1st Samuel CH 24

Recap CH 23

Chapter 23 Chad taught us two weeks ago

And in chapter 23, specifically the first 6 verses , we see that we can pull out some good application

one thing specifically that we see become somewhat of a trend amongst David and His men

And we will see it even more in Chapter 24

That one thing being the influence some of His men Had on Him

Ill explain what I Mean but lets first read these 6 verses in chapter 23

1 Samuel 23:1–6 “1 Then they told David, saying, “Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah(Kee-eyy-la), and they are robbing the threshing floors.” 2 Therefore David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” And the Lord said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines, and save Keilah.” 3 But David’s men said to him, “Look, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?” 4 Then David inquired of the Lord once again. And the Lord answered him and said, “Arise, go down to Keilah. For I will deliver the Philistines into your hand.” 5 And David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines, struck them with a mighty blow, and took away their livestock. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah. 6 Now it happened, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, that he went down with an ephod in his hand.”

but today in Life what is Popular amongst our generation with Social Media ?

Influencers !!!

Influencers are super popular

we see a form of influence in Davids Life here in these 6 verses

an influence that created a little bit of doubt in Davids mind which forced Him to go back to the Lord for advice !

now thats not a bad thing and we see the faith David has to go back to the Lord for reassurance but he really didn’t need to

but, influencers they Influence us to do things !

everyone now a days wants to be an influencer

so yesterday I decided to do a little research on Influencers ;

can anyone guess just how many there are in the United States alone ?

The total population of the US is 328 million people approximately

Of those 328 Million, 103.7 million have instagram !

and of that 103.7 million instagram accounts , 10.2 million are considered influencers

39% percent of those are considered male influencers and 61% are considered female influencers

now why do i share that with you ? because numbers don’t lie and there is a lot of influence in the world today around us , these numbers alone only reflect Instagram In the United States

Influence has become a new form of power in our culture

if influencers can go viral for influencing or creating a new trend , they make a ton of money

they influence us to throw a water bottle half full up onto ledges and in weird places

that went viral and every little middle schooler in Wal- Mart was chucking water bottles

they were influenced into doing it because it was cool !

they influence us on opinions ( for example voting for president ) tik tok goes crazy with influencers pushing agendas !

they influence us with Hair products

( If any of you sell Monat don’t talk to me)

I don’t wanna see you crying online about your dogs death and somehow tie that into selling shampoo

they influence trends that go around

they influence the way we speak, right

like the whole , lit , plus aura , minus aura, Rizz, the rizzler , the rizzard of Oz , motion , what else is there ? Someone help me out , i really don’t get it

back in my day we had one word for everything and that was SICK !

they influence our diet and what food we should eat , theres like 10 billion diets out there , but the conclusion i’ve come to is, don’t eat junk and don’t eat a-lot , you’ll be fine

they influence what cars we should drive , Why do i need to go to the grocery store in a 100k dollar car when i can go in a 10k car ?

we get to the same place , one just cost a little more

they are even influencing what kind of medicine we should take (pfizer , look at that sucky football player and Taylor swift , they love their vaccines )

you guys should see what is influenced in the baby industry

moms competing over who has the best car seat

or over who has the coolest stroller

influence , influence , influence , its all around us

people love influence

if your an influencer you are doing life right ! thats what society is teaching us

its gotten weird

but i just wanted to paint this picture because now in ch 24 were gonna see some more influence on Davids Life

So Lets begin

1 Samuel 24:1 “1 Now it happened, when Saul had returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, “Take note! David is in the Wilderness of En Gedi.””

1 Samuel 24:2 “2 Then Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel, and went to seek David and his men on the Rocks of the Wild Goats.”

1 Samuel 24:3 “3 So he came to the sheepfolds by the road, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to attend to his needs. (David and his men were staying in the recesses of the cave.)”

1 Samuel 24:4 “4 Then the men of David said to him, “This is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it seems good to you.’ ” And David arose and secretly cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.”

So David back in chapter 23 fled from Keilah to the wilderness of Ziph which was located in the Judean Mountains

and He fled from Saul because Saul Got word that he was there

while He was staying in the wilderness/ mountain region of Ziph King Saul continued to look for David to Kill Him

so he goes from the mountain region of Ziph to another region called Moan (Mon)

when you look at it on the Map you can see that they are very close together its almost the same Mountain

So Saul was chasing David where ever he went getting closer and closer

and towards the end of chapter 23 David escapes because Saul Learns that the Philistines are attacking

So when we pick up in the first verse we see that David moved a third time to En Gedi

David was a smart man , he had wisdom on His side

He chose to stay away from the violence that Saul was trying to trap Him in

and there was a reason he stayed in the high Mountain regions

Anyone wanna Guess why someone would Hide out in the mountains ?

