missed phrases. My name is Sal Valenzuela and not Saul.I want to say that because my message is going to talk a lot about Saul and I want to distance myself from him, even though I'm more like him than I than I would like to admit. And anyways, I serve as a church plant resident here at Cross of Grace, and that means I get to learn from the excellent pastoral team here as I go through the ordination process and prepare to plant a sovereign Grace church in Horizon in the near future. So my family and I would greatly appreciate your prayers. We're so grateful for each and every one of you and for our family of churches. So as John mentioned earlier in the service, Advent is a season of the already, but not yet. And in these chapters that we're going to be looking at today in first of Samuel, if you want to open your Bible there, first of Samuel, chapter 22, we're gonna read verses one to five, but we're gonna be covering three chapters today, but we're gonna see there a hint of that advent of already but not yet.
First of Samuel, chapter 22, verses number one to number five. And as we turn there and as we read this, let's always remember and never forget that this is God's word. David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down there to him. And everyone who was in distress and everyone who was in debt and everyone who was bitter in soul gathered to him. And he became commander over them. And there were with him about 400 men. And David went from there to Mizpeh of Moab. And he said to the king of Moab, please let my father and my mother stay with you till I know what God will do for me. And he left them with the king of Moab. And they stayed with him all the time that David was in the stronghold. Then the prophet Gad said to David, do not remain in the stronghold. Depart and go into the land of Judah. So David departed and went into the forest of Horeth.
So I want to share a premise of an old movie with you to hopefully I want to set the scene because I just, I want to do it justice because what we just read you might have been like, okay, maybe not feeling the weight of it. And so I want to share this illustration to put us in that scene of verses one to five where David's in the cave of Adullam. And anyways, this old movie, I must have been about 8 or 9 years old when I first saw it. My parents, I think were probably watching it in the living room and I just stumbled in there watching it. I don't even know what it's rated. Okay, so I'm not telling you. I recommend it for an eight or nine year old, but I just stumbled into the living room and I was immediately hooked. And I just started asking a thousand questions and I feel like I was at the edge of my seat being just 8 or 9 years old somewhere around there. And as I've been learning with my illustrations, I often date myself. So you might not have heard it if you're young. Just pay attention to my summary because you're not gonna get it. Pay attention to my summary of this movie. But in the year 1993, a blockbuster movie came out called the Fugitive. Harrison Ford played Dr. Richard Kimball, a respected surgeon who was wrongly convicted of murdering his wife and sentenced to death. On the way to prison, the bus crashes, he escapes. And suddenly the entire country is hunting an innocent man. And for the next two hours we watch him on the run. He hides in storm drains, he sleeps in abandoned buildings. He stays one step ahead of the U.S. marshals, of whom the lead marshal is Tommy Lee Jones. I don't know if you've ever heard of him. And they're convinced he's guilty. He's alone, he's exhausted and constantly facing moments of panic. The choice Kimball makes constantly is can he entrust his life to anyone? Eventually, at the very end, he's kind of forced to place his trust in. In someone's hands. So in that movie, you can kind of feel the tension of living on the run. The title is the Fugitive. He's a fugitive, constantly deciding where to place his trust. That is the emotional world of David in First of Samuel, chapters 22 to 24. And maybe you've felt like a fugitive in your life at times on the run, wondering what who you can trust, thinking maybe you can only trust yourself. So let me give you A brief context, because I know seven days was a long time ago since we last talked about first Samuel, where we left off, but a couple of chapters back in chapter 20. Let me jog your memory. After Jonathan makes a covenant with David, they agreed on a field test. I'm going to try to describe it real quick, but basically, this is how it works. There's a big feast happening, and David is one of the top guys in Saul's court, and he's expected to be there at that dinner table for this feast. And he's notably absent. And Jonathan is not convinced that his dad wants to murder David. David is convinced he had a spear hurled at him. He's trying to tell his best friend, hey, your dad wants to kill me. And they're just not in a. He just doesn't see it. So they say. Why don't we do a test? You hide out in this field. Once I see if my. If you're safe coming home to where my dad is at, to the court, I'm going to shoot an arrow out in the field next to where you're hiding. And if I say to the servant, hey, the arrows are just beyond you, then that means you're right, you're not safe. You need to take off. And if I say, hey, the arrows are right next to you, to the servant, then that's going to be your sign that you're actually safe to come back. So it's a little clandestine agreement that they have. So, long story short, David's waiting in the field a couple days. Saul gets upset. You heard about this last week and all the insults that Saul hurled at Jonathan in his fit of jealous rage. And so Jonathan finds out. Oh, man, David was right. He's not safe. So he launches the arrows out in the field next to him. He sends a boy to gather the arrows, and he says, aren't the arrows beyond you? And that's a sign that he's a fugitive. David understands I need to be on the run. He takes off. This begins his fleet. The results in David fleeing as Jonathan confirmed that his life was in danger. So then in chapter 21, the first place he flees to is a priestly city, which is at Knob. And we've seen him do this before when he fled last message that we heard, he fled to where Samuel was at. So you can see David kind of, he wants to stay close to the Lord through this fleet. So he goes to a priestly city at Knob. He's hungry and asks for food there and a weapon. He is given the Holy bread and ironically, the sword of Goliath. He then flees to Gath. And if Gath doesn't ring a bell, let me remind you, that's where Goliath is from. He flees to enemy territory, to Gath. And from Gath to the cave of Adullam, where we find him in chapter 22. So the scene is set. You understand why he's there. You understand what he's feeling. He's exhausted, he's hunted, and he's completely alone. He has fled for his life. After Jonathan's field test confirmed Saul's murderous intent, he has been to Nob and Gath and now finds himself in the cave of Adullam. His family is scattered. Danger presses in from every side.
