Posted by Chester Morton / Wednesday 18 January 2017 / No comments
David spares Saul's life
One day, the people of Ziph reported to Saul at Gibeah, that
David was hiding in the hills of Hachilah which is to the east of Jeshimon. Then
Saul took three thousand soldiers and went after David.
Saul and his soldiers encamped in the wilderness of Ziph.
When David heard that Saul had come after him, he sent out
spies to confirm Saul’s presence in the wilderness and the report he received
was positive. That night, David and Abishai went into Saul’s camp and found
Saul sleeping, for the Lord had put a deep sleep upon him and his soldiers.
Saul’s spear was stuck to the ground by his head and his commander, Abner, and
his men were sleeping round about him.
Abishai saw this as an opportunity to get rid of Saul, saying
God had delivered him into the hands of David. He sought permission from David
to pin Saul down with one strike and kill him but David refused to give the
order.
David said, instead, that Saul should be allowed to live
because he was the Lord’s anointed and therefore should not be touched.
According to David, at the right time, God himself would kill him, or he would
die in battle or he shall die a natural death when he comes to the end of his
life. They therefore allowed Saul to live. However, they took Saul’s spear and
water jar away.
David went to the other side of the hill and put a distance
between him and Saul’s camp. Then he rebuked Abner for exposing the king to
danger by not protecting him. He told them how someone had entered the camp
without their knowledge. David asked Abner to check if the king’s spear and
water jar was there.
Saul, recognizing David’s voice, greatly repented. He called
out to him. David asked Saul why he had been chasing him. If it was the Lord
that had sent him, the Lord should accept a sacrifice and let it be but if it
is men that have stirred his spirit to pursue him, the Lord must curse those
men.
Saul became remorseful. He regretted all his actions, even
how he had chased David to kill him. He promised never to pursue him again and
asked him to come back because he, David, had made the life of Saul precious in
his hands.
David asked Abner to send one of his men to come and collect
the king’s spear and water jar.
Saul blessed David and said that David would do well in life.
Saul blessed David and said that David would do well in life.
WHAT LESSONS CAN BE
LEARNED FROM THE EXPERIENCE?
We must show kindness
One of the lessons to be learned is that humans must be kind
to each other even their own enemies or perceived enemies.
Submission to the will of God
The story also portrays how David submitted to the will of
God. By not killing Saul and allowing him to live, David was saying the will of
God should prevail.
Faith in God
As humans, the story shows that we must have faith in God as
the arbiter in every situation. David had faith in God and believed that
nothing would happen to him if he spared Saul’s life.
People must show remorse
When we do something and regret our actions, we must be
willing to express remorse for the things we have done and repent from them.
Saul was repentant when he realized that he could have died if David wanted to
kill him.
We must be ready to forgive
Another lesson learned was that we must be ready to forgive
the sins of other people. Though David suffered under the constant pressure
upon his life by Saul, he was willing to forgive Saul and move on. This action
must be emulated by everybody.
HOW POLITICAL LEADERS
CAN BE PROTECTED TODAY
Security around the leader must be tight
One of the ways in which the lives of politicians can be
protected today is to ensure that the inner perimeter of the security around
him is very tight.
Trained drivers
The drivers in the political leader’s convoy must be well trained
and the particular one driving his or her personal car even more trained and
experienced.
Use of decoys
The security set up must use decoys to divert aggression toward
the political leader away from the real target. In other words, the political
leader must not be identified with any particular car or pattern of movement.
National prayer and fasting
The nation must pray for the life of political leaders
because safety is of the Lord. In Ghana, the group called Women Aglow engage in national prayers
on various topics and this may be added to the prayer topics.
SAMPLE QUESTIONS
1. a. Narrate the story of how David spared the life of Saul.
b. Indicate three
significant lessons one can learn from the episode.
2. a. How did David spare the life of Saul?
b. What two lessons
can be derived from the story?
3. a. Explain the circumstances that led to David picking
Saul’s spear and water jar on the hills of Hachilah.
b. Indicate three
ways in which the lives of political leader can be protected today.
