1 Samuel 24
1 Samuel • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 2 viewsNotes
Transcript
Handout
I. Saul’s Pursuit V. 1-2
I. Saul’s Pursuit V. 1-2
Now when Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, saying, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.”
Once again, David is betrayed and Saul is told where he is. Imagine the turmoil, distress, & frustration of always needing to look for a new place to hide until your location is betrayed and you have to start all over again.
Then Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Rocks of the Wild Goats.
When Saul finds David, David is sorely outnumbered. David does have 600 men, but Saul has 3,000, five times the forces, not to mention not all of David's men are battle-hardened warriors.
These men were chosen by Saul, thus they were the best of the best; warriors literally fit for a king.
And he came to the sheepfolds on the way, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the inner recesses of the cave.
What a way to go; a humiliating death to be killed while going to the bathroom. We could take a glance at the situation, and it would be tempting to say that it is what he deserves, the way he had treated God, Samuel, David, his family, & all Israel. A failed ruler indeed, who has spurned God & became a narcissistic despot. Yet this is not the will of God for his fate, not is it in the heart of David to take vengeance, as we will see below.
Legacy Standard Bible CHAPTER 24
4 Then the men of David said to him, “Behold, this is the day of which Yahweh said to you, ‘Behold, I am about to give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it seems good in your eyes.’
Odd, seeing as how this message from God to David is not recorded, and it does not seem God ever said anything like it to him. Earlier, God promised David to give the Philistines into his hands (1 Samuel 23:4), but not all of his enemies, and definitely not Saul.
Question #1: Did God give Saul over to David by pre-ordaining that Saul would vulnerably enter the same cave that David & his men were in?
Answer: Yes, and no.
Did God give Saul over to him in order to kill him and finally take over the kingdom? David’s conscience would disagree, but He did give him over to David so he would show him mercy. It was a time of testing for David, a moment of respite was gained from the situation, and Saul seemed, at least for a little bit, to repent.
Legacy Standard Bible CHAPTER 24
Then David arose and cut off the edge of Saul’s robe secretly.
5 And it happened afterward that David’s heart struck him because he had cut off the edge of Saul’s robe.
Maybe Saul had taken off his robe when he went to the bathroom.
Question #2: What was David’s intention in cutting off Saul’s robe?
According to the IVP Bible Background Commentary, the hem of one's robe was very significant. It's signified their station, and sometimes the cutting off of it communicated a break in alliance between kingdoms.
Of course, David cutting off Saul's robe hem is fulfillment of Samuel's prophecy.
1 Samuel 15:16-29. This passage is clearly connected here.
16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Wait, and let me tell you what Yahweh spoke to me last night.” And he said to him, “Speak!”
17 And Samuel said, “Is it not true, though you were little in your own eyes, you were made the head of the tribes of Israel? And Yahweh anointed you king over Israel,
18 and Yahweh sent you on a mission and said, ‘Go and devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’
19 “Why then did you not obey the voice of Yahweh, but rushed upon the spoil and did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh?”
20 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I did obey the voice of Yahweh and went on the way on which Yahweh sent me and have brought back Agag the king of Amalek and have devoted the Amalekites to destruction.
21 “But the people took some of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the choicest of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to Yahweh your God at Gilgal.”
22 And Samuel said,
“Has Yahweh as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
As in obeying the voice of Yahweh?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
And to heed than the fat of rams.
23 “For rebellion is as the sin of divination,
And insubordination is as wickedness and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of Yahweh,
He has also rejected you from being king.”
24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned; I have indeed trespassed against the command of Yahweh and your words because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.
25 “So now, please forgive my sin and return with me, that I may worship Yahweh.”
26 But Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you; for you have rejected the word of Yahweh, and Yahweh has rejected you from being king over Israel.”
27 Then Samuel turned to go, but Saul seized the edge of his robe, and it tore.
28 So Samuel said to him, “Yahweh has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor, who is better than you.
29 “Also the Eternal One of Israel will not lie or have regret; for He is not a man that He should have regret.”
David tearing Saul's robe is the fulfillment of Samuel's prophecy that Saul's kingdom would be taken away from him and given to his neighbor who is more righteous than he is. However, David was cut to the heart that he even cut off Saul's robe. David was anointed by God, and called to be the next king of Israel, and yet David knew that it would be sinful to move against Saul at this time, since God had not taken him off of the throne yet Himself. David's conscience testified against him when he cut off Saul's robe, and he realized he had sinned.
