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“A Tale Of Two Kings” • 8.2.15 • Calvary Christian
Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service
Intro.
- David, the shepherd, the national hero and
the King's faithful servant has begun a near decade long life as a wanted enemy
of the state.
- King Saul has all the advantage, with his men
and his might and yet, there is quite a contrast even here between these two
men.
- When the pressure is the most intense, both
men will display their true character as leaders and will provide us with a
deep contrast between a man of this world and a man after God's heart.
Text
•
II Samuel 22:6 : "When Saul heard that David and the men who were with him had
been discovered—now Saul was staying in Gibeah under a tamarisk tree in Ramah,
with his spear in his hand, and all his servants standing about him—" : The last time we saw Saul was at Naioth and he wasn't quite
himself! His royal robes had been stripped off, having come under the power of
God's presence. He was even prophesying!
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That state of mind, even backed up by that powerful experience, could not bring
him out from his determined rebellion against God and his deep hatred for God's
anointed, David.
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He's back now in his usual paranoid, deluded mind waiting for news of David's
whereabouts in Ramah, Samuel's home town. Saul's trusty spear is at his side.
-
The men who rule like Saul, rule with a spear nearby, ready to throw at a
moment's notice. They rule by intimidation and force and as with Saul, there
are always people who will support him!
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Two things occur to me in this moment, the first of which relates to David.
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In our previous study, David required no help in messing things up. He had
trusted in his own resources and almost fell prey to the Philistines. But the
moment he turns back to God, Saul pops up!
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When you turn yourself to the Lord, you can expect your enemy to come back onto
the scene with all of his strength focused on you! The second thing that occurs
to me is more immediate.
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The enemy stands with his usual weapons! Saul will never stop leaning on his
spear, even though it has proven utterly useless against David!
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Without going too far off track, know that your enemy will never use different or
new weapons. He's content to use the same ones he's always used because they
have always worked!
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Satan will cause you to doubt God's Word, His character and the consequences of
your sin, by contradiction, character assassination and front loaded benefit.
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Saul is unwilling to surrender himself to the Lord and unable to recognize the
futility of his actions. Like a dog on a hunt, he can only act instinctively.
Hearing of David's presence fuels him.
•
I Samuel 22:7,8 : "then Saul said to his servants who stood about him, 'Hear now,
you Benjamites! Will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and
vineyards, and make you all captains of thousands and captains of hundreds? All
of you have conspired against me, and there is no one who reveals to me that my
son has made a covenant with the son of Jesse; and there is not one of you who
is sorry for me or reveals to me that my son has stirred up my servant against
me, to lie in wait, as it is this day.'" : The men
who followed Saul were predominantly members of his own tribe, the Benjamites.
Saul leans on intimidation, but he bought these men with favors first.
-
When he wants to motivate his men, he simply appeals to their sense of greed.
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Saul won't use David's name. He's the son of Jesse! He is irrelevant. He can't
dole out fields and vineyards. He doesn't have that power. But Saul can affect
these things for those loyal to him.
-
He doesn't really have the power to give every one of them fields and
vineyards. His implied promise is false, but like every politician, he sees no
problem making it!
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Next, Saul appeals to their sense of pride. He will make them all captains of
thousands and hundreds, prominent men above other men. This is why it's in
their best interest to side with Saul.
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Leaders like Saul must always maintain an environment of discontent by
providing rewards that are just around the corner. When that doesn't work, Saul
turns to his threats!
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As soon as he promises promotion, he just as quickly accuses them of conspiring
against him by hiding Jonathan's friendship with David from him!
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It's not likely that many people knew and for reasons that we will see, it's
not likely that they would have seen any hint of impropriety between them
toward Saul.
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Saul is letting his imagination rule the day. In order to justify his behavior,
he's concocted this storyline and is forcing every action to fit into and
strengthen that narrative.
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"How come nobody feels sympathy for me!? Wasn't anyone going to tell me of
my son's rebellion!?" He accuses Jonathan of high treason and is selling
the story of his own imminent danger!
•
I Samuel 22:8-10 : "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.'" : Saul's
men just didn't know what to say.
-
Doeg looked around at the other men and wondered who would take the initiative
to seize this golden opportunity. Someone needs to respond and divert the
attention away from the servants.
-
Doeg breaks the silence and reveals David's last known position, laying out a
story that cast Saul's eyes in another direction while simultaneously fueling
his paranoid delusion.
-
"There IS a conspiracy your Lordship, but it's not with your servants.
It's with the Priests!"
-
Doeg spins the story leading with a lie but adding in the truth. David had
received the old bread and he had taken up the sword of Goliath. That part was
true.
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But David had not asked the Priest to inquire of the Lord for him because that
would have exposed him to Ahimelech, who he was likely trying to protect.
-
Saul didn't need much. He's happy to have any case to order action against
David and immediately seeks to confront Ahimelech.
