WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.280 Walked around town, it's been a really refreshing stage of life. 00:00:03.899 --> 00:00:05.520 We do not have to lose our car that often. 00:00:06.400 --> 00:00:12.419 And so one of the places that we walk by pretty much every day is the Peabody Museum. 00:00:12.540 --> 00:00:17.800 And sometimes we'll go in and my daughter's just beginning to enjoy seeing the dinosaurs and the other animals. 00:00:18.679 --> 00:00:24.839 And the Peabody Museum, in its name, is a testimony to George Peabody. 00:00:25.500 --> 00:00:28.080 And you may not know who George Peabody is. 00:00:28.079 --> 00:00:30.939 You may know who he is, but probably most of you don't. 00:00:31.539 --> 00:00:40.460 And George Peabody was an English banker who made the bulk of his business in an international bond business in the 19th century. 00:00:40.460 --> 00:00:46.459 And so he, along with other names you might be familiar with, the Carnegie's, the Duke's, the Stanford's, 00:00:47.159 --> 00:00:57.659 he really had a lasting impact donating to, I think, at least a dozen, maybe two dozen different museums up and down the northeast coast. 00:00:58.079 --> 00:01:09.659 And one of the things that I learned this week that I didn't know is that the term generous is actually derived from a French word which means a noble birth. 00:01:09.659 --> 00:01:17.359 And so the reason I share that is because when we begin to think about generosity and how we're generous, 00:01:18.259 --> 00:01:27.239 one of the things that we do is we think about people who are more well-off than we are or have more power or have more money than we do. 00:01:27.679 --> 00:01:29.159 That's what generous means. 00:01:29.159 --> 00:01:37.340 But one of the challenges, one of the things we're going to be looking at in 1 Samuel 3rd is how we are called generous, 00:01:37.539 --> 00:01:38.959 regardless of how much we have. 00:01:40.219 --> 00:01:42.579 Ken Stern of The Atlantic puts it this way, 00:01:42.579 --> 00:01:44.079 quoting, 00:01:44.079 --> 00:01:50.659 if you scanned the press releases or drove past the many university buildings, which is particularly apropos here in New Haven, 00:01:51.759 --> 00:02:02.319 symphony halls, institutes, stadiums, named for their benefactors, or for that matter read the histories of grand giving by the Rockefellers, Carnegie's, Stanford's, and Duke's, 00:02:02.319 --> 00:02:09.219 you would be forgiven for thinking that the story of charity in this country, the story of charity in this country, 00:02:09.879 --> 00:02:13.479 is a story of epic generosity on the part of the American rich. 00:02:15.060 --> 00:02:18.439 A story of epic generosity on the part of the American rich. 00:02:19.219 --> 00:02:19.939 It is not. 00:02:20.500 --> 00:02:26.259 One of the most surprising and perhaps confounding facts of charity in America is that people who can least afford to give 00:02:26.259 --> 00:02:28.359 are the ones who give the most, 00:02:28.360 --> 00:02:32.360 who donate the greatest percentage of their income. 00:02:33.160 --> 00:02:38.780 In 2011, the wealthiest American, and for the purposes of what Ken Stern is talking about, 00:02:38.860 --> 00:02:42.820 who uses the wealthiest Americans as those that earn more than 20%, 00:02:42.820 --> 00:02:45.340 are in that top 20% income bracket, 00:02:45.960 --> 00:02:50.100 contributed on average 1.3% of their income to charity. 00:02:50.660 --> 00:02:51.820 1.3%. 00:02:51.820 --> 00:02:56.860 By comparison, Americans at the base of the income pyramid, 00:02:56.860 --> 00:02:58.700 those in the bottom 20%, 00:02:58.700 --> 00:03:01.440 donated 3.2% of their income. 00:03:01.940 --> 00:03:03.860 So top 20%, 1.3%. 00:03:04.400 --> 00:03:08.460 Lowest 20% donated 3.2% of their income. 00:03:10.480 --> 00:03:11.560 And that's the end of the quote, 00:03:11.660 --> 00:03:14.100 but what Stern goes on to conclude in this article 00:03:14.100 --> 00:03:18.560 isn't that charity is based on how much you earn. 00:03:19.040 --> 00:03:20.460 What he finds is that it isn't. 00:03:20.960 --> 00:03:24.660 What charity is based on is the proximity to the need. 00:03:24.659 --> 00:03:29.180 So, if someone in the upper 20% lives in a neighborhood 00:03:29.180 --> 00:03:33.039 where the majority of the people earn in the lowest 20%, 00:03:33.039 --> 00:03:38.579 you would find that their income giving actually increases to those around them. 00:03:38.580 --> 00:03:44.700 The long and the short of it is we have a generosity problem. 00:03:45.240 --> 00:03:47.400 And I don't mean just my wife and I. 00:03:47.500 --> 00:03:48.500 I don't mean just Trinity. 00:03:48.680 --> 00:03:49.900 I don't mean just Christians. 00:03:50.100 --> 00:03:52.700 I don't mean just Westerners. 00:03:52.800 --> 00:03:56.740 I mean, we as human beings have a charity problem. 00:03:58.000 --> 00:04:01.620 And that's what we're going to be looking at in 1 Samuel 30 this evening. 00:04:01.620 --> 00:04:05.300 It's the problem and invitation to generosity. 00:04:06.039 --> 00:04:07.719 So you can turn to 1 Samuel 30. 00:04:07.900 --> 00:04:10.240 We've been working our way through a study in 1 Samuel. 00:04:10.780 --> 00:04:14.340 And so we come to chapter 30, which can be found on page 151, 00:04:14.780 --> 00:04:16.040 if you're using the Bible here. 00:04:16.040 --> 00:04:26.060 Thank you, man. 00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:35.540 And so 1 Samuel 30 is a chapter about what a good king looks like. 00:04:36.080 --> 00:04:38.240 We're going to be looking at what David is doing. 00:04:38.240 --> 00:04:43.420 This is kind of his final penultimate act before he receives his coronation. 00:04:43.420 --> 00:04:49.280 And the long and the short of it is what does David do to be a worthy king? 00:04:49.340 --> 00:04:52.960 And what David does to be a worthy king is David is generous. 00:04:54.540 --> 00:04:56.920 But Samuel is also, and I've said this before, 00:04:57.060 --> 00:05:01.120 Samuel is also a book about who God chooses to use 00:05:01.120 --> 00:05:03.660 and what God wants his family to look like. 00:05:04.060 --> 00:05:07.420 And so for us, it's also a challenge not just for a Carnegie, 00:05:07.900 --> 00:05:12.800 not just for a Peabody, but for us about what our lives should look like. 00:05:12.800 --> 00:05:14.960 And so this is an invitation to us to be generous. 00:05:15.920 --> 00:05:17.120 It's a long chapter. 00:05:17.860 --> 00:05:19.040 It's 31 verses. 00:05:19.180 --> 00:05:21.340 And so we're going to be splitting it into three sections. 