Patience

1 Samuel 24

Main Idea: David’s experience with Saul reveals how believers can exhibit the rare virtue of patience.

1. When Life’s Circumstances Aren’t God’s Will
2. David’s Choice (and Ours): Taking Wrong Action or Patiently Waiting
3. The Resources for Waiting: David’s Psalm from the Cave
   1. Sovereignty
   2. Faithful Love
   3. Selflessness
   4. Satisfaction

Introduction

The story of 1 and 2 Samuel follows Israel’s search for a real king. While most contemporary audiences have little experience with literal kingship, our daily lives prove that we, like Israel, are searching for a king as well.

This notion strikes most modern people as far-fetched. “I’m not very political, and even if I were, I wouldn’t go looking for a king to solve my political issues.” But this misunderstands the true heart of kingship. Israel’s search for a king and ours have in common a quest for someone or something to guarantee happiness and security. A “king” is what a person hangs on to at the core of his life. For Israel that was a literal royal figure. For us that may be a political party, but it is just as likely to be romance, success, a drug, or an ideology. Even those of us who are not particularly religious have something we look to for happiness and security. The story of David, as we have seen, points us to Jesus, the only King who can actually deliver on those demands.

And yet, as the apostle Paul reminds, stories like David’s also show us how to trust and walk with God—or, unfortunately, how not to trust and walk with God.

Now these things became examples for us, so that we will not desire evil things as they did. (1 Cor 10:6)

Now these things happened to them as examples, and they were written as a warning to us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. (1 Cor 10:11)

The passage before us shows David as he deals with an issue that all of us have dealt with at some point: How do we respond when a situation is not going as we expected it would and as we think it should? What do you do when the path you are on takes you a direction you never thought it would go?

I (J. D.) have had this experience more times than I care to recount. I suspect you have as well. Perhaps your career has not reached the heights you thought it would. Perhaps you are single when—by this age—you were certain you would be married. Perhaps you are in ministry like me, but your ministry has just stalled out and failed to grow. Or maybe you just feel lost, unhappy, unfulfilled. You look to heaven and say, “God, remember me? What’s going on?”

Everyone who knows me knows that I am notoriously terrible with directions. Give me five minutes in a new city and I will get lost in new and creative ways. So my GPS is an absolute necessity. What I love best about this device is the British lady who interrupts me every time I take a wrong turn (frequent). She is always so cordial and polite, simply piping up at the opportune time, “Recalculating.” Without fail she tells me how to get back on the right path.

Most of us wish God would be that direct (and polite!) with us in our lives. We would love someone to evaluate where we are and where we are headed—and, if need be, to recalculate our trajectory for us. While we wait and wish for that to happen, an enormous temptation for us is to take matters into our own hands, to get ahead of God, to sacrifice our integrity in the name of expediency.

When we sense the tension between where we are and where we think we need to be, will we follow a path we know we should avoid? Or will we, like David, exhibit the rare virtue of patience?

When Life’s Circumstances Aren’t God’s Will

When we meet David in 1 Samuel 24, his life is not going well. His life to this point has followed a series of hills and valleys. He is anointed to be king, a high point by any standard. But he is immediately sent back to the sheep pasture where he is apparently forgotten—from hill to valley. He then has his big moment on the national stage when he takes down Goliath, marries the king’s daughter, and gets a job on Capitol Hill. Big times for little David!

But David’s job in Saul’s court turns out to be a mixed bag when King Saul turns out to be an incredibly jealous egomaniac. Saul uses the state-controlled media to trash David’s reputation, takes David’s wife away from him and gives her to someone else, and begins throwing spears in David’s direction, hoping to impale him. Definitely valley material.

Despite repeatedly failing in his attempts to murder David, Saul is unrelenting. So when he hears that David and his merry men are in the wilderness called En-gedi, he goes after David yet again (vv. 1-4). But Saul is in for another surprise.

Add this to the many reasons I am glad my story is not in the Bible: awkward bathroom stories. Into the cave walks Saul, naturally enough, to find a private place to do his private business. Little does he know that his bathroom stall is also David’s secret hideout. The awkwardness for David’s men, however, wears off quickly once they realize their opportunity. Saul could hardly be in a more vulnerable position. Thus David’s friends see this as a God-ordained moment for him to take revenge: “David, coincidences like this do not just happen. If ever circumstances pointed to God’s will, here it is. God promised this, and here is your chance. Take it!”

There is an important lesson for us here. It is tragically easy to confuse both our desires and our circumstances with the will of God. As an example, this kind of confused justification arises all the time in two key areas—romance and finances.

