SAMUEL: Rock of Escape

David is still on the run and Saul is bent on murder. At God’s leading he and his outlaws save Keilah from the Philistines. But Saul gets wind of it and God directs David to flee Keilah, protecting him from the pursuers into the wilderness of Ziph. Jonathon risks one last meeting with David, and God uses it to encourage him. The Ziphites join in hunting David, and at the last second he’s only saved because raiding Philistines requires Saul’s attention. Saul gives up the chase and the place is called “Rock of Escape.” What is striking about the passage is Saul’s obliviousness to his own sin, believing that God is on his side in trying to kill David. Sin makes you stupid, and reminds us that it takes you further than you want to go, keeps you longer than you want to stay, and costs you more than you want to pay. God is a rock of our escape if we heed His Spirit, Word, people, and the circumstances of our stupidity.