1 Samuel 26:1 – 12 “Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah and said, “Is not David hiding on the hill of Hachilah, opposite Jeshimon?” So, Saul, accompanied by three thousand choice men of Israel, went down to the Wilderness of Ziph to search for David there. Saul camped beside the road at the hill of Hachilah opposite Jeshimon, but David was living in the wilderness. When he realized that Saul had followed him there, David sent out spies to verify that Saul had arrived.
Then David set out and went to the place where Saul had camped. He saw the place where Saul and Abner son of Ner, the general of his army, had lain down. Saul was lying inside the inner circle of the camp, with the troops camped around him. And David asked Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, “Who will go down with me to Saul in the camp?”
“I will go with you,” answered Abishai.
That night David and Abishai came to the troops, and Saul was lying there asleep in the inner circle of the camp, with his spear stuck in the ground by his head. And Abner and the troops were lying around him.
Abishai said to David, “Today God has delivered your enemy into your hand. Now, therefore, please let me thrust the spear through him into the ground with one stroke. I will not need to strike him twice!” But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can lift a hand against the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless?” David added, “As surely as the LORD lives, the LORD Himself will strike him down; either his day will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. But the LORD forbid that I should stretch out my hand against the LORD’s anointed. Instead, take the spear and water jug by his head, and let us go.”
So, David took the spear and water jug by Saul’s head, and they departed. No one saw them or knew about it, nor did anyone wake up; they all remained asleep, because a deep sleep from the LORD had fallen on them.”
The Ziphites are at it again! Despite the fact that their previous schemes to capture David have failed, the men of Ziph are still trying to curry favor with Saul by reporting David’s whereabouts. Saul isn’t very fond of wandering around in the wilderness, so he and his men have camped by the roadside; meanwhile, David sends out spies and verifies that Saul has arrived. That night David and his friend Abishai go down to Saul’s camp; meanwhile, God has cast Saul and all his men into a deep sleep. Even though Saul is sleeping inside the inner circle of his troops, David and Abishai have no problems reaching Saul because everyone is asleep. Saul’s spear is stuck into the ground by his head. Abishai thinks this is the perfect opportunity to get rid of Saul once and for all and is ready to seize Saul’s spear and to it through Saul’s heart, killing him instantly. But David forbids Abishai from doing anything to Saul.
David tells Abishai, ““Do not destroy him, for who can lift a hand against the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless?” David added, “As surely as the LORD lives, the LORD Himself will strike him down; either his day will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. But the LORD forbid that I should stretch out my hand against the LORD’s anointed. Instead, take the spear and water jug by his head, and let us go.”
Even though David realizes that Saul may begin to attack him as soon as Saul and his men wake up, David refuses to touch Saul. God’s anointing is still on Saul, and therefore, Saul is God’s problem to deal with. But David does collect both Saul’s spear and his water jug that were right by Saul’s head as proof that he has been there.
What about this “deep sleep from the Lord?” Do such things actually happen? Yes. The Book of Acts describes a time when God delivered Peter from jail by opening doors and then throwing all the guards into a deep sleep. (Acts 12:3 – 17) More recently, many Christians in various parts of the world have reported times when police or guards slept while they passed through check points or walked away from bad situations.
Why did God put Saul and his men to sleep? Just because God had Samuel anoint David did not mean that David was free from testing. Early on, Saul failed the obedience test; now it was David’s turn. Would David respect God’s anointing on Saul and leave Saul for God to deal with, or would David yield to temptation and revenge himself? David was a man of faith and prayer and had received the anointing of the Holy Spirit at the hands of Samuel. The Holy Spirit caused David to recognize the anointing that remained on Saul and to respect that anointing. David passed the test!
APPLICATION: “You can’t touch me; I’m under the anointing.” A group of concerned church members were meeting with their pastor after hearing complaints that his counseling sessions with women had become opportunities for gratuitous sex. Such rumors might have no basis in fact, and these church members wanted the pastor to tell his side of the story. But the pastor referred to the story of David refusing to hurt Saul and then quoted Psalm 105:15, refusing to answer very reasonable questions. (Psalm 105:15 “Do not touch My anointed ones! Do no harm to My prophets!”) Given such an answer, the church leadership might well assume that the rumors were correct and that the pastor was guilty and was trying to dodge answering the question.
Are all Christian workers anointed? How can we tell? And how far should we go to respect the anointing? The first question that must be asked is this: Has this person been called into a certain ministry or has this person assumed a role that God has never asked them to play? There have been times when people have entered the ministry because they have felt called but have later gotten caught up chasing wealth and fame. There are some who have never had a calling but who have entered ministry because they can speak well and they anticipate rich rewards of wealth and notoriety. Such people tend to glorify themselves and not God. By contrast, Jesus told his disciples, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)
Later on, Jesus further warned his disciples, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore, by their fruits you will know them.”
The second test of anointing is this: What are the fruits of the ministry? A true servant of God will always point people to the Master and not to himself or herself. Recently, we witnessed a sermon entitled “The Power of the Resurrection.” But the sermon did not actually glorify God’s mighty power in raising Christ Jesus from the dead; instead, the one giving the message used this opportunity to boast about his power over witches and evil spirits, the number of times he had fasted, and to describe how many times he had been visited by angels. The speaker whipped the crowd into a frenzy by encouraging them to demand power from God, rather than emphasizing their need for repentance and humility.
Despite Saul’s rebellion and refusal to truly worship God, God’s anointing was still present. At any point in Saul’s life up to his death, Saul could have faced his sins and could have repented. Saul would have still lost the kingdom, but his life could have been completely changed. David respected that anointing and left Saul’s fate to God.
When someone who claims to be under the anointing is derelict in his or her duties, it is the responsibility of those around them to correct them. Matthew 18:15 – 18 lays out the guidelines. “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.”
In the case of the pastor in question, the church leaders had no choice other than to inform the church of the problem. When the pastor continued to deny any wrong – doing, despite the first – hand testimony of several witnesses, the congregation had no other option than to ask him to step down from his position. That pastor made the same mistake as King Saul, thinking that God’s anointing gave him license to behave any way he chose. Could this pastor yet repent and become a pastor at a different congregation? Only God and the pastor know the answer. But the lesson is clear: Don’t play with the anointing God gives you!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, thank You that You have anointed each one of us for a certain purpose. Help us to respect that anointing and not to abuse it. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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