David, Jonathan and Michal

[0:00] We've seen his great victory over the giant Goliath. And Saul has become rather jealous of him.

[0:11] ! Aaron helpfully took us through chapter 18 last week, and in that chapter we read people shouting out, saying, Saul has slain his thousands, but David has slain his tens of thousands.

[0:24] And Saul is jealous. He sees David, this young king, in waiting as a threat, and he wants to lash out even more violently than last week.

[0:40] Last week he tried to put him in situations where the Philistines might kill him. This week, Saul will do anything to kill him himself.

[0:52] But in this chapter, we also see the Lord's hand of protection on his anointed king, David.

[1:03] And I think that comes through, and we're going to see that in three different ways this morning. Firstly, that he's protected by the king's children.

[1:13] Saul doesn't hide the fact that he wants to kill David. So have a look in verse 1.

[1:24] And we see that Saul told his son Jonathan and all the attendants to kill David. But Jonathan had taken a great liking to David.

[1:38] Jonathan and David are good friends. Aaron helpfully helped us to see their love for one another last week. And so immediately, when Jonathan hears that his father, the king, King Saul, wants to put David even to death, he goes and tells the king elect.

[2:03] Verse 2. He warned him, Imagine having to go to your friend and say to them, Go into hiding tomorrow because my dad wants to kill you.

[2:28] That's the situation for Jonathan and David here. Jonathan tells David, My dad wants to kill you.

[2:40] Disturbing, isn't it? But where's Jonathan's loyalty to his dad's? To his father's throne? He is instead siding with David, his dad's number one enemy.

[2:58] And we see that more as we read through the next few verses. So in verse 3, the plan is this. I will go out and stand with my father in the field where you are.

[3:12] I'll speak to him about you and will tell you what I find. So that happens. Verse 4. Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul, his father, and said to him, Let not the king do wrong to his servant David.

[3:31] He has not wronged you, and what he has done has benefited you greatly. Jonathan goes to his father and tries to convince him, Don't do anything against David here.

[3:45] What has David done to you that you should want to kill him? What he's done has in fact benefited you greatly. Do you remember Goliath?

[4:00] The Philistine giant. Well, verse 5. He took his life in his hands when he killed the Philistine. And the Lord won a great victory for all Israel.

[4:12] And you saw it and were glad. Why then would you do wrong to an innocent man like David by killing him for no reason? Goliath made threats against Israel, God's people.

[4:28] Come and beat me. And then we'll serve you. But if I beat you, you'll be our subjects. Nobody was willing to face Goliath.

[4:42] Not even King Saul. But David was willing to take his life in his hands as he faced him. And what David has done for you, King Saul, has benefited you greatly.

[4:59] Why then would you do wrong to an innocent man like David by killing him for no reason? And that sounds to me a bit like somebody else.

[5:14] Another innocent man who took his life in his hands. Who was willing to give up his life in order to defeat the enemy.

[5:27] The Lord Jesus. He was an innocent man. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

[5:40] He knew no sin. And yet there were people a bit like Saul who were willing to put him to death. The thing is, with the Lord's anointed king, none of us can stay neutral.

[5:58] It's the case for David in this chapter. We see that. Saul hates him. Jonathan loves him. We have to make a decision. Are we going to follow? Or am I going to go my own way?

[6:11] And here, Jonathan very clearly sides with David. Chooses to follow him even though his dad is the king.

[6:25] Even though David is Saul's number one enemy. The king has another child's daughter.

[6:38] In fact, in this passage, his daughter Michal. She, like her brother, is loyal to David. She loves David.

[6:51] We heard that last week. And David and Michal ended up being married to one another. And we see her protection over King David in this chapter too.

[7:05] So have a look at verse 11. Saul sent men to David's house to watch it and to kill him in the morning.

[7:16] But Michal, David's wife, warned him, if you don't run for your life tonight, tomorrow you'll be killed. She knew of the plot, another plot, to kill David.

[7:33] And so through the word of his wife and through the open window, David escapes. Interestingly, five times we read of David's escape, escaping in this passage.

[7:49] David escaping the hands of Saul and his men who are after his life. And so we read more details of this, how this worked out.

[8:03] In verse 12, so Michal let David down through a window and he fled and escaped. Then, what happened at home? Verse 13, Michal took an idol and laid it on the bed, covering it with a garment and putting some goat's hair at the head.

[8:24] She took an idol. What on earth an idol was doing in the house? I don't know. But that's not the big thing to worry about in this passage. In fact, it was quite a good use for an idol, really.

[8:36] She wasn't worshipping it here, thankfully. But putting it in disguise, pretending it was David in the bed.

