1 Samuel 24:3
And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet: and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave. And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet: and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave.
David and his men were concealed in the sides of the cave when Saul entered it alone, with no awareness that they were there. His sudden and solitary appearance put the king entirely within their reach and handed them an opening to kill him. The scene sets David, a young shepherd to whom God had promised the throne, over against Saul, the reigning king bent on holding onto his power. Saul's exposed entry by himself therefore became a test of whether David would treat his enemy's vulnerability as permission to take his life. David refused to lift his hand against Saul because Saul was the Lord's anointed, rejecting the killing that his men urged upon him. The account thus shows trust in God's word standing firm when confronted by opposing human power.