David and Abigail: Sandwiched between the two parallel incidents in which David has the opportunity to destroy Saul but chooses to spare his life is this very different account of David’s activities during this period. At first sight it appears out of place in the overall schema of the books of Samuel, where the focus is on the question of power, primarily in national leadership. But here too power is a key motif, and there are several reasons the writers might consider this incident to be relevant.

25:1a Saul’s open acknowledgment of David’s claim to the throne (24:20) provides a turning point in the ongoing saga. Although his fight with reality continues unabated and David is again driven out of the country, the heart has gone out of Saul’s desperate clinging to power. The reader is no lo…