The purpose of this lesson: (a) to note the nature of a godly conscience and (b) to affirm that the godly honor their conscience.
The word 'conscience' does not occur in the Hebrew language in the Old Testament. The concept of conscience occurs, but no Hebrew word was used for the acts of conscience in the Old Testament. The concept of conscience is seen twice in today's text.
The concept of conscience holds an important role in many of Paul's writings, Hebrews, and 1 Peter. In both the Old and New Testaments, God clearly wanted/wants an internal response from people as well as external compliance with His directives. Motives are extremely important in relationship with God in every age. An understanding of conscience begins with the realization that God always has wanted internal motivation as well as external compliance. With God, our 'why' is always as important as our 'what'. God is as much concerned about the heart as He is about the act. Both are essential to establish and maintain relationship with God.
A jealous King Saul made the life of his loyal servant, David, miserable. King Saul's jealousy escalated to the point that the King made definite efforts to kill David. The situation placed David's life in jeopardy. To preserve his life, David fled to the wilderness. David's decision to flee was costly to David as a person! In the ordeal of hiding from Saul, he lost much!
When King Saul heard the women giving greater tribute to David than to himself, he was filled with jealousy and mistrust. Jealous and mistrust led to an obsessive anger. When anger guided by jealousy controlled King Saul, he sought to kill David. See 1 Samuel 18:6-13; 18:20-25; 19:11-15; 20:3; 22:1, 2.
The setting of 1 Samuel 24 was the wilderness of Engedi. King Saul took 3000 select troops to that area in a determined effort to capture David and his men. In the process of pursuing David, Saul found himself near a large cave. He went into the cave to relieve himself. He had no idea that David and his men were hiding in the rear of the cave. When the king removed his robe, David was able to cut off a piece of the king's robe and remain undetected.
The King was in an extremely vulnerable situation. David easily could have killed King Saul. It is rather astounding that David did not kill him since (a) King Saul unjustly made David's life miserable and (b) David already was anointed to become king. Samuel earlier anointed David at God's direction.
David's act of harming the king's robe distressed David's conscience. It is difficult for most Americans to identify with David's feelings. David's reaction was the result of two factors: (a) the common feeling of a person toward royalty; (b) David's attitude toward God.
David did not regard the act of cutting the robe as an appropriate way to treat one's king. Also, God placed King Saul on the throne, and (in David's understanding) only God should remove King Saul from the throne. It was not David's place to remove King Saul from the throne. David refused to rationalize the situation by focusing on King Saul's unjust acts directed against David.
First, the common feeling toward royalty was simple. Because royalty were elite people by the consent of the people, they were to be honored rather than harmed. A king had the right to respect, so a subject in the king's kingdom reacted toward him and his family with respect. It was unthinkable to do anything disrespectful to one's king (quite a contrast to Americans' attitudes toward political leaders). That explains in part why David never threatened nor confronted King Saul.
A loyal subject obeyed his/her king. That simply was the way their world worked. To refuse to be a loyal subject of a king was extremely serious. Such was more than improper. It was a defiance of accepted social order by substituting chaos for order.
Second, David's attitude toward God could be summed up in this manner: God is in control of the situation; God made Saul king; when God decides Saul should be king no longer, God will remove him. David's attitude was simple: "It is not my place to remove Saul from his position as king." That amazing attitude represents a concept and attitude not to be found in most Americans' thinking.
David's understanding of the nature, character, and will of God was a primary motivation in his attitude toward the king. David understood that God selected and placed Saul on Israel's throne. God was completely sufficient to make Saul king, and God was completely sufficient to remove Saul from Israel's throne. David was dedicated to that understanding, and David never considered himself to be the means of God removing Saul from Israel's throne.
Note David's actions and words following his cutting of Saul's robe. He called Saul "my lord." He bowed himself in the appropriate declaration of allegiance to the king. He declared and demonstrated his loyalty to Saul. He referred to himself as a 'dead dog' and a 'flea' declaring that he was unworthy of the King's jealousy and anger.
David made it quite clear that King Saul had nothing to fear from David. David was not (in actuality) Saul's problem. Saul was Saul's problem. David sought peace with Saul when Saul came to destroy David. David did not present himself to Saul as Saul's equal or as someone who was better than Saul.
