(4) And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under mine hand, but there is hallowed bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women. (5) And David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truth women have been kept from us about these three days, since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in a manner common, yea, though it were sanctified this day in the vessel. (6) So the priest gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there but the shewbread, that was taken from before the LORD, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.
The Reader, if he consults Leviticus 24:5-9, will understand what this hallowed bread was. Being set apart to God's service, it could not be used in common. Abstinence from even lawful things, at certain times, and upon certain occasions, was enjoined by the law. See Exodus 19:15. And this is what is meant here, by the young men being kept from women: namely their wives. As to the bread, the observation which our blessed Lord makes on this passage, in his discourse with the Pharisees, (see Matthew 12:1-4), throws the best light upon it. The show-bread was peculiarly for the priest's use, having been sanctified. See Leviticus 24:5-9. But David's necessity pleaded for the dispensing with this law; and Ahimelech judged it right. But is there not much of gospel in it? Did it not mean to show, that in the dispensation by the Lord Jesus, the bodies of his people were the temples of the Holy Ghost, and were holy, being sanctified by the Spirit? And as Jesus himself, which this show-bread represented, is the bread of life to his people; so his people are made kings and priests to God, and the Father; and consequently, are privileged to eat that bread of life, and live forever. Lord, evermore give us this bread. John 6:32-34.