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.”
— First Samuel 23:10
When Saul heard that David was in Keilah, he began to gather men to besiege the city. News of Saul’s plan reached David, and he inquired of the Lord whether the people he had rescued would turn him over to Saul. The Lord told him they would (1 Sam. 23:10–12). This probably surprised David. Having just rescued the city, no doubt he hoped he and his men could stay there awhile instead of hiding in the cave. He even had a priest by his side, a clear sign that the Lord was with him. Yet at that moment, news of Saul came, and David found out that those he rescued could not be trusted; they would betray him.
Therefore, David fled Keilah and made his abode in the strongholds in the wilderness. Those who serve the Lord may not necessarily have many good days. Eventually all that happened resulted in one thing: the realization that the Lord alone is trustworthy.
Adapted from David: After God’s Heart, pages 67-68.
Monday: “Oneness in the Book of Colossians” (1)