1 Samuel 21:1–15 David and the Holy Bread

[Study Aired June 15, 2026]

The study for today can be divided into two parts. The first part deals with David seeking support from a priest at Nob, where he ended up receiving holy bread and Goliath’s sword. The second part focuses on David’s escape to Gath where he feigned madness. As indicated in all our studies, today’s study will highlight what the spirit is saying to us through David’s actions. 

Joh 6:63  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.  

David and the Holy Bread

1Sa 21:1  Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee? 

Nob means ‘fruit’ and that of Ahimelech indicates that ‘my brother is king.’  It is in the church of the Lord’s elect that we start to produce fruit of the spirit and are promised kingship. In verse 1, Ahimelech the priest is a symbol of our brothers and sisters who are called and chosen by the Lord for the role of being a royal priesthood. Therefore, David coming to Nob to Ahimelech the priest shows our exit from the church system of this world or Babylon to the church of the first born or Heavenly Jerusalem, where we start the process of bearing the fruit of the Spirit.

1Pe 2:9  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 

Gal 5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 
Gal 5:23  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 
Gal 5:24  And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 

Ahimelech seeing David alone and not with an entourage, made him fearful of repercussions that may arise from aiding him. At this point, David was under the judgment of the Lord as Saul sought to kill him. During these trial times, we become vulnerable like David. However, amid his suffering, David sought Ahimelech, a symbol of the Lord’s elect. Verse 1 therefore assures us that in our times of trials, there is nothing wrong in seeking support from our brothers and sisters in Christ. This verse therefore offers reassurance to us that asking for support is not a sign of weakness, but rather an essential part of overcoming hardship the Lord has brought on us. In other words, the support we receive from our brothers and sisters is the way of the Lord for us to be able to bear the suffering we are going through.

1Co 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. 

1Sa 21:2  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. 

David lying to Ahimelech the priest that king Saul had sent him on a business and that he had stationed the young men with him at a certain place shows that David was still of the flesh in his walk with the Lord. Thus, the need for his sins to be burnt out of him through the Lord’s judgment. In other words, we need to learn righteousness by the things that we suffer. 

1Pe 4:1  Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; 
1Pe 4:2  That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. 

Psa 119:67  Before I (David) was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word. 
Psa 119:68  Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes. 

1Sa 21:3  Now therefore what is under thine hand? give me five loaves of bread in mine hand, or what there is present. 

As indicated earlier, David coming to Ahimelech the priest is our coming to the heavenly Jerusalem or the church of the firstborn, where we are to receive support from our brothers and sisters or what every joint supplies.  

Eph 4:15  But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: 
Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. 

David requesting Ahimelech to give him five loaves of bread signifies our need to feed on the word of truth by what every joint supplies by the grace of the Lord through faith (the significance of the number five). This truth of the word of the Lord is like hail that destroys the refuge of lies or the false doctrines in our heavens or hearts and minds. 

Isa 28:17  Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.

It is important to note that it is while we are being judged that our understanding of the word of the Lord is also enlightened. That is what is happening to us, His elect (David) as we receive these five loaves of bread from Ahimelech or what every joint supplies. It is the same as hearing the voice of the Lord in the midst of the fire. It also implies the Lord coming to us with hail for rain and flaming fire on our land, which is our bodies. 

Psa 105:32  He gave them hail for rain, and flaming fire in their land.

Psa 148:8  Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word:  

Deu 4:36  Out of heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he might instruct thee: and upon earth he shewed thee his great fire; and thou heardest his words out of the midst of the fire. 

Deu 5:24  And ye said, Behold, the LORD our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth.   

1Sa 21:4  And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under mine hand, but there is hallowed bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women. 

It is important to distinguish here in verse 4, the difference between common bread and hallowed bread. The common bread spiritually represents man’s wisdom and tradition which emanates as smoke from our bottomless pit (our hearts and minds), which darkens our understanding of the word and therefore makes it impossible to know Christ and His word. This is what is propagated by the false apostles (locusts) parading in the corridors of the church system of this world. 

Rev 9:2  And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. 
Rev 9:3  And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

Mar 7:9  And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. 

Mar 7:13  Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye. 

According to verse 4, the hallowed bread, on the other hand, is available only to those who have kept themselves from women. The women here in verse 4 represent the churches of this world. This hallowed bread, which represents the truth of the word of the Lord or the mysteries of the kingdom, is available only to those who have kept themselves from the leaven or the false doctrines of man’s wisdom and tradition of the Pharisees or the church system of this world.  

Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Mat 13:12  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. 

Mat 16:6  Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
Mat 16:7  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread. 
Mat 16:8  Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? 

Mat 16:11  How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? 
Mat 16:12  Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

1Sa 21:5  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.

