1 Samuel 24

"But then David’s conscience began bothering him because he had cut Saul’s robe. 'The LORD knows I shouldn’t have done that to my lord the king,' he said to his men. 'The LORD forbid that I should do this to my lord the king and attack the LORD’s anointed one, for the LORD himself has chosen him.' So David restrained his men and did not let them kill Saul." v.5-7
David had great respect for Saul, in spite of the fact that Saul was trying to kill him. Although Saul was sinning and rebelling against God, David still respected the position he held as God's anointed king. David knew he would one day be king, and he also knew it was not right to strike down the man God had placed on the throne. If he assassinated Saul, he would be setting a precedent for his own opponents to remove him some day.

Romans 13:1-7 teaches that God has placed the government and it's leaders in power. We may not know why, but, like David we are to respect the positions and roles of those to whom God has given authority. There is one exception, however. Because God is our highest authority, we should not allow a leader to pressure us to violate God's law.

Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible