1 Samuel 23 (Part 1) Bible Study (David Saves the City of Keilah) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

It is always a blessing to open God's word with you. Meet me in first Samuel chapter 23, please. And as we arrive there together, we're gonna pray one more time. Lord, we thank you for this Friday night. You give us you give us this day.

You give us this evening, and we wanna worship you in it. And we ask, oh god, that as we discover your will, your mind, your heart, your character, your purposes, what you've done in the past as a reflection of who you are today, that lord we would feel our hearts being wooed towards Christ. Lord, we long that the result of this bible study would draw us closer in our relationship with you. And, Lord, if there's any sin, if there's any lukewarmness, if there's any familiarity that breeds contempt, Lord, may the hammer of your word break any callousness. May the fire of your word burn up all dross.

We really want this to affect our lives, and so we hunger for righteousness. We long for truth. Open the eyes of our hearts that we may behold you. And so, lord, in this moment, would you deal with every distraction, and would you give us the strength to receive your word? In Jesus' name we pray, amen and amen.

Let's read together from verse one, shall we? Now they told David, behold the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are robbing the threshing floors. Therefore David inquired of the Lord, shall I go and attack these Philistines? And the Lord said to David, go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah. But David's men said to him, behold, we are afraid here in Judah.

How much more than if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines? Then David inquired of the Lord again, and the Lord answered him, arise, go down to Keilah, for I will give the Philistines into your hand. And David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines and brought away their livestock and struck them with a great blow, so David saved the inhabitants of Keilah. Now the last time we've heard of David's whereabouts was when he was in the Forest Of Hereth, and he was instructed to go there from the prophet Gad. Gad told him once he was hiding in the Cave Of Adalim and in the land of Moab, the prophet was sent to David and those 400 band of men that came to him and says, you need to leave, and you need to go into the land of Judah.

Now, to the natural mind, that, that seemed like suicide. Because David was making himself so much more vulnerable to Saul's spies and even Saul's attacks. And we can even see the fear in these men being in Judah and what we read in verse three. Look what they said. David's men said to him, behold, we are afraid here in Judah.

So to the human mind, it didn't make sense for them to leave where they were more secure, to a place where they are more suspect and more available to Saul's reach. But as we study throughout these past couple weeks, we realize, especially last week, that when God instructed David to go to Judah, though he didn't give him a reason, we realize by the Holy Spirit's commentary the motive behind the command. And it was what? Saul discovered where David was, and he was about to close in. He was about to come and find him.

And so for the sake of David's protection, he gave this command. For the sake of his well-being, for the sake of his preservation, God, though he did not disclose the purpose, gave him an instruction, and David had to obey by faith, which is very much how we respond to many of God's commands. We may not see how obeying him in the moment will bring about the best result, but we gotta trust God's wisdom. But if we believe that God's wisdom ends there, it's in these first few verses that we realize even more reasons why God called David to go into the land of Judah. And what is it?

Well, look at verse one again. Now they told David, behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are robbing the threshing floors. Now this city, according to Joshua 15, is listed among many other cities. It is actually found in the territory of Judah. And what's so fascinating here is that these citizens heard about David being in the neighborhood, being in close proximity somehow, and these unnamed messengers call for David's assistance because the Philistines are now coming to attack, and they need David to defend and to deliver them.

And when I read this, I realized something about God. That when he often asks us to do something, when we obey him, when we walk and follow Christ, he has manifold purposes behind his commands. And there are manifold rewards behind obedience. See, when David first went, we learned that Saul knew where he was, so God protected him by calling him out of his stronghold into the land of Judah. But now we read here that David was not just being protected, but god had a purpose.

There was a mission that David needed to fulfill, and he could not fulfill it unless he was in Judah. In other words, if he had stayed in the cave, if he had stayed in a long distance, he would not be able to be reached. He would not be able to be called upon. He would not be able to get to Keilah in time. And so do you see God's providence?

He moves David. He calls David without telling him every single reason. And he says, you need to leave. And we find out last week because he was protecting him. And we find out this week because there's a mission for David to fulfill.

Now this isn't gonna mean much to you if if your life isn't governed by Christ. If Jesus is your genie, you'll fall asleep in this portion of the bible study. But if Christ is your Lord, then be comforted by what's being said here. Here's what God is teaching us. That in his direction, even in the unknown, especially in the unknown, one thing that you can plant your feet on, one thing that you can be totally secure in is this.

That God always, always postures us to either prepare us for his use or to position us for his use. I hope that encourages you. In every single season, God has determined a purpose for your life. And in every chapter, whether it's dark or clear, whether the heavens are open or it feels like the heavens are brass, when God maneuvers us and orchestrates our lives in every circumstance, it's because he is either posturing us to be prepared or he's preparing us for a purpose to fulfill. He's positioning us to do something for his glory every single season.

And that's what's happening with David. God performs this work, this instruction, he doesn't understand. And as, like David, as you walk down the road of obedience, it is down the road where you realize his purposes as you look back. In the moment, you don't know. In the moment, I don't know.

