提要
當大衛在西弗曠野時，西弗人又再次出賣他，向掃羅通風報信（23：14、19）。即使大衛曾在隱基底饒掃羅一命，冷酷的掃羅王還是與他為敵。這次大衛又有機會殺掃羅，但仍放掃羅一馬，他仍尊重掃羅的地位，並且相信，既是上帝立掃羅為王，現在若要廢除掃羅，那也應該是上帝的事。
大衛能夠取得掃羅的槍和水瓶實在是因為上帝超自然的幫助（26：12）。大衛希望掃羅和所有跟隨掃羅的人知道，他沒有做任何對不起掃羅的事（26：18），掃羅根本沒有正當的理由可以殺他，為什麼他必須流亡，以致不能享受上帝在應許之地上所賜的福氣呢？（26：19）大衛用比喻的口吻解釋說，掃羅追殺他將是徒勞無功──就像海裡撈針一樣──因為那並不是上帝的旨意（26：20）。
掃羅好像真的認罪，承認自己的愚行。但那一定不是肺腑之言，或者可能只是出於他不穩定的心緒，因為他很快就忘了這回事。大衛必須再度逃避掃羅不停的追捕，他逃到非利士地尋求庇護，在那裡忠心的等候上帝完成祂的計畫。迦特王亞吉收留大衛和他的隨員，因為他以為大衛和他自己一樣，都是掃羅王和以色列國的敵人，因此希望和大衛結盟。亞吉准許大衛住在非利士南邊的洗革拉，大衛在那裡住了十六個月。當初在約書亞主持拈鬮分地時，洗革拉原本就是分給猶大支派（書15：31），只不過猶大支派沒有完全征服他們的地業。 由於沒有亞吉王的監視，大衛在洗革拉的行動也較自由。大衛雖然流亡在外，但仍繼續被上帝使用來拯救以色列，徹底毀滅了以色列周圍的許多敵人，如基述、基色、和聲名狼藉的亞瑪力人。他們都是以色列長久的宿敵，上帝吩咐掃羅除掉他們，掃羅沒有聽從（15：3；出17：8~16；申25：17~19）。倒是大衛忠心的完成了上帝的計畫。
大衛欺騙亞吉王，使他誤以為大衛都在攻擊以色列人的城邑。大衛的謊言固然不足取，但是今天的我們也不應太快責備他。大衛像我們所有的人一樣都不完美，但因他忠於上帝，上帝還是能使用他來拯救以色列，現在我們既已有上帝藉著祂兒子耶穌和新約著作更完全的啟示，我們豈不是更可以成為榮耀上帝的合適器皿嗎？
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Overview
Once again, while David was in the wilderness of Ziph, the Ziphites betrayed his whereabouts to Saul (23:14,19). The unrelenting king was still against David, even after he had spared his life at En Gedi (24:18). Again David had the opportunity to slay Saul but would not. He still respected Saul's position and believed that, since God had put Saul in that office, it was also His responsibility to remove him (26:9-10).
The fact that David was able to take Saul's spear and water jug is attributed to the supernatural help of God (26:12). David wanted Saul and all the people with him to know that he was innocent of any wrong (26:18). Why then should he be exiled from enjoying the blessings of the Lord in the land of the inheritance of the Lord when there was no justification for Saul to kill him? (26:19). In metaphorical language, David explained that, because it was not God's will, Saul's search for him was in vain. A modern-day equivalent of David's words would be that for Saul to find him would be "like looking for a needle in a haystack" (26:20).
Saul admitted his guilt and foolishness in what appears to be a true confession. However, this must not have been sincere, or possibly it was due to his unstable mental condition, for Saul soon forgot. Again David had to flee from Saul's continued pursuit to find refuge among the Philistines (27:1), where he would wait faithfully on God to accomplish His plan. Achish, king of Gath, permitted David and his men to remain with them because, like himself, he thought David was an enemy of Saul and of Israel, and he wanted them as an allies. He granted them permission to live in the Philistine town of Ziklag in the south, where they stayed for 16 months. Ziklag had originally been allotted to the tribe of Judah, under Joshua's administration (Joshua 15:31), yet Judah never fully conquered this territory of their inheritance.
From Ziklag, David could move about more freely while not under the eye of King Achish. Though in exile, David continued to be used by God to be the deliverer of Israel, raiding and utterly destroying the various surrounding enemies of Israel such as the Geshurites, Girzites, and the notorious Amalekites, those longtime enemies of Israel that Saul was ordered by the Lord to utterly destroy but did not (15:3; Exodus 17:8-16; Deuteronomy 25:17-19). David, however, was faithful to accomplish the plan of God.
David deceptively led Achish to believe he was attacking Israelite cities. These lies of David are definitely not up to New Testament standards, yet we today should not be quick to condemn him. David was imperfect, as we all are, yet God was able to use him to save Israel because he was faithful to Him. Now that we have the fuller revelation of God in His Son Jesus and the New Covenant writings, how much more can we be worthy vessels which God can use for His glory?
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