1 Samuel 26 (Part 1) Bible Study (David Spares Saul Again) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

I believe you know where we are in our bibles, so meet me in the book of first Samuel chapter 26. First Samuel chapter 26. Lord, we love your word. It is our sustenance. It is the wisdom of God for salvation.

And Lord, we need you to help us understand all that you have to say. And And on a Friday night, Lord, where many have worked, many might be exhausted and tired, quicken us to be students and to receive all that you have to say. Speak to our hearts, illuminate our minds, Show us where in our lives exactly we need to be challenged or where we need to be comforted. And so, Lord, may the Holy Spirit rest upon the ministry of the word. And may we leave here blessed knowing that our savior has spoken to us.

We cherish all that you have in this book. We long to understand it so that we can apply it and that you would be blessed to see your reflection all the more clear in our hearts. We ask these things in the precious name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Over the last few chapters, we've been exploring in our study David in particular, overcoming one challenge after the next.

And those challenges being overcome should challenge us. It should challenge us in our personal reliance upon God in various circumstances, and it should also challenge us to develop in our Christ like character within the complexity of human relationships. And after we looked into each situation with with great depth, you and I get the impression that the rhythm of this man's trials has has left him almost out of breath. This man did not even have the time to to just breathe because one thing after the other surfaced before him and demanded so much faith, and so much love, and so much of the power of the spirit to produce a righteousness that would glorify God. And as we come to this chapter, we will realize that the relentless pursuit and persecution and pressure will only continue.

We would think that as we come closer to the end of this book, that David's test and his tribulations would be on the decline, but we would think wrongly if that's the case. Because that is quite the opposite. Even though God seems to be plucking one enemy out of his life after the other, as we approach this chapter, even though Saul has been silenced for a time, even though a man like Nabal, Nabal has been put to death, we will see here that things and times of difficulty have not been put to rest just yet. Join me in verse one. Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah saying, is not David hiding himself on the Hill Of Hechilah, which is on the East of Yeshimon?

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. And Saul encamped on the Hill Of Heilah, which is beside the road of the East Of Yeshimon. But David remained in the wilderness. When he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness, David sent out spies and learned that Saul had indeed come. This is quite fascinating.

As we come to these first two verses, they sound very familiar, don't they? Why do they sound familiar? Can somebody share why? Let me ask this, have you heard of the Ziphites before? Yes.

I hope. Maybe you weren't there that week if you don't know the the answer to that. And have you heard the words of these Ziphites before? Yes. Yes.

I mean, you're looking at me. I hope it's a yes. Yes, we have. Almost identical to the words that we see in first Samuel chapter 23. These Ziphites are resurfacing again.

If you go to chapter 23, look at verse 19 very quickly in your Bibles. Then the Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah saying, is not David hiding among us in the strongholds of, at Horash, on the Hill Of Heilah, which is South of Yeshimon? The, the same group of people are informing Saul again about David's whereabouts with almost exact same wording. And as we reflect upon this, this copy paste betrayal of David and this repetitive reporting to Saul actually gives us insight about the Christian life. It does.

First consider this. As you look at these two verses in chapter 26, we learn about the viciousness of man. The the possibility of wickedness. The extent of evil that can be known and reached if the Holy Spirit does not restrain a human heart. Consider this, that as believers, we are actively seeking out how we can do good.

That's what the Holy Spirit does. He he changes your desires and you are if you're filled with him, to look out for ways that you can make Christ known or you can share Christ. But those who are empty of of him, those who do not have this transformed heart, if they continue to resist their conscience, are actually capable of looking for evil to perform in the world. And that makes our world dark, it makes it dangerous, it makes it cruel, it makes the believer cry out for a total redemption over the whole universe, not just the human race. And as we come to these men, we see a perfect example of that.

That so so dark can the human heart get that even those who are closest to you are willing to betray you. Can I ask this question? Which tribe were the Ziphites from? Judah. Good.

And where is David from? Judah. So the closest people to him concerning tribe are the ones that are betraying him almost the most. This is painful. This is not easy.

It's, it's one thing for it to happen at one time, but for it to happen again at a different time is painful. It's not easy. And we wonder how is it that those who are supposed to be called to love us and serve us and protect us are willing to do one thing after the other to do just the opposite? Well, if you think it's foreign, it's not. David experienced it.

David is, is going through just that. Not just one act of betrayal, but a continual act of betrayal. So it's just another thrust into the soul. This is extremely difficult to grasp and such disappointments should cause us to rejoice in the fact that there is one person who is perfect and that's Christ and Christ alone. The most loving person in your life pales in comparison to the perfect brimming love of Jesus Christ.

So if somebody has failed you in life, even if somebody who shares your own blood, realize there's there is blood that is more precious than that. We don't just learn about the viciousness of man, we learn about something concerning, as we heard about persistence, the persistence of sin. The Ziphites here give us an illustration of the determination of temptation in our lives. Sin is not gonna give up on you so easily. Sin is not gonna let you live peaceably without interruption, without invitation.

The last that we heard of Saul before coming to this chapter is that he apparently repented. He stood in the shadow of David's righteousness, he was so struck by the response of a man who deserved to do much more damage than good. And he he ends his quest to kill David, and he goes home. He sits in his living room, and we don't hear from him until this very chapter. And you know what awakened Saul again to what he had apparently turned from?

