1 SAMUEL 24 - THE HEART OF GOD
1 Samuel 24
Chapter 23 ended with David managing to escape from Saul because a messenger came and told Saul that the Philistines were making a raid into the nation, so Saul stopped pursuing David and instead went after the Philistines. Sometimes, there is nothing like an external threat to bring about at least a temporary internal peace, when it otherwise seems like peace is not possible. We were not told anything else about the raid, like where it was at, or what the outcome was, so the obvious point of it being mentioned there was to show us that God was divinely and sovereignly in control in order to protect David, as His anointed one. The same truth screams out at us in the beginning of Chapter 24.
The Chapter begins in Vs. 1 by telling us that Saul had now returned from going after the Philistines, and that he was told that David was hiding in the wilderness of Engedi, which on a Bible map is located just west of the Dead Sea. To this day, Engedi is known for its many large caves. In fact, the cave at Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found, is located there.
The early verses of the Chapter go on to tell us that David and his men were hiding in one of the caves there, and that while they were in the cave, something rather humorous and yet also indicative of God’s continued sovereignty over the affairs of David’s life, took place. While Saul was passing by, he had a need to relieve himself, so he ducked into the cave to do his business. David’s men saw this as God delivering David’s enemy into his hands, so they encouraged David to take advantage of Saul’s vulnerability at this point and do something to him. But, all David could muster up the will to do was to sneak up behind Saul and cut off a corner of his robe, which he no doubt had taken off in order to relieve himself.
However, immediately after doing this, David is filled with remorse, because he had lifted up his hand, even in this tiny way, to take matters into his own hands & take action against Saul, who was still the king. So, David persuades his men to leave Saul alone, and Saul peacefully finishes his business and leaves the cave. David, however, rushes out after Saul and confronts him and tells him the whole story of what had just happened. David also explains to Saul that he means him no harm, and that he will trust in the Lord to deliver him and to avenge him from all of Saul’s efforts to kill him. In response, Saul expresses a thanksgiving of sorts to David, but at the same time stays focused on preserving his own name for posterity.
Even though Saul is somewhat duplicitous in doing this, for he will later continue on with his efforts to kill David, he is used by God to utter a profound truth in Vs. 17, where he declares that it is more righteous to repay evil with good, than to repay it with more evil. The New Testament declares the same truth in Rom. 12:21, where it says
“Do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Jesus expounded on this truth in the Sermon on the Mount when He told us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.
No wonder David was called a man after God’s own heart, because even though Saul was his sworn enemy, and clearly wanted him dead, he nonetheless loved Saul and spared him from death. Before Jesus intervened in our lives, we lived and acted as if God was dead, because we lived in total ignorance of Him and acted as if He didn’t even exist. In several places (Eph. 2:12, 4:18, and Col. 1:21), the Bible says that we were alienated from God. Yet, God spared us from judgment and patiently waited for us to come to Him through Jesus.
What a beautiful picture of the Gospel this is. We, who were enemies of God before salvation, were still loved by Him so much that He would send His only Son to die for us, so that by faith in Him and His work on the cross, we might be saved and become children of God and call Him Father. Rom. 5: 8 says that while we were still sinners, God showed His love for us in that He sent Jesus to die for us.
If David could reflect God’s heart of mercy and grace to his mortal enemy, we, by the power of the Holy Spirit in us, ought to be able to reflect that same heart to our family members, friends, co-workers, and neighbors, who don’t know Jesus yet, and who knows, it may be just that kind of heart in us that God chooses to use to reveal Himself to them and draw them to Himself.