If you have been following along in our study of First Samuel, you might feel a sense of déjà vu when you read this chapter because it is so similar to the events of Chapter 24when David spared Saul’s life in the cave of Engedi.

In that study, of Chapter 24, we examined the contrast of the hearts of those two kings, one had a heart that trusted in God and the other had a heart that was full of deceit and wickedness. Saul was consumed with murderous hatred and jealousy while David was consumed with honoring and trusting God as he ascended to the throne through suffering.

We also noticed how David’s heart reminded us of the heart of Christ. Like David, Jesus endured suffering from his enemies as he journeyed back to the throne of heaven through the suffering of the cross. Like David, Jesus did not seek to harm his enemies as he suffered under their hands. Like David, Jesus risked his life – and ultimately gave his life – so that sinners like you and I could be reconciled to God. Like David, Jesus showed the full extent of his love for his enemies even as he laid down his life for them. Jesus even cried out for the Father to forgive his enemies because they were full of ignorance in their sin. 

And here we are again, studying another episode of Saul hunting David down to kill him, and David sparing Saul’s life yet again. At the end of the last episode in Chapter 24, it seemed like Saul was possibly repentant. But we had a feeling that it was all lip service. David probably had the same feeling, which is why he did not return home with Saul – not to mention that Saul never actually invited David to come home either – a sure sign that Saul’s repentance would be short lived. But here we find Saul on the prowl yet again!

1Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding himself on the hill of Hachilah, which is on the east of Jeshimon?” 2So 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. 3And Saul encamped on the hill of Hachilah, 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, 4David sent out spies and learned that Saul had indeed come. 5Then 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.

6Then 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?” And Abishai said, “I will go down with you.” 7So 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. 8Then Abishai said to David, “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.” 9But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can put out his hand against the Lord’s anointed and be guiltless?” 10And 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. 11The 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.” 12So 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.

13Then David went over to the other side and stood far off on the top of the hill, with a great space between them. 14And 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?” 15And 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. 16This 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.”

17Saul recognized David’s voice and said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” And David said, “It is my voice, my lord, O king.” 18And he said, “Why does my lord pursue after his servant? For what have I done? What evil is on my hands? 19Now 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.’ 20Now 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.”

21Then 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.” 22And David answered and said, “Here is the spear, O king! Let one of the young men come over and take it. 23The 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. 24Behold, 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.” 25Then Saul said to David, “Blessed be you, my son David! You will do many things and will succeed in them.” So David went his way, and Saul returned to his place.

#1: SAUL IS ON THE PROWL AGAIN (VV. 1 – 5)

It has been said that some people never learn and that you cannot fix stupid. This seems to be the lesson from king Saul’s life as he goes back on the prowl again in verses 1 – 5. Once again, those scoundrels, those betraying brothers from Chapter 23, the Ziphites, start playing political games again as they offer up the whereabouts of David to king Saul, who cannot resist the impulse to go after David again (vv. 1 – 2).

Saul grabs three-thousand battle buddies and heads to the spot where he was told that David was hanging out, and David is obviously not exactly where he was supposed to be, which leaves Saul and his men fully exposed to the eyes of David and his spies who were watching from a place of cover (vv. 2 – 4). So, what does Saul do? He decides to take a nap (v. 5)! Makes sense… only a fool goes back on his word and then takes a nap, fully exposed, after failing yet again! 

What about David though? Well… David sneaks into the camp for a good ol fashioned game of capture the flag – well it is actually a game of capture the spear and a jug of water, but yeah, you get the point, right?

#2: DAVID SNEAKS INTO SAUL’S CAMP (VV. 6 – 12)

In verses 6 – 12, David grabs his nephew, Abishai,2 and the two of them sneak into Saul’s encampment in the darkness where Abishai offers to take out Saul with one stroke of the king’s spear (vv. 6 – 8). Got to love a guy like Abishai, ever ready to take the initiative to rid the earth of his leaders’ number one enemy!

