Covenant Theology: Blessings, Curses, and Sanctions: The Hallelujah of Confession

Why God Allowed the Slaughter of the Priest

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Covenant Theology

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2007-08-16

Synopsis: John Weaver examines the slaughter of 85 priests at Nob, tracing it to God's sovereign judgment on the house of Eli for their wickedness. He emphasizes that God's judgments are certain, though often delayed, and that no one can outrun either His blessings or His curses. Applications include trusting God's timing, accepting personal responsibility, and recognizing that even the wicked instruments of judgment will face their own reckoning.

[John Weaver] We're going to read several passages, so I would encourage you to follow me. 1 Samuel chapter 21, and let's read the first 10 verses. 1 Samuel chapter 21, beginning with verse 1. Then came David to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Where art thou alone, and no man with thee? And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, The King hath commanded me of business, and hath said unto me, Let no man know anything of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee, and I have appointed my servants to such and such a place.

[John Weaver] Now therefore what is under thine hand? Give me five loaves of bread in mine hand, or what there is present." And the priest answered David and said, There is no common bread under my hand, but there is hallowed bread, if the young men have kept themselves at least from women. And David answered the priest and said unto him of a truth. Women have been kept from us about these three days since I came out of the vessels of the young men are holy and the bread is in a manner common.

[John Weaver] Yeah, though it was sanctified this day in the vessel. So the priest gave him hallowed bread, for there was no bread there but the showbread that was taken from before the Lord to put hot in the day when it was taken away.

[John Weaver] Now a certain man of the service of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord, and his name was Doeg in Edomite, the chiefest of the herdmen that belonged to Saul. And David said unto him, Elech, and is there not here under thine hand spear or sword? For I have neither brought my sword and my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste. And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod.

[John Weaver] If I will take that, take it, for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that, give it me. And David arose and fled that day for fear of Saul and went to Achish, the king of Gath.

[John Weaver] Now skip down to chapter 22 and begin with verse 6. When Saul heard that David was discovered and that the men that were with him now, and the men that were with him, now Saul abode in Gibeah under tree and Rhema having his spear in his hand and all his servants were standing about him. Then Saul said unto his servants that stood about him, Here now, you Benjamites, will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards and make you all captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, that all of you have conspired against me? And there is none that showeth me that my son hath made a league with the son of Jesse. And there is none of you that is sorry for me or showeth unto me that my son hath stirred up my servant against me to lie in wait as at this day. Then answered Doeg the Edomite, which was set over the servants of Saul, and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub.

[John Weaver] And he inquired of the warrant for him, and gave him ventils, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine. Then the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, and the priests that were in Nob. And they came, all of them, to the king. And Saul said, Here now, thou son of Ahitub. And he answered, Here am I, my lord. And Saul said unto him, Why have you conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him bread and a sword, and inquired of God for him, that he should rise up against me to lie in waiters at this day? Then him elect answered the king, and said, And who is so faithful among all the servants as David, who is the king's son-in-law, and goeth at thy bidding as an honorable in thine house? Did I then begin to inquire of God for him?

[John Weaver] Be it far from me. Let not the king impute anything into his servant, nor to all the house of my father, for thy servant knew nothing of all this, less or more. And the king said, Thou shalt surely die, him elect thou and all thy father's house." And the king said unto the footman that stood around about him, Turn and slay the priest of the Lord, because their hand also was with David, and because they knew when he fled, and they did not show it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priest of the Lord. And the king said to Doeg, Turn thou and fall thou upon the priest.

[John Weaver] And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priest and slew him that day four score and five persons that did wear the linen ephod." And Nob, the city of priests, smote he with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children, sucklings, and oxen, and sheep, and asses with the edge of the sword. And one of the sons of Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. And Abiathar showed David that Saul had slain the Lord's priests. And David said unto Abiathar, I knew it that day when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul, I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father's house.

[John Weaver] Abide thou with me, fear not. For he that seeketh my life, seeketh my life. But with me thou shalt be in safeguard." I want to bring a message today that God brought to my mind this week. I've been praying specifically about what to bring and I came in to some material, and it just upset me. It just kind of bothered me. And I thought, Lord, how in the world can I handle this? And this passage was brought to my mind, and so I want to refresh your mind with this truth as I did my own mind this week. And the message which I've entitled is simply this. You can't outrun God.

[John Weaver] You'll understand what I mean. But before I give you the biblical introduction, Someone sent me a link, and I checked it out, and the name of the link was Anthrax and Vested Interests. And I want to just read a little bit from this. Of course, in big bold letters, 100% chance of bio-attack in the United States, says The Networks. The possibility of terrorists using anthrax as a biological weapon in the United States has not gone unnoticed by the talking heads of the network and the cable news outlets. We've been told over and over again that there is a 100% chance of such an attack. 100%! Wow!

[John Weaver] What do the teleprompter readers know that we don't know? And why do they fail to mention how terrorists came into possession of anthrax? While searching the internet for answers to these questions, I came across the following quote from retired Air Force Major Glenn MacDonald. Former Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral William J. Crow Jr. was part of a crew that sold Saddam Hussein the deadly means to wage war with anthrax germs. That's when the United States wanted to butcher Baghdad to use anthrax on Iran. So it is Joint Chiefs of Staff, William J. Crow, Jr., who said it was the United States who sold Saddam Hussein the anthrax originally. Then he goes on. Admiral William J. Crow, Jr., seen right, was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1985 until he retired from the Navy in 1989. This is the era during which the United States government was backing Saddam Hussein just before the period of time when President George Herbert Walker Bush waged war on Iraq because Hussein was no longer considered an asset to the United States.

[John Weaver] Not only is it disturbing that such a means of mass destruction was provided to Saddam Hussein, and who knows how many others, by our own government, it is equally disturbing to consider that Admiral William J. Crow, Jr. is now in a position to reap profits from the sale of anthrax vaccine to the United States Department of Defense, or one shudders to think in a position to perhaps prevent the manufacture of the vaccine. Now listen carefully. Crowe is on the board of directors and owns 13%, a 13% share of the Lansing, Michigan-based Bioport Corporation, the only company in the United States licensed to make a vaccine for anthrax. His 13% share ensures that he will make a tidy profit from any sale of anthrax vaccine to the government.

[John Weaver] However, And this is what disturbs me most. Bioport has not produced a single drop of vaccine since they purchased Michigan Biological Products Institute from the state of Michigan in 1998. In the meantime, the Department of Defense advanced Bioport $18 million in 1999 and $24 million in 2000. Under contract to supply the military with 14 million doses, BioPort has delivered less than 4% of that amount, despite the government being willing to pay triple the original cost of the contract, from $3.50 a dose to over $10 a dose. Inspections of the BioPort facility by the FDA in 1999 and 2000 found contamination and suspicious changes made to expiration dates. The agency has barred the company from releasing any of the vaccine as a result. McDonnell has asked, why has the Pentagon fronted Bioport with millions of dollars in taxpayers' money when the troubled manufacturer has experienced continued failures?

[John Weaver] Does that have something to do with who some of the owners and investors are? Admiral Crowe is also an advisor to Global Options, LLC, an international crisis management firm based in Washington. Their website contains the slogan, The Corporate Equalizer. Also on the advisory board for global options is former director of the CIA, R. James Woolsey. And then he goes on with several other things.

[John Weaver] Now, the interesting thing is this. Let me give you this last quote. Under the disguise of invoking national emergency provisions, George W. Bush has ordered National Guard sentries to guard the Bioport facility in Lansing, Michigan. Bush has ordered under pretext of national security that employees and officials of Biport are forbidden to discuss with reporters, commentators, and researchers the nature of the ownership of Biport Corporation."

[John Weaver] Now, you know, when you stop and think about the wickedness, the double-dealing, the hypocrisy, You just stop and think, Lord, how in the world can people get away with what they get away with? Now, the point I want to make today is simply this. They can't. They can't. It appears in time and history, sometimes, The wicked never get caught, and the wicked never get punished. But that is not so. God always, always takes care of the wicked.

[John Weaver] Now, I don't know what's behind everything that's going on. I don't know who's behind everything that's going on. But I do know this. They shall not escape. As Deuteronomy 32 says, their foot shall slide in due time.

[John Weaver] Now, look in your Bibles to 1 Samuel chapter 19. I'm not going to take time to read these. I'm just going to review these and then get into the message so that you can see the importance of this one truth today. In 1 Samuel chapter 19, David escapes from King Saul. Remember now that the evil spirit from the Lord is upon Saul. The Spirit of the Lord has departed from Saul and has gone to David, and Saul is seeking to kill David. David never sought to kill Saul, by the way. Saul was seeking to kill David. And so, Jonathan then, Saul's son, intervenes for David. And he reminds Saul how David has jeopardized his own life, and how he took his life in his own hands and defeated Goliath of Gath in the Valley of Elah. And of course, Saul relents and he says, you're right, David really hasn't done anything wrong, I'm not going to kill him, I'm going to let him live. Well, the next thing you know, in chapter 19, David is there playing his harp before Saul and the evil spirit of the Lord comes upon from the Lord comes upon Saul.

[John Weaver] And the next thing you know, Saul is throwing a javelin at David, trying to smite him to the wall. On the one hand, he says he shall not die. And on the other hand, he's trying to kill him. Well, in chapter 19, then David escapes and he goes home. And he tells his wife Michael, he says, look, if I don't get away, I'm going to be a dead man by the morning. And so Michael then lets him down out of the window and she takes a bolster and puts in the bed and some goat's hair and put in the bed. And King Saul sends soldiers to kill David. And Michael comes up and says, look, David is sick. David can't even get out of bed. And there's just no way that David can come to Saul or anything like that. Well, when the soldiers come back and Saul wants to know, did you kill him? Did you get him? Oh no, he's sick in bed. Saul said, you dummies, bring him to me that I may kill him.

[John Weaver] So they go back and lo and behold, they find David gone. and the goat's hair, and the bolster in the bed. And then Saul looks at his daughter, Michael, and he says, Why have you done this to me? Oh, she said he threatened to kill me. I had to go along, you know. Of course, he had not threatened to kill her. And she was covering for her husband, which was understandable. Now, when you get to chapter 20, Saul is still seeking to kill David. David and Jonathan saw his son had entered into a covenant to the Lord. And David tells Jonathan, he said, as I live, there's not but a step between me and death. And so Jonathan said, don't say that. Oh yes, he said, your father's going to kill me. No, he said, my father's not going to do anything unless he tells me, David said, Jonathan, don't be naive. He's not going to tell you, lest you be green, but he intends to kill me. Jonathan said, all right, I'll do whatever you want to do.

[John Weaver] What's the plan? David said, here's the plan. This is the new moon. And I must go and eat at Saul's table. But I'm going to stay out three days. And if Saul asks you where I am, you tell him that I ask you permission to go visit my family because my family has a yearly sacrifice in Bethlehem, and that's where I am.

[John Weaver] Now, if your father says, well, okay, that's fine. I know it's, you know, I'm safe. But if your father becomes enraged, you know that he's determined to kill me. And Jonathan said, all right, that's what we'll do. But now, Jonathan, here's what I'm going to do. When I find out, I'm going to come out here by the stone easel where you're hiding, I'm going to take my bow and shoot some arrows. I'm going to have a young boy with me. And if I say to the young boy, the arrows are on this side, then you pick them up and come out, everything's safe. But if I say to the young lad, the arrows are further, go on, go on further, then you know that evil is determined and you can get away. So sure enough, after about the second day, Saul looked at Jonathan and said, where's David? Why?

[John Weaver] He said he asked permission to go to his family's yearly sacrifice in Bethlehem, and I let him go. Saul became so enraged, he cursed his son. He said, thou son of a rebellious, perverse woman, do I not know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion? And he picked up a javelin and tried to kill Jonathan. And Jonathan escaped, and he knew that his father intended to kill David.

[John Weaver] And so he shot those Arabs. And he told the boy, they're beyond you, they're beyond you. And the boy found the arrows, and he took the arrows and the bow and then sent the boy back, and he and David said their goodbyes. At this point, it's when you pick it up in 1 Samuel, chapter 21, where David escapes, and he comes now to Nob, the city of the priests, to a Himalaya.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to ask you a question. My question is, why did David go to a Himalaya? The Bible tells us that here he and the young men that were with him ate the hallowed bread. This was the show bread. This was the bread that was set daily before the Lord fresh. And when David asked for it, the priest said, well, you know, If you've at least kept yourself from women, well, he said of a truth for three days now. And so the priest let him eat the bread. But I want you to notice what David begins doing in verse two. Notice verse one, a Himalaya is afraid when he sees David in verse one, he says, Why are thou alone and no man with thee? So David evidently approached them him himself. The other young men hung back and David said unto him, elect the priest.

[John Weaver] The king hath commanded me a business. It said to me, let no man know anything of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee, and I have appointed my service to such and such a place."

[John Weaver] Now, David said, the reason I'm alone is, first of all, the king has told me to get about this particular business and not to tell anybody. So I can't tell you about my mission. So that's his first lie that he gives to Himalaya. Notice the second lie, if you would please. In verse 8, And David said unto him, Elect is there not here under thine hand spear or sword? For I have neither brought my sword or my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste. Why, now the king has sent me on a special mission, and I just didn't even have time to get my weapons I left so quickly. That's the second bald-faced lie that David now has told the priest.

[John Weaver] I want you to know what happens from this is that Doeg, the Edomite, kills 85 of the Lord's priests. Look, if you would please, chapter 22, beginning there with verse 9. In fact, let's go back and read, beginning there with verse 6. When Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men that were with him, now Saul abode in Gibeah under a tree in Ramah, having speared his hand, and all of his servants were standing about him." Watch this. Then Saul said to his servants that stood about him,"'Hear now, you Benjamites!

[John Weaver] Will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards and make you all captains of thousands and captains of hundreds?' While Saul was saying, if David takes over and David gets to be king, Do you think he's going to treat you any better than I'm treating you? And by the way, you see, Saul was a Benjamite himself. David was not a Benjamite. So, he said, is he going to treat you any better? Look in verse 8. He says, that all of you have conspired against me, and there is none that showeth unto me that my son hath made a league with the son of Jesse. And watch this, and there is none of you that feel sorry for me, and that showeth unto me that my son hath stirred up my servant against me to lie and wait in this day. Well, Jonathan had not stirred up David to lie and wait for him. Verse 9, Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who was set over the servants of Saul, and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Himalek the son of Ahitub, and he inquired of the Lord for him, and gave him vittles, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.

