Ahimelech Stands Tall

Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said, And who is so faithful among all thy servants as David, which is the king’s son in law, and goeth at thy bidding, and is honourable in thine house? —1 Samuel 22:14

Saul sent for the entire family of Ahimelech, commanding they present themselves before him. Once they arrived, he accused them of aiding and abetting in a conspiracy against the throne. These were serious charges. Ahimelech did not pretend the events being discussed had never happened. He admitted that he had indeed given David food and a weapon, but he stressed his actions had been in support of a member of the king’s own retinue, and he had not known of the rift between David and Saul. He was, therefore, innocent of the charges but rather had only sought to aid David in the commission of a task designed by the king.

“And who is so faithful among all thy servants as David, which is the king’s son in law, and goeth at thy bidding, and is honourable in thine house? Did I then begin to enquire of God for him? be it far from me: let not the king impute any thing unto his servant, nor to all the house of my father: for thy servant knew nothing of all this, less or more” (1 Samuel 22:14, 15).

Ahimelech stated, “Did I then begin to enquire of God for him?” (v. 15).

What is the meaning of his response? “The implication is that if he had begun now, after knowing David’s status, to seek divine guidance for David, that would be giving aid to a recognized enemy of Saul, but that what he had done before he learned of the controversy between Saul and David should have no bearing on the question of his loyalty. With quiet dignity Ahimelech answered Saul’s charge that he had used the Urim and the Thummim in a way contrary to Saul’s ideas by stating that he had inquired for the one closest to Saul, one who had ever been loyal and devoted, and he had rendered his service to the messenger for the king. His last word was a denial that he had known anything of the situation.” Who would Saul believe—Doeg, a foreigner with a reputation for deceit, or Ahimelech, his own high priest? The man of God uttered the truth, and that made Saul even more furious.

Are you guilty of rash and hasty decisions when you feel wronged? Anger can blind us.