Respect

Now it happened, when Saul had returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, "Take note! David is in the Wilderness of En Gedi." Then Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel, and went to seek David and his men on the Rocks of the Wild Goats. So he came to the sheepfolds by the road, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to attend to his needs. (David and his men were staying in the recesses of the cave.) Then the men of David said to him, "This is the day of which the LORD said to you, 'Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it seems good to you.' " And David arose and secretly cut off a corner of Saul's robe. Now it happened afterward that David's heart troubled him because he had cut Saul's robe. And he said to his men, "The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the LORD's anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD." – 1 Samuel 24.1-6

What would you do if your dreaded enemy, someone who had the power to kill you and was dedicated to your demise was suddenly in a position where you could ‘take him out?’

Seems like a simple answer. Get him before he gets you. Protect you're life before he takes yours. And, if this guy was a national leader, you’d be taking care of the whole country and not just yourself. Maybe God put him there so you could solve all the problems – so the smart thing to do it to kill him.

Right?

But that’s not how David saw it. David and his men were hiding in a cave when Saul entered the cave to attend to his personal needs. David's men said ‘look, God sent Saul here so you can deal with him! Here’s your chance! Kill him!'

But David didn’t do that.

David knew God’s principle of respect for authority. He knew that Saul was God’s ordained king and he knew that he could not kill or even harm Saul. All he could do was sneak up and cut off a section of Saul's robe. Later on he even regretted doing that.

How different is David’s attitude toward authority than ours? Here was enemy, literally laid at his feet. The king was a real and viable threat to him, but he wouldn’t harm him.

I don’t think any of our leaders are coming after us and throwing javelins at us. Can’t we have a David like attitude toward them?