You fired Saul from being king, but I guess he stays king until he dies. Is David going to kill him later, or what’s going on?
“And the Ziphites came unto Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon?
Then Saul arose, and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph” (1 Sam 26:1-2).
Saul pitched his tent in the hill of Hachilaw, which is before Jeshimon, and David was in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul was after him again and he sent out spies.
At night, David and his men went to where Saul was. Saul was sleeping within the trench, with his men surrounding him. David and Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, went down to the camp. Saul had his spear stuck in the ground at his bolster.
“Then said Abishai to David, God hath delivered thine enemy into thine hand this day: now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear even to the earth at once, and I will not smite him the second time.
And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not: for who can stretch forth his hand against the LORD’S anointed, and be guiltless?
…As the LORD liveth, the LORD shall smite him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall descend into battle, and perish.
The LORD forbid that I should stretch forth mine hand against the LORD’S anointed: but, I pray thee, take thou now the spear that is at his bolster, and the cruse of water, and let us go” (1 Sam 26:8-11).
After they took the spear and the cruse they left. David then went to the other side and stood on the top of hill quite a ways apart. He then shouted out and
“…then Abner responded with, Who art thou that criest to the king?
And David said to Abner, Art not thou a valiant man? And who is like to thee in Israel? Wherefore then hast thou not kept thy lord the king? For there came one of the people in to destroy the king thy lord.
This thing is not good that thou hast done. As the LORD liveth, ye are worthy to die, because ye have not kept your master, the LORD’S anointed. And now see where the king’s spear is, and the cruse of water that was at his bolster” (1 Sam 26:14-16).
Saul woke up and he knew David’s voice and said,
“Is this thy voice, my son David? And David said, It is my voice, my lord, O king.
And he said, Wherefore doth my lord thus pursue after his servant? For what have I done? Or what evil is in mine hand?
Now therefore, I pray thee, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If the LORD have stirred thee up against me, let him accept an offering: but if they be the children of men, cursed be they before the LORD; for they have driven me out this day from abiding in the inheritance of the LORD, saying, Go, serve other gods.
Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth before the face of the LORD: for the king of Israel is come out to seek a flea, as when one doth hunt a partridge in the mountains.
Then said Saul, I have sinned: return, my son David: for I will no more do thee harm, because my soul was precious in thine eyes this day: behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly.
And David answered and said, Behold the king’s spear! And let one of the young men come over and fetch it.
The LORD render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness: for the LORD delivered thee into my hand today, but I would not stretch forth mine hand against the LORD’S anointed.
And, behold, as thy life was much set by this day in mine eyes, so let my life be much set by in the eyes of the LORD, and let him deliver me out of all tribulation.
Then Saul said to David, Blessed be thou, my son David: thou shalt both do great things, and also shalt still prevail. So David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place” (1 Sam 26:17-25).
“And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand” (1 Sam 27:1).
David, his two wives, and his 600 men went to Achish, the son of Macoch, king of Gath.
Saul was told that David was in Gath, but Saul chose not to chase after him.
David asked the king for a place to live in a small town in the country and the king gave him the place known as Ziklag. This was Philistine country, and David lived there for 16 months.
David and his men then went and invaded the Geshurites, the Gezrites, and the Amalekites, conquering them as far as Egypt.
“And Achish said, Whither have ye made a road to day? And David said, Against the south of Judah, and against the south of the Jerahmeelites, and against the south of the Kenites.
And David saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring tidings to Gath, saying, Lest they should tell on us, saying, So did David, and so will be his manner all the while he dwelleth in the country of the Philistines.
And Achish believed David, saying, He hath made his people Israel utterly to abhor him; therefore he shall be my servant forever” (1 Sam 27:10-12).
The Kenites
The Kenites are listed among the nations of the land promised to Abraham (Gen 15:19-21).
The root of “Kenite” (“smith”) may indicate a connection to metalworking activities.
The Kenites were generally located in the southeastern regions of Israel.
However, being pastoral nomads, some Kenites could be found as far north as the Jezreel Valley (Jdg 4:11, 17) or as far south as the Sinai region (Ex 3:1; Jdg 1:16).
A postexilic source indicates that several Kenite households took on the scribal profession as well (1 Chr 2:55).
The Kenites kinship to Moses through his Midianite father-in-law (Jdg 1:16) appears to have set a positive tone in Israelite-Kenite relations.
During the judges period Jael’s loyalty and her “nailing” of Sisera were celebrated in the Song of Deborah (Jdg 5:24-274:17-22).
The Kenites apparently avoided direct involvement in the conflicts between Israel and Midian (Num 31; Jdg 6-7), although Balaam briefly mentioned them in a judgment orade (Num 24:21-22).
The bond remained strong during the united monarchy, when both Saul and David went out of their way to spare the Kenites when attacking the Amalekites.
Attesting to their fluid connections, some Kenite families were also included in the Recabite family tree (1 Chr 2:55).
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