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“Unchanging Grace” • 8.9.15 • Calvary Christian Fellowship,
Sunday Morning Service
Intro.
- The Kingdom that God intends will always be
different from what man imagines. Men like Saul fill the seats of power and
satisfy the world's hunger for an icon.
- God's Kingdom and specifically, God's King
will be filled by a man whose character has been refined, forged through a
variety of tests which prove our embrace of heaven's ideals and values.
- In the section before us, we'll see the fire
increase in David's life as he continues his life on the run.
Text
•
I Samuel 23:19,20 : "Then the Ziphites came up to Saul
at Gibeah, saying, 'Is David not hiding with us in strongholds in the woods, in
the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon? Now therefore, O king, come down
according to all the desire of your soul to come down; and our part shall be to
deliver him into the king’s hand.'" : As soon
as David has been strengthened in the Lord by Jonathan's visit, the Ziphites betray
him to Saul! In this world, you won't have much time for refreshment!
-
There are always twice as many Keilahites and Ziphites in this world as there
are Jonathan's!
-
There are people who will betray you for their own safety, as the men of Keilah
did, and there will be people who will betray you simply to get ahead, as the
Ziphites display.
-
The Ziphites aren't in imminent danger as the people of Keilah had been when
David was physically in their city. The Ziphite motivation is unknown, but is more
than likely carnal and civic.
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They want a share of the King's power through what he can offer them.
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The Ziphites, David's own tribesmen, not only inform Saul of the coordinates to
where he was stationed, but even offered their own hands to deliver him!
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"Come and do all that you want to do and we'll help you see it through to
the end!"
•
I Samuel 23:21-23 : "And Saul said, 'Blessed are you of
the Lord, for you have compassion on me. Please go and find out for sure,
and see the place where his hideout is, and who has seen him there. For I am
told he is very crafty. See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking places
where he hides; and come back to me with certainty, and I will go with you. And
it shall be, if he is in the land, that I will search for him throughout all
the clans of Judah.'" : Doesn't
it make you sick to hear a man use the Lord's Name in his speech when he has
nothing to do with God?
-
That is the very essence of taking the Name of the Lord in vain!
-
Saul hails their compassion for him. Forget about the truth or being on the
side of what is right! The King calls for more reconnaissance and for certainty
before he joins them in the search.
•
I Samuel 23:24-26 : "So they arose and went to Ziph
before Saul. But David and his men were in the Wilderness of Maon, in the plain
on the south of Jeshimon. When Saul and his men went to seek him, they told David.
Therefore he went down to the rock, and stayed in the Wilderness of Maon. And
when Saul heard that, he pursued David in the Wilderness of Maon. Then Saul went on one side of the
mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. So David
made haste to get away from Saul, for Saul and his men were encircling David
and his men to take them." : The men
of Ziph did indeed perform their duty for Saul and led him out to an expansive
wilderness area in southern Israel.
-
David is again given advance warning but seems to no avail, as he became
trapped by the side of a hill with Saul's men closing in all sides.
-
There you are, trapped on all sides, wondering about the promises that have
been given you. There is really only one option and that is to fight their way
out, which isn't an option at all.
-
In every one of these stories, David, a man of strategy and war, has refused to
fight against Saul on the field of battle. Aside from his principled stance,
there is also a practical consideration.
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If this is the same group that we see in chapter 24, Saul has David outnumbered 5 to 1!
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I can't imagine what was going through David's mind at this point, but we are
told that another option presented itself.
•
I Samuel 23:27-29 : "But a messenger came to Saul,
saying, 'Hurry and come, for the Philistines have invaded the land!' Therefore Saul returned from
pursuing David, and went against the Philistines; so they called that place the
Rock of Escape. Then David went up from there and dwelt in strongholds at En
Gedi." : Saul finally has David where he
wants him.
-
Just as he is about to give the order to take David, a messenger comes to Saul
out of nowhere bringing news of a massive Philistine invasion against the
people of Israel.
-
This is not a raiding band going against an isolated city. This is an attack in
a more centralized and strategic location and Saul has no choice but to break
off his attack.
-
It probably took a little while to conclude that Saul's men had really left.
David's scouts checked and re-checked the area until they were sure of their
safety.
-
You can almost see their faces, covered with dirt, their hearts pounding with
excitement, realizing their proximity to death. When they exhaled, the men
called it the Rock of Escape.
-
A better translation might be the "Rock that Divides", being that the
rock or hill stood between Saul and David as a barrier and provides us with yet
another great picture!
-
God stands between us and the enemy that pursues us in the person of Jesus
Christ! Our enemy would destroy us, but the Lord stands between us to defend us
from his intentions!
-
They left there and David's band traveled to En Gedi, another expansive
wilderness area that David was very familiar with.
