David Again Refuses to Kill Saul
v1 Some men from Ziph went to visit Saul at Gibeah. They said, "David is hiding on the hill of Hakilah which is opposite Jeshimon."
v2 So Saul went to the desert of Ziph to search for David. Saul chose 3,000 Israelite men to go with him. v3 Saul and his men camped next to the road on the hill of Hakilah. This was opposite Jeshimon. But David stayed in the desert. Then David heard that Saul had followed him there. v4 So David sent some men to see if this was true. They discovered that Saul was at Hakilah.
v5 David went to the place where Saul was camping. Saul was asleep in the middle of the camp. The army was round him. Abner, who was the son of Ner, was the leader of Saul’s army. He was asleep too.
v6 David spoke to Ahimelech and Abishai. Ahimelech came from the Hittite tribe. Abishai was Joab’s brother and Zeruiah was their mother. David said, "Will one of you come down into Saul’s camp with me?"
Abishai said, "I will come with you."
v7 So David and Abishai went into Saul’s camp that night. Saul was asleep in the middle of the camp. He had put his spear into the ground near his head. Abner and the army were asleep round Saul. v8 Abishai said to David, "Tonight God has given your enemy to you. I will push the spear right through Saul and into the ground under him. I will only have to do it once to kill him. I will not need to do it twice."
v9 But David said to Abishai, "Do not kill Saul. The Lord anointed Saul as king. The person who kills Saul will be guilty. v10 I know that the Lord himself will kill Saul. Saul will die either in a natural way or in a battle. v11 The Lord anointed Saul so I will certainly not hurt him. Take the spear and the jug of water that is near Saul’s head. Then we will leave."
v12 So David took the spear and the jug of water that was near Saul’s head. Then they left. No one saw them. No one knew what had happened. No one woke up. The Lord had made the men stay asleep.
Commentary
This chapter is similar to the account in chapter 24. It shows how Saul kept changing his attitude towards David. Again, Saul and his army went to find David and his men and to kill them. It was stupid that Saul took so many soldiers to hunt for one man. But this time David went to find Saul before Saul found him. God allowed Abishai to tempt David. God was testing David. He had another chance to kill Saul but he refused.
David went to Saul’s camp at night. He took only one man with him. The Bible does not mention this Ahimelech anywhere else, except in verse 6. The Hittite tribe lived in Israel among the Israelites. Zeruiah (verse 6) was David’s older sister (1 Chronicles 2:16). Therefore, Abishai was David’s nephew. Abishai and Joab become important leaders later when David became king (2 Samuel). Abner led Saul’s army. He was Saul’s cousin (14:50-51). Abner should have protected Saul. But that night, God made everyone in Saul’s army go to sleep. And God made them stay asleep until David and Abishai had left Saul’s camp.
David and Abishai went into the center of Saul’s camp, right up to Saul himself. Abishai was a strong soldier and wanted to kill Saul. Abishai knew that he could kill Saul with just one strike of Saul’s own spear. Abner should have used this spear to protect Saul against his enemies. Verse 8 reminds us of how Saul tried to kill David. Saul threw a spear at David. Saul wanted the spear to go through David and into the wall behind him (18:10-11). Again, David refused to kill Saul. David would not hurt the king that the Lord had anointed. Abigail had reminded David that the Lord would punish his enemies (25:29). And David had just seen how the Lord punished Nabal. David knew that God would punish Saul too. Saul might become ill and die (as Nabal did). Or he might die in a battle. Either way, God would do it. David would not touch Saul. He would not even touch his royal coat this time. Instead, David took Saul’s spear and a jug of water.
Saul Hears David's Voice
v13 David and Abishai went across the valley to the other side of the hill. David went to the top of the hill. He was far away from Saul’s camp. v14 David shouted to Saul’s army. He shouted to Abner, who was the son of Ner, "Abner, can you hear me?"
Abner replied, "Who is shouting to the king? Who are you?"
v15 David replied to Abner, "Are you really a great man in Israel? You should have protected your master, the king. Someone came into your camp to kill your master the king. v16 You have failed as a guard. I know that you and your men ought to die. The Lord anointed Saul as king. You have not protected him. The king’s spear and water jug were near his head. Where are they now?
v17 Saul recognized David’s voice. Saul said, "Is that you David, my son?" David answered, "Yes, my master and king. I am David." v18 David also said, "Why are you chasing me, my master? What have I done? Have I done something that is wicked? v19 My master and king, please listen to me. Has the Lord made you angry with me? If so, let us give him an offering so that he will change his decision. Or have men made you angry with me? If so, then may the Lord send bad things to them. They have made me leave the land that the Lord God gave me. They want me to go and worship other gods. v20 Do not let me die far away from the ark of the Lord. The king of Israel is searching for a little insect! You are hunting for just one bird in the mountains!"
Saul Makes a Confession
v21 Then Saul said, "I have sinned. Come back, David, my son. You respected my life today. I will never hurt you again. I have behaved like a fool. I have done something terrible."
v22 David said, "Here is your spear. Send one of your young men over here to get it. v23 The Lord rewards every loyal person when they behave in the right way. The Lord gave you to me today. But I would not hurt the king that the Lord anointed. v24 I respected your life today. I pray that the Lord will respect my life. And that he will save me from all trouble." v25 Then Saul said to David, "The Lord bless you, my son. You will do great things and be successful."
Commentary
So David continued on his journey. Saul returned home. David went a safe distance from Saul’s camp. But he was near enough for Saul’s men to hear him shout. It was probably still dark so no one could see David. Abner failed to protect King Saul. A guard who sleeps on duty deserves to die. Abner was not a great man now. He did not answer David.
Saul recognized David’s voice. He called David his son. David called Saul his master and king. But this time he did not call Saul his father (compare with 24:11, 16). Perhaps David was more certain that he would become king. David demanded some answers from Saul. But David knew the answers. Saul’s wicked actions came from sin in his heart (Matthew 12:33-37).
David could not go to the ark of the Lord while Saul chased him. So David could not give sacrifices and worship the Lord in the proper way. David did not want to die far away from his land and from the God of Israel. In verse 20, David tried to persuade Saul not to chase him. Saul was not being sensible. He was wasting his time and energy on David.
Saul confessed that he had sinned (verse 21). He was sincere when he said that. He did not chase David again. But David did not go back with Saul. In verse 24, David said that he had respected Saul’s life. But he did not ask Saul to respect his life. Instead, David prayed for the Lord to respect his life. David trusted the Lord to save him. Saul asked the Lord to bless David as they parted. This was the last time that David and Saul saw each other. We do not know whether anyone went to get Saul’s spear from David.
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