00:05:22.160 --> 00:05:23.740 And so the first section, 00:05:23.939 --> 00:05:28.360 the first section is going to be about how we often feel tempted 00:05:28.360 --> 00:05:30.340 to think we don't have anything to give. 00:05:30.720 --> 00:05:32.860 And that is we're just in survival mode. 00:05:33.240 --> 00:05:34.580 We're just trying to make it on our own. 00:05:34.660 --> 00:05:36.480 We don't have anything that we can give to anyone else. 00:05:36.840 --> 00:05:39.540 And so we're going to be looking at that tendency in verses 3 to 6. 00:05:39.540 --> 00:05:44.200 And second, we're going to be looking at how God breaks into that survivor mentality 00:05:44.200 --> 00:05:48.040 that we kind of get ourselves trapped into in verses 7 to 20. 00:05:48.480 --> 00:05:50.600 And then in verses 21 to 32, 00:05:50.960 --> 00:05:53.439 we're going to look at how God's breaking into our world 00:05:53.439 --> 00:05:55.740 and breaking us out of just a survivor mentality 00:05:55.740 --> 00:05:58.820 should move us to generosity. 00:05:58.819 --> 00:06:03.639 So first, reading from verse 3, 00:06:03.740 --> 00:06:07.060 and this is when David is coming home to a disaster. 00:06:08.560 --> 00:06:09.620 Verse 3 reads, 00:06:09.779 --> 00:06:12.019 And when David and his men came to the city, 00:06:12.659 --> 00:06:14.259 they found it burned with fire, 00:06:15.019 --> 00:06:18.519 and their wives and sons and daughters were taken captive. 00:06:19.899 --> 00:06:22.199 David and the people who were with him raised their voices 00:06:22.199 --> 00:06:24.579 and wept until they had no more strength to weep. 00:06:25.519 --> 00:06:28.019 David's two wives also had been taken captive. 00:06:28.019 --> 00:06:35.659 And David was greatly distressed, 00:06:36.339 --> 00:06:38.259 for the people spoke of stoning him, 00:06:38.799 --> 00:06:40.859 because all the people were bitter in soul, 00:06:41.639 --> 00:06:43.060 each for his sons and daughters. 00:06:45.120 --> 00:06:46.639 So to refresh your memory, 00:06:46.799 --> 00:06:48.879 if you're just coming in for the first week, 00:06:49.379 --> 00:06:53.319 last week Nick preached about this tricky situation 00:06:53.319 --> 00:06:54.740 that David found himself in. 00:06:54.740 --> 00:06:59.199 And the tricky situation that David found himself in was, 00:06:59.639 --> 00:07:02.340 he found himself living in his enemy's lands, 00:07:02.460 --> 00:07:04.460 he found himself living in Philistine lands, 00:07:05.019 --> 00:07:06.540 and so one of the things that he had to do 00:07:06.540 --> 00:07:07.879 to be able to live in those lands 00:07:07.879 --> 00:07:09.480 was he had to fight for the Philistines. 00:07:10.180 --> 00:07:12.579 And so he finds himself across the battlefield 00:07:12.579 --> 00:07:13.800 from his own people, 00:07:14.460 --> 00:07:16.100 about to engage with the people 00:07:16.100 --> 00:07:18.780 he is supposedly supposed to be the king of. 00:07:18.779 --> 00:07:23.219 And so Nick looked at how God delivers him from this situation 00:07:23.219 --> 00:07:26.319 and this battlefield in the northernmost part of the nation of Israel. 00:07:27.039 --> 00:07:28.779 And so in the intervening time, 00:07:28.879 --> 00:07:29.699 David has marched, 00:07:29.879 --> 00:07:30.719 he and his men, 00:07:31.479 --> 00:07:33.539 basically the entire length of the country, 00:07:33.679 --> 00:07:34.979 from the northernmost part 00:07:34.979 --> 00:07:37.319 to the southernmost part where he lives. 00:07:37.579 --> 00:07:38.479 And so they're tired, 00:07:38.619 --> 00:07:39.859 they're expecting to come home, 00:07:40.039 --> 00:07:41.779 and they're expecting to be refreshed. 00:07:42.279 --> 00:07:43.359 But what do they find? 00:07:44.000 --> 00:07:45.540 Well, what we know as the readers, 00:07:45.699 --> 00:07:47.860 and we didn't read this in verses 1 and 2, 00:07:47.960 --> 00:07:49.780 but what we know is that the Amalekites, 00:07:50.139 --> 00:07:52.040 which are another people group living in the land, 00:07:52.460 --> 00:07:54.139 while David and his men were gone, 00:07:54.540 --> 00:07:57.259 raided and burned to the ground his home. 00:07:58.160 --> 00:08:00.280 But David and his people don't know this, 00:08:00.300 --> 00:08:02.900 and this is one of the things that's valuable about splitting this. 00:08:03.199 --> 00:08:04.160 It's a long passage, 00:08:04.680 --> 00:08:06.180 but it's also helpful to split it up 00:08:06.180 --> 00:08:09.100 because it helps us to keep the narrative drama in place. 00:08:09.620 --> 00:08:11.060 David doesn't know who's done this. 00:08:11.120 --> 00:08:12.420 We know, but David doesn't know. 00:08:12.420 --> 00:08:15.580 And so David comes home, 00:08:15.960 --> 00:08:20.520 and he finds all of their families gone, 00:08:20.879 --> 00:08:21.600 taken captive. 00:08:22.100 --> 00:08:24.000 He finds everything burned to the ground 00:08:24.000 --> 00:08:26.140 while they were out. 00:08:27.640 --> 00:08:31.020 And at this point in the story, 00:08:31.120 --> 00:08:33.440 we're not quite sure that the theme of the story 00:08:33.440 --> 00:08:34.680 is really generosity, right? 00:08:34.700 --> 00:08:35.639 Because David is, 00:08:36.440 --> 00:08:38.700 David has come home to a burned home. 00:08:39.019 --> 00:08:41.779 He has come home when his entire family is gone, 00:08:41.779 --> 00:08:45.539 and so really David's just trying to survive. 00:08:45.740 --> 00:08:47.759 He's trying to think about how can I save my family. 00:08:47.980 --> 00:08:50.699 Generosity should be the furthest from his mind. 00:08:51.699 --> 00:08:55.220 And I think we get stuck in this survival mode as well, 00:08:55.319 --> 00:08:58.120 as if we have nothing to give, 00:08:58.159 --> 00:08:59.699 and we're only trying to survive. 00:08:59.700 --> 00:09:02.500 Now, I'm a big sports fan. 00:09:02.580 --> 00:09:03.980 If you name the sport, I like it. 00:09:04.480 --> 00:09:07.640 And one of the things I've noticed in strike after strike 00:09:07.640 --> 00:09:10.080 is a reporter will ask an athlete, 00:09:10.220 --> 00:09:12.460 you know, you make $8 million a year, 00:09:12.560 --> 00:09:13.900 why are you going on strike? 00:09:14.040 --> 00:09:15.980 And the thing you hear over and over again, 00:09:16.020 --> 00:09:18.000 and this is a human response, 00:09:18.080 --> 00:09:19.940 not just a wealthy response, 00:09:20.020 --> 00:09:21.120 is that, well, you know, 00:09:21.180 --> 00:09:22.560 I've got to feed my family. 00:09:22.559 --> 00:09:27.259 And I always wanted to ask in a situation like that, 00:09:27.399 --> 00:09:30.019 like, what are you feeding your family 00:09:30.019 --> 00:09:31.979 that you need to have more money? 