Well, friends, tonight we're looking at 1 Samuel chapter 26.
That's in the Pew Bible, so long as that Pew Bible has an Old Testament.
If you find the page number, you can shout it out because I forgot to write it down.
1 Samuel 26.
We've been...
2, 4, 9.
Is that right, Beth?
Thanks, Beth.
2, 49.
Go ahead and turn there.
We're going to be spending some time in this chapter tonight.
We'll spend a little bit of time after the sermon just doing some Q&A and some conversation.
So if something comes up that piques your interest or that the Lord lays on your heart and you want to ask about that after the sermon,
go ahead and just make note of that in your mind, and we can come back to that at the end.
Well, as we're coming to 1 Samuel 26, I was thinking this week about a book that a guy named Malcolm Gladwell,
a popular writer published actually a number of years ago called Blink.
The subtitle of that book was The Power of Thinking Without Thinking.
So this book was about sort of human intuition and decision-making.
He makes this sort of bold claim in this book that oftentimes our spontaneous decisions are actually better than the decisions that we actually carefully plan or consider.
He puts forward this idea that he calls thin slicing, which is sort of a lingo-y term that he makes up,
which is basically he says that our ability to gauge what's really important actually comes through just a very narrow period of experience,
that we're able to do that in a sort of intuitive level as human beings really quickly.
And if we're overloaded by too much information or too much deliberation, we often make worse decisions, he says,
than if we just trust our instincts and act.
John, is that a fair description of Blink?
You've read that book before, right?
Yeah, good, I got it.
It's a pretty interesting idea, right?
And it's a bit kind of counterintuitive if you think about it.
And not everyone has actually agreed with Gladwell.
In fact, a year after this book, Blink, was published, someone wrote a book in response called
Think!
Why Crucial Decisions Can't Be Made in the Blink of an Eye.
This guy sort of said that intuitions and quick decisions is actually no substitute for rationality and deep thinking.
So which one is it, actually, when it comes to our decision making?
Should we just blink or should we actually think?
Should we trust our gut or should we think long and hard?
Well, you know, it's interesting.
When we look at this sort of idea through the lens of the Bible,
we actually see that there's this unbreakable connection between these two ideas.
Because on the one hand, we know that in our lives,
there's going to be times when we have to make quick decisions
and we have to determine on the spot what to do, right?
But according to the Bible, the way that you make sure
that you're the sort of person who can do that well
is through deep thinking and immersion in what's good and true apart from those times.
In other words, in order to blink,
it's got to be preceded by a lot of rich and true thinking.
That is, you've got to saturate your mind and heart in what's good and true.
And that's the only way to make sure your intuitions are sharpened and prepared when you need to act.
And of course, that's really critical for the spiritual life, right?
That we spend time meditating on what's true so that then we can act rightly in the moment.
That's actually very critical for our life before God.
And we see that actually played out in our passage tonight in 1 Samuel.
At this point in the story of 1 Samuel, you'll remember David is on the run in the wilderness.
And at this point in the story, he's already been sort of anointed as Israel's future king,
but he's not yet on the throne.
And Saul, the current king, well, what's he up to?
Well, he is full of jealousy and rage and he's out to kill David,
which is why David's on the run.
So in 1 Samuel 26, this chapter we're looking at tonight,
this is the last time that David and Saul are going to meet ever in their lives.
And David is again in this final meeting, as we saw a couple weeks ago,
he's faced with a decision.
He's faced with a test, really.
And what we're going to see tonight, David has the opportunity, it seems,
to end his problems once and for all.
And in that moment of decision, how is he going to respond?
And for us tonight, how can we learn, what can we learn,
and how can we learn to face hard decisions when temptations and trials come at us?
So let's look at 1 Samuel 26.
We're going to look at the first half first and the second half second.
So let me read verses 1 through 12 for us of 1 Samuel chapter 26.
The writer says this,
Then the Ziphites, those are the people from Ziph,
came to Saul at Gibeah saying,
Is not David hiding himself on the hill of Hakalah,
which is on the east side of Jeshamun?
They're basically ratting out David here.
So Saul rose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph
with 3,000 chosen men of Israel to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.
