22. David’s Mercy To Saul: Repaying Evil With Good (1 Samuel 24) Series

David’s Mercy to Saul: Repaying Evil with Good

August 27, 2025

Dr. Bradford Reaves

Crossway Christian Fellowship

1 Samuel 24

Introduction: Setting the Stage for Mercy Amid Pursuit

Have you ever had a moment where it seemed like everything lined up perfectly for you to take matters into your own hands? The door swung wide open, the timing felt right, the people around you were saying, “This is it!” Maybe it was a career move, maybe a chance to speak your mind, maybe a way to get even. And yet, deep in your spirit, you knew: This is not God’s way. This is not God’s time.

That’s exactly where David finds himself in 1 Samuel 24. Saul has been hunting him like an animal. And then, in one of those moments that seems almost scripted by God for revenge, Saul walks right into David’s hiding place — vulnerable, alone, completely unaware.

This chapter unfolds in the Desert of En Gedi, a place of crags, caves, and wild goats—symbolic of the harsh wilderness where God often refines His people. At its core, 1 Samuel 24 is about mercy: choosing not to strike when you have the power to do so. It's about honoring authority, even when it's flawed, and leaving vengeance to God. In a world rife with conflicts, cancel culture, and wars, this chapter couldn't be timelier.

And we need this word today. Think about the world we live in: Our culture glorifies instant gratification — “Take it now, because you deserve it.

But the Spirit of Christ calls us to something different: to lay down the sword when everything in us wants to pick it up, to trust God’s justice instead of grabbing it for ourselves. True strength is not seizing power when you can, but trusting God’s timing and showing mercy — even to those who wrong you.

The Pursuit Begins Anew (verses 1-2)

1 When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.” 2 Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Wildgoats’ Rocks.

Saul is relentless. Remember that he left David at Ziph to respond to a Philistine invasion. He is fresh from a military campaign against the Philistines, redirecting his energy toward his obsession over David after hearing that David is hiding in En Gedi. The Desert of En Gedi, with its steep cliffs and hidden caves, represents a natural fortress for David, but also a trap if cornered.

So without hesitation, he mobilizes three thousand chosen men to hunt down one fugitive with a ragtag band of about six hundred followers. That’s five-to-one odds. Overwhelming force. Saul is so consumed with destroying David that he treats him like a national security threat, even while the real enemies of Israel — the Philistines, the Amalekites, the surrounding nations — are still a constant menace.

Saul represents the tragic picture of a man consumed by misplaced hatred. He should have been defending the people of God. Instead, he was hunting the man anointed by God. This is what happens when jealousy and fear take root in our hearts: we create enemies out of allies.

Now, step back and look at what Saul was doing: he was chasing the wrong enemy. The Philistines were the real threat to Israel’s borders, but Saul poured his energy into hunting David. That’s what jealousy does — it flips the script and blinds you to the true danger.

I can’t help but see the same dynamic in our culture today. Political polarization has become Saul’s spear in America. The Left and the Right both want us convinced that our neighbor is the greatest threat — the Republican across the street, the Democrat at work, the independent who won’t pick a side. They fuel suspicion, stoke resentment, and make us believe that if “the other side” wins, civilization collapses tomorrow.

It’s the same playbook the enemy of our souls has been running since Eden: divide, deceive, destroy. Meanwhile, the real threats — the moral decay of our culture, the breakdown of the family, the rise of lawlessness, the spiritual battle raging unseen — go largely ignored. Just like Saul ignored the Philistines, our leaders are distracted by vendettas while the walls crumble.

An Unexpected Encounter (Verse 3)

3 And he came to the sheepfolds by the way, where there was a cave, and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave.

This verse is almost comedic in its humanity—Saul, the mighty king, steps into a cave for a private moment, unaware that David and his band are hiding deep inside. It's appears to be a divine setup: God delivers the enemy into David's hands, but not for destruction.