I Samuel 28:3-25 & I Samuel 31

“Saul’s Final Days” • 12.18.07 • Autonomy, Authority And The Man Of God, Session #15

Intro.

- Last week, we watched David slink into a position that he never would have believed that he would be in. He was lining up with the enemies of God against God’s people.

- In the meantime, Saul found himself in an even stranger position.

- Saul had rid the land of mediums and spiritists from the land, but now he found himself seeking one out.

• I Samuel 28:5-8 : “When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets. 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.’ 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 seance for me, and bring up for me the one I shall name to you.’”

- Saul is in a place of utter hopelessness, but what is the most strange is that this works!

• I Samuel 28:15-19 : “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.’ Then Samuel said: ‘Why then do you ask me, seeing the Lord has departed from you and has become your enemy? 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. 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. 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.’”

- Saul takes some food, his final meal in the house of a medium, and goes on his way.

- Chapter 31 is the final day of Saul’s life. Saul watched as each of his sons died before his eyes on Mount Gilboa. Then, as he realizes that his house and rule will die with him, he is hit.

• I Samuel 31:3,4 : “The battle became fierce against Saul. The archers hit him, and he was severely wounded by the archers. 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. Therefore Saul took a sword and fell on it.”

- Saul’s life ended on the battlefield, but his body would become an ornament of victory.

• I Samuel 31:8-10 : “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. 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. Then they put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.”

- Saul was a terrible King, but was a King of Israel nonetheless. His treatment at the hands of the hated Philistines, prompted a heroic response.

• I Samuel 31:11-13 : “Now when the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 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. Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.”

- Most of Saul’s life has left us with exhortations that stem from negative experiences.

- If I could synthesize the lessons that I have learned from Saul, I might do so like this.

- First, no man ever elevates beyond the level of God’s authority. Saul was the King of Israel, with men under his direct authority. The most powerful man in the land.

- But no matter the place, we are to position ourselves under the authority of God.

- Second, no man can exchange true worship for religion. Saul left people and animals alive, who had been sentenced by the Lord, under the pretense of making a religious sacrifice. God said, through Samuel, that He would rather have been obeyed, than receive a sacrifice.

- Third, no man can endure throughout his life without the strength of God. Saul was constantly a man of fear, lacking in direction and purpose.

- Saul has devoted much of his resources and his time, over the period of several years to a personal vendetta against David.

- In fighting his own battles, he ignored his true enemy, the Philistines, and it was his downfall.

- How God would have desired to come alongside an obedient vessel, strengthening his hand and fighting for Him. Saul, being an autonomous man, never experienced this from the Lord.

- If we left it here, we might be discouraged, and heavy hearted.

- We look at Saul, and we see thousands like him. We see leaders and people of prominence and the story seems similar: The wrong guy is in place and he’s abusing the position.

- It makes us angry and sad that this is the story that everyone hears. Thankfully that is not where the Holy Spirit leaves the story.

- I Samuel does not end with Saul, but with men who performed a heroic act on behalf of a less than honorable man. Here is how the Spirit leaves the story of the men of Jabesh Gilead for us:

I. They Heard (v.11)

II. They Acted (v.12a)

III. They Finished (v.12b,13)

Text

I. They Heard (v.11)

• I Samuel 31:11 : “Now when the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul…”

- Who were the people of Jabesh Gilead? We have heard their names before.

- Back in chapter 11, Saul was newly crowned King over a people that had no king or infrastructure. But then an incident compelled Saul to publicly become what he had been annointed to become.

- The story begins with an Ammonite who proposes the brutal, absolute surrender of the people of Jabesh Gilead. They asked for a reprieve to see if anyone would come to their aid.

- Word came to Saul, who was incensed at the action of these Ammonites. He called his people unto action and sent back word to the people of Jabesh Gilead.

• I Samuel 11:9 : “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.”

- They rejoiced at Saul’s gesture of assistance and were indeed delivered.

- Fast forward to this day and today, the people of Jabesh Gilead hear of what has been done to Saul.

- What had happened was an abomination and insult, both to Saul and to God.

- In that culture, to have your dead body treated this way was considered a fate worse than death itself. Additionally, Saul’s death was used to glorify pagan gods and to mock the living God.

- The word “hear” seems to denote more than just receiving news of an activity that has taken place. The word seems to embody a sense of obligation, in that the word can mean “to listen with the intent of complicity.”

