First Samuel 25:39

The Bible says in First Samuel 25:39-44, “And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be the LORD, that hath pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and hath kept his servant from evil: for the LORD hath returned the wickedness of Nabal upon his own head, And David sent and communed with Abigail, to take her to him to wife.[40] And when the servants of David were come to Abigail to Carmel, they spake unto her, saying, David sent us unto thee to take thee to him to wife.[41] And she arose, and bowed herself on her face to the earth, and said, Behold, let thine handmaid be a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.[42] And Abigail hasted, and arose, and rode upon an ass, with five damsels of hers that went after her; and she went after the messengers of David, and became his wife.[43] David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel; and they were also both of them his wives.[44] But Saul had given Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Phalti the son of Laish, which was of Gallim.” In verse thirty-nine David recognizes that God decided what happened to Nabal, and David is very thankful that he did not take matters into his own hands. Let that be a lesson to everyone who has an enemy: trust in the Lord as to what should happen to that person. Do not take things into your own hands. You are not the judge. There is one judge, and you are not Him.

David was divorced from his first wife, Michal. The father-in-law made the divorce happen and gave David’s wife to another man. That is what a corrupt king can do. But David was smart enough to recognize that Abigail would make a good wife now that she was a widow. We do see a big mistake that David made in verse forty-three: David took a second wife. David’s weakness is now being seen, and it would lead to the biggest mistake of his life later on: the sin with Bathsheba and against her husband. If you are wise, you will recognize your weaknesses and have a plan by the grace of God to not let any weakness destroy you or your testimony.

The Bible says in First Samuel 26:1-12, “And the Ziphites came unto Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon?[2] Then 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.[3] And Saul pitched in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon, by the way. But David abode in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness.[4] David therefore sent out spies, and understood that Saul was come in very deed.[5] And 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.[6] Then 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.[7] So 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.[8] Then 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 smite him the second time.[9] And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not: for who can stretch forth his hand against the LORD's anointed, and be guiltless?[10] David said furthermore, As the LORD liveth, the LORD shall smite him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall descend into battle, and perish.[11] The LORD forbid that I should stretch forth mine hand against the LORD's anointed: but, I pray thee, take thou now the spear that is at his bolster, and the cruse of water, and let us go.[12] So David took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul's bolster; and they gat them away, and no man saw it, nor knew it, neither awaked: for they were all asleep; because a deep sleep from the LORD was fallen upon them.” Once again David gets an advantage over Saul. All of this is of God. David knows it. And that is why David would not allow Saul to be killed. David knew that if God wanted to take Saul off the earth, it would happen. David was just reminded of that concerning Nabal and his untimely death. David was able to take Saul’s spear and “cruse of water” because everyone in Saul’s camp was sound asleep. This too was of God because it says in verse twelve, “a deep sleep from the LORD was fallen upon them.” God controls everything. He will set up the circumstances of every event in your life and in mine just the way He wants it to be.

The Bible says in First Samuel 26:13-25, “Then David went over to the other side, and stood on the top of an hill afar off; a great space being between them:[14] And David cried to the people, and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, Answerest thou not, Abner? Then Abner answered and said, Who art thou that criest to the king?[15] And David said to Abner, Art not thou a valiant man? and who is 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.[16] This thing is not good that thou hast done. As the LORD liveth, ye are worthy to die, because ye have not kept your master, the LORD's anointed. And now see where the king's spear is, and the cruse of water that was at his bolster.[17] And Saul knew David's voice, and said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And David said, It is my voice, my lord, O king.[18] And he said, Wherefore doth my lord thus pursue after his servant? for what have I done? or what evil is in mine hand?[19] Now therefore, I pray thee, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If the LORD have stirred thee up against me, let him accept an offering: but if they be the children of men, cursed be they before the LORD; for they have driven me out this day from abiding in the inheritance of the LORD, saying, Go, serve other gods.[20] Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth before the face of the LORD: for the king of Israel is come out to seek a flea, as when one doth hunt a partridge in the mountains.[21] Then 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.[22] And David answered and said, Behold the king's spear! and let one of the young men come over and fetch it.[23] The LORD render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness: for the LORD delivered thee into my hand to day, but I would not stretch forth mine hand against the LORD's anointed.[24] And, 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 LORD, and let him deliver me out of all tribulation.[25] Then Saul said to David, Blessed be thou, my son David: thou shalt both do great things, and also shalt still prevail. So David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place.” Once again David shows Saul that David could have killed Saul, but that David has no ill will nor desire to harm Saul. And once again Saul realizes that what David is saying is true. But Saul cannot keep his word. That is the kind of person that he is. Saul’s jealousy and fear overcome any good instincts that he might have had. Beware of jealousy. Rejoice in other people’s good fortune. Beware of fear and anxiety. Trust in the Lord to give you what He wants you to have.

The Bible says in First Samuel 27:1-7, “And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand.[2] And David arose, and he passed over with the six hundred men that were with him unto Achish, the son of Maoch, king of Gath.[3] And David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, even David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal's wife.[4] And it was told Saul that David was fled to Gath: and he sought no more again for him.[5] And David said unto Achish, If I have now found grace in thine eyes, let them give me a place in some town in the country, that I may dwell there: for why should thy servant dwell in the royal city with thee?[6] Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day: wherefore Ziklag pertaineth unto the kings of Judah unto this day.[7] And the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months.” David finally decides to leave Israel, and he goes to the territory controlled by the Philistines. David has finally accepted the fact that Saul will always try to kill him. No logic, no revealing incident, no truth will ever get to Saul. David also realizes that while in the territory of the Philistines that he needs to have his own city to rule over and to dwell in, and the king of Gath agrees and gives David the city of Ziklag. When you know the Lord, the Lord makes your decisions work out for you. That is one of the many benefits of knowing Jesus as Savior. David said in Psalm 23:5, “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.” It is amazing how God does that for each of His children in this world.

The Bible says in First Samuel 27:8-12, “And David and his men went up, and invaded the Geshurites, and the Gezrites, and the Amalekites: for those nations were of old the inhabitants of the land, as thou goest to Shur, even unto the land of Egypt.[9] And David smote the land, and left neither man nor woman alive, and took away the sheep, and the oxen, and the asses, and the camels, and the apparel, and returned, and came to Achish.[10] And Achish said, Whither have ye made a road to day? And David said, Against the south of Judah, and against the south of the Jerahmeelites, and against the south of the Kenites.[11] And David saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring tidings to Gath, saying, Lest they should tell on us, saying, So did David, and so will be his manner all the while he dwelleth in the country of the Philistines.[12] And Achish believed David, saying, He hath made his people Israel utterly to abhor him; therefore he shall be my servant for ever.” Notice that verse eight says about the peoples that David invaded, “for those nations were of old the inhabitants of the land.” In other words, they were nations that the Israelites were told by the Lord to conquer and to destroy because of their wickedness and because God had given the land of Canaan to the children of Israel. David knew the will of God, and therefore David was determined to serve the Lord wherever David lived. David tricked Achish into thinking that David was finally and completely finished with Israel. Not a chance of that happening. David was a servant of the Lord, and David was called to be the next king of Israel. Perhaps this is the lesson to learn from this incident in David’s life: wherever you go in life, keep serving the Lord. Do the Lord’s will the best you know how. He will work everything out eventually.

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