1 Samuel - Odessa, Missouri Community of Christ

102 Dr. Constable's Notes on 1 Samuel 2007 EditionDavid's reason for entering Saul's camp was not to kill him but to teach him a lesson. Bytaking Saul's spear David would teach the king that he had the power of death but choseto spare Saul's life rather than take it. This symbolic act also communicated that the rightto rule would be David's eventually. By taking his water jug, a life-giving vessel sincelife in the Judean wilderness depended on drinking water, David taught him that he hadthe power to take Saul's life. Perhaps the jug of water also symbolized that refreshmentand blessing would also be David's portion from the Lord. It was really the Lord whodefended David by making Saul and all of his men sleep soundly (v. 12).David's rebuke of Abner 26:13-16David crossed a ravine to put some distance between himself and Saul. David addressedAbner because he was responsible for leaving the Lord's anointed unprotected. Theperson who came to destroy Saul was Abishai (v. 15; cf. v. 8). David, rather than Saul'sbodyguard Abner, was responsible for sparing his life. Abner deserved to die for hisfailure in duty, but David spared his life, too. David more faithfully defended Saul's lifethan even Saul's most trusted servant.David's appeal to Saul 26:17-20Evidently the realization that David or Abishai again could have killed him but did notled Saul to respond to David tenderly, calling him his son (v. 17; cf. vv. 21, 25). Indeed,David had behaved as a loyal son toward Saul. David, however, did not now address Saulas his father, as he had previously (cf. 24:11). He had come to view Saul lessaffectionately since he continued to hound David without cause after repeated promisesto stop doing so. Moreover Saul was no longer David's father-in-law (cf. 25:44).David said that if violation of the Mosaic Law had prompted Saul to hunt him down hewas ready to offer the sacrifice the Law prescribed to atone for it (v. 19). However ifDavid's enemies had stirred up Saul's hostility without cause, David prayed that Godwould judge them for that. Saul's attacks had resulted in David's separation from theLord's inheritance (i.e., the blessings God had given Israel, especially rest in the PromisedLand) since he had to live as a fugitive. David's enemies had in effect encouraged him toabandon Yahweh by driving him out of his home territory (v. 19). 287 The commonconception in the ancient Near East was that gods ruled areas. Evidently some peoplewere saying that because David had departed from his area the Lord would not protecthim. David appeared to be seeking the protection of other gods by living in areas thatthey supposedly controlled (e.g., Philistia and Moab). 288 This looked like David wasviolating the first commandment (Exod. 20:3). Nevertheless David wanted to live and diein the center of God's will and presence (v. 20).287 On the possibility that God had incited Saul to seek David's life, and the larger issue of God's use ofdeception to judge sinners, see Chisholm, "Does God Deceive?" pp. 11-12, 19-21.288 See Youngblood, Faith of Our Fathers, p. 84; Daniel Isaac Block, The Gods of the Nations: Studies inAncient Near Eastern National Theology.