A Man of Integrity

# 323 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 22:11-15, “So the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, the priests who were in Nob. And they all came to the king. 12 And Saul said, "Hear now, son of Ahitub!" And he answered, "Here I am, my lord." 13 Then Saul said to him, "Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and a sword, and have inquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as it is this day?" 14 So Ahimelech answered the king and said, "And who among all your servants is as faithful as David, who is the king's son-in-law, who goes at your bidding, and is honorable in your house? 15 "Did I then begin to inquire of God for him? Far be it from me! Let not the king impute anything to his servant, or to any in the house of my father. For your servant knew nothing of all this, little or much." (1 Sam 22:11-15) Doeg the Edomite has just ratted on Ahimelech. So Saul calls Ahimelech and the other priests at Nob to come to him. First of all, please note Ahimelech's method of addressing Saul, “Here I am my lord.” Once again we see the proper respect given to a God-appointed authority. Ahimelech likely knew he was in deep trouble with the erratic Saul, but it did not change his respect for the office. Saul begins by charging Ahimelech with conspiring against him by praying for David, giving him food and a weapon. Again note Ahimelech's response. He sticks with the truth and stands up for David. He points out that David is Saul's son -in -law, and that David has been one of Saul's most faithful servants, doing whatever the king had bid him to do. He also points out that this was not the first time he had inquired of the Lord on David's behalf. He obviously had done this many times before in conjunction with David's service to the king. Ahimelech than asks Saul to not impute any conspiracy to him and his fellow priests, for they truly knew nothing of this rift between David and Saul. Indeed they thought they were helping the king! Let us learn from the integrity of Ahimelech, no matter the situation, he continued to respect authority, defend the innocent, speak the truth, and then let the chips fall where they may, knowing that you have done what is right and good. Father, help us all to be people of integrity in any situation we may face today.