TRANSCRIPT

The Consecrated Bread (1 Samuel 21:1-6)
A Sermon By Elise Beatrice - 23 November 2024

Lord Jesus, it is by Your grace and miracle that I will read this. Only You can help me to overcome the enemy who’s been already trying to stop me from preaching these words today. Lord, I thank You so much for Your Father. And I thank You for Your Holy Spirit. Please take over, let Your Holy Spirit take over so He can guide us, Lord, in Your glorious Name. Please, don’t let me say anything I should not say, and please don’t let me not say what I should say. In Your Holy Name, I pray.  
Thank You, Lord God, for everyone to pay attention. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. 

Let’s read 1 Samuel 21:1-6,
“21 David went to the town of Nob to see Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech trembled when he saw him. “Why are you alone?” he asked. “Why is no one with you?”
2 “The king has sent me on a private matter,” David said. “He told me not to tell anyone why I am here. I have told my men where to meet me later. 3 Now, what is there to eat? Give me five loaves of bread or anything else you have.”
4 “We don’t have any regular bread,” the priest replied. “But there is the holy bread, which you can have if your young men have not slept with any women recently.”
5 “Don’t worry,” David replied. “I never allow my men to be with women when we are on a campaign. And since they stay clean even on ordinary trips, how much more on this one!”
6 Since there was no other food available, the priest gave him the holy bread—the Bread of the Presence that was placed before the Lord in the Tabernacle. It had just been replaced that day with fresh bread.” 

This is the time David was on the run. He was hungry. He already had a few people following him. Many people found him trustworthy, except King Saul, who was against him. This is the time he has actually fled. So while being in this place, he was hungry, and the men who were with him were also hungry. And since they were hiding from King Saul, David went to see the Priest Ahimelech.
So, when he’s saying to Ahimelech, “The king has sent me on a private matter. He told me not to tell anyone why I am here,” it is a white lie. He did not want to tell that King Saul was after him. He did not want to betray King Saul. So he said that white lie so that the priest did not ask questions. 
He was hungry, and his men were hungry, and going to see Ahimelech was his only option to get some food. 
“What is there to eat? Give me five loaves of bread.”
But the priest responded, “We don’t have any regular bread. But there is the Holy Bread, which you can have if your young men have not slept with any women recently.”
This Bread was the only thing that was left in the Tabernacle. And this Bread is not supposed to be eaten by anybody, according to the Law. People were not allowed to just come in and eat that Bread. Only the priests were allowed to have it. But David comes, and the priest says to him, 
“We don’t have any regular bread. But there is the Holy Bread.”
So that was a priest who listened to God. Someone who understood the meaning of the servant of God, like David, ‘being hungry.’ 
David was a servant of the Lord, a child of God. And if a child is hungry and enters His Father’s house, wouldn’t the Father give Him anything, any food, that is there? It was the Father who used the priest to feed David. So when we are listening to the Lord and doing what is pleasing to Him, in every situation, the Lord directs our path, He guides us, and tells us what to do. 
In Matthew 12:1-4, 
Jesus and His disciples were walking through grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, so they began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. The Pharisees saw this and said to Jesus, “Look, your disciples are breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath.”
Jesus responded, saying,”
“Haven’t you read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He went into the house of God, and he and his companions broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only the priests are allowed to eat.”

Why would the priest offer the Holy Bread to the future King David, when he knew it was against the Law? Because he was moved by the Holy Spirit. 
So yes, what is more important to the Lord? That we keep food and store it in His Tabernacle, even if His people are hungry? No. So, the same way that the Lord allowed His disciples to take some grains in that field on the Sabbath, when He was with them, is the same way that David went to the Tabernacle and the priest gave him that Bread for them to eat when he was not allowed, according to the Law. So, God cares about us: the Lord Jesus cares that we are fed, because He provides food for us to eat; that we are well, because He heals us. Just as in Matthew 12:9-14 and Luke 4:31-37, He was casting demons from people and healing the sick on the Sabbath.
You may consider listening to my Sermon entitled, “Jesus Is ‘Lord, Even Over The Sabbath’ published on Wednesday 7, January 2026.

Ahimelech said, “There is only the Holy Bread.” 
There is a deep meaning behind this Holy Bread. 
Jesus said in Matthew 25:35-40, 
“When I was hungry, you fed Me.” And the person said, “When did we see you hungry and feed you?” And He said, “When you did that to one of the least of my brothers and sisters, you did it to Me.” 

David was a servant of the Lord who was anointed as the next King. He was hungry, and the priest never said to him, “This bread I cannot give you.” But he said, “There is the holy bread, which you can have if your young men have not slept with any women recently.” And, it turns out that bread, the fresh one, was put there on the same day. 
Verse 6 says, 
“Since there was no other food available, the priest gave him the Holy Bread, the Bread of the Presence that was placed before the Lord in the Tabernacle. It had just been replaced that day with fresh bread.” 
This means, before that day, the bread there was not fresh. So, God knew that His servant David would be hungry and find himself there. And so, He moved people to fill the Tabernacle with fresh bread, and then, David came and asked for bread to eat, and the Priest gave him the bread, because it was indeed God’s will. And the Holy Spirit moved the Priest to understand that, in that situation, he could give that bread to David. Yes, there was indeed a spiritual meaning behind it. The Lord said, “When I was hungry, you fed Me.” Yes, David was hungry, and the Priest Ahimelech fed him, and in feeding him, it is the Lord Himself Ahimelech is feeding.  

