The Importance of Being a Loyal Christian

I hope you all are doing well. I hope you had a good week. We all had a good week. Very busy, but good. So, I have a question for you today. What kind of a Christian are you? Can you be described as a loyal Christian?

Or are you a fair-weathered Christian? You only stay with God as long as things go well.

But as soon as trouble comes, you're out of here. Or are you a foul-weathered Christian? You only turn to God when things are bad. Things are bad, wham! Right back into the church you go.

Are you a loyal Christian? Are you faithful to the end? What kind of a Christian are you? God expects us to be loyal, and He gives us many examples in the Bible of what He expects from us. None better than the narratives that He tells in the Bible. There's so many to choose from. Could have gone with Ruth, could have gone with Esther. But we're going to go today with two friends in ancient Israel, David and Jonathan.

Let's go through the narrative of David and Jonathan and compare their loyalty to what God expects of us and what God gives to us in terms of His loyalty to us.

Let's dive in. Setting the stage of the background, Saul was disqualified as king. Samuel secretly anoints a little runt named David, who nobody would have ever expected to be a great king.

And then the Philistines attack Israel. And David's older brother, since David is a runt, he stays behind, older brothers go to fight the battle. And one Philistine champion, a giant, and they have several giants as you read the story. One of those giant brothers was named Goliath, was taunting Israel, making fun of God and blaspheming His name.

And Israel would do nothing. Day after day taunting. David comes with some food and supplies and sees this man blaspheming God. And David goes down and he kills him with one rock. Gains huge popularity. Now he's already been anointed king. Saul is apparently unaware of this.

So, let's pick up the story now in 1 Samuel chapter 18.

This is right after David slays Goliath. After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David. And he loved him as himself. Now I'm reading from the New International Version because this is a narrative, it's not doctrine. So we're safe reading from the NIV. And it reads a lot better than the King James does. From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return home to his family. And Jonathan made a covenant with David. Now notice this. We're going to hone in on this word covenant.

Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. And Jonathan took off his robe that he was wearing and gave David, along with his tunic, even his sword and his bow and his belt. David was a poor little shepherd boy and Jonathan was the king's son, the prince. He had all kinds of tunics and cloaks and swords and bows. He gave David a kingly present.

You know, one of a prince. And appropriately so. And Jonathan made a commitment of friendship to this young, brave warrior who had enough faith in God that God delivered all of Israel through him.

Brethren, we made a commitment to God when we were baptized. And if you were not baptized, and you're listening to this, remember, this is the kind of commitment that God expects of you. When we were baptized into the body of Christ, we made a commitment, didn't we? We said, my life is yours. How well do we stick with that commitment? How loyal are we? Let's look at the loyalty of David and Jonathan. This loyalty blows me away. How loyal and how long this loyalty lasts. Wait. You know, it doesn't just end at death. This loyalty goes way beyond the grave. This is an amazing story to me. And this is exactly what God expects of you and me.

Verse 5, whatever mission Saul sent him on, David was so successful that Saul gave him a high rank in the army. This pleased all the troops and Saul's officers as well. David just couldn't do anything wrong, it seemed like. And verse 6, when the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul and singing and dancing with joyful songs and tembrels and lyres.

And they danced and they sang, quote, Saul has slain his thousands and David his tens of thousands. Whoa! Right in the king's ear. Wow. Have you ever had such a compliment in front of your boss? I did one time. Oh, it was terrible. I got fired over this compliment. I kid you not. I was a, I don't know what you would call it, a high-powered salesman. I was the kind of sales rep that was business to business sales. They put me on a plane. They made appointments.

They put me on a plane. I stood in a boardroom and I sold multi-million dollar contracts. Okay. And we went to the sales meeting, which I didn't want to go to because my wife was pregnant and ready to pop. And I told him that. And so we're at the sales and they're droning on and on. And we're meeting a new sales manager. You know, he's the cat's meow. He's everything. Right? So, and I mean, we didn't care. Sales manager. I mean, we'll follow. Follow the leader. That's the job, right? So we're in here listening and doing this and that. And then they said, okay, we're going to put you all to the test.

And all the national sales reps were in the boardroom. And they put one of those corporate speaker phones in the middle. And they sent us to the CEO's office on the corner. And we had to call in to that boardroom and we had to sell the CEO and the sales manager our own product. And they were going to pretend to be a client.

And we were going to pretend to get the appointment with that client. And they brought the number one sales rep in the country and she bombed out. They brought another one in and he bombed out. And I said, you know what? I'm just going to go for it. Give me a break. This is just practice anyway. So I went into the CEO's room, all cocky and ready to go.