And I don't know why I get all these ideas once I'm preaching. I wish I would have had a map up here that just showed you all the places that he was fleeing. Because I'm going to tell you over and over today, I'm going to need your patience. He went from there to there, from there to there. I mean, it's not from point A to point B to point C. It goes from further down the Alphabet. But this is how he begins his fleet. Okay? And you see, the stage is set. And yet, even in the midst of all this pressure, David makes a choice he does not grasp for control. He does not lash out in panic or fear. He places himself in God's hands and runs, metaphorically to God. Yes, he's running from Saul, but he runs to God. That tension between taking life into your own hands and trusting God to act is the heart of what we see in these three chapters that we'll be looking at today. And it brings us to the truth that I want us all to walk away with today, which is this. When life puts you on the run, and you will be put on the run. And if you haven't yet, you're just too young and haven't lived enough life. And some get started really early. Life will put you on the run. And when it does, there are two ways to run. You either run from God by taking life into your own hands, or you run to God by placing your life into God's hands. And God is faithful. We'll see. He's faithful to those who entrust themselves to to him, while those who seize control will find their lives slowly coming apart.
Now, I want to make a quick note before we jump in today. And it's mainly this. When we face uncertainty and challenges, danger, we will face danger or trials. Trusting the Lord doesn't necessarily mean that we will not suffer or that we'll get immediate relief from a hardship that we're facing, but rather, it does mean. It does mean Emmanuel. What does Emmanuel mean? God is with us. It does mean that his presence will be with us, comforting us and providing for us in the midst of whatever trouble or suffering we're going through. The Lord often comforts us through. Through the trial in ways we do not expect. We want the hard times to be over. I'm chief sinner. I'm not telling you that. You need to improve on your trust. I need to improve on my trust. When hard times come, I want them to be over as soon as possible. When I enter a storm, when I find myself in a cave, I want it to be over as soon as possible. That's not what God always wants. He wants us to meet us. He wants to meet us in the hard times and bring us through them. Remember Psalm 23. Even though I walk through the valley, not fly over, not go around, not skip over, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.
Right, so we're spanning three chapters today. I can't read every verse of chapter 22, 23 and 24, so I'm gonna try to do a quick flyover and point out some things in 22 and 23 and 24. But we're gonna see one unified theme as we do that. We're gonna see David running to God while Saul is running from God. And as David runs in the direction of God, as he runs to God, we see God meet him. We see God meet David in chapter 22 through provision, supernatural provision in chapter 23, we're gonna see that God meets him with direction, divine direction. And towards the end of 23 and through 24, we're gonna see how God meets David through protection, divine protection, and protecting him. So let's look at the three ways that God protects, provides for David in his circumstance.
6 · Expounds on 1 Samuel 22:1-2, highlighting that God provided David with an unexpected community of distressed, indebted, and bitter men whom He would shape into mighty warriors—a pattern consistent with God's choice of the weak throughout Scripture
Look at verses number one and two. Right there of chapter 22. It says, David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when his brothers and his father's house heard it, they went there, down there to him. And everyone who was in distress and everyone who was in debt and everyone who was bitter in soul gathered to him. And he became commander over them. And there were with him about 400 men. So God gathered to David a group no one would have expected. This was not a polished or an impressive group. These men were distressed, indebted, bitter, and soul men, not exactly the a team. And yet they would become the people God would shape into David's mighty Word warriors. This is a pattern we see throughout the Scripture. Jesus gathered what kinds of people? Fishermen, tax collectors. Paul reminds us in 1st Corinthians 1:26. And on that God delights to choose the weak, the low, and the unlikely so that no one may boast in his presence.
