1 Samuel 24 (Part 2) Bible Study (David Spares Saul's Life) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

I'm eager to open up the word of God with you. And so please meet me in the book of first Samuel chapter 24. As I was studying today, I was thinking to myself, I can't believe we're almost finished this book. Just a few more chapters before we enter into the second part of this grand story in second Samuel, but we are taking our time, and that's why we're still in the same chapter as we were last week. So meet me down in verse eight.

If you've come to bible study tonight, you've come to an exciting portion of the book of first Samuel. And the reason is because for the first time in about five chapters, Saul and David are going to meet face to face. They're gonna have a conversation. For the longest time, it seems like, it's been so normal to see David just running from this predator, and he has been for good reason. But at this moment, the fugitive is going to change directions, and he's actually going to approach the very man that is trying to kill him, And for good reason.

This daring move might seem to be unwise for some, but there seems to be this, confidence that David acquired. And I think it has to do with what he experienced in the cave that you and I read about last week. I think David realized something, that God, at any moment, can disarm and subdue his enemies. And in a moment, he just saw how weak Saul could become in a moment, how vulnerable, how susceptible. God brought Saul to David on a silver platter.

And I think there was something energizing about that where he felt he felt the need and and the grace to be able to now peek out of that cave and to confront Saul. And as we read these verses, as we finish this chapter today, there is so much in here. But I think there's a theme, and that is just insights of how to confront someone when they are in wrong, how to approach someone when they are in sin, how to deal with someone who has wronged you. And that is very important to our God. That is important to the head of the church.

Jesus has given instructions of how you and I ought to deal with others who have sinned against us. That that tells us that you and I as Christians, you're most likely going to be wronged. And I wanna I wanna just tell you ahead of time, it's gonna happen more than once. And this might even further disappoint you. It might happen more than once from the same person, and that could happen with multiple people.

So multiply that with every person that you know, even if they're Christian. So it begs us to know, Lord, how do I deal with this? How do I go about this? If I'm asking you to actually make me like your son, then surely I need to know how to be like your son when I have been treated with so much evil and wickedness. And it's not as black and white as you and I might think.

And so I know we prayed, but I think it it's good to pray again. Let's ask the Lord to help us. Lord, we need you in this bible study. We are grateful that we have the word of God in our hands, but we need the spirit to help us understand it. Thank you for this family, Lord.

Thank you for bringing us in the same place to expound the scriptures. Lord, we know that this can easily become a sermon, but we want it to be a study. And so energize our minds and create opportunity by your perfect wisdom for conversation and for shared insights. Lord, we just pray that you would lead us and conduct this meeting to your pleasure. Lord, we need you to help us because this can easily become a a dead teaching session, but we know that your word is life.

We also know that your word must be assisted by the power of the Holy Spirit. And so we we beckon you. We ask that this would be true on this Friday evening at this Bible study. We trust that you will do it because you're faithful, and you're eager to speak to us. In your name, we pray these things.

Amen. Let's read verse eight. Afterward, afterward, after that whole incident in the cave where David saw Saul and those men convinced him to kill him once and for all, after all of that, David didn't do it, but he does something here. Afterward, David also arose and went out of the cave and called after Saul, my lord the king. And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the earth and paid homage.

And we can just stop there for a moment. Consider this, that David in that cave did not exercise his sword with vengeance, but David still is going to do something about Saul. And what David is going to do in this moment is utilize a different instrument, a different weapon, a weapon that God encourages you and I to use when we are being treated with such contempt and wrong. And that is the weapon of returning good for evil. That is the response of doing what doesn't make sense to the natural mind, to the most undeserving.

And so he approaches him at a safe distance, we have reason to believe, because even Saul, later on in the chapter, he he can't really recognize David's voice. And either that's because of the distance or his mind has been so damaged that he can't even understand who's speaking to him. But it seems like David is acting in wisdom and there's a distance and he comes up and he calls. He calls for Saul. Now here's my question in these two verses.

What what kind of phrase did Saul repeatedly use when it came to identifying David? That son of Jesse, with humiliation in mind, with an attempt to to bring such contempt of his lowly because of his lowly upbringing and his background, that son of Jesse, that nobody. Up to this point, we've seen that being used repeatedly. Son of Jesse, son of Jesse, Son of Jesse. But then when it comes to David addressing Saul, what does he say?

My lord the king. My lord the king. He didn't say you rascal. He didn't say you evil wicked king. He didn't say you lunatic.

He didn't say you maniac. He said my lord the king. Is he showing face here? Is he just pretending? Is he just trying to seem pious?

