Kings and priests and spears, oh my

By Tom Pfingsten   |  Read the verses.

During this strange time in the history of Israel, God’s favor has shifted from Saul to David, but the power has yet to shift. With two kingdoms in conflict, the world’s idea of a king is contrasted against God’s idea of a king.

It’s natural to wonder why God leaves this bloodthirsty man on the throne. Why would God let Saul slaughter these priests and hunt the man after God’s own heart?

The answer lies in the counterintuitive way power works in God’s kingdom.

Verses 6-10.

When this scene opens, Saul is holding court under a tree with a spear in his hand like a scepter. This is a king who defends his throne with violence. A king who kills to keep his power.

David would later write about this, “Here is the man who grew strong by destroying others. But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God.” The symbol of Saul’s power is the spear, but the symbol of David’s power is the tree.

As his words reveal, Saul has reached maximum paranoia. He accuses his officers of conspiring against him and suggests that his own son is plotting his assassination. All it takes is for one bad actor, an Edomite named Doeg, to tip Saul over the edge with a half-truth, and the violent king is ready for more blood.

Now the blood of priests would be spilled. On this day, and again a thousand years later, the kingdom of Israel would be the greatest threat to its own priesthood.

Verses 11-19.

The rest of the passage bears out Saul’s vengeance in sickening detail. Ahimelech, an innocent priest caught up in the conflict between two kings, makes a valid defense, but it doesn’t matter. Saul is not interested in justice.

Saul doesn’t fight his own battles, he sends others. And when no self-respecting Israelite could be forced to kill Levites, the Edomite is willing to shed priestly blood. He not only murders eighty-five priests, but destroys the entire village, including women, children and livestock. This was truly a dark day for the priesthood in Israel.

Here is the man who grew strong by destroying life.

Verses 20-23.

We get the contrast in the way David greets Abiathar, the lone survivor of Saul’s attack. David is a king who shelters and protects. From this day on, the kingdom of David would be a safe place for priests, and the priesthood would flourish under his reign.

David is also a king who takes responsibility. When he says, “You will be safe with me,” David hints that he knows God’s hand is on him for the salvation of people who draw near to him.

Here is the man who grew strong by saving life.

In this passage, the world’s idea of a king is sitting under a tree, holding court with a spear in his hand. The king of Israel is putting priests to death. But a thousand years later, the priests of Israel would hold court and put their king to death.

At the cross, we see God’s idea of a king hanging on a tree with a spear in his side. This is his inauguration: Jesus is the man who grew strong by dying.

Like Abiathar, sinners draw near to Jesus seeking refuge in a sympathetic king. Jesus took responsibility not only for one tragedy or even the lives of a small community, but for the sins of the entire world. And rather than committing violence, he submitted to violence and spilled his own priestly blood, that those who should have been destroyed may find our shelter in him.