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A reading from 1 Samuel. David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down there to him. And everyone who was in distress and everyone who was in debt and everyone who was bitter in soul gathered to him. And he became commander over them. And there were with him about 400 men. And David went from there to Mizpah of Moab. And he said to the king of Moab, please let my father and my mother stay with you till I know what God will do for me. And he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him all the time that David was in the stronghold. Then the prophet Gad said to David,
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do not remain in the stronghold.
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Depart and go into the land of Judah. So David departed and went into the forest of Hiroth. Now Saul heard that David was discovered and the men who were with him. Saul was sitting at Gibeah under the tamarisk tree on the height with his sphere in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him. And Saul said to his servants who stood about him, hear now, people of Benjamin, will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards? Will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds? That all of you have conspired against me? No one discloses to me when my son makes a covenant with the Son of Jesse. None of you is sorry for me or discloses to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me to lie in wait as at this day. Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who stood by the servants of Saul, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, and
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he inquired of the Lord for him
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and gave him provisions and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine. Then the king sent to summon Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, in all his father's house, the priests who were at Nob, and all of them came to the king.
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And and Saul said, hear now, son of Ahitub? And he answered, here I am, my lord. And Saul said to him, why have
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you conspired against me, you and the Son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and a sword, and have inquired of God for him, so that he has risen against me to lie in wait as at this day. Then Ahimelech answered the king, and who among all your servants is so faithful as David, who is the king's son in law and captain over your bodyguard, and honored in your house. Is today the first time that I have inquired of God for him? No. Let not the king impute anything to
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his servant or to all the house
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of my father, for your servant has known nothing of all this much or little. And the king said, you shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father's house. And the king said to the guard who stood about him, turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because their hand also is with David. And they knew that he fled and did not disclose it to me. But the servants of the king would not put out their hand to strike the priests of the Lord. Then the king said to Doeg, you turn and strike the priests. And Doeg, the Edomite turned and struck down the priests. And he killed on that day 85 persons who wore the linen ephod and nobility. The city of the priests he put to the sword. Both man and woman, child and infant, ox, donkey and sheep he put to the sword.
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But one of the sons of Ahimelech,
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the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord. And David said to Abiathar, I knew on that day when Doeg the Edomite was there that he would surely tell Saul, I have occasioned the death of all the persons of your father's house. Stay with me. Do not be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life with me. You shall be in safekeeping.
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Now they told David, behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are robbing the threshing floors. Therefore David inquired of the Lord, shall I go and attack these Philistines? And the Lord said to David, go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah. But David's men said to him, behold, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more than if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines. Then David inquired of the Lord again. And the Lord answered him, arise, go down to Keilah, for I will give the Philistines into your hand. And David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines and brought away their livestock and struck them with a great blow. And so David saved the inhabitants of Keilah. When Abiathar the son of Ahimelech had fled to David to Keilah, he had come down with an ephod in his hand. Now it was told Saul that David had come to Keilah and Saul said, God has given him into my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars. And Saul summoned all the people to war to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men. David knew that Saul was plotting harm against him, and he said to Abiathar the priest, bring the ephod here. Then David said, o Lord, the God of Israel, your servant has surely heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah to destroy the city on my account. Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down as your servant has heard, O Lord, the God of Israel, please tell your servant. And the Lord said, he will come down. Then David said, will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul? And the Lord said, they will surrender you. Then David and his men, who were about 600, arose and departed from Keilah, and they went wherever they could go. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up the expedition. And David remained in the strongholds in the wilderness, in the hill country of the wilderness of Ziphar. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not give him into his hand. David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh. And Jonathan, Saul's son, rose and went to David at Horesh and strengthened his hand in God. And he said to him, do not fear for the hand of Saul. My father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Saul, my father also knows this, and the two of them made a covenant before the Lord. David remained at Horesh, and Jonathan went home. Then the Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh on the hill of Akilah, which is south of Jeshimon? Now come down, O king, according to all your heart's desire to come down. And our part shall be to surrender him into the king's hand. And Saul said, may you be blessed by the Lord, for you have had compassion on me. Go, make yet more sure. Know and see the place where his foot is, and who has seen him there. For it is told me that he is very cunning. See therefore, and take note of all the lurking places where he hides and come back to me with sure information. Then I will go with you. And if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah. And they arose and went as if ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon and the Arabah to the south of Jeshimon. And Saul and his men went to seek him, and David was told. So he went down to the rock and lived in the wilderness of Moab. And when Saul heard that he pursued after David in the wilderness of Mohan, Saul went on one side of the mountain and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. And David was hurrying to get away from Saul. As Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them, a messenger came to Saul saying, hurry and come, for the Philistines have made a raid against the land. So Saul returned from pursuing after David and went against the Philistines. Therefore that place was called the Rock of Escape. And David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of Engedi. A reading from the Book of Psalms.