00:09:35.119 --> 00:09:36.799 But I think we all get stuck in this. 00:09:36.919 --> 00:09:38.399 We get into this mentality of, 00:09:38.519 --> 00:09:40.299 I have to save for my kid's school, 00:09:40.439 --> 00:09:41.979 or I have to save for my retirement, 00:09:42.139 --> 00:09:43.479 or I have to save for a house, 00:09:43.759 --> 00:09:48.079 or I have to save for my kid's school, right? 00:09:48.080 --> 00:09:52.600 Or I have to save for my kid to have enough money 00:09:52.600 --> 00:09:54.120 to start a business or start a job. 00:09:54.180 --> 00:09:55.940 It's this never-ending mentality. 00:09:56.160 --> 00:09:56.960 We never get out of it. 00:09:57.000 --> 00:09:58.560 You never really have enough. 00:09:59.940 --> 00:10:02.120 We get stuck in a survival mode. 00:10:03.600 --> 00:10:06.300 In 2013, there were a number of films that came out 00:10:06.300 --> 00:10:09.639 that dealt with this basic human instinct 00:10:09.639 --> 00:10:11.879 of just surviving. 00:10:12.220 --> 00:10:13.480 There was Captain Phillips, 00:10:13.640 --> 00:10:15.820 which was about a ship being kidnapped 00:10:15.820 --> 00:10:17.060 off the coast of Somalia, 00:10:17.059 --> 00:10:18.719 and Captain Phillips is stuck 00:10:18.719 --> 00:10:20.479 in this really drastic situation. 00:10:21.019 --> 00:10:23.239 And he's just really letting his instincts take over 00:10:23.239 --> 00:10:24.239 and trying to survive. 00:10:24.459 --> 00:10:25.619 That's all he's trying to do. 00:10:26.279 --> 00:10:28.639 Another one that came out that year was Gravity. 00:10:28.919 --> 00:10:30.859 And Gravity is a movie about, 00:10:31.039 --> 00:10:32.939 I don't remember the name of the character, 00:10:33.119 --> 00:10:34.179 so we'll go with Sandra Bullock. 00:10:34.259 --> 00:10:36.119 Sandra Bullock's floating around in space, 00:10:36.699 --> 00:10:38.739 and she's just trying to figure out 00:10:38.739 --> 00:10:40.799 how to get back to Earth, how to survive. 00:10:41.519 --> 00:10:43.299 And the theme of these films, 00:10:44.019 --> 00:10:46.479 a common theme in the stories that we tell 00:10:46.480 --> 00:10:52.100 is that survival is the most basic human instinct. 00:10:53.659 --> 00:10:56.120 Cormac McCarthy is a writer who has written 00:10:56.120 --> 00:10:57.600 many famous books. 00:10:57.720 --> 00:10:59.240 He's written No Country for Old Men, 00:10:59.279 --> 00:11:00.360 which was made into a film. 00:11:00.840 --> 00:11:01.980 He wrote The Road. 00:11:02.480 --> 00:11:05.980 And Cormac McCarthy has really explored 00:11:05.980 --> 00:11:08.399 this natural human instinct of survival, 00:11:08.399 --> 00:11:15.179 and how we really have this absolutely necessary urge 00:11:15.179 --> 00:11:17.779 just to survive, to keep ourselves alive, 00:11:18.179 --> 00:11:20.899 and how this often is really a tragic instinct. 00:11:21.840 --> 00:11:24.139 But an interesting thing has happened 00:11:24.139 --> 00:11:27.779 in his thinking as he's written his books 00:11:27.779 --> 00:11:30.500 that you can track in the progression of the books, 00:11:30.500 --> 00:11:33.519 and that is that he's begun to ask the question, 00:11:34.740 --> 00:11:37.000 well, why survive? 00:11:37.779 --> 00:11:41.860 And so in The Road, The Road is this post-apocalyptic book. 00:11:42.019 --> 00:11:45.519 It's this post-nuclear disaster sort of situation 00:11:45.519 --> 00:11:48.059 where the father and son are walking on a road, 00:11:48.159 --> 00:11:49.700 and it's a very minimalistic book. 00:11:49.700 --> 00:11:52.820 And they're just walking on a road and trying to survive. 00:11:53.600 --> 00:11:56.460 And so this father feels the pressure just to survive 00:11:56.460 --> 00:11:59.879 and to make sure that his son survives. 00:12:00.580 --> 00:12:03.840 But what his son begins to realize as the story unfolds 00:12:03.840 --> 00:12:05.720 is his son begins to ask the question, 00:12:05.879 --> 00:12:09.140 well, again, why survive? 00:12:09.360 --> 00:12:11.960 And maybe it's worth, despite the risk, 00:12:12.040 --> 00:12:13.879 to try to reach out to these people 00:12:13.879 --> 00:12:15.980 that are on the periphery of their lives 00:12:15.980 --> 00:12:17.420 as potential threats. 00:12:17.419 --> 00:12:18.959 And the son begins to realize, 00:12:19.099 --> 00:12:22.939 well, maybe it's worth the risk of not surviving 00:12:22.939 --> 00:12:26.019 to reach out to those around me. 00:12:26.799 --> 00:12:28.879 Survival cannot be the end game. 00:12:29.839 --> 00:12:32.839 And so this is what we find in 1 Samuel 30, 00:12:33.159 --> 00:12:35.159 is that David still needs his men, 00:12:35.199 --> 00:12:36.339 and his men need him. 00:12:37.579 --> 00:12:39.579 And so in the second part of our story, 00:12:39.659 --> 00:12:41.659 as we come to it, God breaks in 00:12:41.659 --> 00:12:45.860 and intervenes in this nasty self-perpetuating cycle 00:12:45.860 --> 00:12:48.139 of just survival that we have as human beings. 00:12:48.980 --> 00:12:49.860 God provides. 00:12:50.800 --> 00:12:52.480 Verse 8 and continuing. 00:12:53.480 --> 00:12:55.019 So David inquired of the Lord, 00:12:55.720 --> 00:12:57.680 shall I pursue after this band, 00:12:57.759 --> 00:13:01.220 that is the raiding party that has raided his family's home, 00:13:01.659 --> 00:13:03.620 and will I overtake them? 00:13:05.080 --> 00:13:08.100 God answered him, pursue, for you will overtake them, 00:13:08.259 --> 00:13:10.100 and shall surely rescue. 00:13:10.100 --> 00:13:12.659 So David sets out, 00:13:12.779 --> 00:13:14.300 and 600 men who were with him, 00:13:14.340 --> 00:13:15.820 and they come to the brook Besor, 00:13:16.600 --> 00:13:18.519 where those who were left behind stayed. 00:13:19.560 --> 00:13:21.779 David pursued, he and 400 men, 00:13:22.120 --> 00:13:23.620 but 200 stayed behind, 00:13:23.720 --> 00:13:26.540 the ones that were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor. 00:13:28.220 --> 00:13:30.399 And they found an Egyptian in the open country, 00:13:31.220 --> 00:13:32.279 and brought him to David, 00:13:32.560 --> 00:13:34.060 and they gave him bread, and he ate. 00:13:34.059 --> 00:13:36.139 They gave him water to drink, 00:13:36.239 --> 00:13:38.779 and they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, 00:13:38.899 --> 00:13:40.619 and two clusters of raisins. 00:13:41.239 --> 00:13:43.379 And when he had eaten, his spirit revived, 00:13:43.959 --> 00:13:46.299 for he had not eaten bread or drunk water 00:13:46.299 --> 00:13:47.959 for three days and three nights. 