“Then David called out to the troops and to Avner the son of Ner. ‘Avner! Aren’t you going to answer?’ Avner answered, ‘Who are you, calling to the king?’ David said to Avner, ‘Aren’t you the brave one! Who is there in Israel to compare with you? So why haven’t you kept watch over your lord the king? Someone came in to kill the king, your lord!‘”-1 Samuel 26:14-15
David and his right-hand man Avishai had a chance to kill the king.
But they didn’t take that chance.
Instead, what did they do?
They took Saul’s spear and water bottle as evidence they had secretly invaded Saul’s camp.
Then they left the camp and once they had reached a safe distance, David shouted out to Avner (Saul’s bodyguard), and yelled the following:
“Aren’t you the brave one! Who is there in Israel to compare with you? So why haven’t you kept watch over your lord the king? Someone came in to kill the king, your lord! It’s not good, what you’ve done! As Adonai lives, you deserve to die; because you didn’t keep watch over your lord, Adonai’s anointed. And now, see where the king’s spear is, and the jug of water that was next to his head!”-1 Samuel 26:15-16
No doubt, David intended to humiliate Saul’s highest-ranking officer and do it publically no less.
He asks Avner how in the world, as Israel’s top warrior, he could allow the king’s enemies to get so close to him without him being aware.
David then holds up the king’s spear and water carrier as proof he could’ve killed the king if he wanted to.
David made a good point when he told Avner “You deserve to die.”
It was a soldier’s basic responsibility to protect the king at all costs…
And Avner failed terribly.
Amidst the ruckus, Saul awakens and recognizes David’s voice.
“Is that your voice, my son David?” he asks.
David answers…
“It is my voice, my lord king!
Why is my lord chasing his servant?
What have I done?
What evil am I planning?
Please, now, may my lord the king
hear what his servant is saying.”
See, David is still casting pearls at swine here.
He’s still trying to discover the cause behind Saul’s irrational hatred of him.
David trying to persuade Saul was about as useless as a Jew in Nazi Germany trying to reason with Hitler…
A futile exercise in frustration if there ever was one.
David then goes on to say…
“If it is Adonai who has
stirred you up against me,
let him receive an offering.
But if it’s human beings,
then a curse on
them before Adonai! ”
The gist of what David is saying is that if God is the one who started this fight, they should make an offering to God and hope that He will change His mind and quench the flames of Saul’s anger.
That phrase “let him receive an offering” is interesting.
Let’s explore that for a second.
In Hebrew, David is saying:
“Let God RUAKH MINCHAH.”
You probably recall the word MINCHAH from our studies way back in the Book of Leviticus.
It’s one of the second class of sacrifices offered up to God.
And you probably think RUAKH means “spirit.”
Normally, it does but not in this context.
Here, this phrase means…
“May Adonai SMELL the smoke of the sacrifices.”
According to the Hebrew mindset, the smoke was a key component.
Why?
Because it was believed when the smoke rose to the heavens, God would catch a whiff of its aroma and be pleased.
The aroma from the smoke was proof the people were obedient to the Lord’s commands by making sacrifices to atone for their sins.
Essentially what David is saying here is that if Saul’s paranoia comes from the Lord, may the Lord have mercy.
But if what’s happening is due to the evil in men’s hearts, may they be cursed by God.
So what’s the takeaway for today?
It is this:
“Don’t cast your pearls before swine.”
Twice David has tried to persuade Saul that he was innocent and didn’t have any evil intentions toward him.
And twice David failed.
The bottom line is there will be some people in this world who are so reprobate and against God that it’s best not to waste time with them.
Sadly, these reprobates could be family members.
Sure, go ahead and say a prayer for them.
But then after that, surrender them to God, and then leave ’em.
Be about doing the work for the Kingdom of God.
Ya feel me?
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
He said to another man,
‘Follow me.’ But he replied,
‘Lord, first let me go
and bury my father.’
Yeshua said to him,
‘Let the dead bury
their own dead,
but you go and proclaim
the kingdom of God.’
Still another said,
‘I will follow you, Lord;
but first let me go back
and say goodbye to my family.’
Yeshua replied, ‘No one
who puts a hand to the
plow and looks back is
fit for service in the
kingdom of God.'”
-Luke 9:59-62
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