The story of Saul and David is nothing less than the chronicle of a revolution. As First Samuel draws on, more and more people get caught up in the conflict. So much of this setup provides insight into how the people of Judah in exile viewed themselves. It's important to remember that, like much of the written Torah, the earliest parts of this story were put to parchment during the Babylonian captivity while the final version of the text wasn't solidified until a period of major reform after the return. One way or another, the revolutionary overtones in First Samuel are strong and intrinsically tied to the values of those who wrote and preserved it.

In chapters 21 and 22, David flees Saul's court and seeks refuge in Nov, a city of priests and prophets. There he interacts with Ahimelech, a ranking priest who clearly isn't aware of any conflict between David and the king. David never comes out and says that he's on the run, but his conversation with Ahimelech is cryptic and full of symbolic language. He explains that he has no food or means of protection, so Ahimelech gives David some sacramental bread as well as the sword of Goliath, which has been kept in Nov since David's victory as a sort of trophy or relic. The meaning here is plain. David's military might as well as his sustenance has always been and will always be with God.

Using a bit of trickery, David sneaks through the kingdom of Gath, a mortal enemy to Saul's crown, and establishes a small defense force while in hiding. His tiny army of just a few hundred soldiers is composed of the most downtrodden people of the land. In this humble moment, David is depicted as being a champion of the common people, far in every way from Saul's leisurely throne.

There is a passage in Chapter 22 that describes David dealing with the king of Moab to broker the safety of his family. Directly after this moment of diplomacy, David returns to Judah and the first blood of his war with Saul spills. It's no coincidence that the events happen in this order. At this point, David has raised an army and has been officially recognized by a political power. His return to Judah is nothing less than a declaration of self-sovereignty.

What comes next is a shocking display of Saul's bloodlust. When he learns that the priests of Nov have been helping David, he orders the priests killed and soon the entire city destroyed. When Saul's own personal guard refuses to commit this barbarous act, an Edomite named Doeg obliges. For those who recall the origins of Edom, they are the nation descending from Esau, the patriarch Jacob's twin brother. This moment is a reflection of Jacob and Esau's own conflict, albeit on a much larger scale.

The writers of this text clearly saw the right leadership of their nation with the faithful and the common. Their hero is the underdog and his enemy is a killer of priests. But just as Ahimelech's son Avyatar survived the onslaught, this story is one that promotes hope in even the darkest times.