[John Weaver] I want you to know that Doeg now lied. It is true the priest gave him the hall of bread. It is true the priest gave him the sword of Goliath. But the priest did not inquire of the Lord for David. So Doeg is now adding this particular little scenario to what actually happened. And then of course the king sends for Ahimelech and all the priests. And he basically accuses them of conspiracy, of treason. And he tells Ahimelech, look, in verse 13, Saul said unto him, What have you conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him bread, and a sword, and is part of God for him, that he should rise against me to lie in waitings at the stake? Why are you in this conspiracy? And the priest answered, said, Look, David is your son-in-law.

[John Weaver] Everyone knows how faithful he is. Everyone knows how honorable he is in thine house. And then he says in verse 15, Did I begin to inquire of God for him? God forbid! Far be it from me. Then look what he says, Let not the king infuse anything into his servant, or to all of the house of my father. For thy servant knew nothing of all this, less or more. So Amalek said, Look, I don't know what you're talking about.

[John Weaver] It is true that David came to me. It is true that I gave him the sword. I gave him food. I didn't inquire on him. I didn't inquire of the Lord for him. I mean, he's your son-in-law. What was I to do? What was I to think? And then Saul says in verse 16, Thou shalt surely die, Himalek, thou, look, and all thy father's house. And then Saul orders his soldiers to kill the Lord's priests. They refuse. And rightly so.

[John Weaver] But then he looks to Doeg and Edomite, not an Israelite, but an Edomite. And he says, Fall thou upon the priests of the Lord. And Doeg slew eighty-five of the priests of the Lord. And then he went to Nob, the city of the priests. And he killed the women, and the children, and the ox, and the asses, and the sheep, and everything that was there. He slaughtered them all.

[John Weaver] Now, I've got a question. Go back in 1 Samuel chapter 21 and verse 7. Remember now that David escapes to Ahimelech at Nob. The first thing David does is lie to him. You say, why did he lie to Ahimelech? He thought he was saving him. He probably thought, I don't want to get him involved. And if he really didn't know anything, you know, nothing's going to happen. But look at verse 7. Now, David has gone to Himalaya, the priest at Nob. Now, a certain man of the service of Saul was there that day, that is at Nob, detained before the Lord. And his name was Doeg and Enomite, the chiefest of the herdmen that belonged to Saul. Now, I've got a question to ask you. Why did God detain Doeg and keep him there so that Doeg could see and hear everything that went on? Is not God absolutely sovereign? The answer is yes. God could have removed Doeg before David ever got there. Or God could have shut his eyes and shut his ears and not let him see nor hear anything that David had said.

[John Weaver] But God didn't do that. God detained Doeg so Doeg could see what Ahimelech did for David and hear what Ahimelech and David said. It is almost as if God wanted those priests slain. Isn't that amazing? Could it possibly be that God wanted 85 of His own priests slain and their city destroyed? In order to answer those questions, we've got to determine who Ahimelech is. If you look in 1 Samuel 21 and verse 1, then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest. That's all that he's referred to as in verse 1, Ahimelech the priest. But when you get to chapter 22, if you look at verse 9, Then answered Doeg the Edomite, which was set over the servants of Saul, and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob to Himalek, the son of Ahitab. Now he's called the son of Ahitab. Look in verse 12. And Saul said, Hear now, thou son of Ahitab. And he, that is Himalek, answered, Here I am, my lord. So he's called the son of Ahitab.

[John Weaver] Look in verse 20. And one of the sons of Ahimelech, the son of Ahitab, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. Once again, he's called the son of Ahitab.

[John Weaver] Now, out of all the priests that were slain, out of all the women and children that were slain, Only a Biathar escaped. Look in verse 20. And one of the sons of Himelech, the son of Ahitab, named a Biathar, escaped and fled after David. So all the priests, all the women and children were killed except a Biathar.

[John Weaver] Now we've got to find out who in the world Ahimelech is. We know he's the son of Ahithah, but who in the world is Ahithah? Why in the world would God want him killed? Well, look in your Bibles to 1 Samuel chapter 14. 1 Samuel chapter 14, and let's begin reading there with verse 3. 1 Samuel chapter 14 in verse 3. Now watch carefully. And Ahiah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the Lord's priest in Shiloh, wearing an ephod.

[John Weaver] And the people knew not that Jonathan was gone. Now, go back to verse 3. And Ahiah, some of you will have marginal references. And when you will look in the marginal reference, you will find another name for Ahiah. What is it? A Himalak. So Ahaiah and Ahimelech are one and the same person. Now watch this. And Ahaiah or Ahimelech, the son of Ahitab, Ichabod's brother. So now we now know that Ahimelech is the son of Ahitab. And Ahitab and Ichabod were brothers.

[John Weaver] You say, what does that mean? Well, let's go back to 1 Samuel 4. Let's find out. 1 Samuel 4, and let's begin reading there with verse 19. The Philistines have invaded Israel. They've captured the Ark of the Covenant. Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, are both killed in the battle. And the Bible says in verse 19, 1 Samuel 4, and his daughter-in-law, Phinehas' wife, was with child near to be delivered, and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father-in-law, that is, Eli, and her husband, Phineas, were dead, she bowed herself in travail, for her pains came upon her.

[John Weaver] About the time of her death, the women that stood by her said in her fear not, for thou hast born a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard it. And she named the child Ichabod, saying the glory is departed from Israel because the ark of God was taken and because of her father-in-law and her husband. And she said the glory is departed from Israel for the ark of God is taken. So Ichabod then is the last child born, the youngest son of Phineas. So if a Himalaya is the son of a high tub, that means then that a high tub and Ichabod are brothers. That means their father is Phineas.

[John Weaver] You said, Brother Weaver, I don't understand why you're pressing this fact. Well, I want you to understand In 1st Samuel chapter 4 and verse 4, go there, 1st Samuel 4 and verse 4. So the people sent to Shiloh that they might bring from hence the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubims and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark and the covenant of God.

[John Weaver] Now, let's chase this thing back. We've got a Himalayan priest. Ahimelech is the son of Ahitab. Ahitab is the brother of Ichabod, which means that Phineas is their father. Phineas is the son of Eli. So you go then from Ahimelech to Ahitab to Phineas to Eli. You say, what is so significant about that? Well, go back to 1 Samuel 2. You're going to find that God pronounces doom, judgment, death upon Eli and his descendants for their wickedness and their rebellion against him. Notice in 1 Samuel 2, and let's begin reading there with verse 27. 1 Samuel 2, verse 27. And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy father when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh's house?

[John Weaver] And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, and to offer upon my altar to burn incense, and to wear an ephod before me? And did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings made by the fire of the children of Israel?

[John Weaver] Now let's just stop there. God said, Look, Eli, I chose your fathers. And since you were in their loins, that means I chose you as well. But I also gave you your offerings. I told you what belonged to the priest. And I also told you what belonged to me. You know now watch verse twenty nine wherefore take you at my sacrifice and at mine offering which I have commended in my habitation and honors my sons above me to make yourselves fat with the cheapest of all the offerings of Israel my people. So let me tell you what you're doing Eli. You're not taking what I've given you. You're taking what you want. You and your sons are stealing from me. You're guilty, Eli, not necessarily from the fact that you're doing the taking yourself, but you are allowing your wicked, rebellious sons to steal from me. Ah, let's go further. He says in verse 30, Wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house and the house of thy father should walk before me forever.

[John Weaver] Now look what God says. But now the Lord said, Be it far from me for them that honor me, I will honor and them that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. God said, Let me give you a principle, Eli. If you honor me, I will honor you. If you despise me, I will despise you. He says, Behold, the days come that I will cut off an arm in the arm of my father's house that there shall not be an old man in my house. And I shall see an enemy in my habitation and all the wrath which God shall give and all the wealth which God shall give Israel. And there shall not be an old man in my house forever. And the man of mine whom I shall not cut off from my altar.

[John Weaver] shall be to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thine heart, and all the increase of thine house shall die in the flower of their age. And this shall be a sign unto thee, that that shall come upon my two sons on Hophni and Phinehas, in one day they shall die, both of them." And I will raise me up a faithful priest that shall do according to all that which is in mine heart and in my mind, and I will build him a sure house, and he shall walk before mine anointed forever. And it shall come to pass that everyone that is left in thine house shall come and crouch to him for a piece of silver and for a morsel of bread, and shall say, Put me, I pray thee, in one of the priest's offices, that I may eat a piece of bread."

[John Weaver] Now look what God has told Eli. He said, Eli, I'm going to cut you off. I'm going to cut your family off. You're not going to be my priest any longer. Moreover, I'm going to kill your children in the fire of their age. And any man that lives to be an old man in your house, he's going to be a beggar. He's going to be worthless and powerless and useless.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to notice how this was confirmed. Look in 1 Samuel 3, beginning there in verse 11, because God now tells Samuel, who's going to take Eli's place, by the way. And I'll tell you a little bit more of what these wicked sons of Eli did, but look in 1 Samuel 3, in verse 11. And the Lord said unto Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel at which both the ears of everyone that heareth it shall tingle. In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house." And I want you to note these next words. These are fearful words. God says, and when I begin, I'll also make an end.

[John Weaver] Let me kind of paraphrase that. God says, don't get me started. But when I get started, I finish the job. So he says, when I begin, I will also make an end for I have told him. God said, this is no secret I've told Eli, I've told him I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knoweth. Because his sons made themselves vile and he restrained them not, they were committing fornication with women at the door of the tabernacle. Plus, stealing the sacrifices of God. And Eli didn't stop them. Verse 14, Therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering For ever. Now I want you to see what God has done. God said, Eli, I'm going to judge you. I'm going to judge your house. Because you and your sons have made yourselves vile. You've honored yourselves before you've honored me. And God says, when I begin, I will make an end. Now, are you listening? The first installment of God's judgment came in 1 Samuel 4 and verse 11, when the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were killed the same day.

[John Weaver] 1 Samuel chapter 4, verse 11. The Bible says,"...and the ark of God was taken, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain." Remember, God said, this is assigned to you. I'm going to judge your house. You're going to lose both your sons in one day. So, Hophni and Phinehas die. That's the first installment of God's judgment. The second installment comes In Ahimelech's lifetime, in 1 Samuel chapter 22, where 85 priests, who were all descendants of Eli, were killed.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to notice something. I want you to listen to me. I'm going to say this before I close again today. God's paydays are not always on Friday. You see, God slew Hophni and Phinehas in a relatively short period of time after he told Eli he's going to kill them both. But then it went from Phinehas to a high tub to a hemlock. You see what I'm saying?

[John Weaver] What was that, another 50, 80 years? And God's judgment fell again. Oh, but you say, Brother Weaver, You have told me that God said he's going to wipe out Eli's house, but I listened to you read this scripture a while ago, and I know that Abiathar escaped. In fact, I can show you the verse. It's found in 1 Samuel chapter 22, and if you look in verse 20, and one of the sons of him elect, the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. God did not get them all. Abiathar escaped. It is true that Abiathar escaped temporarily. And Abiathar was with David and was faithful when he was with David. But after David's death, he turned against Solomon. And if you look in your Bibles, the first Kings chapter 2, And let's begin reading there with verse 26. 1 Kings 2 verse 26. Look what the Bible says. 1 Kings 2 verse 26. And unto Abiathar the priest, the king, that is King Solomon, the king said, Get thee to Anathoth into thine own fields, look what he tells him, for thou art worthy of death.

[John Weaver] because he was with Solomon's opponent from the throne. He said unto Abiathar the priest, and thus saith the king, Get thee to thou thoughts of thine own fields, for thou art worthy of death. But I will not at this time put thee to death, because thou barrest the ark of the Lord God before David my father, and because thou hast been afflicted in all wherein my father was afflicted. So Solomon thrust out Abiathar from being priest unto the Lord. that he might fulfill the word of the Lord which he spake concerning the house of Eli and Shiloh." Did God get them all? He got them all. What did God say?

[John Weaver] When I begin, I will also make an end. Now, I want to spend the rest of my time this morning making applications. I want you to remember this one truth. I'm going to show it to you from the scriptures. God's judgments are sure and certain. God's judgments are sure and certain. His paydays are not always on Friday. And just because God does not instantly and immediately slap a wicked person down, does not mean that that wicked person has escaped. There are wicked people that have done great harm to the people of God, and yet they seemingly are still in power. And nothing appears to have happened unto them yet. I want you to look in your Bibles.

[John Weaver] I want you to find two passages, Deuteronomy 28 and Zechariah chapter 1. Now Zechariah is a minor prophet. It will be right before the book of Malachi, next to the last book in the Bible. So I want you to find Zechariah chapter 1 and just hold that passage. We're going to come back there. But go first in your Bibles to Deuteronomy chapter 28. In Deuteronomy 28, you have the blessings and the curses, OK? The blessings and the curses. Deuteronomy 28 is one of the most important passages in the Bible. It may interest you to know that the presidents of the United States used to take their oath of office with their hand upon the open Bible to Deuteronomy 28, because they realize we are a covenanted nation, and they realize as long as we obey God, God would bless us. They also realize when we disobey God, God would curse us. So I want you to look, if you would please, beginning with verse 1, and let me just show you something concerning the blessings, first of all.

[John Weaver] God said, And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and do all his commandments, which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all the nations of the earth. So if you obey me, said God, I will set you on high. And all these blessings shall come on thee and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God. And then he gives you all these blessings.

[John Weaver] Now I want to call your attention to the word overtake. God says now if you obey me all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you so here you are obeying God Bringing your life into conformity to his word honoring him And God starts blessing you and blessing you and blessing you, and you say, look, I've got so many blessings, I don't need any more. And here you are running down the road as hard and as fast as you can, trying to outrun the blessings of God. God says, I've got news for you. My blessings will run you down, chase you down, knock you down and fall all over you, and you can't stop them.

[John Weaver] That sounds good to me. But unhappily, that's not the whole story. Because if you'll skip down to verse 15, God says this. But it shall come to pass if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, that is, if you will not obey, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day, that all these curses shall come upon thee and overtake thee.

