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📖 Check Your Understanding
2
The Story
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Ready before the test. Before either test came, God sent Jonathan into the woods. Jonathan “strengthened his hand in God” (23:16). God was getting David ready.
Kept by God. “Saul sought him every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand” (23:14). The hunt was real, and so was God’s care. When Saul nearly caught him, God sent a messenger, and Saul had to leave (23:27-28).
The first time. Saul walked into the very cave where David was hiding (24:3). The chance came to David without his trying.
The second time. This time David chose to go into Saul’s camp at night, past sleeping soldiers, and stand over the man who was hunting him (26:7). He had the whole walk in to think about it.
Same answer. Both times David said no. Anyone can do the right thing once because they are surprised or because people are watching. Doing it again, when it is harder, shows who a person really is.
What this shows about God. God was growing a faithful heart in David, and He does that same work in His children today.
For you. Think of a right choice you made once. Ask God to help you make it again the next time, even when it is harder.
Strengthened in God (23:16-18). Before either test, Jonathan found David in the woods at Horesh and “strengthened his hand in God.” He did not bring soldiers or supplies. He reminded David what God had said: “You shall be king over Israel.” God often prepares us for a test by sending someone to point us back to Him.
Hunted, yet kept (23:14). “Saul sought him every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand.” Saul hunted him, and God kept him, both at once. Being kept by God did not mean being kept out of trouble. On the mountain in Maon, Saul’s men were closing in when a messenger called Saul away (23:26-28). The place was named the Rock of Escape.
Two nights, one answer. The two times David spared Saul were very much alike. Both times the Ziphites told Saul where David was hiding (23:19; 26:1). Both times Saul came with three thousand chosen men (24:2; 26:2). Both times a companion urged David to strike, David refused for the same reason, took something as proof, and called out to Saul from a distance.
The harder test. In chapter 24 the chance came to David when Saul walked into the cave. In chapter 26 David chose to walk into the camp at night and stand over the sleeping king. Saying no once could have been the surprise of the moment. Saying no again, when it was harder, showed his character.
For you. God shapes faithful people one choice at a time. Ask Him for a heart that gives the same right answer the second time.
David spared Saul two times. The first time, Saul walked into David’s cave. The second time, David walked into Saul’s camp at night. Both times David could have hurt the king. Both times he said no. Doing right once is good. Doing right again is harder. It shows what is really in your heart. Before all this, God sent Jonathan to help David. Jonathan helped David trust God more. God gets us ready for hard days. He gave David a heart that stayed true. He can give you that kind of heart too. Ask Him for it when you pray.
David could have hurt the king two times. Both times David said no. He did what was right again and again.
👨👩👧 Parent Prompt
How many times did David choose to do right?
Advice with God’s name on it. David’s men said, “This is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand’” (24:4).
Again in the camp. Abishai whispered, “God has delivered your enemy into your hand this day” (26:8). Both times, people on David’s side put God’s name on a wrong idea.
Why it was hard. It is one thing to turn down an obviously bad idea. It is much harder when good people, people who love you, hand you a wrong thing and call it God’s plan.
How David knew. David already knew what God was like. God had chosen Saul as king, and God would decide when Saul’s reign ended. So David said, “Do not destroy him” (26:9).
What this shows about God. God never asks us to sin in order to get something He has promised. His good gifts come in His way and at His time.
For you. Know God’s Word well. Then, when someone says God wants you to do something wrong, you will know the difference. If you are not sure, ask a parent or a pastor and pray about it.
The day the Lord spoke of (24:4). David’s men said, “This is the day of which the Lord said to you.” God had promised David the throne, but He had never told David to kill Saul. The men were turning their own hope into a word from God.
Abishai’s offer (26:8). Abishai asked to pin Saul to the earth with the spear, and he said, “I will not have to strike him a second time!” Abishai even offered to do it himself, so David would not have to.
