Walking Away: 1 Samuel 26:13-25
Sometimes the correct choice is to walk away from relationship. God’s people should care deeply about relationship. We should long to see God in one another. Unfortunately, the world doesn’t always agree. If we find ourselves in a situation where we cannot use our influence to produce righteousness, it may be best to shake the dust off our feet and move along.
David and Abishai escape the camp and wait. Once Saul awakens, David comes to the hillside declaring what he did. His declaration challenges Abner, not Saul.
It may seem strange for Abner to be singled out. In doing so, David illustrates to Saul his generals are not as good as Saul believes. David’s critical speech argues for more than their ability to watch over him at night.
Saul’s leadership did not help Saul remember his prior pledge to David after the incident in the cave. Saul’s generals could have stopped this whole incident. They could have walked Saul back from the emotional precipice before ever leaving his throne, protecting Saul from following another irrational plan. They failed Saul on all fronts, not just their inability to protect him at night. David antagonizes Saul’s general to illustrate the overall failure of Saul’s leadership team.
When Saul hears David’s voice, Saul calls out. He calls David his son. Saul has genuinely descended into emotional turmoil. Saul chases David to kill him, yet he calls David his son. He has given David’s wife to another man, but he calls David his son. Saul is unbalanced and unable to find his way back to righteousness.
Unlike the incident in the cave, David does not call Saul his father. He refers to Saul as his king. He refers to himself as servant. David has experienced Saul’s turmoil too often. David makes the relational break, letting the familial part of the relationship die.
David refuses to bring the spear and jug back to Saul, demanding a servant to retrieve Saul’s goods. In doing so, David makes the break in relationship visible. David never planned to antagonize Saul, but now he refuses to even be in Saul’s company. Even after Saul admits he acted foolishly, David no longer seeks relationship. David says his life is precious in the sight of the Lord, disregarding his concern for Saul’s opinion of David’s life. David knows Saul’s opinion will last only as long as the next emotional swing.
This is the last time Saul and David interact. The story ends with Saul giving a blessing to David while David turns and walks away without returning the blessing. David shakes the dust off his feet and turns away. The relationship is spoiled by Saul’s irrational behavior.
David maintained righteousness with respect to Saul. Unfortunately, Saul was unable to be righteous in return. We cannot control the actions of others. David recognizes his inability to impact Saul’s life, so he walks away. Sometimes the correct choice is to walk away from relationship.
