God’s Church Will Not Die

GOD’S FULFILMENT of His word of judgment on the house of Eli through the unjust and brutal slaughter of the priests by Saul is a divine mystery. Out of this comes another divine mystery: “But one son of Ahimelech… named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David” (v.20). In His judgment on Eli’s house, God preserved one descendant of Eli. Such is the sovereignty of God. And we must peg divine mystery to divine sovereignty. God’s preservation of one priest – albeit a descendant of Eli – out of the massive slaughter points to a divine principle: God always insistently preserves His people in the midst of destruction. The narrator shows the sharp contrast in Saul and David’s treatment of the priests to underscore this divine principle. To Ahimelech, Saul said, “You shall surely die” (1 Sam 22:16); to Abiathar, David said, “You are safe with me” (v.23). The priests of God were destroyed, but not completely. “The people of God may often be put down, but never put out. Abiathar’s escape does not mean that all God’s servants are immune from the world’s butchery, but that the world’s butchery can never wipe out all of God’s servants. The Lord does not promise that we will not die for the Kingdom of God, but the Kingdom of God will never die.”³⁴ Jesus has made His commitment and promise that His Church will not die: “I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it” (Matt 16:18).

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³⁴ Dale Ralph Davis, 232