Mercy on Your Enemies
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
- Matthew 5:10-12 NKJV
Jesus told His followers that those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake are blessed. It is important to highlight here that the blessings stand only when you are innocent, when you are being persecuted for being righteous, for being faithful to God. If you are persecuted for doing something wrong, for cheating, for being dishonest, for being abusive, then there is no blessing. But this text also points to a reality that God’s faithful followers face in this world. We live in a world where someone can be persecuted without ever doing anything wrong. Jesus goes so far as to say that you can be persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for being good, and honest, and well, righteous. Jesus promised a special blessing, but that does not mean that you feel blessed as you are being persecuted.
David composed two Psalms from a cave while being persecuted by Saul (at least there are two I was able to find). They are Psalm 57, and Psalm 142. In these Psalms we can tell David is not feeling particularly blessed.
Attend to my cry,
For I am brought very low;
Deliver me from my persecutors,
For they are stronger than I.
- Psalm 142:6 NKJV
But David never forgot about the Source of his life and salvation,
I cried out to You, O Lord:
I said, “You are my refuge,
My portion in the land of the living.
- Psalm 142:5 NKJV
So it is possible for us to be persecuted, to feel distant from God, and like we will be destroyed by our enemies. Yet we should never forget that reality is not limited by what we can see nor by what we feel. This is where faith comes in, and we can know that even though it might look and feel like we are all alone and about to be destroyed by our enemies, God is with us, and ultimately it is our enemies who need mercy.
Personal Story
I remember when I was young there was a big commotion at the apartment where my grandparents lived. I was young and I do not remember all the details, I do remember my mother and grandmother and other family members being very agitated. My grandfather had been robbed. I do not remember if it was a gunpoint or knifepoint, but he was robbed. I believe he had been on his way to the bank to deposit some money. My mother and others were upset about the whole incident and insisted that he press charges with the police, and there was a lot of talking and crying and I don’t remember all the details. But one thing has stuck with me, my grandfather wanted to pray, and as we prayed he thanked God that his life had been spared, next, he thanked God that he had not been the robber.
That is something that always stuck with me. I expected him to pray more of an imprecatory prayer, calling for God to curse the men who had taken his money. I do not think that my grandfather was against justice and the proper punishment of the men who did wrong, but my grandfather understood that it was better to be an innocent victim than a criminal. My grandfather knew that he was saved, he had a personal relationship with Jesus. But those criminals were living a life of sin and causing terrible suffering to others. Anyone living a life of sin does not have the peace that only God can give (John 14:27) and need salvation. Without God, there is no true joy and no eternal life.
Saul Persecutes David
Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines and was told that David was in the Desert of En Gedi. Saul decides to take three thousand of his best men from all of Israel and went to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats. As King Saul searched for David he came by some sheep pens and a cave. This was exactly what Saul was hoping to find. He had been needed to relieve himself and needed some privacy. I imagine Saul telling his men to sit and rest for a bit, and then going away by himself to the cave to take care of his needs.
The King James Version says that “Saul went in to cover his feet” (1 Samuel 24:3), which is a literal translation. "This Hebrew idiom refers to the Israelite practice of disposing of human excrement in a sanitary manner through covering it over with dirt." (Bergen, R. D. (2002). 1, 2 Samuel. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman. p238 (footnote)). Little did he know, David and his men were inside that same cave farther towards the back of the cave.
An Unexpected Opportunity
Then the men of David said to him, “This is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it seems good to you.’ ” And David arose and secretly cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.
- 1 Samuel 24:4 NKJV
Saul coming in by himself to the cave where David and all his men were hiding was clearly an act of God. David’s soldiers interpreted it as such, and even mentioned a prophecy that is not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible. This is a mystery, was it an unrecorded prophecy, or just wishful thinking. I have heard many supposed Bible quotes that are nowhere to be found in the Bible. It is surprising and dangerous how we can believe so strongly that Bible says something that in fact it does not. (Side note: one text that often gets misquoted is that Paul supposedly says that “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord” but the Bible does not say this anywhere, you can read several translations of 2 Corinthians 5:8 here)
What the soldiers say sounds biblical, but it is not recorded in the Bible, at least I was not able to find a record of this being written anywhere else.
