1 Samuel 30 (Part 1) Bible Study (David's Wives are Captured) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

This is not our final study in first Samuel. We're almost there, but this is the second last study, and we will be exploring together first Samuel chapter 30. And, oh, what an encouraging chapter this is. It blessed my soul deeply studying it. Notice it's a lengthy chapter, and so we're not gonna cover all of it.

It, but there is sufficient for us in the verses that we will we will cover today. Don't you love the word of God? It's the living word. And Lord, we thank you as we pray coming to the scriptures with great anticipation and excitement because we believe that you speak. We believe that you speak primarily through your word, and it is sufficient for us.

And, Lord, we thank you for this house. We thank you for people who have come because of a love for your word. And, Lord, may that love not be a love for mere knowledge. May it be a love for the person that we are discovering. And may it be a love that so impresses us that it causes us to love in like manner.

We ask, Lord, that you would give us wisdom, that you would cancel all confusion. That, Lord, as this word is delivered, it would not be delivered with stammering lips. There would be clarity of thought. There would be even discussion. More importantly, Lord, we pray that this would cause us to worship you.

Even as we sit here today in silence, we pray that the word washed over us would cause us to worship you and to adore you, to love you. We thank you for this chapter and we trust that you will speak to us now. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Last week, you and I examined how God's providential kindness interrupted David's pursuit of further disobedience.

And it was a reminder for us how the Lord always provides a way of escape in every temptation. Remember that. In every temptation, whether that is temptation to be severely angry and to explode, whether that's temptation to lust, whether that's temptation to to lie, whether that's temptation to steal. No matter the category of sin, there is one thing they all share in common, there is an exit door ordained by God. Every time.

But more than that, we also learn that God, in that moment, as David is trying to make his way to fight against his own people and against the one that he said he would never touch with his hand, the Lord overflowed mercy on David. And it is because we learned in part, because David showed mercy in so many ways, especially in his struggle against Saul. God shows mercy to those who are merciful. And so remember that for the rest of your life, be merciful. Jesus himself said it, that those who are merciful are blessed for they will obtain mercy.

And so continue to be a person who displays compassion and understanding no matter no matter who says what or who does what. And we would imagine that after such an obvious intervention from heaven, that David would be awakened from his spiritual slumber and would realize, would realize that God is worthy indeed of my entire devotion and would make way back to where he belonged, that that was the promised land. You would think that as as you see this before you, that there would be an alarm in your conscience. This is God. This is God putting an obstacle even even as you're attempting to disobey him.

But we don't see any indication of that. The only thing that we see really is the end of of the chapter in 29 verse 11. What do we read? So David set out with his men early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines, but the Philistines went up to Jezreel. That's it.

We don't know why he's going back there. I mean, his home is there. That's all we know. But we don't know what he's planning to do. Is he planning to pack his bags and go home?

Is he planning to stay there longer and wait for the war to just finish so that they can come back and he can continue? Hopefully thinking that Saul will die in that war. We have no idea what's going through his mind. But what we will know is that as we come to this chapter, we will discover that this interruption by God, the rejection of the commanders of the Philistines, played a part in a much grander scheme of God's attempt in trying to rouse up his servant back into total devotion to him again. And so let's read here in verse one of chapter 30.

Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid against the Negeb and against Ziklag. They had overcome Ziklag and burned it with fire and taken captive the woman and all who were in it, both small and great. They killed no one, but carried them off and went their way. It was a three day journey to head back to Ziklag. Remember Ziklag was the town that Ahish, the king of the Philistines had given to David and his men.

And so for quite some time Ziklag was home. It was their headquarters. And these people as they came back, the Israelites with David, they saw at a distant smoke rising from the horizon. And you can imagine the panic that ensued in their hearts as they realized that their town has been raided, that their homes have been invaded. And what we can see here is that the Amalekites must have had some intel that David and his men had left to join the Philistines to fight against Israel.

And so they thought this is the perfect opportunity to invade a defenseless home base. And one reason why we think that David comes against, or rather the Amalekites come against Ziklag in particular, is because remember, while David was in Ziklag, he was making raids on who? The enemies of Israel, including the Amalekites. We learned that in chapter 27. And so this was revenge.

