1 Samuel 24:7
So David stayed his servants with these words, and suffered them not to rise against Saul. But Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way. So David stayed his servants with these words, and suffered them not to rise against Saul. But Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way.
Saul was the established monarch bent on holding fast his power, pursuing David so that David feared for his life, yet in the cave Saul came into David's power and David's men urged him to kill Saul. With his words David stayed his servants and suffered them not to rise up against Saul, to attack him or to kill him. He allowed Saul to rise up out of the cave and go unharmed on his way.
David would not raise his hand to harm Saul because Saul was God's anointed, the Lord's anointed. In this refusal he honored Saul. He cut off a piece of Saul's robe to show that he would not harm him, but afterward his heart smote him and he regretted even cutting the robe because Saul was the Lord's anointed.
David's refusal showed humble and prudent restraint. That restraint afterward stood as proof that he was not the vengeful man Shimei accused him of being. David was in himself only a helpless shepherd lad holding fast God's promise of the throne, yet by trusting God's word he withstood the power of the whole world and witnessed that God's word prevails over human power and policy in support of evil.