Useful Bible Studies > 1 Samuel Commentary > chapter 22
Moab appears in the list of Saul’s enemies in 1 Samuel 14:47. That should not surprise us. For several centuries, the countries on all sides of Israel had fought to control it. After Saul became king, he fought fiercely against those nations in order to make Israel a free country.
Saul was a powerful man, and Israel’s enemies did not want him to remain Israel’s king. They had been unable to kill him; they wanted to find someone in Israel who would do that for them.
David had been an important commander in Israel’s army, and he had many friends in Israel. Saul wanted to kill David; Saul’s enemies considered that David might be useful to them.
Perhaps that was why the king of Moab was willing to help David. David simply wanted to find a place where his father (Jesse) and his mother would be safe. They would not be safe in Israel. Saul was so angry against David that Saul might even want to kill David’s parents.
Jesse’s grandmother, Ruth, had come from Moab (see the Book of Ruth). By this time, Jesse and his wife were very old. With the support of Moab’s king, they could live peacefully there.
However, David would not agree to fight against Saul. The king of Moab probably hoped that David would start a revolution in Israel. David told him that he was simply waiting for God to act on his behalf. David remained loyal to Saul and David would not oppose him. Of course David was aware of God’s plan to make him Israel’s next king. David waited for God to do that. He would wait until the time that God had chosen.
Next part: The prophet Gad (1 Samuel 22:5)
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© 2014, Keith Simons.