Why is there conflict? What is the source of conflict? Why is it some people just can t get by without drama? James had that question Hit Me With Your Best Shot January 6, 2016 Let s Kill David 1 Samuel 19 Page 1 James 4:1 10 What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us? 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. Let s review Saul and how he is doing? Saul is anointed King but to follow instructions His son Jonathan hits the garrison but who takes credit? 1 Samuel 13:4 All Israel heard the news that Saul had smitten the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel had become odious to the Philistines. The people were then summoned to Saul at Gilgal. Who decides to act like a priest at Gilgal? 1 Samuel 13:9 13 So Saul said, Bring to me the burnt offering and the peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering. As soon as he finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him and to greet him. But Samuel said, What have you done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the appointed days, and that the Philistines were assembling at Michmash, therefore I said, Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not asked the favor of the LORD. So I forced myself and offered the burnt offering. Samuel said to Saul, You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, for now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. Who tried to kill his own son after he got tired of waiting for Dad to do something? Who decided he did not need to follow God s instructions and let Agag live? Who would not engage Goliath but allowed a young shepherd to do so? Who is it that got bugged by the latest Top 10 hit? 1 Samuel 18:7 8 The women sang as they played, and said, Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands. Then Saul became very angry, for this saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed to David ten thousands, but to me they have ascribed thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom?
Saul has multiple problems: Jealousy Disobedience Page 2 Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall. (NKJV) Saul has himself from God s blessing and moved himself towards God s judgment He is so far gone that he can no longer In fact, he has gone one step farther and finds himself better described by Paul Romans 1:28 32 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them. Saul has already tried to kill David by giving him the most He made him part of the Royal Family anticipating would do his work for him He has tried to pin David to the wall twice with a Saul has God and against God s anointed Psalm 2:1 2 Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the LORD and against His Anointed David draws the picture here in Psalm 2 giving us an after-the-fact drawing This drawing also is reflective of how the world currently treats the Lord s anointed Psalm 2:10 12 Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; Take warning, O judges of the earth. Worship the LORD with reverence And rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him! For David, who is God s chosen king, Saul is still ruling as king and Saul wants David dead Jesus is God s chosen King, Satan already tried killing Him like that would work Revelation 12:9 12 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time. The picture we get in 1 Samuel of David against Saul is one which, in some aspects, is characteristic of believers struggling against the
He has already lost Remember Saul is a picture of the The one who knows better but has chosen to believe a lie David is a picture of the Page 3 1 Samuel 19:1 Now Saul told Jonathan his son and all his servants to put David to death. But Jonathan, Saul s son, greatly delighted in David. Saul is no longer going to use the indirect method He has announced his open hatred of David and his desire to rid himself of David once and for all wants David dead, and look at who it is he is using to achieve that goal In the Scriptures, time and time again we see working to thwart God s will No different here Saul was now through with behind-the-scenes plots and was out to destroy David in the quickest way possible, and he ordered Jonathan and the royal attendants to join him in his endeavor. The hope of Israel lay in the heart and ministry of David, and yet Saul wanted to kill him! David would conquer Israel s enemies and consolidate the kingdom. He would gather much of the wealth used to build the temple. He would write psalms for the Levites to sing in praising God, and he would even design the musical instruments they played. God s covenant with David would keep the light shining in Jerusalem during the dark days of the nation s decline, and the fulfillment of that covenant would bring Jesus Christ the Messiah into the world. No wonder Satan was so determined to kill David! Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Successful, Be Commentary Series (Colorado Springs, CO: Victor/Cook Communications, 2001), 104 105. Saul wants David dead, but Jonathan Remember the covenant? Remember that Jonathan loves David as his own soul We will see Jonathan step up here in Round One and talk Dear Old Dad out of murder 1 Samuel 19:2 6 So Jonathan told David saying, Saul my father is seeking to put you to death. Now therefore, please be on guard in the morning, and stay in a secret place and hide yourself. I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak with my father about you; if I find out anything, then I will tell you. Then Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, Do not let the king sin against his servant David, since he has not sinned against you, and since his deeds have been very beneficial to you. For he took his life in his hand and struck the Philistine, and the LORD brought about a great deliverance for all Israel; you saw it and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood by putting David to death without a cause? Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan, and Saul vowed, As the LORD lives, he shall not be put to death. Jonathan,, the son of the, becomes an advocate for David with the king He pleads David s case on behalf of David to the king This is a picture of what is doing right now 1 John 2:1 2 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.
