I Sam. 21:6 So the priest gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there but the showbread, that was taken from before the LORD, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.
I Sam. 21: 8-9 And David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thine hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s business required haste.9 And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me.

We see in the above verses that David is on the run from Saul. He has just been warned by his best friend, and Saul’s own son, Jonathan, that he needs to “get out of Dodge”. David heads to Nob, where the priest Ahimelech is. The priest is curious as to why the hero of Israel is alone. David tells him that the “king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me, Let no man know anything of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee…” (I Sam.21:2) This was the truth, for the King had sent him on a business. It wasn’t King Saul, but the King of Kings! And his business was staying alive. David was being very discreet.
He continues to tell the priest that he needs bread. The priest offers him the shewbread, after he confirms that David is pure. David then asks for a weapon. Ahimelech tells him that all he has is Goliath’s sword. David says (I like this part!)
“There is none like that; give it me.” This sword was a token from the greatest battle in Israel. A battle that David himself had fought. God delivered a giant into the hand of a young man! What a boost to his spirit to be reminded of a great victory during a time of trial in his life. Isn’t God good?
The thing that caught my eye was that David received food or nourishment for the journey from the priest, or at church. He also received a weapon there. When we go to church, we receive the food for our journey, from God’s Word, as the Pastor preaches. We also receive a weapon to fight the spiritual battles in our lives at church. We get “ammunition” from the Bible, so to speak! Likewise, when we get in God’s Word daily, we receive food from the Lord. When we go to God in prayer, we are using our greatest weapon against Satan.
There have been times that I have felt the enemy breathing down my neck. But just when I needed it, I received the “shewbread” to give me strength, I am reminded of a great victory that God wrought in my life and I remember to use the weapon needed to fight in spiritual warfare -God’s Word! It isn’t long before I see a victory!
Yes, any way you slice it, God’s Word and prayer are a lethal combination.