1 Samuel 24:1 - Meaning and Application

Here, Saul begins chasing David again (1 Samuel 24:1, 2). As soon as Saul returned safely from fighting the Philistines, and it seems he had some success, he started looking for David again in order to harm him. He was set on another attack, as if he had been handed over to do every kind of evil (Jeremiah 7:10). The Philistines kept making raids, which should have shown Saul how badly he needed David back in the army, but instead it only made him angrier. When he heard David was in the wilderness of En-gedi, he took 3,000 chosen men and went after him among the rocks where wild goats lived.

One might think Saul would leave David alone there. David was trapped in a hard place and could not do much harm, so why should Saul envy even that shelter? But Saul was not content unless David was dead. Hatred made him restless, and he could not be satisfied while David was still alive.

Providence then brought Saul alone into the same cave where David and his men were hiding (1 Samuel 24:3). In that land, there were very large caves in the sides of the rocks and hills. Some were natural, and some were likely enlarged by people to shelter sheep from the heat of the sun, which is why Scripture speaks of places where flocks rested at noon (Song of Solomon 1:7). David and his men were inside this cave, though perhaps not all 600 of them, but only some of his closest friends, while the rest stayed in other hiding places.

Saul came by and went into the cave by himself, not because he was looking for David. He probably did not think David would be hiding with sheep in a cave, since he imagined him climbing among the wild goats on the rocks. Saul went in to cover his feet, meaning to rest and sleep for a while in that cool, quiet place. Most likely, he had his men go on ahead and left only a few at the mouth of the cave. Some people think the phrase means something else, but this explanation is the more likely one.

David’s men urged him to kill Saul now that he had such a clear chance (1 Samuel 24:4). They told him this was the day he had been waiting for, the time God had spoken of when David was anointed king, the day that would end his troubles and open the way to the throne. Saul was completely in David’s power, and it was easy to think Saul would show no mercy if the roles were reversed. So they said David should strike him down at once.

This shows how easily we can misunderstand God’s words and God’s providence. God had promised to deliver David from Saul, but David’s men took that to mean David should destroy Saul. And because Saul was now vulnerable, they assumed David had the right to kill him. Yet having power over someone is not the same as having permission to harm him.

David cut off the skirt of Saul’s robe, but then his heart struck him for it (1 Samuel 24:5). It did Saul no real injury, and it served David as proof that he could have killed him if he wanted to (1 Samuel 24:11). Still, because it touched Saul’s royal honor, David regretted doing even that much. It is good when our conscience troubles us over things that seem small. That shows the conscience is awake and tender, and such a conscience helps keep us from greater sin.

David then reasoned firmly with himself and with his men against doing Saul any harm. First, he spoke to himself: “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing” (1 Samuel 24:6). Sin is something we should recoil from and resist, not only with strong will, but with holy disgust. David did not look at Saul merely as his enemy and the one blocking his rise to power. He saw him as God’s anointed, the man appointed to rule for as long as God allowed, and therefore under special divine protection. He also saw Saul as his master, and David knew he owed him faithfulness. Servants and subjects should learn from this to be loyal and dutiful, even when they are treated badly (1 Peter 2:18).

David also restrained his men from attacking Saul (1 Samuel 24:7). He would not do this evil himself, and he would not allow the men around him to do it either. In this he paid back evil with good to the man from whom he had received evil for good. He was a type of Christ, who saved those who persecuted him, and he set an example for all believers not to be overcome by evil, but to overcome evil with good.

Then David went out after Saul, and though he would not kill him, he wisely used the chance to try to kill Saul’s hatred by showing that he was not the man Saul believed him to be. Even stepping out and showing himself was an act of respect. David knew Saul might kill him as soon as he saw him, yet he trusted Saul enough to speak reasonably and to offer clear proof of his innocence.

His manner was humble and respectful. He bowed with his face to the ground and gave honor where honor was due. In this, he teaches us to carry ourselves with lowliness and respect toward those above us, even when they have treated us very badly.