But one son of Ahimelek son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled to join David. 1 Samuel 22:20
Saul ordered that all the priests be killed because they had supplied David with provisions when he made his escape. Abiathar was the only one who escaped the slaughter. God preserved his life to carry on the priesthood and he joins David. God preserves a remnant—the ‘one’ to carry on the line of priests. With God, one is enough to bring about his purposes. The one anointed to be king and the one appointed to carry on the priesthood were together in hiding.
Often we only consider God’s protection of David from Saul but God also protected Abiathar. For many years, this priest wondered around the wilderness with David and his men hiding from Saul and fulfilling his priestly duties. Meanwhile, Saul had deprived himself of a priest to call upon.
Like God reduced Gideon’s army, like God reduced the crowd’s sustenance to one boy’s lunch, so God reduces our resources so we know that it’s God alone who sustains and enables us to achieve his purposes. Even with the minimal of resources, God can ensure his purposes aren’t thwarted.
God had one Son to send into the world. God protected him from Herod’s killing spree, from those who tried to stone him (John 8:59, 10:31) and from those who sought to throw him off a cliff (Luke 4:30). At just the right time, Jesus died for our sins and became our high priest (Hebrews 6:20). One life that achieved so much.
Likewise, God can take our one life and achieve much more than we can imagine. What seems small and inconsequential in our hands can be turned into many blessings in God’s.
