1 Samuel 23:7

1 Samuel 23:7 says, And it was told Saul that David was come to Keilah. And Saul said, God hath delivered him into mine hand; for he is shut in, by entering into a town that hath gates and bars.  When Saul heard that David was at Keilah, he was arrogant enough to believe that God had delivered David to him so that he could kill him.  He had evidently forgotten that one of the reasons he hated David so much was because God was with David and not with him.  At times today, people still want to justify their actions by claiming God is on their side, often while doing things that go against His commandments.  Verse eight adds, And Saul called all the people together to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men.  Saul, who had done nothing to help the people at Keilah, now called the people of Israel together to go and besiege David there, even though David was the one who had helped them even though he knew it could put him in danger from Saul.  Sometimes, even if we know that we are putting ourself in danger by helping someone, we still need to do it, if we like David have sought God's guidance in the situation.  Verse nine continues, And David knew that Saul secretly practised mischief against him; and he said to Abiathar the priest, Bring hither the ephod.  David knew that Saul was up to something that was no good, so he asked Abiathar to bring him the ephod.  He would use this to seek God's guidance, just as we should use prayer and the Bible to do so today.  Verse ten declares, Then said David, O LORD God of Israel, thy servant hath certainly heard that Saul seeketh to come to Keilah, to destroy the city for my sake.  David brought his concerns reverently before God, just as we must today, especially in times of trouble.  Verse eleven adds, Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? will Saul come down, as thy servant hath heard? O LORD God of Israel, I beseech thee, tell thy servant. And the LORD said, He will come down.  David asked God if Saul would come down and if the people of Keilah would deliver him up to Saul.   The first answer David got was that Saul would come down.  This didn't totally answer David’s question.  When we pray to God for guidance today, He may not immediately give us a complete answer to our questions.  Verse twelve adds, Then said David, Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul? And the LORD said, They will deliver thee up.  David again asked God the question about the people of Keilah, and God said that they would give him up to Saul.  This probably wasn't the answer David wanted to hear, especially since he and his men had just saved them from the Philistines.  We cannot always expect people to act honorably towards us simply because we have helped them, but we should always seek God's will in dealing with the situation.  Verse thirteen continues, Then David and his men, which were about six hundred, arose and departed out of Keilah, and went whithersoever they could go. And it was told Saul that David was escaped from Keilah; and he forbare to go forth. After seeking God's guidance, David and his men left Keilah, going wherever they could go to stay safe.  Saul heard David had left, so he didn't go to Keilah.  Had God really been delivering David into Saul’s hand, he would have still been there.  At times today, we still hear people saying that God is going to do something, either in their life or in the world as a whole, and it doesn't happen.   This simply means that God wasn't behind their claim to begin with.  Verse fourteen states, And David abode in the wilderness in strong holds, and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand.  David lived in many places in the wilderness and in the mountain of the wilderness of Ziph, and Saul hunted him every day, but God kept David safe.  Whatever happens in our life today, we as followers of Christ are forever safe in God's hands, even if our life here is taken from us for His sake.  Verse fifteen adds, And David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life: and David was in the wilderness of Ziph in a wood.  David was hiding in the woods at Ziph at this time.  Verse sixteen says, And Jonathan Saul’s son arose, and went to David into the wood, and strengthened his hand in God.  Saul may not have been able to find David, but Jonathan was.  I believe that this was because Jonathan was still following God's guidance in his life.  We cannot be more loyal to our parents than we are to God and still be effective Christians, especially if we know that what they want goes against God's will.  Verse seventeen adds, And he said unto him, Fear not: for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee; and that also Saul my father knoweth.  Jonathan gave David assurance that Saul would not find him and that he would be the king of Israel.  Jonathan then also assured David that he would serve David and not attempt to seize power, as he might have claimed was his right.  Jonathan was still putting himself in danger to even speak to David since Saul was hunting David to kill him.  I believe Jonathan was relying on God's guidance in the situation, and so must we today as Christians.  Verse eighteen continues, And they two made a covenant before the LORD: and David abode in the wood, and Jonathan went to his house.  Once again,  Jonathan and David made a covenant with each other before the Lord.  As followers of Christ, any covenant that we make today should be before the Lord.