- In other words, this was more than a news item to the people of Jabesh Gilead. They perceived it with an eye toward what action they should consider personally.

- The Jabesh Gileadites had a personal connection with Saul. They felt more than a loyalty. They felt obliged due to their prior relationship with Saul.

- He was their deliverer, their hero, and they literally owed him their existence.

- How much more you and I, when we hear the news of some situation within the realm of the brotherhood and the Kingdom of God?

- Jesus has delivered us from the Kingdom of darkness, and the slavery of sin. How can we hear without an intention to fulfill our responsibility to Him?

II. They Acted (v.12a)

• I Samuel 31:12 : “…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…

- I often find it fascinating to note what is not said. Notice here that there is a distinct lack of intervention of God into this scenario.

- God did not command them to act, nor did He send a prophet to bring them orders.

- These men acted from instinct, a righteous indignation that this treatment of their King, their hero was wrong!

- Sometimes, especially in the context of what God has already spelled out explicitly, praying and waiting is inappropriate.

- Perhaps at this time, people could plead ignorance of the New Testament or the book of Proverbs, but the Mosaic law was based on the twin themes of “loving God” and “loving your neighbor as yourself!” Of course, we have the whole Bible and are therefore responsible.

• Proverbs 3:27 : “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in the power of your hand to do so.”

• James 4:15-17 : “Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.’ But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.”

- We can have a funny set of legalistic structures that keep us from doing good! Jesus condemns that attitude. The Pharisees had perfected this in the days of Jesus’ earthly ministry.

• Mark 3:4,5 : “Then He said to them, ‘Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?’ But they kept silent. And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.”

- Jesus did good to others. These men of Jabesh Gilead decided that they should do good on Saul’s behalf.

- All the valiant men arose. These were men of strength, resource. What had to be done, had to be done by these men. It could not be taken up by anything less.

- What had to be done? The answer was obvious, the situation, intolerable. Nothing less than the recovery of Saul and the bodies of his sons would suffice.

- Notice the action that the people of Jabesh Gilead took. It quickly went from hearing to doing. All the valiant men arose. This was a unified activity.

- Notice secondly that this took all night. They traveled through the night, roughly a little over 20 miles. This was an immediate activity, with no time for the usual rest.

- Finally, they took the body of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan. This was a risky activity. They did this in defiance of the Philistines, who would have made Saul and his sons, the source of their mockery.

- These men took unified, immediate action. They made haste and never looked back.

- They acted out of a grateful heart, they acted out of a sense of duty.

- I love that they did not wait around to find out if anyone else would take this on. They did not send out word to the other tribes, offering them the chance to act first!

- At personal cost to themselves, they took on this activity.

- Sometimes in the Kingdom of God, this type of man is necessary. Men of valor, men of strength or resource are called upon to be the men of the hour.

- Will you be counted among them? You might say, “Well, I am not strong physically.” True, but you may be strong in the experience of the Lord!

- “Alright, I am not strong in the Lord!” Perhaps you are strong physically! Financially, emotionally, physically, in whatever state you have strength, be the man who is ready to act!

III. They Finished (v.12b,13)

• I Samuel 31:13 : “…and they came to Jabesh and burned them there. Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.” : They brought the bodies back to Jabesh and burned them there.

- It’s hard to see exactly what is happening here. They burned the bodies, likely because of the level of decay. An alternative reason was to keep the Philistines from coming to recover the bodies and further defile them. They protected the bodies and honored them by doing this.

- Then they took the bones, or perhaps the ashes from the bones and buried them.

- Finally, in an act of respect, the men fasted for seven days. testifying to their sorrow.

- They completed the job, from the rescue to the burial, God giving them strength to come to the end of what they had in their hearts.

- The men of Jabesh Gilead saw a need, dispatched men to meet that need and followed the need to the end, caring even for the minute details, showing concern and compassion for the deceased King.

- It’s not enough to hear or even to do a job part of the way. Would it have been enough for them to remove the bodies from the wall? Would it have been enough to drop the bodies off into their land? They took it all the way to the end.

- Jesus was a finisher, taking it all the way to His own sacrificial death. He yelled at the end, “It is finished” completing the work of redemption on our behalf. Don’t just hear and don’t just do! Finish!

Conclusion

- In closing, I want to say that many of you are these type of men. What resources you have, have been made available on many occasions that I have witnessed personally.

- You have stepped up, gone to bat, hit some home runs and made this a great place to serve.

