1 Samuel 22:20-23 – Being responsible

As God has promised in 1 Samuel 2:33 that one of Eli’s descendants will be spared the onslaught. So we read in 1 Samuel 22:20 that Abiathar, one of Ahimelech’s son, was the one who was spared. He managed to escape the cruelty of Saul. Aptly, his name reflected this truth. Abiathar means “my father’s remains.” And he was the lone survivor of Ahimelech his father. He escaped the massacre ordered by Saul and fled to David who was likely to be located at Keilah. There he told David that Saul had slaughtered all the priests of the Lord at Nob.

David immediately realized that he was partly to be blamed for the massacre. He was already suspicious when he noticed Doeg lurking in the background in Nob while he was talking to Ahimelech. Taking the blame for it was only right, but taking the responsibility to ensure his safety was another. People in life may own up to their fault but not take on the responsibility to make an amendment for their mistakes. But David was not such a man, he not only took the blame but also promised to protect Abiathar to ensure his safety from the menacing Saul. Even at a time of his own difficulty, he assured Abiathar of his protection.

David’s response to the whole incident was admirable. He knew that it was on his account that Saul did what he had done to Ahimelech and his family. He undertook to make good for the lone survivor. Now both the king-to-be and his priest were fugitives. So Abiathar stayed with David and we will see that he became a priest to David in the next chapter. In life it is one thing to recognize one’s wrong, but quite another to own up to it and take needful responsibility. David could have just apologized to Abiathar and not promised him any protection. He could have reasoned selfishly that he was fleeing for his life and having to protect Abiathar from Saul would be bearing another burden. Yet he didn’t. He vouched to take care of him and ensure his safety. This leave us with a good impression of a leader. Beloved, we are all fellow sojourners in this spiritual journey. We must learn to bear each other’s burdens as we share each other’s joy. Like David, we need to ensure our own safety, but we must not neglect the plight of our fellow believers and be willing to help to ensure their safety.