When We’re Caught

1 Samuel 24:8-22

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.

⁹  And David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Behold, David seeks your harm’?

¹⁰ Behold, this day your eyes have seen how the Lord gave you today into my hand in the cave. And some told me to kill you, but I spared you. I said, ‘I will not put out my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s anointed.’

¹¹ See, my father, see the corner of your robe in my hand. For by the fact that I cut off the corner of your robe and did not kill you, you may know and see that there is no wrong or treason in my hands. I have not sinned against you, though you hunt my life to take it.

¹² May the Lord judge between me and you, may the Lord avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you.

¹³ As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Out of the wicked comes wickedness.’ But my hand shall not be against you.

¹⁴ After whom has the king of Israel come out? After whom do you pursue? After a dead dog! After a flea!

¹⁵ May the Lord therefore be judge and give sentence between me and you, and see to it and plead my cause and deliver me from your hand.”

¹⁶ As soon as David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” And Saul lifted up his voice and wept.

¹⁷ He said to David, “You are more righteous than I, for you have repaid me good, whereas I have repaid you evil.

¹⁸ And you have declared this day how you have dealt well with me, in that you did not kill me when the Lord put me into your hands.

¹⁹ For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away safe? So may the Lord reward you with good for what you have done to me this day.

²⁰ And now, behold, I know that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand.

²¹ Swear to me therefore by the Lord that you will not cut off my offspring after me, and that you will not destroy my name out of my father’s house.”

²² And David swore this to Saul. Then Saul went home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.

We’ve all had times in our lives when we’ve been caught red-handed in our sin. There is no need for excuses (although we often set out to “explain”) because we are clearly guilty. The only course is to confess and accept the judgment. It is embarrassing and most of us avoid these events if at all possible. The best way to avoid these situations is to remain innocent. Wouldn’t that be nice, eh? But those crumbs on the corner of your mouth indicate a dip into the forbidden cookie jar and you are caught.

David has finally “caught” Saul, so to speak. Saul’s current issue with the Philistines has been settled to the point where he can turn his attention back on David. And during the pursuit, delivers himself right into David’s hand. An honorable David does not kill his enemy but instead takes a token of their close proximity (the corner of Saul’s robe) and then confronts Saul with the evidence of his unwillingness to kill Saul, even though David’s men encourage him to do just that. Remarkably, Saul makes no excuse. He confesses that David is the better man and even acknowledges that David will indeed be the one who gains the role of king instead of his own son, Jonathan. Interestingly, David doesn’t even recognize the position that Saul is conferring upon him, but does promise that Saul’s family will not be wiped out by him in the transfer of power. It is a fascinating conversation between the current and future kings. At the end, both return to lives apart from one another. David doesn’t return to life with Saul. Instead, he maintains his distance, for Saul is still not one to trust.

When we are caught in our sin, the best course is always confession. That’s always been clear. And yet we are often filled with reasons why we did what we did. We are stubborn and unwilling to bend the knee before an almighty God who would offer forgiveness instead of recrimination. (Now although Saul sounds pretty good in this story, his heart hasn’t changed and David knows that. He will still try to kill David if given the chance.) With each passage of Scripture that we read, we need to hear the clear voice of forgiveness and reconciliation that God expresses with every Word. Even as you wipe those crumbs off of your face, God’s love reaches out to you in the blood of Jesus to forgive and restore. We’ve been caught it is a good thing, for it leads to life with God.