Not a Great Man, but a Good Man

When Israel rose up to fight off the Philistines, Ahimelech really didn't know what to do. He was helpless to stop King Saul from offering a disobedient sacrifice, but he stayed loyal. He stood faithfully on the side of King Saul, while Saul's army was deserting him. He remained faithful as David slew the giant, although he was unable to do anything himself. David would later say that Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, but if said that about Ahimelech, it is not recorded. Ahimelech was loyal enough to King Saul that he didn't want to help David, until David deceived him into believing that David was still serving Saul.

Later, under the influence of his evil servant Doeg, King Saul believed that Ahimelech was involved in a conspiracy to murder Saul. And so, King Saul, a leader gone corrupt, faced faithful Ahimelech the priest. He challenged Ahimelech for his lack of loyalty, because Ahimelech had helped David. 

1Sa 22:14 So Ahimelech answered the king and said, "And who among all your servants is as faithful as David, who is the king's son-in-law, who goes at your bidding, and is honorable in your house?

King Saul thought that he spotted disloyalty in Ahimelech when Ahimelech told Saul the truth. The truth was that David was Saul's most loyal servent, who had delivered Saul from the power of an evil spirit, who had delivered Saul from Goliath, and who had smote Saul's enemies everywhere he went. But because Ahimelech didn't tell Saul the lies that King Saul wanted to hear, Saul believed that Ahimelech was disloyal.

Ahimelech was destroyed, but he was destroyed while doing what was right: telling a corrupt leader the truth.