Dave Hop Dave hovers in the back of the cave, the atmosphere is pungent with sweat, and tension hangs like smog in the air. And all the while… Saul takes a dump. The young future king waits and narrows his eyes, imagines taking his sword and slicing it through the present king’s neck. The blade’s not sharp so it might take a few hacks. Every fibre of his being craves to do it, to be rid of this monster who came looking for him while he was vulnerable. Who promised to look after him, and now is out here looking to kill him, and no doubt parade his head on a stick for all to see. No doubt fake truth has been told about him. This upstart in the wild, so dangerous he lives amongst the animals and fierce creatures, with a bunch of small-minded cutthroats as his only friends. No doubt the king has sold them his lies and rallied his troops to wreak havoc and smash this filthy shepherd boy. So here he is now, taking bathroom break, and in the greatest of ironies David’s on the verge of smashing Saul instead. Even kings need the toilet so Saul slipped in here to do his business, and unexpectedly Dave now has the chance to do his business. Destroy his enemy with no mercy. He edges forward in the shadows and grips the handle of his blade. Mercy. The word rakes across his brain like a loose jagged stone. It’s a tough one in these violently times. Mercy’s in short supply, and no doubt Saul wouldn’t be thinking twice if the roles were reversed. But David is not Saul. And he doesn’t want to become like his enemy. So he creeps forward, hangs low, reaches for a sliver of robe and cuts it free. He still wishes it was Saul’s neck but somehow, with God’s help, he has tempered his actions. As Saul walks from the cave, relieved, David appears and waves the snatch of cloak like a ragged flag of peace. Let’s not do this, let’s not be at each other like rabid dogs.
1 Samuel 24 v 1-10
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