1 SAMUEL LESSON 27


     We will begin this lesson in I Samuel 24:1 "And it came to pass,
when Saul was returned from following the Philistines, that it was
told him, saying, Behold, David [is] in the wilderness of En-gedi."

     David had been trapped by Saul and his men on the western side of
the desert of Judah. While Saul was gone to war with the Philistines,
David crossed over to En-gedi. This was near the Dead Sea. The last
thing we learned in the last lesson, was that there was water and wild
goats for food here. This is a place of many caves, as well. Someone
has been keeping up with David's every move, and he reported to Saul
that he was at En-gedi.

     I Samuel 24:2 "Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of
all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the
wild goats."

     Saul has five times as many men with him as David has.
We see that, Saul let no time pass after the battles with the
Philistines. He is after David, again. It seems, he cannot rest, until
he kills David.

     I Samuel 24:3 "And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where
[was] a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet: and David and his
men remained in the sides of the cave."

     It is so interesting that Saul chose the very cave, where David
was camped, to lie down and rest for the night. These caves were
places where animals, or travelers, retreated to be safe from the
storms and from robbers. It was so dark inside, that no one coming in
could see five feet ahead of them. The advantage was to the person
already in the cave. They had been acclimated to the light, and could
see everything, and everyone, coming into the cave. David and his men
saw Saul, when he lay down, and actually saw him cover up his feet.
The men of David were in the cave, but further inside. They clung to
the side of the cave to keep Saul from seeing them.  "Sheepcotes"
means inclosure.

     I Samuel 24:4 "And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day
of which the LORD said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy
into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto
thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privily."

     In spite of all that Saul had done to David, David still
respected him as king. He had, at one time, been anointed of God.
David's men believe that God has given Saul into David's hands to
kill. David does not do this, however. He cuts off the skirt of Saul,
while he is asleep, to let him know that he could have killed him.
David believes that this will make Saul believe he is innocent of all
charges.

     I Samuel 24:5 "And it came to pass afterward, that David's heart
smote him, because he had cut off Saul's skirt."

     David was heartsick later, that he had cut off the skirt of Saul.
He had feelings of guilt of humiliating Saul.

     I Samuel 24:6 "And he said unto his men, The LORD forbid that I
should do this thing unto my master, the LORD'S anointed, to stretch
forth mine hand against him, seeing he [is] the anointed of the LORD."

     David is a man who is totally loyal to the LORD. His loyalty to
Saul is based on the fact that Saul was the anointed of God. David
even stresses the point to his men, that he should never raise his
hand to destroy the anointed of God.

     I Samuel 24:7 "So David stayed his servants with these words, and
suffered them not to rise against Saul. But Saul rose up out of the
cave, and went on [his] way."

     David's words, about the importance of not raising your hand
against the anointed, saved Saul from David's men. The men really
wanted to kill Saul. David was their leader, and he kept them from
doing it. Saul left the cave, never realizing that David and his men
were in the cave.

     I Samuel 24:8 "David also arose afterward, and went out of the
cave, and cried after Saul, saying, My lord the king. And when Saul
looked behind him, David stooped with his face to the earth, and bowed
himself."

     Saul had travelled a little way from the cave, but not out of
hearing distance.  It appeared that, Saul was not near his men, and
David went out toward Saul. The idea was to prove to Saul that he did
not intend to kill him. It was obvious David had the opportunity to
kill him, but would not, because he was the anointed of God. David
even bowed to show that he still recognized Saul as king. He wanted
Saul to realize he had no intention of killing him.

     I Samuel 24:9  "And David said to Saul, Wherefore hearest thou
men's words, saying, Behold, David seeketh thy hurt?"

     David was explaining to Saul that anyone who said he wanted to
destroy Saul was lying. It was almost as if he was saying to Saul, How
much more proof do you need?

     I Samuel 24:10 "Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that
the LORD had delivered thee to day into mine hand in the cave: and
[some] bade [me] kill thee: but [mine eye] spared thee; and I said, I
will not put forth mine hand against my lord; for he [is] the LORD'S
anointed."

     The LORD had placed Saul in the very cave, where David and his
men were hiding. The men thought David should kill Saul and be rid of
their problem. David did not want to kill him, because he was king,
anointed thus of God. We must remember, in all of this, that David had
been anointed of the LORD, as well. He would be king of Israel. It was
just a matter of time.

     I Samuel 24:11 "Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of
thy robe in my hand: for in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe, and
killed thee not, know thou and see that [there is] neither evil nor
transgression in mine hand, and I have not sinned against thee; yet
thou huntest my soul to take it."

     In this, David called Saul father. He was married to Saul's
daughter, and that made Saul his father-in-law. This was not an
arrogant showing of the skirt with the bottom cut off. It was a way of
showing Saul his good intentions. Saul was angry at David without a
cause. David wanted to prove to Saul that he had no evil thoughts
about him. David had not transgressed, he had only done good to Saul.
Saul would have killed David, if David had been so near him.

     I Samuel 24:12 "The LORD judge between me and thee, and the LORD
avenge me of thee: but mine hand shall not be upon thee."

     Now, we see that Saul has not responded positively to David.
David, now, brings his case before the LORD. The LORD will have to
judge between them. David is, in a sense, saying that he will not harm
Saul.  God will have to deal with Saul.

