Unusual Humility and Grace


1 Samuel 24:1-7
1 When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.”
2 Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Wildgoats’ Rocks.
3 And he came to the sheepfolds by the way, where there was a cave, and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave.
4 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.
8 Afterward David also arose and went out of the cave, and called after Saul, “My lord the king!” And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the earth and paid homage.

I was watching Good Morning America before I went into work this morning (because I like my news in small manageable bites, I guess, which is what they deliver) and was wondering why we watch this stuff. That thought occurred when they spent way too much time on some stupid dog contest. Anyway, I think we watch because while there are stories of slain despots and kidnappers, sometimes they have stories of people who behave with grace, self-sacrifice, and humility. Those kinds of stories warm our hearts and make us feel like life is okay. The Bible is just like that too. While there is the retelling of horrifying events (wars, battles, sins . . .), there are stories like these few brief verses from 1 Samuel that we read today that show compassion, humility, and grace lived out-loud.

David has been handed a golden opportunity. The life of Saul, the man who tries to kill him at every opportunity, has been handed to him. It’s almost too easy. Slide up next to man who is going to the bathroom and slit his throat. Escape would be a breeze and problem solved. No more mad man chasing him around the countryside. The crown would be David’s to claim. And even in the face of those exact actions being espoused by his men, David doesn’t do it. Instead of taking Saul’s life, he takes a small corner of his robe instead. And then something truly remarkable and telling happens. His conscience is struck because he has not acted with honor toward the man anointed as king by God. He feels genuine sorrow for taking a corner of a robe. Now I don’t know about you, but I would have been with his men, trying to persuade David to take advantage of a clear opportunity to kill Saul.  I would even have played the “God card”, trying to help David see that God had orchestrated this chance to end the constant running. But David is bigger than that. He is a man of grace, humility, and honor. Instead he humbles himself and pays homage to his enemy because he will not lay hands on God’s man. This is a story of extraordinary mercy. This is a man who will make a great king.

When the voices around us are urging us toward sin going the opposite direction is so very difficult. But clearly, as we see in the life of David, it is possible! But that means that the voice of God is louder and more important that all others. That takes a constant exposure to the ways of God and His will. It means reading His Word to find out how He thinks (as much as we are able to truly know that) and time in prayer, listening as much as talking, so that we know Him best. Despite the advice of his followers, David knew the right thing to do. And while he took a short trip into the wrong thing by cutting off a corner of Saul’s robe, he was sensitive to the conviction of the Holy Spirit and allowed himself to redirected, back onto God’s path. While killing Saul would have been satisfying for the sinful reader of the story, it would have made David no better than Saul.  And we expect better from the future king. A life led by God will often show examples of such grace. Usually, those actions go unnoticed by others (and maybe even by you), but not by God. They speak to who He is what He has done in your life. They make us know that life is okay.

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