What To Do When Sin Returns 1 Samuel 26:1-25 Introduction

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1 Introduction Have you ever struggled with temptation, fought with sin, experienced victory, only to have the opportunity to sin all over again? What do you do when sin comes knocking at your door? I once heard a preacher say, I let Jesus answer the door. Most Christians realize we have three major enemies; the world; the flesh; and the devil. These are hardened enemies--prepared to fight for the long haul. We are coming close to the end of Saul s life. In a few chapters Saul will be dead. This is the last time we see Saul and David together. There seems to be a momentary peace between Saul and David after the death of the prophet Samuel. But Saul s hatred, jealousy and fear erupts with a fresh burst of vengeance; and a fresh thirst for David s blood. The Test Of David s Faith (vv.1-4) (v.1) David returns to the wilderness of Ziph. It is difficult to understand why he went back since it was a place of reoccurring trouble (Wiersbe p.276). We all make mistakes. Yet there is something perverse, wicked, destructive--about returning to drugs, alcohol, sexual immorality; to the life of constant self-indulgence. Why do we do things that are self-destructive and wrong? Paul speaks of this in Romans 7. Hachilah is a rugged stone outcrop with many little nooks and crannies to hide. David must have sensed that Saul would not remain quiet forever. This is the nature of the flesh--it will deceive by acting noble and patient from time to time. Remember--Saul becomes a type and picture of the flesh; he is the man after the flesh. The flesh may remain quiet for a while. Saul weeps when David spares his life; Saul flatters and promises to never, ever, ever let the injury happen again. But inside his heart Saul is a smoldering volcano; ready to erupt; ready to spew his red-hot molten lava; his liquid hate; and burn whatever lies in his path. The people of Ziph rat David out--and by doing so--they ignite the hatred in Saul s heart, and fan his fear and suspicion into a roaring fire! Saul does what many of us do when we are consumed by hate; fueled by fear and filled with jealousy! Saul forgets his promises to David ( I ll leave you alone; I won t hurt you); Saul forgets his oaths (I swear I will leave you alone); he forgets the wet hot tears of remorse-- and all he can think about is his hellish hatred (Pell p.234). Once again Saul s heart turns toward his all consuming fear and suspicion; David must go; David must be eliminated; David must die. Your flesh; my flesh perverts, distorts, ruins our ability to see God and see Jesus; David s Son. Saul has forsaken the truth; forsaken honor; forsaken courage--all because he refuses to forsake his pride. Keep your pride and you will keep your sin. 1

2 Once again David has been betrayed by the Ziphites. Once again David keeps a journal. We know it as Psalm 54; To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A Contemplation of David when the Ziphites went and said to Saul, Is David not hiding with us? An ancient I-Pod is playing David s song! Save me, O God, by Your name, And vindicate me by Your strength. (2) Hear my prayer; O God; Give ear to the words of my mouth. (3) For strangers have risen up against me, And oppressors have sought after my life; They have not set God before them. Selah. Pause. Do you wonder why the Ziphites betrayed David? What would cause them to rat David out? Did they hate David? I don t think so--their betrayal is not so much motivated by hatred of David--as it is fear of Saul. They were afraid of what Saul might do to them. If David was discovered in their land--he might go on another killing spree; a genocidal rampage. They remembered the massacre at Nob with all the priests and their family (1 Sam. 22:19). More of are controlled by fear than we would care to admit. Oswald Chambers wrote; The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything else. Blaise Pascal noted; There is a virtuous fear which is the effect of faith, and a vicious fear which is the product of doubt and distrust. Persons of the one character fear to lose God; those of the other character fear to find Him. People want to fit into the world s mold. People despise pain and fear suffering; we are motivated by the need to be liked and accepted. We may fail to speak up for our family when people say mean--hurtful lies. We may want to keep silent on issues of the sanctity of life; the moral canker sore on the soul of America; the wicked and cruel and continued killing of innocent children; the moral canker sore of same sex marriage; we don t want to offend, to make waves. We are afraid. We are afraid to tell the truth; because we see what happens to people who tell the truth. Like the people of Zith; we are willing to betray David--for fear of offending Saul. We are willing to betray David s Son--Jesus--in order to preserve the peace with Uncle Saul (I mean Sam); we need to discover the cure--the antidote for fear! For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (2 Tim. 1:7). (vv.3-4) and he saw that Saul came after him in the wilderness. David sees what is happening. Look at the expressions in the verses-- he saw ; he sent ; he understood ; David was not ignorant of his enemies devices; and neither should we be ignorant of our enemies devices; the wiles of the devil; the ways of this world; the tools of the flesh. David learns to trust God in life s most difficult circumstances. A life of intimacy and proximity to the true 2

