David on the Run - The Book of 1 Samuel

In this Bible Story, Saul pursues David’s life and David once again has the opportunity to end Saul. Yet David spares Saul, and Saul once again repents and leaves David’s presence.This story is inspired by 1 Samuel 26-27. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.

Today's Bible verse is 1 Samuel 26:7 from the King James Version.

Episode 92: Once again Saul has given into his hatred and is hunting David. As Saul camped in the wilderness, David once again was given the opportunity to kill Saul, this time in his sleep. But he chooses mercy and calls out to Abner and Saul, chiding Abner and reasoning with Saul. Saul promised to leave him alone, but David, knowing better, fled to the land of Israel’s enemies, gaining favor with Achish, king of Gath.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let us pray. So David and ABESHI 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 first
Samuel twenty six seven. Lord, As the new day dawns

(00:23):
and I meditate on to day's reading, I will stay
mindful of the fact that not all opportunities are God opportunities.
When a chance arises to exact revenge or get ahead,
give me the restraint and wisdom of David to withhold
from moving forward with my plans. Instead, strengthen my heart

(00:47):
and remind me, Holy Spirit, that when God desires to
open my door to success, nothing and no one can
stop me. I will not give in to paranoia and fear,
because it is no longer a driving force in my life.
I will not partner with others who don't believe in
the mission I'm called to accomplish. I declare that any

(01:10):
relationships that are unequally yoked with my newness and transformation
will be removed from my life. I am on a
mission to fulfill your purpose for my life. Then I
will not let poor decisions masked in wisdom derail me
from my glorious future. I declare that I am no

(01:31):
longer on the run. I'm on the rise in Jesus name. Amen.
Thank you for praying with us today. Continue your time
with God by listening to today's Bible story, brought to
you by Bible in a Year dot com.

Speaker 2 (02:01):
David on the Run. In our last story, we learned
about Samuel's death and David's marriage to Abigail. David's community
of outcasts and vagabonds continued to grow and thrive under
his leadership. Now we learn of Saul's troubled mind, resurfacing
the jealousy that once gripped his heart and actions begins

(02:23):
to creep back into his interactions with David, so David
is forced into hiding once again. What follows is a
story of David's victory over temptation to sin and David's
failure over loyalty to Israel, as inspired by the Book
of First Samuel.

Speaker 3 (02:43):
This is Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible
in a Year podcast. In yesterday's episode, we heard how
God sent Abigail to intercept David, who had planned to
kill her husband. Nabel for this man's disrespect and disregard
for the will of God. God was detecting David from
spilling blood in a moment of rage, and David, because

(03:04):
he was a man after God's own heart, was sensitive
to the leading of the Lord, choosing to spare Nabal's life.
Abigail now widow, was comforted by David and the two
were married, and this was the union that God blessed. Today,
we'll find David on the run once again. Though Saul
had temporarily relented from pursuing David, he is back at

(03:27):
it with jealousy and rage once again. Our reading today
will show us two SIGs of a very human David,
one who resists temptation and trusts God's timing, and another
who gives in to doubts and ventures into dangerous territory.
So let's listen to God's word today.

Speaker 2 (03:48):
Hatred is a poison. Saul, who had a moment of
vulnerability and forgiveness towards David, was once again falling victim
to Hatred's grip on his heart. Repentance towards David was deep,
raw and emotional. However, it did not last long. Saul
once again mustered three thousand men to march against David.

(04:11):
They camped outside the wilderness where David and his men were.
In the morning, they planned to rise up and ambush David.
Saul was in his tent, eagerly awaiting the chance to
put an end to David forever. As the night grew later,
Saul and the rest of his soldiers fell asleep. Shadows
could be seen gliding across the tent walls near Saul's tent.

(04:34):
Light footsteps could be heard entering his tent. There, with
his face hidden by the darkness, stood David. He and
his men watched Saul's sleep. The tip of David's spear
was pressed into the ground beside Saul's temple. God has
given you your enemy, Nabishai, whispered to David. David hovered

(04:56):
silently over Saul. Saul had gone back on his word.
He had repented with tears and embraced him as a
son who would hold the murder of Saul against him.
The citizens of Israel would welcome him, the soldiers would
follow him, His wife would still love him. There would
be seemingly nothing to lose and everything to gain from

(05:16):
killing Saul. David stood there, shaking with his spear beside
Saul's head. No, David whispered, he is gods to strike,
not mine. I should not lay a hand on God's anointed.
So David put his spear in the jug of water
beside Saul's bed, and David and his men left without

(05:37):
waking anybody in camp. David sat far off at the
top of the hill, overlooking Saul's camp. The sun began
to rise and paint the camp a bright orange. David
watched as the men arose from their tents and began
to prepare for battle. Abner, Saul's general, began to walk
among his men. David stood and took a deep breath.

(06:00):
He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted down
to Abner, saying, Abner. Abner raised his head to see
David standing on the hill above them. All the men
stood at attention and watched David as he shouted. Are
you truly a worthy man?

Speaker 1 (06:15):
Abner?