An easier to understand translation of this verse is shown as follows:

1Sa 21:5  And David answered the priest, “Truly women have been kept from us as always when I go on an expedition. The vessels of the young men are holy even when it is an ordinary journey. How much more today will their vessels be holy?” (ESV)

David’s response to Ahimelech the priest when clarifying whether he and his young men have kept themselves from women is that when they were on a mission, they keep themselves from women and especially in this case, when they were visiting Ahimelech the priest in a temple. Our mission as the Lord’s elect in this life is to become an overcomer. Being an overcomer entails keeping ourselves from women or the churches of this world with their false doctrines, especially when we have become part of the church of the firstborn or the Heavenly Jerusalem. Many of our brothers and sisters who started well in the faith have become victims of these women, collectively called the harlot, who lurks around the corner looking for whom to devour. This is the present danger that we face as the Lord’s elect, as shown in the following verses:

Pro 7:7  And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding, 
Pro 7:8  Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house, 
Pro 7:9  In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night: 
Pro 7:10  And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.
Pro 7:11  (She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house: 
Pro 7:12  Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.)
Pro 7:13  So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him, 
Pro 7:14  I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows. 
Pro 7:15  Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee. 
Pro 7:16  I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt. 
Pro 7:17  I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. 
Pro 7:18  Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves. 
Pro 7:19  For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey:
Pro 7:20  He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed. 
Pro 7:21  With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him.
Pro 7:22  He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;
Pro 7:23  Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.

1Sa 21:6  So the priest gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there but the shewbread, that was taken from before the LORD, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.  

The Priest giving the hallowed bread to David signifies our coming to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven through what every joint supplies in the assembly of the Lord’s elect. The Priest here, who represents what every joint supplies, is Christ, who opens our eyes to see and ears to hear. The hot bread before the presence of the Lord in the temple is to remind us that the Lord’s truth cannot be tainted by any false doctrine. It is bread that is taken out of the Lord’s presence and is in the hands of a priest which can be contaminated with false doctrine. However, in our case, it is Christ Himself who is availing to us His truth, just as He opened the understanding of the disciples after His resurrection.  

Luk 24:44  And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. 
Luk 24:45  Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,

1Sa 21:7  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.  

The statement that Doeg was detained before the Lord is to show us that both good and evil are all working according to the counsel of the Lord. This Doeg was the one responsible for killing all the priests in Nod under the instruction of king Saul, as we shall see in the next chapter. 

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 

1Sa 22:18  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.
1Sa 22:19  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.

The presence of Doeg, who belonged to Saul as his chief herdsman was all of the Lord to show us the enmity of our brothers and sisters in Babylon against us. The killing of the priests under the instruction of Saul shows us, the Lord’s elect, how our brothers and sisters in Babylon consider us as spiritually dead in the streets of Jerusalem or the corridors of the church system of this world. 

Rev 11:7  And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. 
Rev 11:8  And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

Goliath’s Sword Given to David

1Sa 21:8  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. 
1Sa 21:9  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. 

David needed a sword for his protection, and Ahimelech gave him the sword of Goliath. The question is, “What is the spiritual significance of Goliath’s sword in the hand of David?” A sword on a positive note denotes the word of the Lord as shown in the following verse:

Eph 6:17  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Goliath’s sword signifies a negative application of sword, and it indicates false doctrines of man’s wisdom and traditions. David taking possession of Goliath’s sword implies that as the Lord’s elect, we are given power over false doctrine such that it cannot hurt us. As the Lord declared, we are given power over serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, such that they cannot hurt us. This power over serpents and scorpions refers to the sting from their mouth or their false doctrines which cannot hurt us. 

Luk 10:19  Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
Luk 10:20  Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

David Flees to Gath

1Sa 21:10  And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath. 
1Sa 21:11  And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?
1Sa 21:12  And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath.

Gath means ‘winepress’, which signifies judgment. It is instructive to note that the name of the king of Gath (Achish) means ‘I will blacken or terrify.’ David fleeing to Achish, the king of Gath, therefore implies David being given over to Satan to terrify him, just as Job was given over to Satan to sift him.

Job 1:12  And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he [Job] hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.

David thought he could hide in Gath without being recognized. However, the fact that the servants knew who he was, in terms of his conquest, made it difficult for David to continue to hide in Gath. As a result, he became afraid of king Achish. When we are under the Lord’s judgment, sometimes we wonder why things happen the way they do, making us easily discouraged. As a result, we become apprehensive just like David. 

2Co 4:8  We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
2Co 4:9  Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

The word “perplexed” (from the Greek aporeo) in 2 Corinthians 4:8 literally means to ‘be at a loss’, to be unable to find a way out, or to wonder why things are happening the way they are. However, Paul concluded that God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.

Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

1Sa 21:13  And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard. 
1Sa 21:14  Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad: wherefore then have ye brought him to me? 
1Sa 21:15  Have I need of mad men, that ye have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house? 

In this study, David was not matured enough to understand why he was going through such suffering. Being afraid of King Achish, he feigned being mad to escape from Gath. Here in these verses, we can see David depending on his own wisdom of the flesh to escape from the Philistines. However, the Lord in His mercy, overlooked it.

Act 17:30  And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent: 
Act 17:31  Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. 

As we mature in Christ, through the Lord’s judgment, we come to see just like Paul, that all things work together for our good. Years later, as David had matured through the Lord’s judgment, he penned Psalm 34 which speaks of His maturity in the Lord as follows:

Psa 34:1  A Psalm of David, when he changed his behaviour before Ahimelech; who drove him away, and he departed. I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. 

Psa 34:4  I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. 

Psa 34:6  This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. 
Psa 34:7  The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. 
Psa 34:8  O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. 

Psa 34:15  The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.

Psa 34:19  Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.
Pas 34:20  He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.

Pas 34:22  The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.

Amen!!