7 · Applies the truth of God's provision of community to the congregation, calling them to examine whether pride or unworthiness keeps them from joining a local church or home group, and to take concrete next steps in community engagement
Let me ask you something. Are you a community? Are you part of a community of believers? David wasn't alone. Are you a part of community, believers? Perhaps what the Lord would have for you next is to become a member of a local church. Or perhaps you are part of a church, but you're flying under the radar. You haven't fully integrated. Maybe the next step for you is to. Is to become part of a home group. And sometimes there can be this tension. It's weird. You got to be careful. You got to let the Word diagnose you. And I'm not saying this is the only reason why we don't get into community and lock arms. But many times one of the things that we face is we either think we're too good or we're above the people that we're meeting with. Where we're above inexperience, we're above theologically, we're above in societal status. We don't join ourselves to a community because of that. Sometimes we feel unworthy. I'm not as adept as they are. I'm not as good as they are. I don't have the same background. Sometimes we let those things keep us from what God provides for us. Community is a means of grace that God uses to sustain his people. And I'm not reading that into the text. It's the truth. As you trust God with your life, what would be the next step for you? Think about that. Today God provides a community for David and not just three or four people. This is miraculous. 400 people.
8 · Expounds on 1 Samuel 22:3-4, showing God's second provision for David: a safe haven for his parents in Moab, accomplished by sovereignly opening the heart of a foreign king to provide shelter while David remained vulnerable
The second way we see God meet David with provision is he provides a safe haven for his parents. Look at verse three. And David went there from Mispet to Moab. And he said to the king of Moab, please let my father and my mother stay with you till I know what God will do for me. And let me just pause there and make a quick note. That's how it is for the people of God. Many times we will find ourselves throughout the course of our lives not knowing what God is going to do, but he will do something because he is faithful and he told the king of Moab that, can you take care of my parents until I find out what God's going to do for me. So if you've ever found out, man, I'm in a tough spot. I don't know what God is doing or what he's gonna do. Welcome to the club. Join David. Many times we don't know. But we do know that God is gonna do something. Verse 4. And he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him all the time that David was in the stronghold. David knew he couldn't protect his parents while he was on the run. So God opened the heart of a foreign king to. To shelter them. The Lord gave David the peace of knowing his family was safe even while he was on the run and exposed and vulnerable. Second, miraculous provision for David in his time of fleet.
9 · Narrates Saul's massacre of the priests at Nob (1 Samuel 22:7-19), contrasting Saul's victim mentality and violent grasping for control with God's sovereign preservation of one priest, Abiathar, demonstrating that even in darkness God keeps His promises intact and those running from God leave destruction in their wake
The third way we see God provide for him in chapter 22 as he provides a remnant priest in Abiar. So let's read a little bit of narrative there. Let's look at verse number seven. And Saul said to his servants who stood about him, this is Saul, King Saul. Hear now, people of Benjamin, he's appealing to his own clan. By the way, he was a Benjamite here. Now, people of Benjamin, will the son of Jesse, in other words, David, give every one of you fields and vineyards? Will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds? But all of you have conspired against me. No one discloses to me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. None of you is sorry for me or discloses to me what my son has stirred up my servant against me to lie in wait, as at this day, he's got his whole clan with him. Nobody answers. He could hear a pin drop, silent. Then we hear the voice of a Gentile, someone who's not a covenant person. And I know that because the scripture highlights it tags him, says in verse nine, then answered Doeg the Edomite from the descent of Esau, who stood by the servants of Saul. I saw the son of Jesse, Tattletail. I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub. And he inquired of the Lord for him and gave him provisions and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine. And one thing I want you to note here as we look at this, this because we're going to see contrast between David and Saul as we study this. Look at how Saul's already sinking into a victim mentality, okay? As if everything. He's looking at everything through the lens of how he's being wronged, even though he's the one pursuing David. So ironic. These verses set up one of the darkest moments. In this chapter, Saul learns that David has been helped by the priests at Nob. Notice the contrast. David has people willingly rallying to him. Saul must manipulate, guilt and bribe his men to remain loyal. And I mentioned community earlier. And if you're a community, you have to guilt, bribe to remain loyal. That's not from the Lord. He is surrounded by bodies, Saul