Theme: The LORD provides for his people throughout their earthly pilgrimage; trust God in your circumstances

And David came to Saul and entered his service. And Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armour-bearer. -1 Samuel 16:21

Surely oppression drives the wise into madness, and a bribe corrupts the heart. – Ecclesiastes 7:7

And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” – Matthew 8:19-20

The titles/superscriptions of the Psalms often give details of when they were written. Accordingly, Psalm 34 and 56 are said to be David’s reflection on his time in Gath and how the LORD’s delivered him from Achish. Most likely they were written whilst he was in the cave at Adullam. Psalm 57 and 142 were possibly also written at this time.

Under old covenant law, the release of bodily fluids symbolised death and thus sexual intercourse temporarily rendered a person ritually unclean (cf. Exodus 19:15; Leviticus 15:18). With Israel being the army of the LORD of hosts, their warfare was also meant to be holy with the LORD fighting on their behalf and in their midst. As a result sexual abstinence was also practiced during military campaigns (cf. Deuteronomy 23:9-14).

The bread of the presence was a witness to the fact that the LORD sustains his people and supplies their needs. It was kept on a table in the tabernacle and was meant to be eaten only by the priests (cf. Leviticus 24:5-9).