- My message to you as we come to the end of this calendar year, is to gear up for more of the same next year.

- In fact, if you would be a man like those from Jabesh Gilead, this is a way of life.

I Samuel 25:40-26

“The Evil Of Compromise” • 12.11.07 • Autonomy, Authority And The Man Of God, Session ^#14

Intro.

- After Nabal’s death at the hands of God, David, inherited all of Nabal’s estate.

- We find David marrying both Abigail and a woman from Jezreel named Ahinoam.

- Polygamy was culturally accepted, but not God’s ideal and not permitted for a future king.

- This lack of submission will cause David many problems in the future with his family.

- It was hardly a honeymoon time though, as David was again forced into hiding by Saul’s men in the wilderness of Ziph.

- The Ziphites had already given David up back in chapter 24 and they do so again here in chapter 26.

- David sent out men to confirm the nature of Saul’s mission, remembering the Saul had publicly recanted. It did not take long to establish that Saul had no intention of honoring his word.

- When night had fallen David and Abishai went down to the encampment.

• I Samuel 26:7,8 : “So David and Abishai came to the people by night; and there Saul lay sleeping within the camp, with his spear stuck in the ground by his head. And Abner and the people lay all around him. Then Abishai said to David, ‘God has delivered your enemy into your hand this day. Now therefore, please, let me strike him at once with the spear, right to the earth; and I will not have to strike him a second time!’”

- David is back right in the same mental space as before and again responds correctly.

• I Samuel 26:9-11 : “But David said to Abishai, ‘Do not destroy him; for who can stretch out his hand against the Lord's anointed, and be guiltless?’ David said furthermore, ‘As the Lord lives, the Lord shall strike him, or his day shall come to die, or he shall go out to battle and perish. The Lord forbid that I should stretch out my hand against the Lord's anointed. But please, take now the spear and the jug of water that are by his head, and let us go.’”

- David moved to a safe distance and called out to Saul again, pleading his case, and Saul again, publicly confesses his error.

• I Samuel 26:21 : “Then Saul said, ‘I have sinned. Return, my son David. For I will harm you no more, because my life was precious in your eyes this day. Indeed I have played the fool and erred exceedingly.’”

- The words again are right, but Saul’s heart will not be turned from his error and wickedness.

• I Samuel 26:25 : “Then Saul said to David, ‘May you be blessed, my son David! You shall both do great things and also still prevail.’ So David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place.”

- God has again protected David and thwarted Saul’s attempt to destroy him. This should have put a great deal of confidence in the heart of David, but what we see next is the opposite.

• I Samuel 27:1,2 : “And David said in his heart, ‘Now I shall perish someday by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape to the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me anymore in any part of Israel. So I shall escape out of his hand.’ Then David arose and went over with the six hundred men who were with him to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.”

- David’s clever plan works, as Saul learns where David has gone and decides to seek him no more, but what David did not account for was the secret life he would have to lead.

- He is given Ziklag and is allowed to remain there, but in that 16 month period of time, he has to watch his steps very carefully.

• I Samuel 27:11,12 : “David would save neither man nor woman alive, to bring news to Gath, saying, ‘Lest they should inform on us, saying, 'Thus David did.' And thus was his behavior all the time he dwelt in the country of the Philistines. So Achish believed David, saying, ‘He has made his people Israel utterly abhor him; therefore he will be my servant forever.’”

- This arrangement works for a while, but it sets up a thorny situation for David.

• I Samuel 28:1,2 : “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.’ 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.’”

- The story here is simply the story of a man whose heart is slowly turning to trust in himself.

- It’s a process that could be easily deemed “compromise.”

I. Culturally (25:42,43)

II. Spiritually (27:1-3)

III. Physically (28:1,2)

Text

I. Culturally (25:42,43)

• I Samuel 25:42,43 : “David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and so both of them were his wives. But Saul had given Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was from Gallim.”

- It seems that no matter how you cut this, David compromised culturally by committing himself to two women, at the very least, in principle.

- In fact, this is just the beginning of David’s commitment to many wives. By II Samuel 2, he has 6 children by 6 different women! Solomon, the 7^th son, would come by yet another wife!

- As we look back over the Old Testament, polygamy was something that was accepted and practiced as early as Genesis 4, when it was reported that Lamech had 2 wives.

- Later, Solomon will have a commitment to multiple wives.

