David: The Test of Honor

Warren Brosi

June 9, 2024

Dominant Thought: The way we honor the LORD’s anointed shows our allegiance to our King.

Objectives:

I want my listeners to understand the importance of the Lord’s anointing.

I want my listeners to feel gratitude to the Lord’s Anointed One, Jesus.

I want my listeners to honor the Lord’s Anointed One.

Focus Question: How do I treat people who want to harm me?

How do you respond when someone throws a spear at you? It’s probably best to duck and get out of the way. What happens when you find the spear thrower in vulnerable position and you have the power to inflict harm, strike back, or even destroy them? It could be a test. Will you pass the test? We find David in a cave in En Gedi in 1 Samuel 24. En Gedi is south of Jerusalem and near the Dead Sea. Even in English the name En Gedi has similar sounds to another place in the Bible, the Garden of Eden. Tim Mackie with the Bible project highlights the similarities between this story of En Gedi and the Garden of Eden in their podcast on the Saul, the anti-anointed ones (see: https://bibleproject.com/podcast/saul-anti-anointed/).

In the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3, Adam and Eve face a test. They were not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil/bad (Genesis 2.17). A serpent entices Eve. She looks at the tree and it was pleasing to the eye (Genesis 3.6). She reached out and took the fruit and ate it and gave it to her husband. Adam and Eve failed the test and were sent out of the Garden of Eden.

Now, generations later, another Adam like person, David has a test in front of him. David is running away from King Saul who was anointed by Samuel to the be the first king. In 1 Samuel 10.1 we read,

1 Samuel 10:1 NIV

Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him, saying, “Has not the Lord anointed you ruler over his inheritance?

Saul was anointed chosen to be the king, but because of the sins of panic and pride, the kingdom would be torn away from his family as he reached out and tore Samuel robe in 1 Samuel 15.27-28.

In the very next chapter of Samuel, we read how God chose a new king to succeed Saul, the youngest of the sons of Jesse, named David. 1 Samuel 16.13

1 Samuel 16:13 NIV

So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah.

Saul becomes jealous of David. Throws spears at David, chases him down. David finds favor in Jonathan’s eyes, the son of king Saul. Jonathan sounds out his father and realizes that his dad is bent on killing David. And last week, we saw how David flees to the wilderness for his life and King Saul goes off to pursue him.

Then, in 1 Samuel 24-26, we see three tests for David. Three stories with similar themes that will reveal his heart.

The theme for these chapters can be summarized as: The way we honor the LORD’s anointed shows our allegiance to our King.

With that background, we return to En Gedi to encounter David’s first test in these three chapters. David and his men are in a cave. Saul has 3,000 men and Saul goes into the cave where David and his men are hiding in the back. Saul comes in “to relieve himself” (1 Samuel 24.3, NIV). The men say to David, “This is the day the LORD spoke of when he said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal as you wish.’ (1 Samuel 24.4). The phrase “to deal as you wish” could be “what is good in your eyes.” Sounds a little similar to Eve seeing the fruit on the tree of the knowledge of good and bad. It was “a delight to the eyes” (Genesis 3.6, ESV).

Then we read, “David crept up unnoticed and...” If this mad man, Saul, has chased you through the wilderness for months if not years, and now you have a chance to end this and your men are saying, “God told you He would do this...” Then, what do you do?

David does not strike Saul down. Where Eve failed, David succeeded. He cut off a corner of the robe of Saul. Much like Saul reached out and tore the robe of Samuel, now Saul loses a corner of his robe.

David is struck in the heart that he even cut the corner of the robe off. He told the men, “The LORD fobid 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” (1 Samuel 24.6, ESV).

Saul leaves the cave. David waits for Saul. He follows Saul and bows down to the one who’s hunting him down. He says, “Why do you listen to the men who saying I am trying to harm you? My men encouraged me to kill you today, but I spared you. I said, ‘I will not lay my hand on the LORD’s anointed’” (1 Samuel 24.8-10, selected portions of the verses). David showed him the part of his robe that he cut off.

Later Saul responds in 1 Samuel 24.17-20

1 Samuel 24:17–20 NIV

“You are more righteous than I,” he said. “You have treated me well, but I have treated you badly. You have just now told me about the good you did to me; the Lord delivered me into your hands, but you did not kill me. When a man finds his enemy, does he let him get away unharmed? May the Lord reward you well for the way you treated me today. I know that you will surely be king and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hands.

You have treated me well or good when I treated you bad. Remember the tree in the garden of Eden, the knowledge of good and bad?

So, in 1 Samuel 24, David passes the test to not seek revenge against someone who’s harming you. He respects the LORD’s anointed king.

Then, in 1 Samuel 25, David faces another test. While Saul is not an actor in the chapter, the bad guy sounds and acts like Saul. The bad guy’s name is Nabal and his name is fool. In the next chapter, Saul will reappear and say, “I’ve acted like a fool” (1 Samuel 26.21). Nabal is a wealthy man. David and his men were out in the wilderness and had friendly relations with Nabal’s men who were watching his livestock. After some time in the wilderness, David sends some messengers to Nabal to ask for some food. We’ve been in the wilderness for some time. We’re hungry. By the way, we were neighbors to your men and nothing went missing when we were with them. Show us some kindness. Whatever seems best.

Nabal replies, “Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse?…Why should I take my bread and water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give to men coming from who knows where?” (1 Samuel 25.10-11).

David’s messengers return with Nabal’s reply. David does not reply as righteously as he did in 1 Samuel 24 in the cave of En Gedi. His reply, “Each of you strap on your sword!” (1 Samuel 25.13). 400 men along with David armed and ready to meet this insult.

