Isaiah 9 - 10 in Pictures

So we have three different images that are combined together here, from three different sections of Isaiah 9.
-->

6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. (Isaiah 9:6-7, emphasis added)

That should be pretty familiar to us.

The next one is where Isaiah skewers the pride of the people.

-->

8 ¶The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it hath lighted upon Israel.

9 And all the people shall know, even Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria, that say in the pride and stoutness of heart,

10 The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycomores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.  (Isaiah 9:8-10, emphasis added)

The people are so stiffnecked that they don't see the destruction they've already suffered as chastisement.  They only look at it as an opportunity to build bigger and better.  Repentance isn't even on their radar.

 Third image in the drawing..

-->

13 ¶For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the Lord of hosts.

14 Therefore the Lord will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush, in one day.

15 The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.

16 For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed. (Isaiah 9:13-16, emphasis added)

From the first drawing of this set:

18 ¶For wickedness burneth as the fire: it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke.

19 Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts is the land darkened, and the people shall be as the fuel of the fire: no man shall spare his brother.

20 And he shall snatch on the right hand, and be hungry; and he shall eat on the left hand, and they shall not be satisfied: they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm:  (Isaiah 9:18-20, emphasis added)

That's a pretty strong principle there in v18 -- "Wickedness burneth as the fire."  Wickedness is destructive, even leading to cruelty in families.  It is strongly marked by selfishness and dissatisfaction. 

For the image about injustice:

1 Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed;

2 To turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless!

3 And what will ye do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far? to whom will ye flee for help? and where will ye leave your glory?

4 Without me they shall bow down under the prisoners, and they shall fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. (Isaiah 10:1-4, emphasis added)

Simply put, judges who make unrighteous and unjust decisions that take away rights will eventually suffer from injustice themselves.

For the image about the Assyrian attack against Judah:

5 ¶O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation.

6 I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets….

12 Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks….

15 Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? as if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood.

16 Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire….

26 And the Lord of hosts shall stir up a scourge for him according to the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb: and as his rod was upon the sea, so shall he lift it up after the manner of Egypt.

27 And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing. (Isaiah 10:5-6, 12, 15-16, 26-27, emphasis added)

 In short, once the Lord is done using the Assyrians to chastise Israel, He will turn on the Assyrians and punish them for their pride.

Isaiah 7 - 8 in Pictures

More drawings from my notes..

Here are the verses that relate to the top drawing:

-->

1 And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up toward Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it.

2 And it was told the house of David, saying, Syria is confederate with Ephraim. And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind.

3 Then said the Lord unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou, and Shear-jashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller’s field;

4 And say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah.

5 Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have taken evil counsel against thee, saying,

6 Let us go up against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set a king in the midst of it, even the son of Tabeal:

7 Thus saith the Lord God, It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass.

8 For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; and within threescore and five years shall Ephraim be broken, that it be not a people.

9 And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son. If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established.

10 ¶Moreover the Lord spake again unto Ahaz, saying,

11 Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.

12 But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord.

13 And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?

14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel….

18 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.

19 And they shall come, and shall rest all of them in the desolate valleys, and in the holes of the rocks, and upon all thorns, and upon all bushes.

20 In the same day shall the Lord shave with a razor that is hired, namely, by them beyond the river, by the king of Assyria, the head, and the hair of the feet: and it shall also consume the beard….

23 And it shall come to pass in that day, that every place shall be, where there were a thousand vines at a thousand silverlings, it shall even be for briers and thorns.

24 With arrows and with bows shall men come thither; because all the land shall become briers and thorns.

25 And on all hills that shall be digged with the mattock, there shall not come thither the fear of briers and thorns: but it shall be for the sending forth of oxen, and for the treading of lesser cattle.   (Isaiah 7: 1-14, 18-20, 23-25)

And here are the verses related to the bottom drawing, which is more metaphorical and a combination of two different sets of imagery Isaiah uses:

6 Forasmuch as this people refuseth the waters of Shiloah that go softly, and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah’s son;

7 Now therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the river, strong and many, even the king of Assyria, and all his glory: and he shall come up over all his channels, and go over all his banks:

8 And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel….

13 Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.

14 And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

15 And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken….

19 ¶And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?

20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

21 And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward.

22 And they shall look unto the earth; and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness.  (Isaiah 8: 6-8, 13-15, 19-22)

Isaiah 5 in Pictures

Back in 1999 I took a class at BYU from Victor Ludlow on the teachings of Isaiah.  I got pretty into it and even illustrated some of my notes.  I thought I might share some of the drawings I did.  (Also, it is an excuse to use the new software I got to make our scanner work with my Mac. (Yay!))

