I see outrage all around us. That’s my introduction. I hope you like it.
1 Samuel 24:16-22
When David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” Then Saul lifted up his voice and wept.
He said to David, “You are more righteous than I; for you have dealt well with me, while I have dealt wickedly with you. You have declared today that you have done good to me, that the Lord delivered me into your hand and yet you did not kill me. For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away safely? May the Lord therefore reward you with good in return for what you have done to me this day. Now, behold, I know that you will surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hand. So now swear 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 household.”
David swore to Saul. And Saul went to his home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.
Recapitulation (v. 16)
When David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” Then Saul lifted up his voice and wept.
Saul has been pursuing David in order to kill him. At Engedi, Saul went into a cave to relieve himself and David had the chance to kill him. David’s men encouraged him to do as much. But, convicted in his conscience, David did not kill Saul. Instead, he merely cut off the edge of Saul’s garment. Now, David has appeared to Saul, bowed before him, and presented evidence that he has no ill intentions toward Saul. Saul hears David’s words, asks if the voice is that of David—whom he has pursued violently—and weeps loudly.
All of Israel (Cf. v. 2) now knows that Saul has been misleading them in his campaign against David. David’s action, here, proves his innocence before Israel and unmasks the deceit. Why? David did not do what Saul led Israel to believe he was planning to do. Instead, David repaid evil with good. Saul weeps. We don’t know the precise reason. Perhaps they are tears of sorrow. Perhaps they are tears of guilt. Perhaps they are only tears of getting caught. People will fake repentance when they are caught. You know that, right? It’s not sincere; It’s only fire insurance.
Saul’s shame (v. 17-22)
He said to David, “You are more righteous than I; for you have dealt well with me, while I have dealt wickedly with you. You have declared today that you have done good to me, that the Lord delivered me into your hand and yet you did not kill me. For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away safely? May the Lord therefore reward you with good in return for what you have done to me this day. Now, behold, I know that you will surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hand. So now swear 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 household.”
David swore to Saul. And Saul went to his home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.
Again, we don’t know if Saul is sincere or if he repents and praises David under duress. The text does not give us that information. Here, Saul admits to knowing David will be king and the kingdom of Israel will be established in David’s hand. The kingdom will not be established by David, but in David’s hand. 1 Samuel is all about God establishing His throne within His own creation through Israel. The kingdom of Israel will be established by God in David’s hand. The Messiah, David’s heir (Jesus Christ), will sit on the throne forever. David makes the same promise to Saul that he did to Jonathan (Cf. 20:14-15). David promised not to destroy Saul’s name from his father’s household—he would show lovingkindness to Saul’s family.
We have been seeing what it means for Christians to judge justly, love others, and live in the midst of oppression. Last week, I referenced Romans 12:19. This week, I want to look at the context around that verse:
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written,
“Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:14-21).
There are many bullies in this world, and our tendency is to always swing back. I want to reemphasize the Christian mentality. Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. If possible, so far as it depends on us, we live at peace with all people. We never take our own revenge but leave room for God’s wrath by overcoming evil with good. The justification for this New Testament idea is the Old Testament Law, Deuteronomy 32:35, and wisdom, Proverbs 25:21.
Deuteronomy 32:35-36
Referring to the nation of Israel:
Vengeance is Mine, and retribution, In due time their foot will slip; For the day of their calamity is near, And the impending things are hastening upon them. For the Lord will vindicate His people, And will have compassion on His servants, When He sees that their strength is gone, And there is none remaining, bond or free.
God would bless Israel with plenty—much food, wine, and grapes (Deuteronomy 32:13-14). In her plenty, Israel would herself over to self-indulgence rather than worshipping the one who provided every good thing (Deuteronomy 32:15). In this context, vengeance and retribution are God’s. He said He would repay Israel. He did so by giving Israel over to her self-indulgence. When they realized they had no real strength or provision of their own, God would have compassion on them again.
When Paul quotes Deuteronomy, he provides an interpretation that reveals this divine vengeance as normative. God provides good things; When people worship those good things, He hands them over to their self-indulgence. Then, after those things do not satisfy, God has compassion on those who recognize their essential depravity. Why is vengeance the Lord’s? He has provided good things for our enjoyment, but people worshipped what has been created rather than their creator (Cf. Romans 1:22-25; 11:32). God does not show vengeance, in the case of Deuteronomy 32 or Romans 12, by way of violence or destruction; He hands people over to their degrading passions and worship that will eventually lead to their destruction.
We don’t have to seek revenge and can repay evil with good because those who do not worship God are already being destroyed; God has given them over to their degrading passions. Worshipping what is created—wealth, food, drink, culture, preferences, human philosophy, science, buildings, budgets, programs, property, produce, business, busyness, celebrities, idols, followings, attendance—rather than the creator is destruction enough because those things can never satisfy. Yet, even in many churches those are the things worshipped. That is why Jesus teaches:
Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it (Matthew 7:13).
Proverbs 25:21-22
If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; For you will heap burning coals on his head, And the Lord will reward you.
In Romans 12, Paul considers this in the context of God’s vengeance. Life outside of Christ is already a living hell without much hope. People are already being given over to the degrading passions. Have compassion for them. Like we see with David and Saul, they will be shamed and we will be rewarded for leaving vengeance to the Lord.
Why is vengeance God’s job, not ours? Why is it up to God to judge the world and not us? The answer is simple. God is the righteous one, we are not. We are unrighteous by nature and in need of God’s mercy. We are depraved. As we have seen, God hands people over to their degrading passions, giving them over to sin so they may recognize their depravity. He has compassion on those who recognize their depravity, repent, and worship Him. Because the Christian recognizes his or her own unrighteousness and God’s righteousness, he bears the fruit of compassion for his enemies. This is the fruit we see in David’s life and in the lives of true Christians. It is the fruit of salvation. If we are not bearing this fruit, we should consider whether or not Christ knows us or is sanctifying us. Many people experience false conversion and remain the vengeful, self-indulgent people they were—even justifying their anger and rage using religious terms. The world’s religion is one of outrage. But, Christ’s people are meek—yearning to see the world redeemed, not destroyed.
Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen (Romans 11:33-36).