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How to Deal with Betrayal as a Christian: Lessons from Scripture (1 Samuel 23:1-13)
Betrayed by someone you trusted? You're not alone. You do something for someone only to be met with ingratitude, thanklessness, or betrayal. Study David's example in 1 Samuel 23:1-13 when the citizens of Keilah betrayed him to Saul after he saved them from the Philistines. Learn how to respond to betrayal with faith, grace, and Christlike humility—no matter the hurt.
https://youtu.be/6jqTSSKwedA
Table of contentsWhen the People of Keilah Reached out to David for HelpDavid Heard from God Through the Urim and ThummimDavid Saved the People of KeilahRespond Well to Betrayal By Remembering the Lord Didn’t Promise Us GratefulnessRespond Well to Betrayal By Remembering We Were Doing It for the LordPractical Examples of Dealing with BetrayalWhen We Dealt with BetrayalRespond Well to Betrayal By Remembering the Lord Stands By Us
John Anthony Walker was an American naval officer who spied for the Soviet Union from 1967 to 1985 during the Cold War. Motivated by financial gain, he sold highly classified information to which he had access as a communications specialist. The information Walker provided to the Soviet Union included details of the Navy's communication systems, jeopardizing the security of U.S. military operations and risking countless lives.
How was Walker caught? After he and his wife divorced, she reported him to the FBI when he stopped providing her financial support. So she didn’t mind him serving as a spy, but when he wouldn’t give her money, that was going too far.
Most betrayals aren’t this dramatic. They take place on much smaller scales. We do something for someone only to be met with ingratitude, thanklessness, or betrayal. In this morning’s passage, we’ll learn how to respond in these situations by studying David’s example.
When the People of Keilah Reached out to David for Help
Here’s the context: David became extremely popular among the people, which made Saul paranoid and jealous. Despite David’s loyalty and service, Saul began trying to murder him. David had to flee Jerusalem and spend years as a fugitive in the Judean wilderness. While David had plenty of his problems to worry about, such as staying alive and keeping his men alive, he received news of a city that needed his help:
1 Samuel 23:1 Now they told David, “Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are robbing the threshing floors.”
Keilah is located in the western foothills of Judah, about 18 miles southwest of Jerusalem. The threshing floors are where wheat is separated from the chaff. This is the final stage at which the harvest is prepared before becoming food. Looting the threshing floors means the Israelites invested months of effort, while the Philistines waited until all the work was complete and then stole the crop. This is why Boaz slept at the threshing floor in the book of Ruth to protect his harvest!
Stealing the people’s food was not the same as it would be in our day. The Israelites couldn’t drive to the local grocery store for more. For them, this meant starvation. Where would you expect the people of Keilah to go for help at this desperate moment? In the ancient world, where did you go for justice? You went to the king!
It’s pretty unbelievable that David was informed about this instead of Saul. Saul is the one who should have been protecting his people from the Philistines, but he’s too busy mobilizing the nation’s army to murder David. Because the people knew they couldn’t count on Saul, they turned to David for help, even while he was a fugitive.
Do you think it would have been very easy for David to justify not helping the people of Keilah? Yes: “I can barely keep myself and my men alive without keeping a city alive.” But he sought the Lord about it anyway:
1 Samuel 23:2 Therefore David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” And the Lord said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.” 3 But David's men said to him, “Behold, we are afraid here in Judah; how much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?”
David was a man of great faith. He already fought against Goliath. So, when God tells him to fight the Philistines, he’s ready to go, but his men object. They think, “We already have Saul and his men against us in Judah. Why would we go to Keilah and take on the Philistines, too?”
Plus, they’re trying to remain unnoticed. That’s why they are living in caves. They know that fighting against the Philistines will bring them out into the open, where Saul will learn of their location and come after them. And that’s exactly what is going to happen. So, they say, “David, let’s just sit this one out.” Interestingly, David responded to his men’s objections by asking again:
1 Samuel 23:4 Then David inquired of the Lord again. And the Lord answered him, “Arise, go down to Keilah, for I will give the Philistines into your hand.”