00:13:48.579 --> 00:13:50.079 And David said to him, 00:13:50.559 --> 00:13:52.000 to whom do you belong, 00:13:52.219 --> 00:13:53.239 and where are you from? 00:13:54.359 --> 00:13:56.279 He said, I am a young man of Egypt, 00:13:56.579 --> 00:13:57.919 servant to an Amalekite, 00:13:58.579 --> 00:14:01.239 and my master left me behind 00:14:01.240 --> 00:14:03.100 because I fell sick three days ago. 00:14:03.759 --> 00:14:06.320 We made a raid against the Negev of Caleb, 00:14:06.480 --> 00:14:07.460 and we burned Ziklag, 00:14:07.580 --> 00:14:08.899 Ziklag is David's home, 00:14:09.639 --> 00:14:10.220 with fire. 00:14:11.340 --> 00:14:12.299 And David said to him, 00:14:12.320 --> 00:14:13.899 will you take me down to this band? 00:14:14.500 --> 00:14:15.100 And he said, 00:14:15.180 --> 00:14:17.580 swear to me by God that you will not kill me 00:14:17.580 --> 00:14:19.940 or deliver me into the hands of my master, 00:14:20.120 --> 00:14:21.279 and I will take you down. 00:14:22.460 --> 00:14:24.419 And so skipping to the conclusion of this, 00:14:24.419 --> 00:14:25.519 in verse 18, 00:14:25.639 --> 00:14:28.060 David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, 00:14:28.820 --> 00:14:30.700 and David rescued his two wives. 00:14:30.700 --> 00:14:31.879 Nothing was missing, 00:14:31.960 --> 00:14:33.040 whether small or great, 00:14:33.220 --> 00:14:33.879 sons or daughters, 00:14:34.080 --> 00:14:35.940 spoil or anything that had been taken. 00:14:36.660 --> 00:14:38.720 David captured all the flocks and herds, 00:14:38.940 --> 00:14:41.259 and the people drove the livestock before him. 00:14:42.400 --> 00:14:44.460 Now that's a long section of text, 00:14:44.900 --> 00:14:46.280 but here's the most important thing. 00:14:47.000 --> 00:14:49.080 David asked God to help him, 00:14:49.560 --> 00:14:51.000 and so God does. 00:14:52.040 --> 00:14:54.540 But what God's provision looks like, 00:14:54.600 --> 00:14:57.080 and this is important because this is what God's provision looks like 00:14:57.080 --> 00:14:58.100 for in our lives, 00:14:58.759 --> 00:15:02.759 is a happenstance encounter with a foreigner in the wilderness. 00:15:04.520 --> 00:15:07.020 Now 1 Samuel is a book filled with foreign places, 00:15:07.259 --> 00:15:08.060 and foreign people, 00:15:08.600 --> 00:15:10.360 and foreign names that we've never met. 00:15:11.100 --> 00:15:17.480 And so we can get into the tendency of beginning to feel like it's irrelevant, 00:15:17.480 --> 00:15:19.259 irrelevant, or too foreign, 00:15:19.500 --> 00:15:20.159 or abstract, 00:15:20.700 --> 00:15:21.980 or even unreal. 00:15:22.759 --> 00:15:27.779 Our eyes can begin to glaze over as we read all these unknown details. 00:15:28.659 --> 00:15:30.720 But the point to take away here 00:15:30.720 --> 00:15:33.720 is that God is working in a real world, 00:15:33.820 --> 00:15:34.700 with real people, 00:15:34.820 --> 00:15:36.720 who have real needs like you and I. 00:15:38.139 --> 00:15:39.039 Now for a long time, 00:15:39.100 --> 00:15:41.620 many scholars thought that David was just a fabrication, 00:15:41.620 --> 00:15:45.580 that David was a fictional character made up in 1 and 2 Samuel. 00:15:47.560 --> 00:15:50.580 But in a dig in 1993 in Israel, 00:15:50.779 --> 00:15:53.279 archaeologists came across a small piece of pottery, 00:15:53.720 --> 00:15:55.779 and this was significant, 00:15:55.960 --> 00:15:57.840 but it may not seem significant to you. 00:15:57.919 --> 00:16:00.159 They came across a small piece of pottery that said, 00:16:00.940 --> 00:16:02.139 from the house of Israel, 00:16:03.159 --> 00:16:04.720 from a king of Israel, 00:16:04.919 --> 00:16:06.080 from the house of David. 00:16:07.019 --> 00:16:09.580 And that's all that the inscription said, 00:16:09.580 --> 00:16:12.620 and the inscription has come to be called the Tell Dan inscription. 00:16:12.879 --> 00:16:13.920 That's just where they found it. 00:16:14.180 --> 00:16:15.580 They found it in the city of Dan. 00:16:16.240 --> 00:16:19.440 And it was significant because what it was, 00:16:19.460 --> 00:16:23.300 was it was the first extra-biblical confirmation 00:16:23.300 --> 00:16:25.460 of 1 and 2 Samuel, 00:16:25.820 --> 00:16:27.840 that there was actually a real David. 00:16:29.540 --> 00:16:30.020 And it was, 00:16:30.379 --> 00:16:31.820 there was a king of Israel 00:16:31.820 --> 00:16:33.500 that came from the house of David. 00:16:33.900 --> 00:16:36.379 And this was significant because it was 00:16:36.379 --> 00:16:39.240 from the family dynasty of David 00:16:39.240 --> 00:16:40.980 exactly when and where 00:16:40.980 --> 00:16:43.559 you would expect to find that piece of evidence 00:16:43.559 --> 00:16:46.340 if 1 Samuel was telling the truth about David. 00:16:47.980 --> 00:16:48.700 That is, 00:16:49.360 --> 00:16:51.919 this story is a story about real people 00:16:51.919 --> 00:16:53.840 living in real life. 00:16:55.600 --> 00:16:59.480 And 1 Samuel is a story that is full of real facts, right? 00:16:59.519 --> 00:17:01.940 They find this Egyptian man, 00:17:02.100 --> 00:17:03.100 and they say what? 00:17:03.179 --> 00:17:05.440 They say that he was eating a cake of figs. 00:17:05.440 --> 00:17:07.920 They say he was eating two clusters of raisins. 00:17:08.039 --> 00:17:10.360 This was a real story. 00:17:11.340 --> 00:17:13.259 And in this chance encounter 00:17:13.259 --> 00:17:15.620 with a real person, 00:17:16.120 --> 00:17:18.600 this is how God is providing for David. 00:17:19.500 --> 00:17:21.660 He provides him all the tactical information 00:17:21.660 --> 00:17:23.360 he needs to score a stunning victory. 00:17:23.920 --> 00:17:25.580 And this is the way that God provides. 00:17:25.740 --> 00:17:27.559 God doesn't necessarily provide in our lives 00:17:27.559 --> 00:17:30.420 in a stunningly successful way like this. 00:17:30.420 --> 00:17:32.300 But how he does provide 00:17:32.300 --> 00:17:35.019 is he provides in concrete and human ways 00:17:35.019 --> 00:17:37.539 through relationships and people 00:17:37.539 --> 00:17:39.060 in specific places 00:17:39.060 --> 00:17:41.060 like at your home or your work 00:17:41.060 --> 00:17:41.840 or here at Trinity. 00:17:42.480 --> 00:17:45.460 I have actually driven over the Wadi Basur, 00:17:45.539 --> 00:17:46.160 the Wadi Basur, 00:17:46.220 --> 00:17:47.320 and I say Wadi because Wadi 00:17:47.320 --> 00:17:48.620 is just a dry riverbed 00:17:48.620 --> 00:17:52.580 that fills up in the rain season. 00:17:53.060 --> 00:17:54.220 And I have a map up here 00:17:54.220 --> 00:17:54.960 that you can look at. 00:17:55.060 --> 00:17:56.580 You probably won't be able to see it now. 00:17:56.579 --> 00:18:00.919 Now, the area that we're looking at today is here. 00:18:01.299 --> 00:18:02.679 And so you can come up after the service 00:18:02.679 --> 00:18:03.740 and look at this if you want. 00:18:03.859 --> 00:18:05.099 But I share this, 00:18:05.480 --> 00:18:07.659 not so you have a knowledge 00:18:07.659 --> 00:18:09.799 of where the particular things were happening, 00:18:09.899 --> 00:18:10.699 but just to show you 00:18:10.699 --> 00:18:14.480 that this is a satellite map from our time. 00:18:15.179 --> 00:18:15.419 Okay? 00:18:15.500 --> 00:18:17.799 This is a map of our world. 