Audio Access Available Above
“Providence Behind The Scenes” • 6.7.15 • Calvary Christian
Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service
Intro.
- The world is yet to discover that a new King
has been annointed in Bethlehem. In a top secret ceremony designed to keep
everyone safe from Saul, Samuel has annointed David.
- Unlike most transitions, this one will take
place without a script, as David returns to the field and probably wonders how
God is going to affect his plan?
- How does a shepherd boy learn to be a King?
How does a leader of sheep transition into a leader of men, especially when
they are God's men?
- Additionally, how will David get by the
already tense scrutiny that the Prophet Samuel feared would bring the end of
his life? David's annointing made him a target.
- What we will learn in one hour, took place
over the span of several years. God's plan is simple: Bring David in the front
door and let Saul train his replacement himself! How is this possible?
- We'll discover this in three sections.
I. The Occasion (v.14)
II. The Occupation (v.15-18)
III. The Observation (v.19-23)
Text
I. The Occasion (v.14)
•
I Samuel 16:14 : "But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a
distressing spirit from the Lord troubled him." : Saul is
still the King over Israel politically, perhaps in the same way as a President
is the President prior to the President Elect's inauguration.
-
Saul will still rule over Israel for perhaps as much as a decade from this
point, but he will do so in the power of his own flesh and might.
-
What had been a privilege would now be a continual burden, both for himself and
for the people of God, who are forced to honor him.
-
The Spirit departing from Saul and coming upon David signals empowering for
service.
-
In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit came upon godly men in a temporal way and
for the purpose of fulfilling a God given task.
-
In this way, the role of the Holy Spirit is profoundly different among Old
Testament Saints and New Testament believers. The Holy Spirit cannot and will
not leave a genuine born again believer.
-
He indwells, takes up residence within, and brings life to a believer.
-
His power is available to all who ask of the Lord, who commands us to be
continually filled full of His Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 5:18) This was not the case in the time of the Monarchy.
-
This is a judgment precipitated by Saul's absolute refusal to honor God as God.
His rebellious actions were symptoms reflective of his turn from following the
Lord. God now honors his choice.
-
The Holy Spirit was removed from Saul and a distressing, evil, tormenting
spirit from the Lord came upon him and terrorized him. This is presented
factually and without explanation.
-
We noted in the life of Samson that he awoke believing that he would simply
perform the tasks that he had become accustomed to, only to realize that the
Lord had departed from him.
-
Samson had been living in increasingly greater compromise and presumptively
believed that God would simply bail him out because He always had until Judges 16:20!
-
In the same way, Saul had desired independence from God while He still earned
victories for Israel. Now he has it, plus a distressing spirit from the Lord.
-
There are two ways that theologians explain this. The first is that God is
active in this judgment, being sovereign over every spirit, employing a demonic
spirit to torment Saul.
-
This would not be foreign to scripture, as He employs a lying spirit to deceive
King Ahab in I Kings 22:19-23.
-
The second view is passive, in that God's Spirit left the scene and ostensibly
left the door open to any "spirit" that would come to inhabit the now
abandoned "home."
-
The Lord Jesus speaks of something very similar in Matthew 12:43ff. The religious leaders had rejected Christ's
witness. They had cleaned out their house with pseudo-spiritual morality.
-
Jesus uses an illustration of a demon who has left a "home" and has
come back to find it clean and swept, deciding to re-inhabit his former place
with seven of his friends!
-
He says ominously, "and the last state
of that man is worse than the first." (v.45) This applies to anyone who cleans out their heart but doesn't
make room for God's ruler, Christ!
-
This applied directly to Saul! Without the Holy Spirit's guidance and power in his
life, he is now forced to face the consequences of his disobedience in the most
visible and public location!
-
In coming to the end of himself, paranoia and debilitating fear will mark the
rest of his days.
-
Beyond the active or passive action, one might be hung up on the motive.
"Why?"
-
For those of us who live on this side of the cross, it's difficult to
comprehend a conditional covenantal relationship, whereby blessings and
cursings are based upon obedience or disobedience.
-
God, as a faithful covenant God, promises cursing as a means of correction to
those who related to Him under the Old Covenant structure found in the Old
Testament.
-
Incidently, to those who question the character of God in the Old Testament,
against that which is seen in the New, one needs to understand this well.
-
God relates to His people based upon the covenant that He has establshied. God
is perfectly consistent in His character, the difference being the covenant
relationship distinctives.
-
Turn over to Leviticus 26. The first
13 verses delineate the wonderful covenant blessings that accompanied Israel's
obedience, ranging from abundant rain and crops to sovereign protection.
-
They would eat of the old harvest, a picture of abundant wealth, and they would
enjoy the pleasure of God's favorable presence. Who would wish to disobey? What
promises!
