The Growth of David

Imagine a family of mice who lived all their lives in a large piano, just as we live our lives in a fragment of the universe. To them in their piano-world came the music of the instrument, filling all the dark spaces with sound and harmony. At first the mice were much impressed by it. They drew comfort and wonder from the thought that there was Someone who made the music—though invisible to them, yet close to them. They loved to think of the Great Player whom they could not see. Then one day a daring mouse climbed up part of the piano and returned very thoughtful. He had discovered how the music was made. Wires were the secret—tightly stretched wires of graduated lengths that trembled and vibrated. They must revise all their old beliefs. None but the most conservative could any longer believe in the Unseen Player. Later, another explorer carried the explanation further. Hammers were now the secret, numbers of hammers dancing and leaping on the wires. This was a more complicated theory, but it all went to show that they lived in a purely mechanical and mathematical world. The Unseen Player came to be thought of as a myth— But the pianist continued to play

Sometimes I wonder if we fail to see that God is at work in our lives. Sin is not God’s fault and the result of sin is not God’s fault yet God is still at work to bring about His plan and we need to recognize this and line our lives up with God.

In the book of Jeremiah we see this being mentioned.

Jeremiah 23:23–24 CSB

“Am I a God who is only near”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“and not a God who is far away? Can a person hide in secret places where I cannot see him?”—the Lord’s declaration. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?”—the Lord’s declaration.

We are told that God is not merely a local diety that stays in One place, But he is far above our understanding. He is at one point in and amongst us and on the other hand far beyond us. This passage in Jeremiah is in reference to the false prophets that claimed to be speaking on behalf of God yet where not. God is inescapable.

God is both immanent and transcendent, omniscient and omnipresent. The false prophets cannot hide from God’s judgment. In v.24, Jeremiah elaborates on the query in v.23. An omnipresent and omniscient God cannot be deceived and surely has heard the lies of the false prophets.

We cannot hide from God yet the other side of that is that as His children he is near us, He is directly invovled in the workings of the world He is carrying out His plan an we must learn to follow him.

Because the Lord is near and actively accomplishing His purposes, His people must trust His timing and submit to His authority—even when obedience is costly and difficult.

God Is Near → God is sovereign → submit to God and God appointed authority.

These are the main points we are going to see in this chapter today.

1 Samuel 26:1 ESV

Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding himself on the hill of Hachilah, which is on the east of Jeshimon?”

While the exact spot is unknown, the Hill of Hachilah was    a location in the wilderness of Ziph, south og Jeshimon near modern day Hebron. essentially in the Judean wilderness.

The Ziphites in 1 Samuel 26 were the inhabitants of the town (or region) of Ziph, a place located in the territory of the tribe of Judah in southern Israel (mentioned in Joshua 15:55 as part of the Judean highlands, southeast of Hebron). Interestingly, this was not the first time the Ziphites betrayed David to Saul—they had done the same thing earlier in 1 Samuel 23:19-20, reporting his location in the strongholds of the wilderness of Ziph. David even composed Psalm 54 in response to their treachery (the psalm's title references the Ziphites informing Saul).

The Ziphites were fellow Israelites (from the tribe of Judah, like David himself), but they sided with Saul—likely out of fear of the king's power (after what happened to the priests of Nob), desire for favor or reward, or concern about their own safety if they sheltered a fugitive. Their repeated actions highlight themes of loyalty, betrayal, and trust in God amid persecution in the biblical narrative.

Being ratted out by your own people, that was low.

so saul took 3000 men to go and find david in the wilderness. although with his fellow Israelites ratting him out it wouldnt have been to hard.

This is part of the story where we see God at work in our lives even when we do not see it. God is not only sovereign and in control, He is near and amongst us. An army was after David and God was going to work it out for His glory.

1 Samuel 26:5–6 CSB

Immediately, David went to the place where Saul had camped. He saw the place where Saul and Abner son of Ner, the commander of his army, were lying down. Saul was lying inside the inner circle of the camp with the troops camped around him. Then David asked Ahimelech the Hethite and Joab’s brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, “Who will go with me into the camp to Saul?” “I’ll go with you,” answered Abishai.

God was with David, I am not sure if David saw it or wondered why everything was going well but God was with David because David was following God. Lets read through the story. God was going to do a few things, show David that God will raise Him up like he said, show David that He would do this even while submitting to God’s current ordained leadership. Show Saul that he was not following God and was done.

in verses 7-12 we read of quite the interesting story.

1 Samuel 26:7–12 CSB

That night, David and Abishai came to the troops, and Saul was lying there asleep in the inner circle of the camp with his spear stuck in the ground by his head. Abner and the troops were lying around him. Then Abishai said to David, “Today God has delivered your enemy to you. Let me thrust the spear through him into the ground just once. I won’t have to strike him twice!” But David said to Abishai, “Don’t destroy him, for who can lift a hand against the Lord’s anointed and be innocent?” David added, “As the Lord lives, the Lord will certainly strike him down: either his day will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. However, as the Lord, is my witness, I will never lift my hand against the Lord’s anointed. Instead, take the spear and the water jug by his head, and let’s go.” So David took the spear and the water jug by Saul’s head, and they went their way. No one saw them, no one knew, and no one woke up; they all remained asleep because a deep sleep from the Lord came over them.

so we see only one person volunteered to sneak into the camp with David. And the same thing comes up for the third time in David’s life, vengence!

David was given the choice, and God was at work in His midst. Both are true at the same time. David was put into a situatiuon where he had a choice. Follow the leading of God or seek vengence for himself. all the people told him again, the lord has delivered him into your hands.

