David:The Shepherd King, #7
Vengeance Is The Lord's
1 Samuel 24:1-22
By Dave Redick
Hwy 20 Church of Christ, Sweet Home, OR

Don't expect people to stand and applaud when you show the kind of spiritual sensitivity David had here. They will more than likely challenge you and think you are being ridiculous. "Hey, David, don't you think you're carrying this God thing a bit too far? No one could possibly object to your killing Saul after all you've been through! Don't be ridiculous!" That is what many people will say when you follow the Scripture and refuse to take vengeance on an enemy. If that is a problem for you, then you need to stop right here and settle the issue of just who you are going to live for, God or men.

Introduction

In a recent issue of READER'S DIGEST, Janey Walser wrote these words:

I once worked in a grocery store and often assisted elderly people when they came in. One woman shopped nearly every day, asking for just a few items each time. After a month, she said to me, "I suppose you wonder why I'm here so often. You see, I live with my nephew. I can't stand him, and I am not going to die and leave him with a refrigerator full of food.

Great attitude, wouldn't you say?

UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL carried the following story on it's news service a few years ago:

FORT WORTH, TEXAS - Bill Miller decided a train was taking altogether too long to cross a street as he waited 15 minutes in a line of traffic. So, after the train passed, he drove his pickup truck onto the track, locked the doors and walked the rest of the way to work. Cars could get by, but trains could not. A crewman from a halted freight train telephoned police and complained the truck was blocking their path. Police traced Miller through the pickup's license number and convinced him to move his truck after the train had to wait 20 minutes. Police declined to give Miller a ticket.

Don't just get mad, get even! Apparently even the Fort Worth police saw nothing wrong with that.

In the publication, LA LIBERTE, a similar story was recounted:

Passersby called police when they saw a man drive his new automobile into the fenders of a parked car. He explained that both cars belonged to him - that he was having revenge on the old car for giving him so much trouble.

Ah, sweet vengeance! It benefits its owner so much!

One more story, told in a little paper called THE BIBLE FRIEND:

A college professor answered his telephone at 3:00 A.M. "This is your neighbor, Mr. Smith," said the voice. "Your dog is barking and keeping me awake." The professor thanked him kindly and hung up. The next morning Mr. Smith's telephone rang at exactly 3 A.M. "This is the professor," said the caller. "I just wanted you to know that I don't have a dog!"

What these stories have in common, of course is that they all involve vengeance - getting mad and getting even - something that is as natural as breathing for the majority of the human race. What does the Bible say about that? Let me show you. Please turn with me to Romans 12:17-21.

(Read it)

Have you ever been hurt very badly by someone and fought the urge to go over and even things up? If you have, then you have walked a path that many others have walked before you, including David, the soon-to-be king of Israel, whose life we have been studying from First and Second Samuel. If ever there were a case that could be made for taking vengeance, it is in the passage we are going to look at this morning. Please turn to I Samuel 24.

BACKGROUND

We left David last time in the Cave of Adullum, discouraged, defeated, pouring out his heart in song, chased there by Saul. He had lost all his worldly possessions and was desperately crying out to God in prayer.

It wasn't long before God sent him some companionship. I Samuel 22:1 says, "...and when his brothers and all his father's household heard of it, they went down there to him." Others soon joined also. The next verse records: "And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented, gathered to him; and he became captain over them. Now there were about four hundred men with him."

David was able to discipline that rag-tag group of misfits into a small army that would ultimately come to be known as "David's Mighty Men."

David left the cave of Adullum upon word from the prophet Gad that he would no longer be safe there. He left his parents with the king of Moab, and he and his men went and hid out in the forests of Judah. While there they rode down in Robin Hood like fashion and rescued the little Judean village of Keilah from the raiding Philistines. After the battle was over, David thought he might be able to take refuge in that city because of the good deed he had done, but soon God let David know that the Keilites would turn him over to Saul if he stayed. He and his men were forced flee again, this time into the hill country of Ziph. I Samuel 23:14 says, "And Saul sought him every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand." David had little rest from the pursuit of Saul. Day after day he was on the run.

When the Ziphites heard where David was staying, they passed word to Saul and David had a very close call. I Samuel 23:26 says, "And Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain; and David was hurrying to get away from Saul, for Saul and his men were surrounding David and his men to seize him."

Had not God intervened at that point you and I wouldn't be reading this story because David would have been dead. But Saul suddenly got word that the Philistines were attacking another Israelite city and he and his men were forced to break off the pursuit.

Now, it is important for you to remember that David had done nothing to deserve this trouble, and by now he has had quite a belly full of Saul's insane jealousy. If it was vengeance he wanted, he soon would get his chance.

(Read 24:1)

Engedi was hill county. Hot, dry, parched by the sun, it was not a comfortable place to camp out. The burning desert sun beating down on the heads of the fugitive army was the kind of thing that wears on men. Tempers would be short.

