Good evening, everyone. For those who don't know me, my name is Luca, and I'm one of the members here at Branchfield Evangelical Church.
Tonight we're looking at 1 Samuel 24, but before we do that, let's pray again.
Father, thank you for this time together tonight. Thank you that we can spend this time on this passage of the Old Testament.
We ask you that your word will speak to our hearts. We ask you that you will protect our minds from distractions.
And we ask you that you will prepare our hearts, that they're open to receive the message you have for us tonight.
Work in us, Father, we ask you as we look at your word. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Amen.
So, to begin, I would like to invite you all to try and put yourselves in the shoes of an imaginary child.
Let's say you're 10 or 11 years old, and you're playing a board game with your friends, and it's your favorite one.
It's the one that you're really, really good at.
Unfortunately, though, things are not going too well today, because there's just no way you're going to win.
The cards are against you.
But then, your friends leave the room for a minute, because the ice cream van just got here.
So you have the opportunity to reshuffle the cards.
You can put the right one on top.
The one that will let you conquer the board, just in a few moves.
I mean, it's clearly what should have happened from the very start anyway, because you played well.
They were ahead of you just because they got lucky.
Are you thinking about that feeling?
You only have a few seconds to make the decision between letting things play out the way they would have, naturally,
or changing the course of the game to your advantage.
What do you think would go through your head?
So many conflicting feelings, right?
I think that if we multiply those feelings by a billion times, we may be even just remotely close to what David must have felt
as he was in this cave in the passage that we're looking at tonight.
David, too, had the opportunity to reshuffle the cards to his advantage, and he had to make a decision very quickly.
The passage tonight is made up of three sections.
And as we study the text, we'll see how David is the king who does the right thing.
And how David, in doing so, points us to Jesus as the perfect king.
So we will try and consider which attributes of David we see in each section.
So please cover your ears if you don't like spoilers, but I think that listing the attributes at the start will help us see them more clearly in the passage as we study it.
You might have to cover your eyes, too, to be honest, because it'll be on screen.
So the first section narrates the main event of the chapter, and it goes from verse 1 to verse 7, and it shows us David as the servant king.
Moving on to the second section, we have David's speech in verses 8 to 15, and we'll see David as the trusting king.
We will see who he puts his trust in and why he does that.
And then in the final section, from 16 to 22, we will see David waiting.
We will see why David is a patient king.
So David, the king who does the right thing by serving, by trusting, and by waiting.
Now, before we look at what happens in the cave, let's recap.
Let's sort of rewind and see what's been happening in the life of David for the last little while.
Because if we want to understand the significance of today's passage, we have to understand what the main events are,
which have led to this peculiar situation of Saul and David finding themselves in this, you might want to call it, a toilet cave room.
So David and Saul were both anointed kings by Samuel.
Saul was the king that the people of Israel wanted.
He was the king that they asked for, a king like the other nations.
They asked for such a king in chapter 8.
However, Saul defied the Lord because he didn't respect his commandments in chapters 13 and 15.
Therefore, God rejected Saul as king.
However, Saul is still on the throne.
On the other hand, we have David.
David is the king that God has chosen.
Samuel anointed him to in chapter 16 as he was instructed by God after God rejected Saul.
But it's not time yet for David to sit on the throne.
Not only was David anointed by Samuel, you might also remember he's defeated Goliath, the giant Philistine, in the chapter after.
And his dear friend Jonathan, who's Saul's son, he just promised him two weeks ago in chapter 23 that he will not stand.
Jonathan will not stand in the way of David becoming king.
And Jonathan even told David that even Saul, his father, knows that David will be king one day.
And yet, despite all of this, as we have seen for the past few Sundays, David is on the run.
Saul became jealous of David.
And even though he relented a couple of times, to this point he's already tried to kill him five times.
And in today's passage, he's more determined than ever to catch him and to finish him.
And Saul is not going after David just with his own spear like the first time that he attacked him.
At this point in time, Saul has 3,000 chosen men with him.
3,000 men who know how to do war are chasing after David and his 600 men, one-fifth of Saul's army.
And David's men, they're outcasts and rejects.
There are no soldiers.
So this is what's happened so far.
Now let's see what happens in verses 1 to 7.
Let's see why David is the right king who's the king who does the right thing by serving.
In verse 1, we read that Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines.
And if you were here two Sundays ago, you'll remember that Saul was chasing David around this mountain.
And just when it seemed that he was about to catch him, a messenger told Saul that the Philistines were raiding some villages.
So Saul and his men left.
