David Spares Saul’s Life - Again
September 10, 2025
Dr. Bradford Reaves
Crossway Christian Fellowship
1 Samuel 26
Some tests in life keep coming back. You thought you had passed them, moved on, and maybe even grown stronger from them—only to wake up and find yourself right back in the same battle. That’s exactly what happens to David in 1 Samuel 26. Some victories don’t just happen once—they happen again and again until they leave a mark on history. During World War II, a young medic named Desmond Doss walked into the Battle of Okinawa without a rifle. He was a conscientious objector, refusing to carry a weapon, but he was determined to save lives. Under relentless enemy fire, Doss didn’t just risk his life once—he kept going back, again and again, lowering wounded soldiers down a cliff to safety. By the time it was over, he had rescued 75 men. One act of bravery would have been legendary. But 75 times? That proved it wasn’t luck. It was character. It was conviction.
That’s exactly what we see in 1 Samuel 26. David has already spared Saul’s life once before. But now the test comes back. Will David’s integrity hold? Will he keep trusting God when it would be easier to take matters into his own hands? Saul is once again chasing him down with 3,000 soldiers. David is once again hiding in the wilderness. And David is once again faced with a question: Will I seize control and end this? Or will I trust God’s timing and God’s ways?
This chapter is a story of integrity, godliness, and spiritual maturity. It is also a mirror for us. The same temptations that David faced—shortcutting God’s plan, seeking revenge, grasping at opportunities—are the same ones we face every day. Think about the person who beats an addiction, only to relapse months later. They thought the battle was won—but suddenly they’re staring down the same temptation again. That cycle of testing isn’t just physical—it’s spiritual. It forces the question: Will you lean on your own strength or God’s?
The big idea of this chapter is simple: True maturity is seen not in what we can do, but in what we choose not to do, out of reverence for God. And that’s the call for us: when the test comes again—and it will—let’s be found faithful. Not once, not twice, but every time, until our integrity becomes a legacy that points others to Christ.
I. Déjà Vu: Saul Hunts David Again (vv. 1–4)
Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding himself on the hill of Hachilah, which is on the east of Jeshimon?” 2 So Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph with three thousand chosen men of Israel to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph. 3 And Saul encamped on the hill of Hachilah, which is beside the road on the east of Jeshimon. But David remained in the wilderness. When he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness, 4 David sent out spies and learned that Saul had indeed come. (1 Samuel 26:1–4)
The chapter opens in the wilderness of Ziph. The Ziphites, those opportunistic betrayers from earlier in the story, sell David out to Saul—again. Yogi Berra, the great Yankees catcher, once said, “It’s déjà vu all over again!” He was talking about watching Mantle and Maris hit back-to-back home runs, but that line could just as easily describe 1 Samuel 26. Because here we are—again. Saul is hunting David. David is on the run. And David has the chance, once more, to end it all with a single strike. It feels like déjà vu all over again.
But here’s the point: Sometimes God brings the same test back around—not because we failed the first time, but because He’s teaching us something deeper. That’s exactly what’s happening in this chapter.
Saul comes with 3,000 chosen men to hunt David. Think about this: David is no criminal, no insurrectionist. He has been nothing but loyal. Yet he is relentlessly pursued by the man he once soothed with a harp. You would think after the cave episode in chapter 24 that Saul would have learned his lesson. David spared his life once already. But here we are again.
Sometimes the same trial comes back—not because God failed to deliver us the first time, but because He is deepening the lesson in us.
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2–4)
II. The Temptation: Spear and Water Jug (vv. 5–12)
So David sent ten young men. And David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, and go to Nabal and greet him in my name. 6 And thus you shall greet him: ‘Peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have. 7 I hear that you have shearers. Now your shepherds have been with us, and we did them no harm, and they missed nothing all the time they were in Carmel. 8 Ask your young men, and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we come on a feast day. Please give whatever you have at hand to your servants and to your son David.’” 9 When David’s young men came, they said all this to Nabal in the name of David, and then they waited. 10 And Nabal answered David’s servants, “Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants these days who are breaking away from their masters. 11 Shall I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers and give it to men who come from I do not know where?” 12 So David’s young men turned away and came back and told him all this. (1 Samuel 25:5–12)
David hears where Saul is camped. With Abishai, he sneaks into the very heart of Saul’s camp at night. The king is lying asleep, his spear thrust into the ground beside his head—a vivid picture of his authority and his threat.
Abishai can’t believe it: “God has given your enemy into your hand this day. Let me strike him down with the spear to the earth at once. I will not strike him twice.” (v. 8). Once again someone close to David interprets this as divine providence—surely this is God’s answer, the end of the struggle.
But David knows the heart of God and says no. “Do not destroy him, for who can put out his hand against the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless?” (v. 9).
Instead, David takes Saul’s spear and water jug as proof of what he could have done.
