The daily struggle with sin can make us wonder if we are making any progress at all towards trust in God and holiness. Are we becoming more like Christ, relying on him and depending on God to make things right? Or are we continuing in our own strength, and our own creaturely and fallen wisdom.
While hard to see in the moment, the truth is we do make progress in life. It was true of David too. In 1 Samuel 26, David again faced a decision – to spear the King’s life, or spare the King’s life. His response demonstrated that he was learning to trust God’s plans and providence, as he waited to inherit the promised kingship.
At some point David moved back to the region near Ziph (hard to keep 600 men plus families in one desolate spot permanently), and the Ziphites again dobbed in David to Saul (v.1) Saul came down with 3000 men, again (vv.2-3).
When David found out Saul was near, he sent out spies who confirmed Saul’s presence, then saw Saul and camp himself, with all fast asleep (vv.3-5).
David asked for volunteers to enter the camp, and was joined by Abishai (v.6). They made it all the way to Saul’s sleeping frame, with Saul’s spear close to hand (v.7).
For Abishai, this was clearly God’s providence (again) giving David the opportunity to strike down Saul and assume the throne (v.8). But David knew better, he had learnt restraint (ch. 25). Abishai was not to strike the Lord’s Anointed (Saul), because neither would walk away blameless (v.9).
Instead, David trusted in God. ““As the LORD lives, the LORD will strike him, or his day will come to die, or he will go down into battle and perish” (v.10). Instead of spearing Saul, David spared Saul, taking his spear and a water jug for later (v.11).
All this occurred because God had caused a deep sleep to fall on Saul and the Israelites (v.12). God was, again, entirely in control of Saul’s fate.
David then climbed to high ground and called out to Saul’s bodyguard, Abner, mocking him for falling asleep on the job (vv.13-16). Some bodyguard! For all Saul’s forces, he was defenceless before David … before God. The spear and the water jug, little tokens as they were, demonstrating God’s promises to David and his judgement on Saul.
No doubt Saul felt very naked and defenceless as he stumbled awake, hearing David crow across the valley holding his weapon and water supply (v.17). Saul tried the “son” treatment on David, but did not get far. David focused on Saul’s continued injustice to him (v.18).
Rather politely, David declared that if God had sent Saul to punish him for wrongdoing, then David would offer sacrifice to God for his sin. But if Saul was being badly advised (unspoken: by Saul’s sinful heart), then may they be cursed for driving David to the point of leaving the Promised Land and the ability to worship God as he then appointed (vv.19-20).
Saul responded by confessing his sin toward David, and inviting David to come back with a promise of safety (v.21). David was no fool; Saul could have his spear back, but David was not coming near him (v.22).
David would stay with, and trust in, God. He asked God to bless him for not killing Saul when he again had the chance (v.23), and proclaimed God as the only one in whom he hoped for salvation and deliverance: “may my life be precious in the sight of the Lord, and may he deliver me out of all tribulation” (v.24).
With those words, Saul and David parted ways, David on his ways and Saul to his place (v.25). Neither saw each other again.
David’s act, or inaction, to spare King Saul’s life rather than spear Saul, was a great act of faith. David had been hounded and chased from pillar to post, yet had learnt in his struggles to trust in God and God’s timing.
David had come to understand that God’s plan required him to wait, and to go through present troubles, before he fully inherited the promises God had made to him.
How familiar that is to us. We too go through present troubles, awaiting the promises God has made to us of eternal presence with him in a perfectly holy place, no longer struggling against sin.
In the meantime, we can take some heart that God is working in us through life events, as he worked in David, to increase our trust in God and decrease our reliance on self. Through the Spirit’s work, he is making us more like Christ, the truly sinless, anointed king.
All this can happen because God did not allow his anointed one, Jesus, to be spared, but to be speared (pierced). Not for his transgressions, for he was sinless, but for ours.
Because of the Cross, we can trust God for salvation and deliverance, and know he will provide.