So clearly God's providence was at work.
But now Saul is back.
And like it's already happened on other occasions, his spies, his spies are another advantage that he has over David.
They tell him where David is.
So he gathers his 3,000s and off he goes to the crags of the wild goats, an area full of caves.
Now I think this is one of those passages in the Bible where we're reminded that even though it was written thousands of years ago, it's still very relatable, if not sometimes even comical.
Because it tells us of women and men just like us.
And in some cases it will do so by describing the sinful nature of these people in a way that reminds us of our own sins.
Some other times it reminds us that king or not, we all need to move our bowels.
Because God has designed us like that and there's nothing we can do to avoid it.
So Saul leaves his men behind, we're not sure how far, and picks a cave to go relieve himself.
And of all the caves, and as I said there were men in this area, he manages to pick the one where his men, his enemies are hiding.
What are the chances?
It's like, again, the author is trying to tell us something.
God is clearly at work here too, just like he was during the chase around the mountain.
So what happens as Saul goes in?
Does he go in?
Does he see David and then shouts to his men and tell them to get there immediately and massacre everyone?
No.
In fact, nothing happens.
Because Saul goes in, the cave is probably very dark, maybe it bends at the back, and he doesn't see who is in it.
In fact, he doesn't see that anyone at all is in it.
So he simply goes to the toilet like he would have in any other cave.
Can we think of a more vulnerable situation?
He's without his men.
He's all alone in a darkness that his eyes haven't yet adjusted to.
He's got his pants down.
So I wonder if any of us can blame David's men for what they say in verse 4.
Let's read it again.
This is the day the Lord spoke of when he said to you,
I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.
Now, as far as we know, when God said this, he was actually talking about the Philistines in chapter 23.
And based on what is recorded in the book of Samuel,
we're not aware that God ever explicitly referred to Saul as David's enemy
or that he ever said Saul would be someone who God would put into David's hands.
But in their defense, this man has been chasing David and his men for months.
And if that's not an enemy, I don't know what it is.
And enemies are enemies.
Plus, even if David's men had been the most selfless people on earth,
even if they didn't care about their own lives, maybe they cared about God.
And they were still shocked and outraged by how Saul had massacred a whole town of people,
including God's very own priests.
We saw that in chapter 22.
Wouldn't we have felt entitled to take Saul's life?
I mean, he's clearly not a man after God's heart.
And the world would be better off without him.
As far as David goes, we do know his thinking at this stage.
According to the order that the events are narrated here,
his men encourage him to take Saul's life.
And then he leaves them.
And stealthy like a ninja, he approaches Saul and cuts off a piece of his robe,
without Saul even noticing.
We just don't know if he approached Saul with the intention of killing him,
or if he wanted to take just a piece of rope from the very start,
as he does as a proof that he spared his life.
However, what we do know is that after cutting it,
he is conscience stricken.
David feels guilty.
Maybe because he was very close to giving in to the temptation to kill the king.
Another reason might be that even though he didn't kill him,
he still disrespected him.
And way more than we can appreciate these days,
because in David's culture,
robes had a symbolic meaning to do with the authority of a person.
Either way, David goes back to his men and he sharply rebukes them.
A literal translation of the original would have read that he tore them apart with his words.
Now, I want you to think about how this was really not an easy conversation to have.
Apart from the fact that they had to whisper to not be heard by Saul just a few yards back,
I don't think we can even begin to comprehend the amount of pressure that David must have had on himself.
These are hundreds of men, 600 men,
who are risking their own lives to protect David's.
These are no friends debating if Marmite tastes good or not,
and I know how divisive the topic can be.
This is a matter of life and death.
In a matter of seconds,
David went from being the king on the run,
at the mercy of the king on the throne,
to having the possibility,
like us with our board game,
to completely subvert the situation.
He can finally take the throne
that God had so clearly
assigned to him when Samuel
anointed him.
And then, a few more seconds,
and he was back to square one,
because Saul is leaving the cave,
and David is just the king on the run again.
Why does David let this happen?
He does because what we see here
is our righteous king in action.
David is the king,
as we're seeing,
who does the right thing,
because he will not sin.
He will not take his fate into his own hands.
What he does instead
is put his future
and put the future of his men
in God's hands.
He recognizes that God is in control
and that he is God's servant.
This is why he goes back to his men
and he rebukes them
for suggesting to kill the ruling king.
So where does David find the strength
to do this?
We've just considered all the implications
of such a choice,
such an irrational choice
from a human perspective.
Well, David could do the right thing
because he didn't have
his own interests at heart.
