1 Samuel 23: ☧ Saves Keliah, Besieged Rock and Curse

Rev. Curtis Deterding, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Fort Myers, Florida, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study 1 Samuel 23.

“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. Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand?” David had become a curse, even though he had just saved Keliah from the Philistines. In chapter 23, King Saul shows his willingness to starve a whole city just to draw David out of hiding. As David went from place to place, he learned what it felt like to be scorned and rejected. This may indeed be the basis of Psalm 31, where David calls God “My rock and my fortress.” Likewise, Jesus Christ became our saving curse, and Golgotha our “Rock of Escape” from sin and death.