Seizing the Moment
David stealthily approaches Saul and cuts off a corner of Saul’s robe. There are those who assign great significance to this act. Some believe that this symbolically transferred power from Saul to David. Support for this is found when you take into consideration the Torah requirements that include Numbers 15:38-39, and Deuteronomy 22:12 which require the wearing of tassels on the corners of one’s garments. The reasoning goes that without the corner and its tassel Saul’s most obvious symbol of kingship was made unwearable. Personally believe that it is a bit of a stretch to say that with this act David had symbolically invalidated Saul’s claim to kingship, but it is a view that Bergen mentions. (Bergen, R. D. (2002). 1, 2 Samuel. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman. p239)
V. H. Matthews adds a significant historical and cultural insight to the interpretation of this passage saying that
The rather elaborate hems with suspended tassels found on most garments in the ancient Near East symbolized the ranks of kings and their advisers as well as the military.
- Manners and Customs in the Bible [Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 1988], 119).
The strongest evidence that I see for the symbolic significance of what David did is the remorse David feels for his behavior. David realized he had raised his hand against “the anointed of the LORD.”
Vengeance
Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the LORD.
- Romans 12:19 NLT
‘Vengeance is Mine, and retribution, In due time their foot will slip; For the day of their disaster is at hand, And their doom hurries to meet them.’
- Deuteronomy 32:35 Amplified Bible
David does not want to be the one who causes Saul to fall, he does not want to cause the fall of someone the LORD had anointed.
And he said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord.” So David restrained his servants with these words, and did not allow them to rise against Saul. And Saul got up from the cave and went on his way.
- 1 Samuel 24:6-7 NKJV
David is not saying that Saul deserves to be king, nor that Saul is guiltless. David simply does not want to be guilty of spilling Saul’s blood. David chooses to leave judgment to God, even if he had the perfect opportunity to take his revenge. Even if it looks like God has delivered his enemy in his hands, David will not be the direct cause of the fall of his enemy. David refuses to spill the blood of his enemy, even if his enemy would not hesitate to spill his blood. David behaves in this way out of respect for God. It is nothing that Saul did, David is not afraid of Saul, but David respects God and God’s anointed.
The Confrontation
The interchange that follows is remarkable. The section of text stretching from verse 8 through 21 contains the longest recorded quotes by both David and Saul found in 1 Samuel. (Bergen, R. D. p239) The amount of space dedicated to this exchange suggests high importance. This seems to be the central part of the text and two key themes surface in this exchange.
David is loyal to King Saul.
David will be Israel’s next king.
As Saul makes his way out of the cave David calls out to him. This was a risky move since in doing so David would give away his position to King Saul. However, it seems that David was closer to Saul than Saul was to his army, so worst-case scenario David could always capture Saul and hold him hostage.
David also arose afterward, went out of the cave, and called out to Saul, saying, “My lord the king!” And when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his face to the earth, and bowed down.
- 1 Samuel 24:8 NKJV
David addresses Saul as lord and king and bows down. David is signaling his loyalty to the king, and next, we have what can be considered the most passionate and eloquent plea for reconciliation between persons recorded in all ancient literature. (Bergen, R. D. p240)
David carefully structures his arguments in a way to give Saul an easy out.
And David said to Saul: “Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Indeed David seeks your harm’?
- 1 Samuel 24:9 NKJV
David does not blame Saul for coming after him, but rather some unknown, misinformed individual who lied to Saul. David proceeds to lay out eyewitness and material evidence to make the case that he is not the king’s enemy.