Absolutely not. Because before this, we know that in private, he addresses Saul to those men that that really didn't feel the best way about Saul. He's still the Lord's anointed. So even behind his back, he was he was respecting this man. And surely before his face, he was honoring this man.

How do we make sense of this? What do we make of this? Is he condoning Saul's sin? Is he ignoring his pure wickedness? No.

He he is actually he's respecting the office and the position that he has, though he might be unfaithful in it. There is a loss of this sense of respect for authority in our culture, even for those who are doing right. Even for those that are doing what they should be doing, there's still this growing loss for respect and honor. And that is a a dangerous sign of where we stand in in our morality. But here, we see that there is still sense of respect and honor that is demanded.

And what's important about that is you and I in life might be failed by those who are in positions of authority. You might be let down by a father, but you have to understand, he's still your father. You might be disappointed by a spiritual leader, by a pastor, by someone who teaches a bible class, whatever it may be. But regardless, that person is still holding a position of authority. You might be caught up in the frenzy of people who are doing much to to the names of politicians, including the president, but regardless, he's still the president.

He's still a president even though he is not serving, as some would many would say, as a faithful politician. Consider that. Consider that as you prepare to confront someone in their wrong, that there still has to be a level of respect and dignity in the way you approach that individual. That is important because no matter how true something is, no matter how sobering the confrontation might be, it should never cross the line into ridicule and into mockery. And David proves that with such balance, and I am fully aware that there is a temptation to maybe not kill someone with an actual sword, but with the sword of your tongue.

And yet this man still restrains that weapon because he's still walking in the fear of the Lord. And so he calls out my lord, the king. And Saul hears this voice, and this must have been confusing because he thought he was alone in that cave. And so very quickly, I'm sure he turns around only to see the very person that he's been looking for for who knows how long. And the moment that David realizes that he has Saul's attention, not only does he address him with respect, but with with a posture of humility, he takes his his face and he bows before bows before him as a way of saluting somebody who is superior in rank.

And it reinforces again the absolute necessity that you and I in our confrontation and even in our communication of conviction, it has to come from a posture of great, great respect and of humility. And this man is displaying that ever so clearly, and maybe so with us. Because we can lose the the power of what we wanna say when the package when the package is given in the flesh, even if the message is spiritual, even if it lines up with God's word. And what we see here is after he gains Saul's attention and after he already is showing himself to be a man who really reflects the character of God, he asks his first question. And it is it is insightful when you meditate upon the question that he brings.

It's found in verse nine. And David said to Saul, why do you listen to the words of men who say, 'Behold, David seeks your harm'? Why do you listen to the words of men who say, behold, David seeks your harm? It seems like David is fully aware that that the fuel to Saul's crazed pursuit after him was the words of others who were instigating and who were encouraging him to continue to pursue David in a manner to kill him. And we studied that with a man named who?

Doeg. Remember Doeg the Edomite? David was fully aware that the main cause for these priests to be slaughtered and for Saul to be ever so motivated to pursue the innocence of this man is because of what another person said. Now you and I know the deep rooted reason why Saul is doing this. This wasn't just suggested.

This was only fueling. The slander was only fueling. But this was something birthed within his own bosom. This was something that went all the way back to first Samuel 18 when a bunch of women of Israel began to sing that David was more victorious than Saul. And so you know this.

We've been studying it that the reason why Saul is doing this is because he has a jealousy. There's pride there. There's a there's a hidden evil within his heart that was not tamed by the power of the Holy Spirit. And because of that, it let loose into all this carnality. But what's so amazing here is that I think that David is not addressing that with great wisdom.

One would say he's not aware of the the reason. Okay. But could it be that David is not gonna spend his time po pointing at the motives of Saul and is instead going to just deal with the clear evidence for the wrong that he is performing? Instead of trying to investigate things that are hidden, instead goes to the things that cannot be denied. And I think this is very important.

There's great wisdom here because you and I as Christians, we are not called to make judgments on people's hidden motives. As tempting as it may be to try to figure out why it is people do what they do unless it is clear, unless there is evidence, unless it is obvious, you and I are actually commanded not to judge the things that only God can determine. And and looking at what David is doing here, though we can debate why he's asking this question primarily, there's still a practical wisdom in this theme tonight of how you and I should deal with other people's wrongs against us. And if you want proof of what I'm saying, it's in it's in the New Testament, which comforts a lot more people because when it's old, it's like, New Testament, first Corinthians chapter four. Look what Paul says to Christians.

