SCRIPTURE:
“After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, “David is in the Desert of En Gedi.” So Saul took three thousand able young men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats. He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave. 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.”
1 Samuel 24:1-4
OBSERVATION:
David had in tow with him 600 men (1 Samuel 23:13). Saul had 5 times the manpower to hunt David down, as we read here 3,000 able young men. To say that David was outnumbered would be an understatement. Saul enters a cave to do his business, likely leaving his men outside. Here he is, delivered on a silver platter. I’m sure the thought must have run through David’s mind – that God was giving Saul into his hands. It doesn’t help that the men with him are telling him so. Seemingly encouraging him to attack. David takes a bit of the bait, but soon realizes what he has done is wrong. We read this in verses 5-7:
“Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe. He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lay my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the Lord.” With these words David sharply rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way.” – 1 Samuel 24:5-7
As much as anyone around him would have understood it if he had decided to takes Saul’s life, David still understood this – Saul was STILL the king. He was STILL the leader and David would STILL submit.
APPLICATION:
David wasn’t perfect. He made some pretty gnarly mistakes that we read of, but there’s a great lesson we can learn from him and it’s this – Self Control. One of the things that I believe separates the good leaders from the great, is the ability to keep one’s emotions in check, especially when what you WANT to do is easily justified by man. When all of your friends are telling you, “Brah, false em’, he deserves it.”
We’ll all have a choice in that moment, and that split-second decision could make or break our leadership. David wasn’t going to be the one to judge and say what Saul deserved. He was going to leave that to God. Verses 12-13:
“May the Lord judge between you and me. And may the Lord avenge the wrongs you have done to me, but my hand will not touch you. As the old saying goes, ‘From evildoers come evil deeds,’ so my hand will not touch you.” – 1 Samuel 24:12-13
David’s is a case study in how a leader is to act when in the face of an attack. He understood what it meant to have command presence – to be calm, confident and professional. To let God be the judge of what Saul’s fate would be.
When I am in a situation where I need to decide if I will react out of emotion or respond as God calls me to, I need to remember the lessons learned from a shepherd boy who would soon be King.
PRAYER:
Father Almighty. Forgive me Lord for times when I have acted out as a young and immature leader. Thank You Lord for the lessons David still teaches us today. May I be a leader that exercises self-control when I am out in the battlefield of life, this I pray, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