The particular area where David was hidden was a series of hillsides honeycombed by natural caves. In the heat of the day it would be natural to take refuge in one of these.

(Read v. 2)

This "Rocks of the Wild Goats" was a place with a natural spring where men could cool off and rest. Saul, knowing David's shepherd instincts, had a hunch this might be where David would go.

(Read v. 3a)

Saul went into the cave to go to the bathroom.

(Read v. 3b)

Ringed around the perimeter of the inside of the cave are David and his men hiding and trying to stay cool, and suddenly, in walks Saul - alone!

Now consider David. He's hot, tired, frustrated, short tempered, and falsely accused. His men are equally so. And suddenly, in walks the one whose insane paranoia is the cause of it all!

(Read v. 4a,b) (with a whisper)

"David, God has delivered your enemy right into your hands just as He said He would! Kill him! This is your chance! Your time to become king has come!"

At this point you need to know that there is nothing recorded in First or Second Samuel where God said he was going to give Saul into David's hand to do to him as he wished. The men manufactured this pious sounding statement. You have to admit, though, it sounded like something God might say.

People are always saying that God has said this or that in order to justify what they want to do. I remember one time a particularly fastidious lady in the church climbing all over a brand new Christian because she wasn't a very good housekeeper, using as her justification for her harsh attack, "Well, we all know that the Bible says, "Cleanliness is next to godliness,'" and "God helps those who help themselves." Does the Bible say that? No! Sure, a lady ought to keep her house clean, but that did not justify this woman's self-righteous attack on a tender new babe in Christ who was just getting her feet under her! We have no right to push our own opinions on another under the pretense that God has said it when He hasn't.

David, a man who was concerned about his relationship with God, drew his sword, but he didn't plunge it into Saul's back.

(Read v. 4c)

He sliced off a portion of the robe, then returned to his place in the shadows. Saul didn't detect a thing.

(Read v. 5-6)

Oh, come on, David! This is the man who has tried for months to kill you! And you're feeling guilty for docking the tail of his robe?

You see, a Godly person will be conscious of the small things he does wrong as well as the large. Why? Because he knows that God looks at the motives and intents of the heart just as much as the actions. David would write for us many years later, in Psalm 51:6: "Behold, Thou dost desire truth in the innermost being..."

Though David only cut off the corner of Saul's robe, he knew that really in his heart of hearts, he could cheerfully cut off his head!

The person who does battle with sin at the level of his thoughts and intents will far less frequently have to do battle with his actions. God wants us to push the line of our battle with sin back into our thought life. Jesus said, "...everyone who looks on a woman to lust for her has committed adultery with her already in his heart." The sin of adultery, then, is prevented by striving to control the thought life, referred to in that verse as the heart. If the battle is being won there, there will be no sin done in the actions.

The same is true with the sin of vengeance. Remember our passage in Romans 12? We are not to take vengeance on an enemy. Instead we are to pray for him, feed him, cloth him, and otherwise do good to him. Why? Because those things allow us to get a grip on our attitudes before they become actions.

In Ephesians 4:31, the Apostle Paul said, "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.." Why? Because those are the sinful attitudes that lead to sinful actions. A person who is really concerned with being godly will struggle at that level, even when those who care nothing of Godliness think it is ridiculous to be concerned for such "trivial" things.

Were David's men impressed by David's spiritual sensitivity? Hardly.

(Read v. 7a)

Those words sound innocent when we read them in English, but in Hebrew they imply a sharp disagreement. If you have the NASV, in the margin it says literally, "tore apart." David's men didn't approve of David sparing Saul's life. It was only David's command that kept them from killing Saul themselves. They didn't like that.

Done expect people to stand and applaud when you show the kind of spiritual sensitivity David had here. They will more than likely challenge you and think you are being ridiculous. "Hey, David, don't you think you're carrying this God thing a bit too far? No one could possibly object to your killing Saul after all you've been through! Don't be ridiculous!" That is what many people will say when you follow the Scripture and refuse to take vengeance on an enemy. If that is a problem for you, then you need to stop right here and settle the issue of just who you are going to live for, God or men.

By the way, something to note in passing, David knew what all of us who are parents ought to be striving to teach our children: A person of God will respect the office of a superior authority for the Lord's sake even when the bearer of the office doesn't deserve it. David did not raise his hand against Saul because Saul was "the Lord's Anointed." Teach your children to salute the uniform even when they find it hard to respect the person wearing it. If you need scripture on that, I suggest you read Romans 13 when you get home.

Let's get back to the story...

(Read v. 7b)

Saul must have looked like a sheared sheep in his now docked robe.

(Read v. 8)

Saul wasn't worthy of that kind of respect, but David knew that God was, so he bowed himself to the ground.

By the way, you may feel that your husband of wife isn't worthy of that kind of respect, but you respect them anyway, because God says to do it.

(Read v. 9-11)

So, does this mean that a person who wrongs us is just allowed to get away with his wrong? No!