[8:47] What an interesting cover-up. And so, when Saul, verse 14, sent the men to capture David, Michal said this, he is ill.

[8:59] Then Saul sent the men back to see David and told them, bring him up to me in his bed so that I may kill him. But when the men entered, there was the idol in the bed and at the head was some goat's hair.

[9:16] Michal managed to deceive them, thinking they thought it was David in the bed, but it wasn't. It was an idol protecting David's life.

[9:29] But then there's more to this. Saul, Michal's dad, came up to her and said this, in verse 17, why did you deceive me like this and send my enemy away so that he escaped?

[9:45] So she replied, he said to me, let me get away. Why should I kill you? Deceiving Saul a bit more and actually saying that David threatened to kill her.

[9:59] It's the opposite. Saul was threatening to kill David and she told him that. Two lies were said. Nowhere in this account is Michal condemned for that lying.

[10:15] Certainly not good to lie, but it was lying protecting the life of David. But that's not the big thing that we need to see in this passage.

[10:31] What we do see very clearly is two of the king's children protecting David, the Lord's anointed.

[10:44] Jonathan and Michal's allegiances, instead of lying with their own dad, the king, lie with God's anointed one, David. And Saul, understandably, is angry with them.

[10:59] He is angry with Michal. Why did you deceive me like this and send my enemy away so that he escapes? He is angry. And some verses which we'll look at properly next week.

[11:14] In the next chapter, chapter 20, verse 30 to 31, Saul's anger flared up at Jonathan, his son, and he said to him, you son of a perverse and rebellious woman, don't I know that you have decided with the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of the mother who bore you?

[11:36] As long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Now send someone to bring him to me for he must die. Angry, bitter, jealousy towards David and angry at his own children for siding with his number one enemy.

[12:03] And actually following Jesus, Jesus who David definitely points us to, David is a picture of him, Jesus is a descendant of David.

[12:17] Jesus comes to reign on David's throne forever, the throne of God's, ruling God's people. Following Jesus may bring disunity in families.

[12:34] Some will follow and some will not. Jesus himself said this, do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth.

[12:47] I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.

[13:04] anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. Anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

[13:20] Yes, we must honor and love our parents. Yes, we must honor and love our children. We must. but our love for Jesus should be more, should be greater.

[13:35] He is the king that we are following. And for Jonathan and Michal, that means that they are opposed to their father's actions towards David.

[13:50] This week, I was reading a book by this lady on the screen, Maud Kels. She is from Northern Ireland, a missionary who went to serve God in the Congo.

[14:08] And she made her decision to do so shortly after completing her midwifery training in Edinburgh. And one Sunday lunchtime as she was enjoying her roast dinner with her mother and father at home in Northern Ireland, her father asked if she was getting anywhere with finding a job.

[14:31] And so she nervously explained, I'm not going to be a nurse in the UK. God has called me to the mission field overseas. I don't know where I'll be yet, but I have a place at the WEC Missionary Training College in Glasgow.

[14:50] Her parents weren't Christians. parents and so the news dropped like a bombshell in the middle of the dinner table.

[15:01] My father sat down his knife and fork and looked at me. Why would you do that after all your hard work? Getting through all your training, are you going to throw that all away to waste your life as a missionary?

[15:18] And her response is this, I'm sorry, I hate to go against your wishes, but I have to follow my God's call.

[15:32] I wanted to honor my parents, yet God's call on my life was higher than their reservations. I knew I had to follow where he was leading.

[15:45] As you read on through the book, you see how she continued to honor her parents, even in Congo, and even coming back when one was ill. But she's right, isn't she?

[16:00] My God's call on my life is higher than my reservations. I knew I had to follow where I was leading. I have to follow my God's call. And for us, that may mean we are the only ones in our families who are heading to church on a Sunday morning.

[16:22] Maybe that makes things rather tricky at home. Why would you go there? Why can't you stay at home this week? Why go and pray with the Lord's people on a Wednesday evening?

[16:35] Why would you let our children go to Sunday club? This unity in families as we seek to follow Jesus first.

[16:47] But we do know as believers that we can rest in the protection that God gives to his children. Even in hard circumstances where we might be the only one following him in our families.

[17:04] As this lady, Maud Kells, rested in the truth that my grace is sufficient for you. She knew that in the trials and in the difficulties God's grace is sufficient for her as she seeks to follow her God.

[17:23] It's by grace we're saved and it's by grace we'll be led safely home. And just maybe you're here this morning as someone who is not a Christian.

[17:35] Maybe someone in your family is a Christian. And you're wondering why on earth follow Jesus? Well he's died, hasn't he?

