1 SAMUEL 24

 

Pastor Alan Carr in his teaching on 1 Samuel writes these words as a way of introducing his study on chapter 24 to his congregation this way:

Our studies have followed David from the sheepfolds of Judea to the battle fields of Israel.  We have watched a boy mature into a man.  We have watched David kill a giant, win the hearts of a nation, and we have seen him develop into a man of God.  We have watched David as he climbed to the pinnacle of success and we have seen him fall into the depths of despair.  We have seen him receive the love of many and the hatred of a few.  It has been a blessing and a challenge to look into the life of David thus far.

Today, we find the sweet singer of Israel living in a cave.  He is there because God has been systematically removing every single support from underneath David’s life.  God has been teaching David the difficult lesson that only God is worthy to be leaned upon.  While David is in that cave, he is presented with an opportunity that many men would have died for.  David is presented with the opportunity to exact revenge upon his greatest enemy.

While David and his men hide in that cave, the providence of God brings King Saul into the same cave at the same time.  David has the perfect opportunity to kill Saul, claim the throne and elevate himself all the way to the very top.  But, David does not do what most people would have done in that situation.  Instead of reacting with hatred, revenge and murder; David displays, love, grace, compassion and forgiveness.  In this little glimpse into the life of David, we are allowed to see the real heart of this man.  Here, it is easy to see why the Lord called David, “A man after Mine Own heart.”

For your personal time of reading, the following Psalms were written by David during this time of his life when he was being hunted by Saul. They are Psalms 34, 56, 57 and 142. Out of those 4 Psalms, Psalms 57 and 142 are specifically mentioned as being written in the cave.

So if you feel like you are in a cave tonight. If you feel like you are being hunted down or in the dark, take some time and read Psalms 57 and 142. Lets get into the texts…..

1 ¶ 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 Engedi.

• Saul is made aware of the fact that David is in the wilderness, or En Gedi.
• Engedi, Heb. “The Rocks of the Wild Goats”, as we will see in verse 2. Engedi is an oasis on the Western side of the Dead Sea. Best source of fresh water in the wilderness area.

 

2 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.

• Saul was consumed with hatred for David and envy of David. David was hated, not for evil in his life, but because his life was pleasing to the Lord!  It is clear from the Scriptures that David had never wronged Saul, but Saul was after David anyway. It is inevitable that some people will be against you as you go through life.  Just be sure they are against you for doing right, and not for doing wrong.
• Sometimes people are against us for good reason!  Sometimes, they are right and we are wrong!  Beloved, if people are to find fault with me, fault with you, or fault with us, let it not be because we are stubborn, hateful and mean; rather let is be because we are holy, decent and seeking to please and honor The Lord!
• So we see here in verse 1 that David was a hated man, and in verse 2 we see that David was a hunted man. Lets read from Let me read a portion of Psalm 57 to give us some insights into where David’s heart and mind were at during this trial:
• Psalm 57.1 Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.2 I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me. 3 He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth. 4 My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword. 5 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth.

 

3 And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet (he went into the cave to relieve himself): and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave.

• Talk about divine room service! Here is a man that hates me and is hunting after me and wants to destroy me. The phrase, covereth his feet in this context means that he went into the cave to relieve himself. In Judges 3.24, it is used of king Eglon who was thought to be in his summer palace chambers an awful long time relieving himself.
•  “Nature” is calling Saul, and God puts him in the very same cave where David is. Question. Is this a coincidence? Put yourself in David’s sandals beloved….what do you do? All of David’s men even challenged him to take his sword and kill Saul, v. 4, 10. Note to self, not all counsel comes from God!
• Is this a golden opportunity to exact revenge and be done with Saul, or, is this a test from God concerning the Scripture, vengeance is Mine saith The Lord?
• I think that each one of us can see tonight where this study is headed beloved. It’s a message that presents us with the question, how do I handle my enemies?  How do I handle people who are throwing verbal spears at me in an attempt to hurt me or do harm to me, even though I have done nothing wrong to them?
• Before we give an answer according to our feelings, why don’t we listen afresh to what our God says and submit our feelings and emotions to Him.
• Romans 12:19-21, “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.  Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.  Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” 
• These Scriptures are definitely not the way of the world, but rarely, IF EVER, are the ways of the world the will of God.
• Abraham Lincoln was once being criticized for his attitude towards his enemies. "Why do you try to make friends with them?” a colleague asked. "You should try to destroy them." “Am I not destroying my enemies," the President asked gently, "when I make them my friends?"
• Overcome evil with good is always God’s way….just look at the cross for the ultimate example.

 

4 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.

• David’s men thought this opportunity to kill Saul was God’s blessing, when, in reality, it was God’s testing. For whatever reason, David cuts off the hem of Saul’s garment.

 

Verses 5-7 reveals the integrity of David’s character.

5 And it came to pass afterward, that David's heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul's skirt.

• David regretted cutting off the skirt, or hem of Saul garment because the hem was symbolic of Saul’s position as The Lord’s anointed.

 

6 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.

• David is shattered because he has touched the Lord’s anointed.  David’s heart is so tender that even the small thing that he did brings conviction and condemnation.
• The Bible teaches us that even if you can’t respect the man or woman in office, you mustshow respect to the office! David showed his respect by calling Saul my master (6); the Lord’s anointed (6,10); my lord(8,10); the king (8,14); my father (14).

 

7 So David stayed (prevented) 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.

8 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.