The Ziphites. A familiar voice, a familiar whisper. And you and I need to understand that this return of Saul to his vomit, as horrific as it is, as disappointing as it is, is a great reflection upon the common backsliding of many, many people who are in a type of cycle in their holiness. And it makes you wonder, how does Saul forget? How do you forget, King Saul, that the last time you brought 3,000 men, just like in chapter 23, the last time you tried to do that, didn't you recognize the questionable interruption to your plans?

Didn't you see God's providence interrupt? Did you forget the feeling that you knew when you were faced with a man who's shown the the righteousness of God and it it so exposed your wickedness? Did you forget the piercing feeling there? It seems like all of that was totally dismissed, totally forgot about by the suggestion of this group of people. And it's important for us to realize that the actions of the Ziphites are a picture of old sins revisiting us.

They are. The determination of temptation. Listen, the world, the flesh, the devil will not sit back quietly while you pursue holiness. Though we are called to daily die to ourselves, Satan has a mission for your life. As you crucify your flesh, you know what Satan wants to do?

Resurrect the old man in you. And he has different ways of doing it. So that means we gotta be watchful at all times. We gotta be careful. Especially when we believe we've overcome a certain habit or a certain, certain sin or trespass or iniquity in the past, such sins are ready to entice us again.

Such sins have no shame of reintroducing themselves to you and I and draw us back to what we promised we would never do again. Can I can I tell you personally how I've seen this happen in people's lives more than ever? Friendships. Friendships. At a moment somebody determines to live wholeheartedly for Christ, it's amazing how even after a season, a long season of of just pursuing Christ on that narrow road, people that were once with you on that broad road reintroduce themselves on the side of the narrow road and say, we miss you, man.

Why don't you come back? Why don't you join us again? There's a lot of room here. Remember our memories. And often, many like Saul here fall victim to it.

Like this advice, familiar companions revisit us to tempt us. And unfortunately, this man didn't show much hesitation. He jumped right to it. Saul's response in verse two echoes the same response to the initial invitation of the Ziphites as they were trying to help Saul satisfy his desires. And as we come to this point, it makes you also think as we reflect upon the last chapter, David faced a challenge with a different person, Nabal.

And what's so interesting there is when you contrast, when you contrast Saul and Nabal, when you contrast these two men, you have to, you have to meditate upon God's treatment of these two men and why they differ so much. Because here's my question as I read verse two. Saul arose. God, why didn't you just kill him right there on the spot? After all that he's done, the the the mayhem that he's caused.

I mean, you are willing to intervene when the ball just said a word, but this man has killed your priest. He has driven your anointed one into the wilderness, into caves. He's caused so many of those who belong to your people suffer under his reign, and you're letting him live to see another day? And so I was reading verse two, and I thought to myself, this is the question that rushed through my mind. Why did he, why did the Lord swiftly discipline Nabal but he's allowing Saul to continue on with his quest?

Is that, is that a legitimate question? I think so. Why don't you just put an end to him once and for all? When it came to one man, he was paralyzed with a stroke and you killed him there. And here's another man who, again, is trying to make the person that you were trying to put on the throne be eradicated from the face of the earth.

I think there are many possible answers to why this is the case. And let me give you one tonight to consider. I believe it's because God still had more for David to learn through Saul's evil that has not yet been accomplished. There was still a character for David to develop. There were still manifestations of God's presence and power and love to be known through the actions of a wicked man like Saul.

And when you think about Nabal, whatever God wanted to do through him was done. It sufficed. But there was still a curriculum for David to be completing in his relationship with Saul. You know what that tells me? I hope it comforts you that the Lord is very precise.

He's he's very, involved with not just who, not just what, but how long in terms of our suffering. I wanna prove that to you in the New Testament. Go to the book of Revelation chapter two. The Lord Jesus himself addresses a church that is undergoing suffering. And when you come to chapter two, he addresses the the church of Smyrna, a small church, a pure church, a poor church.

And I want you to see what the Lord says to this church. In verse nine of chapter two, I know your tribulation and your poverty, but you are rich and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Now look at verse 10. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation.

For ten days, you will have tribulation. You know what that tells me? That God is not just sovereign over the suffering. He is sovereign over the duration of it. I'm telling you that this is going to last for ten days.

And if you are faithful during those ten days, you will be rewarded. I praise God that he is so involved. He is so particular. He is so precise that he even knows the endurance of what I am going through. He has a calendar set.

Just like you receive a syllabus for your schooling, God has a syllabus for your sanctification. He knows exactly what and how long you must go through something in order for you to be more complete in Christ likeness. And that should give us a profound rest and trust that the Lord knows exactly on what morning I will wake up and everything will change. And that morning might be the morning of the eternal bliss of heaven where you come into his presence forever and ever, and it might be in this life. And so as you come to realize why God does something different with Nabal and does something different with, with Saul, understand this, he knows exactly what he's doing with each of those men in David's life.

And so as you perceive and as you look out into this world, as you look back into your own life and think, why did God make that last so long and in another instance he was so short? Why is God so short with somebody else's sickness here, but with my sickness it seems to go on forever and ever and ever? God knows. He knows exactly what he's doing. And you have to trust the timing, not just his sovereignty in general, just the timing of it.

Every second is determined by a calendar of a loving God who has established it from eternity past. And that might worry some and that might cause some people to be philosophical. I choose to rest in that. I choose to know that this God is loving. And no matter how long he lets something happen, it's because it's gonna be for my good and his glory.