Right facts, wrong meaning. They were right that Saul was helpless and that God had brought David near him. In 26:12 the Bible says “a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen on them.” They were wrong about what the moment meant. When God puts something in front of you, that does not mean He approves of everything you could do with it.
David’s answer (26:9). “Who can stretch out his hand against the Lord’s anointed, and be guiltless?” David did not argue about whether God had arranged the moment. He refused to use it to sin.
The same test for us. People still say God opened a door to talk themselves into things. An open door is never permission to sin. Jesus faced the same pressure when Peter drew a sword to protect Him, and Jesus said, “Put your sword in its place” (Matthew 26:52).
For you. Test advice by God’s Word, not by how sure the speaker sounds or how much you like them.
David’s men told him something that sounded right. They said, “Today is the day the Lord talked about!” They used God’s name to talk him into hurting Saul. But David knew that was not what God wanted. Later Abishai said the same kind of thing. David still said no. Sometimes people we like tell us the wrong thing. They may even say God wants it. God never tells us to do something wrong. When you know God’s Word, you can tell the difference. Ask God to help you choose what is right. A true friend will never ask you to sin.
David’s men gave him wrong advice. They said God wanted Saul hurt. David knew God better than that.
👨👩👧 Parent Prompt
Should we always do what our friends say?
A troubled heart. “Now it happened afterward that David’s heart troubled him because he had cut Saul’s robe” (24:5). He had not hurt Saul at all, and it still bothered him.
Why so upset? David knew Saul was the king God had chosen. Cutting his robe felt like reaching for something that was not his yet.
Compare Saul. Saul had thrown a spear at his own son (20:33) and was hunting David with three thousand soldiers. Saul did terrible things and kept going. David did almost nothing and felt awful.
The real difference. The difference between them was not who made bigger mistakes. It was whether their hearts still listened to God.
A gift from God. Your conscience is the voice inside that tells you when something is wrong. A conscience that bothers you over small things is not a weakness. It is a gift from God.
What to do with it. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
For you. When your conscience bothers you, do not ignore it. Stop, tell God about it, and make it right.
His heart struck him (24:5). In 24:5 the Hebrew says David’s heart struck him. The verb is nakah (say: nah-KAH), meaning to strike or hit. It shows up again when his conscience troubles him over counting the army (2 Samuel 24:10). It means a sharp blow inside, not a passing feeling.
A torn robe. The corner of a robe carried real meaning in Israel. When Saul tore Samuel’s robe, Samuel told him the kingdom had been torn from him (15:27-28). David may well have felt that cutting Saul’s robe was reaching for the throne with his own hand.
“The Lord’s anointed” (24:6). David said, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed.” The Hebrew is meshiach (say: meh-SHEE-akh), anointed one, the word that gives us Messiah.
A conscience that no longer worked. Compare Saul. In chapter 22 he had the priests of Nob and their families killed, and he showed no sorrow at all. The difference between the two men was not skill or success. It was whether the conscience still worked.
Restrained by words (24:7). “So David restrained his servants with these words.” David’s tender heart protected his men from sin too.
For you. A tender conscience is God’s gift. When it speaks, the right answer is to confess and turn back to Him (1 John 1:9).
David did not hurt Saul at all. He only cut a corner off Saul’s robe. Even that made him feel guilty inside. Saul was very different. Saul threw spears and hunted David with 3,000 men. He did not seem to feel bad at all. David felt bad about a piece of cloth. God gave David a heart that listened to Him. That feeling inside is called a conscience. It is a gift from God. When it tells you something is wrong, stop and listen. Then tell God you are sorry. He will always forgive you.
David only cut the king’s robe. Even that made him feel bad inside. David had a heart that listened to God.
👨👩👧 Parent Prompt
What do you do when you feel bad inside about something?
Let the Lord judge. In the cave David said, “Let the Lord judge between you and me, and let the Lord avenge me on you. But my hand shall not be against you” (24:12).
