0:12 First Samuel chapter 23. Let's meet there together. First Samuel 23 beginning in verse 15. Let's pray one more time. God, we thank you for the written word.
0:42 We ask, oh lord, that this bible study, lord, it would impart the wisdom that we need, it would impart the revelation that would draw our hearts closer to Christ. Lord, may we be reminded, may you destroy every distraction. May you, lord, win every ounce of our affection. Oh, lord, for those who might be dry inside, we ask that this would kindle a fresh fire. For those who might be defeated in a certain sin, we pray that they would receive the faith to be able to rise above all sin, and live in victory that you've purchased on the cross for us.
1:23 For those who might be mesmerized by the world, Lord, show the glory of Jesus Christ. We need you tonight. We need you in this study. Take us by the hand and teach us your word. And let no other voice interfere with the voice of God.
1:42 And Lord, as we share with one another, may we be mutually edified so that we can continue this race running with full force for your glory. We ask these things in Jesus name. Amen and amen. The last that we've heard of David is that he was with 400 men, and that he was delivering a people from an invasion of the Philistines. It was a town called Keilah, and it was a successful endeavor.
2:15 The people of Keilah were delivered. They sought for his help and he did not fail to provide what he's always provided, and that was faithful sacrifice with the skill that God has given him as a shepherd, not just of sheep but of people. And when we come to verse 13 very quickly, we realize something interesting about David's following. As we read here, then David and his men, who were about 600, arose and departed from Keilah, and they went wherever they could go. And so we read here that there were 600.
2:48 What was the number before this? How many of them were there? 400. And so now the, the following is Klein to 600. We don't know where these men came from.
3:00 Maybe they came from Keilah after they saw David's, leadership and they were convinced and though the majority wanted to surrender him to Saul, perhaps 200 of them said we want to follow this man. And so they did. And so they follow him, but unfortunately, the majority of those who inhabited this place wanted to get rid of him, and so David as a leader was left with no other choice but to wander into the unknown with 600 others. And they finally come, as we're about to read, into a specific wilderness called Ziph. And there seems to be some relief for a moment, evading Saul's immediate threat, but we're about to find out that that relief, whatever there was of it, was about to be evaporated.
3:46 Let's read from verse 15. David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh. And if we read even verse 14, which I think should help us connect this, before that we read, and David remained in the strongholds in the wilderness in the hill country of the Wilderness of Ziph, and Saul sought him every day, but God did not give him into his hand. So they settle into this area called Ziph.
4:21 They're hiding out there, and whatever refuge he was finding, we are told by the Holy Spirit that he was also haunted by the reality that Saul was after David every single day. There wasn't a break. There wasn't a moment of pause. This man now is all consumed with this passion to kill David. And it David lived in his thoughts, he affected his affections, he determined his plans, and he distracted this king from doing what he was supposed to be doing as a king.
4:55 And I read this and I look and I see Saul, and I feel I feel many things. And one of the things I feel is disappointment. Because look at this man and his tenacious desire to satisfy his sin, and you would wish that he would have that same level of passion for God. But you see nothing of the sort from King Saul. Instead of pressing on to know the Lord, instead of giving all he has to the Lord, instead he's, he is now obsessed with this desire to eradicate David from the face of the earth.
5:29 And behold tonight the sad sight of when someone is not a slave to Christ. You're a slave to something else. You're a slave to another passion, another dream. It could be as evil as this, and it can seem good, but it can seem pathetic because it's not eternal. There is no neutrality in service.
5:48 You and I, according to the Bible, are either a servant or a slave to righteousness or we're a slave to sin. We're either servants of God or servants of some other god, and that god can be you or me. And Saul here is such a contrast to David where he sought the Lord, David, with all his heart. He was known as a man after God's own heart. You see Saul here satisfying his own passion and his own pleasure.
6:12 And it's, it's very despicable to see. But I read something about Saul seeking David every day, and I see a man who reflects the attitude not only of what happens when you are given to your flesh the potential of it, but what happens in understanding Satan's endeavor to come after you and me. The enemy of our soul takes no breaks. He doesn't have a weekend off. He doesn't punch in and punch out.
6:44 There is an enemy of your soul and mine, and he has an all consuming passion to do what Saul here is trying to do with David, and that is to make sure you don't fulfill what God has purposed for your life. As much as this is a personal thing between Saul and David, there's a spiritual dimension behind it, and that is David being the one who would usher in through his descendants the seed of the Messiah, and Satan is not gonna let that happen so easily. And you and I, when we are born again, though the enemy cannot rob our salvation, he can hinder you from being effective. And it doesn't matter how inconsistent you may be. It doesn't matter how distracted you might be.
7:26 It doesn't matter if you are most of the time unmotivated to serve the Lord or to pray or to be spiritually None of that really matters because the enemy doesn't care. He is always on sixth gear. He never sleeps. And that should cause us to a certain degree to be like what David is showing here, and that is to be consistently vigilant. Always on guard.
7:55 Always sensitive to the spirit. Always in community with believers. Always dependent upon the Lord to protect us and guide us as we are behind enemy lines. You know, if I received some kind of intel that someone was trying to kill me, but I also received some kind of information about my enemy and how he works and his schemes. I hope if you receive that kind of intel, it would change the way you prepared yourself every single day.
8:23 I don't think you would be casual about that. I don't think you would just go about your day as though there's, there's no potential risk. If I knew somebody was after my head, if I knew somebody was coming after me like David, then I'm not leaving the house without some kind of protection. I'm probably never gonna go anywhere alone. I'm gonna make sure that I am, nourished and strengthened, that I don't go to certain areas that might make me more vulnerable to my enemy's attacks, that I would not associate myself with certain people that might throw me and, and surrender me to my enemy.