And I want you to see this for yourself. And, I mean, talk about the pursuit of holiness, how these things are so specific to our lives. We read here, Paul says, therefore do not, in first Corinthians four five, do not pronounce judgment before the time. He's talking to believers. And he's actually talking to believers that are judging Paul's ministry and questioning his motives.

Do not pronounce judgment before the time before the Lord comes who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God. There is a time coming, my brother. There is a time coming, my sister, where the lord himself will investigate with perfect justice and perfect evaluation the reason why some people do that which is wrong. And more than that, the lord will also reveal why the people standing before him did good.

And what Paul is saying here is leave that kind of judgment to the lord. Don't get yourself occupied with something that solely belongs to God himself. Because that is a great temptation. Not just to look at people who are doing evil and saying why are they doing that, but even looking at people who are doing good and be like, you know, I think I think he's a pastor because he he does this or he wants this. Paul says don't do that.

That solely belongs to the Lord. Because how embarrassing will it be for you on judgment day when you were wrong and you actually told other people the reason why you think they're doing it and it all comes to light and you you're the one who will find rebuke from the Lord. As Paul says, resist that temptation. Resist it with everything within you by the power of the Holy Spirit. Leave that to the Lord.

Now when you come back to this text, others believe that the reason why David is speaking about the slander of men rather than addressing Saul's sin straight up is because in love, he wants to cover Saul's sin, and and he's willing to to shift the blame on others so that there can be clear communication between the two. I think that's reading way too much in the text. And it's clear from the text itself that's that David is not trying to dismiss Saul's wrong. He's actually questioning his wrong. When he brings up the lies of others, read the verse slowly and realize that Saul is guilty.

Saul is guilty in how he responded to what other people were saying falsely about David. Go back to the verse. What does it say? David said to Saul, why do you listen? Why do you listen?

For Saul to entertain, for Saul to believe and to act upon the false statements made by others about David, listen, is no less of a crime than the slander itself. For Saul to entertain, for Saul to believe, and then for Saul to act upon what other people were saying is no less of a crime than those who instigated the lies to begin with. You and I are stewards of many things in this life. And one of the things that you and I are responsible for is what we do based on what we hear. What you and I do based on what we hear, the lord will hold us accountable for.

And there are many people who do certain things that are wrong, and then when they realize they're wrong, they will point to the misinformation that was given to them thinking that that somehow justifies it, and it doesn't. A failure to investigate, a failure to be discerning never excuses doing something wrong or treating somebody differently based on something that you're not sure about. Do you understand? This is extremely important. I'm trying to save you tonight from destroying things that can be savored and could be a blessing.

We see here that Saul was held responsible because of why he listened and he believed and he moved based on that. And you and I have to understand very, very carefully that there is just as much trouble for the person who acts upon false information than the person who's sharing that false information to begin with. Example, Potiphar. Notice I didn't say Potiphar's wife. I said Potiphar.

Potiphar's wife framed an innocent man, and Potiphar threw him into prison. And we always focus on Potiphar's wife. What about the man who believed something that he should have investigated? Be very careful in your Christian walk. You and I will be held responsible for what we do based on what we hear.

And I think a lot of people don't believe that. But we see that here by the Holy Spirit. And so David David confronts him about this. But we see what he does in the next verse. Behold, verse 10, this day your eyes have seen how the Lord gave you today into my hand in the cave.

And some told me to kill you, but I spared you. I said I will not put out my hand against my Lord, for he is the Lord's anointed. And so David now goes from questioning him to now actually bringing something to his attention that he did not know. David now is going to prove his innocence. He's gonna show how all those lies were wrong and what Saul was doing was not just wrong, it was sin.

And it was wickedness. And so he says, behold, do you not realize, I'm translating here, do you not realize what God just did right here, right now? And Saul was completely unaware of the fact that his casual visitation to the facilities was actually the Lord setting him up in a way for him to learn that he had escaped yet another intervention of possible judgment. I mean, so many episodes where God had spared Saul, one after the other. And here is another one that David is highlighting to Saul.

You missed it. If it wasn't for me approaching you right now, you would have not understood this. The Lord set you up. The Lord made this so possible for me to actually deal with you once and for all. And Saul was blinded by this.

Saul was unaware of this. And and this isn't this isn't deal with the theme that we're speaking about in this chapter, but it's a wonderful point to consider nonetheless. It is a wonderful illustration of how those who are in sin are blinded by the the mercies that follow them, though they are undeserving of those mercies. It speaks of those who do not acknowledge the lordship of Jesus Christ. And it speaks of those who fail to attribute to him all the wonderful things that they enjoy.

