DAVID REFRAINS FROM KILLING SAUL Saul kept chasing David, despite having once fallen in his hands, and despite the covenant he made with him (1 Samuel 24); David kept forgiving him, leaving the matter in God’s hand. David was more and more glorified, when he forbade Abishai to stretch his hand against Saul; when he reproached Abner the commander of Saul’s army, for not guarding his master’s life; when he returned Saul’s spear and jug of water to him; and when finally with humility he said to him: “The king of Israel has come out to seek a flea” (1 Samuel 26: 20). 1- David refuses to kill Saul 1 – 12. 2- David rebukes Abner 13-16. 3- David admonishes Saul 17 – 20. 4-Saul collapses before David 21- 25. 1- DAVID REFUSES TO KILL SAUL For the second time, the Ziphites came to Saul to betray David, who was hiding in the hill of Hashilah which is opposite Jeshimon. Some scholars claim that the episode mentioned here, is a repetition of the same one previously mentioned in Chapter 24; Yet, as we said in the introduction to the book, despite the similarities in certain aspects in the two episodes, there is an obvious difference in the details. For the second time, the Ziphites betrayed David. Saul set forth to the wilderness of Ziph, forgetting the kindness that David offered him, as he fell in his hand and David spared his life. He forgot how he got smaller in his own eyes before David’s kindness and humility, and how he cried out and wept, asking David to make a covenant with him. Now, his wicked heart drew him as usual to treason; something that David found it difficult to believe, because of the covenant they made in the same wilderness of Ziph. David did not escape from the wilderness, but sent out spies to make sure that Saul actually did come (1 Samuel 26: 4). When David knew for sure that Saul had broken the covenant and came with his men to seek him, he did not panic, but with an extraordinary courage, he took with him Abishai the son of Zeruiah and Achimelech the Hittite, and headed to where Saul encamped, to see him sleeping on a hill behind a sill of stones, surrounded by all his men who were likewise overcome by their human weakness, to stay on watch over their master. Abishai was the son of Zeruiah, David’s sister from his mother; as it seems that Jesse’s wife was previously the wife of Nahash king of the Ammonites (2 Samuel 17: 25), who begot for him Zeruiah and Abigail, before Jesse got married to her to give him David and his brothers1. The word ‘Abishai’ means (The father, or the source of gift) 2. “God has delivered your enemy into your hand this day. Now therefore, please, let me strike him at once with the spear, right to the earth, and I will not have to strike him a second time” (1 Samuel 26: 8) So Abishai said to David, assuming that the sleepiness that had befallen on Saul and his men, was not something natural, or out of physical need, but was according to a divine will, to deliver Saul into David’s hand to kill him. As for David, . 1 كتاب السنن القويم في تفسير أسفار العهد القديم، ، ص 122 2 Westminster Dict. Of the Bible, p. 6. 2 he again refused to stretch out his hand against the Lord’s anointed, though he broke the covenant, was filled with envy and hate, and was seeking his blood. He, likewise forbade Abishai from stretching out his hand against Saul, saying to him: “As the Lord lives, the Lord shall strike him, or his day shall come to die, or he shall go out to battle and perish. The Lord forbid that I should stretch out my hand against the Lord’s anointed. But please, take now the spear and the jug of water that are by his head, and let us go” (1 Samuel 26: 10, 11) David succeeded in confronting Saul’s animosity with kindness; and it so occurred that Saul, eventually died, but not by David’s hand. David enjoyed a soul spacious with love, to become a living example of love. St. Gregory says: [The Holy Book teaches us that Noah was righteous, Abraham was faithful, Moses was meek, Daniel was wise, Joseph was pure, Job was blameless, and David had a spacious soul1]. David succeeded to keep himself from being angry with Saul, but directed his anger against the devil who incites troubles. And as St. John Chrysostom says: [Although Saul fell again into David’s hands, David did not act motivated by anger; He did not cast a spear against him; but his revenge was against the devil2]. St. Ephram the Syrian says: [I wish man shows mercy toward his persecutors, as David did with Saul3]. St. Ambrose believes that David’s response was a great act of a faithful sacrifice; In his view righteousness is better than security. [Anyway, he did not give his security the priority over his righteousness. Even, when he got another chance to kill the king, he did not use it to gain security in place of fear; nor to get the kingdom instead of exile]. St. Jerome speaks about Saul’s persistence on chasing David to get rid of him, and about David’s persistence on long-suffering, saying: [“Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard its spots? “ (Jeremiah 13: 23)... That was also said by David in his seventh psalm; namely that as the Ethiopian cannot change his skin, so Saul also could not change his nature. {He fell twice into my hand, and I could have killed him and shed his blood; but I wanted to overcome his evil with kindness; Yet his wicked will prevailed as the Ethiopian can not change his skin]. Finally, what does David say? “O Lord my God, If I have done this; If there is iniquity in my hand (Psalm 7: 4); If I have repaid my friend with evil...”; Notice what he says: I have repaid evil with good, while Saul repaid good with evil4]. David’s heart was open and spacious to bear Saul’s animosity with longsuffering, to be supported by God; It is said: “So David took the spear and the jug of water by Saul’s head, and they got away; and no man saw it or knew it or awoke; for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen on them” (1 Samuel 26: 12) 2- DAVID REBUKES ABNER Then David went over to the other side, and stood on the top of a hill afar off; a great distance being between them, as he trusted him no more. From there he called out to Abner, the commander of the army and the personal guard of Saul, politely rebuking him, saying: “Don’t you answer Abner?” (1 Samuel 26: 24); as though he is saying to him “Are you still sleeping?”