3 and living God; having confidence in the Lord; this is what makes triumphant faith possible. When we are confident in the Lord--we need not be afraid. The Boldness of David s Faith (vv.5-12) Saul and his men find a place to camp. They form a kind of human shield, a circle encampment. Saul and his men are willing to sleep in the night and try to capture David in the broad daylight. While Saul s men sleep; David and Abishai are awake--planning to sneak into the camp of Saul. People of faith must sometimes forsake sleep in order to wage war against the flesh. There will come a time when no man may be able to work. (v.7) Abishai was David s nephew; 1 Chron. 2:15-16; Ozem the sixth, and David the seventh. (16) Now their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. And the sons of Zeruiah were Abishai, Joab, and Asahel--three. 1 Samuel 26:7 (NKJV) So David and Abishai came to the people by night; and there Saul lay sleeping within the camp, with his spear stuck in the ground by his head. And Abner and the people lay all around him. The word translated camp is translated trench in the KJV. Scholars have wondered if this a human circle or perhaps a circle of ox-carts. (v.8) Abishai urges David to kill Saul. Often--Satan will use other people; even close relatives to urge us to do the wrong thing. Well meaning people; even people who love us. Jesus told his own disciples that he must go to Jerusalem; be arrested, be killed and rise from the dead. Jesus told them that he must suffer and die and rise from the dead. Peter hears suffer and die and everything else goes blank. Jesus told Peter; Get behind Me Satan. I am quite certain Abishai thought-- what is David doing? Why won t he destroy his enemy? I am sure the disciples thought the same thing when Jesus refused to bring down fire from heaven upon the rebellious houses of Samaria. You have probably thought the same thing! Why doesn t the Lord smoke that rebellious Satan and put him in the Lake of Fire now? (v.9) David resists the temptation. Vengeance is Mine saith the Lord, I will repay. Think about it. If David killed Saul--Saul would lose his life; but David would lose something far more important--his innocence. David certainly is not completely innocent--that is free from sin or guilt--but David is faultless, blameless--not guilty--when it comes to Saul. David is the Lord s anointed. David seizing the throne by killing Saul--would set a dangerous precedent for the transition of power. David killing Saul would have challenged the authority and order that God ordained; and brought reproach on the God of Israel. Philip Keller writes in his biography of David; Yet the marvel of it all was that the Spirit of God was sufficiently active in David s spirit to spare him from spilling Saul s blood. Somehow David, tough and formidable a warrior as he was, allowed his conscience, emotions and bodily reflexes to be controlled by the power of the 3

