1 Samuel 23

Only a few Christians are called to be leaders, but all Christians are called to support and encourage one another. Jonathan never got to be a great leader, but he was a great man: his greatness lay in his humility, his loyalty, and his love. In fact, Jonathan never even became “second” to David; he was killed in battle before David took the throne (1 Samuel 31:1–2).

As the two friends parted for the last time, they renewed the covenant they had made earlier (1 Samuel 18:3; 20:14–17). Then Jonathan went home and continued in his father’s service (verse 18), while David remained in the Desert of Ziph.

19–23 The native inhabitants of the desert, the Ziphites, betrayed David’s location to Saul; they obviously feared Saul more than they feared David. They promised to assist Saul in his pursuit of David and his men.

This particular period in David’s life is referred to in the title of Psalm 54; in the Psalm, David pleads for deliverance from ruthless men, and then he affirms that God is his helper and sustainer. In retrospect, we can understand God’s purpose in leading David through these difficult trials: God was preparing David for leadership; He was teaching David to put his trust in God, not in men.

God intends that all of His children experience trials and testings. Our testings won’t be the same as David’s, but they will be exactly what we need to prepare us for the work God has given us to do. God knows each of our weak points that need to be strengthened; He trains and disciplines us for our good (see Hebrews 12:7–11; James 1:2–4).

For further discussion on the subject of testing and discipline, see Exodus 15:25–27 and comment; Word List: Discipline.

24–29 With the Ziphites’ help, Saul began to close in on David. David and his men were on one side of the rock, a small rocky mountain, and Saul was in hot pursuit. It seemed that this time David would be captured. But no, God had another plan: at that very moment word came to Saul that some Philistines were attacking his territory. And so he stopped chasing David and went and fought the Philistines instead. God has many ways to deliver His children, and He will act on our behalf in the right way and at the right time; we need only to put our trust in Him (see Exodus 14:10–14).