1 Samuel 19 Bible Study (Saul Tries to Kill David) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

You know, the scriptures testify of the word of God that it is a double edged sword. And there's many reasons for that. It speaks of its precision when it comes to conviction and highlighting the things that we think are hidden from God. Double edged sword because it first first cuts the preacher before it does the congregation. And that is certainly true, especially in this study of first Samuel.

I must testify in the presence of God that it has been a riveting experience to open up this specific book and to just see the the wisdom of God in placing this scripture for his people for all time. Again. God could have given us a systematic theology. If you ever read a systematic theology book, it's one of these thick books that just puts everything in categories and definitions and but but God doesn't do that. He does give us definitions.

He does give us theological terms, but he also gives us stories. He gives us poems. He gives us journal entries. And that is what we are reading today. We are reading a story, a true story with many, many rich principles that we can apply to our lives.

And so meet me in your bibles in first Samuel chapter 19. We learned last week in first Samuel 18 of a pivotal moment that would change the climate of this narrative for the rest of the book. And it was triggered. It was unlocked. It was unleashed by Saul's jealousy, his envy, his insecurity, which kicked into a new gear and would alter the direction of David's life in a very significant way.

And in these next few chapters, we are gonna see the extent of this man's malice. We are going to see just how far sin can take a person, even as dignified as a king, even as dignified as somebody who was anointed by a well known godly prophet. But before we move on in in chapter 19, it would it would not be right to not track the final verses of 18, which we didn't cover last week because it flows beautifully. Remember that the chapters and the verses are not inspired, and sometimes these breaks can ruin the flow for not careful to see past them. And so before we go to chapter 19, let's go to verse 17 of chapter 18.

And let's pray before we study together. Lord, we thank you for the written word of God. Our hearts come alive when your Holy Spirit reveals to us these truths. We hunger for the word, the pure word, the pure word of God. We pray that we will be able to receive it with humility and that it would be digested by your grace so that we can apply it to our lives.

Protect us from the great error of Herod, who heard John gladly but never changed, who heard John gladly but never changed. Change us. Sanctify us. Transform us by the power of your word. Your son said in that beautiful prayer, sanctify them by your truth.

Your word is truth. And so we submit ourselves to the word, believing that you will change us as you see our humility and our desperation for righteousness. We come to you now in the name of your beloved son, Jesus Christ. Amen. I hope you remember last week.

Saul's jealousy was budding, and now he's craving to eliminate, eradicate David from the face of the earth. And he's attempted here and there, but his plots have not ceased. They've only increased in carnality and and deception. And we see that here unfolding in verse 17 after David escaped Saul in more than one occasion occasion from his spear and his wrath. Verse 17 tells us, then Saul said to David, here is my elder daughter, Merab.

I will give her to you for a wife. Only be valiant for me and fight the Lord's battles. For Saul thought, let not my hand be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against him. And David said to Saul, who am I, and who are my relatives, my father's clan in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king? But at the time when Meirab, Saul's daughter, should have been given to David, she was given to Adriel, the Meholathite for a wife.

So now, Saul is up to something. We read it. We have commentary on his attitude and on his heart. But now he comes up with this new scheme. I'm going to present my eldest daughter as a potential wife to David.

And it's not because I really want a godly man to marry my daughter. It's because I wanna use my daughter as bait to position David in a way where he would jeopardize his life behind enemy lines and that he would be eliminated by somebody else, and I would look innocent though I have satisfied my murderous appetite. Now we've been studying this book, so you should remember a certain detail. Why should this be a question mark from the beginning? Why is Saul offering his daughter a suspicion to begin with?

He already earned it. Did you hear that? What was one of the rewards for the person that would eliminate Goliath? Well, if you remember, the prize among many was somebody would have the daughter for marriage. David already earned this reward.

And Saul is proving what he's proven already that he does not keep his word. He does not he does not care about whether or not he is a man of integrity concerning his promises. No. He should have given her up already, but instead he uses her again, playing off of David's ignorance or probably his humility to not demand for her. And he's saying, I want you to go fight again, and then I'll give her to you.

And David already proved himself, but perhaps he in his innocence is just seeing a father who really treasures the value of his daughter. And so he's thinking that he needs to earn or prove himself to be more worthy as a candidate to be a husband for for the king's beautiful princess. And so he's ready to go fight, presuming that Saul again is just trying to test David as a poor man who doesn't have much of of a dowry to give, so go and fight. Not only is David presented with this apparent, beautiful picture of a father who treasures his daughter, but now he's facing this mirage of piety. Because look what he says, only be valiant for me and fight whose battles?

The Lord's battles. Since when were you concerned about the Lord, Saul? Fight the Lord's battles. Now he's using what he's done before. He's using spiritual verbiage.

Any idea why he's using God's name in this, specifically with David? Consider what kind of man David was. Was he not a man after God's heart? Was he not a godly man, a spiritual man? He was.

Therefore, Saul is attempting to persuade David to biting by using spirituality as a way of convincing him that they're on the same level and that and that Saul is a spiritual man. It's so conniving. It's so horrific, but welcome to an illustration of the extent of someone's sin. They are willing to use people like Saul is, his daughter, and they are even willing to invoke the name of God to satisfy the flesh. I know you fear God.

Right? You fear God, so you would never dare use God's name in vain to advance a personal agenda. But here's the here's the trap of a person who fears God. You think everybody else thinks that way. Uh-uh.

Just because you grew up in a God fearing family, just because you go to a God fearing church, does not mean everybody fears God. There are people who are just as easy as they are to breathe, just as simple as it is to drink a glass of water. They can call and invoke God's name on a situation, though it's a total lie. This is what jealousy is doing to this man. It's possessing him.

It's overtaking him, And his sinful heart has no issue bulldozing over people, using people, calling God's name on the matter, saying that they swear on God's name, say that they will be innocent when they stand before God concerning the matter. It it's horrific. It's terrifying. And that's not just for Saul. That is a warning for all men.

And if you don't believe me, let me ask you this. Did David not do something similar later on in his life? Saul is asking David to go to war not so that he can actually see victory so that David would be killed in war. Ring a bell? Oh, okay.

