Study is taken out of Charles Swindoll’s “David – A Man After God’s Own Heart”

1. Study is taken out of Charles Swindoll’s “David – A Man After God’s Own Heart”

2. David Spares Saul’s Life 24 After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, “David is in the Desert of En Gedi.” 2 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. 3 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. 4 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. 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. 9 He said to Saul, “Why do you listen when men say, ‘David is bent on harming you’? 10 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.’ 1 Samuel 2 4

3. David Spares Saul’s Life – cont’d 11 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.12 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. 13 As the old saying goes, ‘From evildoers come evil deeds,’ so my hand will not touch you. 14 “Against whom has the king of Israel come out? Who are you pursuing? A dead dog? A flea? 15 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.” 16 When David finished saying this, Saul asked, “Is that your voice, David my son?” And he wept aloud. 17 “You are more righteous than I,” he said. “You have treated me well, but I have treated you badly. 18 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. 19 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. 20 I know that you will surely be king and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hands. 21 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.” 22 So David gave his oath to Saul. Then Saul returned home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold. 1 Samuel l 2 2:1-2

4. Hard Facts About Revenge Revenge: the act of vengeance, retribution, payback, getting even, etc. • What we call it: We try to justify and soften hard-core revenge by calling it a couple of “more acceptable” terms: • My Right(s): “I” have the right to do this for I am not a doormat and refuse to be walked on • Justified Retaliation: “I” have to stand up for myself when wronged. • Justice: “I” have been wronged and must right it • How God feels about it: God calls it what it is “revenge” no matter how we justify it. And, He is not happy about it nor does he accept our justification for He tells us in His word that vengeance is His (Rom. 12:17-19). God commands we leave matters in His hands. • Why do we do it: We have been hurt and we feel the need to return the favor of insult onto the offender.

5. David’s Subtle Temptation • The Situation: David is living in a cave with his family and 600 unhappy men with their families. Although troubled, the men were faithful to David as their leader and became warriors to the point that they rescued the town of Keilah from the Philistines. • The Temptation: Saul went after David with a group of 3,000 men. David found Saul in a vulnerable situation when Saul decided to relieve himself in the cave of Engedi, where David was hiding. • Human Nature: When David’s men saw Saul was vulnerable, they went into human nature overdrive and even used scripture to try to convince David to seek revenge since it was obvious that God had handed Saul over to David. The instigators became religious. • The Conscience at Work: David chose not to harm Saul because he knew it was not part of God’s plan to lay a hand, much less kill, the anointed of the Lord. Although David was in his right to defend himself against Saul, he chose God’s way over his own. God honors those who stand up for their convictions by their actions more so than by their words.

6. The Conversation “When a man’s way are pleasing to the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” Proverbs 16:7 Because David refused to get even with Saul and left vengeance to God; God blessed David even more by bringing peace between him and Saul. • David to Saul: By only cutting a piece of Saul’s garment, David gave way to his conviction. He then was able to prove and preserve his innocence, his integrity, and his respect for Saul. In speaking to Saul, David acknowledges Saul as king and even prostrates before him. David presents his case and makes Saul aware that he would leave the judging between them to God. More than revenge, David honored God by giving Him control over the situation. David wanted the Lord’s will to be done between he and Saul, more so than his own will. • Saul to David: Seeing David’s honesty, Saul’s heart softens and he weeps. Saul acknowledges David as a son and as the future king of Israel. He pleas to David not to cut off his descendants, to which David swore he wouldn’t. Had David done what his men advised him to do and what he initially felt compelled to do, there probably would have been a battle, blood shed, and lives lost.

7. Easier Said than Done Revenge is part of our human nature and makes a mockery of God’s presence and relevance in our lives when we take the control from God and place it into our own hands. Principles to Practice: • Expect to be mistreated: The same human nature that possessed Saul’s heart is ever present in ours. As Christians, we are responsible for making sure that the human nature that dwells within us does not take over and lead us to mistreat others for as children of God, we are to be mistreated. • Anticipate feelings of revenge: If we are aware of that the urge for revenge is within us, then we can guard against it and be less likely to lash back. • Refuse to fight in the flesh: While feelings of revenge are sometimes automatic, our reaction to carry them out shouldn’t be. With God’s conviction and our desire to please God over “me”, we can turn over our desire to get even before the act of revenge begins. Leave matters in God’s hands.

8. Conclusion We have a responsibility to confront, stand up, and declare the truth to clear our integrity when insulted, falsely accused, or wronged in any way. However, the hardest part thereafter, is to step back and let God take care of the other person/party. REVENGE – life’s most subtle temptation!