And the men of David said to him, “Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.’” Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul's robe. And afterward David's heart struck him, because he had cut off a corner of Saul's robe. He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord's anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord's anointed.” (ESV)

Have you ever tried to plan out your future? I have. I’ll often find myself thinking about the next 10-15 years, figuring out where my family will be living, and what we’ll be doing. I’ll dream about the perfect house, in the perfect location, and in my mind, everything will be, well, perfect. On the flip side, have you ever witnessed someone getting what they deserved? Maybe you saw someone fly past you on the highway, only to see them a few miles down the road pulled over and getting a ticket. Or maybe someone at work was demoted because they didn’t perform well. “They got what was coming at them,” I’ll think, usually with a bit of satisfaction.  

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In today’s passage, we see David given the opportunity to take his future into his own hands and see the bad guy get his comeuppance. Saul, after several murder attempts on David’s life, takes a break in a nearby cave to go to the bathroom. Yep, you read that right - even kings have to take potty breaks. Unbeknownst to Saul, David happens to be hiding out in that same cave, and his men urge him to take matters in his own hands (a.k.a. kill the king). David shockingly refuses, saying that Saul is the Lord’s anointed, and it’s not up to David to determine the future of the king. In fact, he cuts a corner of Saul’s robe and has the opportunity later to say to Saul, “Hey, I know you’re trying to kill me, but look: I cut a corner of your robe, and I mean you no harm” (1 Sam. 24:9-12, paraphrased).  

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David knew he was going to be king - he had known for quite some time at this point. It would have been so easy for him to go, “Aha! This is the moment I’ve been waiting for; now I’m going to be king and get everything I deserve.” He probably could have even justified killing Saul because of everything Saul had done to him. Yet in all of this, David knew that God was in charge and deeply trusted in the Lord’s plan, even though there were undoubtedly difficult moments and choices along the way.  

In fact, in Psalm 142, we see David pleading with the Lord because of all the challenges he was facing. We know that this was even during one of the times he was hiding in a cave because it’s mentioned at the beginning of the psalm. We can hear the anguish in David’s voice when he says in verses 1 and 2, “With my voice I cry to the Lord; with my voice I plead for mercy to the Lord. I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him.”  

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I sometimes forget that even though David had God’s favor and anointing, that didn’t mean everything was easy for him. He still struggled, and we only have to read through a few of his psalms to feel his deep anguish. He made mistakes, some big ones, but through it all he remained trusting in the Lord. David took the time to build his relationship with God, so he could trust in his plan, even when it didn’t make sense and the waiting was tough.  

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Do you trust in the Lord to make a path for you? Where do you find yourself trying to forge ahead and take matters into your own hands when the Lord is waiting patiently with a plan for your life? Be like David today and turn your future over to the Lord.

Lord, today we pray as David did:

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O Lord you have searched me and known me!

You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

you discern my thoughts from afar.  

You search out my path and my lying down

and are acquainted with all my ways.

Search me, O God, and know my heart!

Try me and know my thoughts!

And see if there be any grievous way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting!

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Amen

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Psalm 139:1-2, 23-24

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