A House for David; A Savior for Us

2 Samuel 7, “A House for David; A Savior for Us”
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What’s on your Christmas list this year? As a kid, I used to come up with elaborate lists based out of the Sears catalog for every single toy I wanted… As adults things are bit simpler; it’s actually tough sometimes to think of things we truly want. But every so often we get a gift that is completely unexpected, and it’s more than what we could have thought to ask for ourselves. (And it’s always great to be the giver in those situations!)

That’s where David finds himself in 2 Samuel 7. Wanting to do something for the Lord, God actually comes back and blesses him beyond his wildest imaginations. And the gift God gave to David continues to us today…it’s the very foundation for our celebration every December 25th!

Remember our context: David has finally been made king over all Israel. Once Saul had died, David had been accepted as king in Judah, but not Israel overall – a usurper had taken David’s rightful place on the throne. After some deadly events & coups outside of David’s blessing, the usurpers are removed & he is established as king over all Israel. David quickly conquered Jerusalem, defeated the Philistines, and brought the ark into the new Hebrew capital city (learning some lessons about the holiness of God along the way!).

2 Samuel 7 (NKJV)
1 Now it came to pass when the king was dwelling in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies all around, 2 that the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains.”

A. Great motivation! David realizes he’s been blessed immensely by the Lord & he desires to do something in response to God’s great blessing. David’s plans are going to change a bit (as we’ll see), but what he wanted to do was truly good. Any time we come to realization of what God has already done for us, it ought to naturally cause us to want to respond to Him. That’s exactly what we’re to be doing in worship! As we sing to the Lord, it’s not just so we can get past the 1st several minutes of the church service – it’s because we desire to respond somehow to the wonderful works of God. So whether it’s in a church service, at home, or by serving someone else, we desire to worship God in spirit & truth in grateful response.

B. Bad theology. God never truly “dwelt” in a tent. God will adopt the terminology a bit later, but in truth God doesn’t dwell anywhere. God is omnipresent – meaning there is no physical place where God is not. The universe fits in the span of God’s hand (Isa 40:12); God was no more “dwelling” in the Tabernacle than oxygen dwelled in it. The tabernacle was the chosen place where God would reveal Himself in His glory, but it’s not like God actually lived there. … Solomon acknowledged this when he dedicated the temple (1 Kings 8:27). Stephen does too – Acts 7:48-50 (48) “However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says: (49) ‘Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. What house will you build for Me? says the Lord, Or what is the place of My rest? (50) Has My hand not made all these things?’ []
__a. This is part of why the incarnation of Christ at Christmas is such a wondrous miracle: Almighty Infinite God actually wrapped Himself in flesh & dwelt among us. The God whom no space could contain willingly humbled Himself & came as a helpless baby.
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3 Then Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you.”

A. True: God was with David…amen!
B. False: David didn’t have a carte blanche from the Lord to do whatever. … And Nathan certainly didn’t have the authority to tell David that! Nathan spoke presumptuously here…
__a. We need to be VERY careful about what we say of the words of God! If you say “Thus sayeth the Lord,” He better have “sayeth” it! … To do otherwise is to bear false witness, and to be a false prophet…
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4 But it happened that night that the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying, 5 “Go and tell My servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Would you build a house for Me to dwell in? 6 For I have not dwelt in a house since the time that I brought the children of Israel up from Egypt, even to this day, but have moved about in a tent and in a tabernacle.

A. God doesn’t need a house…heaven is His throne.
B. How did God “move about” in the tabernacle? Symbolically. When the Levites moved the ark of the covenant & mercy seat around, they were symbolically moving the throne of God. But again, God Himself was not actually moving; only the symbol of His presence as He guided Israel through the wilderness.
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7 Wherever I have moved about with all the children of Israel, have I ever spoken a word to anyone from the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?’ ” ’

A. God didn’t ask for a house. Interesting question from the Lord! It’s not like God had been asking Israel why they were taking so long to build Him a temple – God wanted their hearts 1st (and that was a struggle enough…the people often fell into idolatry). Keep in mind God isn’t chastising David here; He’s simply reestablishing the priorities…see verse 8:
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8 Now therefore, thus shall you say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: “I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel.

A. Here’s the issue: David doesn’t provide for God; God provides for David. God was the one who raised up David from being a poor shepherd boy who was the least thought of among his family. God was the one who gave David the power to defeat the giant Goliath. God was the one who provided for David & protected him when Saul was seeking to kill him. And God was the one who raised up David to the throne of Israel now. It was ALWAYS God who provided for David; not the other way around.

B. If God needed mankind to provide for Him, God wouldn’t truly be God. God is not poor & needy! God is not lonely! God is not wringing His hands, anxiously worrying about whether or not we will do something for Him. God is completely self-sufficient… Psalm 50:10-12 (10) For every beast of the forest is Mine, And the cattle on a thousand hills. (11) I know all the birds of the mountains, And the wild beasts of the field are Mine. (12) “If I were hungry, I would not tell you; For the world is Mine, and all its fullness. [] God (because He’s God) is perfectly capable of providing for Himself! The reason He involves us in giving, serving, etc., is because of what God desires to do in US; He wants to glorify Himself through us & thus He uses all sorts of means to do it. But if we don’t do it, God will find a way because God is self-sufficient. It’s us that miss out on the blessing when we don’t participate.
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9 And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you, and have made you a great name, like the name of the great men who are on the earth. 10 Moreover I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own and move no more; nor shall the sons of wickedness oppress them anymore, as previously, 11 since the time that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel, and have caused you to rest from all your enemies. Also the LORD tells you that He will make you a house. – [God is the provider; what did He provide?]

A. A secure kingdom: all David’s enemies will be cut off & David’s name will be great.

B. A secure land: The nation of Israel will finally be established in the land. Joshua had brought them in & led the conquest, but the people had failed to completely drive out all the inhabitants of the land. Even throughout Saul’s reign, parts of Israel were ruled over by the Philistines. God would change all of that under David’s rule.

C. A secure lineage: a house – a sure household that will come after him. God’s got much more to say about this…
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12 “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. 15 But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.” ’ ”

A. This is HUGE! What a promise! God basically says, “David, you’re not going to build Me a house; I’m going to build you one. And you won’t be able to comprehend the fullest extent of it! It’s going to be like no household the world has ever seen!” …
__a. BTW, note how this is all to come to pass: God. “I will” repeated 5 times here over the course of the promise. God will set up the seed – God will establish his kingdom – God will establish the everlasting throne – God will be his Father – God will chasten. …

B. Three-fold application here…1st 2:
__a. Solomon: Obviously the 1st person to sit on the throne after David wasn’t Christ Jesus; it was Solomon. Specifically, Solomon did “build a house” for God’s name, and God did establish Solomon’s kingdom – as seen in the famous dream when Solomon prayed for wisdom (1 Kings 3:13).
__b. Future kings: we especially see this in the “chastening”. Jesus committed no sin, so He never needed to be chastened by the Lord, but many of the kings did – including Solomon himself!

C. The final application? Jesus! Ultimately God’s promise finds its final (and fullest) fulfillment in Christ Jesus – the true Son of God. (Unger) “Since the Babylonian Captivity, only one King of the Davidic line has been crowned at Jerusalem and He with thorns.” But Jesus is the true King of Israel & the kingdom God established for Christ Jesus will truly never end! He’s been given all authority in heaven & earth right now – He will return to rule the world in righteousness – finally Jesus will cast Satan into the lake of fire & Jesus will reign eternally. Jesus truly is the King of Kings & Lord of Lords!
__a. Jesus is of the “seed” of David, meaning Jesus would come of David’s lineage. That’s exactly what we see in Jesus’ genealogy. Matthew lists the line through Joseph & Joseph was of the line of David – he came down through the kings, including Solomon (Matt 1:7). There’s a problem here in that Joseph wasn’t actually Jesus’ father…which Matthew’s gospel makes very clear – “…begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus” (Matt 1:16). Mary was also of the lineage of David, apparently through a different son of David altogether (according to Luke’s genealogy in Luke 3). No matter which direction you come from (the adopted father or the birth mother), Jesus still comes from the line of David…a perfect heir to the throne promised by God.
__b. This is only one of a long line of what some term a prophetic “address” in Scripture, showing of whom the Messiah was to be expected. He was to be born of the seed of the woman (Gen 3:15), the seed of Abraham (Gen 12:3), the son of Isaac (Gen 21:12), the son of Jacob (Num 24:17), the tribe of Judah (Gen 49:10), the house of David (2 Sam 7), born of a virgin (Isa 7:14), proclaimed to be God (Isa 9:6), born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2)…and more. And this is all just surrounding His birth!  Throughout time, God has been pointing mankind to one singular Person who was to come & save people from their sin & God sent Jesus at just the right time & in just the right way to reveal Him. Galatians 4:4-5 (4) But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, (5) to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. []
____i. This is the whole point of Christmas! It’s not the gifts – it’s not the tinsel – it’s Jesus! From the Garden of Eden, mankind was looking forward to the time that God would send His Son as a Savior & King – and He has! The babe born of a virtually homeless family & laid in a feeding trough was truly the most important person in the whole universe! God used the entire OT to point towards Him – and the entire NT to point back at Him – He is Lord!
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17 According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David. 18 Then King David went in and sat before the LORD; and he said: “Who am I, O Lord GOD? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far? 19 And yet this was a small thing in Your sight, O Lord GOD; and You have also spoken of Your servant’s house for a great while to come. Is this the manner of man, O Lord GOD? 20 Now what more can David say to You? For You, Lord GOD, know Your servant. 21 For Your word’s sake, and according to Your own heart, You have done all these great things, to make Your servant know them.

A. David responds in wonderful godly humility – the right & proper response to such a glorious promise of blessing from God! David understood he didn’t deserve any of this; it was only because of God’s grace.

B. This is exactly the same for us when it comes to salvation through Jesus Christ. We do not deserve a single thing from the hand of God, except His wrath due to sin. Yet in Jesus, He grants us forgiveness, new life, the filling of the Spirit, adoption into His family, given the privilege of being co-heirs with Christ & much more! This is sheer grace! Not a single one of us deserves such a thing – the only human who ever did lives at the right hand of God today & He is both 100% human & 100% God. And Jesus willingly shares all of this with us…
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22 Therefore You are great, O Lord GOD. For there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 23 And who is like Your people, like Israel, the one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people, to make for Himself a name—and to do for Yourself great and awesome deeds for Your land—before Your people whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, the nations, and their gods? 24 For You have made Your people Israel Your very own people forever; and You, LORD, have become their God.

A. God is unique – there is none like Him…neither in number nor in character.
__a. Number: God alone is God. There is no other God but our God. The Shema makes it plain: Deuteronomy 6:4-5 (4) “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! (5) You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. [] We love whom? The Lord our God – who is the ONE God! God is not in competition with Allah or Vishnu or whatever gods men imagine – He alone is God.
__b. Character: God has revealed Himself to be absolutely unique in the pages of the Bible and in the Person of Jesus Christ. There are other religions that believe they worship the Creator God (Islam, for example) – but they have a fundamentally faulty understanding of God because they reject the revelation of God. To reject Jesus Christ (and thus the God of the Bible) is to reject the one true God. God is truly unique – and we must come to Him through His Son! (John 14:6)

B. God’s people are unique. David obviously referred to Hebrew history, by which God showed Himself in a mighty way by redeeming His people from the slavery of Egypt & called them to be His very own. Which is all very true…but don’t miss the fact that Christians are also the people of God! We have been grafted into the promises God gave to Israel & we also have been called by His name. (1 Pet 2:9-10)

C. WHY are we unique? Because we have been redeemed (by nothing less than the precious blood of Christ – 1 Pet 1:19). … Two aspects to redemption:
__a. We are redeemed FOR God – for His glory & pleasure. We will enjoy Him & worship Him for all of eternity.
__b. We are redeemed AWAY from death.
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25 “Now, O LORD God, the word which You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house, establish it forever and do as You have said. 26 So let Your name be magnified forever, saying, ‘The LORD of hosts is the God over Israel.’ And let the house of Your servant David be established before You. 27 For You, O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, have revealed this to Your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore Your servant has found it in his heart to pray this prayer to You. 28 “And now, O Lord GOD, You are God, and Your words are true, and You have promised this goodness to Your servant.

A. Wonderful prayer! David prays that what God said will actually come true. What God says will ALWAYS come true! His word will always be accomplished…

B. Want to ensure your prayers are answered? Pray according to the word of God… (Spurgeon) “Never think that God will be troubled by your asking him about his promises so much. God likes to be troubled, if I may use such an expression; he likes you to go to his door, and say, “Great Banker, cash this note; great Promiser, fulfil this promise; great covenant God, fulfil thy covenant, and send me not empty away.” “Do as thou hast said,” is a legitimate request; we ought to say it; it honors God, and God meant that we should so use his promises, “Do as thou hast said.””
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29 Now therefore, let it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue before You forever; for You, O Lord GOD, have spoken it, and with Your blessing let the house of Your servant be blessed forever.”

A. That’s exactly what is taking place now & will take place in the future! The house of David continues through Jesus Christ – and forever throughout eternity, the Son of David will be blessed & praised. Revelation 22:3-5 (3) And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. (4) They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. (5) There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever. []

Conclusion:
Tomorrow is Christmas Eve – what will you be celebrating? There’s nothing wrong with family celebrations – praise God for them. There’s nothing wrong with gift giving, time off from work, having parties, or any of that. Praise God for every good gift. But there is a reason that all of that takes place! The foundation for all our celebration is not the overweight bearded guy in a red suit; it’s none other than the fact that God kept His promise (to David & to the world) that He would send His only begotten Son as a Savior & King to all mankind!

The promise – the glorious gift God gave to David – has been fulfilled in none other than Christ Jesus! God promised that He would provide for David, and He did. God promised that He would provide for all Israel, and He did. God promised that His very Son would come, and He has!

Is there a promise you’ve been waiting upon from the Lord? You can trust Him for it! God’s word is true – He always proves Himself faithful! We may not know the timing of when God will answer, but we can be assured that He WILL answer. …

Beyond the general, there’s another very specific promise we’re waiting on that we can be absolutely assured that God will answer. Not only did Jesus come once to suffer & die, He’s coming again to usher in His everlasting reign! This time we’re not looking to a manger in Bethlehem; we’re listening for the sound of the trumpet to be called home. God keeps His word – every promise about Jesus Christ will be fulfilled…you can bank on it!

Too Late?

1 Samuel 30-31, “Too Late?”
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Question: Is it ever too late to repent? Sometimes people get the idea that it might be – as if we’ve rebelled against God for so long, that it would be hypocritical to repent at some point and start following Jesus. Other people think that what they’ve done is just too awful – their sin too terrible, they could never ask forgiveness. Others just get lazy…they’re apathetic to the whole matter & think it’s just not worth the effort.

The answer? The only time it’s too late to repent is when you stop breathing. Over & over God calls out to us to turn away from our sins & follow Christ alone. We may still have consequences to face, but it’s never too late to turn back to God.

Saul & David have both been given many opportunities to repent. For years now, they’ve walked in their flesh (not in the Spirit). Saul had consistently (and illegally) pursued David, and ignored the direct commands of the Lord God – to the point where God even stopped answering him through the priests & the prophets. David had just given up any hope of reconciliation with Saul & had settled among the Philistine enemy…even as a bodyguard to their king! God had gone to immense lengths to show them their need for repentance. For Saul, it was a visit from the grave by Samuel; for David, it was the Philistine lords firing him & sending him away from a battle with Israel. At this point, what happens? One repents; the other doesn’t…and we face a tragic end to a tragic king.

1 Samuel 30 (NKJV)
1 Now it happened, when David and his men came to Ziklag, on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the South and Ziklag, attacked Ziklag and burned it with fire, 2 and had taken captive the women and those who were there, from small to great; they did not kill anyone, but carried them away and went their way. 3 So David and his men came to the city, and there it was, burned with fire; and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive. 4 Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep. 5 And David’s two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had been taken captive.

A. Remember Ziklag was the border town in Israel given to David by Achish of the Philistines as a reward for serving him. This had been home to David & his army.

B. Sneak attack by the Amalekites…they had been some of the people that David carried out raids upon while he was serving the Philistines, so they had much reason to seek way. Knowing David would have been at the battle with Israel, they took advantage of David’s travels, and ravaged the city – burning the buildings, but keeping the people alive as slaves.
__a. Keep in mind that the Amalekites should not have even had been around! This is a result of Saul’s disobedience, and the very reason God ripped the kingdom away from him & his family (1 Sam 15). Our sin can have lasting consequences. Granted, David made his own mistakes (he shouldn’t have left the city unguarded; he shouldn’t have been fighting for the Philistines), but the sins of Saul had a ripple effect, and ended up allowing all of Ziklag to be enslaved.

C. How did this defeat even take place? David wasn’t protecting his city; he was too busy preening himself before the Philistine lords & whining that he wasn’t able to go to battle against Israel. Just like Saul, David found out there are always consequences to walking in the flesh.
__a. God doesn’t call us to walk in the flesh; He calls us to walk by the Spirit. We walk in faith & not by sight!
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6 Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.

A. In danger from mutiny… Of course the interesting thing is that David would have deserved it. The 1st duty of government is to protect its citizens & David failed.

B. David’s response in this awful defeat & tragedy? He recommitted himself to the Lord! Instead of retreating further & further into his flesh (which would have been easy to do in his distress/depression), David turns to the Lord for strength & encouragement.
__a. Sometimes God allows us to get to the place where we realize that we have no where else to go, except to God. Everything else has failed, our flesh is weak, our friends are no help…and neither are we! But God has always been there, and God has always been in control, and God has always been able to help – we were just too caught up in ourselves to realize it. Psalm 73:25-26 (25) Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. (26) My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. [] We need to get to the place that we realize God is not the last resort; He’s our only resort…and sometimes everything else needs to fall away for that to happen. Like the disciples, we need to realize that we’ve got nowhere else to God – Jesus alone has the words of eternal life (John 6:68)…HE is where we find our strength.
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7 Then David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, “Please bring the ephod here to me.” And Abiathar brought the ephod to David. 8 So David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?” And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.”

A. Why the ephod? It would have contained the Urim & Thummim most likely… Whatever the case, this was David’s way of communicating with the Lord & asking God what he should do. Unlike with Saul, God does respond to David…

B. Note this is the 1st recorded inquiry of David to the Lord since his arrival among the Philistines…and he’s been there for years by this point! I pray we don’t go days between times of seeking the Lord, much less years – but yet some do. That’s usually not due to forgetfulness…it’s usually due to sin. It’s easier for a Christian to persist in sin when they don’t have to talk to God about it in prayer & feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit. At this point, David is done avoiding the Lord; now he desires to be led by Him…
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9 So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and came to the Brook Besor, where those stayed who were left behind. 10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men; for two hundred stayed behind, who were so weary that they could not cross the Brook Besor.

A. File this away for later. 400 go to fight; 200 stay to rest & guard the supplies…
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11 Then they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David; and they gave him bread and he ate, and they let him drink water. 12 And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. So when he had eaten, his strength came back to him; for he had eaten no bread nor drunk water for three days and three nights.

A. Along the way to the battle, they find this Egyptian in the middle of nowhere. It would have been easy to ignore him (they had important things to do!), but instead David & the army stops to show mercy & compassion to him…

B. [Parable of the Good Samaritan – Luke 10] Each man had good reasons (on the surface) to pass the guy by; only one put those reasons aside long enough to show the compassion of God. The priest & the Levite in the parable thought they were keeping the law, but only the Samaritan performed the heart of the law by loving his neighbor.
__a. May we never be too busy to show the mercy & compassion of God!
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13 Then David said to him, “To whom do you belong, and where are you from?” And he said, “I am a young man from Egypt, servant of an Amalekite; and my master left me behind, because three days ago I fell sick. 14 We made an invasion of the southern area of the Cherethites, in the territory which belongs to Judah, and of the southern area of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.” 15 And David said to him, “Can you take me down to this troop?” So he said, “Swear to me by God that you will neither kill me nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take you down to this troop.”

A. Some would say “What good luck!” – but this isn’t luck, this is God’s sovereign provision! God is the one Who placed the Egyptian in their way. David’s act of mercy is exactly what God uses to give him important information for the battle.

B. Interestingly enough, why is it the Egyptian was left in the field? Because his Amalekite master didn’t show compassion to him. But God brought David to him, who did… … Sovereign from both directions: God provided for David through the Egyptian, and God provided for the Egyptian through David. As a result of his encounter with David, the Egyptian was placed under the protection & blessing of the God of Israel…and who knows what happened after that? (Maybe he came to faith?)

C. When we demonstrate the mercy of God to others, we’ll not only minister to them, but we’ll likely be ministered TO as well. [mission field] True of any ministry!
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16 And when he had brought him down, there they were, spread out over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil which they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. 17 Then David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled.