is, but not brothers. And it's a Gentile, Doeg, the Edomite, who finally gives him the information he wants. Saul's insecurity, when he hears this, explodes into violence. He falsely accuses the priests of conspiring with David and commands his men to execute them. And they refuse. But Doeg steps forward. Let's look at verses 17 to 19. And I really need your attention here because this has to land in a very weighty way, because the author wants you to feel the weight of this verse 17. And the king said to the guard who stood about him, king Saul, turn and kill the priests of the Lord. That is just striking because he doesn't use even a disconnected name of a Lord or a God. This is so wrong. If I had to do something like that, I would want to compartmentalize and distance myself and I'd say, kill these dumb men. But I wouldn't name my crime so specifically like that. Turn and kill the priests of Yahweh. Man, my, how the mighty have fallen. Because their hand also is with David. And they knew that he fled and did not disclose it to me. But the servants check this out. Even the servants. But the servants of the king would not put out their hand to strike the priests of Yahweh. Then the king said to Doeg, this is betrayal upon betrayal. That's why the author is telling you, Doug, the Edomite, Doeg, the Edomite, the betrayal. Now he's going to get a person who is not someone who's a descendant of Esau, not of Jacob, to do the murder on the priests. It's just heavy. And Doe dynamite turned and struck down the priest. And he killed on that day, 85 persons who wore the linen ephod. That linen ephod is a priestly garment. And of course, this guy's not part of the covenant community. He didn't. He could care less. And he massacred 85 priests. Verse 19. And now the city of the priests he put to the Sword. Both man. Check this out. This line has to ring to you. Remembrance of what we've been studying. This has to sound familiar to you. He put to the sword both man and woman, child and infant, ox, donkey and sheep. He put to the sword. This is terrible evil irony, because this is the very thing that he was supposed to do to a different people, a different town. God had commanded Saul to execute the entire city like that. That's why the author's repeating it like, leave no survivors. And remember, he spared some of the spoil for himself to offer a sacrifice when the Lord rejected him. When it was God's command, he couldn't do it. And when it's his own doing, he was more than willing to wipe out an entire priestly city. A slaughter of the Lord's priests. It's a picture of a king completely running from God. And he's destroying everything in his path. This is the Lord's kindness to let us see this narrative. You might not notice, when we're running from God, we're going to leave destruction in our path and in our wake. But even here, in this terrible, dark moment, God provides. Look at verses 20 to 22. But one of the sons, you say one, one of the sons of Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord. And David said to Abiathar, I knew on that day when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul, that he would surely tell Saul. I have occasioned the death of all the persons of your father's house. So one priest escapes a high tube. This is the moment that we see through scriptures that Saul could destroy 85 priests. But what he did not know, again, that he's fighting and running from God, he could not erase the priesthood. God preserved one. There is always a remnant. Even when Saul tries to tear down what God has established, God quietly keeps his promises intact.
10 · Expounds on David's response to Abiathar in 1 Samuel 22:23, contrasting Saul's destruction of the priests with David's protection of the priest, demonstrating that David runs to God by sheltering God's servant and valuing the means of accessing God's will even while being hunted
And David feels the weight of all of this. He understands the importance of the priestly office. The priest was not just a religious figure in those days. We might think of it that way. The clergy member. No, no. A priest represents in these times access to God. He carried the Ephod. He could seek the Lord's will. David knows that he needs that. He knows that Israel needs that. And so when Abiathar arrives, David welcomes him not as a political ally, but as a gift of God's provision. You see that? Look at verse 23. David's response. Stay with me. Do not be afraid. For he who seeks my life seeks your life with me. You shall be in safekeeping. You see that Saul's in the victim mentality. David's the one being hunted. And if anybody could play the victim here, it's Abiathar or David. And these two individuals are moving forward in faith. David's being hunted. At the same time, he's like, I'll take you under my protection. It's just amazing. This is a remarkable contrast to Saul. Saul destroys the priests. David protects the priest. Saul runs from God and kills God's servant. David runs to God and shelters God's servant. Even in tragedy, God is quietly providing for David exactly what he needs. And that's what he does for you and I, brothers and sisters. Maybe he doesn't provide what we want, but he provides what we need. A faithful priest who will stand with him in the wilderness. David isn't just running for his life, but in the midst of the mess, he's running towards the Lord. Even in crisis, he values the priestly office God appointed for his people. In other words, David is seeking God's guidance, not his own.
