1 Samuel 21:7 (NIV) Now one of Saul’s servants was there that day, detained before the Lord; he was Doeg the Edomite, Saul’s chief shepherd.

When David was running from King Saul who was trying to kill him, he wound up going to Ahimelech the priest in the city of Nob. Nob was a priestly city where a lot of Aaron’s descendants lived. David was tired, afraid and hungry. He didn’t tell Ahimelech that he was running away from Saul, but instead made up a story about being on a secret mission. He asked for bread and for a weapon. Goliath’s sword happened to be there and he took it. While all of this was occurring, Doeg the Edomite, who was King Saul’s chief shepherd, happened to be there. The Word of God tells us that he was detained before the Lord. That could mean that it was either a Sabbath day and he couldn't travel or that he was fulfilling a vow of some kind. Later on, this would turn out to be disastrous for Ahimelech and everyone who lived in Nob.

A short time later, Saul was seated under a tree with his officials in Gibeah and he began complaining that no one was watching out for him. He complained about the fact that nobody was giving him reports of David’s whereabouts. He wanted to know where David was so that he could go and kill him. Doeg the Edomite heard this and told Saul of his encounter with David that day at Nob. He told Saul that Ahimelech the priest had inquired of the Lord for David, had fed him, and had given him Goliath’s sword (1 Samuel 22:9-10). This greatly angered Saul and he summoned Ahimelech and all of the priests of Nob to report to him. He accused Ahimelech of conspiring with David against him and then unbelievably, he ordered his men to kill Ahimelech and all of the priests. The men did not dare do it but there was one person who volunteered to do it. It was Doeg the Edomite! He dared to raise his sword against all of the priests of God, killing all of them.

So this is the same person who was “in church” the day when David showed up. He was there for some reason having to do with serving God in some way while on the inside, he had a murderous heart. Whatever little ritual he was performing before the Lord must have been an abomination to God because the Lord see’s what’s inside a person’s heart. This vile man exposed David and put all of the priests of the Lord in jeopardy. And as if that wasn’t enough, he had no reservations about unjustly killing those innocent priests of the Lord.

Serving the Lord and having the right heart before God is so much more than doing outward things that give the appearance of piety. Rituals and traditions done mechanically and not from the heart are offensive to God. He doesn’t receive any sacrifice that is not sincere and He rejects people who just serve Him outwardly. Obviously, Doeg the Edomite’s visit to the Temple had nothing to do with his love of God and did nothing to change him on the inside. In the same way, while we should go to church regularly, loving and serving God involves more than that. It involves surrendering your heart to Jesus and cultivating a relationship with Him on a daily basis (pick up your cross daily - Luke 9:23). It means being transformed by exposing yourself to the Spirit of God in prayer and by getting His Word into your heart. Don’t be a Doeg the Edomite but instead, love and serve the Lord with all of your heart and soul. It is then that your life will be blessed of God and that you will do good instead of harm to everyone around you.

Pastor Joey Vazquez