Samuel just passed away and at his funeral they could remember a man who lived a lifetime for The King. Saul, however, is not representing Israel or God very well. He has been going on a downward spiral away from God and against David.
Now some men from Ziph came to Saul at Gibeah to tell him, "David is hiding on the hill of Hakilah, which overlooks Jeshimon." So Saul took 3,000 of Israel's elite troops and went to hunt him down in the wilderness of Ziph. Saul camped along the road beside the hill of Hakilah, near Jeshimon, where David was hiding. When David learned that Saul had come after him into the wilderness, he sent out spies to verify the report of Saul's arrival. (1 Samuel 26:1-4 NLT)
Saul’s life is haunted by the word “again.” Saul is tormented by the evil spirits again. Saul gets angry at David again. Saul starts obsessing over David again. Saul hunts down David again. Once again, David needs to run for his life.
David slipped over to Saul's camp one night to look around. Saul and Abner son of Ner, the commander of his army, were sleeping inside a ring formed by the slumbering warriors. "Who will volunteer to go in there with me?" David asked Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother. "I'll go with you," Abishai replied. So David and Abishai went right into Saul's camp and found him asleep, with his spear stuck in the ground beside his head. Abner and the soldiers were lying asleep around him. "God has surely handed your enemy over to you this time!" Abishai whispered to David. "Let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of the spear; I won't need to strike twice!" "No!" David said. "Don't kill him. For who can remain innocent after attacking the LORD's anointed one? Surely the LORD will strike Saul down someday, or he will die of old age or in battle. The LORD forbid that I should kill the one He has anointed! But take his spear and that jug of water beside his head, and then let's get out of here!" So David took the spear and jug of water that were near Saul's head. Then he and Abishai got away without anyone seeing them or even waking up, because the LORD had put Saul's men into a deep sleep. (1 Samuel 26:5-12 NLT)
David, once again, calls out to Saul, and his bodyguard, Abner, from a safe distance. Once again, David points out that he could have killed The LORD’s anointed one. Once again, David tries to convince Saul that what he is doing is wrong. Finally, Saul sees it again.
Then Saul confessed, "I have sinned. Come back home, my son, and I will no longer try to harm you, for you valued my life today. I have been a fool and very, very wrong." "Here is your spear, O king," David replied. "Let one of your young men come over and get it. The LORD gives His own reward for doing good and for being loyal, and I refused to kill you even when the LORD placed you in my power, for you are the LORD's anointed one. Now may the LORD value my life, even as I have valued yours today. May He rescue me from all my troubles." And Saul said to David, "Blessings on you, my son David. You will do many heroic deeds, and you will surely succeed." Then David went away, and Saul returned home. (1 Samuel 26:21-25 NLT)
How about you? Is your walk with God haunted by the word, “again? Do you fight off the temptations, the evil spirits, or the desire to do wrong? Do you win the battle against the word, “again”?
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