And I called into the boardroom and they went through. They threw every objection they could think of. And they'd been in the business for years. And I was just juggling like hot potatoes and putting them on the grill. And I had those guys eating out of my hand.

And the CEO was like, wow, when do we sign? And he had come back in here, Rod. So I came back in here. And the CEO of the company stands up and he points his finger at me and he says, you are the best sales rep to ever come through my door. And the new hire sales manager, who was brancemaking new and trying to make his mark on the company, was standing right behind him.

Steam was coming off of his head. Eight months later, I was out of a job. Fired me in my own airport lounge of my membership and told me that he didn't know why they hired me because I couldn't sell my way out of what they were saying. I was already like 400% overcommissioned. It was only the eighth month of the year. Why? Why? Same thing happened to David here, right? David is marching down with Saul and the women are singing a song.

Saul, Saul, he's our man. He killed a thousand Philistines. But David's the real hero of the day because he kills tens of thousands of Philistines and steam is rolling off of Saul's head. Saul hates this young man's guts. This cocky, ruddy little runt. Right? Ever been in that situation? Ever been disdained by somebody else? Ever felt like you're doing such a good job that they want to put you down?

When that happens to you, does that throw you? Do you ignore your commitments? This is an amazing story because neither David nor Jonathan, either one, failed in their commitment. They kept their commitment to death. I love this story. Verse 8. Saul was very angry. This refrain displeased him greatly. They have credited David with tens of thousands, he thought. But me, only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom? And from that time on Saul kept a close eye on David. The next day an evil spirit came forcefully on Saul. That word evil means dark and tormented. He was in a really bad mood.

Ever had one of those days? Saul was having one of those days. He was prophesying in the house while David was playing on the lyre, as he usually did. So David is strumming on the guitar, essentially, making some nice music in the court of the king. And Saul gets in this dark evil mood. Saul had a spear in his hand and he hurled it, saying to himself, I will pin David to the wall. But David eluded him twice. Now my question is, what's a king got with a spear? What's he doing with a spear in his court? This guy, he was a little off. And as we will see later in the story, he's already committed some major atrocities in Israel that God punishes Israel for even after Saul is dead. A major famine hits the land because this guy Saul, he's a really bad guy. You know what indicates a good indicator that he's a really tyrant type leader? He's got a spear by his throne. I mean, that's your first clue, right? Who keeps a spear by his throne in his business court? Saul does. He's a bad guy. Verse 12, Saul was afraid of David because the Lord was with David, but he departed from Saul. So he sent David away from him and gave him a command over a thousand men. And David led their troops in the campaigns. Now why, if Saul hated him and was afraid of him, would it give him control over a thousand men? It means he's going to go see battle. And chances are, he's going to die. And that's what Saul wants. Somebody else to do the dirty work and get rid of this little punk. So he puts him in charge of a thousand men, makes him a big shot. Politically, that makes Saul look like a good guy. But really, it gives him an opportunity over and over and over again to kill his adversary.

Verse 14, in everything he did, he had great success because the Lord was with him. And when Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him. But all of Israel and Judah loved David because he led them in their campaigns. So here's what Saul does. He offers his daughter, Merab, and it's a trap to kill David. And he has David go win a battle, and if he wins the battle, then he'll get the daughter. Well, David does win the battle because God's with him. But Saul doesn't give him the daughter. Instead, the daughter goes to a different man, and David gets jilted. But in the story, it doesn't really seem like David feels like he was jilted because he really didn't want to be Saul's son-in-law anyway. That wasn't David's goal in life. But then Saul notices that his daughter, Michael, is in love with David. She just loves him, and he finds out. And it's another opportunity to kill David. This time, instead of sending him out on a battle, he sends him out in sort of a harder test. He says you have to bring back evidence that you have killed 100 Philistines. And if you do, I will give you my daughter, Michael. So David brings back evidence of killing 200 Philistines. And Michael becomes his wife. And in verse 28, when Saul realized that the Lord was with David... Now, how many times does this guy forget that the Lord is with David? He should have seen it at the very first battle when this huge giant was brought down with a rock.

