1 Samuel 26:12-16: a reflection

When David finds Saul, who has been hunting him to kill him, asleep and defenseless in the camp, he has the chance to strike his enemy down; but he refuses, taking only Saul's spear and water jar to show he had spared him. David took the spear and the jar of water from Saul's head, and they went away, the account says; no one saw or knew it. David had Saul completely in his power, defenseless before him; he could have killed the one who sought his life, and no one would have known. But he refused to harm the LORD's anointed, exercising restraint and mercy toward his enemy when he had every opportunity and reason to strike. This shows the restraint of refusing to harm an enemy who is in our power. David spared his enemy when he had him in his power. Restraint refuses to harm even the one who sought our harm. Having the power to strike, David chose mercy. David refused to harm his enemy, though he had the chance.

Notice David's restraint when he had his enemy in his power. Saul had relentlessly hunted David to kill him, wholly without cause; and now Saul lay asleep and defenseless, completely in David's power. David could have ended the threat with a single blow, killing the man who sought his life; his own companion urged him to do so, and no one would ever have known. Every opportunity and every worldly reason favored striking. But David refused. He would not harm Saul, the LORD's anointed; he chose restraint and mercy instead of vengeance, taking only the spear and water jar to prove he had spared him. This is a striking picture of restraint toward an enemy who is in our power. We do not often have our enemies literally at our mercy; but there are times when we have the power to harm those who have wronged us, to strike back, to take our revenge, when we could do them harm and perhaps get away with it. In such times, David's example calls us to restraint and mercy: not to use our power to harm even those who have wronged us, but to refrain, leaving vengeance to God. To have the power to harm an enemy and choose restraint and mercy instead is a hard and noble thing, and the way David walked. Choose restraint and mercy when you have the power to harm an enemy. Do not use your power to strike back at those who wronged you. David spared his enemy; leave vengeance to God. Restraint toward an enemy in our power is a noble thing.

That is worth taking to heart, for it is a noble thing to choose restraint and mercy when we have the power to harm an enemy, as David spared Saul when he had him in his power. We can be tempted, when we have the power to harm those who have wronged us, to strike back and take our revenge; but David, with Saul asleep and defenseless before him, refused to harm the one who sought his life, choosing restraint and mercy. Restraint toward an enemy is noble. When you have the power to harm one who has wronged you, do not use it; choose restraint and mercy, as David did, leaving vengeance to God. Choose restraint and mercy when you have the power to harm an enemy who has wronged you, rather than using your power to strike back, as David, finding Saul, who had relentlessly hunted him to kill him without cause, asleep and defenseless and completely in his power, refused to harm the LORD's anointed, taking only Saul's spear and water jar to show he had spared him though he could have killed him and no one would have known; for we do not often have our enemies literally at our mercy, but there are times when we have the power to harm those who have wronged us, to strike back and take revenge and perhaps get away with it, and in such times David's example calls us to restraint and mercy, not to use our power to harm even those who have wronged us but to refrain and leave vengeance to God, since to have the power to harm an enemy and choose restraint and mercy instead is a hard and noble thing, the way David walked.