Like Saul, who didn't know what just happened moments ago, there are sinners tonight who have healthy bodies and full bank accounts and great families and successful businesses that do not realize that though they deserve to be judged eternally at this very moment, they are instead swimming in the grace of God. And I see something here about David that speaks to the responsibility of the Christian, like David here who is making known to Saul the goodness of God, so you and I are called to highlight what God has done to those who are unaware of his goodness. Do you realize that you deserve judgment and yet God is giving you mercy? Do you realize that yet while you're an enemy, Christ came and died for you? David is highlighting the mercy of God to an undeserving sinner, and you and I have the same responsibility as we communicate this gospel to souls.

They are walking around going in and out, not realizing that there is a God in his providential love who is even providing for them, protecting them to a certain extent. And David makes that known. But let's come back to this this theme now. We came here. Let's come back here to the theme of how we should deal with people that wrong us or who are in sin.

David says something in here that a lot of people misapply in in the Christian world. Look here at the second part of verse 10, the last part. But I spared you. I said, I will not put out my hand against the Lord, for he is the Lord's anointed. Have you ever heard the phrase, touch not my anointed?

Have you ever heard the statement? Have you ever even been warned, do not touch the Lord's anointed? Anybody here heard that? Wow. I was expecting way more to hear it.

You've never heard it? Okay. It's a common phrase. It's a common phrase among many who misinterpret, not just in this text, but in different parts where it's kind of, it's kind of echoed. Touch not the Lord's anointed.

And how people have misinterpreted that is that leaders, spiritual leaders, should never be confronted, should never be corrected, should never be rebuked, should never be approached, should never be criticized. In fact, they are above all that because if you say something against somebody who's in spiritual leadership, god will judge you for that. And they use David exam as an example here too, how David would not touch the lord's anointed even though Saul was in so much wrong. David dared not do anything to say something, this is how they interpret it, to criticize or to speak about a man of God, even though he's in wrong. Here's the problem.

None of those things and we can go to different portions of scripture that echo what David is saying. None of those things entertain for a a split second that you and I cannot confront, approach, or deal with someone who is in a leadership position when they are in sin. When David says, I will not touch the Lord's anointed, he's speaking about physical harm. He's speaking about killing him. In fact, the very context just destroys that argument.

He is confronting him. He's dealing with this sin head on. And so, many of you haven't heard it. I can tell you of some places where they use it all the time and even leaders teach about it. This is not the same thing.

People mistakenly warn others with a text like this that leaders are excluded from accountability or examination. Wrong. Is there a way to do it? Absolutely. And there is specific there is a specific protocol of how to do it, but it doesn't say that they are exempt from it completely.

That may not be beneficial to you now. It may come at a future time. And if somebody warns you about it, just just remember, it's not talking about you stabbing somebody with an actual sword. And so we come back to this verse, behold this day, your eyes have seen how the Lord gave you today into my hand in the cave. And then we come here, and we see something else.

In verse 11, see my father notice how he calls him my father. See my father, see the corner of your robe in my hand. For by the fact that I cut off the corner of your robe and did not kill you, you may know and see that there is no wrong or treason in my hands. I have not sinned against you, though you hunt my life to take it. So now David is not trying to give an appeal with words, now he pulls out evidence.

He pulls out the briefcase and he takes a Ziploc bag with the strongest piece of evidence that will just make this irrefutable. He takes a piece of the robe, the robe that he cut, and he says here, what are you gonna do with this? Is this not clear enough for you? Do you not see the evidence? And I look at that and I and I and I see a practical application here.

And here's the practical application believer. The believer's duty is to ensure that by the wisdom of God, by walking with the Lord, by living in the fear of the Lord, that there is no evidence that we can give Satan to muddy our testimony. One of Satan's tactics, and he's done it to so many men of God in the scriptures and men of God and women of God today, is to make the testimony of a believer, especially those who are effective for the kingdom, murky and questionable so that their message and that their ministry would be hindered from being fully effective. It's a very despicable practice, but it's one of his tactics nonetheless. And David here, remember going back to verse nine, he's dealing with people that are saying things about him, and yet in this moment, he has evidence that will shut all of their mouths.

And the application here is you and I should not be overwhelmed or concerned or busy ourselves with hunting every lie that somebody says or every exaggeration or the spread of misinformation. Don't occupy yourself with these things. If you're gonna busy yourself with anything, it is to live with a clear conscience. I'm telling you this not for you to be fearful, but I'm telling you to be prepared. For those who serve the Lord, one of the enemy's strategies is to make sure that he can, as we heard Sunday, poison the minds of others.