And Saul encamped on the hill of Hakalah,
which is beside the road on the east of Jeshamun.
But David remained in the wilderness.
When he saw that Saul came out after him into the wilderness,
David sent out spies and learned that Saul had indeed come.
Then David rose and came to the place where Saul encamped.
And David saw the place where Saul lay with Abner, the son of Ner, the commander of his army.
Saul was lying within the encampment while the army was encamped around him.
Then David said to Ahimelech, the Hittite, and to Joab's brother, Abishai, the son of Zeruiah,
who will go down with me into the camp to Saul?
And Abishai said, I will go down with you.
So David and Abishai went to the army by night.
And there lay Saul sleeping within the encampment with his spear stuck in the ground at his head.
And Abner and the army lay around him.
Then Abishai said to David, God has given your enemy into your hand this day.
Now, please, let me pin him to the earth with one stroke of the spear,
and I will not need to strike him twice.
But David said to Abishai, do not destroy him.
For who can put out his hand against the Lord's anointed and be guiltless?
And David said, as the Lord lives, the Lord will strike him,
or his day will come to die, or he will go down into battle and perish.
The Lord forbid that I should put out my hand against the Lord's anointed.
But take now the spear that is at his head and the jar of water and let us go.
So David took the spear and the jar of water from Saul's head, and they went away.
No man saw it or knew it, nor did any awake, for they were all asleep,
because a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen upon them.
So here's the scene, right?
Saul gets word of where David's hiding,
and Saul comes out with a big army to kill David and his men.
Saul brings 3,000 to face David's group of 600.
You can tell at this point in the story that Saul is more than a bit paranoid and fueled by jealousy.
He's bringing 3,000 men into the army to off David once and for all.
And you'll remember, this sounds a lot like chapter 24 that we looked at a few weeks ago, doesn't it?
You know, Saul's coming out to get David in the wilderness.
But David catches word that he's being hunted again, and he goes and he spies out their camp,
and then looking down, probably from a cliff above Saul's camp, sees them there all laid out,
with Saul in the middle, and Abner, his right-hand man, sort of laying beside him, protecting him,
and the rest of the men encamped around.
And then David makes this split decision.
Who wants to come with me into the camp?
He says this to two guys, Ahimelech and Abishai, two of his young soldiers.
And Abishai, apparently ready for a crazy adrenaline-fueled adventure, says,
heck yeah, take me, I'll go.
Now look, there's 3,000 men down there, ready to just kill these guys.
And Abishai's like, yeah, sign me up for that job.
You know, we need to remember when we read the Bible that these are some pretty tough, audacious guys.
This wasn't like, you know, yeah, well, whatever.
Of course, Abishai thinks they're going on this seek-and-destroy mission, right?
He's thinking that we're going to go in, kill Saul, and get out.
In, out, done.
And once they get into the camp, Abishai sees his chance to make all their problems go away.
In verse 8, he says, David, I got this.
Here's our chance.
I'll pull out the spear, pin Saul to the earth with one stroke, and we're done.
And trust me, I'm not going to need to swing twice.
It's interesting.
It's possible that Abishai there, saying, I don't need to hit him twice,
is sort of remembering how Saul used to throw his spear at David and would always miss.
And Abishai's basically saying, trust me, David, I ain't going to miss.
Wouldn't it be poetic justice for me, David, to stick Saul with the very spear he used to throw at you?
And you've got to give it to a guy like Abishai.
He's brave.
He's loyal.
He might be a little bit cocky.
Okay.
But in fact, he's wrong.
David says, don't do it.
Saul is still the Lord's anointed and will be the guilty ones if we touch him.
Now, what I really want us to focus on tonight is what empowers that sort of obedience to God.
How is it that David, given the opportunity to make all his troubles to go away,
he's got to give one little word to his friend Abishai, and it's done.
No more people hunting them.
No more 3,000 men they need to hide from.
Nothing else blocking him from the throne, from the crown, from the glory.
How is it that with that chance right before David, he refrains?
How is he able to maintain his obedience to God in that kind of test?
I mean, don't you want to know, to be honest?
Don't you wish you knew what could actually help you and me to actually do what God says,
to obey and follow the Lord, even in the teeth of trial and temptation like that?