A. Picture the scene: the Amalekites are having a giant debauched celebration of their sack of Ziklag. The Egyptian they abandoned brings David & his 400 men straight to the camp & David unleashed a brutal sneak attack on them while their guard is down. Most of their warriors are probably drunk by this stage, and David’s army has an easy victory over them…
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18 So David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David rescued his two wives. 19 And nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything which they had taken from them; David recovered all. 20 Then David took all the flocks and herds they had driven before those other livestock, and said, “This is David’s spoil.”

A. Completely successful. All the captives were freed & all the booty was recovered. And to top things off, David acquired the booty of the Amalekites.
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21 Now David came to the two hundred men who had been so weary that they could not follow David, whom they also had made to stay at the Brook Besor. So they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. And when David came near the people, he greeted them. 22 Then all the wicked and worthless men of those who went with David answered and said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except for every man’s wife and children, that they may lead them away and depart.” 23 But David said, “My brethren, you shall not do so with what the LORD has given us, who has preserved us and delivered into our hand the troop that came against us. 24 For who will heed you in this matter? But as his part is who goes down to the battle, so shall his part be who stays by the supplies; they shall share alike.” 25 So it was, from that day forward; he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.

A. The 400 men thought they’d split the spoil 400 ways, but when David gets involved, they split it 600 ways. The 200 men who were too tired to go to battle still performed a valuable service, and David ensures they were able to take part in the victory. This was apparently unheard of at the time, but it became a regular practice for the army.

B. The principle? Every single part is important! 400 men rode off in the sunset to glory while 200 stayed back to stand guard & rest. The 400 soldiers had an important victory, but the service the 200 did was absolutely necessary. It’s no different in the church. There are certain members of the body that get a lot of “spotlight” (pastors, worship team, teachers, etc.). There are others that get little to none. Which position is more important? Neither – they BOTH are! Everything God gives us to do within the Body is valuable & necessary…or else God wouldn’t have given it out for us to do! 1 Corinthians 12:20-22 (20) But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. (21) And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” (22) No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. []
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26 Now when David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the spoil to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, “Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the LORD”— 27 to those who were in Bethel, those who were in Ramoth of the South, those who were in Jattir, 28 those who were in Aroer, those who were in Siphmoth, those who were in Eshtemoa, 29 those who were in Rachal, those who were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, those who were in the cities of the Kenites, 30 those who were in Hormah, those who were in Chorashan, those who were in Athach, 31 those who were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were accustomed to rove.

A. This isn’t just an endnote to the whole affair; this details a pretty shrewd political move on the part of David. Remember he’s been fighting alongside the Philistines for the past several years & a fugitive from King Saul. David hasn’t exactly had the opportunity to keep up with his networking… By sending off some of the spoil to different cities around Israel, David is reminding the people of his generosity & endearing himself to them…something that’s going to be very necessary when the time comes for him to assume the throne.
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1 Samuel 31 (NKJV)
1 Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. 2 Then the Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons. And the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul’s sons. 3 The battle became fierce against Saul. The archers hit him, and he was severely wounded by the archers.

A. Remember the context here. When we last left Saul, he was on the eve of this massive battle against the Philistines, and he had gotten scared. He hadn’t gotten an answer from God in the usual means, so he went to a witch in En Dor, who conducted a séance to bring up Samuel the prophet. God sovereignly allowed it to be done (which scared the socks off the witch!), and Samuel gave a prophecy concerning Saul’s fate. 1 Samuel 28:19 Moreover the Lord will also deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines. And tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.” [] Of course, this is exactly what happened & what is fulfilled in verse 1. Saul’s sons were killed in the heat of the battle & Saul is next.
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4 Then Saul said to his armorbearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised men come and thrust me through and abuse me.” But his armorbearer would not, for he was greatly afraid. [Didn’t raise a hand against the Lord’s anointed] Therefore Saul took a sword and fell on it. 5 And when his armorbearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword, and died with him. 6 So Saul, his three sons, his armorbearer, and all his men died together that same day.

A. Tragic events for Israel! Much of the army was wiped out, and the royal family had been killed. Things couldn’t have gone worse for the people that day.

B. Why did Saul fall on his sword? This was a fairly common practice for ancient kings (though rare in Biblical history)…it was better to fall on your own sword than to endure disgrace & possible torture in capture. Yet suicide is still suicide. In one final act of rebellion against God, Saul took his own life.

C. Saul lived in disobedience & died because of his disobedience… We reap what we sow – Galatians 6:7-8 (7) Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. (8) For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. [] Saul sowed corruption in his life & received it in his death…but it didn’t have to be that way! There was never any doubt that David was going to be king (in fulfillment of Messianic prophecy), but Saul had the opportunity to be a godly king in advance of the one to come after him. He could have served in the role of John the Baptist & prepared the way for the Messianic line – but instead he sowed rebellion after rebellion. He rebelled against God’s plan for him – so much so that he took his own life in battle.
__a. What are you sowing in your spiritual life? Are you sowing to your flesh – or are you sowing to the Spirit? It’s never too late to turn it around…there may be consequences to face, but we can always start anew in sowing the things of God! The longer we wait, the harder it will be.
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7 And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley, and those who were on the other side of the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.

A. Total defeat for Israel. Not only was Saul killed, but the Philistines were able to enlarge their territory through Israel’s abandonment of the towns…
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8 So it happened the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9 And they cut off his head and stripped off his armor, and sent word throughout the land of the Philistines, to proclaim it in the temple of their idols and among the people. 10 Then they put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.

A. Adding insult to injury. They decapitated Saul’s body & hung the armor of the king of Israel (the anointed one of God) in their pagan temple. Ultimately they were showing that their god was more powerful than the One True God. Back in Ch 4, the Philistine idol Dagon bowed before the ark of God; now the Philistines are boasting that God Almighty was defeated by Dagon.

B. All this took place because of Saul’s sin! God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of sin in the people of God…
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11 Now when the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all the valiant men arose and traveled all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth Shan; and they came to Jabesh and burned them there. 13 Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

A. Recovery of the bodies… Accomplished by Jabesh Gilead – an interesting choice considering Saul’s career. One of his 1st acts as king was to rescue Jabesh Gilead from the Ammonite army (1 Sam 11) & the ensuing battle was Saul’s 1st major victory & was what rallied the people behind him as king. Now Jabesh Gilead returns the honor after Saul’s death & risked their lives to bring back the bodies of Saul & his sons, and gave them a proper burial.

Conclusion:
Bummer of a way to end the book. It’s an ignominious end to an ignominious king. What had started off so well ended in complete tragedy & sin. Saul began his reign as a prophet who was reluctant to take on so grand a responsibility; he ended as a man who ignored the word of God and though he showed remorse for his actions, never truly repented from his sins to throw himself upon the mercy of God. As a result, he seems to have experienced the sin that leads to death (1 Jn 5:16), and suffered the consequences of removing himself from the blessing of God.

The best thing about the end of 1 Samuel is that it precedes the beginning of 2 Samuel. David may have fallen into his flesh towards the end of Saul’s reign, but he is recommitted to the Lord…it wasn’t too late for him to serve – and that’s exactly what God is going to let him do. God’s true choice for a king is finally going to reign over Israel, and although David won’t be perfect, he still will prove himself to be a man after God’s own heart.

In a sense, we’re not in too different of a place from Israel at the time. We have a chosen King, anointed by God, but unlike David – One who is completely victorious over sin! Yet we’re awaiting His full & future reign. He has been given all authority in heaven & earth now, yet we await the future millennial kingdom from which He’ll sit enthroned on earth. So what do we do in the meantime? It’d be easy to look around at the heartbreak in our world & get depressed (as surely Israel experienced when cleaning up the mess after Saul) – but we’ve got better days coming! We can look forward in hope. Things aren’t perfect now, but we can be assured that one day they will be!

Our King is coming…may we be ready for His glorious reign!

Hitting Bottom

1 Samuel 28-29, “Hitting Bottom”
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Ever have one of those days when things get worse & worse? Both Saul & David are going to experience that tonight. On one hand, these two men couldn’t be any more different: one was anointed to be king; the other had the kingdom ripped from him. One was on the run; the other on the throne. One had a future; the other did not. Yet at this point in their lives, they’re acting remarkably similar to one another. Both are in a state of spiritual apathy, where they’ve backslidden in their walk with the Lord, and living in their flesh rather than in faith. As a result, things are going to get worse & worse. Through it all, God shows His grace – but Saul & David (like us) are going to learn some lessons the hard way…by hitting bottom.

1 Samuel 28 (NKJV)
1 Now it happened in those days that the Philistines gathered their armies together for war, to fight with Israel. And Achish said to David, “You assuredly know that you will go out with me to battle, you and your men.” 2 So David said to Achish, “Surely you know what your servant can do.” And Achish said to David, “Therefore I will make you one of my chief guardians forever.”

A. Reminder of context: David had been living among the Philistines, pretending to fight Israel for them. In reality, he’d been fighting enemies of Israel…

B. At this point, Achish is ready to make David one of his chief bodyguards – not a good position for the future king of Israel to have! …

C. Keep in mind why David is there: Saul had been trying to kill him, and David was running for his life. He had trusted the Lord through most of his time as a refugee (and showed fruit of this in marvelous ways!), but eventually fell back into his flesh because of fear. … Falling back into our flesh is not a temptation we’ll ever be free from, until we see Jesus… But it can (and needs to be) dealt with! Otherwise, we’ll end up like David, doing the wrong thing for the wrong reasons…
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3 Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had lamented for him and buried him in Ramah, in his own city. And Saul had put the mediums and the spiritists out of the land.

A. Samuel actually died when David was still roaming in Israel as a refugee – back in Ch 25… Several years have elapsed by this point. The point here is that Samuel is gone. The one person that Saul would have been assured to get the word of the Lord from is no longer available.

B. Keep the mediums & spiritists in mind – this is going to be a key part of the chapter. Interesting that Saul had actually put them “out of the land.” When this happened, we don’t know – perhaps at the prompting of Samuel, at the point that Saul actually listened to him. In any case, they were mostly gone.

C. BTW, this was in accordance with the Law. Mediums & spiritists = witchcraft, and God labels it as an abomination… Deuteronomy 18:10-12 (10) There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, (11) or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. (12) For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you. [] God had called Israel to be different, because Israel was going to be a light unto the Gentiles & Israel is where the Messiah would come from… God’s people had no business practicing witchcraft because it is directly opposed to the work of God! (Likewise Christians have no business playing around with it either…)
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4 Then the Philistines gathered together, and came and encamped at Shunem. So Saul gathered all Israel together, and they encamped at Gilboa. 5 When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. 6 And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets.

A. Philistines are preparing for war – this looks to be a huge battle. Israel (for prior to Saul’s reign) had been under Philistine control & they had been battling against Saul for years trying to control the land (not unlike Israel & Palestine today!). This was to be a decisive battle, and Saul is understandably apprehensive about it…

B. Yet when Saul asks of God, God is silent. He went to the priests, he searched his dreams, he asked the remaining prophets in the land, but God never answers him by any of those methods. God was silent with Saul & had good reason to be! Saul had sinned repeatedly against the Lord, the people, David, and even his own family. Saul had much to deal with in regards to sin…

C. Has God ever been silent with you in your prayers? Not always, but many times it’s due not so much to God, but to sin in our own lives. If we persist in sin, we ought to expect it to be difficult to pray – it’s no different in our relationships with our spouses… [] The NT provides a straightforward example in our marriages: husbands are to dwell with their wives with understanding, so their prayers may not be hindered (2 Pet 3:7)… Our prayer life is affected by our actions & heart.
__a. So what do you do if God is silent? Sometimes we just wait upon the Lord for His timing, but when it truly seems as if you are isolated from God, then examine your heart in light of the word of God. Feelings can be subjective, but the word of God is always true & it is a light unto our paths! Psalm 139:23-24 (23) Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; (24) And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting. [] Ask the Lord to search you & if there is sin there, confess it, repent, and make restoration if need be. Do what it takes to deal with the problem.
__b. What NOT to do? Act like Saul! See vs. 7…
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7 Then Saul said to his servants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “In fact, there is a woman who is a medium at En Dor.”

A. Note that Saul never repents. He had inquired of the Lord, but never once does the Scripture say he brought a sacrifice, mourned over his sin, cried out to the Lord in prayer, etc. He demanded an answer from God, and when he didn’t get it in the usual ways, he only sunk further & further into sin. In this case, he was willing even to go as far as paganism…

B. Beware of a hardened heart towards the Lord! Keep in mind that this kind of hardening & resistance to sin never happens overnight. It starts with little steps of disobedience, apathy towards the things of God, and progresses into larger & more blatant acts of sin. Saul didn’t start out his career as king by planning to go to a witch before he died (he began as a prophet!)… But little steps along the way took him down a path of more & more sin, and eventually he ended up at a place he never would have imagined.
__a. The time to stop backsliding in our walk with the Lord isn’t tomorrow; it’s always today! The moment you realize what’s going on in your relationship with Christ Jesus is the moment you ought to humble yourself before Him, confess your sin & repent. We want our hearts to be continually tender before the Lord; not hardened to His word.
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8 So Saul disguised himself and put on other clothes, and he went, and two men with him; and they came to the woman by night. And he said, “Please conduct a séance for me, and bring up for me the one I shall name to you.” 9 Then the woman said to him, “Look, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and the spiritists from the land. Why then do you lay a snare for my life, to cause me to die?” 10 And Saul swore to her by the LORD, saying, “As the LORD lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.”

A. The witch knows this was a death sentence…she’s trying to avoid a “sting” operation.

B. How bad off is Saul in his sin? To the point of invoking the Lord in an oath prior to engaging in witchcraft. Words are cheap; Saul’s faith at this point is virtually non-existent.
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11 Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” And he said, “Bring up Samuel for me.” 12 When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman spoke to Saul, saying, “Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul!”

A. Interesting reaction from the woman. She was told the Samuel was the person to bring up, but when she sees Samuel she cries out in terror & sees Saul for whom he is. Why would she be so surprised? Probably because it had never happened before! She had conned a lot of people out of money & pretended to talk to the dead – maybe she had even been deceived by demons herself. But when she saw Samuel, she knew this was real!

B. The occult is not something to play around with. There are very real demons out there who want to deceive and torment people, which is exactly what happens in false religion. [Paul warning against participating in idolatry] 1 Corinthians 10:19-20 (19) What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything? (20) Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. [] So-called ‘psychics’ & others who play in the spirit realm have zero idea of what it is they are actually contacting (if contacting anything at all). What we can definitely be assured of is that they do not contact ghosts, spirits, or even other gods…if any spiritual activity takes place, it is demonic in origin.
__a. The good news is that the Lord Jesus is infinitely stronger than any demon! He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world… (1 John 4:4)
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13 And the king said to her, “Do not be afraid. What did you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I saw a spirit ascending out of the earth.” 14 So he said to her, “What is his form?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is covered with a mantle.” And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground and bowed down.

A. By this point, even Saul knew this was real. Whether he physically saw Samuel or not is debated – but he certainly recognized the presence of Samuel & bowed.

B. All of this begs the question: why didn’t God answer Saul through the priests & prophets (the proper methods), yet still allow Samuel to come up through pagan witchcraft? Is God blessing witchcraft? Certainly not! The witch was not the one who had any power over Samuel to bring him up from the dead; God was the one Who allowed this specific instance to take place. But why it actually happened, we can’t say for sure…Scripture is silent here. All we know is that it did happen.
__a. I suggest this was this a wake-up call to Saul. Perhaps at this point, God is still giving Saul to repent from his sin, and God knew that Saul wouldn’t understand the depth of his sin if he had received a word from the tabernacle priests (he could have assumed God’s blessing on his life). But to be chastised by the prophet Samuel from beyond the grave would be a crystal-clear show of how far Saul had fallen, with God’s full displeasure known. If so, it’s certainly unusual, but this event would be a demonstration of the grace of God, who loves us so much to discipline us when necessary.
__b. Sometimes God lets us hit rock-bottom in order that we would look up. Many people here only received the forgiveness of Jesus because they were at the bottom & had no where else to go. Like the prodigal son, they had a moment of lucidity as they found themselves eating the leftover pig-pods, and fell to their knees in confession & repentance. God loves us enough to let us get to that place, because we need to be in that place of humility.
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15 Now Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” And Saul answered, “I am deeply distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God has departed from me and does not answer me anymore, neither by prophets nor by dreams. Therefore I have called you, that you may reveal to me what I should do.” 16 Then Samuel said: “So why do you ask me, seeing the LORD has departed from you and has become your enemy?

A. Saul lays out the problem for Samuel, and Samuel doesn’t waste words. Basically tells Saul, “Of course God hasn’t said anything because He departed from you & is your enemy.” … We do not EVER want God to be our enemy! Without the saving grace of Jesus Christ, mankind is at enmity with God as we war against Him in rebellion – but this is much worse. Instead of Saul fighting against God, God is now fighting against Saul! Who could withstand?
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17 And the LORD has done for Himself as He spoke by me. For the LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. 18 Because you did not obey the voice of the LORD nor execute His fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore the LORD has done this thing to you this day.

A. Reiterates Saul’s sins against the Lord. Saul had rebelled against the direct command of God by not wiping out all the Amalekites, and had even gone on to perform illegal sacrifices with animals that should have been destroyed. (1 Sam 15) God had ripped the kingdom away from Saul at that point, and now Saul was going to experience the consequence of that moment.
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19 Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines. And tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The LORD will also deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.”

A. Bad news! Israel is going to lose the battle, and Saul & his sons are going to die…

B. Question: is Samuel saying that Saul will still be saved? “you…will be with me” as in Saul would be in the bosom of Abraham with Samuel (i.e. a place of Paradise awaiting the day of Jesus’ resurrection)? Or simply that Saul will be in the place of the dead (Sheol)? Again, Scripture is somewhat silent on this point. Perhaps Saul was just experiencing the sin that leads to death (1 John 5:16), but Saul had never really shown any fruits of repentance either. We’ll find out one day…
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20 Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, and was dreadfully afraid because of the words of Samuel. And there was no strength in him, for he had eaten no food all day or all night. 21 And the woman came to Saul and saw that he was severely troubled, and said to him, “Look, your maidservant has obeyed your voice, and I have put my life in my hands and heeded the words which you spoke to me. 22 Now therefore, please, heed also the voice of your maidservant, and let me set a piece of bread before you; and eat, that you may have strength when you go on your way.” 23 But he refused and said, “I will not eat.” So his servants, together with the woman, urged him; and he heeded their voice. Then he arose from the ground and sat on the bed.

A. Saul had a lot of grief, but no repentance. He fasted, feared, & fretted, but to no avail. How utterly sad! Never once does he break in humility before God, nor confess his sins & seek the face of the Lord. He’s sorry, but not sorry enough to repent. Whether or not the consequences would have changed is irrelevant…he was about to be judged by God Himself, and yet he never asks for mercy from the One who is rich in it. No wonder the Scripture tells us, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (Jas 4:6). A little sin leads to a lot of sin, which leads to hardened hearts…

B. Woman is begging him to eat. She doesn’t want the king of Israel to die under her roof as a result of her witchcraft…her own life might have been in danger.
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24 Now the woman had a fatted calf in the house, and she hastened to kill it. And she took flour and kneaded it, and baked unleavened bread from it. 25 So she brought it before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they rose and went away that night.

A. Had a hasty meal (no time for leavening) & then Saul left. The next time we’ll see Saul will be the day of his death.
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1 Samuel 29 (NKJV)
1 Then the Philistines gathered together all their armies at Aphek, and the Israelites encamped by a fountain which is in Jezreel. 2 And the lords of the Philistines passed in review by hundreds and by thousands, but David and his men passed in review at the rear with Achish.

A. Big battle array & parade… David is right in the midst of it & the entire camp of the Philistines sees him with Achish. Can you imagine the picture of the warrior of Israel – the anointed one of God – the conqueror of Goliath being paraded in front of the Philistine army? All sorts of things wrong with this picture!
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3 Then the princes of the Philistines said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” And Achish said to the princes of the Philistines, “Is this not David, the servant of Saul king of Israel, who has been with me these days, or these years? And to this day I have found no fault in him since he defected to me.”

A. Achish defends David – doesn’t realize how David has deceived him all this time…
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4 But the princes of the Philistines were angry with him; so the princes of the Philistines said to him, “Make this fellow return, that he may go back to the place which you have appointed for him, and do not let him go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become our adversary. For with what could he reconcile himself to his master, if not with the heads of these men? 5 Is this not David, of whom they sang to one another in dances, saying: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands’?”

A. Philistines are rightly afraid that David will turn on them in battle. They still remember his victory over Goliath & how he took 200 foreskins of the Philistines as a dowry for his wife. Saul may be David’s enemy now, but what would happen in the heat of battle – the Philistines simply couldn’t trust David enough to stand side-by-side with him in a battle against Israel. Interesting that the Philistine army here has more sense than either David or their king!

