Over and over, David refused to lift his hand against the Lord’s anointed. King Saul had tried to pin him to a wall with a javelin and chased him into the wilderness with thousands of soldiers against hundreds of David’s men. By anyone’s account, most people would say David was justified to take Saul’s life.
Twice, David got close enough to Saul, though the king’s guards were all around him. Once, David cut a piece of cloth from Saul’s robe to prove he could have killed him if he had wanted. That piece of cloth became David’s testimony that he had no desire to take the king’s life. Even then, David felt guilty for cutting the robe and said, “The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the LORD’s anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the LORD’s anointed.” (1 Samuel 24:6).
Why? We could easily conclude that the Lord had given Saul into his hands. That was exactly what David’s men told him. Yet David refused. He could have ended the threat against himself, his family, and his men. Saul had proven to be a cruel and unstable man. He tried to kill his own son Jonathan for standing up for David and slaughtered the priests of God for showing David kindness. There was no question what Saul would have done if he had caught David.
But David’s resolve was firm. God had appointed Saul king, and David would not take what only God could give. He told Abishai, who urged him to kill Saul, “Do not destroy him, for who can put out his hand against the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless?” (1 Samuel 26:9). David had learned that it was God who delivered him from every distress. The same God who anointed Saul had also anointed David. By allowing Saul to live, David was declaring his faith in God’s timing. If God had anointed him king, then God would bring it about by His own will.
David refused to step into God’s place or commit murder against the Lord’s anointed. If God anointed, then God alone would transition the kingdom from Saul’s house to David’s. No one could accuse David of rebellion, and his reign would begin without reproach.
When the time came, God Himself brought Saul’s reign to an end. While David was living among the Philistines, Saul was slain in battle on Mount Gilboa. Scripture says, “So Saul died for his breach of faith. He broke faith with the LORD in that he did not keep the command of the LORD.” (1 Chronicles 10:13). The Lord Himself saw to the end of Saul’s reign.
David mourned over Saul and Jonathan, not rejoicing in his enemy’s death but grieving deeply, crying out, “How the mighty have fallen!” (2 Samuel 1:19). That is the heart of one who trusts God to bring justice.
Perhaps that is why the story of Ziglag is so moving. While living among the Philistines, David found himself in a strange place, safer among God’s enemies than in Israel, yet uneasy in his spirit. The Philistines had come to trust him, but when they went out to battle against Saul, they refused to let David join them. It felt like rejection and humiliation. Yet while David was turned away, tragedy struck closer to home. His city was raided, and his wives and the families of his men were taken captive.
It must have felt like another crushing blow. But in that heartbreak, God may have been protecting David from an impossible choice, fighting against the very king he had sworn never to harm. While David was rescuing his people, the Philistines fought Saul. And when the dust settled, David’s hands were still clean.
“David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.” (1 Samuel 30:6). He sought the Lord, pursued the raiders, and “David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and David rescued his two wives.” (1 Samuel 30:18).
Perhaps Ziglag was not a setback but a safeguard. Perhaps it was God’s way of keeping David’s path pure, even through pain. Sometimes our greatest trials are not detours but the very road God builds to keep us from losing sight of His purpose.
And maybe we have all had our own Ziglags, moments that hurt deeply but, in hindsight, spared us from choices we were never meant to make. Like the song says, thank God for unanswered prayers.
Because unanswered prayers are sometimes the ones most beautifully answered.
So what does this teach us? There are times when others might say we are justified to do something we should not do. Justified to take revenge when we are wronged. Justified to take from someone who has taken from us. The world calls this justice. But God says, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay.” (Romans 12:19). Jesus calls us higher: “Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” (Matthew 5:39). And again, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44).
People may not have understood David’s choice to spare Saul, and people may not understand our choice to leave justice in God’s hands. Yet the same heart that kept David from striking Saul should guide us to do the same, to trust God with our pain instead of taking matters into our own hands.
That is not natural. It is not easy. It is not popular.
But it is godly.
We may feel alone when we choose to trust God instead of ourselves, but in time we will see His hand moving in our story. “The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” (Exodus 14:14).
There will be moments when we must step back and let God fight for us, even when our hearts are breaking. Like David, we pray for our enemies, we bless those who curse us, and we keep our hearts clean before the Lord.
This is what sets us apart. Those who kneel before King Jesus have a transformed heart. “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21). We may look foolish to the world, but at the end of the day, hearing “Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:23) is the only thing that matters.
Nothing we suffer at the hands of others can compare with what God will do when He restores what has been taken and reminds us that He fights for us.
May we never be convinced to lift our hands against the Lord’s anointed, no matter how convincing the argument may sound.
What truth from this story speaks to you most today? I’d love to hear your reflection. It might be exactly what someone else needs this week.