I mean, just think, how many times have we failed to do that this month?
How many times this week?
In what way this week have you and I seen the proverbial spear right in front of us
and reached out like Adam and Eve in the garden, grabbed it, and have tried to do things our own way?
Tried to solve our problems our own way, tried to get happiness our own way,
and to do it all apart from God?
Isn't it true that we need help?
And the question that we often have is, what help is there for us?
What help is there for us?
We know, of course, that in Jesus Christ, as we've been singing about and reading about tonight,
we know that in Christ, all of our sins, past, present, and future, are forgiven.
But what help does Jesus give us to battle sin in the everyday?
How do we grow in holiness?
How do we become more like him?
And I want to focus on just two big ideas that we see in the chapter tonight
that help us along those lines.
And we read the first one already in chapters, in verses 11, 10, and 11, here in our chapter.
Verses 10 and 11, here are the sort of main speech of this first half of the chapter.
And what we see here, like two sides of a coin,
something that helps us in the face of trial and temptation is this.
It's confidence in God's sovereignty to deliver us from our troubles.
And the flip side of the coin is clarity about our responsibility in the meantime.
Let's look a little closer at that.
David knows that as long as Saul lives, his own life will be in danger, right?
And as many times as Saul says, I'm sorry, David knows he can't be trusted.
But in verse 10, what does David do?
David expresses this incredible confidence that God's will, in God's own timing, deliver him from Saul.
And David actually imagines any number of ways that Saul could come to an end,
that God could deliver him.
Maybe the Lord will strike Saul directly.
Maybe Saul will die naturally.
Maybe God will strike him down in battle.
If you were here a couple weeks ago, you'll remember in the last chapter of 1 Samuel,
that the Lord did just that to Nabal, struck him down.
It seems that David had learned an important lesson from that event about the Lord's sovereignty,
and he's applying it here.
Now, what's the point for us?
David knew that there were all sorts of ways that God could deliver him from Saul.
He even seems to have articulated them in his mind.
Now, okay, that concrete example seems a little bit morbid to us, right?
Like David's running over in his mind all the ways that Saul's going to meet his end.
But think about the principle underneath that.
What is David doing there?
You know, he's actually working out in his mind ways in which his sovereign and good God
could work in his freedom and in his power in all sorts of ways for his good.
Because God's powerful and good and keeps his promise,
David knows that there are all sorts of ways that God could deliver him.
And friends, when we're in the face of trial and in temptation,
do we have that kind of reflective confidence when we consider God's ways?
Do we exalt God in the midst of our trials and increase our trust in him by saying,
God, look, I know and trust that you can do this.
You can heal my marriage.
You can give saving faith to my kids.
You can deliver me from lust and addiction.
Because God, you're God and you can do it in all sorts of ways.
And of course, we need to let God be God, right?
God is not confined to the ways we might think he could or should act.
God's not in any way constrained by our desires.
But, you know, when we pray and when we concretely consider the ways God could work,
it's actually an act of worship of him when done rightly.
You're turning over in your mind and heart the greatness of God, the trustworthiness of God.
And in doing that, your faith in God begins to increase.
But let's notice the other side of the coin here, too.
David's confident in God's sovereignty in verse 10, but he's also crystal clear about his own responsibility in verse 11.
He is not to put out his hand against the Lord's anointed.
One writer put it this way.
Although David did not know how providence would work, he knew what obedience required.
Third, God's ways will frequently baffle us, but God's will is sufficiently clear to lead us in the meantime.
What would that look like today?
Let's say, for instance, that I'm battling loneliness.
That that's a trial.
That's a sort of issue going on in my life.
If I'm battling loneliness.
Well, if we're going to apply this, it would look like this.
It would look like praying and worshiping God for all the ways that God could meet my need for friendship and fellowship.
Praying and praising God that he's a good God, that he can bring people into my life from all sorts of avenues and venues.
It will look like praying for him to change my own heart and to be satisfied in him more.
It would look like praying that God would make me into a better friend to others.
All of these things would be a prayer about God's sovereignty and goodness.
But also, at the same time, I'll be crystal clear about what God says in his word.