- God’s in His law makes provision for how to live with one wife, or with multiple wives in Deuteronomy 21:15-17. God’s people accepted and practiced this, therefore God’s law covers this situation.

- Now, that being the case, for a King the multiplication of wives was expressly forbidden.

• Deuteronomy 17:14-17 : “When you come to the land which the Lord your God is giving you, and possess it and dwell in it, and say, ‘I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me,’ you shall surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses; one from among your brethren you shall set as king over you; you may not set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall not return that way again.’ Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away;”

- David ignored his own destiny and made cultural acceptance his law.

- Many things are culturally accepted, but cultural conformity is never to be our standard.

- It is culturally acceptable to lie when it’s to our benefit, inflate price quotes, and take advantage of people’s ignorance. The world would just say, “That’s good business!”

- It is culturally acceptable to live together outside of marriage, have casual sexual relationships, and abort the consequences. The world would say, “That’s just a normal relationship.”

- The temptation is to say as a Christian, “When in Rome, act like a Roman!” God says, “No, not if your mine!”

- Remember that when the law was written, the people had not entered the promised land. They wandered, but were aware of what was going on in the land and with the people of Canaan.

- God anticipating that there would be imitation, strictly deals with that attitude specifically.

• Leviticus 18:3,4 : “According to the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do; and according to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you shall not do; nor shall you walk in their ordinances. ‘You shall observe My judgments and keep My ordinances, to walk in them: I am the Lord your God.”

- Let us remember that in this evil world, we are never justified in taking the cultural way out!

- Our standard must always be the Word of God.

II. Spiritually (27:1-3)

• I Samuel 27:1-3 : “And David said in his heart, ‘Now I shall perish someday by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape to the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me anymore in any part of Israel. So I shall escape out of his hand.’ Then David arose and went over with the six hundred men who were with him to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath. So David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, each man with his household, and David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal’s widow.” : This is fascinating to me.

- David has stepped out of bounds with this culturally accepted practice of polygamy.

- God does not condone it, but He allows David to walk down this road.

- What is the first consequence? David loses his confidence in the Lord.

- Look at this attitude and let’s put it together. Prior to this, David had watched the Lord deliver him out of the hand of Saul twice.

- Now there is fear in David’s heart. I wonder if his attitude came about as he watched these women that he was now responsible for, lose their composure.

- I imagine at least one of these ladies saying, “Just how long do you think that God will keep delivering you from Saul?” It’s conjecture on my part, but I can’t help but think that this must have contributed to David’s new attitude.

- Notice also that this is what David reasoned in his own heart. This was his imagination and his solution to his perceived problem.

˚ “Always be afraid of being afraid. Failing faith means failing strength. Do not regard despondency as merely a loss of joy, view it as draining away your spiritual life. Struggle against it, for it often happens that when faith ebbs sin comes to the flood. He who does not comfortably trust God will soon seek after comfort somewhere else.” Charles Spurgeon

- I see this all the time. David reasons about his dilemma, refusing to bring it to the Lord and asking His counsel.

- Soon, he analyzes it and sees one outcome. “Now I shall perish someday by the hand of Saul.” There is certainty in David’s mind. This will happen, there can be no other outcome other than his death at Saul’s hand.

- There is no mention of God’s hand protecting him, no inclusion at all of God’s intervening hand! As a result, the proposed solution is also godless. “There is nothing better than for me to…”

- This is nothing less than spiritual compromise, when we compromise our spiritual values by inserting our own fleshly reasoning and solutions.

- When faced with this type of dilemma, we must first trust the Lord and place His involvement right in the middle of our situation.

III. Physically (28:1,2)

• I Samuel 28:1,2 : “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.’ And 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.’” : Who would have believed me if I said that at the end of this story, David would be lining up with the Philistines, his national enemy, against his own people who he would be King over!?

- Yet, that is exactly where we find him. He’s on the wrong side, teaming himself, partnering with the Philistine commander Achish!

- Imagine David’s heart, as the inevitable plays out. Achish is convinced that David is for real and David, already fully, physically compromised says, “You know me!”

- Outwardly David is smiling and carrying on, but inwardly David is furiously trying to rack his brain in order to figure out what he is going to do!

- Achish, taking David’s word for it adds that he will make David one of his right hand men.

- In this position, David is rendered utterly useless to the cause of the Lord.

- He is standing alongside his enemies and is leading his 600 men into the same error.