Because David, when he was caught or scared that he would be caught in his sin, did the same thing to a man by the name of Uriah. And so this isn't just applied to Saul as a unique, crazy character. No. It's the potential of every human that is unfortunately hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. But coming back to the story, the disheartening thing about all of this is that we have commentary on why Saul is doing this.

We know. We're told because he wants him to be slain by the Philistines. And David, we're assuming, is totally unaware of that plan burning inside of Saul's heart. And so we wish we can, at this point, scream into the story and say, David, it's a trap. He's manipulating you.

It's all a plan to try to get rid of you. And here's the thing. David, as we're about to find out, isn't going to fall victim to this scheme. And it's not because David was necessarily discerning, because as discerning as you might be, we do not know the depths of the human heart. We don't know it in our own hearts, and we certainly don't know it in somebody else's heart.

But here's the encouraging thing. David didn't necessarily need to know. Yes, there's a responsibility of being discerning, but that can only take you so far. There's something much more important than being a discerning person as valuable as that is, and it is this, to be a man or woman who walks with God. Because I wanna tell you something about David.

Although he did not know what Saul was planning to do, God knew. God knew. And because God knew, God would protect his servant. God would shield him. God would providentially protect and provide for him because that is one of the privileges of a person who walks with God as David did.

Because no matter what Saul or 10,000 Sauls or even the nation's plan against a servant of God, whether it's a man or a woman, There is a scripture that relates to this, and you can apply it to your life as you desire to obey God fully with your existence. Proverbs twenty one thirty. You don't have to turn there, but just listen to these amazing words. Why didn't Saul's plan work? Because, quote, no wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the Lord.

That's why. As secretive as it is, as brilliant as it might be, no counsel, no understanding, no wisdom can avail against the Lord. The safest place you are in this life, my brother, is in the shadow of the almighty. Stay close to the Lord, and it doesn't matter what hell belches out of the abyss. It won't be able to avail against you because you're in the hand of God.

And notice David in verse 18, his humble answer. Who am I? Who are my relatives, my father's clan in Israel that I should be son-in-law to the king. That's not false humility. That's true humility.

And this is a text that proves what we studied last week that surely David, he passed the test of man's praise. Saul failed miserably. When praise went to David, Saul crumbled because of his flesh and the jealousy that overtook him. David, no recorded answer, but here's proof. Just because the nation sung his name didn't mean that he had to become a proud person.

He was able to keep his humble reputation before him, and he was able still to see himself as a small, insignificant person. And it doesn't matter what people were saying. It doesn't matter what songs they were singing. I know myself, and I am small. I know my roots.

I know what I'm capable of. I know where I came from. And this is gonna be the secret to much of David's victory in his life, especially early on. But do these words sound familiar to you? Think back.

Think way back. In the same book, but think. Do these words sound familiar to anybody? Did anybody say very similar things about himself? Go to first Samuel nine twenty one when we are introduced to Saul, and notice what Saul said when Samuel came to tell him that he would be the king of Israel.

Saul said in first Samuel nine twenty one, Saul answered, am I not a Benjaminite, the least of the tribes of Israel? And is not my clan the humblest of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then have you spoken to me in this way? That's a warning to us. Saul said very similar things to David, but look how Saul ended up.

See, it's one thing to to be humble. It's another thing to stay humble. Humility, like any other virtue in our lives, must be nurtured and protected, lest it becomes corrupted. And so we have to understand that we can all start in that place, but it must be continually watched. There must be surveillance in our heart and how we respond to things, And we must judge ourselves, as Paul said, lest we be judged.

Judge yourself. Examine yourself. Question yourself. And then when you discover something as you are honestly trying to see what's truly there, bring it before the Lord and let him deal with it. When I read this about David, I said praise God for David, but I thought Saul said the same thing.

So we need to continually be filled with the spirit as we just heard earlier. Being filled with the spirit is not a one time deal. Can I ask you something, brother and sister? When's the last time you asked the Holy Spirit to fill you? When's the last time you got before God before you went to work in your car as you had your cup of coffee?

When's the last time you said, as I fill this cup with wonderful coffee, holy spirit fill my heart with yourself. See, that command in the Greek is not a one time thing. It's not a flu shot that you get. That command is a continual present tense. You're always asking.

You're always seeking to be filled with the holy spirit. And we come to verse 19. But at the time when Merab, Saul's daughter, should have been given to David, so clearly, he passed the test. Clearly, he accomplished what Saul asked of him. But then Saul pulls something that we should not be surprised concerning Saul.

When he was supposed to give his daughter, he not only withheld the daughter, he gave the gal to another guy altogether. Any idea why he did that? Oh, everybody's on point in this bible study tonight. Very good. He wanted to wound David in another way.

So I'm gonna make you a promise, and I'm not gonna keep the promise with the hopes that I will frustrate you, maybe even make you jealous. Right? Because this man knows what it's like to be corrupted by jealousy. Let me see if it'll work on David. So I'm gonna give my daughter to someone else, and I'm gonna even invite you to the wedding.

So that while that bride is there, you're gonna watch and realize that should be mine. She should belong to me. And let's see what's gonna happen to you, David. Let's see if you're going to embarrass yourself in front of Israel. Let's see if you're gonna retaliate so now I have an excuse to get back at you.

You see how devilish this is? We do not know the extent of our wickedness. We are very creative. In fact, God judges his people at one point and says that he he credits them in a very ugly way. They come up with new ways of being wicked.

But David doesn't respond to this. David doesn't react to this. He doesn't submit to the flesh. Why? Because we just learned his humility.

He already knew that he wasn't deserving to be the king's son-in-law. It's very difficult to offend a humble person. Humility is a great shield from many offenses. But when you think you are deserving of certain things and things don't come your way, you open yourself up to offense. And if it's not taken care of, you're opening yourself up to bitterness, frustration, jealousy, envy, all these ugly things.

But David was so low already. David's face was already on the ground. So when Saul tried to kick him, he's like, where are you gonna kick me? I'm already I'm already down. And so humility here is David's shield.

It protected him from so much. He did not seem self worthy to begin with. So when it was not given to him, he was not offended. Can I ask you something? Have you ever offended a dead person?

Have you ever went to the graveyard and asked those corpse six feet under, hey, have you did anybody offend you this past week? Frustrate a person who's dead. Die to yourself. It'll be very difficult for people to get under your skin. I read something that made me smile.

