“祭司就拿圣饼给他，… 从耶和华面前撤下来的陈设饼。” - 撒上 21:6

大卫成了逃犯，他在逃避扫罗王的捉拿。扫罗王妒忌大卫，他觉得大卫在战绩上的赫赫功勋对他的王位造成威胁。

大卫逃到挪伯，在那里遇到祭司亚希米勒。见大卫孤身一人，没有任何士兵跟随，这年老的祭司感到很惊讶。大卫不知可以信任谁，因为任何人都可能成为扫罗的眼目，他于是对祭司撒谎，说他正在执行一项秘密任务。大卫又请求祭司给他一些饼或手头上有的任何食物。

亚希米勒在敬拜时献给耶和华的圣饼，已经以新换旧，祭司可以吃撤下来的饼，但其他人是不可以的。不过，亚希米勒没有其他食物，他便允许大卫吃了。

亚希米勒成为神殿里剩余物资的赐与者，大卫则成为受惠者。祭司又给大卫一把属于歌利亚的刀，这把刀就是大卫在以拉谷用来杀歌利亚的刀（撒母耳记上 17章）。

在《跳过墙垣》这本书中，尤金. 毕德生如此写道：大卫的一生不是“理想的一生，但却是真实的一生。我们想像自己涉身大卫的故事中，不是为了要提升我们的道德，乃是要加深我们作为一个真实的人的感受。”我们都活在罪和恩典的十字路口。

祷告

亲爱的主，一切美善的恩典都是从你而来，但有时我很难在行为上归荣耀与你。今天当你供应我的需要时，求你赐我一颗谦虚和感恩的心。奉你丰盛的名祈求，阿们。

撒母耳记上 21:1-9

1大卫到了挪伯祭司亚希米勒那里，亚希米勒战战兢兢地出来迎接他，问他说：“你为什么独自来，没有人跟随呢？”
2大卫回答祭司亚希米勒说：“王吩咐我一件事说：‘我差遣你委托你的这件事，不要使人知道。’故此我已派定少年人在某处等候我。
3现在你手下有什么？求你给我五个饼或是别样的食物。”
4祭司对大卫说：“我手下没有寻常的饼，只有圣饼。若少年人没有亲近妇人，才可以给。”
5大卫对祭司说：“实在约有三日我们没有亲近妇人。我出来的时候，虽是寻常行路，少年人的器皿还是洁净的，何况今日不更是洁净吗？”
6祭司就拿圣饼给他，因为在那里没有别样饼，只有更换新饼从耶和华面前撤下来的陈设饼。
7当日有扫罗的一个臣子留在耶和华面前，他名叫多益，是以东人，做扫罗的司牧长。
8大卫问亚希米勒说：“你手下有枪有刀没有？因为王的事甚急，连刀剑器械我都没有带。”
9祭司说：“你在以拉谷杀非利士人歌利亚的那刀在这里，裹在布中，放在以弗得后边，你要就可以拿去。除此以外，再没有别的。”大卫说：“这刀没有可比的，求你给我。”

Leftovers

"The priest gave him the consecrated bread . . . that had been removed from before the LORD." . . . - 1 Samuel 21:6

David was a fugitive. He was on the run from King Saul, who was jealous and felt threatened by David’s great success as a warrior.

David fled to Nob, where he found Ahimelek the priest. The old priest was shocked to see David alone, without any troops around him. David did not know whom to trust because anyone could become a spy for Saul. So he lied to the priest, saying he was on a secret mission. David also asked for bread, or whatever food the priest might have on hand.

Ahimelek had holy bread that was offered to the Lord in worship. The bread had been replaced by fresh loaves, so it was available for the priests to eat. It was not supposed to be eaten by anyone else, but Ahimelek had nothing else, so he gave that to David.

Ahimelek became the giver, and David the receiver, of leftovers in the house of God. The priest also gave David the sword of Goliath, whom David had killed in the Valley of Elah (1 Samuel 17).

In the book Leap Over the Wall, Eugene Peterson wrote that David’s life wasn’t “an ideal life but an actual life. We imaginatively enter the [story] of David not to improve our morals but to deepen our own sense of human reality.” We all live at the crossroads of sin and grace.

Prayer

Dear Lord, every good gift comes from you, but I sometimes struggle to honor that in my actions. Give me a heart of humility and gratitude when you provide for my needs today. In your sufficient name I pray. Amen.