Mercy Leading to Repentance?

I Samuel 24:1-22

Welcome! Today we continue our series on David from the book of I Samuel. For a time, David was the hero of the land, leading victory after victory for his king, Saul. But Saul grew jealous of David and began to plot ways to kill him. After plotting turned to outright attempts, David fled, and over the past few weeks we have seen what David’s life has looked like on the run.

Saul continued to grow more and more evil, ultimately killing an entire town of priests and their families because David had gone to them and they had assisted him. David was not truthful to them about why he was out alone, and as a result, he felt responsible, at least in part, for the terrible massacre that resulted. During this of time hiding out, going from place to place to stay away from Saul, David amassed hundreds of men who felt loyal to David and traveled with him. Saul knew of this and took it as a sign that David planned to kill him and take the kingdom by force.

Then David, still on the run, learned that the town of Keilah was under attack by the Philistines. After inquiring of the Lord, David led his men to fight for Keilah, even though Saul still sought his life. David was victorious at Keilah. Saul heard of this and sent his troops to Keilah, not to protect the town against the Philistines, but to capture or kill David and his men. Inquiring of the Lord again, David took his men away from Keilah.

This began a period of David and his men hiding from place to place and Saul and his men pursuing them. At one point it looked like Saul would finally catch up to David, but he was essentially saved by news of another Philistine attack. Saul, to his credit, took his men away from the pursuit of David to address the Philistine threat, and David and his men escaped.

Last week’s passage ends shortly after this by saying that David and his followers went to “the strongholds” of En Gedi to live. En Gedi is an oasis, deep in the desert, near the shore of the Dead Sea. It has freshwater springs, multiple waterfalls, and animals such as goats were there in David’s time. (The name En Gedi means spring of the goats. Ibexes still abound here.) Still today there is a kibbutz (a town of people living communally together) near En Gedi.

Surrounding En Gedi is a vast network of steep hills, cliffs, and crevasses. Caves are common in the area. These surrounding hills are pure desert, with few things growing around them. The vastness and remoteness of the area makes it an excellent hiding place with many high vantage points to use as lookouts. I encourage you to search for videos of En Gedi – you can see the many waterfalls as well as the hiking trails that go high above the oasis. You also see several caves and get a quick sense of just how rugged the land really is. From many vantagepoints you can see the vast Dead Sea along with the palm trees and other vegetation of the oasis below you.

This brings us to today’s passage.   

After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, “David is in the Desert of En Gedi.” So Saul took three thousand able young men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats. – I Sam. 24:1-2

This was a pretty large army, far more than David had. If it had come to direct combat, David’s men would have been in trouble.  Due to the area being a desert, it makes sense that David’s men would stay pretty close to the oasis, and Saul’s men as well.

He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave. 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.’” Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. – I Sam. 24:3-4

There was apparently at least a small settlement in the area, and the people there used sheep pens. These likely were in such a location that shade was available at the heat of the day, and sheep were led there to avoid the worst heat.

And so there Saul saw this cave. Leaving his men behind, he went in, literally, “to cover his feet.” Now, Biblical scholars do say that this is an idiom for, well, taking care of nature, and this is the way the NIV and the NAS bibles translate it, but some others, such as the KJV, do not. The KJV, ever literal, says to cover his feet. But another group of Biblical scholars say that this is also an idiom for sleeping, for taking a nap, and I personally wonder if this makes more sense given the remainder of this passage. Caves are echo-y, and pick up all kinds of sound, so it is hard for me to believe, unless this was a really huge cave, that David’s men were able to talk, even whisper, without an awake Saul noticing. But in the end, this is an unimportant detail.

The important thing is that the men encouraged David to, well, deal with Saul as he wished. They seem to refer to a prophecy of some kind, but I cannot point to any such prophecy in Scripture. That does not mean that it didn’t happen – it may have been something a prophet told David that was not recorded in Scripture.

My personal feeling is that this is such an amazing situation – you might call it a ridiculous coincidence, except that the word “coincidence” is nowhere in the Bible, and I don’t think there really are any coincidences – this is such an amazing situation to David’s men and to David himself that it is quite humorous. It’s hilarious really, that King Saul would just wander in to their cave, alone, absolutely oblivious to the fact that David and his men are all here in this very cave.

