Participants: Pr. Doug Batchelor
Series Code: EG
Program Code: EG021709A
|
00:15 We're continuing now
00:17 with a series that we started 00:19 we're committed to go through it 00:22 dealing with the subject 00:23 of one of the great heroes in the Bible, David. 00:27 Today's subject is going to be dealing 00:29 more specifically with lessons for about vengeance and mercy. 00:34 A lot of the successful Hollywood films 00:41 are guilty of plagiarism. 00:44 Some of the best stories 00:46 that have been taken and put into movie form 00:48 and even throughout history 00:50 have plagiarized from the Bible. 00:54 And one example of an ancient story 00:57 that really draws itself from a story in the Bible, 01:01 how many of you have heard about 01:03 Robin Hood and His Merry Men? 01:07 I heard one pastor say, 01:08 this section of the Bible ought to be called David Hood, 01:13 because it describes a time in David's life 01:18 where like the fabled English character. 01:23 And by the way, I've been to Nottingham 01:25 and they've got this statue there of Robin Hood 01:29 and it goes back in English literature 01:32 to about 1100-1200 AD. 01:35 And most have thought that whoever the authors were 01:38 sort of were drawing from a very real hero in the Bible. 01:42 You get this fellow who is sort of on the outs with the king. 01:45 And he and his merry men, they live in the woods, 01:50 and he's got an associate that is a priest 01:53 as if sometimes go Friar Tuck or Father John. 01:56 And there's a beautiful maiden involved 01:59 and someone is wrongfully on the throne 02:03 and just I wonder the stories that you get there 02:06 all really happened 02:08 during the time we're gonna look at today 02:10 in the life of David. 02:11 And so you see if you don't recognize 02:14 and kind of smile 02:16 at some of the similarities as we go on. 02:18 Where we left our story of David before, 02:20 we were in 1 Samuel 22. 02:23 Now our mission today by God's grace, 02:25 we're going to be covering the experience of David 02:28 from 1 Samuel 22 through 26, 02:31 we'll probably skip over 25, 02:34 chapter 25 talking about Nabal and Abigail, 02:38 and we'll come back to that another time separately. 02:42 But David was in the cave of Adullam 02:44 and he has reached the bottom, 02:46 he's, you know, by himself 02:47 and he's run, he's lost his friend, 02:50 he's had to run from the church, 02:52 he's run from his job, 02:54 it seems like he's lost everything, 02:56 he's lost his family, 02:57 and he's in this hole in the ground. 03:00 And, you know, here he's thinking, 03:01 "Lord, you said I was gonna be king. 03:03 What's with this? 03:04 I mean, what's taking you so long?" 03:07 Have you ever wondered, 03:08 Joseph probably went through similar experiences, 03:11 had these visions of grandeur, 03:13 quite literally Joseph had dreams of greatness 03:16 and he ends up in a dungeon. 03:18 And he ends up in a hole in the ground, 03:20 he's thinking, "What's going on?" 03:23 Well, you know, Lord has big plans for you 03:25 because He plans for you to be in heaven, 03:26 that's a big plan. 03:28 But you might be wondering what's happening along the way, 03:32 but God is working out His will along the way. 03:36 So while David is there, 03:38 actually read in verse 1, it says, 03:40 "David departed, he escaped to the cave of Adullam." 03:43 David was an escape artist, 03:44 you see over and over he escapes. 03:46 So when his brothers 03:47 and all his father's house heard it, 03:49 they went down to him there. 03:51 Now one reason that his family probably joined him 03:54 is because Saul has now stopped hiding 03:59 that he wants to get rid of David, 04:01 and he may try to get rid of David 04:03 by getting his family 04:04 and holding them hostage or doing them some harm. 04:07 And they realize they need to flee Bethlehem 04:09 and so his family comes to him. 04:11 And they're actually in this cave 04:12 that is kind of southwest of Bethlehem. 04:16 And then you read in verse 2. 04:18 "And everybody who is in distress, 04:21 and everyone who is in debt, 04:23 and everyone who is discontented gathered to him. 04:28 So he became captain over them. 04:30 And there were about 400 men," 04:31 now, that number grows overtime 04:33 but it starts up and ends up being about 400. 04:35 I don't know about you, 04:36 but I don't know if I would run for office 04:39 to be the captain of people in debt, 04:42 and distress, and discontent, 04:47 sort of like being a pastor. 04:53 You know, you read in Hebrews 11:38 04:55 speaking of the faithful. 04:57 "And so the world was not worthy of them. 04:59 They wandered in deserts, and mountains, 05:01 and dens, and caves of the earth." 05:04 And you can't help but wonder 05:05 when Paul wrote those words in Hebrews, 05:07 he was thinking very much about this experience 05:10 of David and his men 05:11 who were wandering from place to place 05:13 in the remote mountains, 05:15 in dens and caves of the earth. 05:17 Now the Cave of Adullam, 05:18 I showed you a picture of it a minute ago 05:20 was a much bigger at one time they know 05:22 or they suspect strongly they know where it is, 05:25 but it's in that territory, 05:26 that's in the land of Judah 05:28 or what would be the place of Judah. 05:30 And it was a... 05:33 At once a big more cavernous place 05:34 that's caved in over the millennia 3000 years ago, 05:37 keep in mind. 05:38 But he had his mighty men, 05:41 this was the beginning of them 05:43 but they were a pretty rough bunch. 05:46 Now it's interesting 05:47 that this group begins to be attracted 05:50 and you might wonder how did they know where he was? 05:52 How come Saul who is trying to kill him, 05:53 he can't find him 05:54 but everybody else can find him. 05:57 The internet? 05:58 No, we don't know. 06:00 They weren't tweeting, you know, where I'm at. 06:03 So there was this underground way 06:06 they had to communicate with each other 06:07 and so I know where David is. 06:09 And gradually these people, word got out, 06:11 and they found out where he was, 06:12 his family manages to find him but he's supposed to be hiding, 06:14 everyone seems to know where his hiding place is 06:17 down in this cave except Saul. 06:19 Probably, it wouldn't hurt to mention at this point. 06:23 A lot of those who gather to David, not all, 06:24 were from the tribe of Judah. 06:27 And David is actually going further from Benjamin 06:30 more towards the territory of Judah. 06:33 You saw some of this happening in Iraq 06:36 during the first Gulf War 06:38 where those who were part of the tribe of Saddam Hussein 06:41 were very loyal to him and they hid him 06:43 and they didn't, never did tell where he was hidden 06:46 because they were part of his tribe 06:48 and there was a real loyalty there. 06:50 But there between the Sunni and the Shias, 06:52 there is a lot of animosity 06:54 and the different tribes and clans 06:55 and the people of Judah were very loyal to David, 07:00 whereas the other 11 tribes 07:02 they did not care quite as much. 07:05 But God just absolutely reaches down 07:10 to the dregs of society 07:12 and he gets what you would call 07:14 the, just the off scouring of society. 07:17 And he brings them together 07:19 and David tries to settle their disputes 07:21 and get all these guys to work together and to... 07:24 Now, some of them were in debt because back in Bible times, 07:29 you could actually indenture yourself 07:31 to borrow money. 07:33 The economy was so bad during the reign of Saul, 07:35 he wasn't doing what he was supposed to do, 07:37 and interest rates were up, 07:40 people would borrow money 07:41 and if you couldn't pay it back, 07:42 they would enslave you or sell you. 07:45 So it wasn't just that they were filing bankruptcy 07:47 and running to David. 07:49 These are people who were at risk 07:50 or they were runaway slaves. 