And that's the case here with Saul. And so we come back that as he arises with his choice of men, and he comes with strength, with seemingly no interruption from heaven, God knows what he is doing with his man. God knows what he is doing with us. And we come to verse three. Saul encamps on the hill.

David remains in the wilderness. Now look at the second part of verse three. When he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness, David sent out spies and learned that Saul had indeed come. In these verses, you and I discover yet another distinctive of Christ like character that must be developed in our lives. We're after this.

Right? We're after sanctification. We're after holiness. Lord, what is it in my life that needs to be changed so I can be more like your son? Well, here's another thing to look into.

This was not a difficult conclusion for David to make. He has seen 3,000 men in a wilderness before. He's been in this land before. He's seen the site before. And so as he looks out into the horizon and he sees the same band of men in the same area that he's been in before, he realizes this is happening.

This is actually happening. But what he chooses to do in verse four is extremely important. He wants to confirm what his eyes have seen or what, whatever report he has received. He's going to great lengths to make sure through this investigation that what he perceives is actually true. He sends out spies.

Why? I think every church needs a series on what I'm about to say, man. Like a series. Not like one message every few months. I'm more convinced as you do church that you really, really need this to be a series.

Why? Why is David sending out spies to learn if Saul had indeed come? Because wisdom teaches us to reserve our accusations until there is proof. Until there is proof provided, no accusation should be made, not even in your own thoughts. A person who makes a judgment before doing his part to get as much clarity as possible is what the bible calls, I'm sorry, a fool.

A fool. Can I show you an example of that in a verse? Mark it up, my brother, my sister. It's in the book of Proverbs, in chapter 18, verse 13. A very general very general thought that has many applications.

If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame. Proverbs eighteen thirteen. If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame. Now now so listen. I said fool.

You know what the Bible says? Not only are you foolish, it's actually a shameful thing. You should blush. You should be embarrassed. That's what the Bible says.

If one gives an answer so you can apply this, as I said. It's a very it is a specific kind of insight, but it's it's very broad in its application. Let me give you one application. If you, if you give an answer or an assumption about someone or something without without doing your part to receive as much answers as possible to make the best judgment, you're you're a fool. And you should be embarrassed about yourself.

That's the bible's language and for good reason. Who are studying counseling. Can I offer can I offer a tip if you're pursuing that kind of ministry? If you're going to be pursuing counseling, you're gonna learn many things, but here's one thing that I've seen work, and that's to ask as many questions as possible so that you can make the best conclusion in someone's life concerning a circumstance or a situation. Wisdom is proven in many ways, and in one way that it manifests in a person's life is that they know how to ask the right questions.

Fools don't ask questions. Fools go quick to answers because they think the quicker I get to the answer, the smarter I may appear to be. It's not about speed, it's about substance. It's not about seeming to be clever, it's about being careful. And when you're dealing with what you hear and what you even see with your own eyes, if you're truly a wise person, you will do your part to calculate things before you have an answer.

And that's what this man is doing because no good doctor dares to give a prescription without first doing a process of elimination and asking for the symptoms so they didn't know what kind of diagnosis to make. And no healthy Christian or no healthy leader in a ministry makes quick answers or judgments upon things without first inquiring and investigating because you're dealing with people's lives here. And as you come to this, you see it you see it laid out so obviously. And if we're not careful with this, you might put people's lives in danger on a one to one basis, but I believe it's one of the root causes for all the trouble that we see in many churches. Because many people in churches make decisions and judgments simply based off hearsay.

That's it. All they need is for, like, one or two persons to say one thing, and that's it for them. They're convinced. You're gonna destroy your life. Listen.

You're gonna destroy relationships that shouldn't have been destroyed. You will for certain. Satan is so clever, and if he can find somebody who can believe something so easily just based on one or two things, you're gonna be swallowed up in no in no time. They don't exercise wisdom when they fail to do this. But listen, when people fail to investigate like David does, they don't just fail in wisdom.

You know what else they fail in? Love. Love. Hear me carefully. A person who makes quick judgments, a person who presumes, a person who makes commentary without inquiring is not just a foolish person.

The bible says they are an unloving person. I was thinking about this, and I thought to myself in that famous chapter of first Corinthians 13, there are many manifestations of how love lives in and through a person. And if I were to ask you what's the most difficult thing about loving, like, godly love, what would you say? Giving your time, forgiving? How many would like to hear it?

What's the, what's the hardest thing about love? Patience, love is patient, love is kind. What else is hard about love? Selflessness. You beat me to it, Gorgis.

Can I tell you what I believe one of the hardest things about love is? It's not about having to help somebody move out of their house on a Saturday. It's not having to have, to do the dirty work in the church when nobody else wants to do it. That's easy compared to what I'm about to show you. I wanna show you what I believe is one of the most difficult things, one of the one of the manifestations of love that is lacking the most in the world and even especially among believers.

First Corinthians chapter 13 verse seven. First Corinthians, chapter 13, verse seven. Love bears all things, and here it is, believes all things. Hopes all things, endures all things. Love believes all things.

You just told us not to believe everything and to do investigation. I know. But let's look at a different paradigm here. What does it mean for love to believe all things? Anybody have an answer to that?

