No .03 David and Saul

It was difficult to pick a single moment of action from the life of David, there are so many situations, moments and battles. However, this is my ‘go to’ moment in his life that has been challenging me recently.

David and Saul’s relationship was not going well, Saul was bitterly jealous of David and pursued him with hatred and murder in his heart. Saul and his few thousand elite fighting men get word that David is in the desert of En Gedi, so he makes chase. They were searching for David and came to an area where sheep were kept, alongside this location was a cave. The bible says that Saul went into the cave to relieve himself.

Here is the interesting bit, not what the bible meant by relieve himself, but the opportunity for David to murder Saul in the shadows. Saul didn’t realise but David and his team of very elite warriors were in the far reaches of that same cave! Keeping very still and with eyes adjusted to the darkness they watched Saul creep in, stumble around and settle.

Now David wasn’t a silly bloke, if your enemy makes a mistake like this, running him through in the cave wouldn’t have been a bad move, surely? David’s men thought the same, this is what they said:

The men said, “This is the day the Lord spoke of when he said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.”
1 Samuel 24:4

I found this amazing, because what we are seeing here is how ‘they’ interpreted things God had said to David! But David wasn’t convinced, he didn’t kill Saul, just snuck up cut off a bit of his robe. This is incredible wisdom, discernment and surrender to God. In the moment, our closest mates might speak into our lives with how they see God’s promise and words being realised in our lives but that doesn’t always mean they’re right! David wasn’t buying it, and I think I know why.

“I want to be able to really discern God’s direction and voice in my life, what about you?”

David had learnt to trust God, his heart and the compass or conviction that God had instilled in his heart. In his life that compass went badly wrong, but he really knew something of God’s heart and that directed his life in the most amazing ways. Read this next bit if you’re not convinced:

5 Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe. 6 He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lay my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the Lord.” 7 With these words David sharply rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way.
8 Then David went out of the cave and called out to Saul, “My lord the king!” When Saul looked behind him, David bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground.

David had cut a piece of Saul’s robe and felt a massive conviction in his spirit that this was wrong. David goes out of the cave and lays prostrated before Saul (his deadly enemy focussed on murdering David!) Face down in the dirt he surrenders! Not only risking death but losing face in front of the men he was leading and the 3 thousand odd that were fighting for Saul.

David didn’t give a stuff about what anyone thought, only what GOD thought!

What happens in your life when the heat is on and everyone around you gives advice? It might be great advice, or it might be their best guess. Are you able to hear Gods voice of wisdom and conviction in your spirit? David knew this stuff and it was integrated into his walk, journey and relationship with God.

I want some of that!

Image Credit: Word for WORD Bible Comic
The Word for WORD Bible Comic is a historically accurate, unabridged and untamed graphic novel of the Bible with a high view of Scripture.