Hello? But no. Even after battle after battle that David wins, Saul is still realizing, I can't beat this guy, because God's with him. Saul has absolutely no faith in God. He's disloyal. Saul is the exact opposite of what God is looking for in us. When times get tough, we work out our own problems our own way. We don't trust God. That's what Saul was doing. Verse 30, the Philistine commanders continue to go out to battle. But as often as they did, David met them with more success than the rest of Saul's officers. And his name became well known. It didn't just become well known among the Israelites. David became well known among the Philistines as well. So there's a new campaign in verse 19. Saul tries a new tactic. Sending David out against enemies and hoping that the enemies will kill him isn't working. Does Saul get a clue and renew his loyalty to God? No. He falls even farther down the dark pit that he's already in. And he decides he's going to kill David himself. If you want something done, you've got to do it yourself. That's what he says. So in chapter 19 in verse 1, Saul told his son Jonathan and all the attendants to kill David. But Jonathan had taken a great liking to David and warned him, My father Saul is looking for a chance to kill you, buddy. Be on your guard tomorrow morning. Go into hiding and stay there. And I will go out and stand with my father in the field where you are. And I'll speak to him about you and will tell you what I find out. And Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul, his father, and said to him, Let not the king do wrong to his servant David. He has not wronged you and what he has done has benefited you greatly. Now realize the loyalty here. Jonathan is not an idiot. He's got to realize that David is becoming more and more popular in Israel. Jonathan is the crown prince. As soon as Saul dies, Jonathan becomes king. Jonathan has a lot to lose by being loyal to David. It's not like, Oh, I like this guy. Don't kill him. Jonathan made a covenant with David. He is my friend and he sticks with him no matter what. Verse 5.

He took his life in his hands, Jonathan tells Saul, when he killed the Philistine, the Lord won great victory for all of Israel, and you saw it and were glad. Why then would you do wrong to an innocent man like David by killing him for no reason? Saul listened to Jonathan and took an oath. As surely as the Lord lives, David will not be put to death. So Saul backs off in the field. Jonathan called David and told him the whole conversation, and he brought him to Saul, and David was with Saul as before. Okay, so David goes back to strumming the guitar in the court, and all is well, for about five minutes. Then David wins another battle with the Philistines, and Saul tries to kill him with a spear again, and then David fled. This time, David runs to his house because he is married to Michael. So he runs home to his wife.

His wife says, what are you doing here? You are being pursued by my father. You either get out now, or you will be dead by morning. So she lets him out the back window, and then she puts a statue in her bed, puts goat hair on it, covers it up, and the assassins come right in and say, where is he? She says, well, he's sick. He can't be disturbed. Well, we can't wait for him to get well to kill him. We need to see him now.

She argues with him a little bit and buys David time, and he gets away. Finally, they bust into his room and see it's just a statue, and they take her off to Saul. And when she gets to Saul, he says, what are you doing, honey?

And she says, he was going to kill me. I had to let him go. And she let her off, no problem.

And then, things are getting really bad for David. And this is where Jonathan steps up to the plate. And Jonathan keeps his oath to David. But he's going to ask something of David in return. And he's going to ask this of David for the rest of his life in return. And we're going to see in the rest of this story, how not only was Jonathan loyal to David, but David was loyal to Jonathan as well. Okay, chapter 20, verse 1. So David runs, and he goes up to see Samuel. We pick it up in verse 1. David fled from Noath at Ramah, and he went to Jonathan and asked, What have I done? What is my crime? How have I wronged your father? He's trying to kill me. Never, Jonathan replied. You're not going to die. Look, my father doesn't do anything, great or small, without letting me know. Why would he hide this from me? It isn't so. But David took an oath and said, Your father knows very well that I have found favor in your eyes. And he has said to himself, Jonathan must not know, or he will be grieved. And yet, surely as the Lord lives, as you live, there is only one step between me and death.

So Jonathan said to David, Whatever you want me to do for you, I will do. So David said, Look, tomorrow is the new moon feast. I'm supposed to dine with the king, but let me go and hide in the field until evening. So I'm sorry, this is not where he goes to seek Samuel. That's next. So, David tells him to go to the feast, and he's not going to attend. But tell Saul that I had to go to Bethlehem, my home town, to give a sacrifice, because my whole clan was going to give a sacrifice in Bethlehem at the new moon.

So, Jonathan does this. Jonathan goes to dinner at the new moon feast, and David's chair is missing. But Saul doesn't say anything that first night. He figures, Oh, David must be ceremonially unclean, so he didn't show up. He'll be here tomorrow night, because this is a two-day feast. So the second night comes around.

Jonathan shows up. Again, no David. And Saul inquires to Jonathan, Where's your friend David? Oh, you know, David asked me to go to Bethlehem. He was really wanting to go, because it's his whole clan. We're doing a big sacrifice at the new moon, so, you know, I gave you permission. Saul flew into a rage. This is exactly what David told him would happen.

If he wants to kill me, he's going to fly into a rage. And Saul called him an idiot, and the son of an idiot. His mother was an idiot. That's how mad Saul was at him. And he said that, Don't you know that he's going to, you know, replace you as king if we don't kill him? And Saul chucked his spear at Jonathan. Now, apparently Saul was not a great aim with a spear.

