1 Samuel 26:13

DAVID REBUKED ABNER; SAUL'S GENERAL

"Then David went over to the other side, and stood afar off on the top of the mountain, with a great space between them; and David called to the army, and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, "Will you not answer, Abner"? Then Abner answered, "Who are you that calls to the king"? And David said to Abner, "Are you not a man? Who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not kept watch over your lord the king? For one of the people came in to destroy the king your lord. This thing that you have done is not good. As the Lord lives, you deserve to die, because you have not kept watch over your lord, the Lord's anointed. And now see where the king's spear is, and the jar of water that was at his head."

"With a great space between them" (1 Samuel 26:13). Here is a very important difference from that other occasion of David's sparing Saul's life. There, David followed Saul out of the cave rather closely; here David took no such chance but called to Abner from the top of an adjoining mountain.

"Who are you that calls to the king?" (1 Samuel 26:14) David was not calling Saul, but Abner; but Abner apparently meant, "Who disturbed the king's repose"?[10] It is very remarkable that, just a little while previously David's conversation with Abishai had not awakened anyone; and now, the voice of a man far away on the top of a distant mountain is easily heard by Abner. This is proof enough that the sleep that enabled David's exploit here was due to the direct intervention of God who induced the sleep of Saul's army.

"Who is like you in Israel?" (1 Samuel 26:15) This was indeed a high compliment that David paid to Abner, and it was sincere, "Which is fully borne out by David's dirge at Abner's death (2 Samuel 3:31-34,38)."[11]

"As the Lord lives, (Abner) you deserve to die." (1 Samuel 26:16) Of course, David very well knew that the hand of God was in Abner's failure; but, as Keil wrote, "These words were designed to show Saul (who heard them) that David was the most faithful defender of the king's life, even more faithful than his closest friend and most zealous servant."[12]