1 Samuel 23:14-29
Saul, blind and callous, dared to say of David in v. 7, "God hath delivered him into mine hand." But v. 14, not without irony, establishes the truth, "God delivered him not into his hand." However, the "beloved one", the king "after God’s own heart", has to know the bitterness and injustice of his position as an outcast of society. He has to have the experience of all human wickedness exerted against him, of hate, jealousy, ingratitude and even betrayal. Do these Ziphites not make us think of Judas selling his Master? Yes, Jesus, the rejected King, knew even more than David this outpouring of evil against Him, "such contradiction of sinners against himself" (Hebrews 12:3). His infinitely sensitive heart suffered this in the deepest possible way.
What David experienced after this, we can learn from certain psalms composed in the Judaean desert (Psalms 54, Psalms 63 etc.). Jonathan’s visit encourages him and leads his thoughts on to the future. But the faithful friend "went to his house" (cf. John 7:53), whilst David, a type of One greater than himself, continues his pathway of rejection with those who have left all to follow him.