Reflections on 1 Samuel 24

1 Samuel 24 (Contemporary English Version)

1. When Saul got back from fighting off the Philistines, he heard that David was in the desert around En-Gedi.
   
2. Saul led three thousand of Israel's best soldiers out to look for David and his men near Wild Goat Rocks at En-Gedi.
   
3. There were some sheep pens along the side of the road, and one of them was built around the entrance to a cave. Saul went into the cave to relieve himself. David and his men were hiding at the back of the cave.
   
4. They whispered to David, "The LORD told you he was going to let you defeat your enemies and do whatever you want with them. This must be the day the LORD was talking about." David sneaked over and cut off a small piece of Saul's robe, but Saul didn't notice a thing.
   
5. Afterwards, David was sorry that he had even done that,
   
6. and he told his men, "Stop talking foolishly. We're not going to attack Saul. He's my king, and I pray that the LORD will keep me from doing anything to harm his chosen king." Saul left the cave and started down the road.
   
7. (SEE 24:6)
   
8. Soon, David also got up and left the cave. "Your Majesty!" he shouted from a distance. Saul turned around to look. David bowed down very low
   
9. and said: Your Majesty, why do you listen to people who say that I'm trying to harm you?
   
10. You can see for yourself that the LORD gave me the chance to catch you in the cave today. Some of my men wanted to kill you, but I wouldn't let them do it. I told them, "I will not harm the LORD's chosen king!"
    
11. Your Majesty, look at what I'm holding. You can see that it's a piece of your robe. If I could cut off a piece of your robe, I could have killed you. But I let you live, and that should prove I'm not trying to harm you or to rebel. I haven't done anything to you, and yet you keep trying to ambush and kill me.
    
12. I'll let the LORD decide which one of us has done right. I pray that the LORD will punish you for what you're doing to me, but I won't do anything to you.
    
13. An old proverb says, "Only evil people do evil things," and so I won't harm you.
    
14. Why should the king of Israel be out chasing me, anyway? I'm as worthless as a dead dog or a flea.
    
15. I pray that the LORD will help me escape and show that I am in the right.
    
16. "David, my son--is that you?" Saul asked. Then he started crying
    
17. and said: David, you're a better person than I am. You treated me with kindness, even though I've been cruel to you.
    
18. You've told me how you were kind enough not to kill me when the LORD gave you the chance.
    
19. If you really were my enemy, you wouldn't have let me leave here alive. I pray that the LORD will give you a big reward for what you did today.
    
20. I realize now that you will be the next king, and a powerful king at that.
    
21. Promise me with the LORD as your witness, that you won't wipe out my descendants. Let them live to keep my family name alive.
    
22. So David promised, and Saul went home. David and his men returned to their hideout.
    

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    In this chapter we are given an important lesson from David in his treatment of King Saul. Saul had been pursuing David to kill him, viewing him as a threat to his throne. David had never given a hint of rebellion but his repeated successes as a warrior, his popularity with the people, the liklihood of bad counsel, along with the "evil spirit" that had taken control of Saul, had combined to convince Saul that David was a danger to him.
    
    On the occasion recorded in this chapter, Saul had returned from pursuing the Philistines to again pursue David. He had received word that David was in the "wilderness near En-gedi" and had taken 3,000 of his choice soldiers with him to pursue and kill David. When he arrived in the area where David was known to be, he saw a cave and went in to relieve himself, unaware that David and his men were in the cave. While Saul was in the cave, David crept close enough to cut off a piece of his robe. Although David's men urged him to go ahead and kill Saul, David refused. Already he was feeling remorse for even cutting the piece from Saul's robe. Saul was still God's anointed and David would not lift a hand against him even though Saul persisted in trying to kill him.
    
    Herein is the important lesson for us to learn. David could easily justify getting rid of his enemy, but he recognized that this was not his role in these events which had been set in motion by God, not by man. It was true that God had anointed David to become king, but it was also true that God had anointed Saul as king, and he was still in that position. These were God's plans and activities and David recognized it was not his place to intervene. Unfortunately, Saul did not demonstrate equal wisdom, for neither was it his place to intervene in God's plans for David.
    
    We would do well to recognize the wisdom of waiting on God to set in motion the course of events He has planned. Too often we feel justified in taking our own actions to impliment those plans God has revealed to us He has in mind. But the results are never what they would have been had we waited on God. Yes, there is a very delicate balance between those actions we should take and ones we should leave to God, but this only heightens the importance of keeping in constant communication with Him on every detail.
    
    After Saul had left the cave, David went out and called to him, revealing what he had done in cutting the piece from his robe. David also revealed what he had not done by sparing Saul's life, pointing out that there was no "rebellion in me." Furthermore, David said, "may the LORD take vengeance on you for me, but my hand will never be against you." (24:11, 12) Momentarily we see the person Saul could have been but lacked the strength of character to maintain. He said to David, "You are more righteous than I, for you have done what is good to me though I have done what is evil to you." (24:17) He then acknowledged that David would become king and asked him to "swear to me by the LORD that you will not cut off my descendants or wipe out my name from my father's family." (24:21)
    
    We see in these events a stark contrast in the characters of Saul and David. How sad it must be to recognize that your choices have removed you from God's purpose for you and you must now settle for something considerably less.