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 En–gedi. 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. 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. 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. And it came to pass afterward, that David's heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul's skirt. 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. 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.--1 Samuel 24:1-7
Saul, back from fighting the Philistines, places his focus on David once again. Sigh. Poor David. I am sure his wish was that Saul would just forget about him...but that was not to be the case. Saul was a relentless enemy. This is so much like life. When we finish with one battle there is always another one right on its heels. What a blessing when we understand as the song says "that we have nothing to bring but empty hands." The battle is the Lord's. Stand back...hold your peace...allow the Lord to fight for you. This is what David did...what a lesson to be learned in this chapter of 1 Samuel!
The chapter begins with Saul entering the cave where David and his men were hiding. Saul goes in to the cave alone (or so he thought) to attend to his needs or as the King James says to "cover his feet." (Saul had to go to the bathroom) I have to stop here because I love this part of the story...God arranged the timing and the place of Saul's "personal" need at exactly the cave where David and his men were hiding. God arranged Saul's "goings" to meet with His own plan. You gotta love that! This was not a coincidence but a test from the Lord to show David all that was in his heart. David passed the test. He refused to touch Saul, the Lord's anointed King of Israel.
What wisdom on David's part...what strength of character. What a tender conscience we see. David had been given a very clear opportunity here to kill Saul, who was seeking his life, but refused to to take the fleshly way out of his trial. Instead, he continued to trust that His God would deliver him out of the hand of Saul. Listen to the humble words he used to restrain his men:
And it came to pass afterward, that David's heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul's skirt. 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. 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
Here is the next portion of Chapter 24:
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. And David said to Saul, Wherefore hearest thou men's words, saying, Behold, David seeketh thy hurt? 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. 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. The LORD judge between me and thee, and the LORD avenge me of thee: but mine hand shall not be upon thee. As saith the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked: but mine hand shall not be upon thee. After whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, after a flea. The LORD therefore be judge, and judgebetween me and thee, and see, and plead my cause, and deliver me out of thine hand. 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. And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil. 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.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. And now, behold, I know well that thou shalt surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thine hand. 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. And David sware unto Saul. And Saul went home; but David and his men gat them up unto the hold.
Again, such beautiful words of humility from David. I love this part in particular...
"The LORD judge between me and thee, and the LORD avenge me of thee: but mine hand shall not be upon thee. As saith the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked: but mine hand shall not be upon thee."
David strengthened himself in His God that day and showed himself to be a man ( a king) after God's own heart...a man ( a king) submitted to the will of His God David was willing to wait and allow God's purposes to be worked out. God had told him “You will inherit the throne of Israel.” David believed God. Saul was in the way of that promise, but David understood that it would be disobedient to kill Saul. God had placed Saul in authority, therefore, it was His job to remove him, not David's. David wanted to be King of Israel but not at the expense of making it so by his own disobedience. David believed and understood what he himself penned in Psalm 69:
But as for me, my prayer is to You,
O Lord, in the acceptable time;
O God, in the multitude of Your mercy,
Hear me in the truth of Your salvation.
David knew both how to wait upon His Lord and wait for His Lord. We also see that David gave his anger and bitterness to the Lord...he did not store it up. David had mercy upon his enemy. David brought his heart and soul to the Lord and allowed His God to right his heart daily.
As for Saul...he had a momentary interlude of sanity. The word tells us that he lifted up his voice and wept telling David that he was more righteous and that he, Saul, had rewarded David's good with evil. He also said that he knew well that David would be king of Israel and that the kingdom would be established in his hand. Unfortunately, Saul's interlude of sanity did not last long. Emotions and feelings change from moment to moment. Saul's tears meant nothing...his sorrow was not godly and his heart remained unchanged. Repentance looks like something...when our heart changes our actions will follow our heart. Our word and our deed will match. We will do an about face and go in the opposite direction of our sin. Saul, as we will see, after this brief interlude continues to follow his own destructive path.
