The Crown – Episode 7 – Doeg the Edmoite

Saul’s disdain for David reaches a critical point forcing David to run for his life. Saul has thrown the spear at David again. He surrounds David’s house but his wife, Michal, helped him escape. She puts an idol in his bed and puts goat hair on it to fool Saul’s people. With the help of his best friend Jonathan, David escapes the kings plot. David is supposed to show up for a banquet but doesn’t to see of the king gets mad. Based on the king’s reaction Jonathan will shoot some arrows to let David know if it’s safe or not. It isn’t so David flees.

The fugitive David finds himself seeking refuge in several cities including the town of Nob where he receives help from the priest Ahimelek. He shares some bread of the presence with David (mentioned in the NT, Matthew 12) and he gives huim the sword of Goliath.

We are introduced to the villain of the story – Doeg an Edominte, Saul’s chief shepherd. He overhears all this.

Knowing Saul is just one step behind him David flees Nob. Saul has tracked David to Nob and interprets Ahimelek’s kindness to David as an act of treason and orders him to be put to death. Saul’s officials courageously refuse but up steps Doeg the Edomite who is more than happy to carry out the execution but not just of Ahimelek. Doeg kills 85 priests and Saul has the entire city of Nob destroyed. One priest, Abiathar, survives the massacre and flees to David. He will become a spiritual leader for David and eventually serve as High Priest.

Pretty sad stuff. Saul’s decline continues.

Lessons Learned:

(1) We are either getting closer to God or further from God and Saul is on a fast spiral down!

David illustrates the person who responds to God’s call and begins the lifelong process of transformation. Saul is the contrastive figure, who shows the natural and inevitable consequences of refusing God’s call. In this text, the two are going in opposite directions. The narrator has driven a wedge between Saul and David, and the distance is greater with each passing chapter.

Saul is slowly and gradually self-destructing, while David is successively growing in strength and self-assurance.

Arnold, B. T. (2003). 1 & 2 Samuel (p. 316). Zondervan.

(2) Saul has no need for priests or for religious ritual

Saul has no need for priests and the lack of spiritual rituals is contributing to his downfall.

Priests oversaw the rituals of the religion. Saul has already separated himself from Samuel and now he has separated himself from the priests. Separation from spiritual influences will destroy us as it destroyed Saul.

A word about ritual. Many times you hear the expression “spiritual but not religious.” That usually means people don’t go to church and are not involved in the rituals of any religion, but still make the claim to be spiritual. I can understand this to mean ritual can be meaningless. And I would agree with that. But on the other hand ritual is important to keep us connected to God and the spiritual. It would be similar to say I like the idea of having a garden but I am not fond of the rituals required to make a garden flourish.

This separation from ritual is a source of Saul’s downfall. There will be a time when you are tempted to give up the rituals of faith – church attendance, Bible Study, prayer, fasting, giving, communion. Know that these rituals are critical to your spiritual maintenance and your spiritual growth.

Hebrews 10:19–25 (NIV) — 19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Acts 2:42 (NIV) — 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

(3) The courage of Saul’s officials is an example to us.

1 Samuel 22:17 (NIV) — 17 Then the king ordered the guards at his side: “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because they too have sided with David. They knew he was fleeing, yet they did not tell me.” But the king’s officials were unwilling to raise a hand to strike the priests of the Lord.

Other biblical examples of defying authority:

The Hebrew Mid-wives

Exodus 1:15–17 (NIV) — 15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16 “When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.” 17 The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live.

Daniel’s three friends

Daniel 3:16–18 (NIV) — 16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

The early disciples

Acts 4:18–20 (NIV) — 18 Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! 20 As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

Acts 5:27–29 (NIV) — 27 The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. 28 “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.” 29 Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!

We need to be prepared to live in defiance of authority when it conflicts with God’s clearly stated will. Otherwise, we will see ourselves conforming to this world and not being transformed into the image of God.

This is such a sad story and it can happen to us, but it doesn’t have to. That’s one reason why these stories are preserved for us.

1 Corinthians 10:6 (NIV) — 6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did.

1 Corinthians 10:11–12 (NIV) — 11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!

Take these questions home:

Am I growing closer to the Lord or drifting further away?

Am I embracing the rituals of faith that will maintain me spiritually and help me grow spiritually?

Am I willing to stand up for what is right or do I compromise my faith in the face of threats?

David wrote a Psalm about this experience.

Psalm 52 (NIV)

For the director of music. A maskil of David. When Doeg the Edomite had gone to Saul and told him: “David has gone to the house of Ahimelek.”

1 Why do you boast of evil, you mighty hero? Why do you boast all day long, you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God? 2 You who practice deceit, your tongue plots destruction; it is like a sharpened razor. 3 You love evil rather than good, falsehood rather than speaking the truth. 4 You love every harmful word, you deceitful tongue! 5 Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin: He will snatch you up and pluck you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living. 6 The righteous will see and fear; they will laugh at you, saying, 7 “Here now is the man who did not make God his stronghold but trusted in his great wealth and grew strong by destroying others!” 8 But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever. 9 For what you have done I will always praise you in the presence of your faithful people. And I will hope in your name, for your name is good.

We are in a battle for our souls. Saul is losing terribly but you can be victorious. Through the power of the Lord you can experience victory.

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