Child Traffickers Are Predators

Equal Parts

Book of 1 Samuel Chapter 30

As we begin to see the story of David in the Bible, we see him as a young man, a man after God's own heart, fleeing for his life from a king who wanted him dead.

Chapter 27 describes to us how David left the promised land and moved into a territory of the Philistines.

If God teaches us one important thing after we are saved, it is that we are not to associate with the enemies of God.

Yes, we live amongst them, but we are still to come out from them and be separate from the ways of the world.

David himself began to doubt the promises of God.

David began living a life of deception and lies.

Lying to and deceiving any person is one of the worst evils that can be committed by us!

These things will always damage any relationship!

If lies and deception are not exposed, they will cause all sorts of problems for the liar and the deceiver, and we see this in America every day not only from people but also from our own government.

Chapter 28 tells us that Saul got so desperate for a spirit different from his own, that he sought one from the world of the occult.

We see that people can get tired of their way of life but they usually still reject God's way.

Saul had not understood the truth of the Holy Spirit because he had rebelled against the Lord.

When we go to the world of the occult instead of to our Holy God, we are treading on dangerous ground that is also unholy ground!

Saul had reached that point where the Lord would not answer him, and he was desperate for the truth of God, but he refused to read the Word of God, which he had a copy given to him by Samuel.

What does God say?

Gen 6:3  And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man,

Saul had reached that point in his life where God had left him to do his own thing and he found that it was not working out so well, but it was too late for Saul.

When we face desperate situations, seeking the Lord for the answer, but we continue living with sin and iniquity without repentance, the Lord will not hear us.

Psa 66:18  If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:

It is a serious offense against the Lord to go the occult, who are the children of the Devil.

There is no such thing as a white witch or a dark witch.

They all try to take the place of God.

For no one knows more than God nor can they.

Just the fact that we think we could get some good advice from someone other than God is a terrible sin!

The fate of a disobedient person is that of utter despair and hopelessness!

The truth is, God has the power to hold each of us in His hand and work out all things for each believer!

Chapter 29 

In this chapter we find that "all" evil associations will create problems for us!

Being closely tied to worldliness will lead us down the path of destruction and death!

Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 

What was the solution to David's predicament? His solution was Jehovah God!

The Lord has the answer to every question that we have!

God has the power to deliver all His people!

God moves events daily to be make His will prevail!

We seem to have the ability to get ourselves into predicaments that we cannot handle, but God has the power to deliver us through these things.

Now Chapter 30

*****1Sa 30:1  And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire; 

1Sa 30:2  And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way. 

The first thing we should notice is that it was the Amalekites that had escaped from King Saul that had done these things to David and his men.

None of the Israelites had obeyed God in destroying the Amalekites and they were a truly wicked people.

They would cause trouble for Israel as long as they existed!

We see that they used the same tactics. They went after the young and the innocent who could not protect themselves.

There is a word we have for that and it is "predator".

They did not always kill everyone, but they made slaves out of all of them even the children.

They were traffickers in human beings!

It is no wonder that God had chosen to destroy them.

Enslavement, being held in bondage is one of the most terrible evils on the face of this earth.

But child trafficking is allowed to continue by most all governments which should be enough proof that the elite and those with government connections of each nation are involved in these things or they would have been stopped long ago.

We should demand more action than we are getting from our government!

David and his men had returned from the battlefield and found that their women and children and all their possessions had been taken by the Amalekites and their homes burned.

We should remember that David had forsaken the Promised Land and was living amongst the Philistines at this time and was about to go to war against his own people, but God had intervened and the Philistines had sent David back to Ziklag afraid that he would turn against them in the midst of the battle.

It had taken David and his men about three days to return home to Ziklag.

While the Israelites and the Philistines were about to go to war, the Amalekites had chosen this time to attack many vulnerable locations that had been left undefended including Ziklag.

Was God involved in this?

We know for sure that the providence of God is involved in everything that goes on in this world, to lead this world to the day of the return of Jesus Christ but God does not cause evil.

Another thing we know for sure is that this instant brought David back to Jehovah God from which he had strayed.

David had nowhere else to turn except to return to Jehovah.

The Lord should be the first place we turn to and not the last place we turn to.

David had lost his wives and his family and all his friends and his army was turning against him.

We would have expected David to ask for the council of God before he joined the Philistines but he did not.

We would have expected David to ask for the council of God when he joined with King Achish to war with Israel but he did not.

David now asks for the council of God, to know if should pursue after the Amalekites.

*****1Sa 30:3  So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives. 

1Sa 30:4  Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. 

1Sa 30:5  And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. 

1Sa 30:6  And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.

There is one thing that it seems we are never prepared for.

We are never prepared for the unexpected events of sorrow.

We do not know what will happen to us or our family from one moment to the next, and we do not know how to prepare for it.

There is only one preparation that we can make and it is to have a close personal relationship with the Lord.

David had allowed his relationship with Jehovah to suffer because of the actions of King Saul, but we are never to blame the things that happen to us on the Lord.

Yes, the providence of God is at work in this world, but God is not the blame for these things that happen to us, especially if we have forsaken Him.

Terrible things happen to all people, the good and the wicked.

We must know where to go when these things happen to us, and that place to go is to the Lord.

If we go to hang out with the enemies of God, and to be a part of their wickedness, then we may expect to be met with evil tidings when we return home again.

We have been called according to the purpose of God and it is that purpose where we should show our strength.

When we walk outside of the umbrella of God's protection, we should know we will get burned.

We must encourage ourselves through the Lord and He will overrule our thoughts, and He will bring the Light of Jesus out of darkness, and He will bring peace out of trouble.

It is never too late to call upon the Lord!

*****1Sa 30:7  And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David. 

1Sa 30:8  And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all. 

1Sa 30:9  So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind stayed. 

There was no one else to go to but to the Lord!

What a promise was made to David by Jehovah!

God said to David yes, to pursue after these marauders.

God said you will surely catch up with them.

God said you will surely overtake them and get all your possessions back and all your family.

How could David not go after these people who God had doomed to destruction.

In typology the Amalekites represent the flesh.

What had God said about the flesh?

Mat 18:8  Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. 

Mat 18:9  And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire. 

Rom 8:12  Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. 

Rom 8:13  For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 

David with six hundred men chased after the Amalekites until they reached the brook Besor.

*****1Sa 30:10  But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred abode behind, which were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.

David and his men had spent the last three days traveling to get back home.

They had left home in hot pursuit of those who had taken their families and their possessions and they faced the brook Besor with extremely high banks and torrential waters.

Today this place is called the Besor Ravine.

Some of David's men just were too worn out to go any further.

They were in a state of total exhaustion!

It was at this time they found a half-dead Egyptian lying in a field.

*****1Sa 30:11  And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water; 

1Sa 30:12  And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights. 

1Sa 30:13  And David said unto him, To whom belongest thou? and whence art thou? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days agone I fell sick

This Egyptian had not eaten in three days and had been too tired to make it to the Brook for water.

Once this man revived, David began to interrogate him and David began to find out some things about these Amalekites.

This man had been a slave to one of the Amalekites, but he had become too sick to travel and he was left behind to die.

He told David how these Amalekites had raided three separate places, one of them being Ziklag.

*****1Sa 30:14  We made an invasion upon the south of the Cherethites, and upon the coast which belongeth to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire. 

The Amalekites had raided the Cherethites and killed men and took their possessions.

These Cherethites were connected to Philistines who for some reason did not go to war with the other Philistines.

It was these Cherethites that had come from Crete not the Philistines who probably came from Egypt.

