Look at the corner of your robe in my hand, for I cut it off, but I didn’t kill you. Look and recognize that there is no evil or rebellion in me. I haven’t sinned against you even though you are hunting me down to take my life.
– 1 Samuel 24:11
“How easily does a vengeful spirit creep in on you?
Why do you think God calls us to such a high standard of peacekeeping with one another, even at times when we seem to have grounds not to?
We have already considered God’s unwavering devotion to prepare His children for His service. Now we will see some of the fruit of God’s preparation in David. In those caves, God chiseled character into the heart of His king…
In spite of all that Saul had done, David continued to have a tenacious belief that he must respect God’s anointed king…
David’s change of heart offers evidence that he was greatly influenced by the Holy Spirit…
You an I may want to minimize David’s sin against Saul [by cutting off a corner of his robe] because Saul’s offense against David seems so much worse. We tend to view sin in relative terms. David’s standard for measuring sin was not the wickedness of Saul, but the holiness of God…
The Holy Spirit works restraint in us when we are tempted toward revenge; if we are fully yielded to the Spirit, we will obey…
David withdrew from taking the life of Saul out of respect for God, not Saul…
If you are willing to honor a person out of respect for God, you can be assured that God will honor you. Several times I’ve been required to honor a person out of honor to God. A very strange thing has happened almost every time I’ve been obedient to God in this area: He has restored my respect for the person I had come to resent.
God is always faithful. The results of your obedience may differ, but the blessing of your obedience is guaranteed…
Father, I pray that You would enable me to trust so confidently in Your sovereignty and love that I would not only live at peace with everyone – as far as possible – but would seek to bless my enemies in return. For I know that vengeance belongs to You, Lord, not to me. You will repay what has been done to Your children (Rom. 12:18-20).”