If you think it means to believe everything you hear, I'll give you a heads up that's not the answer. That's not love. That's being irresponsible, and that's actually being destructive to yourself and to others. Love is not being gullible. Love is not being naive.

So we eliminated that. What does it mean then for love to believe all things? Okay. So it has a hopeful interpretation of people's words and actions. That was that is that the way of saying it?

It has a hopeful interpretation of people's words and actions. I think that pretty much sums it up, but maybe there are other answers to it. What does it mean for love to believe all things? Believe the best about someone until they hear it. Very good.

Love will believe the best about someone until they prove otherwise. Very good. Any other answers? These are wonderful answers. Love believes all things.

Love believes all things. Well, I can assure you again that it doesn't mean that you trust everything that you see or hear. That's not love. But what it does mean here is that, as a believer, you war with the thoughts in your mind that wants to assume the worst about somebody else. Love that believes all things does not condemn someone so quickly, in the heart even.

This kind of love is not cynical. This kind of love, doesn't allow you to assume that everybody is is wicked and evil and wants to do harm and has ill intent. This kind of love doesn't automatically say your motives are this, this, this, and that without any proof. It's a very, very specific way of love, and I believe it is very much lacking. You know why?

Because all of us are prone to immediately question people. All of us are prone to making judgments about people. And I know what you're thinking as I'm saying these things, but what about discernment? What about discernment? Or do we tolerate things?

Are we not supposed to be careful? We'll get there. But this is important to understand. This kind of love doesn't say for certain this person is doing this for this reason and it's always a wrong reason. This kind of love doesn't interpret somebody's words that are not clear and assume that it is because they are trying to do something for self or trying to attack or trying to harm or trying to, plan something.

This is what this kind of love is. I think a biblical example of that is Job and his friends. Job was suffering and his friends came on the scene and they assumed your suffering is because of a personal sin. Was there any proof of sin? No.

And so those friends, as wise as they may have been in their own eyes, lacked this kind of love. They would not believe the best. They would not believe about the the most righteous outcome out of this situation. They assume, they presume you must have done something evil. And if you think that this is not a common temptation within church life, you haven't been in church long enough.

Let me give you a very simple I can give you a biblical example, where like, yes, Job and his friends. Okay. Let's let's make it very, very real. Alright? Here you are in the basement of this church after service, and it's busy, and people are walking by and talking.

And here you are standing alone for a moment, and somebody that you know walks right by you, and they don't look at you. They don't even say hi to you. In fact, they exit the room without acknowledging your presence. The failure of this kind of love, you know what it sounds like in the heart? How rude.

What's this person's deal? They're not gonna say hi to me? Or do they think I have to say hi if they wanna talk so I have to always come up to them? She must struggle with pride. She probably she probably thinks she's better than everybody else, so so she has she has to wait for me to tap her on the shoulder and say hi.

She didn't even say, if I was if I was that person and I walked by, I would definitely say hi. Every single time. There's giggles here because you probably felt that. Right? Or or what do we do when a new person comes to church?

We've never seen them before. And, they're trying to adjust themselves, and they're trying to get to know people, and we automatically assume what? What do we assume? What what goes through our minds? Probably here to try to find a wife.

Probably here to try to find a husband. It could be true, but why do we presume it all the time? What if they're here to find a job? Do you see what I'm saying? You see how real it just got?

It got really real in this Bible study tonight. Let's go back to the illustration of being in the basement, and that person walks by you. What does love believing all things sound like? When that friend that usually says hi to you in that moment doesn't say hi to you and walks right by you. Oh, so and so must be very busy.

They must have a lot on their mind. I hope they're okay. You know what? Next time, if they do that, they walk by, if they come back into this room, I'll make sure to say hi. Love believes all things.

And you know the consequences of failing to love in this way? Can I tell you, like, what's the big deal? I'll tell you the big deal. If you fail, if I fail to love in this way, you will never know possible friendships that can blossom with much fruit and fragrance and testimony. You will never open your heart up to another.

You will always be cynical, always be analytical, always assuming the worst. And if we're not careful, if we make this broad application towards everybody, we are indirectly accusing God of his inability to sanctify somebody in the innermost parts of who they are. We're almost saying, God, you are unable to do a work in somebody's heart where I can actually take them at their word. I know what you're thinking. I know it.

I know it. So what are you saying? Just believe everybody? No. Just hope for the best.

When things are unclear, I'm not talking about when it's like clear evil, when it's clear sin, when it's clear wrong, when it's clear rudeness, when it's when it's clear anger. I'm talking about things that are not clear. Things that are up for interpretation. When it's ambiguous, fight your thoughts to go for the best, not for the worst. That will protect your relationships.

That will not cause you to be unnecessarily distant from somebody else. It will nourish and it will give God glory. David is loving Saul here. You know how he's loving Saul? Because the last time David encountered Saul, Saul had apparently repented and David wants to believe that he really repented.

And so he's gonna have these spies investigate to make sure that what he had heard was not true. And before him making any plan or conclusion or response to what he had seen with his own eyes or even heard from other reports, he wants to do all that he can to ensure, I hope he really did repent because I believe it. I wanna believe that he really repented. Does love tolerate abuse? Does love allow somebody who is, constantly using such a truth to manipulate people and to abuse people's love?

That's that's not how it's that's not how it works. And you have to come next week to realize how David wisely, though he is loving Saul, distanced himself from the man. We'll get to that. That means you have to come next week. So he sends spies.

