Righteous Taunts and Counterfeit Repentance Text: 1 Samuel 26:13-25
Introduction: Two Kinds of Men
In this world, there are fundamentally two kinds of men, and we see them both on display in our text today. There is the man who fears God, and there is the man who fears other men. There is the man whose life is defined by the covenant faithfulness of God, and there is the man whose life is a frantic, paranoid scramble to secure his own position. There is the man who waits on the Lord's timing, and there is the man who will grasp and claw and sin to get what he wants. Here, in the wilderness of Ziph, we see these two men collide once again. David, the Lord's true anointed, and Saul, the Lord's rejected anointed.
This is the second time David has spared Saul's life. You remember the first time, in the cave at Engedi, where David cut off a corner of Saul's robe. This time, the stakes are even higher, and the demonstration of David's righteousness is even clearer. He walks into the very heart of Saul's camp, while three thousand chosen men are sound asleep, and he takes the king's spear and his water jug right from his bedside. This is not just a story about near misses and dramatic escapes. This is a theological lesson written in shoe leather and spear points. It is about the nature of true authority, the character of genuine faith, and the hollowness of false repentance.
We live in an age that despises authority and at the same time is filled with petty tyrants. We see men who grasp for power, like Saul, and then use that power to hunt down and destroy anyone they perceive as a threat. But we also see in David a portrait of true, godly authority, an authority that respects God's established order even when that order is represented by a wicked man. David's actions here are a profound rebuke to our revolutionary age, which thinks nothing of tearing down institutions and overthrowing leaders if they get in our way. David shows us a better way, a harder way, the way of faith that trusts God to enthrone and dethrone kings in His own time.
And we will see a picture of repentance. But we must be careful. Not all who say, "I have sinned," have actually repented. There is a worldly sorrow that leads to death, and there is a godly sorrow that leads to life. Saul's confession here is a textbook example of the former, and we must learn to distinguish the real from the counterfeit, both in others and, more importantly, in our own hearts.
The Text
Then David crossed over to the other side and stood on top of the mountain at a distance with a large area between them. And David called to the people and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, “Will you not answer, Abner?” Then Abner answered and said, “Who are you who calls to the king?” So David said to Abner, “Are you not a man? And who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not guarded your lord the king? For one of the people came to destroy the king your lord. This thing that you have done is not good. As Yahweh lives, all of you must surely die because you did not keep watch over your lord, the anointed of Yahweh. So now, see where the king’s spear is and the jug of water that was at his head.” Then Saul recognized David’s voice and said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” And David said, “It is my voice, my lord the king.” He also said, “Why then is my lord pursuing his servant? For what have I done? Or what evil is in my hand? So now, please let my lord the king listen to the words of his servant. If Yahweh has incited you up against me, let Him accept an offering; but if it is men, cursed are they before Yahweh, for they have driven me out today so that I would have no attachment with the inheritance of Yahweh, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’ So now, do not let my blood fall to the ground away from the presence of Yahweh; for the king of Israel has come out to search for a single flea, just as one pursues a partridge in the mountains.” Then Saul said, “I have sinned. Return, my son David, for I will not harm you again because my life was precious in your sight this day. Behold, I have played the fool and have committed a serious error.” And David replied, “Behold the spear of the king! Now let one of the young men come over and take it. Now Yahweh will repay each man for his righteousness and his faithfulness; for Yahweh gave you into my hand today, but I was not willing to send forth my hand against the anointed of Yahweh. Now behold, as your life was highly valued in my sight this day, so may my life be highly valued in the sight of Yahweh, and may He deliver me from all distress.” Then Saul said to David, “Blessed are you, my son David; you will both accomplish much and surely prevail.” So David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place.
(1 Samuel 26:13-25 LSB)
A Righteous Rebuke (vv. 13-16)
We begin with David's confrontation, not with Saul, but with his general, Abner.