And it was a joke, I guess, but I think it's true. And somebody said, you know, it's very difficult for what people say to me to offend me because I sing worse things about myself Sunday morning. I'm a wretch, and I'm a sinner, and I'm in darkness, and I'm in blind. I'm all these wonderful things. So what are you gonna say that's gonna offend me?

David's humility protected him from the tactics and the scheme. See, what Saul did to David would have worked on Saul because Saul was in the flesh. But how do you take down a man filled with the spirit? It's very very difficult, and Satan has great difficulty. And so Saul needs to come up with new ideas.

So verse 20. Now Saul's daughter Michal loved David, and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him. Oh, Michal loves David now. Oh, wonderful. And it's not because there's the potential of his daughter marrying a godly man.

It's because he has fresh bait to work with. Saul thought in verse 21, let me give her to him that she may be a snare for him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him. Therefore, Saul said to David a second time, you shall now be my son-in-law. And Saul commanded his servants, speak to David in private and say, behold, the king has delight in you. Really?

The king has delight in you. Oh, yeah. And all his servants love you. Now then become the king's son-in-law. And Saul's servant spoke those words in the ears of David.

So it was like this whole thing like, hey, David. Come. And they put him in a separate room. They go, did you hear how Michal feels about you? It's like, no.

What are you talking about? She's in love with you, man. She's talking about you. She even went to her dad about you, and Saul loves it. He wants you to marry her.

He wants you to be his son-in-law. And David said, does it seem to you a little thing to become the king's son-in-law since I am a poor man and I have no reputation? And the servants of Saul told him, thus and so did David speak. This went perfectly as Saul would have planned it. He knew that David was a man that was humble.

He knew that he was a man that would not just receive this gift, but that he would work for it, that he would prove himself for it. But he was a poor man. He didn't have money to give. He didn't have a great dowry to offer, so he would do what he did before. He he would be surely willing to go to battle again.

And so Saul's ready to give him a new mission that would be even more dangerous for David. You know what's so amazing is the words that Saul has concerning his daughter. Look at verse 21 again. Saul thought, let me give her to him that she may be a snare for him. Now some would limit that to the fact that she would be the trap that would set David up to be an object of an arrow or a sword of some sort in battle.

I think it's deeper than that. I think Saul knew something about the character of his daughter Michal. I think he knew something about her attitude, something about her spirituality even. And so, yes, the grander purpose would be to have him killed, but if he if he overcame that like he did last time, now he would be trapped in marriage to Michal. It's kinda hard to believe.

Right? Not really. Does this prove to be true later on in David's story? Think now. Think now of a very famous story in David's life and a response from Michal that wasn't very favorable on her.

Do you remember? Do you remember when David restored the ark back to Jerusalem? And as David was dancing and worshiping before the Lord, somebody was looking out of the window. Let me read it to you in second Samuel six verse 16. This is farther down the road with David's story.

But I want you to see Michal's response to David's worship. As the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord. Here's her response. And she despised him in her heart. She criticized him.

He comes home and she wants to start a fight because he humbled himself to just an average worshiper. He stripped himself of his royal robes, and he just became an average looking Israelite dancing before the presence of God because he has restored the presence of God to its rightful place. And out of all the people who complained in the midst of all the celebration was the wife. The wife complaining about what? About his worship.

About his devotion to the Lord. About his zeal. About his passion. Makes me wonder, listen carefully. It makes me wonder why Michal loved David to begin with.

Why did Michal love David? We read earlier that Saul loved David. That didn't prove to be genuine love. Why did Michal love David? Well, think about who David was.

Honestly, I'm just asking, just being transparent. This isn't dogmatic. Would Michal love David if he was still a shepherd, Or is it because everybody's singing David's name? Or or is it because he was a good looking, ruddy country boy? What was it that attracted Michal to David?

Was it his popularity? Was it because he had a standing presence? Was it because he was known? Who knows? But I can tell you this for certain, when it came to David's spirituality, she was offended by it instead of attracted to it.

We're gonna get to this later on about how, the wrong person in your life can actually be a trap instead of a blessing. But we scroll down because we still have to get to 19. Hope you don't have to go anywhere tonight. Saul, Saul, Saul finds his daughter in love with this man, knows something about Michal, so it's like a win win. If David dies in battle, that's the best ideal.

If David wins in battle, he's stuck with Michal, and she's gonna be a snare to him. Like, this is diabolical. So the instruction is go out, and, I don't want a bride price, but I want a 100 foreskins of the Philistines. I want you to go out, kill these men, and I want you to essentially circumcise them. Here is Saul again trying to be all spiritual and and trying to take God's sign of the covenant and circumcision and apply it to the scene.

So David, who's a man after God's own heart, would be like, yeah. This man is really he's really after the things of God. David succeeds. Not only does he succeed, he he goes above and beyond the expectation. He comes back, gives him 200 instead of 100.

Saul gives his daughter Michal for a wife. Look at verse 28. But when Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David and that Michal, Saul's daughter, loved them, Saul was even more afraid of David. So Saul was David's enemy continually. Now look at this.

Then the commanders of the Philistines came out to battle, and as often as they came out, David had more success than all the servants of Saul so that his name was highly esteemed. Everything that Saul planned literally backfired on him. He tried to get him killed. It didn't work. He tried to even make him look unpopular by trying to get jealousy out of him and envy, tried to get him to retaliate, make a scene so that he can go on the tabloids in Israel, didn't work.

In fact, the opposite happened. When he tried to tarnish his name and eradicate his name, god exalted his name, and it became highly esteemed. Why? Saul, my friend, you're not fighting against a man. You're fighting against God's man.

You're fighting against God. And not only a man, you're fighting against a humble man, a man who knows that he has no reputation, that he is low. You're fighting against such a person. What does the scripture say? That he brings down the proud and he exalts the humble.

So while you are trying to bring down a man, God is bringing him up. Who do you think's gonna win? And it's a picture of Jesus Christ who humbled himself even to the point of death, death on a cross. And God has highly exalted him and made his name the name above every other name, that at the name of Jesus Christ, every knee should bow in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. And so here we see David, though he was lowly, though he was the object of scorn and hatred and envy, like the son of David was exalted and made to be highly esteemed.

