Crazy Is as Crazy Does February 24, 2016 Ziph, Saul, and Going 0 and 2 1 Samuel 26 Page 1 Round One 1 Samuel 23:19 21 Then Ziphites came up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, Is David not hiding with us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon? Now then, O king, come down according to all the desire of your soul to do so; and our part shall be to surrender him into the king s hand. Saul said, May you be blessed of the LORD, for you have had compassion on me. Results: Saul distracted from chasing David around Moan Comes back and has Net Results = No Round Two 1 Samuel 26:1 2 Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, Is not David hiding on the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon? So Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having with him three thousand chosen men of Israel, to search for David in the wilderness of Ziph. Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Albert Einstein http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/alberteins133991.html#uq18ijhqklsuhosv.99 I suppose you could now say that the people of Ziph and David did not really get along too well This is not the first time they have run off to tell on David Why would David go back there? Why would Saul listen to them again? Remember the last time David and Saul talked? 1 Samuel 24:17 22 He said to David, You are more righteous than I; for you have dealt well with me, while I have dealt wickedly with you. You have declared today that you have done good to me, that the LORD delivered me into your hand and yet you did not kill me. For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away safely? May the LORD therefore reward you with good in return for what you have done to me this day. Now, behold, I know that you will surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hand. So now swear to me by the LORD that you will not cut off my descendants after me and that you will not destroy my name from my father s household. David swore to Saul. And Saul went to his home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold. David still wants to believe about Saul, but he also wants to get the. He has spies too. 1 Samuel 26:3 5 Saul camped in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon, beside the road, and David was staying in the wilderness. When he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness, David sent out spies, and he knew that Saul was definitely coming. David then arose and came to the place where Saul had camped. And David saw the place where Saul lay, and Abner the son of Ner, the commander of his army; and Saul was lying in the circle of the camp, and the people were camped around him. Not only does David have better spies than Saul, he has a compelling reason to know what is going on around him David did not believe it was Saul at first, which is why the spies were sent But in spite of what Saul said to him back at the cave, here he is...again
Page 2 It must have been a full moon as David could clearly see the camp and how they set up camp This also tells us something about David as a Saul could not possibly hope to surprise David with the large force he brought The way he sets up camp displays his continuing overall about David s capabilities But David has been in the field now for some time He has learned skills beyond Saul s Notice how many guards Saul had posted out 1 Samuel 26:6 7 Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab s brother, saying, Who will go down with me to Saul in the camp? And Abishai said, I will go down with you. So David and Abishai came to the people by night, and behold, Saul lay sleeping inside the circle of the camp with his spear stuck in the ground at his head; and Abner and the people were lying around him. As believers, whenever we are ready to begin a new work, it is always important to know is with you and who will have your back David had the same concern His nephew says he will go with him to check out the enemies, Saul s camp David is going to sneak into the middle of the camp of 3,000 troops who are searching for him to kill him, while they are all asleep = David Jesus was even more than David Matthew 16 & 17 Enoch 6:6 And they were in all two hundred; who descended in the days of Jared on the summit of Mount Hermon, and they called it Mount Hermon, because they had sworn and bound themselves by mutual imprecations upon it. (The Book of Enoch) Enoch 13:1 3 Enoch said to Azael, Go: There will be no peace for you; great judgment has come out against you to bind you. There will be neither pause nor questioning for you about which wrongs you brought to light and about all works of ungodliness, wrongdoing, and failure, all that you declared to the people. Then I went and spoke to all of them. They all were terrified: Trembling and fear gripped them. (LES) The Pharisees were conspiring to kill Jesus, yet He continued to show up in the Temple and teach One day He makes arrangements to enter the Temple triumphantly on the exact day and manner as predicted He then presented Himself again in the same place where those who wanted to kill Him were After His death and prior to His resurrection 1 Peter 3:18 20 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water. The Book of John alone has 7 I Am statements from Jesus Christ in it where He states that He is God
Something else here that we see about David His God had told Him that He would be King David knew that he has a future, God had made that very clear to him He is beginning to act in accordance with that truth and the faith reflects the childlike faith we Page 3 Matthew 18:1 6 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said, Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. \Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. David s childlike trust in the Lord is seen the brighter against the dark background of Saul s duplicity. Peter J. Pell Jr., First Samuel: Bible Class Notes (Grand Rapids, MI: Gospel Folio Press, n.d.), 235. Do we go when Jesus says go? Do we really trust Him? Daniel 11:32 By smooth words he will turn to godlessness those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will display strength and take action. Daniel 11:32 Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits. (NKJV) David knew this truth Now we know it as well What do we ask God for this week? Where is the symbol of Saul s power? 1 Samuel 26:8 12 Then Abishai said to David, Today God has delivered your enemy into your hand; now therefore, please let me strike him with the spear to the ground with one stroke, and I will not strike him the second time. But David said to Abishai, Do not destroy him, for who can stretch out his hand against the LORD S anointed and be without guilt? David also said, As the LORD lives, surely the LORD will strike him, or his day will come that he dies, or he will go down into battle and perish. The LORD forbid that I should stretch out my hand against the LORD S anointed; but now please take the spear that is at his head and the jug of water, and let us go. So David took the spear and the jug of water from beside Saul s head, and they went away, but no one saw or knew it, nor did any awake, for they were all asleep, because a sound sleep from the LORD had fallen on them. David had learned a lesson about his anger from Nabal He has grown in the Lord We see why he is a man after Once again, he is reflecting the Luke 23:34 But Jesus was saying, Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing. And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves.
