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Samuel chapter 26 is filled with powerful pictures that remind us of
our relationship to one another and to God. The chapter begins with
the self-promoting people from the region of Ziph again enticing King
Saul back to hunt David. “Saul
went down to the Desert of Ziph, with his three thousand chosen men
of Israel, to search there for David“.
Always vigilant, David spotted Saul coming. “He
saw where Saul and… the commander of the army… Saul was lying
inside the camp, with the army encamped around him“.
So here is the picture of King Saul sleeping in the center of an
army of soldiers, certainly believing he is protected and safe. How
often we also make the mistake of believing the safe choice is just
to go along with the crowd! The popular thing is not always the
right thing. Throughout the chapter it seems David has a high
vantage point to overlook everything. I believe the more time we
spend in God’s Word; the more we see life from God’s perspective.
Being confident of God’s direction, David asked, “Who
will go down into the camp with me to Saul?”
“I
will go with you”
said Abishai. This young man is David’s nephew and remains
impulsive and courageous his whole life, but always intensely loyal
to David.
“So
David and Abishai went to the army by night, and there was Saul,
lying asleep inside the camp with his spear stuck in the ground near
his head. Abner (the
commander of the army)
and the soldiers were lying around him“.
They say there is safety in numbers, but not when you are opposed to
God. We read, “They
were all sleeping, because the Lord had put them into a deep sleep“.
Standing over the sleeping king, David’s enthusiastic companion
said, “Today
God has delivered your enemy into your hands. Now let me pin him to
the ground with one thrust of my spear“.
But David will not be the cause of any harm to the king; “the
Lord himself will strike him; either his time will come and he will
die, or he will go into battle and perish… the Lord forbid that I
should lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed. Now get the spear and water
jug that are near his head, and let’s go“.
The spear is a symbol of power, and the water is a symbol of life.
David
demonstrated God’s superiority and His compassion.
Next
we read David “stood
on top of the hill some distance away”
and he called out to Saul. Saul answered, “Is
that your voice, David my son?”
David again reminded Saul that God is Lord of all. “What
have I done, and what wrong am I guilty of?”
And Saul predictably responded, “I
have sinned. Come back, David my son. Because you considered my life
precious today, I will not try to harm you again“.
Words do not equal actions. Often people express remorse when they
are caught, but expressing emotion does not mean any real change has
taken place. David instead turned and walked away. “Here
is the king’s spear… Let one of your young men come over and get
it… David went on his way, and Saul returned home“.
We get a sense that David is finished wasting time trying to reason
with Saul. Matthew 7:6 explains that there is a point when we have
done all we can do for someone else. “Do
not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine,
lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in
pieces“.
But, true to His nature, Jesus gives hope to all in the very next
verse. “Ask,
and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it
will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who
seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”
God never turns His back on us.