David, a Man After God’s HeartSample

Take your chance?

“May the LORD avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you” (1 Samuel 24:12)

In a desperate attempt to stay in power himself, King Saul tried again and again to murder David. During those manhunts, David had two opportunities to kill Saul. David's friends saw those opportunities as a gift from God, and wanted to solve all his (and their) problems by killing his enemy. But David didn't take his chance. He stated, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord's anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord's anointed.”

Despite Saul's behavior, he was still “the Lord’s anointed.” David felt he had no right to kill the king. Instead, he trusted that the Lord would avenge Himself on Saul and put an end to this situation.

When we see an opportunity to resolve injustice by taking matters into our own hands, we may be tempted to do so without questioning whether God approves of such an action. This story warns us not to do that, but rather to trust in God's intervention. He says, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” (Romans 12:19)

If you are treated unfairly, can you leave that to God or do you take revenge yourself?