Read: 1 Samuel 21:1-10
So the priest gave him the holy bread, for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence. (v. 6)
Hangry is the word for when a person is so hungry they are nearly beyond their ability to handle their anger. With some embarrassment, I admit that I have experienced this kind of hunger, with all the accompanying snippy, wild-eyed “hanger” that an empty stomach creates.
I wonder whether David and his men were hangry as they came upon Ahimelech. How long had they been on the road at that point, fleeing Saul’s vicious temper? Long enough to be starving; that much is clear. David had high hopes that the priest would treat them pastorally in their moment of desperate need. Surely David noticed Ahimelech’s fear and trembling, for he handily guided the priest toward helping them by asking specifically for five loaves of bread—or anything!
The small band of men left with the bread of the Presence, normally eaten only by the priest and his family after it sat for a week on the golden table. David also asked for a weapon and left with Goliath’s sword. In a desperate moment, David received all that he needed, and more. In the New Testament, Jesus pointed to this story to show how human need rises above the rigors of ritual practice (Matt. 12:1-4). David received because God’s care for him was more important than ceremony. If you are feeling desperate, like David and his men, turn to the God who cares for all your needs.
As you pray, with deep trust, give over your greatest needs to God Almighty.
About the Author
Katy Sundararajan is a specialized minister in the Reformed Church in America. She has garnered her pastoral perspectives from posts as a college chaplain, a missionary, an international student advisor, and a higher education and leadership ministries program coordinator.