Because, I mean, the guy couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. So anyway, Jonathan goes back to David, and they had this little signal worked out. That Jonathan worked out himself. He would bring a young boy with him, and he would bring his bow and some arrows. And he said, if he shoots the arrows over the boy, and tells the boy to run beyond and get the arrows, then David was in trouble. But if he shoots the arrows to the side, and he tells the boy to turn to the side, David could come back, because it's okay.

So, sure enough, Saul got angry. Saul was going to kill David. Jonathan shoots the arrows way beyond the boy, and he yells out to the boy, Go beyond! Go beyond! The arrows are off in the front of you. And the boy goes and collects the arrows. And you know, that would have been enough, but the boy comes back with the arrows.

Jonathan had to say goodbye. So he sends the boy home with the arrows, and he calls David out anyway. They could have skipped the whole arrow thing, and Jonathan could have just gone alone and told him. But it seems like Jonathan decided he really needed to say goodbye. And this would be the last time they talked. So in verse 10, David asked... So, no, verse 12. Jonathan said to David, I swear by the Lord, God of Israel, I will surely sound out, My Father, by tomorrow afternoon.

I'm still in the wrong spot. Okay, so actually I got ahead of myself, but this is critical to read. So this is prior to going into that dinner. So let's backtrack just a little bit. Stay with me. Let's backtrack just a little bit. And this is the day before that first night, that feast. And this is what Jonathan says to David, and what he asks of David. Now, he's made a covenant with David when David slew Goliath. Now, he's going to ask David to make a covenant with him. And then we'll get to that goodbye story in just a minute.

So, verse 12. Jonathan said to David, I swear by the Lord, God of Israel, that I surely will sound out, My Father, this time, the day after tomorrow. If he's favorable towards you, I will send word to you and let you know. But if My Father intends to harm you, may the Lord deal with Jonathan, be it ever so severely, if I do not let you know and send you away in peace. And this was the commitment that Jonathan made to David when David slew Goliath.

May the Lord be with you, as He has been with My Father. But show Me... Now, this is what he asks of David. Show Me unfailing kindness like the Lord's kindness as long as I live, so that I may not be killed. Jonathan gets it. He knows that he's not going to be king. He knows that David is going to be king. He's well aware of that at this point. The handwriting is on the wall. God is with this man, David. He's not just my friend. He's my future king. So make a covenant with Me that when you ride high on the horse, when you're on the throne, you don't kill Me.

Then in verse 15, And do not ever cut off your kindness from My family, he asks him. Not even when the Lord has cut off every one of David's enemies from the face of the earth. He knew that God was going to give David victory over every enemy. And he just asked, you take care of My family, no matter what happens. You promise Me you will take care of My family. Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, May the Lord call David's enemies to account. And Jonathan and David reaffirmed his oath out of love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself.

So both David and Jonathan make a covenant. Now they're stuck. Now they have to be loyal to each other. And they keep that loyalty. This is amazing what they do. So the little boy, let's fast forward again, has gone away. And it's just Saul and David alone in the field.

And they have to say goodbye. And in verse 41, after the boy had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone, and he bowed down before Jonathan three times. He didn't have to do that. He was the anointed king. Jonathan was not. God Himself ordered Samuel to anoint David. But David showed loyalty to his friend, and bowed down to him in subjection, not once three times. That's loyalty. How do we do in that department? How loyal are we to our friends, to our family, to God?

Then they kissed each other and wept together, but David wept the most. In the Middle East, men kiss each other on the cheek. They still do it to this day. If you've ever been over to the Middle East, and even if you've just gone to a restaurant, you probably had a peck on the cheek from a big, scruffy, bearded guy.

It's nasty. They do it. That's the way they greet you. I worked over there. The stutters also worked over there. Every morning we'd come in, two things would happen. Get a cup of tea, get a kiss on the cheek. Yay! Oh, is that garlic you had for breakfast? So they were brothers.

They would have given their life to each other. And in verse 42, Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship to each other in the name of the Lord. What did we promise to God when we were baptized? And do we keep that promise, no matter what? It was actually to Jonathan's disadvantage to swear at this point and keep his loyalty. It was to his disadvantage, and as we will see, things did not work out so well for Jonathan.

And he did it anyway! How are we doing? Saying, the Lord is witness between us, you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever. Then David left Jonathan and went back to town. Okay. Now, David lived a life on the run after that. And I don't want to tell the entire story, because this is about loyalty.

But essentially, he ran from Saul until he had to leave the country. He actually, Saul almost got him, but never got him. But he came very close, and it was getting so hot to stay in Israel, that he actually had to go and live with the Philistines.