In fact, in the moment, it can be confusing. It can be even painful. But it's when you go through it with faith and you clutch onto Christ, where you look back and you say, I see why you moved me from here to there. I see why you removed this. I see why you gave this.

I see why you opened this. I see why you closed this. But there's something else interesting about these men seeking for David. And I wanna ask you, what is interesting by the fact that these men sought David when the Philistines attacked? Any idea?

Think back. So, yes. So, somebody answer. I thought we were gonna have to go back to chapter one. Saul?

Yes. What was Saul's purpose as a king? Let me remind you in chapter nine verse six. I want you to see this in your bibles for yourselves. In chapter nine verse six, we read about about Saul being anointed by Samuel, and look what the Lord tells the prophet.

Tomorrow, about this time, I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines. That was his call. That was the very reason why he became king, to deal with this particular enemy. And when it came to Saul's responsibility being fulfilled as the ruler, guess who the people call upon?

Not Saul. They asked David. And here are two reasons why. Number one, as David is continuing in his exile, the eyes of the people are opening, and they are realizing slowly but surely that David was the true anointed leader of Israel, That he was the the one that actually cared for them as a shepherd does the sheep. In fact, when we get there in second Samuel chapter five, once David's officially going to be anointed in Hebron, the people say in chapter five, while Saul was king, it was you who was really leading us.

So the people during this time put the two together. They made the contrast. Saul has the title, but you have the fruit. Saul has the throne, but you have the heart. And so even now in chapter 23, the citizens of Keilah realize David is really the one who will help us.

And the observation here is so prophetic that it is a wonderful thing when people's eyes are open to realize that Christ, the son of David, is their true salvation. He's the one that's really your shield. He's the one that's really your aid. He's the one that's really your refuge. He's the one that's really your helper.

He's the one that's really your wisdom. He's the one that's really your salvation. And when you realize that the systems of this world will fail you, and you realize that there's no nowhere or no one else to turn to, it is a pleasant thing indeed. And David is giving us that illustration prophetically. But secondly, realize this, this is a sad commentary on the leadership of Saul.

A very disappointing and discouraging commentary on this man's leadership and government. Because this man not only did not have the heart of his people, not only did they not seek after him, he could care less about the citizens of Ke'ala. He could care less that the Philistines were coming to bring siege around the city. Can I prove it to you? Come down to verse eight of this chapter.

And look here in verse eight. And Saul summoned all the people to war to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men. Can you believe this? So when it comes to the Philistines to surround Keilah, Saul is is hanging back. But the moment he hears that David and his band of men are there, then he summons his men to go to war.

This is this is disturbing. This is incredibly disturbing. When it came to you fulfilling your call, you gave no thought, no energy, no focus, but when it came to you satisfying your jealousy and your envy and your hatred, you called the nation to go to war. We look at this and we might be disgusted, but I will shock you tonight that this attitude is not foreign within the body of Christ. It's not.

You know, James says something very interesting to Christians in chapter four, and you don't have to turn there. But he asked them, what what causes fights and quarrels among you? And he says, is it not that your passions are at war within you? So Christians are capable of fighting each other, of warring against one another because they have they have been dominated by the sins of their hearts. And like Saul, listen, when you're void of spirituality, when you're out of touch with the Holy Spirit, if you're not filled with him, you're gonna be filled with something else.

And if you're outside of Christ completely, you can be morally clean, your house can be all clean, but you can still have demons over. If you're in Christ, you can grieve the Holy Spirit, you can so quiet him and be ruled by the flesh. And here's the problem. When you even have just a handful, not even a handful, if you just have one or two people within a community of of faithful believers that have the passions of the flesh at war within them, you have Sauls. And what do Sauls do?

They don't put their energy and their focus on the real enemy. They fight those within their own camp. And they get so caught up because they're so possessed with the sins of the spirit and with selfish ambition that they begin to eat their own. They cause casualties from within. All the while there's an enemy that wants to destroy you outside, they could care less because they're not kingdom minded.

Saul wasn't concerned about God's glory. Are you kidding me? Saul wasn't concerned about the advancement of God's purposes. Saul wasn't concerned about the people worshiping God. Saul was concerned about himself, even though he was within the kingdom.

And because of this, he's going to war with his own. He's willing to fight someone on his team. Listen, selfish ambition, it can be anything. It can be for a position. It can be for recognition.

It can be for anything. It can be about friendships. It can be about name it. If it's selfish, if it's not centered on Christ's glory, it can be extremely destructive. So destructive can selfish ambition be that it not only diverts you from the call that God has placed on your life, the obedience and the giftedness that he has put in you to bring exaltation to his name, but it even has the ability to hinder those who actually want to serve God.

Does that make sense? Because David here is not only having to worry about the Philistines, David here has to worry about Saul. David here has to worry about somebody within his own camp that's willing to shoot him, that's willing to take him down. And so now he, he has to not only worry about the true enemy of God and the true enemies to the gospel, he has to now worry about people that are insecure and selfish and they cause issues. And, and you see the issue here?