Does Abishai understand? Page 4 David s reason again is his respect for the kingship, under God. He expresses faith in God s sufficiency to take care of Saul, whether by smiting him directly, or natural death, or in battle (10). Then, in a whisper near the sleeping king, David prays. May the Lord keep him from hurting His anointed leader! It is a brief petition expressing God s will. James E. Rosscup, An Exposition on Prayer in the Bible: Igniting the Fuel to Flame Our Communication with God (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2008), 473. We do not see it here, but I am sure as they walked away Abishai is shaking his head They Saul, but left him with his life Last time David cut his robe, symbolically removing his rank, now he is doing the same with his How was David able to do this, we are told in verse 12, it was a deep sleep from the Lord David s reason for entering Saul s camp was not to kill him but to teach him a lesson. By taking Saul s spear David would teach the king that he had the power of death but chose to spare Saul s life rather than taking it. This symbolic act also communicated that the right to rule would be David s eventually. By taking his water jug, a life-giving vessel since life in the Judean wilderness depended on drinking water, David taught him that he had the power to take Saul s life. Perhaps the jug of water also symbolized that refreshment and blessing would also be David s portion from the Lord. Tom Constable, Tom Constable s Expository Notes on the Bible (Galaxie Software, 2003), 1 Sa 26:6. 1 Samuel 26:13 20 Then David crossed over to the other side and stood on top of the mountain at a distance with a large area between them. David called to the people and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, Will you not answer, Abner? Then Abner replied, Who are you who calls to the king? So David said to Abner, Are you not a man? And who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not guarded your lord the king? For one of the people came to destroy the king your lord. This thing that you have done is not good. As the LORD lives, all of you must surely die, because you did not guard your lord, the LORD S anointed. And now, see where the king s spear is and the jug of water that was at his head. Then Saul recognized David s voice and said, Is this your voice, my son David? And David said, It is my voice, my lord the king. He also said, Why then is my lord pursuing his servant? For what have I done? Or what evil is in my hand? Now therefore, please let my lord the king listen to the words of his servant. If the LORD has stirred you up against me, let Him accept an offering; but if it is men, cursed are they before the LORD, for they have driven me out today so that I would have no attachment with the inheritance of the LORD, saying, Go, serve other gods. Now then, do not let my blood fall to the ground away from the presence of the LORD; for the king of Israel has come out to search for a single flea, just as one hunts a partridge in the mountains. Is David aware of Article 92 and 113 of the UCMJ? Is he really concerned about the dereliction of duty he has just witnessed as well as the guards all being asleep? At his heart, David is still a, we will see that in what he says He does not call out Saul, he calls out, the commander who he is holding accountable Once over on the other hill, David calls out, probably waking them up Who had saved Saul s life that day? Someone had come into Saul s camp ready, willing, and able to pin the king to the earth. Just take a look, Abner. Where is the spear that was in the ground beside the king s head and his water jar? Who saved the king, Abner while you slept? John Woodhouse, 1 Samuel: Looking for a Leader, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2008), 492.