Look, this day your eyes have seen that the Lord delivered you today into my hand in the cave, and someone urged me to kill you. But my eye spared you, and I said, ‘I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s anointed.’ Moreover, my father, see! Yes, see the corner of your robe in my hand! For in that I cut off the corner of your robe, and did not kill you, know and see that there is neither evil nor rebellion in my hand, and I have not sinned against you. Yet you hunt my life to take it. Let the Lord judge between you and me, and let the Lord avenge me on you. But my hand shall not be against you.
- 1 Samuel 24:10-12 NKJV
David points out how Saul had seen with his own eyes that David could have killed him but refused to raise his hand against the Lord’s anointed. Saul was the key witness, he knew that the Lord had delivered him to David and David has spared his life. Saul’s life was spared to because of anything Saul had done but rather because of what God had done. God has anointed Saul and David’s regard for God kept him from harming His anointed.
If Saul had any doubts about how close he came to dying at David’s hand all he had to do was take a look at his garment and notice the missing corner. David has shown by his actions that he was not an evildoer, since he refrained from evil (Matthew 7:16,20). In other words, if Davids had truly wanted to take the kingdom from Saul he would not have refrained from killing him when he had the chance.
However, if David is innocent, and it was just proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that David was loyal to Saul, then Saul was guilty of trying to kill an innocent and just man. By pointing this out David is trying to keep King Saul from bringing divine wrath and judgment upon himself.
Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent and righteous, for I will not acquit the wicked.
- Exodus 23:7 ESV
David now keeps going and accuses the king of squandering precious national resources.
After whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom do you pursue? A dead dog? A flea?
- 1 Samuel 24:14 NKJV
David concludes by calling upon God to judge between them. It is obvious that David is innocent and that God is with David. Saul is not only unable to defeat David but to continue to pursue this will only lead to his own destruction.
The Realization
So it was, when David had finished speaking these words to Saul, that Saul said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” And Saul lifted up his voice and wept.
- 1 Samuel 24:16 NKJV
Saul is forced to confront reality. He finally says David’s name, something he has not done in a very long time (1 Samuel 20:27, 30-31; 22:7-9, 13). Not only does Saul say David’s name, but he also calls him his son. The full emotional weight of current events finally hit Saul and he wept out loud.
Then he said to David: “You are more righteous than I; for you have rewarded me with good, whereas I have rewarded you with evil. And you have shown this day how you have dealt well with me; for when the Lord delivered me into your hand, you did not kill me. For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him get away safely? Therefore may the Lord reward you with good for what you have done to me this day. And now I know indeed that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand. Therefore swear now to me by the Lord that you will not cut off my descendants after me, and that you will not destroy my name from my father’s house.”
- 1 Samuel 24:17-21 NKJV
Saul realizes and admits that David will be the next king and that Israel will flourish under his leadership. Realizing that David is a righteous man Saul asks David to spare his descendants. David swears to Saul and they go each their separate way. Saul goes home, but David goes up to the stronghold.
Conclusion and Application
David is not king, David does not have three thousand soldiers at his disposal, much less three thousand chosen men from all Israel. Humanly speaking, Saul had all the advantages. He had position, title, resources, power, experience, he was tall, what else cold Saul need? Sadly he did not have what matters most, or the only thing that matters, Saul did not have a personal relationship with God.
David on the other hand was a fugitive, an outcast, on the run, living in the wilderness, with a group of disgruntled men who decided to follow him (1Samuel 22:1-2). But God was with him and that made all the difference.
Please notice this, the king without God has no chance against a “nobody” who is on God’s side. David was the one who had to have mercy on the king, not the other way around. David is the powerful one, not because he has any special power, but because Almighty God is with Him.
You may feel persecuted, though you did nothing wrong. You may feel like your faithfulness to God makes you a target, but remember, that having God is ultimately all that matters, the only thing that matters. Whatever may come your way, just make sure to stay with God and everything will be okay.
Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”
- Deuteronomy 31:6 NKJV
