David Spares Saul’s Life

I Samuel 24:1–22
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After Saul had turned back the Philistine attack, he returned to his pursuit of David with an army of three thousand. The king came to the sheep pens but found no one there. He decided to go to the bathroom in one of the caves nearby and actually walked right into the cave where David was hiding.  The cave was dark so Saul did not see David and his men hiding in the sides of the cave.

Seeing Saul in such a defenseless position, one of David’s men verbalized the thoughts of the others by suggesting that they kill him. David had such great respect for Saul and his position that he refused to do this. Saul probably left his robe at the entrance and so David did sneak over and cut off a piece of the robe which went unnoticed by Saul.

After Saul left the cave, David suddenly was convicted that he had done wrong and shown disrespect to the king by taking a piece of the robe. Therefore, he took a risk by stepping outside the cave and calling to Saul. As Saul turned, David bowed his face to the ground. He showed Saul the piece of his robe and told Saul he could have taken his life but didn’t and was even sorry he had cut his robe. Saul was touched by this and admitted that David had dealt with him far better than he deserved.

Application

Romans 13:1-7 teaches that God has placed the government and its leaders over us.  I may not know why but, like David, I am to respect the positions of those men to whom God has given authority.