And the men of David said to him, “Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.’” Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul's robe. 5 And afterward David's heart struck him, because he had cut off a corner of Saul's robe. 6 He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord's anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord's anointed.” 7 So David persuaded his men with these words and did not permit them to attack Saul. And Saul rose up and left the cave and went on his way.
1 Samuel 24:4-7
1 Samuel 24:4-7
Have you ever found yourself in a battle with someone trying to destroy you, and then suddenly you find yourself at an advantage and could totally destroy them? Maybe you would even be justified in your actions. We don’t typically find ourselves in epic battles like the David did in the Bible, with our enemies trying to end our lives at every turn. But we are on the battlefield daily. King Saul was after David and had already tried to end his life many times and failed. Twice David finds Saul sleeping in a cave and has the chance to kill him. Not only would that win the battle for him, but he would be the new king the next day. David had a promise from God that he would inherit the throne of Israel and Saul was the only thing standing in his way. But both times David refuses to kill Saul.
David had killed many men in war, yet he would not kill king Saul – who was trying to kill him. When David’s men told him to take revenge for himself and kill Saul, David’s answer baffled them. He said to his men, The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord's anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord's anointed. 1 Samuel 24:6 David cut the corner off of Saul’s robe to prove that he could have killed him, but he didn’t.
David knew that just because he had a promise from God about inheriting the throne of Israel, that didn’t make it ok to take things into his own hands. He knew that Saul was once anointed by God, and that it was God’s place to deal with Saul, not his. David explained to his soldiers how God is in charge of the situation, As surely as the Lord lives . . . the Lord himself will strike him, or his time will come, and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. But the Lord forbid that I should lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed 1 Samuel 26:10–11
Although David was anointed to be a future king, he gladly laid all his plans in God’s hands, to patiently wait for God to work according to His will. How many battles do you fight on your own? How often do you jump ahead of God, maybe taking things into your own hands in the heat of the moment when you have your “opponent” trapped in a cave? It is hard to stand in the shadows and let God work things out sometimes. He always, always, always works His plan in His perfect time. What battle are you fighting today? Give it to God and let Him fight the battle for you. The battle belongs to Him, not you.
Scripture to Claim:The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent. Exodus 14:14