You see the issue here? And I pray that this illustration this is why we come to the old testament because they take the principles of God and they put them in story, the real stories so that these things can be remembered. May this illustration be seared in your memory for the rest of your life. We should not be wasting time wrestling with each other. We should not be wasting time fighting against one another.

We should not be wasting time about there are souls damned for hell. And you're bothered because somebody didn't say hi to you on a Sunday? And you're bothered because somebody may have looked at you in a certain way? Is this is this a soldier mindset? No, it's kindergarten mindset.

And the church has not been established to change people's diapers. The church has been established to to raise up soldiers that are so dead to self. And what it's gonna require in order for us to avoid internal strife is just that, a crucifying of the self on a daily basis. And from there, when there's confusion, when there's miscommunication, you're quick to communicate. And when there's harm done and somebody asks for forgiveness and repents, you're quick to forgive.

And you're you're so committed and you're so pledged to a certain service for the kingdom of God that when other people who don't care about the advancement of God's glory and his message and his gospel try to pull you into childish ways, you have no energy to give them because you're so spent for God. And so Saul here is not only causing issues for himself, he's causing issues for David who actually wants to serve God. And it's a sad sight indeed, but eventually God will intervene. Those who cause trouble in the church, I can tell you many things about them, and one of the things about them is that they have no concept or no concern about the name of Jesus Christ. And so they're idle.

Idle meaning they're they're they don't do anything. And not only are they idle, but they're filled with idolatry. And as as Paul told Timothy in chapter five of his first epistle to him, he's speaking about young women who are widows, and he says they're idle and they go from house to house gossiping and being busybodies, meaning you're getting into people's affairs, which you shouldn't be, and they are giving opportunity for the devil. And so we see here that Saul is a perfect illustration of that. And one of the greatest things that can happen to the health of a ministry is not when the leadership only, but when every single person who's a member is focused, is focused on the mission.

Because when things come in your way and it it would interfere with that mission or hinder that mission, your heart is so caught up in what God's called you to do that you're willing to deal with those issues in order to remove any hurdles or any obstacles to what God has called you to do. Does that make sense? But when people when people are not filled with the spirit and not excited about what God has called you to do on this earth, the next best thing is drama. The next best thing is, she said, he said, let and they just get caught up in that and then it causes things to happen and Saul is proving that here. It all started from a place of insecurity.

It all started from a place of not being a true worshiper. And when the enemy is coming in, Saul could care less, he wants to deal with David because David was the real threat to him. Because David was a threat to his pride. So what happens? We see here in verse two, David inquired of the Lord.

When he heard about this invitation, David stops and he seeks God, and this is the David that we know. Right? It's another David that we saw in chapter 21 that just moved off of impulses and fear. Oh, this is the David that we love. This is the David that we are familiar with.

He stops and he inquires of the Lord, and I love that. I'm encouraged by that, especially in this instance. You know why? Because David has been given a great opportunity here, I believe. Here's an opportunity for him to prove himself even more.

He's dealt with Philistines before this. And this is a chance for him to win the hearts of more people, to gain a greater following, to have people more convinced that this is truly God's anointed, not that man Saul. But despite the opportunity, he still seeks God's will on the matter. And he still inquires of the Lord's direction and timing and purpose. And it is a great sight to God to see his people stop and pause and seek him even at the chance, even at the open doors that some others wouldn't even give a second thought to before performing anything.

He does not give premature action. He pauses and he seeks the Lord. That's his reflex. And he's learned from the past the mistakes when you move without stopping and seeking God's wisdom, seeking godly counsel, praying and asking the Lord as you sit at his feet. But he does that.

But I think also here that this is even just not just a possibility for a reward, but a possible risk. Here's the risk. You're already having problems of your own with Saul. You want to add more issues with the Philistines? You really want to bring in more Philistines in your life right now?

And not only that, aren't the Philistines Saul's responsibility? You wanna you wanna step into that lane and add more fuel to the fire with Saul? You see what happened when Jonathan tried to tried to do Saul's job? It got kinda crazy. You sure you want to add more fuel to this fire?

But what I see here with David as he stops and he prays and he asks God, I see a man who is so selfless, he so loves God's people that he's willing to open the possibility of greater danger to himself in order to bring deliverance to his brethren. If this is gonna cost me more, then let it be. See, this is a guy with a shepherd's heart. No wonder God chose him. He truly cared, and guess what?

He didn't have the title to be crowned with. He's gonna do the king's job, and he doesn't have the throne. But he's still willing to do it. What a blessing it is to witness a servant who doesn't need the spotlight. And what a blessing it is to see a servant who's willing to actually make a real sacrifice to obey God, like a real sacrifice, actually costing you something.

Not to serve, but until it costs you something, you pull back. But let me serve even if it does cost me something. What a what an encouragement that he is displaying here. Don't give me the spotlight. I don't need to be the one that's on the throne to deal with the Philistines.