We see later that these same Cherethites become the bodyguards to King David and after David for his son Solomon.

These Amalekites had raided a portion of Judah and had done the same thing.

These Amalekites had raided the Negev of Caleb, which was near Hebron, another portion of Judah given to Caleb by Joshua.

They had raided Ziklag and burnt it to the ground and took all the wives and children as slaves and took all of the possessions of David and his men.

We can see the hatred they had for Israel.

Since this man knew so much, David took him with him because he knew the plans of the Amalekites.

This Egyptian agreed to go under two conditions.

1) That David would not kill him.

2) That David would not return him to his master.

*****1Sa 30:15  And David said to him, Canst thou bring me down to this company? And he said, Swear unto me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down to this company. 

1Sa 30:16  And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad upon all the earth, eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah. 

The lesson we are to learn here is that we are to have compassion for those in need even if they are our enemies.

By showing this man compassion David learned the whereabouts of those who had his family.

We should take notice that these Amalekites had raided places in Israel where the soldiers had left to join the war with the Philistines.

We should also notice that these Amalekites had raided places of the Philistines where the soldiers had left to join the war with the Israelites.

They had raided Ziklag because they knew that David and his men had left to join the war with the Israelites but God had stopped David from the slaughter of his own people.

David could never have been King of Israel had he done so!

Another day and these Amalekites would have returned to their homeland and divided the spoils and it would have been much harder for David and his men to regain their possessions and their families. so we can see the hand of God in the background.

He had told David that he would get his family back and all his possessions.

These Amalekites felt safe enough to celebrate their victories before they reached home and this is when David found them with the help of that Egyptian.

They saw no visible sign of danger and yet they were nearest to destruction.

This is what we see in the world today.

Those who are wicked and corrupt do not see the signs of danger, yet they are very near to their own destruction, because the Lord's vengeance is very near!

In typology these things teach us of the return of Jesus Christ.

1Th 5:1  But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. 

1Th 5:2  For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 

1Th 5:3  For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 

We that trust in the Lord know, that the return of the Lord Jesus Christ is very near, but another way to look at this is the fact that the triumphing of wicked is about to end.

Job 20:5  That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment? 

Job 20:6  Though his excellency mount up to the heavens, and his head reach unto the clouds; 

Job 20:7  Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung: they which have seen him shall say, Where is he? 

This was the perfect time for David to attack and he did.

*****1Sa 30:17  And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels, and fled. 

1Sa 30:18  And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives.

The Amalekites were a people condemned to death and God used David as the hand of judgment in this case.

Just like the Lord Jesus Christ, David had come to set the captives free.

This is another picture in the Bible of a wonderful "deliverance" constructed by Jehovah God!

David recovered everything he had lost and his family.

There were still about four hundred of these Amalekite that escaped this day using camels to escape.

In addition David recovered all the spoils these raiders had taken from those various places.

*****1Sa 30:19  And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that they had taken to them: David recovered all. 

1Sa 30:20  And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drave before those other cattle, and said, This is David's spoil. 

All the possessions of David and his men were recovered along with wives and family unharmed.

While David’s men rounded up all their own property, they also rounded up all the animals and the possessions that were left behind by the fleeing Amalekites.

It is these things that were called David's spoils and it will be these things that will be divided among all the other of David's followers and friends.

In typology we can see a relationship with the Lord Jesus when He made us free.

1) We were captives of sin: We sin and we cannot help it, it is in our genes. No matter how much we try, we sin and come short of the Glory of God.

Alone we cannot break free from that sin, but by the power of our Lord Jesus we are made free from sin.

2) We were captured of death: Death had us in its grasp and refused to let us go! We die, every one of us and there is nothing we can do about it.

From dust we came and to dust we will return, but by the power of the Lord Jesus Christ death no more has a hold on us.

Death is now our ticket to the glory world.

3) We were held captive by Hell. Before we gave ourselves to the Lord Jesus, we were bound for Hell and there was nothing we could do about it.

The Lord Jesus has made us free from Death, Hell, and the Grave and are now acceptable to God through His Son.

Heb 2:14  Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; 

Heb 2:15  And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Now let us look at the theme of our lesson today.

*****1Sa 30:21  And David came to the two hundred men, which were so faint that they could not follow David, whom they had made also to abide at the brook Besor: and they went forth to meet David, and to meet the people that were with him: and when David came near to the people, he saluted them. 

1Sa 30:22  Then answered all the wicked men and men of Belial, of those that went with David, and said, Because they went not with us, we will not give them ought of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away, and depart. 

1Sa 30:23  Then said David, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the LORD hath given us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the company that came against us into our hand. 

1Sa 30:24  For who will hearken unto you in this matter? but as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall part alike. 

1Sa 30:25  And it was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this day. 

The more we look at David, we can see why God chose him to be King of Israel, still recognizing that he was only human and not a perfect man.

Those two hundred who had been too tired to help pursue the enemy, rushed out to meet David and his other men.

David did not rebuke them nor show scorn at them, but allowed them to join in the celebration.

Some in David's army did not feel the same as did David.

Notice the Bible calls them wicked men and of Belial. Belial means worthless and lawless.

These men were opposed to sharing with these men the spoils of the Amalekites.

David declared two facts:

1) The victory was the Lord's, so those spoils were a gift from Him to be shared.

2) It is just as important to supply the needs of every soldier, as it is to supply the needs of the combat soldier, or the army will never be ready when called upon again for battle.

Justice demanded that they all shared and shared alike.

This principle of equal distribution remained a permanent law all the time of King David.

Of all the gifts the Lord allows us to receive, the gift of salvation is given equally to all those who accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.

We must never be greedy with the gifts God shares with us while we are alive.

A greedy heart will mistreat all others.

A greedy person seldom reaches out with a helping hand.

A greedy person will in many cases is aroused to cheat and steal, in order to satisfy that greed.

God's Word is truly clear:

We must always be just in our dealings with other people whether Christian or those of the world.

Covetousness is condemned by our All-knowing Savior!

Col 3:2  Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 

Col 3:3  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 

Col 3:4  When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. 

Col 3:5  Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: 

Col 3:6  For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: 

Col 3:7  In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. 

God demands that we treat people justly, and fairly!

God says we are to be generous in dealing with people!

A Christian is not to be greedy or to covet another's possessions.

All good gifts come from above and God will never change His ways!

Jas_1:17  Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Amen! 

Persecution Scatters the Church

 The Jerusalem Church is Scattered

Book of Acts Chapter 8

The one thing we should get noticeably clear in our minds is the fact that God will have His way in this world!

Even when things look dire, we need to remember that Jehovah God is in charge of every aspect of this world.

Nothing happens upon this earth that God does not know about! 

What had God told to the early Church?

Mar 16:15  And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 

Luk 24:47  And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 

Mat 28:18  And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 

Mat 28:19  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 

Mat 28:20  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Over and over again we see the command to the Church.

The Church is not a building! The Church is every true believer!

The Church in Jerusalem had grown to an exceptionally large congregation, yet no one had considered what the Lord Jesus had commanded.

Yes, when the Lord Jesus speaks, He is commanding us to do as He says.

In fact, the Bible is a Book of Commands and not a Book of Suggestions!

Since the Church in Jerusalem would not "go into all the world" then, God would allow some things to take place and the result of these things would be the Church would be obedient to the Lord.

Now God did not cause the persecution that came to the Church, but God did allow it to take place.

The early Church grew because of the "Grace" of God, and we are still in this period called "Grace"!

Because of God's Grace, He will not do things to go against His grace!

In other words, God did not cause this persecution, or the Church could not call it "Grace".

