Hindsight

Quite a few people, including Leanna, have expressed how much they are looking forward to this weeks chapter where all the preists are killed!

I try not to take things too personally.

Pray

Hindsight is a wonderful thing - so goes the saying.

Caleb stroy - Hindsight we now know - he’ll always priorities good food over all else

If only we’d known the outcome before it happened,

we’d have done things very differently.

Once we have seen the outcome, we wished we had known it at the time!

The problme with hindsight is that by definition it looks backwards in time rather than forwards.

So hindsight is actualy not helpful at all.

It’s an ironic statement,

Hindsight is a wonderful thing - if you’d known it at the time!

But what is so brillinat about God’s Word,

is we read it with hindsight - which is a wonderful thing,

but it actually confirms the future!

Let me explain.

1 - The enemey is not in control

You’ll remmeber last week we saw David in a desperate run for his life.

He is running from King Saul.

He first went to Ahimelek the preist where he received some food and a sword -

although importantly for todays passage, Ahimalek knew nothing of Saul pursuit of David.

From there, he ran to his arch enemy the Philistines - such was his desperation,

and upon being recoginsed, he pleaded insanity

by literally acting like a madman,

so they let him go.

He sought refuge in the caves of Abdulamm,

where word spread and he was joined by his father’s family and 400 other desperate men,

presumably fed up with King’s Saul oppressive and demanding reign -

and so sought a new commander.

He fled then to Moab,

seeking save haven for his eledelry parents - which they receievd,

thanks to the Moabite blood through his great grandmother Ruth.

And finally, in v5 of ch 22, he’s still hearing, listening to and obeying the voice of God

as the Prophet Gad intructs him to move to the forest of Hereth.

David learnt, we learnt that God has not cast us off!

However desperate our circumstances.

But it still rasies the question,

God may have cast us off - but is he still in control!

Doesn’t the enemy, when we are desperate, appear to have the upper hand?

Doesn’t Saul seem to be in control.,

Doesn’t Satan today seem to be incontrol of this world of pain, and Covid, and death.

Well let’s with hindsight look at this passage today, and see what it has to say...

The best guess is that David’s been on the run for between about 1-2 years by now!

And so it’s time for our narrative to go back to an unspeciifed time during David’s escape

- and see what Saul has been upto in this time.

1 Samuel 22:6 NIV

Now Saul heard that David and his men had been discovered. And Saul was seated, spear in hand, under the tamarisk tree on the hill at Gibeah, with all his officials standing at his side.

It’s striking how many times Saul is described as ‘sitting’ while God’s people have been ‘moving’.

And as always Saul has been sitting with his spear - which never seems far from his grasp.

It’s the sign of ‘don’t mess with me!’

I recon if I walked round with a spear and occaisionaly threw it at people it would send a clear message!

While Saul may seem to be in control - ie - have the upper hand,

you have to wonder if he in a temperament way is ‘out of control’!

Sitting with his officials,

those apparently still loyal to him,

those of his own tribe no less - Benjaminites,

he is breeding consiracy theories,

and ideas of betrayal, deception and double crossing!

1 Samuel 22:7–8 NIV

He said to them, “Listen, men of Benjamin! Will the son of Jesse give all of you fields and vineyards? Will he make all of you commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds? Is that why you have all conspired against me? No one tells me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. None of you is concerned about me or tells me that my son has incited my servant to lie in wait for me, as he does today.”

Unable to use David’s name - he calls him son of Jesse.

Bitter about his son Jonathan making a covenant with Daivd,

flinging accusations (at least it’s not the spear just yet) at his advisors.

Teeth snarling,

face red,

wild eyes,

he’s a man you don’t want to be around when he looses it.

As we are about to see!.

1 Samuel 22:9 NIV

But Doeg the Edomite, who was standing with Saul’s officials, said, “I saw the son of Jesse come to Ahimelek son of Ahitub at Nob.

What a creep this guy is - a true yes man.

Similarily avopiding the use of David’s name to get along side his King.

This is Doeg the Edomite who spotted David when he was with Ahimelk the preist - in the last chapter.

`His report now is far from favourable towards the innocent preists...

1 Samuel 22:10 NIV

Ahimelek inquired of the Lord for him; he also gave him provisions and the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”

Finally - thinks Saul - a lead,

and a victim to take my anger out on..

The clue to his predetermined opinion about the guilt of Preist Ahimelek is shown in the way he addresses him once he’s summonded to his presence.

v12 - Saul said, “Listen now, son of Ahitub.”

For Saul mentioning the name of his enemies is like using the name Voldermot in Harry Potter!

And he pronounces his conclusion before asking any questions:

1 Samuel 22:13–15 NIV

Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, giving him bread and a sword and inquiring of God for him, so that he has rebelled against me and lies in wait for me, as he does today?” Ahimelek answered the king, “Who of all your servants is as loyal as David, the king’s son-in-law, captain of your bodyguard and highly respected in your household? Was that day the first time I inquired of God for him? Of course not! Let not the king accuse your servant or any of his father’s family, for your servant knows nothing at all about this whole affair.”

Despite Ahimelks truthful answers,

1 Samuel 22:16 NIV

But the king said, “You will surely die, Ahimelek, you and your whole family.”

Finally he uses his name - for he now, is not fearful, but decided - Ahimelke - his whole familiy will die.

Saul, God’s enemy, seems in control.

Even his gaurds know this isn’t right - and are too afraid to carry out the order to kill

- but there is still the slimeball Doeg standing by to carry out the murders.

and, It’s not just Ahimelel and his family that face death - it is all the preists, and then some...

1 Samuel 22:18–19 NIV

The king then ordered Doeg, “You turn and strike down the priests.” So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck them down. That day he killed eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod. He also put to the sword Nob, the town of the priests, with its men and women, its children and infants, and its cattle, donkeys and sheep.

