David spared Saul twice. He cut off a piece of Saul’s clothing the first time while he slept inside a cave. The second time happened while Saul and his men were asleep in a camp. At that time, David took Saul’s spear and water jug.
When Saul heard that David and his men invaded their camp and spared his life, he made another appeal for David to come back to him. David stayed at a distance because he knew what was in Saul’s heart. David shouted out to Saul, “The Lord gives his reward for doing good and for being loyal, and I refused to kill you even when the Lord placed you in my power, for you are the Lord’s anointed one” (I Samuel 26: 23). This isn’t a silent loyalty. The way David spoke to Saul was not hidden in a back room. David’s mercy was seen and heard by all involved.
Saul’s sin was blatant and had become very visible in his spiritual decline. David had the right to kill Saul according to natural law. He was even encouraged by his men to end Saul’s life when he had a chance. After one soldier offered to impale Saul, David replied, “No! Don’t kill him. For who can remain innocent after attacking the Lord’s anointed one? Surely the Lord will strike Saul down someday, or he will die of old age or in battle. The Lord forbid that I should kill the one he has anointed!” (vs.9-11). The essence of David’s response was that either God or the circumstance of Saul’s sin would eventually bring the end of his life. That is not our choice to make.
There are times when we have the “right” to do something to end our suffering that in God’s eyes, does not pass muster. There are deeper issues at work against the kind of abuse Saul demonstrated than having a chance to end our suffering. Saul was God’s anointed leader and if anyone were going to make a change in Saul’s heart, it would be God, not David’s sword and his need to end Saul’s pursuit.
There is a “reward for doing good and for being loyal.” The reward of God’s goodness is given to those who are not seeking revenge, but truth. It may require that we relinquish a natural right so we can extend something better to our offenders. In David’s refusal to kill Saul, he exposed Saul’s sin. That exposure was from a more visible place where the evil Saul was revealed for all to see without taking Saul’s life into David’s hands. The exposure still took place, but it allowed an expression of mercy that revealed more of God’s heart than plunging a sword into the heart of Saul.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Garris Elkins
Featured Image by Anand Thakur on Unsplash
