Day 9: Extending Mercy
of The Heart of God: Through David’s Eyes
Below is Day Nine of the study, but there is an introduction to check out which gives context and sets the tone, and previous weeks to look at below. If you would like the full content all in one place, this book is now available for purchase on Amazon. Week 1 - He Longs for Us to Know Who We Are
Week 2 - He Longs for Us to Respond
Day 9: Extending Mercy
When someone extends mercy, the recipient has a unique emotional response. Depending on your own previous relationships, someone deciding not to give you the consequences you deserve may be something you crave or desire. Mercy may be something you long to experience. There are others who may have generous amounts of mercy extended to them which inhibits their ability to frequently experience consequences. This may lead to struggling to handle consequences or accountability.
Perhaps you are often jealous at the mercy handed out to others to a point you have felt jipped. Either of these extremes may result in feeling a sense of entitlement or frustration which makes us hyper aware of whether there is fairness at play.
Regardless of your own experiences with mercy, there is freedom in being loved by someone who allows you to make mistakes and then does not give you what you deserve. While natural consequences are one form of love and accountability, when mercy is given out thoughtfully, it can be very beneficial to those we love as well.
Last week, we discussed how Samuel anointed David to be the future king of Israel when he was just a young shepherd boy. David’s anointing was tricky business, because Saul - the current king - was very much alive. Saul, after consulting his advisors, ended up inviting David to be among his staff (1 Samuel 16). Initially, he was invited to be a musician for the king’s enjoyment, but David was soon promoted to armor bearer. These roles allowed him a close proximity to the royal family, but it wasn’t until he defeated Goliath that his relationship with Saul got increasingly complicated.
When David returned from defeating the massive, overconfident Philistine, he was noticed by King Saul in a new light. The king’s son, Jonathan, quickly became one of David’s closest friends. Saul even moved David into the palace, and gave him new levels of responsibility. David’s strength and leadership skills developed, and Saul continued to promote him in the army. The quantity of victories the soldiers experienced under David’s leadership eventually led them to brag and boast about his achievements. They even wrote a little ditty about how many more men he had defeated than Saul (1 Samuel 18).
It didn’t take long for Saul to become jealous over David’s increasing popularity. He became frustrated with the incredible attention he was attracting which led to him eventually wanting David out of his way. Instead of hoping Saul would change his heart, God allowed Saul to have what he deeply wanted, to feel anger and jealousy towards David, and, eventually, Saul was overcome with a deep desire to kill him.
Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with David but had departed from Saul. (1 Samuel 18:12)
Saul’s desire for David to be among his leaders was rooted in the strength and power God gave David; however, as soon as he felt threatened, things changed. David was no longer someone Saul could use to bring glory and adoration to himself. David was getting his own fan club. This shifted to Saul seeing David as a threat.
Eventually, Saul promised his daughter, Michal, to David if he brought back the foreskins of 100 men, but David returned with 200. Saul was hoping he would die in his attempt to retrieve them but had to follow through and allow David to marry his daughter. From Saul’s perspective, things were getting out of control. Now that his daughter was in love with David, his son, Jonathan, had great affection for him, and David had achieved celebrity status, Saul could not avoid the temptation any longer. Over time, Saul stopped being covert in his attempt to finish off David, becoming forthcoming and intentionally-aggressive.
Thankfully, God used Saul’s children to protect David. They disclosed all of Saul’s plans and convinced him to retreat when danger was lurking. Even after Saul promised to keep David safe, Saul attempted to kill him. He was not deterred by David’s continuous effort to defend Israel by continuing to lead the army. Saul pursued him again and again.
After homicidal attempts inside the palace, and as he was in pursuit of David when he was at large, Saul entered a cave unaware that David and his men were hiding deeper in the same cave. Saul relieved himself, David hiding silently within arms reach. David cut a chunk of Saul’s coat off instead of attacking the man who was hunting him.
Without prompting, David swiftly emerged from the cave, admitted his mistake of offending Saul by cutting his clothing, and, in doing so, put himself in grave danger. David confessed his wrongdoing with humility, and, in response, Saul wept. Saul wept as he was made aware of his own lack of integrity in comparison to David’s intentionality to remain right with God (1 Samuel 24).
Shortly after the merciful encounter at the cave, Saul pursued David once again. While Saul’s tears were perceived as sincere when David apologized at the cave, Saul’s actions following displayed his true intent. Saul continued to chase David wherever he went.
Before long, David and his men stumbled upon the camp of Saul and his men. For a second time, David has the opportunity to avenge his hunter. Along with one of his men, Abishai, David searched for Saul among his sleeping army. When they found him sound asleep with a spear by his head, they realized Saul’s life is now in their hands. Despite Abishai’s offer to kill Saul with one swift movement (which is awfully close to a plea to do so), David’s mercy is expressed in his next steps. Instead of killing Saul, David decided to simply take the jug & spear near Saul’s head, so he could show Saul that he had the ability to kill Saul if he had desired to.
But David said to Abishai, “Don’t destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed and be guiltless? As surely as the Lord lives,” he said, “the Lord himself will strike him, or his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. But the Lord forbid that I should lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed. Now get the spear and water jug that are near his head, and let’s go.” (1 Samuel 26:9-11)
The tension of the situation is so tangible you can almost taste it.
David knew the time would come for him to reign as king and chose not to take matters into his own hands. Regardless of the fact that he had been physically attacked by Saul, and he had avoided death at Saul’s hands countless times, he displayed an incredible level of restraint. He was not quick to react to Saul’s behavior but instead showed extreme mercy. Without hesitation, David chose to be merciful.
May we be as generous in the mercy we extend to others in times of great stress and rely on God’s justice to rule over people who hurt or seek to destroy us.
Describe the mercy that David shows Saul in this circumstance.
Imagine you were Abishai, one of David’s men, and you had the opportunity to avenge your leader’s death. Would you have discussed the matter with David? See 1 Samuel 26 (esp vs 7-11).
What is David communicating about Saul’s value by sparing his life twice?
In what ways have you been offered mercy? How did being offered mercy in that specific way impact the way you saw yourself?
Reflection
Consider an area in your life where you could show mercy. Pray for your heart to be soft and compassionate, like David’s toward Saul, towards this person you care about so deeply.
Please keep in mind: David retreated when Saul attacked him and threatened to hurt him. It is important to know that your safety and boundaries are important to establish when others display any violent or threatening behavior. Contact the authorities and invite others into any relationships you have where violence is mentioned or used towards you or others. God protected David, but he was in danger. Loving others well includes maintaining safe boundaries for yourself and others.
An excerpt of The Heart of God: Through David’s Eyes by Jill Ng