Pt. 16 - On the Run. On the Rise.

October 26, 2025

Calvary Church

Introduction 

(Open up with sunglasses on.)

Your vision is impacted by the lens that you see through!

All of these different lenses that I have hear will determine how I see you.  (Sunglasses, reading glasses, binoculars, lab goggles …)

When we read the Bible, it’s easy to allow the lenses that we have on to impact the way we read and apply a passage.  That’s not to say that is always incorrect, it just needs to gain your awareness.

At Calvary, we always like to remind ourselves that the Bible is the lens through which we see culture.  Culture is not the lens through which we see the Bible.  Having a Biblical worldview is so incredibly important … it changes how you see everything.

Today, more specifically, I’m going to invite you to wear 2 different sets of lenses as we look at this portion in our series about “THE KINGS”.

- David lens: On the run yet on the rise.

- Saul lens: Control. Try to keep it and you will lose it.

Before we look at today’s passage, remember where we are at:  the people have begged God for a King.  He relents and gives them what they want.  Saul is the first King of Israel, but Samuel the prophet of God has already appointed the next king, David.  Then as the Philistine campion Goliath is confronting the armies of Israel - they are all intimidated, including King Saul.  David - heroically volunteers to face Goliath and defeats him!  It is the beginnning of what one might say would put him ON THE RISE and ON THE RUN!

1 Samuel 18:1-12 (NLT)

After David had finished talking with Saul, he met Jonathan, the king’s son. There was an immediate bond between them, for Jonathan loved David. 2 From that day on Saul kept David with him and wouldn’t let him return home. 3 And Jonathan made a solemn pact with David, because he loved him as he loved himself. 4 Jonathan sealed the pact by taking off his robe and giving it to David, together with his tunic, sword, bow, and belt.

5 Whatever Saul asked David to do, David did it successfully. So Saul made him a commander over the men of war, an appointment that was welcomed by the people and Saul’s officers alike. 6 When the victorious Israelite army was returning home after David had killed the Philistine, women from all the towns of Israel came out to meet King Saul. They sang and danced for joy with tambourines and cymbals.

7 This was their song:

“Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands!”

8 This made Saul very angry. “What’s this?” he said. “They credit David with ten thousands and me with only thousands. Next they’ll be making him their king!” 9 So from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David.

10 The very next day a tormenting spirit from God overwhelmed Saul, and he began to rave in his house like a madman. David was playing the harp, as he did each day. But Saul had a spear in his hand, 11 and he suddenly hurled it at David, intending to pin him to the wall. But David escaped him twice.

12 Saul was then afraid of David, for the Lord was with David and had turned away from Saul.

”THIS IS GOD’S WORD. I BELIEVE IT IS TRUE AND TIMELESS. THE LOVE, FORGIVENESS, AND POWER THAT IT DESCRIBES ARE AVAILABLE TO ME. I WILL LEARN FROM IT AND LET IT TRANSFORM EVERY DETAIL OF MY LIFE.” 

Let’s learn from this Scripture today … I want to give a LONG OVERVIEW / INTRODUCTION and be brief on the application … because I truly believe that as we go through the story, the lenses that we have on will be a way for the Holy Spirit to reveal to you what he wants you to see from His word today!

Overview of 1 Samuel 18 - 31.

After the battle with Goliath … the split between David and Saul begins to increase and will be the backdrop for the next season in this journey and the next several chapters.

Ch. 18 — Saul tries to manipulate a situation that will get David killed by sending him into impossible battle situations.Saul also uses affections that arose with David and his daughters Merab and Michal to trick him into fighting battles to earn the right to marry them.Saul anticipates that David will fail … it doesn’t work, David succeeds!   

Ch. 19 Saul’s own children recognize that their father is being tormented by this spirit and is in a very real sense, out of his mind in his hatred of David.Jonathan, Saul’s son develops a close friendship with David and helps David escape from his father.Michal, Saul’s daughter, falls in love with David and helps him escape as well — they will eventually marry.   

(19:24) CRAZY STORY!!Saul hears that David is hiding with Samuel the prophet and send troops to kill David.When the troops get near, the Spirit of God comes on them and they begin to prophesy - this infuriates Saul, so he goes and the same thing happens to him - ends up naked on the ground and prophesying!     

(Ch. 20) Jonathan continues to try and help David escape his Father’s wrath and it finally comes out in dramatic fashion, with his father trying to kill him as well!

(Ch. 21) On the run, David finds a priest, Ahimilech and asks for food and help.He helps him and returns to him the sword of Goliath to use in battle. 

(Ch. 22) David retreats and hides out and has family members and others loyal to him begin to join him in hiding in the wilderness.Saul finds out that Ahimelech, the priest, has helped David and orders him and all 85 priests and their families killed! 

David is on the run … but the whole time he is also “on the rise”.His following is growing - now up to around 600 men. 

We also begin to see that just because God anointed David to lead, David was not perfect.There are issues that we begin to see with David that will pop up in the future, multiple wives … living with the Philistines to escape Saul. 

The next several chapters involve an amazing sequence of escapes … David and others escaping from Saul’s wrath and Saul unknowingly being in a situation where he could have been killed, but David spares his life.

