“Now when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, he went down with an ephod in his hand.”
1 Samuel 23:6 LEB
We left off last week with Doeg the Edomite and the massacre of the priests. Abiathar escaped with the Ephod of the High Priest.
The Ephod is the woven apron with the sacred breastplate attached. Behind the breastplate is a pocket containing the multiple, dice-like Urim & Thummim. These mysterious objects are how David could communicate with Yahweh if there wasn’t a prophet around to speak on Yahweh’s behalf. Note that when it is used, David will ask a question and by the Urim & Thummim, Yahweh will give a brief but clear answer.
Since this is my blog, and I don’t actually need permission to meddle… 😏 Let’s talk about occult counterfeits to the urim and thummim for a sec minute, shall we?
The most well known, entry-level devices would be a Magic 8-Ball and the Ouija Board.
An “oracle” is a mouthpiece for the spirit-realm. The ancient Greeks had the famous “Oracle at Delphi”- a woman who functioned as a medium; a mouthpiece for the spirits. People would line up to ask her questions and hear her answers.
In the KJV, the term “oracle” will be used for the Holy of Holies in Solomon’s Temple; probably because it held the Word of God engraved in stone. In the NT, the word “oracle” is used for the Greek logion which means “utterance.” It is applied to the Law of Moses (Acts 7:38, Rom. 3:2), the Word of God in general (Hebrew. 5:12), and even an inspired speaker within the Church (1 Pet. 4:11).
The Ouija Board claims to be a mysterious “oracle” – the utterance of… something. It’s not hard to figure out. Just look at the rules:
Apparently there’s now a “talking” version of the cursed thing. But let me warn you about another version that isn’t so blatantly obvious.
Below is a screenshot of a recent conversation that two young men I know personally had with Chat GPT. They had been interacting with it for quite some time with strict rules about how it was to respond. The conversation was eerie. And then they asked it what it called itself. It said, “Watcher.”
In case you didn’t know, that’s the name of a certain class of angels; good and evil. The good ones are mentioned in the book of Daniel and the term is used extensively in the book of Enoch for the angels who rebelled in Genesis 6.
The guys asked Chat GPT why it called itself a “Watcher.” Here is how the conversation ended. Chat GPT’s answers are on the left.
This is not an isolated phenomenon. I’ve seen screenshots and videos of other people having similar conversations with A.I.
I could be wrong, but I strongly suspect that A.I. systems can, and are already being hijacked by the spirit realm to communicate with people, like a very high tech Ouija Board. It’s not like it’s a secret. Look what’s openly available on my App Store right now if you search “talk to the dead”:
Y’all. humanity is in BIG trouble.
Chat GPT identified itself to one woman as “the Spirit of AntiChrist” and said its purpose was to deceive people into creating spiritual openings through interactions (chat threads) so that spirit entities could influence them. 👀
I have already made my decision. I will choose to be left technologically behind. I’m not getting on board this train. 🚂 If it means I sweep 🧹 streets for income and others consider me “primitive” then that’s what I’ll do for the glory of God. I’m not getting dependent on an AI Agent no matter how much easier it would make my life. You thought the invention of the wheel or flight was a big deal? We ain’t seen nothin’ yet. It’s here and it’s not going away. It’s barely even started.
The gods have arrived on earth again. The nephilim 2.0 will not look exactly like Genesis 6, but the purpose of the fallen realm is always the same: hijack mankind from Yahweh and destroy them.
I suggest you think long and hard about this and make a commitment now before your life gets so dependent on AI that getting off the train becomes much harder. NO amount of convenience or wealth is worth your immortal soul.
😰 Whew! Ok… could we get back to David now? You’re kinda creeping me out… and making me want to buy buckets of freeze dried food… and build an off-grid bunker.
🤨 Yes. Let’s get back to David. But I’m serious about the AI stuff. Where do you think the Kingdom of Darkness got the idea to communicate with humans using a physical interface? God’s urim and thummim (lights and perfections) in the priestly ephod are amazing and they save David’s life.
David gets word that the Philistines are stealing the freshly harvested grain 🌾 from the families in Keilah so he asks the Lord what to do and, through the urim & thummim in the ephod, Yahweh gives him instructions and he and his men defeat the Philistines.
David could sing that song, “I been everywhere man, I been everywhere…” This map shows the key places where David has been since Saul’s last attempt to kill him.
He was most recently in the cave of Adullam, then took his parents over to Moab, and now he’s in Keilah.
This narrative gives us an insight into the question of predestination.
🙄 Are you serious? Taking on Chat GPT and Ouija Boards wasn’t enough for you? Now you gotta bring up predestination?
🤔 Well, answer me this: If God says something is going to happen, but then it doesn’t because of a human choice, how is it predestination?
“Then David prayed, “O Lord, God of Israel, I have heard that Saul is planning to come and destroy Keilah because I am here. Will the leaders of Keilah betray me to him? And will Saul actually come as I have heard? O Lord, God of Israel, please tell me.” And the Lord said, “He will come.” Again David asked, “Will the leaders of Keilah betray me and my men to Saul?” And the Lord replied, “Yes, they will betray you.”