"Then David crossed over to the other side and stood on top of the mountain at a distance... And David called to the people and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, 'Will you not answer, Abner?'" (1 Samuel 26:13-14)
David is wise. He puts a great distance between himself and Saul's army before he starts shouting. This is not cowardice; it is prudence. He is not testing God by presuming on His protection. He then calls out to Abner, the commander of Saul's army, the man responsible for the king's safety. He doesn't start with Saul; he starts with the man whose job it was to prevent exactly what David just did. This is a brilliant tactical move. He is publicly shaming the military leadership to make his point to the king.
David's rebuke is sharp and laced with irony. "Are you not a man? And who is like you in Israel?" He is saying, "You are supposed to be the best of the best, Abner. The great warrior. And yet you slept on the job." The charge is dereliction of duty. But notice the grounds for the charge. It is not just that he failed to protect a king, but "your lord, the anointed of Yahweh." David's concern is always theological. Saul's office, not his personal character, is what makes Abner's failure so egregious. To fail to protect the Lord's anointed is to fail the Lord Himself.
"As Yahweh lives, all of you must surely die." This is a stunning pronouncement. David, the fugitive, pronounces a death sentence on the king's own bodyguard for their failure. He is already acting like the true king, the one who upholds God's law and justice. He then provides the evidence: "So now, see where the king’s spear is and the jug of water that was at his head." The proof is undeniable. David had them dead to rights, and he showed mercy. This act demonstrates not only Abner's incompetence but David's righteousness. He had the power to kill, but he restrained himself out of fear of God.
David's Appeal to the King (vv. 17-20)
Saul, hearing the commotion, recognizes David's voice. His response is telling: "Is this your voice, my son David?" There is a flicker of the old affection, the memory of the young man who soothed his tormented spirit with the harp. But it is a shallow, sentimental affection, as we will see.
"He also said, 'Why then is my lord pursuing his servant? For what have I done? Or what evil is in my hand?'" (1 Samuel 26:18 LSB)
David's defense is simple and direct. He appeals to justice. What is the charge? He has done nothing to deserve this relentless pursuit. He then lays out two possibilities for Saul's behavior. "If Yahweh has incited you up against me, let Him accept an offering." This is a difficult phrase, but it shows David's profound theological understanding. He knows that God is sovereign over all things, even the sinful rage of a king (cf. 2 Sam. 24:1). If this is a divine chastisement, David's response is not rebellion but worship. He submits to God's hand and seeks atonement.
But the second possibility is the one David clearly believes is true. "But if it is men, cursed are they before Yahweh." He is speaking of the wicked counselors, the flatterers and slanderers in Saul's court who are stirring up his paranoia for their own gain. David pronounces an imprecation on them. This is not sinful personal vengeance; it is a righteous appeal to God's justice. He is asking God to curse those who are actively working to undermine God's kingdom and God's anointed. Their sin is that they have driven him out from the "inheritance of Yahweh," from the land of the covenant and the place of worship, effectively telling him to "Go, serve other gods." To drive a man from the covenant community is a heinous spiritual crime.
He concludes his appeal with a picture of pathetic humility. The king of Israel, with three thousand elite soldiers, is hunting for "a single flea," a "partridge in the mountains." The image is designed to show the absurdity and injustice of Saul's obsession. It is a massive waste of kingdom resources to hunt down one innocent man.
Saul's Counterfeit Confession (v. 21)
Saul's response, at first glance, seems to be exactly what is needed. But we must look closer.
"Then Saul said, 'I have sinned. Return, my son David, for I will not harm you again because my life was precious in your sight this day. Behold, I have played the fool and have committed a serious error.'" (1 Samuel 26:21 LSB)
Saul says the right words. "I have sinned." "I have played the fool." This is the language of repentance. But is it genuine? We have seen this before from Saul. After he unlawfully offered the sacrifice, he made excuses. After he failed to destroy the Amalekites, he blamed the people. Here, there are no excuses, but the motivation is suspect. He repents because he has been caught. He repents because David's righteousness has publicly shamed him. His "repentance" is driven by the fear of man and the preservation of his own reputation, not by a godly sorrow for offending a holy God.