4 Almighty. Despite the subtle suggestions of his fighting comrades, he simply would not succumb to their insistence that it was God s will for him to take Saul s life (p.162). Saul will die. But not by David s hand. (v.12) a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen on them. God had ordained the circumstances. God had quiet clearly delivered Saul into the hand of David. But David did not sin. David did not have the license or the liberty to sin. David did not have the freedom to avenge himself of all the wrongs Saul committed against him. That was God s job. The Lord God would make this thing right. God has the responsibility of settling old scores. Do you understand what the writer of 1 Samuel is trying to tell his reader? God was supernaturally at work. Saul s efforts were thwarted, not by the cunning or the conniving of David--but by the supernatural effort of God. We as Christians often cry out to God in times of need; He delivers us--and we look for a natural explanation! We sometimes live our lives in such a way--that we think we made it on our own! We sometimes fail to read our Bible; we fail to pray; and God still shows up and helps us out! Should we cease from praying? No! Our failures do not overwhelm the grace of God; and the mercy of God; and the love of God. The grace God and the mercy of God and the love of God often overwhelm our foolishness, our sinfulness our selfishness! Do you remember verse 10? God will deliver Saul to death--god will get Saul. Saul will die either by the hand of God; Saul s number will come up; or Saul will die in battle. What a powerful and prophetic statement. David will be guilty of many sorrowful sins. But David will not become King by his own hand. Many Christians settle scores just like the world. I ll get even. I ll make her pay. I ll make him pay. Do you want to even the score with your enemy? Do you want to make sure this person will never hurt you again? How do you plan to make that happen? We as Christians make every effort to avoid disputes. We want to live at peace with all people. We are instructed to take the loss; suffer wrong; refuse to injure others--even when they are attempting to injure us! We are given permission to duck that punch. By all means get out of harm s way. We are to avoid harming others. David refuses to raise his hand to the king. You should refuse to raise your voice or your hand; to the people of God; to the people who have been entrusted to your care. Your wife; your parents; your employer; your elected officials. Saul has shed many tears, made promises; but Saul has not changed. Saul never changed in his spirit; Saul never changed in his heart. If he had; he would not be in the desert pursuing David. The Position of David s Faith (vv.13-20) 4

5 Vengeance belongs to the Lord; but the trophies of faith belong to David. David will take the King s spear and the cruse of water--what we might call the King s water bottle. Earlier in his life, David had Goliath s sword. Now David has Saul s spear. The one Saul had used to pry and play pin the Psalmist to the wall. The spear is useless--because no weapon formed against thee will prosper. The spear becomes a type a symbol of Saul s hatred for David. In the palace of the King--the King held a spear and the man who would be king holds a harp. Do you remember in I Samuel the feast that David refused to show up for? Saul used the same spear to try and kill his own son Jonathan. Saul threw the spear at Jonathan--not because Saul hated Jonathan but because Jonathan loved David. That spear represented not simply Saul s hatred; but also Saul s authority and power. Had Abishai had his way; he would have plunged the spear deep into Saul s throat where he would not have been able to move or cry out; or deep into his heart so that he would die immediately! David will return Saul s spear. Because God will give to each person and place in each person s hand; what is coming to that person. The cruse of water will remain with David. The man according to the flesh may retain the power, only the man of faith knows spiritual refreshment and satisfaction (Pell; p. 238). (vv.14-16) Saul is awakened when David taunts Abner. David accuses the strongest man in Israel of being a wimp. Abner should have been more careful guarding the king. Abner is the strong man in Israel; Abner is a mighty man and the King s personal body guard. But Abner has no power to protect and defend against the destroyer. He is worthy of death for such neglect. But the grace of David has spared Saul s life one more time. David is Saul s benefactor. (vv.17-20) Saul recognizes David s voice. David after all used to sing to him! How often the sweet psalmist of Israel chased away the demons that tortured Saul s soul. Always David s speech was graceful and respectful to the king. David is doing something special--david is pleading with the King to abandon his sin and return to the Lord; If God has led you to pursue me because of some sin in my life, then I will offer a sacrifice with you in order to settle the matter--that is settle the matter with the LORD; but if men are cursing me, then you can be sure God will settle the matter for me. Earlier in the book of Samuel David suggested to Saul that Saul had been listening to lies; the lies of evil plotting men. Now David asks Saul-- Have I sinned against you or God? Let us offer a sacrifice--let there be a provision when people transgress--the blood of the sacrifice! Centuries later David s Son (Jesus) would plead with another Saul; Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? Why do you kick against the needle like jabs that stick in your conscience? Saul is exposed. All Israel knows David is right. David for the second time has the opportunity to kill Saul and refuses to end Saul s life. David meant Saul no harm. He proved it. David was a man of his word. Saul wasn t. Everyone in Saul s camp could tell Saul lacked credibility. The Vindication of David s Faith (vv.21-25) 5

