44 David Spares Saul

Much as with several preceding chapters, chapter 24 presents the account of the hearts of David and Saul, while at the same time, showing the providential hand of the Lord.

The previous chapter closed, with Saul’s army encircling David and his men, to the extent, that it appeared that Saul would be victorious. However, the Lord intervened, as Saul received a report that the Philistines had invaded Israel, forcing him to temporarily abandon his mission against David, diverting his attention and resources to a battle against the Philistine army.

However, once Saul’s army dispatched the Philistines, he would soon be told that David was in the wilderness of En Gedi, and that’s where chapter 24 opens.

1 Saul Resumes Pursuit of David

1 Samuel 24:1-2

Much like the Philistines, who relentlessly attacked Israel, Saul was undeterred in his pursuit of David.

Saul amassed a quite large army of three-thousand men to pursue David.

There were two main reasons he did so:

• He knew that David was no longer confined to the cave where he had previously been trapped, but now was in a canyon, comprised of numerous caves and hiding places.
• The second reason was probably attributable to Saul’s intent to put an end to David once and for all.

2 God’s Providential Hand

1 Samuel 24:3

With the great abundance of caves in the area, it’s certainly amazing that Saul would end up attending to personal needs in the very cave where David and his men were hiding. And equally amazing, is that Saul did not see or hear the large group of men. Of course, again it was the providence of God.

It has been suggested, that because Saul was the king, and would have been accorded respect and privacy, he would have entered the cave alone, if he was attending to personal needs. Therefore, his personal guards, and other soldiers would have remained outside.

This was the hand of God, who was protecting David from Saul and his army.

3 David’s Heart Revealed

When David’s men saw that Saul was alone in the cave, they assumed that the Lord had delivered the king in David’s hands, and that it would be David’s opportunity to assassinate Saul, and thus become king:

1 Samuel 24:4a

They alluded to words the Lord apparently had spoken to David, concerning a day when the Lord would deliver David’s enemy into his hands, and that David would complete reign to do as he willed.

The Bible does not record this account, which itself doesn’t negate the veracity.

However, there can be certainty, that the words were not meant to describe the relationship between David and Saul. That is easily seen, because David did not kill Saul and thus become king

However, the words of David’s men, is like how the Lord’s apostles desired for Jesus to establish His kingdom during their lifetimes.

It’s also like the desires of much of the multitude who followed Jesus, who because of their hatred for Rome, wanted to make Jesus King, and thus overthrow Caesar.

Yet, whether it was because of the words of his men, or his own flesh, David then secretly cut off a corner of Saul’s robe:

1 Samuel 24:4b

Bible expositors have wondered how David managed to cut the robe, without Saul immediately become aware of his presence.

• Some have suggested that Saul also decided to take a brief nap in the cool of the cave, thus avoiding the normal heat of the area.
• Another, and very plausible possibility, is that Saul had removed his outer robe and placed it in another location in the cave, for his comfort as he attended to his needs. David therefore saw the robe and then cut the corner.

However it happened, David had determined not to inflict personal harm upon the king, but in a moment of fleshly action, he cut off a corner of the robe.

Yet, the chapter tells us that David’s heart was troubled over his actions, as he viewed Saul as the rightful monarch, having been anointed by the Lord:

1 Samuel 24:5-7

Early in his life, David had so committed his heart to the Lord, that God looked upon him, as a man after “(His) own heart”, as we see from Samuel’s words to king Saul:

1 Samuel 13:14

It was the fact that David’s heart had been surrendered to the Lord, which caused it to be troubled due to his actions. Therefore, he viewed his actions as being sinful, since it pictured rebellion against the authority which God had established in Saul.

David then restrained his men from harming the king themselves. He understood the principle, that God establishes and removes those from positions in authority, which was later enunciated by the prophet Daniel:

Daniel 2:21

Centuries later, the apostle Paul would speak of the need for believers to be obedience to those in positions of authority:

Romans 13:1