◄ 1 Samuel 22:17 ►
Then the king ordered the guards at his side, "Turn and kill the priests of the LORD, because they too sided with David. For they knew he was fleeing, but they did not tell me." But the king's servants would not lift a hand to strike the priests of the LORD.
Study Bible
Then the king ordered the guards at his side
This phrase highlights King Saul's authority and the presence of his personal guards, indicating his royal status and the power he wielded. The guards were likely part of his inner circle, trusted men who were expected to carry out his commands without question. This reflects the hierarchical structure of ancient Israelite society, where the king's word was law. The presence of guards also underscores the tension and paranoia that had gripped Saul's reign as he perceived threats to his throne.

“Turn and kill the priests of the LORD,
Saul's command to kill the priests marks a significant departure from his earlier reverence for religious figures, showing the extent of his desperation and moral decline. The priests of the LORD, serving at Nob, were descendants of Eli and part of the Levitical priesthood, which held a sacred role in Israelite worship and society. This act of violence against the priests is a grave sin, reflecting Saul's spiritual blindness and his failure to recognize the sanctity of God's anointed servants. It also foreshadows the eventual downfall of Saul's kingship.

because they too sided with David.
Saul's accusation that the priests sided with David reveals his growing paranoia and fear of losing the throne. David, anointed by Samuel, was seen as a legitimate threat to Saul's rule. The priests' supposed siding with David was based on their provision of sustenance and the sword of Goliath to him, acts of hospitality rather than political alliance. This reflects Saul's inability to distinguish between genuine loyalty and perceived betrayal, further isolating him from those who could have offered wise counsel.

For they knew he was fleeing, but they did not tell me.”
Saul's claim that the priests knew of David's flight and failed to inform him underscores his sense of betrayal and the breakdown of communication within his kingdom. This reflects the broader theme of divine providence and protection over David, as God orchestrates events to preserve him despite Saul's efforts. The priests' lack of communication with Saul can also be seen as a divine intervention, protecting David from Saul's wrath and furthering God's plan for David's eventual kingship.

But the king’s servants would not lift a hand to strike the priests of the LORD.
The refusal of Saul's servants to carry out his order demonstrates a moral and spiritual resistance to committing such a heinous act. This highlights the reverence and fear of God that still existed among some of Saul's men, contrasting with Saul's own spiritual decline. Their refusal can be seen as an act of civil disobedience, prioritizing divine law over the king's command. This moment also foreshadows the eventual rejection of Saul's leadership by the people and the rise of David, a man after God's own heart.

Persons / Places / Events
1. King Saul
The first king of Israel, who is increasingly paranoid and sees David as a threat to his throne.

2. David
The anointed future king of Israel, currently fleeing from Saul's wrath.

3. Priests of the LORD
The religious leaders serving at Nob, who are accused by Saul of siding with David.

4. Guards/Servants of Saul
The king's attendants who are ordered to kill the priests but refuse to do so.

5. Nob
The city of priests where the events take place, highlighting the religious significance of the location.
Teaching Points
The Consequences of Disobedience
Saul's disobedience to God leads to irrational decisions and moral decline. Disobedience to God can have far-reaching consequences in our lives.

The Sanctity of God's Servants
The refusal of Saul's guards to kill the priests highlights the respect and reverence due to those who serve God. We should honor and protect those who dedicate their lives to God's service.

Moral Courage
The guards' refusal to obey an unjust order demonstrates the importance of standing up for righteousness, even when it means defying authority. We are called to act justly and uphold God's standards.

The Cost of Following God
The priests' association with David, though it costs them their lives, shows the potential cost of aligning with God's anointed. Following God may require sacrifice and courage.

God's Sovereignty and Justice
Despite the apparent triumph of evil in this passage, God's justice prevails in the end. We can trust in God's ultimate justice and sovereignty over all situations.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Saul's order to kill the priests reflect his spiritual state and relationship with God?

2. What can we learn from the guards' refusal to carry out Saul's command about standing up for what is right?

3. How does this passage challenge us to consider the cost of following God's anointed leaders in our own lives?

4. In what ways does this event foreshadow the ultimate justice and sovereignty of God, as seen in other parts of Scripture?

5. How can we apply the lessons of moral courage and reverence for God's servants in our daily interactions and decisions?
Connections to Other Scriptures
1 Samuel 15
Saul's disobedience to God's command through Samuel, which sets the stage for his downfall and paranoia.

Psalm 52
David's reflection on the treachery of Doeg the Edomite, who ultimately carries out Saul's order.

Matthew 12:1-8
Jesus references David's actions at Nob to illustrate the principle of mercy over sacrifice.