- David’s fall began with a cultural compromise, which led to a spiritual compromise, which has now led to his physical compromise.

- Every story that begins with compromise, ends with the believer compromised, rendered ineffective and helpless because of the mess they had made for themselves.

- Abraham, compromising his trust in the Lord, asked his wife to lie about her relationship to him. She did, and ended up in the court of Abimilech. This happened twice.

- Lot, compromising the value of a godly environment, chose to live in godless Sodom and Gomorrah. In the end, he was so ineffective that his own family thought he was joking when he warned them of the impending judgment.

- Jacob, compromising the decree of the Lord, chose to take the fast track to the blessing that was promised him, deceiving his brother, which led to a life of fear and isolation.

- I could go on and leave Genesis, but that could take hours! The truth and the point is that compromise in our spiritual walks, in even the smallest measure brings calamitous results each and every time.

Conclusion

- Today, compromise will tell you that the slight deviation from God’s plan will not matter in the long run.

- But consider this: One degree of difference will change your course dramatically over the long haul. Will you want to be where you end up then?

- I am sure that David will tell you that he could never have imagined where his compromise would take him!

I Samuel 24:8-25

“Keep An Eye On That Side Too!” • 12.4.07 • Autonomy, Authority And The Man Of God, Session ^#13

Intro.

- Saul has finished attending to his needs in a cave in the wilderness of En Gedi. He has put his robe back on, not realizing that a piece of it was missing.

- He walks out of the cave, only to hear a loud voice crying out behind him.

• I Samuel 24:8-10 : “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. And David said to Saul: ‘Why do you listen to the words of men who say, 'Indeed David seeks your harm'? 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.'”

- David pleads his case with Saul, publicly, in the hearing of all of Saul’s men.

- Saul is cornered and confesses his sin publicly, with the usual pomp and circumstance.

• I Samuel 24:16,17 : “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. 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.”

- Saul says all the right things, including that David will be King. David swears an oath to Saul and they both go their separate ways.

• I Samuel 24:22 : “So David swore to Saul. And Saul went home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.”

- David knew that Saul’s words meant very little, so he kept his distance.

- But life gets difficult out in the wilderness and it’s good to have good relationships with other nearby neighbors.

- David and his men had encountered some shepherds, employed by an extremely wealthy man named Nabal during his stay in the wilderness.

- David, wanting to get a feast together for his men, decides to call in a favor on this neighbor.

• I Samuel 25:7,8 : “'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. '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.'”

- David is asking a very simple thing for such a rich man. The reply must have shocked him.

• I Samuel 25:10,11 : “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. 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?’”

- Nabal’s response is not only a “no,” but it’s impugning the character of David as well, suggesting in his reply that he believed that David was a rebel.

- Now, this is fresh off of David’s confrontation of Saul. How does David respond?

• I Samuel 25:13 : “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.”

- David is about to annihilate Nabal’s entire estate! 400 men seems a bit overkill...literally!

- Thankfully, Nabal’s wife Abigail got word of what had taken place and intercepted David’s raiders on their way in.

• I Samuel 25:25 : “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.”

- Abigail wonderfully intercedes on her husband’s behalf and David’s anger is averted.

- 10 days later, Nabal is having a party.

• I Samuel 25:36-38 : “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. 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. Then it happened, after about ten days, that the Lord struck Nabal, and he died.”

- What do we make about what this section holds for us? Look at how it plays out naturally.

I. Acts Of Grace And Disgrace, David (24:8-10 & 25:13)

II. Act Of Kindness, Abigail (25:25)

III. Act Of Vindication, God (25:38)

Text

I. Acts Of Grace And Disgrace, David (24:8-10 & 25:13)

- The amazing truth of God’s word is that it never hides the ugly details of His man’s life.

- David shines brightly when dealing with Saul. He says the right things, he believes correctly.

• I Samuel 24:12 : “Let the Lord judge between you and me, and let the Lord avenge me on you. But my hand shall not be against you.”

• I Samuel 24:15 : “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.”

- This is textbook, beautiful, righteous. It takes a man of God to respond that way under such phenomenal pressure and to not take the easy way out.

- But then, not too long from this incident, David takes a much lower road.

- Nabal spoke harshly with David and the proverbial straw broke the camel’s back.

- David’s actions show a man that truly was fighting against his own nature. He finally blows up and will avenge himself on someone, Nabal being a perfect target.