If I gotta do the same thing for the sake of my brethren, let me do it. If it's gonna ask for more danger and and jeopardize me, I will do it because I love God's people. I wanna serve my brethren. And so he does. He gets an answer.

The Lord said to David, go and attack. Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah. But look what happens in verse three. But David's men said to him, behold, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more than if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?

What happens in verse three, pay attention, is what will happen many times when an opportunity to obey God's word presents itself. Opposition arises. Opposition will often arise when an opportunity to obey God presents itself. And the obvious opposition are the enemies outside of the fold, outside of the kingdom that would try to threaten you or taunt you if you would dare make a move forward to glorify God. But there's also the opposition that is unintended.

And the opposition that is unintended can come from people that are are really for you, and they really wanna be loyal to the cause of God. But when it comes to particular instances, they cave under pressure. And because they can't handle what's happening here, even though obedience is is called for, they would discourage those who might put them at risk in that step of obedience. So what we learned from these men is an ingredient that is incredibly needed if you wanna know endurance and faithfulness to God, and it is this, courage. Courage.

Courage. Courage is willing to act even if you have to face danger, pain, or intimidation for a righteous cause. That's what courage is. It's a willingness to be mocked. It's a willingness to be misunderstood.

It's a willingness to even be martyred because of a deep conviction. And if there is anything worth being courageous for, it is the will and word of God. Courage. These men lacked it. And these men had a unanimous decision.

David, 400 against one. David, we're not doing this. We're already in Judah. We're already terrified as it is, and you wanna now put us out there so that Saul can see us? We're 400.

You wanna go against the armies of Philip. Are you serious? But David had a deep conviction and that conviction is what fuels courage. Here's the conviction. God said it.

God gave the green light. God determined it in his word. Why are we holding back? If it's clear, then let's move forward. And I wanna show you just how important courage is in the eyes of God.

Here it is. It's in the New Testament. It's in fact all the way to the last book. In Revelation 21, I want you to see how much courage means to god. In chapter 21 verse eight, This is the group of people that will be judged in the lake of fire for all of eternity.

Look at verse eight. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death. People often say that, the Old Testament god is in a bad mood, and the New Testament god is in a much better mood. You know what that proves to me? Number one, they haven't read the Old Testament right, and number two, they haven't finished the New Testament.

Because you didn't get to the book of Revelation, did you? Notice the first group that are mentioned that will be judged. As for the who? Cowardly. To be a coward is to be the opposite of being courageous.

To be a coward is to not move forward in your conviction because of the threat of persecution. To be a coward, this is important, is not the same as having a personality that leans towards timidity and shyness. No. To be a coward means that you back away from standing with Christ because you care about your well-being more than that conviction. That's what it means to be a coward.

And in God's mind, the first that will be judged are those who refuse to stand for the gospel. Those who refuse to stand for Christ because of threats or because of because of hypocrisy or because of because of anything that would cause him to say, I can't do this anymore, and the Lord says, you're the first to go into hell. And you know what's amazing here in the ESV, the cowardly right after is partnered with the faithless. Other transitions would say the unbelieving, but the Greek actually says to be unfaithful. Yes.

You can be unfaithful by unbelieving, but here it's amazing here. This is not an accident. You and I cannot know endurance unless we first know courage. Faithlessness is inevitable when courage is lacking. And that's the point here.

That these men were willing to to not obey God because of fear. Fear of Saul, fear of the Philistines, even though God was on their side. And though they were tempted, and though you and I might be tempted to be fearful to obey God or to shrink back when there's a price to obey Christ, What conviction does is it convinces you to move forward no matter what your emotions tell you. That's what courage is. It's not the absence of fear.

It's not the absence of intimidation and feeling the heat of the price that you might pay, but conviction is so powerful it propels you to move forward anyway. And David had that courage. He was ready to plow through with his life even while being tempted by his own men and threatened, and that can only come when you have a spirit inspired boldness and bravery. I pray that we would have it in these last days. And that's why, let me tell you this, persecution purifies the church every single time.

Because you know what persecution does? It it highlights the courageous and it sifts out the cowardly. Because once there's a price to pay for this thing, the only thing that's gonna really happen is remove those who are in it for the wrong reason, and strengthen those who have a conviction for Christ. And that's important. But we see here in verse four what David does in response.

David as a leader, you can imagine, he he receives clarity from God. He comes into this place with all these men and he says, men, the Lord has spoken. We must go to Keilah and attack the Philistines. We must defend our brethren. And all you hear is just a wave of murmuring and, oh, are you serious?

No way. No way. And some finally somebody speaks to us, we're already terrified as it is. You're gonna bring us into more trouble, David? Now these are good hearted men.

They risked their lives by separating from Saul to join David, but even good men can be fragile. Even good men can be shaken. So what does this man do? What does this leader do? He hears this.

He doesn't argue with them. He doesn't fight them. He doesn't even try to persuade them. Then David inquired of the lord again. He goes to seek god again.