Yes, that is a police crime scene with chalk outlines.  (I was mixing the modern with the ancient there.)

Here's the verses relating to the top image of the vineyard:

1 Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill:

2 And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.

3 And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.

4 What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?

5 And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down:

6 And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.

7 For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry. (Isaiah 5:1-7)

Here's the verses relating to the bottom image of the destruction:

-->

8 ¶Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth!

9 In mine ears said the Lord of hosts, Of a truth many houses shall be desolate, even great and fair, without inhabitant….

11 ¶Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!....

18 Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope:

19 That say, Let him make speed, and hasten his work, that we may see it: and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, that we may know it!

20 ¶Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

21 Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

22 Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:

23 Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!....

25 Therefore is the anger of the Lord kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them: and the hills did tremble, and their carcases were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.  (Isaiah 5:8-9, 11, 18-23, 25)

Then of course there's the Ensign prophecy..

-->

26 ¶And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly:

27 None shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken:

28 Whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent, their horses’ hoofs shall be counted like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind:

29 Their roaring shall be like a lion, they shall roar like young lions: yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry it away safe, and none shall deliver it. (Isaiah 5: 26-29)

I used to think that the ensign referred to was just the ensign that was part of missionary work, but I’ve also realized that the ensign is also the Lord’s summoning to other nations and peoples to come afflict backsliding covenant Israel.  The Lord allows this in hopes covenant Israel will repent.   Even today in the church we are not immune from this kind of chastisement.

David pretends to be mad

10 ¶And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.

11 And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?

12 And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath.

13 And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.

14 Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad: wherefore then have ye brought him to me?

15 Have I need of mad men, that ye have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house? (1 Sam 21:10-15)

As context for this, David goes to Gath after he has collected Goliath’s sword and the shewbread from Ahimelech the priest, and before that, he took his leave from Jonathan, since it was plain that Saul was evil-disposed to him.

It’s pretty startling he goes to Gath, considering Goliath the Philistine was from there.  Maybe David hoped that Gath would be the last place Saul would look for him and hoped he would be safe there.  He evidently trusted that no one from Gath would have a clue who he was.

Sadly, he was wrong.  Achish’s servants somehow recognize David and connect him with the song the Israelite women had sung of him about how Saul killed thousands and David ten thousands.  It is interesting that they know enough to have heard the song, but not enough to realize it was an exaggeration.  Instead, they interpret it to mean that David has to have become king or succeeded to the throne on the grounds that he is 10 times better a warrior than Saul.

We see from this that the song has some legs to have spread so far.  The only other way the servants could have known about it is if they had been in Israel at the time.  But if they had, they probably would have learned the correct context and true status of David.

So the servants inform their king about David, presumably while David is standing there, and David gets very worried because now he doesn’t know what to expect.  Any hopes of blending in are gone.  But it is unclear what Achish will decide to do.  If he thinks David is king of Israel, he may kill him or enslave him or torture him or deliver him to Goliath’s family for their revenge, or whatever.

The other problem David has is that if he tries to explain the song and argue that he’s not king, he may be disbelieved anyway on the grounds that he is being cowardly out of self-preservation.

What to do?

David pretends madness to demonstrate his harmlessness.  We don’t get a full recitation what all he did, but the text tells us he scrabbled at the gates (which would have seemed really crazy if he pretended he was desperate to get out when he was already out and the gates were wide open) and he let his spittle fall on his beard (essentially drooling).  These two actions show us he pretended histrionic delusions and loss of control of his bodily functions, which would excite both pity and disgust.

They finally are convinced of his harmlessness and he leaves.

What can we learn from this story to help us today?  I think it shows how exaggerated statements about people spread and can eventually cause unintended harm.  The women who sang that song probably never imagined that the lyrics would put David at risk among his enemies.  They would have been horrified if they knew.  Ironic that even exaggerated praise (as well as insults or gossip) can harm.

Another lesson from David’s experience might be from the fear that David had.  It is clear from the story that he wanted to stay anonymous among the Philistines and having his cover blown made him fear what they would do to him.  But suppose he had made an offer like Ammon made in the Book of Mormon, to dwell among them and serve the king perhaps until his death?  In this way, he could have made his notoriety into an asset for service instead of a point of fear.  It is worth noting that later David comes back to Gath with an army of 600 men and offers his services to this same king, so it is possible that he needed a chance to do this over.

How has trying to be of service helped you overcome fear?