We know David is a great leader and man of faith, so we might expect him to tell his men, “We are going, and that’s the end of it.” However, great leaders recognize that they don’t know everything. When I was in the military, I remember being told the worst leaders are those who don’t listen to others. The Bible encourages us to listen others’ counsel:
Proverbs 11:14 Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.Proverbs 12:15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But he who heeds counsel is wise.Proverbs 15:22 Without counsel, plans go awry, But in the multitude of counselors they are established.
So, David considered his men’s counsel and asked God again. Again, God told David to go to Keilah:
1 Samuel 23:5 And David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines and brought away their livestock and struck them with a great blow. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah. 6 When Abiathar the son of Ahimelech had fled to David to Keilah, he had come down with an ephod in his hand. 7 Now it was told Saul that David had come to Keilah. And Saul said, “God has given him into my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars.”
This literally reads, “two doors and a bar.” There were two doors, side by side, with a horizontal bar across them, indicating that the city had only one entrance and exit. Saul knows David is trapped.
Saul is a stark contrast to David: David hears from God throughout this passage, but Saul is so out of tune with God that he believes God has delivered David into his hands. So, he summoned his men for battle, not against the Philistines, Amalekites, or Edomites, but against the man after God’s own heart.
David Heard from God Through the Urim and Thummim
We can see what was happening when it looks like God was speaking audibly to David:
1 Samuel 23:8 And Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men. 9 David knew that Saul was plotting harm against him. And he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.” 10 Then David said, “O Lord, the God of Israel, your servant has surely heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah, to destroy the city on my account. 11 Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O Lord, the God of Israel, please tell your servant.” And the Lord said, “He will come down.”
In the previous chapter, Saul destroyed the city of Nob when he thought the priest helped David, so David asked if he would do the same to Keilah. Abiathar escaped Nob and joined David, bringing with him the ephod Abiathar had with him, which is how God communicated with David.
The ephod contained two special objects called the Urim, meaning “lights,” and Thummim, meaning “perfection.” When David asked God a question, even though it appears God had a lengthy reply, it’s better to understand that David asked a yes-or-no question and received a yes-or-no answer, which the author expounded upon. For example:
David asks, “Shall I go and attack the Philistines?” He receives a “yes,” which means, “Yes, go attack the Philistines and save Keilah.”
Or David asks, “Will Saul come down?” He receives a “yes,” which means, “Yes, Saul will come down to attack you.”
Regarding the Urim and Thummim, people are divided into two groups. One group says, “This sounds like an Old Testament Magic 8 Ball. I’d want nothing to do with it.” The other group says, “This sounds like an Old Testament Magic 8 Ball. I wish I had one to make decisions.”
What exactly are the Urim and Thummim? After consulting numerous commentaries, it is beyond a doubt that everyone agrees we have no idea. We’re not told to prevent us from trying to reproduce them. Every New Age shop would guarantee you could buy one to learn God’s will. Today, we have the Holy Spirit and God’s Word to direct us.
David Saved the People of Keilah
It doesn’t say that David helped, supported, or assisted the people of Keilah. It says he saved them. That is saying something. We have all been helped, supported, or assisted by others. But has anyone ever saved you? Aside from being saved spiritually by Jesus Christ, I don’t think I can recall a time when someone else ever saved me. My point is that David did something great for these people.
