker 2: to David. The priest smiled and said, This is the
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  Speaker 2: sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you defeated in battle.
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  Speaker 2: It is the only weapon we have here. David's heart
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  Speaker 2: began to flutter as he held the sword he once
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  Speaker 2: used to cut the giant's head off. It seemed like
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  Speaker 2: a lifetime ago. Not long had passed before Saul caught
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  Speaker 2: wind of where David was. So, in a hurry, David
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  Speaker 2: fled to Gath to escape. Gath was the homeland of
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  Speaker 2: Goliath and Philistine country. David, afraid and alone, ventured into
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  Speaker 2: enemy territory with Goliath's sword sheathed on his side. Achish,
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  Speaker 2: the king of Gath, was perplexed by David's arrival. The
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  Speaker 2: people of Gath had thought all along that David was
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  Speaker 2: the king of Israel. This meant David was in more
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  Speaker 2: danger than he realized. Achish's servants brought David in. So David,
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  Speaker 2: in an attempt to save himself, began to act insane.
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  Speaker 2: He marked his chambers with odd symbols and drooled all
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  Speaker 2: over himself. Achish was perturbed by his servants bringing David in.
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  Speaker 2: Do you think I need more madmen in my home?
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  Speaker 2: So he had David depart from his presence. David departed
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  Speaker 2: immediately from Gath and escaped to a cave in Adullam.
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  Speaker 2: David wallowed in the loneliness of the cave, crying out
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  Speaker 2: to God in his distress. There he wrote songs to God.
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  Speaker 2: In the darkness he questioned God, praised God, and loved God.
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  Speaker 2: It was not long before David's family discovered where he was.
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  Speaker 2: They came to him and ministered to him. Shortly after,
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  Speaker 2: many men from Israel began to flock to David. Men
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  Speaker 2: who were outcasts, debaters, and bitter found hope in the
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  Speaker 2: presence of David. Four hundred men stood in front of David,
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  Speaker 2: following his every command and hanging on every word. This
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  Speaker 2: was David's new flock, a flock of misfits and social outcasts.
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  Speaker 2: Broken were given purpose under David's command. This would be
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  Speaker 2: a foreshadowing of the Christ to come hundreds of years later.
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  Speaker 2: David and his men dwelled in the land of Moab
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  Speaker 2: for a short while, and then departed to the forests
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  Speaker 2: of Judah. There David and his men became close, and
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  Speaker 2: their strength in numbers grew day by day. Saul was
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  Speaker 2: told of David's new community, and how four hundred unruly
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  Speaker 2: men followed him everywhere he went. All of the sudden,
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  Speaker 2: David was an even bigger threat to Saul. He became
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  Speaker 2: furious with his servants that they had allowed his whereabouts
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  Speaker 2: to go unreported for so long. More so, he was
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  Speaker 2: outraged with Jonathan, who had made a covenant with David.
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  Speaker 2: Saul raged in his throne room. One of his servants
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  Speaker 2: then told him that David was given the sword of
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  Speaker 2: Goliath by Ahimelech. This caused Saul to pause. Saul said nothing.
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  Speaker 2: His eyes were glazed over in rage. He gathered his
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  Speaker 2: things and his men, and they departed to Nob to
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  Speaker 2: find Ahimelech. Saul burst open the temple doors where Ahimelech
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  Speaker 2: and the priests of Nob served. The priests cowered in
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  Speaker 2: fear as Saul approached them with his armed men. Saul's
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  Speaker 2: face was red, and his eyes were piercing. Saul walked
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  Speaker 2: among the priests, pointing his sword at Ahimelech. The priest
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  Speaker 2: was trembling as Saul's sword lightly touched his robes.' Hear me, priest,'
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  Speaker 2: Saul spoke with silent rage. Why have you conspired against
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  Speaker 2: me and armed David? You clothed him, fed him, and
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  Speaker 2: gave him a weapon of great importance. Ahimelech could barely speak,
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  Speaker 2: he was so afraid. He managed to stutter out a
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  Speaker 2: few words, saying, My lord, I thought David was one
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  Speaker 2: of your most faithful servants. He is your son-in-law and
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  Speaker 2: a captain over your army. I know very little of
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  Speaker 2: any dispute you have with him. Saul did not listen
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  Speaker 2: to the words of the priest. His rage had blinded
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  Speaker 2: his eyes and cut off his hearing. He turned to
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  Speaker 2: his men and said, Kill them all. But his men
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  Speaker 2: did not move. To kill a priest over this would
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  Speaker 2: be an absolute sin, and these men would not budge.
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  Speaker 2: Saul yelled again, Kill them. But the men did not move.
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  Speaker 2: So Saul turned to his trusted servant Doeg, who then
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  Speaker 2: killed 85 priests and their families. The priestly town of
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  Speaker 2: Nob was painted red with Saul's jealousy. At this moment,
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  Speaker 2: Saul was completely given over to sin's hold over his mind.