[John Weaver] So here you are, disobeying God, living in rebellion, being wicked, doing your own thing, and you're running down the road as fast and as furiously as you can, trying to outrun and escape the judgment and the curse of God. God said, I got news for you. You can't run fast enough. My curses, my judgments will chase you down and run you down and knock you down and fall all over you. And you can't stop them.

[John Weaver] Look in your Bibles to the book of Zechariah chapter 1. Look at this testimony. The fathers had to come up with this true confession. Zechariah chapter 1 verse 2. Old Zechariah says, The Lord hath been sore displeased with your fathers. Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Turn you unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. Then he tells them, Be not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Turn you now from your evil ways and from your evil doings. But they did not hear nor hearken unto me, saith the Lord. Now watch. They did not hear nor hearken.

[John Weaver] They were living their lives, doing their thing without regard to God and his law. And then God says in verse five, Your fathers, where are they? Your prophets, do they live forever? But as my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants, the prophets, did they not take hold, or did they not overtake your fathers? And they returned and said, like as the Lord of hosts thought and do unto us according to our ways and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us." What did they confess? God's Word is true.

[John Weaver] His curses, they overtook us. His judgments caught up with us. We could not escape. Folks, it is no different today than it was in Zacharias' time or in Moses' time. The Word of God is absolutely, totally sure.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to turn in your Bible. I know you can quote it, but I want you to turn to 1 Peter 4. 1 Peter 4. You say, but Brother Weaver, it seems as if a lot of Christians Or suffering now as well, yes. A lot of disobedient Christians. Look what God says in verse Peter 4 and verse 17. For the time has come that judgment must begin where? At the house of God. And if it first begin at us, look at this question. What shall the end of them be that obey not the gospel of God?

[John Weaver] Let me tell you something, folks. If in the judgment of God, we His people are chastised, what in the world is going to happen to those who are not His people? You see what I'm saying? God only chastises His own. He doesn't condemn them and destroy them. He just whips them like we do a disobedient child. But God says, will you see what I do to the wicked? And if I will whip my own for their disobedience and their rebellion, what in the world will I do with the wicked? You see, folks, God's judgments are absolutely sure and absolutely certain. God will deal with the wicked.

[John Weaver] It may not be today. It may be tomorrow. And God may knock some down tomorrow, and it may be ten years later before God gets the rest of them. But God will get them. God will get them. Rest in the Lord. Trust in the Lord. But make sure you understand God will judge the wicked. Here's the second application. Go back in your Bibles to First Samuel, Chapter 21. Here it is. First Samuel, Chapter 21, David flees to Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech says, David, why are you alone? Why?

[John Weaver] He said, the king is commanding me a business. And I, you know, I had to leave quickly and it's a secret mission. I'm not supposed to tell anybody. And then David said, is there a weapon here? Why? He said, where are yours? Why? David said, I had to leave in such haste, I didn't have time to get them. Here's the application. Things do not always turn out.

[John Weaver] the way we want them to and the way we plan them. Probably, I have no doubt in my mind that David, being a man of virtue, did not want to involve the Himalaya in his problems. And he probably thought he was saving Himalaya's life and the lives of those with Himalaya by being untruthful. And Himelech confessed and he told the truth. He told the Saul, he said, your servant knew nothing less nor more. All I know is David came to me.

[John Weaver] I did inquire of God for him. I did give him bread. I did give him the sword. But he's your son-in-law. Who's as faithful and as honorable as David? You see, David evidently tried to protect a Himalaya, and keep him out of it. But it just didn't turn out that way. You know something, people? No matter how hard we try, we cannot even protect ourselves from evil and death, much less anyone else. We try to keep other people out of problems, and many times we can't. We can plan, we can prepare, we can scheme, we can do whatever we want to, but ultimately we've got to understand that God is sovereign. Things do not always turn out the way we want them to.

[John Weaver] Now listen, that's not only true concerning Christians. That's also true concerning the wicked. What does God say? He shall fall in the pit which he has digged. It's going to return upon his own head. All the wicked plans and schemes will ultimately come to nothing. There is no wisdom, nor counsel, nor understanding against the Lord. Here's the third application, and I want you to look, if you would please, in 1 Samuel 22 and verse 22.

[John Weaver] Boy, this is something that is very seldom seen today. We must learn to assume personal responsibility for our actions. What happens? Abathur escapes, and the Bible says, In verse 21, in a Biathar showed David that Saul had slain the Lord's priest. Verse 22, and David said unto a Biathar, I knew it. I knew it that day when Doeg the Edomite was there that he would surely tell Saul, I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father's house. David said, I take full responsibility. I knew what was going to happen when I saw Doeg there. I knew he'd tell Saul. But he says to Abiathar, fear not. He that seeketh thy life, seeketh my life.

[John Weaver] Be with me, and thou shalt be in safe guard. I'll protect you, Abiathar. And David did. But David was assuming full responsibility for his actions.

[John Weaver] Now, there's one other thing we've got to learn, and that is this. Even when God uses the wicked as an instrument of His wrath, they have their certain and sure judgments as well. It was true God detained Doeg. And Doeg saw, and Doeg heard, and Doeg told Saul, and Doeg murdered the priests of the Lord and all those women and children. But if you look in your Bibles, the Psalm 52. Psalm 52 is a psalm that David wrote against Doeg. Look at it, Psalm 52, verse one.

[John Weaver] Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? He's talking about Doeg. Doeg was the chiefest of the herdsmen of Saul. Why boastest thou thyself in thy mischief, O mighty man? Lord, you've killed the Lord's priests, you've killed women and children. The goodness of God endureth continually. Thy tongue devises mischief like a sharp razor working deceitfully. Thou lovest evil more than good, and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue. God shall likewise destroy thee forever. He shall take thee away and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living.

[John Weaver] The righteous shall also see in fear, and shall laugh at him. Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in wickedness." David says,"'But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God, and I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever. I will praise thee forever, because thou hast done it, and I will wait on thy name, for it is good before thy saints.'" What does God say about Noah? God said, Lord, you will destroy him, you will pluck him out of his dwelling place, you will root him out of the land of the living. The Bible says in Psalm 37, the wicked shall be destroyed, thine eyes shall see it when the Lord cuts the wicked off from the land of the living. You can't outrun God, either in blessings or curses.

[John Weaver] That is true individually, familially, ecclesiastically, and nationally. That's why the Scripture says, blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. But the nations that forget God shall be turned into hell. You can't outrun God, either His blessings or His curses. Father, we ask Thee today to help us, to teach us, to strengthen us, to build us up in the most holy faith, to make us, Father, totally dependent upon Thee, trusting in Thee, leaning upon Thee, understanding that we're responsible to obey, but You're the one that must work things out. We give Thee the praise and the honor and the glory in Christ's name. Amen.

Why God Allowed the Slaughter of the Priest

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	81607815330
Subject	Covenant Theology
Course	Covenant Theology: Blessings, Curses, and Sanctions: The Hallelujah of Confession
Genre	Sermon
Date	2007-08-16
Dictation Name
Book	Book 042: Covenant Theology: Blessings, Curses, and Sanctions: God's Answer to America's Problems — Chapter 8
Source Timed Segments	77

Formatted Transcript

Introduction: The Slaughter at Nob

Reading of 1 Samuel 21-22 recounting David's visit to Ahimelech, Doeg's report, and Saul's order to kill the priests.

We're going to read several passages, so I would encourage you to follow me. 1 Samuel chapter 21, and let's read the first 10 verses. 1 Samuel chapter 21, beginning with verse 1. Then came David to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Where art thou alone, and no man with thee? And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, The king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me, Let no man know anything of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee, and I have appointed my servants to such and such a place.

Now therefore what is under thine hand? Give me five loaves of bread in mine hand, or what there is present. And the priest answered David and said, There is no common bread under my hand, but there is hallowed bread, if the young men have kept themselves at least from women. And David answered the priest and said unto him, Of a truth, women have been kept from us about these three days since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in a manner common. Yea, though it were sanctified this day in the vessel. So the priest gave him hallowed bread, for there was no bread there but the showbread that was taken from before the Lord, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.

Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord, and his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of the herdmen that belonged to Saul. And David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thine hand spear or sword? For I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste. And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If thou wilt take that, take it, for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me. And David arose and fled that day for fear of Saul and went to Achish, the king of Gath.

Now skip down to chapter 22 and begin with verse 6. When Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men that were with him, now Saul abode in Gibeah under a tree in Ramah, having his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him. Then Saul said unto his servants that stood about him, Hear now, ye Benjamites; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, and make you all captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, that all of you have conspired against me? And there is none that showeth me that my son hath made a league with the son of Jesse. And there is none of you that is sorry for me or showeth unto me that my son hath stirred up my servant against me to lie in wait, as at this day. Then answered Doeg the Edomite, which was set over the servants of Saul, and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub.

And he inquired of the Lord for him, and gave him victuals, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine. Then the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, and the priests that were in Nob. And they came, all of them, to the king. And Saul said, Hear now, thou son of Ahitub. And he answered, Here am I, my lord. And Saul said unto him, Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him bread and a sword, and hast inquired of God for him, that he should rise up against me to lie in wait, as at this day? Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said, And who is so faithful among all thy servants as David, who is the king's son-in-law, and goeth at thy bidding, and is honorable in thine house? Did I then begin to inquire of God for him?

Be it far from me. Let not the king impute anything unto his servant, nor to all the house of my father, for thy servant knew nothing of all this, less or more. And the king said, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou and all thy father's house. And the king said unto the footmen that stood about him, Turn and slay the priests of the Lord, because their hand also was with David, and because they knew when he fled, and they did not show it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the Lord. And the king said to Doeg, Turn thou and fall upon the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests and slew on that day fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod. And Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings, and oxen, and asses, and sheep, with the edge of the sword. And one of the sons of Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. And Abiathar showed David that Saul had slain the Lord's priests. And David said unto Abiathar, I knew it that day when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul: I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father's house.

Modern Parallel: Wickedness and Hypocrisy

Weaver shares a contemporary example of alleged government corruption involving anthrax vaccines to illustrate that wickedness seems to go unpunished.

You'll understand what I mean. But before I give you the biblical introduction, someone sent me a link, and I checked it out, and the name of the link was "Anthrax and Vested Interests." And I want to just read a little bit from this. Of course, in big bold letters, "100% chance of bio-attack in the United States," says The Networks. The possibility of terrorists using anthrax as a biological weapon in the United States has not gone unnoticed by the talking heads of the network and the cable news outlets. We've been told over and over again that there is a 100% chance of such an attack. 100%! Wow!

What do the teleprompter readers know that we don't know? And why do they fail to mention how terrorists came into possession of anthrax? While searching the internet for answers to these questions, I came across the following quote from retired Air Force Major Glenn MacDonald. Former Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral William J. Crowe Jr. was part of a crew that sold Saddam Hussein the deadly means to wage war with anthrax germs. That's when the United States wanted to butcher Baghdad to use anthrax on Iran. So it is Joint Chiefs of Staff, William J. Crowe Jr., who said it was the United States who sold Saddam Hussein the anthrax originally. Then he goes on. Admiral William J. Crowe Jr., seen right, was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1985 until he retired from the Navy in 1989. This is the era during which the United States government was backing Saddam Hussein just before the period of time when President George Herbert Walker Bush waged war on Iraq because Hussein was no longer considered an asset to the United States.

Not only is it disturbing that such a means of mass destruction was provided to Saddam Hussein, and who knows how many others, by our own government, it is equally disturbing to consider that Admiral William J. Crowe Jr. is now in a position to reap profits from the sale of anthrax vaccine to the United States Department of Defense, or one shudders to think in a position to perhaps prevent the manufacture of the vaccine. Now listen carefully. Crowe is on the board of directors and owns a 13% share of the Lansing, Michigan-based Bioport Corporation, the only company in the United States licensed to make a vaccine for anthrax. His 13% share ensures that he will make a tidy profit from any sale of anthrax vaccine to the government. However, and this is what disturbs me most, Bioport has not produced a single drop of vaccine since they purchased Michigan Biological Products Institute from the state of Michigan in 1998. In the meantime, the Department of Defense advanced Bioport $18 million in 1999 and $24 million in 2000. Under contract to supply the military with 14 million doses, BioPort has delivered less than 4% of that amount, despite the government being willing to pay triple the original cost of the contract, from $3.50 a dose to over $10 a dose. Inspections of the BioPort facility by the FDA in 1999 and 2000 found contamination and suspicious changes made to expiration dates. The agency has barred the company from releasing any of the vaccine as a result. MacDonald has asked, why has the Pentagon fronted Bioport with millions of dollars in taxpayers' money when the troubled manufacturer has experienced continued failures?

Does that have something to do with who some of the owners and investors are? Admiral Crowe is also an advisor to Global Options, LLC, an international crisis management firm based in Washington. Their website contains the slogan, "The Corporate Equalizer." Also on the advisory board for Global Options is former director of the CIA, R. James Woolsey. And then he goes on with several other things.

Now, the interesting thing is this. Let me give you this last quote. Under the disguise of invoking national emergency provisions, George W. Bush has ordered National Guard sentries to guard the Bioport facility in Lansing, Michigan. Bush has ordered under pretext of national security that employees and officials of Bioport are forbidden to discuss with reporters, commentators, and researchers the nature of the ownership of Bioport Corporation.

Now, you know, when you stop and think about the wickedness, the double-dealing, the hypocrisy, you just stop and think, Lord, how in the world can people get away with what they get away with? Now, the point I want to make today is simply this: They can't. They can't. It appears in time and history, sometimes, the wicked never get caught, and the wicked never get punished. But that is not so. God always, always takes care of the wicked.

The Certainty of Divine Judgment

Despite appearances, God always punishes the wicked; their foot shall slide in due time.

Now, I don't know what's behind everything that's going on. I don't know who's behind everything that's going on. But I do know this: They shall not escape. As Deuteronomy 32 says, their foot shall slide in due time.