00:18:18.179 --> 00:18:20.399 And these events that are talking about David 00:18:20.399 --> 00:18:22.379 are happening in real life 00:18:22.379 --> 00:18:24.359 in a place you can go to today. 00:18:24.359 --> 00:18:29.139 The other key thing we need to take away 00:18:29.139 --> 00:18:30.039 from this story 00:18:30.039 --> 00:18:31.579 about David's providential counter 00:18:31.579 --> 00:18:32.299 with the Egyptian 00:18:32.299 --> 00:18:34.799 is that God's people, us, 00:18:35.579 --> 00:18:36.979 are to be a people of charity. 00:18:38.339 --> 00:18:39.679 Now, the Amalekites, 00:18:40.179 --> 00:18:41.619 when they stole from David, 00:18:43.099 --> 00:18:44.479 didn't kill his family, 00:18:44.859 --> 00:18:46.699 which might tempt us to think that, 00:18:46.839 --> 00:18:49.479 oh, these people are somewhat of a merciful people. 00:18:50.599 --> 00:18:52.579 But we're disavowed of that tendency 00:18:52.579 --> 00:18:54.639 when we see David running into the Egyptian. 00:18:55.819 --> 00:18:57.819 This is an Egyptian who was a servant 00:18:57.819 --> 00:18:59.639 that was discarded. 00:19:00.539 --> 00:19:01.539 And so we learn that 00:19:01.539 --> 00:19:03.579 what the Amalekites want to do 00:19:03.579 --> 00:19:05.000 with the captives that they've taken, 00:19:05.419 --> 00:19:06.399 with David's family, 00:19:06.779 --> 00:19:10.519 is they want to use them as slaves. 00:19:10.919 --> 00:19:12.019 And they want to use them 00:19:12.019 --> 00:19:14.460 as literally disposable commodities. 00:19:14.460 --> 00:19:19.600 But in the midst of David's desperate situation, 00:19:19.740 --> 00:19:19.940 right, 00:19:20.000 --> 00:19:21.620 in this desperate race 00:19:21.620 --> 00:19:23.240 to get his family to survive, 00:19:24.319 --> 00:19:26.319 they stop and they feed a stranger. 00:19:26.480 --> 00:19:27.640 Half the story is spent 00:19:27.640 --> 00:19:30.100 describing feeding 00:19:30.100 --> 00:19:32.700 a random Egyptian in the wilderness. 00:19:34.180 --> 00:19:35.059 They're generous. 00:19:36.019 --> 00:19:37.579 And because of that, 00:19:38.079 --> 00:19:39.500 God will bless them. 00:19:39.500 --> 00:19:40.019 Now, 00:19:41.059 --> 00:19:43.880 I worked for six years with youth 00:19:43.880 --> 00:19:45.299 and I had a mentor there 00:19:45.299 --> 00:19:47.779 who had been on the job for 30 years. 00:19:47.960 --> 00:19:49.279 And so he taught me a lot. 00:19:50.839 --> 00:19:54.339 And he died suddenly from a heart attack in 2011. 00:19:56.940 --> 00:19:58.680 But although I was several states away, 00:19:58.799 --> 00:20:00.779 I had to go to the funeral. 00:20:00.940 --> 00:20:01.700 I just had to go. 00:20:02.119 --> 00:20:03.640 I stopped doing what I was doing. 00:20:03.740 --> 00:20:04.700 I took days off work 00:20:04.700 --> 00:20:06.039 and I just went down to the funeral. 00:20:06.039 --> 00:20:09.139 And the thing that struck me about the funeral 00:20:09.139 --> 00:20:11.859 is that anyone I had ever seen working there 00:20:11.859 --> 00:20:13.139 was there. 00:20:13.779 --> 00:20:14.720 There were people that came 00:20:14.720 --> 00:20:16.240 from much further away than me. 00:20:16.359 --> 00:20:18.139 People that came from California, Virginia, 00:20:18.299 --> 00:20:19.339 all over the country. 00:20:21.980 --> 00:20:23.700 And there were people that came 00:20:23.700 --> 00:20:27.059 from all aspects of the job. 00:20:27.240 --> 00:20:28.819 There were ground crew 00:20:28.819 --> 00:20:29.940 and there were kitchen workers. 00:20:30.079 --> 00:20:31.180 There were temporary staff. 00:20:31.259 --> 00:20:32.339 There were full-time staff. 00:20:32.680 --> 00:20:33.519 Everyone came. 00:20:33.680 --> 00:20:35.700 There were several thousand people there. 00:20:36.039 --> 00:20:39.259 And they didn't come 00:20:39.259 --> 00:20:43.059 because he had a lot of money. 00:20:43.240 --> 00:20:44.539 They didn't come because, honestly, 00:20:44.639 --> 00:20:45.279 he was a visionary 00:20:45.279 --> 00:20:47.659 or particularly brilliant. 00:20:48.819 --> 00:20:50.220 They didn't come because 00:20:50.220 --> 00:20:53.099 he was the best man you had ever met. 00:20:53.200 --> 00:20:54.039 He could be impatient. 00:20:54.180 --> 00:20:54.799 He could be gruff. 00:20:54.859 --> 00:20:55.519 He could be stubborn. 00:20:58.799 --> 00:21:01.599 But they came because he cared. 00:21:01.599 --> 00:21:05.659 He cared about everyone. 00:21:05.919 --> 00:21:06.579 And at some point, 00:21:06.639 --> 00:21:07.679 he would always sit down with you 00:21:07.679 --> 00:21:08.579 and ask you, 00:21:08.639 --> 00:21:09.299 how are you doing? 00:21:10.019 --> 00:21:11.719 But he would do it in a way 00:21:11.719 --> 00:21:14.419 that he expected an answer. 00:21:14.519 --> 00:21:16.259 And he had space in his life 00:21:16.259 --> 00:21:17.839 for there to be an answer. 00:21:19.719 --> 00:21:21.139 Which is to say he was generous. 00:21:23.139 --> 00:21:25.099 He shared the space of his life. 00:21:25.099 --> 00:21:30.279 And I don't know what that looks like for you. 00:21:30.379 --> 00:21:32.559 Maybe it's committing to have someone over 00:21:32.559 --> 00:21:34.179 in the midst of your crazy week 00:21:34.179 --> 00:21:35.659 once a week for dinner 00:21:35.659 --> 00:21:38.559 and sharing the crazy space of your life 00:21:38.559 --> 00:21:39.259 with other people. 00:21:40.379 --> 00:21:43.159 Maybe it's going on a ride with Greg 00:21:43.159 --> 00:21:46.379 or participating in another one of the ministries 00:21:46.379 --> 00:21:47.039 here at Trinity 00:21:47.039 --> 00:21:48.559 that participates in the community. 00:21:49.339 --> 00:21:51.119 But put yourself in a place 00:21:51.119 --> 00:21:52.459 to be generous. 00:21:53.239 --> 00:21:55.179 And the first step towards that 00:21:55.179 --> 00:21:58.659 is knowing what the needs of the community are. 00:21:59.299 --> 00:22:00.419 You can't be generous 00:22:00.419 --> 00:22:02.539 before you know what your neighbor needs. 00:22:06.179 --> 00:22:07.699 And my encouragement to you would be 00:22:07.699 --> 00:22:09.779 that being generous isn't an event. 00:22:09.779 --> 00:22:12.839 You don't go from being a not generous person 00:22:12.839 --> 00:22:14.219 to being a generous person. 00:22:15.319 --> 00:22:19.399 It takes a lifetime of small and faithful acts 00:22:19.400 --> 00:22:22.600 to be changed into the sort of person 00:22:22.600 --> 00:22:24.140 that has the character of generosity. 