Well, turn with me to 1 Samuel, chapter 23.
We're continuing in our series in this book tonight.
It's a bit of a long chapter, so I'm going to start by reading the first half,
and then we will get into some of the second half as we go along.
1 Samuel 23, if you're looking at a pew Bible, that's page 245.
Now they told David,
Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Calah and are robbing the threshing floors.
Therefore David inquired of the Lord,
Shall I go and attack these Philistines?
And the Lord said to David,
Go and attack the Philistines and save Calah.
But David's men said to him,
Behold, we are afraid here in Judah.
How much more than if we go to Calah against the armies of the Philistines?
Then David inquired of the Lord again.
And the Lord answered him,
Arise, go down to Calah, for I will give the Philistines into your hand.
And David and his men went to Calah and fought with the Philistines
and brought away their livestock and struck them with a great blow.
So David saved the inhabitants of Calah.
When Abiathar, the son of Ahimelech, had fled to David, to Calah,
he had come down with an ephod in his hand.
Now it was told Saul that David had come to Calah.
And Saul said,
God has given him into my hand,
for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars.
And Saul summoned all the people to war,
to go down to Calah, to besiege David and his men.
David knew that Saul was plotting harm against him,
and he said to Abiathar the priest,
Bring the ephod here.
Then David said,
O Lord, the God of Israel,
your servant has surely heard that Saul seeks to come to Calah
to destroy the city on my account.
Will the men of Calah surrender me into his hand?
Will Saul come down as your servant has heard,
O Lord, the God of Israel, please tell your servant.
And the Lord said,
He will come down.
Then David said,
Will the men of Calah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?
And the Lord said,
They will surrender you.
Then David and his men,
who were about 600,
arose and departed from Calah,
and they went wherever they could go.
When Saul was told that David had escaped from Calah,
he gave up the expedition.
And David remained in the strongholds in the wilderness,
in the hill country of the wilderness of Ziph.
And Saul sought him every day,
but God did not give him into his hand.
Have you ever been betrayed?
Maybe you sacrificed to help someone who is desperate and in need.
Maybe you loaned them some money when they were broke,
or you spent long hours on the phone or in person walking with them through a crisis.
Or you advocated for them when they were wrongfully accused.
But then perhaps sometime later,
you came to them and you needed their help.
And they seemed to quickly forget all that you had done for them.
And they left you hanging and made excuses or seemed to think nothing of it.
Maybe there was someone that you thought you could count on.
A long-time friend,
or a neighbor,
a family member,
trusted co-worker,
maybe even your husband or wife.
And then they cheated on you.
They talked behind your back,
hid the truth from you,
stole your money,
and now you're dealing with all the painful consequences.
Being betrayed.
And you know that you can't trust them anymore,
and it hurts.
This was David's situation
in this chapter.
Twice, not just once, but twice,
he was betrayed
by people who should have been on his side.
First, as we just read,
he was betrayed by the people of Calah.
Now, the people of Calah had been in trouble.
Verse 1,
the Philistines were fighting against them,
robbing their threshing floors.
In other words,
they were seizing the stores of grain,
their food storehouses.
They were frustrating their work,
and they were threatening their ability to feed themselves.
They were threatening their very lives.
And David stood up for them.
And he went down to Calah.
He fought with the Philistines.
He brought away their livestock,
struck them with a great blow.
It says,
David saved.
He rescued the inhabitants of Calah.
Courageously.
And you know,
at this point in the book of Samuel,
David is not
a powerful king
with a great big army,
reigning from a huge palace,
and he just sends a detachment out there
to do the job.
He's hiding out in the wilderness,
running away from Saul,
who wants to kill him.
It says the people that he was commanding
were in distress,
in debt,
and discontented.
Just imagine leading that group of people.
Distressed,
indebted,
discontented.
We talked about that last week.
But that's where David was.
He wasn't doing that well himself,
but he sacrificed
to go down to Calah
and take a risk.
And he saved them
by God's power
and God's grace
and God's direction.
And he won a great victory
on their behalf.
But then,
when David needed help,
the people were ready
to hand him over.
Saul summoned the people
to besiege David,
surround Calah,
and David said to the Lord,
will Saul come down?
Yes,
will the people surrender me?
Yes,
they will surrender you.