But David responds just as he did before in the Engedi cave incident and he refuses to lay a hand against the Lord’s anointed king (v. 9). He goes to say in verse 10, that “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.” Once again, David is placing his full trust – his very life – into the hands of God to deal with his enemies when the time is right.

Instead of taking vengeance into his own hands, David entrusts his life into the invisible hands of God. But he does not leave the encampment empty handed. He snagged king Saul’s spear and a jug of water and then he high tailed it out of there and back to safety (vv. 11 – 12). Interestingly, we do see the invisible hand of God at work here as the author tells us that Saul and his army were in a deep sleep that was caused by the Lord (v. 12).

Ultimately, what we see here is that David refuses to lay a hand against God’s anointed. He does not take things into his own hands. He trusts the Lord with the outcome. But he does gather some evidence that he does not intend to harm or sin against Saul, which sets us up for David’s confrontation of Saul’s right-hand man, Abner, and then Saul himself.

#3: DAVID CONFRONTS ABNER (VV. 13 – 16)

In verses 13 – 16, David gets a safe distance away and calls out to Abner, who asks who David is, and David does not answer Abner’s question but instead he launches into a series of his own questions, designed to confront Abner’s sin of not protecting the current king, Saul, and by implication, being complicit in Saul’s sin against David – whom we should remember is also the Lord’s anointed.

In verse 16 he actually says, “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.” In David’s confrontation of Abner, there is an echo of Abner’s failure to not only protect his king (Saul) in this very moment but also his failure to hold the king accountable in his sin against David who is also “the Lord’s anointed”.

Abner deserves to die because he is complicit as a “son of death” as he stood by and even participated in Saul’s murderous war path against David – not to mention the murder of the priests in Chapter 22.3 Only a wicked fool allows himself to become the right hand man (servant or friend of) of an abusive, murderous, antichrist-like, wolf in sheep’s clothing like king Saul, and then fails to protect him from his enemies – both spiritual and physical.

This kind of person – this Abner – deserves the death penalty, according to David. And now, the spear that had been hurled at David multiple times in the presence of Abner, as he stood by – approving by his silence and inaction – was in the hand of David (v. 16). David has once again proven that he could have murdered Saul or allowed him to be murdered but chose not to. The silence must have been deafening for Abner as the weight of his horrific guilt set in.

The stage is set for David and Saul’s final conversation in our story. The conversation we are about to study is the last time these two men will ever speak to each other. The path that brought these two men to this point has been long and hard and full of deceit on Saul’s part and grace and mercy and truth on David’s part.

#4: SAUL AND DAVID HAVE A CONVERSATION (VV. 17 – 25)

In verses 17 – 25, we are reminded again of Saul and David’s conversation at the Engedi cave and for the most part it is very much the same, except David’s language has changed from familial language to political language – he is past the point of relating to Saul like a potential repentant family member, Saul is merely a king chosen by the people, anointed by God to give the people what they deserve, and living on borrowed time because of his rejection of God.

In verse 17, Saul begins the conversation with his snake like tongue as he refers to David as his son. David responds in verses 18 – 20 with questions about why Saul is on the warpath again, he offers to make things right before the Lord if the Lord has truly sent Saul after him, and if it is not the Lord who has sent Saul but wicked men instead, then David says, let them be cursed for the hardship they have brought into his life by inciting the king to hunt David who is as harmless as a flea.

Saul, of course, does what Saul does best, he reverts back to false repentance with his snake-like double tongue working its deception in verse 21 when he says “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.” Smooth talk from a man who has proven by his actions, over and over again, that he cannot be trusted to authentically repent – lip service is, unfortunately, one of Saul’s greatest attributes – and David is not foolish enough to believe him.