-
And then as you read the rest of the chapter, you really understand that
obedience to God is much preferred to disobedience on account of the curses!
-
God promises to appoint terror, wasting disease, consistent, dominant enemy
presence, the loosing of wild beasts, pestilence, and famine severe enough to
force cannabilistic tendencies!
-
In between the series of judgments that God lays out, are verses like this
layered in at 2 or 3 verse intervals:
•
Leviticus 26:18 : "And after all this, if you do not obey Me, then I will punish
you seven times more for your sins."
•
Leviticus 26:21 : "Then, if you walk contrary to Me, and are not willing to obey
Me, I will bring on you seven times more plagues, according to your sins."
•
Leviticus 26:23,24 : "And if by these things you are not
reformed by Me, but walk contrary to Me, then I also will walk contrary to you,
and I will punish you yet seven times for your sins."
•
Leviticus 26:27,28 : "And after all this, if you do not
obey Me, but walk contrary to Me, then I also will walk contrary to you in
fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins." : Do you see the pattern? God's faithfulness and love demands
that he exert punitive measures, in order that Israel turn from their sin.
-
His covenant with them requires that He chasten them in increasing measure.
-
These things are meant to cause them to obey, to be reformed and to turn back
from their disobedience. Notice how God closes this section and tell me that
this isn't familiar. Verse 40.
•
Leviticus 26:40-42 : "But if
they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers in their
treachery that they committed against me, and also in walking contrary to me, so that I walked contrary to them and
brought them into the land of their enemies—if then their uncircumcised heart
is humbled and they make amends for their iniquity, then I will remember my covenant with Jacob, and I will
remember my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will
remember the land." : If they confess, if their
heart is humble and they make amends, then, God will remember the Fathers of
Israel and the Land that He promised them!
-
Now, as we return to I Samuel,
prayerfully, you see the issue with Old Covenant clarity. God is seeking to
reform, chastise, a disobedient King, who knows that God would act this way.
-
Remember Samuel's words of warning that preceded Saul's public coronation.
•
I Samuel 12:24,25 : "Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all
your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you. But if you still do wickedly, you
shall be swept away, both you and your king.'" : God's corrective measures aimed at Saul would not mean that he
would ever be reinstated as King in God's eyes.
-
That is of less importance than having a right relationship with God! That is
what God is aiming at! Knowing what you know, what do you think should have
happened? Verse 15.
II. The Occupation (v.15-18)
•
I Samuel 16:15-17 : "And Saul’s servants said to him, 'Surely,
a distressing spirit from God is troubling you. Let our master now command your
servants, who are before you, to seek out a man who is a skillful player on the
harp. And it shall be that he will play it with his hand when the distressing
spirit from God is upon you, and you shall be well.' So Saul said to his servants, 'Provide
me now a man who can play well, and bring him to me.'" : Saul's servants were the first to accurately note a disturbing change
in Saul. They mention this without any misgiving.
-
"Surely a distressing spirit from God is troubling you!" They understand
that his emotional state was a judgment from the Lord. Their response at this
point however is a bit puzzling.
-
Instead of encouraging Saul to repent before the Lord, they offer an
alternative.
-
His servants called for music to be played to counteract the effect of the
distressing spirit. "When the music plays, you will be well!"
-
The NIV and the HCSB both employ the phrase, "You will feel better."
"You don't need to repent. Just add something soothing to cover up the
effect."
-
Many people today anesthetize themselves with music, alcohol, pleasure or
illicit substances. These mask the pain, but never relieve the root cause.
Repentance alone remedies the situation!
-
It's hard to blame the servants that Saul placed around himself. He only
employed people around him who were like him!
-
Saul surround himself with strong, but not necessarily, spiritual men!
-
What sort of advice and counsel can you expect from people who aren't living
for God? Don't ever expect godly counsel to flow from ungodly people!
-
Saul wasn't going to repent, so he listened to his servants and called them to
act upon their instinct in order to be relieved from the pressure.
-
Saul unwisely chose to deal with the symptom, rather than the disease. Imagine
if he had simply humbled himself and repented? His story would have unfurled in
a profoundly different way.
•
I Samuel 16:18 : "Then one of the servants answered
and said, 'Look, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful
in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a
handsome person; and the Lord is with him.'" : Here is
one amazing piece of providence. One of Saul's servants had seen David play!
-
Perhaps he was at a coffee shop near to one of Jessie's fields. You can see
that he was a very enthusiastic fan of David's, as he rattles off six facts
about David.
-
David was a cunning, skilled musician. He was devoted to a craft. But he wasn't
limited to artistry. He was a mighty man of valor, pointing to his bravery,
personally and in conflict as a warrior.
-
To this servant's eyes, David was "prudent in speech," which is
better considered, as perceptive and understanding in his business.
-
He knew his way around and was not one to be taken advantage of. He was a saavy
person and conducted his business well.