And so David fled.
And it said,
he and his men
went wherever they could go.
Now,
in one sense,
the reaction of the people of Calah
was understandable.
They had the whole king of Israel
trying to mobilize
the whole nation
to besiege their small city.
And in the last chapter,
Saul's henchmen
had just massacred
all the priests at Nob
and had leveled the whole town.
So we can understand
why the people of Calah
would be fearful.
Why they might think,
let's save our own skin
by handing over David.
They were just trying
to stay alive
any way they could.
But you know,
what they had forgotten
was that they had just been
in the same situation
with the Philistines.
The Philistines were besieging them.
The Philistines were robbing
their threshing floors
and David came down
to save them.
And now they were
in the same kind of situation
with Saul threatening them
and they're ready
to hand David over
who had just delivered them
from that same kind of situation.
So there you go.
David was betrayed once
by the people
he had just rescued.
But he was also betrayed
a second time
by the people of Ziph.
Go down to verse 19.
Then the Ziphites
went up to Saul
at Gibeah.
So David,
verse 14 says
David was staying
in the wilderness of Ziph.
Verse 19,
the Ziphites went up
to Saul at Gibeah
saying,
Is not David hiding among us
in the strongholds
at Horesh
on the hill of Haculah
which is south of Jeshamon?
Now come down, O king,
according to all your heart's
desire to come down
and our part shall be
to surrender him
into the king's hand.
These guys go to Saul
on their own initiative.
They don't wait for him
to threaten
to besiege their city.
They say,
Saul, we want to help you.
Here's this guy David.
We'll help you capture him.
Now both Ziph and Calah
were in the territory of Judah.
David's home tribe.
They should have been loyal to David
more than anywhere else in Israel.
And yet they're ready
to hand him over.
The people in Calah
were flaky
and fearful.
The people in Ziph
were simply treacherous
and unreliable.
And as a result,
David was left
to fend for himself.
He was
out in the wilderness.
Five times in this chapter,
verse 14,
verse 24,
verse 25,
it says David was in the wilderness.
Hiding out in the wilderness.
David was betrayed by men.
That's the first thing
we see in this chapter.
And you know,
if you've been in a situation
like this,
there's temptations that come
when we've been betrayed.
Right?
Temptations to despair.
And
just want to
completely give up.
Temptations to
become bitter
and enraged.
And have bitterness and rage
burning deep within us.
Temptations to
never trust anyone ever again.
And simply try to live
a self-enclosed,
self-protected life.
You know that we see
that God
draws near to David
when he's been betrayed.
We see three ways
in this chapter
that when David
had been betrayed by men
that he was strengthened
by God.
So first we see
God gave him guidance
from Abiathar,
from a wise counselor.
Second,
we see God sent him
encouragement
from a faithful friend,
from Jonathan.
And third,
we'll see that he sent him
protection from the rock
itself.
So we're going to go through
these three ways
that God
strengthened David
and see how he
strengthens us
as well.
So first,
the guidance of a wise
counselor.
This is Abiathar.
Abiathar appears
in verses 2 through 12.
Actually,
verse 6
is where he's first mentioned.
But
verse 6 says,
when Abiathar,
the son of Ahimelech,
had fled to David
and Calah,
he had come down
with an ephod
in his hand.
Now,
an ephod
was an instrument
that the priests
in Israel
were authorized
to use
in the Old Testament
to seek God's guidance
in particular situations.
We don't know
exactly how it worked,
but it was
a particular instrument
that God
had set apart
for them to use
in order to seek
guidance.
And verse 6
says,
Abiathar came down
with this
instrument
for seeking
guidance from the Lord.
And it's actually
a key verse
in this section.
So if you look at
verse 2
through verse 12,
there's actually
an interesting
outline
to it.
So at the beginning
in verse 2
through 4,
David inquires
of the Lord
twice.
Should I go
down to Calah?
At the end,
verse 9
through 12,
David also inquires
of the Lord
twice.
Is Saul
going to come down
and will they
hand me over?
In other words,
do I need to leave?
In the middle,
verse 5,
if you sort of
take the next step
toward the middle,
verse 5,
David went down
to save Calah.
In verse 7 and 8,
Saul goes down
to besiege Calah.
There's a contrast,
right?