Because you can place look outs all around and you have time to get away

thats why David always had the upper Hand on Saul

but the Flip side to that is the living conditions were brutal

they didn’t have the Luxury of Living in a city and having commodities like everyone else

David wrote Psalm 57 while Saul was chasing Him , Harsh conditions and a very persistent enemy

Psalm 57:1 “1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, Until these calamities have passed by.”

Psalm 142:5–6 “5 I cried out to You, O Lord: I said, “You are my refuge, My portion in the land of the living. 6 Attend to my cry, For I am brought very low; Deliver me from my persecutors, For they are stronger than I.”

David in this time of hardship Living in the Mountains and caves knew His only source of Strength was in God

he knew being faithful to God; that he would be protected from His enemies

So David being who he is probably on many occasions contemplated his life writes these Psalms crying out to the Lord to help Him in His time of trouble

something that we have all Learned and are learning is trusting in the Lord even when we don’t know what exactly is going to happen

Lets take a look at vs 3+4 again

1 Samuel 24:3 “3 So he came to the sheepfolds by the road, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to attend to his needs. (David and his men were staying in the recesses of the cave.)”

1 Samuel 24:4 “4 Then the men of David said to him, “This is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it seems good to you.’ ” And David arose and secretly cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.”

Okay so here is where we circle back on some Influencer stuff again

Davids men believed that this was his opportunity to end Saul

Saul had accidentally wandered into the same cave that David and His men were sitting in to attend to His needs

when we read on we see that he ends up being asleep

anyways David here is encouraged by His men to do something that David knew deep down was wrong

they encouraged Him to Kill Saul and believed that God was the one who delivered Saul into the hand of David

this was far from the truth

they were trying to influence him in a direction He knew was not from the Lord

1 Samuel 24:5 “5 Now it happened afterward that David’s heart troubled him because he had cut Saul’s robe.”

Instead of Killing Saul, David gives in a little to the influence of His men and he just simply cut a piece of the robe , but this troubled David

David felt convicted about this

He knew that he shouldn’t have even messed with Saul

1 Samuel 24:6 “6 And he said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord.””

1 Samuel 24:7 “7 So David restrained his servants with these words, and did not allow them to rise against Saul. And Saul got up from the cave and went on his way.”

Although David didn’t fully give in , he still gave in a little to the influences around Him

David probably felt pressured by these men

Imagine being in His position , your worst enemy at your feet yet you know that, that Man is still the anointed authority . What do you do ?

You have the opportunity to end the man causing all of your struggles right then and there yet you have the conviction of the Lord Holding you back !

David was allowing God to deal with Saul deep down in His heart

David knew that even though God had promised Him the kingdom , that it didn’t mean he could speed up the process by taking matters into His own hands

David , a man of God knew that he needed to respect the Authority over Him and to let God deal with Him

Even with the outside pressure of influence speaking into His ear from His men..

Now we can draw some things out of this about influences

As a believer when we accept Jesus as our Lord and savior, we will always have the conviction of the Holy spirit

No matter what we do , there will always be that small still voice in the back of your head telling you not to do something

David in His heart knew what he was doing was wrong , even simply cutting the robe convicted Him

Conviction is a by product of giving in to the outside influences

So my question to you guys is what or who are your influences ?

Camp this week was a great picture in my mind of the power of influence

I had the ability to watch everyone of you guys very closely , even from a little bit of a distance

but i laughed when i started going through this passage and God started putting these things on my heart to share

but anyway heres what i noticed

i noticed some Kids super excited and eager to be at camp , the first couple days were amazing , i saw Kids worshiping Jesus , taking notes being tuned in and listening

Kids giving their ears to Jesus and to Johnny boy the speaker

everything went super well the first two days

everyone was getting the wiggles out

then about the 3rd day 4th day and 5th day I started to notice some things play out

I saw some Kids that have the Ability to influence; start to Influence other Kids in a direction that was not how it first started

all of the elements of the heat Kicked in , some of you were burnt out , not drinking water , becoming more and more tired

and then I noticed some kids taking notes less , and being less in tune with the word of God that was at display , and then i noticed how that affected other Kids into doing the same thing

and kids started to follow each-other and influence each-other and mess around a-lot more

the last night of service i was looking around , Kids had their phones out taking pictures messing around

i saw some of the other pastors having to go scold other Kids

it was really quite eye opening for me

it wasn’t just our kids but it was everyone

and i share that with you guys not to give you a hard time but because each and everyone of you is an influencer

if you Know christ , you better be an influencer

you should be an influencer that points people to Jesus and not the hottest trend online