And it happened afterward that David’s heart struck him because he had cut off the edge of Saul’s robe.
So he said to his men, “Far be it from me because of Yahweh that I should do this thing to my lord, the anointed of Yahweh, to send forth my hand against him, since he is the anointed of Yahweh.”
David's conscience struck him greatly. While Saul had a seared conscience, David's was very sensitive to his sin. He was quick to understand what he had done and what he was tempted to do, and quickly repented, understanding that he was not simply sinning against the king, but against God Himself. While Saul, the Lord's anointed, was hunting down David, the Lord's anointed, David, the Lord's anointed, understood the sinfulness of taking vengeance into his own hand to destroy Saul, the Lord's anointed.
Question #3: What does the bible teach us about how to address & treat kings & rulers?
Answer:
1 Now Paul, looking intently at the Sanhedrin, said, “Brothers, I have lived my life in all good conscience before God up to this day.”
2 And the high priest Ananias commanded those standing beside him to strike him on the mouth.
3 Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Do you sit to try me according to the Law, and in violation of the Law order me to be struck?”
4 But those standing nearby said, “Do you revile the high priest of God?”
5 And Paul said, “I was not aware, brothers, that he was high priest; for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”
Romans 13:1-7
1 Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist have been appointed by God.
2 Therefore whoever resists that authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.
3 For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of that authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same;
4 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword in vain, for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.
5 Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of that wrath, but also because of conscience.
6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing.
7 Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.
13 Be subject for the sake of the Lord to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority,
14 or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do good.
15 For such is the will of God that by doing good you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.
16 Act as free people, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as slaves of God.
17 Honor all people, love the brethren, fear God, honor the king.
18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are crooked.
19 For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unrighteously.
20 For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it, you endure, this finds favor with God.
God has given us a conscience in order to curb sin, in order to bring us to repentance, in order to trust in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of that sin, and to live lives in a manner that brings him glory. However, that does not mean that our conscience is infallible; we must always be putting our convictions to the test with Scripture. We always want to serve God in a good conscience, but we want to have a good conscience in knowing that our conscience lines up with the Word of God.
But the goal of our command is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and an unhypocritical faith.
And David tore his men to pieces with these words and did not allow them to rise up against Saul. And Saul arose, left the cave, and went on his way.
Seems here to be a play on words considering the circumstances. David just tore a piece of Saul's robe, then he tore his men to pieces with his words by telling them of the great care & reverence he must show Saul as the Lord's anointed. This behavior is rebellion against both Saul & Yahweh. David was not afraid to go against the collective wisdom of his men. He disagrees that it was God’s will that he should kill Saul. We should not be afraid to tell others the truth about the will of God. It is not His will to always heal; it is not His will to bring us instant vindication, in public or in private, against our enemies and those who sin against us. It is His will for us to evaluate our motivations thoroughly before acting on something we may not feel completely comfortable with. We need to be at peace with our conscience, knowing that it is informed by the Word of God & godly wisdom. Here, David was immediately filled with remorse & repentance. How could he move against Saul? Yes, he was evil & idolatrous, but he was placed on the throne by God Himself. God had not taken him off the throne yet. To move against Saul was to move against Yahweh.
Legacy Standard Bible CHAPTER 24
And Saul arose, left the cave, and went on his way.
He had no idea what just happened. David could have kept quiet, & Saul never would have known. Yet David used this as an opportunity to show Saul grace & show him his pure heart and that he is pursuing him for no reason.
8 Now afterward David arose and went out of the cave and called after Saul, saying, “My lord the king!” And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the ground and prostrated himself.
How often we should seek to go out of our way to show reconciliation with those who we disagree with, fight with; with those who are hostile to us & need the grace of God in their lives. Instead of feeling indignant and hurt, and using the situation to emotionally manipulate them and others, we should be more like David in placing Saul above himself.
I know many times I have just thought about how I was wronged, and how they better understand that and fix it.
But God is the ultimate judge, & knows what goes on; He does pre-ordain all things after all.
9 And David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of men, saying, ‘Behold, David seeks to do you evil’?
Just as David did not listen to his men when they urged him to do wrong, so here David also urges Saul to not listen to men either, and to understand the truth of the matter for himself. David is calling him to clarity of mind.
10 “Behold, this day your eyes have seen that Yahweh had given you today into my hand in the cave, and some said to kill you, but my eye had pity on you; and I said, ‘I will not send forth my hand against my lord, for he is the anointed of Yahweh.’
