… In our culture we would say that David should be glad, or at least relieved, by Saul’s death. It was business, not personal. Or perhaps we might say it’s just politics, not personal. In any case, the path to the throne was now clear for David and more than that, he no longer had to fear for his life with Saul hunting him down around every turn. Saul died in battle and David was spared the guilt of having to kill his enemy himself. From a business or political perspective, all’s well that ends well.

But for David, all is not well. David understood that it’s never just about business or politics. It’s always personal. No matter how evil, hateful, and even murderous Saul had been, David knew that Saul was still God’s anointed. God loved Saul. God had chosen Saul. Saul’s sin, in David’s eyes, did not make him any less God’s anointed King…