Chapter 19. Stretch it out. After David's growing success, you know who else was growing? This hatred for him. This jealousy now is getting out of control.

It's it can't be constrained. It can't be concealed. It's now bubbling over. It is going to get very ugly because we read just two verses ago that David became Saul's enemy continually. That's how scary jealousy is.

It's amazing how much the Bible gives attention to this. A whole storyline about jealousy makes you wonder. This jealousy was so powerful when it was harbored in Saul's heart that it was able to make, listen to this, a man of God, anointed of the Holy Spirit, humble and successful and incredibly gifted to to be an enemy in someone's eyes. To be an enemy in someone's eyes. Instead of a partner, instead of a friend, instead of a co laborer in the gospel, no.

You are standing in my way. I will treat you as I would treat my enemy. But more than that, this jealousy got so out of control that it's not subtle anymore. See, Saul tried to do it secretly for so long. He he had the spear in his hand, and he throws it at David while he's under this influence of a tormenting spirit so people could say, he's mad.

It's the spirit. So he can give that excuse. He tried to put him on enemy line in front of enemy lines to try to get rid of him so that if people see David dead, they can't point to Saul. He's trying to do all these things secretly, and now all for a sudden, it's about to become very public. Saul's murderous mindset is not secretive anymore.

It's becoming more obvious to those who are closest to him. And listen to this. It's like a flesh eating disease. Leave it untreated long enough, and it begins to develop an odor. And that's how the sins of the spirit work.

The things that make the sins of the spirit, those hidden attitudes, so dangerous is that at first they're not recognizable. They're not recognizable. They're hidden. Pride, it it stays hidden for it starts as a seed form, an embryo. Anger, jealousy, and envy especially.

But leave that thing untreated just like cancer, and eventually, it's gonna become noticeable. And those are gonna those people around you who are closest to you will be able to recognize it, smell it, and see it because you did not take the time to come before the great physician of your soul to deal with it. And this is what's about to happen to him as we read in verse one. Saul spoke to Jonathan, his son, and to all his servants that they should kill David. Now he's talking about it.

Now he's on lunch break with his employees and his own son, and he's, like, giving them reasons to actually kill David. Now he's not looking for the enemy to do it. Now he's looking for those who work with David to do it because that's what jealousy does. Listen very carefully. This is what jealousy does.

Jealousy when it is not restrained by the power of the holy spirit, when it's not destroyed by God's grace, not only overtakes you, it convinces you that you need to convince others to join you on the quest of being jealous for that person. What jealousy does to a person is that it eventually makes other people or attempts to make other people turn on you, and so that you can have others join you on that quest of overcoming that person that you wanna overcome. So jealous people start bad mouthing other people, especially the object of their jealousy. And they they talk to their closest friends usually or their relatives. They start saying things about them and smearing their character and talking about talking about the way they walk into church and maybe the way they do this and do that.

And and then they add usually to it, I'm a discerning person, so I usually can tell all these different crazy things. Right? And what they're trying to do is they're trying to win other people to hate them so that they don't feel as guilty to hate them, so that they can have a better chance of doing what Satan would love to do, and that's destroy an innocent believer. This is really serious. And here's the thing.

Jonathan responds in a way that might have shocked Saul. But Jonathan, Saul's son, delighted much in David. And Jonathan told David, Saul, my father seeks to kill you. Therefore, be on your guard in the morning. Stay in a secret place and hide yourself.

And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak to my father about you. And if I learn anything, I will tell you. Jonathan made a covenant with David. Jonathan loved David, and love warns. Love warns.

And what's incredible about Jonathan, we'll get to him in a minute, he stands in great contrast with the servants. The servants heard the same news that Jonathan heard, and they knew David just as well Jonathan did. But here's the thing. When the servants heard, there was no record of them informing David of the potential looming threat that would come from Saul. Do you know why?

For the same reason why many Christians today don't stand for truth, because they're afraid for their own life. They're afraid of their own positions and their own jobs. And so you know what they did? Again, what many Christians do, they took a neutral position. That that's how you feel about David.

Okay. I'm not getting involved in this. But Jonathan was willing to stand up to his own dad. Do you know why? Not because Jonathan loved David more than he loved Saul.

It's because Jonathan loved truth. That's why. Many people today claiming that they love truth. Can I tell you how your love for truth will be tested? When you have to make a stance that will cost you relationships or position, And he's very creative in trying to see where you stand.

Because we think it's just about if ISIS comes into our neighborhood and puts us on our knees and says, I'll cut your head off if you deny Christ. No. No. No. No.

Truth is much broader than just gospel reality. Truth is truth across the board. See, we limit that that wonderful blessing from Jesus. Blessed are you when you are persecuted for righteousness' sake. You know how we replace it?

Blessed are you when people persecute you for the gospel's sake. He didn't say that. He said for righteousness' sake. So whatever is under the category of righteous, you are blessed if you are persecuted because of that. So we think that if we stand for being the church and gathering together in this age which says don't gather, and we are slander for that, that's not persecution.

Why not? It's righteous. God commanded that we do it. So blessed are you when you are persecuted for righteousness sake. And so David is seeing the true love of a friend, but Jonathan is showing not just a love for a friend, a love for what is right.

If I can speak to you as I would speak to a brother, a family member, somebody dear and close to me, I hope what I'm about to say will never ever leave your mind and that you will remember it and it will echo down the corridors of your conscious for the rest of your existence. Stand for truth no matter what it costs you. Stand for what is right no matter the price, even if it's your own family. Jonathan is willing to stand for truth even at the expense of fracturing the relationship he had with his dad. You want proof that he he he actually damaged the relationship with his father for the sake of truth?

Go to chapter 20 and look at verse 33. Then Jonathan answered Saul his father, why should he be put to death? What has he done? But Saul hurled his spear at him to strike him. Can you imagine that?

So Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death. In fact, if you scroll back, look at verse 30. Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said to them, you son of a perverse, rebellious woman, do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother's nakedness? Saul knew that he was his son was willing to stand with David even at the expense of the father son relationship. And it's not because he loved David's presence more than his father's.

It was because of truth. Stand for what is right no matter what it cost you because there is a far greater price for standing what is wrong no matter what relationships or positions you keep with it. And And if you're not convinced that Jonathan is standing for truth, just scroll down here and look at verse four of chapter 19. And Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, let not the king sin against his servant David because he has not sinned against you and because his deeds have brought good to you. For he took his life in his hand and he struck down the Philistine, and the Lord worked a great salvation for all Israel.

