1 Samuel 22:16-19 – Leaving no loophole in life

Despite Ahimelech’s honest explanation, Saul was unconvinced. How could he since he had already made up his mind. He projected his negative thinking on the whole matter so he was unable to accept the truth. He saw Ahimelech collaborating with David as guilty of treason and pronounced the death sentence on him. He was not the only one to be executed but his father’s household would be executed too. None would be spared. Saul’s insecurity made him unreceptive to reason and truth. So he gave the order to the guards in attendance to slaughter the priests and his father’s family. But even these servants of his were more reasonable and had more compassion than him. They knew better not to touch the priests of the Lord. So there was a resistance that day and “None of them was willing to put forth their hands to attack the priests of the Lord.”  

But there was this Doeg, the one who spilled the news to Saul. The king turned to him and said, “You turn around and attack the priests.” He was willing to be Saul’s henchman and went about executing a great slaughter. Verses 18-19 said that Doeg “…attacked the priests, and he killed that day eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod. And he struck Nob the city of the priests with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and infants; also oxen, donkeys, and sheep he struck with the edge of the sword.” So Doeg utterly annihilated the whole city of priests at Nob. And all these were done under the watchful eye of Saul who stood in unspoken approval. Unwittingly Saul had become a bloody despot.

All these, however, did not take place in a vacuum.  For the wicked deeds of Phinehas and Hophni God had forewarned Eli in 1 Samuel 2:33 saying, “…all the increase of your house will die in the prime of life.” So we see what happened here was connected to Phinehas the great grandfather of Ahimelech. However, God did graciously promise that one of the sons would not be cut off. This would come to pass as we will see later. But for now  we are warned by what happened to Eli’s line, that we need to act and live rightly so that what we do will not affect our subsequent generations. This is a call for us not to leave loopholes that will affect our subsequent generations. We must seek to live and act right. What we do will bring a positive effect on our children and their children’s children. Live right for God!