07:53 And because of the oppression during the times of Saul, 07:55 Saul, you notice, 07:57 you read in these passages 07:58 where he was just seizing people's land 08:01 and giving it to others. 08:03 And he said to those, if you tell me where David is, 08:05 I'll give you houses and lands and vineyards. 08:08 And what do you think, he got them? 08:09 He would just annex them. 08:11 And Samuel foretold, he said, 08:13 you're gonna pick a king and you're gonna be sorry 08:14 'cause he's going to take 08:15 the best of everything you've got, 08:17 so he's gonna take it. 08:18 And so these were people 08:20 who were also an oppressed people 08:22 and they came to David. 08:23 But, you know, he managed to weld them together 08:26 and this group, this ragtag group, 08:31 this motley crew, 08:33 they end up becoming the leaders 08:35 in the greatest kingdom in the world. 08:38 And it makes me think of Jesus who gathered around Him, 08:43 publicans, and prostitutes, and cursing fishermen, 08:47 and smelling shepherds, 08:50 but he brings them together 08:52 and he forges them into the apostles 08:55 and the world is transformed by this group. 08:58 The apostles were Jesus' mighty men. 09:01 And if you will, David gathers this group 09:04 and does the same thing for them. 09:06 So while they're there in the cave, 09:09 you know, David writes in Psalm 94:22, 09:13 "But the Lord has been my defense, 09:15 and my God the rock of my refuge." 09:17 You'll be surprised how many times in the Psalms 09:20 during these times when he's fleeing, 09:21 he writes about God being his refuge 09:24 in the rocks and the mountains 09:25 and God as his fortress. 09:28 Where eventually, 09:29 you know, you can't hide 400 people for long. 09:31 Word reaches King Saul where he is 09:34 and the Prophet Gad, you read in 1 Samuel 22:5, 09:37 "Now the prophet Gad says to David..." 09:39 This is the first time Gad appears in the Bible. 09:42 "Do not stay in the stronghold..." 09:44 These are rugged mountains where the Cave of Adullam was. 09:47 "Depart, and go to the land of Judah. 09:50 So David departed and he went into the forest 09:52 there at Hereth." 09:55 Now this is the first mention of Gad, 09:57 Gad ends up being 09:58 so, you know, as David's got a prophet with him. 10:01 He's got some mighty men, 10:03 he's got some of his family 10:04 and they end up becoming officers for him. 10:08 Gad was probably one of the sons of the prophets. 10:11 Samuel is now very old. 10:14 Samuel sends him with a word from the Lord and he says, 10:18 "Do not stay here 10:19 because you're going to be found here, 10:20 I'm gonna tell you where you need to go." 10:22 And he says, "You're supposed to flee 10:23 into the land of Judah 10:25 to the forests, get out of the mountains," 10:27 and so he does that. 10:28 Well, in the meantime 10:29 if you read later on in this chapter, 10:31 you go to chapter, 1 Samuel 22:17, 10:37 Saul has an assembly, 10:39 a courtiers, has a court, 10:42 and he's sitting there with a spear in his hand. 10:44 He says, how is it that there's a traitor among you? 10:48 Don't you know that David is lying in wait to kill me? 10:51 Now was that true? 10:52 No. 10:53 And he says, my son is in league 10:55 with the son of Jesse. 10:56 I can't trust my own son, 10:58 doesn't any of you feel sorry for me 11:00 that you don't tell me where he is 11:02 because he's out there and people are running to him, 11:05 and none of the Saul's cabin would say anything, 11:08 but finally someone by the name of Doeg the Edomite. 11:13 I don't know if you remember in our last session, 11:15 when we talked about David had to go to the priest, 11:18 and there in the house of the Lord 11:19 they gave him a sword and bread, 11:22 and Ahimelech the priest didn't know what's going on. 11:25 David said, I'm on the king's business 11:26 but someone there was detained 11:29 for being suspected of being unclean. 11:31 It's very interesting, Doeg the Edomite. 11:34 And according to the Levitical law, 11:35 if you touch the dead body or something, 11:36 you were unclean for a period of time 11:38 until you wash. 11:39 So he was going through a time of separation of uncleanness 11:44 which is an interesting point. 11:46 And he saw David talking with a priest, 11:49 maybe he didn't understand the context of it, 11:52 but finally Doeg who is in charge of King Saul's herds, 11:56 he said, I'll tell you, I know about David. 11:59 I don't know where he is 12:00 but I know that he stopped and he saw a Ahimelech 12:02 and he gave him food and a sword. 12:05 Oh, Saul now was so outraged by that 12:09 that he does the unthinkable. 12:11 You can read in 1 Samuel 22:17, 12:15 "Then the king said to the guards 12:17 who stood about him, 12:18 'Turn and killed the priest of the Lord, 12:21 because their hand is also with David,'" 12:23 There's a conspiracy between David and the church. 12:26 "And because they knew when he fled 12:27 and they didn't tell me. 12:29 But the servants of the king would not lift their hand 12:33 to strike the priests of the Lord." 12:35 Very rarely in the Bible, 12:37 you hear of soldiers disobeying a direct order. 12:41 But when it came to my king and my God, 12:46 they said, God comes first. 12:48 We are not going to just slaughter the priests, 12:51 they were already very suspicious 12:53 because Saul was having these fits of possession 12:56 with evil spirits 12:57 and now he says kill all the priests, 12:59 and they wouldn't do it. 13:01 Now, none of them was tried for treason 13:03 and said the king, said, 13:04 I'm going to look around if I'll find somebody 13:07 and because the king had earlier promised rewards, 13:10 then the king turns to Doeg, 13:12 he says, you turn and you kill the priest. 13:14 And Doeg had some servants that worked with him 13:16 that took care of the king's flocks. 13:18 So Doeg the Edomite, he didn't mind. 13:21 "He turned and he struck the priest, 13:23 and he killed that day 85 men who wore a linen ephod. 13:28 Also in Nob, the city of the priests," 13:30 he struck there, 13:31 not only killed the priests all but one, 13:35 "they struck with the edge of the sword, 13:37 both men and women, children and nursing infants, 13:40 oxen and donkey and sheep." 13:42 If Saul had only been so faithful with the Amalekites 13:45 as Doeg was with the priests and their family 13:49 but basically he sends his soldiers 13:51 through their town, 13:52 not only does he kill the priest, 13:53 he goes through the town 13:54 and he exterminates all of the priest's family 13:59 except one who manages to escape 14:02 by the name of Abiathar. 14:05 Now, his name is gonna come up again in the next section. 14:07 But now you can see the depths of what happens 14:11 when Saul begins to grieve away the Holy Spirit, 14:15 he actually turns against the Lord, 14:17 he turns against those who are loyal to God, 14:19 he hates everybody that loves David 14:22 to the point of being murderous. 14:24 Priest hadn't done anything wrong, 14:26 doesn't even try them 14:27 without any trial, without any investigation, 14:30 he has them exterminated. 14:31 It's pretty brutal. 14:33 So now David, and now Abiathar flees. 14:37 And you can read in 1 Samuel 23:6, 14:40 that "When Abiathar, 14:42 the one son who ended up fleeing 14:44 one of the priests. 14:47 He fled from the house of Ahimelech, 14:49 he came to David who is at Keilah, 14:51 and he went down with an ephod in his hand." 14:54 And make a note of that. 14:56 When the priests are being slaughtered, he escapes, 14:58 he goes into the temple of the house of the Lord, 15:01 he doesn't know what's going to happen to the ark, 15:02 he can't take the ark, he can't take the candlestick, 15:04 he can't take the shewbread, but he thought, 15:06 I'm gonna take the priest's vestments. 15:09 Now, you remember the high priest wore 15:11 a very special garment, 15:13 and on that garment was an ephod 15:16 but it wasn't like the regular linen ephod 15:18 worn by the priests, 15:19 later David dances before the Lord 15:21 and then ephod just means a linen, 15:23 a simple linen garment. 