- There are three lessons within this section. First, doing a thing right once does not mean that you have it mastered and will not face it again!

- Continued, daily vigilance is necessary if we are to be victorious in our walks with Christ.

- Paul, writing the Corinthians, spoke about the example of the people of the Old Testament, how they fell in the wilderness and were left in the desert because of their sin. Then he warns them:

• I Corinthians 10:12 : “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”

- Second, always look for the enemy to bring temptation after a victory, when we are most susceptible and the least prepared!

- David must have felt pretty good about himself, knowing that he passed the test with Saul.

- He did not know that Saul was the review. The test was whether David would trust the Lord to avenge him. David was about to fail that test miserably with Nabal.

- Third, our anger when expressed this way will never bring about any good thing.

- David was impetuous, over-reactive and his wrath was astounding.

• James 1:19,20 : “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”

- This section is an incredible warning to every godly man, knowing that in this life, we are ever prone to fall.

• I Peter 5:8 : “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”

II. Act Of Kindness, Abigail (25:25)

- David is rushing toward death; Abigail is rushing toward life.

- We know very little about Abigail at this point in the story, except that she is an exceptional woman who married an exceptional fool!

- We learn of her that she is first willing to put herself between the offended and the offender.

- She hears of Nabal’s foolishness and goes herself to meet David.

- Upon reaching David, she came in true humility.

• I Samuel 25:23 : “Now when Abigail saw David, she hastened to dismount from the donkey, fell on her face before David, and bowed down to the ground.”

- If the Lord entrusts you to be an intercessor, first, come in humility. Abigail could have come with words like, “You big bully! I thought you were a godly man!?” Instead, she bowed herself.

- Second, she acknowledges Nabal’s sinful offense against David. (25:25a)

- Abigail says “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.”

- She asks for forgiveness on Nabal’s behalf and then turns David attention back to the Lord, wisely reminding David of his future and what God intends for him.

• I Samuel 25:28-31 : “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. 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. 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, 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.’”

- Abigail runs interference, humbly asking for reprieve and then reminding David of what he has forgotten in the heat of the moment, namely the future that God has provided him with.

- Abigail is a wonderful intercessor, who comes with a humble, understanding heart.

- She is not a man, but how we need men like her, who are willing to stand in the gap for their brothers, willing to interject themselves into the line of fire.

- You might say, “Hey, I don’t want to get into other people’s business.” That may be alright in the “BUSINESS” world, but in the FAMILY of God, there is no such abdication of responsibility.

• Galatians 6:1,2 : “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

• James 5:19,20 : “Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.”

III. Act Of Vindication, God (25:38)

- This is my favorite part of the story. Nabal has been spared, but what a Nabal he has been.

- He does not know what he has been spared until during the party when he was fully drunk.

• I Samuel 25:36-38 : “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. 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. Then it came about, after about ten days, that the Lord struck Nabal, and he died.”

- God took care of the offense and vindicated David. The Lord struck Nabal.

• I Samuel 25:39 : “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.”

- David did not have to raise a finger; He just had to swallow his pride and wait on the Lord.

- What is this teaching? That God will deal with those who wrong us in this life.

- Men, women, and children of all ages, deal daily with hurts and abuse inflicted by others.

- In so many cases, the abuse and the victimization goes on for indefinite periods of time.

- Their cries go up to anyone that would hear them and in this life, some will never see closure.

• Psalm 72:12-14 : “For He will deliver the needy when he cries, The poor also, and him who has no helper. He will spare the poor and needy, And will save the souls of the needy. He will redeem their life from oppression and violence; And precious shall be their blood in His sight.”

- What about you? Have you given over any vendettas or offenses to the Lord? Are you trusting him to be your defense and vindicator? David did not want to, but did, and God did not let him down here, nor would He do so with Saul.

Conclusion

- Today, the Lord warns us to live carefully, surrendering our emotions and rights to the Lord.

- How often we would ruin our witness, perhaps even our lives, when we are consumed by getting back at another. How much better is it when the Lord does it for us.

- Let us be men who listen to the advice of Abigail, reminding ourselves that God’s future is better to hope in, rather than the satisfaction that might call to us in the moment.

I Samuel 21-24:8

“The Life Of David Bauer!” • 11.27.07 • Autonomy, Authority And The Man Of God, Session #12

Intro.

- Chapter 21 finds us following after David the fugitive, his first stop is in city of Nob.