This was, this was to to get back at David and his men. And it is here that we learned something so important concerning God's providential dealings with you and I. Yes, you and I, even today. What is that? Well remember in chapter 29 when God was obviously making it clear that David had to turn back, and he was almost even forcing him to do so, there was more than one end in mind in the mind of God.

And the primary reason was obviously to rescue David from committing a sin that he would regret for the rest of his life, which is a glorious thing. But we also see secondary reason, and it is what? Well, while David is a three day journey away from home, the Amalekites have come in and have kidnapped his wives and his children with the other 600 men. And God was trying to get David back to Ziklag in order to deal with the issue. Think about that.

What if what if God had delayed? What if David had lingered? What if what if David had his way and moved forward into the ranks and start fighting with the Israelites? Obviously, that's the worst outcome. But there were also been a worse outcome in his own personal life with his wives and his children who were taken as slaves.

Time was of the essence. And so even the timing, even when Achish was like, you gotta leave by the morning, from a human standpoint, that that doesn't seem to have any kind of inclusion of a of a greater problem at hand. But in God's mind, he's orchestrating this, and he's bringing back David where he needs to be. Yes, he's redirecting him from not doing what he's supposed to do, but he's also reserving him to fight for what really matters. And I think that's one of the most encouraging things concerning God's leading in our lives as we just sang about.

Because the hostility that David experienced, though it may have offended him, the rejection might have might have hurt him, but it was the necessary means to bring him where he was supposed to be. You know, God didn't speak in chapter 29 from heaven with a booming voice. David, Ziklag has been invaded. You must hurry back and rescue your family. That's what we always want.

We want the booming voice. We want the audible leading. You know what God used to get David where he was supposed to be? The rejection of people. Ready for this?

Closed doors. A change of plans overnight. You spent three days walking all the way here, well you got a three day walk all the way back. Normal events that you and I have experienced throughout our lives, but all of them necessary pieces to the providential puzzle of God's purpose in your life. Do you believe that?

You must believe that. You must believe that. Because that is that is that is our inheritance as children of God. That is God's promise for each of us here. That he he moves things around to bring us to certain post in life, And that is the sweet, sweet experience of what you and I have heard so many times throughout this book, and that is providence.

Providence often pushes us to a certain assignment or a certain need that God has in mind, and you and I have to trust the transitions that get us there. Even if they're painful, even if they're disappointing, even if they might hurt. Regardless, you and I, as we walk this walk with the Lord, God, like he does with the man after his own heart, uses things that seem normal on the surface, but have a supernatural purpose in the background. I can't think of any other way to know peace in this life than to really believe that. That as opportunities slam in my face, that as things forcefully move me to a different location, whatever the case may be, I know one thing, there is a God in the background who has a story writing.

And it's for his glory ultimately. And that's what David is seeing here. We don't see any psalm written about God's providence bringing him back here at this certain time, but we can praise God over it because we have the commentary as we read it right here. So we read now in verse three. And when David and his men came to the city, they found it burned with fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive.

Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep. Have you ever cried like that? Weeping until they were exhausted. I mean, they were already bone tired from walking three days. And now instead of coming home to a warm welcome and a warm meal, the only thing warm is their house is burnt to ash.

And they are so distraught that these grown men, these warriors fall to their knees and they heavingly weep to the point where it makes them even more exhausted than when they had arrived. It would be wrong to assess the brokenness that David is experiencing or the pain as an example of how the righteous suffer greatly from time to time. It would it wouldn't be right to interpret it this way. Nor would it be right to primarily make this about how you and I should depend on the Lord and trust him in all things. Why is that?

I argue because the reason why David is even experiencing this heartache is a result of God's discipline. God's loving chastisement in David's life. It is impossible for a genuine child of God to remain in persistent sin without God stepping in as a loving dad to do something about it. And David has been outside of the will of God for a year and four months, and all he seems to have been experiencing was good. He was flourishing.

He was safe from Saul. He was gaining much spoil. He was getting favor from the Philistines. And the script changed, because when you and I are born again, we don't only get heaven, we get a heavenly Father. And this heavenly father is the perfect father.