Don't busy yourself trying to unpoison them. Busy yourself with making sure that you are walking in the light. That's all you have to do. That's all you need to do. And what I think is so incredible is people just don't realize the seriousness of what I'm presenting.

That this is this is a tactic. It happened with Joseph. It happened with Daniel. It happened with our Lord. And it happened to Paul.

That man experienced that throughout his ministry. And I wanna show you just how important it is to ensure that you and I have a clear conscience so that when these tactics of Satan surface, you'll be ready. You'll be ready. So come with me to the book of Acts and look with me here. Paul found himself in court.

I believe in America we're gonna see many more Christians in court in the next few years. And here in chapter 24, listen to this, he's standing for governor Felix, and there's a whole court case. And this man, Tartulos, is sophisticated and he begins to accuse him in front of the governor and other people. Look here with me in verse two. And when he had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him saying, and let's just scroll down here in verse four.

But to detain you no further, I beg you in your kindness to hear us briefly, for we have found this man, Paul, a plague, one who stirs up riots among all the Jews throughout the world. And as a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes, he even tried to profane the temple, but we seized them. By examining him yourself, you will be able to find out from him about everything of which we accuse him. Wow. A pretty confident guy.

Accused, everything that you're going to find out. You investigate it, you're going to see that what we're saying is true. You're so bold, man. And so here's, here's Paul standing before a governor. Here's Paul at the brink of his ministry potentially being hindered.

And this is what I love. In the same chapter, you come down to verse 13 and look at the answer that Paul gives. Neither can they prove to you what they now bring up against me. Yeah. That's right.

They can't prove it. They can't. What a wonderful shield integrity is. What a wonderful protection living in the fear of the Lord is. It provides a boldness and a courage.

It does not make one frantic when there are things being said. No. No. No. They are steadfast because that is the power of a conscience that is in the clear.

Would you like to know how Paul can say such a statement like this without being shaken, without without stuttering in his words? Well, the insight is in the same chapter. Look at verse 16. So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man. That's how.

I take great pains. I make sure that I am in right standing in the presence of God. Yes. Jesus' positionally makes us right, but, practically, I make sure that there is no offense, there is no disobedience in my walk with the Lord. First, notice the order, a clear conscience before God first and then man.

Not the other way around. And then to my fellow men. And if there's any wrong that I've done before the Lord, any wrong that I've done to my fellow men, I take great pains to ensure that I clear my record. That I make right what I have done wrong. And that is what you and I inherit when it comes to these satanic accusations in our lives.

This conviction for a clear conscience will protect you. It will guard you. And it will keep us from doing what? Bringing blasphemy to the name of God before the Gentiles, like Paul said to the Romans. In this world where the media and the culture is just drooling for another scandal in the evangelical world.

It's just waiting for another failure, just waiting for another moral hypocrisy. You and I can can do what David did back in this verse, in verse 11. Three times, he repeats the same word. You know what it is? See.

See. See. See. In other words, just look at my life. I have nothing to hide from you.

I have nothing to be embarrassed about. I have nothing to be shy about. I have not I have nothing. See. See.

Oh, what a wonderful testimony that is for those who would wanna defame our faith, for those who would want to, through the enemy's conviction, bring about a hindrance to our ministries. And unfortunately, I wanna bring you a heads up to this. It might be true. It might be true that there is great power that when you and I have through a holy life, a blameless life, a life that, reflects the character of God, though not perfect, blameless still. The enemy is a clever fellow, and he can still he can still gather evidence against you and I.

Saying, what are you talking about? So here's David holding a piece of Saul's rope to prove his innocence, and I'm asking you to reflect on a story where somebody else was holding another piece of garment that condemned an innocent man. Who is that? Very good. Joseph.

And so there you see a different paradigm to this. Joseph was innocent. Joseph was right. And yet, it looked like it looked like there was evidence against him. Do you see how tricky this is?

Do you see how it's not black and white in Christianity? Also, then what do you do? Just everything you just said about walking around so so you're saying that no matter what you do, like Joseph, even though you you you stand for God and you and you choose to obey him when nobody's looking, you can still be falsely accused? What am I supposed to do with that then? This is intimidating.

No. Don't be intimidated. Even though that garment in that woman's hand symbolized a man, it was a trophy of a man who loved and honored God, she twisted it. Sure. So then what's our duty then if we can't predict these things?

It's very simple. Do what David does back in verse 12 of first Samuel 24. May the Lord judge between me and you. May the Lord judge between me and you. May the Lord avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you.