Now, look in your Bibles to 1 Samuel chapter 19. I'm not going to take time to read these. I'm just going to review these and then get into the message so that you can see the importance of this one truth today. In 1 Samuel chapter 19, David escapes from King Saul. Remember now that the evil spirit from the Lord is upon Saul. The Spirit of the Lord has departed from Saul and has gone to David, and Saul is seeking to kill David. David never sought to kill Saul, by the way. Saul was seeking to kill David. And so, Jonathan then, Saul's son, intervenes for David. And he reminds Saul how David has jeopardized his own life, and how he took his life in his own hands and defeated Goliath of Gath in the Valley of Elah. And of course, Saul relents and he says, you're right, David really hasn't done anything wrong, I'm not going to kill him, I'm going to let him live. Well, the next thing you know, in chapter 19, David is there playing his harp before Saul and the evil spirit from the Lord comes upon Saul.

Background: David's Flight from Saul

Review of 1 Samuel 19-20 showing Saul's repeated attempts to kill David and David's escape.

And the next thing you know, Saul is throwing a javelin at David, trying to smite him to the wall. On the one hand, he says he shall not die. And on the other hand, he's trying to kill him. Well, in chapter 19, then David escapes and he goes home. And he tells his wife Michal, he says, look, if I don't get away, I'm going to be a dead man by the morning. And so Michal then lets him down out of the window and she takes a bolster and puts in the bed and some goat's hair and put in the bed. And King Saul sends soldiers to kill David. And Michal comes up and says, look, David is sick. David can't even get out of bed. And there's just no way that David can come to Saul or anything like that. Well, when the soldiers come back and Saul wants to know, did you kill him? Did you get him? Oh no, he's sick in bed. Saul said, you dummies, bring him to me that I may kill him.

So they go back and lo and behold, they find David gone, and the goat's hair, and the bolster in the bed. And then Saul looks at his daughter Michal, and he says, Why have you done this to me? Oh, she said he threatened to kill me. I had to go along, you know. Of course, he had not threatened to kill her. And she was covering for her husband, which was understandable. Now, when you get to chapter 20, Saul is still seeking to kill David. David and Jonathan, Saul's son, had entered into a covenant to the Lord. And David tells Jonathan, he said, as I live, there's not but a step between me and death. And so Jonathan said, don't say that. Oh yes, he said, your father's going to kill me. No, he said, my father's not going to do anything unless he tells me. David said, Jonathan, don't be naive. He's not going to tell you, lest you be grieved, but he intends to kill me. Jonathan said, all right, I'll do whatever you want to do.

What's the plan? David said, here's the plan. This is the new moon. And I must go and eat at Saul's table. But I'm going to stay out three days. And if Saul asks you where I am, you tell him that I asked you permission to go visit my family because my family has a yearly sacrifice in Bethlehem, and that's where I am.

Now, if your father says, well, okay, that's fine, I know it's, you know, I'm safe. But if your father becomes enraged, you know that he's determined to kill me. And Jonathan said, all right, that's what we'll do. But now, Jonathan, here's what I'm going to do. When I find out, I'm going to come out here by the stone Ezel where you're hiding, I'm going to take my bow and shoot some arrows. I'm going to have a young boy with me. And if I say to the young boy, the arrows are on this side, then you pick them up and come out, everything's safe. But if I say to the young lad, the arrows are further, go on, go on further, then you know that evil is determined and you can get away. So sure enough, after about the second day, Saul looked at Jonathan and said, where's David? Why?

He said he asked permission to go to his family's yearly sacrifice in Bethlehem, and I let him go. Saul became so enraged, he cursed his son. He said, Thou son of a rebellious, perverse woman, do I not know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion? And he picked up a javelin and tried to kill Jonathan. And Jonathan escaped, and he knew that his father intended to kill David. And so he shot those arrows. And he told the boy, they're beyond you, they're beyond you. And the boy found the arrows, and he took the arrows and the bow and then sent the boy back, and he and David said their goodbyes. At this point, it's when you pick it up in 1 Samuel chapter 21, where David escapes, and he comes now to Nob, the city of the priests, to Ahimelech.

David's Lies to Ahimelech

David lies about being on a secret mission and lacking weapons, likely trying to protect the priest.

Now, I want to ask you a question. My question is, why did David go to Ahimelech? The Bible tells us that here he and the young men that were with him ate the hallowed bread. This was the showbread. This was the bread that was set daily before the Lord fresh. And when David asked for it, the priest said, well, you know, if you've at least kept yourself from women, well, he said of a truth for three days now. And so the priest let him eat the bread. But I want you to notice what David begins doing in verse two. Notice verse one, Ahimelech is afraid when he sees David in verse one, he says, Why art thou alone and no man with thee? So David evidently approached him himself. The other young men hung back and David said unto Ahimelech the priest.

The king hath commanded me a business, and said unto me, Let no man know anything of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee, and I have appointed my servants to such and such a place. Now, David said, the reason I'm alone is, first of all, the king has told me to get about this particular business and not to tell anybody. So I can't tell you about my mission. So that's his first lie that he gives to Ahimelech. Notice the second lie, if you would please. In verse 8, And David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thine hand spear or sword? For I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste. Why, now the king has sent me on a special mission, and I just didn't even have time to get my weapons I left so quickly. That's the second bald-faced lie that David now has told the priest.

I want you to know what happens from this is that Doeg, the Edomite, kills 85 of the Lord's priests. Look, if you would please, chapter 22, beginning there with verse 9. In fact, let's go back and read, beginning there with verse 6. When Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men that were with him, now Saul abode in Gibeah under a tree in Ramah, having his spear in his hand, and all of his servants were standing about him. Watch this. Then Saul said to his servants that stood about him, Hear now, you Benjamites!

Doeg's Report and the Massacre

Doeg adds a lie about Ahimelech inquiring of the Lord; Saul orders the priests killed, and Doeg slaughters 85 priests and the city of Nob.

Will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards and make you all captains of thousands and captains of hundreds? While Saul was saying, if David takes over and David gets to be king, do you think he's going to treat you any better than I'm treating you? And by the way, you see, Saul was a Benjamite himself. David was not a Benjamite. So, he said, is he going to treat you any better? Look in verse 8. He says, that all of you have conspired against me, and there is none that showeth unto me that my son hath made a league with the son of Jesse. And watch this, and there is none of you that feel sorry for me, and that showeth unto me that my son hath stirred up my servant against me to lie in wait, as at this day. Well, Jonathan had not stirred up David to lie in wait for him. Verse 9, Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who was set over the servants of Saul, and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, and he inquired of the Lord for him, and gave him victuals, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.

I want you to know that Doeg now lied. It is true the priest gave him the hallowed bread. It is true the priest gave him the sword of Goliath. But the priest did not inquire of the Lord for David. So Doeg is now adding this particular little scenario to what actually happened. And then of course the king sends for Ahimelech and all the priests. And he basically accuses them of conspiracy, of treason. And he tells Ahimelech, look, in verse 13, Saul said unto him, Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him bread, and a sword, and hast inquired of God for him, that he should rise against me to lie in wait, as at this day? Why are you in this conspiracy? And the priest answered, said, Look, David is your son-in-law.

Everyone knows how faithful he is. Everyone knows how honorable he is in thine house. And then he says in verse 15, Did I begin to inquire of God for him? God forbid! Far be it from me. Then look what he says, Let not the king impute anything unto his servant, or to all of the house of my father. For thy servant knew nothing of all this, less or more. So Ahimelech said, Look, I don't know what you're talking about.

It is true that David came to me. It is true that I gave him the sword. I gave him food. I didn't inquire of the Lord for him. I mean, he's your son-in-law. What was I to do? What was I to think? And then Saul says in verse 16, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, look, and all thy father's house. And then Saul orders his soldiers to kill the Lord's priests. They refuse. And rightly so.

But then he looks to Doeg, an Edomite, not an Israelite, but an Edomite. And he says, Fall thou upon the priests of the Lord. And Doeg slew eighty-five of the priests of the Lord. And then he went to Nob, the city of the priests. And he killed the women, and the children, and the oxen, and the asses, and the sheep, and everything that was there. He slaughtered them all.

God's Sovereignty in Detaining Doeg

God detained Doeg at Nob so he could witness events, suggesting God intended the priests' deaths as judgment.

Now, I've got a question. Go back in 1 Samuel chapter 21 and verse 7. Remember now that David escapes to Ahimelech at Nob. The first thing David does is lie to him. You say, why did he lie to Ahimelech? He thought he was saving him. He probably thought, I don't want to get him involved. And if he really didn't know anything, you know, nothing's going to happen. But look at verse 7. Now, David has gone to Ahimelech, the priest at Nob. Now, a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, that is at Nob, detained before the Lord. And his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of the herdmen that belonged to Saul. Now, I've got a question to ask you. Why did God detain Doeg and keep him there so that Doeg could see and hear everything that went on? Is not God absolutely sovereign? The answer is yes. God could have removed Doeg before David ever got there. Or God could have shut his eyes and shut his ears and not let him see nor hear anything that David had said.

But God didn't do that. God detained Doeg so Doeg could see what Ahimelech did for David and hear what Ahimelech and David said. It is almost as if God wanted those priests slain. Isn't that amazing? Could it possibly be that God wanted 85 of His own priests slain and their city destroyed? In order to answer those questions, we've got to determine who Ahimelech is. If you look in 1 Samuel 21 and verse 1, then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest. That's all that he's referred to as in verse 1, Ahimelech the priest. But when you get to chapter 22, if you look at verse 9, Then answered Doeg the Edomite, which was set over the servants of Saul, and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob to Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub. Now he's called the son of Ahitub. Look in verse 12. And Saul said, Hear now, thou son of Ahitub. And he, that is Ahimelech, answered, Here I am, my lord. So he's called the son of Ahitub.

Tracing Ahimelech's Lineage to Eli

Ahimelech is identified as a descendant of Eli through Phinehas and Ahitub, linking the slaughter to God's curse on Eli's house.

Look in verse 20. And one of the sons of Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. Once again, he's called the son of Ahitub. Now, out of all the priests that were slain, out of all the women and children that were slain, only Abiathar escaped. Look in verse 20. And one of the sons of Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. So all the priests, all the women and children were killed except Abiathar.

Now we've got to find out who in the world Ahimelech is. We know he's the son of Ahitub, but who in the world is Ahitub? Why in the world would God want him killed? Well, look in your Bibles to 1 Samuel chapter 14. 1 Samuel chapter 14, and let's begin reading there with verse 3. 1 Samuel chapter 14 in verse 3. Now watch carefully. And Ahiah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the Lord's priest in Shiloh, wearing an ephod.

And the people knew not that Jonathan was gone. Now, go back to verse 3. And Ahiah, some of you will have marginal references. And when you will look in the marginal reference, you will find another name for Ahiah. What is it? Ahimelech. So Ahiah and Ahimelech are one and the same person. Now watch this. And Ahiah or Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother. So now we now know that Ahimelech is the son of Ahitub. And Ahitub and Ichabod were brothers.

You say, what does that mean? Well, let's go back to 1 Samuel 4. Let's find out. 1 Samuel 4, and let's begin reading there with verse 19. The Philistines have invaded Israel. They've captured the Ark of the Covenant. Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, are both killed in the battle. And the Bible says in verse 19, 1 Samuel 4, and his daughter-in-law, Phinehas' wife, was with child near to be delivered, and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father-in-law, that is, Eli, and her husband, Phinehas, were dead, she bowed herself in travail, for her pains came upon her.

About the time of her death, the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not, for thou hast born a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard it. And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father-in-law and her husband. And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken. So Ichabod then is the last child born, the youngest son of Phinehas. So if Ahimelech is the son of Ahitub, that means then that Ahitub and Ichabod are brothers. That means their father is Phinehas.

You said, Brother Weaver, I don't understand why you're pressing this fact. Well, I want you to understand. In 1 Samuel chapter 4 and verse 4, go there, 1 Samuel 4 and verse 4. So the people sent to Shiloh that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubims: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

Now, let's chase this thing back. We've got Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech is the son of Ahitub. Ahitub is the brother of Ichabod, which means that Phinehas is their father. Phinehas is the son of Eli. So you go then from Ahimelech to Ahitub to Phinehas to Eli. You say, what is so significant about that? Well, go back to 1 Samuel 2. You're going to find that God pronounces doom, judgment, death upon Eli and his descendants for their wickedness and their rebellion against him. Notice in 1 Samuel 2, and let's begin reading there with verse 27. 1 Samuel 2, verse 27. And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy father when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh's house?

God's Judgment on Eli's House

God pronounced doom on Eli's descendants for honoring their sons above God; the slaughter at Nob is a fulfillment of that judgment.

And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, and to offer upon my altar to burn incense, and to wear an ephod before me? And did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings made by the fire of the children of Israel? Now let's just stop there. God said, Look, Eli, I chose your fathers. And since you were in their loins, that means I chose you as well. But I also gave you your offerings. I told you what belonged to the priest. And I also told you what belonged to me. You know now watch verse 29. Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honorest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people? So let me tell you what you're doing, Eli. You're not taking what I've given you. You're taking what you want. You and your sons are stealing from me. You're guilty, Eli, not necessarily from the fact that you're doing the taking yourself, but you are allowing your wicked, rebellious sons to steal from me. Ah, let's go further. He says in verse 30, Wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house and the house of thy father should walk before me forever.

Now look what God says. But now the Lord saith, Be it far from me; for them that honor me I will honor, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. God said, Let me give you a principle, Eli. If you honor me, I will honor you. If you despise me, I will despise you. He says, Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father's house, that there shall not be an old man in thine house. And thou shalt see an enemy in my habitation, in all the wealth which God shall give Israel: and there shall not be an old man in thine house forever. And the man of thine, whom I shall not cut off from my altar,

shall be to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thine heart: and all the increase of thine house shall die in the flower of their age. And this shall be a sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall die both of them. And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed forever. And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left in thine house shall come and crouch to him for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread, and shall say, Put me, I pray thee, into one of the priests' offices, that I may eat a piece of bread.

Now look what God has told Eli. He said, Eli, I'm going to cut you off. I'm going to cut your family off. You're not going to be my priest any longer. Moreover, I'm going to kill your children in the flower of their age. And any man that lives to be an old man in your house, he's going to be a beggar. He's going to be worthless and powerless and useless.

Now, I want you to notice how this was confirmed. Look in 1 Samuel 3, beginning there in verse 11, because God now tells Samuel, who's going to take Eli's place, by the way. And I'll tell you a little bit more of what these wicked sons of Eli did, but look in 1 Samuel 3, in verse 11. And the Lord said unto Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle. In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house. And I want you to note these next words. These are fearful words. God says, and when I begin, I'll also make an end.