Perfect in wisdom, perfect in his provision, perfect in his chastisement. And I want you to see at least two things about God's discipline. What I mean discipline, I mean an active and an intentional affliction upon you and me in order to bring us somewhere. Here's the first thing. God's discipline in a Christian's life is not implemented without patience.

God is extremely patient. Very patient. When we hear about God's discipline, sometimes people get nervous because they interpret it in the lens of the discipline they might have experienced from their own parents and that can be very, very, muddy. Because, even the best of dads can get it wrong. Even the best of moms can can allow their anger to infiltrate their discipline.

They do it out of frustration more than out of love. They can be excessive. They can even be wrong altogether. But God does not treat our sin evenly. He does not overreact.

He never loses control. He is not reckless. When God disciplines, he knows exactly what to prescribe at the right time. And David here has been again outside of the will of God for almost a year and a half. No sign of God's heavy hand.

No, no, no. God even waiting, as he often does with you and I. Waiting and allowing your conscience to do the work with all the sermons that you have heard and all the podcasts that I have listened to. To allow the truth that has been residing within to to hopefully do its work. Or maybe even as we often have experienced, God's mercy being dispensed even in the midst of our disobedience.

Allowing his provision and his goodness to kiss us instead of experiencing the sting of his divine rod immediately. And so there are times in which God just waits and he sends a kind warning. And and and he he just allows even sometimes the natural consequences of sin to wake us up. But eventually when nothing seems to get our attention, he knows exactly what to do. And that is the second point of God's discipline.

And it is what? God's discipline is painful. God's discipline in a I'm not talking about a non believer line. You know what wonder what God does when a non believer? Yes, he can convict them.

But when they persist in sin, he doesn't discipline them. He lets them keep going in their sin. He doesn't do that with a Christian. He doesn't do that with a child of God. God's discipline is painful.

Notice here in verse four again. What do we read? Then David and the people who were with them raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep. That hurts. That hurts.

And the reason why it is painful is because in pain there is corrective power. Could have God getting David's attention some other way? Could he have prohibited the Amalekites from invading? Could he have kept his family from being kidnapped? Absolutely.

But what is God trying to do with someone who's clearly been in such a season where he is not responding to even the mercies of God? He allows sorrow. And he wants the sorrow to be in connection to the sin For what reason? For the same reason why a good father would discipline his son or his daughter so that you would never make that mistake again. That you would never entertain that sin again.

That you would be trained by that discipline in order to cause you to walk in the direction that your heavenly father desires for you. And God's methods of discipline vary. They do. Sometimes they include loss, like David. He lost a lot.

And God can't allow, permit, even actively cause a loss in our lives. A loss of finances, relational loss, even something to do with our own bodies can be affected when God disciplines. If you don't believe me, read first Corinthians 11 about a bunch of Christians from Corinth who didn't respect and revere the table of the Lord. Some of you are weak, some of you are tired, some of you even died. Where is that coming from, Satan?

No. It's coming from God. But here's here's what's so important. No matter how severe God's discipline is in our lives, it never it it never exceeds or goes beyond the purpose of sanctifying us. It is always for a good.

It never is never meant to destroy us, to embarrass us, to demean us. When God looks upon a child who's walking wayward, and he does something intentional, he causes some kind of affliction in our lives. It is meant to do what Hebrews 12 tells us. Do you remember that passage? Maybe you haven't read it.

So read it with me in Hebrews 12 verse 10. It is one of the most clear passages about how God disciplines us. It is not mentioned much in much Christian conversation. Have you ever heard somebody ever say to you as a believer, yeah, God disciplined me? Anybody?

It's very foreign. It's very foreign. But look at what Hebrews twelve ten says. Speaking about earthly fathers, for they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them. But he, being God, disciplines us for our good that we may share his holiness.

For the moment, all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant. So here's an understanding. In your walk with the Lord, it's not always going to be pleasant to the to the flesh. There is going to be pain involved if we are true children of God. And not because Satan got a hold of us, that he slipped through God's sovereign hand and poked at you and now you're in pain.

No. Sometimes there there is a pain that is directly coming from God himself. But later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. And so yes, we're we're being told here plainly that there is certain pain in our lives that is a result of God's response to our sin. Now I have a question.