In our lesson today we get to see some things about a young man named Saul.

Saul will become the worst of the persecutors of the Church, until He becomes maybe the greatest Christian who has ever lived.

First the persecutor:

*****Act 8:1  And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.

Though Saul did not cast a single stone upon Stephen, Saul was still consenting to his death.

As Stephen was dying, he gave God's final invitation to those who were super religious in Jerusalem, but Israel rejected God's message.

Israel set out to destroy God's Church and Israel found out that this would be impossible.

The world of today needs to take note, that man cannot destroy the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ!

God overruled Israel and used this persecution to scatter the Church as the Lord Jesus had commanded.

Act_1:8  But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

The Holy Ghost (Spirit) had come and it was time for the Church to get busy about the work of the Lord!

God has a plan for this world and no one, not any human can change the plan of God.

No matter what is happening in this world, God's plan moves along at God's pace.

It was Saul who launched this heavy persecution.

Some godly men buried Stephen.

Saul would persecute both men and women.

The brethren were scattered in every direction.

Saul was well pleased with the death of Stephen!

As Christians we should never be pleased with the death of anyone no matter their guiltiness!

We should never be happy that someone has died without knowing the Lord as their Savior.

Fury had been building inside Saul and Stephen's death just set Saul out to destroy all the Church.

Saul felt that the preaching of the Lord Jesus Christ would destroy Judaism.

Gal 1:13  For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it: 

Gal 1:14  And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous "of the traditions of my fathers".

What Paul had not considered is the "traditions" cannot save anyone!

We can see that there were also politics behind the work of Saul, and Saul prospered in many ways because he persecuted the Church, the Body of Christ.

The persecution of the Church began immediately on the same day that Stephen was buried which was the same day Stephen was murdered.

Note the Apostles stayed behind.

They had given some freedom by the authorities because of Gamaliel:

Act 5:34  Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space; 

Act 5:35  And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men. 

Act 5:36  For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought. 

Act 5:37  After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed. 

Act 5:38  And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: 

Act 5:39  But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God. 

Act 5:40  And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 

Remember that Council would carry the same weight as our own Supreme Court.

The Apostles were highly esteemed by the people and these wicked men did not need any more intervention from Rome which could happen if the Jews were in some sort of civil war.

Act 4:21  So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all men glorified God for that which was done.

Had the Apostles fled Jerusalem, then there would have been no one left to stabilize the Church at Jerusalem.

God does not shut down one Church to see it thrive somewhere else!

The Church in Jerusalem was an important Church and still is today. 

Remember the Church is that congregation of believers.

This church would have ceased to exist, and this was not part of the plan of God.

The Church requires good godly leaders who cling to the Lord Jesus Christ.

You see we can trust that what God has said is the truth!

Mat 16:18  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 

Mat 16:19  And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Do not be confused by this Scripture. Peter is not the "Rock" of the Church, it is the Gospel, the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ!

No matter what Satan or the rebellious governments of this world send against the Church, the Church will prevail until the day the Lord removes the Church to deal with this wicked world.

2Ti 2:19  Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. 

We see that good godly devout men of God carried Stephen to his burial expressing great sorrow for him, but the soul of Stephen was already with the Lord Jesus Christ in our Heavenly home. These men were no longer afraid to show their faith.

*****Act 8:2  And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. 

Act 8:3  As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison. 

As for Saul. he joined in the persecution of the Church becoming the ring leader.

Saul had every intent to completely destroy God's Church and remove it from the face of the earth.

Many would come behind him trying to do the same thing even in today's time.

Even mighty Rome could not destroy the Church and none today will be able to.

Saul was like a man gone mad!

Act 26:11  And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities. 

Saul would even go into homes, breaking down the doors, seeking every believer.

Saul arrested everyone he could find, trying to stamp out Christianity.

Saul would storm every synagogue and he punished every believer that was present.

Even though women were considered to be insignificant in Saul's day, Saul still went after women with the same fierceness.

Saul would send as many as he could to prison!

Act 22:4  And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.

Saul hunted them down like some terrible criminal even though these people just professed the Lord Jesus Christ as their perfect Savior.

This became their theme.

This had been what God commanded all along.

Those that escaped went forth claiming the Lord Jesus Christ and preaching the Word of God.

Persecution will never stop the work of God!

****Act 8:4  Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word.

We know the Apostles were not scattered.

Most of the priests were not scattered.

It was the lay people who were scattered abroad.

That word "abroad" means "widely scattered", beyond the bounds of a country, before the public.

They went everywhere preaching the Word of God, the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Rev_1:6  And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

When the Word of God is preached and received it is then time to decide.

This is the power of the Christian Church.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the Savior unto life, or He is Ruler of death unto death.

Our life and our death are in the hands of our Savior!

This is a choice we must all make and thank God, He is the God of second chances.

Act 11:19  Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only. 

Act 11:20  And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus. 

Act 11:21  And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord.

We should understand that evangelism is still the answer to persecution!

We have the life we live right now to prepare for what is said about us when we are dead.

*****Act 8:5  Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. 

Act 8:6  And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. 

Philip went to Samaria which had been prepared by the Lord Jesus Christ with the message of salvation and many of those who were once enemies to the Jews became part of the Christian Church.

These are all things that can happen when we are obedient to the Lord!

Why was Philip given the power to do miracles?

We must remember there was no Bible to be given to believes in that day.

The Old Testament presented the message of the "coming of Christ". 

The message of the New Testament would be the return of Christ to get His Church. The "Good News"!

The New Testament would not be written for many years so God allowed some few men to take credit for some miracles mostly concerning healing.

Today we have the complete text of the Bible, there are no lost books of the Bible.

Miracles still happen every day but most all of them go unnoticed.

God uses persecution to demonstrate the reality of salvation.

God uses miracles for this same purpose!

Persecution of the Church can be simple abuse, or it can be violent.

It can happen at work, at home, at school, at play and yes, even at Church.

In every case God will use persecution to bear witness of Himself!

What the world needs now is to see a revived Church.

Many believe that revival is the time to reach out to the public and it can be, but the intent of "revival" is to stir the Church to get back to the work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

We need a true movement of God in the hearts and the lives of all the children of God, inside and outside the Church.

Philip had accepted the call of God and had become an evangelist; Philip was a lay person who was trained by the Holy Spirit.

He did not go to some seminary nor any other school accept the school of the Holy Spirit and Philip obeyed the commands of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Philip preached and proclaimed the Lord Jesus Christ

Philip preached the "Good News, the Gospel and there is no better news today.

The one thing the Church needs today is to be in "one accord"!

We see just the opposite in our Churches today.

Every so-called Bible that has been rewritten just to pacify some congregation needs to be gathered and burnt for heresy.

There is only one truth and for the English-speaking world! The KJV is the closest we can get to the truth of God along with a few others that are taken from the "Received Text".

All others are no more than commentaries that are taken from already altered versions of Scripture.

We must be in one mind and one spirit, one accord.

We must have an open mind, a willingness to listen to what God has to say, and then be obedient!

Has Satan infiltrated the Church? Yes, and we are foolish to think differently.

*****Act 8:7  For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. 

Act 8:8  And there was great joy in that city. 

All those who do not have the Holy Ghost living within them are under the control of evil spirits.

2Ti_2:26  And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him "at his will".

Satan cannot touch the child of God without God's permission. Satan can threaten like he has this power but he does not! 

It is not the same for those who have not given their lives to Christ Jesus! Satan can do as he pleases with these people!

People who cannot help themselves can be healed but only by the Lord Jesus Christ!

There will be evidence of changed lives! In fact, if there is no evidence of changed lives then we need to question their salvation!