9:05 And yet at the same time, you have Christians who do have an enemy, and yet they live every single day unprepared. Unprepared. They don't dress themselves with the armor of God. They're not conscious of building their faith. They're not serious about nourishing their understanding of who God is, of how Satan works.
9:26 They don't they don't strap themselves with the sword of the spirit. They're not empowered by prayer. They can leave the house not believing that there's an enemy who has traps setting for them, temptations and threats. And so they're not serious about community. They're not serious about being under the protective care of elders.
9:45 They just think they can just roam through this life and thinking that they're just somehow in the middle of this battle zone. They're neutral, when in fact, if you have confessed Christ, you've been marked by the evil one. And I believe the reason why there are so many casual Christians in America is because most of those Christians don't believe they're in a spiritual war. They really don't. How many people in here actually believe that every single day you're in a war?
10:15 Most people believe the only thing about Christianity is that I'm on my way to heaven. I got my insurance. No. You are in a battle, an ancient battle. And again, though you're well, God was gonna protect me.
10:26 Am I not secure? You are secure. Just as David was secure. God did not give him into his hand. But the only one that can make you ineffective is really you.
10:39 And as long as the enemy can can dismantle you or make you not believe of this warfare, then you he knows that he can disarm you in due time. And so part of me sometimes, yes, I wanna fellowship with the Lord. Obviously, my main motivation in my Christian discipline is I wanna know the person who saved me. But sometimes when there are days where my flesh is is is trying to convince me otherwise, or there seems to be a brass above me, where my prayers don't seem to be penetrating the heavens, there there are times where I wake up and say, I must do this. I must watch and pray.
11:17 There's no way that I can serve God in ministry and think that the enemy is just gonna let me do that without a fight. And so there is no fear in me. And there should be no fear in you with this truth, but there should be a call to readiness and a call to be filled with the spirit daily. So Saul demonstrates that. But something happens in these verses that will help David soar above, soar above these threats and these temptations.
11:49 David was aware that Saul was coming after him, and it makes you think. I mean, put yourself in his shoes for a moment. Imagine living under these kind of circumstances. Imagine living with the constant gnawing thought that at any moment Saul and his his armies could appear right before us, and we are outnumbered. We are under resourced.
12:12 We have no, we have no fortress. We have no shield. We're just in some caves, in some forest. Now, think about it. Now, let's add to that.
12:21 This man has 600 people to take care of. 600 people. And it's getting harder to hide, isn't it? It's one thing to hide alone. It's one thing to find a cave that can host 400 people, but now you're growing.
12:36 Now you got 600. Where where are you gonna hide? You can't. And that's it's about to be found out here. You can't hide.
12:44 Not only that, there's practical management. How are you gonna feed these men who have devoted themselves to you? And on top of that, David seems to be on a different level of of faith than these men, which could provide an obstacle to him. He really believes God when God says go, I will give you victory, while the others are like, I don't know about this. So just think about all these mountainous things that are burning on David and just feel the pressure because he's a man.
13:09 He's a man just like you and me. And yet, at the same time, this man is going to know something of supernatural strength that's gonna help him rise above every single one of these threats, these temptations that could easily deflate any of us, that could easily cause us to just throw in this towel and say, I'm done with it. I didn't this if this is what it means to be king, I don't want to be king. Let me go work for my dad again. Look at verse 16.
13:38 And Jonathan, Saul's son, rose and went to David at Haresh, and strengthened his hand in God. And he said to him, do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Saul my father also knows this. And the two of them made a covenant before the Lord.
14:05 David remained at Haresh and Jonathan went home. Jonathan comes by for a visit. Jonathan intentionally rises from his home, seeks out David, finds David, and he gives to David something better than any source or supplement. He doesn't give David, an insight that he's working on a peace treaty between his dad and him. He doesn't provide more weaponry.
14:30 He doesn't give him more resources to help him while he's in the wilderness. Nothing of the sort. But what we are told is that he strengthens his hand in God. Strengthens his hand in God. See, to the spiritual, true strength comes from God.
14:50 And Paul uses this, and and the whole scriptures talks about this in different ways. When he told the Philippians, writing from jail I love this because the guy's in prison, and he's telling the people who are outside of prison, rejoice. You would think that they would write a letter to him. Hey, Paul, rejoice. Always rejoice.
15:05 He's writing it from prison. He's saying you rejoice. But did he say rejoice? I say always rejoice. Is that what he said?
15:12 No. What did he say? Rejoice how? In the Lord. Always rejoice.
15:19 Because true joy is in the Lord. You can't have true joy apart from the Lord. And right here we read you can't know true strength apart from God. You can't. You might know some spontaneous excitement, but you cannot know true strength.
15:37 And that's what we see here. And how does that strength provide it? As Jonathan encourages him. The strength is connected to God's character and God's ways, and that being rehearsed over David's beaten soul. So strength in God, I might disappoint you tonight, doesn't come from a general understanding of God's existence.
16:00 It comes from particular and familiar understanding of who he is, what he can do, and his unchanging faithfulness toward you. And that's exactly what Jonathan is doing here. He's not just saying, believe God. I mean, that can help. But he's being very specific with David.
16:19 And so I want to ask you, and we can talk about it now, what are the particularities here of the encouragement that Jonathan provides David? What stands out? What are the elements of Jonathan's encouragement? Just look at it for a few moments, and then if you have an answer, feel free to answer. Bible study, we study, so we're studying.
16:43 Look at the verse. What are some elements there? Read it slowly. Do not fear. Do not fear.