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Your hands have made and fashioned me. Give me understanding that I may learn your commandments. Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice, because I have hoped in your word. I know, O Lord, that your rules are righteous and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me. Let your steadfast love comfort me according to your promise to your servant. Let your mercy come to me that I may live for your law is my delight. Let the insolent be put to shame, because they have wronged me with falsehood. As for me, I will meditate on your precepts. Let those who fear you turn to me, that they may know your testimonies. May my heart be blameless in your statutes, that I may not be put to shame.
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A reading from the Book of Galatians.
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O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you. It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only, did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain? If indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith? Just as Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness? Know then, that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the Gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, in you shall all the nations be blessed. So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
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For all who rely on works of
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the law are under a curse. For it is written, cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law and do them. Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law. For the righteous shall live by faith. But the law is not of faith. Rather, the one who does them shall live by them. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written, cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. To give a human example, brothers, even with a man made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. Now, the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say and to offsprings referring to many, but referring to one and to your offspring who was Christ. This is what I mean. The law which came 430 years afterward does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God so as to make the promise void. For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise. But God gave it to Abraham by a promise. Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions. Until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made. And it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. Now an intermediary implies more than one. But God is one. Is the law then, contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not. For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. Now, before faith came, we were held captive under the law. Imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then the law was our guardian until Christ came in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek. There is neither slave nor free. There is no male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring. Heirs according to promise. I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything. But he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. In the same way, we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the
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elementary principles of the world.
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But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the spirit of his son into our hearts, crying Abba, Father, so you are no longer a slave, but a son. And if a son, then an heir through God. Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather, to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world who. Whose slaves you want to be? Once more you observe days and months and seasons and years. I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain. Brothers, I entreat you, become as I am. For I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong, you know. It was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first. And though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God. Ask Christ Jesus, what then has become of your blessedness? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me. Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth? They make much of you, but for no good purpose, they want to shut you out. Then you may make much of them. It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you. I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you. Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise. Now this may be interpreted allegorically. These women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery. She is Hagar. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia. She corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. For it is written, rejoice, O barren one who does not bear, break forth and cry aloud. You who are not in labor for the children of the Desolate One Will be more than those of the one who has a husband. Now, you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit. So also it is now. But what does the scripture say? Cast out the slave woman and her son. For the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman. So, brothers, we are not children of the slave, but of the free woman.
May 19, 2026 — 1 Samuel 22–23; Psalm 119:73–80; Galatians 3–4
In this May 19th episode, the podcast continues its journey through the ESV Bible with readings from 1 Samuel 22–23 (Old Testament), Psalm 119:73–80 (Psalms), and Galatians 3–4 (New Testament). The episode centers on themes of refuge amid persecution, steadfast hope in God’s word, and the transforming promise of sonship through faith in Christ.
David’s Refuge (00:01–02:00)
Saul’s Paranoia and the Massacre at Nob (01:00–03:14)
Deliverance at Keilah and Saul’s Pursuit (03:42–07:56)
Justification by Faith, Not by Law (08:38–09:31)
Purpose of the Law and the Coming of Christ (09:31–11:30)
Unity and Inheritance in Christ (11:17–12:10)
Adoption and Freedom (12:10–12:53)
Paul’s Pastoral Plea and Allegory of Hagar and Sarah (12:53–End)
David’s Burden for Abiathar:
“I have occasioned the death of all the persons of your father’s house. Stay with me. Do not be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life. With me you shall be in safekeeping.”
— David, 1 Samuel 22:22-23, (03:38)
Jonathan’s Encouragement:
“Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Saul, my father also knows this.”
— Jonathan, 1 Samuel 23:17, (06:12)
Paul’s Rebuke:
“O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?... Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?”
— Paul, Galatians 3:1-2, (08:38)
Promise of Adoption:
“Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”
— Paul, Galatians 4:6-7, (12:13)
The readings maintain the solemn, direct tone of scripture, expressing themes of desperation, hope, divine intervention, and pastoral concern. Paul’s passionate rebuke and affection toward the Galatians is especially notable, as is David’s grief and responsibility for Abiathar.
This episode unfolds the threads of human vulnerability and divine provision: David, anointed yet hunted, models dependence on God in crisis; the psalmist’s prayer is both vulnerable and trusting; and Galatians presents a passionate appeal to the freedom and identity believers have through faith in Christ—not by law, but by promise and adoption. The episode flows from Old Testament history and Psalms’ poetry to New Testament theology, reinforcing the constancy of God’s redemptive purpose.