11 · Applies the theme of priestly access to God directly to the congregation, reminding them that through Christ as great high priest they have direct access to God in their caves of fear and anxiety, calling them to bring their needs to Him with confidence
What about you, friend? Where do you run when life gets hard or you're being chased into a cave of fear or worry or anxiety? Do you run to God or do you try to handle it yourself? Do you remember? And if you don't, let me remind you today that through Christ we have direct access to God. We don't have to preserve the life of a clergy member or a pastor or a priest or a prophet. We have direct access to God. Let me remind you what Hebrews 4:14 says. Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God. Let us hold fast our confession. Whatever cave we're in, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect, when you're a victim, you can't see that. You think you're the only one. When you're filled with the spirit of God, you understand that Jesus was in every respect tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then, with confidence, draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Christian, bring your fear. Bring your questions and your needs to him today. Trust that he will meet you, that he is faithful.
12 · Begins exposition of chapter 23 by showing the first way God gives David direction: through inquiring of the Lord, demonstrated when David asks God twice about defending Keilah from the Philistines despite being under pressure from multiple threats
Now, when we run to the Lord and we entrust our lives to him, we find that he also gives us direction. In chapter 23, we see at least two ways that David receives direction. Through inquiring of the Lord and through encouragement of others. Through. At the beginning of this chapter, chapter 23, we're moving from 22 to 23. David receives word that the city of Keilah is being raided by the Philistines. He could have acted on impulse, relying on his own strength or strategy, or he could have even stayed back out of fear. But instead, he inquires of the Lord. Look at chapter 23, verse 2. Therefore, David did what inquired of the Lord, Shall I go back? Shall I go. I'm sorry, and attack these Philistines? And the Lord said to David, go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah. That's just amazing. I mean, he's on the run, and then there's a city, the city where he's hiding in comes under attack from the Philistines. Do you see how he's, like, getting hit on every side, being chased by Saul. And then the city he's hiding in gets attacked by the Philistines. And now he's inquiring of the Lord. What I do about this? Sound familiar? We go through something and we inquire of the Lord, and then another thing hits us and we're like, what do I do about this, Lord? Verse 3. But David's men said to him, behold, we are afraid here in Judah much more than if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines. Then David did what in verse four inquired of the Lord again, sometimes you want to go to the Lord once, and I go multiple times. And the Lord answered him, arise, go down to Keilah, for I will give the Philistines into your hand. And David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines and brought away their livestock and struck them with a great blow. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.
13 · Continues exposition of the Keilah incident, highlighting how Abiathar's ephod enabled David to confirm God's direction to flee, contrasting David's refusal to act without God's revealed will against Saul's false assumption that he understands God's will after having just massacred the priests
David listens. He gathers his men and follows God's guidance, and the city is delivered. But the situation isn't simple. Saul hears, he gets word that David's in Keilah, and he sets out to capture him again. David again asks the Lord what to do and confirms. God confirms to him that Saul is coming. Look at verses 6 and 7. When Abiathar the son of Ahimelech, had fled to David. Tequila, that surviving remnant priest, he had come down and the author mentions this several times. That's why I'm mentioning it. Come down with an ephod in his hand. Now I was told Saul that David had come to Keilah. And Saul said, God, this is so weird. Saul says, this is Saul. God has given him into my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars. So at this point, we learned that Abiathar arrives with an ephod, likely the one worn by the actual high priest, which included the Urim and Thummim. Not this topic of today, but it's a key means for discerning God's will. And through Abiathar and the ephod, in verses 9 to 10, David is able to confirm God's direction before acting. And this shows that David refuses to make decisions apart from God's revealed will. God reveals the inhabitants of Keilah will surrender him to Saul. Trusting God's direction, David leaves the city and flees yet again, this time to the wilderness of Ziph, protecting himself and the people. And so the contrast between David and Saul here continues to be striking. David runs to God and seeks his guidance. Saul has stopped listening to God. And get this, he misreads the situation. Assuming he assumes he understands God's will and that David is already in his hand. So the city of Keilah must have been fortified. And when Saul hears that he's going to go there, he's happy. He's like, there's no way out for him. The Lord has delivered him into my hands. Are you catching the irony? The author's trying to give you. He just murdered the priests. He just murdered an entire priestly city. And now he's saying that God is revealing to him and showing them things that David has been delivered into his hands. Brothers and sisters, this should serve as a great warning to us with weight. And I am not trying to build that weight. The author is doing it. When we run from God and we take matters into our own hands, we too can misread circumstances and make poor decisions or feel falsely in control. Seeking God first, as David does, keeps us from walking in fear and misjudgment. Brothers, when we're heading away from God, we can't think that we can, we can't assume to understand his will. Doesn't Paul say in Romans 12:1 Therefore offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, for this is your spiritual act of worship, so you can know God's will. Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may be able to approve what God's will is. We can't assume so that's one way that God gives him direction through the inquiring. God gives him direction. And no matter what you may be going through, whatever circumstance you're in, God is a faithful God that will give you direction you don't have to grasp for control. He is faithful. He will give you direction.