The passage doesn’t give the details of what transpired immediately before Saul went in, but it is easy to imagine what possibly, even likely, transpired. David’s men likely knew that Saul’s men were right on top of them. Desperate, they went into this cave to hide, being as quite as possible, knowing that if they were found out and it came to war, Saul’s superior numbers meant that this might be the end for David and all his men. I can imagine them hearing footsteps as their very cave is entered. They are all holding their breath, being as quiet as possible. Then they realize it is a single person, and then, with great shock, they realize it is their enemy, the king, himself, and he is alone and oblivious to the fact that they are all there! It really is such a stunning reversal of fortune that it is quite funny.

I think it is maybe in this sense of humor about the situation that David creeps up to Saul, and somehow cuts off a piece of his royal robe. If he was responding to the call of nature, he may have laid aside his outer robe, which is what David cut. If he was sleeping, it is easier to see how it would have been done. In any case, David takes his “prize” and goes back to his hiding place among the men.

Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe. 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.” 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. – I Sam. 24:5-7

What is the reason for David’s reticence? Why does he feel it is wrong to do something to Saul, who is doing all he can to kill David?

Here we see the essential difference between David and Saul. If you look back through the many messages of this series and of our earlier series focusing on Saul before David came on the scene, you see a man who only occasionally consults with the Lord, to see His will, and only does so when deep fear is involved. The rest of the time, he just does what he wants to do. He embodies the saying that “asking forgiveness after the fact is better than seeking permission before it.” Of course, such a saying is not biblical. Indeed, God wants exactly the opposite.

But David, although far from perfect himself, did demonstrate again and again a genuine desire to do, and only do, what God desired. He has no directive from the Lord to kill Saul, or even to do anything lesser to him. Saul was anointed by a prophet just as David later was. Really, the problem of Saul and what to do about him is God’s problem, not David’s problem. Unless God tells him otherwise, it would be terribly wrong to do anything to Saul, even though Saul would not hesitate to kill David out of the desires of his own evil heart.

Does this situation have any kind of application to us? Well, at first I was struggling to find a good personal example, but yesterday my sister called and talked about ongoing challenges she has with her boss at work. She was tempted to rise above the chain of command and do things to try to get this person fired or at least transferred. Now, I am certainly not saying that there is never a time to take such an action – sexual harassment would be a good example when such an action would be warranted, for example – but this particular case in my opinion did not rise anywhere near to this level. When a boss is gruff, or berates you inappropriately in public for something you did do, there is an alternative. Is your boss “anointed of the Lord”? Well, no, not in the sense that Saul was anointed king, but I think of verses such as these:

All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect, so that God’s name and our teaching may not be slandered. – I Tim. 6:1

Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. – Col. 3:22

Now there are also verses about how masters, or bosses, should treat those under them, but the fact that the boss does not do his or her part does not negate the requirement of the employee to do his or her part, any more than how the requirements for how wives should treat their husbands, if not being followed, does not mean that the husbands are no longer required to obey the verses that talk about how they should treat their wives. And then we also have Jesus’ instructions about loving one’s enemy, which I won’t expand upon here – but you all know what I am talking about. And I think the following from I Peter is also very applicable:

Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor. – I Peter 2:13-17

Dare I say that this is not the American way of thinking or behaving? And yet it is a repeated theme, again and again in the New Testament. Peter goes on to give what is perhaps the most directly applicable verse:

Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. – I Peter 2:18

Now, I am not saying that David should have submitted to Saul and let him just kill him. The situation with Saul and David is an especially extreme case. But our situations are more like my sister’s than like David’s. By the way, Peter goes on to explain just why we should serve those over us, even when they are harsh. Inspired by the Lord, here is his argument:

For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps. “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth.” When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats. Instead, He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly. – I Peter 2:19-23

I think this is getting at what was going on in David’s mind and heart. He realized that he too needed to entrust himself to Him who judges justly. The problem of Saul was God’s responsibility. God was Saul’s boss; and as boss, it was His job to deal with Saul. Let’s look again at the passage from I Samuel:

Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe. 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.” 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. – I Sam. 24:5-7

David “sharply rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul.” The Hebrew words here imply that his men did not want to obey David; even physical restraint may have been necessary for them to get the message of how serious he was that no one should touch Saul. Somehow Saul did not discover the men, whether he woke up or finished his business, and Saul left the cave.

I want to point out a strong parallel between this account and the account of Jesus. David’s men wanted him to take the kingdom by force. The same was true of Jesus – the crowds wanted and expected Him to also take the kingdom by force. But both declined. Both said not yet, not this way. Both knew God’s plan was different, infinitely better.

