Offering Unpopular Prayers (1 Sam 22.10, 13, 16)
“I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech son of Ahitub; he inquired of the LORD for him…”
1 Sam 22.10, 13, 16
“Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, by giving him bread and a sword, and by inquiring of God for him…”
“…Is today the first time that I have inquired of God for him? By no means!…”
The three sentences above are about a prayer that a priest offered on behalf of David. It cost him his life. It is unlikely that, in our lives, a prayer for someone will have such dire consequences. But we can learn something from this passage about offering bold prayers for those whom others might not.
In this story, King Saul sends for the priest, and, upon questioning him, discovers that he did help David and prayer for him. “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, by giving him bread and a sword, and by inquiring of God for him…?”
The priest is befuddled. He defends his actions by recalling that David is married to Saul’s daughter and a member of the king’s court. Why wouldn’t he inquire of God for him—he was one of the king’s representatives! “…Is today the first time that I have inquired of God for him? By no means!…”
This enraged Saul even further, and he commands his men to kill Ahimelech and the rest of the priests of Nob. They refused, but Doeg was willing. He kills Ahimelech and the rest, then goes to Nob and kills most of the priests, men, women, children, and animals of the town.
Needless to say, this does not have the effect Saul intends. Even more people join David, and one of the priests who escaped the massacre joins him as well. Now, David has both a prophet and a priest among his band of followers.
What can we learn about prayer from this passage? As noted above, it is unlikely that most of us in the Western world will ever face death because we prayed for someone. At most, we might be criticized or ridiculed for a prayer or for praying.
What can we learn about praying bold or unpopular prayers for this passage?
Read the full study of this prayer by becoming a patron of the Praying Through the Bible project for less than a cup of coffee per month.