I cannot remember the number of times I have heard circumstances enlisted to justify a terrible romantic decision. Potential affairs always seem so reasonable and so perfectly timed: “It must be OK to leave my husband because the spark I have with this new guy at work is just too perfect. Pastor, this must be God’s will.” Or a single person will defend their new dating partner, someone they know is not where they need to be spiritually: “But they make me so happy, and they just happened to be at the same place I was on Friday. Isn’t that something?” In the end the circumstances are usually just a thin veneer for a person’s underlying desire. Because I want this, because this feels so enjoyable, then I will find a way to make it seem right.

Consider also how people make decisions about spending their money—or, more accurately, spending money they do not have. A flat-screen television happens to go on sale the same day a credit card application arrives in the mail. Well, then, God must be behind this! A couple gets approved for a mortgage loan that far exceeds their income. It feels right at the time, but just a few years on, they are in debt up to their eyeballs and cannot even entertain the idea of giving to the church. Materialism and consumerism are the clear culprits, but when the circumstances line up just well enough, we fool ourselves into thinking that God’s providence must be at work.

We must come to grips with this quite plainly: neither our desires nor our circumstances are good guides to the will of God. This is not to say they can never be used by God, but both are so deceptive that we would do better to evaluate our desires and circumstances by a more fixed measure—the Word of God. Only when the Scriptures take primacy can we rightly interpret our desires and circumstances.

So David finds himself in a conflicting position. His desires and his circumstances are pushing him to murder Saul, yet simultaneously God’s Spirit is prompting David to choose another way. Which way will he turn?

Then David got up and secretly cut off the corner of Saul’s robe.

Afterward, David’s conscience bothered him because he had cut off the corner of Saul’s robe. He said to his men, “I swear before the Lord: I would never do such a thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed. I will never lift my hand against him, since he is the Lord’s anointed.” With these words David persuaded his men, and he did not let them rise up against Saul. Then Saul left the cave and went on his way. (24:4b-7)

We should not be too quick to skip over that little phrase “got up” in verse 4. In Hebrew that word (wayaqam, “and he arose”) indicates that David made a clear decision. The author is not simply telling us that David had to stand up to get to Saul but that the moment had come for David to choose. So he steels himself and picks up his knife, preparing—so it seems to his comrades—to assassinate the king of Israel. Yet David realizes that even though the circumstances seemed unique, killing a defenseless man was still an act of murder. So David relents and instead swiftly takes a souvenir—a piece of Saul’s clothes.

David’s men are dumbfounded by the entire situation. Not only does David refrain from killing Saul, but he seems to feel profound guilt about simply touching his robe. In their minds self-preservation and revenge took precedence over honor for the king. But David responds by pointing out that this is God’s appointed king. Even if Saul is murderously wrong, it is not for David to take matters into his own hands. Nor would he let his men “rise up” and kill Saul (v. 7).

Killing Saul would have solved just about every one of David’s problems. And David’s men were right in pointing out that God had promised him the throne. Saul deserves death for his crimes. Yet David stands firm because he sees that it is impossible to achieve the purpose of God by breaking the commands of God.

Some might worry that an attitude like this would lead to conservatism or quietism, implicitly condoning Saul’s reckless behavior. And those in positions of power are notorious for using supposed divine appointment as justification for abuse. Who are you to challenge me? A king, so it seems, especially a king appointed by the one true God, can get away with just about anything.

But note David’s next move. David’s response to injustice in verses 8-15 is more complicated than choosing between violent revolution and quiet acceptance. He refuses to kill Saul for his assaults, but he certainly does not “grin and bear it.” He protests loudly that Saul is acting unjustly, and he takes measures to protect himself. (Note that he waits until Saul has put some distance between them before David confronts him.) The little piece of cloth David recently acquired also acts as an insurance policy (or so he hopes) against future attacks. And the entire tenor of his speech is both a plea for the violence to end and an indictment against Saul’s wrong actions. David is hardly lying down.

Yet David refuses to succumb to the contemporary “wisdom” that the ends justify the means. Doing wickedness, he points out, makes one wicked no matter how justified a person feels while doing it.

David’s Choice (and Ours): Taking Wrong Action or Patiently Waiting

Few of us will be presented with a situation as remarkable as David’s, at least in the specific details of being the object of repeated murder attempts. Yet the same choices lie before any believer when confronted with injustice or disappointment. When the path we follow takes a direction we do not expect, will we take matters into our own hands, or will we trust God enough to wait?

The wrongful action of taking matters into our own hands takes several forms. As in this story it may be sheer revenge, taking vengeance into our own hands. Someone wrongs us, and we act to settle the score. So when a man’s wife treats him poorly, he cheats on her with little regret. Or when an employee is belittled by her boss, she responds by ruining his reputation or undercutting his authority. The common feature here is not the extent of the vengeance but the heart behind it: “You have hurt me, so when given the opportunity, I will respond in kind.” The practical problem with such a response—in addition to the theological problem—is that we consistently overestimate the extent of the wrong done against us. We simply cannot be trusted to mete out justice justly, as the endlessly escalating cycles of revenge throughout history demonstrate.