He wanted to do God's will.
He wanted to serve God.
There are two beautiful Psalms
that David wrote
while he was hiding in caves,
just like in today's passage,
and while Saul was chasing him.
These are Psalm 57
and Psalm 142.
I recommend that you read them at home
when you have time
because they're very helpful
to understand
what David's frame of mind is
as he deals with the challenges
of being the king on the run.
And you can see in those Psalms
how David does not commiserate himself
while he's running away from Saul.
He doesn't blame God
for what he's having to endure.
And what he does instead
is find respite in God's love
and wait for God to intervene
and save him.
He is tired, clearly.
He is going through possibly
the hardest days of his life.
But what he does is look to God,
fully relying on God
and not on his own strengths
or on his men's.
David trusts that God
will be faithful to his promises
and understands that
what he is called to do
in the meantime
is serve him.
So it's because of this
close relationship with God,
this attitude of submission
to God's authority
that David can find the strength
to tell his men
as he does in verse 6,
the Lord forbid
that I should do such a thing
because he, Saul,
he is the anointed of the Lord.
David, the righteous king,
who's anointed to,
he knows that the right thing
just now,
the right thing to do
in this case,
is to serve the king
on the throne.
It's to serve Saul.
This is why we're calling
this section
the servant king.
David respects God's will
and serves his human king
no matter how difficult it is
to resist the temptation
to finally make justice
for himself.
And in doing so,
in serving Saul,
he's ultimately,
of course,
serving God.
If we think about
our own lives,
it can be very tempting,
I think,
to see God's providence
in the events around us,
just like David's men do.
But our whole lives,
like David's,
they should revolve around
God's revealed will,
which is his word.
Our attitude
should be to serve him,
even if situations
present themselves,
which can lead us
to do the opposite
and serve ourselves instead.
We're called to interpret
what happens around us
not according to
our human standards,
but according to God's word.
Because God speaks to us
all the time
and directly
through his word,
much more than he will ever
do through coincidences
left to our interpretation.
So I think we should learn
from David
to be dependent on God,
to dwell in his word
like he does
and his sons
and be in communion
with the Father.
So for instance,
when we're convinced
that the events around us,
that they're clearly telling us
to stop serving
in that church ministry
because not enough people
attend it,
to stop caring so much
about the spiritual health
of our friend
because it clearly
is just a waste of energy,
we can certainly be discouraged
when these things happen.
We're weak,
we'll be tired,
just like David's men,
and our temptation
is probably to just give up.
But we need to ask ourselves,
is this really what God wants?
It could be,
but like David's men,
we must ensure
that we're not focusing
on our own desires
and our intentions,
but our focus needs
to be on God's will
and how we,
as his subjects,
can serve him best.
That way,
we can recognize temptation
when it comes our way,
dressed as providence,
like in the case of David here.
That way,
we will know
if our interpretation
of the events,
if it contradicts God's plan for us,
which ultimately is
to glorify him
through our life,
his plan is for us
to serve him.
As we move on
to the second section
in verses 8 to 15,
we're going to be looking
at David
who does the right thing
by trusting.
So at this point,
Saul is leaving the cave.
He's unaware
of David's presence
and David runs after him.
I think by now,
his men must think
that David has just gone mad.
He trusts in God so much
and in his plan
to eventually make him king
that after sparing Saul's life,
instead of hiding in the cave
until Saul is gone,
he comes out
and calls him
because David trusts
that Saul will not order
his men
to slaughter him.
How does David address Saul?
In verse 8,
address Saul, sorry.
In verse 8,
my lord,
the king.
And his body language
is consistent
with his words too.
He bows down
face to the ground
because David
is showing respect
to Saul's authority.
It's important
that we don't miss
the reason why.
David said it to his men
in verse 6.
He reiterates it here
to Saul.
He doesn't respect Saul
for the good man he is,
of course,
or out of fear
of the king,
nor because Saul
is his friend
Jonathan's father.
Look at verse 10.
Because he is
the Lord's anointed.
That's the only reason.
And just to avoid
any confusion in Saul
and prevent his pride
from finding an opportunity
to pump his own ego
even more,
David goes on
to point how different
they are.
David is the righteous king
because he didn't listen
to his men
who see an enemy in Saul.
But Saul,
on the other hand,
he keeps listening
to other men.
David says it
in verse 9.
David is the righteous king
because he had
the opportunity
to kill Saul,
but he didn't.
And this piece of robe
that he is holding,
it proves it.