Isaiah on Babylon’s Delusions of Grandeur

Isaiah 47 contains prophecy of Babylon’s downfall and we are encouraged to also read it as prophecy of the downfall of the wicked world.  In part of it, Isaiah addresses Babylon’s delusions of grandeur and then punctures them. (You’ve probably read these verses recently in Sunday school.)

7 ¶And thou saidst, I shall be a lady for ever: so that thou didst not lay these things to thy heart, neither didst remember the latter end of it.

8 Therefore hear now this, thou that art given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children:

9 But these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great abundance of thine enchantments. (Isaiah 47:7-9)

Babylon (and the wicked world) doesn’t think about what she’s doing in terms of the long term consequences.  Even though there is evidence that her course leads to destruction, she ignores it and denies it pertains to her.

Isaiah notes Babylon is “given to pleasures,” as if she had given all her time and energy to pleasure as a gift.  (Contrast this with Zion, which gives timeand talents and all to build up the kingdom of God.)  If Babylon’s pleasures were innocent, then the worst that could be said of her was that she is merely a trivial entity, but Babylon’s pleasures are wicked, cruel, and corrupting.

Babylon also “dwellest carelessly.”  In modern figurative terms, Babylon is the crazy driver who drives roaring drunk, runs red lights, hops the median, drives on the wrong side, and plays chicken through crowded roads.   Babylon may occasionally look like it lives an exciting life, but there is a heavy payback waiting.

But because consequences don’t come immediately, Babylon deceives herself into thinking they won’t come at all and that it is strong enough to prevent them from ever coming.  But it would take more than godlike strength to do that, so Babylon thinks she is a god.

“[thou] sayest in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me” – In opposition to Jehovah, who says there is no god beside Him, Babylon insists there is none like her.

Isaiah points out how Babylon insists she shall never be a widow or lose her children, but Isaiah says in response that Babylon will lose both in a moment in a day.

If Babylon is compared to a woman, what might her husband and children represent?  The husband represents protective and providing power, so he may be seen in the laws and industries and government policies that enable Babylon to continue as she does.  Who keeps Babylon from being brought to account?  Who gives Babylon what she wants?  Who sets laws that allow Bablyon to get what she wants and keep it?  Who defends her?   Also, Babylon’s children represent the results of what she does, results of which she is proud. 

Again, Isaiah says Babylon will lose husband and children in one day, which we can now see means that the powers that enabled and protected her and the results she was so proud of will both be destroyed.  The easiness and speed of that destruction should give us an idea of how weak a foundation she had.

Interestingly enough, John the Revelator confirms this prophecy in his vision of Babylon’s destruction (see Rev. 18:7-14).  In it, we read of the kings and merchants lamenting Babylon’s fall and how there is no more market for their wares because she is gone and how all the fruits she lusted after are gone.

Using the Lord’s Prayer to Guide Our Prayers

I ran across the Lord’s prayer and I found myself asking the question of how the different elements of it teach us how to pray and what to pray about.  So  I started looking at it from that perspective.  

9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.  (Matt. 6:9-13)

After this manner therefore pray ye – I think Christ means here we are not to say this over and over, but as sample of the kinds of things we should be concerned about daily in our prayer relationship with God.  These things will require our constant attention in one way or another.

Our Father which art in heaven – Our prayers are first of all an act of faith that it is our Father in heaven who is our God.  Implicit in this faith is that He hears us no matter where we are and cares to listen and answer.

Hallowed by thy name – This is an observation of the Father’s character as holy.  It suggests that the person praying has seen the Father’s hand in their life, acting for good, and puts him or herself in submission to the Father.  Observing and submitting suggests we pray in humility and express gratitude.   To be able to follow this example in our prayers, we will have to think carefully about how we’ve seen the Lord act in our lives.  I’ve noticed that expressing humility and gratitude puts me in a frame of mind to receive revelation.

Thy kingdom come – This is a request for the Lord’s power and influence and kingdom to increase on the earth and requires that we be part of the effort by setting a good example and also that we be involved in missionary work.  Any time we ask for help to share the gospel, we are praying according to this guide of “thy kingdom come.”

Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven – This is an implicit request to know the Lord’s will and an explicit request to have the power to perform it, doing the right things the way the angels would do it.  It is a request for revelation and a request for grace (or enabling power) to do the Father’s will.

Give us this day our daily bread – We need nourishment for both body and spirit, so we can ask for our needs of the day to be provided for and to be filled with the Spirit. 

