We have followed the life of David from the time where he was a shepherd boy tending the flocks of his family to the battlefields of Israel. He has matured from a boy into a man, killing a giant, winning the heart of the nation, and developing into a man of God. He had reached the pinnacles of power, but also fell into times of despair. He has received the love of many and the hatred of a few, one of them being King Saul, who saw David as a constant threat to his power and influence over the nation. For some time, Saul had been in pursuit of David in a desperate attempt to trap and kill him before he could ascend to the throne as the rightful king of Israel, anointed by God through the prophet Samuel. At this point in David's life, he and his loyal band of men were hiding in a cave, when an opportunity arose for David to be rid of his enemy once and for all. In the providence of God, King Saul had entered the cave to relieve himself, with apparently no guards to watch over him while he tended to his personal needs. He was in a position of helplessness and a ready target for David to exact vengeance for all the misery that Saul had brought upon him. Here was the perfect moment to kill Saul, claim the throne, and end the years of trouble this mad king had initiated. Instead, David acted in a manner that reflected the godly character that had molded his life up to this point. Instead of harboring hatred, revenge, and murder, he displayed grace, compassion, and forgiveness. How is this possible?
Forgiveness of an enemy is one of the hardest things anyone could do. It is on the scale of a Holocaust survivor forgiving the Nazi guards of the concentration camps, or of a family forgiving the murderer of a loved one, or of a business executive cheated out of a deal or company by someone whom they believed to be a friend and partner. Those of you reading this message can probably think of times where revenge looked like a viable alternative to what you were feeling at the time. Pastors who have been wrongfully or forcibly terminated from their position for no clear reason comes to mind, and we want nothing more than to wreak havoc upon those who have wronged us. These incidents hurt in every possible way, and sometimes opportunities present themselves as a means of "turning the tide". As Christians, do we follow the world's example of revenge that never seems to end nor give full satisfaction to the offended party, or do we go to the Word of God and see how men like David and even the Lord Jesus handled situations such as these in a way that disarmed the enemy, not with weapons of force, but with the weapon of the Word and Spirit?
Let us look again at the situation in which David finds himself. 1 Samuel 18:9, 15, 17, 21, and 26 describe the hatred that Saul had towards David. It was a hatred based upon everything that Saul was not. He hated David because he walked with the LORD as Saul had done early in his reign. He hated David because God was blessing him in spite of all the difficulties he was facing. God had abandoned Saul due his to his disobedience and pride, and now he was constantly tormented by an evil spirit that drove him into periods of madness and rage (1 Samuel 15: 10-35, 18:10-13). This rage included a maniacal desire to kill David (1 Samuel 23:14), consuming him to the point where he most likely was neglecting his royal duties and instilling distrust and contempt among his subjects as a result. Saul had found out where David was hiding and pulled out all the stops to find and kill him. He had almost trapped David (1 Samuel 23:25-28), but God intervened and spared David. Saul had an army of 3,000 men against an army of 600 under David. This mad king was doing everything in his power to stop David and prevent him from being the next king of Israel. Now, if you were David, how would you feel at this time? I imagine that you would want to put an end to this drama and take matter into your own hands. This opportunity presented itself when Saul went into the cave to take care of his personal matters, unaccompanied by any guards.
As Saul was relieving himself, David and his men saw a prime moment to take action. 1 Samuel 24:4 and 10 describe how David's men encouraged him to take the sword, be rid of Saul, and bring relief to David and in a larger sense, to Israel. These 600 men saw David as a champion and hero. If he did not take the chance to kill Saul at that moment, how would they see him? Would he not look like a coward in their eyes? Here was the subtle temptation to get even and protect his reputation. Here is where revenge would get its day. This was the moment where David could change history, rise up as the rightful king, and seize the throne for himself. Who would have blamed him if he did kill Saul? Most of the nation would have cheered him on. Here is where David's character overcame the desire to "get even", and it is a lesson we need to learn as well, especially in these days where it seems that everyone is at each other's throat for whatever reason. Verses 5-22 show David as a man of integrity. Instead of taking Saul's life, he spared him. He quietly cut off a piece of Saul's robe, and as soon as he did it, he knew that he had done wrong. While David could not respect Saul the man, he respected the office of Saul the king. David knew that he did not have the right to play judge and jury in the life of Saul.
"Now it happened that David's heart troubled him because he had cut Saul's robe. He said to his men, 'The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the LORD'S anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing that he is the anointed of the LORD.' So, David restrained, his servants with these words, and did not allow them to rise against Saul. Saul got up from the cave and went on his way." (1 Samuel 24:5-7, NKJV).
David followed Saul out of the cave, calling him, "my lord the king!" (v.8). Saul turned to see David, not wielding a sword but instead bowing to the ground in a gesture of respect and humility. He had taken the first step in setting the record straight. Verses 9-15 describes this scene:
"David said to Saul, 'Why do you listen to the words of men who say, 'Indeed, David seeks your harm?' Look, this day your eyes have seen that the LORD delivered you into my hand in the cave, and someone urged me to kill you. But my eye spared you, and I said, 'I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the LORD'S anointed.' Moreover, my father, see! Yes, see the corner of your robe in my hand! For in that I cut off the corner of your robe, and did not kill you, know and see that there is neither evil nor rebellion in my hand, and I have not sinned against you. Yet you hunt my life to take it. Let the LORD judge between you and me, and let the LORD avenge me on you, but my hand shall not be against you. As the proverb of the ancients say, 'Wickedness proceeds from the wicked." But my hand shall not be against you.' After whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom do you pursue? A dead dog? A flea? Therefore, let the LORD be judge between you and me, and see and plead my case, and deliver me out of your hand." (NKJV)
David humbled himself before Saul, honored him as king, spoke the absolute truth concerning the situation, declared his own guilt, and committed himself to doing the right thing by placing his case in the hands of the Judge of the Universe. What lessons can we learn from Daivd's example?
1) We should not wait for the other person to make the first step or offer amends (Matthew 18:15-17; Luke 17:3-5). Go to that person if possible and settle the issue then and there.
2) We need to remain humble and honor the offending party, even when it goes against out nature to do so.
3) We need to confess our own guilt in the situation.
4) Even if they do not want to accept it, we must extend absolute forgiveness to the offending party (Matthew 6:12, 18:21-22; Ephesians 4:22).
If anyone has been offended by wicked human nature, it was the Lord Jesus. Yet, on the cross, what did He do and speak? Did He exact vengeance from God for what the Romans and Pharisees had done to Him? Did He cry out for wrath to come from heaven as He lingered on the cross, paying our sin debt, which He did not have to do? He asked the Father to forgive His murderers, for in their rage, did not know what they were doing (Luke 23:34). His act of love and forgiveness for our sins was the ultimate answer to revenge. His act of love has pierced the hearts of men and women for ages and has transformed the bitterest of enemies into the boldest of saints. His act of love transformed a murderous fanatic named Saul into the apostle Paul, who never got over the fact that the One he considered an enemy to the faith was the very One who gave him unquenchable faith to proclaim the saving message of the Gospel. Have thoughts of "getting even" crossed your mind? Give them over to the LORD, who will take care of all things in His appointed time. The day is coming when He will exact revenge upon His enemies and make all things new according to His promises. Let Him handle your problems. Surrender your life to Him today and allow Him to make you into a new creation fit for heaven and the glory that awaits.
donaldwhitchard@outlook.com
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