1 Samuel 24-25

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Recap:

The Lord has rejected Saul and anointed David as the next King of Israel

So Saul took three thousand able young men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats.

The Lord has rejected Israel’s first King, Saul and has anointed David, a man after God’s own heart, as the next King.
However David’s throne is not immediately established. Recognized as Israel’s next King by only a few, David is now a fugitive on the run, hunted by the very jealous King Saul.
In comparison to Saul, David’s rise to the throne is much more delayed.
Saul himself was established as King after rescuing the city of Jabesh (). David rescues the city of Keilah, but instead of reigning he is running again. Because the people he came to save, were going to surrender him to Saul. David flees and barely escapes Saul thanks to a very timely Philistine attack on Israel ().
David barely escapes thanks to a very timely Philistine attack on Israel ().

Exposition of :

The Setting (Read )

Though God had rejected Saul He still granted Saul victory over the Philistines. Saul will eventually meet his end in battle against the Philistines (), so why not now? Why does God still let Saul live to hunt David?
Though God had rejected Saul He still granted Saul victory over the Philistines. Saul will eventually meet his end in battle against the Philistines (), so why not now? Why does God still let Saul live to hunt David?
. Saul will eventually meet his end in battle against the Philistines, so why not now? God's ways and timing cannot always be understood but they can always be trusted. In any case it gives David a chance to prove his worth.
God's mysterious ways cannot always be understood but they can be trusted. And it gives David a chance to prove his worth.
With an army strong enough to defeat the Philistines, and spies everywhere feeding him information, Saul is still a serious threat. And now Saul has sent out 3000 of his elite forces (5 times the number of David’s men) to capture David.
While searching the caves for David, Saul takes a toilet break. But of all the caves Saul chose he chose David’s secret hideout.
Searching Saul takes a toilet break. But of all the caves Saul chose he chose David’s cave. But now Saul is alone and vulnerable.
Previously, David almost fell into Saul’s hands. For once Saul, alone and vulnerable, has fallen into David’s hands. The hunted can easily eliminate the hunter once and for all. Will they ever get this chance again?

Discerning God’s Will (Read )

Ultimately it wasn’t a mere coincidence that Saul chose David’s cave to take a break. This turn of events is no doubt the Lord’s doing, as Saul later also admits ().
This unexpected turn of events is no doubt from the Lord as Saul later admits (24:18).
So not only is it irrational to waste such a rare opportunity, to David’s men, the only reason why they have been given such a golden opportunity is because the Lord wants David to kill Saul and finally take his throne.
We often make the same mistake of discerning what God wants us to do based on our circumstances e.g God supposedly ‘opening doors’ for us.
However we are responsible to follow God’s revealed moral will and not try to spec what to do based
The trouble is circumstances are also very subjective. We can interpret them however we like e.g if we encounter trouble we think “maybe God doesn’t want us to do it” or the opposite “Satan is not happy with what we’re doing! Lets continue!”.
The quick and easy way may not necessarily be the way God wants us to take.
But we are responsible to follow God’s revealed moral will and not speculate on why God has allowed things to happen the way they did. See .
However we are responsible to follow God’s revealed moral will and not try to spec what to do based
The quick and easy way may not necessarily be the right way for us to take. Always check if it contradicts God’s Word.
In this case David knew that it was wrong for him or his men to kill Saul. He’ll rather waste this opportunity than sin. But he does cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.
We don’t exactly know So instead of killing him, only cuts off a corner of Saul’s robe.
Saul’s robe represented his office as King (, ).
David fears the Lord
Here we see the difference between David and Saul. Saul has no problem killing David and all who aided him (). But even just cutting the robe troubles David’s conscience. Most likely because it represented Saul’s office as King (, ).
However this piece of Saul’s robe is evidence that David could of killed Saul but did not.
This highlights the difference between him and Saul who would not hesitate to kill David.

How to Forgive Enemies ()

How did David let Saul go? Or to apply it to us: How do we forgive our enemies? We know we’re supposed to, but its often hard. So how do we do it? We can learn a few things from David’s speech to Saul.
How did David let Saul go? Or to apply it to us: How do we forgive our enemies? We know we’re supposed to, but its still hard isn’t it? So how do we do it?
Why did David let Saul go? Or to apply it to us: How do we forgive our enemies?

View them at their best

Not only does David fear the Lord, he still has great respect for Saul. In vs 8 David calls out to Saul “My lord the King!” and then bows down before him. In vs 11 “my father”.
This is not merely for show or court protocol. Notice in vs 6, even privately David still referred to Saul as “my master” and repeatedly as “the Lord’s Anointed.”
Ironically Saul was trying to kill the Lord's anointed. David treated Saul, not according to what he deserved, but according to how God saw Saul. Even though rejected as the Lord's anointed David viewed Saul at his best. See , . And effectively practicing the Golden Rule ().
Its almost impossible to forgive someone when we think we are better than them, focusing only on their faults.
David treated Saul, not according to what he deserved, but according to how God saw Saul. Although technically rejected (), David viewed Saul at his best even though Saul was the one who was trying to kill the Lord's anointed.
Even though Saul was already rejected by the Lord, David viewed Saul at his best, still as “the Lord’s Anointed”.
We too ought to treat others well simply because they are created in God’s image (, ).
Ironically Saul was trying to kill the Lord's anointed. So in effect David practiced the Golden Rule ().
In vs 9 David says in effect, “I know you’re only hunting me because people have lied to you about me, saying that I want to harm you”.
The reality was that Saul had been told the opposite but Saul refused to listen! But this shows that David assumed the best of Saul. Worth remembering in the midst of conflicts and disagreements.
Some commentators say David was probably too generous to Saul.
View them at their best and then try to win them over. That is what David tries to do.
See , . And effectively practicing the Golden Rule ().