The people that he had slaughtered, and he had developed such an outstanding reputation with the Philistines, for being a commando, for being a man who could not be defeated in battle. They snatched him up instantly. You would think, oh, they would kill him? No way! They put him over one of their armies and sent him out to do battle against their enemies. And he won! He was no longer a patriot of Israel. He was a man without a country. And then one day, all of the Philistine kings got together and decided to attack Saul.

Now they knew that David had divided loyalties. There was no way they were going to put General David on their side and have Saul at their front. And then all of a sudden, David decides, you know what?

I'm an Israelite. And he turns on them, and he just starts marching through them like a hot knife through warm butter. So they sent him away. David was out of this battle. He had to wait to hear what would happen. And Jonathan. Jonathan did not leave the side of the king.

He stayed with him, being loyal to God and loyal to Israel. Knowing full well the king was an unrighteous man. Full well that this king had done atrocities. Jonathan probably had a pit in his gut when he went into battle that day, knowing this would be his last day on earth. And sure enough, it was. Both Jonathan and Saul were killed in the battle. Their bodies were hung in a square in a Philistine town.

David later went and recovered those bodies and buried them. But that's another story. But Jonathan had one surviving son. Just one. David now becomes king of Israel. He takes his rightful place. And he goes out and he whips up on the Philistines. And he pushes them back where they needed to be. And then he comes and he looks for any surviving relatives of Jonathan. He doesn't know. You know, when there's an overturn and there was a bad king, lots of bad things happen when you're not looking. People get killed all the time. And Jonathan's son was five years old when Jonathan died.

And a nurse, one of his nurses, picked him up and carried him and ran away to hide him and protect him. So that he didn't get killed by the Israelites. Because remember, Saul was a really bad guy. He had a lot of enemies. She knew, I've got to take this boy and run. Well, she drops him, this five-year-old boy on the way. And the fall is so bad, it cripples him for life.

So two feet, he damaged his feet so bad, he was a cripple. And now, he was dependent on other people. So, David comes back from battle and he's looking for any living relative of Jonathan.

And if we go to 2 Samuel, in chapter 9, and I'm just going to give you the abbreviated version. David meets the caretaker of Jonathan's son. Mephibosheth is Jonathan's son. Now, I can't pronounce that to save my life. So, I'm going to call him Mep. Mep is Jonathan's son. And so we don't get confused on all of these funny names. I'm just going to call the caretaker the caretaker. So we've got the son, Mep, and we've got the caretaker.

David finds the caretaker and says, where is Jonathan's son, Mep? And he shows him to him. David is overjoyed that his friend, who was like his better, closer than any brother that David had. David had a lot of brothers. But if you read the Psalms, you realize that David did not get along with his family, and vice versa. But he had Jonathan, and he found Jonathan's son. He was overjoyed. So he gives the caretaker all the land that Saul owned. It was a huge gesture. Saul had a lot of land, and it was prime land.

The sole purpose of giving him that land. He didn't really give it to him. He gave it to Mep, the son. But he made the caretaker in charge of it, so that he would farm it, and plant, and have cattle. So they had things to sell, so that they would have an income. And what an income it was. Right? It's a huge blessing from David. But David said that Mep, little Mephy, was going to eat at his table.

He was going to be his son. And Mep ate at his table the rest of his life. But then something happened. And Absalom rebels against David. Right? And David has to flee. David has to leave, and Absalom brings this huge army into Jerusalem. And David has to run across the Jordan River.

And we all know this story. David wins the battle, Absalom dies, and David gets restored as king over Israel. On the way out, the caretaker, Mephy's caretaker, goes to David and says, Mephy stayed behind in Jerusalem. And he said that he's going to take his grandfather's throne back. He dissed you, David. He left you. And he gave David some supplies and wished him well and sent him on his way.

And so David said, from now on, Saul's land is yours. You own it. Mephy is cut off. And David left. When he comes back after defeating Absalom, Mephy comes to him and says, Hey, that wasn't true. You know I'm a cripple. The caretaker wouldn't put me on the donkey and let me go meet you. I wanted to come. He wouldn't put me on the donkey. That story seemed a little thin to David. He didn't know what to believe.

Maybe it's true. Maybe it's not true. What do I do? David didn't even hesitate. He said, OK, I'm going to give half the land back to you and I'll restore you at my table. Why did he do that? Why did he didn't owe Mephy anything, but he owed Jonathan. He made a covenant with Jonathan. Jonathan would have never known, brethren. He was dead and gone. Years dead and gone. David had gone through such a hard life. Anybody would have given David an excuse to put Mephy to death right there.