.As it was dawn, Abner was troubled, that 1 PG 45: 1017 D. 2 In Acts hom 17. 3 Hymns on the Nativity 1. 4 On Ps. Hom 3. 3 someone dared to disturb the king by his loud voice, and to address him so boldly; so he asked him: “Who are you, calling out the king? “ (1 Samuel 26: 24). David did not expect to find Abner sleeping at such time, without assigning some guards to watch over the sleeping king; That is why he talked to him sarcastically, as though he was not man enough, and was worthy to die; saying: “Are you not a man? And who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not guarded your Lord the King? For one of the people came in to destroy your Lord the king. This thing that you have done is not good. As the Lord God lives, you are worthy to die, because you have not guarded your master, the Lord’s anointed. And now see where the king’s spear is, and the jug of water that was by his head”(1 Samuel 26: 15, 16). Abner could not answer David, but Saul recognized his voice. 3- DAVID ADMONISHES SAUL Saul was very impressed by David’s action; but for a very short time as usual; That is why, when Saul said to him: “I have sinned. Return my son David. For I will harm you no more, because my life was precious in your eyes this day” (1 Samuel 26: 21). David did not believe him, but went on his way, and Saul returned to his place (1 Samuel 26: 25). When Saul said, “Is this your voice, my son David? “ (1 Samuel 26: 7), David politely rebuked him, saying: “It is my voice my Lord, O king, Why does my Lord thus pursue his servant? For what have I done, or what evil is in my hand? Now therefore, please, let my Lord the king hear the words of his servant. If the Lord has stirred you up against me, let Him accept an offering; but if it is the children of men, may they be cursed before the Lord, for they have driven me out this day from abiding in the inheritance of the Lord, saying, ‘Go serve other gods’. Now therefore, do not let my blood fall to the earth before the face of the Lord. For the king of Israel has come out to seek a flea, as when one hunts a partridge in the mountains”(1 Samuel 26: 17 - 20) This response reveals the pure depths of David’s heart, from several sides, of which: a- The persistent persecution of Saul, did not affect David’s humility before him; He kept calling him: “My Lord, O King”; while calling himself: “A flea”... The victorious conqueror calls himself “ a flea”; while calling the falling and defeated, “My Lord”. David’s humility was the secret of his strength! Success made him more humble; and humility granted him more success! He likened Saul’s chase after him to a hunter doing his best in the mountains to catch a partridge (a small bird). b- David was able to say with courage: “What evil is in my hand? “... I wish we do not fall to evil so as to be able to talk courageously with the spirit of conquest; as evil normally deprives man of courage. c- David presented Saul with two probabilities: The first, that God allowed Saul to be stirred against him, as a chastisement for sins David committed and for which he was ready to offer a sin offering, confessing his weaknesses and iniquities; and the second probability was that some people stirred Saul against David for which they deserved to be cursed before the Lord. d- By saying “They have driven me out this day from abiding in the inheritance of the Lord, saying: ‘Go serve other gods’ “, he revealed the inner bitterness of his soul, because of his deprivation of sharing with his people in prayer, 4 praise, and all the worshipping rituals. Those who stirred Saul against him, intended to deny him the fellowship of the holy congregation; as though they were asking him to join other heathen people who worship foreign gods. e- David had faith in God’s justice, who hears the hidden inner cry-outs saying: “Do not let my blood fall to the earth before the Lord”. If he was to be killed, his blood would cry out before the Lord, like that of the righteous Abel (Genesis 4: 10). 4- SAUL COLLAPSES BEFORE DAVID Saul collapsed before David saying: “I have sinned; Return my son David, for I will harm you no more, because my life was precious in your eyes this day. Indeed I have played the fool and erred exceedingly” (1 Samuel 26: 21) Saul got very small in his own eyes; He gave his daughter Michel, David’s wife, to someone else; and persisted on chasing him to kill him; while David repaid him with good. This made Saul so ashamed of himself, that he kept on saying: “My son David”, realizing that the latter is gaining through his behavior, grace and success; so he said to him: “May you be blessed, my son David! You shall both do great things and also still prevail”(1 Samuel 26: 25) David sent back the king’s spear, that represented his symbol of kingdom; and Saul received it with the spirit of humiliation and submission.
Welcome