Two chapters ago Saul's conscience was bothering him about the way he treated David. But he's over that now and back to his old tricks. When the people of Ziph reveal David's location to him, he goes after him again hoping to capture and kill him.
"The Ziphites went to Saul at Gibeah and said, 'Is not David hiding on the hill of Hakilah, which faces Jeshimon?'" (1 Samuel 26:1) The Ziphites betrayed David's location to Saul on a previous occasion, in Chapter 23, even though both they and David are of the tribe of Judah.
"So Saul went down to the Desert of Ziph, with his three thousand select Israelite troops, to search there for David. Saul made his camp beside the road on the hill of Hakilah facing Jeshimon, but David stayed in the wilderness. When he saw that Saul had followed him there, he sent out scouts and learned that Saul had definitely arrived." (1 Samuel 26:2-4) These three thousand men are an elite force, the best of the best of all the soldiers of Israel in Saul's opinion. This proves to us just how much Saul wants David dead, that he would bring out his most highly trained soldiers to capture a man who only has six hundred men with him, many of whom were not originally what we'd call "career army men" but who had been farmers, shepherds, and tradesmen in their previous occupations.
David is dismayed when he hears Saul is on the hunt for him again. I think he is reluctant to believe it at first. He's been hoping that Saul's repentance in Chapter 24 was genuine and that he has come out to the Desert of Ziph for some other purpose. But David's spies confirm that the rumor he's heard about Saul is true. They ferret out Saul's current location and probably sneak up and listen to the conversations between the soldiers. I wouldn't be at all surprised to learn that Saul has offered a great reward to the man or men who manage to take David into custody and, if that's the case, it would be natural for the soldiers to be discussing this among themselves just as they did when a great reward was promised to whoever who could kill Goliath. After learning that Saul and three thousand men are indeed camped nearby and that their intention is to capture and kill David, the spies return and report this upsetting news to David.
"Then David set out and went to the place where Saul had camped. He saw where Saul and Abner son of Ner, the commander of the army, had lain down. Saul was lying inside the camp, with the army encamped around him." (1 Samuel 26:5) David sneaks down to the camp during the night to observe the layout of the camp and to spot Saul's position in the camp. As would be expected, the king is lying in the most protected place, encircled by his troops.
After getting a good look at how everything is set up, and after committing this to memory, David returns to his men and asks for a volunteer to accompany him into the midst of the camp. "David then asked Ahimelek the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, 'Who will go down into the camp with me to Saul?' 'I'll go with you,' said Abishai." (1 Samuel 26:6) We aren't told why a Hittite is among the supporters of David but perhaps he is a convert to the God of Israel and has joined up with the man God has chosen to be the next king. Ahimelek's faith isn't quite strong enough to go down into Saul's camp, however. Another bit of information we haven't yet been given is that Abishai and his brothers Joab and Asahel are David's nephews, being the sons of David's sister Zeruiah. This part of the family tree is explained in 1 Chronicles 2:13-17 where David's brothers and sisters are listed by name. Although nothing has been said to us about Joab so far, when the author penned the words of 1 Samuel 26:6 he knew his readers would immediately recognize the name. Joab is going to feature very prominently in the story of David's life.
"So David and Abishai went to the army by night, and there was Saul, lying asleep inside the camp with his spear stuck in the ground near his head. Abner and the soldiers were lying around him." (1 Samuel 26:7) Saul's men don't exactly seem like an elite group of soldiers at the moment; they sleep right through everything that happens in our passage today. Why does no one stir? "Because the Lord had put them into a deep sleep," is what we'll be told in verse 12. If the Lord had not put them into this supernatural slumber, we can be certain that men would have been standing guard and on the alert for even the slightest sound. David and Abishai would have quickly found themselves in the dire situation of having three thousand spears pointed at them, plus the spear of the king.
But since the Lord intervened, David has the upper hand. Abishai thinks he and David should take advantage of this happy turn of events. "Abishai said to David, 'Today God has delivered your enemy into your hands. Now let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of the spear; I won't strike him twice.'" (1 Samuel 26:8) He says, "Let me at him! Give me just one shot at ending his miserable, wicked life. I've never been more motivated to kill a man; you can bet it won't take me two tries!"
Abishai is of the people of the Lord, yet he wouldn't hesitate for a second to kill Saul if he were in David's shoes. He won't hesitate to strike Saul on David's behalf if David will only give permission. Pretty much any man, other than David, would have taken this opportunity to rid himself of his mortal enemy. It's a natural human response under these conditions to think, "King Saul wants me dead and will stop at nothing to see me dead. But now the Lord has placed him and his men into a deep sleep. The Lord has set the scene for me to commit an act that is really an act of self-defense even though Saul isn't pointing a weapon at me right now, because if I don't kill Saul he will kill me." But David knows Saul won't kill him. He can't kill him because the Lord has promised that someday David will be king. David can't reign as king if he's dead; therefore, he is safe from Saul because the Lord will keep him safe from Saul. Knowing the Lord won't allow Saul to take his life, David doesn't take Saul's life either. "But David said to Abishai, 'Don't destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the Lord's anointed and be guiltless? As surely as the Lord lives,' he said, 'the Lord Himself will strike him, or his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. But the Lord forbid that I should lay a hand on the Lord's anointed. Now get the spear and water jug that are near his head, and let's go.'" (1 Samuel 26:9-11)
There's nothing David can find in Saul's character to admire but he respects the office Saul holds, for it will someday be the office David himself holds. He also respects the Lord too much to turn his hand against a man who was once anointed as king upon instructions of the Lord. He says to his nephew Abishai, "No, let's leave this up to God. The Lord Himself will either strike him dead or He will allow Saul to perish from natural causes or He will allow a sword or an arrow to slay him in battle. But the blood of the king will not be upon my hands and his death will not be upon my conscience. No one will ever be able to say I assassinated Saul in order to take the throne from him. It will be apparent to the whole nation that Saul's downfall and my promotion to the office of king are the Lord's will, not merely man's will."
David sets a wonderful example of faith for his nephew and for us as well. He has taken to heart the Lord's promise to avenge those who are His. (Deuteronomy 32:35, Romans 12:17-19) The Lord will not break that promise anymore than He broke the promise to David that he would be king. We can place all our confidence in the Lord's ability to handle our enemies for us.
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