(Read v. 12)

Justice demands vengeance! That is why it is so hard for us to restrain ourselves from carrying it out. But personal vengeance belongs to God and God alone. (Please note that I said "personal vengeance." This passage and the one we read earlier in Romans 12 do not extend to the punishment of evildoers that is taken by the civil government or a nation. That is a different matter - one we don't have time to cover here).

"...may the Lord avenge me on you; but my hand shall not be against you..." David says. Personal vengeance belongs to God.

Why? Why are we to restrain ourselves from taking personal vengeance? Do you remember the words of Romans 12? "For in so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

The reason for restraining personal vengeance is the possibility that the wrongdoer will come to his senses and repent! God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Now, is that what happened here? Well, yes, and no.

David continues to assure Saul that he has indeed spared his life and is not against him.

(Read v. 13-15)

The effect on Saul was immediate.

(Read v. 16)

David's mercy toward Saul breached the walls of Saul's hard heart! At least for a time, Saul changed.

(Read v. 17-22a)

So David came back the palace and they lived happily ever after. Right! No.

(Read v. 22b)

David had an insight into human nature that we would do well to recognize. David knew that all sorrow is not Godly sorrow that leads to repentance. He accepted Saul's words, but he did not conclude just yet that Saul's heart was truly changed. There could be forgiveness, but there could not yet be trust.

Paul exposed the issue well when he wrote in II Corinthians 7:9 - "I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance ...for the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death."

Tears of remorse are not the sure sign of a changed heart. Repentance is the sign of a changed heart! Since we cannot see that until it begins to show in the actions, a tear filled confession is not necessarily a sure sign of the end of troubles. It can be, but only if it is the beginning of a new way of life.

Alan Redpath, in his book, THE MAKING OF A MAN OF GOD, said some very pertinent words on this subject.⁽¹⁾

We sometimes see people streaming down the aisle in an evangelistic meeting with tear-stained faces, but what difference does emotion make if it does not lead to obedience? What profit is it that a heart has been stirred, unless from that moment the man lives in submission to the will of God? Indeed, it does make a difference, for if a man is emotionally upset...and awakens to his condition, but only weeps about it and still doesn't obey God, his second state is a thousand times worse than the first. Emotion that does not lead to action only leads deeper into sin and rebellion.

I rejoice when a person comes publicly to confess sin or rebellion just like you do. It is good that it happens. It needs to happen, perhaps to some who are here. But if someone comes forward and, five minutes after the service is closed, all conviction is forgotten, then the person who confessed will be harder in heart than he was before he was stirred! Eventually such a person will become impossible to reach. He or she will be "impossible to renew to repentance" (Hebrews 6:6).

Did Saul suddenly see the error of his ways? Yes, he did. Did he leave David that day determined to do whatever it took to change his way of thinking and living? I am sorry to report that he did not. In just two chapters we will see Saul once again pursuing David in order to kill him. We will even see David spare his life a second time. Saul will repeat his performance of seeing the error of his ways, but it won't stop him.

There are many people who have answered alter calls again and again, but it has never really changed them. That is because, after the confession, they did nothing different. They made no plans for change. They went home and sighed a sigh of relief, saying, "Whew, I'm glad that's behind me. My problem is solved." But they did not change. Don't come forward in a church service unless you really intend to do what it takes to change. To do that may take counsel and help. If you mean business, you will seek that.

Conclusion

We see in this passage the power of mercy. David refrained from vengeance as a godly person should. He extended mercy when his enemy deserved death. I call on every one of you to do that, too. Do good to your enemies. Overcome their evil with your good.

Will that guarantee they will change? No. They are still free moral agents as long as they are in this life. They have the choice to accept or reject God. Well, then, why withhold vengeance, you say? The answer to that is simple: because God says to do it. You may or may not convert your enemy, but you will receive God's favor.

In your refraining from vengeance, don't start only on the level of actions. Push the battle front back into your thoughts and intents. Fight it there. As a godly person, be concerned for the little things, even when others don't understand. Expect that you will be challenged for being too "sensitive." People will tell you that you are too religious - some kind of "Jesus Freak." You just do it anyway because that is what God says you should do...

If you are a person burdened with a load of sin that you need to confess this morning, we want to give you an opportunity to deal with it. You can come and make it known. Understand that you will probably need help beyond your confession, though. The confession is the beginning, not the end of it. We can offer you the help to restructure your life and thoughts so that you don't fall into sin again. If you need that help, you come.....

1. Alan Redpath, THE MAKING OF A MAN OF GOD, Fleming H. Revell Company, p. 99-100. [Back]

Dave Redick is Minister of the Hwy 20 Church of Christ in Sweet Home, Oregon and Editor of The Preacher's Study. He may be reached at pstudysupport@comcast.net.

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All Scripture quotations and references are from the New American Standard Version unless otherwise stated.

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