On November 21, 2010, during the war in Afghanistan, Lance Cpl. Kyle Carpenter was manning the rooftop of a small compound constantly threatened by enemy fighters. A grenade was thrown onto the rooftop near Carpenter and the other soldier with him. Carpenter threw himself on the grenade, using his body to shield the other soldier from the explosion. When the grenade detonated, his body absorbed the brunt of the blast, severely wounding him. His jaw and right arm were shattered, and he lost his right eye and most of his teeth. On June 19, 2014,
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By Scott LaPierre
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Betrayed by someone you trusted? You're not alone. You do something for someone only to be met with ingratitude, thanklessness, or betrayal. Study David's example in 1 Samuel 23:1-13 when the citizens of Keilah betrayed him to Saul after he saved them from the Philistines. Learn how to respond to betrayal with faith, grace, and Christlike humility—no matter the hurt.
https://youtu.be/6jqTSSKwedA
Table of contentsWhen the People of Keilah Reached out to David for HelpDavid Heard from God Through the Urim and ThummimDavid Saved the People of KeilahRespond Well to Betrayal By Remembering the Lord Didn’t Promise Us GratefulnessRespond Well to Betrayal By Remembering We Were Doing It for the LordPractical Examples of Dealing with BetrayalWhen We Dealt with BetrayalRespond Well to Betrayal By Remembering the Lord Stands By Us
John Anthony Walker was an American naval officer who spied for the Soviet Union from 1967 to 1985 during the Cold War. Motivated by financial gain, he sold highly classified information to which he had access as a communications specialist. The information Walker provided to the Soviet Union included details of the Navy's communication systems, jeopardizing the security of U.S. military operations and risking countless lives.
How was Walker caught? After he and his wife divorced, she reported him to the FBI when he stopped providing her financial support. So she didn’t mind him serving as a spy, but when he wouldn’t give her money, that was going too far.
Most betrayals aren’t this dramatic. They take place on much smaller scales. We do something for someone only to be met with ingratitude, thanklessness, or betrayal. In this morning’s passage, we’ll learn how to respond in these situations by studying David’s example.
When the People of Keilah Reached out to David for Help
Here’s the context: David became extremely popular among the people, which made Saul paranoid and jealous. Despite David’s loyalty and service, Saul began trying to murder him. David had to flee Jerusalem and spend years as a fugitive in the Judean wilderness. While David had plenty of his problems to worry about, such as staying alive and keeping his men alive, he received news of a city that needed his help:
1 Samuel 23:1 Now they told David, “Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are robbing the threshing floors.”
Keilah is located in the western foothills of Judah, about 18 miles southwest of Jerusalem. The threshing floors are where wheat is separated from the chaff. This is the final stage at which the harvest is prepared before becoming food. Looting the threshing floors means the Israelites invested months of effort, while the Philistines waited until all the work was complete and then stole the crop. This is why Boaz slept at the threshing floor in the book of Ruth to protect his harvest!
Stealing the people’s food was not the same as it would be in our day. The Israelites couldn’t drive to the local grocery store for more. For them, this meant starvation. Where would you expect the people of Keilah to go for help at this desperate moment? In the ancient world, where did you go for justice? You went to the king!
It’s pretty unbelievable that David was informed about this instead of Saul. Saul is the one who should have been protecting his people from the Philistines, but he’s too busy mobilizing the nation’s army to murder David. Because the people knew they couldn’t count on Saul, they turned to David for help, even while he was a fugitive.
Do you think it would have been very easy for David to justify not helping the people of Keilah? Yes: “I can barely keep myself and my men alive without keeping a city alive.” But he sought the Lord about it anyway:
1 Samuel 23:2 Therefore David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” And the Lord said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.” 3 But David's men said to him, “Behold, we are afraid here in Judah; how much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?”
David was a man of great faith. He already fought against Goliath. So, when God tells him to fight the Philistines, he’s ready to go, but his men object. They think, “We already have Saul and his men against us in Judah. Why would we go to Keilah and take on the Philistines, too?”
Plus, they’re trying to remain unnoticed. That’s why they are living in caves. They know that fighting against the Philistines will bring them out into the open, where Saul will learn of their location and come after them. And that’s exactly what is going to happen. So, they say, “David, let’s just sit this one out.” Interestingly, David responded to his men’s objections by asking again:
1 Samuel 23:4 Then David inquired of the Lord again. And the Lord answered him, “Arise, go down to Keilah, for I will give the Philistines into your hand.”
