Sunday Morning Service

I Samuel 26-I Samuel 27

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“Giving Up And Giving In” • 8.23.15 • Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service

Intro.

- We have been tracking the story of a young man, who has spent a good part of his 20's living as an enemy of the state, dwelling in caves, camping out under the stars of the Judean wilderness.

- He is around 25 years old at this point. He's married to two women and there are signs that the isolation and the situation are wearing upon him.

- In chapter 25, he nearly wiped out a man's entire family for the sake of a personal insult! David is a believer, a man after God's heart, but he's beginning to run on empty.

- Today, we will watch what occurs when a person runs that way for too long.

Text

• I Samuel 26:1-4 : "Now the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, 'Is David not hiding in the hill of Hachilah, opposite Jeshimon?' Then Saul arose and went down to the Wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the Wilderness of Ziph. And Saul encamped in the hill of Hachilah, which is opposite Jeshimon, by the road. But David stayed in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness. David therefore sent out spies, and understood that Saul had indeed come." : The Ziphites maintained their loyalty to Saul by exposing David's hiding place this second time.

- David must have maintained a rotation of wilderness spots as certain seasons might have had offered better food and water sources.

- When the King hears the news, Saul responds the same way that he did in chapter 23.

- Three thousand elite men flooded the wilderness area in search of David's hiding place. This time, with Saul camped on the road in a stationary position, David got to do a little hunting.

- In all his travels as shepherd and fugitive, David has acquired an expert knowledge of every imaginable hiding place. Truly, Saul was the one who should have worried about exposure.

- David's spies soon discovered Saul's presence which opened the door of opportunity.

• I Samuel 26:5-8 : "So David arose and came to the place where Saul had encamped. And David saw the place where Saul lay, and Abner the son of Ner, the commander of his army. Now Saul lay within the camp, with the people encamped all around him. Then David answered, and said to Ahimelech the Hittite and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, brother of Joab, saying, 'Who will go down with me to Saul in the camp?' And Abishai said, 'I will go down with you.' 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 moved in close enough to Saul's encampment to observe where the King had sacked out.

- Saul was stationed in the center of a circle provided by 3,000 elite Israeli troops. It's at this point that David makes a strange request of his two men: "Who will go down with me to Saul?

- This is a tremendous risk. Why is David intent upon going down to Saul? What did he hope to accomplish? Did God lay this action upon his heart? He may have.

- It may also be that David presumed to take this action apart from Him. No reason is given and none was needed for David's brave nephew Abishai to take the offer.

- David and Abishai crept in the darkness, snoring men all around and unbelieveably, they come right to where Saul is! Can you imagine that? Not one man stirred awake!

- We'll see that this was a sign of God's protection in verse 12, but they soon bypassed three thousand military men and stood over the King whose spear was standing right next to his head!

- Abishai whispers fervently in the dark to his Uncle David attributing this moment to God's provident hand and offers to pin Saul to the ground with one swift use of Saul's own spear!

- One blow would finish this season of David's life. David's mind is racing. Years have passed and his last period of conviction has only led him to suffer further!

- Additionally, he has two wives to consider now! This further presses upon David as he responds to this new opportunity.

• I Samuel 26:9-12 : "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' So David took the spear and the jug of water by Saul’s head, and they got away; and no man saw or knew it or awoke. For they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen on them." : However long a time has passed from the cave of En Gedi, one thing has remained constant: David's knowledge of the Lord's command and his commitment to obey.

- What a great thing to teach your nephew! David can take matters into his own hands and bring comfort to his own life by taking a short cut and he doesn't because of God's Word!

- David's affirms correctly that God will hold a person accountable for such an action and even in the incredible circumstance, such a person would not be guiltless before God.

- There isn't a time or a circumstance that changes God's law on a given situation! Here with the spear near his hand, David remembers and transmits that to his nephew.

- Besides that, given David's recent dealings with Nabal, David could remind Abishai that God  has many ways to deal with Saul.

- The one way that God would not prescribe was via David's hand, though he certainly felt that he could relieve Saul of his spear and water jug temporarily!

• I Samuel 26:13-16 : "Now David went over to the other side, and stood on the top of a hill afar off, a great distance being between them. And David called out to the people and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, 'Do you not answer, Abner?' Then Abner answered and said, 'Who are you, calling out to the king?' So David said to Abner, 'Are you not a man? And who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not guarded your lord the king? For one of the people came in to destroy your lord the king. This thing that you have done is not good. As the Lord lives, you deserve to die, because you have not guarded your master, the Lord’s anointed. And now see where the king’s spear is, and the jug of water that was by his head.'" : From a safe distance, David wakes up Saul's troops and calls out Abner, Saul's cousin, for his failure to protect the King. Why would David be so incendiary against Abner?