And as he's wrestling with these thoughts, and maybe as his emotions were disturbed maybe a bit, we're not told, he goes before God again, and he prays. And God gives him clarity once again. And we're gonna find out why it is that God is speaking so promptly and so obviously. It's a unique thing to the scene. But nonetheless, the principle lies true.

That in order for us to remain courageous, we must find strength in the place of prayer. Prayer is the great provider of infusions of grace. Prayer provides great power to remain faithful to God even when we're being tempted to shrink back. And that's what this man does. He comes before the Lord.

He seeks him. And as his faith is being challenged for standing for what is right, he lays at the feet of the Lord. And he he knows that God knows what just happened. And God is always prepared to strengthen the soul that is willing to seek that strength to be faithful to the cause of Christ. Always.

That's what David needed. David needed a confirmation, and that confirmation will provide strength. And God is always ready to give his people the boldness necessary to move forward. And sometimes it's so supernatural that you will step outside of yourself and say, who is that man? Who is this?

And listen to this. Prayer is even so effective that God is even willing to bring liberty to those who who are captive to their own fears like these other men. Because you know what he's gonna do. Right? God's gonna answer, and when God answers, it doesn't even just provide strength for David.

Now the rest of the men are like, we're in. We're in. Listen. There's a time to spend energy trying to persuade men, but never fail to reserve energy to come before God with unpersuaded men and let him deal with them. There's a time to argue righteously.

There's a time to try to convince, and there's a time to try to persuade. But listen, when all is said and done, you come before god and you bring those people before God, the situation before God, and let God because prayer is the invitation for God's intervention on the situation. And God confirms in such wisdom and precision that he inspires faith in all of them. Why? Because look how God answers.

And the Lord answered them, arise, go down to Keilah, for I will give the Philistines into your hand. What's the difference between this answer and the previous one? Compare it, and you'll see a difference. Anybody notice a difference? He gave him the assurance that the Philistines will be will be dealt with.

Before he just said go and attack, now he says they will be conquered. And it was that promise that blew fresh wind into their sails, and even the other men that joined David said let's do this. This. Prayer is powerful. And so what happens?

Well, we read it in verse five. And David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines and brought away their livestock and struck them with a great blow. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah. Small point to make from this verse. Notice that when they fought the Philistines, they brought away what?

Their their livestock, their animals. This would have been tremendously helpful to David and the men. Remember when David initially fled from Saul? The guy only had the clothes on his back. He didn't even have a lunch to carry with him.

He didn't even have a weapon, though he had an armory at his disposal. He had to come before the priest and say, do you have a sword here? Gives him Goliath's sword. Do you have any bread here? Gives him the holy bread of the presence.

And so this man doesn't have resources, but now through this conquest, they have a whole herd. They gain all this livestock. That wasn't promised to them, but oh, how encouraging it is to see that when we obey God, he often surprises us. That when in your heart obedience to God is your supreme desire, God is faithful to supply your needs. When you're more concerned about God and his people, God and his purposes, God and his commands for your life, watch how God will surprise his faithful servants with his provisions.

I've personally seen in my own life how God has provided in ways that it didn't make sense. You've noticed it. You're sitting in a place that testifies to that. And it's amazing it's amazing how God truly meets the needs of his people when they truly set their hearts to live for him above all else. And for those who don't seek first the kingdom of God, they seek the kingdom, but it's like fourth on the list.

I feel bad for them. You're missing out on a journey, man. Do you wanna know how you can get rid of anxiety in your life for your needs? Some would say pray more. Sure.

Some would say read more. Sure. Here's another word of advice, seek first the kingdom. You want to deal with anxiety? You want to deal are you a person that's worried about your clothes and and your food, where you're gonna live, what kind of car are you gonna are you worried about that?

Instead of worrying about that, busy yourself with the kingdom of God. And watch how things will fall into place. When God sees you taking care of his business, he'll take care of yours. David here was concerned about the citizens of Ke'ala and as he fulfills the command of god, god says, here's a bunch of animals. You'll have lunch for the next few weeks.

In verse six, we read here that when Abiathar, the son of Ahimelech, had fled to David to Kelela, he had come down with an ephod in his hand. We'll come back to that later, but look at verse seven. Now it was told Saul that David had come to Keilah, and Saul said, God has given him into my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars. I remember when I first wrote this how confused I was about this man, Saul. I literally have a question mark behind that verse.

As a testament to this guy is losing it. God has given David into my hands. Really? The inhabitants of Keilah were rejoicing, I'm sure, but Saul here receives news from his his spies that David is there, and they left out of the report that David had conquered the Philistines. Notice that's not mentioned there.

All that was a concern to these spies was we know where David is. Never mind that he brought victory for the nation of Israel. Saul could care less. He's not a kingdom minded person. He doesn't he doesn't care about these spiritual things.

He doesn't care about God's glory. He's so filled with self that these people don't even communicate these things to him. And so the news is is brought to him. We know where David is now. He's there.