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. He said to Saul, “Why do you listen when men say, ‘David is bent on harming you’? This day you have seen with your own eyes how the Lord delivered you into my hands in the cave. Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, ‘I will not lay my hand on my lord, because he is the Lord’s anointed.’ – I Sam. 24:8-10

Where are Saul’s men? Presumably Saul went far enough away from them that they are out of earshot of this. David’s verbal response is preceded by showing Saul the very highest form of honor and respect – he lies down with his face all the way to the ground. Bowing with one’s face to the ground occurs quite a few times in the Bible. In our culture we don’t appreciate or understand the gesture, so let me try to explain it. In middle eastern cultures, the ground is seen as unclean, as defiled, certainly in part because, well, it can be. Most of us don’t walk with sandals or bare feet in places like fields of pasture or places like pig pens, so we don’t normally think about just how disgusting feet can become. In modern middle eastern cultures, keeping one’s shoes clean is extremely important. This was once important here, but it is rare thing now to find a machine for cleaning your shoes. It used to be an extremely common job for the relatively uneducated, and nearly everyone had their shoes cleaned by such people regularly. Middle easterners are often turned off by Americans and their dirty shoes – it communicates to them that Americans are a filthy people. Throwing a shoe at someone is an expression of extreme contempt, because the dirty sole may hit the person. So in this context, think about bowing with your face down in that very ground that so contaminates shoes! It is, in effect saying, “I am nothing compared to you.” In the Bible you see this done sometimes as an act of contrition – for example when Joseph’s brothers come to Joseph, but more often as an act of worship before God.

What does David’s action communicate? It is a sign of the utmost respect to his king. Now let’s look at what he says. In effect: “Why do you believe this false narrative that I want to harm you? I don’t!” And by way of explanation he presents the shocking news (shocking to Saul) that he wasn’t in that cave alone, but with David and his men. He had every opportunity to do whatever he wanted to Saul. He could have captured him, and he could have easily killed him. But he did nothing. What did Saul think? Did he even believe that David was truly in the cave? David doesn’t give Saul the opportunity to even begin to doubt. He goes on and says:

See, my father, look at this piece of your robe in my hand! I cut off the corner of your robe but did not kill you. See that there is nothing in my hand to indicate that I am guilty of wrongdoing or rebellion. I have not wronged you, but you are hunting me down to take my life. May the Lord judge between you and me. And may the Lord avenge the wrongs you have done to me, but my hand will not touch you. As the old saying goes, ‘From evildoers come evil deeds,’ so my hand will not touch you. – I Sam. 24:11-13

Note that David calls Saul his father. What a contrast to what we have seen Saul call David over the past weeks – he wouldn’t even use his name, but simply called him the son of Jesse. David had married Saul’s daughter Michal, so Saul was truly David’s father in law. David calling Saul “father” was a powerful thing. It was as if he was saying, “No, I am no longer the son of Jesse; I am the son of you, Father!”

David shows Saul the piece of his robe. The piece proves conclusively that David indeed was in that cave with Saul. Proving his proximity to Saul was not David’s original intention for taking the piece – David’s intentions were far less honorable – but it serves as evidence that David could have gone far beyond what he did; he could have easily killed Saul, but he chose not to do so.

And then he asks the Lord to judge between them. He asks God to avenge him, and promises not to do it himself, now or in the future. The old saying “From evildoers come evil deeds” is a variation of the idea in the New Testament that you will know them by their fruit. The old saying only expressly gives the negative side, but it implies the positive side as well. From those who are good in heart come good deeds.

“Against whom has the king of Israel come out? Who are you pursuing? A dead dog? A flea? May the Lord be our judge and decide between us. May he consider my cause and uphold it; may he vindicate me by delivering me from your hand.” – I Sam. 24:14-15

David compares himself to the king of Israel as one compares a man to a dead dog or a flea. He is saying that with regards to Saul, he, David, is harmless. Dead dogs and fleas don’t and can’t hurt anyone. David is saying that he likewise won’t hurt Saul. Again he calls on the Lord, this time, not as an avenger of the wrongs done to him, but as the judge between them. He asks the Supreme Judge of the universe to look at the case and decide whether David is guilty or innocent of the charge believed by Saul that David is out to kill him. If he is innocent, he asks God himself to protect him, to deliver him from Saul.