Page 4 Hebrews 7:23 28 The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing, but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, made perfect forever. We have an advocate just as David did, and our advocate is the He did more than Jonathan, He also paid the price on our behalf Hebrews 1:3 4 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they. Hebrews 10:11 14 Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD, waiting from that time onward UNTIL HIS ENEMIES BE MADE A FOOTSTOOL FOR HIS FEET. For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. Hebrews 12:1 3 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. How far gone is Saul? Jonathan has to remind Saul that what he wants to do Of course, that has not bothered Saul in the past when he wanted to do something, like not kill Agag Jonathan reminds Saul David has not done evil to him, but good only and has fully supported the king 1 Samuel 19:5 For he took his life in his hand and struck the Philistine, and the LORD brought about a great deliverance for all Israel; you saw it and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood by putting David to death without a cause? After reminding him that God is with David and what David has done for Saul, Jonathan pulls the trump card right out of Deuteronomy and asks him why he wants to There is a specific intent in the terms
Page 5 Deuteronomy 19:4 13 Now this is the case of the manslayer who may flee there and live: when he kills his friend unintentionally, not hating him previously as when a man goes into the forest with his friend to cut wood, and his hand swings the axe to cut down the tree, and the iron head slips off the handle and strikes his friend so that he dies he may flee to one of these cities and live; otherwise the avenger of blood might pursue the manslayer in the heat of his anger, and overtake him, because the way is long, and take his life, though he was not deserving of death, since he had not hated him previously. Therefore, I command you, saying, You shall set aside three cities for yourself. If the LORD your God enlarges your territory, just as He has sworn to your fathers, and gives you all the land which He promised to give your fathers if you carefully observe all this commandment which I command you today, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in His ways always then you shall add three more cities for yourself, besides these three. So innocent blood will not be shed in the midst of your land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance, and bloodguiltiness be on you. But if there is a man who hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him and rises up against him and strikes him so that he dies, and he flees to one of these cities, then the elders of his city shall send and take him from there and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die. You shall not pity him, but you shall purge the blood of the innocent from Israel, that it may go well with you. Not only is David innocent, but what Saul wants to do is Jonathan lays it on strong and Saul actually hears his son Saul responds well and ends the death threats, for now 1 Samuel 19:7 Then Jonathan called David, and Jonathan told him all these words. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as formerly. How long this lasted we do not know What has been the cause of envy involving Saul? 1 Samuel 19:8 10 When there was war again, David went out and fought with the Philistines and defeated them with great slaughter, so that they fled before him. Now there was an evil spirit from the LORD on Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand, and David was playing the harp with his hand. Saul tried to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he slipped away out of Saul s presence, so that he stuck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night. There is a battle David again Saul hears the song.... And he is seething inside Genesis 4:6 7 Then the LORD said to Cain, Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it. Envy will cause good people to do It is the root of the problem for Saul, well, part of it Envy was also at play on the Cross
Page 6 Mark 15:9 10 Pilate answered them, saying, Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews? For he was aware that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy. Romans 1:28 32 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them. So for the third time David escapes the music critic No harp music for Saul, he has moved onto The evil spirit that is bothering Saul is the of his pattern of rejection God has given him up and as a result, Saul is now receiving the consequences of his choices He is not possessed of the Holy Spirit, but something entirely different As NT believers, this is not possible for us, we cannot be possessed, but we can be. Saul is a practical example of Romans 1:18 32 This time when David escapes, he will Saul is firmly now against the Lord and His anointed Saul in David, Jonathan saw When Jesus came to this planet, there were some who only saw evil in Him They saw their positions threatened They wanted Him dead There were others who saw Him for Who He is the Son of God Who is the Lord s Anointed to you? Was Saul rational? Is the hatred of the world today rational? John 15:18 23 If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, A slave is not greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also. Why hate Jesus? One can understand why people hate Jesus, inasmuch as one can understand that sin does not want to be exposed and resents the searing brilliance of the light of truth and purity and love. But such factors betray the sad condition of the world; they do not provide any reason in Jesus himself for evoking such hatred. There may be things in Stalin or in Hitler which understandably call forth opposition and hatred; but what is there in Jesus? He went about doing good. As is usually the case, the judgments we make and the opinions we form say as much about us as they do about objects or persons being considered. From this perspective, hatred directed toward Jesus is utterly unreasonable. D. A. Carson, The Farewell Discourse and Final Prayer of Jesus: An Exposition of John 14 17 (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988), 126.