Because we have to ask questions to text in order to receive revelation. That's the best way. When you read your Bible, you ask that have a conversation with the Bible. You know what my question is whenever I think about the discipline of God? How do I know when he's disciplining me?

Right? How do I how do I decipher between this is God disciplining me, that's why I'm experiencing this affliction, or or this is God testing me, or this is a trial, or this is spiritual warfare. How do I make that distinction? Because I don't want to say that God is disciplining me when he really isn't. And I don't want to fail to see God's disciplining me when he actually is.

Is that a valid question? Anybody have an answer? Or at least a possible answer? That's a good point. What does the affliction lead us to?

What is the result of that affliction? Hebrews tells us that it will yield peaceful and righteous fruit, righteous fruit. Yeah. That is one way, I believe. But I might push back and say, well, just because God disciplines us, does it automatically mean that there will be peaceful and righteous fruit?

Have you ever disciplined a child and not see the result that you hope for? Some parents can say yes. But that is a good observation. I will say so. Yes.

Anything else? Sure. So same idea, it will make us more holy. So the end result, the end result will prove it. But how do I know or at least have a greater idea that even as I am undergoing the pain that this is God's discipline?

If you wanna come one step closer to understanding whether or not a certain pain or affliction or trouble in your life is an active work of God, here's what I believe is the the main way to bring clarity. Examine yourself. Is there a sin in my life that I am refusing to repent of and choosing to hold on to. And if there is something obvious, if there's something in your life that is so clear, so so obviously against God's word, you've been fighting even your conscience about it. And for some coincidental reason there is also this turbulence in your life, you can make a safer connection.

It would be wrong to make a one size fits all about about suffering and say that it is always God's discipline because that is not the case. But we are one step closer by asking this simple question, by meditating, by reflecting in our hearts, is there sin? And if God is a good father and you come before the Lord with that question, though it should be obvious already, do you think that he would not give you the answer? You'd be amazed to know how he will awaken your conscience or how he will speak or highlight something in your life. Most of the time it is obvious anyway.

And so that is true. That is so important to understand. But as we look here, while we are enduring that certain chastisement, we are also in the same verses encouraged to have hope within it. I mean, how comforting is that? How how assuring it is to know that as I am experiencing some kind of divine rod, It is meant to lead me back to where God wants me to be.

And if I respond to it appropriately, then I can actually know a righteousness by rejecting the very sin that put me in this position to begin with. And so God is getting his his servant's attention back in first Samuel 30, by causing a great, great trial to be so obvious because he doesn't let his children keep going in sin without doing something about it. So we come back to first Samuel 30. And what do we see? Verse six.

And David was greatly distressed for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. K. David's in a lot of trouble here. One, your family's gone.

They've been kidnapped and most likely they haven't been killed because they're gonna be used as slaves now. And what that tells me is David's family had to pay for David's sin because David is the the head of the house. He's the leader of the home. And because of his failure to lead right, his wives, so weird to say wives, were in the Old Testament though, his family paid a price. Secondly, on top of that, the men who were supporting you now wanna stone you.

How comforting is that? And the reason why is because of David's sin, again. David led them to this place and now these men are embittered because of the failure of the one that they put their trust in. And that is, that is a disappointing thing because what we realize here is that, as you can imagine the smell of ash and burned wood is filling the air, mixed with the sound of the voices of trusted men wanting to murder you, and trying to manage the gut wrenching anxiety that you're feeling because you have no idea what happened to your babies. What are you gonna do?

We read it. David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. That discipline did some good work, Very very quick work to David's soul. It's been a year and four months, and there was no indication during that time that David did anything with the Lord. Affliction has a very strange way of winning back our affections to God.

Psalm one nineteen verse 67. I would encourage you, if you want homework, here's an assignment. One of these days, I've done it and it blessed me so much. Read Psalm one nineteen in one sitting. Just read it in one sitting, and you'll feel like you drank out of a fire hydrant.

It's so overwhelmingly good. This is one of my favorite verses in that giant of a chapter. All to do about the glories of the word of God. In Psalm one nineteen verse 67, what does the psalmist say? Before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I keep your word.