15:24 The priest wore this elaborate dress 15:26 and why don't we put that up on the screen here. 15:29 So that's the ephod. 15:31 Abiathar grabs the golden breastplate 15:33 with the 12 stones. 15:35 On the shoulder, it had a stone on each side 15:37 and there is some, it was an opal 15:39 but they had two different color opals 15:41 and some say, they're green and red, 15:44 like stop lights 15:45 because this is gonna come up in the story. 15:47 So you need to know this is what he took, 15:49 he took the priest's vestments with him. 15:51 Abiathar as the only survivor 15:53 ends up becoming the high priest. 15:56 So now David's got a prophet, 15:58 David's got a priest and he got an army. 16:02 It's starting to look like a kingdom is developing. 16:05 He's got the only surviving relative 16:07 there of the priesthood that comes. 16:09 So while David is hiding out in the forest 16:13 they get word that the people of Keilah, 16:18 that's a village that's right on the borders 16:20 with the Philistines, 16:21 you know, someone, 16:22 if you were gonna live back in those days, 16:23 don't live right on the border of Israel. 16:26 If you live close to the Moabites, 16:27 you're the first they attack, 16:28 you live close to the Assyrians up north, 16:31 first they attack, 16:32 you don't want to be deep into the land of Israel 16:34 where the people of Keilah 16:36 were in the very southern territory of Judah 16:38 right on the borders of Philistine. 16:40 And when it came time to harvest, 16:41 they were the first ones that were attacked, 16:43 and then the Philistines 16:44 were robbing their threshing floors, 16:46 and the people of Keilah heard that David had a guard 16:49 and he used to be a captain. 16:50 Remember, he used to go out and lead the people. 16:52 They said, come save us from the Philistines. 16:55 So David says, Lord, what shall I do, 16:57 shall I go, fight against the Philistines? 17:00 And the Lord says, go 17:01 and his soldiers say, what are you kidding, 17:04 we're running for our lives from Saul and his soldiers, 17:07 now we're gonna go fight the whole Philistine army? 17:09 So David says, I need to be sure. 17:11 So David says to Abiathar, look, you've got the ephod, 17:15 you've got the Urim and the Thummim. 17:17 Inquire you're a priest, even though he was young, 17:20 says, you're the only priest left. 17:21 He says, you inquire of the Lord, 17:23 ask, shall we go fight the Philistines in Keilah? 17:27 And he prays and they've got the ephod there, 17:29 I don't know if he put it on 17:30 or if they had it in front of them 17:31 but now this is not in the Bible. 17:32 But the understanding from Jewish tradition 17:34 is that one of the stones on one shoulder, 17:38 the Urim and the Thummim, 17:39 one meant yes or it was correct, 17:42 and the other one meant no or incorrect. 17:45 And it would glow somehow 17:47 or there would be some sound emanating from it, 17:49 some signal came from it, 17:51 and it was some oracle they would consult 17:53 and not to be confused with the Oracle of Delphi, 17:56 but in the classical sense, it would give them guidance 17:59 and we don't know how it happened 18:00 but he consoled that they prayed 18:02 and the right shoulder glowed 18:05 and that meant I will be with you, go. 18:08 And so he went down 18:10 and they fought against the Philistines. 18:12 And it says, David struck them with a mighty blow, 18:15 not only did they defeat the Philistines 18:17 who were robbing the threshing floors of Keilah, 18:20 but then they robbed the coasts of the Philistines. 18:22 And David and his men, 18:24 you know, it's hard to feed an army. 18:25 See, he had 400 people, that's a lot of food. 18:28 Ever have someone come over for dinner 18:30 and bring 400 people? 18:31 They all show up to David, 18:33 said, we're with you David, got anything to eat? 18:35 And he's got no food 18:36 and so they rob the threshing floors of the Philistines, 18:41 they recover everything 18:42 and so now they got a little bit of food 18:43 and they also got some livestock. 18:46 But eventually word reaches King Saul 18:48 that David is now in a city 18:51 with gates and bars 18:52 and Saul said, Keilah is up on a hill, 18:55 it's in a city with gates and bars 18:56 we will surround them, we will the besiege them, 18:58 we will starve them out, 18:59 I've got them now, 19:01 he will not survive. 19:03 And so David begins to worry, he hears 19:06 and probably Jonathan is sending messages to David 19:10 because Jonathan knows what's going on. 19:12 It's hard for King Saul 19:13 to get an army together to attack David, 19:15 he can't assemble an army secretly very well. 19:19 And so he gets word that Saul is gonna come down, 19:21 so David's got to decide, 19:23 do I go from here or do I stay in the city? 19:26 And that goes to 1 Samuel 23:11. 19:30 David prays and he says to Lord, 19:31 "Will the men of Keilah 19:33 deliver me into the hand of Saul? 19:36 Will Saul come down, as Your servant is heard? 19:38 O Lord God of Israel, I pray, tell Your servant..." 19:41 And the Lord said, and He's telling him this 19:44 through the ephod, "He will come down." 19:47 Saul is coming. 19:48 "And David said, 'Will the men of Keilah 19:50 deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul?' 19:53 And the Lord said, 'They will, 19:55 they'll turn you over.'" 19:57 So here is the city that just said 19:58 please come save us. 20:00 David comes and he saves us. 20:02 And then God says, yeah, they're gonna turn on you 20:05 in a heartbeat 20:06 when Saul comes down. 20:08 Kind of makes you think about when the people said 20:13 Hosanna to the son of David 20:15 as Jesus comes in 20:17 and Jesus feeds them with bread, 20:19 and then they turn on a dime and they say, 20:23 "Crucify Him, crucify Him." 20:25 Now, people can be very fickle. 20:27 So the people of Keilah were ready just to turn, 20:30 God said to him, you better get out of here. 20:32 And so, you know, David has really nowhere to lay his head. 20:36 And there's a psalm that is written about 20:38 what happens when David fled 20:40 from the people of Keilah also. 20:44 Finally, he goes back to the woods 20:46 and now we're in 1 Samuel 23. 20:50 "And Jonathan, Saul's son, arose 20:53 and went to David in the woods 20:55 and strengthened his hand in God." 20:58 Now, if you've got a friend like that, 20:59 you're in good shape. 21:01 If you got a friend 21:02 that when you're going through trial 21:03 will come and strengthen you, 21:05 not just encourage you 21:06 but to strengthen your hand in God. 21:09 Now think about what kind of man it took to do that. 21:13 Jonathan knows that David has been anointed 21:16 at this point to be the next king. 21:20 Jonathon's a crown prince 21:22 but he said, you know, I want whatever God wants, 21:25 even if it means that I do not get the throne 21:28 and you get the throne, 21:30 that's a remarkable friend. 21:32 And he said not only that, 21:33 I'm gonna not only endure that you get promoted 21:37 and I don't. 21:38 I'm gonna encourage you 21:40 in what God has called you to do, 21:42 'cause I know you're going through a hard time. 21:44 That's a pretty selfless person. 21:46 Well, I can't wait to meet Jonathan in heaven. 21:48 He was really something. 21:50 Now that man who went into battle 21:51 with his armor bearer and said, 21:53 there is no restraint with the Lord 21:54 to deliver by few or many, 21:56 and he goes and he takes on the Philistine army. 21:58 Jonathan inspired David 22:00 and then Jonathan, he's so generous with David. 22:03 And anyway... 22:06 Oh, by the way, you know, Robin Hood was a good archer. 22:12 You know, David was an archer too, 22:13 David was not just good with a sling 22:17 and good with a sword, 22:18 we know he had the sword of Goliath 22:20 but you remember when Jonathan gave him his bow 22:24 so David knew how to use a bow... 22:26 I'm not trying to make too much out of the Robin Hood things, 22:28 I just remember Jonathan gave him his bow too, 22:30 people often, you never see David with a bow, 22:33 but you do see him with the sword 22:34 and with the sling. 