A right Judge

 

 
There is a common misconception that often surfaces when first reading the stories of the Bible.  I recall a conversation we shared with one of my husband’s employees.  He had recently started reading his Bible and the first thing he couldn’t get over was the extent of war and violence that occurred throughout, especially in the OT.  

You can’t help but wonder why God would allow so much killing and what often appeared to be needless, innocent bloodshed.

However, the more familiar I became with each story, the more I realized that it was connected with another story.  And that God is a righteous and just judge, giving warning on multiple occasion for people to turn from their evil ways or suffer the consequences. 

One such story is taken out of 1 Samuel chapters 21-22.  

David is a young fella who had recently joined the royal family of King Saul.  Because the people of the kingdom have sympathized to David, King Saul suddenly began to view him as a threat to the throne.  This caused David to run for his life, without food or provision for the journey.  

David escapes to a place called Nod and encounters a priest named Ahimelech.  He claims that he is on a special mission for the King and is in need of food.  Ahimelech grants David all his requests and sends him off on his journey.  One of King’s Saul’s servants happened to be present and quickly reports to the King all that had occurred.  

King Saul accuses Ahimelech of conspiring against him when helping David and orders the execution of the entire priesthood family, other than one who escaped to tell David.  

Every time I came across this story, I questioned the sovereignty of God.   Why would he allow the execution of this family of priests?  It would have made sense if it were the enemies of the people of God that lived in wickedness. However, this was a family of priests that served in his temple.  Until I felt prompted to study this family line. 

I found that Ahimelech was actually the son of Ahitub, who was grandson to the high priest, Eli.  It suddenly made sense.  

Eli was a priest just a few generations prior, who had two sons.  These sons were also priests but they lived immorally.  They did not fear God, and took advantage of their service and the people that came to honor God at the temple.  They continued to live in disobedience, despite multiple warnings.  God revealed to his prophet that a day would come when he would execute judgement on this family line and they would no longer serve as priests (1 Sam. 2).  

It was simply a matter of time for that judgement to be executed generations later, through the wrath of King Saul.  

God’s warning should never be taken lightly.  He is a righteous judge and everything he executes will surely come to pass.