We are all guilty of some form of bad influence but its important to recall Davids response to influence

even though He messed up a Little , he still Held others back and influenced them to do the right thing

He influenced them to not take Saul’s Life

He wasn’t the only one in that cave

All His squad was there and they had the opportunity to wipe Saul out and He didn’t

He had the conviction to hold them back

David even though He cut the robe , didn’t allow the influence to completely take over

Now for some of us , we struggle with outside influence, some of us like to people please and do things to look cool

thats not what David did , yes he was influenced for a moment but he didn’t let that moment control Him

David, this man after Gods own heart had the ability to keep it together and its because He was influenced by God , He had a relationship with God

So if we are going to be influencers , influence people in the direction that God would want them to be influenced

don’t be a bad influence , Be a Godly Influence !

1 Samuel 24:8 “8 David also arose afterward, went out of the cave, and called out to Saul, saying, “My lord the king!” And when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his face to the earth, and bowed down.”

David even in the face of danger Humbly gets down on His knees and pays His respects to a man that wants Him dead

1 Samuel 24:9 “9 And David said to Saul: “Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Indeed David seeks your harm’?”

1 Samuel 24:10 “10 Look, this day your eyes have seen that the Lord delivered you today into my hand in the cave, and someone urged me to kill you. But my eye spared you, and I said, ‘I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s anointed.’”

1 Samuel 24:11 “11 Moreover, my father, see! Yes, see the corner of your robe in my hand! For in that I cut off the corner of your robe, and did not kill you, know and see that there is neither evil nor rebellion in my hand, and I have not sinned against you. Yet you hunt my life to take it.”

1 Samuel 24:12 “12 Let the Lord judge between you and me, and let the Lord avenge me on you. But my hand shall not be against you.”

1 Samuel 24:13“13 As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Wickedness proceeds from the wicked.’ But my hand shall not be against you.”

David is quotingProverbs 18:3 “3 When the wicked comes, contempt comes also; And with dishonor comes reproach.”

1 Samuel 24:14 “14 After whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom do you pursue? A dead dog? A flea?”

David again is a humble man , speaking of Himself as a nobody

Saul is seeking after a man that is not the King yet

1 Samuel 24:15 “15 Therefore let the Lord be judge, and judge between you and me, and see and plead my case, and deliver me out of your hand.””

David again is the Man on top

He’s blessed by God calling out King Saul for being a punk !

In these 8 verses we see David calling Saul out for His hatred for Him

It was nothing other than Jealousy

What we see here is Davids heart for Gods Timing as well , he didn’t take the matters into his Hands , He knew Gods promises for His Life

Davids trust in God to deliver Him from His enemies

He doesn’t repay evil for evil

Something we can all use some encouragement on

when someone Like Saul is Hurting someone Like David

when someone hurts you and is seeking harm in your life

its Okay to let God take on those enemies we have

its okay to not repay evil for evil

Romans 12:17–21 “17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Vengeance is Gods not ours

(Expound)

1 Peter 3:9 “9 not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.”

1 Samuel 24:16 “16 So it was, when David had finished speaking these words to Saul, that Saul said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” And Saul lifted up his voice and wept.”

Now we see the result of someone not responding in the flesh

David far more mature than Saul

His wise words convicted Saul the man seeking to take His Life

evidence that when we love others with the Heart of God , it moves people no matter what the circumstance is or what the problem is

1 Samuel 24:17 “17 Then he said to David: “You are more righteous than I; for you have rewarded me with good, whereas I have rewarded you with evil.”

1 Samuel 24:18 “18 And you have shown this day how you have dealt well with me; for when the Lord delivered me into your hand, you did not kill me.”

1 Samuel 24:19 “19 For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him get away safely? Therefore may the Lord reward you with good for what you have done to me this day.”

1 Samuel 24:20 “20 And now I know indeed that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand.”

Saul finally admits here that he knows the plans that God has for David , David will succeed Him !

1 Samuel 24:21 “21 Therefore swear now to me by the Lord that you will not cut off my descendants after me, and that you will not destroy my name from my father’s house.””

Back in these times it was common for the successor to wipe out the Lineage of the previous King

Saul here is asking David not to do that

1 Samuel 24:22 “22 So David swore to Saul. And Saul went home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.”

Of course David is the Big man !