David Spares Saul’s Life Again
26:1 The Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah and said, “Isn’t David hiding on the hill of Hakilah near Jeshimon?”
Satan was using all of the resources of Israel in order to hunt down David and kill him. Again, the Ziphites betrayed the location of David to Saul.
26:2 So Saul arose and went down to the desert of Ziph, accompanied by three thousand select men of Israel, to look for David in the desert of Ziph.
Saul took 300 soldiers to the desert of Ziph in order to find and execute David as a national criminal.
26:3 Saul camped by the road on the hill of Hakilah near Jeshimon, but David was staying in the desert. When he realized that Saul had come to the desert to find him, 26:4 David sent scouts and verified that Saul had indeed arrived.
David’s scouts reported Saul’s arrival and location.
26:5 So David set out and went to the place where Saul was camped. David saw the place where Saul and Abner son of Ner, the general in command of his army, were sleeping. Now Saul was lying in the entrenchment, and the army was camped all around him.
David found Saul sleeping in his camp.
26:6 David said to Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, “Who will go down with me to Saul in the camp?” Abishai replied, “I will go down with you.”
Abishai volunteered to go down into the camp with David. This would be a very risky move for David, except David was prophesied to be king. He could not die until this prophecy was fulfilled.
26:7 So David and Abishai approached the army at night and found Saul lying asleep in the entrenchment with his spear stuck in the ground by his head. Abner and the army were lying all around him.
There was a breakdown in the night guard unit. At least one of General Abner’s soldiers should have been awake and on guard duty.
26:8 Abishai said to David, “Today God has delivered your enemy into your hands. Now let me drive the spear right through him into the ground with one swift jab! A second jab won’t be necessary!”
Abishai was ready to end Saul’s life, end the Civil War, and make David King of Israel.
26:9 But David said to Abishai, “Don’t kill him! Who can extend his hand against the Lord’s chosen one and remain guiltless?”
Saul was the anointed King of Israel. David would allow God to decide when and how His anointed king was to die. Most pagan kings and generals would have killed Saul on the spot and claimed the throne.
26:10 David went on to say, “As the Lord lives, the Lord himself will strike him down. Either his day will come and he will die, or he will go down into battle and be swept away.
David wanted Jehovah to decide the time and method of King Saul’s death.
26:11 But may the Lord prevent me from extending my hand against the Lord’s chosen one! Now take the spear by Saul’s head and the jug of water, and let’s get out of here!”
Instead of killing King Saul, David took King Saul’s spear and jug of water.
26:12 So David took the spear and the jug of water by Saul’s head, and they got out of there. No one saw them or was aware of their presence or woke up. All of them were asleep, for the Lord had caused a deep sleep to fall on them.
Jehovah was the one who allowed Saul’s army and guards to sleep so soundly.
26:13 Then David crossed to the other side and stood on the top of the hill some distance away; there was a considerable distance between them.
David stood on the top of the hill so that the entire army could witness his actions and speech.
26:14 David called to the army and to Abner son of Ner, “Won’t you answer, Abner?” Abner replied, “Who are you, that you have called to the king?”
David issued a wake-up call to General Abner.
26:15 David said to Abner, “Aren’t you a man? After all, who is like you in Israel? Why then haven’t you protected your lord the king? One of the soldiers came to kill your lord the king.
David accused General Abner of failing in his responsibilities to protect the life of King Saul.
26:16 This failure on your part isn’t good! As surely as the Lord lives, you people who have not protected your lord, the Lord’s chosen one, are as good as dead! Now look where the king’s spear and the jug of water that was by his head are!”
Those guards who fell asleep would be executed by Saul’s army.
26:17 When Saul recognized David’s voice, he said, “Is that your voice, my son David?” David replied, “Yes, it’s my voice, my lord the king.”
David was Saul’s son-in-law. Saul was David’s king. They both addressed each other in truth.
26:18 He went on to say, “Why is my lord chasing his servant? What have I done? What wrong have I done?
David again proved his innocence in front of Saul’s entire army.
26:19 So let my lord the king now listen to the words of his servant. If the Lord has incited you against me, may he take delight in an offering. But if men have instigated this, may they be cursed before the Lord! For they have driven me away this day from being united with the Lord’s inheritance, saying, ‘Go on, serve other gods!’
If God were leading Saul in the pursuit, then David would repent. However, if men were responsible, then they should be cursed by God, because they had driven David from both his home and his public worship of God.
26:20 Now don’t let my blood fall to the ground away from the Lord’s presence, for the king of Israel has gone out to look for a flea the way one looks for a partridge in the hill country.”
Hunting David was like hunting for a flea in a forest full of birds. The flea will never be found. If it is found, then it is a useless catch. It is not worth all of the time and effort.
26:21 Saul replied, “I have sinned. Come back, my son David. I won’t harm you, for you treated my life with value this day. I have behaved foolishly and have made a very terrible mistake!”
Saul confessed his sin. He called David “his son," meaning that he was his son-in-law. Saul admitted that he made a foolish mistake.
26:22 David replied, “Here is the king’s spear! Let one of your servants cross over and get it.
David returned the King’s spear.
26:23 The Lord rewards each man for his integrity and loyalty. Even though today the Lord delivered you into my hand, I was not willing to extend my hand against the Lord’s chosen one.
Jehovah once again gave David another opportunity to kill Saul and take the kingdom, but David refused. David had passed God’s test twice. The angelic world was witnessing these events and taking note.
26:24 In the same way that I valued your life this day, may the Lord value my life and deliver me from all danger.”
David valued the life of Saul, because he was the anointed King of Israel. David asked Jehovah to value David’s own life in the same way.
26:25 Saul replied to David, “May you be rewarded, my son David! You will without question be successful!” So David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place.
Saul asked that David be rewarded. He encouraged David that he would be very successful. David and Saul went their separate ways. Saul never pursued David again.