He's in Judah. He's so close. And you can just imagine this perverted grin on Saul's face, God has given him into my hands. And it makes you think, for some strange reason, this king really believes that in his pursuit of killing David, that God was supporting it. Not only was God supporting it, but that God provided an opportunity that the Lord orchestrated an open door for David to be assassinated at the hands of Saul.

This man just killed 80 something priests. He's causing havoc in God's kingdom. He's disobeyed so many times that God allows a tormenting spirit to come upon him, and this man still actually believes that God is on his side. I I thought to myself in reading this tonight, if you've ever had trouble understanding Jeremiah's statement that the heart is deceitful above all things and that it is desperately sick, just meditate on this verse long enough and you'll know what he means. Many times in the New Testament, the Christian, not the nonbeliever, the Christian is warned to not be deceived.

Look it up for yourself. Make it a personal study. Look throughout the entire New Testament and and search for the phrase, do not be deceived. Or let no one deceive you. And just see how many times it appears.

The Christian, not the non believer. In second Thessalonians for example, in chapter two verse three, we are told let no one deceive you in any way. But when you and I hear about the dangers of deception, and let me give you a simple definition, being misled to believe something to be true when it is in fact false. When we hear about deception, immediately our minds go to external threats. Threats and and wolves in sheep clothing that try to lure us away from truth.

And not just doctrinal truth, truth about matters in life as well, connected to truth. When in fact, the Bible even goes beyond those warnings and warns us about another form of deception that many people do not think about when they think about the danger of this thing. Can I show it to you? It's in first Corinthians three and verse 18. Are Corinthians Christians?

Yes. They are. Is Paul inspired by the spirit as an author of divine revelation? Yes. He is.

So we read here in verse 18, just the first few words. You ready? Let no one, what? Deceive who? Himself.

Let no one deceive you. Do not be deceived. Let no one deceive you in any way. Let no one deceive you. Let no one deceive you.

Do not be deceived. First Corinthians three eight, let no one deceive himself. So deception is not just a threat externally. I myself can mislead myself. I, myself, am able to be persuaded by my own thoughts, by my own emotions to believe something to be true when in fact it is false.

Saul was deceiving himself, And he was so misled that he was he was interpreting what God was doing in David's life as actually something that he was gonna do for his life. And when I look at this verse, it has become a memorial because I read it many years ago, and it has brought an answer to me and many occurrences in my own life that I just did not understand. And here it was. I've I've unfortunately had many instances where I've talked to people who really believe God was validating or affirming something that was clearly wrong and against scripture. I've talked to people who behaved so worldly and even sinfully, and they were so convinced that God was still going to bless their ministries.

Even though they were violating God's standard for what it means to be a minister and what it means to do faithful ministry, and yet still, they believe like Saul that God is for me nonetheless. I've even had unfortunate conversations with people who try to convince me that because God has revealed something to them personally, subjectively, that it is true, even though it violates the word of God and it goes against how the word of God tells you to communicate your convictions, and and when bringing the word of God to the situation and the person, in their hearts, what they've experienced personally trumped over the word of God. I'm thinking to myself, how? How is it that people are so it's so clearly wrong, it's so off, it's so hideous, it's so horrific, it's so carnal, and yet still they have this confidence that God affirms and God will supply and bless, or God has spoken to you and has given you some kind of access to authority and divine revelation beyond the scriptures. How?

And then my mind races back to this verse about Saul. Would you like to know how it is that Saul has arrived to this point? Let me put it this way. Would you like to know how somebody can deceive themselves? Because there's a way to get there.

It doesn't just happen spontaneously. It's not just something that just erupts in their hearts. It's not No. No. No.

It is inspired by something first. The deception is a consequence to another sin. The deception is the punishment of another sin. And the same prophet who said that the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick who can know it, is the same prophet that revealed how it is that a person can deceive themselves. You're still in Jeremiah?

Go to Jeremiah. What that common and famous passage, where it's found is in chapter 17, but where we wanna go is in chapter 49. Jeremiah, Jeremiah, Jeremiah, Jeremiah 49. This is in a prophecy that condemns the people of Edom. And in this judgment against Edom, we read in verse 16 slowly.

The prophet says the horror you inspire has deceived you, now look at this, and the what? The pride of your heart. Obadiah would confirm in that book that it's purely condemnation against the people of Edom. In Obadiah chapter well, there's no chapter. Verse three, chapter one, he says that the pride of your heart has deceived you.

So he's making it even more clear. So how is it that somebody can deceive themselves? It's when they're infected with pride. When pride lives in a heart, that pride will lie to you. That pride will lie to you about you.

That pride will lie to you about others, often in the form of contempt. And listen to this, that pride will even cause you to misinterpret the character of God and the way he deals with your life. When pride lives in a heart, when you let pride be a roommate in the home of your heart, that pride will sit with you at the dinner table and tell you things so convincing that you even begin to skew how God and who God really is. Because if pride if if pride is anything, it is you being the center of the universe. And pride is so evil, it is so damning that it even makes you so central in this whole world that even God is under you.

