"Look, this day your eyes have seen that the LORD delivered you today into my hand in the cave, and [someone] urged [me] to kill you. But [my eye] spared you, and I said, 'I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he [is] the LORD's anointed.' - 1Sa 24:10 NKJV
To the Chief Musician. Set to "Do Not Destroy." A Michtam of David when he fled from Saul into the cave. Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, Until [these] calamities have passed by. 2 I will cry out to God Most High, To God who performs [all things] for me. - Psa 57:1-2 NKJV
Saul had made the life of David extremely complicated. Actually, down right inconvenient. He should have been made, really mad. For you and I, I think we would have been rather upset.Very upset. For David though, he maintained his composure and did not become angry, even when his followers urged him to take vengeance and kill this man Saul.
Fundamentally speaking, emotions are a consequence of our beliefs. Our behaviors will often flow out of them both. Modern psychology emphasizes this. Faith in God, belief in the sovereignty of God, will impact all three of these things. Our beliefs, our emotions and ultimately our behaviors are all directly influenced by our faith in the sovereignty of God. We observe this so profoundly in the life of David.
When David was in the recesses of the cave we got access to his faith in God. The scriptures often provide this. These stories offer powerful examples of faithful men and women as they navigate the challenges of life. For the young David his faith was firm and unyielding. It was a beautiful display of a life devoted to his God. Now, listen to how David saw his situation, and the challenges that he was facing. He saw them through the lens of a deep trust in God and not as arbitrary, and random consequences. No, he understood that all things that come into his life would ultimately flow through the governance and leading of a sovereign and merciful God. Our text reads, Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, Until [these] calamities have passed by. David had confidence in God, not the things around him. Notice that when hiding in a cave his faith was not in that cave. His faith was in his God. Listen to what he said, And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, Until [these] calamities have passed by. God was his refuge, not the cave. The calamities that he was currently experiencing were not random, no, they were under the jurisdiction of God’s plan, and yes, they would eventually pass. Did you know that? Calamities come, only to pass.
Faith in God, and his plan would cause the man David to not be mad. David did believe that God would vindicate him. Perhaps this idea is most evident in the verses, "Let the LORD judge between you and me, and let the LORD avenge me on you. But my hand shall not be against you. ... "Therefore let the LORD be judge, and judge between you and me, and see and plead my case, and deliver me out of your hand." As we have faith in God we too in periods of conflicts and calamities will rest assured in the confidence that God is our refuge and our judge and he can be fully trusted