The Cave in En-Gedi
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Saul had not given up his quest to kill David.
Once the Philistine threat was neutralized, he recommenced hunting the man whom he considered a threat to his throne.
On being told David was in the wilderness of En-gedi, he assembled three thousand men and proceeded to search this remote and rugged area systematically.
En-gedi itself is an oasis on the western shore of the Dead Sea, but to the west is a maze of dead-end paths and steep-walled canyons, forming a perfect place to hide.
Saul still had informers, and hiding men from prying eyes was not easy! “The precipitous cliffs of the wilderness, about 2,000 ft. (610 m.) high, approach to within 1 ½ mi. (2.4 km.) of the sea. . . . In the sides of the wadi are many caves, both natural and artificial.” “Portions of the wilderness west of the oasis are so badly eroded as to be almost hopelessly impassable. But there is a road from Carmel in Judah that crosses the Wilderness of Maon and En-gedi and descends through the Wadi el-Kelb to this oasis. Saul probably took this road in his determined search for David.” During the search, Saul went into a sheepcote to “cover his feet” (1 Samuel 24:3)—a euphemism for relieving himself. A sheepcote, in this case, was a cave with a rock or thorny wall built around the front entrance to protect sheep and shepherds from the weather.
Seeking privacy, Saul did not ask even his bodyguards to accompany him into the cave. How was Saul to know David and his men were hiding in the lateral branches of that very cave? Because he had just entered from the bright sunlight, his eyes did not penetrate the darker recesses of the cave, but David could see Saul plainly.
His men urged him to slay his tormenter, for surely God had delivered Saul into his hands. This argument seemed like common sense.
Now was the time to strike! This golden opportunity was presented to David as a test of his character. What would you have done?
