And David said to Saul, Wherefore hearest thou men’s words, saying, Behold, David seeketh thy hurt?
David confronted Saul with the question why he gave ear to the talk of men who claimed David was seeking to do him injury. The charge was untrue, for in the cave David had Saul in his power and could have taken his life. Instead he spared him, and that sparing proved his innocence and gave him ground to appeal to it.
He spoke not as a rival claimant but as a shepherd youth clinging to God's promise that he should inherit the throne. Against him stood Saul as the established monarch, resolved to retain his power, leaving David utterly helpless in human terms. Yet he trusted God's word rather than force or stratagem. That stand held firm against the power of the whole world and remains a witness that God's word is mightier than all human power and policy enlisted on the side of evil. By such faithfulness he took his place among the world's true nobility and royal line, to which the youth of today are summoned to belong.
David confronted Saul with the question why he gave ear to the talk of men who claimed David was seeking to do him injury. The charge was untrue, for in the cave David had Saul in his power and could have taken his life. Instead he spared him, and that sparing proved his innocence and gave him ground to appeal to it.
He spoke not as a rival claimant but as a shepherd youth clinging to God's promise that he should inherit the throne. Against him stood Saul as the established monarch, resolved to retain his power, leaving David utterly helpless in human terms. Yet he trusted God's word rather than force or stratagem. That stand held firm against the power of the whole world and remains a witness that God's word is mightier than all human power and policy enlisted on the side of evil. By such faithfulness he took his place among the world's true nobility and royal line, to which the youth of today are summoned to belong.