14 · Signals the shift from God giving direction through inquiring to God giving direction through community encouragement, noting this is the second emphasis on community in the narrative
The second way that he meets David with direction is through the encouragement of others. This is the second time the author highlights community, not me reading into it. The author is highlighting it.
15 · Expounds on 1 Samuel 23:16-17, showing how Jonathan went out of his way to find David and strengthen his hand in God, encouraging him that Saul would not find him and that David would indeed be king
Check this out in verses 16 and 17 of chapter 23. And Jonathan, Saul's son, rose and went to David at Horesh and and strengthened. Look what he did. He strengthened his hand in God. And he said to him, do not fear for the hand of Saul. My father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel and I shall be next to you. Saul, my father also knows this, and the two of them made a covenant before the Lord. David remained at Horesh and Jonathan went home. It's a second covenant that they make together.
16 · Applies Jonathan's example by calling the congregation to actively seek out struggling believers to encourage them, emphasizing that God often provides direction and encouragement through friends, mentors, and godly counselors who tell us what we need to hear
What I want to tell you is David's in hiding and Jonathan goes out of his way to find David and to encouragement, encourage him. And I want to ask you today, when's the last time? This is not for guilt. This is for opportunity. When's the last time that you went out of your way to look for a brother or a sister who's on the run, to look for a brother or sister who's hiding in a cave and provide encouragement? We have many opportunities to do it, even when we gather on Sundays to find that brother and encourage him. What I love here that the scripture highlights is he strengthens his hand in God. And that's what the Lord will do. He will many times encourage us through others, through friends, mentors, godly counselors who won't tell us what we want to hear, but they'll tell us what we need to hear. They'll tell us what we need to hear. And when you don't have a victim mentality like David, you can hear the godly encouragement, strengthen their hand in God.
17 · Signals the structural shift from provision and direction to the final major section on God's protection of David
So we've seen how God has faithfully met David in his time of need through provision and direction. Now we're going to see how he meets him through protection at the end of chapter 23 and throughout 24.
18 · Expounds on 1 Samuel 23:26-28, showing God's first protective intervention: Saul was closing in on David when a messenger interrupted with news of a Philistine raid, forcing Saul to abandon the pursuit in a way David could not have orchestrated
So after Jonathan encourages David, the zip fights had given David's location up to Saul. When David finds out, he flees again, this time to the wilderness of Maon. Then we find this next situation playing out. At the end of chapter 23, we see God's protection in action. Look at verses 26 and 28. 26, 28. So this is chapter 23, verses 26 through 28. Saul went on one side of the mountain and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. And David was hurrying to get away from Saul. As Saul and his men were closing in on David, they were closing in on him and his men to capture them all. A messenger came to Saul saying, hurry and come, for the Philistines have made a raid against the land. So Saul returned from pursuing after David and went against the Philistines. Therefore that place was called the Rock of Escape. And David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of En Gedi. So I mean Saul, he was on his heel, he was about to capture him. And sovereignly, providentially, the Lord protects him through a situation where he responds to his kingly duties of defending Israel against the Philistines. God intervenes in a way that David could not expect or orchestrate. Saul's pursuit is interrupted, and David finds safety in the strongholds.