B. Ultimately, this isn’t the work of the Philistines; this is the work of God. God is providentially moving upon the hearts of the Philistine army to get David out from between a rock & a hard place! There’d be no way for David to assume the throne of Israel if he had fought against Israel as a traitor – and thus God is protecting David from himself… And as a consequence God is protecting His promise of the Messiah. Even though the covenant with David had not yet been made, God would later promise that the Messiah would be a descendant from the lineage of David. God was ensuring His word was kept long before He ever made the promise!
__a. Our God is a faithful God!!
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6 Then Achish called David and said to him, “Surely, as the LORD lives, you have been upright, and your going out and your coming in with me in the army is good in my sight. For to this day I have not found evil in you since the day of your coming to me. Nevertheless the lords do not favor you. 7 Therefore return now, and go in peace, that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines.” 8 So David said to Achish, “But what have I done? And to this day what have you found in your servant as long as I have been with you, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?”

A. Achish basically fires David – doesn’t want to cause a mutiny among the troops…

B. Was David happy that he didn’t have to go to battle? Did he rejoice in God’s deliverance from this tough spot where he would have had to fight against his own people in Israel? No. David is actually upset! He believes he’s being wrongfully terminated & disgraced in front of the Philistine army.

C. What happened? David had stayed in his flesh & sin so long that he lost perspective. He couldn’t tell the difference between right & wrong any more. Instead of desiring to please the Lord God, David’s upset that Achish is afraid of displeasing the lords of the Philistines. In Ch 24 & 26, David was grieved at even the thought of lifting his hand against the Lord’s anointed king, but now here he was upset about not being able to enter into battle against him. Persistent sin causes us to lose perspective.
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9 Then Achish answered and said to David, “I know that you are as good in my sight as an angel of God; nevertheless the princes of the Philistines have said, ‘He shall not go up with us to the battle.’ 10 Now therefore, rise early in the morning with your master’s servants who have come with you. And as soon as you are up early in the morning and have light, depart.” 11 So David and his men rose early to depart in the morning, to return to the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

A. David is released from the battle, but he still doesn’t end this well. Knowing that he was rejected by the Philistines, does he go home to Bethlehem? No. David actually would rather return to “the land of the Philistines” than to return back to the land of promise…

Conclusion:
Two kings of Israel make the same mistake. At this point we expect Saul to remain in his flesh & not humble himself before the Lord in repentance – and Saul stays true to his character. Yet David – the one who had been so reliant on the Lord in the past does the exact same thing. He acts out in his flesh, and is deadened to the work of God in his life. Both of them had spent so much time living in their sin by this point that neither had any perspective on the will of God for them… …

Be careful! It can be so easy for us to take our relationship with Christ Jesus for granted. We get saved, start walking with the Lord, rejoice with Him, pray, worship, help others, etc. We’re so passionate at first! There’s little comparison with the zeal of a new believer… … But over time, things change. We pray less – we depend on the Lord less – we start falling into old habits & acting out in our flesh. Before long, we’re living like we’ve lost all perspective on what God desires for us – we just become apathetic to it. Beware! This is the trap of the Laodiceans (Rev. 3:14-22)… … Don’t take the Lord Jesus for granted!

Let God Handle It

1 Samuel 24-25, “Let God Handle It”
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How do you respond when someone comes against you? We’ve all experienced injustice at times – and we get justifiably angry. The fact that we’re angry is normal; how we handle that anger matters greatly. Do we respond by trying to get even? Do we try to puff up our own reputation? Or do we show mercy to those who have wronged us? We ought to show mercy & allow God to handle it in the way He so chooses.

David is going to encounter 2 events in Ch 24-25 in which he is absolutely wronged, and in the world’s eyes, he would have been justified in exacting his own revenge… In one instance, he immediately shows grace – in the other, he eventually gets around to it…but in both cases, God is the One who delivers David, and because of the grace of God, David is able to extend that same grace to others.

1 Samuel 24 (NKJV)
1 Now it happened, when Saul had returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, “Take note! David is in the Wilderness of En Gedi.” 2 Then Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel, and went to seek David and his men on the Rocks of the Wild Goats.

A. When we last left David & Saul, Saul was closing in for the capture by surrounding David’s army. Things looked pretty bleak until God sent the Philistines to invade the land, which forced Saul to leave David alone for a bit. (Amazing that God would use a pagan attack in that way – but God is God!) So David escaped by the hand of God, and he ends up in the Wilderness of En Gedi. [Map]

B. Saul is obsessed with David! He can’t wait to try to kill him…as soon as he gets done with one battle & receives information on where David may be, he sets his army out again to capture him. The numbers are pretty overwhelming here. David has about 600 men in his army; Saul has 3000. Saul’s playing for keeps!
__a. It doesn’t matter how much we try to fight against the will of God; God’s will is always going to be done. Saul was fighting against the will of God & that’s always a losing battle…
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3 So he came to the sheepfolds by the road, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to attend to his needs. ( David and his men were staying in the recesses of the cave.) 4 Then the men of David said to him, “This is the day of which the LORD said to you, ‘Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it seems good to you.’ ” And David arose and secretly cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.

A. David couldn’t be in a more advantageous situation here. Here he is hiding in the caves, and not only has Saul’s spies not found him, King Saul himself comes into the very cave David is hiding in, in order to go to the bathroom. Saul is (to put it mildly) is a very compromised position, and David could have killed him at any moment.

B. But note that David does NOT kill Saul! Instead, he cuts off the corner of Saul’s robe (which was probably lying on the floor of the cave). Keep in mind this has some significance – the robe is what Saul laid hold of for Samuel when the kingdom was being ripped away from him (1 Sam 15:27). The robe was the symbol of power & authority for a person – and by cutting off a corner of Saul’s robe, David was not only giving Saul a warning, but it showed that the kingly authority had been taken from Saul & given to David. … In any case, David showed much mercy! Instead of taking vengeance upon his enemy, David refrains & just shows what could-have happened.

C. Had David actually received a prophecy about this day? Apparently some word of the Lord had been given to David at some point – but there’s a bit of ambiguity of what it means. Was it a reference to Saul? Another enemy in the future? David does do “as seems good” – but what was good was showing mercy & relying upon the hand of God to make things right.
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5 Now it happened afterward that David’s heart troubled him because he had cut Saul’s robe. 6 And he said to his men, “The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the LORD’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD.” 7 So David restrained his servants with these words, and did not allow them to rise against Saul. And Saul got up from the cave and went on his way.

A. Why did it trouble David? Because of what it implied. David was not the one taking the kingdom away from Saul; that was God. Just in the symbolism, David’s heart struck him…which speaks immensely of the integrity David had.

B. Question: was it David’s duty to remove Saul from the throne of Israel? After all, David was already anointed to be king. No. God placed Saul on the throne; God would be the One to take him out… …
__a. If we want to defend ourselves, God is going to let us. But how much better it is when we let God be our defense! Psalm 7:9-10 (9) Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, But establish the just; For the righteous God tests the hearts and minds. (10) My defense is of God, Who saves the upright in heart. [] (Written about another Benjamite.) God knows what we’re going through – God knows what is right & just…we can trust Him!

C. People need to be careful about stretching out your hand against the Lord’s anointed! Be careful not to mislabel here…who’s the Lord’s anointed? The Lord Jesus…the Christ/Messiah! How would someone do this today? Look no further than Saul/Paul … (Acts 9:4, “why are you persecuting Me?”) Those who persecute the church are persecuting Jesus Christ…
__a. To a lesser extent, Christians might be guilty of a similar sin when we stir up divisions among one another. Our Lord Jesus prayed that His church would be united (John 17:21)… When we purposefully cause division, we’re coming against the Lord’s desire for His church; we’re rebelling against Jesus Himself. …
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8 David also arose afterward, went out of the cave, and called out to Saul, saying, “My lord the king!” And when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his face to the earth, and bowed down.

A. Note the respect. This was a man trying to kill David…

B. David responds in humility with Saul. David’s not going to be perfect in this area, but at least here he’s a good example.
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9 And David said to Saul: “Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Indeed David seeks your harm’? 10 Look, this day your eyes have seen that the LORD delivered you today into my hand in the cave, and someone urged me to kill you. But my eye spared you, and I said, ‘I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the LORD’s anointed.’ 11 Moreover, my father, see! Yes, see the corner of your robe in my hand! For in that I cut off the corner of your robe, and did not kill you, know and see that there is neither evil nor rebellion in my hand, and I have not sinned against you. Yet you hunt my life to take it.

A. Basically tells Saul, “You’re listening to lies about me – and here’s the proof!”…

B. David wasn’t the one sinning against Saul; Saul was the one sinning against David.
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12 Let the LORD judge between you and me, and let the LORD avenge me on you. But my hand shall not be against you. 13 As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Wickedness proceeds from the wicked.’ But my hand shall not be against you. 14 After whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom do you pursue? A dead dog? A flea? 15 Therefore let the LORD be judge, and judge between you and me, and see and plead my case, and deliver me out of your hand.”

A. Let the LORD judge… Amen! When God judges, it’s always right…
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16 So it was, when David had finished speaking these words to Saul, that Saul said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. 17 Then he said to David: “You are more righteous than I; for you have rewarded me with good, whereas I have rewarded you with evil. 18 And you have shown this day how you have dealt well with me; for when the LORD delivered me into your hand, you did not kill me. 19 For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him get away safely? Therefore may the LORD reward you with good for what you have done to me this day. 20 And now I know indeed that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand.

A. Saul wept, but did Saul mean it? Hard to say…Saul had certainly been given to emotional fits before. At the very least, we know that his grief was only temporary due to the face that he would continue to persecute David…
__a. Saul had emotion; he didn’t have a Godly reason for that emotion. I.e., he was sad, but it was a sadness over worldly things – he got caught. Godly sorrow leads to repentance… (2 Cor 7:10)

B. At this point, even Saul publicly acknowledges that David will be the next king…

C. BTW – this is how we should want our enemies to speak of us. That they would see our good conduct and be ashamed of how they reviled us (1 Pet 3:16). We are to let our light so shine before them that they can’t help but glorify God (Matt 5:16).
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21 Therefore swear now to me by the LORD that you will not cut off my descendants after me, and that you will not destroy my name from my father’s house.” 22 So David swore to Saul. And Saul went home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.

A. David had made a similar promise with Jonathan – and he was good to his word. Most of Saul’s household will die, not due to David, but due to the sins of Saul himself.
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1 Samuel 25 (NKJV)
1 Then Samuel died; and the Israelites gathered together and lamented for him, and buried him at his home in Ramah. And David arose and went down to the Wilderness of Paran.

A. Passing of Samuel… Last of the judges…this was the end of an era. Anointed both Saul & David… Samuel seemed to have a lot of regret over Saul – but he also knew of God’s solution. Although he didn’t live to see David crowned king, he knew that God had provided the right king for the nation.

B. Why didn’t David go to the funeral? Most likely because he was still running from Saul…
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2 Now there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel, and the man was very rich. He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. And he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. 3 The name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. And she was a woman of good understanding and beautiful appearance; but the man was harsh and evil in his doings. He was of the house of Caleb.

A. Their names are interesting here & plays into the Scripture. Nabal = “fool”… Abigail = “source of joy”… Both are definitely going to live up to their names…

B. On the surface, Nabal had it all. He came from a great family – “He was of the house of Caleb,” & he was “very rich…” Neither served him well! Good family lineages don’t guarantee anything. Nabal is absolutely nothing like his ancestor! Nor did his riches give him the wisdom he needed…
__a. It’s the opposite for us, isn’t it? We come from nowhere (we’re dead in our sins), and we have nothing to offer God (filthy rags), but in Christ we’re given everything!
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4 When David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep, 5 David sent ten young men; and David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, go to Nabal, and greet him in my name. 6 And thus you shall say to him who lives in prosperity: ‘Peace be to you, peace to your house, and peace to all that you have! 7 Now I have heard that you have shearers. Your shepherds were with us, and we did not hurt them, nor was there anything missing from them all the while they were in Carmel. 8 Ask your young men, and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we come on a feast day. Please give whatever comes to your hand to your servants and to your son David.’ ”

A. Gotta understand the culture here. These were dangerous times in Israel – bands of Philistines would come in and raid towns (1 Sam 23:1), among other bandits & robbers. On top of it, there didn’t seem to be a regular police force…just soldiers for Saul’s army (who were routinely searching for David). If a warrior wasn’t with Saul, he’d work in someone else’s service – such as David’s 600 mighty men. How does a warrior survive? 2 ways: (1) plunder after a battle, and (2) grateful payment from those whom they protected. Apparently, David’s men had protected Nabal’s servants & flocks, and David is asking for some provisions for his men. Especially with the timing around a feast day, Nabal should have had no problem giving some food away.
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9 So when David’s young men came, they spoke to Nabal according to all these words in the name of David, and waited. 10 Then Nabal answered David’s servants, and said, “Who is David, and who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants nowadays who break away each one from his master. 11 Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men when I do not know where they are from?”

A. Was Nabal grateful? No! He was rude & insulting. David was well-known as the son-in-law to the king (and the conqueror of Goliath), and yet Nabal treats him with absolute disdain, using the same insults on him that Saul did.

B. Nabal doesn’t even respond out of basic compassion. To him, he had earned everything he had (no credit to God), and he didn’t want to share with anyone – especially the stranger (who really weren’t strangers at all).

C. People respond to the Son of David with similar disdain today… They absolutely revile Jesus Christ… They have no clue Who it is they insult…
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12 So David’s young men turned on their heels and went back; and they came and told him all these words. 13 Then David said to his men, “Every man gird on his sword.” So every man girded on his sword, and David also girded on his sword. And about four hundred men went with David, and two hundred stayed with the supplies.

A. David’s response? Understandable anger…

B. Is this something David should have done? Probably not. God is definitely going to use this & there’s much we can learn in the process – but David had already been humble with Saul & allowed God to be his defense; David should have done the same thing here. (And God is going to teach him exactly that.)
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14 Now one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, “Look, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master; and he reviled them. 15 But the men were very good to us, and we were not hurt, nor did we miss anything as long as we accompanied them, when we were in the fields. 16 They were a wall to us both by night and day, all the time we were with them keeping the sheep. 17 Now therefore, know and consider what you will do, for harm is determined against our master and against all his household. For he is such a scoundrel that one cannot speak to him.”

A. Servants warn Abigail – they’re rightly afraid for their lives…

B. How sad is it that Nabal’s own servants can’t even talk sense to him? It’s one thing when it’s David’s men; it’s another thing when it’s the people that Nabal knows.
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18 Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five sheep already dressed, five seahs of roasted grain, one hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and loaded them on donkeys. 19 And she said to her servants, “Go on before me; see, I am coming after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal. 20 So it was, as she rode on the donkey, that she went down under cover of the hill; and there were David and his men, coming down toward her, and she met them.

A. Was Abigail being deceptive? Some think so; I disagree. She didn’t tell her husband, but she was trying to save his life, her life, and the lives of all their household. This was a debt both of them owed, and she’s taking care of it. In the end, she DID tell her husband; it was just after everything was resolved.
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21 Now David had said, “Surely in vain I have protected all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belongs to him. And he has repaid me evil for good. 22 May God do so, and more also, to the enemies of David, if I leave one male of all who belong to him by morning light.” [Planning on a total massacre!]

23 Now when Abigail saw David, she dismounted quickly from the donkey, fell on her face before David, and bowed down to the ground. 24 So she fell at his feet and said: “On me, my lord, on me let this iniquity be! And please let your maidservant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your maidservant. 25 Please, let not my lord regard this scoundrel Nabal. For as his name is, so is he: Nabal is his name, and folly is with him! But I, your maidservant, did not see the young men of my lord whom you sent.

A. Abigail responds in humility…

B. Abigail responds with responsibility… Had she actually sinned? No – but she’s willing to take the punishment that her husband deserved.
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26 Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD lives and as your soul lives, since the LORD has held you back from coming to bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now then, let your enemies and those who seek harm for my lord be as Nabal. 27 And now this present which your maidservant has brought to my lord, let it be given to the young men who follow my lord. 28 Please forgive the trespass of your maidservant. For the LORD will certainly make for my lord an enduring house, because my lord fights the battles of the LORD, and evil is not found in you throughout your days.

A. What’s she doing here? Interceding for her house…

B. This is what intercession is all about! God righteously judges a people, and others stand in the gap pleading for them, asking God to show His mercy and grace. This is exactly what happened with Abraham & Sodom… [Gen 18] When we’re interceding for the lost, this is the same thing. They rightly deserve the judgment and wrath of God, but we’re interceding for their souls in the name of Jesus Christ & asking God to save them in His mercy & grace…
__a. The question sometimes comes up: “If God could just save someone, why doesn’t He just do it, rather than waiting on someone to pray?” First of all, God CAN save anyone He wants, and He often does so without us…we haven’t a clue this side of Heaven how many He’s saved by sheer revelation apart from any of us. But that aside, the fact is God invites us to pray – He wants us to pray. It’s not a “have-to” pray for the lost; it’s a “get-to” pray & intercede for the lost!
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29 Yet a man has risen to pursue you and seek your life, but the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with the LORD your God; and the lives of your enemies He shall sling out, as from the pocket of a sling. 30 And it shall come to pass, when the LORD has done for my lord according to all the good that He has spoken concerning you, and has appointed you ruler over Israel, 31 that this will be no grief to you, nor offense of heart to my lord, either that you have shed blood without cause, or that my lord has avenged himself. But when the LORD has dealt well with my lord, then remember your maidservant.”

A. Abigail is speaking with a lot of faith here! She’s confident in what the Lord is teaching David, and that it is God Himself keeping David from doing something he’d regret later.

B. Basically pleading to have mercy shown to her house both now & after David is enthroned as king. Quite the opposite from Nabal who refused to even recognize David as the next king.
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32 Then David said to Abigail: “Blessed is the LORD God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me! 33 And blessed is your advice and blessed are you, because you have kept me this day from coming to bloodshed and from avenging myself with my own hand. 34 For indeed, as the LORD God of Israel lives, who has kept me back from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, surely by morning light no males would have been left to Nabal!”

A. David receives her gift & her intercession…

B. David recognizes that Abigail’s coming was by the hand of the Lord, who stopped him from shedding blood.
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35 So David received from her hand what she had brought him, and said to her, “Go up in peace to your house. See, I have heeded your voice and respected your person.” 36 Now Abigail went to Nabal, and there he was, holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk; therefore she told him nothing, little or much, until morning light. 37 So it was, in the morning, when the wine had gone from Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became like a stone.

A. Picture the scene. Nabal had refused to even give the barest provisions to David’s men, but he’s partying in his house living it up while his own wife is pleading for his life. Abigail gets back, waits until he’s sober, and then tells him how close he came to death. Apparently it was such a shock that he had a stroke on the spot!
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38 Then it happened, after about ten days, that the LORD struck Nabal, and he died.

A. God avenged David! …
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39 So when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be the LORD, who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and has kept His servant from evil! For the LORD has returned the wickedness of Nabal on his own head.” And David sent and proposed to Abigail, to take her as his wife. 40 When the servants of David had come to Abigail at Carmel, they spoke to her saying, “David sent us to you, to ask you to become his wife.” 41 Then she arose, bowed her face to the earth, and said, “Here is your maidservant, a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.” 42 So Abigail rose in haste and rode on a donkey, attended by five of her maidens; and she followed the messengers of David, and became his wife.

A. Now that Nabal the fool is dead, David sends for Abigail to be his wife. She once was bound to a “harsh & evil” man, but now she will be married to the future king of Israel! … Reminiscent of Romans 7, where the wife dies to the law that held her & is bound to Jesus Christ in new life and freedom… Romans 7:4 Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God. []

B. Abigail is such a righteous woman! She’s still responding to David in such humility… Isn’t that how we’re supposed to respond to our king? He’s our friend & brother (praise the Lord!), but He’s also our Lord & Master. We come boldly before the throne of grace, but we still come humbly in reverent submission to our God.
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43 David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and so both of them were his wives. 44 But Saul had given Michal his daughter, David’s wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was from Gallim.

A. Polygamy is never condoned in Scripture; it’s just recorded. David (like his sons) participated in it freely…

B. One more act of insult from Saul here. David had won the right of marriage to Michal by killing Goliath & bringing back 200 foreskins of the Philistines. But Saul here tries to cut all family ties with David by forcing David’s wife (Saul’s daughter) into adultery (no divorce).

Conclusion:
It’s not a question of whether or not someone will come against us unjustly; it’s simply a question of when. Maybe it’ll be in your job as people play office politics – maybe it’ll be in your home with a jealous family member – maybe it’ll even be against your faith in the Lord Jesus. Whatever it is, and whenever it happens, there’s no doubt that at some point we’re going to be tempted to take things into our own hands & seek revenge.

As a believer in Jesus Christ, that’s no longer your job! You were bought with a price and you belong to the King of Kings & Lord of Lords. So may we follow His word in handling injustice – let Him handle it in His wisdom.