2Co 5:17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 

1Jn 5:1  Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. 

1Jn 5:2  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. 

1Jn 5:3  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. 

All those who would rather rewrite some book calling it a Bible just because they do not like the commandments of God, cannot then be saved!

When people understand the truth, it will certainly bring joy!

This joy will come and stay because it is the gift of God!

Philip did not have the power of miracles within himself to do miracles!

This power is only of God and God has His reasons and nothing comes from God without "faith"!

It is the deliverance from the great depths of sin that brings the greatest joy!

Deliverance from false prophets.

Deliverance from false religion.

Deliverance from sorceries which is drugs.

False religion will always fail in the end because there is no truth in false religion.

God has one message:

Rom 10:10  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 

Rom 10:11  For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 

Rom 10:12  For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 

Rom 10:13  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 

Even though Philip was in a great revival in Samaria, the Holy Spirit had a special request, and we must always listen to the Holy Spirit.

*****Act 8:26  And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. 

We should know that God has His eyes on everything that is happening in this world!

Remember God knows the ending at the same time that He knows the beginning.

Every soul is important to God!

Why would this angel of the Lord not go himself?

I can think of two reasons:

1) Because this was a mission for a man. In the Lord's salvation plan there is a place for redeemed sinners to be witnesses for Jesus Christ. No angel could accomplish this mission!

2) The Holy Spirit would already be working upon this individual and one of God's redeemed could show him the way, the Jesus way.

An angel is but a messenger!

We should also remember Philip was in the middle of a great revival so what was so important about one man?

There were two ways from Jerusalem to Gaza, one desert, the other was through a more populous country.

Philip had no way of knowing a particular reason God would send him somewhere else during a revival, but Philip seemed to understand the importance of this mission.

We must always listen to what the Lord has to say no matter what we are doing at the time God calls!

Philip had to walk by faith!

It is our faith that is important when we are speaking to the Lord!

Jehovah does not limit Himself to our theories or our beliefs and we should not either!

God will use whatever is necessary to reach a lost soul!

God tells us all to "arise" and "go" and walk in the ways of the Lord Jesus Christ!

What did Philip do?

*****Act 8:27  And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, 

Act 8:28  Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet. 

Act 8:29  Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. 

Philip saw some man riding in a chariot who was returning from Jerusalem.

We should understand that Chief officers of nations were called eunuchs. Some were eunuchs as we understand but not all were!

Many of them  were the chief ministers in eastern courts and called eunuchs.

For instance we know that Candace was the queen of the Ethiopians but all the queens of Ethiopia were named Candace.

We should understand what the Bible says:

Psa 68:31  Princes shall come out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God. 

This eunuch would be one of the tools Jehovah would use to fulfill this prophecy!

No doubt that this eunuch was also a proselyte to Judaism. A Gentile converted to Judaism.

Tradition tells us that even Candace was baptized by this eunuch after the work of Philip was completed.

This eunuch had taken part in all the Jewish festivals of that day, and he would now learn the simplicity of salvation by Jesus Christ.

He was reading from the Book of Isaiah the prophet of Jehovah.

It is a fact that many believers shy away from foreigners when the Lord only sees souls and all souls are as jewels and are valuable to the Lord.

The Lord Jesus wants us to reach all people with the truth!

Rom 10:11  For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 

Rom 10:12  For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 

Rom 10:13  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 

We might understand that if we could reach the higher ups in our own government, it could change everything about the America we see now.

The one thing that can be said about eunuchs is, that they are dedicated to their position.

This eunuch was a worshiper of God, yet he was not saved because he did not know all the truth.

We must all seek a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Philip sensed what he was sent to do but Philip still needed a little push from the Holy Spirit. 

After all this man was a high ranking officer of some country and not a Jew.

The Holy Spirit will always guide us if we listen to Him and place our lives under His control.

*****Act 8:30  And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? 

Act 8:31  And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. 

Act 8:32  The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: 

Notice that Philip came straight to the point.

It was not time to talk about the weather or the long trip. Philip was sent to this man for one purpose and Philip did what the Holy Spirit instructed him to do.

Philip initiated the conversation, but he did not give this man time to ask what he was doing chasing his chariot.

No doubt this man was faithful to have traveled such a great distance to worship Jehovah.

This man had a copy of the Word of God and few especially Gentiles had such a copy of the Word pf God. 

Remember all copies were done by hand and were unbelievably valuable.

This man had a problem that he could not solve and there were no answers at his home in Ethiopia.

He did not understand that the Lord Jesus Christ died for him.

Isa 53:3  He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 

Isa 53:4  Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 

Isa 53:5  But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 

Isa 53:6  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 

Isa 53:7  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 

Isa 53:8  He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. 

Isa 53:9  And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. 

Isa 53:10  Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 

Isa 53:11  He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. 

If we believe the Bible then we must understand that Isaiah was writing about our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ.

Isaiah was writing about the Messiah who had already come and completed the work required of His Father for our salvation!

He was led like a sheep because He was the Lamb of God.

He willingly died for our sin though He could have said no.

Because He was God it was in humiliation that He died and the justice due Him was not allowed.

In this time of "Grace" His followers are innumerable and who could have numbered them.

Psa 22:30  A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation. 

Psa 22:31  They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this. 

This eunuch could not have understood about the Lord Jesus Christ until He had heard this truth.

It is the same today to those who do not know the Lord Jesus Christ.

The prophecies of the Old Testament of the coming of the Messiah have been fulfilled.

We are now awaiting upon the return of the Messiah to collect His Church to take His bride home to Heaven to present to His Father!

He is coming back to get His Church!

Come Lord Jesus Come

Amen!

A Pursued Prey David's Persecution

A Pursued Prey David's Persecution

Book of 1 Samuel Chapters 21-30

Last week we mentioned that Saul had ruled for nearly 30 years before these things with David had taken place. We also know that King Saul ruled for a total of 40 years:

Act 13:21 And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, [by the space of forty years].

Act 13:22 And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.

History says that David began his rule in 1011 BC and that King Saul died in 1011 BC.

At the time of this lesson David will be around 20 years old and age to 30 years old.

King Saul spent the last 10 years of his life trying to make the life of David miserable, by trying to eliminate him from this earth.

Saul had tried to use his servants to kill David.

Saul had tried to use his daughters to kill David.

Saul had tried to use his son, Jonathan to kill David.

Saul had tried to use the Philistines to kill David.

Saul had thrown spears at David while David only played music to soothe him.

Saul will take matters in his own hands as the death of David has become a very personal thing to him.

Saul was in misery and Saul made David's life miserable!

We should be able to see the hand of Satan in all these things!

Let's begin:

*****1Sa 21:1 Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee?

Nob is a city of the tribe of Benjamin. This city is where King Saul had had the Tabernacle moved, though the Ark of the Covenant was never returned to the Tabernacle during the time of Saul.

This Nob was near and probably within sight of Jerusalem according to Isaiah:

Isa 10:32 As yet shall he remain at Nob that day: he shall shake his hand against the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.

Nob was also about 2 miles from the home town of King Saul which was Gibeah and where the Ark was kept.

Ahimelech, sometimes called Ahiah, was the great grandson of Eli who would have been in his 60's by this time.

Why was Ahimelech afraid?

David had been in the King's court for 10 years, we could ask ourselves how would we feel if someone in the counsel of our president, a non-believer, just happened to drop by our church without notice.

So he ask, Why are you alone?

After his meeting with Jonathan, David knew he could not return to the palace of Saul. He had to flee for his life. He was not in his usual attire nor in his armor and he would not normally be traveling the country side alone as he was a target of all the enemies of Israel.