The Progressive Fulfillment of Judgment

God's judgment came in stages: Hophni and Phinehas died first, then the priests at Nob, and finally Abiathar was removed from priesthood under Solomon.

Let me kind of paraphrase that. God says, don't get me started. But when I get started, I finish the job. So he says, when I begin, I will also make an end. For I have told him. God said, this is no secret. I've told Eli, I've told him I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not. They were committing fornication with women at the door of the tabernacle. Plus, stealing the sacrifices of God. And Eli didn't stop them. Verse 14, Therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering forever. Now I want you to see what God has done. God said, Eli, I'm going to judge you. I'm going to judge your house. Because you and your sons have made yourselves vile. You've honored yourselves before you've honored me. And God says, when I begin, I will make an end. Now, are you listening? The first installment of God's judgment came in 1 Samuel 4 and verse 11, when the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were killed the same day.

1 Samuel chapter 4, verse 11. The Bible says,

Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 4:11

"...and the ark of God was taken, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain."

Remember, God said, this is a sign to you. I'm going to judge your house. You're going to lose both your sons in one day. So, Hophni and Phinehas die. That's the first installment of God's judgment. The second installment comes in Ahimelech's lifetime, in 1 Samuel chapter 22, where 85 priests, who were all descendants of Eli, were killed.

Now I want you to notice something. I want you to listen to me. I'm going to say this before I close again today. God's paydays are not always on Friday. You see, God slew Hophni and Phinehas in a relatively short period of time after he told Eli he's going to kill them both. But then it went from Phinehas to Ahitub to Ahimelech. You see what I'm saying?

What was that, another 50, 80 years? And God's judgment fell again. Oh, but you say, Brother Weaver, you have told me that God said he's going to wipe out Eli's house, but I listened to you read this scripture a while ago, and I know that Abiathar escaped. In fact, I can show you the verse. It's found in 1 Samuel chapter 22, and if you look in verse 20, and one of the sons of Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. God did not get them all. Abiathar escaped. It is true that Abiathar escaped temporarily. And Abiathar was with David and was faithful when he was with David. But after David's death, he turned against Solomon. And if you look in your Bibles, the first Kings chapter 2, and let's begin reading there with verse 26. 1 Kings 2 verse 26. Look what the Bible says. 1 Kings 2 verse 26. And unto Abiathar the priest, the king, that is King Solomon, the king said, Get thee to Anathoth into thine own fields, look what he tells him, for thou art worthy of death.

because he was with Solomon's opponent for the throne. He said unto Abiathar the priest, and thus saith the king, Get thee to Anathoth into thine own fields, for thou art worthy of death. But I will not at this time put thee to death, because thou barest the ark of the Lord God before David my father, and because thou hast been afflicted in all wherein my father was afflicted. So Solomon thrust out Abiathar from being priest unto the Lord, that he might fulfill the word of the Lord which he spake concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh. Did God get them all? He got them all. What did God say?

When I begin, I will also make an end. Now, I want to spend the rest of my time this morning making applications. I want you to remember this one truth. I'm going to show it to you from the scriptures. God's judgments are sure and certain. God's judgments are sure and certain. His paydays are not always on Friday. And just because God does not instantly and immediately slap a wicked person down, does not mean that that wicked person has escaped. There are wicked people that have done great harm to the people of God, and yet they seemingly are still in power. And nothing appears to have happened unto them yet. I want you to look in your Bibles.

Applications: God's Sure Judgments

God's judgments are certain; blessings and curses overtake the obedient and disobedient respectively; we must trust God's timing.

I want you to find two passages, Deuteronomy 28 and Zechariah chapter 1. Now Zechariah is a minor prophet. It will be right before the book of Malachi, next to the last book in the Bible. So I want you to find Zechariah chapter 1 and just hold that passage. We're going to come back there. But go first in your Bibles to Deuteronomy chapter 28. In Deuteronomy 28, you have the blessings and the curses, OK? The blessings and the curses. Deuteronomy 28 is one of the most important passages in the Bible. It may interest you to know that the presidents of the United States used to take their oath of office with their hand upon the open Bible to Deuteronomy 28, because they realize we are a covenanted nation, and they realize as long as we obey God, God would bless us. They also realize when we disobey God, God would curse us. So I want you to look, if you would please, beginning with verse 1, and let me just show you something concerning the blessings, first of all.

God said, And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all the nations of the earth. So if you obey me, said God, I will set you on high. And all these blessings shall come on thee and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God. And then he gives you all these blessings.

Now I want to call your attention to the word overtake. God says now if you obey me all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you. So here you are obeying God, bringing your life into conformity to his word, honoring him. And God starts blessing you and blessing you and blessing you, and you say, look, I've got so many blessings, I don't need any more. And here you are running down the road as hard and as fast as you can, trying to outrun the blessings of God. God says, I've got news for you. My blessings will run you down, chase you down, knock you down and fall all over you, and you can't stop them.

That sounds good to me. But unhappily, that's not the whole story. Because if you'll skip down to verse 15, God says this. But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, that is, if you will not obey, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day, that all these curses shall come upon thee and overtake thee.

So here you are, disobeying God, living in rebellion, being wicked, doing your own thing, and you're running down the road as fast and as furiously as you can, trying to outrun and escape the judgment and the curse of God. God said, I got news for you. You can't run fast enough. My curses, my judgments will chase you down and run you down and knock you down and fall all over you. And you can't stop them. Look in your Bibles to the book of Zechariah chapter 1. Look at this testimony. The fathers had to come up with this true confession. Zechariah chapter 1 verse 2. Old Zechariah says, The Lord hath been sore displeased with your fathers. Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Turn ye unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. Then he tells them, Be not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Turn ye now from your evil ways and from your evil doings. But they did not hear nor hearken unto me, saith the Lord. Now watch. They did not hear nor hearken.

They were living their lives, doing their thing without regard to God and his law. And then God says in verse five, Your fathers, where are they? Your prophets, do they live forever? But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold, or did they not overtake your fathers? And they returned and said, Like as the Lord of hosts thought to do unto us according to our ways and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us. What did they confess? God's Word is true.

His curses, they overtook us. His judgments caught up with us. We could not escape. Folks, it is no different today than it was in Zechariah's time or in Moses' time. The Word of God is absolutely, totally sure.

Now, I want you to turn in your Bible. I know you can quote it, but I want you to turn to 1 Peter 4. 1 Peter 4. You say, but Brother Weaver, it seems as if a lot of Christians are suffering now as well, yes. A lot of disobedient Christians. Look what God says in verse 1 Peter 4 and verse 17. For the time has come that judgment must begin where? At the house of God. And if it first begin at us, look at this question. What shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

Let me tell you something, folks. If in the judgment of God, we His people are chastised, what in the world is going to happen to those who are not His people? You see what I'm saying? God only chastises His own. He doesn't condemn them and destroy them. He just whips them like we do a disobedient child. But God says, will you see what I do to the wicked? And if I will whip my own for their disobedience and their rebellion, what in the world will I do with the wicked? You see, folks, God's judgments are absolutely sure and absolutely certain. God will deal with the wicked.

Applications: Human Plans and Responsibility

Things don't always turn out as planned; we must assume personal responsibility for our actions, as David did.

He said, the king is commanding me a business. And I, you know, I had to leave quickly and it's a secret mission. I'm not supposed to tell anybody. And then David said, is there a weapon here? Why? He said, where are yours? Why? David said, I had to leave in such haste, I didn't have time to get them. Here's the application. Things do not always turn out.

the way we want them to and the way we plan them. Probably, I have no doubt in my mind that David, being a man of virtue, did not want to involve Ahimelech in his problems. And he probably thought he was saving Ahimelech's life and the lives of those with Ahimelech by being untruthful. And Ahimelech confessed and he told the truth. He told Saul, he said, your servant knew nothing less nor more. All I know is David came to me. I did not inquire of God for him. I did give him bread. I did give him the sword. But he's your son-in-law. Who's as faithful and as honorable as David? You see, David evidently tried to protect Ahimelech, and keep him out of it. But it just didn't turn out that way. You know something, people? No matter how hard we try, we cannot even protect ourselves from evil and death, much less anyone else. We try to keep other people out of problems, and many times we can't. We can plan, we can prepare, we can scheme, we can do whatever we want to, but ultimately we've got to understand that God is sovereign. Things do not always turn out the way we want them to.

Now listen, that's not only true concerning Christians. That's also true concerning the wicked. What does God say? He shall fall in the pit which he has digged. It's going to return upon his own head. All the wicked plans and schemes will ultimately come to nothing. There is no wisdom, nor counsel, nor understanding against the Lord. Here's the third application, and I want you to look, if you would please, in 1 Samuel 22 and verse 22.

Boy, this is something that is very seldom seen today. We must learn to assume personal responsibility for our actions. What happens? Abiathar escapes, and the Bible says, In verse 21, and Abiathar showed David that Saul had slain the Lord's priests. Verse 22, and David said unto Abiathar, I knew it. I knew it that day when Doeg the Edomite was there that he would surely tell Saul: I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father's house. David said, I take full responsibility. I knew what was going to happen when I saw Doeg there. I knew he'd tell Saul. But he says to Abiathar, fear not. He that seeketh thy life, seeketh my life.

Be with me, and thou shalt be in safeguard. I'll protect you, Abiathar. And David did. But David was assuming full responsibility for his actions.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Sovereignty of God in Judgment

Summary: God orchestrates events, including detaining Doeg, to execute His judgment on the house of Eli.

Evidence: Weaver asks, 'Why did God detain Doeg and keep him there so that Doeg could see and hear everything that went on? ... It is almost as if God wanted those priests slain.'

Certainty of Divine Retribution

Summary: God's judgments are sure and will overtake the wicked, even if delayed.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'God's paydays are not always on Friday... God always, always takes care of the wicked.'

Inescapability of God's Blessings and Curses

Summary: Both blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience will overtake individuals and nations.

Evidence: Deuteronomy 28 is cited: 'all these blessings shall come on thee and overtake thee' and 'all these curses shall come upon thee and overtake thee.'

Human Inability to Control Outcomes

Summary: Despite our plans, we cannot protect ourselves or others from evil; God is sovereign.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'No matter how hard we try, we cannot even protect ourselves from evil and death, much less anyone else.'

Personal Responsibility for Actions

Summary: David accepted full responsibility for the deaths of the priests, modeling accountability.

Evidence: David said, 'I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father's house.'

Key Arguments

God's judgment on Eli's house was prophesied and fulfilled in stages.

Summary: The slaughter of the priests at Nob was a direct fulfillment of God's curse on Eli's descendants for their wickedness.

Evidence: Weaver traces Ahimelech's lineage to Eli and cites 1 Samuel 2-3 where God promises to cut off Eli's house.

God uses even wicked instruments to accomplish His purposes, but they too will be judged.

Summary: Doeg was used by God to execute judgment, yet Psalm 52 pronounces his own destruction.

Evidence: Weaver reads Psalm 52: 'God shall likewise destroy thee forever... root thee out of the land of the living.'

The delay of judgment does not mean escape.

Summary: Just because the wicked prosper temporarily does not mean they have avoided God's wrath.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Just because God does not instantly and immediately slap a wicked person down, does not mean that that wicked person has escaped.'

God's Word is absolutely sure; His curses overtake the disobedient.

Summary: Zechariah 1 confirms that God's words did overtake the fathers, and the same principle applies today.

Evidence: Zechariah 1:6: 'did they not take hold, or did they not overtake your fathers?'

Scripture References

1 Samuel 21:1-10

Context: David comes to Ahimelech at Nob, lies about his mission, and receives hallowed bread and Goliath's sword.

1 Samuel 22:6-23

Context: Saul accuses the priests of conspiracy; Doeg kills 85 priests and destroys Nob; Abiathar escapes.

1 Samuel 19

Context: Saul tries to kill David; Michal helps David escape.

1 Samuel 20

Context: Jonathan and David's covenant; Saul's rage confirms his intent to kill David.

1 Samuel 14:3

Context: Ahiah (Ahimelech) is identified as the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, linking him to Eli.

1 Samuel 4:19-22

Context: Birth of Ichabod; the glory departs from Israel.

1 Samuel 2:27-36

Context: God pronounces judgment on Eli's house for honoring his sons above God.

1 Samuel 3:11-14

Context: God confirms to Samuel the judgment on Eli's house; when He begins, He will make an end.

1 Samuel 4:11

Context: Hophni and Phinehas are slain, fulfilling the first part of God's judgment.

1 Kings 2:26-27

Context: Solomon removes Abiathar from priesthood, fulfilling the word against Eli's house.

Deuteronomy 28:1-15

Context: Blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience will overtake the people.

Zechariah 1:2-6

Context: The fathers confess that God's words and statutes overtook them according to their ways.

1 Peter 4:17

Context: Judgment begins at the house of God; what will be the end of those who obey not the gospel?

Psalm 52:1-9

Context: David's psalm against Doeg, declaring God will destroy him and root him out.

Psalm 37

Context: The wicked shall be destroyed; the righteous will see it.

Historical References

Admiral William J. Crowe Jr. and Bioport Corporation

Context: Weaver cites an article alleging that Crowe, former Joint Chiefs chairman, sold anthrax to Saddam Hussein and later profited from anthrax vaccine contracts through Bioport.

Saddam Hussein and U.S. support

Context: The article claims the U.S. backed Saddam Hussein and provided him with anthrax during the Iran-Iraq war.

George W. Bush administration

Context: Bush ordered National Guard to guard Bioport facility under national emergency provisions.

Important Quotes

God's paydays are not always on Friday.

Significance: Summarizes the theme that divine judgment may be delayed but is certain.

When I begin, I will also make an end.

Significance: God's warning that once He starts judgment, He will complete it, applied to Eli's house.

You can't outrun God, either in blessings or curses.

Significance: The central message of the sermon: no one can escape God's sovereign decrees.

I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father's house.

Significance: David's acceptance of personal responsibility for the priests' deaths.

The wicked shall be destroyed, thine eyes shall see it when the Lord cuts the wicked off from the land of the living.

Significance: Quoting Psalm 37 to affirm the certainty of the wicked's destruction.

Discussion Questions

How does the account of Doeg being 'detained before the Lord' challenge or deepen your understanding of God's sovereignty in evil events?