Love believes all things. You believe and hope for the best. In verse five, then David rose and came to the place where Saul had encamped, and David saw the place where Saul lay, with Abner the son of Ner, the commander of his army. Saul was lying within the encampment while the army was encamped around him. So now this man now this man himself goes into the scene while the midnight hour cloaks the wilderness, while the stars in the sky bring about a hint of illumination, this man comes to see it for himself, and he's trying to figure out what is the most appropriate way to deal with this.

And it seems like he figures something out because we read in verse six. Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite and to Joab's brother, Abishai the son of Zuriah, who will go down with me into the camp to Saul? And Abishai said, I will go down with you. So he invites these two men, not I don't know if he wanted both. Maybe he was just asking for one or the other.

But Abishai is the one who answers, and he is introduced to us for the first time here, though he's not the the last time we're gonna see of him. We're gonna see him down down the road in the story of David in first and second Samuel. But he outshines in his courage compared to Ahimelech. He does. This is a very noble thing because David is not giving clear instructions of what's about to happen.

He just makes the invitation and Abishai says, let's do this. I'm by your side. Whatever you ask, I will do it. Wonderful picture of when Jesus tells us to do something, we don't know the outcome. We just trust and obey for there's no other way.

But to be happy in Jesus, trust and obey. He'll go. And we don't know what David has in mind at this point, but we trust that he is going to righteously respond. That's what we're hoping for. You're going to righteously respond.

You're going to do what you did in the cave at En Gedi. You're going to figure out a way to convict this man again. You're not going to give in to the pressure of slaying him because he took back his word. That's what we're hoping for. But at the same time, as David makes this invitation to Abishai, David is about to, in his pursuit of good, be invited in a different way himself.

What do I mean by that? In this moment, we're about to see two powerful pulls to temptation. To do wrong. To do the opposite of what he was planning to do. And as you look at these components surrounding these temptations, you and I will understand something about temptation in our own lives, and that's important.

We wanna expose the strategies of of Satan and sin in our lives so that we know how to better respond to them. And temptation to us is just just this invitation in the heart, this suggestion to do something wrong. But it's more complicated than that. Because there are certain contexts and there are certain sources that make temptation so much stronger. And that's what we see here in verse seven.

So David and Abishai went to the army by night and there lay Saul sleeping within the encampment with his spear stuck in the ground at his head. And Abner the army lay around him. What sticks out? What it I mean, this is a very detailed scene, but what sticks out about this scene? Why is the Bible giving us this description of of what's about to take place?

What what what is highlighted in your eyes? Sleep? Yeah. So there's a vulnerability here. Right?

Saul is sleeping and you're I don't think of anything more vulnerable than being asleep. He's asleep and his spear is right by his head. Very vulnerable, which also means very great opportunity. What other things? The the army around him, so there is there is a great protection there.

Yes. So there's a suspense element to this. What else? The sleep is an important thing. And another thing, they went to the army by what?

It's nighttime. The fact that it's night, the fact that Saul is asleep, the fact that all the men around are also asleep, suggests something to us. It suggests that as David is about to receive an invitation to sin, it is done within the context of secrecy. The fact, again, that it's not day sinners love to sin at night, by the way. The fact that there is no light, the fact that there are no witnesses makes this all the more difficult to resist.

And the insight from verse seven in our own lives is that secrecy is a great encouragement to sin against God and others. When we when we believe that our actions and our words and our deeds are not being witnessed, are not being heard, when there's no surveillance, then we are all the more emboldened to do wrong. And and that's what we see here with this description. David here possibly could sense the atmosphere itself arousing the desire to do wrong because this is different than the cave. This is way different.

I want you to think about it. As he's here, right here, he can actually take that spear, that same spear that Saul threw at him so many times. He can take that how how fulfilling would that be? And to thrust it in his temple and to pin him to the earth. And he could have escaped as easily as he entered in.

And to add on top of it, he could have caught a caused a great confusion among the army of Saul to say, who did this? And it would just add a cherry on top of all the revenge that he had just executed. And so we see here that there is a great opportunity in secrecy. It's always an enticement to do wrong. Temptation doesn't only suggest to you and I the pleasure or the profit of sin.

Temptation also whispers to you a plan of escape. Temptation also suggests to you you can get away with it. Nobody will know. Don't you ever hear that when you're tempted? You can get away with it.

It's dark. Everybody's sleeping. But even though David could have kept his murder a mystery, I wonder if the words of his new wife resounded in his conscience. You remember what Abigail said to David when he was on his way to assassinate Nabal? If you don't remember, go back to chapter 25 verse 31.

When Abigail speaks to this man, David, my lord shall have no cause of grief or pangs of conscience for having shed blood without cause or for my lord working salvation himself. And when the lord has dealt well with my lord, then remember your servant. Oh, you might be able to get away with a David. You might be able to have killed Saul and on your way back to your own men, look over to Abishai and says, this is a secret between you and me. But I'll tell you something you can't run away from, and that's a gnawing conscience where you will forever look back at such an atrocious thing and be haunted, especially if you have the Holy Spirit living in you.