Think of Jesus standing before Pilate, bruised and mocked, He could have called down twelve legions of angels with a word. He could have stopped the trial, silenced His accusers, and destroyed His enemies in an instant. But He didn’t. He restrained Himself. Jesus, the greater David, stood in Gethsemane with the power to summon twelve legions of angels—but instead He surrendered to the Father’s plan, even to the cross. And in that restraint, He secured our salvation. That’s the pattern we see in David here—choosing restraint when revenge was in reach.
It reminds me of a bomb squad technician kneeling over a live device. Every instinct screams, “Cut the wire now!” But instead, he slows down, studies carefully, checks and double-checks before making a move. One rash decision could end in disaster. His restraint is what saves lives. That’s what spiritual discernment often looks like. It’s not weakness. It’s the wisdom to wait on God’s timing, even when the opportunity is right in front of you.
Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. David could have justified killing Saul. It would have solved his problem instantly. But God’s will never justifies sin.
Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city. (Proverbs 16:32)
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19)
III. The Confrontation: David Calls from a Distance (vv. 13–20)
Then David went over to the other side and stood far off on the top of the hill, with a great space between them. 14 And David called to the army, and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, “Will you not answer, Abner?” Then Abner answered, “Who are you who calls to the king?” 15 And David said to Abner, “Are you not a man? Who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not kept watch over your lord the king? For one of the people came in to destroy the king your lord. 16 This thing that you have done is not good. As the Lord lives, you deserve to die, because you have not kept watch over your lord, the Lord’s anointed. And now see where the king’s spear is and the jar of water that was at his head.” 17 Saul recognized David’s voice and said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” And David said, “It is my voice, my lord, O king.” 18 And he said, “Why does my lord pursue after his servant? For what have I done? What evil is on my hands? 19 Now therefore let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If it is the Lord who has stirred you up against me, may he accept an offering, but if it is men, may they be cursed before the Lord, for they have driven me out this day that I should have no share in the heritage of the Lord, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’ 20 Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth away from the presence of the Lord, for the king of Israel has come out to seek a single flea like one who hunts a partridge in the mountains.” (1 Samuel 26:13–20)
After leaving the camp, David climbs a hill and calls out. He doesn’t run away; he confronts Saul from a safe distance. David holds up the spear and the jug: undeniable proof that Saul’s life had been in his hands.
And then David appeals to Saul’s conscience: “Why does my lord pursue after his servant? For what have I done? What evil is on my hands?” (v. 18).
He compares himself to a flea or a partridge—insignificant prey not worth such a massive hunt. A clear conscience gives courage. David can speak boldly because he knows he has done no wrong.
So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man. (Acts 24:16)
When you walk in integrity, you don’t need to fear exposure. When your heart is clean before God, you can stand tall before men.
IV. The Response: Saul’s Tears Without Change (vv. 21–25)
Then Saul said, “I have sinned. Return, my son David, for I will no more do you harm, because my life was precious in your eyes this day. Behold, I have acted foolishly, and have made a great mistake.” 22 And David answered and said, “Here is the spear, O king! Let one of the young men come over and take it. 23 The Lord rewards every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness, for the Lord gave you into my hand today, and I would not put out my hand against the Lord’s anointed. 24 Behold, as your life was precious this day in my sight, so may my life be precious in the sight of the Lord, and may he deliver me out of all tribulation.” 25 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. (1 Samuel 26:21–25)
Saul breaks down in tears. “I have sinned. Return, my son David, for I will no more do you harm, because my life was precious in your eyes this day.” (v. 21).
He even blesses David: “Blessed be you, my son David! You will do many things and will succeed in them.” (v. 25).
It sounds good. But we’ve been here before, haven’t we? Saul has moments of remorse, but they never stick. His confessions are real tears, but they are not real repentance. Saul’s sorrow was worldly—it was emotional, temporary, and self-serving. Genuine repentance is marked by change.
For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. (2 Corinthians 7:10)
Now let’s bring this down to where we live.
-Where are you tempted to take matters into your own hands? Maybe in conflict, maybe in finances, maybe in your relationships. Waiting is hard—but waiting is where faith grows.
-Do you test your decisions against Scripture—or only against convenience? Abishai’s advice sounded right. But sounding right is not the same as being righteous.
-Is there someone you could “strike down” with words, gossip, or revenge? Maybe they’ve hurt you deeply. Maybe no one would blame you for firing back. But God calls us to restraint, forgiveness, and prayer.
-Are you willing to let God write your story—evn if it means walking the long way around? David teaches us that God’s way is always worth the wait.
looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)
Conclusion
1 Samuel 26 is not just about David sparing Saul again—it is about the heart God is shaping in His servant. A heart of integrity. A heart that trusts God’s timing. A heart that refuses shortcuts.
That’s the same heart God is shaping in us. The test may come again and again, but every time it does, God is giving us another chance to show that we trust Him more than our impulses.
May God give us the same courage, restraint, and integrity that we see in David—and that we see perfectly fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