16:56 That's one. Good. Yes, so it's found. His father also knows this, that you will be king. Say that again, sorry.
17:17 Oh, that's good. Yes. Somebody said something over here. You won't be defeated. You won't be defeated.
17:25 You will be king over Israel. Good. Great observation. Jonathan was willing to risk his life just to provide encouragement. Did Jonathan had a revelation about how powerful encouragement is?
17:47 I believe so. Great observation. Can I provide an insight into how to study the Bible and get revelation, get insight from the scriptures? Ask the Bible questions. Always.
17:58 Always. And if you want two main questions that you always ask, number one, what does it say about God? What does it say about my God? Number two, what does it say about man, with God and apart from God? And so as you look at this, I read this, and that's the question that's always running through my mind when I read the scriptures, especially narratives.
18:21 What does this say about God? And when I read verse 17, and he said to him, do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you, I see God's protection. How is Saul not going to find him? Because David's skill and his cunning ability? No, because God we just read it.
18:42 God did not give him into his hand, the end of verse 14. So I look at verse 17 and say, Lord, what does it say about you? Do not fear for the hand of Saul. Well, you are going to protect him. And though this is a specific promise, the principle applies to every servant of God.
18:58 God's protection over your life is never on pause. It is continual. His surveillance over your life, his supervision over your life is nonstop. It is always provided. And that might not mean something to you because we are so safe in this country, but it will mean a lot to you when persecution does come.
19:21 And so the assurance here is nobody, whether the enemy is visible or invisible, whether the threats are verbal or physical, no one has free access to touch you without God's permission. You need to believe that. You need to understand that if you are a person who is serving God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your strength, God has a holy obligation to preserve you. No one, not even if all of hell opened up and swarms of demons came against you, they would not be able to lay a finger on you. And I love how he says do not fear.
20:04 Think about how many promises in the bible are connected to do not fear. Do not fear, do not fear, do not fear, do not fear. What do you think God's trying to tell us? Fear should be a foreign feeling to the Christian. Like, that that should be what it should be like a language that you don't understand.
20:22 That's how that's how foreign fear should be in our souls. And here's my question. Do you know those promises? Now I know a lot of people memorize them, they put them on coffee cups, they put them in nice drawings and paintings, and they put it up on their wall, or they have these graphics, they have stickers on their Bible. Do you believe it?
20:41 That's the difference. Do you believe it? I see many men's claim to love the bible, know the bible, when it comes to moments where they are persecuted or pressured, they fear. They melt. And I wanna be like Jonathan for you tonight.
20:56 I wanna provide a do not fear, one of my personal favorites. This is casual. I mean, it's still the word of God being preached, but it's informal in some sense. One of my favorite do not fears or not to be crippled by fear or let no fear come over you or I will not fear is in Hebrews thirteen:six. I love this.
21:12 This is in the New Testament. So we can confidently say, the Lord is my helper, I will not fear. What can man do to me? What can man do to me? Did did he say some men?
21:32 No. He said man. Every person. No matter how prestigious, no matter how powerful, no matter how many resources, no matter the threat, no matter the amount, what can man times a billion do to me? Nothing.
21:45 Why? Because God is on my side. The Lord is my helper. And he says earlier, we can confidently say, I mean, with boldness, with assurance, with an anchoring trust, in this life man can't do anything to me and to you. And part of understanding that truth of not fearing man is understanding who God is.
22:09 But it's not just understanding who God is, it's understanding who man is. See, here it says, the Lord is my helper. That's why I'm not gonna fear. But you wanna you wanna know greater assurance and greater security in the face of danger? Don't just study who God is.
22:24 Study how God thinks of man. I want to read this to you because it's tied into this. It's found in Isaiah 51, verse 12. Look what the Lord says. I, I am he who comforts you.
22:38 Now look what he says. Who are you that you are afraid of man who dies? Who are you that you are afraid of man who dies? Now look at this. Or the son of man who is made like grass?
22:55 So now God is speaking directly to his people who are being oppressed and threatened by outsiders. He goes, can you explain to me why you're afraid of that creature who can die? And not only that, he goes, the Son of Man who is made like grass. You know when I read this, the thought ran through my mind. Is anybody here afraid of grass?
23:16 If you are, we're willing to give you some counseling in this place. Anybody here afraid of flowers from trees, from grass? And this is what, why am I saying that? Because God is saying, you're afraid of men. You know how I view men?
23:29 I view it like my front lawn. One day they're there, the next day they're not. So fragile, so vulnerable, so at the mercy of man, or mercy of God rather. And so he's saying, that's how I view man, as something as harmless as grass, and yet here you are terrified. I'm your helper.
23:57 Do not fear. And so what this man is doing here over David is he is showering him with the reassurance of God's genuine, like genuine protection. I can tell you some scary stories of what happens when people try to touch God's children. I've heard some stories that have made me tremble. I've seen some things that have made me tremble.
24:24 But he goes on to say, you shall be king over Israel. You shall be king over Israel. So now he goes from God's protection to God's what? Promise. Good.
24:35 Good. God's promise. You shall be king. This is a particular promise of assurance, but again, we could be encouraged to know and we could be confident that God also manages our future. That every single day, every single breath is calculated and preserved by your God.
24:58 And as long as you live on this earth, know this, God has predestined you. God has predestined you to Christ likeness. And as long as you are his child, there's not a moment where he is not either pruning you, polishing you, providing for you, protecting you, or positioning you to be of use for his service. That's happening all the time. Though he may be silent, though he may be obvious, though you may not be able to see it, though you may be able to see it, know this, that no one or nothing can stand in the way of a person who is submitted to the will of God.
