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Answer
The main reason David remained loyal to Saul was the anointing King Saul had received from the Lord. In essence, the Lord was the One who selected Saul to be king, and David refused to act against God’s will. When David had the chance to kill Saul, he chose not to, stating, “As surely as the Lord lives . . . the Lord himself will strike him, or his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. But the Lord forbid that I should lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed” (1 Samuel 26:10-11). David believed that Saul was under God’s protection and that he was not allowed to harm Saul himself.
Moreover, David valued Saul’s life greatly. Despite having killed men in battle, he refused to harm Saul «And, behold, as thy life was much set by this day in mine eyes, so let my life be much set by in the eyes of the LORD, and let him deliver me out of all tribulation. », (1 Samuel 26:24). David had strong faith in God’s plan and timing. As long as God intended for Saul to be king, David would patiently wait and not take matters into his own hands.
During another incident, David and his men were hiding in a cave when Saul entered to relieve himself. David was close enough to Saul to cut off a piece of his robe, but he chose not to kill him. Instead, he declared, “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lay my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the Lord” «And he said unto his men, The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the LORD’s anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD. », (1 Samuel 24:6).
Saul wasThe individual God had chosen to lead the nation of Israel was Samuel. Samuel had physically anointed Saul with oil when God selected him as king. In 1 Samuel 10:1, it is stated, “Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him, saying, ‘Has not the Lord anointed you ruler over his inheritance?’” The significance of the physical anointing was that Saul was consecrated by God for leadership. David honored God’s decision.
Young David had also been anointed as the future king of Israel. 1 Samuel 16:13 recounts, “Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David.” It would be many years before God would establish him as the official king of the nation, but David understood from firsthand experience what it meant to be the Lord’s anointed.
Ultimately, Saul fell in battle, according to God’s timing. This occurrence was bittersweet, as both Saul, who sought to end David’s life, and Jonathan, who was David’s closest companion, perished on the same day. 1 Samuel 31 documents this battle in which Saul and his sons died in a confrontation against the Philistines.
After Saul’s demise, David was appointed king of Judah for seven years before assuming kingship over all Israel. In total, David reigned for 40 years as king, fulfilling the role of the Lord’s anointed. He had shown great respect to the previous king and later assumed the position himself, being described as a man after God’s own heart, as stated in 1 Samuel 13:14.