David does not just go running over to Saul to mend the relationship. He maintains his safe distance and political language, and he even has a tiny bit (and I do mean a tiny shred in Saul’s ears) of a taunting tone to his voice when he confronts Saul in verses 22 – 24. Look at what David says:

 “Here is the spear, O king! [Saul would remember throwing that spear at David’s head a few times] Let one of the young men come over and take it. [Saul would most likely not find any of his men who would dare to try at this point] The Lord rewards every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness, [of which neither could be said of Saul, David’s once-upon-a-time friend and father figure] for the Lord gave you into my hand today, [David did not manufacture the circumstances of this day] and I would not put out my hand against the Lord’s anointed. [God anointed Saul for a purpose as you may remember… to give the people what they deserve in a rejecting-rejected king for rejecting God in the first place]Behold, as your life was precious this day in my sight, [David valued Saul’s life many times over] so may my life be precious in the sight of the Lord, and may he deliver me out of all tribulation” [the Lord has David’s back; Saul can go ahead and keep playing his games and see where it gets him here very soon when the Lord deals with him once and for all].

What a speech! What do you say after that? There is not much one could say, I suppose. All Saul can do is mutter some more sugar-coated snake-like words to get out of the confrontation when he says in verse 25, “Blessed be you, my son David! You will do many things and will succeed in them.” And then they both part ways and never see each other or speak to each other again.

What a sad way for a relationship to finally end, with no reconciliation or restoration – all because of one man’s failure to fully repent despite the grace and mercy and truth that had been extended to him from the one he perceived as an enemy.

KEY TAKE AWAYS…

So, what are we to learn from this Déjà vu story? What makes it so different from the Engedi Cave story in Chapter 24? While there are many differences throughout this episode, I think the main difference that is most significant can be found in verses 23 – 24. You may remember that in those verses, David tells Saul that, “The Lord rewards every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness” and then he proclaims his trust in the Lord when he says, “may my life be precious in the sight of the Lord, and may he deliver me out of all tribulation”.

On one hand, David is indicating that we all know who has been righteous and faithful to the Lord in this conflict between David and Saul. On the other hand, David is proclaiming his complete dependence upon the Lord and the futility that lies ahead for Saul if he continues to come after David – who is so obviously protected by the invisible hand of the Lord.

So, righteousness, faithfulness, and dependence seem to be the main themes we see here. Saul is a picture of wickedness, unfaithfulness, and self-reliance. David is a picture of righteousness, faithfulness, and godly dependence. The question for us to apply to our lives is “What does righteousness, faithfulness, and godly dependence look like in our lives?”

#1: DON’T BE A FOOL…

It is no secret that Saul is a fool. He commits the same sin over and over again even when confronted publicly for his sin. He plays the victim and shifts the blame all throughout his life. He never fully repents. He is filled with wickedness and unfounded deadly intentions towards David and anyone who stood in between them – even his own son, Jonathan, not to mention the priests he murdered. He trusts – not in the Lord – but symbolically in his robe/crown (political influence), his spear (military might and power), and in his jar of water (self-reliance).

Let us not forget the foolishness of Abner, the one who chose the wrong king and befriended a snake. He sleeps on the job, he fails to protect the right king, and he is a son of death – surrounded by the deaths that he is complicit in – and he deserves death for his wicked foolishness.

At the end of the day, it is foolish to think that you built your own little kingdom alone and that you alone must do everything you can to preserve it apart from the Lord as Saul is doing. Doing this is what it means to gain the whole world on your own and lose your own soul by rejecting the offer of eternal life in Christ Jesus (Matt. 16:26; Mark 8:36). Don’t be a fool!

#2: PRACTICE GODLY WISDOM…

Just as it is no secret that Saul and Abner were wicked fools, it is also obvious that David – although imperfect and sinful as well – did practice godly wisdom. When surveying David’s entire life, it does seem obvious that he constantly learns the error of his sinful ways and uses those experiences to put his godly knowledge into right action. Wisdom is knowledge in action that flows from a reverent fear of the Lord.

In our text today, David takes what he has learned about Saul and his own temptations over the last few chapters, and he refuses to take vengeance into his own hands. He essentially disciplines (confronts) Saul with the harsh truth of the contrast between the two of them. He does not cozy up with Saul just because Saul uses religious language to get off the immediate hook. He stops using familial language with his unrepentant enemy because David is not about to foolishly pretend to be at peace or play peace with his enemy. These are wise boundaries between David and his enemy-abuser. Let those who are wise hear the implications of what I just said.

