The towers we are most familiar with are office buildings that soar much higher than any biblical writer could have imagined – and are not, as we have seen to our sorrow, strongholds of safety.

But dotted here and there along the St. Lawrence River and the eastern seaboard of Canada and the United States are a handful of squat, round military towers made of stone.

As we’ve read in this story, jealousy and anger can drive us to the point of murder. Imagine King Saul hurling a spear towards his own son in boiled rage to kill him. All because of his intense jealousy towards David. God’s hand and favour were now on David, and Saul became enraged because he no longer received the attention or glory for leading God’s people.

In 1 Samuel 21:1-15 David’s escape from Saul to the land of Gath put David in the path of danger with King Achish of Gath. King Achish knew David well, as David was the one who killed the Philistine Goliath. Fleeing from Saul put him in the city of Gath: the home of his enemies, the home of Goliath the giant he’d killed a few years earlier.

Did David think they would not recognize him?

We’ve all have bad days, and times when we try to run from our problems. But the last time I pulled the blankets over my head in an effort to avoid the coming day, I didn’t wish for hundreds of people to join me.

When David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam, his brothers and all his other relatives joined him.

Saul had no idea what he was walking into. But this would be the greatest test for David, the future king. David had every right to kill Saul: Saul murdered priests, men and women, children and babies. Justice needed to be served to this war criminal.

But God was testing David. Was he going to listen to man or God?