You saw it, a great salvation for all Israel. You saw it and rejoice. Why then will you sin against innocent blood by killing David without cause? He he he's he's using language from the law. He's reminding his own dad of the scriptures.

Jonathan is not just courageous because he went to David and says, hey. Look. The guy is trying to kill you. I heard it with my own ears. And I'm willing to put my own life at risk to warn you because I know you're innocent.

I know God has called you and anointed you. His courage was seen in the fact that he tried to preach the sin out of his dad's heart. He stood up to his own dad in kindness and wisdom, yes, in boldness, but also in in a spirit of humility. He reminds him of the acts of David. He reminds him of the situation.

This is not this it's not worthy for him to be killed. You're gonna you're gonna put more guilt on yourself, dad. And so he stands up to his father. This is admirable, especially in a day like today. And what's amazing here is Saul's answer in verse six.

We read here, and Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan. Saul swore, as the Lord lives, he shall not be put to death. Wow. Not only that. Check this out.

Verse seven. And Jonathan called David. Jonathan calls David, and Jonathan reported to him all these things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as before. Don't you wish the book ended there?

It seemed like it worked. How wonderful. Jonathan, his his convicting message actually got a hold of Saul. And not only that Saul swear by the Lord's name, it seems like in a genuine way, but we have David being restored to his original position where he was in close proximity with Saul. This is some this is reconciliation.

This is a wonderful restoration. Jonathan was used by God to save David, Saul, and all the kingdom of Israel from much, unnecessary chaos. Don't get too excited. Because I read that and part of me, you know, lept a little bit. Yeah.

Look at this. But then I reexamine the words. Does that sound like true repentance? Saul swore as the lord lives, he shall not be put to death. I don't know.

I don't see any indication of conviction of his jealousy, of his hatred. I don't see any crying out to God for his his rebellious acts and his inconsistencies and his broken vows. I just see a person that agrees not to kill somebody else. Whatever joy we knew about Saul is very short lived because even though he comes back into the presence of Saul, a different presence is gonna overtake Saul. Do you know why?

Because Saul's repentance dealt with the symptom of sin and not the root of sin. The symptom was, I want to kill David. The root was, you're jealous. And how Saul is treating his sin is how many people in the church are treating their sin, and how many people are counseling people regarding their sin. They wanna put to rest the symptoms, and they don't wanna do heart surgery by the word of God.

Do you see what I'm saying? Saul's issue was not necessarily that he want to kill David. That was the branch. That was the fruit of something much deeper and more significant. And unless we get to the heart of the matter, no pun intended, like Saul, many people who profess Christ will live their Christian journey in the cycle of repent, cry, go back to it.

Repent, cry. And when I mean repent, I'm not meaning real repentance, false repentance like this. Many people just apologize for their outbursts. They apologize for their swimming in lust for a season, and they just want the pastor to put their hand around their back and say, it's okay. Just don't do it again.

Why don't we do some heart surgery? Get on the table and let God do some work. Why don't you do something, like, fast a little bit if you really wanna get that cancer out of you? And let God go deep. Be honest with yourself.

Be honest before God, and and let him bring victory in your life. Saul doesn't come before God. Saul just promises his son that he won't stick a spear in the face of David. That doesn't prove much because Saul's vow doesn't hold weight. Why?

Because, again, you're dealing with the symptom. You're not dealing with the real issue here, and so all it's gonna take is a little bit of time and the right temptation for you to go right back into it. And that's exactly what happens. Because look what happens in verse eight. And there was war again.

So all is calm, all is bright. Nothing nothing strange is happening. No eruptions, no plans, no schemes. And David's just doing what he's called to do, be a soldier, be a general. So war breaks out.

And David went and fought with the Philistines and struck them with a great blow so that they fled before him. Another awesome campaign completed by the anointed man of God. And guess what? This is gonna trigger Saul. Look at the next verse.

Then a harmful spirit from the Lord came upon Saul. When? When did it happen? When did it happen? After the victory.

After people start talking about David again. After the news came to town that the Philistines were defeated once more and pushed back that much further, Saul hears this thing. And because of that, he didn't deal with the heart issue. He didn't get real with God. It flared up again.

And so what happens? A harmful spirit comes upon him, and the reason why the harmful spirit was there because he did not cry out like David, take not your holy spirit from me. There's no language of that. There's no proof of that. We see here that a harmful spirit from the Lord came upon Saul as he sat in his house with his spear in his so he's ready already.

Like, it's right there in his hand and he's looking at David. He's already in inflamed by envy by what he just heard about David. David's there humbly serving as a therapist and playing that beautiful harp. And Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he eluded Saul so that he struck the spear into the wall, and David fled and escaped that night. What's the difference what's the difference between David's reaction here than the first time?

Anybody notice the difference? He fled. The last time we heard that, he evaded Saul twice. So Saul did it once, David leaves the room, lets him calm down for a little bit, the servants come and they put him to rest. The spirit is tormenting.

Oh. And Saul's there probably foaming at the mouth, calms down, David comes back in, plays again. Ten minutes in, and he throws a spear again. He evades himself. This time, he leaves the premises permanently.

This time, he said, and we will never see David in this position for the next few years. Is that is that right, or is that wrong? Is that righteous, or is that cowardly? What do you think? It's righteous because God calls us to be wise.

And we would say it's probably very smart not to work for somebody that wants to try to kill you, But the murder was the symptom. The attempt to kill him was a symptom. The real issue was jealousy. And here's the point. Jealousy as much as Jonathan tried to reconcile the two, the scriptures inform us about the difficulty to remain in the presence of someone who has envy towards you.

That's why I believe it's one of the most vicious and heinous sins of the spirit. Proverbs twenty seven four says, wrath now listen to this. I want you to listen to these words. This is astounding. Wrath is cruel.

Anger is overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy? Think about that. Do you know a person who has no control over their temper? Have you ever been in the presence of someone that all it takes is one little thing and they blow up and veins come on their neck and they throw things across the room? It's not very fun to be in their presence.