•
I Samuel 22:11-13 : "So the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of
Ahitub, and all his father’s house, the priests who were in Nob. And they all
came to the king. And Saul said, 'Hear now, son of Ahitub!' He answered, 'Here
I am, my lord.' Then Saul said to him, 'Why have you conspired against me, you
and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and a sword, and have
inquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as it
is this day?'" : Can you imagine this group of
priests, ignorant of their circumstance and only there as a result of Ahimelech's
kindness to David!?
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The call or invitation was given without any indication as to it's reason, but Saul
wastes no time and accuses him straightaway of colluding with David against
him.
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Notice how Saul has used this information. He believes Doeg's report and adds
in some of his own ideas. "You suggested that he rise against me, to hide
and kill me!"
•
I Samuel 22:14,15 : "So Ahimelech answered the king and said, 'And who among all your
servants is as faithful as David, who is the king’s son-in-law, who goes at
your bidding, and is honorable in your house? Did I then begin to inquire of
God for him? Far be it from me! Let not the king impute anything to his
servant, or to any in the house of my father. For your servant knew nothing of
all this, little or much.'" : Ahimelech has no idea what
Saul is talking about. Can you see his eyes go blank?
-
He has not only been falsely accused by the King, but he cannot even see the
thread that the King is purporting to be true! He outlines his reasons to trust
David, beginning with his character.
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Which servant was more faithful or as the NIV says, "more loyal" than
David? There wasn't anyone in Saul's service with a more upright heart.
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David was more than a great soldier, David was a true servant to the King!
Ahimelech didn't even see a hint of falsehood! Add to that, David was Saul's
son-in-law!
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How could Ahimelech not trust him!? He says this as if to say, "If the
King's son come to me and I DIDN'T help him, how would that story have ended!?"
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David was loyal and honorable and instant in his obedience. When Saul said
"go," David would say where! Nothing was out of the ordinary!
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This was all there was to know about David! There isn't a case, but this isn't
anything but a Kangaroo court!
•
I Samuel 22:16-19 : "And the king said, 'You shall
surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house!' Then the king said to the guards
who stood about him, 'Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because their hand also is with
David, and because they knew when he fled and did not tell it to me.' But the
servants of the king would not lift their hands to strike the priests of the Lord. And the king said to Doeg, 'You
turn and kill the priests!' So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck the priests,
and killed on that day eighty-five men who wore a linen ephod. Also Nob, the city of the priests,
he struck with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and nursing
infants, oxen and donkeys and sheep—with the edge of the sword." : This is simply a tragic, horrifying stain on the pages of the
Bible.
-
Doeg, in spite of the refusal of all of the King's servants, killed 85 priests and
went on to execute the inhabitants of the priestly city of Nob as well!
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When Saul was told by God to kill all of the Amalekites back in chapter 15, he found reasons to spare those
under the judgment, the ban of God. He has no such reservations here.
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There isn't a word of restraint or rebuke. He simply lets Doeg complete his
bloody task.
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The difference is that this was for his cause, his glory, his respect! People
like Saul will find ways to avoid obeying the Lord, but will pay any cost for
their own glory!
•
I Samuel 22:20-23 : "Now one of the sons of Ahimelech
the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. 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.'" : David immediately blames himself, though he couldn't have known
what Saul would have done with Doeg's information.
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David caused the death of Abiathar's family! What a responsibility! What a cost
for the lie that he told! Now they are both hunted men!
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But David knows now that as long as Abiathar stays with him, he'll be safe, because
God is His refuge and those that are with him, as he remains in the Lord, will
remain safe as well!
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It's amazing what will occur when you put your trust in the Lord above every
other resource. David confidence should be shattered by the circumstance.
Instead, he's at ease!
• I Samuel
23:1-5 : "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.' But David’s men said to him, 'Look, we are afraid here in
Judah. How much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the
Philistines?' Then David inquired of the Lord once again. And the Lord answered
him and said, 'Arise, go down to Keilah. For I will deliver the Philistines
into your hand.' And David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the
Philistines, struck them with a mighty blow, and took away their livestock. So
David saved the inhabitants of Keilah." : Somebody
brought news to David telling of the Philistine incursion into Judah's city of
Keilah.
- The Philistines were stealing the grain that
had already been harvested and stored for the following year. For an agrarian
society, this would be devastating! Why have they come to David?
- Whoever it was, they knew that David was the
only person willing and able to help them. David is confronted with this
information and can give several answers.
- He can deflect, offering his circumstance as
a rightful excuse. "At least they aren't being hunted by the King!"
But David doesn't respond this way.
- Neither does he determine to go at the first
invitation. David wasn't reckless. He wasn't seeking a fight, solely to fight.
What he does is bring this information before the Lord.
- He inquires of the Lord, putting himself in
the position of a servant and begs for the Lord's direction! He won't move
without God's Word.
- Can it be stressed enough to us: We must ever
put ourselves before the Lord, trusting in His guidance to direct our paths!