Before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I keep your word implying your affliction drew me back to an abiding of the word of God and in the word of God. The affliction also implying was caused because I've strayed away from the Word of God. But there was some intentional act of God that caused severe pain in my life that brought this straying saint back to the feet of the master. Affliction does that. There's a wisdom in it.

Misery can bring a momentum to us again. Because how true is it that we are often in the worst spiritual condition when everything is going well? But oh, isn't it amazing how we hit our knees, man? When we get the news, when the slip comes in and you no longer have a job, when a loved one is stricken with some kind of sickness. There is an affliction from God that brings us back to him with hearts that are swelled with love and dependency again.

And when you come back to David's situation, that's exactly what he is experiencing. But I want to say this, affliction doesn't have to be the reason for your affections to be awakened for God. Doesn't have to be. It's one way. But David could have avoided this altogether.

Would we agree on that? Could have David avoided all of this? At what critical point should have David encouraged himself, strengthened himself in the Lord? First Samuel sa 27 verse one. When he was saying in his own heart, Saul's still gonna come after me.

I gotta get out of here. I gotta move locations. I argue, David, that's when you should have strengthened yourself in the Lord. You could have you could have avoided so much. I mean, here's my question studying it.

What what would have that year and almost six months would have looked like if at first Samuel twenty seven one, you you consoled and you got before God even though everyone was around you ready to kill you, what could have that looked like for you David? So don't just pray in crisis. Don't just read the word in crisis. Don't just attend and serve in crisis. Avoid the crisis.

Avoid the crisis and and let your strength be in the Lord day by day. When you feel like you shouldn't pray is when you should actually pray the most. When you feel like everything is so wonderful, and you could ignore this word and God speaking into your life, that should be the time in which you open that Bible, crack it open and put your face in it. But regardless, David was aware of the goodness of God. He was aware of the kindness of God.

And he knew that even though it's been a year and four months, in that moment he can cry out to God. Isn't that what we see verse seven? And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, bring me the ephod. So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. And David inquired of the Lord, shall I pursue after this ban?

Shall I overtake them? He answered him. He answered him? He answered him on the first phone call? You try ignoring your best friend for a year and four months.

Don't answer their text messages. Don't answer their emails. Don't answer the knock door. And see how that turns out. He answered and pursue for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue.

Let that touch your heart. It's been almost a year and six months. No prayer life. No psalm written. Nothing.

And when you're in trouble, you can look up to heaven, call upon God, and God is willing to answer you. Now, this will not move our hearts if we view God as some divine vending machine. Where if we just push the right buttons, we'll get the right product. But it will minister to us if we view God as he is, as a person. With a mind, with a will, with emotions.

This is a mega display of practical love from our God. I praise God that he does not show mercy as man would show mercy. I praise God that he's not like the common man, even the best of men. God's mercy is greater than 10,000,000 men combined. What if God, was counting tabs here and reserved his benevolence because of the way David treated him for a year and four months?

Oh, you think you can just pray whenever you want? Where have you been? No such thing. Great is his love. Great is his mercy.

Great is his friendship. It's unlike any other friendship you will ever know. As David just falls in his brokenness and humbly just speaks to the Lord, God sees him in that moment and he answers immediately. One of Satan's greatest lies to you, and I've seen it throughout ministry, is when people fail greatly and they feel as though they cannot crawl their way back to God. If you do that, you are no different than Peter who refused at one point for Jesus to wash his feet.

What did Jesus say? You don't have a part of me if you don't allow me to do this. They were already washed. They were already washed signifying how God did a saving work in them, but as they walked throughout this world and picked up dirt, Christ also wanted to wash their feet. Would it be mind boggling to you to believe that Christ is just as eager to sanctify you as he did when he justified you?

Or do we think his love was reserved on the cross and now he has to deal with a bunch of inconsistent Christians with sigh every time? What a display of love. Now, it is here that I want us to consider the evidence of a changed heart. This is a turning point in David's life. And in this time, we see, I think, at least three marks of a man who has truly experienced the mercy of God in such a way that it had its effect, or even beyond that, who has truly been trained by the discipline of God.

It was very quick, and it should be. And here's how you know somebody is in the right place with the Lord. Here's how you know that a heart is healthy and holy. Even though like David, it has been calloused and crusty because of a season of walking with your back towards the Lord. And the first thing I would say is not just in the fact that David did pray, but how he prayed.