And there are many people who are living in daily torment because of a secret sin many years ago. And Abigail, because of her discernment, wanted to protect David from such a tormenting future. Why would you do something that you would regret for the rest of your life? And so we have to understand that although there might be peace externally, although you'll never be sentenced, although your pastors would never find out, although you would stay in the ministry team, although people would think you're the holiest person in town, when you go to bed at night and you lay your pillow your head on your pillow, what's in the thoughts? How is that conscious going to testify?

That inner peace will be lacking. And if you wanna see how that looks like, go to Psalm you don't have to turn there, but I'm saying in your own time, go to Psalm 32 and see just how much David describes the inner turmoil of unconfessed sin. And there is great relief when we confess sin. Even though it's been pent up for years, when you release it in the presence of God and those you have harmed and hurt, that same Psalm promises us comfort and balm and a release. So if you're in this place and your conscience has been tormented for years, you can put it to an end by just humbling yourself before God and before those who you have offended.

But David wouldn't even enter into that. And so the secrecy of this moment could very well been a greater appeal to do evil. But look at verse eight. Now you got another dynamic to this. Then Abishai said to David, God has given your enemy into your hand this day.

Now please, let me pin him to the earth with one stroke of the spear, and I will not strike him twice. I just wanna I wish I can see that sight. Like, where did they say it? Was Saul right at their feet? Was he just like a meter?

I don't know, but he must have whispered it with intensity in his ear. Let me do this. This is God. What are some elements in verse eight that give us insight about the nature of temptation? There are many things in here.

I wanna hear it from you if you have any idea. Look at look at verse eight very carefully. Look at look at what is being said. Look at who is saying it, and we will understand some things about temptation. Very good.

One element to this is that there is apparently divine approval upon this act. Is not our culture decaying with such lies? Is there not a cushioning to perversion and to rebellion by assuming that God, God approves? Or how about the believer who who who attempts to convince themselves that God will understand. So temptation always tries to convince us that God sees it differently than how the Bible says he sees it.

Or that God has some special treatment towards you because you've been serving him for so long and surely you need some kind of relief and surely you need some kind of quick answer and surely you need some kind of satisfaction to the flesh. So just sin a little bit. He'll understand. You think that's ridiculous, you'd be amazed to know what runs through people's minds when they are premeditating sin. Divine approval.

Very good observation. Anything else? Look at verse eight carefully again. A lot of the time, say the Lord is a pain in the God's will. Oh, you're back there.

I was looking for you. Say that again. Yeah. So there's an element of personal rewards, something that you will take out of this. Absolutely.

That's every time, or else we wouldn't be tempted to sin. Did you notice it? He didn't say please strike him. He said, let me pin him to the earth. Let me pin him to the earth.

That that makes it much more easier to swallow. Well, okay. Fine. You do it. I didn't do it.

And if anybody asks, Abishai did it. And here here's the thing. Here's what happens to us. We think we can be so sophisticated with our sin that we can trick God and seeming to be guiltless when we are in fact guilty. Right?

We we try to well, it wasn't me, Lord. And and and we try to we try to manipulate the Lord who knows our hearts, who knows our motives, who knows the extent of our involvement in the wrong that's done, whether it is corporate, whether it's between you and another. And so there is always the temptation to blame somebody else for a wrong that you're doing or that you have committed. And sometimes in premeditated sin, we already convince ourselves, I can blame this on somebody else. We're wicked.

We are wicked creatures. We're not even done yet. There's so much more in verse eight. Yes. Right.

And so it's a trust in man. It's not a trust in God. So a quick, easy answer to something, as we're about to find out in David's answer, that should be relied upon God in his perfect timing. Very good. You guys got it.

You guys touched on many of them. Abishai assures him, look, let me pin him to the earth with one stroke of the spear, and I will not strike him twice. What is he trying to say there? David, this will be very quick. It won't be ugly.

I won't massacre the guy. It'll be clean. It'll be one time, and it'll be over. Doesn't temptation sound the same? Just one time.

Just once. Never again. Just one time. I will I will I won't go overboard. I'll just do the bare minimum of my sinning and just satisfy and scratch this itch a little bit, and then I'll pull back.

It's the same idea here. He's trying to doll up the sin. He's trying to put flowers on it. He's trying to say it's not that big of a deal. And let me add one more.

You guys did wonderful. Let me add one more. The source of the temptation. Abishai. When we got Abishai's first impression, we saw a faithful man, a man of courage, but this is where he is in a lesser light.

He has fallen short very quickly. And if you read, later on, you'll realize that Abishai is in fact a relative to David. So the source of temptation is somebody who is respected and loved by David. And it is often the case that you and I find it more difficult to resist when we see somebody that we respect doing wrong or enticing us to do wrong. Right?

Have you been there? You look at somebody who's living in a certain way, who's posting in a certain way, who dresses in a certain way, who talks in a certain way, who spends their money in a certain way, who jokes in a certain way, and they have a position in the church, or they're respected in society, or they're famous worship leader, author, whatever the case well, if they are doing it, then surely I can. If they can get away with it, then surely I can. And here's the problem. You will get into a lot of trouble when you measure up your holiness to anybody else except the Lord Jesus Christ.

Your duty and mine is to allow the standard being the savior. Anything less and you'll get into a lot of trouble. So it doesn't matter if the person is well respected in church. It doesn't matter what their spiritual gifts are. If it goes against your conscience and it goes against God's word, it's a no no.

