1 Samuel 24:1-7

Saul's Life Spared by David, 1 Samuel 24:1-22.

David Spares Saul's Life. 1 Samuel 24:1-7

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.

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.
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.

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

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.

1.

Who told Saul where to find David? 1 Samuel 24:1

No mention is made of the party or parties who told Saul that David was over in En-gedi. Since the Ziphites had informed Saul on previous occasions, they were probably the ones who gave this information to Saul. Again Saul may have left certain of his servants in the land of Judah to keep him informed of David's whereabouts. Although Saul was forced to leave the area himself in order to drive out the invading Philistines, he did not want to lose contact with David.

2.

What were the rocks of the wild goats? 1 Samuel 24:2

Wild goats ran on the sides of the cliffs which dropped down to the Dead Sea from the mountain of Judah in the vicinity of En-gedi. It was in one of these caves on the west side of the Dead Sea just a little farther to the north that the Dead Sea Scrolls were found by a goat-herd. The man was looking for some of his lost animals when he came upon the mouth of one of these caves. Thinking that perhaps his animals were down in the cave, he himself entered it and found the sealed earthen vessels which contained the fabulous scrolls which have been acclaimed as the most important archaeological discovery of recent times. As far as Bible lands are concerned, wild goats made many tracks only a foot wide all through this area. This expression should not be taken as a proper name for some particular rocks, but as a general term applied to the rocks of the location on account of the number of goats which are to be found in the region.

3.

Why was David in a cave? 1 Samuel 24:3

Since caves were throughout the length and breadth of the area, they afforded a natural hiding place for David and his band of 600 men. The men of Israel hid themselves in the caves earlier when the Philistines attacked their land (1 Samuel 13:6). Lot had asked permission to hide in a cave when Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed (Genesis 19:30). Probably David and his men went into the caves to sleep, finding this to be a more secure place to hide than out in the open field.

4.

Why did Saul come into the cave? 1 Samuel 24:3

It is said that Saul went into the cave to cover his feet. The exact meaning of this expression is debated, and some take it to be a euphemism. The expression occurs also in Judges 3:24 when Eglon's servants were afraid to disturb him as they thought he had gone into his chamber to cover his feet. Those who understand this as a euphemism believe that it describes Saul's performing the necessities of nature, since it was a custom in the East to cover the feet at such a time. The Peshitta, an ancient version of the Bible, translates this Hebrew phrase as meaning to sleep. What follows seems to favor this. David must have gone into the cave to rest, and Saul found the spot to be suitable to his needs as well.

5.

How did David's men view the situation? 1 Samuel 24:4

David's men thought that this was an opportune time for David to kill Saul. They said, Behold the day of which the Lord said unto thee. No record is made of David's ever having received a prophecy that God would deliver Saul into his hand. David was not out to kill Saul, although Saul accused him of lying in wait for him (1 Samuel 22:8; 1 Samuel 22:13). Gad, the prophet, was with David, but there is no record of his having brought such an announcement to David. David's men must have therefore been referring to their interpretation of God's providences. It appeared to them that God had been saying through the transpiring events that eventually David would prevail over Saul. They could see no outcome of the situation except that David would overcome Saul and succeed him on the throne.

6.

What was David's view? 1 Samuel 24:5

David did nothing more than to arise and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe while he was sleeping. Afterward his conscience hurt him about this. He looked upon Saul as God's anointed. David had great respect for God's anointed leaders, and he was ashamed of the fact that he had humiliated Saul by marring his robe.