His story was thin. It didn't add up. David took him back anyway. Why? Because of the loyalty that David had. How is our loyalty? Are we that loyal? Is that even what God expects? Or is that going just a bit too far?

Well, a few years later, this is how far David's loyalty is not done yet. It continues on. Then later, a famine hits. A famine that was caused by a punishment of God. It was a punishment of God on Israel because of something Saul did. Saul wasn't even alive anymore. But it was time to make due on what was owed. And what was owed? A major atrocity was committed by Saul. You see, Saul was the opposite of loyal.

Do you remember the story of Joshua? Moses' assistant. And Moses dies, and Joshua goes in to lead Israel to take the Promised Land. And they have to conquer it. First they conquer Jericho, and then they conquer some other cities along the way. And one city after another keeps falling. Well, there's this city of Gibeonites that see this huge army blessed by God is wiping out every city in its path, and we're next.

So they put on old clothes and get moldy bread and pretend like they traveled from a long, long, long way distance away. And they come in and they tell Joshua, we're from a long distance away and we know eventually you're going to get to our town, so we want to make an agreement with you right now that we're friends with Israel and we're friends with God and we will never fight Israel. Will you make an agreement that you won't kill us? Well, Jonathan had no orders to kill people a great distance away. He was supposed to kill the people in the Promised Land. He said, sure! You people will never be killed by Israel.

Oh, and by the way, our town's five miles over there. We're next. No! But he made an agreement, and Joshua was loyal to that agreement. God held Israel responsible for that agreement that Joshua made, even though it was a mistake. Joshua made the agreement, and God required loyalty to that agreement. And that agreement was held all through the period of the Judges. Hundreds of years, the Gibeonites served the Israelites. They were never considered part of Israel, but they had their own land, and they had their own families, and they had their own freedom.

And that was good to them. So Saul came along, and he tried to wipe out every single one of them by the sword. He killed them. He slaughtered them. He didn't care who they were. He took them out. So David, all of a sudden, gets this famine, and he goes to God, and he says, what can I do? And God says, David, go ask the Gibeonites what you can do. Gibeonites?

Oh, okay. So he goes over, and he asks the Gibeonites. And in 2 Samuel 21, we're going to pick up David's commitment to Jonathan once again. So David is at the Gibeonites. And in 2 Samuel 21, verse 3, David asked them, what can I do for you? How can I make amends so that you will bless the Lord's people again? And they said, verse 4, well, money can't settle this matter between us and the family of Saul. The Gibeonites replied, neither can we demand the life of anyone in Israel.

Now they realized it was Saul who did this. It was Saul who broke the oath. It wasn't the Israelites. And even though they had been trounced and almost wiped out, they weren't bitter against Israel. They were bitter against Saul. Neither can we demand the life of anyone in Israel.

What can I do then, David asked? Just tell me, and I will do it for you. Now they were desperate at this point. The famine had been going on for three years. The country was almost bankrupt. David had to do something, and God told him to do it. David wasn't going to hold back. Then they replied in verse 5, it was Saul who planned to destroy us and keep us from having any place in the territory of Israel. So let seven of Saul's sons be handed over to us, and we will execute them before the Lord at Gibeon, on the mountain of the Lord.

All right, the king said, I will do it. Years had gone by. Jonathan was dead. Little Mephi is now an adult. Was not such a great guy. Wasn't David's favorite dude, right? Hmm, got an opportunity to solve a problem here. No, no way. Verse 7. The king spared Jonathan's son, Mepho Bishaf, little Mephi, who was Saul's grandson. Why? Because of an oath David and Jonathan had sworn before the Lord.

Once you make an oath, you keep it the rest of your life. Even if the party that you made, the oath to, died, it doesn't matter. You give your word, you keep it.

David sent seven other of Saul's sons, and they were executed, and the famine was over. But Mephi stayed at David's table all of his life because of an oath that he had made, and he stayed loyal to that oath, even after Jonathan was long gone.

So I ask us, what kind of a Christian are you? Can you be described as being a loyal Christian? My guess is yes, but brethren, we all falter in this, and we falter in two different ways. The purpose of this sermon is to watch out for how we falter in our loyalty to God. We do it twice, and we all do this.

Are we the fair-weather Christian? Only stay with God as long as things go well. And as soon as things don't go well, we try to work things out for ourselves.

And we don't keep our oath that we gave to God. I'm going to read from an article called Becoming an All-Weather Christian by Larry Walker. This was April 6, way back in 2001.

If you get me out of this, I will always do what you want me to do, they profess. But when things in the future return to normal, they forget God and continue to go their way. Are we the fair-weather Christian? Or are we a foul-weather Christian?

