1 Samuel 24

1 Samuel 24 – David Spares Saul

Scotty – A gossiper with authority above me

- God placed him over me for a time, and it was up to me to decide how I handled it

1 Samuel 19:4-6

Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan, and Saul vowed, “As the Lord lives, David shall not be put to death.” 7Then Jonathan called David, and Jonathan told him all these words. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as before.

This is like when you have an argument with someone, and you say you’re fine. Then you turn around and try and maul them again

8When there was war again, David went out and fought the Philistines and defeated them with great slaughter, so that they fled from him. 9Now there was an evil spirit from the Lord on Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand, and David was playing the harp with his hand. 10And Saul tried to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he escaped from Saul’s presence, so that he stuck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.

- Jonathan gets Saul to promise before God that he won’t kill David, and he agrees!

o Saul breaks a promise, an oath before God: Then he attempts to kill David

- So Michal creates a fake David in his bed, so that people will think David is there. They realize that David has run away

o “David says I have done nothing against you, so why are you trying to kill me?

- So David flees into the wilderness

o David’s mighty men

o War on the Philistines continues

1 Samuel 24

Now when Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, it was reported to him, saying, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.”

2Then Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel and went to search for David and his men in front of the Rocks of the Mountain Goats. 3And he came to the sheepfolds on the way, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to relieve himself.

This dude really went in the cave and said “Is anybody in here???” … “No…”

Now David and his men were sitting in the inner recesses of the cave. 4Then David’s men said to him, “Behold, this is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold; I am about to hand your enemy over to you, and you shall do to him as it seems good to you.’

- So what would you do? This crazy king is after you, trying to murder you?

- All your comrades are telling you the same thing

” Then David got up and cut off the edge of Saul’s robe secretly. 5But it came about afterward that David’s conscience bothered him because he had cut off the edge of Saul’s robe. 6So he said to his men, “Far be it from me because of the Lord that I would do this thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed, to reach out with my hand against him, since he is the Lord’s anointed.” 7And David rebuked his men with these words and did not allow them to rise up against Saul. And Saul got up, left the cave, and went on his way

- How crazy does this sound to you and I?

o Our modern version of “slaying the king”?

8Afterward, however, David got up and went out of the cave, and called after Saul, saying, “My lord the king!” And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the ground and prostrated himself. 9And David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Behold, David is seeking to harm you’? 10Behold, this day your eyes have seen that the Lord had handed you over to me today in the cave, and someone said to kill you, but I spared you; and I said, ‘I will not reach out with my hand against my lord, because he is the Lord’s anointed.’ 11So, my father, look! Indeed, look at the edge of your robe in my hand! For by the fact that I cut off the edge of your robe but did not kill you, know and understand that there is no evil or rebellion in my hands, and I have not sinned against you, though you are lying in wait for my life, to take it. 12May the Lord judge between you and me, and may the Lord take vengeance on you for me; but my hand shall not be against you. 13As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Out of the wicked comes wickedness’; but my hand shall not be against you. 14After whom has the king of Israel gone out? Whom are you pursuing? A dead dog, a single flea? 15May the Lord therefore be judge and decide between you and me; and may He see and plead my cause and save me from your hand.”

- God at times allows ungrateful, undeserving, horrible people to be king over us

o How you respond to this person in your life says more about you than it does them

16When David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” Then Saul raised his voice and wept. 17And he said to David, “You are more righteous than I; for you have dealt well with me, while I have dealt maliciously with you. 18You have declared today that you have done good to me, that the Lord handed me over to you and yet you did not kill me. 19Though if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away unharmed? May the Lord therefore reward you with good in return for what you have done to me this day. 20Now, behold, I know that you will certainly be king, and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hand. 21So now swear to me by the Lord that you will not cut off my descendants after me, and that you will not eliminate my name from my father’s household.”

22And David swore an oath to Saul. Then Saul went to his home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.

- Conflict resolved by separation

o Forgiveness/Making peace with someone doesn’t mean you have to be friends with them.

Better he kill me than I learn his ways. Better he kill me than I become as he is. I shall not practice the ways that cause kings to go mad. I will not thrown spears, nor will I allow hatred to grow in my heart. I will not avenge. I will not destroy the Lord’s anointed. Not now. Not ever

Revenge never pays back in full.

So maybe you have a Scotty in your life, or maybe you have a tyrant, mad king Saul

- How are you going to respond?