1 Samuel 24:1-22

And it came to pass, when Saul was returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi. ² Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats. ³ And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet: and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave. ⁴ And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the Lord said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul’s robe privily. ⁵ And it came to pass afterward, that David’s heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul’s skirt. ⁶ And he said unto his men, The Lord forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the Lord’s anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord. ⁷ So David stayed his servants with these words, and suffered them not to rise against Saul. But Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way. ⁸ David also arose afterward, and went out of the cave, and cried after Saul, saying, My lord the king. And when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his face to the earth, and bowed himself. ⁹ And David said to Saul, Wherefore hearest thou men’s words, saying, Behold, David seeketh thy hurt? ¹⁰ Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that the Lord had delivered thee to day into mine hand in the cave: and some bade me kill thee: but mine eye spared thee; and I said, I will not put forth mine hand against my lord; for he is the Lord’s anointed. ¹¹ Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of thy robe in my hand: for in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe, and killed thee not, know thou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in mine hand, and I have not sinned against thee; yet thou huntest my soul to take it. ¹² The Lord judge between me and thee, and the Lord avenge me of thee: but mine hand shall not be upon thee. ¹³ As saith the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked: but mine hand shall not be upon thee. ¹⁴ After whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, after a flea. ¹⁵ The Lord therefore be judge, and judge between me and thee, and see, and plead my cause, and deliver me out of thine hand. ¹⁶ And it came to pass, when David had made an end of speaking these words unto Saul, that Saul said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice, and wept. ¹⁷ And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil. ¹⁸ And thou hast shewed this day how that thou hast dealt well with me: forasmuch as when the Lord had delivered me into thine hand, thou killedst me not. ¹⁹ For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away? wherefore the Lord reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day. ²⁰ And now, behold, I know well that thou shalt surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thine hand. ²¹ Swear now therefore unto me by the Lord, that thou wilt not cut off my seed after me, and that thou wilt not destroy my name out of my father’s house. ²² And David sware unto Saul. And Saul went home; but David and his men gat them up unto the hold.

True character is revealed in the moments when a person’s circumstances and influences all point them in one direction and they choose to act according to truth and principle. That is where David found in himself in 1 Samuel 24. After being on the run from King Saul for quite some time and being hunted down by Saul despite never doing anything wrong toward Saul, there was an opportunity presented to David in a cave in Engedi that few would have passed up on. While Saul went into the cave to relieve himself, he made himself vulnerable to David and his men who were in the same cave. David’ men quickly reasoned that the Lord was the One who brought Saul there and they deduced that God wanted David to strike Saul down and claim the throne. But, is that really how God wanted to make David king? In that moment David faced a test that we will inevitably face in life. We will consistently face the test to act according to God’s Word and leave the rest to Him or to take matters into our own hands to bring to pass what we want. From this time in the cave of Engedi, we learn three principles that we need to understand so that we might be faithful when the time finally comes.

Last week, we looked at the first of these principles and that is that we need to recognize God’s testing. Certainly, it was the Lord who brought Saul to that cave that day. Nothing happens without God’s approval in this world and in our lives. However, just because God brought Saul to that cave in that situation, it did not mean that the Lord’s will was for David to strike him down. David’s men failed to understand that, but David got it. Instead of striking Saul down, David simply cut off a small fragment of the edge of Saul’s robe as a sign of David trusting that God would deliver the kingdom to him and he stopped his men from harming Saul. Imagine how frustrating this was for David’s men. They came and joined David because they didn’t like Saul to begin with and they had been on the run with David for months. Now, the opportunity had come for them to take their own vengeance and for the man they followed to be king with them next to him. It was too good to pass up. Yet, David stopped his men. It is in those moments where everything points us in one direction and we have to stand alone upon God’s Word that we find the real test of character. David knew that it would have been murder, not self defense for him to take Saul’s life in that instance (Exodus 20:13). He also knew that it was sinful to speak evil of a ruler of God’s people, let alone physically harm one (Exodus 22:28). He also knew that Saul was “the Lord’s anointed” and thus Saul belonged to God (v. 6, 10). He knew that revenge belonged only to the Lord (Deuteronomy 32:35-36) and not to him. Therefore, he passed the test. You and I must remember that the circumstances of life are tests in which you and I are either obedient to the Lord or we take matters into our own hands. The test is to either let God be God and submit to Him or to usurp God and do things He has not called us to.