00:22:27.240 --> 00:22:28.440 Back to our text. 00:22:29.759 --> 00:22:31.660 Another one of the questions we have to ask is 00:22:31.660 --> 00:22:33.440 so what about these Amalekites? 00:22:34.720 --> 00:22:37.759 Why does God seem to fixate so much on them? 00:22:38.420 --> 00:22:39.620 This small group of people. 00:22:40.640 --> 00:22:42.160 We might be tempted to think 00:22:42.160 --> 00:22:43.460 that this is an ethnic thing. 00:22:44.580 --> 00:22:46.240 That God's for the Israelites 00:22:46.240 --> 00:22:47.780 but he's not for the Amalekites 00:22:47.779 --> 00:22:49.899 because they just happen to be 00:22:49.899 --> 00:22:52.339 a part of the wrong ethnic group. 00:22:53.399 --> 00:22:54.740 But we know that can't be the case 00:22:54.740 --> 00:22:55.779 and we know that can't be the case 00:22:55.779 --> 00:22:57.579 because we find at the end of the chapter 00:22:57.579 --> 00:22:59.980 David inviting in many people 00:22:59.980 --> 00:23:01.639 who are not ethnic Israelites 00:23:01.639 --> 00:23:03.299 to be a part of the nation. 00:23:03.940 --> 00:23:04.980 You can look at that list 00:23:04.980 --> 00:23:05.799 at the end of the chapter 00:23:05.799 --> 00:23:08.019 which we won't be reading this evening. 00:23:08.819 --> 00:23:10.720 But David invites many different types 00:23:10.720 --> 00:23:11.319 of ethnic people 00:23:11.319 --> 00:23:12.799 to be part of the nation of Israel. 00:23:13.740 --> 00:23:15.059 So what's going on here? 00:23:15.059 --> 00:23:18.559 Why does Saul lose the kingdom 00:23:18.559 --> 00:23:21.039 over not finishing off the Amalekites 00:23:21.039 --> 00:23:22.339 in 1 Samuel 15? 00:23:22.500 --> 00:23:23.440 That's what happens. 00:23:24.200 --> 00:23:28.419 Saul is tasked with stopping the Amalekites 00:23:28.419 --> 00:23:29.579 from raiding Israel 00:23:29.579 --> 00:23:31.119 and he does. 00:23:31.200 --> 00:23:32.159 He defeats them in battle 00:23:32.159 --> 00:23:34.240 but instead of destroying their animals 00:23:34.240 --> 00:23:35.899 he takes them for himself. 00:23:37.159 --> 00:23:38.720 And we can get the impression 00:23:38.720 --> 00:23:40.619 that God's being vindictive here. 00:23:40.619 --> 00:23:43.739 But here's where we have to look 00:23:43.739 --> 00:23:44.500 at the bigger story 00:23:44.500 --> 00:23:45.799 to understand what's going on. 00:23:47.599 --> 00:23:49.059 We first meet the Amalekites 00:23:49.059 --> 00:23:50.339 in Deuteronomy 25. 00:23:51.479 --> 00:23:53.959 But rather than them being hospitable 00:23:53.959 --> 00:23:57.919 to pilgrims that are passing through 00:23:57.919 --> 00:23:59.479 that have need for food and water 00:23:59.479 --> 00:24:03.079 we find the Amalekites acting like lions. 00:24:03.519 --> 00:24:05.679 That is they're waiting in the wings 00:24:05.679 --> 00:24:07.479 to pick off the weak and hungry 00:24:07.480 --> 00:24:08.680 in the tribe. 00:24:11.279 --> 00:24:14.380 And we find them doing the same thing 00:24:14.380 --> 00:24:15.640 over and over again 00:24:15.640 --> 00:24:17.480 in 1 Samuel to Saul and his people 00:24:17.480 --> 00:24:18.779 and so they've done the same thing 00:24:18.779 --> 00:24:20.799 to David and his home. 00:24:22.079 --> 00:24:24.160 And so this is what is so devastating 00:24:24.160 --> 00:24:26.920 about Saul's failure 00:24:26.920 --> 00:24:31.079 with the Amalekites in 1 Samuel 15. 00:24:31.079 --> 00:24:33.740 Because Saul is as greedy 00:24:33.740 --> 00:24:34.859 as the Amalekites. 00:24:36.500 --> 00:24:38.159 That is rather than affirming 00:24:38.159 --> 00:24:39.299 God's commitment to those 00:24:39.299 --> 00:24:40.859 who are weak and hungry 00:24:40.859 --> 00:24:42.339 and in most need of protection 00:24:42.339 --> 00:24:45.079 Saul looks out for himself. 00:24:46.539 --> 00:24:48.000 And so in defeating the Amalekites 00:24:48.000 --> 00:24:49.720 in this story in 1 Samuel 30 00:24:49.720 --> 00:24:52.139 David is reaffirming God's commitment 00:24:52.139 --> 00:24:53.159 to the least of these. 00:24:54.119 --> 00:24:55.419 Which is the same danger 00:24:55.419 --> 00:24:56.500 we find in our chapter. 00:24:57.679 --> 00:24:58.899 Verse 20 continues. 00:24:58.900 --> 00:25:01.380 David captured all the flocks 00:25:01.380 --> 00:25:02.220 and the herds 00:25:02.220 --> 00:25:04.259 and the people drove the livestock 00:25:04.259 --> 00:25:05.519 before him and said 00:25:05.519 --> 00:25:07.060 this is David's spoil. 00:25:07.800 --> 00:25:09.840 This should be an uh-oh moment for us. 00:25:09.920 --> 00:25:11.220 Is David going to do what Saul did? 00:25:12.080 --> 00:25:14.120 Then David came to the 200 men 00:25:14.120 --> 00:25:15.280 who had been too exhausted 00:25:15.280 --> 00:25:16.600 to follow David into battle 00:25:16.600 --> 00:25:18.640 and had been left at the Brook Besor. 00:25:19.360 --> 00:25:20.800 And they went out to meet David 00:25:20.800 --> 00:25:22.200 and to meet people who were with him. 00:25:23.580 --> 00:25:25.600 But when David came near to the people 00:25:25.600 --> 00:25:27.820 he greeted them. 00:25:27.819 --> 00:25:30.319 But all the wicked and worthless fellows 00:25:30.319 --> 00:25:30.980 among the men 00:25:30.980 --> 00:25:32.879 who had gone to battle with David said 00:25:32.879 --> 00:25:34.720 because they didn't go with us 00:25:34.720 --> 00:25:37.460 we will not give them anything 00:25:37.460 --> 00:25:38.659 that we earned in battle 00:25:38.659 --> 00:25:40.799 except give each man 00:25:40.799 --> 00:25:43.240 his wife and his children 00:25:43.240 --> 00:25:44.399 and let them leave. 00:25:45.839 --> 00:25:46.619 But David said 00:25:46.619 --> 00:25:48.179 you shall not do this my brothers 00:25:48.179 --> 00:25:50.179 with what the Lord has given us. 00:25:50.439 --> 00:25:51.659 He has preserved us 00:25:51.659 --> 00:25:52.720 and given into our hand 00:25:52.720 --> 00:25:54.220 the band that came against us. 00:25:54.740 --> 00:25:56.439 Who would listen to you in this matter? 00:25:56.440 --> 00:25:58.420 For as his share is 00:25:58.420 --> 00:25:59.740 who goes down into the battle 00:25:59.740 --> 00:26:01.680 so shall his share be 00:26:01.680 --> 00:26:02.980 who stays by the baggage. 00:26:04.140 --> 00:26:05.559 They all share alike. 00:26:06.440 --> 00:26:07.660 And so David made a statute 00:26:07.660 --> 00:26:10.420 and a rule for Israel 00:26:10.420 --> 00:26:12.080 from that day forward to this day. 00:26:12.840 --> 00:26:14.200 And when David came to Ziklag 00:26:14.200 --> 00:26:16.100 he sent part of his spoil too 00:26:16.100 --> 00:26:17.539 to his friends. 00:26:19.799 --> 00:26:20.940 God gives to us 00:26:20.940 --> 00:26:22.080 so that we can give to others. 