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors – This tells us we need to be praying pretty often both for forgiveness for our own sins and to forgive others.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil – We need to pray to escape the temptations we anticipate meeting, as well as to resist the evils we find ourselves facing in the moment.  Some temptation we can see coming once we’ve learned to know ourselves well enough, and some comes upon us unexpectedly.  Whatever the case, we need to pray to escape them.   I also think that when we pray to overcome bad habits, we are also praying to be delivered from evil. 

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever – We need to give God the credit for all we see His hand in, to thank Him for His part and power in all we are able to do. This helps us maintain our humility and gratitude in the midst of success.

As we can see, this prayer template the Lord gave us is more than just “we thank thee, we ask thee,” and has things that, if we consider them often enough, will keep us walking in the right way.  We see that the Lord’s prayer teaches us to pray about humility, gratitude, missionary work, revelation, enabling power, the presence of the Spirit, needs of the body, repentance, forgiveness, strength to resist temptation, protection and self-improvement.

Pretty amazing that all of that is fit in there, huh?

This week, let's take the challenge to include these things in our prayers and see what happens.

Doeg's hostility to the priests

When David is on the run from Saul there is an incident that happens where he goes to the priest for food and the priest gives him the shewbread.  Unfortunately, at the same time, one of Saul’s servants named Doeg was there to see this.  Later, when Saul has a bit of a tantrum among his serants and accuses them of conspiring against him because they can’t help him stop David, Doeg tells Saul that a priest aided David.  Saul calls all the priests, accused them of conspiring against him in aiding David and sentences them all to death.  None of his servants will carry out the sentence except Doeg who tattled on the priest.  What is going on here?

Why is Doeg so ready to betray the priests and kill them? 

Here’s all we know about Doeg at the beginning:

Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord; and his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of the herdmen that belonged to Saul.

Doeg is an Edomite, not an Israelite.  Yet he was at the temple, so it seems that some point he had converted to the worship of Jehovah.  And yet the way he has no scruples about betraying the high priest to Saul and carrying out executions of all the priests implies that this is more than just willingness to handle the dirty jobs, but that there is personal animosity between him and the whole priestly caste. 

He’s also the top herdman in charge of Saul’s flocks. 

We get an extra clue when it says Doeg was “detained before the Lord” at Nob where David had asked aid of the priest.  Does this mean Doeg was detained there by the Lord on purpose to see and betray the priests?  I don’t think so.  I think “detained before the Lord” means that he was detained there by one of the priests for discipline.  Police detain people for questioning or to arrest them.  Students are detained after school for bad behavior, but it is called “detention.”   

All of a sudden we begin to see why Doeg would have been willing to tell Saul the priest was aiding David.  If he were resentful about being disciplined, he would be inclined to use what he knew to get revenge somehow.

But if he wanted revenge on Ahimelech the priest, Saul took it much further, requiring all the priests at Nob to come, not just Ahimelech.  Saul sentenced all the priests to death, and when none of his other servants would execute them, Doeg did.

Doeg’s act would be the equivalent of a person sitting outside the bishop’s office for a disciplinary meeting, watching the bishop give a falsely accused fugitive sacrament bread for a sack lunch and then deciding to get revenge for the discipline give him by getting the bishop in trouble.  Then imagine that not only the bishop is summoned, but also the high priests, the elders, the priests, the teachers, and deacons, and all of them are sentenced unjustly to be executed and are shot by the person who had been disciplined by the bishop.  That’s pretty shocking.

It essentially puts Saul and Doeg beyond the pale.

One of the things we can learn from this is how anger and revenge get out of hand really fast.  Doeg may have only had beef against Ahimelech, but his revenge affected all the priests in the city.  It also led him to commit atrocities against innocent men.   It is a textbook illustration of the principle that the worst enemies of the righteous are the disaffected dissenters, those who have had the same instruction and who have fallen away.

Another thing we can see from this is how Saul’s hatred and pursuit of David affects his judgment.  If he thinks nothing of trying to get rid of a man who has done nothing against him and who has actually helped, no one is safe.  Goodness is no defense against Saul, and holy people can’t expect justice either.  Hence, he easily condemns Ahimelech and all the priests to death.   The long term effect of this is that eventually each person is going to have to choose whether to countenance Saul’s tyranny or live a fugitive life with David.   I think this is why people begin to join David. 

About the only happy thing from this story was that Saul’s servants were commanded to kill the priests and they refused.  (Yaay!) That was certainly good, but if only they could have gone further and defended the priests from Doeg.   This suggests that it isn’t enough to refrain from attacking the church leaders ourselves at others’ instigation; we have to defend them too.