David spent years running all over the wilderness of Israel evading Saul’s murderous armies. He had 600 men on the road, each depending on David for food. One day David and his men hid themselves deep in a cave and Saul came in alone to relieve himself. David’s men whispered, “Kill him, David. God brought him here so you can kill him.” David refused.
Then it happened again. The Lord put Saul and his men into a deep sleep and David and Abishai sneaked into the camp and took Saul’s spear and water from next to Saul’s slumbering body. But Abishai had other plans:
“‘God hath delivered thine enemy into thine hand this day. Now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear … I will not have to strike him twice.’ And David said to Abishai, ‘Destroy him not, for who can stretch forth his hand against the Lord’s anointed, and be guiltless? As the Lord liveth, the Lord shall smite him, or his day shall come to die, or he shall descend into battle, and perish. The Lord forbid that I should stretch forth mine hand against the Lord’s anointed” 1 Samuel 26:8-11.
David’s men thought the opportunity in the cave was a miracle. Surely God arranged this so you could kill Saul! But David said no. Then it happened a second time! The Bible even says “A deep sleep from the Lord had fallen upon them” 1 Samuel 26:12. So God gave David a SECOND chance to kill Saul and end this cold war in the dusty wilderness. But David refused.
Did David miss his opportunity? Was he too stubborn to see the truth? Does God have to hit David over the head to get him to recognize the obvious? This was his chance! Not only that—after David refused to kill Saul, he had to flee again. This time he moved into one of the Philistine cities and lived among Israel’s enemies for sixteen months, 1 Samuel 27:1-7.
Wouldn’t it have been better if David had simply killed Saul, the way Saul was trying to kill David?
No. David understood BOUNDARIES. There are lines you do not cross.
You don’t touch God’s anointed. Not even if he brought a thousand warriors into the desert to hunt you down. David knew that if God anointed Saul king, it was up to God to remove Saul’s crown.
How often are we like David’s men? How often do we look at situations and tell ourselves NOW’S MY CHANCE? It is easy to look at circumstances and interpret them the way Abishai did: “God hath delivered thine enemy into thine hand” 1 Samuel 26:8.
But David was right. Abishai was wrong. Sometimes there are opportunities to cut corners or reveal a secret or cheat somehow—opportunities that look like justice but are wrong.
Maybe you want a better position on the basketball team. If you can trash talk the starter and get into his head, maybe he will make mistakes during practice, and you’ll get your chance. Or you want to get married, but the timing is not right, yet you do it anyway. Or you and a co-worker are both seeking the same promotion and if the boss knew what you know, it might give you an edge. Do you tell him? Or can you create a crazy plan to share the information anonymously? Or maybe you and another salesman are competing for a client’s business. Do you “accidentally” repeat gossip that will tank his chances?
Rather than forcing the world around us to alter itself to our benefit, we must respect boundaries. What is your role?
Often I find that my role is to do only one thing—WAIT ON THE LORD. Remember what David said about killing Saul:
“Perhaps the Lord shall smite him. Or his day shall come to die. Or he shall descend into battle and perish. But the Lord forbid that I should stretch forth mine hand against the Lord’s anointed” 1 Samuel 26:10-11.
Dear God, remind us to wait on the Lord. Give us peace when tempting, tantalizing circumstances present us with unsavory options. Give us hearts like David’s that would trust you rather than overstep our boundaries to bring our desires to fruition. May we trust you more every day. Help us to trust and obey.
ΑΩ
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