Fleeing in Faith

1 Samuel 22-23, “Fleeing in Faith”
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When we last left David, he was running for his life away from Saul. Saul was furious that the kingdom had been ripped away from him, and promised to David – and even his own son Jonathan had covenanted with this person he saw as a usurper to the throne. So, finding a way to trick Saul, Jonathan & David learned Saul’s true intents, and David fled. He did so by walking in his flesh – lying to the priest Ahimelech, and trying to find refuge in the land of his enemy (Gath of Philistia). To keep his head, David has to feign insanity, but even in his humiliation he praised God (Ps 34), recognizing that God was the one to deliver him.

So will David learn his lesson? He’s tried fleeing in his flesh; now he’s going to try fleeing in faith. And God will prove Himself to be faithful every time.

1 Samuel 22 (NKJV)
1 David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam [Ps 57 & 142 written there]. So when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. 2 And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him.

A. Interesting development with his brothers. Originally, they seemed to object to David’s anointing, but now they receive it… At the very least, they recognize the potential trouble their lives could be in, simply for being related to David. For the right reason or just a convenient one, they ended up coming alongside the anointed one of God.
__a. Isn’t that the way so many of us were? Some people truly saw their spiritual poverty & trusted Christ. Others had no where else to go, so they came to the foot of the Cross. Still others of us didn’t even have a clue what was going on & God surprised us out of the blue & called us to Himself. (Personally, I was just going for a free concert…) However we came to Christ, praise God that He revealed Himself to us & saved us!

B. Who came with David? 400 men badly in need of help. In debt, in trouble, in discontent with Saul…not exactly what most recruiting officers would be looking for when building an army. If a general had his pick of the crop, most of these guys probably would have been refused. … We see the same thing with Jesus & the disciples. He chose fishermen, tax collectors, hotheads (James & John), doubters (Thomas), and even petty thieves (Judas) to follow him.
__a. Just like us. We were not the noble ones, but God called us… 1 Corinthians 1:26-27 (26) For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. (27) But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; [] There was nothing about us that God should have chosen us; all of us should have been rejected! But God in His grace DID choose us! …
__b. BTW, this may be how David’s army began, but this is not how they were known later on. The more time they spent with David, they eventually became known as “David’s mighty men.” … The same thing happens to us the more time we spend with Christ Jesus. Look at what happened to the apostles: all but Judas Iscariot followed Christ to the end – surprising the Sanhedrin with their knowledge & turning the world upside down with the gospel. What can God do with someone who’s willing to spend time at the feet of Jesus, absorbing the word of God, being filled with the Holy Spirit? God can use that man or woman to move mountains!
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3 Then David went from there to Mizpah of Moab; and he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and mother come here with you, till I know what God will do for me.” 4 So he brought them before the king of Moab, and they dwelt with him all the time that David was in the stronghold.

A. Providing protection for his family… Why Moab? Possibly because of his family connections via great-grandmother Ruth…
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5 Now the prophet Gad said to David, “Do not stay in the stronghold; depart, and go to the land of Judah.” So David departed and went into the forest of Hereth.

A. Already see a big difference from last week. Here, David is being guided by God, through the prophet Gad. … Gad is going to serve with David for years to come, even pronouncing the chastisement of God when David sins as king by ordering a census of the people (2 Sam 24). But David had a desire to know & seek out the word of God, and he’s learning from his past mistakes of walking in the flesh.
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6 When Saul heard that David and the men who were with him had been discovered—now Saul was staying in Gibeah under a tamarisk tree in Ramah, with his spear in his hand, and all his servants standing about him— 7 then Saul said to his servants who stood about him, “Hear now, you Benjamites! Will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, and make you all captains of thousands and captains of hundreds? 8 All of you have conspired against me, and there is no one who reveals to me that my son has made a covenant with the son of Jesse; and there is not one of you who is sorry for me or reveals to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as it is this day.”

A. The man is paranoid…accusing the whole tribe of Benjamin of conspiring against him, and concealing Jonathan’s covenant with David. As if the whole tribe knew? Saul is consumed with rage and jealousy. He doesn’t trust the Lord & he certainly doesn’t trust men.
__a. Did it have to be this way with Saul? No. Saul could have been grateful for the role God gave him to play; instead, he was never satisfied. He attempted to take priestly duties away from Samuel – he attempted to supersede the commands of God regarding the army – and never once has he humbled himself to repent & accept God’s decision & word. He could have easily have been like John the Baptist, saying of David, “He must increase, while I must decrease” (John 3:30), and it would have been to the glory of God. Instead, Saul continues in despair, distrust, and destruction.

B. Re: “fields & vineyards…captains.” This is an appeal to tribal loyalty. David is of Judah; Saul is of Benjamin. Saul is basically trying to buy the people’s loyalty & claim that David would no longer give them preferential treatment like Saul did.
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9 Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who was set over the servants of Saul, and said, “I saw the son of Jesse going to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. 10 And he inquired of the LORD for him, gave him provisions, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”

A. Here, Doeg shows his true colors. In Ch 21, Doeg was detained at the Tabernacle with the priests – but obviously not due to any devotion for God. He was a Gentile servant of Saul, and was there for some other reason; he obviously had no care for God or respect for the priest. He takes the 1st opportunity to betray David & Ahimelech in order to grow his own reputation with Saul…
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11 So the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s house, the priests who were in Nob. And they all came to the king. 12 And Saul said, “Hear now, son of Ahitub!” He answered, “Here I am, my lord.” 13 Then Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and a sword, and have inquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as it is this day?”

A. Saul insults him (“son of Ahitub” – not 1st name); degrades the priest in front of the whole company of people gathered there.

B. Saul assumes the worst. Instead of getting Ahimelech’s side of the story, Saul is predisposed to believing that the Gentile Doeg is more faithful to him than the priest of the Most High God. It’s folly to answer a matter before hearing it out (Prov 18:13); Saul is showing himself to be a fool here.

C. It should go without saying that Saul provides a great example in how NOT to handle conflict. Nothing about Saul at this point reflects either the love of God or the true justice of God.
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14 So Ahimelech answered the king and said, “And who among all your servants is as faithful as David, who is the king’s son-in-law, who goes at your bidding, and is honorable in your house? 15 Did I then begin to inquire of God for him? Far be it from me! Let not the king impute anything to his servant, or to any in the house of my father. For your servant knew nothing of all this, little or much.”

A. Ahimelech defends David (calling him by his name; not the insult Saul used “son of Jesse”). David had a reputation for being honorable (amen!), and Saul had no reason to think ill of him. (Interesting that at this point, many people in the nation saw Saul’s irrationality for what it was; the only person who was really blinded to it was Saul himself.)

B. Ahimelech defends his own actions. He was innocent of any wrong doing, because he had no reason to assume David was being pursued by Saul. To be accused of treason was certainly unfair, as Saul had obviously not put out any notices to the people of what was going on. If Ahimelech had known, he may have acted differently (then again, maybe not)…but it was an unfair charge.
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16 And the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house!” 17 Then the king said to the guards who stood about him, “Turn and kill the priests of the LORD, because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled and did not tell it to me.” But the servants of the king would not lift their hands to strike the priests of the LORD.

A. Saul is in a rage! Willing to murder to further his own kingdom, even though God had already ripped it from him…

B. Guards refuse… Question: was it wrong for them to disobey a direct order from their king? After all, we’re supposed to submit to the authorities over us (Rom 13:1)… Keep in mind even though we have rulers & authorities, that ultimately we serve God! The soldiers did what was right. [Apostles & Sanhedrin 2nd time] Acts 5:27-29 (27) And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest asked them, (28) saying, “Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man’s blood on us!” (29) But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men. [] Given the choice between insubordination & murder, the guards were correct to honor God & disobey Saul.
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18 And the king said to Doeg, “You turn and kill the priests!” So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck the priests, and killed on that day eighty-five men who wore a linen ephod. 19 Also Nob, the city of the priests, he struck with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and nursing infants, oxen and donkeys and sheep—with the edge of the sword.

A. Doeg had no fear of God whatsoever. Massacred 85 priests + their families & livestock. Interestingly, the Bible never says what became of Doeg, but David was confident that God would show him His justice. Psalm 52:5 God shall likewise destroy you forever; He shall take you away, and pluck you out of your dwelling place, And uproot you from the land of the living. Selah [] We can be certain that God is just & His justice WILL be done. Both with the Doegs of this world – and the ultimate enemy of our souls who inspired him. Satan WILL have his day in Hell…
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20 Now one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. 21 And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the LORD’s priests. 22 So David said to Abiathar, “I knew that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have caused the death of all the persons of your father’s house. 23 Stay with me; do not fear. For he who seeks my life seeks your life, but with me you shall be safe.”

A. David takes responsibility for his actions. He didn’t actually murder the priests, but he understands that it was his lie that put Ahimelech in that position.

B. David protects the one survivor of the massacre. We’re not told exactly when Abiathar actually met with David after the slaughter…probably not until 1 Sam 23:6. Whatever the actual chronology, Abiathar knew his only hope for survival was to stay under the protection of David.

C. What do we do when pursued by our enemy? Stay close to the Son of David, Jesus Christ! The devil hates us because the devil hates Jesus (like the world, John 15:18), but He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world!! (1 John 4:4) We need to stay close to Jesus Christ – He is our only hope – our only salvation – our rock of refuge – our strength!
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1 Samuel 23 (NKJV)
1 Then they told David, saying, “Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and they are robbing the threshing floors.”

A. What were the Philistines doing? Robbing Keilah of their produce. Keilah was a border town with Philistia, and they’d come in & take the wheat that had already been threshed & give it to their army.

B. Interesting that people brought the need to David, rather than their ‘official’ king… Protecting cities from the Philistines was a role Saul should have been fulfilling.
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2 Therefore David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” And the LORD said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines, and save Keilah.”

A. We’re going to see a great pattern here…David inquires of the Lord. There is a legitimate need, but before David takes a step in that direction, he’s going to ask the Lord God if it is God’s will that he go there.
__a. Just because there’s a need doesn’t mean there’s a call. If we gave money to every single person & ministry who had need, we’d be broke by the end of the day. One of the reasons that God has brought us into the “body of Christ” is because we can’t individually do it all. The hand has to play the role of the hand, the foot has to work the role of the foot, etc… We want to be wise about what we do, never hesitating to do good, but always proceeding in prayer & according to the Word of God.

B. May we be a people who are quick to seek out the Lord’s will through prayer & the Scripture! That’s exactly what David did, probably through the prophet Gad. We may not have a prophet at our beck & call, but we have a far better revelation of the will of God: the completed Scriptures! Want to know God’s will for your life? Look it up in the Bible… Ask God through prayer… What a privilege we have! We have the freedom & even the invitation to bring all our requests before God: Philippians 4:6-7 (6) Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; (7) and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. [] If we want to walk in faith, we need to act according to faith. Be filled with the Spirit – seek the Lord’s guidance & wisdom in prayer – receive God’s instruction through the Bible…
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3 But David’s men said to him, “Look, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?” 4 Then David inquired of the LORD once again. And the LORD answered him and said, “Arise, go down to Keilah. For I will deliver the Philistines into your hand.”

A. David’s 2nd inquiry with the Lord…basically asking for a confirmation of the previous call. This wasn’t a lack of faith in David; this was brought about by a concern of David’s army. Like any good leader, David is listening to those whom he’s serving, and doesn’t hesitate to take their very real concerns before God for God’s word on the matter.

B. What were they afraid of? Being caught between two armies. They were already on the run from Saul there in Judah. Now they would be going up against the Philistines as well…they were afraid of being caught in the middle with no way out. It was wise of them to ensure that God was calling them to go.

C. The end result? God would deliver the victory. In vs. 2, God commanded David to go save Keilah; in vs. 4 God confirms that He would make them victorious.
__i. When in doubt, seek the Lord!
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5 And David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines, struck them with a mighty blow, and took away their livestock. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah. [Amen!] 6 Now it happened, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, that he went down with an ephod in his hand. 7 And Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah. So Saul said, “God has delivered him into my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars.” 8 Then Saul called all the people together for war, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men.

A. David had just fought for the freedom of the city (which God granted), but now Saul lays siege to one of his own cities in his pursuit of David…

B. Completely messed up priorities! Saul has plenty of time to run after David, but apparently no time to protect his own people…
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9 When David knew that Saul plotted evil against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.” 10 Then David said, “O LORD God of Israel, Your servant has certainly heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah to destroy the city for my sake. 11 Will the men of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as Your servant has heard? O LORD God of Israel, I pray, tell Your servant.” And the LORD said, “He will come down.” 12 Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul?” And the LORD said, “They will deliver you.”

A. David’s 3rd & 4th inquiries. In a word, what’s going to happen? Betrayal. Faced with handing over David-the-hero, or being destroyed by their own king, the city would hand David over to Saul. On one hand, we can sympathize with them – they were in a tough situation, but betrayal is still betrayal. Instead of taking a stand to do what was right (like the guards regarding killing the priests), Keilah was planning to take the easy way out. … Men will often fail us; God never will. God never betrays us…He is always true.
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13 So David and his men, about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah and went wherever they could go. Then it was told Saul that David had escaped from Keilah; so he halted the expedition.

A. David escaped the city unharmed (not waiting around for Keilah to betray him). And notice the growth…50%! Quite a few people are taking sides & joining with David.

B. Saul left Keilah after David did; he didn’t care about the city at all…neither to protect it, nor to destroy it. They were just a means to Saul’s end of destroying David.
__a. Saul provides such a tragic example. Never forget that this was a man who at one time was filled with the Holy Spirit & anointed by God for His glory. What a fall from grace! Complete abandonment of God, and it destroyed him.
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14 And David stayed in strongholds in the wilderness, and remained in the mountains in the Wilderness of Ziph. Saul sought him every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand.

A. Don’t miss it here, this is key! WHO protected David? God. Saul would only catch David if God so allowed it. Our God is completely sovereign; there is nothing outside of His hands!
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15 So David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. And David was in the Wilderness of Ziph in a forest. 16 Then Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose and went to David in the woods and strengthened his hand in God. 17 And he said to him, “Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Even my father Saul knows that.” 18 So the two of them made a covenant before the LORD. And David stayed in the woods, and Jonathan went to his own house.

A. Renewed the covenant…

B. Note even Saul knew the truth about David becoming king; he was just kicking against the goads…
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19 Then the Ziphites came up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is David not hiding with us in strongholds in the woods, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon? 20 Now therefore, O king, come down according to all the desire of your soul to come down; and our part shall be to deliver him into the king’s hand.” 21 And Saul said, “Blessed are you of the LORD, for you have compassion on me. 22 Please go and find out for sure, and see the place where his hideout is, and who has seen him there. For I am told he is very crafty. 23 See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking places where he hides; and come back to me with certainty, and I will go with you. And it shall be, if he is in the land, that I will search for him throughout all the clans of Judah.”

A. Another betrayal. Unlike Keilah who would have been forced to turn David over to Saul, Ziph proactively sought to curry Saul’s favor by delivering David into his hands. This was a far more foul motive. David wrote about this in the psalms – Psalm 54:1-3 (1) Save me, O God, by Your name, And vindicate me by Your strength. (2) Hear my prayer, O God; Give ear to the words of my mouth. (3) For strangers have risen up against me, And oppressors have sought after my life; They have not set God before them. Selah [] Wonderful prayer! David understood it wasn’t going to be by his own strength that he’d be saved; it would only be by the hand of God. The God Whom the Ziphites did not fear would be glorified & victorious.

B. This time, Saul didn’t go…asked Ziph to search out the caves & find David.
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24 So they arose and went to Ziph before Saul. But David and his men were in the Wilderness of Maon, in the plain on the south of Jeshimon. [they escaped] 25 When Saul and his men went to seek him, they told David. Therefore he went down to the rock, and stayed in the Wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued David in the Wilderness of Maon. 26 Then Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. So David made haste to get away from Saul, for Saul and his men were encircling David and his men to take them. [things are looking bad…] 27 But a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have invaded the land!” […but God delivered!] 28 Therefore Saul returned from pursuing David, and went against the Philistines; so they called that place the Rock of Escape. 29 Then David went up from there and dwelt in strongholds at En Gedi.

A. Saul had them on the run, and eventually surrounded David. Humanly speaking, David was through. But what is impossible for man is possible with God! God allowed an attack from the Philistines that forced Saul away from his pursuit…
__a. Can God use evil things for His purposes & glory? Yes! That doesn’t make them less evil; it just demonstrates God is sovereign over all. (Rom 8:28)

B. How sovereign is God? No matter how many times Saul came after David – no matter how many people betrayed him – David was not going to fall into the hands of Saul unless God allowed it. And God didn’t. … Just like Jesus! No one could lay a finger on Jesus unless He let them. People tried to throw Him off a cliff (Luke 4:29), stone Him (John 8:59), and otherwise kill Him (John 5:18), but until God was ready & Jesus’ hour had come to suffer & die, people could not take Him. Even after Jesus was arrested & beaten, He knew that Pilate & the Romans had no power over Jesus unless God had given it to them (John 19:11).

a. So what? So God is in control. God is ALWAYS in control. Do we deal with the consequences of living in a fallen world? Yes. Do we deal with sin both of our own & of others? Yes. But nothing is going to happen to us that hasn’t gone through the careful fingers of God 1st. We can trust Him to deliver us! Maybe deliver us from the trial; maybe through the trial…but either way, our lives are in the hands of the God who loves us & bought us by the blood of Jesus Christ.

Conclusion:
Huge contrast from Ch 20-21! When David first fled from Saul, he did so in his flesh. He was crafty, told many lies, and endangered the lives of those who helped him. In Ch 22-23, David is no longer operating in his flesh; he’s operating in faith! He took responsibility for his previous actions and started relying on the Lord completely for guidance, wisdom, and deliverance…

May we learn to do the same! Too often, we go off half-cocked in our flesh, and the result is we hurt ourselves & other people, and we end up having consequences to pay. But when we’re led by the Spirit, and we walk by faith, everything’s different. It doesn’t mean that we won’t suffer through trials (we will!), but we can be assured that God is the One who is taking us through those trials, giving us the strength to endure, and the wisdom to know how to proceed. He is the One who then gets the glory, and we praise His name as a result.

Whatever you’re walking through tonight, are you walking by faith? Are you seeking the will of God through prayer & the Scriptures? Are you relying on His power and His strength? Take the time tonight to commit yourself to the Lord & ask His help in walking by faith & not by sight.

Fleeing in the Flesh

1 Samuel 20-21, “Fleeing in the Flesh”
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Introduction:
When we left off with David, Saul had been trying to kill him in various ways. Saul was enraged that the kingdom had been ripped away from him & given to David, and furiously jealous of how the people saw David as being superior to their own king. Saul had thrown spears at him, tried to have the Philistines kill him, hired an assassination attempt by night – all of which had failed. David eventually fled to Ramah to find Samuel & tell him what was going on & then hid out at Naioth. Saul found out about this too, and personally pursued David to kill him…at which point God stops him in his tracks & makes him lay down naked & prophesy for hours on end.

We pick up with David fleeing Naioth & going back to Saul’s house to find Jonathan. Why? Couldn’t David keep fleeing from city to city? Surely yes – but he needed to let his best friend know what was going on, and he needed the protection Jonathan could give him. So at great peril, he goes back.

What we’re going to find is a mixture of the Godly & the carnal. Godly people doing God’s work through fleshly means. Does God bless it? Maybe yes, maybe no – He definitely uses it for His purposes, which is a marvelous testimony to the grace and provision of God.

1 Samuel 20 (NKJV)
1 Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and went and said to Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my iniquity, and what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?” 2 So Jonathan said to him, “By no means! You shall not die! Indeed, my father will do nothing either great or small without first telling me. And why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so!”

A. Is David accusing Jonathan? Probably not…most likely David thinks Jonathan might be able to give him some information concerning Saul. Obviously Jonathan was in the dark about the whole thing…

B. Jonathan may be a bit naïve here (considering Saul hasn’t exactly been subtle with his attempts to kill David), but at least Jonathan believes the best about both his friend & his father.
__a. This is exactly what love does! (1 Cor 13:7) We need to be wise, but we always want to be willing to believe the best about people…
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3 Then David took an oath again, and said, “Your father certainly knows that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said, ‘Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved.’ But truly, as the LORD lives and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.” 4 So Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you yourself desire, I will do it for you.” 5 And David said to Jonathan, “Indeed tomorrow is the New Moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king to eat. But let me go, that I may hide in the field until the third day at evening. 6 If your father misses me at all, then say, ‘David earnestly asked permission of me that he might run over to Bethlehem, his city, for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family.’ 7 If he says thus: ‘It is well,’ your servant will be safe. But if he is very angry, be sure that evil is determined by him.

A. The plan…
B. It seems that David is asking Jonathan to lie. Some have suggested that David really does have an excuse to go home, but this won’t the last lie David is going to tell in all this affair, so it seems it starts here. David is certainly within the will of God in trying to protect his life, but he’s going to go about it the wrong way.
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8 Therefore you shall deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the LORD with you. Nevertheless, if there is iniquity in me, kill me yourself, for why should you bring me to your father?” 9 But Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! For if I knew certainly that evil was determined by my father to come upon you, then would I not tell you?”