- Abner would have been Saul's most ardent defender. He should have either been awake or posted sentries that would have stayed awake.

- By virtue of his possession of Saul's personal effects, David has shown himself to be more loyal to Saul that he was! If anyone deserved to die that day, it was Abner for his negligence!

• I Samuel 26:17-20 : "Then Saul knew David’s voice, and said, 'Is that your voice, my son David?' David said, 'It is my voice, my lord, O king.' And he said, 'Why does my lord thus pursue his servant? For what have I done, or what evil is in my hand? Now therefore, please, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant: If the Lord has stirred you up against me, let Him accept an offering. But if it is the children of men, may they be cursed before the Lord, for they have driven me out this day from sharing in the inheritance of the Lord, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’ So now, do not let my blood fall to the earth before the face of the Lord. For the king of Israel has come out to seek a flea, as when one hunts a partridge in the mountains.'" : David again engages in a half mile conversation and asks Saul to name his charges. What has he done? What was the evidence? What evil was in his hand?

- The spear and Saul's water jug again proved his innocence and lack of intention!

- David calls Saul to consider where this campaign was coming from. Was God driving him with a goad? David says he will bring an offering to God.

- David knew that there was a way back into a proper gracious state with the Lord. But an enduring time of persecution for an innocent from God made no sense. This felt more like men!

- Were men moving upon Saul with their suggestions? Let them be accursed, anathema, hated by God because of what they were causing in David's life.

- They were robbing him of his life and enjoyment of God's presence in the land of Israel! Here is where we get some clue as to David's frayed mindset.

- David needs to know when this is going to end! He can't keep running. He misses his life in Israel and it's getting to the point that he's willing to abandon it all to go live in a godless land!

- He is entertaining these thoughts based on an increasing disbelief in God's program.

- Listen to his words: Don't let my blood fall to the earth before the Lord! In spite of all that God has done for him, David is waffling under the pressure! He sees no end in sight.

- He sees only exile or excommunication. He sees only his demise. He is a hopeless tired flea!

- He makes the comparison of hunting for partridge, which really illustrates his mindset. This type of bird only flies to evade a predator.

- Given it's girth, it won't fly long and expends most of it's energy very quickly. Soon, exhaustion leads the bird to simply give up. That is where David is right now! He's almost cooked!

• I Samuel 26:21-25 : "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.' And David answered and said, 'Here is the king’s spear. Let one of the young men come over and get it. May the Lord repay every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness; for the Lord delivered you into my hand today, but I would not stretch out my hand against the Lord’s anointed. And indeed, as your life was valued much this day in my eyes, so let my life be valued much in the eyes of the Lord, and let Him deliver me out of all tribulation.' 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." : Saul's words remain correct, but his heart will not allow him to change. He had sinned, but he had not repented.

- It is not enough to acknowledge sin. That is the beginning! You acknowledge that you have sinned and that that sin offends God. Your response then is to repent, to change your mind about sin!

- In changing your mind, it is inevitable that you will change your behavior. This wasn't Saul's response. His words mean nothing. He doesn't even care enough to weep as he did in chapter 23!

- It may be that he actually felt the sting of his actions some years ago, but here, he feels nothing. His conscience is seared and he is now spiritually unable to feel the pain of sin!

- He admits that he had played the fool, but there was no return to wisdom! He had erred exceedingly, but he was unwilling to be corrected practically.

- David holds out his spear and offers it to Saul's young men. Do you see here that David offers Saul the chance to prove that his words mean anything.

- David would be leaving it but Saul would certainly have a man collect his favorite weapon.

- David knows this and gives his case into the hands of God. Saul would not repay David's kindness, but he trusted the Lord to. "Let my life be valuable in God's eyes cause it's not in yours!"

- After a few spiritual sounding pleasantries, David and Saul again part ways with no reconciliation in sight. This moment leads David to a tragic decision.

• I Samuel 27:1 : "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.'" : Remember that he has a Priest with him, who holds the Ephod.

- He now has two wives, one of which has shown tremendous wisdom at least before marrying David! But neither the priest or his wives are consulted!

- David merely follows the musing of his own heart, which convinced him of an eventual demise at Saul's hand. He has convinced himself that this is a foregone conclusion.