David goes down
to save them.
Saul goes to destroy them.
And verse 6
is this middle verse.
So this is a way
that a lot of
ancient stories
were organized.
They'd sort of
be symmetrical
on the edges
and have
an important statement
in the middle
that sort of
is the key
to the story.
And verse 6
is that key
that says,
Abiathar had come
down to David
with an ephod
in his hand.
And so,
the way the story
is organized,
I think we're meant
to see that
Abiathar
and the ephod
was the way
that David inquired
of the Lord,
not just in verses
9 through 12
at the end,
but also in verse
2 through 4
at the beginning.
So in other words,
Abiathar,
the priest,
the wise counselor,
gave David
the guidance
he needed.
So first,
he gave David
guidance from the Lord
to go down
to Calah
and rescue the people.
And then,
he gave David
guidance he needed
to leave
and get away
and don't stay.
Now,
you might ask,
well,
so what does
this all mean?
Right?
So if you want
guidance from the Lord
today,
the ephod
doesn't exist.
It's not
one of God's
appointed means
of guidance
in the New Testament.
It was there
for a time
in the Old Testament.
It's not available
anymore.
But,
if you're looking
for guidance,
let me give you
three things
to start with.
Number one,
Jesus is our
great high priest.
Abie Ather was a priest.
Jesus is our
great high priest.
We can draw near
to him in prayer.
And it says
we can seek
grace and mercy
to help us
in our time of need.
So that's the first
thing we should do
is seek out God
and draw near
to Jesus
through prayer.
Second,
we can read
the scriptures
which show us
God's character
and his purposes,
broadly speaking,
for our lives.
Third,
we can seek
counsel from
older and wiser
believers
or even just
other brothers
and sisters
in Christ
who are walking
the road with us
when we face
difficult and
complex decisions
or challenges.
And you know,
a good counselor
like Abie Ather
will sometimes
encourage you
to step out
in faith
and be strong
and courageous
like David
in the beginning.
David and
especially his men
were a little
fearful.
They're like,
really?
we're hiding
out in the
wilderness
and you want
us to go
rescue this
city from
the Philistines?
That's like
inviting trouble.
It's like making
our life that much
harder
and putting us
in that much
more danger.
Really?
And God says,
no, go.
Be strong
and courageous.
I'll be with you.
And sometimes
that's what
wise counsel
looks like.
It's saying,
God is with you.
Trust that he's
with you.
Even when the odds
seem to be stacked
against you,
extend yourself.
Sacrifice to help
someone else
who's in need.
Be strong
and courageous
and go forward.
But you know,
sometimes a good
counselor will also
advise you to use
wisdom.
Like at the end.
Will Saul come down?
Yes.
Will they surrender you?
Yes.
Get out of here.
Leave.
Right?
Stepping out in faith
is not the same thing
as being naive
about people.
Sometimes you need
to keep your distance
from people
who aren't trustworthy.
And sometimes
even if you're willing
to forgive someone,
which we should be
willing to forgive someone,
it's not necessarily
wise to trust them.
Sometimes we need
to recognize
if someone is flaky
and not put ourselves
in a situation
where we're
absolutely depending
completely on them.
That's what we see
here at the end.
There's this wise balance
that sometimes God says
to us,
be strong and courageous.
And sometimes he says
to us,
use wisdom
and be careful.
And that's what
wise counsel looks like
from one believer
to another
by the grace of God.
So David was courageous
to go down
and save Kayla
and he was wise
to get up and leave
when he needed to.
And so that's one way
God strengthens us.
It's through the guidance
of wise counselors.
And if,
like Dave,
if you're in the wilderness,
if you've been betrayed,
that's something we need.
We need God's
wise counsel
that God provides
through one another.
Second,
second way God
strengthens us
is through the encouragement
of faithful friends.
Verse 15 through 18
talks about Jonathan.
Let me read those verses.
David saw that Saul
had come out
to seek his life.
David was in the wilderness
of Ziph at Horesh
and Donathan,
Saul's son,
rose and went to David
at Horesh
and strengthened his hand
in God.
And he said to him,
do not fear
for the hand of Saul
my father
shall not find you.
You shall be king
over Israel
and I shall be next to you.
Saul my father
also knows this.