Trust that the Lord will do what is right

Sparing Saul is a big risk but David leaves it to God.
See vs 12-15. As judge God will decide on who is right and wrong, and will act accordingly. Avenging David if necessary.
. And David really does overcome evil with good.
. And David really does overcome evil with good.
. .
Do we really believe that God is good. And that He cares about justice? Those who take matters into their own hands actually believe that God doesn’t care about sin and injustice. That He won’t reward the righteous and punish the wicked.

Saul’s response: Evil overcome with good (1 Sam 24:16-22):

vs 16 Saul commonly referred to David in a disrespectful way “son of Jesse“, but now calls “David my son”. Weeping.
vs 17 Saul admits that David is better than him. He knows that David could of killed him but he didn’t.
More significantly in vs 20, Saul finally acknowledges David’s kingship. He wasn’t forced to admit this with a sword at his throat but by David’s righteousness and mercy!
It was typical for a previous king's line to be wiped out to remove all threat to the new king. Saul is so sure David will be king he makes David swear to not wipe out his family.
David promises, but does not follow Saul back. He still does not really trust Saul, and he’s right not to. Saul will resume his attack on David again in .

Exposition of

The Setting (Read )

vs 1 Samuel’s death provides the setting for this chapter's story. The very man who anointed him as King. But after all this time David is still a fugitive. Perhaps frustrated and disillusioned, Samuel is no longer around to guide him ().
Its a time where David is very susceptible to temptation. Within the boundaries of God's sovereignty, this occurred in order to test whether David is the sort of king who trusts in the Lord or take matters into his own hands, like Saul.
Its easy to resist temptation when you have everything you want, when you’re happy etc. Its much harder when everything’s not going your way.
Within the boundaries of God's sovereignty, this occurred in order to test whether David is the sort of king who will trust in the Lord or take matters into his own hands, like Saul.
David moves deeper into the Desert. Not sure why. Maybe he’s afraid that Saul might come after him now that Samuel is dead. Or he’s depressed.
Where there is a very rich man named Nabal. Nabal as we shall see is nothing but a wicked fool. But his wife Abigail is a godly woman who not only has the beauty, she has the brains too!
Nabal as we shall see is nothing but a fool. But his wife Abigail, not has the beauty, she has the brains too!

David rejected (Read )

So David and his men have been looking after Nabal’s property and after a while David sends men to Nabal to ask for some food and supplies.
David wasn't try to hustle them for protection money. David’s request is very humble see vs 8 “Please give your servants and your son David whatever you can find for them”. So he doesn’t ask for much. This isn’t extortion.
ancient near Eastern customs of hospitality and OT laws suggest that Nabal, who is more than able to provide such modest provisions, is under obligation to aid David - NIVAC
Remember in their ancient near Eastern culture, hospitality was a very big deal. You were expected, especially if you were rich, to be hospitable to others, giving the best to your guests. Even more so if you owe them a favour.
According to both customs and OT Law, someone like Nabal should provide for someone like David.
So when Nabal refuses them he is not some hero who refuses to be bullied, no he is a stingy, ungrateful man.
When Nabal sends them on their way, he is not an upright man who refuses to be bullied by a brigand, but an ungrateful wretch - Carson, D. A. (1998). For the love of God: a daily companion for discovering the riches of God’s Word. (Vol. 1)
But there’s more than that. Notice Nabal’s reply in vs 10. “Who is this David?” Now its not that he doesn’t know who David is. See what he says next “Who is this son of Jesse?”. So he knows who David is and remember “son of Jesse” is the same disrespectful way Saul referred to David.
And Nabal knows about that too. “Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days”. Nabal, like Saul, thinks David is a rebel. Its also reasonable to assume that Nabal knew that David was anointed as King. Because as we’ll see later his wife Abigail knows that God had promised David the throne.
But Nabal refuses to acknowledge this. To him David is a nobody, not worth his food etc. See vs 11. This is not ignorance this is willful rejection of David.

David responds (Read )

In one of his better moments, when facing Goliath, David declared "It is not by sword..that the Lord saves!" (). But here David is succumbing to the temptation of relying on the sword instead of the Lord.
The irony is sometimes its easier to look to God in an epic showdown against a giant. But when in the little things of every day life, we default to relying on ourselves.
During the big times we can be faithful but then we don’t keep our guard up and succumb to the small times.
Its often easier to look to God when we’re in an epic showdown against a giant. But in the little things of every day life, we default to relying on ourselves.

The Deliverance from Evil (Read )

The Vindication (Read )

Learn to not only trust in God’s promises, but in His timing, and in His way to bring it to pass.
Those who’ve read 1 Samuel know that this story is sandwiched in between two encounters with Saul, where both times David lets Saul go. The question is what does story contribute. But actually Nabal is kind of a type of Saul. Although not explicitly mentioned, when David controls Saul is obvious that he has learned his lesson here.

Christ-centered :

While it reminds us to not take revenge for ourselves, David is not any average Israelite. He is the Lord's anointed King. Yet he does not seek to establish His kingdom by force. Rejected and mistreated, he trusts in the Lord to vindicate him. Remind you of anyone? ().
Unlike David, Jesus didn’t need someone to restrain Him. In fact he restrained his men. Remember in the garden of Gethsemane when Peter took out his sword, thinking that will be save the day!
Acknowledged by only a few as Israel’s future king.
The Lord’s Anointed (Messiah), he came to his own but they did not receive him ()
David is the King Jesus will be.
When a man finds his enemy does he let him get away unharmed? Eventually One will come to die for His enemies ().
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