DAVID SPARES SAUL'S LIFE

PROCLAMATION

“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.”  1 Samuel 24:4 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the prophet Samuel.  After Saul returned from fighting the Philistines, he was told that David was in En-Gedi.  So Saul took three thousand men and set out to look for David. (1 Samuel 24:1-2)  Along the way there was a large cave and Saul went into the cave to relieve himself.  Unbeknownst to Saul, David and his men were hidden deep within this cave.  David saw Saul and silently crept up behind him and cut off the corner of his robe. (1 Samuel 24:3-4)  David would not let his men attack Saul, and when he finished he left the cave.  Afterwards, David followed Saul out of the cave and called out to him.  When Saul looked behind him, David bowed down and said that he meant Saul no harm.  David said that he could have killed him if he had wanted to do so but he spared his life and only cut off the corner of his robe to prove that he could have killed him. (1 Samuel 24:5-11)  David said, ‘I have not wronged you, but you are hunting me down to take my life.’  Then he said, “The Lord judge between me and thee, and The Lord avenge me of thee; but mine hand shall not be upon thee.” (1 Samuel 24:11-13)  Saul wept then told David that he was more righteous than himself.  David had treated him well and he had treated David badly.  Then he said may The Lord reward David for how he treated him on that day.  Saul also said that he knew that David would become the king of Israel.  He asked David to swear that he would not kill off all of his descendants and wipe out his family name.  David gave his oath to Saul and they went their separate ways. (1 Samuel 24:16-22)

 

APPLICATION

“Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.” (Sherrilyn Kenyon)  Everything that we are able to do, does not mean that we ought to do them or that we should do them.  Every situation affords us the opportunity to choose whether we will do the right thing or the wrong thing.  We have to choose to obey that “still small voice” which we hear that is the voice of The Lord God. (1 Kings 19:12)  We do not have to follow the suggestions of the crowd.  The path chosen by the many is often the road to destruction. (Matthew 7:13)