https://esv.literalword.com/?q=1+Samuel+26
Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Saturday, 9 August 2025:
1 Samuel 26:1-2 — Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding himself on the hill of Hachilah, which is on the east of Jeshimon?” So Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph with three thousand chosen men of Israel to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.
This is not the first time the Ziphites betrayed David’s location (see 1 Samuel 23:19). God often allows repeated tests in the same area of life — not because He wants to trap us, but because He wants to strengthen and prove our faith. David had been here before, but this time, his response would be refined by the lessons of the past.
What makes this betrayal sting even more is that the Ziphites were from David’s own tribe of Judah — his kinsmen by blood. In ancient Israel, tribal loyalty and family ties were meant to be unshakable bonds of protection and honor, but here they are twisted into weapons against David. In his moment of great vulnerability, instead of support, David receives sabotage; instead of loyalty, treachery. It is one thing to be attacked by strangers, but it is far more painful when those closest to you, family, old friends, or people from your own community, act like strangers, or even enemies, when you most need their help.
Psalm 54 records David’s prayer during one of these very betrayals by the Ziphites. The psalm begins, “O God, save me by your name, and vindicate me by your might” (Psalm 54:1). Instead of plotting revenge, David turns upward, appealing to God’s justice and deliverance. He acknowledges that “strangers” have risen against him and “ruthless men seek my life” (Psalm 54:3) — a striking description, considering these “strangers” were actually his own people. The psalm shows us David’s inner life during this trial: his first instinct is not self-defense by human means, but refuge in God’s faithful character. Psalm 54 also reveals his forward-looking confidence: “For he has delivered me from every trouble, and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies” (Psalm 54:7). Even while betrayed and hunted, David is already praising God for the deliverance he has not yet seen because he knows the Deliverer.
For Christians, this passage and psalm teach that betrayal by those closest to us is not an anomaly in a fallen world; it is part of the reality Christ Himself experienced (John 1:11; Matthew 26:14–16, 47–50). Our call is not to harden our hearts in bitterness, nor to retaliate in kind, but to entrust ourselves to “Him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23). When friends, family, or fellow believers act in selfishness or even hostility, we can lament the hurt while still choosing to remain faithful to God’s way, blessing those who curse us, praying for those who mistreat us (Luke 6:27–28), and trusting God to vindicate.
The lesson to practice is twofold: 1) when wronged, especially by those we expected to stand with us, run first to God for strength and justice rather than to our own schemes for control; and 2) when given the choice, be the kind of friend or family member who stands in loyalty and truth, not one who caves to fear, jealousy, or self-interest. By holding to God’s character in our own relationships, we model the very faithfulness we hope to receive from others.
1 Samuel 26:5-7 — Then David rose and came to the place where Saul had encamped. And David saw the place where Saul lay, with Abner the son of Ner, the commander of his army. Saul was lying within the encampment, while the army was encamped around him…. So David and Abishai went to the army by night, and there lay Saul sleeping within the encampment, with his spear stuck in the ground at his head.
David deliberately approached the camp instead of avoiding it. This was not reckless courage, but Spirit-led boldness. He did not shrink back in fear of the man who sought his life, but neither did he move in vengeance. Walking in God’s will sometimes means walking directly toward the thing that intimidates you — not to destroy it, but to demonstrate God’s glory through it.
1 Samuel 26:8 — Then Abishai said to David, “God has given your enemy into your hand this day. Now please let me pin him to the earth with one stroke of the spear, and I will not strike him twice.”
“You will sometimes be tempted to take shortcuts to your destinations in life. David faced this temptation numerous times before he finally assumed the throne. Samuel, God’s prophet, had anointed David and prophesied that he would be the next king of Israel (1 Sam. 16:12-13). Yet, while David waited on God’s timing, he watched in frustration as a crazed King Saul brought the kingdom into jeopardy. Saul pursued David to murder him, forcing David to flee for his life.
Then an incredible opportunity presented itself to David. David found Saul in a vulnerable position, sleeping with his army. Abishai, one of David’s warriors, offered to kill Saul. It seemed to make perfect sense. Saul had tried to kill David on numerous occasions. God had said He intended for David to be the king. By taking matters into his own hands, David could bring an end to his exile and assume the throne as God’s anointed servant. Yet he refused to compromise his integrity in order to become king, even though he wanted the position and it was rightfully his. Accomplishing God’s will in any manner other than the way God prescribed was unthinkable.
At times you may face similar temptations. Well-meaning friends advise you to hasten God’s will for you rather than waiting upon Him. You may be sorely tempted to take control of your situation, assuming the end will justify the means. These are the times when you must trust God’s perfect timing. God may plan for you to attain a certain position or take a new direction, but the timing may not be right. Watch over your heart. Don’t allow others to persuade you to compromise your integrity as you follow God’s will.” (Henry T. Blackaby)
Abishai interpreted the open door as God’s permission — David discerned it as a test. Not every opportunity is from God, and not every “perfect chance” is meant to be taken. The will of God is not just about the right destination, but the right path to get there. To seize the throne this way would have been disobedience disguised as destiny.
