David spares Saul

1 Samuel Chapter 26

Messengers came to Saul to tell that David was hiding on the hill of Hakilah. So Saul took three thousand troops and went to hunt him down. Saul camped near the hill of Hakilah and David knew of his arrival so sent spies to watch him.

One night David slipped into Saul's camp and looked around.Saul and his general, Abner son of Ner were sleeping in a ring formed by slumbering warriors. "Will anyone volunteer to go in there with me?" David asked Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruish, Joab's brother. Abishai agreed to go with him. They went right into Saul's camp and found him asleep. David stuck his spear in the ground beside his head. Abishai whispered to David to let him thrust the spear through Saul. But David said not to kill Saul, for no one could remain innocent if they attacked the Lord's anointed one. David said the Lord would strike Saul down someday, or he would die of old age or in a battle. But David would not be the one to kill Saul, and instead took the spear and jug of water that were near Saul's head, then he and Abishai got away because the Lord had put Saul's men in a deep sleep.

When David was on a hill opposite the camp, he shouted for Abner to wake up. Then he told Abner how he deserved to die because he failed to protect his master. He told him to look around and see that the king's spear and jug were gone. Saul heard this and recognized David's voice and said, "Is that you, my son David?"

David replied, "Yes, my lord and king. Why are you chasing me? What have I done? What is my crime? He asked that the Lord listen to his servant and if the Lord stirred Saul up, then let him accept the offering. But if the scheme was human, then he asked that the Lord curse them. David further said, "You have driven me from my home, so that I can no longer live among the Lord's people and worship as I should. Must I die on foreign soil, far from the presence of the Lord? Why has the king of Israel come out to search for a single flea? What does he hunt me down like a partridge on the mountains?"

Saul confessed, "I have sinned. Come back home, my son and I will no longer try to harm you, for you valued my life today and I have been a fool and very, very wrong."

"Let one of your men come and get your sword," David said. He further said that the Lord gives reward for good and being loyal and he had refused to kill Saul even when the Lord placed Saul in his power, for Saul was the anointed one. Then David asked the Lord to value his life and rescue him from all his troubles.

And Saul blessed David and told him he would do heroic deeds and be a great conqueror. Then David went away and Saul returned home.

BIBLE NOTES SHOW: Abishai showed great courage by volunteering to go into Saul's camp. He wanted to kill Saul, but David restrained him. Abishai eventually became the greatest warrior in David's army.

David faced a moral decision: to follow God and not murder the anointed king. He chose to follow God. God had anointed Saul and David respected this and left Saul's destiny in God's hands. But David made his point by taking Saul's spear and water jug. Saul on the other hand did not want to respond to David's kindness with cruelty in front of his own men. Also David had a huge following and killing him would put Saul's own kingdom at risk. And last, Saul knew David was to become the king of Israel.

HOW DOES THIS CHAPTER RELATE TO US TODAY? We could ask ourselves: when is it okay to sit back and allow evil leaders to carry on? It is hard to answer that question and there are many evil leaders in the world today. But we must not do wrong in order to execute justice. We must always put God's commandments first, like David did. He made a point, a strong point in taking the king's spear. When you need to make a point, look to creative God-honoring ways to do it and it will have more impact.

Yours in Christ,
Mary

Prayer Requests are needed for:
HEALTH: Gabe, Wanda, Janice Long’s parents, and Arlene’s nephew David. Update on Lori (who suffered a terrible accident)and her family . Lori sheds her back brace soon and can drive. She thanks God for healing her. Please continue to pray for her during recovery. Pray for my neighbor Al who is nearing the end of his life. Barb who went in for back surgery and had a heart attack and stroke, is now able to speak and is working on rehab for paralysis. Pray for Robert Sargent with lung cancer and Marthaline Sargent with serious health issues. Update on Stella: A photo of her shows a chubby, alert baby who is breathing on her own. Her eyesight problems seem to be no longer a problem. But she must learn to eat and drink normally. She continues to have a long road, so prayers are still needed. Update on Mark: He has some paralysis on one side from the stroke, his eyesight has been impaired too. But he has gone home and his wife cares for him. Soon he will begin therapy. Continue to pray for his healing. Pray also for my aged friend Elaine who underwent surgery and is home healing slowly. Update on Craig: he ended up having a stent put in and is back to work. Keep him and his family on your list for prayers. Pray for Carolyn’s friend Margaret and her husband who were in a car accident. As elderly drivers they may face a life change which may cost them their independence. Let’s all raise our voices to God to hear our prayers.
SPIRITUAL UPLIFTING: Gail, Mary
RESTORATION OF FAITH: Al, John
LOVE AND SUPPORT: Claire, Hunter
SUPPORT: Haiti, Chile, those who need jobs, those who are about to lose or have lost their homes. Pray too, for our country’s leaders and our military people who die each day for our freedom.