22:37 Anyway, so he has to flea, 22:39 Jonathan comes to encourage him. 22:42 And he goes on, listen to what he says, 22:43 I'm again in verse 16 of chapter 23, 1 Samuel 23, 22:48 "He said to him, 'Don't fear, 22:50 the hand of Saul, my father, will not find you. 22:53 You will be king over Israel, and I will be next to you."' 22:56 He said, I have no problem being second. 22:59 "Even my father Saul knows that." 23:01 Saul knows now that you've been anointed. 23:03 "So the two of them made a covenant before the Lord." 23:05 This is the third time now 23:07 you'll find David and Jonathan making a covenant, 23:10 and David did not forget their covenant. 23:12 "And David stayed in the woods, 23:15 and Jonathan went back to his house to the palace." 23:18 That our Jesus come and make a covenant with us. 23:21 He left us in this world and He went back to the palace, 23:24 heavenly kingdom. 23:25 Someone said, "A friend is someone 23:27 with whom you may think out loud." 23:30 And then someone else wrote, 23:31 "A friend is someone who comes in 23:32 when the whole world goes out." 23:35 Jonathan came to David to encourage him 23:37 and in the Lord 23:39 and Jesus is our friend like that. 23:41 Now David has a narrow escape. 23:44 Saul hears where he is in the woods. 23:47 And so he gets his soldiers together 23:50 and he gets 3,000 men. 23:52 Matter of fact you'll see three times in the Bible, 23:54 Saul gets 3,000 men together, 23:56 gets 3,000 men together, 23:57 that was, I guess the perfect number for him. 23:59 And he hears David is in this hill, in the woods 24:03 and Saul goes down to encircle him. 24:05 I'm in 1 Samuel 23:26, 24:09 "And Saul went on one side of the mountain, 24:11 and David and his men were on the other side of the mountain. 24:14 So David made haste to get away 24:15 because Saul and his men were encircling them." 24:18 They were closing them off 24:19 and there would be no way of escape 24:20 and it looked like he was stuck, 24:22 he couldn't get his men out in time. 24:24 But don't you like that 24:26 that when it looks like there's no way out, 24:29 God had said, look, David, I've chosen you, 24:31 I might save you by the skin of the teeth, 24:33 but I'm gonna save you. 24:34 You don't have to worry, 24:35 I know it's gonna be tough but I'll be with you. 24:38 It says, "But right at that moment 24:40 when Saul finally felt I've got him trapped, 24:42 I've got him closed in, 24:43 I got 3,000 men to his 400 men. 24:46 You still wonder who would have won in that battle. 24:48 "A messenger came to Saul, saying, 'Hurry and come, 24:52 for the Philistines have invaded the land!'" 24:56 That must have been a tough decision for Saul. 24:58 He was so bent on getting David 25:00 that even though here he is king 25:02 and his kingdom is being invaded by the enemy, 25:04 because he's so preoccupied with the battle 25:06 God never taught him to fight. 25:09 Now you wonder how many times we get engaged fighting wars 25:14 God didn't tell us to fight, 25:17 and in the meantime we're not doing the job 25:18 we're supposed to do. 25:21 That a messenger comes right at that crucial moment 25:24 and says, "Come quick, drop everything, 25:26 the Philistines are invading the land." 25:29 And if the people can't turn to the king, 25:30 who do they turn to. 25:31 So Saul is going, "We got him closed off." 25:34 And his men are going, 25:35 "Your majesty, our families, our possessions 25:37 that Philippi enemies getting them. 25:39 But I want David, you've got to leave, 25:42 and he had to go away. 25:44 And I probably think that it was a struggle for Saul, 25:46 he thought I've got him now finally. 25:48 He didn't want the kingdom to go to David. 25:51 So, you know, the Bible says 25:54 therefore Saul retuned from pursuing David 25:57 and he went against the Philistines, 26:00 so they called that place the rock of escape. 26:04 You know, when you study history, 26:05 there are several times in history 26:07 where God has delivered 26:08 God's people with a similar scenario, 26:10 during the Great Reformation 26:13 at one point 26:15 when the Reformation was spreading 26:19 and God's work was happening, 26:21 the pope wanted to attack believers, 26:24 Hussites and Waldenses. 26:28 But two people were claiming to be the pope, 26:29 and the popes became so involved 26:31 in fighting each other 26:33 that the church was able to grow. 26:35 Another time when the pope was getting ready 26:37 to send an army 26:38 to attack the Protestant reformers, 26:43 the Muslims attacked, 26:44 Islam attacked from the east 26:46 and they had to send all their soldiers back 26:48 to defend their eastern border. 26:51 And so the church several times at the crucial moment 26:54 when it looked like 26:55 that the church was gonna get stomped out, 26:57 God would intervene with a third party 27:00 that would come in 27:01 and attack the enemies of God's people 27:04 and they would find relief that way, 27:06 and so this was one of those cases 27:08 where that happened. 27:09 By the way, they call it the rock of escape. 27:12 You and I have a rock of escape, don't we? 27:14 Amen. 27:15 And David went up from there 27:17 and he dwelt in the strongholds of En Gedi. 27:21 Now En Gedi is a place that you've heard of 27:23 even if you don't think you've heard of it. 27:26 It's out in one of the lowest places in the world, 27:30 it's in the desert. 27:32 And it's where you find the Dead Sea scrolls. 27:36 We've found there's a lot of caves 27:37 and haunts and rugged mountains and canyons, 27:41 but even though it's a very hot dry place 27:44 there where the cave of En Gedi is, 27:46 you've got the spring of En Gedi 27:48 and there's some beautiful places. 27:50 So this is one of the few spots, 27:51 there's only two places 27:53 on the western shore of the Dead Sea 27:55 where fresh water runs into the sea. 27:58 And this is one of them 27:59 and when it says that David was in the cave of En Gedi, 28:03 there's only one place that he was drinking water 28:05 and it was probably, when you have 400 men, 28:07 you need a lot of water. 28:08 Probably the spring, 28:10 a very rugged area it wasn't far from, 28:12 they also call it the mountains of goats. 28:15 You know, how they found the Dead Sea scroll? 28:17 Some shepherd boy lost his goats 28:20 and he threw a rock in one of these caves 28:22 that was up on a hillside 28:23 and he heard the clattering sound 28:26 that was clearly a different sound from rocketing rock, 28:29 it was a pot breaking. 28:31 And he scrambled up 28:33 and he started to discover the scrolls 28:34 that he began to cut up and sell as souvenirs 28:38 until they realized what their true value was. 28:41 So I want you to turn with me now to 1 Samuel 24, 28:44 and we're gonna take a moment to read this 28:46 because it fits in with our theme 28:49 about forgiveness and vengeance in a special way. 28:54 "When Saul returned from following the Philistines, 28:56 that had invaded the land, 28:59 it was told him, and saying, 'Take note! 29:01 David is in the wilderness of En Gedi.' 29:04 And Saul took 3,000 chosen men from all of Israel, 29:07 and he went to seek David 29:09 and his men on the Rocks of the Wild Goats. 29:12 So he came to the sheepfolds down by the road, 29:15 where there was a cave." 29:17 And so he goes in but he doesn't realize 29:19 that he just goes in the mouth of the cave 29:20 where there's, you know, little light still coming in 29:24 but it's a deep cave. 29:26 And maybe the wind is howling or the men can be heard outside 29:30 but for some reason he doesn't hear 29:32 that David and his men are in the cave 29:33 and they actually whisper to each other, 29:35 so there is some noise. 