25:33 Nothing. No matter what is taken from you, No matter what doors shut slant in your face. Whatever God has purposed for your life, which Ephesians two tells us that he has prepared even before the world was created, that's gonna happen. And the only one who can sabotage you from fulfilling God's purpose is who? You.
25:54 Yourself. And so David was assured here, it doesn't matter what Saul says or does or plans, you will be where God wants you to be. God will provide for you. And God will preserve you until the fulfillment of what he has for you comes to pass. And that's not just true for David.
26:13 That's true for all God's servants. You don't have to turn there. Let me read it to you about Moses in Acts seven thirty five. Acts seven thirty five. I love this.
26:23 This Moses whom they rejected. This Moses whom they rejected. Now who is the author talking about here? The people of Israel rejected Moses. They said what?
26:34 Who made you a ruler and a judge? This man, God sent as both ruler and redeemer by the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush. This man whom they rejected, guess what, I appointed. It didn't matter if the whole nation protested against Moses being their leader. God said, it is done, and he will be your leader no matter what.
26:57 And so you see, the program that he has planned for your life, it will plow through all opposition. As long as you're walking in humility and in hunger, God will lead you and he will guide you. And that brings so much joy to my heart every day I wake up. They are the people of Israel, but God is God. And if you want to rescue somebody from despair like Jonathan is rescuing David, can I provide some help?
27:28 Don't reserve your encouragement and the reminder that as long as that person is alive, God has a plan for them. God has a purpose for them. Man, it's amazing to see the hopelessness in our nation, the hopelessness in people's lives today, how they are so caught in the sense of not knowing the unknown, and yet you and I have access to truth. And I'm telling you, there is something so profound by just looking somebody in the eye genuinely in a personalized way and saying, brother, you've been a blessing. God has given you gifts.
28:02 Sister, you have contributed to my love for the Lord, and it's not stopping here. God is still going to do something through your life. You can change somebody's week that way. You can rescue somebody from so much just by simple assurance of God's plan for them, God's gifting through them. And that's what he does here.
28:23 He goes, I will be next to you. I'm willing to assist you in whatever God has called you to do. I'm not in competition with you. I see you as a valuable member in the kingdom of God, and I rejoice in the fact that I get to walk this with you. That that language needs to be so common in the church.
28:41 And we see it here. A man or a woman who is in touch with God is able to encourage somebody and remind them that in all seasons, God is doing something. People need that. The same way you need that sometimes, every person you know needs that at one point or another. And Jonathan is saying in some sense, though not directly, this is contributing to God's purpose for your life, David.
29:06 You're going to be king no matter what. God is gonna use you. God has a plan for your life. So you see, Jonathan provides David a reassurance of God's protection, God's promise. But one last thing, somebody said it.
29:19 He goes what? He says, and I shall be next to you. Jonathan's partnership. Jonathan says, I am beside you. I'm walking this thing out with you.
29:32 I'm thinking about you. Clearly, he left his home and came to find David. I support you, brother. I'm blessed by you, brother. I care for you.
29:43 I celebrate God's call for you, brother. And whatever you need from me to make that more possible, I'm here for you. I will assist you. I shall be next to you, implying I'm under your leadership. And Jonathan knew exactly what David needed to hear.
29:57 You know why? Because David only experienced betrayal up to this point. His father-in-law betrays him. The citizens of Kiela betray him, and he's about to get a fresh dagger thrust it into his back in the rest of this chapter. And so what Jonathan is going to give him is the reassurance of an undying support from a friend.
30:20 Listen. Let me say it again. This world is divisive enough. It's cold enough. It's ugly as it is.
30:29 When we come together, if you're a member of this church, and if you're a member of any church, make sure that you cultivate a culture that when everybody comes or when you even meet one on one, there is a well of life that they can drink from. And they can find strength in. The last thing that David needed to do is doubt Jonathan's loyalty. The best thing that he could have had was the reassurance of of a love for him. We live in a loveless world.
30:59 We live in a world where people give up on you so easily that if you do not contribute to my personal benefit, I cut you off. And Jonathan is doing the exact opposite. As our brother said, he's endangering himself just to provide a word of encouragement. He can go back and one spy can see him and he can lose his life, but this is a committed love. A committed love.
31:23 And Jonathan benefited nothing in the flesh from this relationship. But because of this consumer society, we're always wondering how can we get. Eat let me just talk about membership for a second. Some people, you know, would innocently even ask, what do I get out of membership? See, that's the problem.
31:40 That's the problem. We're always wondering what's the incentive? What what what's in this for me? Membership in the church is unlike any other membership, any other organization. Every other membership will say, if you become loyal to us, here's what you get.
31:53 Here's some perks. Here's what it is for the church. Membership is what you can give. What can you give? It's a pledge to I'm willing to give and give and give, though there are benefits connected to it.
32:08 If we want to build people up in this age where there is raging war and satanic attack and narratives that are coming to crash against the church, then we need to be people who are committed in love to one another. We need to be like those who support those who stand for the truth. Like David, I want to tell you because you sacrificially served God, I'm with you. I, I praise God for you. Now, you're hearing this, you're saying this sounds so simple.
32:36 Trust me, it will rescue people in the days ahead. It will rescue people in the days ahead. Mark my words of the dark clouds that are coming over the evangelical church in America. And some of the attacks are going to come from within. Because people will not stand for the truth like Saul doesn't stand for the truth.
32:57 And that's why in verse 18, they make a fresh covenant. They're not making a new covenant. He's just reestablishing the covenant that they made at first. I'm telling you again that I am committed to you, David. I am with you.
33:07 You know what's amazing? Look at verse eighteen one more time. The two of the men made a covenant before the Lord, David remained at Horesh, and Jonathan went home. He comes to encourage David, and guess what? He leaves.