Taking matters into our own hands may take the more subtle form of a stolen pleasure. Because life has not turned out as we expected, we find escape in something illicit. We drown out our present disappointments with distractions, imagining that a short-term thrill will cover our dissatisfaction. But whether the stolen pleasure is overt and societally frowned on (like using hard drugs or visiting prostitutes), or the stolen pleasure is more covert and accepted (like escaping into endless hours of television or overeating or fantasizing about the perfect spouse we wish we had), the result is the same. We drink poison, thinking it will satisfy our thirst for water.

Perhaps the most common way we take matters into our own hands is through bald compromise. We feel we deserve more money than we have so we hedge on our taxes or fudge our time sheets. “Stealing from a faceless corporation isn’t really stealing anyway, is it?” We feel we deserve romantic satisfaction so we lower our dating standards. “Being with the ‘wrong’ guy is better than being alone anyway, right?” We feel we deserve approval and respect for our work so we exaggerate our accomplishments and minimize our failures. “Sure, this may be a little deceptive, but it’s not outright lying, so that’s something, isn’t it?” Behind it all is the urge to bend on what we know to be right, to sacrifice integrity on the altar of an immediate perceived happiness. The tragedy is that the happiness always fails to deliver, usually to our surprise, and in the meantime we have done immense damage to our soul.

So we can take wrong action and wrestle our situations into our own hands. The prospects always seem promising, but the results never satisfy. On the other hand, we can choose to trust God and wait.

Our American culture despises waiting, and I (J. D.) admit that I share in that cultural sentiment. The idea implies helplessness and insignificance. It may help, however, to consider two meanings of the word wait. The first is simple inaction; the second is attentive readiness. What God wants from us is the latter, not the former. David’s “waiting” does not lead him to inaction but to a passionate and fervent action. He protects himself by running. He confronts Saul and passionately pleads his case for justice. But he refuses to shortcut God’s promises for him by crossing a line into compromise and sin. He does everything he can and waits on God to act.

We can see the two types of waiting in most current restaurant settings. The staff at Waffle House and a five-star restaurant may both be called “waiters,” but they think of their role quite differently. At Waffle House the friendly lady assigned to your table will retrieve some ketchup for you, but it is largely up to you to initiate that transaction. She waits until you ask and then fulfills the request. (It’s not her fault, of course. The same woman assigned to your table is also responsible for cooking an omelet, cleaning the bathroom, and waiting on 17 other tables at the same time.)

At many five-star restaurants, however, a single waiter will be devoted to a single table. At the slightest hint of a need, the waiter magically shows up. Just imagine that you want some Splenda, and he appears before the request even crosses your lips. He waits on you with a single-minded (and somewhat intimidating) attentiveness, not reactively or passively.

When we wait on God, it should be more like the five-star waiter than anything else. Our attention is single-minded, and our posture is attentive. As the psalmist said,

Like a servant’s eyes on his master’s hand, like a servant girl’s eyes on her mistress’s hand, so our eyes are on the Lord our God until He shows us favor. (Ps 123:2)

We wait not by sitting still but by pursuing God’s purposes in God’s ways with God’s timing. It may seem like the real enemy before us is Saul, seeking to destroy us. But from God’s perspective the inability to wait is much more pernicious.

The Resources for Waiting: David’s Psalm from the Cave

Counseling patience is one thing; finding the resources to actually be patient in a tumultuous time is another. Fortunately, we have another passage that shows us precisely where David found that strength. The superscript to Psalm 57 gives the circumstances of writing: “For the choir director: ‘Do Not Destroy.’ A Davidic Miktam. When he fled before Saul into the cave.”

Be gracious to me, God, be gracious to me,

for I take refuge in You.

I will seek refuge in the shadow of Your wings

until danger passes.

I call to God Most High,

to God who fulfills His purpose for me.

He reaches down from heaven and saves me,

challenging the one who tramples me. Selah

God sends His faithful love and truth.

I am surrounded by lions;

I lie down with those who devour men.

Their teeth are spears and arrows;

their tongues are sharp swords.

God, be exalted above the heavens;

let Your glory be over the whole earth. . . .

My heart is confident, God, my heart is confident.

I will sing; I will sing praises. (Ps 57:1-5,7)

First Samuel gives us a glimpse into the discussion between David and his men in the cave, but it give us little about David’s internal struggle. But here in Psalm 57, we get a glimpse into David’s heart. This psalm was written during the same span of time as our story here. For all we know, David may have been tidying up the last stanza just as Saul wandered in.

This psalm gives us four words that characterize the patient heart.

