June 6

1 Samuel 24:4 (NIV)
4 The men said, “This is the day the LORD spoke of when he said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.’ ” Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.

There has been much said about this verse:

1 Samuel 24:10 (NIV)
10 This day you have seen with your own eyes how the LORD delivered you into my hands in the cave. Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, ‘I will not lay my hand on my lord, because he is the LORD’s anointed.’

I would like to draw our attention to what David called Saul – his lord. Yes because Saul was God’s anointed David didn’t kill him when he had the chance but there is more than that here. The Lord surely delivered Saul into David’s hands. David had the choice to get rid of his enemy who is pursuing him all over the land, who has killed the priests of God and who knows how many others to find David, but he CHOSE not to. Many have used this verse, and I think properly, to say that we shouldn’t mess with the Lord’s anointed. As I read this today I see that David still thought of Saul as his lord, his king and he was subservient to him. As much as it was about not killing “the Lord’s anointed”, it was about not killing his commander, his king and Jonathan’s dad. He dealt with him how he wished, he proved that he had no hatred or angst against him, but good will. He took a big risk in coming out of the cave and talking to him because if Saul wanted to attack, David was stuck. David trusted in the Lord and thought that God would take care of Saul without him. He didn’t think that he was God’s chosen instrument of judgment and destruction.

In our lives we have the opportunity to “kill” people with the words that we speak. We would all agree that God would have us speak life and not death. There is something here from David that is within the heart of men and women of God. It is the simple yearning for the good of our leaders and the respect and honor that moves us to never harm them. Even when our leaders are doing an evil thing, we CAN choose to not harm them.