Page 7 Here is the crux of the matter. Why does the world hate Christians? It hates them because it hates their Master. Hatred does not exist because of what Christians are in themselves; they are nothing. It does not exist because of what they have done; they are harmless (or at least they should be). Hatred exists because the world hates Jesus and because Christians are identified with him by virtue of his call. James Montgomery Boice, The Gospel of John: An Expositional Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005), 1191 1192. because Yeshua is no longer on this earth, He is now in Heaven seated at the right hand of God the Father, the world has no way of reacting physically against Him. Since they can no longer do any harm to Him, they will try to harm His followers, His disciples. That is why the world will hate His disciples: because the world hates Yeshua the Messiah Himself. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The Messianic Bible Study Collection, vol. 140 (Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 1983), 15. We will see that ultimately, Saul will strike who supports David He is not at this point yet, but will arrive there So far in this chapter, Saul has asked his court to kill David, but then he changed his mind as a result of intercession He has finally gone off of the deep end and for a third time threw a spear at David David is now in hiding 1 Samuel 19:11 17 Then Saul sent messengers to David s house to watch him, in order to put him to death in the morning. But Michal, David s wife, told him, saying, If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be put to death. So Michal let David down through a window, and he went out and fled and escaped. Michal took the household idol and laid it on the bed, and put a quilt of goats hair at its head, and covered it with clothes. When Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, He is sick. Then Saul sent messengers to see David, saying, Bring him up to me on his bed, that I may put him to death. When the messengers entered, behold, the household idol was on the bed with the quilt of goats hair at its head. So Saul said to Michal, Why have you deceived me like this and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped? And Michal said to Saul, He said to me, Let me go! Why should I put you to death? David escaped to his home but his wife She tells David to leave and leave now Stop and think about it though, Saul has set himself and His anointed Once again, from David: Psalm 2:2 6 The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us! He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them. Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury, saying, But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain. David will now be saved by, Saul s own daughter We see in one of the things she kept around the house part of the problem going on in Saul s life She uses the household idol as a means to create a ruse She lies to her Dad Should she have lied? Where is her faith? She goes further and enhances the lie with a reason for why she is still there, David threatened her She lied The Bible does not make a comment on it one way or the other here
We do know God s viewpoint though Page 8 Titus 1:2 in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. The Bible gives us the whole story, the good and the bad David s, she had flaws, yet his bride saved him when the enemy was out to get him When you or I are in trouble and the enemy is out to get us, who is it that we are encouraged to come to? The Galatians 6:2 Bear one another s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. David escapes to Ramah, a couple of miles away, to Samuel Now we see that comes to the rescue of David 1 Samuel 19:18 21 Now David fled and escaped and came to Samuel at Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and stayed in Naioth. It was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah. Then Saul sent messengers to take David, but when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing and presiding over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul; and they also prophesied. When it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. So Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied. I have a Prince who pleads my case. I am part of a Bride who saves my life. And I, too, know prophets who not only tell me what to do, but walk with me every step of the way. Jon Courson, Jon Courson s Application Commentary: Volume One: Genesis Job (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2005), 869. When Saul was told where this place was, he sent messengers to fetch David. But as soon as the messengers saw the company of prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing there as their leader, the Spirit of God came upon them, so that they also prophesied. Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, vol. 2 (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996), 496. This not only happened to the first group of messengers, but the second and the third As they would arrive seeking David and Samuel, the Holy Spirit would come upon them and they would prophesy God protected David by turning 2 Corinthians 10:3 4 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. Imagine how Saul feels when he receives a report, after the third group of messengers had not returned, that there was a great spiritual revival taking place at Ramah Everyone was prophesying Saul figures he now must handle this personally
Page 9 If there is anyone to being revived by the Lord, it has to be him 1 Samuel 19:22 24 Then he himself went to Ramah and came as far as the large well that is in Secu; and he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David? And someone said, Behold, they are at Naioth in Ramah. He proceeded there to Naioth in Ramah; and the Spirit of God came upon him also, so that he went along prophesying continually until he came to Naioth in Ramah. He also stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Therefore they say, Is Saul also among the prophets? Saul had another experience But we shall see it does not mean that his life pattern changed Saul being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (James 1:8, NASB95) Saul is against God and His anointed, also trying to be God s king and fight the Philistines In Saul s case, both experiences were actually sent by the Lord, but Saul didn t profit from them. Special religious manifestations aren t evidences that a person is even saved (Matt. 7:21 23). Judas preached sermons and even performed miracles (Matt. 10:1 8), yet he was not a believer (John 6:67 71; 13:10 11; 17:12), and he betrayed the Lord and ended up committing suicide. Saul, like Judas, had many opportunities to see the Lord s hand at work, and yet he never had a lifechanging experience with the Lord. Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Successful, Be Commentary Series (Colorado Springs, CO: Victor/Cook Communications, 2001), 107 108. Saul was seized by this mighty influence of the Spirit of God in a more powerful manner than his servants were, both because he had most obstinately of divine grace, and also in order that, if it were possible, his hard heart might be broken and subdued by the power of grace. If, however, he should nevertheless continue obstinately in his rebellion against God, he would then fall under the judgment of hardening, which would be speedily followed by his destruction. This new occurrence in Saul s life occasioned a renewal of the proverb: Is Saul also among the prophets? The words wherefore they say do not imply that the proverb was first used at this time, but only that it received a new exemplification and basis in the new event in Saul s experience. Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, vol. 2 (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996), 498. Yes, Saul is being so David can escape He is also being given a to repent and turn back to God The one who had called him was still calling him, all he had to do was This is his final chance to prevent going down the path experienced by Pharaoh Saul was first called by God this way, this was his final chance and as a result of his actions becomes the of God Past teachings, study notes and slides of Through the Bible with Pastor Ken Brown are available at: www.calvaryword.com/bible