1st Samuel chapter 26 is all about David getting a second chance to end Saul’s life…
And NOT taking it.
When Saul and his soldiers arrived at the wilderness near Zif, they camped by the road leading up to the hill of Hachilah.
This was where David and his men were staying.
David’s spies saw Saul’s army and informed David.
So David sent out more spies to check things out.
When David got the necessary intel he needed, he waited for the right moment and snuck up to the camp at night.
He saw that Avner, Saul’s top general, was there too.
Saul was sleeping in a safe spot surrounded by his soldiers.
Avner was sleeping closest to Saul, acting as his bodyguard.
David asked his most trustworthy men who would be willing to go with him to the enemy camp.
A man named Avishai raised his hand to volunteer.
Who was this Avishai?
His name means “My father is Yishai or Jesse.”
He was the son of Zeruiah and the brother of Yoab.
We can tell by his name he was a close relative of David.
This makes sense because it was common to have your inner circle be mostly family members.
Zeruiah was Jesse’s daughter and David’s sister, so Avishai was David’s nephew.
Zeruiah was also the mother of Avishai, Yoav, and Asahel.
Since Avishai was the commander of David’s army, he couldn’t refuse to go with David to Saul’s camp.
Because the army commander was also the leader’s main protector.
Or another way to put it:
Avishai was to David what Avner was to Saul.
Their chief responsibility was to serve as a bodyguard and protect their leaders.
Now the big question that confronts us is did David change his mind about wanting to seek revenge and kill Saul?
Avishai might have thought so.
But the answer was no.
David still wanted to convince Saul he was innocent.
Sounds crazy, doesn’t it?
But the truth is this was a classic case of a man casting pearls at swine.
Saul was a man beyond repentance.
Yet David was still holding onto the hope that he would finally come to his senses and realize he was not trying to hurt or kill him in any way.
Onward.
We’re told the men protecting Saul had fallen into a deep sleep, not just a regular sleep.
This was the Lord’s supernatural protection at work.
Normally, soldiers protecting the king would wake instantly at the slightest sound.
But not this time.
They were so deeply asleep that they never noticed when David and Avishai entered their camp.
The two crept closer until they were standing over the king himself.
Saul’s spear, which symbolized his reign and authority, was stuck in the ground next to him, with Avner, Saul’s chief general, just inches away.
No doubt, Avishai must have thought since they had gotten this close to the king and were still alive, it could only have meant one thing.
The God of Israel had given them this chance to finish off Saul for good.
Okay, we’re gonna stop here and continue tomorrow.
But let’s transition over to the takeaway.
So here’s the thing.
Just as God supernaturally protected David and Avishai when they entered Saul’s camp…
So too will the Lord protect you when you enter enemy territory.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re in Cincinnati, Ohio…
Or some God-forsaken place like Hamhung, North Korea.
God is sovereign and can protect you no matter where you are.
Come to think of it, I shouldn’t even use the word “God-forsaken.”
Because unless God has made a deliberate decision to cut off some person (like He did with Saul) or place, there is nothing in this universe that is God-forsaken.
Ya feel me?
See ya all next time.
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