Chapter 23

David goes to kill the Philistines who are raiding Keilah, after first consulting the Lord.  Saul decides that since David is now holed up in Keilah, he can kill him there by surrounding and besieging that city.  It has walls and gates and David cannot escape.  Saul mobilizes an army to this end.

David learns of this, and God reveals to David that if he stays where he is, he will fall into Saul's hands.  So David leaves, before Saul's army even gets there.  Saul gives up, and apparently demobilizes.  David moves around, staying in hiding in the wilderness of Ziph, on the run all the time, and Saul's soldiers continue to look for him.  I wonder what other evils were taking place while the king - the source of justice in the land - is so preoccupied with capturing David?  Surely like the US today, worrying about Covid-19 and now BLM and riots and such, there was a lot of crime that wasn't even being investigated.

Jonathan goes to see David in hiding.  Jonathan is able to find him.  These verses, speaking of yet another covenant between them.  And Jonathan even says he will help David to rule in Saul's place.  Jonathan says this though he is next in line to succeed Saul.  Jonathan will be king if David is killed.  Jonathan eschews all this.  Here is the verse:

17 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." [1Sa 23:17 ESV]

The Ziphites tell Saul that David is hiding among them and that they will turn him over if Saul will come down to get him.  Saul sends them back to make double sure they know exactly where David is - not just the area where he is - before he comes down.

Much cat and mouse as Saul tries to kill David.  At one point, Saul is closing in, but he receives a message that the Philistines are attacking.  Saul breaks off the pursuit of David and goes to fight the Philistines, so David escapes.  David now goes into hiding in the strongholds of Engedi.