I have talked to different people who have been disturbed in their Christian experience because of things that have been said about them, but it is a verse like this that should encourage you to know how to rest in God's sovereignty and to be completely committed to the judge who will who will bring all things to the light. Trust yourself. Entrust yourself into his hands at all times. As tempting as it is sometimes to to defend yourself and to unconvince people and to convince people, don't worry about that. Don't get so caught up in that.

Learn to just leave it to the lord. And that is important because there is a day, as you heard earlier, when where God is gonna gather all the evidence, and this is so comforting, and he will show who is right and who is wrong. And that's why Paul in that same scripture where he says, don't judge before the time earlier, he says, it is a little thing to be judged by you or by any human court. It's a small thing to me. It's a it it doesn't affect me very much.

Why? Because he says that in verse three of first Corinthians four and then in verse five, he goes, the the Lord's gonna bring it all to light. Like, you gotta believe that. You gotta really believe that. And there's a lightness to that.

There's a confidence to that. Even if you're thrown in jail for fifteen years. Just trust the Lord. Really, trust, like, come on. Like, trust the Lord.

Amen. I trust the Lord. I trust you with my okay. Trust him then. Really trust him.

Like, when it gets ugly, trust him. Like, let your soul actually commit these things to him. I give it to you, Lord. Deal with it. Do that.

Don't just think about it. Do it. Experience the liberation from it. Where you can say like Paul, it's a little thing. He looks at Saul from a distance.

He goes, look. I have evidence. Even if you have evidence, god is gonna god is the one who will bring all things. So I'm leaving this into god's hand. What a wonderful thing it is to know to lead people into god's hands.

We can continue with the verses following to this. He kind of repeats himself in different ways to emphasize his point, but I I think it's good to get to Saul's reaction now. Aren't you eager to know what Saul's gonna do? How is Saul gonna respond to this? To this presentation that is immaculate?

That I mean, how do you argue against this? I don't know. This doesn't say in the text if you looked at the corner of his robe and he looked and he says, it's real. It's legit. He actually did this.

We don't know, but we see his response and it is quite telling. It's actually very, very, very shocking. Join with me. Come to verse 16. As soon as David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, is this your voice, my son David?

And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. We have to read slowly. How did how did he address David? My son David. Not the son of Jesse.

My son David. Wow. Seems like somebody's heart is softening. And I think the iciness of this man's heart is is melting here because now it's translating into actual tears. There's an outburst.

He's weeping. He's weeping out loud, audibly. I don't know if it echoed into the wilderness, into that cave. I don't know. But he's broken.

I mean, this is not what we saw earlier when Jonathan confronts his dad, and He says, what are you doing with David? And, and you can tell that he's a little convicted, and he goes, you know, as the Lord lives, I will not put him to death. And he comes back, and then he ends up doing what he did before. This time there's actual tears. There's like visible remorse.

Like, this is exciting. In fact, it gets even more exciting because look what he says in verse 17. He said to David, you are more righteous than I. For you have repaid me good, whereas I have repaid you evil. This is like revival happening right now.

You are more righteous than I. This is confession. This is this is admitting that he's he's in the wrong. This is admitting this the righteousness of this man eclipsing his darkness. You've repaid me with good while I'm treating you with evil, And it breaks him.

And when I read this today, I looked at that phrase, you are more righteous than I. And this is why reading the Old Testament or reading the scriptures with rearview mirrors brings about revelation. I've seen that phrase before. I've seen this phrase before. If you know where this phrase is found, I'll give you a high five after the service.

Who who else said you are more righteous than I? Before. We're talking before this moment. We're talking about we're talking about early in the book. Let me let me make it more specific.

She is more righteous than I. Very good. But you're a pastor, so No, joking. It has nothing to do with you being a pastor. You read the word of God.

Did you hear his answer? Come with me to Genesis, chapter 39. I'll still give you a high five after the service. Genesis 39 excuse me, 38. Do you remember the story between Judah and Tamar?

Who here knows of the story? Lift your hand just so I can know how much to go in-depth with this. Remember Judah, one of the sons of Jacob? He goes into he goes into an area that he shouldn't be going into and he marries somebody he shouldn't be marrying. He has he has three sons with a Canaanite woman.

The first two die. And Judah kinda interprets this and he goes, there must be something wrong with her because whenever she marries one of my sons, they die. So I'm gonna keep the youngest one. And he he promises her when he's old enough, I'll I'll give him to you. And why is that happening?

Because you know that in the Old Testament, there is a law that when a when a man dies, the brother should fulfill a certain responsibility in providing offspring to that widow. And so when Judah reserves the youngest for Tamar, that was that was sin. And so Tamar takes things into her own hands. She kinda knew her her father-in-law enough, and and that's unfortunate because she dresses herself up as a prostitute, she hides her identity, and this man goes into a certain place, and he requests for her, and she she says yes. But upon a condition, she asks for certain things from him because he didn't have payment, so she would hold on to those things until he provided something for her in a future time.