Scripture even says if you're married to someone like that, it's better to live in the desert. But this proverb tells me that there is something more severe than that, and that's a person who's jealous of you. Any idea why? Any idea why? Why?

I mean, a person with jealousy just they have something in their heart and they kinda stare at you in a certain way, they might talk about you. Jibron? Jealousy is hidden. It's hidden. And that's one element.

It's secretive. It can't be easily detected. It can be covered by different things and false humility. Sure. Yes.

Jealousy is kind of like constant while anger and, like, blowing up his chest. Okay. So anger and wrath are more explosive firework moments whereas jealousy has longevity too as we see in Saul's life. Anything else? Let me ask you something.

Even though somebody might not have the right, we we never have the right to be explosive in our anger or to be filled with rage, Usually, there is something that is done to create that, though. Right? Unless somebody's just totally out of it and they just get angry for no reason. But usually, it's something, though, unjustified that causes that explosion to occur. Correct?

But what about jealousy? What does somebody have to do wrong to make somebody jealous? That's it. Jealousy deals with a a failure to be complete in your identity with Christ. So here's the thing.

When I look at a verse like this, I think about David. I go, what did David do to make to make Saul feel that way about him? And the answer is nothing. David was just fulfilling the will of God for his life. David displayed humility and loyalty and consistency, and yet still, he was the object of someone's hatred.

So here here's why here's why who can stand before jealousy is a scary thing. Because you did nothing to cause it, so you can't necessarily do anything to relieve it. What am I gonna do for you not to be jealous? Kill myself? Oh, quit the ministry.

Oh, okay. Not look beautiful so that you feel better about yourself. You see what I'm saying? Oh, I'll demote myself so I don't make as much just be you see how do you see how this doesn't make sense? You it it's not reconcilable unless the Holy Spirit does something in that person.

So what David is showing here is, I I can't work with this. Like, if you're a person who is angry or filled with rage, then maybe I can I can change the way I I do things around you that triggers that? Maybe there's something I do that you don't do, and so maybe we just need to meet eye to eye here so we can calm things down. No. No.

No. I'm doing the will of God, so what can I do to appease you? I can't. I can't. And so he flees his presence, and he is very wise in doing so.

Let me tell you, if you're a person that's struggling with jealousy, God can heal you. God can restore you. God can make you complete. God can give you a revelation of your identity in Christ that will make you feel whole. But if not, if like Saul, you ignore it and you justify it, I assure you one of the consequences among many is that you will push people away from you.

And things that could have been wonderful, godly partnerships, and friendships will instead be you looking at innocent people as enemies. Don't let yourself be consumed by it. Give it to Christ. David runs. You guys doing well?

Can we continue? Verse 11. Saul sent messengers to David's house to watch him, that he might kill him in the morning. But Michal, David's wife, told him, if you do not escape with your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed. So Michal let David down through the window, and he fled away and escaped.

Now this is so good. I I I don't even I wish I didn't even stop. I'm just gonna read the next few verses because it's it's worthy of not being interrupted. Just listen to this and let the imagery play in your mind. So let me retract.

Saul sent messengers, verse 11, to David's house to watch him that he might kill him in the morning. But Michal, David's wife, told him, if you do not escape with your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed. So Michal let David down through the window, and he fled away and escaped. Michal took an image, which is actually a household god, and laid it on the bed and put a pillow of goat's hair at his head and covered it with the clothes. So when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, he is sick.

Then Saul sent the messengers to see David saying, bring him up to me in the bed that I may kill him. And when the messengers came in, behold, the image was in the bed with the pillow of goat's hair at its head. Saul said to Michal, why have you deceived me thus and let my enemy go? So that he has escaped. And Michal answered Saul, he said to me, let me go.

Why should I kill you? Isn't it if you have the money, make a movie out of this, please. This is, like, so exciting. How can you be bored with the scriptures? I mean, the text itself is riveting.

When you have the Holy Spirit ready to give you revelation, oh, there's many things that can be said about these verses, but I will bring one insight that I sure I'm I hope will surely bless you. This scene that we just described actually inspired David to write an entire Psalm about it. Does anybody know the psalm number? Mm-mm. Go to the book of Psalms.

And this is why we must read all of the Bible because it sheds light on different portions of the Bible. 59. If you are willing, go home tomorrow, tonight, whenever you desire, and read Psalm 59 in light of tonight's bible study. But look at verse one. To the choirmaster, according to do not destroy, a mictum of David when Saul sent men to watch his house in order to kill him.

So what we just read in first Samuel, this is David by the spirit writing an entire song to describe his perspective on it. Aren't the scriptures wonderful? And I wish we can read all of it, but let's look at a few things. Look at verse three. For behold, they lie and wait for my life.

Fierce men stir up strife against me for no transgression or sin of mine, oh lord, for no fault of mine, they run and make ready. You wanna serve God? Be ready to be attacked by those in your own camp. He's not speaking about the Philistines. He's speaking about those that he served with.

He's speaking about the servants that he probably even went to war with, that they probably laughed together with, that they probably made memories with in the palace. These men now are surrounding his dwelling place for no sin, for no transgression, just because they don't have the discernment and they don't have the spirit of God in them to see. Like, Jonathan saw this is not right. In fact, look at verse 12. For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips, Let them be wrapped in their pride for the cursing, and what's that word, and lies that they utter.

How else would Saul convince a bunch of people to kill David? He didn't just say go kill him necessarily. Surely, there was something that he said to them to convince them to kill him. And we're gonna read that later on. Even David complains later, they slander me.

If you actually look at the woes in the book of Psalms, many of them have to do with slander than anything else. Study it. Most of David's laments have to do with what people said to him and about him more than the spears that they were ready to throw at him. So David here, as a man who's innocent, is experiencing attack and even lies said about him. And what did David do?

Serve God. Serve God and watch the potential of the enemy to try to come against you. But look at verse 17. I love how this psalm ends. Oh, my strength, I will sing praises to you.

For you, oh, God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love. I'm innocent. I don't deserve this. You know what's amazing about that psalm? He does this in other places, but he doesn't do it here.

He doesn't say this is unfair, God. Is this what it is this what comes with the package to serving you? I'm I'm reconsidering this whole anointing thing and this whole being a king thing. No. He says, I trust you.

I'll sing to you in the midst of all of this. I'll praise you because you are my fortress. Saul is not my fortress. The armies of Israel are not my shield. You are.