Hebrews 11:32-34
David is listed among the heroes of faith, showing his reliance on God despite Saul's persecution.
Sermons
A Friend and a FoeR. E. Faulkner.1 Samuel 22:5-23
The Tyranny of SaulB. Dale 1 Samuel 22:6-19
People
Abiathar, Ahimelech, Ahitub, Benjamin, Benjaminites, Benjamites, David, Doeg, Gad, Goliath, Jesse, Saul
Places
Adullam, Gibeah, Hereth, Mizpeh, Moab, Nob
Topics
David, Didn't, Disclose, Fled, Fleeing, Guard, Guards, Kill, King's, Officials, Priests, Raise, Servants, Sided, Stood, Strike, Turn, Willing, Yet
Dictionary of Bible Themes
1 Samuel 22:17

     5319   fugitives
     8650   hands, lifting up

Library
Covenanting Confers Obligation.
As it has been shown that all duty, and that alone, ought to be vowed to God in covenant, it is manifest that what is lawfully engaged to in swearing by the name of God is enjoined in the moral law, and, because of the authority of that law, ought to be performed as a duty. But it is now to be proved that what is promised to God by vow or oath, ought to be performed also because of the act of Covenanting. The performance of that exercise is commanded, and the same law which enjoins that the duties …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

The Exile Continued.
"So David fled, and escaped and came to Samuel to Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done unto him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth" (1 Sam. xix. 18)--or, as the word probably means, in the collection of students' dwellings, inhabited by the sons of the prophets, where possibly there may have been some kind of right of sanctuary. Driven thence by Saul's following him, and having had one last sorrowful hour of Jonathan's companionship--the last but one on earth--he fled to Nob, whither …
Alexander Maclaren—The Life of David

The Exile --Continued.
We have one psalm which the title connects with the beginning of David's stay at Adullam,--the thirty-fourth. The supposition that it dates from that period throws great force into many parts of it, and gives a unity to what is else apparently fragmentary and disconnected. Unlike those already considered, which were pure soliloquies, this is full of exhortation and counsel, as would naturally be the case if it were written when friends and followers began to gather to his standard. It reads like …
Alexander Maclaren—The Life of David

Ramah. Ramathaim Zophim. Gibeah.
There was a certain Ramah, in the tribe of Benjamin, Joshua 18:25, and that within sight of Jerusalem, as it seems, Judges 19:13; where it is named with Gibeah:--and elsewhere, Hosea 5:8; which towns were not much distant. See 1 Samuel 22:6; "Saul sat in Gibeah, under a grove in Ramah." Here the Gemarists trifle: "Whence is it (say they) that Ramah is placed near Gibea? To hint to you, that the speech of Samuel of Ramah was the cause, why Saul remained two years and a half in Gibeah." They blindly …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

And V the Kingdom Undivided and the Kingdom Divided
THE HISTORICAL BOOKS: I and II Samuel. I and II Kings. I and II Chronicles. NOTE.--As these three pairs of books are so closely related in their historical contents, it is deemed best to study them together, though they overlap the two divisions of IV and V. I. CHARTS Chart A. General Contents +--+ " I AND II SAMUEL " +-------------+-----+------+ "Samuel "Saul "David " +-------------+-----+------+----------+ " " " " I AND II KINGS "NOTE.--Biblical …
Frank Nelson Palmer—A Bird's-Eye View of the Bible

Subterraneous Places. Mines. Caves.
Thus having taken some notice of the superficies of the land, let us a little search into its bowels. You may divide the subterraneous country into three parts: the metal mines, the caves, and the places of burial. This land was eminently noted for metal mines, so that "its stones," in very many places, "were iron, and out of its hills was digged brass," Deuteronomy 8:9. From these gain accrued to the Jews: but to the Christians, not seldom slavery and misery; being frequently condemned hither by …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

Of Antichrist, and his Ruin: and of the Slaying the Witnesses.
BY JOHN BUNYAN PREFATORY REMARKS BY THE EDITOR This important treatise was prepared for the press, and left by the author, at his decease, to the care of his surviving friend for publication. It first appeared in a collection of his works in folio, 1692; and although a subject of universal interest; most admirably elucidated; no edition has been published in a separate form. Antichrist has agitated the Christian world from the earliest ages; and his craft has been to mislead the thoughtless, by …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Samuel
Alike from the literary and the historical point of view, the book[1] of Samuel stands midway between the book of Judges and the book of Kings. As we have already seen, the Deuteronomic book of Judges in all probability ran into Samuel and ended in ch. xii.; while the story of David, begun in Samuel, embraces the first two chapters of the first book of Kings. The book of Samuel is not very happily named, as much of it is devoted to Saul and the greater part to David; yet it is not altogether inappropriate, …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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