19 · Narrates 1 Samuel 24:1-4, where Saul unknowingly enters the cave where David is hiding, creating a perfect opportunity for David to kill Saul, but David restrains himself to only cutting Saul's robe, entrusting justice and timing to God
Now let's look at chapter 24 to continue seeing this protection in verses number one to four. When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, behold, David is in the wilderness of En Gedi. Then Saul took 3,000 chosen men out of all of Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the wild goats rocks. And he came to the sheepfolds by the way, where there was a cave. And Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave. You see what's happening. Saul goes and responds, defends Israel from the Philistines. He hears that David's in the strongholds of En Gedi. He goes and pursues after him. And in the pursuit, somewhere Saul needs to relieve himself, likely use the restroom, rest, whatever he needed to do. And the cave that he goes in to relieve himself in probably removes his robe, relieves himself. But that cave that he's in is where David and his men are. It's like the Lord is seemingly handing it to him on a platter. Verse 4. And the men of David said to him, here is the day of which the Lord said to you, behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you. Then David arose, and they're probably thinking he's going to kill him. And he stealthily cut off a corner of Saul's robe. Here God protects David's life. Miraculously, once again, Saul unknowingly enters the very cave where David is hiding. David has the opportunity to act on his own, but he restrains himself, leaving justice and timing. And in God's hands.
20 · Expounds on 1 Samuel 24:5-7, emphasizing that David's restraint is not passivity but active faith, and that God's protection extends beyond David's physical life to protecting his heart from bitterness and vengeance by enabling him to trust God's timing
What an opportunity and what restraint. Your enemy who's hunting you is right there relieving himself and he can't see you. And he restrains himself. He doesn't kill him. Brothers and sisters, we're going to be put in opportunities where we can grasp for control ourselves instead of waiting on the Lord's timing. Part of being filled with the Spirit is having that self control, having that restraint. I want you to see something else here. Look at David's heart and the restraint he shows in verses five to seven. Look at verse five to seven. And afterward David's heart struck him because he had cut off a corner of Saul's robe. He said to his men, the Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my Lord. The Lord's anointed to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord's anointed. So David persuaded his men with these words and did not permit them to attack Saul. And Saul rose up and left the cave and went his way. David's restraint isn't passivity here or weakness, brothers and sisters. It is active faith. He refuses to grasp a crown that God has promised to give him. Notice two things about God's protection here. There's protection of life. He spares David's life. And more importantly, look at the protection of his heart. David's restraint demonstrates trust in God's timing. He could have killed Saul, yet he refuses to take vengeance. God protects David's heart from becoming hateful, bitter or vengeful.
21 · Applies the principle of restraint from vengeance to the congregation, reframing God's prohibition against taking vengeance as His protection of our hearts, integrity, and relationships rather than unfairness
Are you ever tempted in a tight situation to act in anger or fear, taking matters into your own hands? Could God be protecting you from actions that would wound your heart and your character and your relationships? Many times when the Lord tells us not to take vengeance, he's protecting our hearts and we don't see. We see. It's not fair. It's not fair. He did this to me. They did that. I said this about. But could the Lord be protecting your integrity and your heart?
22 · Steps aside from the exposition to address a potential misapplication of 'the Lord's anointed' concept, clarifying that biblical anointing calls for humility and servanthood, not untouchable authority or abuse
I want to make a quick note here. I don't want to distract from our message, but in David's day, the phrase the Lord's anointed carried real weight. It marks someone God has chosen for a particular office, not someone above correction or beyond accountability. Sadly, the term is sometimes misused in our present day to create a sense of untouchable authority around certain leaders. But Scripture never treats anointing as a shield for abuse or control. God's anointing is a call to humility, obedience and reverence, not a license to dominate or control. The anointing of the Lord produces servanthood, not tyranny.
23 · Summarizes the resolution of chapter 24 and then zooms out to show the pattern in David's story—anointed but not yet enthroned, suffering patiently, entrusting himself to God—and identifies this as the story not just of David but of the greater David, Jesus Christ, who likewise refused to seize power and entrusted himself to the One who judges justly
So I'm going to give you a quick summary of what happens in the rest of chapter 24. Thank you for sticking with me. After Saul leaves the cave, David steps out and calls after him, not to shame him, but to appeal to him. David shows Saul the piece of robe and declares that he has no intention of harming him. He entrusts himself fully to the Lord, saying that God will judge between them and vindicate the innocent. Saul is moved to tears and momentarily acknowledges David's righteousness and confessing that David will indeed be the king and that God's kingdom will be established through him. So dramatic. After all of this, Saul admits, and through David's humility, we see in exchange the fruit of it. Humble integrity softens his hardened enemy. And God uses David's restraint to confirm his promises. It's a powerful reminder that when we refuse to seize control and and instead wait on the Lord, not only does he protect us, but he confirms his purposes in ways that we could never bring about ourselves. When you step back from these chapters, when you zoom out from all three of them, you begin to see a pattern. Let's look at this pattern. David is the king on the margins. He is anointed, but not yet enthroned. You see the already, but not yet. He is chosen by God, yet hunted by men. He is betrayed, misunderstood, driven into caves, forced to flee again and again. And yet, at every turn, he humbles himself, suffers patiently, and entrusts himself to God. Through all these trials, God is faithful to David. He's shaping his character, preparing him to be the faithful, wise king that he will be one day. This pattern that we see here, the humility, the suffering, the dependence and the trust. Many psalms were born out of this situation. I can give you a list of a few of them after the service. It's not just a story of David. It's the story of the greater David, Jesus Christ. Jesus, too, was the rejected king. He too walked the path of hardship and humiliation. He too knew betrayal, isolation, danger and pressure. He too was pursued by earthly powers. And like David, he refused to seize power or grasp what was rightfully his. And if you've read the Gospels, he had many opportunities to become king. There was a time when great crowds gathered around him and wanted to enthrone him and he had to escape because it wasn't his time and he wasn't going to grasp it. It was going to be given to him by his Father instead. Scripture says, and may we follow this example in 1st Peter 2:23 he entrusted himself to the One who judges justly.
