This week’s devotions are based on Week 5 of David: Finding Peace in Jesus (WATCH HERE)
1 Samuel 24:1-4 After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, “David is in the Desert of En Gedi.” 2 So Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats.
3 He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave. 4 The men said, “This is the day the LORD spoke of when he said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.’ ” Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.
David is exhausted, hunted, and hemmed in. Saul has pursued him relentlessly, twisting truth, mobilizing armies, and turning David’s life into a long season of fear. Then suddenly the unimaginable happens. Saul enters the very cave where David is hiding. No guards. No warning. No escape. David’s enemy is vulnerable, exposed, and completely within reach.
David’s men immediately interpret the moment as divine intervention. “This is the day the LORD spoke of.” Their reasoning sounds faithful. God promised David the kingdom. Saul is the obstacle. The path forward seems obvious. Yet the greatest danger David faces in this cave is not Saul’s spear but his own heart. When we are attacked long enough, peace can begin to look like payback.
Our sinful nature is quick to justify itself, even using God’s name to do it. James reminds us that God does not tempt anyone. Temptation rises from within, when desire conceives and gives birth to sin. The urge to strike back, to defend our name, or to secure peace through control does not come from God, even when circumstances make it feel righteous.
David’s restraint is striking. Though anointed as king, he refuses to act as if God’s promise frees him from God’s order. Faith does not grab the future by force. Faith waits. Peace, in this moment, does not come from eliminating the enemy but from trusting the Lord who sees the whole story.
Genesis 50 echoes this truth. Joseph, also betrayed and attacked, later confesses that what others meant for evil, God meant for good. That confession does not erase the pain of injustice. It anchors peace in God’s hidden work rather than immediate relief. David cannot yet see how God will resolve Saul’s hostility, but he knows how God has promised to act. God’s promises, not opportunity, is the wisdom he follows.
When we are under attack, peace is often confused with escape or victory. Scripture redefines peace as trust under pressure. Like a driver who sees a green light but ignores the pedestrian crossing signal, we can mistake permission for wisdom. God’s will is not revealed through impulse or advantage but through His Word.
The Gospel quietly sustains David here. The Lord who restrains David in the cave is the same Lord who will one day restrain Himself on the cross. Christ faces enemies who mock, accuse, and strike Him, yet He entrusts Himself to the Father who judges justly. That peace, won through suffering rather than retaliation, now belongs to us.
When enemies attack, peace is not found in striking back but in standing still beneath God’s promises. Faith waits. Christ reigns. God remains faithful.
Reflect
When have I mistaken opportunity for God’s approval?
What authority or boundary am I tempted to ignore because it feels inconvenient?
Prayer
Lord God, quiet my heart when temptation disguises itself as opportunity. Teach me to trust Your Word more than my instincts. Keep me faithful even when obedience feels costly. Grant me peace that rests not in victory, but in You. Amen.