[17:50] So your sins can be forgiven. He's risen again so you can know the life that he gives to you now and beyond the grave. And you can even choose to follow him, the Lord's anointed king now.

[18:07] today. So David is protected by Jonathan and Michal, children of the king, of the king who wants David dead.

[18:23] It split the family apart. hearts. But the Lord uses it. Uses Saul's own son and daughter to protect his anointed one.

[18:39] Secondly, we see David's escape. David's escape. Have a look down in verse 8. once more war broke out and David went and fought the Philistines.

[18:55] He struck them with such a force that they fled before him. War breaks out and now David, he's a kind of mainstay of the Israelite army and he heads out to battle and he strikes them down like with Goliath.

[19:16] Another victory won. It says actually in verse 8, he struck them with such a force that they fled before him. And so come back home from war and where is Saul?

[19:32] Well, Saul has gone raging mad with a spear in his hand. Sounds a bit dangerous, doesn't it? Have a look there in verse 9.

[19:45] But an evil spirit from the Lord came on Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hands while David was playing the liar.

[19:58] He was pondering what to do with this spear, pondering using it to harm, to kill David.

[20:10] Saul has gone raging mad, all the more intent to kill. Even though, as Jonathan pointed out, why then would you do wrong to an innocent man like David by killing him for no reason?

[20:28] Why would you want to kill him? I've mentioned before the Roald Dahl story, Matilda, to you. One of my favorite stories, one of my favorite films and musicals, and in that you have the character Miss Trunchbull, who feels like she's raging mad at little Matilda for no particular reason at all.

[20:55] Angry around her, wants to throw her into the chokey, seeing her as a threat. And Saul here is like her, raging mad, angry, wants to kill him, get rid of him, punish him in some way.

[21:19] And so, what happens? Verse 10, Saul tried to pin him to the wall with his spear, but David eluded him as Saul drove the spear into the wall.

[21:33] That night, David made good his escape. David managed to escape the angry, raging, mad king, Saul and his spear.

[21:48] And I think there's a bit of irony between verse 8 and between verse 9 and 10. You have David in verse 8 going out, striking the Philistines and they flee.

[22:00] And in verse 9 and 10, you've got Saul striking David and David flees. Saul is treating David like the Philistines, treating David like an enemy, even though David and Saul should be on the same side, part of the same people.

[22:23] Reminds us again of the Lord Jesus. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Put up before Pontius Pilate, treated like a murderer.

[22:36] They wanted him dead. And the crowd shall crucify, crucify the innocent Jesus. David wasn't put to death here by Saul, but in this I think we see the Lord's hand of protection, helping him, providing the means for escape.

[23:02] And Jesus himself was put to death, but there had been many occasions in the Gospels where people tried to seize him or even killed him and the attempt was failed.

[23:15] He was on God's timetable, in God's hand. We saw that in John's Gospel, just a few verses from there. We saw that when we were studying it together as a church earlier this year.

[23:26] Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, John 7, 44. John 8, 59, at this they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.

[23:40] They were all ready to kill him. Jesus managed to slip away. John 10, 39, again, they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp. Many times, in many ways, people tried to seize Jesus, but he was on God's timetable.

[24:02] It wasn't going to happen until the appointed time for Jesus to go to death on a cross. And when it does, even death could not hold the Lord Jesus.

[24:18] God was protecting his anointed one until the time was right. God's hand of protection upon his anointed kings. God's anointed king.

[24:31] David, as the Bible goes on, in the life of the Lord Jesus, God protecting his anointed kings.

[24:43] Thirdly, and finally, we say protected by the word of God, protected by the word of God. So, verse 18, we come back to the scene just after David had made his escape through the window at home.

[25:00] And where does David flee to? Well, he flees up to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went to Naoth and stayed there.

[25:14] And so Saul's men very quickly find out where David was. Word had got around. Verse 19, word came to Saul. David is in Naoth at Ramah.

[25:30] And so Saul was ready to go and send men to capture him. And perhaps as we see David making his escape to Samuel, we're all waiting for Samuel to do something about this.

[25:44] But actually, we see complete divine intervention here. God working through his word by his spirit. Let's say verse 20, so Saul sent men to capture him.

[25:57] But when they saw a group of prophets prophesying with Samuel standing there as their leader, the spirit of God came on Saul's men and they also prophesied.

[26:10] Group of people standing there and prophesying, God's word going out. It's being proclaimed, but strangely, the spirit of God comes upon the enemies, those who were trying to capture David and they prophesied too.

[26:26] God's word going out, it's powerful even through enemies of his anointed. And so Saul responds to this and sends more men.