A. Back in Ch 18, Jonathan & David had made a covenant together where Jonathan had taken off his royal garments & armor, and given them to David (showing that he recognized David was to be king, and everything he had belonged to David – and vice versa). Part of the aspect of the covenant was protection. If David was in trouble, Jonathan was obligated to protect him – and Jonathan willingly took this up.

B. Although it may sound like it, making covenants with one another isn’t just an ancient practice. Marriages are covenant relationships… Our very salvation is based in a covenant relationship with Jesus Christ! … … The Son of God has made a covenant with you & He’s NOT going to break it! We are under HIS protection – and we can call out to Him in our time of need.
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10 Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me, or what if your father answers you roughly?” 11 And Jonathan said to David, “Come, let us go out into the field.” So both of them went out into the field. 12 Then Jonathan said to David: “The LORD God of Israel is witness! When I have sounded out my father sometime tomorrow, or the third day, and indeed there is good toward David, and I do not send to you and tell you, 13 may the LORD do so and much more to Jonathan. But if it pleases my father to do you evil, then I will report it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. And the LORD be with you as He has been with my father.

A. What Jonathan promises to do…
B. Note the blessing. The Lord God had indeed been with Saul; now Jonathan recognizes that the anointing of God was upon David. … Jonathan isn’t concerned about himself; he seeks the will and glory of God…
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14 And you shall not only show me the kindness of the LORD while I still live, that I may not die; 15 but you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever, no, not when the LORD has cut off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.”

A. Going to be very important in the life of Mephibosheth later…
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16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “Let the LORD require it at the hand of David’s enemies.” 17 Now Jonathan again caused David to vow, because he loved him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul.

A. Renewed the covenant…
B. Some liberal scholars have criticized this, using it as “proof” that David had a homosexual relationship with Jonathan. It’s a perverted interpretation based out of the perversion of their own hearts. The love between Jonathan & David is nothing less than holy & upright. It’s the love of a friend who’s closer than a brother… LXX translates it as “agape”; the selfless covenantal serving type of love…

C. Who do you love as your own soul? Your spouse? Your children? Hopefully your God! … This is the essence of the Great Commandment – Mark 12:30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. [] We are to love God with all that we have & all that we are… This kind of covenant relationship is what the God of all the Universe desires with you. What an honor & privilege! May we never take it for granted…
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18 Then Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the New Moon; and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty. 19 And when you have stayed three days, go down quickly and come to the place where you hid on the day of the deed; and remain by the stone Ezel. 20 Then I will shoot three arrows to the side, as though I shot at a target; 21 and there I will send a lad, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I expressly say to the lad, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you; get them and come’—then, as the LORD lives, there is safety for you and no harm. 22 But if I say thus to the young man, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you’—go your way, for the LORD has sent you away. 23 And as for the matter which you and I have spoken of, indeed the LORD be between you and me forever.”

A. Plan for communication…very clear instructions…
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24 Then David hid in the field. And when the New Moon had come, the king sat down to eat the feast. 25 Now the king sat on his seat, as at other times, on a seat by the wall. And Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul’s side, but David’s place was empty. 26 Nevertheless Saul did not say anything that day, for he thought, “Something has happened to him; he is unclean, surely he is unclean.”

A. Apparently Saul didn’t say anything the 1st night; assumed David had a good excuse for not being there…

B. BTW, why was David expected? He was the son-in-law to the king & member of the king’s court. Even if he hadn’t been anointed the next king of Israel, Saul wanted David to serve in his presence…especially at one of the national feast times. For David to be absent a New Moon feast would be akin to missing Thanksgiving dinner. This wasn’t just any-old-meal; this was a time his presence was expected.
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27 And it happened the next day, the second day of the month, that David’s place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has the son of Jesse not come to eat, either yesterday or today?” 28 So Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked permission of me to go to Bethlehem. 29 And he said, ‘Please let me go, for our family has a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. And now, if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me get away and see my brothers.’ Therefore he has not come to the king’s table.”

A. Here’s the test… And Jonathan’s lie…
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30 Then Saul’s anger was aroused against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness? 31 For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you shall not be established, nor your kingdom. Now therefore, send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.”

A. Unrighteous anger – in spades! … Outbursts of wrath that Paul warns us away from (2 Cor 12:20, Gal 5:20)…these are the works of the flesh & it’s further proof that Saul was not walking with the Spirit (despite the Lord using him for prophecy).

B. Notice the insults…Saul is heaping the worst kinds of insults he can come up with upon his 1st born son. Basically calling him an illegitimate child, because ‘surely no son of Saul would do such a thing.’
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32 And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him, “Why should he be killed? What has he done?” 33 Then Saul cast a spear at him to kill him, by which Jonathan knew that it was determined by his father to kill David.

A. Saul just tried to kill his own son in his uncontrolled rage! …
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34 So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and ate no food the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David, because his father had treated him shamefully.

A. Note the difference; Jonathan had a righteous anger… He didn’t spew insults at his father – he didn’t try to hurt his father. Saul’s actions were reprehensible, but Jonathan showed his righteous anger while still honoring his father (per the 5th Commandment). … Be angry & do not sin… (Eph 4:26)
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35 And so it was, in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad was with him. 36 Then he said to his lad, “Now run, find the arrows which I shoot.” As the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 37 When the lad had come to the place where the arrow was which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried out after the lad and said, “Is not the arrow beyond you?” 38 And Jonathan cried out after the lad, “Make haste, hurry, do not delay!” So Jonathan’s lad gathered up the arrows and came back to his master. 39 But the lad did not know anything. Only Jonathan and David knew of the matter.

A. Followed through with the plan. Jonathan added more to ensure David knew it wasn’t safe…
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40 Then Jonathan gave his weapons to his lad, and said to him, “Go, carry them to the city.” 41 As soon as the lad had gone, David arose from a place toward the south, fell on his face to the ground, and bowed down three times. And they kissed one another; and they wept together, but David more so. 42 Then Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, since we have both sworn in the name of the LORD, saying, ‘May the LORD be between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants, forever.’ ” So he arose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city.

A. Weeping over friendship or sin?? Or both? David was going to spend the next many years as a refugee & they both probably realized they’d never see each other again.
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1 Samuel 21 (NKJV)
1 Now David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech was afraid when he met David, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one is with you?” 2 So David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has ordered me on some business, and said to me, ‘Do not let anyone know anything about the business on which I send you, or what I have commanded you.’ And I have directed my young men to such and such a place.

A. Another lie from David. Disturbing trend…
B. Is it right to do wrong, even for noble ends? No…the ends never justify the means. So what do we do when faced with seemingly impossible circumstances? Turn to the God to Whom nothing is impossible. Scripture makes it clear that no temptation has overtaken us to which God doesn’t provide a way of escape (1 Cor 10:13). God always provides the way of escape; we usually don’t look to Him for it. What should David have done? Sought the Lord 1st, and then approached Ahimelech with the truth, leaving the results to God.
__a. So what do we do if we’re in David’s situation, and we already lied about something that we thought we were justified in? The same thing as with any other sin: confess it to God, repent, and be done with it. Our God is a merciful God & He is faithful & just to forgive us through Jesus Christ! (1 John 1:9)
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3 Now therefore, what have you on hand? Give me five loaves of bread in my hand, or whatever can be found.” 4 And the priest answered David and said, “There is no common bread on hand; but there is holy bread, if the young men have at least kept themselves from women.” 5 Then David answered the priest, and said to him, “Truly, women have been kept from us about three days since I came out. And the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in effect common, even though it was consecrated in the vessel this day.” 6 So the priest gave him holy bread; for there was no bread there but the showbread which had been taken from before the LORD, in order to put hot bread in its place on the day when it was taken away.

A. What was the showbread? Also called “the bread of the presence” – 12 loaves to represent each tribe of Israel – always sat before the presence of the Lord in the tabernacle, remaining perpetually fresh. Showed the fellowship Israel was supposed to have with God… Ultimately symbolic of the body of Christ – God incarnate Who came to the nation of Israel & Whose body was broken for our sins.

B. No bread except the showbread & this was supposed to be reserved for the priests. The Law makes this perfectly clear – Leviticus 24:5 (5) “And you shall take fine flour and bake twelve cakes with it. Two-tenths of an ephah shall be in each cake. … (8) Every Sabbath he shall set it in order before the Lord continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant. (9) And it shall be for Aaron and his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place; for it is most holy to him from the offerings of the Lord made by fire, by a perpetual statute.” [] By the strictest interpretation, David should not have been given the bread – but yet the Law does not specifically state that no one other than the priests can eat it. Giving it to the priests was certainly the normal practice, but between feeding a starving person & letting them die, the choice for Ahimelech was easy & understandable.

C. Priest gave David an opportunity (probably after inquiring of the Lord – 1 Sam 22:10); he took it…he certainly had not been with his wife since he fled, so he would have been considered ritually pure. … BTW, Ahimelech had already noticed David was alone – why did David say there were other young men? Some believe David is lying again here. It certainly is possible (considering his lies to this point), but it’s also reasonable to assume David came across some loyal men in the days he had already been on the run from Saul.

D. Why did God allow this? In demonstration of His mercy! Jesus specifically addresses this in 3 of the gospels… [plucking heads of grain – BIBLE: Matt 12:3-8] Question: was Jesus advocating breaking the Law? Finding loopholes in the Law? Of course not! Jesus perfectly fulfills the Law & said that not one jot or tittle of the Law would pass away until everything was fulfilled (Matt 5:18). Christ Jesus is not treating the Law lightly; rather He’s showing the heart of God IN the Law. Remember that the Law is simply our tutor to bring us to Christ (Gal 3:23)… The Pharisees had Jesus in their midst, and all they could do was carp on their overly rigid & legalistic interpretation of the very Law that Jesus gave them! They missed the whole point…
__a. We need to be careful of the same thing. Amen to reading the word of God – to memorizing the word of God – to following the word of God in everything He’s called us to do. But may we be very careful not to fall into the trap of Bible-idolatry. There are 3 Persons of the Trinity (not 4) – we need to remember that the Bible is subject to God; not the other way around.
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7 Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the LORD. And his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chief of the herdsmen who belonged to Saul.

A. File Doeg away for next week; he turns out to be a murderous traitor…
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8 And David said to Ahimelech, “Is there not here on hand a spear or a sword? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s business required haste.” 9 So the priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, there it is, wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take it. For there is no other except that one here.” And David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.”

A. Was it illegal to give David the sword as well? Saul will think it is…

B. Keep in mind this was a former weapon of the enemy, but now it has been redeemed for use by God’s anointed…

C. Do we need Goliath’s sword? No, we just need the sword of the Spirit – and there is none other like it!
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10 Then David arose and fled that day from before Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath. 11 And the servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David the king of the land? Did they not sing of him to one another in dances, saying: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands’?”

A. Remember that Gath is enemy territory. Basically, David fled from Saul to go to the land of the Philistines – to the very people from which Goliath came. Not exactly the safest (or wisest) course of action…

B. Even the people of Gath had a better memory than David. They weren’t going to let him stay there without the consequences of answering for his past…
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12 Now David took these words to heart, and was very much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. 13 So he changed his behavior before them, pretended madness in their hands, scratched on the doors of the gate, and let his saliva fall down on his beard. 14 Then Achish said to his servants, “Look, you see the man is insane. Why have you brought him to me? 15 Have I need of madmen, that you have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?”

A. David the warrior – David the victor over Goliath – David the anointed king-in-waiting of Israel – THIS David acted like a madman & a fool to escape with his neck… Basically pretended to have uncontrolled fits of epilepsy…

B. David ended up writing Psalm 34 about this specific event – and nowhere in it does he give an indication that he was ashamed of acting like a fool. Instead, he gives God the praise for letting him out alive! [BIBLE: Ps 34:1-8] We ought to trust the Lord our God! He is good!

Conclusion:
David seemed to trust the Lord’s promise (that he would one day be king), but it seems he didn’t trust the Lord’s methods during his time of trial. David had good reason to be distressed (!), so on one hand, it’s understandable why he lied & acted the way he did…we may have done the same things if we were in his shoes. It may be understandable, but that doesn’t make it right. At the end of the day, David had his life…but just barely, and had walked straight into the enemy’s camp in the process.

Is stress an excuse to fall back on our flesh? No. When we fall back into old habits – the fleshly way of doing things, we almost inevitably make things worse (hence ending up in Gath wearing Goliath’s sword!). With Paul, we can affirm that nothing good dwells in our flesh (Rom 7:18) – we need to remember that it is the deeds of our flesh to which we are supposed to die, through the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:13).

So if we don’t rely on our flesh during trouble, what DO we rely on? Jesus Christ! David finally got it when he was in Gath – Ps 34:6, “This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him…” Had God gone anywhere? Was God any less able of hearing David in Israel than in Philistia? Of course not; David simply hadn’t yet called out. In His grace, God continued to protect David throughout all of David’s panicking; but David missed out on sweet fellowship, comfort, and guidance in the meantime.

As a born-again Christian, we have a far better promise than what David had… … Jesus even promised to send us the Holy Spirit as a counselor/comforter… … Are you relying upon Him, or are you trusting in your flesh?

Who’s the Biggest?

1 Samuel 17, “Who’s the Biggest?”
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When we were kids, we used to taunt one another: “My dad is bigger than your dad!” … Similar situation with David & Goliath. Goliath is the giant; David is the teenager. But which one is the biggest & more powerful? To the world, it was Goliath hands-down. To David, it was irrelevant because GOD was actually the one fighting the battle. Goliath could have been 30 feet tall, and he still would be infinitely outmatched by the Almighty Creator God.

This is what we need to remember when we are engaged in the great spiritual battles. It’s not that temptation, or sin, or even the Devil himself aren’t powerful & intimidating; it’s that Jesus Christ is infinitely more powerful! And the Lord Jesus has already won the battle!

1 Samuel 17 (NKJV)
1 Now the Philistines gathered their armies together to battle, and were gathered at Sochoh, which belongs to Judah; they encamped between Sochoh and Azekah, in Ephes Dammim. 2 And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and they encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in battle array against the Philistines. 3 The Philistines stood on a mountain on one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side, with a valley between them.

A. [MAP] Purpose behind standing on the mountains? Don’t know. Would definitely give a good view to anyone watching the coming confrontation…wonderful witness to what God was about to do!
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4 And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 5 He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. 6 And he had bronze armor on his legs and a bronze javelin between his shoulders. 7 Now the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his iron spearhead weighed six hundred shekels; and a shield-bearer went before him.

A. In this corner: the giant Goliath… Sports fans should note how the Bible doesn’t skimp on the stats here:
__a. How tall? 9 foot, 9 inches. [PIC – Robert Wadlow, 8ft 11in]
__b. Gear? 125lb of armor. Must be pretty strong to use that kind of weight!
__c. Size of spear? The head alone weighed 15 pounds. Try throwing a bowling ball very far – yet apparently Goliath could heave this massive spear in battle.

B. All in all, this is a pretty intimidating enemy! Equivalent of the heavyweight champion of the world, and no one looks like a match for him. Easy to understand why people were afraid. When Satan starts throwing arrows at us in a spiritual battle, he’s not going to make it look easy for us… …
__a. Note some parallels: Goliath could easily be seen as a ‘type’ (model) of Satan/sin… To be conquered through Jesus Christ, the better-than-David…
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8 Then he stood and cried out to the armies of Israel, and said to them, “Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.”

A. Goliath put the battle on his terms. On the face of it, all they had to do was kill one person, instead of the whole army entering into battle. But that one person was a (supposedly) invincible enemy…the cards were tipped in his favor.

B. Is our enemy invincible? He’d like to think so. He roams about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Pet 5:8). And the devil does devour many! But the people of God need not be afraid; we’ve been bought with the blood of the Son of God & the devil has nothing against that!
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10 And the Philistine said, “I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.”

A. He’s not just defying the Israelite army; he’s defying the God of Israel. One would think that would be enough to cause someone from Israel to stand. It’s not.
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11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

A. Even Saul was afraid! As king & one of the tallest men in Israel, Saul was the natural 1st choice to go to battle with Goliath. Not even Saul wanted to fight the giant!

B. Should Saul have been afraid? Not if he had been relying upon the Lord! He had every right to go to his knees in fasting & prayer… He had every right to be concerned & seek the Lord… But if he were walking with the Lord, Saul didn’t need to be afraid. God doesn’t give us a spirit of fear (2 Tim 1:7)… Of course the problem was that Saul no longer was empowered by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit had departed him after Saul’s sin & David was anointed king (1 Sam 16:14), so Saul’s fear only showed that he had nothing without the Lord God.
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12 Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem Judah, whose name was Jesse, and who had eight sons. And the man was old, advanced in years, in the days of Saul. 13 The three oldest sons of Jesse had gone to follow Saul to the battle. The names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. 14 David was the youngest. And the three oldest followed Saul. 15 But David occasionally went and returned from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.

A. Reintroduction of the family…same brothers mentioned in 1 Sam 16.
B. David’s duties: went back & forth from the battle taking care of the sheep & tending to his brothers in the army.
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16 And the Philistine drew near and presented himself forty days, morning and evening.

A. The problem wasn’t going away. Repeated itself day in & out for 40 days… Some have noted that “40” is the number of testing (Jesus fasted for 40 days; Noah was at sea for 40 days). Don’t want to read too much into this, but Satan was definitely testing Israel.

B. Our problems rarely go away either…when we’re tested, the test remains until we go out to meet it. Especially when we’re talking about the wages of sin: death! We WILL face that battle – no matter how badly people want to avoid it, it is always out there, waiting for us…
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17 Then Jesse said to his son David, “Take now for your brothers an ephah of this dried grain and these ten loaves, and run to your brothers at the camp. 18 And carry these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand, and see how your brothers fare, and bring back news of them.”

A. Food for brothers & captain. … Families supplied their food…
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19 Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. 20 So David rose early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, and took the things and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the camp as the army was going out to the fight and shouting for the battle. 21 For Israel and the Philistines had drawn up in battle array, army against army. 22 And David left his supplies in the hand of the supply keeper, ran to the army, and came and greeted his brothers.

A. David is being faithful in the little things. Took care of the sheep – took care of his brothers – took care of the supplies. Over & over, David proved himself to be a servant. Keep in mind, he had already been anointed to be king! … But he didn’t get a big head about it; he just kept serving & serving & let God raise him up.
__a. Are you faithful with the little things? Be careful not to rush the Lord…
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23 Then as he talked with them, there was the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, coming up from the armies of the Philistines; and he spoke according to the same words. So David heard them. 24 And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were dreadfully afraid. 25 So the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel; and it shall be that the man who kills him the king will enrich with great riches, will give him his daughter, and give his father’s house exemption from taxes in Israel.”

A. Big reward for killing Goliath! (1) Treasure, (2) Marriage to the princess, (3) exemption/freedom from taxes. Pretty great incentive for someone to come to battle!

B. Also a pretty interesting parallel with what Christ Jesus did in the battle against our enemy. (Courson), “What did the Son of David, Jesus Christ, gain by defeating Satan? We are His inheritance (Eph 1), His treasure (Matt 13:44), His pearl of great price (Matt 13:46). We are also His bride (Rev 21:9). And we are the ones who have been set free (John 8:36).”
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26 Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” 27 And the people answered him in this manner, saying, “So shall it be done for the man who kills him.”

A. Righteous indignation from David!

B. Anger, in & of itself, is not a bad thing. We are to be angry & sin not (Eph 4:26). Jesus demonstrated righteous anger when He cleansed the temple… (John 2) That’s basically what David is doing here. The questions we need to ask ourselves when we get angry are:
__a. Am I angry for a just reason?
__b. Am I expressing that anger in a righteous way?
__c. Am I ultimately seeking the glory of God?

C. Eliab would have failed the test. See vs. 28…
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28 Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger was aroused against David, and he said, “Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.” 29 And David said, “What have I done now? Is there not a cause?”

A. Hard to know what was the true cause of Eliab’s anger. Perhaps he was jealous at David’s anointing by Samuel & thought David was just trying to grab some pre-kingly glory… Perhaps Eliab was merely projecting his own reason for being in battle onto David… Whatever the case, this seems to have been a common problem between Eliab & David. The Bible doesn’t give too much of the background behind their relationship. Eliab seems to have been the favored one in the past (per Samuel’s reaction to him when he first saw Eliab); yet he definitely wasn’t any longer.

B. Did David respond well? Well enough. Instead of continuing in an argument with his brother, he merely responds by showing there was a righteous cause for indignation. The army (including his brother Eliab) had cowered from Goliath for 40 days, and they were the chosen people of God! Someone by this point should have stood up in faith, but no one had dared take a stand for God.

C. Jesus was also rejected by His brothers (John 7:5)…
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30 Then he turned from him toward another and said the same thing; and these people answered him as the first ones did. 31 Now when the words which David spoke were heard, they reported them to Saul; and he sent for him. 32 Then David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 33 And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.”

