David Again Spares Saul

This Sunday we resume our series in I Samuel. When you read the text (I Samuel 26), you may have a sense that you have read something like this before – and you have.

I Samuel 26 is very similar to I Samuel 24. Both chapters describe Saul chasing David, David having a golden opportunity to kill Saul, David refusing to kill Saul because he is the LORD's anointed, David proclaiming his trust in the LORD to vindicate him, and Saul admitting David's righteousness. The events are not, however, identical. For example, while in I Samuel 24, Saul falls into David's hands when David is hiding in a cave; in I Samuel 26, David aggressively pursues his advantageous position over Saul.

There are other places in Scripture in which similar events occur in close proximity to one another. For example, in Mark 6 Jesus feeds 5000, and then in Mark 8 He feeds 4000. Such events recur for the sake of emphasis, or to drive home a lesson to the participants in the events or to the readers. David's words in 26:10 seem to reflect what he has learned from Abigail and his experience in I Samuel 25. Sometimes we may go through similar experiences or trials so that we can learn a needed spiritual lesson. We, like David, need to learn to trust God in all circumstances.