Join us as we reflect on the powerful lessons from 1 Samuel 26, where David’s choice to spare Saul highlights his understanding of God’s sovereignty. This story not only captures a moment of tension and potential violence but also serves as a profound commentary on faith and character. Through personal anecdotes and scripture study, we encourage listeners to consider the implications of trusting God’s plan over their own impulses.
Welcome to Add Bible, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. We join Allen J. Huth as he shares Bible passages and comments from over 30 years of his personal Bible reading journals.
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Today brings us to 1 Samuel chapter 26. Again, we will listen to all 25 verses from Faith Comes by Hearing.
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1 Samuel 26 Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, Is not David hiding himself on the hill of Hekilah, which is on the east of Jeshimon? So Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, with three thousand chosen men of Israel, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul encamped on the hill of Hekilah, which is beside the road on the east of Jeshimon. But David remained in the wilderness. When he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness, David sent out spies and learned that Saul had come. Then David rose and came to the place where Saul had encamped. And David saw the place where Saul lay, with Abner the son of Ner, the commander of his army. Saul was lying within the encampment while the army was encamped around him. Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite and to Joab’s brother Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, Who will go down with me into the camp to Saul?
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And Abishai said, I will go down with you.
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So David and Abishai went to the army by night, and there lay Saul sleeping within the encampment, with his spear stuck in the ground at his head, and Abner and the army lay around him. Then said Abishai to David,
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God has given your enemy into your hand this day. Now please let me pin him to the earth with one stroke of the spear and I will not strike him twice.
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But David said to Abishai, Do not destroy him, for who can put out his hand against the Lord’s anointed and be guiltless? And David said, As the Lord lives, the Lord will strike him, or his day will come to die, or he will go down into battle and perish. The Lord forbid that I should put out my hand against the Lord’s anointed. But take now the spear that is at his head and the jar of water, and let us go.
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So David took the spear and the jar of water from Saul’s head, and they went away. No man saw it or knew it, nor did any awake, for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen upon them. Then David went over to the other side and stood far off on the top of the hill, with a great space between them. And David called to the army and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, Will you not answer, Abner? Then Abner answered, Who are you who calls to the king?
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And David said to Abner, Are you not a man? Who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not kept watch over your lord the king? For one of the people came in to destroy the king your lord. This thing that you have done is not good. As the Lord lives, you deserve to die because you have not kept watch over your Lord, the Lord’s anointed. And now see where the king’s spear is and the jar of water that was at his head.
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Saul recognized David’s voice and said,
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Is this your voice, my son David? And David said, It is my voice, my lord, O king.
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And he said, Why does my lord pursue after his servant? For what have I done? What evil is on my hands? Now therefore let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If it is the Lord who has stirred you up against me, may he accept an offering. But if it is men, may they be cursed before the Lord. For they have driven me out this day that I should have no share in the heritage of the Lord, saying, Go serve other gods. Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth away from the presence of the Lord, for the king of Israel has come out to seek a single flea, like one who hunts a partridge in the mountains.
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Then Saul said, I have sinned. Return, my son David, for I will no more do you harm because my life was precious in your eyes this day. Behold, I have acted foolishly and have made a great mistake. And David answered and said,
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Here is the spear, O king. Let one of the young men come over and take it. The Lord rewards every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness. For the Lord gave you into my hand today, and I would not put out my hand against the Lord’s anointed. Behold, as your life was precious this day in my sight, so may my life be precious in the sight of the Lord, and may he deliver me out of all tribulation.”
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Then Saul said to David, Blessed be you, my son David. You will do many things and will succeed in them.
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So David went his way, and Saul returned to his place.