*****1Sa 21:2 And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, The king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me, Let no man know any thing of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee: and I have appointed my servants to such and such a place.

David lies to the High Priests.

David did not know who he could trust at this time but he did know he could trust the Lord, "But" David began scheming instead of trusting.

If we would just trust God with every portion of our lives, we would find no need to lie about our

circumstances!

Ahimelech had no reason to doubt these things of David and he did not.

"You may try to lie to save your life but you can never lie and save your soul"!

The prophet Jonah cried out to the Lord while in the belly of that whale and he used these words:

Jon 2:8 They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.

Jonah knew the mistakes he had made by not obeying God and he truly needed mercy just as David needed at this time!

David was actually joined later in the cave of Adullam with some men that stayed with him so this part could be true.

Like Jonah, David later regrets having lied to the High Priest:

1Sa 22:22 And David said unto Abiathar, I knew it that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul: I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father's house.

It would be a good time to point out that as these things develop we will see this Doeg as a "type" of the Antichrist.

We know that the spirit of the Antichrist has lived in all generations:

1Jn 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; [and even now already is it in the world].

*****1Sa 21:3 Now therefore what is under thine hand? give me five loaves of bread in mine hand, or what there is present.

This question simply means what food do you have? David requested 5 loaves of bread but then said whatever you have will be enough.

*****1Sa 21:4 And the priest answered David, and said, There is no "common bread" under mine hand, but there is "hallowed bread"; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women.

David had presumably made arrangements for some of his own followers to meet him after he had escaped from King Saul, so he was not alone.

We can understand that anyone with David would also be considered an enemy of Saul and would have also left all their own possessions behind.

David had made a hasty escape.

What is hallowed bread?

God had given this command to Moses that concerned the Tabernacle:

Lev 24:5 And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth deals shall be in one cake.

Lev 24:6 And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the LORD.

Lev 24:7 And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

Lev 24:8 Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the LORD continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant.

Lev 24:9 And it shall be Aaron's and his sons'; and they shall eat it in the holy place: for it is most holy unto him of the offerings of the LORD made by fire by a perpetual statute.

The only time this "hallowed bread" could be considered "common bread" would have been after it was replaced each Sabbath.

This bread was to be eaten by the Priest of the Tabernacle.

Jesus explains this when He was asked about it by the Pharisees:

Mat 12:3 But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;

Mat 12:4 How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?

By the laws given to Moses it was unlawful for the common man to eat of this bread!

"But by God's law of love", when the house of God which teaches eternal life cannot be used to sustain physical life then that would be the greater sin!

AND, Jesus adds:

Mat 12:8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.

It was to be clear to these young men and they needed to understood where this bread came from and it's use.

It should also be clear to the Church!

The House of God's single most important purpose is to reach out to the lost and we cannot do that by turning our back to them!

And the saved must keep in mind that Jesus Christ is our Lord seven days of each week not just on the days we worship!

*****1Sa 21:5 And David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truth women have been kept from us about these three days, since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in a manner common, yea, though it were sanctified this day in the vessel.

We can see that David and this group of men had been alluding Saul already for 3 days and by the hand of God this was the time that was to be set aside by men to stand before the Lord.

Exo 19:15 And he said unto the people, "Be ready against the third day: come not at your wives".

Once that bread was removed from that Table that was built for that purpose, "it then became common bread"!

That bread that was intended to "shew a type of eternal life" became a bread that "sustained physical life"!

Jesus said:

Joh 6:48 I am that bread of life.

When we studied the Tabernacle we learned these things:

1) The Table for the "shew bread" was in "type" Jesus Christ in the flesh.

2) Being completely over laid with gold reminds us of Jesus Christ continuing and everlasting "deity".

3) When Jesus Christ became man, He also became "The Living Bread of Life".

4) Being made from fine flour speaks of "the perfection" of Jesus Christ.

5) This bread "was baked" which gave it life, we cannot live on flour and the baking of the bread shows us that our everlasting life came only after Christ death on the Cross.

6) This cake of bread would have been punctured just before the baking and we know that the Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ was punctured 5 times on that cross.(5 the number for "Grace")

7) That bread was hallowed bread "reserved for the priests" but everyone that is filled with God's Holy Spirit, is truly God's priesthood.

David was filled with the Holy Spirit and the Spirit remained with him throughout his life.

When the Holy Spirit fills each believer he then becomes a priest:

1Pe 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up "a spiritual house, an holy priesthood", to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

It would have gone against the Word of God to deny David this "hallowed bread"!

Our "Hallowed God" came to this earth to save the "Common people"!

*****1Sa 21:6 So the priest gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there but the shewbread, that was taken from before the LORD, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.

David had not needed to lie!

That bread was given to David was to teach us that the preservation of life is more important than some ceremonial rules and regulations of any religion!

Our one and only job after salvation is the lead the lost to the Lord so that they can be saved!

The need for "Grace" will always replace the need for "Rituals"!

Rituals are laws or works!

God teaches us:

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Eph 2:9 "Not of works, lest any man should boast".

There is not one part of the Old Testament that will not lead us to Jesus when we study it out!

But Satan always also has his servants in the house of God!

*****1Sa 21:7 Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the LORD; and his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of the herdmen that belonged to Saul.

Now let's watch Doeg:

Doeg was a servant of Saul, and Edomite, and was Saul's head shepherd and a fake proselyte of Judaism!

We learn a lot about this man Doeg in this verse but let's see how David described this man in a song written about him:

Psa 52:2 Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.

Psa 52:3 Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah.

Psa 52:4 Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue.

Psa 52:5 God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah.

Psa 52:6 The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him:

Psa 52:7 Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.

[Compare this to the description in Ezekiel 28]

*****1Sa 21:8 And David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thine hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste.

1Sa 21:9 And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me.

We must not interpret David's haste to be away from Saul as an urgency to about the work of the Lord for we would be wrong in doing so!

David was running to save his own life and was making many mistakes while doing that. We should say that David was sometimes in a panic himself and in great despair.

David probably knew that the sword of Goliath was at the Tabernacle and he made up another lie.

Remember David kept the laws of God!

The High Priest pointed out that David knew of this sword.

It was kept in the Tabernacle as a monument to the defeat of Goliath, giving glory to David rather than to God who had given David this victory.

We Do Not Need Idols In Our Church!

We can never place any symbol of God in our house of worship that could cause that object to be worshipped.

Our only trophy is the Holy Spirit, that lives is inside our bodily Temple and can only come to us in the name of Jesus Christ.

David would show this same stress that resulted in great sin several more times in his life.

Every Christian makes mistakes and the Holy Spirit will lead us to repentance if we are truly saved!

*****1Sa 21:10 And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.

1Sa 21:11 And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?

1Sa 21:12 And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath.

David does not make good sense at this time but he was disappointed with his nation!

David wrote the 34th Psalm later as he reflected back on this time.

One verse says this:

Psa 34:18 The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

Israel may not have accepted David as the new king but the Philistines were very aware that David would be the king of Israel.

David later wrote a Psalm about this incident and one of those verses has these words:

Psa 56:8 Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?

David realized again that only the Lord could deliver him from the hands of Saul and from all his enemies:

Psa 56:13 For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?

*****1Sa 22:1 David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father's house heard it, they went down thither to him.

The cave Adullam is about 13 miles west from Bethlehem. It is located on a hill about 500 feet high and there are numerous caverns there.

This was a low point in the life of David and he wrote Psalm 142 of the time he spent in this cave:

Psa 142:6 Attend unto my cry; for I am brought very low: deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I.

