The Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah and said, "Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hakilah, south of Jeshimon? Now, O king, come down whenever it pleases you to do so, and we will be responsible for handing him over to the king."

Saul replied, "The LORD bless you for your concern for me. Go and make further preparation. Find out where David usually goes and who has seen him there. They tell me he is very crafty. Find out about all the hiding places he uses and come back to me with definite information. Then I will go with you; if he is in the area, I will track him down among all the clans of Judah." 1 Samuel 23:19-23

King Saul was a man of many emotions and manners. He was certainly unpredictable in his dealings with others. He hated one day; love the next. He spoke well of David; but tried to kill him on a number of occasions.

The Ziphites came to Saul and informed on David. Saul thanked them–no, he blessed them–because they essentially turned David over to Saul. Here he is Saul the Diplomat. He wanted the Ziphites to find out more information so he spoke calmly to them. I'm sure Saul's aides couldn't even predict his actions.

Leaders are often forced to make alliances and agreements with people they would rather not do business with. Even the language they use when they're in these situations are unnatural and awkward.

Pray for the leaders of your country so that they will have wisdom when they make alliances with other leaders. Pray that they will know when to draw the line (i.e., cut off communication altogether) because of demands and threats the other party makes on the leader.