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  Speaker 2: One of the sons of Ahimelech escaped the bloodshed and
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  Speaker 2: fled to the forest where David and his men lived.
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  Speaker 2: David's heart was tied in knots over the news. He
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  Speaker 2: felt responsible for their deaths, since he had sought refuge
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  Speaker 2: there and lied to Ahimelech. David's self-preservation had caused the
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  Speaker 2: needless slaughter of priests. David anguished over this and protected
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  Speaker 2: Ahimelech's son.
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  Speaker 3: Today's story in God's Word begins with David fearfully on
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  Speaker 3: the run, desperate for a place to hide. He flees
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  Speaker 3: to Nob where he encounters a priest named Elimelech. His
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  Speaker 3: presence is concerning to the priest. Why would one of
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  Speaker 3: Saul's generals be there? David was desperate, but he also
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  Speaker 3: may have wanted to provide this man some plausible deniability
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  Speaker 3: when Saul came asking questions. Whatever the reason, David actually
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  Speaker 3: lies and tells Elimelech he's on a mission from the king.
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  Speaker 3: He asks the priest for bread or whatever food he
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  Speaker 3: might have. Elimelech tells him all he has is the
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  Speaker 3: ceremonial holy bread meant only for the priest and men
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  Speaker 3: who have refrained from intimacy with women. David says he
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  Speaker 3: and his men are always kept from women while on
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  Speaker 3: an expedition. His words led Elimelech to believe he was
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  Speaker 3: not alone, and so the priest gave David the bread
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  Speaker 3: from the altar. Here's something very important. Christ would later
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  Speaker 3: use this story to teach the Pharisees about the true
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  Speaker 3: purposes of the Sabbath and God's ceremonial laws. David's heart
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  Speaker 3: was being obedient to God and eating the bread meant
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  Speaker 3: for priests was justified in such a time of need
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  Speaker 3: to strengthen David for what he was facing. David then
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  Speaker 3: reveals that he is traveling without a weapon, so Halimelech
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  Speaker 3: shows him something surprising. For some reason, the sword that
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  Speaker 3: Goliath had carried The very one David had used to
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  Speaker 3: chop off the giant's head is in the temple. Why
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  Speaker 3: it is there is unclear. But David is given this
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  Speaker 3: sword to take as protection for his journey. This is
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  Speaker 3: ironic since David was the one who of course defeated
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  Speaker 3: the giant and now has his sword. But what David
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  Speaker 3: does next is unusual. When Saul discovers where he is,
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  Speaker 3: David ventures into Gath, which is not only Philistine territory,
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  Speaker 3: but Goliath's homeland. Alone, David is easily captured by the
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  Speaker 3: people of Gath, who believed him to be Israel's king.
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  Speaker 3: But when he is taken into the palace, David pretends
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  Speaker 3: to be insane. He puts on quite an act, so
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  Speaker 3: the king sends them away unharmed. Finally, David is able
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  Speaker 3: to escape to a cave where he is joined by
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  Speaker 3: his family. His family gives him comfort and aid. He
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  Speaker 3: is also joined by other outcasts, men of Israel who
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  Speaker 3: stood by David and found hope in this man who
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  Speaker 3: would one day soon be king. 1 Samuel 22 and
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  Speaker 3: verse 2 records this. Listen to how they foreshadow another
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  Speaker 3: who would come to Bethlehem and gather the broken and
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  Speaker 3: the hurting unto himself. And everyone who was in distress
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  Speaker 3: and everyone who was in debt and everyone who was
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  Speaker 3: bitter in soul gathered to him, and he became commander
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  Speaker 3: over them. In David, we see here a glimpse of Christ,
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  Speaker 3: who would one day bring hope not only to Israel,
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  Speaker 3: but the whole world. Meanwhile, Saul, consumed by hatred and
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  Speaker 3: completely given over to evil, confronts Elimelech. He accuses him
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  Speaker 3: of betrayal. He will hear none of the priest's reasons.
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  Speaker 3: Elimelech was a man of God, but Saul was so
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  Speaker 3: far gone he had his servants slaughter this man and
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  Speaker 3: more than 80 priests and their families that day. Only
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  Speaker 3: one would escape, Elimelech's son, who told David what had happened.
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  Speaker 3: David knew his deception was to blame for the bloodshed,
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  Speaker 3: and he was terribly grieved. He promised to protect Elimelech's
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  Speaker 3: son and remain there with the ragtag group of outcasts
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  Speaker 3: that had become his army. We'll hear what happens the
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  Speaker 3: next time in God's Word. Dear God, thank you for
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  Speaker 3: your Word. Thank you for the story of David's life
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  Speaker 3: that ultimately points us to the greater David, the good
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  Speaker 3: shepherd who is the Lord Jesus Christ. who was born,
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  Speaker 3: who lived, who died, and rose again to bring hope
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  Speaker 3: to the world. And it is in the name of
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  Speaker 3: Jesus that we pray. Amen. Thank you for listening to
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  Speaker 3: today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas.
• 14:54
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• 14:58
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