Seeing God's Protection
Notes
Transcript
Can we see the protection of God on our lives in in the midst of suffering? God is faithful and will fulfill His promises (the death of the line of Eli)
We can see the protection of God in our lives in the midst of suffering because God’s word can be trusted and will always be fulfilled.
I once met a misisonary named Cindy Luu. We where visiting missionaries in Vietnam who were getting old and were tired of showing us pastors around. So they sent us out in a van with Cindy and “pressed play” and she took us on quite the whirlwind tour. And through that God astonished me with a story of His prtection and provision in her life in the midst of suffering. Cindy brought us to a market, where one could see plainly dog carcasses hanging from shop stalls and she told us how she grew up on the street, often sleeping under these tables
As a teenager, Cindy Luu fled Vietnam in a harrowing boat escape during the violent Communist takeover, she endured one of the most perilous chapters of the post-war exodus: the "boat people" crisis, where over 800,000 Vietnamese fled by sea, facing storms, pirates, starvation, and overcrowded vessels. An estimated 200,000–400,000 perished en route, according to United Nations records. Luu's escape was harrowing—squeezed onto a fragile fishing boat with dozens of others, navigating the South China Sea under constant threat. After days or weeks at sea, she reached a refugee camp in Southeast Asia (likely in Malaysia, Indonesia, or the Philippines, common first-asylum points), where conditions were dire: makeshift shelters, limited food, and uncertainty about the future.
and made her way from a refugee camp to Canada where she found Christ. Completing studies at Prairie in 1990, and after pursuing a degree in nursing, she joined the Operation Mobilization ship Doulos, sharing the gospel in over twenty countries around the world. Often asked if she would return to Vietnam, her answer was always “No.” But the call kept coming and finally, eighteen years after leaving her homeland, Cindy allowed God to soften her heart and went back to begin quietly meeting community needs, teaching English, feeding the hungry and establishing child care centers. When out of the blue, a Prairie classmate sent her an astonishingly large gift, Cindy had no idea what to do with it. Gradually, a vision took shape and as her eyes opened to the plight of elderly men and women all around her who had nowhere to call home, she purchased land and oversaw the construction of a bright and cheerful residence for aging and neglected seniors. Some twenty years later, thanks to a dedicated local staff, the home continues to provide food, shelter and loving compassion given in the name of Jesus.
Luu's life echoes themes of fleeing persecution, finding sanctuary in God, and emerging to lead with compassion—like David in the cave, gathering followers for greater purpose.
Can we see the prtoection of God in our lives even when we are scared? What about trusting God to provide when we step out in faith in His will? God may be calling us to move forward, to do something we have never done or thought of before, but we are scared that we wont have enough money, or it is different then we have ever done things, or maybe we never used to do it that way. But God is calling you forward then what do you do? do you trust God to provide.
As David was running for His life, he had to trust in the provision of God for the promsies He made on His life. But God’s word is trustworthy, it will always come to pass (even when it is not good). and we can trust God to provide.
This passage can be split into 3 sections. verses 1-5 shows saul seeking prtoection for Him and His family. verses 6-10 show Saul’s sin and rage and 11-23 show God’s word fulfilled through Saul’s sin
1-5 - seeking protection
We begin By David seeking protection and security by hiding ina cave. It was the cave of adullam.
So David left Gath and took refuge in the cave of Adullam. When David’s brothers and his father’s whole family heard, they went down and joined him there.
In addition, every man who was desperate, in debt, or discontented rallied around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him.
David had fled to a cave and we read that when his family found out where he was they went to join Him. But not only that in verse 2 we read that there where otrher people who followed David there. about 400 of them. They where all men and likely their families who where discontent with the way Saul was running the country. They did not like what was going on and decided to join the cause of David. They likely had seen all that David had done, how he had saved them from the philistines numerous times and the current king gave them nothing but grief.
I think David was struggling wondering what God was doing
From there David went to Mizpeh of Moab where he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and mother stay with you until I know what God will do for me.”
David turned to the king, essentially with nothing i essentially begged him to take his family in probably so they would not be staying in the cave with David. A little safer under the care of a king then hiding from a mad sinful king.
But one of the things that David said struck me, let them stay here till
until I know what God will do for me.”
He trusted God it would appear, but did not know exactly what the Lord was going to do to accomplish His will in His life. How was God going to get him there? This is something that we struggle with as well. we know what we could become if we follow God, we sometimes figure out where god wants us to go, we at least know what we are working towards but sometimes we do not know how we get there? do you ever struggle with that?
You see David had left everything he knew, He was on the run, he really has no plan that we can see and no resources really to do what God wants Him to do. He has got the king of a nation, albeit a fairly small one, but with the resources of the nation at his disposal. This is where he writes Psalm 142 and Psalm 57. He is seemingly at the end of himself. we will go through this Psalm next week, but imagine what he was dealing with crying out to the Lord for help.
How are we getting to where God wants us to go? We may not know but we are called to step forward in faith to the goal of being more like God with the hope tht God will provide if we are faithfully following Him. David was moving forward not exactly knowing the trail but trusting that God would illuminate the way as he went. Jesus tells us that “He is the way, He is the truth, He is the life and we are caleld to follow Him and put our faith in Him. but the rest sometimes we do not know.
6-10 Saul’s rage
So David had escaped from the clutches of Saul, God had a future plan for David so David knew God would but the path was not fun. (vs 6)Saul though eventually finds out that David had been found and He was not happy about it.