•
I Samuel 24:1-4 : "Now it happened, when Saul had
returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, 'Take
note! David is in the Wilderness of En Gedi.' Then Saul took three thousand
chosen men from all Israel, and went to seek David and his men on the Rocks of
the Wild Goats. So
he came to the sheepfolds by the road, where there was a cave; and Saul went in
to attend to his needs. (David and his men were staying in the recesses of the
cave.) 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." : En Gedi, means "fountain of the kid," as in a baby
goat.
-
It's a tremendous patch of wilderness near the Dead Sea which serves as home to
wild cliff traversing Ibex and hyrax, with a fresh water oasis springing up to
provide water.
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This is where David chose to hide and it was a good place, as three thousand of
Saul's best men, Israel's special forces couldn't find him. In fact, David
found them first!
-
The author is too polite to tell us that Saul was relieving himself in the cave
that David's men were hiding in! Talk about being caught with your pants down!
-
This was a significant moment for David. Saul was all alone before him. He has
God's promise and annointing. He would have the popular support. He definitely
has the vote of his men!
-
This makes perfect sense to them! They surmise that God was fulfilling His
promise to David in this moment. "This is the day David!"
-
They assumed, the believed, they hoped David would see this to be the case.
Saul was indeed in David's hand and he would be able to do to him what seemed
good.
-
I would wonder how most men would see this. Most would relish this opportunity
and enjoy the revenge that would be earned, especially as David was ill treated
while innocent.
-
But David understands a spiritual lesson that we would do well to assess: In
God's providence there is no coincidence, but not every coincidence is
providence!
-
For the man without training in the things of God, the immature or the heathen,
coincidence is always seen as God's provision, but that cannot be the case.
Every coincidence must be tested.
-
As David walks toward his Father in law, he sees the Kingdom promise fulfilled.
He sees the joy of setting things right. He sees the blessing of returning to a
normal, yet extraordinary life!
-
Most importantly, he sees an end to his running, a relief from his stress and a
final clear vindication. He stealthily walked forward and cut just the corner
of Saul's robe.
-
Cutting the robe might have been the beginning of his intention toward Saul,
but something happened that confirmed he was on the wrong path.
•
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." : Saul is
sitting there. 3,000 men are outside of the cave making all kinds of noise.
David sneaks up beside him and cuts a piece of his robe.
-
The moment that David held a piece of Saul's robe in his hand, any remnant of
joy or satisfaction fell away from him. His heart troubled or "smote"
him.
-
It kept beating at him, punishing him with the truth. The feeling that he had
done something very wrong before the Lord cut him like the knife that he had
just used to cut Saul's robe!
-
He couldn't get away from it. He had a deep sense of remorse for this seemingly
insignificant action and yet, this points to the magnitude of David's heart
before the Lord.
-
Conviction is such a precious gift to the believer. The Holy Spirit stops us in
our tracks, letting us know personally that we have crossed a line that has
cost us our peace.
-
No human would have blamed him for cutting Saul's head off, yet, David was
deeply convicted of simply tearing a piece of cloth off of his robe!
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How sensitive is your conscience? Do you remember times when even the hint of
sinful activity caused you to respond this way? David was in the throes of
conviction, but his men weren't!
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They are desperate to end this life of running and to see the man that they
have backed, put into power!
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They tried to convince him because he responds to them about this, explaining
his reasoning. He invokes God's Name in the strongest statement that he could
make.
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"The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my master." David's
men wanted Saul dead, but forget about what they wanted! The Lord forbid! He's
the audience. He's the One we seek to please!
-
David, having seen what a little taste of revenge would be like, proverbially
spit it out of his mouth. His hand won't be the weapon to strike the Lord's
annointed!
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David's men are now thoroughly confused! Certainly, David had relayed the story
of his annointing at the hands of Samuel. Couple this with Saul's obviously
maniacal ways.
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How could Saul possibly be God's annointed in the mind of David? They didn't
see it and they sought to finish was David started.
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But David restrained, or tore them from their purpose and he stood between them
and Saul, just in time for Saul to finish his business and head out, unaware
that his life had just been spared.
-
David stood as a defense for Saul in the cave! He wouldn't allow anyone to kill
him. A lesser man would simply have looked the other way. Not David. He
wouldn't be party to it!
•
I Samuel 24:8-15 : "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.' Moreover, my father, see! Yes, see
the corner of your robe in my hand! For in that I cut off the corner of your
robe, and did not kill you, know and see that there is neither evil nor
rebellion in my hand, and I have not sinned against you. Yet you hunt my life
to take it. Let the Lord judge between you and me, and let the Lord avenge me on you. But my hand
shall not be against you. As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Wickedness proceeds from
the wicked.’ But my hand shall not be against you. After whom has the king of Israel
come out? Whom do you pursue? A dead dog? A flea? 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.'" : David emerges from the cave after Saul has crossed over a
strategic distance. Look at how David addresses him: My lord and King! After
all that's been done, David remains honorable.