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In 1983, still in Minnesota at that family reunion, I read 1 Samuel 26 and had one of those famous one-liners in this journal, David Spares Saul Again. In 2002, on the day I should have read 1 Samuel 26, it was a Saturday. And then, and often and still in my life, I go to Gideon prayer breakfast on Saturday morning. where we do always read a chapter of Scripture. So I did not read 1 Samuel 26 on Saturday, because I did go to my prayer breakfast, and I wrote this in my journal, Gideon Prayer Breakfast, and reading 1 Timothy 6. And I wrote my first prayer breakfast in a while, been going to Colorado Springs a lot, and last one for several weeks, because I leave for Thailand on Wednesday. So I know sometimes Christians have a tendency to take weekends off from their daily Bible reading. And I had a friend of mine once tell me, if you take Saturday and Sunday off from Bible reading, that’s over 100 days a year. So though back in 2002 I didn’t read from my normal daily Bible reading, I did get my daily dose of Scripture from 1 Timothy 6 at the Gideon Prayer Breakfast. But in my later days, like now, I do both. I read on my own before I go to prayer breakfast, even on Saturdays. The next day, when I did read 1 Samuel 26, I wrote in my journal, again, David has the chance to kill Saul and doesn’t do it. He understood sovereignty. Chapter 26, verses 10 through 12 say, 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. And then I quoted the next verse, for they were all asleep because a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen on them. And I wrote, why didn’t they wake up and kill David? God’s protection, even when we do not see it or understand it. Some of these scenes are made from movies, aren’t they? Can you imagine David sneaking into the camp, getting right through all the enemy lines, and going right up to Saul, who’s probably laying on the ground asleep with his spear? He gets that close, and nobody wakes up and takes him out. And he grabs the spear and the jug of water, and they walk off. Wouldn’t that be a fun Hollywood scene? And again, it’s only possible because of the Lord. Verse 12, In 2007, I wrote, Saul’s word is no good. He told David he would let him live, but he constantly pursues him to kill him. Saul can’t be trusted. Yet David has several opportunities to kill Saul, but doesn’t do it. He respects God’s sovereignty. What molding of character to be under God’s sovereignty rather than the circumstances. I hope as we’re listening to these AdBible podcasts that you’re gaining faith. You see how God intervenes in lives, how God is above my circumstances. And if I put my trust in Him, everything will turn out all right. Though it’s so tempting to take matters into my own hands, from these chapters we should learn that we don’t have to do that if we believe in the sovereignty of God. I don’t know what you’re facing today, but let’s depend on the sovereignty of God rather than taking matters into our own hands. Father, help me to do that today. Help me to see through your eyes, not my own, and depend on you. I trust you. In Jesus’ name, amen. Thanks for listening to AdBible today. You know, sometimes we need a plumb line, a true north, a solid basis of truth to live life. We’re not going to find it in the media or in social media or Google or your friends, but it is available right at your fingertips. Pilate asked Jesus in John 18, 38, what is truth? The chapter before, Jesus had answered the question in his prayer to God for his disciples. In the 17th verse, Jesus pleads with the Father, Sanctify them in the truth. Thy word is truth. So what would it be like if everyone, everywhere, read the Bible every day? Wow, it might be heaven on earth. What would it be like if every Christian read the Bible every day? Would we be better ambassadors for Christ? What would it be like if everyone in your community read the Bible every day? Would we have greater impact in our communities? And what would it be like if you personally read the Bible every day? Could you use a closer walk with Jesus? Could you use a light unto your path and a lamp unto your feet to walk through this life? Could you use a spiritual power surge in your life? Matthew 22, 29, Jesus speaking to the Sadducees said, You are mistaken not understanding the Scriptures or the power of God. Yes, the Scriptures can give us power to live this life. So I’m going to give you three easy action steps to make the Bible worth your time each and every day. Number one, commit to daily Bible readings. Commit to seek God and His Word daily, every day. And if you miss a day, start again the next day. Change your belief about God’s Word to behavior in God’s Word. Use any of our Ezra Project resources to help you. Visit EzraProject.net to get an Ezra Project Bible reading journal or one of our day-by-day through the Bible books. Commit today and visit EzraProject.net for easy-to-use resources for your daily time in God’s Word. Number two, be intentional. Decide what you want out of your Bible readings. I got to visit the headquarters of Back to the Bible once in Lincoln, Nebraska. And in one hallway down one side, they had scribbled all the reasons people say they don’t read the Bible. On the other side were all the reasons people do read the Bible. And I want to give you some of those to encourage you. On that wall, it said, God wants me to. Yes, God wants you to read the Bible. Do you want to meet with him daily? Because he’ll meet with you every day through his word. Number two, it changes me. Where could you be in one year with more Bible reading in your life? Number three, it improves my outlook on life. Yeah, turn out the bad news and saturate yourself with good news from the Word of God. Number four, it keeps me grounded. Yes, when the storms of life come, and they will, can you stand? Yes, you’ll stand better and more solid because you’re in the Word of God. Next, it keeps my heart soft. Yeah, Nehemiah 8, when people heard the word, they wept and they worshipped. You will do the same as the word softens your heart. Lastly, on the wall it said, it keeps my daily focus on God. Yeah, that’s a great reason to read the Bible. You’ll gain the spiritual power to live life in our secular world. And then thirdly and lastly, feed your soul. Let God minister to your soul. Hebrews 4.12 says the Word of God pierces between your soul and your spirit, between joints and marrow, and is the discerner of the thoughts and intents of your heart. Nothing else goes that deep. I don’t know where the place is between my soul and my spirit, but I want to put the Word of God there each and every day of my life. I hope you do too. God bless you as you spend time in God’s Word.
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I know you’re going to enjoy it and want to share it with others.
