Chapter 24
After fighting the Philistines, Saul learns that David is now in Engedi, and pursues him there with 3000 hand picked men.
2021 - 6 He said to his men, "The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the LORD's anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the LORD's anointed." [1Sa 24:6 ESV] Saul, a demonstrably evil and mentally unstable monarch, is intent on the murder of David. He has murdered others in pursuit of this goal. Yet David refuses to kill Saul because God set Saul on the throne. I don't think we are meant to confine leaders to only those on whom a prophet has poured some oil. If they are in power, God put them there. If God put them there, it is not for us to remove them. But we can argue from this whole episode that David is also not "turning himself in" to this evil King. David has gone into hiding and is evading the anointed King's intentions and lawful orders. David has his own "defense force", and has used it to sort of play Robin Hood toward people oppressed from foreign enemies. I would liken this to the underground church in Rome during the time of persecution. I think this lesson is important because I believe true persecution is coming. Christians will be hated, as Saul hated David, without reason or logic, and the hatred will be so intense that the haters very minds will be polluted to the point where their thinking is irrational. We see our best defense here. It is NOT armed rebellion against authority. It is hiding in God's own protection. It is NOT walking into the hands of the haters and trusting in God to protect us, it is waiting for God to release us - or for martyrdom. Here is the rule, in so many words: 12 May the LORD judge between me and you, may the LORD avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you. [1Sa 24:12 ESV]
Possible FB post.
2022 - These verses:
6 He said to his men, "The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the LORD's anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the LORD's anointed." ... 10 Behold, this day your eyes have seen how the LORD gave you today into my hand in the cave. And some told me to kill you, but I spared you. I said, 'I will not put out my hand against my lord, for he is the LORD's anointed.' [1Sa 24:6, 10 ESV]
Here is an interesting thing. Each place where the English word "anointed" is used, it is the translation of the Hebrew word "masiah". Try reading these verses that way...try thinking of Saul as "the LORD's masiah", "for he (Saul) is the LORD's masiah. As nearly as I can tell, the title masiah is used of Saul in the OT far more than it is used of the coming one. I cringe to read it as Saul, the LORD's masiah. But when I do read it this way, I get a much better sense of why David hesitated to kill him. That finally makes sense. What if we apply this title to our leaders? Will we be so quick to speak against them, to criticize them, the call for their removal? Joe Biden, the LORD's masiah. Try that one on for size.
Here is the proper attitude toward leaders who seek our harm: 12 May the LORD judge between me and you, may the LORD avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you. [1Sa 24:12 ESV]. And if they don't seek our harm? We are back to praying for their salvation, and praying for the LORD's masiah!
A possible, but questionable, FB post.
David has a perfect chance to kill Saul, but does not. David informs Saul directly that he could have killed him. But David says he will not. That he will leave this in God's hands, and let God judge between the two of them, as to who should live and who should die.
Saul repents, in perhaps one of his last lucid moments, recognizing that he is in the wrong. At least for a while. Saul says he understands that David will be King next. He asks for David's promise that Saul's offspring will not all be killed once David is King. David assents.