He said to David, “You are more righteous than I, for you have repaid me good, whereas I have repaid you evil.” This is Saul speaking to David after all the times that Saul had tried to attack and kill David. And David had refused when he had the opportunity to kill Saul or take his throne. He didn’t do it. And Saul said to David, “You are more righteous than I, for you have repaid me good, whereas I have repaid you evil.”
– 1 Samuel 24:17
When I read this verse, I think about the temptation we all have when others are doing evil toward us to repay them with evil. To do evil back toward them. And this is what’s natural to us. This is what’s in our flesh. And so for us to ask God based on 1 Samuel 24:17 for grace to do good in the face of evil. To repay good for those who do evil to us. This is Jesus saying, “Love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you.” This is the gospel. God, though we have rebelled against Him, he has pursued us in love. Jesus has died on the cross for sinners who have rebelled against Him.
Jesus has died on the cross for sinners who have rebelled against Him.
This Verse Provides a Picture of Good in the Midst of Evil
The cross is a picture of good in the face of evil. And so we pray, God, help us to do that which is not natural to us. God help us when people do evil toward us to do good toward them. God, we pray that you would keep us from repaying evil for evil. God, deliver us from all of our tendencies to even think or desire evil things … unkind things about others. God, we pray that in our thoughts, our desires, our words, our actions that you would help us in a completely Christ-like counter ourselves, counter-cultural way to do good even to those who do evil against us.
God, in this help us to learn more the depth of your love us in the gospel. Jesus, we praise you for your example for us. We praise you for taking our sin, our evil upon yourself in our place, so that we might be saved from our sins. That we might be filled with your spirit. That we might have a new heart that enables us to love in a completely different way. May it be so then in our lives, we pray. According to your word in 1 Samuel 24:17. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