And the two of them
made a covenant
before the Lord.
David remained at Horesh
and Jonathan went home.
This is the last time
that David and Jonathan
meet in the book of Samuel.
But we see once again
what we've seen all along
is Jonathan's fierce loyalty
to David.
His steadfast commitment
to him.
Even when David was betrayed,
even when he was hiding out
in the wilderness,
Jonathan sought him out.
He went out to him
to encourage him
and reaffirm his loyalty to him.
In the New Testament
it says,
in the book of Hebrews
it says,
encourage one another
every day.
It also says,
let's not give up
meeting together
as some are in the habit
of doing
but let us encourage
one another.
That's part of why
we gather
every Sunday.
And in small group
Bible studies
during the week
to encourage one another
like the Bible says.
Like Jonathan did
for David.
And Jonathan is a great
example of what
Christian encouragement
looks like.
You know,
first of all,
Jonathan's encouragement
was intentional.
Think about what
Jonathan did
to go find David
in the middle
of the wilderness.
Jonathan didn't just
wander into church
some night
and, you know,
the service ends
and somebody comes up to you
or, you know,
you see somebody
and you say,
hey, you know,
I was thinking of you
this week.
I wanted to encourage you.
You know,
I was praying for you.
Whatever.
No, he didn't just
run into David.
He didn't just run into him
on the street
casually.
It says,
he rose and went
to David at Horesh.
David was hiding
out in the wilderness.
Think,
imagine Jonathan.
Okay,
David's hiding out
from Saul.
I have to go find him.
I don't know
where he is.
He's constantly
moving around.
I can't ask anyone
who might betray
me to Saul.
Right?
He has to go through
all this danger,
all this difficulty,
climbing the rugged hills,
trekking through the woods,
wandering through the desert,
trying to find David
to encourage him.
You know,
what does it look like
for us to intentionally
encourage one another
as brothers and sisters
in Christ?
you know,
maybe you notice
that there's someone
who you haven't seen
for a few weeks
here at church.
Or maybe someone
shared a prayer request
in your small group
that they've been
struggling with depression
or discouragement
or doubt.
Or maybe you know
a fellow believer
who's just swamped.
They're swamped with work
or they're swamped
with family responsibilities
or health problems.
What would it look like
to encourage them
intentionally?
Well, first of all,
I think it looks like
noticing
that someone
needs encouragement.
Sometimes, honestly,
we're too self-centered
to even notice
when our brothers
and sisters,
even sitting right next to us,
need encouragement.
You know,
but what if you know
someone needs encouragement?
Well, maybe start by
praying for them regularly.
If someone shares
a prayer request
at your small group,
pray for them
sometime during that
week.
And then maybe
shoot them a text message
or call them and say,
I just wanted you to know
I was praying for you today.
Or I just wanted to check in
and say,
how's it going?
I know you're going
through a rough time.
Or maybe you even need
to do what Jonathan did.
Maybe show up
at their doorstep
and bring a pizza.
Say, here,
I wanted to bring you dinner.
You know,
or drop by their office.
Sometimes there's no substitute
for actually showing up
in person.
Now, I'm not talking
about stalking.
Okay?
I'm not talking about
stalking somebody
that you don't really know
or somebody who doesn't
really want you
to encourage them.
I'm talking about
what it looks like
to treat each other
like family
in the church.
These are the things
that you do for
family
or close friends.
And that's what the Bible
calls us to be
for each other.
It's brothers and sisters
in Christ
who have each other's back.
And who go through
the trouble
to intentionally
encourage
one another.
But you know,
what Jonathan does here,
well,
and the reason
we can do that
is,
think about this,
that's what Jesus Christ
has done for us.
Jesus has sought us out
when we were lost
and wandering.
He's brought us
near to Himself.
He sent His Spirit
to encourage us
and be with us
when we're depressed
or despairing
or feel betrayed
or alone.
He's there.
But what we also see
in Jonathan
is that encouragement
is not just intentional.
Encouragement's about,
and encouragement's not just
about being with people
yourself.
It's about
pointing people to God.
What does Jonathan do?
Verse 16,
it says,
He strengthened
David's hand
in God.
What does he say to him?
He says,
Don't fear,
for the hand of Saul
my father shall not find you.