That even as I pray for God to meet my relational need for friendship and fellowship, at the same time, I draw a line in the sand based on God's word that says,
You know what?
I'm not going to seek comfort in ungodly relationships.
Even though I'm incredibly lonely, I'm not going to go for the false comfort of pornography.
Or I'm not going to go out and I'm not going to date non-Christians, even though that might fill a need.
No, I'm actually going to be faithful to the Lord in this.
And I'm going to be faithful in investing in my spiritual family in the church and finding a smaller group that I can work with and fellowship with.
These are all the sorts of things that I want to have clear before me.
And you know, that clarity, whatever it is for you, whatever the sort of issue is for you, where God's word speaks, you know, that clarity is critical, isn't it?
And that clarity needs to be thought through and trusted deeply beforehand.
Because as you and I know, in the moment of trial and in the moment of temptation, that's not the time to start deliberating.
You know, think about it.
David sees Saul come out with his 3,000 men.
He's staring at them over the cliff.
You know, David at that point had already discerned with incredible clarity what God's revealed will was for him to not kill Saul.
You know, he didn't wait until Saul was at his doorstep to say, okay, guys, quick, let's do a Bible study.
Let's figure out what we should do right now.
Because I'm not so sure.
Saul's here.
Maybe we can kill him.
Maybe not.
Let's quick.
Let's do a Bible study.
I mean, don't you and I know that it's way too easy to justify our sinful desires in moments like that?
God's word's very clear, friends.
But our minds can often become unclear in the moment of temptation.
So we need to get this clarity beforehand.
And we need to meditate on it.
So that when the trials come, we're ready.
And as we meditate on what God's word says, we also need to meditate on how God's will and how God's revealed law are actually good for us.
Just think of how often the Psalms are filled with verses about the sweetness and goodness of God's revealed will, his commands for our lives.
Here's one example from David himself from Psalm 19, 7 through 11.
He says, the law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.
The testimony of the Lord is sure.
It makes wise and simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart.
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever.
The rules of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
They're more to be desired than gold, even much fine gold, sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.
There's Saul looking at God's commands and saying, they are good.
And you know, that's not legalism.
That's not David saying, oh man, I really have to earn God's favor by keeping his law.
No, that's David saying, God made us and God loves us and God knows how life works best.
And to follow his word is to live in tune with how he made us.
And to do so is to find great joy in him, even when it's hard.
So friends, I wonder, do you reflect on the goodness of God's commands in scripture for you?
God isn't out to try to destroy your joy.
In fact, just the opposite.
His word is there so that we know how to walk in the paths of life.
Okay, so there's the first big thing that we learn about how to obey and follow the Lord in the face of temptation and trial.
That we need to cultivate that two-sided truth of confidence in God's sovereignty and clarity about our God-given responsibility.
But as you and I all know, that's really only the first step, right?
It's necessary.
It's helpful.
But don't you and I know that there needs to be something more?
Because I'm sure that you, like me, have been in the place when you're doing both of those things.
You've got a really clear grip on God's power.
You've got a tight grasp on God's will for you.
But you still give in.
Is there anything else we can do?
Well, let's look at the rest of the chapter.
Let's pick up in verse 13.
Then David went over to the other side and stood far off on the top of the hill with a great space between them.
And David called to the army and to Abner, the son of Ner, saying,
Will you not answer, Abner?
Then Abner answered,
Who are you who calls to the king?
And David said to Abner,
Are you not a man?
Who's like you in Israel?
Why then have you not kept watch over your lord, the king?
For one of the people came in to destroy the king, your lord.
This thing that you have done is not good.
As the lord lives, you deserve to die because you have not kept watch over your lord, the lord's anointed.
And now see where the king's spear is and the jar of water that was at his head.
Saul recognized David's voice and said,
Is this your voice, my son, David?
And David said,
Why does my lord pursue after his servant?
For what have I done?
What evil is on my hands?
Now, therefore, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant.
If it is the lord who has stirred you up against me, may he accept an offering.
But if it is men,
may they be cursed before the lord.
For they have driven me out this day,
that I should have no share in the inheritance of the lord, saying,
Go serve other gods.