It does not seem that David is saying that it was God's will for him to kill Saul in that cave; moreover it seems like he was saying that God had made the circumstances be so that way David would have had the opportunity to kill him. Yet David relented and acted and righteousness rather van listening to the wicked counsel of his men.
Saul had been seeking compassion and pity, and this is not the manner in which he envisioned he would receive it.
Legacy Standard Bible CHAPTER 24
11 “Now, my father, see! Indeed, see the edge of your robe in my hand! For in that I cut off the edge of your robe and did not kill you, know and see that there is no evil or transgression in my hand, and I have not sinned against you, though you are lying in wait for my life to take it.
With love and compassion, David cries out to Saul still as a beloved father figure in his life.
David is calling out Saul’s wickedness. David is making it plain to him by showing all the evil that David could have done to him, yet he chose to act righteously. Sometimes we can be tempted to shove our righteousness in people’s faces out of pride or as an act of revenge. Here David did so to show Saul his heart and how evil it has grown. We should not parade our good deeds before others, but we should not be afraid to use our obedience to the Lord to display the wickedness in others to draw them to repentance, which is David’s goal here.
12 “May Yahweh judge between you and me, and may Yahweh avenge me on you; but my hand shall not be against you.
David is not simply taking everything lying down. He's not just sitting there praying for the goodness of God to flow out on Saul in his life. David has petitioned the Lord with tears countless times for him to keep him safe person on him. He's prayed for God to strike down his pursuers and teach them the consequences of their vile actions. David loves the Lord, and he praises him for the love and kindness that He has on David, but he also finds comfort in the justice of God. The Lord will vindicate Himself and all of his people. The Lord has counted all of their days, and even though they may prosper for a while, the Lord laughs at the wicked, because he knows their day is coming. Psalm 37.
David knows it is not his responsibility to take Saul off of his throne; it is only his responsibility to take over the throne once it is empty.
Like David, we are only a man. I remember when I first became a Christian, I saw sin everywhere, and I thought that was my job to always call it out and to try to fix things, to keep other brothers from doing stupid things and making sinful decisions. Those things are wrong, and against the law of God, yep they were not my responsibility to fix. They were not my responsibility to sanctify. The Lord convicts the heart, the Lord sanctifies the heart. Doesn't mean we don't gently rebuke brothers in love, but we are not the same police, striving to make everyone walk perfectly holy in the sight of God.
I think the most immediate moral application is that as Christians we are not to seek vengeance and to justify ourselves. This does not mean that we cannot defend ourselves or seek to fix a sinful situation against us. But it does mean that we are not to go beyond our creatureliness and attempt to assume the position of the creator.
It could be argued that Saul was a sinful, evil tyrant, that set himself up against the Lord, and was not ruling the kingdom in righteousness. Because of this, David had a duty, a moral obligation, to look out for the best interests of his people and take the ruler off of his throne so that way the kingship may once again worship God. Would this have been a moral and righteous thing to do? David certainly did not think so.
13 “As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Out of the wicked comes forth wickedness’; but my hand shall not be against you.
This verse here obviously implies that what Saul is doing is indeed wicked, however David's main point is to say that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks and the hands move.
David did not have access to the writing to the New Testament, and the counsel of Our Lord Jesus. Yet it is very fitting that David, a type of Christ, would utter very similar words that our Lord would centuries later.
14 “After whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom are you pursuing? After a dead dog, after a single flea?
Are you really pursuing a wicked man? You might as well be pursuing a dead dog or a flea. There is absolutely no basis for your pursuit, I have done nothing wrong and am innocent.
15 “Therefore Yahweh be judge and execute justice between you and me; and may He see and plead my cause and execute justice for me to escape from your hand.”
Therefore, let God be the judge between you and me. I have faith that God will do what is just and righteous, and because I am innocent, he will grant me the means of Escape from your Pursuit.
David is putting his complete trust in God and saving him from the situation. David, risking to expose himself to King Saul in order to declare his innocence, and to prove his loyalty to Saul as the anointed, David is definitely trusting in the Lord. Not only did David not take out Saul when he could have, but he also exposed himself to him, these two things seem to be very unintuitive for the situation that David finds himself in; at least, unintuitive for those who are wise according to the flesh.
How often do we step out in faith to trust God when the world tells us something is unwise but we know it would not be pleasing to God? We need to trust that the Lord will accomplish His purposes. We too often think we need to take things into our own hands. David here is showing us this is not the case.