- David forgets that it hasn't happened to this point and that there are promises which have been slated for his future. In this moment, the only thing that is true to him is that he is wasting his life!

- Did he forget to come to the Lord? I'm convinced that he refused to go to the Lord! He just wants out! He just wants to escape and his best option was to head into enemy territory!

- His logic works, as Saul would not likely chase him there, but what good will come of being in enemy territory? He conceives of one good outcome, that he would escape from Saul's hand.

- Sadly, that's the only thing that he thinks of. What about his spiritual growth? What about the safety of his family from idolatrous influence? What about God's promise and our Messiah!?

- He'll potentially escape from Saul's hand, but he won't escape the other conditions.

• I Samuel 27:2-4 : "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. And it was told Saul that David had fled to Gath; so he sought him no more." : David's action is sinful. He has taken his own life into his own hands and ignored God's right to choose his direction for him.

- David chose to follow his own wisdom, to trust in his own plan, at the expense of God's perfect plan which was immediately available to him.

- That's bad enough. What's worse is that he took 600 men and their households with him! There could easily have been over 1200 people that he led into idolatrous Philistia!

- Wives, children, Mothers and Fathers, whole families, all people who have given quite a bit to follow David. Where does he lead them? Into enemy territory!

- Sin never takes place in isolation. It always negatively affects people around us.

- I would propose that the author reveals David's motive in verse 3 when he mentions his two wives Ahinoam and Abigail!

- How many men, for the sake of providing a "better life" for their wives, have moved them right into the enemy's crossfires? Certainly one objective was obtained, but at a great expense!

• I Samuel 27:5-7 : "Then David said to Achish, 'If I have now found favor in your eyes, let them give me a place in some town in the country, that I may dwell there. For why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?' So Achish gave him Ziklag that day. Therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day. Now the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was one full year and four months." : Achish welcomed David's presence as a group of militia men and seems to have developed a relationship with him over time.

- This led to David's request for a city among the Philistines, some place that was out of the way, which Achish conferred upon he and his men.

- David spent 16 months of his life in Philistine territory, long enough to have this city belong to the Kings of Judah.

• I Samuel 27:8-12 : "And David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites. For those nations were the inhabitants of the land from of old, as you go to Shur, even as far as the land of Egypt. Whenever David attacked the land, he left neither man nor woman alive, but took away the sheep, the oxen, the donkeys, the camels, and the apparel, and returned and came to Achish. Then Achish would say, 'Where have you made a raid today?' And David would say, 'Against the southern area of Judah, or against the southern area of the Jerahmeelites, or against the southern area of the Kenites.' 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.'" : David becomes a mercenary, fighting old enemies in the ruthless manner that was common place in the world during that time, but not characteristic of David.

- Except for the Amalekites, these were not explicitly God's enemies. David was fighting to enrich himself.

- Then, to cover his tracks, he lied and told Achish that all his wealth had come at the expense of Israelite territories! This was how he acted for his entire time in Philistia!

- Achish believed him and thought that this was a final breaking between David and Israel.

- In his mind, David was now thoroughly committed and would be his servant forever!

Conclusion

- Can you believe it? This story began with David the faithful man of God and ends with David the faithful friend of God's enemy! It's David's pattern that is instructive to us.

- David's fatigue and fight merely to survive overwhelmed him to the point where he could only think about his physical life and would only seek an answer that corrected one issue.

- He listened to his own inner counsel and moved out of the frying pan and into the fire! It goes without saying that the person of God must always seek God for His direction.

- You might avoid one pitfall, only to make yourself vulnerable to another!

- Only He knows your need and only He supplies us with wisdom that refreshes us and answers that protect us. David should have trusted in this.

- But one note that we can also know about this that may also help us: David was about a year and a half away from seeing his tormentor's death!

- Before you give up and walk away, you had better consider that your relief might just be around the corner!

- David, at least for a chapter in his life, opted out of God's plan when the pressure overwhelmed him. He sought relief and followed his own wisdom toward it.

- Thank God that we are not trusting in David, but in David's greater Son Jesus Christ, who when confronted with the greater pressure of God's impending wrath turned toward it!

- When faced with the opportunity to cut and run, Jesus chose to remain, to drink the cup of God's wrath and to offer His own precious life in order that those who trust in Him might have life!

- Instead of seeking His own reward or enriching Himself with injustice, He became the victim of the greatest injustice, not robbing men, but enriching them on account of His obedience to God!

- Today, because of His love and faithfulness, because He has suffered for us, we can stand under pressure because His Spirit lives in us who believe!