We know David is a great leader and man of faith, so we might expect him to tell his men, “We are going, and that’s the end of it.” However, great leaders recognize that they don’t know everything. When I was in the military, I remember being told the worst leaders are those who don’t listen to others. The Bible encourages us to listen others’ counsel:
Proverbs 11:14 Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.Proverbs 12:15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But he who heeds counsel is wise.Proverbs 15:22 Without counsel, plans go awry, But in the multitude of counselors they are established.
So, David considered his men’s counsel and asked God again. Again, God told David to go to Keilah:
1 Samuel 23:5 And David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines and brought away their livestock and struck them with a great blow. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah. 6 When Abiathar the son of Ahimelech had fled to David to Keilah, he had come down with an ephod in his hand. 7 Now it was told Saul that David had come to Keilah. And Saul said, “God has given him into my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars.”
This literally reads, “two doors and a bar.” There were two doors, side by side, with a horizontal bar across them, indicating that the city had only one entrance and exit. Saul knows David is trapped.
Saul is a stark contrast to David: David hears from God throughout this passage, but Saul is so out of tune with God that he believes God has delivered David into his hands. So, he summoned his men for battle, not against the Philistines, Amalekites, or Edomites, but against the man after God’s own heart.
David Heard from God Through the Urim and Thummim
We can see what was happening when it looks like God was speaking audibly to David:
1 Samuel 23:8 And Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men. 9 David knew that Saul was plotting harm against him. And he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.” 10 Then David said, “O Lord, the God of Israel, your servant has surely heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah, to destroy the city on my account. 11 Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O Lord, the God of Israel, please tell your servant.” And the Lord said, “He will come down.”
In the previous chapter, Saul destroyed the city of Nob when he thought the priest helped David, so David asked if he would do the same to Keilah. Abiathar escaped Nob and joined David, bringing with him the ephod Abiathar had with him, which is how God communicated with David.
The ephod contained two special objects called the Urim, meaning “lights,” and Thummim, meaning “perfection.” When David asked God a question, even though it appears God had a lengthy reply, it’s better to understand that David asked a yes-or-no question and received a yes-or-no answer, which the author expounded upon. For example:
David asks, “Shall I go and attack the Philistines?” He receives a “yes,” which means, “Yes, go attack the Philistines and save Keilah.”
Or David asks, “Will Saul come down?” He receives a “yes,” which means, “Yes, Saul will come down to attack you.”
Regarding the Urim and Thummim, people are divided into two groups. One group says, “This sounds like an Old Testament Magic 8 Ball. I’d want nothing to do with it.” The other group says, “This sounds like an Old Testament Magic 8 Ball. I wish I had one to make decisions.”
What exactly are the Urim and Thummim? After consulting numerous commentaries, it is beyond a doubt that everyone agrees we have no idea. We’re not told to prevent us from trying to reproduce them. Every New Age shop would guarantee you could buy one to learn God’s will. Today, we have the Holy Spirit and God’s Word to direct us.
David Saved the People of Keilah
It doesn’t say that David helped, supported, or assisted the people of Keilah. It says he saved them. That is saying something. We have all been helped, supported, or assisted by others. But has anyone ever saved you? Aside from being saved spiritually by Jesus Christ, I don’t think I can recall a time when someone else ever saved me. My point is that David did something great for these people.
On November 21, 2010, during the war in Afghanistan, Lance Cpl. Kyle Carpenter was manning the rooftop of a small compound constantly threatened by enemy fighters. A grenade was thrown onto the rooftop near Carpenter and the other soldier with him. Carpenter threw himself on the grenade, using his body to shield the other soldier from the explosion. When the grenade detonated, his body absorbed the brunt of the blast, severely wounding him. His jaw and right arm were shattered, and he lost his right eye and most of his teeth. On June 19, 2014,