Now, therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth away from the presence of the lord.
For the king of Israel has come out to seek a single flea,
like one who hunts a partridge in the mountains.
And Saul said,
I have sinned.
Return, my son, David,
for I will no more do you harm,
because my life was precious in your eyes this day.
Behold, I have acted foolishly and have made a great mistake.
And David answered and said,
Here's the spear, O king.
Let one of the young men come over and take it.
The lord rewards every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness,
for the lord gave you into my hand today,
and I would not put out my hand against the lord's anointed.
Behold, as your life was precious this day in my sight,
so may my life be precious in the sight of the lord,
and may he deliver me out of all tribulation.
And Saul said to David,
Blessed be you, my son, David.
You will do many things and will succeed in them.
So David went his way,
and Saul returned to his place.
So after David and Abishai get clear from the camp,
we see here that David wakes them up.
First, he starts taunting Abner.
And the taunt is really David making a point, right?
Abner fell asleep on the job,
put his king at risk,
but David stayed utterly faithful.
He's demonstrating,
David's demonstrating his innocence here.
Then Saul wakes up and says,
David, is that you?
And David says in verses 19 through 20,
Look, Saul, if the lord is driving you to hunt me down,
then we should offer the lord a sacrifice
and get things right with him.
But if it's men who are driving you to do it,
well then, Saul, they're cursed
because you're forcing me to leave the land,
and you're driving me away from the worshiping assembly.
And you know, all that,
that sort of speech of David right there
is sort of a not-so-subtle way for David to indict Saul.
Because after all, it's Saul himself who's driving David out.
He's the man coming after him like a madman.
And David's speech actually does what he intends it to do.
It gets Saul to publicly confess.
Right?
In verse 21, Saul admits that he's in the wrong
and David's in the right.
And that's probably why David stole the spear
in the first place.
That's probably why,
that's probably what David was trying to accomplish
in all of this.
You see, that spear was symbolic of Saul's kingly power.
And David grabs it as if to say,
look, Saul and everyone else,
I've taken Saul's life and his kingly power.
I could have taken it right out of his hand
and I could have had it in a second.
But I didn't.
In other words,
this whole adventure with the spear
is David's way to demonstrate his innocence
and to get Saul to publicly admit
before the whole army that Saul has gathered
and everyone who's listening,
he's getting Saul to admit that Saul's guilty
and he himself is righteous.
Because once Saul makes that confession,
David says,
okay, come get the spear.
Here it is.
I've made my point.
But you know,
it's what David says after that
that I think is really the highlight of the passage.
In this last speech,
that's where we see what's going on
down in David's heart.
Here's what's keeping him
from actually harming Saul.
Here's what David had been meditating on
to keep him from sinning against the Lord,
even in the face of trial.
Look again at verse 24.
David says to Saul,
behold,
as your life was precious this day in my sight,
so may my life be precious
in the sight of the Lord.
And may he deliver me out of all tribulation.
Do you notice what David doesn't say there?
He doesn't say,
as your life was precious in my sight,
now Saul,
may my life be precious in your sight.
It's not what he says.
He says,
may my life be precious
in the sight of the Lord.
That's what David really cares about.
What Saul thinks of him
is a secondary matter.
Saul, after all,
can't be trusted.
No matter how many times
Saul is going to admit
that he's going to have
a great change of heart
at this point in the story,
David knows that he can't trust him.
But what really matters
is the sight of the Lord.
You see,
David is living
in a dynamic relationship
with God
that is about
more than just God's power
and God's commands,
but it's about
an intimate,
vital walk
with the Lord God,
the creator of heaven
and earth.
And in that relationship
that David has,
David cares more
about God's pleasure
over his life
than any amount
of earthly comfort.
David is saying
that no other delight
possibly compares
to the delight
of my God
over me.
You know,
I actually see this
all the time
in my kids
as an illustration.
My son Jack
just had his fourth birthday.
He had a Spider-Man birthday.
So,
there you go.
We had never even watched
a Spider-Man cartoon
and somehow,
some way,
he wanted a Spider-Man birthday.
And the thing
that he was enamored with
the most this year
about his birthday
was the gifts,
the presents.