00:26:22.079 --> 00:26:24.539 When David and his men 00:26:24.539 --> 00:26:25.699 returned from the victory 00:26:25.699 --> 00:26:27.939 the ones who did the actual fighting 00:26:27.939 --> 00:26:29.519 say to those who were too tired 00:26:29.519 --> 00:26:31.539 after three days of marching 00:26:31.539 --> 00:26:33.000 they shouldn't get anything. 00:26:33.559 --> 00:26:34.599 Give them their families 00:26:34.599 --> 00:26:35.819 but give them nothing else. 00:26:36.139 --> 00:26:37.299 Let them pack their bags 00:26:37.299 --> 00:26:38.139 and be on their way. 00:26:39.779 --> 00:26:40.619 Now we have to remember 00:26:40.619 --> 00:26:41.899 that these are the same men 00:26:41.899 --> 00:26:43.699 who wanted to stone David 00:26:43.699 --> 00:26:44.439 the day before. 00:26:45.659 --> 00:26:46.679 But David does something 00:26:46.679 --> 00:26:47.720 really sad and he says 00:26:47.720 --> 00:26:48.019 no. 00:26:49.779 --> 00:26:51.140 No we're not going to do that. 00:26:51.839 --> 00:26:52.779 Because technically 00:26:52.779 --> 00:26:53.839 they all came out 00:26:53.839 --> 00:26:54.440 to the battlefield. 00:26:55.579 --> 00:26:56.519 Some were fighting 00:26:56.519 --> 00:26:57.839 but some were watching 00:26:57.839 --> 00:26:58.539 our gear. 00:26:59.059 --> 00:26:59.819 But they were all 00:26:59.819 --> 00:27:00.400 on the battlefield 00:27:00.400 --> 00:27:02.180 and so everyone shares equally. 00:27:03.360 --> 00:27:04.200 And so then also 00:27:04.200 --> 00:27:05.779 David from his own keep 00:27:05.779 --> 00:27:06.740 his own earnings 00:27:06.740 --> 00:27:09.819 which Saul before him 00:27:09.819 --> 00:27:10.860 was condemned for keeping. 00:27:11.880 --> 00:27:12.680 David gives gifts 00:27:12.680 --> 00:27:14.059 to all the neighboring communities. 00:27:14.420 --> 00:27:15.700 And this is what that does. 00:27:15.700 --> 00:27:18.019 In giving to all the neighboring communities 00:27:18.019 --> 00:27:19.340 what David does 00:27:19.340 --> 00:27:21.819 is he allows safe passage 00:27:21.819 --> 00:27:23.019 for all of his men. 00:27:23.779 --> 00:27:25.740 His men can come and go 00:27:25.740 --> 00:27:26.620 as they please 00:27:26.620 --> 00:27:28.259 without being harassed. 00:27:29.019 --> 00:27:30.720 This is the act of a good king. 00:27:31.420 --> 00:27:33.400 Of a person worth being a king. 00:27:35.140 --> 00:27:37.220 Now we do have to ask 00:27:37.220 --> 00:27:38.380 and I think it's fair to ask 00:27:38.380 --> 00:27:40.200 that David is a very savvy man. 00:27:41.340 --> 00:27:43.200 And so we can ask 00:27:43.200 --> 00:27:44.420 is David doing this 00:27:44.420 --> 00:27:46.100 to maintain an army 00:27:46.100 --> 00:27:47.720 and expand his own influence 00:27:47.720 --> 00:27:49.120 and increase his own reputation? 00:27:50.460 --> 00:27:50.980 Absolutely. 00:27:51.860 --> 00:27:52.680 That is the motivation 00:27:52.680 --> 00:27:54.440 for all that he's doing 00:27:54.440 --> 00:27:55.140 in this chapter. 00:27:56.080 --> 00:27:57.779 But what God's saying 00:27:57.779 --> 00:27:58.580 to us 00:27:58.580 --> 00:28:00.680 is that a good king 00:28:00.680 --> 00:28:02.060 is a generous king. 00:28:03.100 --> 00:28:04.860 As far back as chapter 8 00:28:04.860 --> 00:28:06.560 Samuel had warned the people. 00:28:06.660 --> 00:28:07.980 The whole theme of 1 Samuel 00:28:07.980 --> 00:28:08.680 is about a king. 00:28:09.019 --> 00:28:10.420 And Samuel had warned the people. 00:28:10.800 --> 00:28:12.080 You're asking for a king. 00:28:12.079 --> 00:28:14.099 But when I give you a king 00:28:14.099 --> 00:28:15.359 this is what's going to happen. 00:28:16.220 --> 00:28:17.619 The king's going to get greedy. 00:28:18.439 --> 00:28:19.279 And you're not going to be able 00:28:19.279 --> 00:28:20.000 to stop the king. 00:28:20.099 --> 00:28:20.939 And so the king's going to take 00:28:20.939 --> 00:28:22.199 whatever he wants from you. 00:28:25.480 --> 00:28:26.639 This is the fear we have 00:28:26.639 --> 00:28:27.960 of a king, isn't it? 00:28:28.679 --> 00:28:29.639 Can we trust someone 00:28:29.639 --> 00:28:31.519 who has power over us? 00:28:32.339 --> 00:28:34.439 But here David is giving back. 00:28:34.599 --> 00:28:35.639 David is sacrificing 00:28:35.639 --> 00:28:37.379 for the sake of his people. 00:28:37.380 --> 00:28:39.600 Because in a damaged world 00:28:39.600 --> 00:28:40.860 people need a ruler 00:28:40.860 --> 00:28:41.980 who will sacrifice 00:28:41.980 --> 00:28:44.300 to knock us out of our orbit 00:28:44.300 --> 00:28:45.460 of only surviving 00:28:45.460 --> 00:28:48.340 to a place of being generous 00:28:48.340 --> 00:28:49.540 and caring for others. 00:28:51.060 --> 00:28:52.740 Consider the jack pine tree. 00:28:53.640 --> 00:28:54.820 The jack pine tree 00:28:54.820 --> 00:28:56.340 is one of the most prolific trees 00:28:56.340 --> 00:28:56.920 in the world. 00:28:57.380 --> 00:28:58.540 It survives in exceedingly 00:28:58.540 --> 00:28:59.600 cold climates 00:28:59.600 --> 00:29:01.940 and in areas where other plant life 00:29:01.940 --> 00:29:02.700 can be decimated 00:29:02.700 --> 00:29:03.680 by forest fires. 00:29:03.680 --> 00:29:06.539 Now the way it does that 00:29:06.539 --> 00:29:08.600 is its lowest branches 00:29:08.600 --> 00:29:09.539 fall down. 00:29:10.480 --> 00:29:11.900 So fires can't catch 00:29:11.900 --> 00:29:13.519 onto the lowest branches 00:29:13.519 --> 00:29:15.060 and eat up into the higher parts 00:29:15.060 --> 00:29:15.580 of the tree. 00:29:16.539 --> 00:29:18.200 And as its bark sheds 00:29:18.200 --> 00:29:20.759 the bark will burn so quickly 00:29:20.759 --> 00:29:22.320 that a fire can't build up 00:29:22.320 --> 00:29:23.519 enough heat and pace 00:29:23.519 --> 00:29:25.120 to make it into the higher limbs 00:29:25.120 --> 00:29:25.620 of a tree. 00:29:28.019 --> 00:29:30.799 But if a forest fire 00:29:30.799 --> 00:29:32.220 doesn't hit a jack pine area 00:29:32.220 --> 00:29:33.700 for a long period of time 00:29:33.700 --> 00:29:36.880 and so the bark falls 00:29:36.880 --> 00:29:37.720 and builds up 00:29:37.720 --> 00:29:38.480 and builds up 00:29:38.480 --> 00:29:39.160 and builds up 00:29:39.160 --> 00:29:40.140 at the base of the tree 00:29:40.140 --> 00:29:42.819 then when a forest fire comes 00:29:42.819 --> 00:29:44.440 the fire is hot enough 00:29:44.440 --> 00:29:45.700 to quickly leap up 00:29:45.700 --> 00:29:46.900 to the highest branches 00:29:46.900 --> 00:29:47.500 of the tree. 00:29:48.220 --> 00:29:48.940 That is the tree 00:29:48.940 --> 00:29:50.200 will be burned and die. 00:29:51.559 --> 00:29:53.000 But an interesting thing happens 00:29:53.000 --> 00:29:54.519 when a forest fire 00:29:54.519 --> 00:29:55.480 actually does get 00:29:55.480 --> 00:29:56.480 a jack pine tree 00:29:56.480 --> 00:29:58.400 and that is that 00:29:58.400 --> 00:30:00.000 the pine cones 00:30:00.000 --> 00:30:00.759 of a jack pine 00:30:00.759 --> 00:30:02.359 will literally explode. 