So we come back to the story as we are ready to close. Psalm 59 was written in light of this, but look at some of the hints here. Look at Michal. Michal rescues David. Right?

This is God's providence, guys. Look at this. Saul thought he can be secretive. Saul thought he can go to his own family and try to make a plan against David and God's providence is at work, so Jonathan warns David initially. Later on, Michal tells David.

She finds out somehow. What what's the point here? Sin has a way of getting out. The plots of Satan have a way of getting out. And God always prepares us, whether it's in the moment or after the fact, always prepares us to remain unshaken and unmoved.

Mechal here is fulfilling what Genesis two says that a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall cling to his wife. You know what people do? They equate that merely to physical location. That a man or a woman, they leave their family. So when you get married, you're supposed to leave the home.

You're supposed to leave the supervision of your parents, and now you become a new family unit by the spirit of God and by covenant. So we look at that verse in Genesis two, we go, yes. I left my house. And many people haven't moved emotionally. So their allegiance to their parents is more superior than their spouse.

Their emotions are dedicated to their parents more than their spouse, and that's how you create havoc in the home. When the Bible says leave father and mother, it's every type of leaving, not just physical location. You are turning your allegiance, you are turning your dedication to that person even over your parents. You may not value that now. You will in the future.

Some know what I'm talking about. So we admire Michal for this, but again, it's very short lived because she does something. David escapes through the window. She takes an idol, puts it in the bed, puts a goat's hair on it, puts a blanket over. Here's my question, what's an idol doing in your home?

Where'd you get that? I can tell you this, I have a hunch that it wasn't David's. Just saying. I have a lot of confidence that it wasn't David's household god. Remember what Saul said earlier?

Michal is in love with David. She will be a snare to him. Saul knew something about his daughter. I'm convinced he knew something about his daughter. And one thing that he must have known is that she worshiped household gods.

And we see later on that when David worships, she's offended by it. You wanna know how you can set yourself up for trap in marriage? Marry somebody who's not spiritually compatible with you. Marry somebody who doesn't have God as their sole treasure in life, their supreme delight. The lordship of Jesus Christ is not real over them.

Oh, they go to church. Oh, they lift their hands sometimes. And here's what we think. Here's a warning for us. Okay?

We think, like Michal, this can work. Yeah. He's a man after God's own heart, but he's good looking. She's pretty. She's gorgeous.

I can win her. Listen. Don't marry somebody's potential. Please don't do that. Don't marry what somebody could be.

Because here's the thing, Michal's idolatry and and David's obvious soul dedication to God, you you didn't see issues at first. In fact, things look good here. Like, Mikhail is working with David. He's escaping. She's there.

She seems like she's fulfilling parts of the bible. Like in relationships today, that spiritual unequally yoked ness, if that's even a word, usually surfaces up later down the road. And so you hear crazy things. I mean, this is the fullest extent where you I've said this before where you have, like, Christian young ladies willing to marry Muslims. I've seen it.

I've talked to people. And, when they con they try to convince, they say, well, they say that I'm willing they're willing to let me practice my faith. Oh, really? That's all it takes for you to be convinced. Well, he he says he's not he's not that into it, and he says he'll respect my beliefs, and I can go to church, and he can do his thing.

Wonderful. Great. Yeah. So what what about when kids come on the scene? Oh, well, what's a household God doing in this house?

We're gonna find out later on in our study of David that he wasn't the best at this marriage thing. He was a man of God. He loved God a lot. Not really a good person in terms of how he chose a spouse, and he wasn't the best dad either. We'll get to that later on.

Now look what happens. Not only that, she lies. Saul comes with the messengers. He's sick. Really?

Not only that, I don't even wanna get into what Saul is saying. Saul says, look at this, the progression of sin. Verse 15, bring him up to me in the bed that I may kill him. See what happened? He went from willing letting the enemies kill him to Jonathan and his servants to kill him, and now he himself is saying, let let me just do this myself.

Let me kill him. That's the progression of sin, unbridled and uncontrolled and unrestrained by the power of the Holy Spirit. There's a progression to holiness, and there's a progression in sinfulness. There's no neutrality in the Christian journey. There's no there's no n where you put it on n and you just sit there.

No. You're either moving forward or backward. When the messengers came in, behold, the image was in the bed. It's a goat, I guess, something crazy like that. Verse 17, Saul said to Michal, why have you deceived me?

Like, look, he's playing victim now. Because when we are filled with carnality, we never see ourselves as the problem. We always see ourselves as the victim. Why have you deceived me? Thus, and let my enemy go so that he has escaped.

That's your son-in-law. And Michal answered Saul. He said to me, let me go. Why should I kill you? So Michal, although there was something to admire about her, when she let David go, she gave him the word so he can escape, She's lying because she's clearly afraid of her father.

I see a different attitude in Jonathan. Jonathan was not like this. He was willing to stand up to his dad and be truthful and say, this is you're in the wrong. You can't be doing this. And he's willing to put his life at risk.

You never see Saul throwing a spear at Michal. You see Saul throwing a spear at Jonathan because Jonathan was a man of truth, and you'll pay a price when you stand for truth, whether it's gospel truth or truth in terms of righteousness. Michal wanted to save face. No. He tried to he tried to he threatened me.

Now here's the thing. She tried to diffuse the situation by the seductiveness of sin. Sin convinces you that if you use it, it will make things better without consequences. So in that moment, she felt maybe what many of us felt to try to evade a dangerous consequence. We lie to try to extinguish the moment.

So she tried to diffuse it. Now here's my question to all of us. Did this lie help David or hurt David? I think we know the answer. Because someone very intelligently observed that Saul could have now used this to go and chase David.

Now if anybody asks Saul, why are you leaving your throne and going in the wilderness and chasing? He threatened my daughter. He said he was gonna kill my daughter. I must go. Am I not a father to stand for my own offspring?

You see? Stick with the truth. Stick with the principles of righteousness. As much as you might think that sin will make things better and you will evade consequences, sin has a law. It only brings consequences.

Truth will liberate you. Truth will save you. Truth will keep you. Michal didn't do this. And it would only add like what sin does, either harms you or harm other people.