Enter Nabal’s wife, Abigail. Her name means, “My Father is joy.” She sends donkeys loaded with cakes and grain to meet David. She meets him before he meets Nabal. Listen to part of her message in 1 Samuel 25.28-31.

1 Samuel 25:28–31 NIV

“Please forgive your servant’s presumption. The Lord your God will certainly make a lasting dynasty for my lord, because you fight the Lord’s battles, and no wrongdoing will be found in you as long as you live. Even though someone is pursuing you to take your life, the life of my lord will be bound securely in the bundle of the living by the Lord your God, but the lives of your enemies he will hurl away as from the pocket of a sling. When the Lord has fulfilled for my lord every good thing he promised concerning him and has appointed him ruler over Israel, my lord will not have on his conscience the staggering burden of needless bloodshed or of having avenged himself. And when the Lord your God has brought my lord success, remember your servant.”

David replies with praise to God and for sending Abigail to keep him from bloodshed and from “avenging himself with his own hands” (1 Samuel 25.33).

Now, a second time David meets the test and passes it. This time with the help of a gracious messenger to help him.

Test number three is recorded in 1 Samuel 26. Saul, again with 3,000 men search for David. David confirms Saul is in the area. He went to meet Saul at night. He has a couple men go with him. David and Abishai come into the camp and everyone is asleep. God has put Saul and his mean into a deep sleep (1 Samuel 26.12). Abishai sees the sleeping Saul and offers, “Today God has delivered your enemy into your hands. Now let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of the spear; I won’t strike him twice” (1 Samuel 26.8).

David replies, “Don’t destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless?” (1 Samuel 26.9). David says, “The LORD himself will strike him, or his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. But the LORD forbid that I should lay a hand on the LORD’s anointed. Now get the spear the water jug that are near his head and let’s go” (1 Samuel 26.10-11).

They go back to their camp. Then David calls over to the commander of the army, Abner. He says, “What you have done is not good. As surely as the LORD lives, you and your men must die because you did not guard your master, the LORD’s anointed. Look around you. Where are the king’s spear and water jug that were by his head?” (1 Samuel 26.16).

Saul replies, “I have sinned…you considered my life precious…I have acted like a fool and have been terribly wrong” (1 Samuel 26.21).

David calls for a young man to come and fetch the spear and water jug. Then David says in 1 Samuel 26.23-24

1 Samuel 26:23–24 NIV

The Lord rewards everyone for their righteousness and faithfulness. The Lord delivered you into my hands today, but I would not lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed. As surely as I valued your life today, so may the Lord value my life and deliver me from all trouble.”

Saul wishes David well. David went on his way and Saul went home.

David passed the third test.

A helpful book to accompany these Scriptures is a narrative by Gene Edwards entitled A Tale of Three Kings—A study in brokenness. He creatively imagines the conversations and interactions between David’s relationships to Saul and David’s son Absalom, both who were bent on attacking David.

Imagining how the scene in the cave was debriefed between one of David’s soldiers and David, Edwards writes,

“Look at us. We’re animals again. Less than an hour ago you could have freed us all. Yes, we could all be free, right now! Free! And Israel, too. She would be free. Why, David? Why did you not end these years of misery?”

There was a long silence. Men shifted again, uneasily. They were not accustomed to seeing David rebuked.

“Because,” said David very slowly (and with gentleness that seemed to say, I heard what you asked, but not the way you asked it.), “because once, long ago, he was not mad. He was young. He was great. Great in the eyes of God and men. And it was God who made him king—God—not men.”

Joab blazed back, “But now he is mad! And God is no longer with him. And David, he will yet kill you!”

This time it was David’s answer that blazed with fire.

“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 throw 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!”

Joab could not handle such a senseless answer. He stormed out into the dark.

That night men went to bed on cold, wet stone and muttered about their leader’s distorted, masochistic views of relationships to kings—especially mad ones.

Angels went to bed that night, too, and dreamed, in the afterglow of that rare, rare day, that God might yet be able to give his authority to a trustworthy vessel. (pages 36-37)

David learned patience and trust in the LORD during that season of wandering in caves and in the wilderness. He was a man after God’s own heart, yet he was not perfect.

Another son of David, Jesus, the anointed one would meet a foe in the wilderness and encounter three tests (Matthew 4, Mark 1, Luke 4). He responded to those tests with the words, “It is written...” Jesus Christ, the anointed one would pass all the tests the evil one, that ancient serpent would throw at him. The word, Christ means anointed one.

I want us to look over these seven times “anointed one” appears in these two chapters. This time, I want to read the word anointed with “Christ”, the New Testament title for Jesus that is the same as anointed one.

1 Samuel 24:6 (NIV)

He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s Christ [anointed], or lay my hand on him; for he is the Christ [anointed] of the Lord.”

1 Samuel 24:10 (NIV)

This day you have seen with your own eyes how the Lord delivered you into my hands in the cave. Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, ‘I will not lay my hand on my lord, because he is the Lord’s Christ [anointed].’

1 Samuel 26:9 (NIV)

But David said to Abishai, “Don’t destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the Lord’s Christ [anointed] and be guiltless?

1 Samuel 26:11 (NIV)

But the Lord forbid that I should lay a hand on the Lord’s Christ [anointed]. Now get the spear and water jug that are near his head, and let’s go.”

1 Samuel 26:16 (NIV)

What you have done is not good. As surely as the Lord lives, you and your men must die, because you did not guard your master, the Lord’s Christ [anointed]. Look around you. Where are the king’s spear and water jug that were near his head?”

Christians are little Christs or little anointed ones. The way we honor the LORD’s Anointed shows our allegiance to our King.