David refuses to raise his hand against Saul.

He hates what is happening. He wants Saul to stop hunting him. He probably really wants to be king. But, David is waiting on the Lord. He’s not on Saul’s side. David asks the Lord to avenge him against Saul. But he’s going to let the Lord do it. He’s not going to take the opportunity and decide what the Lord is doing without consulting the Lord.

He knows God well enough that David doesn’t believe it is right to raise his hand against the anointed king.

This is also a good lesson in treating others the way you want to be treated! It also reminds me of Jesus when they wanted to make Him king. He didn’t take the opportunity as the Lord’s direction. He knew the heart of God. That wasn’t it.

David trusts the Lord to defend and avenge him, not just protect him.

David can’t be king until Saul is gone. There was temptation on more than one front for him to kill Saul. He won’t do it. He won’t take matters into his own hands.

Human reasoning says that someone will have to kill the Lord’s anointed in order for David to be king, unless they want to wait for him to die of old age. I’m sure he could talk through many lines of justification.

When you catch yourself justifying and reasoning, stop. Put the matter into God’s hands and wait for Him to direct your steps or act on your behalf. But it should always be in His hands, whether or not you are waiting or acting. It never should be us relying on the methods of man. It should never be us leaning on our own understanding.

We need to rely on Him for everything. When He speaks the promise, He will bring it about. We keep the endurance of faith. Wait on the Lord. Be of good courage. And wait.