29:37 "And the men of David said to him, 29:39 'This is the day that the Lord told you about, 29:42 He said, you'd be king...'" 29:43 Here is your moment, reach out and take it, 29:45 just kill Saul, you're king, voila! 29:47 Doesn't say that but that's the idea. 29:50 "Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand 29:53 that you may do to him as it seems good to you." 29:56 They're quoting another place in the Bible. 29:58 And David arose and he went, he sneaks up to Saul 30:03 and he's got a very sharp knife 30:04 that had been expecting the battle, 30:05 it's probably sharp as a razor. 30:07 He cuts off the corner of Saul's robe and slips away, 30:10 with Saul's wearing a royal robe 30:12 it doesn't look like everyone else's. 30:14 And it happened afterward David's heart struck him. 30:16 It even bothered David's heart 30:20 that he had somehow defaced the robe of the king 30:25 that I don't kill him. 30:27 He had so much respect. 30:28 He said, this is the Lord's anointed 30:29 even though I don't... 30:30 He was chosen by God, until God un-chooses him, 30:33 I'm not gonna hurt him, that's God's business. 30:36 He felt bad about it, his heart smote him 30:38 that he cut the king's robe. 30:39 "And he said to his men, 'The Lord forbid 30:41 that I should do this thing to my master, 30:43 the Lord's anointed, 30:44 to stretch out my hand against him, 30:45 seeing he's the Lord's anointed and he's my father in law.'" 30:49 He didn't say that but that was one more thing. 30:53 "So David restrained his servants with these words, 30:55 and he did not allow them to rise up against Saul. 30:59 And Saul got up from the cave and he went on his way." 31:03 And he was whistling and walking down to his men. 31:07 And after Saul got down in the valley 31:09 by the sheepfolds with his men, 31:11 David comes out of the mouth of the cave 31:13 and he calls out with a cave as an echo chamber behind him. 31:17 And he says, "My lord the King!" 31:19 Saul turns around. 31:21 "And David stooped down with his face to the earth, 31:23 and bowed down." 31:25 So who's been anointed as king? 31:28 Both of them. 31:30 But David has been anointed as his replacement. 31:33 David says, I'm respecting you are the king, 31:35 I am recognizing you as a king. 31:38 "He says, 'My Lord, the king!' 31:40 Saul looked behind him. 31:42 David stooped with his face to the earth, he bowed down. 31:44 And David said to Saul, 31:45 'Why do you listen to the words of men...'" 31:47 It wasn't that he was listening to anyone else. 31:51 He's just, but he's giving him the benefit of the doubt. 31:53 Why do you believe in these false reports? 31:55 Who say David seeks you harm. 31:58 It's not true. 31:59 "Look, this day your eyes have seen 32:02 that the Lord delivered you into my hand in the cave, 32:06 and someone urged me to kill you." 32:08 He was nice enough not to say who that was. 32:11 "But my eye spared you, and I said, 32:13 'I will not stretch out my hand against my Lord, 32:16 for He is the Lord's anointed.' 32:18 Moreover, my father..."' 32:20 So he was his father too. 32:22 "See! Yes, see the corner of your robe in my hand..." 32:25 And right when he holds up this little flap of cloth, 32:27 the king reaches around, he pulls up his robe 32:30 and the corner is gone. 32:32 And the king's heart like a... 32:35 Wow, that was a close call. 32:38 There he was with 400 people around him 32:42 that could have taken his life and they chose not to. 32:46 Now think of all the trouble David could have saved him 32:48 if he said, would David have felt justified, 32:51 this guy is here to kill me. 32:52 He has come to kill me. 32:53 I mean, don't most of us believe that 32:55 if someone comes into your cave to kill you 32:59 that in self-defense you can kill them? 33:02 I mean, certainly ancient law would have defended that, 33:05 even his men said, God's put him in your hand. 33:08 This is providential. 33:11 It's interesting that it looked like God had given 33:14 David this opportunity for David to take it, 33:17 but God gave David that opportunity for David 33:19 to refuse it. 33:21 Have you ever had an opportunity 33:23 to get even with someone that hurt you, 33:24 and you think, "Oh, look, I've got my chance to say, 33:28 now, what do you think?" 33:30 Or to say something cutting, or to get even, 33:32 say, they're getting what they deserve 33:34 or to gloat or to hurt them in some way. 33:36 Maybe God's giving you that opportunity 33:38 to get even with your enemies 33:40 so you don't take that opportunity, 33:42 and you can demonstrate what it means to be a Christian 33:45 and you overcome evil with good. 33:50 So He says, look, I've forgiven you and Saul, 33:53 He can't deny it, He was, 33:55 David holding the flap of his robe. 33:59 He said, "Why do you listen to this? 34:01 Moreover, father, see! 34:02 The corner of your robe in my hand, 34:03 in that I cut off the corner of your robe 34:05 and did not kill you, 34:06 know and see that there is neither evil 34:08 or rebellion in my hand..." 34:11 I can kill a giant, I could have killed you. 34:14 You realize, I'm paraphrasing sometimes. 34:17 "I have not sinned against you, 34:19 yet you hunt my life to take it. 34:21 Let the Lord judge between you and me, 34:23 and let the Lord avenge me on you." 34:26 Now why is David doing it this way also? 34:28 Is it just the king listening or is the whole army listening? 34:31 Whole army. 34:32 Saul's army is listening, David's army is listening. 34:35 Is there gonna be another day 34:36 when the sheep and the goats will be separated 34:39 and everybody is gonna see what the real issue is. 34:42 And the devil who said, O God was not fair, 34:47 this evidence is all gonna be spread out there. 34:50 My hand shall not be against you David said. 34:54 Now don't you feel like 34:56 you've got a right to retaliate sometimes? 35:00 And David said, I'm not going to... 35:01 He said, if there is gonna be someone wrong 35:02 and this is going to be you. 35:04 And if I'm being treated unfairly, 35:07 I'm not gonna vindicate myself, God is gonna vindicate me. 35:10 David is putting it all in God's hands. 35:12 My hand shall not be against you. 35:14 And then he goes on and he appeals to the king. 35:17 "After whom has the king of Israel come out?" 35:19 You're the king. 35:20 "Who do you pursue?" 35:21 I'm a shepherd boy, I'm a dead dog? 35:23 A flea? 35:25 Therefore..." I'm not even a dog. 35:26 I'm a flea on a dog. 35:27 David is looking for the smallest words 35:29 you can find, he say, you're the king of Israel, 35:31 you got Philistines to fight, why are you chasing after us. 35:35 "Therefore let the Lord judge, and judge between you and me, 35:41 and see him plead my cause, 35:42 and deliver me out of your hand. 35:45 So it was when David had finished speaking these words," 35:48 suddenly Saul has a flash of normality and he says, 35:52 "Is this your voice, my son David?" 35:54 My son, I was trying to kill a few minutes ago." 35:57 And Saul lifted up his voice and he wept." 36:00 Now David's words even touched his heart, 36:03 and he realized, what's come over me, 36:05 what happened to the old Saul that used to love the Lord 36:07 and lead the people, what's coming, 36:09 I'm so obsessed with this vengeance, 36:13 fighting against a friend, a family member. 36:18 You know, Bible says, 36:19 "Man's foes will be those of his own house." 36:23 David had a lot more problems with people on the inside 36:25 than people on the outside. 36:28 He had problems with his son, 36:29 with his king, and his brethren. 36:33 And Saul weeps but he ends up saying... 36:38 Listen to what Saul says. 36:41 "You've shown me this day..." 36:42 Verse 18, "You've dealt well with me, 36:45 when the Lord delivered me into your hand, 36:46 you did not kill me. 36:47 For if a man finds his enemy, 36:49 will he let him get away safely?" 36:51 Doesn't the Bible say love your enemy? 