Lord judge between me and thee-1 Samuel 23–24

I understand why tribal wars to capture spoils such as grain and cattle mentioned in 1 Samuel 23:1–5 
was such a big deal. They were hungry and had not grocery store--something we all should consider. Anyway David continued to have success  in battles of this kind.  Even so jealous, hateful, vengeful Saul was up to his old murderous, soul-consuming tricks 1 Samuel 23:7–13. This is a sad story but great message for us.

"live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans 12:18-21


Again this command from God is for our benefit. By reading the story of Saul's life, we can see that revenge kills the vengeful by inches from the inside out.

During this time, Jonathan visited David and “strengthened his hand in God” (1 Samuel 23:16). Possibly it is like our friends who came to the hospital during Katie's short stay. They prayed with us, brought us food, and lent us books of scripture. Some like my mother and mother-in-law sat in the waiting room day after day, offering quiet support.

Some say turn about is fair play, but David shows us that mercy is better than fair play.During another attempt to find and kill David, Saul stopped to rest in a cave (1 Samuel 24:1–3). David’s men wanted David to slay Saul 1 Samuel 24:4. Instead David killed his authority by cutting the hem, corner, or border  of his robe, which signifies the portion that symbolized his authority 1 Samuel 24:4–5.

 David refused to harm Saul, because he believed "..The Lord judge between me and thee, and the Lord avenge me of thee: but mine hand shall not be upon thee." 1 Samuel 24:6–12.)  For a short time the dark clouds were lifted from Saul's mind and he remembered the right way to be happy 1 Samuel 24:16–19.This shows us the need to always be a good example of the believers. We may be an instrument in God's hand to save a soul. If Saul had stopped here and chosen to remember the right way, he could have been happy all the rest of his days. But that was not to be. The hunger for sin had much too heavy sway. Although Saul had free agency, he had given much of his freedom to Satan.

It is a wonderful feeling to forgive others. The weight removed is like the pictures we see of earth quake survivors being pulled from under heavy debris. Interestingly, most people whom I held grudges against were totally oblivious. Therefore, the anger and hurt I carried, in some instances for decades, only affected my heart and my soul. I read a book Happy People Rarely Get Cancer--I believe the idea of choosing revenge or grudges over joy can inflict us with many physical diseases. "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones."  Proverbs 17:22