In the camp. “As the Lord lives, the Lord shall strike him, or his day shall come to die, or he shall go out to battle and perish” (26:10). David named three ways Saul’s story could end. None of them was David’s hand.
It cost him. Saying no to the spear meant more years of caves and running. It was the slower, harder choice.
Not pretending. David did not say Saul’s sin was small. He said the judging belonged to God.
Jesus did this. “Who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously” (1 Peter 2:23). Reviled means insulted. Jesus had far more power than David and used none of it to pay people back.
What this shows about God. God is a fair Judge. He sees everything, and He will make things right.
For you. When someone wrongs you and you want to settle it yourself, you are standing where David stood, and where Jesus stood. Tell a grown-up you trust, and let God handle the rest.
David’s reason (24:12, 15; 26:10, 23). In both accounts David tells us exactly why he held back, and his reason is about God, not about danger. He never says attacking Saul would be risky. He says it would be wrong, because Saul is the Lord’s anointed and judgment belongs to God.
Three endings (26:10). “The Lord shall strike him, or his day shall come to die, or he shall go out to battle and perish.” David could imagine how Saul’s reign might end. He would not be the one to end it.
Paul’s command. “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord” (Romans 12:19). This is not doing nothing. It is trusting the right Judge.
The cost. That choice cost David years more of living as a hunted man. Trusting God with judgment rarely feels efficient. It is faithful.
Christ’s pattern. 1 Peter 2:23 shows Jesus doing it: “who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously.” Peter tells believers that Christ left us an example to follow in His steps (1 Peter 2:21).
Not silence about wrong. David spoke plainly to Saul about what Saul had done (24:11). Leaving room for God does not mean pretending, and it does not mean staying in danger. It means giving up private payback.
For you. Jesus gives His people strength to follow that pattern. Ask Him for it the next time you want to get even.
David said the same thing both times. He said, “May the Lord judge between us.” David would not fix it himself. He left it to God. That choice cost him more years of running and hiding. Waiting on God is hard. It can feel like doing nothing. But waiting is a way of trusting Him. Jesus did the same thing. People were cruel to Him, and He did not hurt them back. He trusted His Father to judge fairly. When someone hurts you, you can trust God too. Tell a grown-up, and let God be the judge.
David said, “May the Lord judge between us.” He let God handle it. Jesus trusted His Father too.
👨👩👧 Parent Prompt
Who can we trust to make things right?
📖 Complete the Open Bible section first!
📚 Story Questions
3
The Gospel Connection
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The problem. Saul hunted an innocent man for years. Our sin may look smaller, but every one of us has wronged God and other people. We get angry, we want to get even, and we hold grudges. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
Good choices cannot save us. David made a good choice twice, but even David needed God’s forgiveness, and later he sinned terribly (2 Samuel 11). We are saved by grace, “not of works” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
The greater Son of David. Jesus went further than David. David spared a man who could still hurt him. Jesus was arrested, lied about and beaten, and He could have stopped every bit of it. “Who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously” (1 Peter 2:23).
The cross and the empty tomb. David spared his enemy. Jesus died for His. “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). He was buried and “rose again the third day” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). He took the punishment our sin deserved, so that we could be forgiven.
The response. “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). Then, when someone wrongs you, you can forgive them as God in Christ forgave you (Ephesians 4:32).
Every heart needs a Judge. David appealed to God as Judge because God sees everything (24:15). That is good news for the person who was wronged, and a warning for every one of us, because “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), and “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).
What restraint could not do. David’s mercy to Saul was real, and Saul even wept (24:16). But Saul’s heart did not change for long; two chapters later he was hunting David again. Good examples cannot make a sinner new, and even David would later need forgiveness for terrible sin (2 Samuel 11-12). We are saved “by grace… through faith… not of works” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Christ committed His case to the Father. 1 Peter 2:22-24 shows Jesus in David’s place, but perfectly: He “committed no sin,” and “when He was reviled, did not revile in return.” David held back a spear. Jesus held back the armies of heaven. He was the true Anointed One, and He let Himself be struck. Isaiah saw it long before: “He was led as a lamb to the slaughter” (Isaiah 53:7).