You shall be king
over Israel,
and I shall be next to you.
He,
he,
strengthens David's hand
in God.
All right,
he brings God's word
and God's presence
to David.
And he reminds him
of God's promises
that one day
David would be king.
Now sadly,
Jonathan actually
wouldn't be standing
beside him.
Although David would care
for Jonathan's family.
Jonathan dies
before David becomes king.
But,
but it is true
that God had promised David
and he had sent
the prophet Samuel
to anoint him,
after all,
right?
God had made a promise
that David would one day
be king.
And Jonathan reaffirms
God's promise.
So that's,
that's what true
Christian encouragement
looks like.
It's not just going
to be with people
because you know what?
Jonathan could only
stay with David
for a short time.
Eventually,
he returned home
and actually he,
it,
this is the last time
that we have a record
that Jonathan saw David.
You know,
you can't always be there
24-7
for every single person
you're trying to encourage.
And you can't expect
somebody else
to do that for you either
if you need encouragement.
But what you can do
is go and be with someone
and remind them
of God's word
and remind them
of God's presence.
And you going to be with them
is a physical reminder,
a physical sign
to them
that God hasn't left you alone
and he won't.
And even when
you go home,
God hasn't left them.
So that's what
Christian encouragement
looks like.
Jonathan strengthened
David's hand in God
even though it seemed like
everything was up for grabs.
You know,
throughout this chapter
there's actually,
if you've noticed,
the word hand
occurs over and over.
And verse 4,
God says to David,
I'll give the Philistines
into your hand.
Then verse 7,
Saul says,
oh,
God has given David
into my hand.
Verse 11 and 12,
will the men of Cala
surrender me
into Saul's hand?
Yes, they will.
But then verse 14 says,
God didn't give David
into Saul's hand.
And so there's this
sort of question.
Everything seems up for grabs.
Saul's,
is it in Saul's hands?
Is it in David's hands?
And Jonathan says,
remember,
you are in God's hand.
And Jesus Christ said,
I'm the good shepherd
and I give my sheep
eternal life
and they shall never perish
and no one
can snatch them
out of my hand.
So if you have put your trust
in Jesus Christ
as your Lord
and your Savior
and your good shepherd,
no one can take you
and snatch you away
from God's good hand.
Be reminded of that.
So,
that's encouragement.
So we've seen
wise counsel.
We've seen friendly,
the encouragement
of a friend.
And third,
we see protection
from the rock.
Verse 24
to the end of the chapter.
Let me read.
Now David and his men
were in the wilderness
of Maon
in the Arabah
to the south of Jeshamon
and Saul and his men
went to seek him
and David was told
so he went down
to the rock
and lived in the wilderness
of Maon.
And when Saul heard that,
he pursued after David
in the wilderness of Maon.
Notice,
wilderness,
wilderness.
Saul went on one side
of the mountain
and David and his men
on the other side
of the mountain
and David was hurrying
to get away from Saul
and Saul and his men
were closing in on David
and his men to capture them
and a messenger came to Saul
saying,
hurry and come
for the Philistines
have made a raid
against the land.
So Saul returned
from pursuing after David
and went against the Philistines.
Therefore,
that place was called
the Rock of Escape.
Seems like Saul's closing in.
Saul's on one side
of the mountain,
David's on the other.
David's trying to get away
and suddenly
a messenger comes to Saul.
Saul has to go off
and deal with another
threat to his kingdom.
David's saved
just in the nick of time
and he says
it's called
the Rock of Escape
or the Rock of Parting
or the Rock of Divisions.
And you know,
what you see in this story
is that there was one thing
that stood between David
and death.
Between David
and Saul
who was coming after him.
It was the rock,
the mountain
that he was standing on.
Right?
Saul's on one side,
David's on the other side,
Saul's coming after him
and the only thing
that's standing between
Saul and David
is that rock.
Right?
And that rock
was a physical demonstration
of God's presence
protecting David.
Now the book of Samuel
begins and ends
with a song.
It begins with
the song of Hannah
and in the beginning
of Hannah's song
in 1 Samuel chapter 2
Hannah says
there is no rock
like our God.
And at the end of Samuel
2 Samuel 22
it ends with David's song
and David's song
begins
The Lord is my rock
and my fortress
and my deliverer.