     I Samuel 24:13 "As saith the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness
proceedeth from the wicked: but mine hand shall not be upon thee."

     David was not wicked, or he would have killed Saul, when he had
the opportunity. Those who have a wicked heart, do and say wicked
things. David does not do, or say, wicked things. He has his heart
stayed upon the LORD.

     I Samuel 24:14 "After whom is the king of Israel come out? after
whom dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, after a flea."

     Why does Saul need so many men to come against someone like
David? Saul has five men to every one of David's. He classifies
himself as a dead dog {harmless}. The comparison of him as a flea, is
showing his small size compared to the size of Saul's strength.

     I Samuel 24:15 "The LORD therefore be judge, and judge between me
and thee, and see, and plead my cause, and deliver me out of thine
hand."

     The LORD is on the side of David. Saul is aware of that. This is
one of the reasons he has come against him. Saul knows the kingdom has
been taken away from him and given to David. All of his effort to kill
David is to keep the LORD's will in this from happening. The LORD will
deliver David out of Saul's hand. He will fight for David, especially
since David will not fight for himself.

     I Samuel 24:16  "And it came to pass, when David had made an end
of speaking these words unto Saul, that Saul said, [Is] this thy
voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice, and wept."

     Saul knows that David has spared his life. This is one of the
moments, when Saul realizes the love that David has for him is
sincere. David has loved him as a father, honored him as king, and
respected him as God's anointed. For this moment, Saul has remorse for
wanting to kill David. He is so moved by what David said, that he
actually cries.

     I Samuel 24:17 "And he said to David, Thou [art] more righteous
than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee
evil."

     This is a very true statement. David had done only good to Saul.
Saul had no legitimate reason for the evil he had wanted to do to
David.

     I Samuel 24:18 "And thou hast shewed this day how that thou hast
dealt well with me: forasmuch as when the LORD had delivered me into
thine hand, thou killedst me not."

     Saul is so overwhelmed that David did not kill him when it
appeared the LORD placed him in the hands of David.

     I Samuel 24:19 "For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go
well away? wherefore the LORD reward thee good for that thou hast done
unto me this day."

     The answer is no. It is not natural for a man to have his enemy
at his own mercy, and then do him no harm. Saul speaks a blessing on
David from the LORD, for his generosity in letting him live.

     I Samuel 24:20 "And now, behold, I know well that thou shalt
surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in
thine hand."

     Saul had known from the beginning, that David was to be the next
king. This is actually what bothered him. Every time that David did
some mighty feat, Saul became jealous. He had the kingdom torn from
him and his son, because he did not, and would not, obey the
commandments of God. Saul was like many of us. He kept the
commandments that were convenient to keep. He has finally admitted
that David will be king.

     I Samuel 24:21 "Swear now therefore unto me by the LORD, that
thou wilt not cut off my seed after me, and that thou wilt not destroy
my name out of my father's house."

     Saul was such a proud man, that this would be very important to
him. He wanted to be remembered as being a great king. He really was,
in the physical sense. He just did not follow the will of the LORD.
The people thought him to be a great king. He wants David's word that
David will not destroy his name, or his reputation. He wants his seed
to be remembered, as well. That would be no problem for David, because
Saul's son, Jonathan, was David's best friend. Saul had known for a
long time that it was just a matter of time, until he would be
replaced as king. Samuel had given that very message from God, when he
disobeyed God by saving Agag and the best of the animals, when God
told him to destroy them all.

     I Samuel 24:22 "And David sware unto Saul. And Saul went home;
but David and his men gat them up unto the hold."

     David did swear to Saul that these things would be so. They did
not physically get back together though. Saul went home, and David and
his men went in their hold, where they had been staying. David knew
that Saul had been known to change his mind, even though he had made
an agreement. This group of men following David continued with him.








































                        1 Samuel 27 Questions


1.  Where was David and his men, when he was trapped by Saul?
2.  When the army of the Philistines attacked and Saul went to help,
    where did David go?
3.  Where was En-gedi located?
4.  How many chosen men did Saul take to go get David?
5.  Where did Saul go to rest for the night?
6.  What was interesting about the place that Saul chose to spend the
    night?
7.  What were these places generally used for?
8.  Why could Saul not realize that David's men were in this cave?
9.  What does "sheepcotes" mean?
10. What did the men of David say, about Saul being in the cave with
    them?
11. What did David do to Saul?
12. Why did David do this, instead of killing him?
13. Why was David heartsick about this later?
14. Why is David so loyal to Saul?
15. What saved Saul from David's men?
16. In verse 8, what did David do, to let Saul know he could have
    killed him?
17. David ________ to show that he still recognizes Saul as king.
18. Who does David say, that Saul has been listening to?
19. In verse 10, what is David explaining to Saul?
20. What must we remember in all of this about David?
21. What does David show Saul, that proves he could have killed him?
22. Why did David call Saul father?
23. Who does David say will judge between them?
24. What is the proverb David speaks?
25. What is David asking Saul in verse 14?
26. What is one of the reasons Saul has come against David?
27. After David spoke to Saul, what did Saul reply?
28. What emotion does Saul show?
29. What is Saul so overwhelmed by?
30. How is Saul like many of us?
31. What does Saul ask David to swear to him?
32. Who thought Saul to be a great king?
33. Who was David's best friend?