He shows it to Saul
in verse 11
and he says,
I have not wronged you,
but Saul,
on the other hand,
he keeps hunting David down.
So in verse 13,
David says,
from evildoers
come evil deeds
so my hand
will not touch you.
David,
at this point,
he just goes for it.
He respects God's anointed
by not killing him.
He bows to him,
but then he also
calls a spade a spade.
Saul's evil deeds
make him an evildoer,
an unrighteous man.
And by contrast,
because David
does not touch him,
David is righteous.
We have such an impressive,
such an amazing example
of trust in David here.
Steadfast trust,
as he says in Psalm 57.
My heart,
O God,
is steadfast.
My heart is steadfast.
Because David knows
that he might have been
the anointed king
on the run.
Saul might have been
the anointed king
currently on the throne,
but ultimately,
it's God and God only
who is the ultimate king.
And God
is going to judge
between the two of them.
He says it twice
in verses 12
and 15.
David is
suffering
unjustly,
but he still
respects God's authority.
He respects
God's plan
and his timing
and he puts
everything
in God's hands.
David is innocent.
Saul is guilty.
It's clear to everyone,
even to Saul himself,
as we'll see in a moment,
but God
is the judge.
So David's trust
is not in himself.
It is in God
only.
What a lesson
for us.
How much more
of an example
of dependence
on God
we would be
if we stopped
trying to make
justice for ourselves
whenever we think
we're being wronged.
And if we trusted
in the fact
that God,
God only,
is king
and judge.
Hopefully no one
is trying to kill us,
but when that person
at work,
university,
or even at church
says some unkind words,
when that person
talks behind our back,
or when someone
disrespects us
one way or another,
is my reaction,
I've been challenged
to think,
is my reaction
what you would expect
of a child of God?
Do I behave
like someone
who believes
that we're not
on this earth
to honor ourselves,
but that we're here
to glorify God,
to serve God?
We know we live
in a broken world,
and that is difficult,
but we also know
that God is sovereign,
and he will judge
this world
when the time comes.
In the meantime,
just like David,
we are here
to serve him.
So,
in these first two sections,
so far we've seen
David as the seventh king.
He does the right thing
by submitting himself
to God's authority,
and by serving Saul
as the God's anointed.
And then in this second section,
we just talked about David
as the trusting king,
because he trusts
that God will keep
his promises,
and that he will be
the ultimate judge
between him and Saul.
Now in this third
and last section,
the author of 1 Samuel
gives us an account
of Saul's response
to David.
And David again
is the king
who does the right thing,
and I wanted to point out
how he is patient
in this case.
He's waiting,
and why.
So we know
because we've read
the passage that
Saul is not going
to laugh at David,
call his men,
and finally put an end
to this extenuating
really chase.
the opposite.
David, my son.
That's what Saul says
in verse 16.
So for a moment here,
David is not just
Jesse's son anymore,
which is how Saul
addressed him
in the last few chapters.
He is my son.
What does Saul do?
He weeps.
He is clearly overwhelmed.
He must have realized
the huge significance
of what just happened.
Who, he says in verse 19,
just who lets his enemy
go unharmed
when he finds him?
And then Saul
will say two things,
and it's the fact itself
that he says them
out loud to David
that means a lot
because it's the first time
that he acknowledges them.
The first one being,
you are more righteous
than I am
because I have treated
you badly
in verse 17.
You are more righteous.
What David just said
that Saul
is an evil doer,
Saul is finally admitting.
And then the second thing is,
you will surely be king
in verse 20.
Jonathan told David
that Saul knew this already.
But this is the first time
that we see Saul say publicly
that David will be king.
He knows that God
has rejected him
and chosen David
to replace him.
Now, if you know
what the next few chapters
have in store for us,
then you also know
that despite this reaction
of Saul here,
despite the weeping,
things will pretty go much
things will pretty much
go to the way they were
with David still running
away from Saul
and Saul being very determined
to try and kill him.
So however much he means
what he's saying just now,
this clearly wasn't
true repentance.
Nevertheless,
we have to realize
that Saul can't help
but acknowledge
that God is at work
in David's life.
That's why he's saying
what he's saying.
Isn't this a striking picture
of how it is impossible,
even for someone like Saul,
and therefore for those
around us,
how it is impossible
for them to see,
to ignore God at work
in our own lives.
How encouraging is it
when people can see
that there is something
different about the way
that we behave?
And then on the other hand,
how disheartening can it be
when we're not being an example?
And the difference
that should be there
simply isn't.
Just as David's actions
spoke volumes
about where his heart was,
so do ours.