We have now seen three times that much of the music of David was written at low points in his life "but he always knew who to turn too"!

We can also see that the attitude of David's older brothers had changed, and all his family came in support of him.

Spiritually this makes us aware that as Christians who honor the Lord Jesus Christ we must also share in His rejection and in His suffering!

Luk 9:22 Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.

Luk 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, "let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me".

As Christians we will suffer in this world but the Lord will be with us every step of the way!

*****1Sa 22:2 And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.

We should notice that these men were not lawless bandits, "they were all victims of King Saul's oppression". Some of these first 400 became some of the 30 of David's mighty men and this group of men became the backbone of David's army.

David understood the battles that were coming and that he would have to defend himself but his parents were to old and they were now also targets of King Saul.

*****1Sa 22:3 And David went thence to Mizpeh of Moab: and he said unto the king of Moab, Let my father and my mother, I pray thee, come forth, and be with you, till I know what God will do for me.

We begin to see why the Bible was arranged in the order that these 66 books are when we see scriptures as this one.

The King of Moab was also an enemy of Saul and Israel.

David was the great-grandson of Ruth the Moabitess of which Jesse was the grandson. The Moabites at this point had no grounds to be against David as the word was spreading that he was also an enemy of Saul.

In fact it would be a good time to be on good terms with the future king of Israel.

David understood that he would one day be king of Israel but he did not yet know the time that would take place.

*****1Sa 22:4 And he brought them before the king of Moab: and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the hold.

The "hold" was probably the stronghold David used in Moab and near the border of Judah and was not the same as the cave of Adullam.

*****1Sa 22:5 And the prophet Gad said unto David, "Abide not in the hold"; depart, and get thee into the land of Judah. Then David departed, and came into the forest of Hareth.

1Sa 22:6 When Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men that were with him, (now Saul abode in Gibeah under a tree in Ramah, having his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him;)

Gad is a prophet of God that joined with David while he was on the run and must have stayed close to him his remaining days.

Gad later wrote a book that may have even been called the "Acts of David".

1Ch 29:29 Now the acts of David the king, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Samuel the seer, and in the book of Nathan the prophet, "and in the book of Gad the seer",

1Ch 29:30 With all his reign and his might, and the times that went over him, and over Israel, and over all the kingdoms of the countries.

This is all we know of this book but if Ezra completed the books of Samuel, then he certainly knew these things of Gad.

Gad, along with the prophet Nathan, also assisted in arranging the music with David in God's House and was known as the King's Seer, referring to King David.

2Ch 29:25 And he set the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, with psalteries, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, "and of Gad the king's seer", and Nathan the prophet: for so was the commandment of the LORD by his prophets.

As a Seer, Gad had visions from God of what was going to happen and he advised David to return to Judah.

It would be hard for David to be a witness for the God of Israel if that God could not protect David in the land of Israel!

It was Judah that needed to know David and it was not fitting that the future king of Israel could not trust God's ability to keep him safe in his own land!

We can see King Saul had nothing else on his mind but the destruction David and he was waiting for any knowledge of him with his spear in his hand ready to kill David himself.

Saul craved another opportunity to cast that javelin at David!

*****1Sa 22:7 Then Saul said unto his servants that stood about him, Hear now, ye Benjamites; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, and make you all captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds;

1Sa 22:8 That all of you have conspired against me, and there is none that sheweth me that my son hath made a league with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you that is sorry for me, or sheweth unto me that my son hath stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?

As Saul got the word that David had again entered into Israel, this time with an army, he gave this challenge to his own tribe Benjamin from which he had chosen most all his national leaders.

Saul felt like all of Israel had conspired against him and he challenged his own tribe to prove their loyalty because he said, "I am still your king and David is a nobody who can do nothing for you".

This gives us another picture of how far King Saul had sunk into depression, nearing insanity.

Saul said the proof of these things is the fact than none of them had told him about his son Jonathan, who had conspired with David allowing him to escape.

Saul again shows his fear of David!

*****1Sa 22:9 Then answered Doeg the Edomite, which was set over the servants of Saul, and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub.

1Sa 22:10 And he enquired of the LORD for him, and gave him victuals, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.

Doeg seizes on this opportunity to be more than just the head shepherd for King Saul. and now tells him how he had witnessed David with the High Priest.

Doeg makes it seem that the High Priests had also conspired against the King by not only providing weapons and food but had also inquired of God for David which did not happen.

Keep in mind that Saul had already been informed by Samuel that the Lord had rejected him as king as we follow what takes place.

*****1Sa 22:11 Then the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, the priests that were in Nob: and they came all of them to the king.

1Sa 22:12 And Saul said, Hear now, thou son of Ahitub. And he answered, Here I am, my lord.

1Sa 22:13 And Saul said unto him, Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him bread, and a sword, and hast enquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?

Saul repeats what Doeg has said about the High Priest.

We also need to keep in mind the phrase "all thy father's house" is the house of Eli.

What did God say to Eli?

1Sa 3:12 In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end.

God said there would come a time that all of Eli's family would be destroyed and there would be no more priests come from that family line.

We can see that God did not use Saul to do this evil but that God knew that this would happen.

God could have stopped these things from happening but He had already said He would not do so.

Ahimelech was innocent of these things that Doeg said and we can see his response:

*****1Sa 22:14 Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said, And who is so faithful among all thy servants as David, which is the king's son in law, and goeth at thy bidding, and is honourable in thine house?

1Sa 22:15 Did I then begin to enquire of God for him? be it far from me: let not the king impute any thing unto his servant, nor to all the house of my father: for thy servant knew nothing of all this, less or more.

The High Priest, like everyone else, had witnessed David how he had been faithful to the King.

Ahimelech reminded Saul that David was indeed still his son in law.

Ahimelech knew that whatever Saul had commanded David had obeyed.

Ahimelech says I had no reason not to believe what David had said and was not involved in any conspiracy against King Saul!

Ahimelech denies inquiring of the Lord for David and this had not been necessary as both David and Saul had already been informed of God's Will.

So, What did King Saul do?

*****1Sa 22:17 And the king said unto the footmen that stood about him, Turn, and slay the priests of the LORD; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not shew it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the LORD.

1Sa 22:18 And the king said to Doeg, Turn thou, and fall upon the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and slew on that day fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod.

The army of Saul knew this was wrong but Doeg murdered 85 members of the house of Eli, leaving only Abiathar left of the house of Eli.

Not only that but Saul destroyed the city of Nob!

If we see Doeg as a "type" of the "Anti-Christ" then we can see Ahimelech and those priests as a "type" of the Church.

Ahitub means "brother of goodness" but Ahimelech means "brother of the King"!

*****1Sa 22:19 And Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings, and oxen, and asses, and sheep, with the edge of the sword.

King Saul had failed to obey God to destroy King Agag and the Amelikites but it seems Saul had no problem with all these that were of the Tabernacle of God, God's House!

Sounds a whole lot like the world we live in now!

David spent the next 10 years evading King Saul and certain death!

It was a difficult and an uncertain life and the most important thing we need to realize as David eventually did himself was the fact that the Lord was with him during all this time!

David was on God's training ground because it is God that sits on the throne in Heaven!

Jesus teaches us with these words:

Joh 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

And He adds for us to remember:

Psa 56:3 What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.

David learned this and we need to learn this also!

Questions?

Let's Pray!

A Devoted Servant David's Loyalty

A Devoted Servant David's Loyalty

1 Samuel Chapter 18-20

When we left off last week the Lord had removed a "giant" named Goliath from hindering the work of his servant David. In fact God had used this incident to make Israel aware that changes were beginning to take place again in Israel.