- He comes to procure provisions from Ahimilech the priest, who is unaware of David’s plight.

- David leaves with supplies and then runs to a city of the Philistines, where he finds himself before King Achish, acting like a madman. Achish, purely annoyed, sent David away.

- David kept running, but is soon not running alone.

• I Samuel 22:1,2 : “David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. 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.”

- God supplied him there with men and even a visit from his family, while Saul hunts him.

- It’s at this point in the story that Doeg the Edomite, a man who saw David in Nob, decides to spill the beans about David’s covert activities.

• I Samuel 22:9,10 : “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. And he inquired of the Lord for him, gave him provisions, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.’”

- Doeg’s testimony led to the death of the High Priest, and the death of all his house.

- Doeg himself carried out Saul’s order and killed all the priests, except for Abiathar who escaped to David.

• I Samuel 22:21-23 : “And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the Lord’s priests. 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. Stay with me; do not fear. For he who seeks my life seeks your life, but with me you shall be safe.’”

- Chapter 23 finds David confronted with a choice.

- The Philistines are attacking the city of Keilah. Does David go and fight for Keilah? He inquires of the Lord, and God commissions him to fight against the Philistines.

- He fights them away, delivering Keilah from the hands of the Philistines. In the meantime, Saul hears about David’s actions and comes in pursuit.

- David, realizing that Keilah will be put in an impossible situation when Saul comes, asks the Lord if the pressure will be too much. The Lord tells him that the men of Keilah would deliver him.

- David flees again into the wilderness of Ziph. Again he is pursued and again the Lord delivers him from the hand of Saul. This brings us to the natural story arc ending in chapter 24.

- David is hiding in the remote wilderness of the Dead Sea, in a place called En Gedi.

- He is hiding away in a cave when Saul comes down to hunt him.

- The Bible tells us that Saul went into the cave to “attend to his needs” and that in that same cave, David and his men were waiting out.

- David’s men attempt to convince David that the Lord has delivered Saul to Him. David went over and cut off just a corner of his robe.

• I Samuel 24:5-7 : “Now it happened afterward that David’s heart troubled him because he had cut Saul’s robe. 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.’ 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.”

- David is going to be the King of Israel. He has been chosen by God and annointed by Samuel. Yet, here he is suffering indignity and living a fugitive’s life. Where is God in this?

- Many of us wonder the same thing about our own lives. There are promises that God has given, but the road to fulfillment is quite long.

- I want us to notice 4 lessons that are uncovered in these chapters.

- The first two reveal God’s covenant responsibility to man. The second couplet refers to the responsibility of the man who is under authority.

I. Sovereign Protection

II. Special Encouragement

III. Service Requirement

IV. Shortcut Prohibition

Text

I. Sovereign Protection

- No matter what Saul came at David with, David was able to stay one step ahead.

- No matter where he went, even into the very deepest, fearful place and even before the presence of his greatest enemies, the Lord preserved and protected him.

• I Samuel 23:14 : “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.”

- Saul was relentless, doubtless with a large contingency of men. The numbers were on his side, even though David had about 600 men with him.

- David was clever and was learning daily how to survive and hide more effectively. But

- notice here the clear truth, that while Saul sought him every day, with the best men, God did not deliver him in his hand. The force of this statement has to hit us. God did not deliver him.

- David is outmanned, outgunned, but Saul is outrun each time!

- There is an interesting exchange in the annals of scripture. The Bible tells that Job was very rich and was blessed abundantly. Satan has noticed, but had not taken action.

• Job 1:10-12 : “Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!’ And the Lord said to Satan, ‘Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.’ So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.”

- God had put a fence around Job that kept Satan at bay, even though he wanted to attack.

- It is only when God gives his permission that Satan is given power over this believer.

- Abraham was told by God after his raid on the 5 Kings, that God would be his shield.

- God’s protection of His people is part of His covenant with them.

• Deuteronomy 33:26,27 : “There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, Who rides the heavens to help you, And in His excellency on the clouds. The eternal God is your refuge, And underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you, And will say, ‘Destroy!’”

- It’s been rightly said that the believer is invincible until the Lord says otherwise.

- Do you realize this truth? God is protecting you even now and by His faithfulness that will never stop.

II. Special Encouragement

- Along the way, David must have felt very alone. One of the great blessings of being in God’s family is the actual family of God.

- Throughout, God sends help and encouragement to David. David’s family comes to him at the cave of Adullam in chapter 22:1.

