1 Samuel 24:13
As the old proverb says, 'Wickedness proceeds from the wicked.' But my hand will never be against you.
Sermons
David Sparing His EnemyT. W. Hooper, D. D.1 Samuel 24:3-22
David Sparing His EnemyMonday Club Sermons1 Samuel 24:3-22
Saul and David in the CaveH. E. Stone.1 Samuel 24:3-22
A Proverb of the AncientsB. Dale 1 Samuel 24:13-15














Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked (ver. 13). Proverbs are brief and apt sayings expressive of the general experience of men. They have been described as the wisdom of many and the wit of one" (Russell); and, more poetically, "jewels five words long, which on the stretched forefinger of time sparkle forever" (Tennyson). The most valuable of "the words of the wise" were uttered by Solomon, and are contained in the Book of Proverbs. But this saying was already ancient in the days of David. It is also "true and faithful" and very instructive. Consider -

I. ITS MEANING. "Ill men do ill things." "Actions usually correspond to the quality of the mind" (Grotius).

1. An evil disposition is possessed by some men. The ancients noticed the distinction between evil actions (as well as good) and evil character (as well as good). There is in some men, in contrast to others, a selfish and bad disposition. All men, it is true, are sinful; but some, instead of striving against sin and overcoming it, are the slaves of sin; their supreme affection is set upon unworthy objects, and the ruling principle of their life is wrong. This is due to many causes - previous voluntary acts, wilful neglect of Divine aid, etc.; but the fact is certain. Their nature differs from that of good men just as (though not so necessarily or to the same extent) the serpent from the dove, and the thistle from the vine.

2. An evil disposition expresses itself in corresponding actions. It uses power and opportunity according to its nature (ver. 19), and turns to evil the same circumstances which a good disposition turns to good (ver. 6). This is in harmony with the established order of things in the world. "A good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit" (Luke 6:43). "Do men gather grapes of thorns? "etc. (Matthew 6:16-20; Matthew 12:35). "Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?" etc. (James 3:11-13; Proverbs 13:16).

3. An evil disposition is plainly proved by evil actions. It is so especially when they are performed deliberately, habitually, and on occasions of decisive trial. "By their fruits ye shall know them." The proof is perfectly reliable, easily perceivable, and generally applicable.

II. ITS APPLICATION (ver. 11). "But my hand shall not be upon thee" (vers. 12, 13). "David means to say that if he had been guilty of conspiracy against the king he would not have neglected this favourable opportunity to kill him, since men usually indulge their feelings, and from a mind guilty of conspiracy nothing but corresponding deeds could come forth" (Clericus). The application may be made to the conduct of others, but it should be made first and chiefly to our own; and it should lead us -

1. To test our character by our actions, and to prove to others when it is suspected and calumniated that it is good, and not evil. As wickedness proceedeth from the wicked, so goodness proceedeth from the good.

2. To feel increased aversion to evil, to act according to the integrity we assert of ourselves, to resolve to do nothing wrong, and to endeavour to prevent others from doing wrong (ver. 14).

3. To appeal to God, who searches the heart, and, in the consciousness of sincerity and innocence, to put confidence in his righteous and merciful aid (ver. 15). "Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God" (1 John 3:21). In the review of the subject let us bear in mind that -

1. Men are responsible for the character they possess.

2. An evil character may be transformed into a good one by the power of Divine grace and the use of proper means. "I will give you a new heart." "Make you a new heart."

3. We ought to strive continually to attain the highest degree of virtue and goodness possible.

"Such is this steep ascent,
That it is ever difficult at first,
But more' a man proceeds less evil grows.
When pleasant it shall seem to thee, so much
That upward going shall be easy to thee,
As in a vessel to go down the tide,
Then of this path thou wilt have reached this end.
There hope to rest thee from thy toil"


(Purg.' 4.) = - D.

I cut off the skirt of thy robe, and killed thee not.
We are taught: —

I. THANKFULNESS FOR PRESERVATION IN SLEEP.

II. ATTENTION TO CONSCIENCE IN LITTLE THINGS. When Saul slept in the cave at Engedi David spared his life, but not the skirt of his robe. That was cut off, to be visible token to the king of his exposure to David's power. It was a little thing to do, and from one urged to a great and deadly. But his "heart smote him." He had a conscience in little things. He must be stringent in obedience to it. Would that he always had been! Little things! So we speak. But these make the staple of life. This is the great need — for Christian men to reverence conscience in so-called little things, in all things. Home life remitter, purer, friendship firmer, business more honest and unselfish — these are "evidences of Christianity" which the enemy cannot gainsay or resist.

