{"id":6535,"date":"2023-06-04T00:01:25","date_gmt":"2023-06-04T07:01:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/?p=6535"},"modified":"2026-02-26T15:16:48","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T23:16:48","slug":"1-samuel-269-11-but-david-said-to-abishai-do-not-destroy-him-for-who-can-stretch-out-his-hand-against-the-lords-anointed-and-be-guiltless-david-said-furthermore-as-the-lord-li","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/?p=6535","title":{"rendered":"1 Samuel 26:9\u201311: “But David said to Abishai, ‘Do not destroy him; for who can stretch out his hand against the Lord’s anointed, and be guiltless?’ David said furthermore, ‘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.'”"},"content":{"rendered":"

In chapter 24, David was conscience-smitten because he had cut off a portion of King Saul’s robe. While David handled that incident with Saul correctly, in the very next chapter he failed to apply the same principles to his dealings with Nabal. Were it not for Nabal’s wife, Abigail, David would have taken matters into his own hands, rather than leaving vengeance to God alone. Here in this chapter we find David again in very similar circumstance, as God gives him another chance to do it right<\/em>, and that is exactly what David does. David expresses eloquently that judgment belongs to the Lord, not to David, either directly or indirectly. We are told in Romans:<\/p>\n

\n

Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.\u00a0If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, \u201cVengeance is Mine, I will repay,\u201d says the Lord. (Rom. 12:17\u201319)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

David came to understand that the sovereign God would decide when, where, and how Saul would perish, not David.<\/p>\n

There is an ancient Aesop’s fable that reminds us to be careful of becoming enslaved to revenge. For many years the Horse had the grassy plain entirely to himself. But then a Stag intruded into his domain and shared his pasture. The Horse, desiring to revenge himself on the intruder, asked the Man if he would be willing to help him punish the Stag. The Man replied that if the Horse would receive a bit in his mouth, and agree to carry him, he would contrive effective weapons against the Stag. The Horse consented and allowed the Man to mount him. From that hour, he found that instead of obtaining revenge on the Stag, he had enslaved himself to the service of Man. When we allow the spirit of anger or revenge to consume our hearts, we allow ourselves to become enslaved.<\/p>\n

