1 Samuel 24:9-15: a reflection

9David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to men’s words, saying, ‘Behold, David seeks to harm you’? 10Behold, today your eyes have seen how the LORD had delivered you today into my hand in the cave. Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you. I said, ‘I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the LORD’s anointed.’ 11Moreover, my father, behold, yes, see the skirt of your robe in my hand; for in that I cut off the skirt of your robe and didn’t kill you, know and see that there is neither evil nor disobedience in my hand. I have not sinned against you, though you hunt for my life to take it. 12May the LORD judge between me and you, and may the LORD avenge me of you; but my hand will not be on you. 13As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Out of the wicked comes wickedness;’ but my hand will not be on you. 14Against whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom do you pursue? A dead dog? A flea? 15May the LORD therefore be judge, and give sentence between me and you, and see, and plead my cause, and deliver me out of your hand.”

When David has Saul, who is hunting him, defenseless in a cave, he refuses to take the vengeance his men urge, sparing the life of the one who sought his. And he explains why, committing his cause not to his own hand but to God: May the LORD judge between me and you, and may the LORD avenge me of you; but my hand will not be on you. David would not avenge himself, though he had the opportunity and the provocation; he entrusted his cause and his vindication to God, the true Judge, rather than taking judgment into his own hands. His hand would not be on Saul; he left the judgment to God.

Notice how David entrusted his cause to God rather than avenging himself. He had every opportunity to take vengeance, and every human provocation; Saul was hunting his life, and lay defenseless before him. But David would not stretch out his hand; he committed his cause to God, asking the LORD to judge between them and to vindicate him. He refused to be his own avenger, entrusting justice to God, the true Judge. My hand will not be on you, he said, leaving the judgment and the vindication to God rather than seizing them himself. He trusted God to judge and vindicate, and so kept his own hand clean of vengeance.

That is worth taking to heart, for we too are called to entrust our cause and vindication to God rather than avenging ourselves. When we are wronged, hunted, provoked, we are tempted to take vengeance into our own hands, to be our own avengers; but David, though wronged and provoked, entrusted his cause to God, refusing to avenge himself. There is a better way than seizing vengeance: entrusting our cause and vindication to God, the true Judge. Do not take vengeance into your own hands when you are wronged; entrust your cause and vindication to God, as David refused to harm Saul and left the judgment to the LORD. Entrust your cause and vindication to God rather than avenging yourself when you are wronged, as David spared Saul and asked the LORD to judge between them; for God is the true Judge, and it is better to commit our cause to him than to seize vengeance ourselves, keeping our own hand clean and trusting him to vindicate us in his way and time.

Lord, when David has Saul, who is hunting him, defenseless in a cave, he refuses to take the vengeance his men urge, sparing the life of the one who sought his. And he explains why, committing his cause not to his own hand but to you: may the LORD judge between me and you, and may the LORD avenge me of you; but my hand will not be on you. David would not avenge himself, though he had the opportunity and the provocation; he entrusted his cause and his vindication to you, the true Judge. Show me how David entrusted his cause to you rather than avenging himself. He had every opportunity to take vengeance, and every human provocation; Saul was hunting his life, and lay defenseless before him. But David would not stretch out his hand; he committed his cause to you, asking you to judge between them and to vindicate him. He refused to be his own avenger. My hand will not be on you, he said, leaving the judgment to you. Take that to my heart, for I too am called to entrust my cause and vindication to you rather than avenging myself. When I am wronged, hunted, provoked, I am tempted to take vengeance into my own hands, to be my own avenger; but David, though wronged and provoked, entrusted his cause to you. There is a better way than seizing vengeance. Keep me from taking vengeance into my own hands when I am wronged; help me entrust my cause and vindication to you, Lord, as David spared Saul and left the judgment to you, trusting you to vindicate me in your way and time.