David attached a significance to Saul being 'the Lord's anointed' that is foreign to most Americans. (See I Samuel 24:10; 1 Samuel 26:11; and 2 Samuel 1:11-16.) David accepted without question that it was wrong to act against King Saul. Even cutting the King's robe was inappropriate. When he cut the King's robe, he violated his own understanding of 'right and wrong'. He immediately reacted to his violation of his understanding.
Two factors to recognize: (a) David understood that God acted independently of David. (b) David's conscience responded to David's understood standards and values.
A second conscience reaction is seen in the reaction of King Saul. King Saul instantly knew that David easily could have killed him. He immediately knew that if the situation had been reversed, he would have killed David without hesitation. He was profoundly aware that he had been powerfully blessed only because David was a good person.
Note King Saul's brief encounter with his conscience came from an entirely different motivation. David was motivated by his understanding of God. Saul was motivated by understanding how close he was to death.
The King's conscience declared, "You are more righteous than I" (2 Samuel 24:17).
Saul had known and understood God and God's ways. He began his kingly relationship with Israel as a very humble man (1 Samuel 10:17-27; 11:12-15). When Saul saw David's righteousness, he recognized it for what it was. Seeing David's righteousness revealed his unrighteousness.
King Saul knew something else. He knew David would be Israel's next king. He also knew that nothing he could do would prevent David from becoming king. He made but one request: "Do not kill my relatives when you are king." It was typical to destroy a defeated king's relatives, especially his children, when a new king from a new family began his rule. This assured two royal lines did not exist simultaneously in the same kingdom. The old royal line could never claim the right to rule. That greatly reduced the likelihood of civil war.
Saul understood God was with David (1 Samuel 16:14; 18:13-15). He knew Jonathan, his son, would not be king (1 Samuel 20:30-33). His sole request: "Do not kill my descendants."
Consider these two illustrations of conscience. David was true to his understanding that (a) it was wrong to harm royalty and (b) it was wrong to harm God's anointed. Even cutting the King's robe violated his understanding. King Saul's harm violated David's understanding of 'right and wrong'. Cutting the King's robe was harming the king! King Saul's unjust behavior toward David could not justify David when David departed from his accepted understanding!
Note that David's conscience did not establish his standards/values. It responded to his standards/values by honoring them in his actions.
With King Saul, his conscience was stirred in an entirely different way. David's righteous behavior brought King Saul 'face to face' his own unrighteous behavior. He had no conscience reaction to his attempts to kill David until he was forced to view his unrighteous behavior. Briefly King Saul became a man of conscience again--until his jealousy and ambition once again obscured his conscience.
Commonly in the Old Testament, reactions we attribute to the conscience are attributed to the heart. The two things 'heart' and 'conscience' have in common are (a) both are internal and (b) both supply motive. A person of conscience is a person who acts on internal understandings as well as external considerations. For him/her, motives are an inseparable part of acts.
Note that when King Saul was a man of conscience, he, too, responded to understood values. See King Saul's action in 1 Samuel 24:22.
For Thought and Discussion
No, the Old Testament does not use a Hebrew word to denote conscience. Internal motivations in the Old Testament are 'acts of the heart'.
The discussion should include the fact that King Saul was jealous of David and the fact that King Saul was often angry at David. It distressed King Saul that God was with David, but not with him. It distressed King Saul the his son would not reign after Saul's death.
To escape the determined wrath of King Saul and thereby preserve his life.
King Saul was determined to capture and destroy David.
The discussion should include (a) the King was 100% vulnerable, (b) the King was 100% defenseless; and (c) the King was 100% unsuspecting of the danger close to him.
(a) The first reason focused on the attitude of loyalty from a subject to his/her king.
(b) The second reason focused on David's understanding of appropriate treatment of 'the Lord's anointed.
It offended his conscience. In his understanding, this was inappropriate treatment of one's king and an inappropriate act toward God's anointed. See 1 Samuel 24:5.
(a) David declared and showed submission.
(b) David neither sounded or acted as if he were the King's equal.
(c) He made it clear that he was no threat to Saul and was unworthy of the King's concern.
The discussion should include this understanding: David's kindness forced King Saul to realize (for the moment) his unkindness. See 1 Samuel 24:17, 18.
Link to Student Guide
Lesson 1