The second principle we learn from David’s sparing of Saul in 1 Samuel 24 is that we must rely on God’s judgment. When Saul exited the cave, David cried out after him and showed Saul the piece of the garment that he had just cut from Saul’s robe. This was proof to Saul of David’s good intentions toward him. It was proof that David could have taken his life if he wanted, but that he had chosen to spare Saul. In his words and actions toward Saul that followed in verses 8-15, we learn two things from David that we should seek to follow in our own lives. First, we learn from David’s respect for Saul as an authority figure in his life. Despite Saul hunting him down and being his enemy, we see David respond by bowing before Saul as king (v. 8) and addressing Saul as “Father” (v. 11), a term of respect and love. Second, we also learn the perspective that you and I are to have in such matters. David recognized God’s sovereignty over the situation and that God alone is sufficient to judge the hearts of men. He knew that God would make him king and remove Saul when the time was right. David was content to resign the whole matter to God saying, “The Lord judge between me and thee, and the Lord avenge me of thee: but mine hand shall not be upon thee” (v. 12). David was willing to leave vengeance in the only qualified hands, God’s hands. Vengeance is never ours to take. Anytime that you and I find ourselves taking vengeance, we are usurping God and playing a role we were never meant to play. The second of the two greatest commandments laid out for us in the New Testament is to love our neighbor as ourself (Matthew 22:37-40). However, in the original context Leviticus 19:18 says, “Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord.” The command to love our neighbor as ourself is actually about not taking revenge or holding a grudge against another, among other things. Instead of taking vengeance, you and I must follow the example of David here and the ultimate example of the greater David, the Lord Jesus, of whom the Apostle Peter wrote, “Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously” (1 Peter 2:23). We must rely on God’s judgment.

Lastly, we learn from 1 Samuel 24 that we need to rest in God’s faithfulness. David’s response in this situation ultimately stemmed from the fact that he truly trusted in God’s promises. He knew that he would be king and he knew that God was faithful to bring it to pass. This freed him to act toward Saul in the way that he did. When we know that the truth is on our side, that God has promised us ultimate victory over this world, and that the mistreatment of others is actually a part of His good plan to make us more like Christ (Romans 8:28-29), it frees us to respond as David did. Do we really trust God’s promises? Being secure in our relationship with the Lord gives us the freedom to absolve ourselves of any need to manipulate circumstances or take matters into our own hands. From that place of security, we trust that God will be God. When Saul recognized that it was David and what had just happened, he asked a rhetorical question, “For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away?” He essentially asked, “Who does this kind of thing?” Only a person who truly trusts in the Lord. Saul recognized from David’s actions that David’s character truly fit the king that God had said He would choose, one “after His own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14). That means that Saul saw the heart of God reflected in David’s actions. How powerful a testimony that is. Saul responded by asking David to continue that same faithful kindness to his descendants when he became king. While Saul seemed to have a positive response, we will find that he returned to hunting down David yet again. His real problem was his stubborn, rebellious, and unrepentant heart. He really needed deliverance from sin, but had refused to bow the knee to the Lord. Do you rest in God’s faithfulness or, like Saul, are you stubbornly continuing in your own way?

Where is your trust? The circumstances in life reveal to us what we truly trust in. If we trust in the Lord then life’s troubles will reveal a steady commitment to God’s Word and ways. If we trust in ourselves then the circumstances of life will reveal our need to manipulate and take matters into our own hands. Every day and in each and every circumstance we face the struggle of letting God be God or playing God ourselves. In life we must recognize His testing, rely on His judgment, and rest in His faithfulness.