A fool listens to the double tongued words of a snake. A wise person rejects not only the words of the snake but rejects the snake as well because prior knowledge reveals the snake for what he truly is. This is reminiscent of how Jesus dealt with the snake in the wilderness as he attempted to deceive Jesus into taking the kingdom of Heaven in a way that was contrary to the eternal plan of God (Matt. 4:1 – 11; Luke 4:1 – 13).

Bottom line here, practice godly wisdom, which is godly knowledge in action – especially when dealing with the snake who will use even the Scriptures to deceive, coerce, and abuse you. The best way to practice godly wisdom is to literally immerse yourself in God’s Word so that when the snake comes around, you see him for what he is instantaneously. Practice godly wisdom – godly knowledge in action – my friends!

#3: TRUST THE LORD WHEN IT IS HARD TO DO

Trusting God is probably one of the hardest things to do, especially when you think of all the different aspects and times when you need to trust in him. When Satan condemns you – trust in God’s promises to you. When Sin tempts you – trust that Christ is enough for you. When Death taunts you – trust that eternal life has been promised by the One who beat the grave.

David rested in God’s promises. He relied on God’s command not to harm his anointed. He did not run when Saul showed up this time; he investigated and confronted his enemy from a wise distance and faced him head on. He trusted that God would relieve him by taking his enemy off the board in his own timing.

To trust in God means to first believe in God and all that he says, commands, and promises, and then rest yourself into his care. This is what it means to trust in the Lord and to not lean on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5 – 6). Trust the Lord always, especially when it is the most difficult to do!

CONCLUSION…

In conclusion, when God says things twice, it means that we should be extra careful to listen and to obey. This is why déjà vu is important for us! Yes, we should resist practicing foolishness, we should practice wisdom, and we should trust in the Lord at all times, especially when it is really hard to do so. And yes, this is what it means to pursue righteousness, faithfulness, and godly dependence.

But just like David, we will fail often, as David also does often throughout his life. Obviously, Saul fails too. The difference between these two men is that Saul was chosen by the people, and anointed by God to discipline his people for their rejection of him, and Saul was ultimately rejected by God for his self-reliance. David on the other hand, was chosen by the very heart of God – not because David had a heart for God – therefore, David, in all his brokenness, is enabled by God to rely upon His eternal promises, namely in the eternal King who was to come.

This is the most important part of pursuing righteousness, faithfulness, and godly dependence, because there is only One True King who was perfectly righteous, completely faithful, and fully dependent upon God the Father, and his name is Jesus!

Your righteousness, your faithfulness, and your godly dependence will always be marred by failure and sin – you will fall short of the mark of perfection. You will not be perfectly righteous, perfectly faithful, or perfectly reliant upon God. And because of that, you and I are like Saul and Abner – we deserve death as the penalty for our failures and our sins. That is the bad news!

But this is the good news, Jesus was perfect! Jesus was perfect in all three of these character traits and he was crucified in our place. Jesus was perfectly righteous, perfectly faithful, and perfectly dependent on God the Father. Yet he died the death you and I deserve, he left the tomb empty three days later in victory over the snake and his minions – sin and death – and he promised eternity for all who rely upon him, just as David did.

Speaking of déjà vu, David is the best déjà vu we could ever experience because in David we see Christ who is our One True, Savior and King! In Christ alone we have a crucified, risen, and returning Savior and King who gave everything so that we could become his, so that his righteousness and faithfulness could become ours, and so that by his indwelling Spirit we could live in full dependence upon him.

I will leave us there for today, hopefully resting in full dependence upon the finished work of Jesus at that bloody cross, in the doorway of that empty tomb, looking ahead to the promise of heaven as we cling to His righteousness, His faithfulness, and His perfect dependence upon the Good Father who is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love! – Amen!!!

1 Unless otherwise specified, all Bible references are to the English Standard Version Bible, The New Classic Reference Edition (ESV) (Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, 2001).

2 John, Woodhouse, 1 Samuel: Looking for a Leader, Preaching the Word Commentary, (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2008), 489.

3 Ibid., 492 – 493.