Deeper Reflection
DAVID’S WORDS to Saul in 1 Samuel 24:8-15 show what it means to walk uprightly before our enemies or in suffering unjustly. David’s appeal to Saul for reconciliation (1 Sam 24:8-11) is “perhaps the most passionate and eloquent plea for reconciliation between persons recorded in all ancient literature”¹⁹. The appeal is the human part, but it is anchored on the divine part (vv.12-15). Foremost of all is to place God as the centre of our lives and our adverse situations. Note David’s thrice repeated “the LORD” in his anchoring on the divine part (vv.12, 15). God is the foundational starting point. Having placed God as the centre, we commit ourselves and our situations to God, and we can be confident in God that He will act on our behalf. Note the seven divine actions in David’s commitment to God and his confidence in Him to act on his behalf: “may the LORD judge”, “may the LORD avenge me on you” (v.12), “the LORD therefore be judge and decide between you and me” and “may He see and uphold my cause and deliver me” (v.15). Such adversities are for training and testing of our character. The proverb David quoted points to the matter of character: “Out of the wicked comes forth wickedness” (v.13). In contrast, David’s character was: “But my hand shall not be against you” (repeated twice – vv.12, 13). When the innocent Son of David suffered unjustly in silence, He “kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously” (1 Pet 2:22-23).

---

¹⁹ Robert D. Bergen, 240