33:28 Nothing changed for David. He's still in the wilderness of Ziph. Saul still wants to kill him. He still has to take care of 600 men. He still doesn't know how he's gonna become king.
33:38 He doesn't know when his next meal will be. Nothing changed for David except one thing, his perspective. That's what encouragement does. It heals spiritual blindness. It clears the fog that chokes your faith.
34:00 And so would you put this in your arsenal as a person who might be committed to a people who are the people of God? Never fail to use encouragement. It can save somebody. It can save somebody. And in this case, it provided fresh grace for him to endure and to move on.
34:21 And what I love about this is that Jonathan did not just provide the right thing, but he provided it at the right time. It was such an important time for him to come and to deliver this message, this word. Because look what we read here in verse 19. Then the Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah saying, is not David hiding among us in the strongholds of Horesh, on the Hill Of Heilah, which is South of Yeshimon? So you have the Ziphites who recognize that David is in town, because you can't really hide 600 people in your backyard without somebody noticing.
35:05 And the moment they realize that David is here, they send messengers to Saul at Gibeah, and they say, we got your man. We know exactly where he is. And look what else they say, verse 20, now come down, oh king, according to all your heart's desire to come down, and our part shall be to surrender him into the king's hand. Where is Ziph located? In what territory?
35:34 The same place where Keilah was located, which is what? Judah. Why does that make this even more painful than what it needs to be? Where's David from? Judah.
35:46 So you know who's throwing him to Saul? His own brethren. His own tribe. His own kinsmen. Those that are closest to him.
35:55 And all the nations are the ones that are willing to give him up to the enemy. Now this is disappointing, this is despicable, this is discouraging. But what blesses my heart is how David responds to it. Does anybody know how David responds to this moment? Some of you do.
36:12 It was read last week. What did David do here? Let me give you a hint. The same thing he did when he found out that Keila was willing to surrender him. He does what?
36:21 He prays. And would you be blessed tonight to know that the prayer of David in this very moment was recorded and holy writ? Psalm 54. Let's go there together. It's a short psalm.
36:45 Verse one. Look at the title. To the choirmaster with stringed instruments, a mascule of David, when the Ziphites went and told Saul, is not David hiding among us? So this is what was inspired in David's heart the moment he heard that his own men, those who belong to his tribe, went to Saul ready to betray him. Verse one, oh God, save me by your name and vindicate me by your might.
37:14 Oh God, hear my prayer. Give ear to the words of my mouth. For strangers have risen against me. Ruthless men seek my life. They do not set God before themselves, Selah.
37:28 You know what I find so amazing about this? One, his reflexes, oh God. Oh God Almighty. I need you in this moment. If it if it was hard now, it's harder even now.
37:41 I need you in this time. And he seeks the Lord. He cries out. But look how he refers to the Ziphites. What does he say about them?
37:51 Look at verse three. For strangers. Strangers? They're men of your own tribe. If anything, they should be brothers.
38:05 But right now, he's highlighting their character. They're outsiders. They're treating me like strangers. It is a sad thing to see when those who are supposed to be brothers and sisters in Christ are acting like outsiders. This reminds me of the situation in Corinth when Paul was rebuking these Christians who were going to court against one another, who were suing each other, who are protesting in the public's eye against one another.
38:40 And and Paul says, you're doing this to your own brothers? He uses that language. He says, even to your own brothers, you quarrel and you fight and you lay charges. He's like, better to lose the case. Better to surrender your property.
39:01 Better to pay the medical bill than for you to go out and for the world to see that you guys are willing to fight against each other. David is echoing that sentiment saying, these men, oh god, are are treating me as strangers. They're treating me as though we're not related, as though we don't share the same spirit. Do you know why it is that there are so many people from within the church that are so easily willing to attack and harm and speak and destroy and divide? For the same reason why the Ziphites were willing to do it to David.
39:42 What does he say at the end of verse three? For strangers have risen against me, ruthless men seek my life, they do not set God before themselves. That's why. Plain and simple. It's it's not about anything other than this, those who intentionally come against the family of God make such decisions without God's accounting in mind.
40:08 They're living out practical atheism. They might believe in theory that God exists, but they live as though he doesn't. And in the case of the Ziphites, they didn't believe that God anointed David. They didn't believe God's plan for David. And if they did, they were trying to intentionally fight against God's program for the nation of Israel by saying, we're gonna go tell on you.
40:30 And so when I observe people that relentlessly come against brothers and sisters in Christ that cannot accept forgiveness, that are causing trouble, I know one thing among many other things, and it is this, they do not set God before themselves. God is not in the picture, he's not in the thoughts, they don't consider the fact that he is recording and observing all these things. I'm sure you fathers and you daughters, or you fathers and you and your mothers with your daughters and your sons, you will feel a certain way if somebody comes after your children. And you feel a certain way when you see your one son attacking the other son, your one daughter attacking the other. But it's amazing here about David, look down here in verse six of the psalm.
41:18 With a free will offering, I will sacrifice to you, I will give thanks to your name, oh Lord, for it is good. Hold on for a sec. So you're willing to not only pray to God as a re response to the attacks that are coming your way, but you're even willing to give extended worship to God? You're willing to give not what is demanded of you in the legal system, in the law, but a free will offering? I wanna give this freely from myself to you?
41:49 I mean, that's the thing you do when you're blessed. That's the thing you do when you get promoted. That's what you do when you find spoil. You don't do this in a natural sense when you know that more threat is coming your way, but there's something inspiring the man to say, oh, I just wanna worship you even more. It is how?