1 Samuel 26:12 – No man saw it or knew it, nor did any awake, for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen upon them.
God enabled David’s actions in a supernatural way which was not observable to men. The safest place to be is inside the will of God. David’s courage was backed by God’s supernatural covering — the same hand that restrained David from sin restrained Saul’s army from waking. God works in both the seen and unseen to protect His purposes.
1 Samuel 26:17-21 — Saul recognized David’s voice and said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” … Then Saul said, “I have sinned. Return, my son David…. I will no more do you harm…. I have acted foolishly, and have made a great mistake.”
Saul’s remorse sounds convincing, but his history shows that his heart had not changed. True repentance turns from sin and bears fruit; false repentance only regrets the consequences. Discernment means measuring words by consistent action, not by emotional tone. True repentance, a changed heart, does not return to sin.
What we see in Saul is not regeneration, but a temporary softening born of fear and embarrassment. His emotional words, calling David “my son” and confessing that he has sinned, are not accompanied by a turning of his will toward God. His confession lacks the depth of Psalm 51, where David, after his own sin, prays, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10). David’s repentance was not merely a request for a second chance or a reprieve from consequences; it was a plea for transformation. He did not want to simply avoid punishment, he wanted to be made new.
Tim Keller observes that this is the difference between remorse and repentance. Remorse is sorrow over the fallout of sin, how it affects our comfort, our reputation, our relationships; but it stops short of dealing with the offense against God Himself. Repentance, by contrast, is God-centered: it grieves sin because it violates God’s holiness and love. That is why David could say in Psalm 51:4, “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight,” even though his sin had hurt Bathsheba, Uriah, and the nation. He understood that sin is first and foremost treason against God, and that only a restored relationship with Him can produce lasting change.
Saul’s words in 1 Samuel 26 carry regret but no true turning. Like Pharaoh in Exodus 9–10, who repeatedly told Moses, “I have sinned” and “I will let you go” only to harden his heart again, Saul’s sorrow evaporated when his emotions cooled. The New Testament draws this same contrast in 2 Corinthians 7:10: “Godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.” Worldly grief (remorse) laments the pain of being caught or punished; godly grief (repentance) laments the sin itself and leads to a changed life. Remorse says, “I broke God’s rules,” while repentance says, “I broke God’s heart,” and “trampled underfoot the Son of God, … profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and… outraged the Spirit of grace.” (Hebrews 10:29)
David’s repentance, whenever it was needed, sought not just a lifting of guilt but a deep work of God in his heart. This aligns with the biblical truth that repentance and faith lead to regeneration (Titus 3:5; John 3:3–8). Regeneration is not just a reprieve from God’s judgment; it is the new birth, the creation of a new nature that loves righteousness and hates sin. David understood that without this inner transformation, his heart would inevitably wander again.
For Christians, the lesson is clear: our aim is not to feel bad long enough to “pay for” our sin emotionally, but to turn fully toward God in humble dependence, asking Him to change our desires, our habits, and our will. When confronted with our sin, we must be more concerned with God’s glory than with our own comfort. And when others show remorse without repentance, we must remember Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 7:16 that “you will recognize them by their fruits” — for repentance is always proved genuine by a life that consistently turns from sin and grows in Christlikeness.
1 Samuel 26:22–24 – And David answered and said, “Here is the spear, O king! … The LORD rewards every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness… Behold, as your life was precious this day in my sight, so may my life be precious in the sight of the LORD, and may He deliver me out of all tribulation.”
David knew that the mercy he showed to others would be the mercy he hoped to receive from God. He was not bargaining with the Lord, but walking in the spiritual law of sowing and reaping — you reap what you plant, in kind and in measure.
- Matthew 7:1-6 — “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.
- Luke 6:37-38 — “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
- Matthew 6:12 — …and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
1 Samuel 26:25 – Then Saul said to David, “Blessed be you, my son David! You will do many things and will succeed in them.” So David went his way, and Saul returned to his place.
Even Saul’s lips had to acknowledge David’s destiny. Yet David still walked away without the crown, because God’s promise was not yet God’s timing. The parting of ways here was not a peaceful resolution — it was God’s continued call for David to wait.
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 9 August 2025: The Spirit-filled life is not marked only by what you do for God, but also by what you refuse to do without Him. Restraint is active faith — the willingness to wait on God’s timing even when every human reason tells you to act now. In 1 Samuel 26, David’s restraint preserved his integrity, positioned him for God’s blessing, and protected him from the regret of a premature victory. Wait on God’s timing – success without compromise and when God will get all the glory.
Pray: “Lord, teach me the holy discipline of restraint. When I am tempted to act in my own strength, remind me that obedience is better than sacrifice and that Your timing is perfect. Give me the courage to wait when the world urges me to rush, and the faith to trust that You are working even when I cannot see it. Keep my heart free from bitterness toward those who oppose me, and let my actions reflect the mercy and grace I desire from You. May my life be a testimony that true victory comes only by Your hand, in Your way, and in Your time. Amen.”
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 