The cross and the resurrection. David spared an enemy; he did not die for him. “When we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son” (Romans 5:10). Jesus “Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24), was buried, and “rose again the third day” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). God, the righteous Judge, raised Him and vindicated Him. The One who could have judged us took our judgment instead.
The response. Trust Christ: “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). Then live as forgiven people: “forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32). Leaving room for God becomes possible when you know He has already dealt with your own sin at the cross. You do not have to carry the weight of getting even. The Judge of all the earth carried your sin for you.
Saul did wrong things to David again and again. We all do wrong things too. The Bible calls that sin. Sin hurts other people, and it keeps us far from God.
David was kind to Saul two times. But being kind cannot take our sin away. Nobody can be good enough to save themselves. We need a Savior.
Jesus never sinned at all. People lied about Him and hurt Him. He did not hurt them back. He trusted His Father, who judges fairly.
David spared his enemy. Jesus died for His enemies. He died on the cross for our sins. On the third day He rose again!
Tell Jesus you are sorry for your sin, and trust Him. He will forgive you. Then He will help you forgive others too. You can leave the paying back to God.
We all do wrong things.
Being good cannot take sin away.
Jesus never did anything wrong.
People hurt Jesus, and He did not hurt back.
He died for us and rose again!
👨👩👧 Parent Prompt
What did Jesus do when people were mean to Him?
📖 Complete the Open Bible section first!
✝️ Gospel Questions
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Memory Verse
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“May the Lord repay every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness.”
— 1 Samuel 26:23 (NKJV)
💡 What This Verse Means
David said these words right after he let Saul go the second time. He had just given back the king’s spear. “May the Lord repay every man”: repay means to pay back. David was asking God to give each person what is right. God sees everything, He forgets nothing, and He is never wrong about who did what. “For his righteousness”: righteousness means doing what is right in God’s eyes. “And his faithfulness”: faithfulness means staying loyal to God and to people, even when it would be easier not to. David had stayed loyal to the king God chose. So David did not need to get even with Saul himself. He could leave it with God. God did keep David safe, and in His time He made David king. When someone treats you unfairly, say this verse and remember that God is the fair Judge. Then ask Him to help you keep doing what is right.
David spoke 1 Samuel 26:23 to Saul across the valley after sparing him a second time. The full verse goes on: “for the Lord delivered you into my hand today, but I would not stretch out my hand against the Lord’s anointed.” David is explaining a choice that cost him years of exile. The verse rests on two truths: God sees accurately, and God acts on what He sees. “Repay” works both ways. It is a comfort to the one who was wronged and a warning to the one who did wrong. The Hebrew word behind faithfulness is emunah (say: eh-moo-NAH), steady loyalty that keeps its word. David had been faithful to the king God anointed, even when Saul was faithless to him. Paul builds the same truth into a command: “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord (Romans 12:19). This does not mean the wrong is unimportant, and it does not mean justice will not come. It means the judgment is God’s to make, not ours to seize. Memorize it in two parts: the Lord pays back every person, and He looks for righteousness and faithfulness. Then ask Him for a faithful heart like David’s.
David said this after he let the king go the second time. Repay means to pay back. God sees everything we do. God keeps track, and He always gets it right. Righteousness means doing what is right. Faithfulness means staying loyal. So we do not have to pay people back ourselves. We can trust God to be fair. He sees when we do right, even when no one else does.
God sees everything we do. God always does what is right. We do not have to pay people back. We can trust God!
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Story Sequencer
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Put the events in the right order by dragging them!
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Rapid Fire True or False
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Bonus: Deep Dive 🤿
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