\u201cLORD, we want to serve You and You only today.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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1 Samuel 26 KJV<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1<\/sup>\u00a0And the Ziphites came unto Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself in the hill of Hachilah,\u00a0which is\u00a0<\/em>before Jeshimon?\u00a02<\/sup>\u00a0Then Saul arose, and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.\u00a03<\/sup>\u00a0And Saul pitched in the hill of Hachilah, which\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>before Jeshimon, by the way. But David abode in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness.\u00a04<\/sup>\u00a0David therefore sent out spies, and understood that Saul was come in very deed. 5<\/sup>\u00a0And David arose, and came to the place where Saul had pitched: and David beheld the place where Saul lay, and Abner the son of Ner, the captain of his host: and Saul lay in the trench, and the people pitched round about him.\u00a0 6<\/sup>\u00a0Then answered David and said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, brother to Joab, saying, Who will go down with me to Saul to the camp? And Abishai said, I will go down with thee.\u00a07<\/sup>\u00a0So David and Abishai came to the people by night: and, behold, Saul lay sleeping within the trench, and his spear stuck in the ground at his bolster: but Abner and the people lay round about him.\u00a08<\/sup>\u00a0Then said Abishai to David, God hath delivered thine enemy into thine hand this day: now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear even to the earth at once, and I will not\u00a0smite\u00a0<\/em>him the second time.\u00a0\u00a09<\/sup>\u00a0And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not: for who can stretch forth his hand against the\u00a0LORD\u2019S\u00a0anointed, and be guiltless?\u00a010<\/sup>\u00a0David said furthermore,\u00a0As\u00a0<\/em>the\u00a0LORD\u00a0liveth, the\u00a0LORD\u00a0shall smite him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall descend into battle, and perish.\u00a011<\/sup>\u00a0The\u00a0LORDforbid that I should stretch forth mine hand against the\u00a0LORD\u2019S\u00a0anointed: but, I pray thee, take thou now the spear that\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>at his bolster, and the cruse of water, and let us go.\u00a012<\/sup>\u00a0So David took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul\u2019s bolster; and they gat them away, and no man saw\u00a0it\u00a0<\/em>, nor knew\u00a0it\u00a0<\/em>, neither awaked: for they\u00a0were\u00a0<\/em>all asleep; because a deep sleep from the\u00a0LORD\u00a0was fallen upon them. 13<\/sup> Then David went over to the other side, and stood on the top of an hill afar off; a great space\u00a0being\u00a0<\/em>between them:\u00a014<\/sup>\u00a0And David cried to the people, and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, Answerest thou not, Abner? Then Abner answered and said, Who\u00a0art\u00a0<\/em>thou\u00a0that\u00a0<\/em>criest to the king?\u00a015<\/sup>\u00a0And David said to Abner,\u00a0Art\u00a0<\/em>not thou a\u00a0valiant\u00a0<\/em>man? and who\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>like to thee in Israel? wherefore then hast thou not kept thy lord the king? for there came one of the people in to destroy the king thy lord.\u00a016<\/sup>This thing\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>not good that thou hast done.\u00a0As\u00a0<\/em>the\u00a0LORD\u00a0liveth, ye\u00a0are\u00a0<\/em>worthy to die, because ye have not kept your master, the\u00a0LORD\u2019S\u00a0anointed. And now see where the king\u2019s spear\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>, and the cruse of water that\u00a0was\u00a0<\/em>at his bolster.\u00a0 17<\/sup>\u00a0And Saul knew David\u2019s voice, and said,\u00a0Is\u00a0<\/em>this thy voice, my son David? And David said,\u00a0It is\u00a0<\/em>my voice, my lord, O king.\u00a018<\/sup>\u00a0And he said, Wherefore doth my lord thus pursue after his servant? for what have I done? or what evil\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>in mine hand?\u00a019<\/sup>\u00a0Now therefore, I pray thee, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If the\u00a0LORD\u00a0have stirred thee up against me, let him accept an offering: but if\u00a0they be\u00a0<\/em>the children of men, cursed\u00a0be\u00a0<\/em>they before the\u00a0LORD; for they have driven me out this day from abiding in the inheritance of the\u00a0LORD, saying, Go, serve other gods.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a020<\/sup>\u00a0Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth before the face of the\u00a0LORD: for the king of Israel is come out to seek a flea, as when one doth hunt a partridge in the mountains. 21<\/sup>\u00a0Then said Saul, I have sinned: return, my son David: for I will no more do thee harm, because my soul was precious in thine eyes this day: behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly.\u00a022<\/sup>\u00a0And David answered and said, Behold the king\u2019s spear! and let one of the young men come over and fetch it.\u00a023<\/sup>\u00a0The\u00a0LORD\u00a0render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness: for the\u00a0LORD\u00a0delivered thee into\u00a0my\u00a0<\/em>hand to day, but I would not stretch forth mine hand against the\u00a0LORD\u2019Sanointed.\u00a024<\/sup>\u00a0And, behold, as thy life was much set by this day in mine eyes, so let my life be much set by in the eyes of the\u00a0LORD, and let him deliver me out of all tribulation.\u00a025<\/sup>\u00a0Then Saul said to David, Blessed\u00a0be\u00a0<\/em>thou, my son David: thou shalt both do great\u00a0things\u00a0<\/em>, and also shalt still prevail. So David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In chapter 24, David was conscience-smitten because he had cut off a portion of King Saul’s robe. While David handled that incident with Saul correctly, in the very next chapter he failed to apply the same principles to his dealings with Nabal. Were it not for Nabal’s wife, Abigail, David would have taken matters into […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6535"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6535"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6535\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16180,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6535\/revisions\/16180"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}