Look what he says here in verse verse eight. And David inquired of the Lord, shall I pursue after this band? Shall I overtake them? Yes. That's kind of obvious.

Your family has been kidnapped. Why are you asking? Why would you even why would you even consider that as as a as a thought? You know what I see here though? I see a man who hasn't inquired of the Lord, who hasn't sought the Lord for a year and four months.

And once he was just showered by the mercy of God mixed with the obvious discipline of God, this man is is displaying a childlike earnestness and a dependency on the Lord again. There are things in the Bible that are so clear, you and I don't have to pray about whether we should do it or not. Lord, should I forgive my enemy? That's not why are you even doing that? Don't do that.

It's there. But there is something beautiful here about someone who longs to have God's blessing and direction in all things. There there is this sense of invitation in all matters. There's a sense of committing all that you do, all your projects, all your decisions, all your desires to the Lord. Just like you would wanna invite that person that you so enjoy and trust and love.

And a a right heart in the right place joyfully imitates such a posture in their own walk with the Lord. Do you do that? Is that true of your own life? Do you can you actually look at your past thoughts and your past prayers? And is there an active communing and consistent longing for God's wisdom and for his his fellowship to be known in all that you do?

Even sometimes in the obvious. Or is he just the emergency guy? Do you invite God into your decisions? Do you seek God for what he would reveal for the best outcome in a crossroads? Those things, that that kind of, that kind of knowledge of of your heart really reveals that it is in a good place.

But we read on and we see something else in verse nine. So David set out, and the 600 men who were with them, and they came to the brook of the Brook Besor, where those who were left behind stayed. But David pursued, he and 400 men, 200 stayed behind, who were too exhausted to cross the brook. Now what we see here is that the this is a side note. It's interesting to notice that the same men who wanted to stone David now wanna support him all over again.

Just just like that. Isn't that amazing? And as a leader, David's walk with God, I believe what this is showing, influenced his men for the better. It's amazing what a man in a certain position can do to others with their personal decisions. And David here as a leader has won his men over to obedience to God again.

Remember, God says, yeah, pursue them and you will succeed and his men now are joining in on that. But David influences men in another way. Remember when he was pursuing the Philistines or with the Philistines, the Israelites. Now here's what's amazing. The extent of his disobedience went even beyond his his 600 men.

Can I prove that to you? This is why we need to know the entire scripture as much as possible. Scroll over to first Chronicles chapter 12 And look what we are told there. We're told something about this scene that we have not been told in this chapter or the prior chapter. In first Chronicles 12 verse 19 now wait till you turn your Bibles there.

I love stuff like this because it shows I can't skip on a book like Chronicles or I'm gonna miss something that I read in first Samuel. In first Chronicles twelve nineteen, in the retelling of this scene, we read, some of the men of Manasseh deserted to David when he came with the Philistines for the battle against Saul. Yet he did not help them for the rulers of the Philistines took counsel and sent them away saying, at peril to our heads he will desert to his master Saul. What do you get out of that? That as David was ready to fight against Saul in Israel, some of the men of Manasseh heard about it and they joined to help him.

This guy was ready to start a civil war. Yeah. Just one decision with a group of a few men that is just a small fraction of an entire nation, and and there's some people from Manasseh, the tribe heard, David's gonna fight against Saul. We're in on this. And they wring their hands and they move forward.

And so never ever ever negate the possibility of how our personal decisions can touch somebody else in either direction. And the more position we have, that can be anything from a father, mother, older brother, pastor, the greater the consequences and that could be greater in good or greater in evil. But praise God, he turns around. We read in verse 20. As he went to Ziklag, these men of Manasseh deserted to him Adnah, Jozseban and it lists the names.

In verse 21, they helped David against the band of raiders for they were all mighty men of valor and were commanders in the army. Things switch real easily in men's emotions as well. Remember when Paul, remember when Paul was preaching with Barnabas in Acts chapter 14? And in one verse it says, they praise them like they were gods. Remember?

They start bringing out sacrifice and they're ready to worship them as though they were gods incarnate. And and Paul no. No. No. No.

