The word of God exposes human sin in all its various forms, and sometimes expects us to recognise it without spelling it out for us, just as we have to discern it in our daily experience. These things are shown us to teach us to be discerning. Sinful men do not come to us and say, we are behaving in a sinful way. On the contrary, they say the opposite; they say, our behaviour is fully justified. Saul responds as if he is the injured party, and all reasonable men should be on his side. He shows us here how self-pity represents a distorted world to ourselves and to others. We are persuaded to see everything from this embittered point of view. What lies we can tell ourselves to justify our evil acts! At the same time we can console ourselves that we are the most hard done by people in the world. So Saul wanted pity, when he was extending none to David.