Are we the opposite? We only turn to God when things are really bad. But as long as things are going on okay, you know, I was just too busy to study the Bible today, so I'll get around to it. And that becomes a habit. And then, you know, we come to church and we listen to the sermon at first, and the sermon at... We kind of sing the songs because we have to. But after a while, we just start watching the clock and wondering, where are we going to go to eat?

You know, I wonder what I'm going to eat tonight. And if the social aspect of church... You know, we can keep that up for years. Years! As long as we like socializing with each other. And we're absolutely disloyal to God. Going nowhere, doing nothing, the foul-weathered Christian. When things are going well, we don't need God. So we don't seek God. We require some trial to shake us up and bring us back to God.

Let's quote from that article again. Over the years, I've experienced examples of individuals... Now, this is the foul weather. Right? This is the other side of the story. Over the years, I've experienced examples of individuals burning up the phone lines, pleading for spiritual guidance to steer them through severe trials. But when the circumstances changed and their lives became relatively trouble-free, I never heard from them again. Their former zeal for God was apparently motivated primarily by their need for help.

It has been said that there's no such thing as an atheist lost in the middle of the ocean. Those who look to God only during times of trouble could be classified as foul-weather Christians. Are we loyal Christians, faithful to the end? Jesus Christ describes all three of these categories in the parable of the sower in Matthew 13.

The fair-weather Christian, the foul-weather Christian, and the loyal Christian. The fair-weather Christian is one who's sown on stony ground. The foul weather is sown among the thorns. And the loyal Christian is sown on good ground. Brethren, we are the ground. The seed is the word. What kind of ground are we? Stony, thorny, or good ground? We're not sown on the wayside because we're in church. If you're attending church, you're not the one sown on the wayside. It doesn't even apply. So only these three apply to the church. The stony ground, those are the fair-weather Christians.

Matthew 13, verse 20. You know, we make a commitment to God, brethren, when we're baptized. Do we just melt away when there's a trial? Or like Jonathan and David, do we stick to our commitments until the day we die? Matthew 13, verse 20. But he who received the seed on the stony places, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy.

We make a commitment to God and we say, thank you, God. Thank you for all you've done for me. Oh, I'm so blessed. These are my blessings. Let me count my blessings. Blessed, blessed, blessed. He receives it with joy, in verse 21. Yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles, forgets his commitment. He loses his loyalty. And what about the other side?

Brethren, we've done both. The thorns, foul-weather Christians. Verse 22. Now he who received the seed among the thorns is he who hears the word. Oh, we take it in. We make that commitment. We get baptized. And the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke out the word, and he becomes unfruitful. You know, Jonathan had the opportunity to let his loyalty get choked out. He did.

He had the opportunity. David could have been stony-ground. Jonathan could have been sown among the thorns easily. Jonathan had it made. He had it made. All he had to do was let David be killed by his father. He could have just lied. Instead of bringing a little boy, he could have brought a hundred soldiers. David would have been dead, and Jonathan would have had the good life.

Instead, Jonathan ended up dead. And David ended up with the king's life. I wouldn't call it a good life. It was the king's life.

Jonathan could have very well easily been sown among thorns, but neither one of them were. Both of them were sown on good ground. They were good ground. They were loyal. God and Jesus Christ, brethren, are also loyal. And they expect that in return from us, with no less degree. But exactly what they give to us, they expect in return. Exactly. How much do they give to us? Hebrews 13, starting in verse 4. How much loyalty does God expect? The Apostle Paul starts this argument by talking about loyalty that we're supposed to have to each other. A loyalty that is common to all of mankind, whether you know the Bible or not.

Marriage is honorable among all, he says. It doesn't matter if you're in a Gentile society or a Christian society or a Jewish society. Marriage is an honorable thing.

And the bed undefiled. That means the bed should remain undefiled. There should be loyalty in that marriage between those two people.

But fornicators and adulterers, God will judge. He's not going to take it easy on you if you lose your loyalty, if you do not keep the commitment that you said at the altar when you said, I do.

He holds you to it. How much more does He hold us to the commitment to Jesus Christ? A lot more.

Let your conduct be without covetousness.

That is the core problem with disloyalty. The core problem with disloyalty is, I want to get something else. Oh, I made that commitment, but I don't want to keep it. Why don't I want to keep it? Because I want my circumstances to change.

I'm not satisfied with the circumstances as they are, and I want something different. I covet what that guy has, what that lady has, and I'm going to do something about it. I'm going to take matters into my own hands. Well, that's what Saul did. He walked right out the door away from God.