- Discontented debtors come and join him in chapter 22:2

- The King of Moab becomes an ally in that time of distress, allowing David’s family to remain under his protection in chapter 22:3

- The prophet Gad comes to David and brings a timely word of counsel in 22:4.

• I Samuel 23:15-17 : “So David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. And David was in the Wilderness of Ziph in a forest. Then Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose and went to David in the woods and strengthened his hand in God. 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.’”

- All along the way, God gave David a break emotionally and spiritually by these special times of encouragement.

- As Christians, we can often run a long time alone, but God knows that we need refreshment and encouragement to continue along the course.

- God encouraged Elijah with the thought that there were 7,000 who had not bowed the knee to Baal, at a time when he felt downright suicidal!

- I can’t tell you how valuable these instances must have been to David. They were a sign and a promise that the Lord was with him during these struggles.

- From my own experience on the mission field, it was a timely email or phone call or financial gift from an unknown source, that told me that God was with us and was looking out for us.

- He does this with David and will do so with you as well.

III. Service Requirement

• I Samuel 23:1,2 : “Then they told David, saying, ‘Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and they are robbing the threshing floors.’ 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.’”

- One area that truly amazes me about David in these chapters is a lesson that I feel is lost among so many Christians today. When we are suffering, it’s easy to think just about ourselves.

- A problem was presented to David, as the national enemy of Israel was attacking Keilah.

- Keilah was a small town and the Philistines were stealing the first fruits of the harvest from the town.

- If I were David, I would have said, “Look, Saul is fighting against me! Don’t you see that I am out of commission here?”

- Instead, David does what each of us need to do when we are suffering. He inquired of the Lord and left this problem in His hands.

- The word means to request or even to beg. God what would you have me do with this.

- Now, in this case, God tells David to go and attack the Philistines.

- But that is not the point of this passage. The point is that David availed himself to the Lord.

- David, a man under authority, recognizes that even under duress, in the most trying time of his life, that he was to be available to the Lord for service.

- I can’t help but think about Paul the Apostle, chained and imprisoned under the heavy hand of Rome. There he was in the deep dungeon, chained between a wall and a Roman soldier.

- “Let me see, what shall I write about? I know: GOD’S UNFAIRNESS!”

- Far from it, as he writes one of the great epistles of the New Testament, Philippians!

• Philippians 1:12,13 : “But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ;”

- Paul saw an opportunity to serve Christ, even in chains!

- Are you available to the Lord at all times? Is his Word and command your highest allegiance? Even in times of personal distress, it must be!

IV. Shortcut Prohibition

• I Samuel 24:4-7 : “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. Now it happened afterward that David’s heart troubled him because he had cut Saul’s robe. 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.”

- This brings us back to I Samuel 24:4-7, which teaches us the greatest lesson.

- When we are on the road to fulfillment, we can be assured of God’s protection, His special encouragement and that He will require us to serve Him.

- We can also be assured that along the way, we will be tempted to end the suffering of the wait for God. David could have moved this thing along. He literally had Saul’s life in his hand.

- David’s men were encouraging him along and David got so close, so as to remove the corner of his robe. I wonder what was happening on the other side of the phone at this moment.

- David sees his freedom and his Kingdom right in this moment. Everything seems right and the feeling that God must have brought him this victory must have crossed his mind.

- But something was going on between David and the Lord, because David’s heart was troubled at the cutting of Saul’s robe.

- The word “troubled” is interesting. It speaks of a rod of correction.

- God is correcting David here and he must have said something like, “Have I given you the authority to take Saul’s life?”

- This is where we see David say in response, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing!”

˚ “We win most when we appear to have yielded most, and gain advantages by refusing to take them wrongfully. The man who can wait for God is a man of power.” F.B. Meyer

- How important this lesson is and how patient each of us must be! We want godly kids, but we don’t want them to be godly by our threats against them! We want godly kids, while employing godly methods!

- We want godly marriages, but we don’t want them to be godly by using manipulative tactics.

- We want promotion in service, but we don’t want to promote ourselves!

- David reminds us again that the ends necessitate the right means!

- Lord make us men who wait on you to bring your promise to pass!

Conclusion

- As we come to the end of this section, we are reminded of God’s part in our relationship.

- He is our protector and provider, watching over us and sending us assistance when necessary.

- For our part we must remain ready and available for service, and ready to wait on the Lord for fulfillment of His promise.