36:53 Do good to those who persecute you. 36:55 Overcome evil with good. 36:58 "Therefore may the Lord reward you with good 37:01 for what you have done to me this day?" 37:03 Will the Lord reward, 37:04 did David get rewarded with good? 37:07 Will the Lord reward you with good 37:09 if you turn the other cheek? 37:11 That's hard to do that. 37:12 Have you ever tried it, 37:14 especially when it's in the power of your hand 37:16 to get even to let it go. 37:19 And not only let it go but to reward evil with good. 37:25 During the scripture reading it said in doing this 37:28 you will heap coals of fire on the head of your enemy. 37:31 What does that mean? 37:33 You do nice things to your enemy 37:34 so that they're gonna get hot coals on their head? 37:36 Coals of fires there, it's talking about conviction. 37:40 Saul, when David stood there with his robe in his hand 37:43 and a knife in the other hand, said, 37:44 I could have just killed you and I let you go, 37:46 you are doing the wrong thing. 37:48 Coals of fire right then were on Saul's head, 37:51 he was overwhelmed with conviction 37:53 of what he had been doing. 37:54 And he's embarrassed because it's laid out 37:56 in front of all of his men. 37:57 Here our king has been obsessed with fighting an enemy 38:00 that is one of our own people 38:01 that isn't doing anything wrong. 38:04 And so if you want to try and win back someone, 38:09 don't reward evil with evil but reward evil with good. 38:13 So finally, King Saul, his line now indeed, 38:16 listen to this, "You will be king, 38:19 and the kingdom of Israel 38:20 will be established in your hand, 38:21 I know that." 38:22 That's what Jonathan said earlier. 38:24 "Therefore swear to me now by the Lord 38:26 you will not cut off my descendants after me." 38:29 Now you know what... 38:31 I don't know if you've read through the kings of Israel 38:33 but especially the kings of Israel 38:34 because they kept changing families, 38:36 king of Judah was almost always the House of David, 38:38 King of Israel went from Omri, to Baasha, 38:42 to Zimri and it just went to Jehu and different, 38:47 complete different tribes ended up 38:48 being the kings of Israel. 38:49 And whenever they came into power, 38:51 what was the next thing they did? 38:53 Kill all their kids, kill all their offspring, 38:56 no threats of them coming back again, 38:58 it was just understood. 38:59 And so Saul knowing what the ancient custom was, 39:04 when you become king, 39:05 are you going to eradicate my house? 39:08 Are you gonna kill off all of my offspring? 39:11 Are you gonna destroy my sheep? 39:12 David made a promise he would not do it. 39:16 So David swore to Saul, Saul went home 39:20 and he went back to his palace 39:22 and David went up to the stronghold, 39:23 he's there to live in the woods. 39:26 Now I want to read the first verse of chapter 25, 39:28 that's all I'm gonna read, "Then Samuel died..." 39:33 That's quite a statement. 39:34 This is someone who had delivered them 39:35 in many ways Samuel from that little boy 39:38 back in the days of Hanna, 39:39 he may have been 90, 100 years of age, 39:41 he lived a long life. 39:42 He had been there judge 39:43 for many, many years from a child, 39:45 he had been there judge, he lived to be an old man. 39:51 Overlapped the time of Samson, 39:53 all the way through the time of David, 39:55 so it was pretty epic loss, when it says Samuel died. 40:00 And the Israelites gathered together 40:01 and lamented for him and they buried him 40:04 at his home in Rahma. 40:06 And David arose and went to the wilderness apparent." 40:09 Now whether or not 40:10 David was able to attend the funeral, 40:11 we don't know, because I don't know 40:13 if he trusted Saul may have still been, 40:15 Saul may have pulled in his horns long enough 40:17 for David to go to Samuel's funeral, 40:19 we don't know. 40:20 But we're not done yet with David, 40:24 I want you to jump past 25, 40:26 we're gonna come back to that another time. 40:27 Go to chapter 26. 40:31 Some time goes by, Saul is still, 40:34 he has no good musician to soothe his savage episodes 40:38 when he would go into these rants 40:40 and he'd start throwing his spear everywhere. 40:42 "And now the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah." 40:47 David is now gone to stay with the Ziphites 40:50 in their territory in the woods. 40:52 "They came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, 40:54 'Is David not hiding in the hill of a Hachilah, 40:56 opposite Jeshimon?' 40:58 And Saul arose and he went down to the Wilderness of Ziph, 41:01 having three thousand chosen men of Israel." 41:04 He got the 3,000 best men with him 41:07 to seek David in the Wilderness of Ziph. 41:09 Now what in the world has David done? 41:12 Hasn't done anything, but Saul in his head, 41:15 he just can't let go, if I could just be in charge. 41:18 Saul doesn't trust God's will. 41:20 That's part of the reason 41:21 he ends up grieving away the Holy Spirit. 41:23 He thinks if I could just kill David, 41:25 I can change it. 41:26 I can change the anointing, change the prophecy 41:29 and he won't let it go. 41:31 And his poor men, they've got to follow him, 41:32 they've lost confidence in Saul now 41:34 because, I mean, he's killed the priests 41:36 but he's the king. 41:38 "So he goes down to the Wilderness of Ziph 41:40 having 3000 men. 41:42 And Saul encamps in the hill of Hichilah, 41:44 which is opposite Jeshimon, by the road. 41:47 But David stayed in the wilderness, 41:49 and he saw that Saul came up after him into the wilderness." 41:53 David saw him before he saw David. 41:56 "David therefore sent out spies, 41:58 and understood that Saul had indeed come. 42:01 And David arose and he came to a place 42:03 where Saul had encamped. 42:05 And David saw the place where Saul lay, 42:07 and Abner the son of Ner, the commander of his army." 42:10 That may have been a moonlit night. 42:13 The three thousand men of Saul, they're sleeping peacefully, 42:16 they're not worried about a big battle, 42:17 they've seen this happen several times before 42:21 and they're not worried about a lot of resistance. 42:23 And so they're sleeping. 42:24 But David used to travel with Saul. 42:27 He used to be his armor bearer, 42:28 he knows what the inside rules are. 42:31 The king does not camp on the outside of the camp 42:33 where some invaders could come and get to him. 42:36 The king is like a target, 42:37 he's in the middle of the bull's eye, 42:39 he is surrounded with his best troops 42:41 and he's right there next to the general Abner 42:43 who by the way is the uncle, the family member of Saul. 42:48 And so he sees where he is. 42:53 David has the boldness to say, 42:55 you know, he didn't get the message the first time 42:57 that I'm not his enemy, 42:58 I'm gonna give him the message one more time. 43:01 And so David answered, 43:04 and said to Ahimelech the Hittite 43:08 and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, 43:09 his brother of Joab, saying, 43:12 "Who will go down with me to Saul to the camp?" 43:16 Now, David is pretty brave. 43:18 This whole contingent of soldiers 43:21 are on a mission to find and kill him. 43:25 David, it's night. 43:27 David is thinking, they're not gonna recognize me, 43:30 I look like one of them. 43:31 I know how they dress, I know how they trails 43:33 through the camp, I know how they operate. 43:35 I'll just, you know, men in a big camp 43:37 when they bivouac at night, 43:39 they do occasionally have to walk 43:40 to the outskirts of the camp 43:41 and walk back in at night. 43:44 So that's not that uncommon. 43:46 And David says, I'm gonna go down 43:48 on a little suicide mission, who wants to go with me? 43:51 I'm gonna go right 43:52 into the very heart of the beast. 43:55 And, you know, I really, 43:56 if there's someone else I want to meet 43:57 when I get to heaven is the brother of Joab Abishai. 44:01 He was a very brave, you read, he's one of his mighty men, 44:04 he killed out a zillion people. 44:05 He was very strong. 