Let your conduct be without covetousness. Be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. Never. Ever.

When will God be disloyal to us? Never.

What is He considered to be disloyal when we're not content with what we have? Does that mean He doesn't want us to have nice things or improve? No! It doesn't mean that at all.

Go for it! He says whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might. You want to get a bigger, better house, a better car, whatever. God doesn't want you to have anything less. Go for it.

What He doesn't want us to do is have covetousness and try to work out our trials on our own.

He will never leave us or forsake us. And if we try to work out our problems on our own, we are disloyal to Him. We don't believe that. We believe, well, He turned His back on me.

Oh, God's not there anymore. He's not the one who's disloyal, brethren. We are.

God said, I will never leave you or forsake you several times in the Old Testament. He said it to Jacob in Genesis 28.

He'd never leave Him or forsake Him. And then, through Moses, He said it to the ancient Israelites in Deuteronomy just before they went into the Promised Land. Deuteronomy 31. Verses 6 and verse 8. And then, He said it personally to Joshua when He was standing in front of Him with the flaming sword. Be strong and very courageous.

I will never leave you or forsake you. And then Paul repeats that in Hebrews 13. And what conclusion does Paul draw from this?

So, he says in verse 6, we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper, I will not fear, what can man do to me?

Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the Word of God to you, whose faith follow considering the outcome of their conduct.

Jesus Christ, and this is the point, is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Is our loyalty to God the same yesterday, today, and forever?

If we're in a dark place, if we're in a trial, and we don't see God, He didn't move. There's no shadow of turning with God.

He didn't go anywhere. We did. Realize that. Our loyalty has slipped. We have gotten far away from Him. He didn't fall away from us.

And you know what? He's always there. You want to find Him? Turn around. He'll be right there. He will never leave us or forsake us.

If you don't see Him, it's because you're not looking. It's as simple as that.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The Jesus Christ that taught the disciples.

The one who gave His life in a horrible way. Is the same Jesus Christ today? He's right there for us.

We must be loyal like our Savior. Never waver in our commitment to Him.

We must not let a trial, a dark place take us away. But we also must not let the pursuit of riches and the good life take us away.

Satan will hit us on both sides. It's like a tug of war. It doesn't matter which way we go.

Because he'll pull us away from God either direction.

And you know what, brethren? Don't let your opinion, your personal opinion, especially about certain doctrines, take you away.

You know, outside forces can definitely take us away. Trials, yeah, they can take us away.

Riches, yeah, they can choke us out and take us away. But so can and just as easily our own opinion.

Oh, we get so bombarded now with all of these doctrines.

It used to be once every five years some specialty doctrine would come up.

You know, you have to keep this special calendar. You have to say the name of God a certain way.

There's a bunch of them now. We just constantly get hit with them now.

It's probably because of the internet. I don't know.

Facebook is a cool thing, but it has its downsides, too.

You know? Don't let your opinion take you away. But you know what's encouraging?

The early church, the first century church, faced the exact same problems.

I mean, exactly. People would come in and try to give them doctrines to take them away.

You have to eat a certain food a certain way. You still have to be circumcised, even though there's a sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

You still have to be circumcised, or you're not really a Christian. All kinds of things they would make them do.

You can't eat certain foods. You have to eat certain foods.

There are all kinds that Paul was battling the same way.

Don't let your opinion take you away from God, either.

Loyalty requires that we stay committed to God as we were the day we were baptized until the day we die.

Verse 9.

Do not be carried about with various strange doctrines, for it is good that the heart be established by grace.

What does that mean?

How is our heart established by grace? Well, what is the grace that we accepted?

We said to Jesus Christ, My life is yours. And He said to us, I die in your place. You didn't deserve it, but I'm going to do it for you.

And that's how our heart was established.

And Paul is saying, don't you ever forget that. Where your commitment is.

Your heart was established by something we didn't do to deserve.

And we are to remain loyal, just like God is, just like Jesus Christ is.

And we have great examples in the Bible. When I think about them, I sometimes get chills to think about stories like David and Jonathan.

They loved each other like brothers, more than brothers. I have a brother, and I love him. Jonathan and David would have died for each other, gladly.

And yet, when one died, the other kept on with the commitment, even when it wasn't convenient to do so, even when it made sense to let that little brat go, and he had the opportunity to do it, but he remained loyal. Why? Because he made a commitment.

God and Jesus Christ expect that same loyalty from us. So let's always keep that in mind.

And let it be said of us that there is no shadow of turning with you, that we will be the same in our commitment, yesterday, today, and forever. We will never leave God and never forsake him, for we are loyal to him as they are loyal to us.