1 Samuel 26--David Spares Saul Again

1 Samuel 26
English Standard Version

David Spares Saul Again
26 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. 5 Then David rose and came to the place where Saul had encamped. And David saw the place where Saul lay, with Abner the son of Ner, the commander of his army. Saul was lying within the encampment, while the army was encamped around him.

6 Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Joab's brother Abishai the son of Zeruiah, “Who will go down with me into the camp to Saul?” And Abishai said, “I will go down with you.” 7 So David and Abishai went to the army by night. And there lay Saul sleeping within the encampment, with his spear stuck in the ground at his head, and Abner and the army lay around him. 8 Then Abishai said to David, “God has given your enemy into your hand this day. Now please let me pin him to the earth with one stroke of the spear, and I will not strike him twice.” 9 But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can put out his hand against the LORD's anointed and be guiltless?” 10 And David said, “As the LORD lives, the LORD will strike him, or his day will come to die, or he will go down into battle and perish. 11 The Lord forbid that I should put out my hand against the LORD's anointed. But take now the spear that is at his head and the jar of water, and let us go.” 12 So David took the spear and the jar of water from Saul's head, and they went away. No man saw it or knew it, nor did any awake, for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from the LORD had fallen upon them.

13 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.”

21 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.

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This is going to sound a lot like the passage a couple chapters ago when David saved Saul's life.  In fact, it is the same people that go to Saul again to tell him where David was hiding.  Saul came to the wilderness area where David was hiding with 3,000 men (just like before) and this time, David sent out spies and knew that Saul was looking for him.

David sees Saul's camp with Abner, the commander of Saul's forces laying right next to Saul.  With one blow, David could have taken out both the king and the commander of the army.  In fact, that seems to be the very idea that Abishai had when David and Abishai went down into the camp together.  Abishai wanted to strike Saul, but David said that it would be up to the LORD to strike Saul, or to let him die of natural causes--either way, Saul's life was in the hands of the LORD, and Him alone.  They did however want to let Saul know they had been there, so they took the spear and the jug of water that were at Saul's head so that it would once again be made clear to Saul that David could have easily killed Saul if he had wanted to, but he didn't want to.  He would not lay a hand on the LORD's anointed.  You may wonder how it was that they got so close and no one woke up.  The text tells us that the LORD put everyone in Saul's camp into deep sleep so that even though David and Abishai are talking to each other, no one would wake up.

David then went over to a hill where they were far enough away that they didn't fear being attacked, but close enough that the whole camp could still see and hear them.  They called out to the camp, and specifically to Abner, asking him why he had failed to keep watch over the king (Abner should not have been asleep next to the king).  David says that Abner deserves to die for dereliction of duty and David admits that one of his men wanted to kill the king and had the opportunity to do so, but that the spear and the jug of water should be proof of how close they got and that they had spared Saul's life.

Saul recognized David's voice and called out to him, once again calling him "son."  David asks why then Saul is pursuing him and trying to kill him?  David says that if there is some sin that angered the LORD so that the king is hunting David by the LORD's command, then he asks that he be allowed to offer an acceptable sacrifice (for David is saying that he has not knowingly committed any acts of open rebellion for which the LORD would not accept a sacrifice--we'll see David say that later after his sin with Bathsheba, because he know there is no sacrifice he can make for the high-handed sins of rebellion that he committed).  David then says that if it is the words of men which have inclined Saul's heart to pursue David that Saul should consider those men accursed, because they are trying to drive David away from his ancestral land and trying to drive him away into the pagan nations so that he might turn to other gods.

David then once again claims he is nothing more than a flea and that he doesn't deserve all this attention that the king is giving to him.  The king certainly has more important things to do than to hunt down one lowly shepherd boy from Bethlehem.  I'm not sure if this is true or false humility here, but it certainly doesn't reflect everything that we know to be true of David...he has been anointed as the next king of Israel, and that's a pretty big deal.

Saul again invites David to return with him and promises to stop seeking harm to David, but David stays out in the wilderness with his men, awaiting the LORD's timing.  David knew he should not go back with Saul for it wasn't time for him to be in the palace again, but that day was coming.  David knows that Saul will not stop hunting for him...David can't believe the words that are coming out of Saul's mouth because he's already spoken words like this and, yet, here he is again seeking to kill David just like the last time he promised he'd never do this again.  So, David will flea to the Philistines again.  We'll pick up there next time.