阅读经文 

有关复仇的电影往往是最卖座的，看见坏蛋们自食其果，人们会欢呼雀跃。向霸凌你的人报复，尤其是那些你没有挑衅过的人，真是大快人心。

撒母耳记上的作者，给我们描绘了一个在隐基底沙漠背景下的“导演剪辑版”。大卫过着流亡的生活，他试图躲避有意要毁灭他的扫罗王。在这场戏中，率领着三千士兵的扫罗似乎占了上风。

王进入山洞大解时，并不晓得大卫和跟随的人正躲藏在洞里。这时故事的情节变得越发微妙，有时圣经也会穿插些幽默花絮呢。

当时的处境对大卫是最理想的，毫无戒心的王以为洞里只有他一个人，所以大卫是可以悄悄前来用他杀歌利亚的刀来刺杀扫罗的。

然而，大卫只是割下扫罗外袍的衣襟。大卫没有尝试满足复仇的愿望，他践行神圣的克制，说他不能在他的“主、耶和华的受膏者”身上做这种事情。

扫罗于是谦恭地说：“你以善待我，我却以恶待你。”

大卫树立的榜样，是扫罗永远无法企及的。你又如何呢？

Movies about revenge are often top sellers. People cheer when villains get what’s coming to them. There’s something satisfying about getting back at someone who has done you wrong, especially if you did nothing to provoke it.

The writer of 1 Samuel gives us the “director’s cut” of the scene in the Desert of En Gedi. David has been living in exile, trying to hide from King Saul, who wants to destroy him. With three thousand men, Saul appears to have the upper hand in the drama.

But the king doesn’t know that David and his men are hiding in the cave where he goes in to relieve himself. Sometimes the Bible even includes a bit of humor as the plot thickens.

The setting is perfect. The unsuspecting king believes he is alone in the cave. So David can sneak up and kill Saul with the same sword he used on Goliath.

But, instead, David merely cuts off a corner of the king’s robe. David does not try to satisfy the thirst for revenge. He practices holy restraint, saying he could not do such a thing to his “master, the LORD’s anointed.”

Saul is humbled and says, “You have treated me well, but I have treated you badly.” David has modeled something that Saul could never achieve. How about you?