And the things that he gave, a signet and a cord, it's almost like a modern driver's license. It's a piece of identification. It was undeniable. Some say there was, there was inscriptions on these things, initials, something that made it so obvious that this belonged to so and so. And so she, not because she was in lust, but because she wanted to fulfill the the vow, she wanted to fulfill what belonged to her, and he was not making it happen.

So she does this. He goes, he tries to get his payment, he brings, he comes back to the area. She's not to be found. He asks around like, There was no prostitute here. We don't know who you're talking about.

Now come here to verse 24 in Genesis 38. About three months later, Judah was told, Tamar your daughter-in-law has been immoral. Moreover, she has pregnant my immorality. And Judah said, Bring her out and let her be burned. Not knowing that he was the one who impregnated her.

As she was being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law, now look at this, by the man to whom these belong, I am pregnant. Wow. So here she is with a little bump. They're preparing the very stake where she's gonna be burned. And she brings out the elements of his identification.

And she goes, you wanna know know who did this? Whoever this belongs to. Just like David, there is evidence. There is evidence. Now you know what Judah could have done to save face?

I don't know who that belongs to. You're dying today. Men, no no room for excuses. The bump is enough. Let her be burned.

But as he's confronted with evidence, something happens to him. And look what he says. She says, please identify whose these are, the signet and the court and the staff. Verse 26. Then Judah identified them and said, she is more righteous than I since I did not give her to my son, Shelah.

And he did not know her again. The paralleling situations, right? Evil done, evidence given, both response with conviction. I mean, you can even say that Saul was much more emotional, weeping and all these things. And see, this is, this is what it means.

There's, there's a confession of wrong, but there's a difference. There's a difference. What's the difference between Judah's repentance and Saul's? Did you were you gonna say the same thing? Did you see the last part of the verse here in verse 26?

And he did not know her again. In fact, I challenge you to read Judah's story from Genesis 38 to the end of book of gen the end of the book of Genesis. You will see a different Judah. Not just in the fact that he didn't sleep with her again, but in the fact that he treats the whole situation with Joseph and Benjamin. He's willing to make himself a slave instead of Benjamin.

There's a different person after this moment. When you compare Judah with the same words, with with the apparent conviction there, there's a difference with the sincerity of the remorse Because he actually changed. Saul won't. Saul said the right things. He had the he had the right emotions you can even say.

But when you follow Saul after that moment, you will not see a different Saul. You will, in fact, see the same Saul. Go back to first Samuel. I'll prove it in just two chapters. In first Samuel twenty six two.

In first Samuel twenty six two, look what happens two chapters later. So Saul arose and went down to the Wilderness Of Ziph with 3,000 chosen men of Israel to seek David in the Wilderness Of Ziph. He's literally doing the same thing that he has done before the moment of his confrontation. The exact same thing. The same amount of men, the same area, everything.

The man didn't change. What happened to him then with David? What many people do in services? They were challenged. He got emotional.

He felt genuine conviction. But what he did here is what James warns believers not to do, and that is to look intently into a mirror and then to turn around only forgetting what you saw in that mirror. That's what it says. And James says that after saying, do not be hearers only but doers of the word. And if you don't, it's like you looking into the mirror seeing who you are with with the mirror's not lying to you.

You're seeing what you get is what you see. And then you go away and you forget what you saw. And that's exactly what happened with Saul. When that environment was left, when the evidence wasn't there, when the emotion waned away, as he moved on, as he went back home, the conviction died more and more and more. It was never responded to.

And so it was a useless thing. It it was impressive at first, but it didn't really actually bring about change. And so we have to be aware of that of ourselves. The measure of true repentance is not the tears that I cry or the feelings that I have in the moment. It's what happens to you after.

What happens to you after? Judah, he said the same thing as Saul. But Judah, we are told by Holy Spirit commentary, he did not know her again. Why would he say that? Why would the Lord put that in there?

Why is that important for us to know? To to show us he changed. Though he admitted that he was not as righteous, he strived by God's grace to pursue righteousness. So we come back to this text and we're closing in a moment here. So this man weeps and he cries and he he screams and he confesses and he says beautiful things.

And we're gonna find out in just after the next chapter that he's gonna do the same thing that he was doing before. This is a sad sight indeed. But what happens is, as we come to this point, he makes another confession. And this confession is quite impressive as well in verse 20. And now behold, I know that you shall surely be king and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand.

