Reader’s Guide: “The Word for Today” Friday, November 2, 2012 Read – 1 Samuel 21 & 22 The story of the deadly conflict between Saul and David is a long and drawn out story. Our chapters today reveal the intensification of that conflict – Saul is out to kill David. David chooses not to face Saul directly but to flee and wait for God to act. One of the surprising things about this story is that David will not personally attack Saul – the “Lord’s anointed”. Perhaps David could have ended the conflict much sooner – but he chooses to let Saul bring about his own demise. Of special interest for Christians is the story of David bringing his men to the priest of Nob, Ahimelech, when they are hungry. Ahimelech has no ordinary bread, only the sacred bread that has been placed before God. This sacred bread is really God’s bread. David takes it anyway since the situation is an emergency. In the gospel story when Jesus’ disciples are accused by the Pharisees of harvesting grain on the Sabbath when they eat the grain as they pass through the grain field, Jesus points back to this story as justification for their action. Like David they eat the grain. Jesus goes on to declare that “the Sabbath was made for man not man for the Sabbath”. Jesus reinterprets the purpose of the rules – just as David made a determination that the rules do not apply in his particular case. Of course, when we read the two stories, we may be left wondering how they work together – there are striking differences. But, no matter, the principle is the same. God is not a God who makes laws for laws sake – rather laws are for the sake of human beings. The priests of Nob will pay a huge price for their loyalty to David – Saul comes and slaughters them all. Once again this is not a pleasant story. Another thing to note and wonder about is David fleeing to the Philistines for protection. The Philistines are the enemy. How will David handle this? What does God think about it? The story will tell us how this all works out for David, but we will be left wondering what is going on for God in all of this. I think that God cannot be very pleased with what is happening. God’s way forward is made more difficult by human choices. But God will work it through and find a way.