6 (vv.21-25) I have sinned. We hear these words often from political and religious leaders. Does Saul really believe he has sinned and is Saul willing to turn from his sin? Is this the truth or is this Saul s wounded pride speaking? We say it ourselves; and sometimes our confession rings hollow! I ve played the fool. I have erred exceedingly. Sound familiar? I have had a critical lapse in judgment. All of Saul s confession is true--but Saul still refuses to repent. Saul is sorry. But is Saul sorry for the years of persecution and pain? Is Saul sorry that he massacred a whole village of priests? Can Saul undo the lives lost; the tears shed; the awful pain Saul has caused? Saul s conscience has squeezed a confession out of his mouth; but you can t get water out of a rock or blood out of a turnip; but the conscience can ring the soul and get a confession out of the mouth. Saul s conscience is once again brought low--by David s character. David is suspicious--and well he should be--of Saul s sudden conversion. If Saul is truly repentant; what might David expect from Saul s behavior? Rather than trust Saul s words-- David trusts the Lord. David trusts the Lord--not the changing moods of a schizophrenic sovereign. Repentance means to turn and go in a different direction. Confession is good--but confession alone is not repentance. Repentance must never be confused with sorrow; worldly sorrow can lead to separation from God and death. Sorrow that leads to self-destructive behavior or the destruction of others--is not godly repentance. Repentance is willing to reflect on personal sin. Repentance is willing to recognize divine wrath. Repentance relies on the Holy Spirit s conviction and power to turn from sin. Repentance that is godly reveals and results in a spiritual transformation. Repentance that is real resists the devil--and remains in the life of the believer. Repentance that is real rejoices in the truth (Note: I am grateful to Mike Gendron for this paragraph--which I have adopted from one of his newsletters--for the full article see Proclaiming the Gospel; 2 Corinthians 7:8-10 (NKJV) For even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it. For I perceive that the same epistle made you sorry, though only for a while. 9Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing.10for godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. Saul did not do God s will God s way. He ran ahead of the Lord instead of waiting for the Lord (chapter 13). Saul did not learn the lesson that partial obedience is disobedience (chapter 15). Saul did not obey completely. Saul turned his back on his godly friends (Samuel and David). Saul will later seek guidance from satanic sources (see chapter 28). Saul will seek Samuel s guidance through the wicked witch of Endor! Saul refuses to repent; even when he knew he 6

7 was wrong! Saul s portrait might be my one portrait--or your portrait. Are you running ahead of the Lord? Are you failing to completely obey? Have you turned your back on godly relationships? Are you seeking solace from satanic sources? Are you unwilling to turn from your sin--even when you know you are wrong? Do you say-- I am sorry and refuse to change? (v.22) David returns the King s spear. David knows the spear can t harm him--apart from the knowledge of God and the will of God. This is exactly what David means in the next few verses... Saul does not trust the Lord. He does not cry out to God for forgiveness. Saul doesn t cry out to God and beg God to forgive his sins and change his wicked, evil, selfish, fearful heart. Saul doesn t ask David to pray for him or with him. Saul simply blesses David--thereby vindicating David; justifying David s behavior and condemning his own behavior. Saul blesses David because of his conduct in the past; and predicts a God ordained glorious future. Conclusion Saul was given every opportunity to do what is right. He was instructed by Samuel the prophet in spiritual truth and in godliness and righteousness. Saul was generously endowed with natural abilities and supernatural anointing. God had prepared and anointed Saul to be king. Saul had partaken of the presence of the Lord s Holy Spirit; but Saul was never truly born again. Saul rejected God. Saul rejected God s Holy Spirit. Saul rejected the fact his gifts and callings were from God. Saul became embittered and embattled; angry, jealous, fearful; Saul became a castaway--a man hardened against God and man. Saul failed to see the evil of his ways and the evil of his heart. Saul never saw the evil of his way and the sin of his soul were a crime against God and himself. He never saw with spiritual understanding that the stubbornness of his will, the disobedience of his spirit, the selfishness of his motives were an offense, not only against men but an awful affront to the love of the Most High God (Philip Keller p.164). God worked overtime to change Saul. God gave him chance after chance to change. God gave Saul a loyal son and a loving prophet who told Saul of God s love, God s mercy, and grace. David reminded Saul of the Sacrifice for sin, the shedding of blood, so men could be at peace with each other and peace with God. But Saul wouldn t do it. He wouldn t change. Saul was committed to his own selfish agenda! God couldn t trust him--and neither would David. 7