44:07 I forget the number but you look it up. 44:09 He ended up being one of the generals. 44:13 "Who will go with me? 44:15 And Abishai said, 'I will go down with you.'" 44:18 I'd like to have the courage whenever Jesus said, 44:19 who will go with me? 44:20 I'll say, I'll go. 44:22 If I'm with you, I'm not afraid. 44:24 "So David and Abishai come to the people at night, 44:27 and there Saul lay sleeping within the camp, 44:29 with the spear stuck to the ground by his head." 44:32 Now before I read what happens next, 44:35 you need to know Saul, 44:37 you know, have you ever seen a baby with like a blanket 44:39 and they won't let go of it or pacifier, 44:42 take away the pacifier and they go to pieces, 44:44 take away their blanket. 44:45 Saul always has his spear, and it's always mentioned. 44:51 So when David plays music, Saul's got his spear, 44:53 two different occasions. 44:54 David is judging before he kills a priest, 44:56 he's sitting there under the tree with his spear. 44:59 And now Saul is sleeping with his spear. 45:02 This is a very special spear. 45:04 I want you to know that. 45:08 And he comes and Saul is sleeping 45:10 within the camp 45:11 with his spear stuck in the ground 45:12 by his head 45:14 and Abner and the people lay around him, 45:15 the general and all of his crack troops 45:17 are all around him 45:19 and they're tiptoeing through the camp 45:20 and all of these soldiers are snoring, 45:22 so there's a little background noise 45:23 because David's able to whisper to Abishai. 45:27 He says God has delivered your enemy 45:29 into your hand this day. 45:30 Now we know who said it in the cave. 45:31 It's the exact same phrase. 45:34 Now therefore please, if you don't want to 45:36 let me strike him at once 45:38 with the spear right to the earth. 45:39 I won't do it twice, I'll just strike him once. 45:43 I won't do it a second time. 45:45 And David says to Abishai, do not destroy him 45:49 for who can stretch out his hand 45:51 against the Lord's anointed and be guiltless. 45:56 You know, I hate to miss an opportunity 45:57 to say that pastors are called by the Lord. 46:01 And in a modern sense 46:04 they are praying for the anointing of the Spirit 46:06 when they teach and they preach. 46:09 Now I'm speaking to myself just like you. 46:11 Be careful about talking negatively about those 46:17 who are called by God to work for the Lord, 46:19 even though you may have just caused to. 46:22 When Paul was being tried by the high priest, 46:25 he rebuked the high priest but Paul was near-sighted, 46:27 he didn't know it was the high priest, 46:29 someone struck him 46:31 and said, "How dare you revile the high priest." 46:33 And Paul said, "Oh, I'm sorry, 46:34 I didn't know it was a high priest." 46:36 God says, you shall not revile the ruler of your people. 46:41 Now I can launch right now 46:42 into a whole sermon on authority and leadership 46:45 but something I have done and many others have done 46:48 is when you start to talk in a negative way 46:51 about people who have been called into God's work, 46:54 I don't think the Lord looks kindly on it. 46:57 By the way that's supported by the Spirit of prophecy. 47:00 And so I know it sounds like it's a self-serving statement 47:03 but this is where it would fit. 47:06 And so he said who can strike 47:09 the Lord's anointed and be guiltless. 47:13 Sometimes we do it with our tongues. 47:16 David said furthermore as the Lord lives 47:19 if he belongs to God, God will take care of him. 47:21 The Lord will strike him. 47:23 Or his day will come to die. He'll get old and die. 47:26 Or he'll go out to battle and perish. 47:29 Look at David's patience. 47:30 He says, "I know you've anointed me to be king 47:33 and I'm looking forward to that day 47:34 when I don't have to run for my life 47:37 over here and there and never knowing 47:38 where I'm going to be. 47:40 But I am waiting on God's timing." 47:42 Look at the patience of David, he said, "You know it'd be, 47:46 you know, better for me if Saul would just like die. 47:49 But he may die of old age. 47:50 He may die in battle. 47:52 Who knows he might get sick, 47:54 said, but that's God's business. 47:56 But I'm not going to be the reason he dies. 47:58 Let the Lord take care of it. 48:00 The Lord forbid that I should stretch out my hand 48:03 against the Lord's anointed. 48:04 Now, Abishai and David 48:05 are having this whispered discussion 48:07 with all the soldiers I mean he's really brave. 48:10 They must've really snored louder or something. 48:12 You read on, you'll find out what happened. 48:15 But he says, "Please take now his spear, 48:17 he says, right, Abishai, you want to help me, 48:18 grab Saul's spear. 48:20 He's going to miss that right away. 48:22 And a jug of water, 48:23 they're out in the hottest desert 48:24 in the world. 48:25 Without water, the king doesn't last long. 48:27 Take his jug of water, take his spear. 48:29 Two things he's going to depend on and let's go." 48:32 So David took the spear he just took it from Abishai 48:35 and the jug of water by Saul's head 48:37 and they got away, they tiptoed out of the camp 48:40 and they're stepping over men and through the little trails 48:42 and over their sleeping bags 48:43 and they get out to the outside of the camp 48:45 and right about this time 48:47 when the sun is just starting to light in the eastern sky, 48:49 David goes up on a hill above where they are gathered 48:52 and says, "Now David went over to the other side 48:55 and stood on the top of a hill afar off 48:58 a great distance being between them." 49:00 Because, you know, when you thought 49:02 3, 000 soldiers are coming for you. 49:04 You've got to make sure you get a head start. 49:07 And so David is out there, 49:08 he's just snuck into their camp. 49:10 This is gonna be really embarrassing, 49:11 they might be mad no matter what. 49:13 And when it gets light enough for everybody 49:16 to hear and recognize what's going on. 49:18 David calls out to the people and they, 49:21 you know, they're soldiers on a mission, 49:22 they wake up think it's a battle alarm. 49:25 And he calls to Abner 49:26 who's the general for Saul 49:28 said, "Do you not answer Abner." 49:31 And Abner answers and said, 49:32 "Who are you calling out to the king, who is that?" 49:35 David said to the Abner, by the way don't forget 49:37 David is called the sweet singer of Israel, 49:39 he's got a set of pipes, so he, you can hear him. 49:43 He probably first tenor and bass, he could do it all. 49:47 And so he's calling out with a loud voice. 49:50 And David said to Abner. 49:51 He doesn't say what his name is. 49:53 Said, are you not a man and who is like you in Israel. 49:56 Why then have you not guarded your Lord, the king, 49:58 for one of the people came in to destroy the Lord, 50:01 the king tonight. 50:02 This thing that you've done is not good as the lord lives, 50:04 you deserve to die. 50:06 Because you have not guarded your master, 50:07 the Lord's anointed. 50:09 And now see where's the king's spear? 50:11 And where's a jug of water by his head. 50:13 At this point Saul has got his scruples together 50:15 and he's looking around 50:16 and says, where's my water jug? 50:17 Where is my spear? 50:18 First thing he would grab for is a spear. 50:21 Right away Saul thought, 50:22 "Oh, no this is like the cave 2.0. 50:28 Here I am again doing the foolish thing." 50:32 Saul knew David's voice. 50:35 That's so sad. He knew the voice of David. 50:38 There are some people who are running from God 50:39 and they knew God's voice, they remember 50:42 when He used to speak to them. 50:44 He said, "Is that your voice David, my son?" 50:49 He said, "It's my voice my lord, O, king." 50:52 And he said, "Why does my Lord pursue his servant 50:55 for what have I done or what is the evil in my hand. 50:57 He said, tell me, testify. 50:59 Now therefore please let my Lord the king 51:01 hear the words of His servant. 