When David finished saying this, Saul asked, “Is that your voice, David my son?” And he wept aloud. “You are more righteous than I,” he said. “You have treated me well, but I have treated you badly. You have just now told me about the good you did to me; the Lord delivered me into your hands, but you did not kill me. When a man finds his enemy, does he let him get away unharmed? May the Lord reward you well for the way you treated me today. – I Sam. 24:16-19

This is a remarkable turn for Saul. Has he at last heard the voice of reason? Has he at last been turned from his madness, his jealousy, his hatred? Note that he calls David by name and also says, “my son.” What a remarkable change from calling him neither, from calling him the “Son of Jesse”.

Saul wept. Not just tears, but audible wailing. Has his evil will been broken at last? He confesses agreement with what David has said. David has spared his life despite all that Saul had done to him; had the situation been reversed, Saul would have done the opposite; he would have killed David.

And then we come to the most amazing part of Saul’s response:

I know that you will surely be king and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hands. Now swear to me by the Lord that you will not kill off my descendants or wipe out my name from my father’s family.” So David gave his oath to Saul. Then Saul returned home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold. – I Sam.  24:20-22

Saul finally owns up to the truth he has known. Back in chapter 13 he was told by Samuel that his kingdom would not endure, and in chapter 15 he was told that God had rejected him as king. Saul also sees that surely David is the one who would become king. He has known this for a while but refused to accept it. His jealousy had blinded him to the fact that David would be a much better king that Saul had been.

Saul only asks that David would not destroy his family when he became king. This was a common practice, not only at that time, but in many ages, that when a king was overthrown, his family – especially his sons – would also be killed so that nobody from the original line could claim a right of succession to the throne.

David agrees to this and gives his oath before the Lord to this effect.

Saul then goes home, presumably ordering his men to come with him. He has abandoned his plans to kill David. Will these new convictions of Saul hold? You’ll have to wait to find out. (Or you can read ahead!)

I do want to point out the remarkable result of David’s mercy on Saul. Saul, at least for now, is broken, broken in a good way. He is humble. He has come back to reality. His anger is gone. His paranoia is gone. His desire to murder (not only David, but those who helped David in any way) is gone. This is the fruit of David’s mercy, and it is an important lesson.

One of the most quoted verses by Evangelicals is John 3:16:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. – John 3:16

This is wonderful, and true, and powerful, and contains the good news, the gospel, in its essence. But who knows the following verse?

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. – John 3:17

Was the world deserving of condemnation? Absolutely! Is it deserving of condemnation now? Yes, if possible, even more so than ever before! But Jesus’ words in John 3:17 still apply today. Jesus did not send His son into the world to condemn it. That wasn’t His purpose.

A fair amount of the world already knows it is deserving of condemnation. It knows. And then there are parts of the world more like Saul, fueled by anger, fueled by enmity, fueled even by paranoia. And by this I don’t mean far away geographical regions, although there is truth to that idea. I mean that even right here, there are people who know they deserve condemnation, people who don’t feel worthy, or righteous enough to attend a church, people who don’t attend anywhere because they don’t understand the gospel. But there are also, right here, many people who hate Christianity and hate Christians because they have been told lies about us and they believe them. How are we to treat them?

I believe the message from this passage is clear. Since Jesus didn’t come into the world to condemn them, neither should that be our business. Our business is to present them with the good news of salvation through Jesus and invite them to enter into fellowship with Christ. Although they have previously hated Jesus, Jesus lovingly calls them “My sons” and “My daughters,” and, much like David, asks, “Why have you hated Me, persecuted Me? What have I done?” As I have mentioned before, David is a kind of “type” or “shadow” of Jesus. David is a flawed and sinful human being, whereas Jesus is without sin, but David, like Jesus and like Jesus’ followers, experiences persecution through no fault of their own. But even people who hate Christians, who hate Jesus, are the ones Jesus came not to condemn, but to save, and therefore so should we present the incredible mercy of Christ achieved through victory over the cross. Even on that cross, what did Jesus say? “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do.”

It’s really not enough just to smile and be pleasant to people. Even when they hurt us, especially when they hurt us, we are called to show them mercy and tell them about the even greater mercy of Christ. When we do this, some of them, in the apparent pattern of Saul, will come to their senses, will repent, will weep, will renounce their personal kingship over their hearts and will acknowledge the true King and invite Him to rule over their hearts. Our job starts by showing mercy. Let us remember the cave of En Gedi and show mercy befitting our God.