• Under deep conviction for what he has done to Saul, David, in front of his band of men and the 3000 chosen soldiers of Saul, falls flat on his face and pleads with Saul.

 

9 ¶ And David said to Saul, Wherefore hearest thou men's words, saying, Behold, David seeketh thy hurt?

10 Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that the LORD had delivered thee to day into mine hand in the cave (a recognition of the providence of God): 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.

• Even though God anointed David to be the next king back in 1 Samuel 16, God had not removed him from his office, thus, Saul was still sovereignly and technically, the Lord’s anointed.

 

11 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.

12 The LORD judge between me and thee, and the LORD avenge me of thee: but mine hand shall not be upon thee.

• David challenges the charge that he is seeking Saul’s defeat or death. He is not striving to gain the throne by removing Saul from it. Showing Saul the portion of his robe he cut off, David urges Saul to acknowledge that while he could have killed his king, he did not.

 

13 As saith the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked: but mine hand shall not be upon thee.

• In the words of an ancient proverb, not a biblical proverb, David says, “Out of the wicked comes forth wickedness”. So, in effect, what he says is, man is revealed by his actions. In the words of Jesus, you can tell a tree by its fruit. David has done nothing wicked toward Saul, and he assures Saul his hand will not be against him in the future.

 

14 After whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, after a flea.

15 The LORD therefore be judge, and judge between me and thee, and see, and plead my cause, and deliver me out of thine hand.

• David says to Saul, The Lord will judge between you and me. The Lord will work things out. The Lord will deal with you eventually, in His way, in His time.
• David here places the entire outcome of this situation into God’s hand. He will do nothing to manipulate the situation or settle it by acting in the flesh. Instead of reacting in the flesh, he responds in the Spirit.

 

16 ¶ 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.

• Saul wept. The Bible makes a clear distinction between godly and worldly sorrow in 2 Cor 7.9,10. Saul’s tears were superficial & his conviction temporary. His tears never brought about repentance or a change of heart

 

17 And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil.

18 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.

• Note that David returned good for evil. That is operating on the divine level. However Saul is removed, it is God who will remove him, not David. Until God does remove Saul as king, it is David’s duty to faithfully serve his king.
• Interestingly, both Saul and David acknowledge the sovereign hand of God in this situation. Saul acknowledges that it was God who brought him to the cave, and David acknowledges the same thing.
• Though Samuel anoints David as Israel’s next king, David believes it is God who will remove Saul and that this is not his task. So long as God keeps Saul in power, to lift his hand against Saul is to lift his hand against God. Circumstances may have been favorable for David or one of his men to kill Saul, but David’s belief in the sovereignty of God keeps him from doing so.

 

19 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.

20 And now, behold, I know well that thou shalt surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thine hand.

• For the first time recorded in Scripture, Saul owns up to the truth. He has been told by Samuel that his kingdom will not endure (1 Sam 13:14). Saul acknowledges that God is taking his kingdom away from him and giving it to David. He admits that David’s ascent to the throne is a certainty.

 

21 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.

• Saul’s concerns are not entirely groundless. It was common practice for men who ascended to the throne to wipe out every possible heir to the throne, especially the descendants of the king he overthrew or replaced.

 

22 And David sware unto Saul.

• The irony of Saul’s request is that this matter was already taken care of in the covenant between David and Jonathan (1 Samuel 20:14-17, 41-42). Nevertheless, David swears to Saul that he will not destroy all of his descendants

 

And Saul went home; but David and his men gat them up unto the hold.

 

One of Jesus but I say unto you statements in the Sermon on the Mount addressed the subject of how to deal with people who hate us, injure us, or despitefully use us….and this is where we want to close tonight. Take a deep breath….this is not for the faint or weak at heart.

This is some of the deep waters of discipleship and faith in God.

Mt 5:43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

• Speak all the good you can to and of them, who speak all evil to and of you.  Repay love in thought, word, and deed, to those who hate you, and show it both in word and deed. John Wesley

 

How many times have we succumbed to this subtle temptation to get even?  How many times have we retaliated against someone who hurt us in an effort to protect our reputation?  After all, we do not want others to think that we were weak, when in reality we all are.  We want the respect of those around us, so we lash out when we have the chance, thinking it makes us look big or right to those around us.  My friends, I don’t want to hurt you, but when you think that way, you are living an illusion!  You never look more childish and more petty than when you verbally take your revenge just to save face before others.  Look at the example of Jesus during His trial and crucifixion and learn a valuable lesson. Anonymous writer.

 

Beloved, wherever you or I find ourselves being given the opportunity to attack those who have hurt us or who we feel have determined to hurt us, remember these things.

We must commit ourselves to doing the right thing, regardless of what anyone else does.  Just as surely as the offending person will face the Lord in judgment, so will we! We will be just as accountable before God for whatever we say and do to others as whatever they have said and done to us.

 

Ultimately, we must place our case in the hands of God and leave it with Him.  Understand the urge to get even is not the same as retaliating!

 

If we carry around all the hurts and pains of this life, they will destroy us and eat us alive!  Do not allow the things others have done to you ruin your life! When we’re aware of what’s going on inside, we have time to feel & pray & think& then choose a course of action that reflects our trust in God.

 

Refuse to fight in the flesh! – look at Jesus on that cross for nor only your sin but theirs as well and make up your mind to respond in The Spirit and leave the consequences inGod’s hands.