A. From a military perspective, Saul was completely justified in his doubt. David seemed to be no match for Goliath…

B. The problem is, Saul wasn’t supposed to only be looking from a military perspective. He was supposed to have been seeking the Lord’s will in defeating Goliath. Here Saul is, with the Lord’s chosen deliver right before his eyes, and he’s scoffing at him!
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34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, 35 I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 Moreover David said, “The LORD, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you!”

A. David had faith! 1st, David had faith in how God had worked in the past…

B. 2nd, because of the past, David had faith in how God was going to work in the present… This was truly walking by faith & not by sight!

C. Did Saul suddenly show faith? Don’t know…he certainly was inspired enough by what he saw in David to put him into battle for the whole nation!
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38 So Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail. 39 David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.” So David took them off.

A. Going to see an interesting contrast here in how to fight. Saul thought that for the tiny David to conquer the giant Goliath, David had to be like Saul. The obvious problem is that David wasn’t Saul! God made David to be David…
__a. Be careful not to try to duplicate someone else’s success/style/gifting from the Lord. It’s wonderful to have examples; but God is going to work with us as individuals…

B. David (in his youth) showed a great deal of wisdom! The armor wasn’t armor he was used to & the weapons weren’t weapons he trusted. No soldier would walk into battle with an untested rifle & David was no different… David trusted the Lord to supply his every need in fighting the Philistine.
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40 Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine.

A. God called David while a shepherd; God would certainly be able to use David while a shepherd. He didn’t have to try to be somebody else…

B. People often wonder why David took 5 stones? Did he think he’d have to shoot 5 times? Did he think he’d have to take down Goliath’s brothers? All speculation…
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41 So the Philistine came, and began drawing near to David, and the man who bore the shield went before him. 42 And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking. 43 So the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

A. Easy to imagine Goliath’s reaction. For 40 days, he’s been daring Israel to send him a worthy champion & they’ve cowered in fear. He probably thought, “Surely they’re searching far & wide for the strongest warrior they could find.” And then David walks on to the field… Goliath “disdained him” – despised him. Scoffed at the man of God & cursed him…

B. This is what the world does with the Lord Jesus. They scoff Him & mock Him… But they really don’t have a clue Who they’re dealing with…
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44 And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!” 45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47 Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give you into our hands.”

A. Bold words! Not only is this youth going to be victorious, he’s going to cut off Goliath’s head in total decimation…

B. Is David taking credit for this? No! He knows it is “the LORD [who] will deliver” Goliath…and as a result everyone would understood it was the Lord God who had the victory…
__a. So often we complain about the overwhelming odds we face. But perhaps it’s how God is going to strengthen us in the face of those overwhelming odds that God wants to glorify Himself…
__b. Again, this is what happened at the cross. Jesus faced an overwhelming enemy: death. (How overwhelming is death? 1 out of 1 person dies…no one escapes it permanently.) But to Jesus, death was no match…
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48 So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. 49 Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth.

A. One shot was all it took! Why? Because it wasn’t the skill of David that took Goliath down; it was the Lord God. God doesn’t need a 2nd shot. BTW – some think that Philistine armor typically had a slit for the eyes. David would have had to either shot the rock through the slit, or Goliath would have had to opened his helmet just to be able to see this small teenager who came out to fight him. Either way, God gave the victory!

B. Interestingly enough, for all the Psalms David wrote, there’s not one specifically dedicated to the battle with Goliath (there’s an apocryphal Ps 151 in the LXX, but not in our Bibles). Possibly David wrote Ps 27 with Goliath in mind as a memory of past victory: Psalm 27:1-3 (1) A Psalm of David. The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? (2) When the wicked came against me To eat up my flesh, My enemies and foes, They stumbled and fell. (3) Though an army may encamp against me, My heart shall not fear; Though war may rise against me, In this I will be confident. [] Goliath was massive, formidable, & downright terrifying…but why should David fear him? David was the representative of the Lord! The Lord was David’s strength & the Lord struck down Goliath. As with Jonathan’s earlier battle (1 Sam 14), one man + God always makes an overpowering majority!
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50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David. 51 Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.

A. Talk about being empowered by the Lord! David couldn’t wear Saul’s armor before, but now he could wield Goliath’s sword to cut off his head…

B. It’s kind of a gory scene to us today – but the picture is one of total victory. There was no way Goliath was going to “recover” (as in a bad Hollywood movie) to fight again…he was dead; completely destroyed. … That’s exactly what Christ Jesus did with death; He completely destroyed it!
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52 Now the men of Israel and Judah arose and shouted, and pursued the Philistines as far as the entrance of the valley and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell along the road to Shaaraim, even as far as Gath and Ekron. 53 Then the children of Israel returned from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their tents. 54 And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent.

A. So much for the earlier agreement about being one another’s servants… The Philistines had not actually expected Israel to win & they fled. God’s victory through David emboldened the rest of the army to fight in faith – and it was a great victory for Israel that day.

B. Meanwhile, David’s carrying the head of Goliath around like a little trophy. Is this egotistical? Probably not. Every single Israelite that crossed David’s path saw the head of Goliath & was reminded how God won the victory. It became a symbol of God’s saving grace…
__a. Not unlike the cross today. By itself, the cross is a gory thing – a gruesome instrument of death. But because Jesus Christ rose from the dead, the empty cross is a symbol of God’s victory & His saving grace that He extends to each one of us…
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55 When Saul saw David going out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this youth?” And Abner said, “As your soul lives, O king, I do not know.” 56 So the king said, “Inquire whose son this young man is.” 57 Then, as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. 58 And Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” So David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”

A. Why didn’t Saul know who David was? David was already serving in the house of Saul. Note the question: it’s not so much that Saul didn’t know David (he had just met with him to give him permission to fight Goliath); it’s that Saul was trying to find out David’s family background. David was about to be Saul’s son-in-law, so Saul wanted to find out what kind of family would be joining his own… Also, the father of the victor would be exempt from future taxes – Saul needed to know who this was going to be.

Conclusion:
Of all the battles we face, the most overwhelming & intimidating one is gone! We were sentenced to death & hell because of sin – we were left to the whims of Satan, the prince (giant) of this world, and we had zero power or hope in the midst of it. Until Jesus Christ, the Son of David came, and conquered sin & death not with a sling, but with the Cross! The war has been won & the victory has been assured – all due to the wonderful work of our Savior!

Yet there are other battles we face along the way. How do we handle those? In the exact same manner…by keeping our faith in the Son of God. We walk by faith & not by sight…and in so doing, we find that God is always bigger than ALL our adversaries!

Fake or Faith?

1 Samuel 15-16, “Fake or Faith?”
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Does this sound familiar? “I don’t want anything to do with the church! It’s just filled with a bunch of religious hypocrites!” Technically, churches are filled with a bunch of sinners…who have thrown themselves upon the mercy of God in Jesus Christ. But it is all-too-common to find people that truly could be considered “religious hypocrites” – those who put on a really good show for God, but don’t give a whit about Him in truth. They’ve got a fake face while in the church building, but show something completely different during the week. We’ve all met them…and perhaps we’ve even been one in the past.

Question: we may try to put on a show, but is it really possible to fool God? Of course not! People may think they can trick God into believing their worship is sincere, but God sees our hearts & He knows the difference. Case in point? Saul vs. David. It didn’t take long for Saul to start putting on a religious show for the people, by bringing an unlawful sacrifice before battle just say he brought something…in fact, his son Jonathan demonstrated far more faith than his father by trusting the Lord’s mighty power instead of trusting himself. In Ch 15-16, we see this again. Saul disregards the command of God, and God takes away the kingdom from him & gives it to another: a man after God’s own heart – someone who (in the midst of all his flaws) will continue to throw himself upon the grace of God & come to Him by faith.

1 Samuel 15 (NKJV)
1 Samuel also said to Saul, “The LORD sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the LORD. 2 Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. 3 Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”

A. God is still ultimately in control – Saul is king at God’s command & by God’s will. Saul had forgotten his place in Ch 13, and Samuel is giving him another chance…

B. God gave Saul very clear directions: go destroy everything that is of Amalek. There’s nothing left out here: men, women, children, and animals were all to be destroyed. It’s so specific that Saul has no room to come back & claim he didn’t understand what God was talking about. (Keep this in mind for later.)

C. What’s behind God’s punishment of Amalek? The battle they had against Israel in the wilderness. They had ambushed Israel along the way, picking off the weak ones in the back (Deut 25:18), and Moses sent Joshua to battle them. [arms raised - victory] Exodus 17:14-16 (14) Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” (15) And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-Lord-Is-My-Banner; (16) for he said, “Because the Lord has sworn: the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.” []
__a. Amalek is often symbolic of the “flesh”… No different here. God had called Saul to battle against the flesh; instead Saul is going to compromise with it. Saul may win the battle, but he’ll lose the war in the process… We don’t compromise with the flesh!

4 So Saul gathered the people together and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men of Judah. 5 And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and lay in wait in the valley. 6 Then Saul said to the Kenites, “Go, depart, get down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them. For you showed kindness to all the children of Israel when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.

A. Mercy to the Kenites… The Kenites had often been friendly with Israel & Saul didn’t want them to get caught in the crossfire. (One of the good things Saul did!)
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7 And Saul attacked the Amalekites, from Havilah all the way to Shur, which is east of Egypt. 8 He also took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. 9 But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.

A. Flagrant disobedience! Saul destroyed a bunch of people, but left the king of the Amalekites alive & kept back the spoils of the battle for himself & his army. On one hand, this was a common practice among kings of the day – Saul wasn’t doing anything out of the ordinary. But that’s the point: he WAS supposed to be doing something out of the ordinary! God had given him very specific commands & expected Saul to carry them out.
__a. BTW: this kind of destruction sounds pretty brutal to us today. Killing the men we understand, but the women, children, & animals too? Is that overkill? (literally) Not when God commands it. The Amalekites were a very wicked people & God in His righteousness judged them & wanted to use Israel as a vessel to pour out His judgment. But we can trust that God was doing what was right, simply because He is God… (preventing future generations from experiencing that kind of evil)

B. Why did Saul hold back from destroying everything, as the Lord had commanded him? Because some of it was “good.” … Saul fought for himself, his benefit & his glory; not God’s. As before, Saul forgot his place & exalted himself above God.
__a. Loving God always comes 1st!
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10 Now the word of the LORD came to Samuel, saying, 11 “I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments.” And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to the LORD all night.

A. Can the Lord God actually regret something? Apparently so. Be careful not to imagine that God made a mistake; that’s not the case at all. God absolutely did choose Saul for a time, even though God had someone else in mind all along. Choosing Saul was not a mistake; Saul’s sins were the mistake – and God regretted that His chosen servant was acting in such a sinful way.
__a. Sometimes human language falls short of describing the aspects of our infinite God. “Regret” is simply the best way of describing what took place. Something similar took place with the golden calf incident at Sinai (Exo 32:14) – God “relented” from destroying Israel. It’s not that God changed His mind; it’s that He altered His response to the people based on Moses’ intercession. But human language falls short in describing this…

B. Note this wasn’t a minor indulgence in the eyes of God. Saul didn’t just have a “weak spot”; this was rebellion against the God who made Saul king! “He has turned back from following Me.” In essence, Saul (like the people before him) committed treason against the Lord God of Israel. (In essence, that’s what ALL sin is: rebellion against Almighty God…)

C. What was Samuel’s response? Grief. … This ought to be all of our response towards sin. Sometimes our pride gets in the way, and we actually rejoice to see some people fall: “They deserved it! Good!” Wrong. It’s good to rejoice in God’s perfect justice and work, but we ought to grieve over what God grieves over. … It’s never a good thing to see a Christian fall. … When we see someone sin, we ought to pray for their repentance & restoration!
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12 So when Samuel rose early in the morning to meet Saul, it was told Samuel, saying, “Saul went to Carmel, and indeed, he set up a monument for himself; and he has gone on around, passed by, and gone down to Gilgal.” 13 Then Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed are you of the LORD! I have performed the commandment of the LORD.” [Blatant lie!] 14 But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?” 15 And Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen, to sacrifice to the LORD your God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.”

A. Saul has to know he’s lying to Samuel…after all, he built a monument to flaunt his own excess & disobedience. Samuel doesn’t let him off the hook…

B. If the lie wasn’t bad enough, Saul tries to justify his disobedience by claiming he did all this for God & sacrificial worship… … No he didn’t! He kept the sheep because they were “good” and he wanted to grow wealthy off of the battle. It doesn’t matter how Saul tries to dress it up now, he cannot get away from the fact that he willfully ignored the direct command of God.
__a. No matter how hard people try, we will never be able to justify our sin in the sight of God. “Oh God, you know how bad I needed this job. I needed to lie on my resume!” “But my spouse just doesn’t pay me any attention – I’ve got needs to satisfy!” [Lipstick on a pig] … And we especially cannot use ‘worship’ as the excuse!
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16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Be quiet! And I will tell you what the LORD said to me last night.” And he said to him, “Speak on.” 17 So Samuel said, “When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the LORD anoint you king over Israel? 18 Now the LORD sent you on a mission, and said, ‘Go, and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ 19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the LORD?”

A. Samuel reminded Saul of his source: God. It wasn’t Saul that had “earned” the position of being king; God was the one who took him from his father’s house & made him king. Before Samuel anointed him, Saul couldn’t even find a handful of donkeys. Everything that he had came from the Lord.
__a. So often, that’s what we have to remember. Without Jesus, we have nothing!

B. Samuel reminded Saul of his orders. Saul had been given a specific word from the Lord God, and Saul deliberately disobeyed.
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20 And Saul said to Samuel, “But I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and gone on the mission on which the LORD sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 21 But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal.”

A. Question: HAD Saul obeyed? He did part of what the Lord commanded; but he didn’t do it all. … If we break one part of the law, we’re guilty of it all (Jas 2:10).
__a. This is why we come by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus! No matter how hard we try, we can never be perfect on our own – and that’s exactly what God requires (Matt 5:48). It’s when we come by faith to Jesus Christ that He gives us HIS perfection & we are made right in the sight of God!

B. What should Saul have done? Taken responsibility & repented. What DID Saul do? Blame others… [just say “I’m sorry; it won’t happen again”] Excuses will never justify us – only the forgiveness of Jesus will. The good news is that His forgiveness is readily available! (1 John 1:9)
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22 So Samuel said: “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king.”

A. Did Samuel just say that works are better than worship?! What about being saved by grace through faith?! We ARE saved by grace through faith. Works do not save us, nor is it possible to make ourselves righteous in the sight of God through obeying the law… … BUT our faith has to be more than window dressing. Singing “I love You Lord,” doesn’t make a hill of beans worth of difference if by our actions we show that we hate Him…
__a. [David’s disobedience] Psalm 51:16-17 (16) For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. (17) The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise. []

B. The result of Saul’s disobedience? God rejected him as king. ‘Didn’t this already happen in Ch 13?’ Not really – in 1 Sam 13:13, God took the dynasty away from Saul (his kingdom wouldn’t be established forever). In Ch 15, God takes the present kingdom from his hand. Saul would still rule as king until the day he dies, but the people would know that God’s favor was removed from him & that God had already chosen another leader…
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24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. 25 Now therefore, please pardon my sin, and return with me, that I may worship the LORD.” 26 But Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you from being king over Israel.” 27 And as Samuel turned around to go away, Saul seized the edge of his robe, and it tore. 28 So Samuel said to him, “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you. 29 And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor relent. For He is not a man, that He should relent.”

A. Dramatic! Question: was Saul truly repenting? Probably not. He was sorry that he was experiencing the consequences of his actions, but he still didn’t take responsibility for himself. Still blaming the people… Godly sorrow leads to repentance (2 Cor 7:10). Saul was sorry about the consequences God was dealing out to him; he wasn’t sorry that he had sinned against God. [Compare with David]

B. Repeated: Saul rejected the Lord; the Lord rejected Saul as king… Question: why was David (the neighbor) “better” than Saul? Because David relied upon the grace of God. Saul tried to show himself to be a big religious leader; David would consistently respond in humility & seeking the Lord’s face. IOW, it wasn’t anything David did that made him “better”; David simply had a better faith because it was a sincere faith in God.

C. Who is God? He is the “Strength of Israel” – and He is strong not only in His omnipotence & might; He is also strong & steadfast in His conviction. God had declared that Saul would no longer be king & that was going to stand. Why? Because God doesn’t lie. Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? []
__a. This is not a contradiction with God regretting making Saul king. God certainly didn’t lie to Saul when raising him to the throne; God didn’t shortchange Saul in any way. Nor did God do the wrong thing when He took the kingdom away from Saul. God’s interaction with Saul changed due to Saul’s sin; but God was steadfast the entire time.
__b. God keeps ALL His promises. Both the ones we like & the ones we don’t…
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30 Then he said, “I have sinned; yet honor me now, please, before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may worship the LORD your God.” 31 So Samuel turned back after Saul, and Saul worshiped the LORD.

A. Why did Samuel change his mind & worship with Saul? Perhaps in order to avoid out & out rebellion among the people. Perhaps just to get an audience in front of Agag the Amalekite king.
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32 Then Samuel said, “Bring Agag king of the Amalekites here to me.” So Agag came to him cautiously. And Agag said, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.” 33 But Samuel said, “As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women.” And Samuel hacked Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.

A. Samuel finished the job that Saul wouldn’t do…
B. THAT’s the response we should have with our flesh! Nothing good comes from the flesh – there can be no compromise with the flesh… The only way to deal with it is to kill it off; reckon it dead (Rom 6:11).
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34 Then Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house at Gibeah of Saul. 35 And Samuel went no more to see Saul until the day of his death. Nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul, and the LORD regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.

A. Mourning for Saul…
B. God’s regret… Interesting this is repeated so many times. Scripture makes it clear we can grieve the Holy Spirit by our actions (Eph 4:30). Perhaps God had a similar emotion to Samuel in response to Saul’s sin.
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1 Samuel 16 (NKJV)
1 Now the LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons.”

A. In the midst of all this tragedy, God still had a plan. He had already chosen the next king! …
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2 And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” But the LORD said, “Take a heifer with you, and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’ 3 Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; you shall anoint for Me the one I name to you.” 4 So Samuel did what the LORD said, and went to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, “Do you come peaceably?” 5 And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons, and invited them to the sacrifice. 6 So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, “Surely the LORD’s anointed is before Him!” 7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

A. How does man choose? By the outside. Samuel was looking at the same qualifications that he had seen in Saul (1 Sam 10:23-24)… How does God choose? By the inside. “the LORD looks at the heart.” There’s no fooling God. There’s no amount of religious ritual that is going to be able to trick God into thinking we’re someone we’re not. He sees our hearts & He knows what He wants to do with us.
__a. If this is how God sees us, we ought to strive to see one another in the same way. Too often, we judge the outside, without taking the time to see what a person is really like on the inside.

B. For some of us, this can be a scary thing. “God knows my heart?! Then He knows what kind of a vile sinner I am!” He does – but that’s where the good news of the gospel comes in! When we trust Jesus by faith for forgiveness of sin, He gives us a new life – He makes us into new creations – He changes our heart to be like Christ’s…
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8 So Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.” 9 Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.” 10 Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen these.” 11 And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all the young men here?” Then he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him. For we will not sit down till he comes here.”

A. David wasn’t even in the running. His father thought David was the least likely of all to be chosen. … So are we! We are the foolish things of the world that God has chosen to confound the wise (1 Cor 1:27).
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12 So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking. And the LORD said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!” 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah.

A. Anointing with oil symbolized the anointing of the Holy Spirit…
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14 But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the LORD troubled him.

A. “The Holy Spirit can depart from someone?! Yikes!” Before we get too far in this, we need to understand the difference between the work of the Holy Spirit today & what it meant for the Spirit to “come upon” someone in the OT. In the OT, it was almost always temporary – the Spirit would come upon someone for a short time to empower them for battle, or to equip them to rule, etc. In the NT, the work of the Spirit is quite different. There are several permanent works: believers are born of the Spirit – indwelt by the Spirit – sealed by the Spirit – the Spirit serves as our guarantee… At the same time, there are some works that are to be repeated or be ongoing – such as the filling of the Spirit (Eph 5:18)…

B. When the Holy Spirit “departed” from Saul, Saul was no longer God’s chosen king, and the Holy Spirit took away any empowerment or protection He had previously given to him. Strictly in the OT sense. The closest scenario we would have today would be if God removed someone from a particular office & never restored them. But a true born-again believer would never completely “lose” the Holy Spirit.

C. A “distressing spirit” came. Where did it come from? The LORD! Did God actually do evil here? Of course not. With the protection of the Holy Spirit removed from Saul, God allowed the evil spirit to “trouble” Saul – perhaps even possess him at times. Keep in mind that even though demons are in rebellion against God, they are still at the whim of God. When Jesus cast them out, they had to leave – they had no choice. When Satan tested Job, he could only do so when God allowed him to – and he couldn’t do any more than what God allowed.

