David Spares Saul

David Spares Saul

Q: What proof did David have that he could have killed Saul if he’d wanted to?

• a. He had Saul’s sword.
• b. He had a piece of Saul’s robe.
• c. He had Saul’s horse.

David often found himself hiding from King Saul, who wanted to kill him. One time David and his 600 men were hiding in the desert of En-gedi. It was a good place to hide because some of the caves in the area were large enough to hold thousands of people.

One day while Saul and his men were searching for David, they entered the cave where David and his men were hiding farther back. David sneaked up and cut off a piece of the king’s robe. He could have easily killed Saul, but David knew it would be wrong to kill the anointed king. God would deal with Saul in his own time and in his own way.

David followed Saul out of the cave and said, “Look, my father, at what I have in my hand. It is a piece of the hem of your robe! I cut it off, but I didn’t kill you. This proves that I am not trying to harm you and that I have not sinned against you, even though you have been hunting for me to kill me.”

David could have dealt with King Saul in his own way, but he did what he knew was right. David trusted God to settle the score for him.

For You

It’s normal to want to get back at someone who is mean to you, but that’s not God’s way. When you do that, you’re handling things your own way, not the Lord’s. Don’t keep track of wrongs or retaliate. Wait on God, and do what he leads you to do.

Answer: b

[David said to Saul,] “Look, my father, at what I have in my hand. It is a piece of the hem of your robe! I cut it off, but I didn’t kill you. This proves that I am not trying to harm you and that I have not sinned against you, even though you have been hunting for me to kill me.”   1 Samuel 24:11

(The Whole Story: 1 Samuel 24)