seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
1 Samuel 24:1 [a]After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, “David is in the Desert of En Gedi.” 2 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.
3 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. 4 The men said, “This is the day the Lord spoke of when he said(b) 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.
5 Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe. 6 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.” 7 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.
a. 1 Samuel 24:1 In Hebrew texts 24:1-22 is numbered 24:2-233 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. 4 The men said, “This is the day the Lord spoke of when he said(b) 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.
5 Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe. 6 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.” 7 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.
b. 1 Samuel 24:4 Or “Today the Lord is saying
This story reminds at least two of us of the demise of Eglon, the Moabite king and his left handed sword slinging assailant who left him dying in his own bathroom. The saying "When you gotta go..." is so true.
This is from Bible.org.
Think of yourself as one of David’s men, peering out from that cave, watching Saul and his army draw near, and then stop. I can almost feel the tension as Saul’s eyes turn toward the cave. David’s men crouch low at the back of the cave and silently moan as they see Saul approach them. Little do they know what Saul has in mind. It must look as though they are finished. Saul approaches the cave as David and his men grasp their weapons, ready to defend themselves. What follows need not be described, except to say that it was a relief to both Saul and David’s men.
David stealthily makes his way toward king Saul, who is oblivious to all that is happening behind him. His robe has apparently been removed and placed out of the way, far enough away that David can reach out and cut off a portion of the edge. Immediately, David’s conscience smites him. There are those who believe this is because such an act was highly significant, somehow challenging or undermining Saul’s right to rule. I do not think so. It seems to me that David’s intent is only to obtain proof that he had been able to come within striking distance of Saul, and yet did him no harm. In and of itself, this would not have troubled David, but the fact is that David damages Saul’s garment. In today’s terms, David might have slashed the tires on Saul’s car. It is something like vandalism.
David stealthily makes his way toward king Saul, who is oblivious to all that is happening behind him. His robe has apparently been removed and placed out of the way, far enough away that David can reach out and cut off a portion of the edge. Immediately, David’s conscience smites him. There are those who believe this is because such an act was highly significant, somehow challenging or undermining Saul’s right to rule. I do not think so. It seems to me that David’s intent is only to obtain proof that he had been able to come within striking distance of Saul, and yet did him no harm. In and of itself, this would not have troubled David, but the fact is that David damages Saul’s garment. In today’s terms, David might have slashed the tires on Saul’s car. It is something like vandalism.
I remember teaching this to a child's Sunday School class. They were really interested in it. One of the more precocious kids might even have murmured "number 1 or number 2".
This is from the blueletterbible.org site.
The Wilderness of En Gedi: In the barren, desolate territory surround the Dead Sea, there is a canyon that runs westward from the Dead Sea. That canyon is called En Gedi, and one can still visit there today and see the flowing spring that makes a good sized creek flow down the canyon, and makes En Gedi, with its waterfalls and vegetation seem more like a tropical paradise than the middle of the desert.
The sheepfolds indicates that this was a large cave, large enough to shelter a flock of sheep, so all or most of David's 600 men could be hidden in the recesses of the cave.
Saul went in to attend to his needs: Since the Bible is a real book, dealing with real people, living real lives, we aren't surprised to see it describing Saul's attention to his personal needs. But something as basic and common as that was timed and arranged by God, without Saul having any knowledge of God's timing or arrangement of things.
Saul went in to attend to his needs: Since the Bible is a real book, dealing with real people, living real lives, we aren't surprised to see it describing Saul's attention to his personal needs. But something as basic and common as that was timed and arranged by God, without Saul having any knowledge of God's timing or arrangement of things.
Now what's David going to do with the crazy man's coat scrap?
