Law or Love

O. T. #632  "Law or Love"
November 10, 2015
1 Samuel 21-Part 2
So the priest gave him hallowed bread... 1 Samuel 21:6

LET IT GLOW

David deceived the priest Ahimelech by telling a lie about doing the king's business, being on a mission, and his men were waiting for him in a designated place. David proceeds to ask the priest for 5 loaves of bread or whatever was available.
The priest answered that they did not have regular, common bread, which anyone could eat, since it was of no special significance. There was only holy bread, the showbread, available, only to those young men which had not slept with any women recently (ceremonially unclean), and eaten in the holy place. This bread was restricted to only priests being allowed to eat it. It was considered holy bread because it had been dedicated to the Lord. So David assures the priest his men qualified.

Jesus refers to this occasion to show that it is the moral spirit of biblical laws that is most important, not the legalistic letter of the law(Mark 2:25-26). (Falwell)

Life Application Study Bible explains it this way:

Ahimelech put David's need and the life ahead of religious ceremony and fed him the consecrated bread. This upheld a higher law of love (Lev. 19:18. Centuries later, Jesus would refer to this incident to show that God's laws should be applied with compassion. To do good and to save life is God's greater law (Matt. 12:1-8).

So David took the Bread of the Presence, the hallowed bread, placed in the Tabernacle. Also, David asked for a sword or spear, since the king's business was urgent and he didn't have time to grab a weapon. Another lie spoken. The only sword available was the sword of Goliath, which  David used to cut off his head. That would have been a huge and heavy sword to carry with him on the run.

David's lies were not condoned. They cost 85 priests their life later. Didn't David's lie seem harmless at the time? Lies and other sins have serious consequences. The Israelites, in Leviticus 19:11, were instructed to not lie or deceive.

Are we teaching our children and grandchildren that lying is a sin and has consequences? Do we our self take it seriously?
Will we fulfill the law of love today by meeting another's needs? Some other verses on this topic include: Rom. 12:10, Heb. 13:1, 1 Peter 3:8, Eph. 5:2, Matthew 6.

Jesus is the Bread of Life, the bread for our soul. do we come to Him for spiritual food?

LET IT GROW

David and Ahimelech were not alone during. A man named Doeg was there that day. (verse 7)
What do we know about this man?

• He was a servant of Saul.
• He was detained before the LORD that day.
• He was an Edomite.
• He was the chiefest of the herdmen that belonged to Saul.

Doeg was the head shepherd of Saul's herd of mules. He witnessed this encounter above. He told Saul what transpired. Perhaps he was detained because it was the Sabbath and he embraced the Hebrew religion, so he was in the Tabernacle to study the law and worship. I tend to doubt this since he was such a violent man later. I think it was a way for God to get David to move on.

Psalm 52 was written by David after this. David had not given up on his God.
Verse 9 NIV says, I will praise Your forever for what You have done; in Your name I will hope, for Your name is good. I will praise You in the presence of Your saints.

Is God our hope? Do we praise Him for what He has done for us? Do we declare His goodness and praise Him to His saints?

LET IT GO

Tell the truth always, no matter the consequences.

Praise God for what He has done for me.

Place my hope in God only.

Praise Him in the presence of His saints.