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David stayed in the wilderness strongholds and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph. Day after day Saul searched for him, but God did not give David into his hands. \xa0While David was at Horesh in the Desert of Ziph, he [was afraid because] Saul had come out to take his life. And Saul\u2019s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God. \xa0\u201cDon\u2019t be afraid,\u201d he said. \u201cMy father Saul will not lay a hand on you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this.\u201d \xa0The two of them made a covenant before the LORD. \xa0Then Jonathan went home, but David remained at Horesh. (1 Samuel 23:14-18)

This is the story that introduces the cat and mouse game of David evading Saul in the wilderness. \xa0It happens at \u201cHoresh,\u201d which is a word that can take two different meanings. \xa0It can refer to a sort of silence or to the work of human hands. \xa0In this set of verses, both meanings are in play.\xa0

David is faced here with God\u2019s \u201csilence\u201d (horesh) and his own fear of Saul. \xa0The question is will he trust his fear and so rely on the \u201cwork of his own hands\u201d (horesh) to solve it, as Saul does? \xa0Or will he trust in this God who is horesh, silent?\xa0

It is here in this wilderness that David must begin to learn a more mature fear of the Lord. \xa0This is not the battle of David and Goliath where the battle lines are clear, the army and King stand behind him and the Lord before him. \xa0No, now David is a fugitive from the State, driven from his home, searching in deserts and foreign countries for refuge, clinging to the promise of God while facing down God\u2019s \u201choresh\u201d silence. \xa0

It is not unlike so many wilderness moments in our own life. \xa0Something happens that unsettles us, leaves us feeling threatened. \xa0A medical scare, a financial jolt, a shifting landscape underfoot in the society or institutions we thought were secure\u2014even the church. \xa0Faced with God\u2019s relative silence and a threat looming overhead do we choose to fear the Lord or the threat? \xa0

It is at this moment that Saul\u2019s son Jonathan suddenly appears. \xa0No one knew where David was. \xa0Yet somehow Jonathan finds him. \xa0His name means \u201cgift of God.\u201d \xa0\u201cNathan\u201d being the Hebrew word for \u201cgift,\u201d and \u201cJo\u201d being a prefix that refers to God. \xa0

The text says that God did not \u201cnathan\u201d (give) David into Saul\u2019s hands. \xa0But God\u2019s hand does offer a \u201cJo-nathan\u201d (gift of God) to David in the form of a friend who appears in a silent, wilderness moment to help David re-find his strength in God. \xa0\u201cDo not be afraid\u201d Jonathan says. \xa0They then reaffirm their love and commitment to one another and Jonathan leaves. \xa0David remains in Horesh, this wilderness place of silence. \xa0But now, somehow, David is no longer quite so alone or afraid. \xa0God may be silent, but by his gifts of friendship, love, and encouragement, David can once again recognize God\u2019s hand on the move.

As the story continues, Saul really does find out where David is and comes down in pursuit of him. \xa0However, we discover that David is no longer in the \u201choresh\u201d place of silence and testing. \xa0Now he is in the Desert of \u201cMaon,\u201d a word which means \u201chelp\u201d or \u201crefuge.\u201d \xa0Though \u201cSaul and his forces were closing in on David to capture them,\u201d God suddenly intervenes to force Saul to turn away. \xa0David and his men are saved, not by what their hands have done (horesh), but by the one in whom they have taken refuge (maon). \xa0

God remains our refuge and strength today, though at times he is also silent. \xa0The invitation is not to take matters into your own hands in those moments, but to trust him even if you can\u2019t hear him. \xa0His gifts are usually not far away.

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: \xa0 \xa0

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you : wherever he may send you.
May he guide you through the wilderness : protect you through the storm.
May he bring you home rejoicing : at the wonders he has shown you.\xa0
May he bring you home rejoicing : once again into our doors.