00:30:02.879 --> 00:30:03.759 And they'll explode 00:30:03.759 --> 00:30:05.500 because the resin 00:30:05.500 --> 00:30:06.879 in a jack pine cone 00:30:06.879 --> 00:30:09.039 is highly flammable. 00:30:09.579 --> 00:30:11.059 And so the jack pine cone 00:30:11.059 --> 00:30:12.400 will explode 00:30:12.400 --> 00:30:14.640 when a forest fire 00:30:14.640 --> 00:30:15.460 finally gets 00:30:15.460 --> 00:30:16.460 a jack pine tree. 00:30:17.359 --> 00:30:18.240 But inside 00:30:18.240 --> 00:30:19.879 that pine cone 00:30:19.879 --> 00:30:21.759 the cork keeps 00:30:21.759 --> 00:30:23.119 the jack pine seed 00:30:23.119 --> 00:30:23.700 safe 00:30:23.700 --> 00:30:25.879 up to 900 degrees Celsius. 00:30:26.440 --> 00:30:27.940 900 degrees Celsius 00:30:27.940 --> 00:30:28.779 not Fahrenheit 00:30:28.779 --> 00:30:30.620 900 degrees Celsius 00:30:30.620 --> 00:30:31.759 the cork will protect 00:30:31.759 --> 00:30:32.320 the seed 00:30:32.320 --> 00:30:34.360 after the cone explodes. 00:30:35.039 --> 00:30:35.539 And so 00:30:35.539 --> 00:30:37.080 when the forest fire 00:30:37.080 --> 00:30:37.700 is done 00:30:37.700 --> 00:30:39.279 these seeds 00:30:39.279 --> 00:30:40.360 gently fall 00:30:40.360 --> 00:30:41.580 into the mineral rich 00:30:41.580 --> 00:30:43.259 wiped clean soil. 00:30:44.580 --> 00:30:45.559 What we learn 00:30:45.559 --> 00:30:47.100 from the jack pine tree 00:30:47.100 --> 00:30:48.720 is that in a world 00:30:48.720 --> 00:30:49.580 that burns 00:30:49.580 --> 00:30:51.059 the way to live 00:30:51.059 --> 00:30:51.640 fruitfully 00:30:51.640 --> 00:30:52.779 the way to live 00:30:52.779 --> 00:30:53.440 generously 00:30:53.440 --> 00:30:55.080 the way to give back 00:30:55.080 --> 00:30:56.440 for a head of grain 00:30:56.440 --> 00:30:57.600 or a jack pine cone 00:30:57.600 --> 00:30:58.220 or us 00:30:58.220 --> 00:31:00.960 is through sacrifice. 00:31:02.559 --> 00:31:03.799 And that's what we find 00:31:03.799 --> 00:31:04.539 in our king 00:31:04.539 --> 00:31:06.360 Christ doing for us. 00:31:06.779 --> 00:31:07.539 He comes into 00:31:07.539 --> 00:31:08.500 a burning world 00:31:08.500 --> 00:31:09.519 I'm sad to admit it 00:31:09.519 --> 00:31:10.420 but a burning world 00:31:10.420 --> 00:31:12.019 to a scared 00:31:12.019 --> 00:31:13.100 and defensive 00:31:13.100 --> 00:31:14.100 and angry people 00:31:14.100 --> 00:31:14.860 that's us. 00:31:15.940 --> 00:31:17.500 And he exposes himself 00:31:17.500 --> 00:31:18.500 to our needs 00:31:18.500 --> 00:31:20.259 and pays the consequence 00:31:20.259 --> 00:31:20.900 the death 00:31:20.900 --> 00:31:21.359 that we 00:31:21.359 --> 00:31:22.339 the human race 00:31:22.339 --> 00:31:24.019 inflicted upon him. 00:31:24.779 --> 00:31:25.619 We stapled him 00:31:25.619 --> 00:31:26.240 to a tree. 00:31:26.940 --> 00:31:27.420 We saw him 00:31:27.420 --> 00:31:28.180 gasp 00:31:28.180 --> 00:31:29.240 to his last breath 00:31:29.240 --> 00:31:31.500 and he endures 00:31:31.500 --> 00:31:32.160 all of that. 00:31:32.279 --> 00:31:33.119 He sacrifices 00:31:33.119 --> 00:31:33.819 for us 00:31:33.819 --> 00:31:35.740 because in a broken world 00:31:35.740 --> 00:31:37.500 sacrifice 00:31:37.500 --> 00:31:38.480 is the only thing 00:31:38.480 --> 00:31:39.140 that unlocks 00:31:39.140 --> 00:31:39.660 the seed 00:31:39.660 --> 00:31:40.519 of our generosity 00:31:40.519 --> 00:31:42.379 of moving us 00:31:42.379 --> 00:31:44.039 beyond this nasty cycle 00:31:44.039 --> 00:31:45.379 of just surviving 00:31:45.379 --> 00:31:45.940 in life. 00:31:46.700 --> 00:31:47.839 We can give 00:31:47.839 --> 00:31:49.180 because God 00:31:49.180 --> 00:31:50.220 has given to us. 00:31:50.259 --> 00:31:51.799 And he's not given us 00:31:51.799 --> 00:31:52.879 his sloppy seconds. 00:31:53.019 --> 00:31:53.720 He's not given us 00:31:53.720 --> 00:31:54.480 what was left over 00:31:54.480 --> 00:31:55.220 from his plate. 00:31:56.000 --> 00:31:56.660 He's given us 00:31:56.660 --> 00:31:57.680 his very own son. 00:31:58.740 --> 00:31:59.339 He's given us 00:31:59.339 --> 00:32:01.379 his very own life. 00:32:02.019 --> 00:32:02.680 Let's pray. 00:32:07.599 --> 00:32:08.279 Father God 00:32:08.279 --> 00:32:09.200 we have so much 00:32:09.200 --> 00:32:10.319 to be thankful for. 00:32:11.420 --> 00:32:11.859 We 00:32:11.859 --> 00:32:14.440 thank you for life. 00:32:14.559 --> 00:32:15.440 We thank you for 00:32:15.440 --> 00:32:16.839 the beauty 00:32:16.839 --> 00:32:17.660 of this world. 00:32:17.660 --> 00:32:19.880 we thank you for 00:32:19.880 --> 00:32:22.380 your sacrifice. 00:32:23.600 --> 00:32:24.740 We thank you for 00:32:24.740 --> 00:32:25.440 your son. 00:32:25.560 --> 00:32:26.120 We thank you for 00:32:26.120 --> 00:32:26.759 your spirit. 00:32:26.980 --> 00:32:27.560 We thank you for 00:32:27.560 --> 00:32:28.080 faith. 00:32:28.220 --> 00:32:29.140 We thank you for hope. 00:32:30.040 --> 00:32:30.660 Most of all 00:32:30.660 --> 00:32:31.779 we thank you for love. 00:32:34.279 --> 00:32:35.100 All that we ask 00:32:35.100 --> 00:32:35.600 this evening 00:32:35.600 --> 00:32:36.300 is that you would 00:32:36.300 --> 00:32:37.700 continue to mold us 00:32:37.700 --> 00:32:39.200 small step 00:32:39.200 --> 00:32:40.180 by small step 00:32:40.180 --> 00:32:42.880 to people who 00:32:42.880 --> 00:32:43.680 are not afraid 00:32:43.680 --> 00:32:45.279 but people who 00:32:45.279 --> 00:32:46.100 are generous 00:32:46.100 --> 00:32:46.660 that 00:32:46.660 --> 00:32:47.799 to people who 00:32:47.799 --> 00:32:48.960 give out of 00:32:48.960 --> 00:32:49.380 a 00:32:49.380 --> 00:32:50.480 overflow 00:32:50.480 --> 00:32:51.500 of feeling full. 00:32:53.799 --> 00:32:54.560 Father we're so 00:32:54.560 --> 00:32:55.320 thankful for 00:32:55.320 --> 00:32:56.160 all that you do 00:32:56.160 --> 00:32:56.860 for us. 00:32:58.320 --> 00:32:58.900 Mold us more 00:32:58.900 --> 00:32:59.480 into your image 00:32:59.480 --> 00:32:59.980 we pray. 00:33:02.060 --> 00:33:02.840 In the name of 00:33:02.840 --> 00:33:03.580 your son we pray. 00:33:03.580 --> 00:33:04.580 Amen. 00:33:04.580 --> 00:33:05.380 Amen. 00:33:05.380 --> 00:33:05.420 Amen. 00:33:05.420 --> 00:33:05.440 Amen. 00:33:05.440 --> 00:33:05.480 Amen. 00:33:05.480 --> 00:33:05.500 Amen. 00:33:05.500 --> 00:33:05.539 Amen. 00:33:05.539 --> 00:33:05.580 Amen. 00:33:05.580 --> 00:33:05.600 Amen. 00:33:05.600 --> 00:33:06.480 Amen. 00:33:06.480 --> 00:33:07.480 Amen. 00:33:07.480 --> 00:33:07.539 Amen. 00:33:07.539 --> 00:33:09.380 Amen. 00:33:09.380 --> 00:33:10.380 Amen.