As the result of David's victory over Goliath, David was given a permanent place in Saul's court.

Up until this time David was only called in when King Saul was depressed by that evil spirit and Saul was so caught up in the music that he had not taken notice to the musician.

Saul had not paid much attention to the musician because it was the music that soothed his soul.

David will now get the full attention of King Saul because God will allow it to happen!

Let's begin:

*****1Sa 17:58 And Saul said to him, Whose son art thou, thou young man? And David answered, I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.

1Sa 18:1 And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.

Had Saul been obedient to the Lord, Jonathan would have been the next king of Israel and we not found a fault in Jonathan in the scriptures. We have not read a physical description of Jonathan. We have only witnessed his character and we have seen bravery, and cunning, and a warrior dedicated to Israel.

It seems Jonathan would have been a great king.

Jonathan would have been about 30 years old at this time with David nearing 20 years old. Jonathan had witnessed the courage of David because even as brave as he was, he had not challenged Goliath.

So Jonathan's friendship for David began with an "admiration of David's faith in the Almighty God"!

Jonathan "witnessed" David's courage, and his patriotic duty not only to Israel but to the God of Israel!

The most priceless gift we have is salvation!

But, after salvation comes family but along that line we know that friendship also means a great deal to all of us in this world we live in.

The Bible teaches us with these words:

Pro 18:24 A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

The Lord Jesus uses the word "friend" eleven times in His teaching in the Gospels.

The Bible also says of friendship:

Jas 2:23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

When we love the Lord Jesus and believe upon Him (have faith), we are the "Friend of God"

But there is something else we need to know:

Jas 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that "the friendship of the world is enmity with God"? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

We see that we cannot be friends to this world and still be friends with The Lord Jesus Christ!

To be friends with the world is to be the "enemy of God"!

We see that Jonathan has decided to seek friendship with David.

This is our only function after we are saved!

"To reach out to the lost of this world and lead them to Jesus by our own example".

The way we live our lives must be a witness for Jesus!

Sadly but in this world we live in now, it is important to point out that Jonathan was not seeking some homosexual love or some homosexual relationship!

To those that have serve in the military can understand the closeness of comrades in arms and many of us have close friends that we love dearly.

Though they both remained loyal to their own families, this friendship could not be affected by the other things that changed their lives.

We should also not forget that David is on God's training ground and God took as much time as needed to mold the character of David for at least 20 years before He placed him on the throne of Israel!

*****1Sa 18:2 And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father's house.

1Sa 18:3 Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.

What is a covenant of friendship?

A covenant is a contract or an agreement between two people.

Friendship is more than good will toward another individual!

Friendship is different from a love for food or a love of objects.

This agreement between Jonathan and David was a solemn agreement, "to keep up and maintain a cordial respect for each other" and to support each other, even in separate interest in life and even after death!

And as God provided, David now had a true friend in Saul's court, who would plead his cause, and could help to preserve the life of David.

*****1Sa 18:4 And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.

Jonathan was a prince, next in line of the throne of Israel, yet he showed David that he was his equal. There was no better way to show David his favor toward him than to show David that he was also as a prince.

We know that David wore the clothes of a "shepherd" but now wore the clothes of a "prince" but also he wore the weapons and clothes of a "captain" of the army.

These things should remind us of the prophesy of Isaiah:

Isa 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Isa 9:7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd.

Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace.

Jesus Christ is the Captain of our lives.

Jesus Christ is the King of Kings and The Lord of Lords.

It is interesting to note another type of Christ in this scripture:

Php 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

Php 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

Php 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Just as Jonathan took of the robes of royalty, Our Lord humbled Himself when He took off His Heavenly garments and took on the role of a shepherd on this earth!

Jesus Christ is truly our friend because Jesus is truly Our Savior!

Jonathan was truly David's "Friend"!

What did this covenant mean to these two men?

Listen to what Jonathan says in this verse:

*****1Sa 20:42 And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, saying, The LORD be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed for ever. And he arose and departed: and Jonathan went into the city.

This is probably the last day that these two friends had some time together.!

It had become too dangerous for these two men to be seen together by this time because they both knew that they had different paths to travel.

Some would say they had different destinies but these paths were chosen for them by the Lord and both of them were obedient to their calling even though Jonathan would go to an early grave because of his loyalty to his own father.

The Lord would be "Mediator" between these two families "Forever"!

The Lord is our "Mediator between us and the Almighty God in Heaven!

The love that David and Jonathan shared is a "type" of the love that each brother and sister in the Lord should have for each other!

This is our example of pure love for one another and not some lustful thing that has little or no meaning!

Jonathan had absolutely nothing to gain from his relationship with David except the knowledge that he had a close friend!

AND, The Lord had absolutely nothing to gain in coming to this world in order to save us "And That Is The Only Reason He Came"!

Joh 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; "but that the world through him might be saved".

Let's see how things got to this point:

*****1Sa 18:5 And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely: and Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul's servants.

This the theme of our lesson today!

David did not disappoint Saul nor his friend Jonathan but proved himself of the trust they had placed in him.

He did everything his king asked him to do!

David behaved himself wisely. In other words David took the role of a servant to his nation and to his king, and not to himself.

David became general in Saul's army and the army accepted him though Abner was general over the entire army.

Abner would be included with those servants that took notice of David.

In fact all the people of Israel took notice of him including all of Saul's servants.

David was prosperous and successful because the Lord was with him!

*****1Sa 18:6 And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick.

1Sa 18:7 And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.

David's stunning victory over Goliath had made it possible for the entire army of Israel to conquer the Philistines.

David was the hero of the people!

Because of what David had done the army pursued and destroyed the Philistines on more than one occasion.

Up until the time of Goliath Saul had led the army of Israel into many battles but his contribution this day was meaningless, but to the people of Israel, but he was still their king.

As this victorious army returned to Israel from such a battle, David's popularity reached it's climax and Saul's fragile self-confidence could take it no more!

*****1Sa 18:8 And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?

1Sa 18:9 And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.

The Bible teaches us:

Pro 27:4 Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?

If we want to see what happens to a man after the Spirit of God has departed, "then we have our example with Saul"!

Saul craved the praise of his people but that praise was going to David.

Saul became continually envious and suspicious from that day forward.

David the musician was now David his enemy and Saul's jealousy could not be contained!

*****1Sa 18:10 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in Saul's hand.

1Sa 18:11 And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall with it. And David avoided out of his presence twice.

Saul now sought the death of David!

Samuel had provided an example to Saul in religious and governmental things but now David was showing Saul the art of a true leader.

David was showing Saul "what he should have been to Israel", instead of what he was!

But Saul's anger was really directed toward God, because the Lord was with David and Saul could not reach David to cause him harm.

We must always remember that hedge of protection that the Lord provides!

The Bible says:

David did not forget to include this in some of his songs:

Psa 5:12 For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.

Psa 34:7 The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.

And Peter did not forget to teach those that love Jesus:

1Pe 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

It was David's faith that brought him victory and it is that same "faith" that brings victory to all those that love Jesus Christ.

But we must always remember "we are in a battle" and also remember that in every fight there are some that go home with bloody noses and some with cuts and bruises.

David knew that his music was intended to soothe Saul at these times, so he just moved out of the way of that Javelin, which also proves to us that he also kept a keen eye on Saul.

We must also keep a keen eye on what Satan is doing in this world and be ready to dodge his methods!

*****1Sa 18:12 And Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, and was departed from Saul.

Why was Saul afraid of David?

He knew that the Lord was with David and was no longer with him!

