𝟭 𝗦𝗮𝗺𝘂𝗲𝗹 𝟮𝟰-𝟮𝟲: 𝗔 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗠𝗲𝗿𝗰𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝗼𝗱
📖 𝘽𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝘽𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙣: Read 1 Samuel 24-26 to follow along with this study.
If you missed any of our previous studies, you can find them HERE.
𝗗𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗱’𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝘃𝗲 (𝟭 𝗦𝗮𝗺𝘂𝗲𝗹 𝟮𝟰)
Imagine this: You’re hiding from a man who has been trying to kill you, and suddenly, he unknowingly walks right into your hiding spot… to relieve himself. Yep, Saul just casually walks into the cave where David and his men are hiding to, well, take care of business. Talk about an awkward moment!
David’s men see this as a golden opportunity. “This is it, David! God is delivering Saul into your hands!” But instead of taking matters into his own hands, David quietly sneaks up and cuts off a piece of Saul’s robe. Even that small act weighs on his conscience.
David then steps out and calls after Saul, holding up the piece of robe as proof that he could have killed him but didn’t. Saul, momentarily struck with remorse, acknowledges David’s righteousness and even admits that David will one day be king.
𝙍𝙚𝙛𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙌𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨:
• How do you handle situations where you could “get even” but choose not to?
• David’s conscience was pricked even after just cutting Saul’s robe. What does that tell us about how seriously he took honoring God?
𝗡𝗮𝗯𝗮𝗹’𝘀 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗹’𝘀 𝗪𝗶𝘀𝗱𝗼𝗺 (𝟭 𝗦𝗮𝗺𝘂𝗲𝗹 𝟮𝟱)
This chapter introduces us to Nabal, whose name literally means “fool.” And well… he lives up to it. David and his men had been protecting Nabal’s flocks, so when David sends messengers to kindly ask for food, Nabal rudely refuses. David—who has been patient with Saul—loses it and prepares to wipe out Nabal’s household.
Enter Abigail, Nabal’s wise and discerning wife. She rushes to intercept David, humbly apologizing and bringing supplies. Her words remind David that vengeance belongs to God, not him. David listens, calms down, and blesses Abigail for her wisdom.
Later, when Nabal hears what almost happened, he has a heart attack (or something similar) and dies. David then takes Abigail as his wife.
𝙍𝙚𝙛𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙌𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨:
• Have you ever let anger cloud your judgment? How do we keep ourselves from reacting rashly?
• What can we learn from Abigail about responding to conflict with wisdom and humility?
𝗗𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗱 𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗦𝗮𝘂𝗹 𝗔𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻 (𝟭 𝗦𝗮𝗺𝘂𝗲𝗹 𝟮𝟲)
Déjà vu. Saul is after David 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯, and David once again has a perfect opportunity to take him out. This time, David and Abishai sneak into Saul’s camp at night. Abishai whispers, “Let me pin him to the ground with my spear—one strike, I won’t need a second.”
But David refuses. He knows that Saul is still God’s anointed, and he won’t be the one to take his life. Instead, David takes Saul’s spear and water jug and leaves. Later, he calls out to Saul’s camp to prove that he was there and could have killed him. Saul, once again, acknowledges David’s righteousness.
𝙍𝙚𝙛𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙌𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨:
• Why do you think God kept allowing David to have opportunities to kill Saul? What was He teaching him?
• How does David’s restraint challenge us when we want to take matters into our own hands?
𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀
1. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 – Even cutting Saul’s robe troubled David. When God convicts our hearts, we should listen.
2. 𝗪𝗶𝘀𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘁 – Abigail’s example shows that patience, humility, and wisdom can prevent disaster.
3. 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝗼𝗱’𝘀 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 – David could have ended Saul’s life twice, but he waited on God. We should trust that God’s timing is better than our own.