1 Samuel 23:15–24

So David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. And David was in the Wilderness of Ziph in a forest. Then Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose and went to David in the woods and strengthened his hand in God. And he said to him, “Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Even my father Saul knows that.” So the two of them made a covenant before the LORD. And David stayed in the woods, and Jonathan went to his own house.

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.”

And Saul said, “Blessed are you of the LORD, for you have compassion on me. Please go and find out for sure, and see the place where his hideout is, and who has seen him there. For I am told he is very crafty. See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking places where he hides; and come back to me with certainty, and I will go with you. And it shall be, if he is in the land, that I will search for him throughout all the clans of Judah.”

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.

At this point, everyone knows that David is simply running from Saul. The idea that he’s “lying in wait” is obviously nonsense, and Saul has given up any pretense of that.

Jonathan has sided with David and encourages him by announcing confidence in David’s destiny as king. He even tells David that his father Saul knows that. Sadly, Jonathan isn’t entirely right when he says, “You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you.”

He won’t live to see that day.

Then we see the Ziphites try to help Saul by disclosing David’s location. Ziphites are of the tribe of Judah, reinforcing the idea that inter-tribal rivalry isn’t the thing Saul said it is. David is of the tribe of Judah, and the Ziphites are perfectly happy to betray him to the Benjamites.

But what must the Benjamites following Saul be thinking? They’ve been told that the Judahites wouldn’t give them the time of day, but they’re betraying their anointed one. That’ll open their eyes, right?

Just kidding. If they were thinking, they would have seen through Saul’s games long ago. But they’re in the grip of “task momentum,” something we should all watch out for. Once we’re immersed in a task, we tend to lose track of why we started it to begin with. We’re focused on finishing, but facts and/or the Holy Spirit can prompt a reassessment. Then comes the super tough task of wondering if it’s all a waste.

Always be open to updates, even painful ones. Big lessons can come from this.

To forward this devotional, see the link in green below.

These weekday DEEPs are written by Mike Slay. The Saturday ones are written by Matt Richardson. To subscribe to the DEEP click here: https://www.ailbe.org/resources/community

The weekly study guides, which include questions for discussion or meditation, can be downloaded here: https://www.ailbe.org/resources/itemlist/category/91-deep-studies

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.