Saul had been abandoned by the Holy Spirit, and Saul became a victim of this evil spirit.

*****1Sa 18:13 Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people.

Why was David given the authority over a thousand man army?

Saul was hoping that such a carelessly brave young soldier would die in battle!

David went out against the enemies of Israel and continued to come back from each battle in victory and the people noticed but Saul became the more enraged!

*****1Sa 18:14 And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the LORD was with him.

1Sa 18:15 Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him.

Why was Saul afraid of David?

Saul could see all his failures in the successes of David!

Saul had to realize that he was fighting a loosing battle because the Lord was on the side of David.

We should stop and realize that one of the major problems the unbelieving world has, is this fact the Lord is with His people!

We might not notice every victory that God has over the unbelieving world but they notice because the world is becoming more and more like Saul!

Satan knows he is fighting a loosing battle but he refuses to give in and like Saul tries to kill all those "that the Lord is with" every chance he gets!

If Satan cannot kill us, he then tries to ruin our testimony!

We must wear the "Armor Of God" and keep a keen eye on Satan!

Eph 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

*****1Sa 18:16 But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them.

They might not have transferred their allegiance from King Saul to David but all of Israel and Judah are drawn to David as a military leader and they followed him into battle.

We should also see this separation of Israel and Judah as these things play out.

And let's remember why Israel had wanted a king.

1Sa 8:20 That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and [go out before us, and fight our battles].

David was going out to fight their battles but Israel was not ready for him to be their judge!

*****1Sa 18:17 And Saul said to David, Behold my elder daughter Merab, her will I give thee to wife: only be thou valiant for me, and fight the LORD'S battles. For Saul said, Let not mine hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him.

Saul has the "makings" of another plan to get rid of David for good.

We can see how devious he has become!

Saul had publicly committed to offer his daughter's hand in marriage to the one that had killed Goliath.

But, David sensed that Saul was up to no good.

Being a son-n-law to the king would have even made David more of a trophy to the Philistines, if they could capture or kill him.

*****1Sa 18:18 And David said unto Saul, Who am I? and what is my life, or my father's family in Israel, that I should be son in law to the king?

David is truly humbled to get this offer from King Saul but he did not refuse the offer.

David came from a poor family and was still more of a shepherd that he was worthy to be in the king's family.

*****1Sa 18:19 But it came to pass at the time when Merab Saul's daughter should have been given to David, that she was given unto Adriel the Meholathite to wife.

Saul then withdrew his offer as it seems that he really had no intention of making David a part of his family in hope that he would die fighting with the Philistines.

Saul gave his daughter instead to another man Adriel.

We know very little of this man.

We know that this man was the son of Barzilla.

We know that he was a Meholathite which signifies weakness or sickness.

But, this union brought forth 5 sons who were raised by Michal, Saul's other daughter.

It seems that both these parents died at a young age shortly after their fifth son was born.

*****1Sa 18:20 And Michal Saul's daughter loved David: and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him.

1Sa 18:21 And Saul said, I will give him her, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him. Wherefore Saul said to David, Thou shalt this day be my son in law in the one of the twain.

Now Saul had another plan. If he could not make David mad enough to just leave then he would allow David to get close enough to keep an eye on him.

Michal would be Saul's eyes on David and still David would be a greater target for the Philistines to try to capture of kill.

*****1Sa 18:22 And Saul commanded his servants, saying, Commune with David secretly, and say, Behold, the king hath delight in thee, and all his servants love thee: now therefore be the king's son in law.

1Sa 18:23 And Saul's servants spake those words in the ears of David. And David said, Seemeth it to you a light thing to be a king's son in law, seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed?

Saul has become so devious that he is tempting David with a chance to get his throne.

Remember David had already been anointed by Samuel to be the next king of Israel and David did not yet know what circumstances would allow that to happen so being son-n-law to the king may just be how this thing would take place but this was a bad thought.

Spiritually we continue to see a "type" of sinner in the life of David at this time, knowing that none of us are worthy to be in the Lord's house, the King of Kings!

But Saul was even more devious than it first seems, as he still thinks he can even keep this marriage from taking place.

*****1Sa 18:24 And the servants of Saul told him, saying, On this manner spake David.

1Sa 18:25 And Saul said, Thus shall ye say to David, The king desireth not any dowry, but an hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king's enemies. But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.

1Sa 18:26 And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king's son in law: and the days were not expired.

A hundred men would have to die.

These men were not a part of the covenant with the Lord. (the covenant of circumcision given to Abraham)

The death of these men would bring a shame to their own families and make even greater enemies of the Philistines.

David himself would have to perform this task and David should have refused.

This was not being a true soldier and this not in the will of God!

God later told David about some of these things:

1Ch 22:8 But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build an house unto my name, [because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight].

It is not sin to kill as a soldier because God has placed those leaders in place!

But it is great sin to any soldier who kills for "his own reasons" and maims and disfigured his enemy.

God is always watching!

*****1Sa 18:27 Wherefore David arose and went, he and his men, and slew of the Philistines two hundred men; and David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full tale to the king, that he might be the king's son in law. And Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife.

1Sa 18:28 [And Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David], and that Michal Saul's daughter loved him.

1Sa 18:29 And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul became David's enemy continually.

1Sa 18:30 Then the princes of the Philistines went forth: and it came to pass, after they went forth, that David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was much set by.

These things removed any doubt, if Saul had any, that the Lord was surely with David.!

David possessed traits of strength and courage appropriate for a king but he also had wisdom beyond his young years.

Saul was doing everything in his own fleshy power to try to hold on to being king, disregarding what God had said to him through Samuel.

King Saul gives us an example or a "type" of all future national rulers that oppose the Word of God!

Jealousy, rage, deceit, and making up the rules as they go are just a few of things bad leaders show!

We can see these things happening in our own nation!

Now Saul sinks even further, as he knows that Jonathan has a deep friendship with David and he ask even Jonathan to kill David.

*****1Sa 19:1 And Saul spake to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should kill David.

1Sa 19:2 But Jonathan Saul's son delighted much in David: and Jonathan told David, saying, Saul my father seeketh to kill thee: now therefore, I pray thee, take heed to thyself until the morning, and abide in a secret place, and hide thyself:

1Sa 19:3 And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where thou art, and I will commune with my father of thee; and what I see, that I will tell thee.

This plan of Saul's also backfires because Jonathan is a true friend!

Five more times in chapter 19 there is a reference made to Saul's intention to kill David.

Saul even tries to use his daughter Michal against David:

*****1Sa 19:17 And Saul said unto Michal, Why hast thou deceived me so, and sent away mine enemy, that he is escaped? And Michal answered Saul, He said unto me, Let me go; why should I kill thee?

1Sa 19:18 So David fled, and escaped, and came to Samuel to Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth.

We can see that Michal had many traits of her father.

But, in all these things David never went against his king!

Spiritually we should see that God never insulates His Saints and His Chosen from trouble and danger.

But God will protect His Children!

David wrote many of the Psalms that prove to us that David realized that sometimes God must lead us through the dark times, in order to make us stronger and to make us aware that it is only He that could have brought us through these things.

Jesus Christ gives us these words to remind us:

Joh 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Then Jesus ask His Father and our Father for something very special:

Joh 17:14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

Joh 17:15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, "but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil".

And Jesus adds that one day we should be with Him:

Joh 17:24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, "be with me where I am"; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

We know that God will surely answer this prayer of His beloved Son!

We can be absolutely sure that if we belong to Christ Jesus, through "faith", one day we will see Him in His Glory!

The Bible says:

Isa 33:17 Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off.

Questions?

Let's Pray!