Saul heard that David and his men had been discovered. At that time Saul was in Gibeah, sitting under the tamarisk tree at the high place. His spear was in his hand, and all his servants were standing around him.
His response to this was anger. Saul was turning into a mad king, He questions the servants and His people wondering why they where helping His enemy. It seems as if He is having a pity party, he blames them and questions them. Although Saul seems to have an endless amount of subjects, but none of them seemed to want to help him. He seems here like a little kids who did not get his way.
Saul said to his servants, “Listen, men of Benjamin: Is Jesse’s son going to give all of you fields and vineyards? Do you think he’ll make all of you commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds?
That’s why all of you have conspired against me! Nobody tells me when my own son makes a covenant with Jesse’s son. None of you cares about me or tells me that my son has stirred up my own servant to wait in ambush for me, as is the case today.”
We see David stuck in a cave feeling like it was the end for him, not knowing what God was doing and Saul getting what he wants because of all the resources at his disposal. What can we do against a world that seems to have endless resources to attack us with? what do we do but trust in the Lord.
11-23
In the last few verses we see the faithfulness of God in His judgement. David is betrayed by someone named Doeg. (vs 11)He summoned the whole family of Ahimelech
The king sent messengers to summon the priest Ahimelech son of Ahitub, and his father’s whole family, who were priests in Nob. All of them came to the king.
Saul confronts the pirest and His family for helping David but it seems like Ahimelech is a little confused or at least a little sick of the kings antiocks.
Ahimelech replied to the king, “Who among all your servants is as faithful as David? He is the king’s son-in-law, captain of your bodyguard, and honored in your house.
Was today the first time I inquired of God for him? Of course not! Please don’t let the king make an accusation against your servant or any of my father’s family, for your servant didn’t have any idea about all this.”
standing up for David may not have been amongst the wisest of choices for him. saying He was faithful and why wouldnt he stand up for Him, he had done so much for the people of IsraelThe king ordered His srvants to kill the priests and their families but they wouldnt, so good old Doeg was ordered to and he did the job for Him.
So the king said to Doeg, “Go and execute the priests!” So Doeg the Edomite went and executed the priests himself. On that day, he killed eighty-five men who wore linen ephods.
I struggle with this. There are a few things that are happening in this last bit.
Due to the sin of Eli and His family God told them that they would die, there would be none left but if there was any left they would bring grief and sadness (1 sam 22:33). None of the servants of saul would dare lift a hand against the priests of the Lord but the one guy.
Did Saul sin in Killing the priests and theirt families? yes he did, he was going mad and we can see His downfall. Was it prophesied that it would happen due to the sin of Eli? yes it was. I look back to Pharoah when Moses led out the Israelites from Egypt and we read that God hardened Pharoahs hardened heart and used his sin for the Glory of God. Same in that situation. did God harden Pharoahs heart? yes, God worked through Pharoahs sin for His glory. Pharoah was still accountable for His sins, but God also worked through that.
Matthew Henry comments on today’s passage that nothing is too vile for men to do when God has given them over to the lust of their hearts. Saul’s murder of the priests at Nob shows the depths to which human beings can descend when they are consumed by sin. Only the restraining hand of God keeps people from being as bad as they could possibly be. Let us thank God for restraining evil and pray that He will continue to do so.
So did Saul sin in doing what He did?
Yes Saul sinned against the Lord, but the Lord was still ion control
even in the midst of insanity, God is in control.
even in the midst of insanity, God is in control.
many innocent people were killed that day, and we must in no way attempt to justify it. But at the same time, we must not overlook the fact that God used Saul – in his most irrational moments – to accomplish His purposes and promises. Is God in control, always and forever. Did Saul SIn yes He did and he will face the consequences for His sin. It doesnt say Ahimelech sinned, he was following God, he died standing up for God.
This is a tough one, but we need to understand that man sins, God is in control and His word will always come to pass even through the hands of sinful man. but that must not Get us don. Because God is in control even in the pain we can trust in Him.
In this life you may have tirals, but does not stop God from accomplsihing His will in us
In this life you may have tirals, but does not stop God from accomplsihing His will in us
My friend Cindy Luu didnt want to go back to a place where she faced such a horrible time growing up, but God called her so she went faithfully. She didnt have all the money to build the homes God was calling her to build, but she did it anyways knowing if God calls he will provide. It was never easy but she didnt think there was any other way.
David was God’s man to be king yet here he was running for His life hiding in a cave crying out to God in Psalm 142. He pleads for mercy from the Lord because he doesnt understand. It is not though in his distance from danger that God counts his safety it is through his nearness to Him that he looks
A kind of escapism is found in Christian circles today, as though remoteness is the key to safety. I challenge this kind of thinking. God may lead some to remote places, but let us not seek to hide out when God calls us to be salt and light in this dark place.
I was reading somewhere that Trusting in God and doing His will is no gauruntee from physical safety. Ahimelech is a noble godly man and he dies at the hand and sin of a mad king, even though he likely knew his death was coming anyways due to the sins of his great grandpa but he followed God faithfully anyways. David struggled and questioned God through this all yet he still faithfully followed the Lord.
Living a godly life is no guarantee of safety from suffering, troubles, and even death. But God will not allow these things to keep us from that for which He has called us. Until our work for Him is done, no one can be safer than the Christian who trusts and obeys, even in the most dangerous of circumstances.
so what is God calling us to do as the body of Christ? what Is God calling you to do? It wont be easy, but God will make the way for you to do it. There is no where safer to be then trusting in the will of God.
