- 2009 European Bible Conference, October 21, 2009     Furthermore King David said to all the assembly: “My son Solomon, whom alone God has chosen, is young and inexperienced; and the work is great, because the temple is not for man but for the Lord God.”  1 Chronicles 29:1   David’s Humble HeartWe have already studied King David in the past. The prophet Samuel anointed a young man named Saul from the tribe of Benjamin. Within the writings of Moses, there is a prophecy that Jacob made, saying that a king would rise up from within the house of Israel, from the tribe of Judah (See Genesis 49:10). While Saul was king, David was also anointed king by Samuel in accordance with this prophecy. Nevertheless, David did not rule as king right away. He was acknowledged as king, but he did not have the sovereign power. David was young at the time, and it took a very long time for the sovereign power to pass from the tribe of Benjamin to the tribe of Judah. This was, of course, the will of God. During this time, King Saul continually pursued David in order to kill him, but David never tried to retaliate; he only tried to escape. We should remind ourselves of this fact every day and keep it in our hearts, but we should also consider that this attitude of David played a very important role in keeping the history of Israel unfolding in accordance with God’s will. First Samuel chapter 24 contains a record of the incident in which David hid from Saul in a cave. Saul went into the cave while David was hiding there and David was presented with an opportunity to kill Saul, but he did not do it; he just cut off a piece of Saul’s robe. Then David went out of the cave and holding up the piece of cloth, told Saul, “Look at this, King Saul. I could have killed you, but I will not lift a hand against the king to his harm.” The Bible tells us, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head” (Romans 12:20), and Jesus said, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you” (Luke 6:27). How can this be possible? We need to be aware that the content of such brief passages was actually accomplished in the lives of many prophets, kings, and priests within the history of Israel, and that we, too, may have such experiences in a small way within our daily lives. Let’s consider what was in David’s heart. David could have harmed Saul, but he did not. The Bible talks briefly about what was in David’s heart as he lived before God. Let’s turn to First Samuel chapter 24 and read from verse 2.   Then Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel, and went to seek David and his men on the Rocks of the Wild Goats. So he came to the sheepfolds by the road, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to attend to his needs. (David and his men were staying in the recesses of the cave.) Then the men of David said to him, “This is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it seems good to you.’” And David arose and secretly cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. Now it happened afterward that David’s heart troubled him because he had cut Saul’s robe. And he said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord.” So David restrained his servants with these words, and did not allow them to rise against Saul. And Saul got up from the cave and went on his way.  1 Samuel 24:2-7   Within this short passage we can see what was in David’s heart. Whether we have realized the truth of the Bible or do not know the Bible, we need to think about what is in our hearts as we live our lives before God. David had been anointed and recognized as king, but even when he just cut a small piece of cloth from the garment of the one who had been anointed and established as king, he still felt uneasy about what he had done. If you are a Christian, you will probably remember clearly the time when you experienced a change within your heart as you realized, through the words of the Bible, the truth of what God has done and accomplished for you. After that, you probably also experienced your conscience having become as sharp as a knife. I remember experiencing something I had never experienced before, something very sharp that sprang up in my heart. I became keenly sensitive, suffering more than anything I had been through regarding my sins before I was born again, and for some time, I could not even move a muscle without considering my action. This will definitely be the experience of a person who is born again through the words of the Bible and it is only to be expected since God has poured His heart into me. Of course, as you are living your life, your heart may become tainted with sin and fall into darkness and you stumble. Yet if, at such times, you turn back to the words of the Bible, think about the suffering of Jesus and consider the beloved brothers and sisters around you, your heart will be restored. It is as the Bible says, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). The heart of the individual becomes so sensitive that it feels like it has been torn apart even at the slightest touch. Let’s take a look at the life that David led. Even though Saul had sinned and and fallen before God, David acknowledged him as king and his conscience was pierced to the core, even when he had simply cut off a corner of the king’s robe. It was because he was such a man that even though he was the king, he was qualified as a prophet to record some of the Bible. Usually, when we are taught about David at church or Sunday school, we learn the story of how David killed Goliath with a stone, or we sing the hymn, “While the Lord is my Shepherd and I’m kept in His care” (While the Lord is my Shepherd). We also learn of the time when David was a shepherd, tending his sheep and protecting them against wild animals, as recorded in the book of Psalms. We learn about these incidents when we are young or when we are learning the basics about the Bible. If we study the Bible carefully, however, we can see what was in the heart of David who was king and yet, as a prophet, diligently studied the word of God and recorded the words of God that rang out in His heart. This man had the heart to spare his enemy Saul. He did not attack or harm him; he simply cut off a corner of Saul’s clothing, but even then his heart was pierced to the core. When you read this, you may possibly think, “Is it necessary to go to such extremes?” It is actually very difficult for us to live as he did. If, however, we give careful consideration to the way in which this king, having such a heart, ruled over Israel and the manner in which he captured the hearts of the people, we can see what his heart was like. This was the heart of Jesus, the Son of God, the heart of God, who loves all the people in the world, even those who cursed Him and had Him crucified. It is as it says in First Peter chapter 1 verses 10 and 11: “Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.” It is because this was what David had in his heart that truths such as these came to