I'd ask him,
oh, Jack,
what are you looking forward to
about your birthday?
Or,
what'd you like best
about your birthday?
And it wasn't,
oh, Dad,
that you're so great.
Or, you know,
oh, that cake
that Mommy made me
was awesome.
The thing he would say is,
the presents,
that's what I like best
about my birthday.
But, you know,
here's the truth.
After a couple days
of my son
being surrounded
with those presents
and enamored with them
and focused on them,
you know,
after a couple days
of that,
what he really wanted,
what he really wanted
was for me
or for my wife,
Beth,
to sit down
and to actually
play with him.
That what he actually
wanted as our son
was for us
to delight in him
and delight with him
in relationship.
That's what his little heart
is hungry for,
that delightful gaze
of his mom and dad,
that fellowship with us.
And, friends,
isn't that true
of you and I too?
I mean,
at the end of the day,
wouldn't we rather
have the Lord say
to us,
the sovereign Lord,
wouldn't we rather
have him look over our life
and say,
you're precious in my sight
than to have all
the comforts
and pleasures
of this life?
Wouldn't we rather
have Jesus say to us
at the end of our lives,
well done,
good and faithful servant?
Isn't that
infinitely more important
and satisfying
and lasting
than anything else?
May my life
be precious
in the sight
of the Lord.
And again,
this isn't legalism,
this isn't
works righteousness,
this isn't David saying,
oh,
I hope I can earn
God's favor.
No,
it's not that.
How do we know
that actually?
How do we know
it's not that?
Well,
I think one little hint
there is that
David calls God
here,
the Lord.
And the Lord
is actually
God's covenant name.
It's actually
Yahweh.
That was the name
of God
that reminded
Israel
of his intimate
relationship with them.
That was the name
that reminded
his people
of when he had come
and rescued them
from Egypt.
That was the name
that reminded them
of the time
when God fulfilled
his promises
to them
out of his own
good pleasure.
That was the name
that reminded
his people
of his steadfast
love.
So David isn't
saying,
oh,
I want to obey God
so God might
maybe one day
love me.
No,
he's saying
that the Lord,
this covenant
God,
loves me.
And I want
his gaze
to fall over me.
And I want
to be found
precious in his sight.
That's what
matters most.
And friends,
if that was true
of David
then,
given what he knew
about God,
how much more
should that be true
of us today,
given what we know
about the same God?
Given what we know
about God's
gracious
and holy
character
and his steadfast,
satisfying love,
don't we see it
more clearly
than David
ever did?
Because we see
God's love
displayed
on a cross.
We see God
fulfilling all
of his fatherly
promises to us
through the death
and resurrection
of his own son.
And you know,
now we know God
not just as the Lord,
but as the Lord Jesus,
the one who came
and bled for us
and rose again
for us
so that all who repent
and believe
would know new life
and know the fatherly
favor forever.
And friends,
knowing God's
love in Christ,
how much more
should we delight
in the gaze
of God over us,
bought at such a cost,
freely given
through the Spirit,
and received
simply through faith?
If the burning
passion of God
is so rich
and so deep
that he would
pour it out
on a cross
for sinners
like you and me,
how could we not
want to get
as close
as we possibly
could
to delighting
in that?
If that's how
profound God's
mercy is,
how could it
not be more
worthwhile
and more
satisfying to us
than anything else?
To be found
precious
in the Lord's sight,
that would
thrill
our hearts
for eternity.
Listen to another
psalm by David,
Psalm 16.
He says,
Therefore my heart
is glad
and my whole
being rejoices.
My flesh
also dwells secure
for you will not
abandon my soul
to Sheol
or let your Holy
One see corruption.
You make known
to me the paths
of life.
In your presence
there's fullness
of joy
and at your right
hand are pleasures
forevermore.
Friends,
this is what
will give us
the power
to obey
in trial
and temptation,
to meditate
on that
deep
everlasting
truth.
In those moments
when we need
to blink,
as it were,
when we need
to make those
quick decisions,
when we're confronted
with challenges
to obey,
these are the things
we need to have been
thinking deeply upon.
Not just
confidence in God's
sovereignty to deliver,
not just the clarity
of His word,
but lastly,
the delight
of His gaze
upon us
to find that view
more precious
than anything else.