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Whatever a person does to us, we can be assured that it is our choice in how it
affect us! David not only spoke well, but he humbled himself before Saul!
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Instead of revenge, David sought restoration. He puts Saul in the best possible
light. Men like Doeg had fueled Saul's rage. David confronts that line of
thinking directly.
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David was never out to harm him and in spite of his own men's encouragement to
the contrary, David refused to take his life.
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In his judgment, his eye, caused him to spare Saul's life and the reason was
not for Saul's sake, but because of his belief that God had annointed him to be
the King!
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What a tremendous lesson for you and I! David chose not to act according to
instinct, which in this case, would have been survival or revenge.
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David refused to be motivated by his men who sought to convince him to kill
Saul in what seemed to be a common sense or even providential action.
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David was controlled in this moment by a sovereign choice that had made Saul
the King of Israel. He would not extend his hand against the King because of the
choice that God had made.
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Since God had made him the King, God also has the responsibility of removing
him. David chose to trust in sovereignty. His hand would not force the issue.
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Will you hear those words? "I will not stretch out my hands against the
Lord's annointed." David doesn't honor the man. Saul is without honor.
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David honors God's positioning of this man and his decision to end Saul's rule
or life. For his own part, David is saying publically that he isn't worth the
time to pursue! He's insignificant.
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He is saying that chasing him is the same as chasing a harmless dead dog or a
tiny flea!
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"Let the Lord judge between us." He put himself entirely in the hands
of God and prayed that he would keep David from delivering himself!
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What trust David possessed in the Lord! Would you trust your case to Him? Would
you believe that He will bring vindication to your case eventually? May it be
said so of us!
•
I Samuel 24:16-21 : "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. And you have shown this day how you have dealt well with me; for
when the Lord delivered me into your hand, you
did not kill me. For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him get away safely?
Therefore may the Lord reward you with good for what you
have done to me this day. And now I know indeed that you shall surely be king, and that
the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand. Therefore swear now to me by the Lord that you will not cut off my
descendants after me, and that you will not destroy my name from my father’s
house.'" : I imagine David's voice trailing
off in the wilderness, echoing against the hills of En Gedi.
-
As the final echo dies down, Saul looks at his men, who have just expended
incredible amounts of energy in their attempt to capture David. They are waiting
for Saul's order.
-
Saul realizes that he has been spared and that his enemy has tangible proof in
his hand. I can't help but think that Saul is looking at prophesy fulfilled.
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Samuel had told Saul that God had ripped the Kingdom from him and would give it
to a man better than he. (I Samuel
15:27,28) He was living in that moment right then!
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Instead of abdicating the throne and surrendering himself to God and the
rightful King, Saul chose some spiritual sounding words, the choice of most
every person caught in rebellion to God!
-
Complete with histrionics, Saul admits David's righteousness exceeds his and
admits that David has not acted as an enemy, but as a friend.
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He even goes so far as to confess that David will one day be the King and calls
upon him not to destroy his family. Jonathan had told David that Saul knew the
truth. He was right!
-
But notice a very dangerous warning: Knowing the truth is not equal to DOING
the truth! Saul knows what is right, but lacks the power to do it. He's a
double minded man!
•
I Samuel 24:22 : "So David swore to Saul. And Saul
went home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold." : How much did David believe? Nothing! Saul went back into the
land of Gibeah and David went back into the stronghold!
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"But surely, his word is good!" David has already seen this a few
times. If there was to be a change, it would be seen first in his actions and
then in his words.
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Our words mean nothing if our actions aren't corresponding to the truth! When a
person who has hurt you makes such a confession, you are not only wise, but
justified in seeking behavior.
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That's what repentance is: A change of mind, leading to a change of direction! David
wasn't fooled by Saul's words for a minute!
Conclusion
-
David has been betrayed by his fellow tribesman, pursued wrongfully by his
sovereign, but it never changed him. He was the same man of God he had been
when he was a shepherd.
- He
was as devoted to God in the cave as he had been in the field. How is this
possible? By reminding himself that God was still who God had always been.
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Circumstances will change, people will mistreat you and often life will be more
of a burden than you could have imagined. God is still who He is and you are
still called to be His!
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When Jesus had been betrayed by his own people, when all his best friends
forsook Him and when the populous turned against Him in chants calling for His
crucifixion, He called to His Father.
- Did
He call for their judgment? No. He said, "Father, forgive them for they
know not what they do!" When He died, He literally died for their sins as
well as ours.
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This sort of heart is impossible by any other standard! This is a God sized
challenge! That's why when you trust in Jesus Christ, the Spirit of God infuses
you with Christ's life!
- Our
part is to look into the Word, see the heart displayed and call upon the Spirit
of God to begin to make this His success story in us. May it be so this week!
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