Read 1 Samuel 24
David Spares Saul’s Life
1 After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, “David is in the Desert of En Gedi.” 2 So Saul took three thousand able young men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats.
3 He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave. 4 The men said, “This is the day the Lord spoke of when he said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.’” Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.
5 Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe. 6 He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lay my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the Lord.” 7 With these words David sharply rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way.
8 Then David went out of the cave and called out to Saul, “My lord the king!” When Saul looked behind him, David bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground. 9 He said to Saul, “Why do you listen when men say, ‘David is bent on harming you’? 10 This day you have seen with your own eyes how the Lord delivered you into my hands in the cave. Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, ‘I will not lay my hand on my lord, because he is the Lord’s anointed.’ 11 See, my father, look at this piece of your robe in my hand! I cut off the corner of your robe but did not kill you. See that there is nothing in my hand to indicate that I am guilty of wrongdoing or rebellion. I have not wronged you, but you are hunting me down to take my life. 12 May the Lord judge between you and me. And may the Lord avenge the wrongs you have done to me, but my hand will not touch you. 13 As the old saying goes, ‘From evildoers come evil deeds,’ so my hand will not touch you.
14 “Against whom has the king of Israel come out? Who are you pursuing? A dead dog? A flea? 15 May the Lord be our judge and decide between us. May he consider my cause and uphold it; may he vindicate me by delivering me from your hand.”
16 When David finished saying this, Saul asked, “Is that your voice, David my son?” And he wept aloud. 17 “You are more righteous than I,” he said. “You have treated me well, but I have treated you badly. 18 You have just now told me about the good you did to me; the Lord delivered me into your hands, but you did not kill me. 19 When a man finds his enemy, does he let him get away unharmed? May the Lord reward you well for the way you treated me today. 20 I know that you will surely be king and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hands. 21 Now swear to me by the Lord that you will not kill off my descendants or wipe out my name from my father’s family.”
22 So David gave his oath to Saul. Then Saul returned home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.
Go Deeper
This chapter serves as the climax of the conflict between David and Saul. David’s been fighting the Philistines and running from Saul’s jealous wrath, and he finally gets the opportunity to end it all with Saul in a vulnerable situation. If this were a movie, we would hear the violins slowly crescendo as David sneaks from the shadows of the cave with the knife in hand to lunge toward Saul, only to cut a scrap of his cloak. The high-pitched note would hold as David contemplated his next move. And then the musical tension would release as David slides back into the dark, leaving Saul to walk away.
What? Why would David do this? He has the opportunity to win and certainly has the justification to kill Saul, who was trying to kill him, yet he walks away. David shares his reasoning in verse 6, “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lay my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the Lord.” While David has every right to kill Saul, this act would have confirmed Saul’s worst assumption of David. It would have left the nation of Israel divided between supporters of each man and God would have been lost in the chaos. Instead, David resolves to pursue peace through honesty and humility.
If our goal as Christians is God’s glory, why do we so often seek our own? Many times, our response is fueled by fear. Perhaps we feel the fear of being overlooked, overwhelmed, and overpowered, all of which stems from the fear that God got it wrong. The enemy speaks words of fear into our hearts, just as he did in the Garden of Eden and just as he did to David in the cave. While Adam and Eve acted out of that fear, David refused it. He emerged from the cave in pursuit of peace with Saul.
We can do the same. David trusted God’s anointing of Saul and His perfect timing and His plan. So too, we can trust God, even when it doesn’t make sense to us. We can follow the Holy Spirit’s lead and seek reconciliation through humility. We can cue the sweet song of peace as we lower our knives of hate and judgement in pursuit of sharing God’s love and trusting His plan.
Questions
- What words of fear is the enemy speaking to you?
- What would it look like if you responded out of that fear?
- What would it look like if you trusted God and pursued peace?
A Quote
“You can safely assume you’ve created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do.”
Anne Lamott
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4 responses to “1 Samuel 24”
BUT GOD, Samuel had the perfect oppurtunity to kill Saul, but he listened (shema) and did what God wanted him to. David could have thought that this was a God moment because of the oppurtunity. Verse 5 And afterward David’s heart struck him, because he had cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. God worked within David to prick his heart that this was not the right thing to do, at all. Even though David knew that Saul was not a good guy. in any form or fashion, killing Saul was not what God wanted from David. We are to love our enemies, which is a hard pill to swallow. “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). Resisting our “natural” man to follow Holy Spirit within is what God is after. In loving our enemies, we must resist the natural response. It is not natural, after being struck on one cheek, to offer the other. It is not natural, after being sued for your tunic, to give your cloak also. It is not natural, after being forced to go one mile, to go a second. And it is not natural, after being targeted by a beggar or borrower, to give and lend (Matthew 5:39-42) BUT GOD will show us, lead us, guide us to do the right things if we stop, ask, listen and obey.
God may I be a woman after Your own heart! God may I listen to hear so that obedience follows. God may I not jump to immediate action when “oppurtunities” present themselves. God I desire to stop, ask, listen again and then obey. God guide me in this today in these minutes of this day. God I love You with all that I am. Help me put away all the selfishness that is swirling in my head today. Thank You for Your love goggles to cover my eyes. God thank You that I can see, act, think, show, speak, and hear You in all the minutes today in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This exchange between David and Saul is a bit haunting as both men are completely vulnerable. David’s choices prove he is committed to following God’s authority and not in taking matters into his own hands. David’s humility breaks proud Saul. “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).
20 I know that you will surely be king and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hands.
Sort of reminds me of “every knee shall bow and every tongue confess . . .” The truth always comes out. The truth always prevails.
2 May the Lord judge between you and me. And may the Lord avenge the wrongs you have done to me, but my hand will not touch you. 13 As the old saying goes, ‘From evildoers come evil deeds,’ so my hand will not touch you.
We should not ASSUME anything about anyone. If we have conflict or misunderstanding with someone, we should not let it fester into a root of bitterness but seek the Lord’s counsel and go to that person to resolve.