In chapters 24 - 31, the following things happen:

David hides out in the caves of En-Gedi.  (SHOW VIDEO FROM En-Gedi)

Saul doesn’t realize how close he is to David when he goes in to a cave to relieve himself … the same cave that David is in!David sneaks up behind him and cuts off a piece of his robe - to prove to Saul that he could have killed him if he wanted, but he would not “touch the Lord’s anointed”.David would have another similar chance to kill Saul, but doesn’t take it.   

Samuel the prophet dies.

Saul consults a medium / spiritualist to conjure up the spirit of Samuel - who tells him of his impending ruin.

Finally, in Ch 31, the Philistine armies surround Saul’s armies - wound him severely and Saul falls on his own sword and dies.This chapter in THE KINGS is over! 

2 Lenses to View this Story

Principle to remember.  Even though these are ancient historical accounts from Scripture, there are still principles to apply to our lives today.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NLT)

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

This is NOT simply a story of power, conquest, murder, peril, escapes, and suspense.  It has all that in it, but it’s more than that … it’s the story of God relating to men, then and there, and the fact that God is still the same today … and really, so are we!

2 Lenses that help us see principles from this portion of Scripture.

David Lens: On the run yet on the rise.

David: Support and opposition should be expected.

- Saul / Goliath

- Jonathan / Michal / Abigail / Samuel 

Sometimes the “opposition” that we feel is very obvious and in front of us - Saul throws a spear at me, it doesn’t take me long to figure out which side he’s on!

But the opposition that is less obvious can be very debilitating:

- societal norms that come against what you believe God has called you to do

- family expectations

- expectations that you place on yourself for a different measure of success

Make sure that you surround yourself with more of those that are “FOR” you than those that are “AGAINST” you.  (Disclaimer:  that doesn’t mean you hate those that are against you - you just insulate yourself from those voices)

Don’t be discouraged … you will ALWAYS have both!

David: Focus sustains courage.

Determination and commitment to calling go hand in hand.  I love the saying: 

“If you believe in your “why” strongly enough, you will figure out your “how”!”

David was anointed to be King … he knew that.  And based upon what we see in Scripture he didn’t doubt that!  When ridiculed for offering to fight Goliath, when asked to serve his timid brothers on the front lines of battle, when asked to play the harp for Saul, when chased and threatened by Saul numerous times … his focus stayed sure.  It gave him courage.

When focus is lost, courage is hard to find!

Don’t forget that God has called you to be “salt and light” in the world and to make disciples … forgetting that “WHY” … losing that focus will always lead to the lack of courage which is DISCOURAGEMENT.

Don’t fight your own battles.

- David did not take opportunity for revenge against Saul.  We see multiple times that David had the opportunity to kill Saul … but realized that that was not the battle he was fighting.  

- STOP TRYING TO FIGHT BATTLES THAT ARE NOT YOURS!!!

Trying to win arguments is LOSING FOCUS … STOP!!

Jesus never called us to win arguments — he called us to win people!

ILLUSTRATION:  Leader was in a debate with someone about the existence of God and whether or not God is really a loving God.  The person arguing asked, “Do you believe that someone that commits suicide will go to hell?”  He answered in a way that he thought was an open and shut defense of the truth of Scripture.  He was pretty impressed with his answer and even more so when the other person heard the answer and walked away dejected.  What he would later find out was that that person was married once and that his spouse had committed suicide … he had missed the “WHY” behind the question, won the argument and lost the opportunity win the person.

DAVID - let God fight the battle … you love the person … God may have very well put you in contact with that person to be a reflection of God’s grace to them!  Don’t miss the opportunity!

1 Peter 3:14–16 (NLT)

But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. 15 Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. 16 But do this in a gentle and respectful way.

Saul Lens: Control. Try to keep it and you will lose it.

Give up your seat.

- Saul would ultimately be tormented beyond his own control … because he was so desperate to stay in control and on the throne!

Interesting:  

(19:24) there is continual battle of the flesh and the Spirit that Saul is encountering - and yet oblivious to it and never submitting. 

20:30-33 — he curses at his own son and tries to kill him

In that tirade, he tries to MAKE HIS SON WANT THE THRONE TOO — “IF David lives, you will never be King — this throne will never be yours”

Saul was so firmly seated on the throne, both literally and spiritually in his life, that he thought it was his to give.

In his attempt to keep control - he ends up losing control completely … laying naked on the ground with no control over his body and ultimately ending his own life by falling on a sword.

When we try to keep all or even partial control … we lose it completely!

Matthew 16:24-25 (NLT)

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.

Application:

Denying yourself is really unpopular these days … but followers of Jesus MUST do that.  But let me tell you, there is freedom and rest and courage when you know that Jesus sits on the throne of your life.  He wants what is best for you and will fight your battles for you … that’s how you keep the heart of David in a Saul world!

PRAY!

SALVATION PRAYER

Jesus, there is sin in my life that is keeping me from you.

I can do nothing on my own to fix that relationship, but you can.

I believe that you died on the cross to purchase my forgiveness.

I repent from my sins and receive the gift of forgiveness.

As I follow you, make my life new … I am yours!