Context: Weaver emphasizes that God detained Doeg to witness David's visit, suggesting God intended the priests' deaths.

In what ways do we struggle with the delay of God's judgment on the wicked, and how can this passage encourage us?

Context: Weaver notes that God's paydays are not always immediate, but His judgments are certain.

David lied to Ahimelech, likely to protect him, yet it led to disaster. How should we navigate situations where telling the truth seems dangerous?

Context: David's lies are highlighted as an attempt to shield Ahimelech, but they did not prevent the slaughter.

What does David's assumption of responsibility teach us about biblical leadership and accountability?

Context: David tells Abiathar, 'I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father's house.'

How does the progressive fulfillment of judgment on Eli's house (Hophni/Phinehas, Nob, Abiathar) illustrate God's faithfulness to His word?

Context: Weaver traces the judgment from 1 Samuel 4 to 1 Kings 2, showing God's word was fulfilled over generations.

Applications

Trust God's timing in judgment

Summary: Believers should rest in the Lord and trust that He will deal with the wicked in His time, even when it seems delayed.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Rest in the Lord. Trust in the Lord. But make sure you understand God will judge the wicked.'

Accept personal responsibility

Summary: Like David, we must own the consequences of our actions and not shift blame.

Evidence: David's statement, 'I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father's house,' is held up as a model.

Recognize the inescapability of God's moral order

Summary: Both blessings and curses will overtake us based on our obedience or disobedience; we cannot outrun God.

Evidence: Deuteronomy 28 and Zechariah 1 are cited to show that God's word will take hold of us.

Do not rely on human schemes for protection

Summary: David's lies could not prevent the tragedy; we must depend on God rather than our own plans.

Evidence: Weaver notes, 'No matter how hard we try, we cannot even protect ourselves from evil and death.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T23:30:15Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T14:27:47Z