Abishai is suggesting it and the source makes it that much more seductive. And so we see all these things just piling up upon David and you add on top of it the element of secrecy. What is he going to do? Well, we see here in verse nine. But David said to Abishai, do not destroy him, for who can put out his hand against the Lord's anointed and be guiltless?

If you think about it, there is so much opportunity. This is a golden chance to satisfy something in the man's heart. And this is more of an opportunity than being in the cave, because this time he can actually get away with it. This time he can actually just disappear into the horizon, and people would be confounded, and there could have been a conspiracy within that somebody within the camp must have killed Saul. And with all that taken into consideration, how does somebody overcome this compelling urge?

And I was reflecting upon it because David does. And like him, you and I cannot relieve ourselves with the false promises of temptation, especially the one that says you can get away with the consequences. You can escape. You can evade. You can avoid.

You can come out untouched. Because when you and I believe that false promise, we will see that it lied to us. But how we're supposed to deal with those lies is to counter it with a better and truer promise. And that better and truer promise in the midst of temptation, while it says you can escape the consequences of this sin, is found in the New Testament. And if there is a verse to memorize, if you have not memorized this verse yet, can I give you homework for next week?

Memorize this reference. It's not complicated, and it could very well save you from much heartache. First Corinthians chapter 10 verse 13. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability.

But with the temptation, he will also provide the way of escape. He will also provide the way of escape. That's the real escape that we want in temptation. As we face sin. That you may be able to endure it.

To endure it. That's a very important part. When you're in temptation, it doesn't mean that God is gonna immediately deliver you from that temptation, but it doesn't mean that God is gonna it doesn't mean that God is going to immediately deliver you from that temptation, but he will give you the strength necessary to do what? Endure it. That as it comes to you day after day, like Joseph in that house, you're able to endure and endure and resist and resist and escape.

Because here's the idea. When sin says to you, you can get away with me, God says at the same time, I can help you get away from this sin. When sin says to you, you can get away with me, God says to you, I can get you out of this sin. Both are promises. One is true, one is a lie.

One will lead you to pain and regret, the other to life and peace. And David chose to believe that he can overcome this temptation, no matter how strong it was. Do you know what that means? This is what it means. There is not one temptation in your life by God's sovereignty that has the right or the ability to overtake you.

Meaning, not one person can ever say, as they sit in that office with their pastor or sit across a coffee table with their good friend at church, not one person can ever say, it was too tempting for me, and I couldn't overcome it. Because to say that was to say that god is a liar. To say it was just too strong of an urge, the opportunity was too great, the the money was too big, the person was too beautiful. To say that you could not overcome is to say that God could not help you. And so we have to realize what's at stake here when we make such claims to seem to justify our shortcomings.

We come back as we conclude these verses. Verse nine, David says, how can you put out your hand against the Lord's anointing and be guiltless? There's consequences. He immediately combated these these thoughts with the very idea that you will not get away. Be sure your sin will find you out.

Saul might not know. His army might not know. My men might not know. My wife might not know, but God will know. And that's enough for me to say no.

And then look at verse 10. And David said, as the Lord lives, the Lord will strike him, or his day will come to die, or he will go down into battle and perish. Notice what he's saying to Abishai. Listen. God will deal with him.

God will strike him or God will will allow him to die as natural death or there's a time where he might even die in war, but we're not gonna do it. Now here's my question. How did David come to such a conclusion? What convinced him of this truth that he is sharing with Abishai? Just think back.

What he experienced with Nabal. He saw it with his own eyes. That God can intervene in a moment and deal with a person or a situation if he chooses. And that testimony was enough to realize that if God did it then, he can do it here and now. And here's what we have to understand.

You and I must console our souls by being able to look back at how God has led you to this point and be able to apply that for tomorrow. It's very important to even, within our souls or even on paper because your brain will forget but paper won't, to record and rehearse the faithfulness of God in particular ways in your life so that you would be able to look back at those memorials and say, if God did it then, he can do it now. But the most important reference book is not your journal, it's the word of God. That when you come to the scriptures and you see how God is dealing with people and situations I mean, that's why you have first Samuel for example. That's why the Bible is not just a systematic book of theology.

It's not justification means this and sanctification means this. There's narrative, there's stories, there's examples. Why? To make it more engaging? No.

To show us how God has dealt with people throughout human history. And to say, well, if God did it then, surely he can do it now. Here's the trouble that people get into when they apply that hermeneutic, that interpretation of the text. It's when you see God doing something and then you think that God has to do it that way in your particular situation. That's where people get in trouble.

And David doesn't even apply that. David didn't say, Abishai. Remember Nabal? God killed him. God will kill Saul too.

He didn't say that. He says God may strike him. God may do that or God may die, in a different way or may die in war. The principle is there. God is faithful.

Vengeance is mine. I don't know how God is going to do it. I just know that he will. I don't know his methods, but I know the end. I know his promise, and I trust that he is sovereign enough to deal with it in his own way, and I can rest in that truth alone.

God will figure it out on my behalf. That is extremely important to understand or else you and I can take scriptures and misapply them to our lives and then be disappointed because we put an expectation on God that the Bible says to never put on God. You can't just go to a particular story in the Bible and say this is how God has to do it. No. Or you can't hear somebody else's testimony of how they met their wife, they met their husband, how God led them into ministry and say, if God doesn't do it that way, then surely I am not going to be led.