D. Beyond the fact that the distressing spirit came from God, it’s worth noting that God allowed Saul to be distressed. … Sometimes we think that unless we’re happy & peaceful, everything else is brought on from the enemy as an attack. Not necessarily! God allowed Saul to be distressed; this was part of His chastisement upon Saul to bring him to repentance…
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15 And Saul’s servants said to him, “Surely, a distressing spirit from God is troubling you. 16 Let our master now command your servants, who are before you, to seek out a man who is a skillful player on the harp. And it shall be that he will play it with his hand when the distressing spirit from God is upon you, and you shall be well.” 17 So Saul said to his servants, “Provide me now a man who can play well, and bring him to me.” 18 Then one of the servants answered and said, “Look, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the LORD is with him.” 19 Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse, and said, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.” 20 And Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine, and a young goat, and sent them by his son David to Saul.

A. Note even the servants of the king recognized that the distressing spirit had come from God. Saul’s religious hypocrisy was obvious to the people around him & they could tell when the anointing of God had left him.

B. Interesting that before Samuel anointed David, he was just a ruddy kid in the field with the sheep. Now he’s a “mighty man of valor”… Apparently, as young as he was, he had already proved himself in battle (there’ve been several opportunities in 1 Sam so far!). Considering that people in Saul’s court already knew of David’s reputation, it makes Jesse’s dismissal of his son all the more poignant.
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21 So David came to Saul and stood before him. And he loved him greatly, and he became his armorbearer. 22 Then Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Please let David stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight.”

A. It wouldn’t always be like this, but at one point, Saul loved David…
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23 And so it was, whenever the spirit from God was upon Saul, that David would take a harp and play it with his hand. Then Saul would become refreshed and well, and the distressing spirit would depart from him.

A. Under spiritual attack? Spend time in worship!

Conclusion:
We come to God in humble reverence by faith. Everything Saul did in his “religion” was for show. Saul attempted to use the things of God just for his own selfish benefit without regard to the glory of God. That’s not how it was supposed to be…

God calls us by His grace. Before David (or any of his family) even had an inkling that God wanted to use him, God knew He wanted to use David – God already had a plan for him.

How are you coming to God? Are you relying on His grace by faith? … Or have you been trying to fool God into thinking you’re more religious than you are? We have nothing without Jesus Christ – but we have everything in Him! May we be the ones who are done with fake religious stuff & instead be those who worship God in spirit & truth…

Saul’s Lack of Faith

1 Samuel 13-14, “Saul’s Lack of Faith”
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At this point in 1 Samuel, the people have rejected God as King & asked for a king to be like all the other nations surrounding them. They believed that having a human king would make them safer – and they’re going to find out that’s not the case at all. The prophet Samuel has basically stepped down from his duties as being judged & installed Saul (the farmboy from Benjamin) as king. He’s already had his 1st major military victory & all Israel rejoiced.

That was then; this is now. Things have changed in the land – the Philistines have gained control again & kept Israel under its thumb, with Saul’s rule being ignored by many Hebrews. In Ch 13-14, another major battle with the Philistines is going to come – but Saul is going to have bigger problems; and he had no one to blame but himself for his lack of faith.

1 Samuel 13 (NKJV)
1 Saul reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel, 2 Saul chose for himself three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in the mountains of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the people he sent away, every man to his tent.

A. If you’re looking for the biblical record of Saul’s good years, that was it. 2 years with relative peace in the land (there’s some textual debate about how many years are actually referred to). Saul’s record isn’t going to be judged on his military victories, but whether or not he walked by faith & obedience to God.
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3 And Jonathan attacked the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. Then Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear!” 4 Now all Israel heard it said that Saul had attacked a garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel had also become an abomination to the Philistines. And the people were called together to Saul at Gilgal. 5 Then the Philistines gathered together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the seashore in multitude. And they came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of Beth Aven. 6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in danger (for the people were distressed), then the people hid in caves, in thickets, in rocks, in holes, and in pits. 7 And some of the Hebrews crossed over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.

A. This is a grim situation, to be sure. Jonathan had carried out a raid against some Philistine soldiers, and the Philistines responded in all-out war. This wasn’t just a tit-for-tat; they brought out everyone they had & looked to obliterate Israel in a massive show of force.

B. How did the people respond? Understandably, in absolute terror! Fleeing the country – hiding anywhere they could hide… How should they have responded? By hitting their knees & seeking the Lord!
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8 Then he waited seven days, according to the time set by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. 9 So Saul said, “Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me.” And he offered the burnt offering. 10 Now it happened, as soon as he had finished presenting the burnt offering, that Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might greet him. 11 And Samuel said, “What have you done?” Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash, 12 then I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the LORD.’ Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering.”

A. What’s the problem here? Wasn’t Saul trying to do the right thing & seek the Lord in sacrifice? Maybe…but he went about it in the wrong way. Saul didn’t have the authority to present a sacrifice… He was the king; not a priest…
__a. Jesus DOES have the Authority! He is both King & Priest!

B. What could Saul have done? Sought the Lord in prayer… Rallied the people to God… Encourage the people to repent… Those were actions God had equipped and empowered Saul to do. But sacrifice was not Saul’s to make. In essence, Saul bucked the authority of God. Remember – Saul was the king, but the people still were God’s people. God was (is) still the ultimate authority, and Saul was supposed to submit to Him. Saul showed that he was not willing to wait upon the Lord or His timing. The 7th day wasn’t over by the time Saul offered the sacrifice & Samuel had caught him in the act.
__a. Ever find yourself in the same position? You’re waiting upon the Lord & waiting & waiting & it feels like God is never going to act – so you decide to take matters into your own hands. Be careful! There may indeed be something God wants you to do – but it will always be something that glorifies Him & is in line with His word. “But I really need this job – one little white lie won’t make a difference… But my spouse isn’t ever around; I have needs, you know… The company won’t miss this – and I’m desperate for something…” Be careful! What we imagine as God being silent may simply be His encouragement to wait upon Him in faith & walk according to His word & promises…
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13 And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you. For now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.”

A. Saul’s sacrifice was foolish because he did not keep “the commandment of the LORD…” … In the end it demonstrated a fundamental lack of faith in God. The only thing Saul showed that he trusted was his own actions/abilities…he had no faith in the word & promise of God (otherwise he would have obeyed…). Saul’s sacrifice did not please the Lord because it was an unlawful sacrifice done out of obligation; not faith. Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. []
__a. Make no mistake: religious trappings won’t help us please God. Saul’s sacrifice was nothing but religious window-dressing…but as a ritual, it meant nothing. It had to be offered in faith, which means it had to be offered in the way God prescribed. For us, we walk with Jesus by faith (2 Cor 5:7) – not relying on religious “stuff”, but upon the Lord Jesus Himself through the power of the Holy Spirit.

B. What did Saul lose? The kingdom. And not just the kingdom for a time – but for a kingdom that would last forever. “Wait a second. Prophecy makes it perfectly clear that the Messiah King would come from the tribe of Judah (as will David), and Saul comes from the tribe of Benjamin. How could Saul have lost an everlasting kingdom? He never would have gotten it to begin with!” Yes & no. The prophecy is indeed absolutely clear that the Ruler will be the “Lion of the tribe of Judah” (Gen 49:9-10). And yes, God knew in His omniscience that Saul would fail miserably. But that doesn’t mean that God did not legitimately give Saul an opportunity to be a part of all that somehow. It was a real opportunity & it was really lost.
__a. We can’t blame God for our sin. When we sin, the responsibility is completely our own…

C. Who would God replace Saul with? “a man after His own heart…” At first, this is a reference to David…ultimately we can look forward to Jesus Christ. There is no one that knows the heart of God the Father better than God the Son!

D. Notice God had already chosen Saul’s replacement: “the LORD has commanded him…” David may not have yet known of God’s choice, but God did.
__a. God knows what He’s called you to do! Each of us has a calling to serve God in some way. There may be missionaries to Asia here; there may be missionaries to the accounting firm as well. Whatever vocation you have, God desires to use you for His glory – and He knows how He wants to do it.
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15 Then Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people present with him, about six hundred men. 16 Saul, Jonathan his son, and the people present with them remained in Gibeah of Benjamin. But the Philistines encamped in Michmash. 17 Then raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies. One company turned onto the road to Ophrah, to the land of Shual, 18 another company turned to the road to Beth Horon, and another company turned to the road of the border that overlooks the Valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.

A. Not only were they outnumbered; they were surrounded… [MAP]
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19 Now there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make swords or spears.” 20 But all the Israelites would go down to the Philistines to sharpen each man’s plowshare, his mattock, his ax, and his sickle; 21 and the charge for a sharpening was a pim for the plowshares, the mattocks, the forks, and the axes, and to set the points of the goads. 22 So it came about, on the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan. But they were found with Saul and Jonathan his son. 23 And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.

A. Not only were they surrounded; they were outgunned. The Philistines had all the blacksmiths, which meant that there was no armament for the Hebrews…just a few in Saul’s company had weapons.

B. So what can be done? The Hebrews are hopelessly outmanned, outmaneuvered, outgunned – the people were in hiding or fleeing as refugees. Things look pretty grim here; truly impossible odds from man’s point-of-view. Answer? What is impossible for man is possible with God…someone needed to have faith in what God wanted to do. See Ch 14…
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1 Samuel 14 (NKJV)
1 Now it happened one day that Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who bore his armor, “Come, let us go over to the Philistines’ garrison that is on the other side.” But he did not tell his father. 2 And Saul was sitting in the outskirts of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree which is in Migron. The people who were with him were about six hundred men. 3 Ahijah the son of Ahitub, Ichabod’s brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the LORD’s priest in Shiloh, was wearing an ephod. But the people did not know that Jonathan had gone. 4 Between the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistines’ garrison, there was a sharp rock on one side and a sharp rock on the other side. And the name of one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh. 5 The front of one faced northward opposite Michmash, and the other southward opposite Gibeah. 6 Then Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, “Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the LORD will work for us. For nothing restrains the LORD from saving by many or by few.”

A. Amen! This is faith! What the people lacked – what Saul lacked – was demonstrated by Saul’s son Jonathan. God is looking for people to take a step of faith – may we be those people!

B. Was it faith, or wishful thinking? After all, with these odds, was it even possible for God to win the battle? Of course! God spoke the world into existence; none of the Philistines would have been able to breathe that morning if the Lord God hadn’t allowed them to do so. It’s been often said, “One man + God always makes a majority.” Amend a bit: GOD is always a majority! … Nothing is too difficult for the Lord to accomplish! Jeremiah 32:27 “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me? []

C. This is exactly what God promised them that they’d be able to do if Israel kept the covenant: Joshua 23:10-11 (10) One man of you shall chase a thousand, for the Lord your God is He who fights for you, as He promised you. (11) Therefore take careful heed to yourselves, that you love the Lord your God. [] God will always be true to His word. If there’s anything that we can have a firm assurance to place our faith in, it’s the word of God! We can trust it…
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7 So his armorbearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart. Go then; here I am with you, according to your heart.” 8 Then Jonathan said, “Very well, let us cross over to these men, and we will show ourselves to them. 9 If they say thus to us, ‘Wait until we come to you,’ then we will stand still in our place and not go up to them. 10 But if they say thus, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up. For the LORD has delivered them into our hand, and this will be a sign to us.”

A. Notice Jonathan wasn’t the only one who had faith. His unnamed armorbearer took a step of faith because Jonathan did… We may not be able to give someone our faith, but our faith can be contagious. As your co-worker sees you being a living out your faith on the job, it can inspire them to do the same… As one person takes a step of faith in the gifts (at the appropriate time), it can help the person sitting next to you do the same…
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11 So both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. And the Philistines said, “Look, the Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden.” 12 Then the men of the garrison called to Jonathan and his armorbearer, and said, “Come up to us, and we will show you something.” Jonathan said to his armorbearer, “Come up after me, for the LORD has delivered them into the hand of Israel.” 13 And Jonathan climbed up on his hands and knees with his armorbearer after him; and they fell before Jonathan. And as he came after him, his armorbearer killed them. 14 That first slaughter which Jonathan and his armorbearer made was about twenty men within about half an acre of land. 15 And there was trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison and the raiders also trembled; and the earth quaked, so that it was a very great trembling.

A. Not bad! Two men kill 20 Philistines in a small space. The Philistines had tried to taunt them, but Jonathan took that as the sign that God had blessed the battle…

B. Notice what happened as a result of the battle: the entire army trembled with fear. And not just with fear; the entire ground shook as God miraculously “showed” Himself in the midst of the battle.
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16 Now the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and there was the multitude, melting away; and they went here and there. 17 Then Saul said to the people who were with him, “Now call the roll and see who has gone from us.” And when they had called the roll, surprisingly, Jonathan and his armorbearer were not there. 18 And Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the ark of God here” (for at that time the ark of God was with the children of Israel).

A. Saul’s trying to figure out what’s going on here. All the Philistine army was starting to flee, so Saul figures he’d better call roll to see who was missing – turned out to be Jonathan. … Why did he call for the ark? Probably to use as a religious trinket. The last time Israel had taken the ark into battle against the Philistines, it had been captured – but apparently no one learned the lesson, and they were trying to do the same thing again.
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19 Now it happened, while Saul talked to the priest, that the noise which was in the camp of the Philistines continued to increase; so Saul said to the priest, “Withdraw your hand.” [seems that the ark & priest were just there for show] 20 Then Saul and all the people who were with him assembled, and they went to the battle; and indeed every man’s sword was against his neighbor, and there was very great confusion. 21 Moreover the Hebrews who were with the Philistines before that time, who went up with them into the camp from the surrounding country, they also joined the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. 22 Likewise all the men of Israel who had hidden in the mountains of Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines fled, they also followed hard after them in the battle. 23 So the LORD saved Israel that day, and the battle shifted to Beth Aven.

A. While Saul was still trying to figure out what was going on, God was defeating the Philistine enemy by throwing them into such confusion that they started to fight against themselves. Eventually the Israelites understood what was happening, and they joined the fight against the Philistines (as well as some other Hebrew hold-outs).

B. Huge victory from the Lord! Miraculous! … If God is for us, who can be against us?
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24 And the men of Israel were distressed that day, for Saul had placed the people under oath, saying, “Cursed is the man who eats any food until evening, before I have taken vengeance on my enemies.” So none of the people tasted food.

A. Apparently the oath had come earlier, before the victory had been gained. By this point, the men of Israel would have been pretty hungry.

B. Why the oath? Superstition. Fasting in order to seek the Lord was one thing; abstaining from food as a “good luck” charm was something else…
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25 Now all the people of the land came to a forest; and there was honey on the ground. 26 And when the people had come into the woods, there was the honey, dripping; but no one put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath. 27 But Jonathan had not heard his father charge the people with the oath; therefore he stretched out the end of the rod that was in his hand and dipped it in a honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and his countenance brightened. 28 Then one of the people said, “Your father strictly charged the people with an oath, saying, ‘Cursed is the man who eats food this day.’ ” And the people were faint. 29 But Jonathan said, “My father has troubled the land. Look now, how my countenance has brightened because I tasted a little of this honey. 30 How much better if the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies which they found! For now would there not have been a much greater slaughter among the Philistines?”

A. Jonathan hadn’t known about the oath, so he ate a bit of wild honey & was refreshed – which was apparent by his face looking brighter & stronger after eating. … By this point, Jonathan recognized the foolishness of his father. If Saul had simply trusted the Lord to provide & allowed people to eat & conserve their strength, the already massive victory would have been even larger…

B. Two problems with the fast. Problem #1: Saul was attempting to “manipulate” God by imposing a legalistic fast on the people. There was no faith in what he was proposing; there was no proclamation to seek the Lord. The Ninevites (re: Jonah) showed more faith during their fast than what Saul did. All he did was make the people hungry because that was the “strategy” he thought would turn the battle his way.
__a. There are many spiritual practices that are wonderful to participate in! Prayer – fasting – meditation – worship… But they aren’t actions to just try to endure or force. The only way prayer, etc., has any impact is when it is done in faith & sincerity…

C. Problem #2: Saul withheld that which was good in exchange for a cheap pseudo-spiritual substitute. Psalm 119:103 likens the word of God to honey – Proverbs 24:13 compares Godly wisdom to honey. The “honey” was available to the Israelite army, but Saul imposed his own will & legalistic fast upon them. They could have truly sought the Lord with all their heart – they could have “fed” upon the word of God; but Saul held back the best for something cheap & forced.
__a. How many times do we do the same thing? We HAVE what is best! We’ve been saved by the Lord Jesus – we’ve been equipped by the Holy Spirit – we’ve been given the Holy Scriptures… But too often we turn to the cheap substitutes instead. We look for a quick “spiritual fix” rather than eating of the true honey God already provided for us…
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31 Now they had driven back the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. So the people were very faint. 32 And the people rushed on the spoil, and took sheep, oxen, and calves, and slaughtered them on the ground; and the people ate them with the blood. 33 Then they told Saul, saying, “Look, the people are sinning against the LORD by eating with the blood!” So he said, “You have dealt treacherously; roll a large stone to me this day.” 34 Then Saul said, “Disperse yourselves among the people, and say to them, ‘Bring me here every man’s ox and every man’s sheep, slaughter them here, and eat; and do not sin against the LORD by eating with the blood.’ ” So every one of the people brought his ox with him that night, and slaughtered it there. 35 Then Saul built an altar to the LORD. This was the first altar that he built to the LORD.

A. Saul’s foolish vow not only deprived Israel of a greater victory, but it stumbled them into sin. The people were so famished after the battle that they began to eat animals with the blood…

B. At first glance, his response was one of the best things he did all day! Call the people to repentance & built an altar to the Lord… Yet considering all the other times (in one day) Saul has tried to make himself appear “religious” in front of the people, it makes us wonder if he’s not doing the exact same thing here. Like the boy who cried “wolf!” there’s no way of telling when Saul is & isn’t sincere.
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36 Now Saul said, “Let us go down after the Philistines by night, and plunder them until the morning light; and let us not leave a man of them.” And they said, “Do whatever seems good to you.” Then the priest said, “Let us draw near to God here.” 37 So Saul asked counsel of God, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will You deliver them into the hand of Israel?” But He did not answer him that day. 38 And Saul said, “Come over here, all you chiefs of the people, and know and see what this sin was today. 39 For as the LORD lives, who saves Israel, though it be in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die.” But not a man among all the people answered him.

A. What Saul was doing was pretty common. When a king of Israel needed the counsel of the Lord, they’d go to a priest & the priest would inquire of God (usually via the urim & thummim)… But this time, when the priest sought the Lord, God was silent. So Saul started to bring the leaders of the people to the priest in order to narrow down the reason why God wasn’t providing an answer to the priest. Almost prophetically, he mentions Jonathan. Perhaps he already knew what Jonathan had done & was attempting to show himself as the truly “spiritual” leader – avoiding any attempt for the people to raise Jonathan up over himself.
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40 Then he said to all Israel, “You be on one side, and my son Jonathan and I will be on the other side.” And the people said to Saul, “Do what seems good to you.” 41 Therefore Saul said to the LORD God of Israel, “Give a perfect lot.” So Saul and Jonathan were taken, but the people escaped. 42 And Saul said, “Cast lots between my son Jonathan and me.” So Jonathan was taken. 43 Then Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell me what you have done.” And Jonathan told him, and said, “I only tasted a little honey with the end of the rod that was in my hand. So now I must die!” 44 Saul answered, “God do so and more also; for you shall surely die, Jonathan.”

A. Jonathan was chosen as the person who had sinned; Saul condemned him to death…
B. Question: had Jonathon really done anything wrong? Yes & no. Yes – he had unknowingly broken the direct command of the king (who had been placed in authority by God)… No – he hadn’t done anything against the Lord God; in fact he had demonstrated mighty faith in the Lord. Because Jonathan had broken the word of the king, he was rightly chosen by lot; but the problem was that Saul’s judgment was unjust.
__a. We serve a just God! People will always mess up from time to time, but God is always just. We don’t often see justice here on earth, but we will see it in eternity for sure.
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45 But the people said to Saul, “Shall Jonathan die, who has accomplished this great deliverance in Israel? Certainly not! As the LORD lives, not one hair of his head shall fall to the ground, for he has worked with God this day.” So the people rescued Jonathan, and he did not die.

A. Technically, it was God working through the people that rescued Jonathan. Every good & perfect gift comes from God (Jas 1:17)…
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46 Then Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place. 47 So Saul established his sovereignty over Israel, and fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, against the people of Ammon, against Edom, against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines. Wherever he turned, he harassed them. 48 And he gathered an army and attacked the Amalekites, and delivered Israel from the hands of those who plundered them. 49 The sons of Saul were Jonathan, Jishui, and Malchishua. And the names of his two daughters were these: the name of the firstborn Merab, and the name of the younger Michal. 50 The name of Saul’s wife was Ahinoam the daughter of Ahimaaz. And the name of the commander of his army was Abner the son of Ner, Saul’s uncle. 51 Kish was the father of Saul, and Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel. 52 Now there was fierce war with the Philistines all the days of Saul. And when Saul saw any strong man or any valiant man, he took him for himself.