51:03 If the Lord has stirred you up against me, 51:06 then let Him and accept an offering. 51:08 But if it is the children of men 51:10 may they be cursed before the Lord, 51:12 for they have driven me out this day 51:14 from sharing the inheritance of the Lord 51:16 saying, "Go serve other gods." 51:18 That's a very important statement, 51:19 I don't want to rush past. 51:21 What was a dream for Israel? 51:22 They spent time as they were wondering. 51:25 Their big dream was to settle in the Promised Land, 51:28 to enjoy the inheritance of the Lord. 51:30 And Joshua had allocated everyone 51:32 their inheritance in their field, 51:34 and they were to be a free people. 51:36 But he said, look, I'm living like a fugitive. 51:38 I'm a vagabond. 51:40 I'm a pilgrim, you've driven me out 51:41 and all the other nations serve pagan God's, 51:43 I'm having to live on the fringe 51:44 of these pagan gods. 51:46 And you've done this to me. 51:48 So he's bemoaning that. 51:53 And he said, verse 20. 51:56 "So now do not let my blood fall to the earth 51:59 before the face of the Lord, for the king of Israel 52:02 has come out to seek a flee 52:03 as one has a partridge in the mountains. 52:06 Then Saul said, 'I have sinned. 52:09 Return my son David, for I will harm you no more."' 52:13 Yeah right, "Because my life was precious in your eyes 52:18 this day indeed..." 52:19 That's the first time Saul says this, 52:21 "I have played the fool and erred exceedingly." 52:26 Well, he does repent and he does confess, 52:29 but it was a repentance and a confession like pharaoh. 52:32 You know, even the devil will someday admit 52:34 that he's been a fool and he will bow down 52:37 to Jesus the Son of David, but it wasn't from his heart. 52:40 He's got all his men watching 52:42 and he realized this is twice now, 52:43 David could have killed me and he didn't. 52:46 And yet I keep trying to kill him 52:47 just because I am so afraid for my throne. 52:52 And David answered and said "Here's the king's spear, 52:54 let one of the young men come over and get it." 52:55 He said, "Let one." 52:57 And don't move the army. 53:00 Now he tosses the spear probably out to him. 53:03 "And may the Lord repay every man 53:05 for his righteousness and his faithfulness 53:07 for the Lord delivered you into my hand today 53:11 but I would not stretch out my hand 53:12 against the Lord's anointed. 53:14 And indeed as your life was valued much this day 53:17 in my eyes 53:18 so let my life be valued much in the eyes of the Lord." 53:22 He says, Saul, I'm not worried about your eyes 53:24 because I have already found I can't trust you, 53:26 but I just want my life to be valued 53:28 in the eyes of the Lord 53:29 and let Him deliver me out of all tribulation. 53:32 That is God say, He won't. 53:34 You're not going through tribulation." 53:37 God saves us through tribulation. 53:39 We just want Him to deliver us out of it. 53:43 And Saul said to David, 53:45 "May you be blessed my son David, 53:47 you will both do great things and also prevail." 53:50 And David went on his way. 53:52 He wasn't going back and Saul returned to his place. 53:55 This was the last time 53:56 they saw each other or they spoke. 53:59 And again look at this. 54:02 Saul is bent on vengeance and it's destroying him. 54:05 The Lord says, "Vengeance is mine, 54:07 I'll take care of it." 54:08 Saul was so concerned. 54:09 I know people that have been hurt 54:11 and they are mad, and the people they are mad at 54:13 have been dead for years. 54:15 And they're still mad and they can't let it go. 54:18 As though they're being angry, they say, 54:19 and I remember talking to somebody one time, I said, 54:21 why are you still mad at your parents 54:24 they've been dead for years. 54:25 And he said, well, I feel like if I stop being mad, 54:27 it will let them off the hook. 54:30 I said, you're not hurting them, 54:31 they're dead. 54:33 You're just hurting you. 54:35 And whenever we live life, 54:37 some people in their hearts are just nursing these slights 54:41 and grievances and problems and some things. 54:43 You know, I hear stories and people say, Pastor Doug, 54:45 yeah, it's easy for you to talk about forgiveness. 54:47 But let me tell you what happened to me. 54:48 And I hear some terrible things, 54:50 I say, you still need to forgive. 54:52 Okay. 54:53 Because if you don't, you're just hurting yourself 54:56 and it doesn't mean, 54:57 you need to trust the person again to abuse you 55:01 or to take advantage of you. 55:03 But you've got to let it go. 55:06 David understood Saul was sick. 55:09 Saul had an evil spirit. 55:11 And so David said, "I'm not going to kill him. 55:13 He's not well, he's doing these terrible things 55:15 because he's just not well." 55:17 And sometimes when sinners do sinful things 55:20 because they are sinners. 55:22 And when people do unkind things with you, 55:24 keep in mind they can't help it. 55:26 You either serve the Lord or you serve the devil. 55:30 And if someone is not surrendered to Jesus, 55:33 if they don't have the Spirit of God, 55:34 they're going to do diabolical things 55:36 and they're going to be mean. 55:38 Forgive them, they can't help but they're sick. 55:41 It's a disease. They're not responsible. 55:43 Right? And you know what? 55:45 The way you're going to win people... 55:47 David won over the army of Israel 55:50 those two times when he could have got Saul, 55:51 they thought David is a king of integrity. 55:54 Wish we could follow a king like that. 55:55 When Saul finally does fall, they're ready to follow David. 55:59 Because he's proven that he is a person 56:01 who has the right kind of heart. 56:04 And I don't have time to read it all 56:05 but I went through it. 56:06 And if you look at the different Psalms, 56:10 you'll notice a lot of the Psalms have headings. 56:12 You'll notice in Psalm 54, he talks about 56:14 when David ran from the Ziphites. 56:17 He's writing songs all along the way. 56:19 And you can look in Psalm 25 and Psalm 31 and Psalm 35, 56:24 "Plead my cause, O Lord, for those who strive with me, 56:27 fight against those who fight against me. 56:29 Take hold of a shield and a buckler 56:31 and stand up for my help." 56:33 David's always asking God to fight for him. 56:35 Psalm 13:1, "How long, O Lord, will you forget me forever? 56:39 How long will you hide your face from me? 56:41 How long shall I take counsel in my soul 56:44 having sorrow in my heart daily? 56:46 How long will my enemy be exalted over me?" 56:48 You read through some of the Psalms 56:50 and you can see David is brokenhearted, 56:52 that he's got to live like a fugitive. 56:54 He's got to run. 56:55 He ultimately sends his father and mother 56:57 to live with the king of Moab. 56:59 Because you remember Jesse's part Moabite 57:02 through Ruth, 57:04 and because they're too old now to run like he's running 57:06 with his men, 57:08 and he's praying all the time and he's waiting on God. 57:10 But he had some tough days, but he kept saying, 57:14 I will trust in the Lord, my rock. 57:16 My God is my fortress. 57:18 Wherever you lead me, I will go. 57:20 And that's kind of like the Christian pilgrimage, 57:22 friends, wherever God leads us we can go 57:25 as long as we know that we've got David as our King. 57:28 Amen. Amen. 57:29 Talking about Jesus. 57:31 Let's face it, it's not always easy to understand everything 57:34 you read in the Bible. 57:36 With over 700,000 words contained in 66 books, 57:40 the Bible can generate a lot of questions 57:42 to get biblical straightforward answers. 57:45 Call into Bible Answers Live, 57:46 a live nationwide calling radio program, 57:49 where you can talk to Pastor Doug Batchelor 57:52 and ask him your most difficult Bible questions. 57:54 For times and stations in your area 57:56 or to listen to answers online, visit bal.amazingfacts.org. 58:08 For life-changing Christian resources, 58:10 visit AFbookstore.com, or call 1-800-538-7275. |
Revised 2019-02-07