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Questions From ReadersThe Watchtower—1982 | July 15
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Christ was referring to the incident when David and his men, fleeing from murderous King Saul, went to High Priest Ahimelech at Nob. David indicated that he was on a secret assignment from the king and asked for bread.
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Questions From ReadersThe Watchtower—1982 | July 15
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David explained that his men were ceremonially clean, and he implied that they were in a sense holy, being on a mission from Jehovah’s anointed king. So Ahimelech “gave him what was holy, . . . the showbread that had been removed from before Jehovah.”—1 Samuel 21:1-6; Leviticus 24:5-9.
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Questions From ReadersThe Watchtower—1982 | July 15
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The Bible does not say that David and his men were on the verge of starving to death because there was no other food to be found. In fact, according to geographical authorities, Nob was just north of the Mount of Olives, within a few miles of Jerusalem and many towns. A direct reading of the account allows for the conclusion that David and his men were basically hungry and seeking a meal from someone whom they trusted.
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Questions From ReadersThe Watchtower—1982 | July 15
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Also, it was technically ‘not lawful for David to eat’ the showbread because the Law said that this was for the priests. Yet Jehovah’s high priest gave it to David. On what basis? The loaves removed from the showbread table were “holy,” not to be treated as ordinary, such as by being given to a common laborer or eaten on a pleasure outing. They were to be used as food for the priests, men engaged in God’s service. So when David came on what apparently was a special mission from God’s anointed king, and the high priest determined that the men were ceremonially clean, it was not wrong to share the showbread. That was in accord with the basic use that God designated for it.
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