Now I know, but didn't he know before? Didn't didn't Jonathan say my my my father Saul knows you will be king? He did know the whole time, but now it just, it just reinforced even more. I know now. Like, now it's like, I know, I know.

We would applaud him, but this reveals something disturbing about Saul. What does it reveal about Saul's sin? He was willingly sinning. He wasn't sinning in ignorance. He knew what God's word said about David, and he still tried to go against it.

And you and I have to understand that the Bible provides a principle in life that men will be judged based on the degree of revelation that they've been given. They will be. The more light you receive, the more judgment will be in accordance to that light. And so the more an unbeliever receives, understanding the amount of gospel that they have known, that will be taken into consideration on the final day. Saul here is knowing what he's doing is wrong, and he's still attacking.

He's still resisting. He is still fighting against God. And that's a scary thing. But it makes me wonder. It makes me wonder if the visual visualization of the whole thing brought back a memory.

Do you remember what Saul did to Samuel a few chapters ago when Samuel confronted him in his sin? What does he do? He grabs Samuel the prophet by the robe, and what does he do after that? He rips it. He rips it off of the prophet.

And Samuel says something quite haunting. It was a prophetic word. The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to a neighbor of yours who is better than you. So imagine that. Just imagine that with me in one Samuel 15.

He grabs his his garment, he rips the prophet's garment, and he has a piece of his clothing in his hand. And Samuel looks at him as his shirt is all messed up, and he goes, God has torn the kingdom from you, and he's gonna place it into the hand of a neighbor of yours who is better than you. Fast forward, David is standing before Saul and he has a piece of the king's robe in his hand, symbolizing his authority. And Saul looks, and perhaps, I'm not saying this is, like, dogmatically true, but perhaps that's the guy. He knew it before, but now he's like, that's the guy.

It's amazing how artistic the bible is. And this man here says to David, I know that you're gonna be king. What's so encouraging about this is that it has a prophetic ring to it. No matter how much Saul fought against David, no matter how much Saul tried to keep David from the throne, no matter how much he tried to set up conspiracies, his efforts were all in vain. And there came a time where he acknowledged that David was the king from his own lips.

And all the Sauls in history who've attacked this gospel, who've tried to contradict this gospel, who've tried to malign, who've tried to bury, who've tried to dismiss the lordship of Jesus Christ, there is a day coming where with their own mouths they will confess that he is the king of kings and that he is the lord of lords. That's what we're seeing. There was a time that even the greatest enemy to David had to confess, you are the rightful king. And I can't wait for that day where all the princes and presidents, prime ministers will helplessly confess Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the universe. That's going to happen.

Let me end with this note. Psalm verse 21 says swear to me therefore that you will not cut off my offspring. He was so convinced that he's like, just please make a promise, a similar promise that you made to my son. Just be be ever so merciful to my offspring. David agrees.

But look what David does in verse 22. David swore this to Saul, then Saul went home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold. You know, David confronted Saul and his sin. David was respectful. Saul apparently confessed.

He was remorseful. He was broken. But they don't go back home together. In fact, we're gonna see in chapter 26, Saul's gonna invite David to come back. Hey, return with me.

I'm not gonna do you harm anymore. Was David wrong in not going back? Well, you're gonna have to come to the next bible studies to find out. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for the word of God.

Oh, how rich it is. We are amazed, Lord, how you can speak into our lives from a text that seems so irrelevant. Lord Jesus, as challenging as these truths are, they are extremely difficult to perform apart from your power. We are all susceptible of of doing the exact opposite of what David has presented us. And so, Lord, we just pray.

Help us be like Jesus. Help us be like Jesus. Help us to know to return good to those who do evil. We don't know what that looks like. We don't know what that manifests itself to be.

Every situation is unique. Lord, help us to be among those by the grace of God to live with a clear conscience before you and before man. So that even when there are accusations, there would be a life filled with evidence of the contrary. Again, Lord, we know that this is not possible without your help. But Lord, with our short lives, we long to make it extremely difficult for the enemy to hinder our testimony for your glory.

Lord, we thank you for Jesus Christ. We thank you that he is the true king. That no matter who has accused them, accused his people, no matter who has tried to argue against them, try to prove other things to be true, they will confess. They will confess. But Lord, tonight we confess gladly, you're the true risen Lord.

You love us. We love you. We worship you because of these truths tonight. We worship you for the people that you've allowed us to walk this journey with. Blessed be your name.

We ask these things in the name of the one who can only save. That name that saves any man who's willing to be saved. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Let's stand and worship the Lord together.