Who no. God is creative. He is vast in his wisdom and in his application and his leading. And David himself understands that. He says, God will do it in his perfect way.

And we read in verse 11 as we close in these next two verses. The Lord forbid that I should put out my hand against the Lord's anointed, but take now the spear that is at his head. Take the jar of water and let us go. So David took the spear and the jar of water and Saul's at Saul's head, and they went away now look at this. No man saw it or knew it, nor did any awake, for they were all asleep because a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen upon them.

Now, I know that last part is very intriguing, but let's reserve that in our concluding thoughts. And that clock is not my friend tonight. David took the spear and the jar of water from Saul's head and they went away. So in this moment, he knew what he was gonna do. He had a different plan.

And we're gonna find out next week that he's gonna do something very similar to what he did with the the corner of Saul's robe in that cave at Ein Gedi. So he asked for these props that he's gonna use for his sermon the next day. But what's amazing here is that as he asked for these instruments, we are told here that no man saw it or knew it, nor than any awake. And we already knew that. We already seen that.

That description has already been given to us. But I like to think that although the main application is because there was a sovereign act of God on that scene, that David, in a sense, is doing good by not striking Saul. He is going to take these props, and the next day, he's gonna make it public. But in this moment, if we can apply this in any way, it's this, that David is doing good in secret. Nobody is aware of what he is doing at this moment.

And if there's anything that you and I as Christians should be occupying ourselves in the dark, it's not to sin in a way where we can preserve our reputation. It's to do good even though nobody else knows or sees it. Do that. If you're gonna do anything in secret, do that. Treat others when nobody can see it and and record it and praise you for it.

Do it when everybody's asleep. Do it when nobody sees you or recognizes you or can pat you on the back. David is doing something righteous without anybody being able to say, you are righteous. You are wonderful. You are godly.

And I think that should be what you and I as believers should be doing in the dark. Loving God, loving people, honoring his name, because true character is known when nobody else is watching. Not I mean, as much as the pulpit is important, true character is what the pastor does out of the pulpit. And many examples as such, because a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen upon them. So the Holy Spirit gives us commentary to how it is that out of 3,000 men, David and Abishai were able to, in stealth, hop over these bodies, and be able to climb back into wherever they were hiding without anybody being alarmed or awakened.

And all of that, that this this slumber was accredited to a sovereign act of God. God put this wonderful blanket over these people and let them rest with a soundness and a richness that I'm sure you would like, and I would like. Why is the Bible telling us this? I can give you one reason. Because the bible wants to show us that God is sovereign even over things that we don't think he is sovereign over.

The things that we think that God is not involved with, he is very much involved with. Things that we don't think God cares about, God very much cares about. And guess what? God is not just sovereign over the nations. God is not just sovereign over politicians.

God is sovereign over sleep. He is. He can keep you asleep, he can keep you awake. In this case, he makes sure that a king stays asleep so that his servant would be able to respond appropriately to the evil that he is experiencing. And can you tell me of another story where another king was not put to sleep but was kept awake because of a providential act of God?

Very good. Did anybody hear him? The book of Esther chapter six verse one. Where the king of Persia, we are told, could not sleep that night. He could not sleep that night, and he asked for a record in a book where the deeds of men in his kingdom were kept.

And in that record, we're told about Mordecai's great deliverance from assassins who were gonna kill the king, and that set off a series of events that would not only save a particular few, but would save the entire nation of Israel who were exiled in that land from genocide. What's amazing about the book of Esther is that the mention of God is not brought up once, but that's done by divine design. When you read Esther and you realize and and you have you have academics who say Esther shouldn't be in our bibles because God is not mentioned there. Well, I would say to those academics, have you heard of the doctrine of providence? Because when you read Esther, the whole idea is God is working in the background.

And you just see one providential episode after the next. Here's my main point. God kept Saul asleep here, and God kept another king awake in another time. God is sovereign even over sleep. And sometimes it's for an individual to experience a test so that they can prove themselves before God, and sometimes it's to preserve an entire race in humanity.

And so a verse like this should cause us to worship. The God who is sovereign over sleep. The God who can say you're gonna stay asleep a little longer than usual. And that's gonna happen. This God is powerful.

Our God is powerful. And God always does his sovereign work for man's good and his glory. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for this bible study. Thank you for the wonderful answers and the engagement tonight.

Lord, we pray that these truths would be reserved in our hearts and that God you would be empowering us onto obedience with these things that we've heard. Lord, if there's anything that sticks out tonight, surely there are many things for different people. But Lord, help us to love in the way you've called us to love. Help us to love in a way that believes all things and to know the wise way of going about that. But Lord, if our hearts are bent on being negative towards people, if our hearts never opens up to others, because we are always cynical.

Lord, open our hearts. Teach us how to love in this way. Lord, if anybody's experiencing temptation, perhaps it's been this past week, perhaps it was this afternoon, perhaps it's been much longer than that, Lord, would you have trumpeted the truths of temptation by exposing the lies of sin? And, Lord, in those moments where we feel as though we can escape the consequences like David, help us believe the better promise of escaping the sin itself. That we don't have to do this because you promised that there is not even one temptation that can overtake us apart from our will.

Lord, we want to be holy, and we want to love you, and we want to honor you and worship you. Thank you for these truths. Be glorified. Be glorified in song as we sing to you in thanksgiving. In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen and amen. Let's stand as we conclude tonight and worship the Lord.