The example I came up with,
just think about someone
turning down that promotion
at work,
because it would take time
away from their work
for God,
whether that's at church
or somewhere else.
It would become apparent
to everyone in their circle
where this person's
priorities are,
and possibly prompt them
to ask questions
about why that is.
And then on the other hand,
we can be such a stumbling block
for the non-Christians
around us
when they see that we gossip
or that we slack off at work
just like everyone else.
Our behavior,
just like David's here,
it will be noticed
by those around us,
and it does say a lot
about where our trust
and priorities are.
After this,
Saul asks David to swear
that he will not
wipe out his house
once he becomes king
in verse 21,
which again confirms
that Saul is convinced
by now he knows
that David will be king.
David swears
he's just done it
to Jonathan
in the previous chapter,
but he does it again
to Saul here.
And then they go
their own separate ways.
David and his men
went up to the stronghold
according to verse 22,
and we could add
they waited.
This is the third aspect
of David
that we see in this story.
He is a patient king.
He waits on God's timing.
Saul just admitted
that even he knows
that David will be king,
but David knows
that this is not
the right time.
God still has more
to teach David
before he gets to the throne.
And even though
it is difficult,
David submits himself
to God's authority
and he keeps waiting
while suffering unjustly.
So we've seen
in chapter 24
how David
is shown to us
as a king
who does the right thing
by serving,
by trusting,
by waiting.
And I think that
the picture of David
that's just been drawn
before our eyes
in this passage,
it takes us straight
to Jesus,
doesn't it?
Because the parallels
are everywhere.
I'll quickly read
these verses
from 1 Peter 2.
These are about Jesus.
To this you were called,
and this is bearing
the pain of unjust suffering
that he mentions
in the previous verse.
Because Christ suffered
for you,
leaving you an example
that you should follow,
you should follow
in his steps.
He committed no sin
and no deceit
was found in his mouth.
When they hurled
their insults at him,
he did not retaliate.
When he suffered,
he made no threats.
Instead,
he entrusted himself
to him
who judges justly.
He himself
bore our sins
in his body
on the cross
so that we might
die to sins
and live for righteousness.
By his wounds
you have been healed.
So David suffered
unjustly
and so did Jesus.
David left an example
of righteousness
and so did Jesus.
David did not retaliate
and neither did Jesus.
David entrusted himself
to God as his judge
and so did Jesus.
The difference being
between the two of them
you've probably noticed
he committed no sin
because at the end of the day
David is just a man.
He's a man who does
the right thing
in this passage.
He's a man who sins
in others
and David didn't take
our sins to the cross
with him
but only Jesus did.
We're not saved
through David of course
but we are saved
through Jesus.
This is why we're looking
at David serving,
trusting,
and waiting tonight
because he points us
to Jesus,
the perfect king.
Jesus served God
by submitting to God's plan
to come on earth
in human form.
He trusted in God
and was obedient
to the point of death
on a cross
and he waited patiently
for God's will
to be done
while suffering horribly.
So think back to what
is going through
your childhood
as you sit in front
of that board
and you have the possibility
to alter the course
of the game
and win.
How much more tempting
would it be
when your life
is on the line?
By any human standards
it would just make no sense
to face death
rather than walk away.
Particularly,
one might add,
if you've done nothing
to deserve such death.
Jesus knew the cost
and he did the right thing
because he wanted to.
He served,
he trusted,
he waited
because he's not just
the king
who did the right thing
once,
he is the perfect king.
If we're left to ourselves
we won't be able
to serve,
to trust,
and to wait
for God
and his plan.
This is why
we need to be dependent
on Jesus
and point other people
to Jesus
with our life.
So let's fix our eyes
on Jesus,
the perfect king
and let's imitate Christ
in suffering
with righteousness
while we wait
for him to come back.
So that those around us,
God willing,
will discover Jesus
for themselves
and glorify God.
Let's pray.
Father,
we come to you
because,
as we've seen,
you're the one
that we want to put
our trust in.
You have won the battle,
you have defeated death,
you have sacrificed
our son for us.
Through Jesus
we're made righteous.
And it should be easy
for us to trust
in your plan
and in your timing
but we are weak
and as we've seen
we live in a broken world
and we're broken too.
And so often
we would rather
serve ourselves
and put our trust
in ourselves.
Father,
we ask you tonight
to forgive us.
We ask you to strengthen us.
We ask you to make us
more similar to Jesus.
May we leave tonight
wanting to imitate him
as we start a new week
tomorrow, Father.
We pray in Jesus' name.
Amen.