1 Samuel 26 - Study the King James Bible

And the Ziphites came unto Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon?

Then Saul arose, and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.

And Saul pitched in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon, by the way. But David abode in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness.

David therefore sent out spies, and understood that Saul was come in very deed.

And David arose, and came to the place where Saul had pitched: and David beheld the place where Saul lay, and Abner the son of Ner, the captain of his host: and Saul lay in the trench, and the people pitched round about him.

Then answered David and said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, brother to Joab, saying, Who will go down with me to Saul to the camp? And Abishai said, I will go down with thee.

So David and Abishai came to the people by night: and, behold, Saul lay sleeping within the trench, and his spear stuck in the ground at his bolster: but Abner and the people lay round about him.

Then said Abishai to David, God hath delivered thine enemy into thine hand this day: now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear even to the earth at once, and I will not smite him the second time.

And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not: for who can stretch forth his hand against the LORD's anointed, and be guiltless?

10.

David said furthermore, As the LORD liveth, the LORD shall smite him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall descend into battle, and perish.

11.

The LORD forbid that I should stretch forth mine hand against the LORD's anointed: but, I pray thee, take thou now the spear that is at his bolster, and the cruse of water, and let us go.

KINGLY BEHAVIOUR
‘The Lord forbid that I should stretch forth mine hand against the Lord’s anointed.’
1 Samuel 26:11
I. Here we have another instance of David acting on high principles (cf. 24).—Make this the chief point in the sermon. When feeling, and even policy, urged him to the wrong, principle kept him right. Compare Joseph’s temptation. However bewildered we may be we can always ask, What is right? And once apprehending the right we must do it, whatever we have to suffer. The principles David fell back on were loyalty and piety.
However Saul might be injuring him he was his king, his life was sacred in his eyes. Some of the later kings were assassinated by their officers. True loyalty always guards the person and property of the king. Ambition may destroy loyalty; and so may unworthy brooding over wrongs received. David had a further strengthening of his loyalty in the assurance that Saul was Jehovah’s anointed one. So loyalty to God made him loyal to the king.
But it was David’s piety that really kept him. He would not force his own way to the throne, because he trusted in God, committed all his affairs into God’s hands, and tried willingly to wait God’s time. To kill the king would have been to take his life into his own hands, and fail to wait on God. Show how genuine piety will ever help us in the endeavour to find out what is right to do. And show also that piety makes us kind, considerate, and forbearing.
II. Notice David’s device to win reconciliation.—In those days there was a sense of humour, and this, as well as the desire to have some proof of the peril the king had been in, led David to take the spear and the cruse. See David’s humoursome taunt of Abner. Easterns are quick to take a joke: and we should call this device of David’s a practical joke. But it was skilfully planned to meet the feelings of Saul, and contrast the care David, whom he persecuted, took of him, with the apparent neglect of Abner and his army. Nothing could more effectively prove that David was not the rebel Saul tried to regard him as being.
When innocent we may properly do all that is in our power to prove our innocence, and we ought to do all we can to conquer the enmity of those who hate us. Illustration from the well-known tract, ‘The man that killed his neighbour.”
III. Notice, lastly, how Saul was won by David’s forbearance.—The conviction that his life had been spared moved Saul’s heart, and led him to respond at once and heartily to David; even giving him his blessing, and admitting that he would ultimately prevail.
Lead on to show our Lord’s teaching about the treatment of our enemies. He says we are even to love them, and pity them, and earnestly try to win them. See also the Apostle’s teaching, ‘If thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink, for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.’
Illustrations
(1) ‘Some think that the narrative given in (3) ‘The deepest and sincerest emotion may be transient in its moral effects. We may hope something even of the worst, and, consequently, it is our duty to do something in the negative work of sparing even when we cannot do anything in the positive work of reclaiming. There is a time to fight, as when David fought Goliath; there is a time to spare our enemies, as when David spared Saul. There are differences of conquest; David conquered Saul as surely as he conquered Goliath. There is an infinite superiority of the power that is moral, as compared with the power that is physical. Moral power places restraints upon the wicked, whereby the good man is saved from his perils.’

12.

So David took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul's bolster; and they gat them away, and no man saw it, nor knew it, neither awaked: for they were all asleep; because a deep sleep from the LORD was fallen upon them.

13.

Then David went over to the other side, and stood on the top of an hill afar off; a great space being between them:

14.

And David cried to the people, and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, Answerest thou not, Abner? Then Abner answered and said, Who art thou that criest to the king?

15.

And David said to Abner, Art not thou a valiant man? and who is like to thee in Israel? wherefore then hast thou not kept thy lord the king? for there came one of the people in to destroy the king thy lord.

16.

This thing is not good that thou hast done. As the LORD liveth, ye are worthy to die, because ye have not kept your master, the LORD's anointed. And now see where the king's spear is, and the cruse of water that was at his bolster.

17.

And Saul knew David's voice, and said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And David said, It is my voice, my lord, O king.

18.

And he said, Wherefore doth my lord thus pursue after his servant? for what have I done? or what evil is in mine hand?

19.

Now therefore, I pray thee, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If the LORD have stirred thee up against me, let him accept an offering: but if they be the children of men, cursed be they before the LORD; for they have driven me out this day from abiding in the inheritance of the LORD, saying, Go, serve other gods.

20.

Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth before the face of the LORD: for the king of Israel is come out to seek a flea, as when one doth hunt a partridge in the mountains.

21.

Then said Saul, I have sinned: return, my son David: for I will no more do thee harm, because my soul was precious in thine eyes this day: behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly.

22.

And David answered and said, Behold the king's spear! and let one of the young men come over and fetch it.

23.

The LORD render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness: for the LORD delivered thee into my hand to day, but I would not stretch forth mine hand against the LORD's anointed.

24.

And, behold, as thy life was much set by this day in mine eyes, so let my life be much set by in the eyes of the LORD, and let him deliver me out of all tribulation.

25.

Then Saul said to David, Blessed be thou, my son David: thou shalt both do great things, and also shalt still prevail. So David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place.