We are given a choice and God is at work in our midst

we are all given choices like this, or are allowed to make choices that along with our relationship with God. Even the Israelites where given the choice like this, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve we are told. either God or the world. David chose again to follow God, he seemed to have learned His lesson.

1 Samuel 26:12 CSB

So David took the spear and the water jug by Saul’s head, and they went their way. No one saw them, no one knew, and no one woke up; they all remained asleep because a deep sleep from the Lord came over them.

the choice He was given was to follow the annointed of the Lord, even if it meant his continued persecution. These are the two main things we learn from this. Because god is all powerful and is at work in our midstwe must trust in Him, and one of the biggest lesson David and us learn from this in the last three chapters is to submit to authority as we follow God. I can trust God to work even in the govt. but then is there a case for civil disobedience. They are all appointed by God so if you resist then you are resisting God. Obedience is not always involved in submission. It is not obeying no matter what. You submit to them because you submit to God. Vengeance is in God’s hands, and we can trust him to do it the right way.

In 1 Samuel 26, David's refusal to harm Saul isn't just personal restraint—it's a profound act of submission to God's sovereign order. He repeatedly calls Saul "the LORD's anointed" (vv. 9, 11, 16, 23), refusing to "stretch out [his] hand" against him. This mirrors New Testament teaching on respecting authority, even under difficult or unjust circumstances.

David Confronts Saul

In the last part of this passage David confronts Saul yet again with what he had been doing and the opportunity he had to kill Saul yet again.

1 Samuel 26:17 CSB

Saul recognized David’s voice and asked, “Is that your voice, my son David?” “It is my voice, my lord and king,” David said.

1 Samuel 26:18–19 CSB

Then he continued, “Why is my lord pursuing his servant? What have I done? What crime have I committed? Now, may my lord the king please hear the words of his servant: If it is the Lord who has incited you against me, then may he accept an offering. But if it is people, may they be cursed in the presence of the Lord, for today they have banished me from sharing in the inheritance of the Lord, saying, ‘Go and worship other gods.’

1 Samuel 26:23–25 CSB

The Lord will repay every man for his righteousness and his loyalty. I wasn’t willing to lift my hand against the Lord’s anointed, even though the Lord handed you over to me today. Just as I considered your life valuable today, so may the Lord consider my life valuable and rescue me from all trouble.” Saul said to him, “You are blessed, my son David. You will certainly do great things and will also prevail.” Then David went on his way, and Saul returned home.

So What?

God is on one hand near and on the other hand is Holy and far beyond our understanding

Like the mice in the piano we sometimes do not see God at work in our midst, But he is activley involved in His creation to accomplish His purpose and His plan. The Lord invites us, like David, to come alongside Him and choose to follow Him or not and face the consequences.

David will not always be exemplary as a paragon of faith. But at least in this text, he is convinced of God’s guidance, even if he does not have immediate confirmation. This is also a natural part of Christian discipleship. As we grow and mature in our faith (our first emphasis from this text), we also become more confident about God’s guidance, and we spend less time seeking constantly for evidence of his moving. He is actively involved in the universe in general and in the particulars of our lives, though we are not often conscious of his direct participation.

But part of this is following the will of God even when it is hard, the lesson David learned about this is submitting to authority.

Honor God's Appointed Authority – Even When It's Unjust

Mark 12:17; 1 Peter 2:11-13 - we learn that we are called to submit to authority

Paul teaches that all legitimate authority comes from God. Resisting it is resisting God's arrangement. We submit not primarily because rulers are good, but because God has established the structure of authority. David models this: Saul was clearly failing morally and trying to murder him, yet David honors the office because God placed Saul there.

I can trust God to work even in the govt. but then is there a case for civil disobedience. They are all appointed by God so if you resist then you are resisting God. Obedience is not always involved in submission. It is not obeying no matter what. You submit to them because you submit to God. Vengeance is in God’s hands, and we can trust him to do it the right way.

But we must remember that when we chose to go against, it also means that we choose the consequences. Even when the prophets spoke against the government at the time what they did is always call out their sin and disobedience of the law of God and how they needed to turn back to Him.

Why endure unjust suffering? Because "this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly" (v. 19). Peter points directly to as the ultimate example: "When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly" (v. 23).1 Peter 2:13-17, 18

David honors Saul as God's chosen king, even when Saul is wicked. authority is God's institution, not dependent on the person's character. We submit "for the Lord's sake" (1 Pet 2:13), not because the leader deserves it.Submission to God's Anointed/Authority Follow Christ's pattern (1 Pet 2:21-23). Endure patiently, entrust yourself to God, and let your good behavior silence foolish people (1 Pet 2:15).When Tempted to Retaliate

— Submit as unto the Lord (like servants to unjust masters, 1 Pet 2:18). Don't undermine or rebel unless it requires disobeying God directly (cf. Acts 5:29). Honor the position God allows.Difficult Bosses, Leaders, or Spouses

— Romans 13 doesn't command blind obedience to evil commands, but general submission to structure. David's example shows respect for the role while protecting life and integrity.Unjust Authority (Government, Workplace, Church)

David points forward to Jesus, the perfect Suffering Servant who submitted to unjust authorities (Pilate, Herod, religious leaders) without sin, entrusting Himself to the Father. Because Christ bore our sins, we can follow His steps in submission and mercy.The Gospel Connection

In a world quick to rebel against flawed authority, God calls us to something higher: humble submission that trusts His sovereignty, reflects Christ's character, and silences critics through honorable living.

Prayer ResponseFather, thank You for the example of David, who honored Your anointed even in persecution. Help us submit to the authorities You have established, not out of fear of man, but reverence for You. When we face injustice, give us grace to entrust ourselves to You who judges righteously, just as Christ did. May our lives glorify You in every relationship of authority. In Jesus' name, Amen.