Clean Transcript

Why God Allowed the Slaughter of the Priest

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

We're going to read several passages, so I would encourage you to follow me. 1 Samuel chapter 21, and let's read the first 10 verses. 1 Samuel chapter 21, beginning with verse 1. Then came David to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Where art thou alone, and no man with thee? And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, The king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me, Let no man know anything of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee, and I have appointed my servants to such and such a place.
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Now therefore what is under thine hand? Give me five loaves of bread in mine hand, or what there is present. And the priest answered David and said, There is no common bread under my hand, but there is hallowed bread, if the young men have kept themselves at least from women. And David answered the priest and said unto him, Of a truth, women have been kept from us about these three days since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in a manner common.
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Yea, though it were sanctified this day in the vessel. So the priest gave him hallowed bread, for there was no bread there but the showbread that was taken from before the Lord, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.
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Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord, and his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of the herdmen that belonged to Saul. And David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thine hand spear or sword? For I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste. And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod.
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If thou wilt take that, take it, for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me. And David arose and fled that day for fear of Saul and went to Achish, the king of Gath.
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Now skip down to chapter 22 and begin with verse 6. When Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men that were with him, now Saul abode in Gibeah under a tree in Ramah, having his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him. Then Saul said unto his servants that stood about him, Hear now, ye Benjamites; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, and make you all captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, that all of you have conspired against me? And there is none that showeth me that my son hath made a league with the son of Jesse. And there is none of you that is sorry for me or showeth unto me that my son hath stirred up my servant against me to lie in wait, as at this day. Then answered Doeg the Edomite, which was set over the servants of Saul, and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub.
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And he inquired of the Lord for him, and gave him victuals, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine. Then the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, and the priests that were in Nob. And they came, all of them, to the king. And Saul said, Hear now, thou son of Ahitub. And he answered, Here am I, my lord. And Saul said unto him, Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him bread and a sword, and hast inquired of God for him, that he should rise up against me to lie in wait, as at this day? Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said, And who is so faithful among all thy servants as David, who is the king's son-in-law, and goeth at thy bidding, and is honorable in thine house? Did I then begin to inquire of God for him?
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Be it far from me. Let not the king impute anything unto his servant, nor to all the house of my father, for thy servant knew nothing of all this, less or more. And the king said, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou and all thy father's house. And the king said unto the footmen that stood about him, Turn and slay the priests of the Lord, because their hand also was with David, and because they knew when he fled, and they did not show it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the Lord. And the king said to Doeg, Turn thou and fall upon the priests.
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And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests and slew on that day fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod. And Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings, and oxen, and asses, and sheep, with the edge of the sword. And one of the sons of Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. And Abiathar showed David that Saul had slain the Lord's priests. And David said unto Abiathar, I knew it that day when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul: I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father's house.
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Abide thou with me, fear not: for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life: but with me thou shalt be in safeguard. I want to bring a message today that God brought to my mind this week. I've been praying specifically about what to bring, and I came into some material, and it just upset me. It just kind of bothered me. And I thought, Lord, how in the world can I handle this? And this passage was brought to my mind, and so I want to refresh your mind with this truth as I did my own mind this week. And the message which I've entitled is simply this: You can't outrun God.
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You'll understand what I mean. But before I give you the biblical introduction, someone sent me a link, and I checked it out, and the name of the link was "Anthrax and Vested Interests." And I want to just read a little bit from this. Of course, in big bold letters, "100% chance of bio-attack in the United States," says The Networks. The possibility of terrorists using anthrax as a biological weapon in the United States has not gone unnoticed by the talking heads of the network and the cable news outlets. We've been told over and over again that there is a 100% chance of such an attack. 100%! Wow!
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What do the teleprompter readers know that we don't know? And why do they fail to mention how terrorists came into possession of anthrax? While searching the internet for answers to these questions, I came across the following quote from retired Air Force Major Glenn MacDonald. Former Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral William J. Crowe Jr. was part of a crew that sold Saddam Hussein the deadly means to wage war with anthrax germs. That's when the United States wanted to butcher Baghdad to use anthrax on Iran. So it is Joint Chiefs of Staff, William J. Crowe Jr., who said it was the United States who sold Saddam Hussein the anthrax originally. Then he goes on. Admiral William J. Crowe Jr., seen right, was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1985 until he retired from the Navy in 1989. This is the era during which the United States government was backing Saddam Hussein just before the period of time when President George Herbert Walker Bush waged war on Iraq because Hussein was no longer considered an asset to the United States.
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Not only is it disturbing that such a means of mass destruction was provided to Saddam Hussein, and who knows how many others, by our own government, it is equally disturbing to consider that Admiral William J. Crowe Jr. is now in a position to reap profits from the sale of anthrax vaccine to the United States Department of Defense, or one shudders to think in a position to perhaps prevent the manufacture of the vaccine. Now listen carefully. Crowe is on the board of directors and owns a 13% share of the Lansing, Michigan-based Bioport Corporation, the only company in the United States licensed to make a vaccine for anthrax. His 13% share ensures that he will make a tidy profit from any sale of anthrax vaccine to the government.
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However, and this is what disturbs me most, Bioport has not produced a single drop of vaccine since they purchased Michigan Biological Products Institute from the state of Michigan in 1998. In the meantime, the Department of Defense advanced Bioport $18 million in 1999 and $24 million in 2000. Under contract to supply the military with 14 million doses, BioPort has delivered less than 4% of that amount, despite the government being willing to pay triple the original cost of the contract, from $3.50 a dose to over $10 a dose. Inspections of the BioPort facility by the FDA in 1999 and 2000 found contamination and suspicious changes made to expiration dates. The agency has barred the company from releasing any of the vaccine as a result. MacDonald has asked, why has the Pentagon fronted Bioport with millions of dollars in taxpayers' money when the troubled manufacturer has experienced continued failures?
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Does that have something to do with who some of the owners and investors are? Admiral Crowe is also an advisor to Global Options, LLC, an international crisis management firm based in Washington. Their website contains the slogan, "The Corporate Equalizer." Also on the advisory board for Global Options is former director of the CIA, R. James Woolsey. And then he goes on with several other things.
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Now, the interesting thing is this. Let me give you this last quote. Under the disguise of invoking national emergency provisions, George W. Bush has ordered National Guard sentries to guard the Bioport facility in Lansing, Michigan. Bush has ordered under pretext of national security that employees and officials of Bioport are forbidden to discuss with reporters, commentators, and researchers the nature of the ownership of Bioport Corporation.
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Now, you know, when you stop and think about the wickedness, the double-dealing, the hypocrisy, you just stop and think, Lord, how in the world can people get away with what they get away with? Now, the point I want to make today is simply this: They can't. They can't. It appears in time and history, sometimes, the wicked never get caught, and the wicked never get punished. But that is not so. God always, always takes care of the wicked.
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Now, I don't know what's behind everything that's going on. I don't know who's behind everything that's going on. But I do know this: They shall not escape. As Deuteronomy 32 says, their foot shall slide in due time.
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Now, look in your Bibles to 1 Samuel chapter 19. I'm not going to take time to read these. I'm just going to review these and then get into the message so that you can see the importance of this one truth today. In 1 Samuel chapter 19, David escapes from King Saul. Remember now that the evil spirit from the Lord is upon Saul. The Spirit of the Lord has departed from Saul and has gone to David, and Saul is seeking to kill David. David never sought to kill Saul, by the way. Saul was seeking to kill David. And so, Jonathan then, Saul's son, intervenes for David. And he reminds Saul how David has jeopardized his own life, and how he took his life in his own hands and defeated Goliath of Gath in the Valley of Elah. And of course, Saul relents and he says, you're right, David really hasn't done anything wrong, I'm not going to kill him, I'm going to let him live. Well, the next thing you know, in chapter 19, David is there playing his harp before Saul and the evil spirit from the Lord comes upon Saul.
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And the next thing you know, Saul is throwing a javelin at David, trying to smite him to the wall. On the one hand, he says he shall not die. And on the other hand, he's trying to kill him. Well, in chapter 19, then David escapes and he goes home. And he tells his wife Michal, he says, look, if I don't get away, I'm going to be a dead man by the morning. And so Michal then lets him down out of the window and she takes a bolster and puts in the bed and some goat's hair and put in the bed. And King Saul sends soldiers to kill David. And Michal comes up and says, look, David is sick. David can't even get out of bed. And there's just no way that David can come to Saul or anything like that. Well, when the soldiers come back and Saul wants to know, did you kill him? Did you get him? Oh no, he's sick in bed. Saul said, you dummies, bring him to me that I may kill him.
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So they go back and lo and behold, they find David gone, and the goat's hair, and the bolster in the bed. And then Saul looks at his daughter Michal, and he says, Why have you done this to me? Oh, she said he threatened to kill me. I had to go along, you know. Of course, he had not threatened to kill her. And she was covering for her husband, which was understandable. Now, when you get to chapter 20, Saul is still seeking to kill David. David and Jonathan, Saul's son, had entered into a covenant to the Lord. And David tells Jonathan, he said, as I live, there's not but a step between me and death. And so Jonathan said, don't say that. Oh yes, he said, your father's going to kill me. No, he said, my father's not going to do anything unless he tells me. David said, Jonathan, don't be naive. He's not going to tell you, lest you be grieved, but he intends to kill me. Jonathan said, all right, I'll do whatever you want to do.
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What's the plan? David said, here's the plan. This is the new moon. And I must go and eat at Saul's table. But I'm going to stay out three days. And if Saul asks you where I am, you tell him that I asked you permission to go visit my family because my family has a yearly sacrifice in Bethlehem, and that's where I am.
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Now, if your father says, well, okay, that's fine, I know it's, you know, I'm safe. But if your father becomes enraged, you know that he's determined to kill me. And Jonathan said, all right, that's what we'll do. But now, Jonathan, here's what I'm going to do. When I find out, I'm going to come out here by the stone Ezel where you're hiding, I'm going to take my bow and shoot some arrows. I'm going to have a young boy with me. And if I say to the young boy, the arrows are on this side, then you pick them up and come out, everything's safe. But if I say to the young lad, the arrows are further, go on, go on further, then you know that evil is determined and you can get away. So sure enough, after about the second day, Saul looked at Jonathan and said, where's David? Why?
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He said he asked permission to go to his family's yearly sacrifice in Bethlehem, and I let him go. Saul became so enraged, he cursed his son. He said, Thou son of a rebellious, perverse woman, do I not know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion? And he picked up a javelin and tried to kill Jonathan. And Jonathan escaped, and he knew that his father intended to kill David.
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And so he shot those arrows. And he told the boy, they're beyond you, they're beyond you. And the boy found the arrows, and he took the arrows and the bow and then sent the boy back, and he and David said their goodbyes. At this point, it's when you pick it up in 1 Samuel chapter 21, where David escapes, and he comes now to Nob, the city of the priests, to Ahimelech.
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Now, I want to ask you a question. My question is, why did David go to Ahimelech? The Bible tells us that here he and the young men that were with him ate the hallowed bread. This was the showbread. This was the bread that was set daily before the Lord fresh. And when David asked for it, the priest said, well, you know, if you've at least kept yourself from women, well, he said of a truth for three days now. And so the priest let him eat the bread. But I want you to notice what David begins doing in verse two. Notice verse one, Ahimelech is afraid when he sees David in verse one, he says, Why art thou alone and no man with thee? So David evidently approached him himself. The other young men hung back and David said unto Ahimelech the priest.
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The king hath commanded me a business, and said unto me, Let no man know anything of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee, and I have appointed my servants to such and such a place.
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Now, David said, the reason I'm alone is, first of all, the king has told me to get about this particular business and not to tell anybody. So I can't tell you about my mission. So that's his first lie that he gives to Ahimelech. Notice the second lie, if you would please. In verse 8, And David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thine hand spear or sword? For I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste. Why, now the king has sent me on a special mission, and I just didn't even have time to get my weapons I left so quickly. That's the second bald-faced lie that David now has told the priest.
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I want you to know what happens from this is that Doeg, the Edomite, kills 85 of the Lord's priests. Look, if you would please, chapter 22, beginning there with verse 9. In fact, let's go back and read, beginning there with verse 6. When Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men that were with him, now Saul abode in Gibeah under a tree in Ramah, having his spear in his hand, and all of his servants were standing about him. Watch this. Then Saul said to his servants that stood about him, Hear now, you Benjamites!
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Will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards and make you all captains of thousands and captains of hundreds? While Saul was saying, if David takes over and David gets to be king, do you think he's going to treat you any better than I'm treating you? And by the way, you see, Saul was a Benjamite himself. David was not a Benjamite. So, he said, is he going to treat you any better? Look in verse 8. He says, that all of you have conspired against me, and there is none that showeth unto me that my son hath made a league with the son of Jesse. And watch this, and there is none of you that feel sorry for me, and that showeth unto me that my son hath stirred up my servant against me to lie in wait, as at this day. Well, Jonathan had not stirred up David to lie in wait for him. Verse 9, Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who was set over the servants of Saul, and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, and he inquired of the Lord for him, and gave him victuals, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.
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I want you to know that Doeg now lied. It is true the priest gave him the hallowed bread. It is true the priest gave him the sword of Goliath. But the priest did not inquire of the Lord for David. So Doeg is now adding this particular little scenario to what actually happened. And then of course the king sends for Ahimelech and all the priests. And he basically accuses them of conspiracy, of treason. And he tells Ahimelech, look, in verse 13, Saul said unto him, Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him bread, and a sword, and hast inquired of God for him, that he should rise against me to lie in wait, as at this day? Why are you in this conspiracy? And the priest answered, said, Look, David is your son-in-law.
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Everyone knows how faithful he is. Everyone knows how honorable he is in thine house. And then he says in verse 15, Did I begin to inquire of God for him? God forbid! Far be it from me. Then look what he says, Let not the king impute anything unto his servant, or to all of the house of my father. For thy servant knew nothing of all this, less or more. So Ahimelech said, Look, I don't know what you're talking about.
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It is true that David came to me. It is true that I gave him the sword. I gave him food. I didn't inquire of the Lord for him. I mean, he's your son-in-law. What was I to do? What was I to think? And then Saul says in verse 16, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, look, and all thy father's house. And then Saul orders his soldiers to kill the Lord's priests. They refuse. And rightly so.
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But then he looks to Doeg, an Edomite, not an Israelite, but an Edomite. And he says, Fall thou upon the priests of the Lord. And Doeg slew eighty-five of the priests of the Lord. And then he went to Nob, the city of the priests. And he killed the women, and the children, and the oxen, and the asses, and the sheep, and everything that was there. He slaughtered them all.
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Now, I've got a question. Go back in 1 Samuel chapter 21 and verse 7. Remember now that David escapes to Ahimelech at Nob. The first thing David does is lie to him. You say, why did he lie to Ahimelech? He thought he was saving him. He probably thought, I don't want to get him involved. And if he really didn't know anything, you know, nothing's going to happen. But look at verse 7. Now, David has gone to Ahimelech, the priest at Nob. Now, a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, that is at Nob, detained before the Lord. And his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of the herdmen that belonged to Saul. Now, I've got a question to ask you. Why did God detain Doeg and keep him there so that Doeg could see and hear everything that went on? Is not God absolutely sovereign? The answer is yes. God could have removed Doeg before David ever got there. Or God could have shut his eyes and shut his ears and not let him see nor hear anything that David had said.
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But God didn't do that. God detained Doeg so Doeg could see what Ahimelech did for David and hear what Ahimelech and David said. It is almost as if God wanted those priests slain. Isn't that amazing? Could it possibly be that God wanted 85 of His own priests slain and their city destroyed? In order to answer those questions, we've got to determine who Ahimelech is. If you look in 1 Samuel 21 and verse 1, then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest. That's all that he's referred to as in verse 1, Ahimelech the priest. But when you get to chapter 22, if you look at verse 9, Then answered Doeg the Edomite, which was set over the servants of Saul, and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob to Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub. Now he's called the son of Ahitub. Look in verse 12. And Saul said, Hear now, thou son of Ahitub. And he, that is Ahimelech, answered, Here I am, my lord. So he's called the son of Ahitub.
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Look in verse 20. And one of the sons of Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. Once again, he's called the son of Ahitub.
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Now, out of all the priests that were slain, out of all the women and children that were slain, only Abiathar escaped. Look in verse 20. And one of the sons of Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. So all the priests, all the women and children were killed except Abiathar.
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Now we've got to find out who in the world Ahimelech is. We know he's the son of Ahitub, but who in the world is Ahitub? Why in the world would God want him killed? Well, look in your Bibles to 1 Samuel chapter 14. 1 Samuel chapter 14, and let's begin reading there with verse 3. 1 Samuel chapter 14 in verse 3. Now watch carefully. And Ahiah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the Lord's priest in Shiloh, wearing an ephod.
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And the people knew not that Jonathan was gone. Now, go back to verse 3. And Ahiah, some of you will have marginal references. And when you will look in the marginal reference, you will find another name for Ahiah. What is it? Ahimelech. So Ahiah and Ahimelech are one and the same person. Now watch this. And Ahiah or Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother. So now we now know that Ahimelech is the son of Ahitub. And Ahitub and Ichabod were brothers.
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You say, what does that mean? Well, let's go back to 1 Samuel 4. Let's find out. 1 Samuel 4, and let's begin reading there with verse 19. The Philistines have invaded Israel. They've captured the Ark of the Covenant. Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, are both killed in the battle. And the Bible says in verse 19, 1 Samuel 4, and his daughter-in-law, Phinehas' wife, was with child near to be delivered, and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father-in-law, that is, Eli, and her husband, Phinehas, were dead, she bowed herself in travail, for her pains came upon her.
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About the time of her death, the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not, for thou hast born a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard it. And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father-in-law and her husband. And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken. So Ichabod then is the last child born, the youngest son of Phinehas. So if Ahimelech is the son of Ahitub, that means then that Ahitub and Ichabod are brothers. That means their father is Phinehas.
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You said, Brother Weaver, I don't understand why you're pressing this fact. Well, I want you to understand. In 1 Samuel chapter 4 and verse 4, go there, 1 Samuel 4 and verse 4. So the people sent to Shiloh that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubims: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
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Now, let's chase this thing back. We've got Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech is the son of Ahitub. Ahitub is the brother of Ichabod, which means that Phinehas is their father. Phinehas is the son of Eli. So you go then from Ahimelech to Ahitub to Phinehas to Eli. You say, what is so significant about that? Well, go back to 1 Samuel 2. You're going to find that God pronounces doom, judgment, death upon Eli and his descendants for their wickedness and their rebellion against him. Notice in 1 Samuel 2, and let's begin reading there with verse 27. 1 Samuel 2, verse 27. And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy father when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh's house?
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And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, and to offer upon my altar to burn incense, and to wear an ephod before me? And did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings made by the fire of the children of Israel?
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Now let's just stop there. God said, Look, Eli, I chose your fathers. And since you were in their loins, that means I chose you as well. But I also gave you your offerings. I told you what belonged to the priest. And I also told you what belonged to me. You know now watch verse 29. Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honorest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people? So let me tell you what you're doing, Eli. You're not taking what I've given you. You're taking what you want. You and your sons are stealing from me. You're guilty, Eli, not necessarily from the fact that you're doing the taking yourself, but you are allowing your wicked, rebellious sons to steal from me. Ah, let's go further. He says in verse 30, Wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house and the house of thy father should walk before me forever.
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Now look what God says. But now the Lord saith, Be it far from me; for them that honor me I will honor, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. God said, Let me give you a principle, Eli. If you honor me, I will honor you. If you despise me, I will despise you. He says, Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father's house, that there shall not be an old man in thine house. And thou shalt see an enemy in my habitation, in all the wealth which God shall give Israel: and there shall not be an old man in thine house forever. And the man of thine, whom I shall not cut off from my altar,
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shall be to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thine heart: and all the increase of thine house shall die in the flower of their age. And this shall be a sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall die both of them. And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed forever. And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left in thine house shall come and crouch to him for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread, and shall say, Put me, I pray thee, into one of the priests' offices, that I may eat a piece of bread.
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Now look what God has told Eli. He said, Eli, I'm going to cut you off. I'm going to cut your family off. You're not going to be my priest any longer. Moreover, I'm going to kill your children in the flower of their age. And any man that lives to be an old man in your house, he's going to be a beggar. He's going to be worthless and powerless and useless.
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Now, I want you to notice how this was confirmed. Look in 1 Samuel 3, beginning there in verse 11, because God now tells Samuel, who's going to take Eli's place, by the way. And I'll tell you a little bit more of what these wicked sons of Eli did, but look in 1 Samuel 3, in verse 11. And the Lord said unto Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle. In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house. And I want you to note these next words. These are fearful words. God says, and when I begin, I'll also make an end.
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Let me kind of paraphrase that. God says, don't get me started. But when I get started, I finish the job. So he says, when I begin, I will also make an end. For I have told him. God said, this is no secret. I've told Eli, I've told him I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not. They were committing fornication with women at the door of the tabernacle. Plus, stealing the sacrifices of God. And Eli didn't stop them. Verse 14, Therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering forever. Now I want you to see what God has done. God said, Eli, I'm going to judge you. I'm going to judge your house. Because you and your sons have made yourselves vile. You've honored yourselves before you've honored me. And God says, when I begin, I will make an end. Now, are you listening? The first installment of God's judgment came in 1 Samuel 4 and verse 11, when the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were killed the same day.
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1 Samuel chapter 4, verse 11. The Bible says, "...and the ark of God was taken, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain." Remember, God said, this is a sign to you. I'm going to judge your house. You're going to lose both your sons in one day. So, Hophni and Phinehas die. That's the first installment of God's judgment. The second installment comes in Ahimelech's lifetime, in 1 Samuel chapter 22, where 85 priests, who were all descendants of Eli, were killed.
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Now I want you to notice something. I want you to listen to me. I'm going to say this before I close again today. God's paydays are not always on Friday. You see, God slew Hophni and Phinehas in a relatively short period of time after he told Eli he's going to kill them both. But then it went from Phinehas to Ahitub to Ahimelech. You see what I'm saying?
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What was that, another 50, 80 years? And God's judgment fell again. Oh, but you say, Brother Weaver, you have told me that God said he's going to wipe out Eli's house, but I listened to you read this scripture a while ago, and I know that Abiathar escaped. In fact, I can show you the verse. It's found in 1 Samuel chapter 22, and if you look in verse 20, and one of the sons of Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. God did not get them all. Abiathar escaped. It is true that Abiathar escaped temporarily. And Abiathar was with David and was faithful when he was with David. But after David's death, he turned against Solomon. And if you look in your Bibles, the first Kings chapter 2, and let's begin reading there with verse 26. 1 Kings 2 verse 26. Look what the Bible says. 1 Kings 2 verse 26. And unto Abiathar the priest, the king, that is King Solomon, the king said, Get thee to Anathoth into thine own fields, look what he tells him, for thou art worthy of death.
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because he was with Solomon's opponent for the throne. He said unto Abiathar the priest, and thus saith the king, Get thee to Anathoth into thine own fields, for thou art worthy of death. But I will not at this time put thee to death, because thou barest the ark of the Lord God before David my father, and because thou hast been afflicted in all wherein my father was afflicted. So Solomon thrust out Abiathar from being priest unto the Lord, that he might fulfill the word of the Lord which he spake concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh. Did God get them all? He got them all. What did God say?
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When I begin, I will also make an end. Now, I want to spend the rest of my time this morning making applications. I want you to remember this one truth. I'm going to show it to you from the scriptures. God's judgments are sure and certain. God's judgments are sure and certain. His paydays are not always on Friday. And just because God does not instantly and immediately slap a wicked person down, does not mean that that wicked person has escaped. There are wicked people that have done great harm to the people of God, and yet they seemingly are still in power. And nothing appears to have happened unto them yet. I want you to look in your Bibles.
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I want you to find two passages, Deuteronomy 28 and Zechariah chapter 1. Now Zechariah is a minor prophet. It will be right before the book of Malachi, next to the last book in the Bible. So I want you to find Zechariah chapter 1 and just hold that passage. We're going to come back there. But go first in your Bibles to Deuteronomy chapter 28. In Deuteronomy 28, you have the blessings and the curses, OK? The blessings and the curses. Deuteronomy 28 is one of the most important passages in the Bible. It may interest you to know that the presidents of the United States used to take their oath of office with their hand upon the open Bible to Deuteronomy 28, because they realize we are a covenanted nation, and they realize as long as we obey God, God would bless us. They also realize when we disobey God, God would curse us. So I want you to look, if you would please, beginning with verse 1, and let me just show you something concerning the blessings, first of all.
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God said, And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all the nations of the earth. So if you obey me, said God, I will set you on high. And all these blessings shall come on thee and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God. And then he gives you all these blessings.
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Now I want to call your attention to the word overtake. God says now if you obey me all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you. So here you are obeying God, bringing your life into conformity to his word, honoring him. And God starts blessing you and blessing you and blessing you, and you say, look, I've got so many blessings, I don't need any more. And here you are running down the road as hard and as fast as you can, trying to outrun the blessings of God. God says, I've got news for you. My blessings will run you down, chase you down, knock you down and fall all over you, and you can't stop them.
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That sounds good to me. But unhappily, that's not the whole story. Because if you'll skip down to verse 15, God says this. But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, that is, if you will not obey, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day, that all these curses shall come upon thee and overtake thee.
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So here you are, disobeying God, living in rebellion, being wicked, doing your own thing, and you're running down the road as fast and as furiously as you can, trying to outrun and escape the judgment and the curse of God. God said, I got news for you. You can't run fast enough. My curses, my judgments will chase you down and run you down and knock you down and fall all over you. And you can't stop them.
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Look in your Bibles to the book of Zechariah chapter 1. Look at this testimony. The fathers had to come up with this true confession. Zechariah chapter 1 verse 2. Old Zechariah says, The Lord hath been sore displeased with your fathers. Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Turn ye unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. Then he tells them, Be not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Turn ye now from your evil ways and from your evil doings. But they did not hear nor hearken unto me, saith the Lord. Now watch. They did not hear nor hearken.
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They were living their lives, doing their thing without regard to God and his law. And then God says in verse five, Your fathers, where are they? Your prophets, do they live forever? But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold, or did they not overtake your fathers? And they returned and said, Like as the Lord of hosts thought to do unto us according to our ways and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us. What did they confess? God's Word is true.
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His curses, they overtook us. His judgments caught up with us. We could not escape. Folks, it is no different today than it was in Zechariah's time or in Moses' time. The Word of God is absolutely, totally sure.
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Now, I want you to turn in your Bible. I know you can quote it, but I want you to turn to 1 Peter 4. 1 Peter 4. You say, but Brother Weaver, it seems as if a lot of Christians are suffering now as well, yes. A lot of disobedient Christians. Look what God says in verse 1 Peter 4 and verse 17. For the time has come that judgment must begin where? At the house of God. And if it first begin at us, look at this question. What shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
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Let me tell you something, folks. If in the judgment of God, we His people are chastised, what in the world is going to happen to those who are not His people? You see what I'm saying? God only chastises His own. He doesn't condemn them and destroy them. He just whips them like we do a disobedient child. But God says, will you see what I do to the wicked? And if I will whip my own for their disobedience and their rebellion, what in the world will I do with the wicked? You see, folks, God's judgments are absolutely sure and absolutely certain. God will deal with the wicked.
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It may not be today. It may be tomorrow. And God may knock some down tomorrow, and it may be ten years later before God gets the rest of them. But God will get them. God will get them. Rest in the Lord. Trust in the Lord. But make sure you understand God will judge the wicked. Here's the second application. Go back in your Bibles to First Samuel, Chapter 21. Here it is. First Samuel, Chapter 21, David flees to Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech says, David, why are you alone? Why?
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He said, the king is commanding me a business. And I, you know, I had to leave quickly and it's a secret mission. I'm not supposed to tell anybody. And then David said, is there a weapon here? Why? He said, where are yours? Why? David said, I had to leave in such haste, I didn't have time to get them. Here's the application. Things do not always turn out.
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the way we want them to and the way we plan them. Probably, I have no doubt in my mind that David, being a man of virtue, did not want to involve Ahimelech in his problems. And he probably thought he was saving Ahimelech's life and the lives of those with Ahimelech by being untruthful. And Ahimelech confessed and he told the truth. He told Saul, he said, your servant knew nothing less nor more. All I know is David came to me.
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I did not inquire of God for him. I did give him bread. I did give him the sword. But he's your son-in-law. Who's as faithful and as honorable as David? You see, David evidently tried to protect Ahimelech, and keep him out of it. But it just didn't turn out that way. You know something, people? No matter how hard we try, we cannot even protect ourselves from evil and death, much less anyone else. We try to keep other people out of problems, and many times we can't. We can plan, we can prepare, we can scheme, we can do whatever we want to, but ultimately we've got to understand that God is sovereign. Things do not always turn out the way we want them to.
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Now listen, that's not only true concerning Christians. That's also true concerning the wicked. What does God say? He shall fall in the pit which he has digged. It's going to return upon his own head. All the wicked plans and schemes will ultimately come to nothing. There is no wisdom, nor counsel, nor understanding against the Lord. Here's the third application, and I want you to look, if you would please, in 1 Samuel 22 and verse 22.
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Boy, this is something that is very seldom seen today. We must learn to assume personal responsibility for our actions. What happens? Abiathar escapes, and the Bible says, In verse 21, and Abiathar showed David that Saul had slain the Lord's priests. Verse 22, and David said unto Abiathar, I knew it. I knew it that day when Doeg the Edomite was there that he would surely tell Saul: I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father's house. David said, I take full responsibility. I knew what was going to happen when I saw Doeg there. I knew he'd tell Saul. But he says to Abiathar, fear not. He that seeketh thy life, seeketh my life.
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Be with me, and thou shalt be in safeguard. I'll protect you, Abiathar. And David did. But David was assuming full responsibility for his actions.
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Now, there's one other thing we've got to learn, and that is this. Even when God uses the wicked as an instrument of His wrath, they have their certain and sure judgments as well. It was true God detained Doeg. And Doeg saw, and Doeg heard, and Doeg told Saul, and Doeg murdered the priests of the Lord and all those women and children. But if you look in your Bibles, the Psalm 52. Psalm 52 is a psalm that David wrote against Doeg. Look at it, Psalm 52, verse one.
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Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? He's talking about Doeg. Doeg was the chiefest of the herdsmen of Saul. Why boastest thou thyself in thy mischief, O mighty man? Lord, you've killed the Lord's priests, you've killed women and children. The goodness of God endureth continually. Thy tongue deviseth mischief like a sharp razor working deceitfully. Thou lovest evil more than good, and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue. God shall likewise destroy thee forever. He shall take thee away and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living.
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The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him. Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness. David says, But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever. I will praise thee forever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints. What does God say about Doeg? God said, Lord, you will destroy him, you will pluck him out of his dwelling place, you will root him out of the land of the living. The Bible says in Psalm 37, the wicked shall be destroyed, thine eyes shall see it when the Lord cuts the wicked off from the land of the living. You can't outrun God, either in blessings or curses.
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That is true individually, familially, ecclesiastically, and nationally. That's why the Scripture says, blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. But the nations that forget God shall be turned into hell. You can't outrun God, either His blessings or His curses. Father, we ask Thee today to help us, to teach us, to strengthen us, to build us up in the most holy faith, to make us, Father, totally dependent upon Thee, trusting in Thee, leaning upon Thee, understanding that we're responsible to obey, but You're the one that must work things out. We give Thee the praise and the honor and the glory in Christ's name. Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T23:30:15Z