No. This is not why we're here. We're here to turn you away from this vain worship. Then the Jews come in, they whisper in their ears. And in the very next verse, the same ones that were ready to worship Paul wanted to stone him.

So especially if you're a leader, be careful on allowing your devotion to the Lord be determined on how men feel about you. God help you if you do. So fickle. And so now these men are following David. They're all now supporting him.

They put their stones aside. They said, man, we will use these stones against the Amalekites. Right? But that's not the point. Besides the point, remember, we're talking about evidence of a changed heart.

Notice this. How many end up going with David? 600? No. 400.

Why? 200 were exhausted. And rightfully so, you can imagine you've just been walking walking three days and then you were weeping your eyes out and you can't even imagine another day's journey or mile or whatever the case was. And so 200 men stop walking. David looks back and they look and they say, boss, we're tired.

Can we stay back? Can you imagine saying that when your wife and your children have been kidnapped? Can you imagine doing that when you're about to engage in combat and the more the merrier? So one third of your men want to take a break and stay back. That's not encouraging when you're about to fight a war.

And this could have given David much reason to be angry, discouraged, disappointed, frustrated, kicking the dirt. But what do we read here in verse 10? But David pursued. But David pursued he and the 400 other men that were willing to go. And here's the point that we we gather from this.

Here here lies another mark of a changed heart. A a heart that is in right standing with God, a heart that has been softened by the discipline of God, by the mercy of God. There is a firm, unshakable trust in God's word even when your faith is challenged by unfavorable outcomes while you walk the path of obedience. Your faith is firm even when it is challenged by the circumstances that might discourage you from moving forward with the zeal and the consistency that God is calling for. I read that and I thought to myself, well let me apply it to my life.

Let me apply it to this church's life. Because we're not here going to war with other people groups but we are going to war with a spiritual enemy. So what will we do, my brother and my sister, if one third of the people who regularly attend the prayer meeting don't come anymore? Do we still pray? What do we do on Fridays?

What do we do on Sundays if people you know, this bible study is too much bible. Too much word of God preached on Sunday. And half the church goes. Do we preach? Do we continue?

Do we give ourselves to the Lord? Do we move forward? By the grace of God, we do. We do. We do.

Because David does. And he shows that here. 200 out of the 600 move aside and it says David pursues anyway. He moves forward because he's not doing it. He's not doing it for for for the praise of these people.

He got a promise from God. He got a word from God. He's doing it for God. He's doing it for the ones who need his service. His family, his wives, his children, the others.

He's doing it for them. You have to believe that. You have to live like that. You have to serve like that, as this man obviously does. So that's the second sign.

This is the driving force of your devotion. Truth must be on the driver's seat of your devotion. Truth, not how you feel. Truth. Truth.

That's a healthy heart. That's a healthy heart. I've learned over time that emotion isn't the best indication of devotion. I have learned that. I've learned that people, oh, Jesus we love you.

Lord. Give me the one, whether they cry or not, are as consistent with the Lord. Then I'll show you a heart that really loves him. Let's look at the third mark, shall we? Verse 11.

They found an Egyptian in the open country and brought him to David and they gave him bread and he ate. They gave him water to drink and they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. And when he had eaten, his spirit revived for he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights. The third and final mark, not limited to this obviously, but in this case, of a heart of a heart that is in good standing, that is healthy, that is holy, that has been softened by God's discipline and mercy, that has come to a realization that the Lord is worthy of my total devotion, is seen in this warm act of kindness that he demonstrates with a man who was suffering in the wilderness and was discovered. We're all given a detailed account of the treatment of this man.

Right? I mean, look how detailed it is here. Bread and he ate and there was water to drink and he gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. I mean, why the details? It's to show it's to show the account of the tenderness that was given to this man.

And there is not one indication that David was offering such compassion with the intention of receiving something in return. There is no clue even here that David knew that this man was somewhat connected to the Amalekites and so he wanted to get some information from None of that. It was a one way transaction of mercy. Do you want to know if your heart is in right standing with the Lord? Selfless giving, selfless sacrifice, selfless serving, and excitement to do that which can bless others with nothing in return.

That's how you know your heart is there. God has done a work in there. The way you view others. The way you prioritize others. The way you treat others.

