May the mumbling commence!
At great risk to his own life, David proved that his first sparing of Saul’s life was not a fluke. David really was showing love for his enemies. The second sparing of Saul’s life is recorded in 1 Samuel 26.
Saul and his men were still in hot pursuit of David and his men. Saul and his men were resting after a hard day of travel. For his protection, Saul was resting in the midst of his army. David noted this sleeping arrangement, and he asked for someone to accompany him to get to King Saul. David chose only one man, Abishai. This obviously was not a raiding party bent on attack.
God had put all the men into a deep sleep, so David and Abishai did reach Saul without waking anyone. If anyone had awakened, it would have put the lives of David and Abishai in mortal danger. How easy would it have been to kill two men with hundreds of men to put to the task? Would Saul be as loving of David, who Saul knew as his enemy? We will never know the answers to these questions. God protected David.
Abishai, however, thought this was the Lord delivering Saul into their hands. Read the exchange between Abishai and David from 1 Samuel 26:8-11.
Abishai said to David, "God has given your enemy into your hand today; now therefore let me pin him to the ground with one stroke of the spear; I will not strike him twice."
But David said to Abishai, "Do not destroy him; for who can raise his hand against the Lord's anointed, and be guiltless?" David said, "As the Lord lives, the Lord will strike him down; or his day will come to die; or he will go down into battle and perish. The Lord forbid that I should raise my hand against the Lord's anointed; but now take the spear that is at his head, and the water jar, and let us go."
David was not willing to rush the will of the Lord for Saul. Though the Lord had anointed David as king, David knew that Saul had received that same anointing earlier. Instead, David and Abishai left peacefully with solid evidence that they were in easy striking distance of Saul.
Once they were a safe distance away, David hails the people of Saul’s camp. Saul recognized David’s voice and called him by name and called David his son. Was the evil spirit from the Lord lifting again from Saul so that he could see clearly? You decide by reading the exchange between David and Saul from 1 Samuel 26:21-25.
Then Saul said, "I have done wrong; come back, my son David, for I will never harm you again, because my life was precious in your sight today; I have been a fool, and have made a great mistake."
David replied, "Here is the spear, O king! Let one of the young men come over and get it. The Lord rewards everyone for his righteousness and his faithfulness; for the Lord gave you into my hand today, but I would not raise my hand against the Lord's anointed. As your life was precious today in my sight, so may my life be precious in the sight of the Lord, and may he rescue me from all tribulation."
Then Saul said to David, "Blessed be you, my son David! You will do many things and will succeed in them." So David went his way, and Saul returned to his place.
Saul continued to call David his son. Saul called himself a fool and admitted the great mistake he had made in pursuing the life of David. He recognized that David was blessed of the Lord and that blessing would mean success in many things. Knowing Saul’s demeanor, David only prayed for protection for his own life for David honored the life of the Lord’s anointed. Now, David wanted the Lord to protect him as well.
What wisdom, courage, faith, and strength that David had in the Lord! May our hearts be after the heart of the Lord as well.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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