42:08 What what inspires? What motivates David to do this? Something quite insightful that I hope that on this night you will grab a hold on and and put it in the bosom of your soul for the rest of your existence. Because this man here, he is he is facing betrayal. He is facing disappointment from those who are supposed to be closest to him.
42:32 And yet at the same time, you know what he's doing here? The reason why he can worship God is because he is taking all of the failures of those who should not be failing him, and he lays it as a blank canvas. And he allows it to contrast the glory of Jesus Christ. He takes the blackness of their sin, the evil and the wickedness of their ways, and it and it provides this canvas so that when Christ is seen, he shines all the brighter. What do I mean by that?
43:08 This man, I believe, can worship because he's taking the unexpected disappointment of others, the sting of of those who are hurting him. And then he looks to God and he says, you don't fail me. Lord, you'll never disappoint me. You'll never let me down. If you want a reason to worship in the midst of pain, even from those that you thought would never hurt you, never let you down, let it cause you to realize that there is no one like Jesus.
43:46 He's perfect. He's unchanging in his character. He never breaks his promise. He's constant and he's reliable. I'm sure you've experienced betrayal.
44:01 I'm sure you experienced people that you never thought would hurt you hurt you. Can I ask you a question? Did it make Jesus more beautiful to you as a result? Did it help you see his perfection as the imperfection of man stood in contrast to him? That's what he says here.
44:21 Read it slowly. Look at the verse. With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you. I will give thanks to your name, oh lord, for it is good. The name of God is connected to his character.
44:33 And what he's saying here, you're you are good. And so in the midst of betrayal from those that I didn't think would actually do it, you just look that much more brilliant, and beautiful, and infinitely awesome. So I just wanna worship you because there's no one like you. There's no one like you. Let me give you an example of this in another way.
44:53 You know, the the more you're in ministry, one of the insights that you get in ministry is that you see the brokenness of man. The broke even among Christians, you just see brokenness and just baggage and hurt and and failure and all these things. And and, you know, that can crush somebody just even listening to it, but it has caused a cry in my heart over the years to say, Lord, you need to come back. You need to come back. Nothing will be able to fix this unless you come and you give us glorified bodies, Maranatha.
45:37 Come Lord Jesus and clean up this mess. We can't get it together. Do you see what I'm saying here? Translate the pain that you see in the world, even the pain that's targeted towards you, and let it cause you to see the goodness of God. And then let it cause you to say I wanna I wanna worship you, Lord.
45:57 You are in your own category. No one can come close to you. And I see betrayal coming my way, but I look to you and I see faithfulness. You're my helper. Meditate on that long enough.
46:14 You'll have an urge to worship him even when you face sin coming your way. Let the sins of others make the sinlessness of Jesus Christ all the more beautiful and apparent. He's the friend of friends. He's the shepherd of shepherds. He's our elder brother.
46:32 He's our father. Then we read on here in verse 21, and we come back to first Samuel 23. What happens here? And Saul said, he's talking to the Ziphites, may you be blessed by the Lord for you have had compassion on me. This is sick.
46:55 So these men come, these messengers from the Ziphites, they say, we got your man. We know exactly where he is. And Saul responds, may you be blessed by the Lord. For you have had compassion on me. Last week when he heard about David being quella, what did he say to himself?
47:17 God has what? Given him into my hand. And so that's self deception. When you're in sin and you believe God approves and accepts your ways, this is pride. This is the fruit of pride.
47:33 Where you're now, you're, you're actually believing that God is going to aid you in your efforts to harm his purposes. And clearly, he hasn't sobered up. From earlier to this moment, it's only been strengthened so much so that he can actually bless others who are partnering with him in this cause. Can you imagine the thought? May you be blessed by the Lord for you have had compassion on me.
47:59 It's all about you, Saul. And so we learned that self deception is self destructive. And for a person to believe things about himself and to believe things about God wrongly, that is the fruit of pride. When you make yourself the center of the universe, you even, whether you realize it or not, make God worship you. You're saying no, I say yes.
48:25 How? When you don't think certain things apply to you anymore. When you don't think that God will do certain things because somehow you're in a special category in his mind, You're his favorite or whatever the case may be. And that's where Saul is. He wants to be the center of the universe, and guess who else is gonna worship him?
48:44 God. God will serve him. God will do what Saul wants to do. But there are other reasons. I think the reason why Saul can do this, may you be blessed by the Lord, is because he seems to be seeing some success.
49:04 So early on, we he thinks that God providentially traps David in Keilah. And now because the Ziphites come forward, it's almost it's almost like he is being comforted by the fact that others now are joining his cause. And so to him, because he interprets this as success, he must think that surely God is giving him the okay. Mingle that with pride and you you got deception galore. You got intense deception.
49:37 And what I just said there isn't farfetched. Because God in another place in the word tells us that people misinterpret God's silence as his approval. So notice. Let me say this again. He's seeing people joining his cause and let's add to that.
49:57 He's not seeing God intervene to stop him. There's no judgment. There's no discipline. Saul seems to be getting away with this. So he, the equation is God must be okay with this.
50:11 Not only that, he must be blessing this. Look, the Ziphites are coming to me. How else can we explain this? Surely I'm in the right. And I wanna show you how even men today, when they take God's silence over their sin, and whatever success they're experiencing in life, they can believe that God is like one of them.
50:31 I pray that you would never forget this verse, especially as we are headed towards much compromise in the West. Turn with me to Psalm 50, as we come to a close very soon. Look at verse 17. This is the Lord speaking, and look what he says to the wicked. For you hate discipline and you cast my words behind you.
