1 Samuel

1 Samuel 24: David spares the LORD’s anointed

Begin in prayer

Before we step into the cave at En Gedi and watch David spare King Saul, and learn that the LORD is the Judge, let us pray together. Ask Him to teach us to leave hurts with Him, and to show us Jesus.

Don’t say, “I will pay back evil.” Wait for Yahweh, and he will save you.

Proverbs 20:22

Father in heaven, please open our eyes as we read Your Word. Show us that You are the Judge, and help us to leave our revenge to You. Make us more like Jesus. And please bless our family as we worship You together. In Jesus' name, Amen.

See where we're going

Saul took three thousand men to hunt David, and he entered a cave where David and his men were hiding deep inside. David’s men urged him to take Saul’s life, but David only cut off a piece of Saul’s robe, and then his heart struck him. David said Saul was the LORD’s anointed, and he would not stretch out his hand against him. He showed Saul the piece of the robe and said the LORD would judge between them. Saul wept, said David was more righteous than he was, and asked David to swear that he would not destroy his family. David swore, and Saul went home.

As you read 1 Samuel 24, look for the answers:

Reflect together

Key truth

The LORD is the Judge, so David leaves vengeance to Him and spares Saul.

Saul took three thousand men to hunt David and went into a cave where David was hiding (verses 2 and 3). David's men said this was the day the LORD had promised to give Saul into his hand (verse 4). David cut off the corner of Saul's robe, and then his conscience troubled him (verses 4 and 5). He would not stretch out his hand against the LORD's anointed, and he held his men back (verses 6 and 7). Outside the cave he bowed before Saul, showed him the corner of the robe, and said he had spared him (verses 8 to 11). David left it to the LORD to judge between them and to avenge him (verse 12). Saul wept and said David was more righteous than he was, and that he knew David would be king (verses 16 to 20). David swore to spare Saul's family, and then he went up to the stronghold while Saul went home (verses 21 and 22). The LORD is the Judge, and David's trust in Him let him spare the man who hunted him.

How does 1 Samuel 24 show us that the LORD is the Judge, so David leaves vengeance to Him and spares Saul?

The LORD is the Judge.

David said, May the LORD judge between me and you (verses 12 and 15). He asked the LORD to plead his cause and to deliver him out of Saul's hand (verse 15). He called himself a dead dog and a flea, and he left the judging to God (verse 14).

David will not take vengeance.

David's men urged him to kill Saul, and he cut off a corner of Saul's robe (verses 4 and 10). Afterward his heart struck him (verse 5). He would not stretch out his hand against the LORD's anointed (verse 6). He told his men this, and he did not allow them to rise against Saul (verse 7).

The LORD’s servant spares his enemy.

David showed Saul the corner of the robe to prove he meant no harm (verse 11). Saul wept and said David was more righteous than he was (verses 16 and 17). He said David had repaid good for evil, and he knew David would be king (verses 17 and 20). God reconciles enemies to Himself through the death of His Son (Romans 5 verse 10).

Memorise

May Yahweh judge between me and you, and may Yahweh avenge me of you; but my hand will not be on you.

1 Samuel 24:12

Looking to Jesus in my life

Ask yourself in your heart, who has hurt me, and do I ask Jesus to help me forgive?

David could have killed Saul in the cave, but he said, “Yahweh forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, Yahweh’s anointed.” He left the judging to the LORD.

Every one of us has wanted revenge, and God sees it as sin. Jesus did not strike back when men hated Him. On the cross He paid the debt of sinners who were His enemies (Romans 5 verse 10), and God raised Him from the dead. The whole debt is paid, and the judging is now in His hands.

Bring your anger and your hurt to Him. Turn from your sin, and put your trust in Jesus. He forgives every sinner who comes to Him, and He teaches that sinner to forgive others.

Parent's note

Tell your children that the LORD is the Judge, and that Jesus forgave His enemies from the cross. Parents, you may want to explain verses 3 and 11 in your own words. Please do not tell them they are saved just because they grew up in a Christian home. Call each child to turn from sin and trust Jesus, and pray that God would give them a new heart.

Pray together

Now please close your time together in prayer. Thank God that He is the Judge who judges rightly, and bring the heart question to Him. Every child can pray, so let each one say a short prayer if they want to.

He will not always accuse; neither will he stay angry forever.

Psalm 103:9

Father, You are the Judge, and You judge rightly. Thank You that Jesus forgave His enemies and prayed for those who hurt Him. Take away our desire for revenge, and help us to leave our hurts with You. Teach us to forgive as Christ forgave His people this week. Amen.