Sovereignty

In verse 2, David points out that God “fulfills His purpose for me.” Contrary to his counselors’ advice, it is not necessary to break God’s commands to get where God wants David to go. David may not be sure precisely how God will do this, but he knows God’s plan is certain. The sovereignty of God over a confusing situation gives David the strength to wait on Him.

Faithful Love

This phrase in verse 3 is an absolutely critical partner to sovereignty. Were David to see only the sovereignty of God, it is doubtful he would have felt that as a comfort. Sovereignty without assurance of love feels like blind fate. It leads to the resigned attitude that is common, for instance, among Muslims, who are convinced of God’s sovereignty but not of His good purposes for their lives. When invoking the will of God (“Inshah Allah”), it always comes with a shrug. “If this is God’s will,” they are saying, “then we just have to deal with it.” They do not doubt that God is at work in all things, but they lack the promise that God’s work in all things includes their good.

The gospel gives us an assurance of steadfast love that nothing else can. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice for us on the cross, we never have to wonder how God feels about us. When circumstances conspire to make us feel abandoned or condemned—whether that be a bankruptcy or a job loss or a divorce or a rabid king trying to kill us—we have only to look at the cross to see a God who took true abandonment and condemnation in our place. All that is left for us is goodness and mercy. We may not be given a reason for every bad turn in our lives, but if we are assured that God has a steadfast loving purpose for us, we can endure misfortune with not only patience but hope.

Selflessness

This is the surprising shift when, in verse 5, David says, “God, be exalted above the heavens; let Your glory be over the whole earth.” Saul is hot on David’s heels, so much so that David feels like lions are hunting him, and yet he lifts his eyes to pray for something bigger than mere relief—God’s exaltation. Whether his prayer leads to rescue or more pain, David is less concerned with himself than with his God.

This is one of the primary differences between David and Saul. Saul thinks this entire ordeal is about his name, his reputation, his kingdom. So when David seemingly infringes on that, he cannot see anything else and lashes out. But David knows this is not about him or his kingdom. He is willing for his reputation to suffer and his body to ache because he sees something beyond himself.

Satisfaction

In verse 7, David uses the word “confident” to refer to his own faithfulness, not God’s. The two are intricately connected: David can be faithful toward God because he knows God is faithful toward him. The backbone of obedience is confidence in the faithful love of God. Assurance of that love leads to satisfaction; a lack of assurance leads to revenge, stolen pleasures, and compromise.

As Martin Luther once said, all sin begins with unbelief. Believe in God’s goodness, and you can rest content in the midst of a seeming lack of goodness. Disbelieve in that goodness, and you will invariably take steps outside of God’s will to obtain it. The tragedy is that all our efforts to obtain the good life apart from God are endlessly futile and pathetic. We are like a man being taken to a steak dinner who, distrustful of the coming feast, is busily stuffing his pockets with cheap beef jerky.

Conclusion

When we are tempted to take matters into our own hands, tempted to sin because of our impatience, we are failing in one of those four areas. We do not believe God is really sovereign; we are not convinced of His steadfast love; we still, like Saul, think our lives are all about ourselves; or we are not truly satisfied with God’s approval of us.

When we feel the tug to circumvent God’s way, we should ask ourselves, “Why is God’s love and approval not enough for me?” All our impatience ultimately goes back to a failure to believe the gospel. We either do not understand how God feels about us, or we fail to value His approval highly enough. And this unbelief often has us teetering on the precipice of disaster, entertaining a quick fix to a situation we dislike. Resist the urge to take that step. Trust in the all-satisfying God and wait on His goodness.

The resources for waiting are found in the steadfast love of Christ. David refrains from killing Saul when Saul deserves it, but Christ refrained from pouring condemnation on us when we deserved it. David rejects a sinful shortcut to the throne, but Christ rejected Satan’s shortcut to the throne of the world in the temptation. Christ could have taken the rule of the world by sidestepping the cross but only at the cost of our lives. He chose to go the long route to the throne so that by His death we might live.

Reflect and Discuss

1. How does this passage help you understand God?
2. How does this passage of Scripture exalt Jesus?
3. Are you a patient person? Why or why not?
4. What needs to change in your heart for you to develop the virtue of patience? Confess that to the Lord right now.
5. Have you ever experienced a time when life did not go as you thought it should go? How did you handle it?
6. Why specifically did you handle that situation in that way? Write down your thoughts.
7. In what ways is God speaking to you about patience in life when life does not go the way you think it should go?
8. Identify the main stressors that generate in you a heart of impatience. Write them down. Can you hand those over to the Lord? He is big enough to handle them!
9. Is your satisfaction in God alone? Why or why not?
10. When in life have you taken the wrong action because of impatience? How can you learn from that experience?