May 16
Mercy
King Saul wasn’t exactly happy with David at the time, the truth is, he was jealous of him. “Saul has killed his thousands,” the people said, “David his ten thousands.” Usually when there is a disagreement between two people both people are wrong. But frankly, I don’t see where David did anything wrong. As far as I’m concerned, Saul was totally out of line in his behavior toward David. He was wrong when he threw the spear at him. He was wrong when he plotted to have him killed so he could provide a dowry for his daughter’s hand. He was wrong when he sent his goons over to his house to kill him in his own daughter’s bed. He was wrong when he hunted him down like a rabid dog after David fled for his life. Wrong, wrong, wrong—Saul was completely wrong.
But—and this is a big but—Saul was the king. He was God’s anointed. So what should David do? Should David, in the spirit of preserving his own life take matters into his own hand and strike Saul down? His advisors told him to, they said that God had delivered Saul into his hand. Will he preserve his own life by taking the life of his king?
David would not strike the King and do him any harm, even when he would have been justified in doing so, simply because Saul was God’s anointed. Instead of taking matters into his own hands, David chose to trust in Deut. 32:35 which says, “ ‘Vengeance is Mine, and retribution, In due time their foot will slip; For the day of their calamity is near, And the impending things are hastening upon them.’ ” The prophet Nahum would later write, “A jealous and avenging God is the Lord; The Lord is avenging and wrathful. The Lord takes vengeance on His adversaries, And He reserves wrath for His enemies.” (Nahum 1:2 NASB) David understood that God would take vengeance on his behalf. David chose to trust in God to take care of him while he remained beyond reproach.
Jim L. Wilson, Fresh Start Devotionals (Fresno, CA: Willow City Press, 2009).
Mercy
King Saul wasn’t exactly happy with David at the time, the truth is, he was jealous of him. “Saul has killed his thousands,” the people said, “David his ten thousands.” Usually when there is a disagreement between two people both people are wrong. But frankly, I don’t see where David did anything wrong. As far as I’m concerned, Saul was totally out of line in his behavior toward David. He was wrong when he threw the spear at him. He was wrong when he plotted to have him killed so he could provide a dowry for his daughter’s hand. He was wrong when he sent his goons over to his house to kill him in his own daughter’s bed. He was wrong when he hunted him down like a rabid dog after David fled for his life. Wrong, wrong, wrong—Saul was completely wrong.
But—and this is a big but—Saul was the king. He was God’s anointed. So what should David do? Should David, in the spirit of preserving his own life take matters into his own hand and strike Saul down? His advisors told him to, they said that God had delivered Saul into his hand. Will he preserve his own life by taking the life of his king?
David would not strike the King and do him any harm, even when he would have been justified in doing so, simply because Saul was God’s anointed. Instead of taking matters into his own hands, David chose to trust in Deut. 32:35 which says, “ ‘Vengeance is Mine, and retribution, In due time their foot will slip; For the day of their calamity is near, And the impending things are hastening upon them.’ ” The prophet Nahum would later write, “A jealous and avenging God is the Lord; The Lord is avenging and wrathful. The Lord takes vengeance on His adversaries, And He reserves wrath for His enemies.” (Nahum 1:2 NASB) David understood that God would take vengeance on his behalf. David chose to trust in God to take care of him while he remained beyond reproach.
Jim L. Wilson, Fresh Start Devotionals (Fresno, CA: Willow City Press, 2009).
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