Monday Memo 1196: Stale Bread
David was officially on the run, a fugitive, and his only crime was being successful and serving the king and his people with distinction. His downfall was his success and he had no choice but to run for his life as Saul sought to eliminate his rival to the throne. David had enjoyed success that belied his age, for he was still a young man who had a lot of maturing to do. We can't blame David for being young and inexperienced, and the only "remedy" was for him to go through some things that would mature and prepare him to serve as the king he was anointed to be. In this Memo, let's examine what happened as he began his life on the run with Saul in hot pursuit.
BREAD AND A SWORD
David's first need when he fled was some food for him and his companions:
Then David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech came to meet David, trembling, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one with you?” And David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has charged me with a matter and said to me, ‘Let no one know anything of the matter about which I send you, and with which I have charged you.’ I have made an appointment with the young men for such and such a place. Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever is here" (1 Samuel 21:1-3).
The priest only had the twelve loaves of the week-old bread of the Presence which the priests ate as their food. That tells us that David's traveling cohort was small, for 12 loaves would not feed many for very long. Then David turned his attention to another need he had:
Then David said to Ahimelech, “Then have you not here a spear or a sword at hand? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste.” And the priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck down in the Valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take it, for there is none but that here.” And David said, “There is none like that; give it to me" (1 Samuel 21:8-9).
At some point, the trophy from David's most notable triumph, Goliath's sword, had ended up in the possession of the priests. If David didn't have a sword, then it's doubtful any of his traveling companions had one either. So there was God's anointed, starting his survival trek with no food or weapons. Stale bread and an over-sized sword were his lot, while the crazed King Saul sat in the palace with a large army and all the food he wanted.
GOD'S PROVISION
David lied to the priests as to why he was on the run, and it eventually cost them their lives when Saul came a-callin' and accused them of harboring his criminal son-in-law. This indicates that David was confused and fearful, still trying to figure out what he had done to deserve such treatment, while also wondering how he was going to survive. You may be thinking the same thing as you pursue your purpose.
Yet in the midst of his panic, God showed him the reason for his dilemma, and it wasn't anything he had done wrong, but something he had done right: his victory over Goliath. David's faith had brought him to where he was (for it was his faith that had won the battle with the giant and brought him great fame). When he was presented with Goliath's sword, he was reminded that faith was what would carry him forward to the throne God had promised him.
Perhaps you find yourself in a tough spot right now. You launched out with the best of intentions to fulfill your purpose and do God's will. As you have, the enemy of your soul, who could not keep you from your purpose, is now trying to keep you from succeeding in it. He has created what I call "economic terrorism" to cause you to panic and run back to the comfort of what you used to do. Your friends seem to have disappeared and it's just you and God.
Next week, we'll continue to look at this concept of economic terrorism, but for now, are you eating stale bread and wondering how you're going to make ends meet? If so, you are not the first in history to be in such a place. God is building something good in you, but for now, you may be wondering what to do and where to go as you deal with your lack. Think about this during the coming week and I promise to be back next week with some advice on the way forward through your economic hard times. Blessings!