51:02 If you see a thief, you are pleased with him, and you keep company with adulterers. You give your mouth free rein for evil, and your tongue frames deceit. You sit and speak against your brother. You slander your own mother's son. Pay attention to verse 21.
51:20 These things you have done, and I have been silent. You thought that I was one like yourself, But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you. You see that? You thought I was one like yourself. Why?
51:39 Because I've been silent. You were able to continue in this sin, and you have interpreted your evil not being punished as my acceptance of your ways. God not condemning something immediately doesn't mean he consents of it. God not immediately chastising doesn't mean that he confirms. The silence of God in Saul's life, just like the silence of God in many people's lives who are living in adultery, in homosexuality, in pride, in the love of money, that silence is his long suffering.
52:27 It is that period in which god says, would you would you turn to me? I I do not want to go in the way of punishment. I wanna extend mercy much more. And you don't think people interpret it this way? I believe, one of the countries in Europe when one of the nations it's just it's my memory's failing me.
52:51 They legalized same sex marriage nationwide, and they received a double rainbow on that same day. A double rainbow appeared in the sky the same day that that nation received. The affirmation of homosexuality between a man and man, woman and woman as being marriage. And people were tweeting that day. Look, God doesn't just approve, he doubly approves.
53:15 Because that's the symbol of their movement. Right? The rainbow. And somebody rightly responded, that's not God doubly approving, that's God doubly reminding himself not to judge you guys. But do you see how people can misinterpret how sinners and the wicked take God's silence and his kindness, his his universal love and mercy as he sends rain and he provides food and he lets people have children and have warm homes?
53:46 Surely God is is okay. He's like us. And I believe to a certain degree Saul was believing that. He was seeing whatever success and he was seeing the silence, and he put it together and he says, God is blessing me. It's amazing how we can deceive ourselves.
54:07 So then we come back to first Samuel 23 as we close in a moment. He tells us if I had to go and make sure where he is. This guy is very cunning, and I don't wanna waste my time, so you find him and you tell me his exact location and I will be there. Now let's come down to verse 25. And Saul and his men went to seek him, being David.
54:31 And David was told, so he went down to the rock and lived in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon. Saul went on one side of the mountain and David and his men on the other side of the mountain and David was hurrying to get away from Saul. And Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them. Now just pause.
54:54 Can you feel the suspense? So just imagine there's this hill or this mountain, David and his men are on one side, Saul and his men are on the other side, and you can you can feel the cinematic music intensify as they are coming closer and closer, and the Holy Spirit wants you to feel that suspense. The writer here is brilliant, But look what happens. As they were coming in to close on them, verse 27, a messenger came to Saul saying, Hurry and come for the Philistines have made a raid against the land. So Saul returned from pursuing after David and went against the Philistines.
55:32 Therefore that place was called the Rock Of Escape. And David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of En Gedi. I can just visualize it. Again, they're hiding, they're running, maybe they're losing pace, and Saul and his men are coming closer and closer, and right at the nick of time, a messenger from Saul's camp appears and he says, King Saul, hurry! The Philistines have invaded the land!
55:57 And it completely distracted him and caused him to go in a different direction. It sabotaged the plan. Now to the natural or the immature, they would read that as coincidence. But to the one who's familiar with God's ways, they would see it as what verse 14 tells us. Go back to verse 14, the last phrase.
56:20 And Saul sought him every day, but God did not give him into his hand. Up to this point, we've seen David escape Saul many times. Could you remind some of us here how David has escaped Saul, even from the beginning? Let's strengthen our memory. How has Saul, or David rather, escaped Saul?
56:44 Think of the different episodes. He dodged the spear. That's one. Sure. Went out the window.
56:56 And who was part of that plan? His wife. So his wife was involved in helping him. Very good. How else How else has he evaded Saul's attacks?
57:09 Remember when he was with Samuel? What happened to Saul? Prophesied, but what happened? Did he just prophesy or did something come over him? Or someone rather.
57:21 The Holy Spirit came and arrested him, and then he prophesied. Yes. And let's fast forward to this chapter. What happens to him in Keilah? He hears that Saul is coming and he prays and he asks the Lord, Lord, is it true that Saul is on his way to come and get me?
57:38 And the Lord says, yes. Then he asks a further question, will the citizens here give me up to them? And he says, they will give you up. I put that in the category of supernatural revelation. That God's voice was as clear to David in that moment as my voice is to you tonight.
57:56 He heard God's words, get out. You're gonna be surrendered. And he leaves. But when you come here, the same purpose but a different means. There is no miracle.
58:10 There's no supernatural strategy. There's nothing opening in the sky. There's no revelation from a priest. There was a man who came to give news to Saul. And that was just as much God as it was when he said to David, Kelela is coming to give you up.
58:31 Leave. I want you to be comforted by this truth that the Lord has plenteous of ways of performing the same cause. He is not bound to a predictable method. He doesn't drive in one lane. He is manifold in his wisdom.
58:55 He is so creative. God doesn't just have one or two options that he uses, but unfortunately, many of his children believe that God only works in one of two ways, when his ways are not your ways or mine. As high as the heavens are from the earth, his thoughts and his ways are separated from our thoughts and our ways. And if you ever fail to believe that, just look at how many times David has escaped Saul, And I want you to realize that David himself believed that each time, whether it was supernatural or it was providential, whether it was subtle or it was so clearly from heaven, David really believed that it was all God. And where you're gonna find that is in the same Psalm where he wrote about the Ziphites.
59:42 In Psalm 54 verse seven, this is how he concludes this Psalm. For he being God has delivered me from every trouble. He has delivered me from every trouble. Oh, yeah. When when he when he was spoken to by God in Kiela, that was clear.