[26:40] So verse 21, Saul was told about it and he sent more men and they prophesied too. This is hard, isn't it, Saul? So what happens after that?

[26:52] Well, Saul sent men a third time and they also prophesied. You cannot stop the word of the Lord. God's word cannot be stopped.

[27:05] Saul tries. Saul tries his best to capture David, but it's not happening. So what needs to happen? Well, Saul needs to go himself.

[27:16] Saul's going to come in and save the day. Verse 23 or verse 22. Finally, he left, he himself left for Ramah and went to the great cistern at Seku and he asked, where are Samuel and David?

[27:34] Over in Naoth at Ramah, they said. And so verse 23, Saul went to Naoth at Ramah, but the Spirit of God came even on him and he walked along prophesying until he came to Naoth.

[27:58] Not even Saul can stop God's word from going out. God is protecting David from being captured and put to death by Saul and his men through the power of his words.

[28:13] And for King Saul here, we see a rather sad picture. Have a look, verse 24, the chapter ends really, really sadly.

[28:24] He stripped off his garments and he too prophesied in Samuel's presence. He lay naked all that day and all that night.

[28:36] This is why people say, is Saul also among the prophets. He is lying naked unexposed in complete shame.

[28:50] The king rejected by God who himself has rejected God. Completely put to shame by the words of God.

[29:04] God. And it all began rather differently. The same but different. Back in chapter 10, maybe turn there if you can.

[29:15] 1 Samuel chapter 10, verse 9 to 11. As Saul is made king in this chapter, we read this.

[29:26] As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul's heart and all these signs were fulfilled that day. When he and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him.

[29:39] The Spirit of God came powerfully upon him and he joined in their prophesying. When all those who had formerly known him saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked each other, what is this that has happened to the son of Kish?

[29:56] Is Saul also among the prophets? At the start of his reign as king, in those verses, God equipped him with great power by his spirit and he prophesied, he spoke the words of God, a sign of power and strength that God had blessed him with.

[30:19] But now at the end of this chapter, at the end of chapter 19, the same thing happens again, but it leaves Saul naked, exposed and put to shame.

[30:34] I think God's word does that, doesn't it? It exposes our hearts before the Lord. It deals with us, it can encourage us and equip us and empower us to serve God, but it can also challenge us, convict us of sin, put us to shame, put us to stop to our evil scheming.

[30:54] Maybe we know of some, maybe people we work with who love their power and position, who are seeking to harm, to bring down the weak, those who might get in their way of that power and position that they want.

[31:13] Maybe even this morning as we've read through this chapter, we see that in us. Maybe we ourselves, we might not be trying to kill someone, but perhaps trying to take revenge, trying to bring down somebody that we believe is a threat to us, and our position in life.

[31:39] As for David, we see in this chapter God's hand, God's mighty hand of protection on his life, shown through the children of Saul, who weren't taking the side of their father, but of the Lord and his anointings.

[31:59] We see God's hand in helping David escape the hands of Saul. We see the power of his word going out to protect his anointed one.

[32:11] His anointed one, David, who was going to become king. God was going to make sure that happens in his own timing. he was safe in the hands of his gods.

[32:25] None of us are the Lord's anointed king. We don't know what the future holds for us. We don't know what avenues of service God may have for us. We don't know when our time on this earth will come to an end.

[32:41] But I think we can too know God's hand of protection over our lives. And we can rest in this. David wrote a psalm that we read at the beginning of our time together, Psalm 59, in response to these events.

[32:58] And he said of God, you are my strength, I sing praise to you, you God are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely. And by God's grace, all those who are his children can join in with those words.

[33:17] God is our fortress, he protects us. We can trust in his sovereign keeping power over us.

[33:29] We know from God's word that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

[33:42] He is at work, he is protecting his people and he will lead us safely home. And we know that because of the Lord's anointed King Jesus who has given himself for us on the cross.

[34:06] And like Paul, the apostle, we can say that we have confidence that nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

[34:20] Romans 8, 38 to 39, for I'm convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is Christ Jesus our Lord.

[34:45] King David knew that. No scheming power of Saul and his men could capture him and put him to death.

[34:59] And for all of us Christian people this morning, because of the Lord Jesus, we know we are safe in the hands of our almighty God.

[35:13] And so we're going to respond to this passage by singing two songs which talk of God's keeping power. He will hold me fast.

[35:24] He will hold you fast. And then it is well with my soul, where in that song it says whatever my lot he has taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul.

[35:39] So Phil and Jorge are going to come and why don't we stand together and sing confidence. Thank you.