David     A man after God's own heart p5.

The fourth characteristic that David possessed that commended him towards God was the fact that he would not lift up his hand towards Saul,even when he had the opportunity to do so.
1 Samuel 24 says "I will not stretch out my hand against my lord for he is the Lord's anointed"
What precisely did David mean when he made this statement not to lift up his hand against the Lord's anointed?
He simply meant that he would not strike out at Saul or do anything to injure him or cause him hurt because he respected that Saul even in his rebellious state still belonged to the Lord.
In 1 Samuel chapter 24 we read the account of when David was fleeing for his very life with Saul in hot pursuit of him.
An occasion arises when Saul who is determinately persecuting David goes into a cave in the wilderness at En Gedi, unaware that David and his men are concealed within the cave and watching Saul's movements.
Saul is inside the cave to relieve himself and David's men whisper to David that this is surely the moment to silently strike down Saul and deliver himself of his greatest enemy.
David, enticed by his own men's council, creeps up towards Saul and silently slices off the very corner of Saul's robe, unbeknown to Saul himself.
Afterwards we are told "David's heart troubled him because he had cut Saul's robe"
And he said to his men,
"The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my master,the Lord's anointed,to stretch out my hand against him,seeing he is the anointed of the Lord." 1 Sam 24 v6
David was conscience stricken that he had even cut a piece off Saul's garments, let alone tried to harm him,because he knew that he had violated Saul ,who was the Lord's ,even in his backslidden condition.
It is interesting to me that David's conscience was so tender that the very action of compromising Saul when Saul was unaware of David's intention and vulnerable to him was troubling to David.
In reality he knew that he was playing with his power over Saul saying in effect to him,
"You see I had the power of life and death in my hand but chose to let you go"
However in stretching out his hand in even a gesture to humiliate Saul, he had transgressed a sacred line to seek to take matters into his own hands with one who was the Lord's.
David restrained his men ,we are told, from taking further action to harm Saul and again two chapters later David is presented with another opportunity to take Saul's life but restrains one of his men who is accompanying him from doing so, with the same words,
"Do not destroy him;for who can stretch out his hand against the Lord's anointed, and be guiltless?"
David had grasped a truth that many Christians have sadly failed to, that we cannot lift up our hand against those who belong to the Lord neither seek to retaliate for injustices done towards us and remain innocent in the Lord's eyes.
David understood that the Lord will deal with those who were his enemies but he refused to take matters into his own hands.
"As the Lord lives,the Lord shall strike him,or his day shall come to die in battle and perish.
The Lord forbid that I should stretch out my hand against the Lord's anointed." 1 Sam 26 v 10--11
As an interesting footnote to this it is interesting to see what David's response was when Saul finally did perish in battle on Mount Gilboa.
Far from rejoicing in the removal of the one who had persecuted him so fiercely David wept over Saul's demise and lamented that the Glory of the nation of Israel had been humbled in the fall of her princes and her king.
David was able to grieve over the bigger issue (the humbling of a nation) rather than find some cheap moment of pleasure over a personal sense of justice given him.
If anything demonstrates the heart of King David this occasion surely does.
How does this relate to us as Christians and our attitude towards those who wrong or have wronged us ?
Anyone who has been a christian for any length of time at all will have experienced at some time in their lives a wrong done against them by another.
Infact the bible clearly states that "All that would seek to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution" 1 Tim
The question is how do we respond?
Will we endeavour to take matters into our own hands or will we like David refuse to lift up our hand against the Lord's anointed.?
That means that we will refuse to take any measures to retaliate against those who have wronged us but rather will entrust ourselves and the other person or persons into the Lord's hand to deal with  in His way and His time, confident that he is both just and merciful and will always work to bring what is good to all involved not just us.
When David cut the corner off Saul's robe he was in effect taking advantage of Saul and exposing him to humiliation.
His heart greatly troubled him about this afterwards.
The real test for us will always come when we are presented with an opportunity to expose the shame of one who has done us wrong and humiliate them.
Regardless of how we try to justify it, if ever we expose the shame and sin of another to our own benefit then we have become guilty of humiliating that other person and cutting off the corner of their robe.
Rather should we not forgive and entrust ourselves fully into the hands of the One who judges justly.?
Many in the body of Christ seem to suffer no apparent qualms of conscience concerning their slandering or gossipping or exposing the shortcomings of another.
How is this so?
How can many today be so insensible that what they are doing is so displeasing to the Lord?
It has been said that you can take almost any major ministry today that is operating in the power of Kingdom of God and you will find at least one website devoted to attempting to undermine and expose that ministry.
The Body of Christ is plagued today with a spiritual leprosy of self-appointed watchmen and faultfinders who do not discern the illegitimacy of their so called cause.
However the Lord himself is about to deal with this in a much stronger measure.
Perhaps the greatest aspect of David's honour towards Saul was his genuine grief over Saul's death in battle.
As I said earlier David had a bigger perspective on things because he had a bigger heart.
He knew that the greater loss was for an army and a nation not simply for himself in an enemy being removed.
Perhaps the greatest test of the measure of our true spiritual maturity is how do we respond when one who has committed a wrong against us actually ends up falling into sin or falling away from the faith?
In that instance do we consider that such an event only serves to prove us right or do we secretly think well they reaped what they sowed?
Or do we like David have the largeness of heart to weep over the bigger picture?
The fact that a brother or sister has fallen brings reproach to the testimony of Christ in the earth and gives another opportunity to the real enemies of the gospel to gloat and to rejoice.
Our prayer should always be "O God restore completely that one who has fallen that your mercy may triumph over judgement in their lives."
I am convinced that the reason why David so understood the heart of God in this is because of the bigness of his own heart towards God.
God save us from those with big heads and shrivelled hearts but may the Lord grant to us all who seek it a supernaturally enlarged heart of His agape love.