Now let's fast forward. David flees. He goes to Samuel. We haven't seen Samuel in a very long time. He comes to Samuel, and he pours his heart out to him.

And I could end it here, but I need to complete it with this thought because this is this is a very interesting place in verse 20. Saul he's so out of it, he's willing to go to Samuel's house to kill David there. So verse 20, Saul sent messengers to take David. And when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying and Samuel standing as head over them, the spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied. So imagine this.

This is almost comical. Saul's there. He goes, you banded men, go. Go to Samuel's house. They go and they show up at the worship service.

Samuel is leading the worship. All the prophets are worshiping, and the messengers come in probably sword in hand, and the spirit of God comes upon them and they join the choir. Verse 21, when it was told Saul, he's like, hey. Your assassins became part of the worship team. When it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied.

But you would get the hint. Right? People make this about how are these people prophesying. It doesn't mean that they're necessarily predicting the future. Prophecy has a broader definition.

It can also be just declaring the goodness of God, the truth of God, the praises of God. Does anybody have an idea why God is allowing this? Anybody have an idea? Show Saul that he's in charge. Who's really in charge, Saul?

Giving Saul a chance to redeem himself. Yes and yes. Any other ideas? Very good good good good observation. Just because you prophesy, doesn't mean you're from God.

Very good. Very good observation. You guys are amazing students, by the way. This is incredible. Yes.

Yes. Yes. Did this not remind Saul of what he once experienced in God when he was walking with God? Absolutely. In fact, if I may add one more thing, God is stopping Saul from killing David.

These men think that they can come to David, and you know what God does? Now all this is how amazing God is. He could have opened up the earth and swallowed them. He could have done what he did with Elijah when the king sent 50 bands of men. Remember?

The fire came from heaven and consumed and consumed the next batch. No. He makes them worship God. You wanna kill my servant? I'm gonna turn you into worshipers.

Saul hears it. He sends another band of men. They do the same. So what does Saul do? Verse 22, then he himself can you see it like almost like a movie?

He himself gets off the throne, and he went to Ramah and came to the great well that is in Sekou, and he asked, where are Samuel and David? And once and behold, they are at Naoth and Ramah. And he went there to Naoth and Ramah, and the spirit of God came upon him also. And as he went, he prophesied until he came to Naoth and Ramah. Stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel, and laid naked all that day and all that night.

Thus it is said, is Saul also among the prophets? Saul received a more severe dealing by this the Spirit of God. The other men, they prophesied, but once Saul came on the scene, I don't believe that it was Saul's voluntary act to start taking his clothes off. Question is, why? Here it is.

You all touched on it beautifully. Saul did not get the hint from God that you are fighting not just against David, you're fighting against me. You sent one band of men, I stopped them. You sent another band of men, I stopped them. You yourself come, I stopped you.

Saul, you're fighting against my spirit. You're fighting against my plan, my program for my nation. He didn't believe it, or at least he didn't want to submit to it. He comes, and not only this, God could have killed Saul. He could have taken him out right there, but you know what he did?

As our brother said earlier, he's allowing him to taste what he once knew when he was walking with God. This is the grace of God. Do you remember what it was like to be under the influence of my spirit? You've only known for these past few days and months what it's like to be under a tormenting spirit. Don't you miss what it's like to be under the shower of my grace and mercy?

He's giving him a taste again of what it's like to be walking right with the Lord. And it's almost an invitation for Saul to repent right there and then. Come back to this. And sometimes, the scripture tells us that the goodness of God, the kindness of God leads us to repentance. It's not always fear and judgment that shakes us up, though God uses that.

Even sometimes when you are away from God and you've heard those testimonies, God just shows his mercy and his grace in such an extravagant way for you to realize that sin is not worth it. Worldliness is not worth it. Rebellion is not worth it. That's what's happening with Saul. But Saul didn't get it.

No repentance. So what does God do? He makes him take off his clothes. Why? To humble him.

Saul, ultimately, the mother of all sins is pride. And Saul refused to submit to God, refused to repent before God. So you know what God does? You think you're a king, as our brother said at first. I'm gonna show you who's really the king.

Take off your kingly robes. Saul took off his crown, and took off his robe, and took off his armor, and he laid there like a little boy naked. And this is where our study comes full circle. When we started, we talked about David's humility and how God exalted David because of that. And here we see Saul because of his pride, God humiliates him.

And he knows how to do it. And so we cannot afford we cannot afford to allow our hearts to entertain, send to harbors, and, oh, you even see the mercy of God here. It it it irks me very much when people say God of the Old Testament is not a merciful God. What was that? That's mercy.

And God is willing to be merciful to you. Maybe tonight at this Bible study, you know you're in sin. You know you might even have that jealousy, that envy, that anger, that rage in your heart. God doesn't condemn you tonight. God is not looking to destroy you tonight.

Heal you. God wants to pour his holy spirit upon you. God wants you to know the flow of his love again. The liberating sense when you know that you are in right standing with Christ. Respond to that tonight.

Let this bible study be like what it was for Saul and those messengers. Let it be an arresting moment for you to realize what you are actually doing and where God wants to bring you. God is not ready to destroy you. God is not ready to get rid of you. Even though you've done horrendous things as Saul did to David, God still is willing to put the brakes and say, can we make this right?

Would you respond to that tonight? For those who are serving God and you are the opposite and you're experiencing great slander, great whatever it is that you can identify, know this, God is your fortress. God is your fortress. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for this bible study.

We thank you that, Lord, it is rich in wisdom and that you have painted it so beautifully for us to see it in real life so that we can relate to it. And God, we ask you that you would heal us because you are the great physician. Lord, we are honest before you in this moment, and we can identify things maybe that other men other men don't know, but we know and you know. We ask that you would come and do your work in us. We will not be like Saul tonight and give you false repentance.

Lord, for those who are making a stands for truth and they are being persecuted for it, whether at their job, whether in their families. And it could be about gospel truth or it could be about just making a judgment and a decision for what is right. Give them the strength to endure. Give them the strength to communicate their convictions with grace but with boldness at the same time. Oh, Lord, how we need you.

How we need you. And we ask that you would meet us in this place. In Jesus' name, amen. You can stay seated if you'd like. Just in this next few short moments, just worship the Lord, pray to your God, communicate your needs, Express your love for him, and then we will dismiss you.