1 Samuel 24:20-22; 26:1-2
20 “Now I know for certain you will be king, and the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hand. 21 Therefore swear to me by the Lord that you will not cut off my descendants or wipe out my name from my father’s family.” 22 So David swore to Saul. Then Saul went back home, and David and his men went up to the stronghold.

26:1 Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah saying, “David is hiding on the hill of Hachilah opposite Jeshimon.” 3 So Saul, accompanied by 3,000 of the choice men of Israel, went to the Wilderness of Ziph to search for David there.

Saul is temporarily sorry for what he has put David through, chasing him around and threatening his life; however, this remorse doesn’t last even two chapters in the Bible. When the Ziphites warn Saul that David is again in the area, Saul wastes no time in dispatching himself and his men to search for him, ostensibly to kill him. David’s promise that he will not harm Saul or his family, which echoes David’s promise to Jonathan in chapter 20, seems to mean nothing to the dishonored ruler–he continues to seek to remove the threat he perceives in David.

But David is wise; he knows not to trust Saul’s repentant behavior, and he makes sure he and his men are hidden even before Saul goes to seek him again. Even though the Ziphites give up his position not once but twice (first in chapter 24 and again in chapter 26 as quoted), David and his men are hidden in desert strongholds that are quite inaccessible, which frustrates Saul no end. The divine protection that has been with David since Samuel selected him continues, and Saul has nothing to counteract it.

Saul knows and acknowledges to David’s face that “[he] knows for certain that [David] will be king,” yet he is doing everything in his earthly power (which isn’t much) to try to overturn this result. Even though he knows he is beaten, he continues to try to fight–a mark of his desperation and fear of losing the last tie to the God-given administration of Israel, which he knows he no longer deserves. David has several opportunities before and after this passage in which he could take Saul’s life and grasp the throne in that way, but he chooses to spare Saul’s life instead. Thereby, he sidesteps the treachery and back-room politics that Saul is enmeshed in; against the advice of his own friends and allies, he is merciful to Saul, and further proves himself worthy for the throne.

These days, we may not be facing a despotic ruler who is trying to kill us, but many times life situations seem to explode without warning, throwing us into crisis mode. And while we are in that panicked mode, we can forget all about God in our attempts to save ourselves from shame, from failure, from disappointing others. David’s story reminds us that even in our most stressed, harried moments, we can trust God to guide and protect us. Our lives as Christians will not always be easy, but we have access to the Source of peace and strength to carry us through.