So as we wrap up then,
what trials
or temptations
are you going to face
this week?
What trials
or temptations
are you going to face
tonight?
Let's go to God
in prayer right now
and ask Him
to sink these truths
deep into our hearts
by His Spirit
so that we could
follow Him
and know the joy
that comes
from obeying
our Lord.
Let's pray.
God,
that's what we ask
right now tonight.
Lord,
so many of us
are facing
seemingly
difficult
temptations
and Lord,
we're facing
tests
where it seems
like we can
snatch pleasure
right at our fingertips
just like David
could have ended
all of his problems
seemingly
in this chapter.
Oh Lord,
I pray
for us tonight
that we would
count
Your
gracious
presence
and fellowship
and walking
with You,
God,
that we would
count that
more worth
than anything
else,
Jesus.
Lord,
grant that
to be the case
by Your Spirit.
Amen.
The music team
is going to come up
and we're going to
continue worshiping
together.
So,
let's do that.
We've got a couple
minutes left.
If anyone has
any questions
about our passage
tonight,
we can talk
about those.
if I don't
know the answer,
I will
happily
bunt
and confess
my ignorance
and
but
yeah,
good to see you
again.
Yeah.
Yeah,
good question.
So,
the question is,
here Saul says
he's sorry,
I'm not going
to hurt you
and then in
chapter 27,
David goes
the opposite
direction.
What's going
on?
Does he not
believe Saul?
I think that's
exactly right.
I think he
doesn't trust
Saul as far
as he can
kick him
at this
point in
the story
because this
actually isn't
the first
time in
1 Samuel
that Saul
has said,
I'm sorry,
I'm wrong,
come back,
David,
and then we
find a chapter
later that
Saul's out
to kill him
again.
So,
this has
happened
numerous times
at this
point.
So,
I think
at this
point,
David is
saying,
that's
great,
Saul,
that you're
saying you're
sorry and
wrong,
but I'm
not going
to trust
you right
now.
So,
yeah,
I think
he's just
being wise
and realizing
that Saul
can't be
trusted.
Yeah,
which plays
itself out
in the next
couple of
chapters.
So,
yeah,
good question.
Any others?
No?
Stephen,
is that Jude?
Is that your
son?
He's giving
a good
hallelujah back
there to my
sermon.
I appreciate
that.
All right,
well,
friends,
let's close
then.
Hey,
did you get
a bulletin
on the way
in?
Did you see
him back
there?
Good.
Let me
point out
just one
thing in
the bulletin.
If you
are a
member
here at
Trinity,
in a couple
of weeks,
we're going
to have a
congregational
meeting.
And this
is probably
our most
important
congregational
meeting of
the year
because we're
going to
look at
our ministry
priorities for
the coming
year through
the lens
of our
budget.
So,
this is
when we're
going to
finalize
our annual
budget.
And also,
on top of
that,
we're also
going to be
voting on
officers,
on deacons,
and also
there's an
elder candidate.
So,
take a look
at that.
If you don't
know those
officer
candidates and
you're a
member,
try to get
to know
them in the
next couple
of weeks.
At least
talk to
them and
introduce
yourself to
them.
But come
out to the
congregational
meeting and
we'll have a
good fellowship
dinner together
and we'll
vote on our
budget and
on our
officers for
the coming
year.
On the
back of the
bulletin,
there's space
for small
groups.
A bunch of
small groups
are there
listed.
So,
if you're
looking for
ways to get
more connected
here at
Trinity,
these are
times that
meet throughout
the week for
Bible study and
prayer and
fellowship and
all that good
stuff.
So,
if you have
questions about
a group that
might be a
good fit or
you want to
just inquire,
you can ask
me,
you can ask
Neil,
he's a small
group leader,
Nord leads
one of the
studies,
so you can
ask a bunch
of us and
we'd be happy
to point you
in the right
direction.
Alright,
let's close
with a
benediction
from 2nd
Corinthians.
Paul says
it's the
grace of the
Lord Jesus
Christ and
the love of
God and
the fellowship
of the Holy
Spirit be with
you all.
Friends,
go in peace.