A. The wars & commanders of Saul. He was a strong military commander, but he was a man of very little faith.

Conclusion:
This is the 1st of several failures in Saul’s reign as king…but all of them center around his lack of faith & disregard for the word of God. He tried to put on a show, but in the end it just didn’t work. Why? Religious “stuff” does not impress God; God is pleased by faith alone. Saul tried to impress God by his (unlawful) sacrifices, through religious trinkets, through rash oaths…none of that stuff pleased God. What Saul was missing was faith.

Jonathan, on the other hand, had faith…and what great faith it was! He knew God was in command & that nothing is impossible for Him to accomplish. Facing unbelievable odds, Jonathan would rather have his life hanging in the hands of God than to retreat & do nothing. What a great example of faith!

We may not face Philistine armies, but we have our own battles to face. How are we going to face them? … May we be the ones that take a venture of faith, knowing that Jesus has the ultimate victory & nothing is impossible for Him!

Is there an area where you’ve been hesitating walking in faith? Leave it at the altar tonight…

Wanting What God Wants

1 Samuel 10-12, “Wanting What God Wants”
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Left off with Saul bewildered by all the attention the prophet Samuel was showing him. Saul had been proclaimed to be the desire of all Israel; but he had just come up looking for some donkeys. Samuel is going to make things pretty plain to him here… God’s going to grab hold of Saul’s heart… Israel is going to see what happens when they ask for a king…

1 Samuel 10 (NKJV)
1 Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head, and kissed him and said: “Is it not because the LORD has anointed you commander over His inheritance?

A. Anointing him as king… Back then, they didn’t just dab someone’s forehead; they poured oil right on top of them! Ps 133 speaks of it running off of Aaron’s beard…
__a. Who’s the ultimate anointed one of God? Jesus the Messiah!

B. Did Samuel’s act actually make Saul king? No…God had already anointed Saul to be king; Samuel’s oil was a memorial/demonstration of what had already taken place spiritually (not unlike baptism; though oil is generally a picture of the Holy Spirit). In any case, it was GOD’s anointing & choosing. This wasn’t Samuel’s choice (though Samuel was involved); it wasn’t the people’s choice (though they would receive him later) – it was God’s choice.
__a. Why are we saved? Did we choose or did God choose? Yes.  There’s a bit of mystery involved – but Scripture makes it very clear that we wouldn’t be saved without God’s choice (Eph 1:4), and that we love God because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). This isn’t something that needs a lot of debate & picking sides; this is something over which every single believer can rejoice! If you’ve been born-again, you’ve been chosen by God!! (How do you know if you’ve been chosen? Respond to Jesus in faith…)

C. It was also God’s inheritance! Saul might be their commander, but God is still God. Saul is to be king, but he’s not to be unaccountable – he was to report to God regarding his treatment of God’s people.
__a. There’s a lot of grace in this phrase alone (which we’ll see again) in that the people may have rejected God as King, but He didn’t reject them as His people. God will always keep His covenant promises (even when we fail) – let God be true & every man a liar!
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2 When you have departed from me today, you will find two men by Rachel’s tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say to you, ‘The donkeys which you went to look for have been found. And now your father has ceased caring about the donkeys and is worrying about you, saying, “What shall I do about my son?” ’ 3 Then you shall go on forward from there and come to the terebinth tree of Tabor. There three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine. 4 And they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you shall receive from their hands. 5 After that you shall come to the hill of God where the Philistine garrison is. And it will happen, when you have come there to the city, that you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with a stringed instrument, a tambourine, a flute, and a harp before them; and they will be prophesying. 6 Then the Spirit of the LORD will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man.

A. Instructions/prophecy about what was to take place. Saul’s life was about to change dramatically & Samuel gave him 3 signs as proof. (1) The donkeys would be affirmed to be found. (2) Saul would receive bread & wine originally meant as a gift to the Lord (valuable gift! Reminiscent of communion…) (3) He’d find a group of prophets singing in worship & prophesying…and Saul would join them. For a former farm-boy, these would be pretty big signs! Thus far, Saul’s just had the word of the Samuel (which was valuable enough) – but now he’d receive confirmation in numerous ways.

B. How is it Saul would actually change? By “the Spirit of the LORD…” … … As wonderful as this was for Saul, it wasn’t quite the same thing that happens with NT believers. In the OT, the Spirit came upon people for a time (a short while for empowerment); in the NT we are born of the Spirit when we place our faith in Christ, we are indwelt by Him as our seal/guarantee of salvation – and then on top of that, we have the opportunity to be filled with the Holy Spirit for power. Huge blessings over what was available in the OT. But yet something similar happens when we encounter the Holy Spirit: we’re also “turned into another” man/woman. When we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit at our salvation, we are changed into another person – we’re made new creations! … … When the Holy Spirit comes upon us with power, our Christian walk is fundamentally different… …
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7 And let it be, when these signs come to you, that you do as the occasion demands; for God is with you. 8 You shall go down before me to Gilgal; and surely I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and make sacrifices of peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait, till I come to you and show you what you should do.”

A. IOW, “Don’t be afraid of the work of the Spirit; receive His gifts.” Many people are hesitant to step out in the gifts/leading of the Spirit. “You really want me to talk to THAT person? … You want me to utter what? That doesn’t make sense?! …” We don’t need to fear regarding the works & gifting of the Spirit; instead we ought to receive them with joy!

B. Afterwards, sacrifice & wait.
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9 So it was, when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, that God gave him another heart; and all those signs came to pass that day. 10 When they came there to the hill, there was a group of prophets to meet him; then the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them. 11 And it happened, when all who knew him formerly saw that he indeed prophesied among the prophets, that the people said to one another, “What is this that has come upon the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?” 12 Then a man from there answered and said, “But who is their father?” Therefore it became a proverb: “Is Saul also among the prophets?”

A. Proverb is repeated several times throughout the book. As if the people were continually amazed that God would put someone like Saul among the prophets. Saul wasn’t exactly the most spiritual person around, so people’s skepticism is understandable.

B. Saul definitely had his flaws, but God still chose to use him. Just like we all have our flaws, but God still chooses to use us out of His grace. In His wisdom, God often calls and uses the foolish things for His glory! (1 Cor 1:27-29)
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13 And when he had finished prophesying, he went to the high place. 14 Then Saul’s uncle said to him and his servant, “Where did you go?” So he said, “To look for the donkeys. When we saw that they were nowhere to be found, we went to Samuel.” 15 And Saul’s uncle said, “Tell me, please, what Samuel said to you.” 16 So Saul said to his uncle, “He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found.” But about the matter of the kingdom, he did not tell him what Samuel had said.

A. Saul’s hesitant to tell anyone he was anointed king. Going to be a bit more embarrassing for him later on…
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17 Then Samuel called the people together to the LORD at Mizpah, 18 and said to the children of Israel, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all kingdoms and from those who oppressed you.’ 19 But you have today rejected your God, who Himself saved you from all your adversities and your tribulations; and you have said to Him, ‘No, set a king over us!’ Now therefore, present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and by your clans.”

A. Samuel reminds them that they had rejected the Lord. He had warned them about it back in Ch 8 when they were bellyaching for a king – now that the king had been chosen, there was no going back. Their rejection was complete. After everything God had done for them in purchasing them as His own people, they still weren’t satisfied.
__a. The saddest part? They still don’t even realize their sin – they won’t catch on until much later. They’re so consumed with what they want that they don’t even stop to think about what God would want for them. Thus there’s no sorrow – there’s no repentance – there’s no prayer. Just a bunch of people who claim God to be their God but want to rule over themselves.
__b. This is the opposite of how we ought to be! There’s nothing wrong with having desires & bringing our requests before the Lord (Phil 4:6), but the 1st priority in our prayers always ought to see the Lord’s will done (on earth as it is in heaven)! This is exactly what Jesus modeled for us. He could have chosen the easy route & let us suffer for our own sins – after all, we deserved it. But instead, He submitted Himself to the Father’s will… We ought to do the same!

B. The idea was that each tribe would be presented before God & God would choose the king from among them (probably either by lot or by urim/thummim). Obviously the king had already been chosen; this was the formal ceremony to let the rest of Israel know whom God had picked as their king…
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20 And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was chosen. 21 When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was chosen. And Saul the son of Kish was chosen. But when they sought him, he could not be found. 22 Therefore they inquired of the LORD further, “Has the man come here yet?” And the LORD answered, “There he is, hidden among the equipment.”

A. Saul was going to be the representative from Benjamin, but they couldn’t find him.

B. Even at this point, Saul was in disbelief & running from what God desired for him. He was hiding among the equipment… Some suggest that Saul was hiding out of humility; the context seems to suggest the opposite. To be in the broom closet isn’t an act of humility; it shows a reluctance to obey or even a lack of faith in God’s calling. (Humility would be to not think of himself at all!) Note that Saul is making the same mistake as the people. Instead of submitting to the Lord’s will for his life, he’s trying to be his own king & his own god.
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23 So they ran and brought him from there; and when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. 24 And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom the LORD has chosen, that there is no one like him among all the people?” So all the people shouted and said, “Long live the king!”

A. Even Samuel was looking at the wrong qualifications for the king. They all thought there had to be some sort of external, inherent reason God chose Saul. As if there were something supremely special about Saul, that he was God’s obvious choice for Israel. In reality, the only thing special about Saul was God’s choosing. God was the One who made Saul special; He desired to use Saul for His glory…
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25 Then Samuel explained to the people the behavior of royalty, and wrote it in a book and laid it up before the LORD. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house. 26 And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and valiant men went with him, whose hearts God had touched. 27 But some rebels said, “How can this man save us?” So they despised him, and brought him no presents. But he held his peace.

A. Instructions in formality & etiquette – probably taken from Deut 17:14-20
B. Not everyone was happy about Saul. Keep them in mind for later…
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1 Samuel 11 (NKJV)
1 Then Nahash the Ammonite came up and encamped against Jabesh Gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Make a covenant with us, and we will serve you.” 2 And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, “On this condition I will make a covenant with you, that I may put out all your right eyes, and bring reproach on all Israel.” 3 Then the elders of Jabesh said to him, “Hold off for seven days, that we may send messengers to all the territory of Israel. And then, if there is no one to save us, we will come out to you.”

A. Rather harsh terms for a covenant! Basically a “protection” racket…

B. Jabesh Gilead was apparently pretty weak. They wanted a deliverer, but they didn’t feel they could stand up to Nahash on their own – so they asked for time to find help. BTW, if “Jabesh Gilead” sounds familiar, it’s because this was the one city in Israel that didn’t mobilize against Benjamin when the atrocity happened in Judges 19. They refused to come to the aid of Israel, and in response, Israel took vengeance on the city & stole 400 virgins to give to the men of Benjamin so they wouldn’t die out. (It was a rough time!) It’s no wonder Jabesh Gilead was left in a pretty weak state & they didn’t hold out much hope for a rescue…but it is also ironic that now they are asking for help.
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4 So the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and told the news in the hearing of the people. And all the people lifted up their voices and wept. 5 Now there was Saul, coming behind the herd from the field; and Saul said, “What troubles the people, that they weep?” And they told him the words of the men of Jabesh. 6 Then the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard this news, and his anger was greatly aroused. 7 So he took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, “Whoever does not go out with Saul and Samuel to battle, so it shall be done to his oxen.” And the fear of the LORD fell on the people, and they came out with one consent.

A. This is exactly what Samuel said would happen. The people didn’t have a choice on whether or not to come & fight. Samuel demanded that they join the army, or he’d ransack their livestock & fields…

B. This wasn’t evil on Saul’s part; it was just the way it worked. The governing authorities have been charged by God to bear the sword (Rom 13). … If Saul hadn’t acted, he would have been negligent as king…
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8 When he numbered them in Bezek, the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. 9 And they said to the messengers who came, “Thus you shall say to the men of Jabesh Gilead: ‘Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you shall have help.’ ” Then the messengers came and reported it to the men of Jabesh, and they were glad. 10 Therefore the men of Jabesh said, “Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you may do with us whatever seems good to you.” 11 So it was, on the next day, that Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch, and killed Ammonites until the heat of the day. And it happened that those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.

A. Big victory! Surprise attack by night…somewhat reminiscent of Gideon – with the exception that Gideon had 300 men; Saul had 330,000!

B. Question: how was it possible for Saul to lead such a huge army to victory? After all, he wasn’t a soldier; he was a farm-boy. He couldn’t even find lost donkeys a couple of chapters ago; now he’s leading whole battalions! Answer: the Holy Spirit. Vs. 6 makes it plain that the Spirit again came upon Saul & equipped/empowered Saul for what needed to be done.
__a. What Saul had to wait for, we have available to us every day! Do you need equipping for the spiritual battle you’re facing? Be filled with the Holy Spirit by faith! Do you need power to walk as a witness of Christ? Ask God the Holy Spirit to come upon you! No doubt Saul wished he had the blessings available to NT believers today – don’t take the Holy Spirit for granted!
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12 Then the people said to Samuel, “Who is he who said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Bring the men, that we may put them to death.” 13 But Saul said, “Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today the LORD has accomplished salvation in Israel.”

A. At this point, the people go looking for the ones who were grumbling against Saul & not sending presents to his coronation. To his credit, Saul demonstrates mercy…

B. If Saul did not demonstrate humility earlier, he certainly does here. Saul led the battle, but he understood exactly Who it was that gave the victory: God. “for today the LORD has accomplished salvation.” Every good & perfect gift comes from God (Jas 1:17), and Saul understood the sovereignty of God enough to give Him the glory for what took place on the battlefield.
__a. Virtually impossible to read that phrase without thinking of salvation in NT terms. Saul didn’t know much about that, but we do! At the cross and Resurrection Sunday, it could truly be proclaimed that the LORD had accomplished salvation! The work was done – the price was paid – the enemy defeated! All due to the work of the Lord Jesus – all made available to the world through His grace. Wonderful news!
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14 Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and renew the kingdom there.” 15 So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal. There they made sacrifices of peace offerings before the LORD, and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.

A. Was Saul not officially king before this point? Yes he was; the anointing by Samuel & the choosing by lot in front of the whole nation accomplished that. This was a different ceremony in the eyes of the people. Before, God had shown them who He had picked as king; here (after seeing Saul in action), the people acknowledged what God had done & now no one rebelled or rejected him.
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1 Samuel 12 (NKJV)
1 Now Samuel said to all Israel: “Indeed I have heeded your voice in all that you said to me, and have made a king over you. 2 And now here is the king, walking before you; and I am old and grayheaded, and look, my sons are with you. I have walked before you from my childhood to this day. 3 Here I am. Witness against me before the LORD and before His anointed: Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed, or from whose hand have I received any bribe with which to blind my eyes? I will restore it to you.” 4 And they said, “You have not cheated us or oppressed us, nor have you taken anything from any man’s hand.” 5 Then he said to them, “The LORD is witness against you, and His anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand.” And they answered, “He is witness.”

A. This was basically Samuel’s goodbye speech. He wasn’t completely leaving the scene (as we’ll see with David), but as judge over all Israel, he was being relieved of his administrative duties which now belonged to the king.

B. Begins by demonstrating his integrity. Samuel’s sons may have cheated the people, but Samuel never did. It was common for governors to live off the backs of the people, but Samuel was able to honestly proclaim (and have the people affirm) that he never did anything scandalous or that required rebuke…and he was perfectly willing to make restitution if someone had said something. How wonderful it would be to share a similar testimony! Christians ought to live lives of integrity…
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6 Then Samuel said to the people, “It is the LORD who raised up Moses and Aaron, and who brought your fathers up from the land of Egypt. 7 Now therefore, stand still, that I may reason with you before the LORD concerning all the righteous acts of the LORD which He did to you and your fathers: 8 When Jacob had gone into Egypt, and your fathers cried out to the LORD, then the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt and made them dwell in this place.

A. Going to go through a bit of history. They’ve rejected God, but Samuel is pointing out that God never rejected them – even when He had every reason in the world to do so…

B. God had demonstrated His compassion towards His rebellious people over & over again in the wilderness… And when they actually got to the Promised Land, it wasn’t much better. See vs. 9…
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9 And when they forgot the LORD their God, He sold them into the hand of Sisera, commander of the army of Hazor, into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab; and they fought against them. 10 Then they cried out to the LORD, and said, ‘We have sinned, because we have forsaken the LORD and served the Baals and Ashtoreths; but now deliver us from the hand of our enemies, and we will serve You.’ 11 And the LORD sent Jerubbaal, Bedan, Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side; and you dwelt in safety.

A. Referring to the time of the judges. Cycle of idolatry, apostasy, repentance, and deliverance…

B. Over & over again God provided for His people & gave judges. Even when they weren’t perfect, they still were sent by God who watched over His people…
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12 And when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites came against you, you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ when the LORD your God was your king. 13 “Now therefore, here is the king whom you have chosen and whom you have desired. And take note, the LORD has set a king over you.

A. Here it is: GOD was their King! And they rejected Him. Can’t get much plainer…
B. Even in the midst of this new rebellion, God still provided for them. He gave them what they wanted…
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14 If you fear the LORD and serve Him and obey His voice, and do not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then both you and the king who reigns over you will continue following the LORD your God. 15 However, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then the hand of the LORD will be against you, as it was against your fathers.

A. So what to do with this new king & this situation with God? Remember God is God!
__a. Fear God: reverence Him – give Him the respect and honor He deserves. Even with a man as king, God is still GOD & nothing would ever change that!
__b. Serve Him: Continue to worship God alone as God; don’t go running into idolatry. Serve the Lord God and none other.
__c. Obey Him: Hearken to the voice & word of God. Obey His commandment – be holy as He is holy.
__d. The result? They’ll be blessed. They’d follow the Lord & they’d have good kings that would follow the Lord. Considering the situation, that’d be the ideal solution.

B. What not to do? Disobey… The result? God would be against His own people in discipline, using the kings of Israel themselves to bring hardship upon the people.

C. Bottom line, they were to seek after God with their whole hearts & follow Him. Historically, it’s not what they did…
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16 “Now therefore, stand and see this great thing which the LORD will do before your eyes: 17 Is today not the wheat harvest? I will call to the LORD, and He will send thunder and rain, that you may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking a king for yourselves.” 18 So Samuel called to the LORD, and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day; and all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel.

A. You bet they feared! Samuel basically said, “If you want proof you made God angry, let it rain.” And it rained! Keep in mind this was in the middle of one of their dry seasons, and it rained upon Samuel’s prayer with thunder & lightning.
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19 And all the people said to Samuel, “Pray for your servants to the LORD your God, that we may not die; for we have added to all our sins the evil of asking a king for ourselves.” 20 Then Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You have done all this wickedness; yet do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. 21 And do not turn aside; for then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing.

A. Pray for us that we may not die. Good prayer request! They were deserving of death…they had committed treason against God Almighty. And after all the appeals from Samuel, they just NOW realized it.

B. The dilemma is a real one: once we realize we’ve royally messed up & we’re in a bad spot, what do we do regarding God? On one hand, it’d make logical sense to try to run away from Him (and a lot of people do), in order to try to avoid being condemned when facing Him. The problem? There’s no place to hide from an omnipresent God. Instead of hiding from God, they were to repent & seek His face & forgiveness – they were to fear God & serve Him.
__1. Likewise for us! It’s not like if we pretend God doesn’t exist that’ll He’ll disappear. We WILL see God face to face. The answer isn’t to keep running away from God; it’s to seek Him in repentance through Jesus Christ!
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22 For the LORD will not forsake His people, for His great name’s sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you His people.

A. What a picture of grace! No matter how bad the people of God had messed up & sinned against God, they were still God’s people. He wasn’t going to forsake them. … We have that same promise as the NT church! We are the people of God – and Jesus has promised never to leave us nor forsake us. Even when we sin & mess up, we are still the people of God; Jesus’ forgiveness is available for the asking…
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23 Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you; but I will teach you the good and the right way. 24 Only fear the LORD, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you. 25 But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king.”

A. Samuel couldn’t help but pray for the people; that’s what God called him to do…
B. Reiterates the need to fear God & serve the Lord in truth…

Conclusion:
Interesting turn of events. Saul is chosen as king – Saul is filled with the Holy Spirit & does what a king is supposed to do – and then the people realize they should never have asked for Saul in the 1st place. At this point, it was too late to go back (Samuel had warned them), but it wasn’t too late to go forward. They could seek God’s face and continue to worship Him. But of course they could have avoided this altogether by seeking the Lord 1st.

Do we want God’s will for our life, or do we want God to bless our will for our lives? Seek 1st the kingdom of God & His righteousness, and then trust God’s promise that He’ll provide the rest! Walk in the power of the Holy Spirit – be led and guided by Him in all that you do…

Whatever we’ve done in the past, as long as we have breath we’ve been given another opportunity to seek the Lord! We can’t turn back the clock, but we can repent from our sin & trust & fear the Lord…