be recorded in the Bible. Also, when we encounter this truth through the Bible, we may become aware of many things. David was a great king with a good deal of charisma, having killed Goliath and chopped off his head, and having united Israel. It was as the people said, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands” (1 Samuel 29:25). All of Israel revered him as their hero. Yet deep down inside him, in a place that could not be reached by anyone else, there was a truly humble heart. On the surface, he was a great and mighty king, but deep inside he was weaker than anyone before God, before whom in his heart he bowed down in reference. When we carefully consider this attitude that David had, we are reminded of Jesus who was crucified and died for our sins. One hundred, or even one thousand Davids could not take the place of Jesus. David protected his fellow countrymen completely and thoroughly. On a spiritual level, he loved his fellow countrymen, and on a human and political level he endured all things in order that all twelve tribes of Israel might be united as one under the authority of God who had granted him the position of the anointed one.   David Protected Saul and his Tribe to the EndDavid also arose afterward, went out of the cave, and called out to Saul, saying, “My lord the king!” And when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his face to the earth, and bowed down. And David said to Saul: “Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Indeed David seeks your harm’? Look, this day your eyes have seen that the Lord delivered you today into my hand in the cave, and someone urged me to kill you. But my eye spared you, and I said, ‘I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s anointed.’ Moreover, my father, see! Yes, see the corner of your robe in my hand! For in that I cut off the corner of your robe, and did not kill you, know and see that there is neither evil nor rebellion in my hand, and I have not sinned against you. Yet you hunt my life to take it. Let the Lord judge between you and me, and let the Lord avenge me on you. But my hand shall not be against you. As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Wickedness proceeds from the wicked.’ But my hand shall not be against you. After whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom do you pursue? A dead dog? A flea? Therefore let the Lord be judge, and judge between you and me, and see and plead my case, and deliver me out of your hand.”  1 Samuel 24:8-15   The words, “I have not sinned against you. Yet you hunt my life to take it” are those of Jesus as He prayed for the sinners. The heart and voice of Jesus dwelt within David. King Saul was very surprised that David had not avenged himself by killing him, so he spoke to David.   So it was, when David had finished speaking these words to Saul, that Saul said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. Then he said to David: “You are more righteous than I; for you have rewarded me with good, whereas I have rewarded you with evil. And you have shown this day how you have dealt well with me; for when the Lord delivered me into your hand, you did not kill me. For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him get away safely? Therefore may the Lord reward you with good for what you have done to me this day. And now I know indeed that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand. Therefore swear now to me by the Lord that you will not cut off my descendants after me, and that you will not destroy my name from my father’s house.” So David swore to Saul. And Saul went home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.  1 Samuel 24:16-22   This moving passage is shot through with very subtle emotion. When we read First Samuel chapter 24, we tend not to remember anything other than David not harming Saul. The points that we need to remember, however, are the fact that David’s heart was troubled after he cut off a corner of Saul’s robe, and Saul’s request of David. Saul said to David, “I have rewarded you with evil but you have rewarded me with good,” and, “Swear now to me by the Lord that you will not cut off my descendants after me, and that you will not destroy my name from my father’s house.” Also, David made a pledge to Saul. Even though Saul knew that David was going to become king and that the Israelites would become strong under David’s hand, Saul could not give up.While Saul was experiencing this conflict with David, he was attacked by the Philistines. During the battle with the Philistines, Saul and his son, Jonathan, died on the battlefield. Jonathan and David had a friendship that was closer than the bond between brothers. The Philistines saw that Saul was dead and so they cut off his head and displayed it before the people. Such was the death that Saul encountered. We read this in the last chapter of First Samuel.As we read on, however, in the first chapter of Second Samuel we find David keeping the pledge he had made to Saul. One of the Amalekites came and told David that Saul and Jonathan were dead, so David asked him how they had died. The Amalekite told him that he had come across Saul by chance on the battlefield and Saul had asked him to kill him. Seeing that Saul could not live any longer, the Amalekite said that he had killed Saul. Upon hearing this news of Saul’s death, David in his sorrow tore his clothes and fasted until evening. Then, David took the Amalekite, who had not been afraid to put forth his hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed, and he had him put to death. David also composed a sad song in praise of Saul and Jonathan.Since Saul was now dead, we might think that the time had come for David to trample the house of Saul and dispose of it. By human calculations, we might wonder why anyone would have a lingering attachment to a person who had died after tormenting him to such an extent. It was because David kept the promise he had made to Saul, however, that the tribe of Benjamin and the remaining ten tribes remained attached to the tribe of Judah, and Israel was established as a unified monarchy. This royal kingdom did not last for a very long time, but it remained strong during the lifetimes of David and Solomon.Since Second Samuel is recorded with David as the central figure, when we read this book, we are inclined to pay attention only to this one man, David, and we rarely consider the situation surrounding Israel at that time, but let’s think about this now. David had been anointed as king. Furthermore, it was known to everyone in Israel that David had killed Goliath and Saul had constantly sought David out to kill him. And now Saul had died. It was very much to the advantage of the house of Israel?the nation of Israel?that David kept the promise he had made to Saul. What would have happened if David had persecuted the sons of Saul, or the tribe of Benjamin, after Saul’s death? From a historical

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