Sermon Tone Analysis

I. Don’t Stop trying

the scene (1-5)

Why does David go to Saul’s camp?

(6-7) Only reason I can think of - to get proof of his ability to infiltrate Saul’s camp so he can once again prove his innocence.

Why ask for a volunteer?

It’s not like two of them would be safer in the middle of Saul’s army.

Again logically what makes sense is that he knew one of these two would (1) have the courage to undertake it, and (2) hated Saul enough that he would have to talk them down and set up the confrontation.

Whereas the strategy in ch 24 was accidental, here it seems that David is intentionally manufacturing another incident where he can save Saul’s life and therefore prove his innocence.

II.

Stick to your Principles

God is just and will uphold your cause if you are in the right.

(God was still protecting David; some of the means that David suggested God might use to remove Saul.)

Preserve proper relationship to authority (the Lord’s Anointed is still untouchable)

Be prepared to wait as long as you have to for God’s timing.

(David’s conviction that “his day will come to die”)

III.

Don’t cast your pearls before pigs

Why call to Abner, and not Saul?

He also does not identify himself.

v.16 is in the plural, so David is addressing Abner as the representative of Saul’s Army.

It seems likely that David intended to be discovered.

How could he not at some point?

And without that it is difficult to explain why he is doing what he did.

He does intend to charge the whole army with dereliction of duty.

He seems to treat Saul as if he is irrelevant to the discussion, only addressing him when Saul asks.

Only then does he again appeal to Saul.

It seems, therefore that David’s goal was not merely to make another appeal to Saul (for he must have known Saul would answer), but to reinforce his position on Saul to Saul’s army, in addition to again establishing his innocence, and also showing how clever he is and how it is not a good idea to keep chasing him.

The principle is - know when to make an appeal and know when not to waste your breath.

Matt 7:6; Prov 26:4-5

IV.

Process the situation theologically

Only two possibilities as to source of this pursuit - God or men

God forgives.

Let him accept an offering.

Man has driven him away to serve other gods

God owned the land, every Israelite had an allotment from God that had to be passed down to their children, forever Lev 25:23-25

God’s blessing for obedience and cursing for disobedience was inextricably tied to the land Deut 28:1, 4-5, 11-12, 15, 21, 36

Therefore, being forced off of his God-given portion disconnects him from the blessings and cursings of the Mosaic Covenant and therefore disconnects the normal motivation to serve the Lord.

Application -

No sacrifices today, but God still forgives anything.

We are not under the Covenant and our only inheritance from God is heavenly, but when persecution arises for the gospel, the normal reward/pain for doing right is still inverted.

Phil 1:27-28

Blood “fall away from the presence of the Lord” - God is everywhere.

but his special presence, where he manifested his glory, is only around the Ark of the Covenant.

David is unable to enjoy coming to the place where God manifested his glory because he is still running for his life.

If he dies, he dies deprived of his fundamental right as an Israelite to come into God’s presence and worship him.

Application - the Christian “worships God in spirit and in truth” not at a specific location.

The church building is not like a temple.

It’s a convenient place for the church (the people) to gather.

It’s not more holy than other places, other than the fact that this body of believers have put their name on it and in that sense God’s name on it.

But it is our presence that sanctifies the church, it does not sanctify us.

Yet, the Christian has a fundamental right to gather with other believers.

It is the command of God to do so (Heb 10:25 ).

So to order a church to not meet, unless it is for a very limited time to avoid an immediate and present danger, is a violation of the Christian’s god-given right to worship.

Are you exercising that right?

The Lord rewards every man - Universal principle, applies to everyone everywhere.