The way you honor others. I mean this is the king to be. This is a man on a mission. There are there are children and women who are who knows what with vicious men and that is priority. But even in the pursuit of this man's plan, he still has time to stop on the side of the road and to give some mercy to somebody who is in clear and obvious need of it.

It makes you wonder, doesn't it? Doesn't it make you wonder that if if David was so quick to show this kindness because he just drank a fresh dosage of God's mercy for himself. Just like in his prayer, that earnestness, I see here an earnestness to take any opportunity that is given to be able to be practical in your righteousness. And the more the Holy Spirit influences us, the more selfishness is drained from us. And David shows that here.

He brings this man. His spirit is revived. He rescues him. And we read in verse 13. And David said to him, to whom do you belong?

And where are you from? He said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite. And my master left me behind because I fell sick three days ago. Very similar to how Satan treats his servants. He uses them and then he gets rid of them when they do the job.

Verse 14, we had made a raid against the Negeb. Then he goes on to say in verse 15, and David said to him, will you take me down to this band? And he said, swear to me by God that you will not kill me or deliver me into the hands of my master and I will take you down to this band. You know what I see here? Something that you've heard pounded, I'm sure, throughout this study in first Samuel.

Sweet, sweet providence. Isn't it wonderful to see that in this act of grace without interest or return on investment in mind was the the very insight he needed to get to where he needed to be. And what I see here is a principle that we all should live by that you've heard so many times. We even heard it in the book of Ruth. I'm reminded of Ruth when I read this.

That providence is in our favor on the path of obedience. If you want God to orchestrate your life with the symphony of his sovereignty, just walk according to his word. That's it. And watch as you bear fruit and watch as you obey and watch as you serve and act, act humbly and treat others in a certain manner and all these things. Watch how these things have a disguise of blessing.

Not that that's why we do it, but from time to time God will surprise us through his providence and and move us from one step to the next on the path of faithfulness and trust in him. I want that for my life. I hope you want that for your life. And the way to see God unfold and to reveal his goodness is to simply trust and obey. And that's what David does.

I don't want to think too far into this, but it makes me wonder what it what would have happened to David if he had just ignored the man? What if he had just shooed away the the obvious opportunity to be like what Jesus said and that was the good Samaritan? I'm sure God would have had mercy on him still, but it makes you think, would would would his journey have been a little bit more difficult, more complex, more delayed? I don't know. I mean, I don't wanna I don't wanna speak into the text.

But I do see something that's something you and I can apply to our own lives. Just just walk as he walks. Abide in his word. Remain there no matter how difficult it is, no matter how challenging it is, no matter how inconvenient obedience may be like it was at this time. And believe that God will lead and his providence will be in our favor for his glory.

Can you say amen to that? Amen. Let's pray. Lord, what what a thrill to to get an insight into your mind and to see how you have given us this story not merely to be moved emotionally or to have our intellect stimulated. Father we thank you that you are the same God.

The same God who governs our lives today. And Lord we think about how your mercy is so available. Your kindness is there ready to be engaged with as we simply stop and give up on our silly ways. We thank you that we can cry out to you in sincerity and you will consider that prayer immediately. We thank you, oh God, that you discipline us.

And you do not treat us as the wicked are treated by giving us up to our own ways so easily. Lord, tonight in this bible study, we are overwhelmed by your love. And Lord, a study like this, we ask that it would excite us unto obedience afresh. Lord, perhaps there are some in this place tonight who are trying to obey you but find it very difficult to do so. May they be reminded of your purpose and your promises in their lives.

Lord, perhaps there are some here who have not yet been awakened by discipline, but you are using this study to get their attention before you have to. Oh, Lord, may they respond appropriately. May it not have to take a severe blow for them to be softened again. And Lord, help us trust your leading in our lives. As we heard in the beginning of this study, that the rejection and the closed doors and the inconvenience all had a purpose.

Help us believe that in all seasons. But we worship you. We we sincerely give thanks to you. We love you with everything within us. We adore you, oh Lord, that you've not left us to ourselves in this life.

Lord, this life is difficult as it is. We cannot imagine it without you. And so we praise you for rescuing us and for giving us the assurance that you are with us. Be blessed by our worship now as it comes from a heart of genuine thanksgiving. In your name, amen.