God wouldn't do anything against you. So whatever you do, God must support and affirm and validate and provide for. And so let me ask you this question. Is Saul a prideful person or is he a humble person? All you have to do is just reflect on all the times that he's tried to fish for the praise of man to realize that he is so consumed with self.

And that self, that pride got so inflated that it bred deception, and that deception was so loud that it caused him to even believe God wants me to murder the one that he has anointed to be the next king of Israel. It's pride. It's pride that commits to someone. And they're convinced they're really you think Saul's just blowing smoke here? He's totally convinced.

And he's reached a level of pride that is destructive in so many ways. Now he's bringing God's name into it. Oh, I'm telling you, if you want to be protected from self deception, can I tell you how? Love the truth. Listen.

You want to be protected never I'm not talking about deceiving other people, or other people being deceptive towards you. I'm talking about you and me deceiving ourselves. You wanna be protected from that? Love the truth. Second Thessalonians tells us in chapter two that god allows a strong delusion to come upon people in the last days because they have refused to love the truth.

So if this is your supreme authority, if you wanna be in the light, if you wanna be on righteousness side, no matter what it costs you, no matter what it costs you, even if it costs you your own life, you'll be protected from deception. God will not allow a person who cries out to be in light to who cries out to be in truth to be darkened by deception, even if it's your own. That's his promise. Saul, nothing to do with God, not a worshiper, filled with pride. And because of pride, deception lied to him, even about God.

So we come back, and we read here that this man is convinced that the Lord is going to bless his efforts to come to Keilah and kill David. And so as we read earlier, he he brings all these armies of Israel, like, where were you when Keilah needed help? And he's ready to now come and siege this city again. And who hears about it? Verse nine.

David knew that Saul was plotting harm against him, and he said to Abiathar the priest, bring the ephod here. Now up to this point, we've seen David cry out to God. On two occasions, he's about to do it again. And the question is, how is he getting such clear answers from the Lord so quickly, so clearly, so evidently? We would think that David just went into some corner somewhere and he prayed and God just brought some, some revelation vision or audible voice.

That was not the case. We learn from verse six and verse nine that when Abiathar, one of the priests who lived in Nob, escaped the wrath of Saul, He comes to David and he has something in his hands and it's called the ephod. Can anybody tell us what the ephod is? Okay. Good.

So it included the ummah and the thuom. The ummah and the thuom. But it's it's a garment, it's a vestment. We actually went through that in Exodus when we studied it a few years ago. It's a garment worn by the high priest that was connected to other pieces.

It was connected to a a breastpiece, And on this breastpiece, there were these different stones that represented the nation of Israel, but there were two unique gems that were placed there. And these gems, according to the narratives of the bible, were were sometimes used to understand God's will and direction for certain circumstances. Now amazingly enough, the bible is quiet about how these two gems, the rheum and the and the thummim, are used. We're not told how they're used, and I think that's by divine design. God wanted to be silent about it.

But all we know is that when you look, especially in first Samuel, how it's used, it's through those stones that God gives yes and no directives. And that's how we see God's answers. God, do I go here? Yes, you can go there. God, do I do this?

No, no, don't do this. It's very, very stiff and direct. It's not elaborate. And somehow these stones, through the means of the vessel of the high priest, brought about some kind of direct revelation from God for a particular problem. So when David calls for the ephod, which contained these gems, which held these gems, What he was really doing was calling upon God.

What you and I see in verse nine is a man who has made great leaps of maturity in his faith with God, because this is not the same reaction David had when we first saw him in exile. A friend who watches this, who's not even living in this state, messaged me. It's always encouraging when somebody has they they make connections with certain things in the bible study. He messaged me and he goes, I noticed something from first Samuel 21 when David asked for Goliath's sword, and I want you to see it because it blessed me when he brought it up. Go back to chapter 21.

You remember David flees Saul, he's in panic, he wants a weapon to defend himself. And look at verse nine when he asked for a weapon. And the priest said, the sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck down in the Valley Of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind what? The ephod. If you will take that, take it for there is none but that here.

And David said, there is none like that. Give it to me. And what my friend brought up, the point was this, is that in this moment where David was obviously fearful, he didn't know where to go next, even the placement of the sword invited him to inquire of god, but he ignored the ephod and he put his trust in the sword of Goliath instead. Ain't that a wonderful point? If that ephod represents the ability to call upon god and receive direction, David totally dismissed the ephod and he wanted to put his trust in the arm of the flesh.

And that's how often we do can I be honest? There are many Christians, they know we need to pray, but they don't really believe it works. If anything, prayer to them is like a divine lottery, like you punch in your ticket, and you hope that the numbers just fall through. But it's not a dependency, it's not a lifestyle, it's not something you do without ceasing. It's just something that you might do when there's, like, it's when all your options run out and there's no physical way to accomplish something, then you go to prayer.