My God is the rock
of my salvation
who brought me out
from my enemies
who delivered me
from men of violence.
You see God
is that rock
that stands between us
and our enemies
and between us
and death.
He's our refuge
and our strength
in times of trouble.
And even when
your friend
has visited you
and gone
and even
even if you're still
looking for wise counsel
you can still depend
on
God
to be
your rock.
God's the one
constant
the one that we can
count on
even when nobody else
is there for us.
And that psalm
that Pastor Nick read
between two of the songs
Psalm 54
was written
it says
when David was in
the wilderness of Ziph
and the Ziphites
went to Saul
and wanted to hand David over
and he wrote that psalm
that says
God is my helper
God is the upholder
of my life
he is the one
he is the rock.
David was betrayed
by men
but he was
he was strengthened
by God.
Through his guidance
through
through encouragement
and through protection.
Now what do we take away
from this?
I want to step back
from this chapter
for a little bit
and just talk about
where we are
in the story of David.
As I've said
this section of Samuel
focuses on David
being in the wilderness
when David was betrayed
when people were
seeking his life
when he was
enduring great hardships
and only later on
would David be exalted
and come to rule
over a glorious kingdom.
And there's a pattern
in the Bible
that suffering
comes before glory.
The wilderness
comes before
the promised land.
and betrayal
and hardship
come before
the kingdom.
In the New Testament
in Luke 24
Jesus said to his followers
on the road to Emmaus
he said
was it not necessary
that the Christ
the anointed one
the Messiah
should suffer
these things
and then enter
into his glory.
And it says
beginning with Moses
and all the prophets
he showed them
interpreted to them
in all the scriptures
the things concerning himself.
And sometimes you might wonder
well where does it say
in the Old Testament
that the Messiah
would suffer
and then
be glorified?
Well yes it says it
in Isaiah 53
and in Psalm 22
and in some of the
prophetic texts
but you know
this story
of the story of David
in the book of Samuel
sets a pattern
that goes through
the whole Bible.
And in the story
of David
God was laying down
a pattern
for the future Messiah
the ultimate king
King Jesus.
And the pattern
of David's life
was suffering
that eventually
led to glory.
And that's the very road
that Jesus walked.
He went into the wilderness
he was betrayed
he was humiliated
he was killed.
But then
God raised Jesus
from the dead
and just as David
was strengthened
by God
in the wilderness
and later on
exalted to be
the greatest king
of Israel
God strengthened Jesus
through his sufferings
and then God
exalted him
as Lord and Savior
over all
in his resurrection
and he's our king
our great
and true king.
So in the story
of David
we see a picture
of Jesus
who's to come
but we also see
a pattern
of our lives
as believers
in Jesus.
Because the New Testament
also says
it says in Acts 14
22
through many hardships
we must enter
the kingdom of God.
And just like David
had to live
in the wilderness
and go through
sufferings
and even be betrayed.
The Bible says
that that's
often what will
characterize
our life on earth.
But there is
a glorious kingdom
to come.
When Jesus comes again
and if we put
our trust in him
we will be part
of that eternal kingdom.
And all the suffering
and all the time
in the wilderness
and all the betrayals
and all the tears
will be washed away.
And in the midst of
while we walk
that path
we can be confident
that like David
even though we may
be betrayed
God will provide.
He provides
through wise counselors
like Abiyathar
he provides
through faithful friends
like Jonathan
and he provides
by being our rock
who protects us
who stands
in between us
and death.
Isn't that what Christ
did on the cross?
And one day
in the resurrection
he'll bring us
to glory.
Let's pray.
Lord God
we thank you
for your faithfulness
to David.
We thank you
that even in
a dark time
of his life
when he was
betrayed
twice
Lord we thank you
that you strengthened him.
We thank you
that you
did not abandon him.
And Lord
we thank you
for your son
Jesus Christ
who walked this road
of suffering
and glory
of betrayal
and yet
of the kingdom.
And Lord
we pray that you
would strengthen us
encourage us.
Lord help us
to be for one another
wise counselors
and faithful friends
and help us
most of all
to point one another
to rely on you
as our rock.
May you be our rock
in the midst
of the storms
of life.
And may you
lead us safely
home to you.
We pray these things
in Jesus name.
Amen.