Favored by the King F.R.O.G

This was a time in history where people did what was right in their own eyes and they rejected God as their King because they wanted a physical leader like the other nations, but God was still faithful to provide leaders for them. We will see when the leaders focused on living for God, the people flourished, but when they focused on themselves, they failed. In all of this the Lord used leaders’ successes and failures to ultimately point people back to Him as the perfect, faithful, selfless King that does not fail or give up on His people.

2 Samuel 1:1–10 ESV

After the death of Saul, when David had returned from striking down the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag. And on the third day, behold, a man came from Saul’s camp, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. And when he came to David, he fell to the ground and paid homage. David said to him, “Where do you come from?” And he said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.” And David said to him, “How did it go? Tell me.” And he answered, “The people fled from the battle, and also many of the people have fallen and are dead, and Saul and his son Jonathan are also dead.” Then David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?” And the young man who told him said, “By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and there was Saul leaning on his spear, and behold, the chariots and the horsemen were close upon him. And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called to me. And I answered, ‘Here I am.’ And he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’ And he said to me, ‘Stand beside me and kill me, for anguish has seized me, and yet my life still lingers.’ So I stood beside him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the armlet that was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.”

Have you ever tried to earn someone’s favor?

Like you wanted someone to like you, or you wanted to make the team? so you worked really hard in order to win their approval or favor?

In middle school there was a kid asking all of his classmates what they wanted for Christmas, he said he had just gotten a lot of money and was going to buy us all something.

Have you ever tried to earn God’s favor?

What I mean is have you ever done something, with the hope that you’re like, I hope God will love me more. Or maybe you had the thought, “God will love me more if I do this”. Maybe you thought, “If I do this, God will show me more favor and give me more grace.”

Like I’ll be good in the sight of God if I read my bible, or if I show up to church.

That is basically what this guy that escapes from war is trying to do here with David who would soon be king because Saul is dead.

BACKGROUND:

David, gets home from defeating an enemy that had kidnapped his family. Three days after he had returned he heard about the war between Israel and the Philistines. He heard that Saul and Jonathan had died by a Amalekite guy, who was a sojourner, who had escaped from the battle, and told David that Saul told him to kill him, but if you read 1 Samuel 31 that Saul did not ask this guy to kill him, he asked his armourbearer who refused and it says Saul fell on his own sword and took his own life because he was wounded badly and didn’t want the enemy to capture and torture him, but this guy says that Saul told him to kill him, he tells David he kills Saul and brought David the crown and armlet from Saul to earn his favor.

We see that his effort to try and earn David’s favor did not pay off the way he had hoped. He was sentenced to death.

Y’all I want us to learn from this passage just as the man did not earn David’s favor.

WE CANNOT EARN GOD’S FAVOR.

It does not matter how hard we try, we will never do enough good, suck up enough, to earn God’s favor or love.

Part of this is hard to understand because in our world we are trying to earn a spot on the team, earn trust, earn more responsibility, earn a degree right. Again those are things to go after, but when it comes to salvation, and being made right with God, we could never earn that.

Why? God is a holy God. Perfect, and if we are honest and we all admit the parts of us that we don’t really want anyone to know about maybe, some bad habits, bad thought/dreams. We do not measure up to the holy standard of God. And so even

Looking and sounding the part isn’t good enough. 2 Samuel 1:2, 2 Samuel 1:3-10

2 Samuel 1:2 ESV

And on the third day, behold, a man came from Saul’s camp, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. And when he came to David, he fell to the ground and paid homage.

The man comes running to David with his clothes torn and dirt on his head to appear as if he was mourning, and maybe he was, but then he tells this story that isn’t true in order to find favor with David.

We can get into our bibles everyday, we can come to church every time the door opens, we can raise our hands, we can help and show up to serving opportunities and events, those are all good things, but if we are doing those things only to be seen by people or trying to earn favor from God and we don’t actually practice those things when no one is around or because we are in relationship with God then we are missing out on the freedom and power of God’s love and grace. You are still trying and striving after something that can’t be achieved by your effort.

When it comes to God’s team, and God’s family, you are either on the team or you aren’t. You can’t decide to practice a few days a week and not show up for the game and or quit mid season. You were probably never a part of the team, you wanted to look like you were or sound like you were, but it was obvious, God had not changed your heart.

This man looked and sounded the part but his story wasn’t true. He did not care for King David or follow him like he put on because he was living in a way that did not reflect the king. Lying, deceiving, living a fake lifestyle in order to appear good, by actually empty.

What we bring to the table will never pay for our past. 2 Samuel 1:10

2 Samuel 1:10 ESV

So I stood beside him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the armlet that was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.”

The man lays down the crown and the armlet of king Saul to give to David again to earn or maybe even bribe David, but it is almost as if David sees through the gifts and the show.

The man tries to put his best out on the table, but it would not save him.

The same is true for you and I. In fact God’s word tell us that even our best works are like dirty rags, because our bad moments even if they have been fewer than the good outweighs the good. We are stained by sin. There is nothing we can do, not enough self-help and cleaning ourselves up to get rid of the stains of our sin, but there is one hope. Only one. Only one King.

GOD’S FAVOR CANNOT BE EARNED, BUT IT IS FREELY GIVEN.

Ephesians 2:1–10 ESV

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Romans 6:23 ESV

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

APPLICATION:

Repent of trying to earn God’s favor and love and Believe in Jesus. Because of the work of Jesus you can rest that He has taken care of your debt and God’s favor has been placed on you.

Thank and Praise God for freely giving you grace.

Work hard not to earn God’s favor, but because you have recieved God’s favor.

QUESTIONS:

Why can’t you earn God’s Favor?

How have you tried to earn God’s favor and love?

Do you think the bible contradicts itself when it says “Faith without works is dead” James 2:26) and then it says “For Grace you’ve been saved not by works” Eph. 2:8-9 What’s the connection if any?

James 2:26 ESV

For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

Ephesians 2:8–9 ESV

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

What do you learn about God by understanding His favor and grace is freely given through Jesus Christ to anyone who believes?