Speaker 2 (06:17):
You could not even watch over your king one night.
Look at the spear beside his bed. I could have
killed him last night. You are not fit to protect
the king. Saul woke up to the sound of David's
voice shouting from the hilltops. He emerged from his tent
and looked up. Saul squinted to get a good look
at David's shouting, is that you, my son, David? David smiled, Yes,

(06:42):
it is my lord, King David shouted, Why do you
pursue me? Still? What have I done to you? If
it is God who has called you to kill me,
then strike me down now. But if it is your
own voice, or the voice of other men calling for
you to kill me, then cast them away. You hunt
a single flea like one hunts game in the wilderness.

(07:05):
David's words bellowed for all the men to hear. Saul,
and the most sincere voice he could muster shouted back
at David, saying, you are blessed, my son. You will
surely do many things and succeed. So Saul departed from
his place and did not pursue David further. David, still

(07:26):
wary of Saul, left back to his men and the wilderness.
David did not trust the words of Saul, and paranoia
began to grip his heart as well. David gathered his
men together to find another place to rest. David knew
that Saul would not pursue David if he left to
the land of the Philistines. So David and his six

(07:47):
hundred men gathered their things and settled in Gath with
King Akish. David hid among enemies, a foolish choice disguised
as wisdom. David found favor with Akish, and the two
of them became friends. Aikish gifted David some land and
zick leg and there he and his men dwelled for
a year and four months. David and his band of

(08:10):
soldiers integrated well with the Philistine people. Together they made
raids on the Ghizites and the Amalekites. David became renowned
among the Philistines. However, David would only raid against Israel's enemies.
When Aikish would ask who David raided, he would always
answer Judah or Negib to fool Akish into thinking they

(08:31):
no longer had ties to Israel. Therefore, Aikish trusted David
and believed him to be a true Philistine at heart.

Speaker 3 (08:42):
Today's story begins with Saul once again pursuing David. His
attitude to treat David like a son has now been forgotten,
and he goes back to his old ways, probably because
he really never changed or repented at all. When Saul
repented or said he repented, he offered a tearful confession
to David, but he really truly did not turn back

(09:05):
to God. So whatever change seemed to happen was only temporary.
And here we find Saul listening to his own fears
and paranoia and to those around him, rather than listening
to God and obeying God. So Saul gathers three thousand
men to go into the desert to find David. But
as night fell and Saul in his camp lay fast asleep,

(09:27):
David went into the camp and approached a vulnerable king.
He was right there to be dealt with, and David's
nephew Abashi, was convinced that this was a clear sign
that God had given Saul over to David. It was
now time, he said to kill him, and in this
threat once and for all. From a human perspective, it

(09:49):
seems that David would have been more than justified. Saul
had gone back on his word many times, and there
was clear intention to harm David. But David wasn't looking
at the from a human perspective. He had determined in
his own heart that he would not kill Saul. So,
when Abishai asked David to allow him to strike Saul
with his spear and kill him with a single blow,

(10:11):
David refused. In First Samuel twenty six, verse nine, we
read his response, but David said to Abishai, do not
destroy him, for who can put out his hand against
the Lord's anointed and be guiltless? David had strong convictions
about this. He would trust God to deal with Saul
in his own time. Incredible faith, isn't it. He could

(10:35):
have taken the easy way out. He could have taken
Saul's life. He could have done what he wanted to do,
but rather he depended upon God to rescue him rather
than take personal revenge. David took Saul's jar of water
and his spear and left. The next morning, he made
his presence known to Abner, the man who should have
been protecting the king. He calls him out for failing

(10:58):
to protect Israel's king and shows that the spear and
water are missing, proving that he had been that close
to Saul and could have taken him out. Saw heard
David and recognized his voice. He called out to him,
treating him as a son. Clearly a strange choice for
a man who wanted to shed David's blood, and yet

(11:18):
David maintains his calm and composure and asks why Saul
is still out to kill him. Saul seems convicted again.
He admits his sin and tells David he'll not seek
to kill him anymore. David tells Saul that his decision
to spare his life was based on how much he
valued Saul's life and how much he valued God's purposes.

(11:41):
Saul blesses David and sends him on his way, but
the incident shook David, and then we see his faith
begin to waver. David goes again into Philistine territory, where
he's sure Saul won't go. David creates an alliance with
the King of Gath and is given some land to settle,
but David engages in deception, attacking enemy camps and leaving

(12:04):
no survivors, but always telling the King of Death that
he is killing Israelites, his own people. David should have
trusted God, but he chose his own way, and it's
a reminder that even those who are closest to God
chosen by him and are not immune to fear, failure
and faithlessness. Rather than criticize David for this, we must

(12:26):
remember that we too so often fall short. We have
doubts and act alone without the presence of God, and
it reminds us that we need always to trust God's
will in every circumstance of our lives and allow faith
to drive out fear. The next time, we'll discover that
there is a price to pay for David's deception and

(12:48):
that lies always catch up to us. Lord, Today we
pray that we will trust in You and overcome our
doubts and our fears by faith. Help us never to
get ahead of you or to disobey you, but to
always trust You with our very lives. Help us to
trust You and your perfect timing for every day in Jesus' name. Amen,

(13:13):
Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
I'm Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download Theprey dot com
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(13:36):
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