Why God Allowed the Slaughter of the Priest

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver examines the slaughter of 85 priests at Nob, tracing it to God's sovereign judgment on the house of Eli for their wickedness. He emphasizes that God's judgments are certain, though often delayed, and that no one can outrun either His blessings or His curses. Applications include trusting God's timing, accepting personal responsibility, and recognizing that even the wicked instruments of judgment will face their own reckoning.

Introduction: The Slaughter at Nob

Reading of 1 Samuel 21-22 recounting David's visit to Ahimelech, Doeg's report, and Saul's order to kill the priests.

Modern Parallel: Wickedness and Hypocrisy

Weaver shares a contemporary example of alleged government corruption involving anthrax vaccines to illustrate that wickedness seems to go unpunished.

The Certainty of Divine Judgment

Despite appearances, God always punishes the wicked; their foot shall slide in due time.

Background: David's Flight from Saul

Review of 1 Samuel 19-20 showing Saul's repeated attempts to kill David and David's escape.

David's Lies to Ahimelech

David lies about being on a secret mission and lacking weapons, likely trying to protect the priest.

Doeg's Report and the Massacre

Doeg adds a lie about Ahimelech inquiring of the Lord; Saul orders the priests killed, and Doeg slaughters 85 priests and the city of Nob.

God's Sovereignty in Detaining Doeg

God detained Doeg at Nob so he could witness events, suggesting God intended the priests' deaths as judgment.

Tracing Ahimelech's Lineage to Eli

Ahimelech is identified as a descendant of Eli through Phinehas and Ahitub, linking the slaughter to God's curse on Eli's house.

God's Judgment on Eli's House

God pronounced doom on Eli's descendants for honoring their sons above God; the slaughter at Nob is a fulfillment of that judgment.

The Progressive Fulfillment of Judgment

God's judgment came in stages: Hophni and Phinehas died first, then the priests at Nob, and finally Abiathar was removed from priesthood under Solomon.

1 Samuel chapter 4, verse 11. The Bible says,

Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 4:11

"...and the ark of God was taken, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain."

Applications: God's Sure Judgments

God's judgments are certain; blessings and curses overtake the obedient and disobedient respectively; we must trust God's timing.

Applications: Human Plans and Responsibility

Things don't always turn out as planned; we must assume personal responsibility for our actions, as David did.

Be with me, and thou shalt be in safeguard. I'll protect you, Abiathar. And David did. But David was assuming full responsibility for his actions.

Why God Allowed the Slaughter of the Priest

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	81607815330
Subject	Covenant Theology
Course	Covenant Theology: Blessings, Curses, and Sanctions: The Hallelujah of Confession
Genre	Sermon
Date	2007-08-16
Dictation Name
Book	Book 042: Covenant Theology: Blessings, Curses, and Sanctions: God's Answer to America's Problems — Chapter 8
Source Timed Segments	77

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: The Slaughter at Nob: Reading of 1 Samuel 21-22 recounting David's visit to Ahimelech, Doeg's report, and Saul's order to kill the priests.
Modern Parallel: Wickedness and Hypocrisy: Weaver shares a contemporary example of alleged government corruption involving anthrax vaccines to illustrate that wickedness seems to go unpunished.
The Certainty of Divine Judgment: Despite appearances, God always punishes the wicked; their foot shall slide in due time.
Background: David's Flight from Saul: Review of 1 Samuel 19-20 showing Saul's repeated attempts to kill David and David's escape.
David's Lies to Ahimelech: David lies about being on a secret mission and lacking weapons, likely trying to protect the priest.
Doeg's Report and the Massacre: Doeg adds a lie about Ahimelech inquiring of the Lord; Saul orders the priests killed, and Doeg slaughters 85 priests and the city of Nob.
God's Sovereignty in Detaining Doeg: God detained Doeg at Nob so he could witness events, suggesting God intended the priests' deaths as judgment.
Tracing Ahimelech's Lineage to Eli: Ahimelech is identified as a descendant of Eli through Phinehas and Ahitub, linking the slaughter to God's curse on Eli's house.
God's Judgment on Eli's House: God pronounced doom on Eli's descendants for honoring their sons above God; the slaughter at Nob is a fulfillment of that judgment.
The Progressive Fulfillment of Judgment: God's judgment came in stages: Hophni and Phinehas died first, then the priests at Nob, and finally Abiathar was removed from priesthood under Solomon.
Applications: God's Sure Judgments: God's judgments are certain; blessings and curses overtake the obedient and disobedient respectively; we must trust God's timing.
Applications: Human Plans and Responsibility: Things don't always turn out as planned; we must assume personal responsibility for our actions, as David did.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

God's judgment on Eli's house was prophesied and fulfilled in stages.

The slaughter of the priests at Nob was a direct fulfillment of God's curse on Eli's descendants for their wickedness.

Weaver traces Ahimelech's lineage to Eli and cites 1 Samuel 2-3 where God promises to cut off Eli's house.

God uses even wicked instruments to accomplish His purposes, but they too will be judged.

Doeg was used by God to execute judgment, yet Psalm 52 pronounces his own destruction.

Weaver reads Psalm 52: 'God shall likewise destroy thee forever... root thee out of the land of the living.'

The delay of judgment does not mean escape.

Just because the wicked prosper temporarily does not mean they have avoided God's wrath.

Weaver says, 'Just because God does not instantly and immediately slap a wicked person down, does not mean that that wicked person has escaped.'

God's Word is absolutely sure; His curses overtake the disobedient.

Zechariah 1 confirms that God's words did overtake the fathers, and the same principle applies today.

Zechariah 1:6: 'did they not take hold, or did they not overtake your fathers?'

Scripture References

1 Samuel 21:1-10: David comes to Ahimelech at Nob, lies about his mission, and receives hallowed bread and Goliath's sword.
1 Samuel 22:6-23: Saul accuses the priests of conspiracy; Doeg kills 85 priests and destroys Nob; Abiathar escapes.
1 Samuel 19: Saul tries to kill David; Michal helps David escape.
1 Samuel 20: Jonathan and David's covenant; Saul's rage confirms his intent to kill David.
1 Samuel 14:3: Ahiah (Ahimelech) is identified as the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, linking him to Eli.
1 Samuel 4:19-22: Birth of Ichabod; the glory departs from Israel.
1 Samuel 2:27-36: God pronounces judgment on Eli's house for honoring his sons above God.
1 Samuel 3:11-14: God confirms to Samuel the judgment on Eli's house; when He begins, He will make an end.
1 Samuel 4:11: Hophni and Phinehas are slain, fulfilling the first part of God's judgment.
1 Kings 2:26-27: Solomon removes Abiathar from priesthood, fulfilling the word against Eli's house.
Deuteronomy 28:1-15: Blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience will overtake the people.
Zechariah 1:2-6: The fathers confess that God's words and statutes overtook them according to their ways.
1 Peter 4:17: Judgment begins at the house of God; what will be the end of those who obey not the gospel?
Psalm 52:1-9: David's psalm against Doeg, declaring God will destroy him and root him out.
Psalm 37: The wicked shall be destroyed; the righteous will see it.

Historical References

Admiral William J. Crowe Jr. and Bioport Corporation: Weaver cites an article alleging that Crowe, former Joint Chiefs chairman, sold anthrax to Saddam Hussein and later profited from anthrax vaccine contracts through Bioport.
Saddam Hussein and U.S. support: The article claims the U.S. backed Saddam Hussein and provided him with anthrax during the Iran-Iraq war.
George W. Bush administration: Bush ordered National Guard to guard Bioport facility under national emergency provisions.

Important Quotes

God's paydays are not always on Friday.

Summarizes the theme that divine judgment may be delayed but is certain.

When I begin, I will also make an end.

God's warning that once He starts judgment, He will complete it, applied to Eli's house.

You can't outrun God, either in blessings or curses.

The central message of the sermon: no one can escape God's sovereign decrees.

I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father's house.

David's acceptance of personal responsibility for the priests' deaths.

The wicked shall be destroyed, thine eyes shall see it when the Lord cuts the wicked off from the land of the living.

Quoting Psalm 37 to affirm the certainty of the wicked's destruction.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does the account of Doeg being 'detained before the Lord' challenge or deepen your understanding of God's sovereignty in evil events?

[Context]

Weaver emphasizes that God detained Doeg to witness David's visit, suggesting God intended the priests' deaths.

[Question]

In what ways do we struggle with the delay of God's judgment on the wicked, and how can this passage encourage us?

[Context]

Weaver notes that God's paydays are not always immediate, but His judgments are certain.

[Question]

David lied to Ahimelech, likely to protect him, yet it led to disaster. How should we navigate situations where telling the truth seems dangerous?

[Context]

David's lies are highlighted as an attempt to shield Ahimelech, but they did not prevent the slaughter.

[Question]

What does David's assumption of responsibility teach us about biblical leadership and accountability?

[Context]

David tells Abiathar, 'I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father's house.'

[Question]

How does the progressive fulfillment of judgment on Eli's house (Hophni/Phinehas, Nob, Abiathar) illustrate God's faithfulness to His word?

[Context]

Weaver traces the judgment from 1 Samuel 4 to 1 Kings 2, showing God's word was fulfilled over generations.

Applications

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T14:27:47Z