1Samuel 23:9 - Prayer Tents

1Samuel 23

Living in Desert Hideouts

23It was reported to David that the Philistines were raiding Keilah and looting the grain.H5046H1732H559H6430H3898H7084H8154H16372David went in prayer to GOD: "Should I go after these Philistines and teach them a lesson?" GOD said, "Go. Attack the Philistines and save Keilah."H1732H7592H3068H559H3212H5221H6430H3068H559H1732H3212H5221H6430H3467H70843But David's men said, "We live in fear of our lives right here in Judah. How can you think of going to Keilah in the thick of the Philistines?"H1732H582H559H3373H3063H3212H7084H4634H64304So David went back to GOD in prayer. GOD said, "Get going. Head for Keilah. I'm placing the Philistines in your hands."H1732H7592H3068H3254H3068H6030H559H6965H3381H7084H5414H6430H30275David and his men went to Keilah and fought the Philistines. He scattered their cattle, beat them decisively, and saved the people of Keilah.H1732H582H3212H7084H3898H6430H5090H4735H5221H1419H4347H1732H3467H3427H70846After Abiathar took refuge with David, he joined David in the raid on Keilah, bringing the Ephod with him.H54H1121H288H1272H1732H7084H3381H646H30277Saul learned that David had gone to Keilah and thought immediately, "Good! God has handed him to me on a platter! He's in a walled city with locked gates, trapped!"H5046H7586H1732H935H7084H7586H559H430H5234H3027H5462H935H5892H1817H12808Saul mustered his troops for battle and set out for Keilah to lay siege to David and his men.H7586H8085H5971H8085H4421H3381H7084H6696H1732H5829But David got wind of Saul's strategy to destroy him and said to Abiathar the priest, "Get the Ephod."H1732H3045H7586H2790H7451H559H54H3548H5066H64610Then David prayed to GOD: "God of Israel, I've just heard that Saul plans to come to Keilah and destroy the city because of me.H559H1732H3068H430H3478H5650H8085H8085H7586H1245H935H7084H7843H589211Will the city fathers of Keilah turn me over to him? Will Saul come down and do what I've heard? O GOD, God of Israel, tell me!" GOD replied, "He's coming down."H1167H7084H5462H3027H7586H3381H5650H8085H3068H430H3478H5046H5650H3068H559H338112"And will the head men of Keilah turn me and my men over to Saul?" And GOD said, "They'll turn you over."H559H1732H1167H7084H5462H582H3027H7586H3068H559H546213So David and his men got out of there. There were about six hundred of them. They left Keilah and kept moving, going here, there, wherever—always on the move. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he called off the raid.H1732H582H8337H3967H376H6965H3318H7084H1980H834H1980H5046H7586H1732H4422H7084H2308H331814David continued to live in desert hideouts and the backcountry wilderness hills of Ziph. Saul was out looking for him day after day, but God never turned David over to him.H1732H3427H4057H4679H3427H2022H4057H2128H7586H1245H3117H430H5414H302715David kept out of the way in the wilderness of Ziph, secluded at Horesh, since it was plain that Saul was determined to hunt him down.H1732H7200H7586H3318H1245H5315H1732H4057H2128H279316Jonathan, Saul's son, visited David at Horesh and encouraged him in God.H3083H7586H1121H6965H3212H1732H2793H2388H3027H43017He said, "Don't despair. My father, Saul, can't lay a hand on you. You will be Israel's king and I'll be right at your side to help. And my father knows it."H559H3372H3027H7586H1H4672H4427H3478H4932H7586H1H304518Then the two of them made a covenant before GOD. David stayed at Horesh and Jonathan went home.H8147H3772H1285H6440H3068H1732H3427H2793H3083H1980H100419Some Ziphites went to Saul at Gibeah and said, "Did you know that David is hiding out near us in the caves and canyons of Horesh? Right now he's at Hakilah Hill just south of Jeshimon.H5927H2130H7586H1390H559H1732H5641H4679H2793H1389H2444H3225H345220So whenever you're ready to come down, we'd count it an honor to hand him over to the king."H4428H3381H185H5315H3381H5462H4428H302721Saul said, "GOD bless you for thinking about me!H7586H559H1288H3068H255022Now go back and check everything out. Learn his routines. Observe his movements—where he goes, who he's with. He's very shrewd, you know.H3212H3559H3045H7200H4725H7272H7200H559H6191H619123Scout out all his hiding places. Then meet me at Nacon and I'll go with you. If he is anywhere to be found in all the thousands of Judah, I'll track him down!"H7200H3045H4224H2244H7725H3559H1980H3426H776H2664H505H306324So the Ziphites set out on their reconnaissance for Saul. Meanwhile, David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the desert south of Jeshimon.H6965H3212H2128H6440H7586H1732H582H4057H4584H6160H3225H345225Saul and his men arrived and began their search. When David heard of it, he went south to Rock Mountain, camping out in the wilderness of Maon. Saul heard where he was and set off for the wilderness of Maon in pursuit.H7586H582H3212H1245H5046H1732H3381H5553H3427H4057H4584H7586H8085H7291H310H1732H4057H458426Saul was on one side of the mountain, David and his men on the other. David was in full retreat, running, with Saul and his men closing in, about to get him.H7586H3212H6654H2022H1732H582H6654H2022H1732H2648H3212H6440H7586H7586H582H5849H1732H582H5849H861027Just then a messenger came to Saul and said, "Hurry! Come back! The Philistines have just attacked the country!"H935H4397H7586H559H4116H3212H6430H6584H77628So Saul called off his pursuit of David and went back to deal with the Philistines. That's how that place got the name Narrow Escape.H7586H7725H7291H310H1732H3212H7125H6430H7121H4725H555529David left there and camped out in the caves and canyons of En Gedi.H1732H5927H3427H4679H5872