III. THE CRUELTY OF SLANDER.

IV. THE PATIENCE OF FAITH. David "believed God." The crown was Divinely assured him. He could wait God's time for it.

V. THE TRUTH OF REPENTANCE. Saul shed tears enough, and made vows enough. But it availed nothing. Quick to repent he was quick to fall into the old sin. Soon, in spite of solemn protestations, we find him again pursuing David. The truth of repentance is not to be read in tears.

(G. T. Coster.)

People
David, Saul
Places
Engedi, Wildgoats' Rocks
Topics
Ancients, Deeds, Evil, Evil-doer, Evildoers, Forth, Goes, Lifted, Proceedeth, Proverb, Saying, Says, Simile, Touch, Wicked, Wickedness
Outline
1. David, in a cave at En Gedi, spares his life
8. He shows thereby his innocence,
16. Saul, acknowledging his fault, takes an oath of David, and departs.

Dictionary of Bible Themes
1 Samuel 24:1-22

     5934   restraint

1 Samuel 24:2-22

     4218   cave

1 Samuel 24:8-22

     8428   example

1 Samuel 24:12-13

     5481   proverb

1 Samuel 24:12-15

     9210   judgment, God's

Library
Love for Hate, the True Quid Pro Quo
'And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the Lord said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privily. 5. And it came to pass afterward, that David's heart smote him, because he had out off Saul's skirt. 6. And he said unto his men, The Lord forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the Lord's anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Exile --Continued.
There are many echoes of this period of Engedi in the Psalms. Perhaps the most distinctly audible of these are to be found in the seventh psalm, which is all but universally recognised as David's, even Ewald concurring in the general consent. It is an irregular ode--for such is the meaning of Shiggaion in the title, and by its broken rhythms and abrupt transitions testifies to the emotion of its author. The occasion of it is said to be "the words of Cush the Benjamite." As this is a peculiar name
Alexander Maclaren—The Life of David

How Subjects and Prelates are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 5.) Differently to be admonished are subjects and prelates: the former that subjection crush them not, the latter that superior place elate them not: the former that they fail not to fulfil what is commanded them, the latter that they command not more to be fulfilled than is just: the former that they submit humbly, the latter that they preside temperately. For this, which may be understood also figuratively, is said to the former, Children, obey your parents in the Lord: but to
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

The Exile --Continued.
We have one psalm which the title connects with the beginning of David's stay at Adullam,--the thirty-fourth. The supposition that it dates from that period throws great force into many parts of it, and gives a unity to what is else apparently fragmentary and disconnected. Unlike those already considered, which were pure soliloquies, this is full of exhortation and counsel, as would naturally be the case if it were written when friends and followers began to gather to his standard. It reads like
Alexander Maclaren—The Life of David

The Hebrew Sages and their Proverbs
[Sidenote: Role of the sages in Israel's life] In the days of Jeremiah and Ezekiel (Jer. xviii. 18; Ezek. vii. 26) three distinct classes of religious teachers were recognized by the people: the prophets, the priests, and the wise men or sages. From their lips and pens have come practically all the writings of the Old Testament. Of these three classes the wise men or sages are far less prominent or well known. They wrote no history of Israel, they preached no public sermons, nor do they appear
Charles Foster Kent—The Origin & Permanent Value of the Old Testament

How those are to be Admonished with whom Everything Succeeds According to their Wish, and those with whom Nothing Does.
(Admonition 27.) Differently to be admonished are those who prosper in what they desire in temporal matters, and those who covet indeed the things that are of this world, but yet are wearied with the labour of adversity. For those who prosper in what they desire in temporal matters are to be admonished, when all things answer to their wishes, lest, through fixing their heart on what is given, they neglect to seek the giver; lest they love their pilgrimage instead of their country; lest they turn
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

Samuel
Alike from the literary and the historical point of view, the book[1] of Samuel stands midway between the book of Judges and the book of Kings. As we have already seen, the Deuteronomic book of Judges in all probability ran into Samuel and ended in ch. xii.; while the story of David, begun in Samuel, embraces the first two chapters of the first book of Kings. The book of Samuel is not very happily named, as much of it is devoted to Saul and the greater part to David; yet it is not altogether inappropriate,
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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