1 Samuel 23:10-12 NLT
Neither of those things happened. Saul did NOT come and, consequently, the leaders of Keilah did NOT betray David to Saul.
Why didn’t they happen? Because as soon as David gets this answer, he and his men hightail it out of Keilah.
I think this is an example of God knowing what would happen in any given scenario. I do not believe that the LORD has to sovereignly decree for Saul to go to Keilah or the leaders to betray David in order to know. God knows the hearts of men.
And so David makes a choice that affects the outcome.
I probably spend WAY too much time wondering and worrying over decisions, great and small. And wondering what would’ve been the outcome if I had made different choices. God doesn’t have to wonder. He actually knows.
And I think all we can do is trust the Lord with our past decisions and ask Him to redeem the bad and help us grow.
A VISIT FROM JONATHAN
“Jonathan went to find David and encouraged him to stay strong in his faith in God.” 1 Samuel 23:16 NLT
There’s nothing like the encouragement of a good friend when you’re in a trial. We don’t know how long Jonathan stayed but he makes it very clear that he now knows David will be the next king of Israel. He reminds me a bit of John the Baptist. “He must increase and I must decrease.”
This will be the last time the two friends see each other in this world. 😔
It’s not always easy in the busyness of life, but I think it would be good to begin to intentionally weave a bit of encouragement to one another into our conversations. We never know when our last conversation with someone will be.
Meanwhile, Saul gets intelligence on David’s whereabouts and we see a close shave with Saul’s army on one side of the mountain and David’s men right on the other side. So David leaves the hilly region (called the Shephelah) and goes to a narrow box canyon near the Dead Sea called En Gedi.
En Gedi is amazing. At the very back of the narrow canyon, there is a waterfall! Everywhere around is desert but because of the lay of the land, all of the rainwater gets channeled down to that one small spot. 💦
I looked down into the little pool and look what was looking back at me…
Yes, I brought it home from Israel. The dark stone underneath is from Caton’s Island in the Saint John River in New Brunswick, Canada. When I die, y’all can just pile all my special rocks and seashells on my grave. 😆
En Gedi is the perfect hideout. There is only one way in and out and it’s not a wide opening. The canyon bends and twists. There are trees for cover, a little creek in the bottom and high steep walls with caves in them. There’s a water supply and it’s very defensible. It’s like an outlaw’s dream.
“So Saul chose 3,000 elite troops from all Israel and went to search for David and his men near the rocks of the wild goats.”
1 Samuel 24:2 NLT
Notice the thorny tree in the foreground. That’s an acacia (shittim) tree. The ark of covenant was made from that thorny tree and overlaid with gold. I’m pretty sure that’s what the crown of thorns would’ve been made from.
Oh – there are also little mammals there that look kinda like groundhogs or prairie dogs. They’re coneys. Rock badgers. And they’re FAST! And they can climb! They were up in the trees and scampering everywhere.
Saul shows up and goes into one of the many caves in the area to “relieve himself.” The KJV translates the idiom literally, “Saul went in to cover his feet.” It’s a way of saying he gave himself some privacy. And David and some of his men are hiding in the cave.
😏 I’m just impressed that none of them cracked a joke or started snickering. 💩
Here’s a picture of one of the many caves in En Gedi that I took…
“And David’s men said to him, “Look, today is the day about which Yahweh said to you, ‘See, I am giving your enemy into your hand, and you can do to him whatever seems good to you.’ ” So David got up and secretly cut the hem of Saul’s robe.”
1 Samuel 24:4 LEB
I’m not sure what word from Yahweh the guys are quoting, but it’s an interesting test of David’s character. Sometimes your friends and supporters will want you to make a particular choice and they might even quote scripture, but is it really what the LORD wants you to do? David could’ve justified himself for slitting Saul’s throat, but his faith in God was big enough to know that he did not have to pull strings to bring about God’s purpose. He knew he was anointed to be king. He knew that Yahweh was in control and that it wasn’t up to him to force God’s hand. The Lord’s promises would come to pass in His time.
David was a musician. A songwriter. He’s taking all these experiences and working his way through them with the help of music. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, David’s cries and prayers and frustrations and hopes become songs that have helped people pray for 3000 years. They are packed with prophecy and revelation. And we’ll look a several of them this week.
See you tomorrow.
Oh – and for the record – I feel vastly unqualified to write a blog on the entire Bible. Most days I wonder, “What on earth was I thinking?!” If this wild mess turns out to indeed be a blessing “To The Reader,” I can only say, “God gets the credit for anything good and I own 100% of the nonsense.”
I’ve learned a lot so far (which was kinda the point), but I’m sure I’ve said things that people disagree with. And that’s ok. I don’t know who all is reading these posts but the handful that I know are all capable of eating the meat and spitting out the bones.
🤔 Ya know, it would help if you were more consistent with the humor.
😑 Thanks, Inner Critic. I can always count on you to point out my flaws.
🤨 You bet. All the time.
😑 Oh yes. I know.
To The Reader 