-
Finally, the servant affirms that David was a handsome person. At this point,
you wonder if everyone in the room was looking at this servant suspiciously.
"Are you David's stalker!?"
-
He gets one last statement out and it's the statement that makes every other
statement make sense: The Lord is with him!
-
The Lord's presence graced David in a special way, even to the heightening of
his personal graces and disciplines!
-
David's worship of the Lord issued in his continual use of an instrument. Those
hours out in the field tending sheep yielded an abundance of time with the Lyre,
the ancient guitar.
-
A sense of God's presence gave him confidence in the most dire of
circumstances, either personally as he faced varying dangers in the field or as
he would have to fight for another cause.
-
God directed his life and gave him wisdom as he managed the business affairs
related to the flock that he cared for.
-
I'm even convinced that God's presence makes one more attractive physically! God's
people carry themselves with confidence and their joy is infectious!
-
The Lord was with David and it made this servant sing his praises loudly in the
Palace!
- Can you imagine that?
His family barely noticed him! I'm
inclined to believe that they were a little more impressed with men like Saul
anyway.
-
But in whatever moment David had publically, there were those that he thrilled!
-
Incidently, is there a value in giving even routine actions, your very best
effort? Is there a value in standing before the world, fully prayed up and
filled with God's Holy Spirit?
-
The servant who noted David was impressed by the contact that he had with him
and it led to a conversation at the highest position of power in the land!
-
Never forget that you are being watched and never neglect to make your best
impression for the sake of the Kingdom!
-
When the servant was talking David up in the palace, it's very likely that
David was in the field, worshipping the Lord, not even aware that God was
setting things up for him!
III. The Observation (v.19-23)
•
I Samuel 16:19-23 : "Therefore Saul sent messengers to
Jesse, and said, 'Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.' And Jesse took a donkey loaded with
bread, a skin of wine, and a young goat, and sent them by his son David to
Saul. So David
came to Saul and stood before him. And he loved him greatly, and he became his
armorbearer. Then Saul sent to Jesse, saying, 'Please let David stand before
me, for he has found favor in my sight.' And so it was, whenever the spirit
from God was upon Saul, that David would take a harp and play it with his hand.
Then Saul would become refreshed and well, and the distressing spirit would
depart from him." : Upon the recommendation of
this servant, Saul put out an order for Jesse to send David to headquarters.
-
Can you see David sitting there with the sheep, wondering how God was going to
carry out his plan, when a convoy of black SUVs, pull up to his location?
-
Jesse complied, sending a generous goodwill gift to the King by David's hand.
Perhaps this was Jessie's way of procuring favor for David. The young man
himself was taken with Saul.
-
David, the future King, loved Saul. He wasn't out for his job. He didn't use
this position to manipulate or promote himself. David genuinely loved Saul and
became one of his armorbearer.
-
David was at least 20 years old, as that was the first year a person could be
counted for military service. The King would have had many who carried his
armor.
-
It wasn't long before Saul made David a full time employee and the effect that
had been desired, came to pass, as David's musical skill brought the needed
relief.
-
When David played, Saul was refreshed, literally able to breathe easy and
relax. You sort of get the picture of a panic attack, when Saul's breathing
capacity tightened.
-
Additionally, his mood lightened. He became well or agreeable and pleasant, a
relief from the distressing spirit that vexed him.
-
There are some who believe that Saul's torment presented as a manic depressive.
David's gift rightly employed did the trick and what an illustration for us!
-
What gift do you possess and what effect does it have on the people around you?
This gift made room for David and the government funded his internship!
Conclusion
-
God's call may be as clear as crystal, but His plan to affect it will be
unbelieveable! What did David do as he waited? Let me suggest a few items from
our text.
-
First, David sharpened his skill set.
He kept playing his lyre. He kept doing business. He kept working on ways to
protect the sheep from predators.
-
Find ways to improve your service capacity! Study others habits. Keep learning
how to do what you do better than you have done it!
-
Second, David stayed humble. Where
did Jesse find David when Samuel called? Out in the field with the sheep? Where
was he when Saul called? Out in the field with the sheep!
- It
had been literally applied to his head, but David didn't let his annointing get
into it! He stayed where he was, the King elect, humbly working with the sheep!
-
Finally, David secured himself in the
Lord! David wasn't worried about a position. He kept seeking the Lord's
presence. He kept his accounts clear. He kept himself close to God's heart!
-
What did the servant say of him? God is with Him! When a person goes about
their life in this manner, it's no surprise when God brings that faithful
person into prominence!
-
Why? Because God cares about His sheep. God loved Israel so much that He
brought a Shepherd King to rule over them.
- He
loves us so much that He came Himself and laid down His life for the Sheep,
that we might in turn love one another and serve His Kingdom's interest in the
world!
No comments:
Post a Comment