King Saul is devoting his life to killing David because he irrationally believes that David is out to harm him. 1 Samuel 24 tells a different story.

When Saul came back after dealing with the Philistines, he was told, “David is now in the wilderness of En Gedi.” Saul took three companies—the best he could find in all Israel—and set out in search of David and his men in the region of Wild Goat Rocks. He came to some sheep pens along the road. There was a cave there and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were huddled far back in the same cave. David’s men whispered to him, “Can you believe it? This is the day GOD was talking about when he said, ‘I’ll put your enemy in your hands. You can do whatever you want with him.’ ” Quiet as a cat, David crept up and cut off a piece of Saul’s royal robe. (1 Samuel 24.1 – 4, MSG)

David confronts Saul:

Oh, my father, look at this, look at this piece that I cut from your robe. I could have cut you—killed you!—but I didn’t. Look at the evidence! I’m not against you. I’m no rebel. I haven’t sinned against you, and yet you’re hunting me down to kill me. (1 Samuel 24.11, MSG)

Saul repents and acknowledges that David will be king:

When David had finished saying all this, Saul said, “Can this be the voice of my son David?” and he wept in loud sobs. “You’re the one in the right, not me…You’ve heaped good on me; I’ve dumped evil on you. And now you’ve done it again—treated me generously. GOD put me in your hands and you didn’t kill me…May GOD give you a bonus of blessings for what you’ve done for me today! I know now beyond doubt that you will rule as king…” (1 Samuel 24.16 – 20, MSG)

So David and Saul are reconciled, and David returns with Saul to serve him as before…Uh, no.

Then Saul went home and David and his men went up to their wilderness refuge. (1 Samuel 24.22, MSG)

Saul will be at it again in chapter 26. Jesus didn’t trust people either:

During the time [Jesus] was in Jerusalem, those days of the Passover Feast, many people noticed the signs he was displaying and, seeing they pointed straight to God, entrusted their lives to him. But Jesus didn’t entrust his life to them. He knew them inside and out, knew how untrustworthy they were. He didn’t need any help in seeing right through them. (John 2.23 – 25, MSG)