1 Samuel 24:11-12 I have not sinned against thee….The Lord judge between me and thee, and the Lord avenge me of thee; but mine hand shall not be upon thee.
After refusing to kill Saul when he had the chance, David met Saul, showed him the skirt he cut off, and said he spared his life. Even Saul had to admit that David was a better man than he. David believed that it would be a sin to take his life. And he believed that the Lord would see that justice is done in His way and in His time. He would let go and let God. “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” saith the Lord.
It is a natural human sinful tendency to take matters into our hands and see that justice is done. But honestly, it is revenge, getting even, we care more about than justice per se. We get hurt and we think we will feel better if we get back. It is hard to believe that the Lord will take our pain and anger, and that He will put things to rights. It is not easy to trust God to take care of us and do it right.
David’s heart for the Lord was stronger than his human will. He said, “The Lord will judge between us and avenge me.” The Holy Spirit uses the Gospel to convince us to believe and respond in this way. We give it to God and He works it out.