- How can you lead a family without first
asking God's direction? How can you make financial decisions without first
consulting the Lord? Our first response must be to surrender ourselves to Him!
- And when the external pressure builds up, as
when the men question his decision, what does David do? He simply models that
same behavior before them and saves Keilah!
•
I Samuel 23:6-13 : "Now it happened, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to
David at Keilah, that he went down with an ephod in his hand. And Saul was told
that David had gone to Keilah. So Saul said, 'God has delivered him into my
hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars.'
Then Saul called all the people together for war, to go down to Keilah to
besiege David and his men. When David knew that Saul plotted evil against him,
he said to Abiathar the priest, 'Bring the ephod here.' Then David said, 'O
Lord God of Israel, Your servant has certainly heard that Saul seeks to come to
Keilah to destroy the city for my sake. Will the men of Keilah deliver me into
his hand? Will Saul come down, as Your servant has heard? O Lord God of Israel,
I pray, tell Your servant.' And the Lord said, 'He will come down.' Then David
said, 'Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul?' And the
Lord said, 'They will deliver you.' So David and his men, about six hundred,
arose and departed from Keilah and went wherever they could go. Then it was
told Saul that David had escaped from Keilah; so he halted the expedition." : In the category of "no good deed unpunished," David
faces certain trouble when Saul hears of his whereabouts.
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Saul actually believes that he can systematically kill God's priests and then
claim God is with him! It's nothing new for a person not ruled by God to claim
God's favor. It wasn't true here or now!
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Saul won't rally his troops against the Philistines, the real enemy, but when
David is out there, he calls all of his troops in for service! Saul is only
interested in fighting his own enemy!
-
David might have been tempted to trust in the integrity of the city walls or
it's recently saved inhabitants, but the Lord let's David know that neither
will suffice.
-
David has to learn a valuable lesson here: When he ministers at the Lord's
command, the only reward will come from the Lord! Keilah knows that Saul isn't
above killing priests to get to David!
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David no doubt understands. He doesn't say anything about them, but did you
notice that in obeying the Lord, he actually gained 200 men!?
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We are never at a loss when we decide to serve the Lord with our time, talent
or treasure!
•
I Samuel 23:14-18 : "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. 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.' So the two of them made a covenant
before the Lord. And David stayed in the woods,
and Jonathan went to his own house." : Ziph is
a large mountainous range in the Judean wilderness, which Saul combed over
daily to find David.
-
Saul will expend himself and the Kingdom's resources on a futile attempt to
thwart God's plan! God simply made the decision not to deliver him into his
hand!
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God would not allow Saul to know where David was, but Jonathan had no problem
finding him! God has the same power to obscure or to reveal.
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When David needed refreshment for his soul, God made sure to light Jonathan's
way!
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In that most difficult moment, God brought David the most sure voice he could
have imagined and with his words and presence, Jonathan strengthened David's
hand in the Lord!
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I prefer the NIV's translation here: Jonathan "helped him find strength in God."
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Jonathan is a great friend because he pointed David to the reality of the
present situation, that his own Father would find futility before he found David
as well as his assured future!
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Even here in the wilderness, Jonathan is joyfully willing to stand next to who
He know to be God's choice.
Conclusion
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Consider this a public service announcement. To those who would give themselves
to Saul's ways. To those who choose intimidation and fear.
- To
those who buy affections and lure people to their side with promises they
cannot possibly fulfill. To those who will stop at nothing to achieve their
goal, let it be known, God will refuse you!
- Yes
there will always be people drawn to your side and there will be immediate
results that will seem to even be divine. Don't be fooled! Look at how it turns
out!
-
With all the resources of the Kingdom at his disposal, with all the mighty men
at his side, Saul comes up empty, time and time again, the very essence of the
futility of fighting against God!
-
However, look at David. Completely displaced, a wanted fugitive, a hunted man
graced with the favor and presence of God!
-
David rules by modeling submission to God. When his followers press him and
call him to trust in his own instincts, David again goes to God for them.
- He
obeys God at the risk of his own life, and the life of the men that were with
him.
-
Unlike Saul, David will fight the true enemy of God's people, who are actively
stealing what they have received from the Lord and which belongs rightfully to
them.
- Not
only does David save Keilah, but he sees God add two hundred more men to his
number! How fitting a type David is of Christ!
- Our
King was despised and rejected, hunted by men who hated Him. Despising the
shame, Jesus humbled Himself, took on the form of a servant and submitted to a
heinous death.
- He
went there because the enemy of God's people was ruthlessly stealing from them,
taking their hope of relationship with God with every sin he lured them toward.
-
When Jesus went obediently to the Cross, in His death, He atoned for every sin
of every person who would ever believe in Him! He saved His people from their
sin and from the wrath of God!
- And
like David, it will be a bit of time before it is seen, but His Name, Jesus,
will be the Name which is above all names for ever and ever, when He is
revealed to be the King of Kings!
- Long live the King! Jesus Christ, our Savior!
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