Page 5 Obviously Abner had nothing to say I am sure he was stunned by what he heard and then saw. Over on the other hill, David had Saul s and his If he is smart, he is already trying to find where the JAG is sleeping I find it interesting that both times Saul s safety is compromised and David gets close enough to kill, it is because Abner and his troops are either to provide the security they are supposed to be supplying Zechariah 4:6 Then he said to me, This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel saying, Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of hosts. James 4:6 10 But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE. Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you. It just seems that throughout the scriptures, the Holy Spirit takes in showing us proud people being humbled Psalm 10:1 2 Why do You stand afar off, O LORD? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble? In pride the wicked hotly pursue the afflicted; Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised. Saul is awakened by the exchange and he recognizes the voice. Notice, this time David does not address Saul as his David asks if he has violated the law somehow and that is why he is being chased, if so let him sacrifice He then asks Saul to not bring guilt upon himself for forcing David to live apart from the promise of God David ends the exchange by pointing out how worthless it is to continue to chase him. Saul s response to the pleading of David reveals a weak heart. What strange, bewildered and self contradictory words. Peter J. Pell Jr., First Samuel: Bible Class Notes (Grand Rapids, MI: Gospel Folio Press, n.d.), 239. 1 Samuel 26:21 25 Then Saul said, I have sinned. Return, my son David, for I will not harm you again because my life was precious in your sight this day. Behold, I have played the fool and have committed a serious error. David replied, Behold the spear of the king! Now let one of the young men come over and take it. The LORD will repay each man for his righteousness and his faithfulness; for the LORD delivered you into my hand today, but I refused to stretch out my hand against the LORD S anointed. Now behold, as your life was highly valued in my sight this day, so may my life be highly valued in the sight of the LORD, and may He deliver me from all distress. Then Saul said to David, Blessed are you, my son David; you will both accomplish much and surely prevail. So David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place. Does Saul even hear what he is saying anymore? He says he has sinned but he does not ask for and he does not The God talk is from Saul s vocabulary Once again, from the mouth of Saul, we hear of the legitimacy of David s coming kingdom
Page 6 By the way, this is the in the scriptures that Saul will actually talk to David Saul s to David are a benediction 1 Samuel 26:25 Then Saul said to David, Blessed are you, my son David; you will both accomplish much and surely prevail. So David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place. David continued to be on the move, Saul went back to enjoying the perks of being king Saul did not say he was dropping the chase though Saul does not express any genuine goodwill towards David, but only an acknowledgment, forced upon him by this fresh experience of David s magnanimity, that God was blessing all his undertakings, so that he would prevail. Saul had no more thoughts of any real reconciliation with David. Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, vol. 2 (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996), 536. As a result, we will see David again moving to despair and his faith 1 Samuel 27:1 4 Then David said to himself, Now I will perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape into the land of the Philistines. Saul then will despair of searching for me anymore in all the territory of Israel, and I will escape from his hand. So David arose and crossed over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath. And David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men, each with his household, even David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal s widow. Now it was told Saul that David had fled to Gath, so he no longer searched for him. David is tired of being persecuted. He is tired of the world getting him down. He is tired of having to live on the lam. He makes another decision that he does not pray over, he moves in The Hebrew phrase translated in his heart literally means David talked to himself. And in so doing, he got mixed up. He came to wrong conclusions. He fell into depression. He ends up living in enemy territory for almost a year and a half because he talked to himself rather than talking to the Lord. Jon Courson, Jon Courson s Application Commentary: Volume One: Genesis Job (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2005), 891. As believers we know: Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? Philippians 4:6 7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:37 39 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Yet how often do we convince ourselves that
Page 7 This is where David is So where does David go? Back to Gath, but now he has a reputation for being at war with Saul The enemy of my enemy is my friend 1 John 2:15 17 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever. 2 Corinthians 6:14 15 Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Is this going to be a problem for David? David will continue to deal with the enemies of Israel, but his integrity will suffer for it 1 Samuel 27:5 12 Then David said to Achish, If now I have found favor in your sight, let them give me a place in one of the cities in the country, that I may live there; for why should your servant live in the royal city with you? So Achish gave him Ziklag that day; therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day. The number of days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a year and four months. Now David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites and the Girzites and the Amalekites; for they were the inhabitants of the land from ancient times, as you come to Shur even as far as the land of Egypt. David attacked the land and did not leave a man or a woman alive, and he took away the sheep, the cattle, the donkeys, the camels, and the clothing. Then he returned and came to Achish. Now Achish said, Where have you made a raid today? And David said, Against the Negev of Judah and against the Negev of the Jerahmeelites and against the Negev of the Kenites. David did not leave a man or a woman alive to bring to Gath, saying, Otherwise they will tell about us, saying, So has David done and so has been his practice all the time he has lived in the country of the Philistines. So Achish believed David, saying, He has surely made himself odious among his people Israel; therefore he will become my servant forever. David used disinformation He to his host He made it look like he was becoming the worst enemy of Israel when in reality he was cleaning up the enemies of Israel Did the story get out? David spent his time attacking those who were also enemies of the Philistines Those who David was attacking, were those who were under the ban and were part of the people groups that had not been finished off by Joshua or the nation under the Judges David is about the business of serving God, while living in the world How long can he or anyone get away with that until someone finds out?
Page 8 Whenever Achish of Gath asked, David The king of Gath believed David Not only did the killer of Goliath now become a trusted servant of the King of Gath, he actually had him believing that he had become the enemy of Israel Is David clever? Is he acting in faith? Were his actions in killing everyone justified? The brilliantly gifted David was also a man with a nature like ours (cf. James 5:17). In himself he was more than capable of doubting God, of giving way to fear, and of self-protective action with no reference to God. The alarming conclusion (if we have understood this chapter fairly) is that David possessed all the weaknesses that led to Saul s downfall! John Woodhouse, 1 Samuel: Looking for a Leader, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2008), 506. Past teachings, study notes and slides of Through the Bible with Pastor Ken Brown are available at: www.calvaryword.com/bible