Back in chapter 15 Saul wasn’t prepared to carry out the Lord’s command to kill every living thing amoung the enemy Amalekites,

He kept the enemy king and all the good livestock alive!

For he had too little respect for the Lord’s name.

And yet here - When his own name is at stake - he does a thorough job..,

He has elevated his own status above Gods!

He’s confirmed his place amoung what we will call in the NT - the anti-Christs.

A leader who is anti - against - God’s annointed one, whiuch is what Christ means.

And David is the annointed one of this time.

He joins an onomous club,

of Those greatly terrible leaders who reject God’s chosen one in favour of themselves.

Pharoeh of Egypt - the killer of baby boys, when Moses escaped.

King Herod - the killer of baby boys, when Jesus escaped

King Saul - the infant killer, when as we’ll see just one escapes.

He seems in control of events - even if we would call him ‘out of in control’

But despite the tradgey this is,

Saul is actually not the one in control.

Cast your mind, of flick back to 2v31 - where we find a prophesy that this exact situation would come about due to the sin and rebelion of the sons of the Preist Eli!

1 Samuel 2:31–32 NIV

The time is coming when I will cut short your strength and the strength of your priestly house, so that no one in it will reach old age, and you will see distress in my dwelling. Although good will be done to Israel, no one in your family line will ever reach old age.

Saul is not in control, not becasue he has lost it

But becasue God is in control.

Even in Saul’s great pride - he is unable to avoid carrying out a prophesy of the Lord God’s against the preists.

As was the case for Pharoeh, for his actions led to the release of Israel and the instiituion of the passover that led to the hope we have in Jesus.

As was the case for Herod, who’s actions led to the escape of Jesus to Egypt to fulfill the ancient prohesy that that is where Jesus would emerg from!

As it is with every anti-christ!

They are not in control - God is!

We are not to think that Saul’s actions were therefore good and right!

Far from it - he made his motives and heart very clear!

He does not accept God’s Annointed One - , - he is literally an anti-Christ,

He does not even think that God is worthy of his obediecne!

He will be judged rightly for his actions by God.

But even when a person is driven by sinful motives and a heart that rejects Christ,

Even when we come across false teachers today who malign the word of God,

or point us away from the true Jesus,

Those Anti-Christ’s are not in control - even if they think they are.

You and I are not in control,

The church universal is not even in control

as if we could derail God’s soverign plans for his world.

Satan himself - the ulitmate enemy and anti-Christ in this world - is not in control,

despite his attempts to draw many away from God.

And despite what it may look like at times.

God alone is in control.

Ahimelk did not deserve to die, but it was God’s will for this to happen - to fulfill his word and promise.

Saul did not want God’s will to suceed, but it is alwasy and only God’s will that does.

Of course Ahimelk, his family, the chidlren, men and women all sloughtered that day, may well still be eternally saved,

the tradgdy and circumstances of someones earthly death at the will of God,

(for we all die everually at the will of God)

That death - does not impact on the righteous justice of God at his final judgement of us all.

God does not think and operate as we do.

But the point here is both a stark warning to those who reject God’s annointed one - Jesus,

that whatever you think, or whatever philosy you follow - whetehr you think you have control off - you do not.

We are a pawns in the sovernty of God,

and we will be carrying out his will

whether we like it or not

and we will - as Saul will - be judged unless we repent of being anti - against - Christ - Jesus

For only Jesus can atone, make right our sins.

But for those who do believe -

Here is our hindsight!

Here is the most poerful king of the time, unwittingly prooving to us that no Anti-Christ or person who is anti- Christ can ever win!

Whatever life looks like, however weak our faith,

however failing the church may appear,

nothing - is out of God’s contorl.

Satan himself may bring pain and destruction in our lives -

many pastors and Christians are slaughtered around the world even today!

And yet it is not in vain!

It was under God’s soverign contorl!

Those who do it will be judged,

and those who suffer at their hands will be judged according to there acceptance of Christ in this life.

God is not weak,

he does not shy away from fulfilling His word,

from bringing right justice and consequenses,

as he prooves here...

But do not be dismayed or afraid in your faith, for

Promise after promise is fuliflled in the OT,

and it all is to give us hindsight.

And hindsight is a wonderful thing!

For it shows that God is in control. - not the enemy.

Fear not the evil ones,

God is in control

2 - And look what that means.. v20-23

The only survivor of the slaughter is one son of Ahimelk, Abiathar, also a preist,

and he flees to the only place left for him,

God’s annointed - David.

Unlike Jesus - David is not perfect - but he is humble and honest,

1 Samuel 22:22 NIV

Then David said to Abiathar, “That day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, I knew he would be sure to tell Saul. I am responsible for the death of your whole family.

And we know where this story goes,

Hindsight is a wonderful thing,

we know that David - God’s annointed - the mini Christ if you like - will overcome, and rule His people in glory!

And so I want to give the last word to the 2 Kings in this passage,

for they are very telling about the type of kings on offer in this world,

We have those who are anti-Christ, (And they are not in control)

and the one who is the Christ.

We’ve just seen that the anti-Christ in his pride will ultimately bring death to you,

And now we hear what the Christ will bring.

Listen to our options from thses 2 examples in 1 Sam 22.

There very last words spoken to the Priests in this passage are very telling about our choice today.

The Anti-christ will say to us at the end, v16: You will surely die.

The Christ will say to us today, v23: You will be safe with me!

Hindsioght is a wonderful thing, but only if we pay attention to it.

Will you choose death and reject the Forgiveness and grace and mercy of JEsus,

Or will you choose Jesus who says” you will be safe with me!

Pray