True repentance results in a change of behavior. Saul says, "I will not harm you again." But we know from the subsequent chapters that this is a lie. His heart has not changed. This is the sorrow of the world. It is the sorrow of getting caught. It is the sorrow of consequences. It is not the sorrow of having sinned against God. He admits he made an "error," like a tactical mistake. He does not confess the deep-seated rebellion, envy, and murderous hatred in his heart. This is a politician's apology, not a penitent's confession.
David's Covenantal Faith (vv. 22-25)
David, wisely, does not take the bait. He does not return to Saul's camp. He has heard these promises before. Instead, he entrusts himself to God.
"Now Yahweh will repay each man for his righteousness and his faithfulness; for Yahweh gave you into my hand today, but I was not willing to send forth my hand against the anointed of Yahweh." (1 Samuel 26:23 LSB)
David returns the spear, but he doesn't go himself. He maintains the distance. His trust is not in Saul's fickle promises but in Yahweh's perfect justice. "Yahweh will repay." This is the heart of faith. Vengeance belongs to God. Justice belongs to God. David has acted righteously and faithfully, not to earn God's favor, but because he is a man of faith. His refusal to kill Saul was an act of profound faithfulness to God's established order.
He then turns this into a prayer. "Now behold, as your life was highly valued in my sight this day, so may my life be highly valued in the sight of Yahweh, and may He deliver me from all distress." David's security is not in Saul's good graces, but in God's. He has shown mercy, and he prays for mercy. He has valued the life of God's anointed, and he prays that God would value his life. This is the logic of the covenant. It is the principle of sowing and reaping, lived out in faith.
The scene ends with a final, tragic exchange.
"Then Saul said to David, 'Blessed are you, my son David; you will both accomplish much and surely prevail.' So David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place." (1 Samuel 26:25 LSB)
Saul pronounces a blessing on David that is also a prophecy. He knows, in this moment of clarity, that David will prevail. He knows David is the future. But he is a man divided against himself. He knows the truth, but his heart is still in rebellion. And so they part ways. David goes "on his way," still a fugitive, and Saul returns "to his place," to his throne, which he knows he will lose. It is a picture of two men heading in opposite directions, one into the glorious future God has promised, and the other into the darkness of his own making.
The Greater David
As we read this story, we cannot help but see that David is a type, a forerunner, of the Lord Jesus Christ. David is the righteous king, hunted without cause by the established, corrupt authority. Jesus is the truly righteous King, hunted and ultimately killed by the corrupt religious and political leaders of His day.
David had Saul delivered into his hands twice and showed mercy. On the cross, Jesus had all His enemies delivered into His hands. With a word, He could have called ten thousand angels. But He did not lift His hand against them. Instead, He lifted His hands to be nailed to the cross for them, praying, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." David spared his enemy; Christ died for His enemies.
David appealed to God for justice, entrusting his vindication to Him. Jesus, on the cross, entrusted His spirit to the Father, knowing that God would vindicate Him in the resurrection. David's faithfulness was rewarded with an earthly kingdom. Christ's faithfulness was rewarded with a heavenly kingdom, and He was given the name that is above every name.
And we, like Saul, are often guilty of counterfeit repentance. We are sorry for the consequences of our sin. We are sorry we got caught. We say the right words, but our hearts remain unchanged. The gospel call is not to a Saul-like confession but to a true, Davidic turning of the heart. It is to see our sin not as a "serious error" but as cosmic treason against a holy God. It is to cast ourselves not on our own promises to do better, but on the mercy of the one whose life was not spared, but was given for us.
David went his way, and Saul went his. There are only two ways to go. One is the way of self-preservation, paranoia, and rebellion, which ends in ruin. The other is the way of the cross, the way of faith, of entrusting ourselves to God's justice and mercy. It is the way of the Greater David, Jesus Christ. And that is the only way that leads to life.