No. 3: DoegTheme: Beware of Those Who Love What Is Bad (it-1 p.

644)
Is it not easy sometimes brothers for us to underestimate those who love what is bad? Being
good-hearted servants of Jehovah, we are happy to view everyone positively, but it is important
that we do not let down our guard against such ones because doing so could cost us our lives. A
warning example is given in the Bible that confirms the need for us to beware of those who do
not love Jehovah. That warning example is a man named Doeg. But first think about this: What
does the word beware mean? Well it simply means be aware of the dangers or threat of
something, like when you see a sign on someones gate that says Beware of the Dogs! That sign
means the dog is so bad it could bite you or possibly kill you, so you should avoid or stay away
from it. Was Doeg such a man, like a bad dog? And how can we avoid such persons today?
Doeg was not an Israelite. He was an Edomite, but he held a high position among King Sauls
servants, being named chief of Sauls shepherds. He wickedly revealed to Saul that he saw High
Priest Ahimelech give David showbread and Goliaths sword when David visited the priestly city
of Nob, knowing that Saul would be angry to hear this, since David was on the run from him.
How was Doeg in a position to see all this? The account tells us he was detained before
Jehovah at the time. Though the Insight material suggests that the reason for his detainment
might have been a vow, uncleanness or leprosy, the question is: Did those priests treat Doeg as
they should have, like someone with a big BEWARE sign on his back? They should have
because 1) he was a non-Israelite, 2) he was a close friend of Saul, someone Jehovah
disapproved, and 3) he was detained before Jehovah for something unacceptable. Clearly Doeg
did not love Jehovah. He loved what was bad and because of that he was a danger persons had to
be wary of, like a bad dog. Likewise today, should we underestimate the dangers of persons
identified as bad association at our school or place of work? Lets read 1 Samuel 22:18-19 to see
the consequences that befell the priests for not treating evil Doeg as a dangerous associate, of not
being wary of him.
So all those priests, their families, and everyone else in the city of Nob lost their lives to
someone who was allowed to be in their company, who loved what was bad, because they were
not wary or aware of the danger or threat his presence would bring. The sober lesson, brothers
and sisters, is that we too can suffer similar consequences if we do not heed the advice of
Scriptures that encourage us to avoid friendship with the world or bad association. We must be
able to say as David himself does here in Psalm 26: 4, 5 -our final text. [END]