Gospel Reflections #976: Only by God's Guidance

1 Samuel 22:9 “Then Doeg the Edomite, who was standing among Saul’s servants, replied, ‘I saw the son of Jesse come to Ahimelech son of Ahitub at Nob.’”

This is a crucial scene in which Doeg the Edomite accuses Ahimelech, the priest who helped David, before King Saul. It highlights both the madness of King Saul in his pursuit of David and the nature of those who seek to ingratiate themselves by exploiting that madness.

Although Doeg was an Edomite, he was a servant of Saul.

In the previous chapter (Chapter 21), he had happened to witness the scene where David received bread (the showbread) and a sword (Goliath’s sword) from the priest Ahimelech.

Doeg knew full well that the priest’s actions towards David had not been motivated by hostility towards King Saul.

Although Doeg was reporting the facts, he was a slanderer.

His motive was not so much loyalty to Saul as it was to inform on David and the priests in order to bring them down.

The priests had helped David out of goodwill, unaware that he was a fugitive from the king, but Doeg distorted that goodwill and presented it as ‘evidence of treason’.

Doeg read Saul’s heart, which was filled with jealousy, hatred and murderous intent, and stirred up the worst passions within it.

It is difficult for us to control our own emotions.

When negative emotions accumulate within our hearts, they become entrenched; we can no longer manage them ourselves and, conversely, find ourselves dominated by them.

We should seek God’s guidance so that, at all times, we may be made aware by the Holy Spirit and set our hearts firmly upon Him.

AUTHOR'S BIO: This Gospel Reflections page is written by Masae San, who resides in Hiroshima, Japan. Masae is a dedicated student of the Bible with a deep passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She shares her daily reflections on Gospel perspectives to reach out to others and spread the message of God's true love through a Christ-centered approach. We are sharing her insights here so that you, too, can experience the joy that comes from knowing and understanding the true Gospel and the love of God through Jesus Christ.