And the Lord would not say this, and then when He’s with His disciples, He would let them starve when they’re walking past a field, for He’s the Provider of all fields and all food. So, He was Himself feeding His disciples by letting them eat those grains when He was with them, and He was the One moving Priest Ahimeleck to feed David. And Ahimeleck, being a priest who listened to God, could understand that. And the Lord had renewed the bread that day by putting fresh bread. 
But what is even more; so amazing about it is that David asked for five loads of bread, but there was no regular bread; the priest indeed gave him the Holy Bread, which symbolises the Body of our Lord Jesus.  
Why five loaves, and not four, and not two, or even six? But five loaves of bread? 
This is the symbolism behind it: David asked for five loaves of bread, but there was no regular bread, so the priest gave him the Holy Bread, which symbolises the Body of Christ. 
But why five loaves of bread? This leads to Matthew 14:14-22: 
“14 Jesus saw the huge crowd as He stepped from the boat, and He had compassion on them and healed their sick. 15 That evening the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.”
16 But Jesus said, “That isn’t necessary—you feed them.”
17 “But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish!” they answered.
18 “Bring them here,” He said. 19 Then He told the people to sit down on the grass. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, He gave the bread to the disciples, who distributed it to the people. 20 They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers. 21 About 5,000 men were fed that day, in addition to all the women and children! 22 Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that His disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while He sent the people home.” 

So, wow! Great, this is amazing! The Lord Jesus fed five thousand people with those five loaves of bread.

Jesus said in John 6:35, 
“I am the Bread of Life. Whoever comes to Me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty.”
So yes, coming back to David in 1 Samuel 21:1-6, he was the servant of the Lord, he was with the Lord, and he was hungry, and there was not regular bread, and the Lord fed him with the Holy Bread that symbolizes His body, saying, ‘Yes, because you follow Me, because you serve Me and have been faithful to Me, David, you won’t go hungry; I will feed you, and even give you this Bread, this consecrated Bread that only the priests are allowed to eat, because you are with Me, because you are mine, you will never go hungry. You have Me; I feed you.’ 

The Priest Ahimeleck was listening to the Holy Spirit, and was giving this bread to David, knowing that it was not in the norm. And he was not scared, as some people have said. He was scared at the beginning when he saw David. But when David asked him for the bread, the priest was not scared; he did not give him the bread because he was scared that David might hurt him. No. David was not hurting people, especially another servant of the Lord, a high priest. And he did not give him the bread so that David would walk away and leave him alone. That was not the case. There was a deep meaning behind it. Some people think that the priest gave David the bread because he was scared of David, and also gave him the sword so that he could go and leave him alone. There was a deep spiritual meaning which is clear in this sermon.

So, David asked for five loaves of regular bread, and there were none, so the Lord fed him with the spiritual bread; His body, which He would give to us on the Cross.
Then later, in Matthew 14:16-22, the Lord Jesus was there. Now, the five regular loaves of bread that David asked for, which were not available, were now available in front of Christ, but they were unable to feed the crowd. Those five loaves of regular bread could not feed the five thousand people unless the Lord Jesus multiplied them, revealing Himself as the Great, abundant Provider; the Bread of Life. The Lord would not give the crowd the Holy Bread, which symbolised His Body, because not everyone in the crowd was anointed by Him, as the future King David and the priests were. The priest Ahimeleck and David were anointed by the Lord God, and were godly people, so they could eat the Holy Bread, which symbolised the Body of Christ. It was the Lord’s will to be so. If it weren’t so, the Lord would have ensured that there was also regular bread in the Tabernacle, since He knew that David would come there. However, with the crowd later, the five loaves of regular bread David asked for were given so that the Lord would multiply them, which was suitable for all people without exception to eat, to feed all people, because He is the Provider for all people, even though not all people can eat the Holy Bread, which symbolises His body. They will need to understand its meaning and what He did on the Cross for all people.

So the Lord is teaching us this: even if the priest Ahimeleck had had the five loaves of bread and given them to David and his men, they would still go hungry by the next day, just as the five thousand the Lord fed by multiplying the five regular loaves of bread, and they had enough and even carried some back home, would still be hungry as soon as they have finished eating them, because once the physical food is digested, it comes out, and people still need more food by the next day. However, the spiritual food, the Living Bread, the Lord Jesus, remains forever; the Lord Jesus never finishes, and those who feed on Him never go hungry. He is the Generous Provider, rich in spiritual nourishment and fulfilment. Though He multiplied the five loaves of bread and fed everyone present, it was not the Living Bread; it was not His Body that keeps us spiritually healthy and alive for eternity.

I pray this inspiration helps you. May the Lord Jesus’ peace be with you. 
And may you find Him, the Only Saviour, Jesus, if you don’t already have Him in Your heart. May you make Him Your Lord and Saviour forever and live for Him.

So, Lord, thank You so much for these teachings. I pray that I have understood You correctly. Please help me, and thank You for Your grace and Your mercy. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for this sermon and Your inspiration. Thank You for Father God, and for Your Holy Spirit. Thank You for everyone who will listen to this and understand the message and realise that they need You, that You are their spiritual food, that You are the Bread of Life, and whoever comes to You won’t go hungry. I thank You for everyone who will welcome that message and do something about it. 
So, I love You, God, and I praise You for what You do. I thank You for the great things that You do every day. Thank You, Father God, for You. 
Thank You for Your Son, Jesus, and Your Holy Spirit. Please, hear my prayer, in the glorious name of Your Son Jesus, I pray. Amen.