24 · Articulates the crucial distinction between David and Jesus: while David ran to God for refuge, Jesus has run to us to be our refuge, revealing through His suffering the heart of the true King who gives life rather than taking it
But here's the key difference. Here's the key difference. David ran to God for refuge. Jesus has run to you to be your refuge. In the margins of society, in the wilderness, in the quiet places and the places of suffering, Jesus revealed the heart of the true capital K King. He is the one who does not take life, but gives life. He is the one who protects, guides and rescues through sacrificial love.
25 · Presses the sermon's central question on the congregation—which way are you running when life tightens?—and provides gospel assurance that because Jesus took the ultimate pressure on the cross, believers can endure affliction without being crushed
So The Story of First Samuel, chapter 22 to 24, presses a question on us. When life tightens around you, which way are you running? Are you running from God like Saul, grasping for control, seizing the moments that you have in fear, trying to hold your world together with your own hands? Or are you running to God like David, entrusting your life, your timing, your fears and your future into the hands of the only one who can hold them? The things that we go through in this broken world, brothers and sisters, the only one who can hold the weight of the things that our soul feels and the pressures that we have is the Lord is the greater David. Here's the good news. The greater David has already run to you. He has entered your wilderness, your fear, your sin and your suffering. And because he took on the ultimate pressure on himself, he lived a pressured life. And on that cross he was pressured because he took on that ultimate pressure. We can say with great hope, like the APostle Paul in 2nd Corinthians 4. Eight, we are afflicted in every way, but. But we're not crushed. We're perplexed, but we're not driven to despair. We're persecuted, but we're not forsaken. We're struck down, but we are not destroyed.
26 · Brings the sermon to its doxological and evangelistic climax, calling fugitives running from God to come home to Jesus, who meets, leads, protects, and saves, holding fast forever all who entrust themselves to Him
And he has done all of this so that fugitives who run away from God, like you and I, can finally come home to him. So run to him today. He is the king who meets you in your need, who leads you in your confusion, who protects you in danger and who saves you from your sin. And all who entrust themselves to him, he will hold fast forever. He is faithful. It's no wonder David said in the Psalms and all who trust in him will never be put to shame.
27 · Closes the sermon in prayer, thanking God for the kindness of seeing Saul's example as warning, asking for faith to believe in God's faithfulness to meet us in specific difficult circumstances, and surrendering control to run to God
Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Father, we do come before you this morning. Thank you for your kindness. And allowing us to see the weight and the contrast, God, of running from you, that's kindness. To be able to see an example like Saul is kindness, because we can all see a little bit of Saul in ourselves. Lord, running from you. But you have reminded us today to run to you and father many times in this life. We will face difficulty and trials and temptations and tribulations and things that we don't understand. But may we believe, with your help, may we believe in your faithfulness. May we believe that you will meet us there. Lord, I don't many. We got Monday tomorrow, Lord, many times. We don't want to go to the doctor tomorrow. We don't want to go to the courtroom tomorrow. We don't want to go speak to that family member tomorrow. We want to escape. We want a way out. But Lord, thank you for your faithfulness that you have run to us and you will meet us there. Give us the confidence and the faith to believe that we have direct access to you and that you will meet us in the courtroom. You will meet us in our living room. You will meet us at the doctor's office. You will meet us at the hospital. You will meet us at the bank. You will meet us there. There, because you are a faithful God. We run to you, Lord. We surrender control, let go. Instead, we run to you.