But look at the maturity of David's faith. When it came to him being in danger with Saul again, when Saul was threatening to pursue him again, what does he do? He goes to the priest once again, but he doesn't ask for another weapon, he asks for the ephod. Give me the ephod. I tried doing it with David with Goliath's sword.

It didn't take me very far. Let me seek God. Let me inquire of him. Let me implore. Let me beg if I need you.

Let me ask him for this direction. And he comes with the ephod, and sure enough, it happens. God answers. Again, let me say this, David in chapter 21 is an illustration of how believers use different things other than the spiritual weapons that God has given us to overcome situations. But David in chapter 23 is a man who is convinced that when you invite God in the matter, God will provide a wisdom and a strength and a power that no sword, no weapon, no friends, no resources, no president, no prime minister, no army, no tank can even come close to.

I need God. And you'd be amazed to know how God, even in that moment, I do not dismiss the supernatural. I believe the same God who wrote this book is the same God who can intervene in life right now. He seeks God, God answers. And one of the ways that you can know that you're maturing in your faith is to analyze your response to difficulties.

Where do you go to? Does worship cease or does it increase? Is prayer abandoned or is it heightened? Does a flesh flare up or does faith arise? And if you can't answer those things honestly, if you're a person that's that finds himself reacting like how David in chapter 21, look how patient God is.

He's willing to teach us and show us how to fight these battles in the spirit. And how to I love that Psalm where it tells us, the man who fears the Lord, he is not moving, and he is not fearful when he receives bad news. He just, okay. God is sovereign. I think it's worth as we close here to see how David prayed.

Shall we see it? Look at how he prays. You wanna know how to pray? People say, how do I pray brother? Read prayers in the bible and adopt the language.

Then David said, oh lord, the god of Israel, your servant Look at the humility. Your servant has surely heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah to destroy the city on my account. Look, he's concerned about the city. They wanna they wanna destroy the city on my account. Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand?

That's wisdom. Will Saul come down as your servant has heard? Oh, Lord, the God of Israel, please tell your servant. Does that sound like desperation? It is.

And the Lord said, he will come down. David said, will the men of Kelech surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul? And the Lord said, they will surrender you. Isn't that shattering? It's like, you just saved these people and they're willing to give you up in a moment.

When their safety is in danger, and after you've served them, they're willing to let go. And here's the point I wanna make in conclusion. You heard earlier that when David came to the help of Keelah and the citizens, they received great blessing, blessing beyond what they have planned. This livestock came to their aid. This was a supply from God as a result of obedience.

When you obey God, he will find ways to not just bless you, but surprise you with his blessings. But when you obey God, you will suffer. You will suffer. You think this felt good for David? We just risked our lives for you.

And now when it comes to you defending us, you're willing to sell us. When it comes to us defending you, we're willing to stand by you. When it comes to you defending us, you're willing to give us to the wolves. We like the blessing part. We don't like the suffering part.

You're gonna have both. You're gonna get both. And in some seasons, the blessings will be more evident, and in other seasons, the suffering will be much louder and much more intense and severe. But here's the point, God is worthy. He is worthy.

Because look at the end here. I want you to see the last part of verse 14, and saw Sodom every day, but God did not give him into his hand. Even though Kelela surrendered him, David was not at the mercy of these citizens, he was at the mercy of God. And and so what a strange picture. You have Saul who thinks that God is on his side and in reality the Holy Spirit says, God is holding on to David.

And God will hold on to you and me in the blessings and in the disappointments, in the friendships like Jonathan and in the betrayal like in this case. But here's the thing, there is no other way to live than to live for him. No other way. And we're gonna see that with David in the weeks ahead. Let's pray.

Lord, we thank you for the wisdom of this chapter. And Lord, tonight we have been reminded of the necessity to place obedience to you, your will conquering any other thing that we have in our hearts as a primary delight and duty of our lives. Thank you for the reminder that when we obey, you never fail to supply. You never fail to comfort, you never fail to encourage, you never fail to even surprise us. But Lord, thank you for the the honest reminder that there is suffering on the path of obedience, that there is pain, that there is hurt, that there is confusion sometimes, that there are cuts from those even from within, even though the people that we serve and we made great sacrifices for turn on us.

Lord, help us to never forget that you hold us. And as long as we do what you call us to do, no matter who's in or out, you are the most important thing to us. And Lord, we rather have the citizens of Kerala turn on us instead of being like Saul who had the Spirit of God removed from him. We want your presence and your pleasure above all else, even our own comfort. Lord, if that's not true in even one person's life today, maybe the kingdom is not first, and they wonder why they're anxious, and they wonder why they're fearful, and they wonder how their life is gonna play out.

Lord, may we be reminded from this moment on that when anxiety creeps in, prayer is important, Lord, we know it, and so is reading your word and being reminded of your promises. But, Lord, may we also evaluate our priorities and to see if your kingdom is first because you promise to take care of everything else. Thank you for washing us with your word tonight. We worship you in light of it. In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.