1:00:00 And when this messenger from Saul's camp came, that was just as much God. David said, every trouble that I have escaped has come from the hand of God. And you and I, we need to grow in our understanding of the Lord's ways so that we can be able to give him more glory than we are actually giving him. Sometimes we are ready to share a testimony when it is a miracle and it's in the category of the unexplainable. And yet David here is willing to give God glory even in what seems to be natural.
1:00:36 It was such an evident thing to David and his men that they made this rock, this hill a memorial. They said this is the rock of escape. God was behind this. You know, there are some people who are very skeptical when others give God glory for so many different things. Like, maybe you're reading too much into it.
1:00:54 I think that's possible, but I also think that there is a way of seeing God in so many things that we seem to to fail to recognize. Don't limit the way God works. Don't limit the way he leads. Don't limit the way he provides. Can God heal your body instantaneously?
1:01:13 Yes. Can God heal your body through many trips to a doctor and a prescription? Yes. Can God lead you to a spouse and lead a spouse to you in a way that doesn't match to the Hallmark movie that you're inspired by? Yes.
1:01:31 To me, no, I'm serious. So many people don't want to pursue something because it doesn't match up to their expectation of what the romance story should read like. I mean, you read about you read about Isaac when he gets his wife. It was supernatural. Abraham's servant goes, God spoke.
1:01:46 It was so clear. Then you read about Ruth's story, and it's like they have to go through the legal system. And it's not very like, wow. It was providence. She was there.
1:01:55 She was working, and he was there, and they said, hey, I think we're we're I'm supposed to take care of you. It was God's leading in both ways. And so we see here that David recognized it. Train yourself to see as this man saw. Ask God to open your eyes to see his dealings and his ways, and you'll have a Psalm to write in your own life.
1:02:23 That's a good note to end on, but I'm gonna end it in a different way. Not that it's not a good thing, but I think there's something very valuable here. Notice that this man, this messenger in verse 27, came to Saul saying, hurry and come for the Philistines have made a raid against the land. Here's my question. When did the Philistines come and make a raid against the land?
1:02:50 I don't think it's accidental. I think it was strategic. When? When did the Philistines feel comfortable to go against the land? Very good.
1:03:03 When they saw that Saul was distracted. You think that Saul alone had spies? No. The Philistines had spies, I'm sure. And I'm sure they recognized that Saul took all his men to go and fight this other man in the wilderness, and they said, this is our chance.
1:03:21 And they moved on in. Okay. Get ready for this. Do you know when Satan feels very comfortable to come and attack in the life of a church? When the people are fighting against one another.
1:03:41 When they're in the flesh and they're all consumed, when they're not quick to communicate, when they're not quick to forgive, when they're going around and spreading these things and then causing more issues, that's when the enemy looks and he says, this is our chance to go in. Do you know when Satan will come? You wanna know when a satanic invasion will come in your marriage? Don't honor God's wisdom. Don't communicate.
1:04:09 Separate from each other for a very long time and see the demonic come into that marriage, saying, brother, that's harsh language. That's not mine. That's Paul's. First Corinthians seven, he says, hey, you guys, if you want to separate, you separate. But if you go too long, Satan will come and tempt you.
1:04:23 And he said, Satan. So the enemy looks for an opportune time just like he did with Jesus. The enemy doesn't waste his attacks. He's very calculated, and one of the ways in which he brings his best is when he sees that we are distracted by our own flesh, And when we come against one another, remember that for the future, whatever church that you're a part of, lest you become the open door for the enemy to come in. Remember that in your marriage now, or in your marriage to come, that the enemy watches you.
1:04:56 I'm making this a full circle from the beginning of this Bible study, if you haven't noticed. He watches to see. And all it takes is one party. David wasn't attacking Saul. Saul was attacking David.
1:05:13 All it takes is one party in a marriage. All it takes is one person in a church. And the enemy says, this is our chance. This is our chance. And so may that provoke a sense of wisdom in us to be quick to communicate, to be quick to do it God's way, and not give foothold to the evil one.
1:05:38 Oh, many things were said tonight. Don't you agree? I hope that you were encouraged. I hope you felt warned. I felt I hope that you felt built up in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.
1:05:50 Let's pray. Lord, we ask tonight that all that we heard, though it was diverse in its application, would be able to be retained in our hearts. Lord, we felt blessed by the reminder of your goodness, of your multifold ways, of the reminder of the power of encouragement. Lord, we are reminded and even feel as though you have sobered our judgment and realizing that we are in a war, though we have jobs and and bills to pay and vacations to plan. There is a battle happening all around us.
1:07:08 And sometimes that battle is very real, but lord, in times of peace, may we not cease to be in prayer and to be alert and watchful. Lord, thank you for the gleanings tonight from first Samuel 23. Thank you, oh god, that you can speak so clearly into our hearts with the truth that you have reserved for your people. We ask, oh god, that in this place, that we would be so distracted in serving you and reaching the lost that the enemy would have no opportunity to work. There'd be no door to open.
1:07:47 We ask, oh, God, that we would be true brothers and sisters, and not like the Ziphites were to David. May there be no strangers in our midst. May we be family. May we lovingly speak to each other, warn each other, rebuke each other, comfort each other, and as we saw, build each other. And Lord, we ask we ask that you would make us effective for your glory.
1:08:16 And we thank you for this group of people that willingly wanna meet on a Friday night to worship you. We pray, oh God, that we would sense the reward of your word leaving this place. And so Lord, we speak to you now in response to your word and we ask that you would you would deal with certain parts of our hearts. God, mold us and shape us into the image that you have planned and purposed for us. In Jesus name we pray.
1:08:42 Amen. Amen. We stand and worship the Lord together.
