1 Samuel 26:6-12 – Trusting God is the right thing to do

In 1 Samuel 26:5, we note that David had located Saul’s camp where the latter and his men were lazing around in a circle with Saul in the center. So he turned to Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai and asked who would go with him down to the camp of Saul. And Abishai responded, “I will go with you.” Note that this Ahimelech wasn’t the priest, that’s why he was specifically identified as the Hittite. So we can see that in David’s band of men there were foreigners. Then who is Abishai? He was the brother of Joab and the son of Zeruiah. According to 1 Chronicles 2:16, Zeruiah was one of David’s sisters who had three sons, namely Abishai, Asahel, and Joab.  So Abishai was a nephew of David.

David and Abishai went on their mission that night in the cover of darkness. They came to the camp of Saul and found the king asleep with his spear stuck to the ground beside his head, while his army was sleeping encamped all around. What an opportunity it must have been for David! Saul and his men were obviously oblivious of the looming danger. Had David wanted to kill Saul this was the perfect moment. At least, this was what Abishai believed and voiced his thought. He said, “Today God has delivered your enemy into your hand; now, therefore, please let me strike him with the spear to the ground with one stroke, and I will not strike him the second time.”  

This situation was somewhat the same as 1 Samuel 24:4. There Saul was in the cave in Engedi, unaware of the presence of David and his men. David’s men urged him to finish Saul off. But he refused and only cut off a corner of his robe. This time Abishai said he would do it on David’s behalf. Perhaps he had learned that David would not touch the king. But David refused to let him touch Saul. His words to him were, “Do not destroy him, for who can stretch out his hand against the Lord’s anointed and be without guilt? As the Lord lives, surely the Lord will strike him, or his day will come that he dies, or he will go down into battle and perish. The Lord forbid that I should stretch out my hand against the LORD’s  anointed….” Though David was not in agreement with Saul, he respected his office. He refused to take the easy way out. He would rather let God’s will and plan play out in His own good time. Any lesser man would choose the easy way out. But not David. He showed the consistency that he feared the Lord.  

It could also be that David had processed his life and learned much from all his experiences. Remember between the time he departed from Engedi and now in Hachilah, he went through much. The incidence where God intervened to avert bloodshed of Nabal’s household and Abigail’s wise and discerning move must have taught him much. He knew that his life was entirely in the hand of God, his vindicator. His experience so far must have made him a wise and restraint person. Many can go through multiple experiences in life but learn nothing. Whereas we like David must learn to discern from life’s experiences. Every encounter in life is something God wants us to experience. Through them, God molds our character. Hence it is wise to evaluate our life after each day and pray the prayer that David prayed in Psalm 139:23-24:

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
And see if there be any hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way.  

Logically speaking, David’s pain inflicted by Saul would have ended with just one swift swing of his sword now. But David refused to do it. He had trusted God thus far and was not about to end it now. He had enough faith in God to leave Him to deal with Saul in His way and in His time. That gave him the ability to control himself. So David would not go with the advice of Abishai. Instead, he told Abishai  “…now please take the spear that is at his head and the jug of water, and let us go.”  Taking away Saul’s spear and jug of water was as far as he would go. David’s action was right and the account in verse 12 closed with these words “…but no one saw or knew it, nor did any awake, for they were all asleep, because a sound sleep from the Lord had fallen on them.” It was the LORD who had put Saul and his men to sleep. In other words, God’s hand was moving and David was right to trust Him and leave the matter with Him. Anyone would have jumped and seized any opportunity to get even. Yet the lesson from David’s restraint at Hachilah tells us that its best to leave any thought of revenge to the Lord. He will take care of it in His way and in His time. Just trust Him!