The Times of the Kings (Part 2)

About a month ago, I gave a sermon where we looked at the rise and fall of King Saul. Saul, of course, was Israel's first king, and I would say one of the more tragic figures of the Bible. After all, he was a man chosen directly by God. You know, as you recall, he was pointed out to Samuel. Hands were laid upon him. God granted his spiritual presence in the life of Saul, and that way he was empowered to go out and be a king of Israel. And yet, time and again, Saul failed to live up to God's expectation for him.

As you recall, following Saul's failure with King Agag, Samuel tells us in 1 Samuel chapter 15 verse 23, because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he also has rejected you from being king. That's basically where we left off in the first part of this study series that we're going through on the Kings. So although Saul is still sitting on the throne, still remaining in that position of leadership over Israel and Judah, his days as king are numbered.

And so today what I'd like to do is pick up essentially where we left off now with David. David is a rather fascinating figure and an interesting study because he's not, so we say, the opposite of Saul. He is quite different from Saul. Saul was flawed, but David on the flip side, we wouldn't say was was perfect either. David is a complex individual. He is courageous and compassionate. He was a deeply faithful man who was also capable of some very deep failures.

And yet God says something about David that he never says about Saul. Indeed, God calls David a man after his own heart. So I'd like to look at David today. The title of the message is The Times of the Kings, Part 2, The Rise of the Shepherd King. The Rise of the Shepherd King. And in today's study we're going to, in one form or another, kind of go over 1 Samuel chapter 16 through 2 Samuel chapter 1. There's spots that will kind of hop through as high points, and I would just encourage you in your spare time to go back and read it through in its entirety to catch the full flow of the life of David.

But today we're going to trace David's rise to kingship, and in doing so we'll see how God takes a lowly shepherd, a youth. Some kind of make David out in the early times of his visibility in the Bible as a boy, but I think it's more accurate to say a youth. And God takes this lowly shepherd youth and step-by-step raises them up to the place of the throne. And along the way we'll see what kind of a man David is and will become and how the experiences of this life will shape him in service to the people of God.

You know, David is someone that experienced things that I think were never on his radar, and yet they were instrumental to bringing him to the point where he would be the one to fulfill God's purpose among his nation of Israel. So let's begin today in 1st Samuel chapter 16, just exactly where we left off last time with this sermon series. 1st Samuel chapter 16 and verse 1. Now the Lord said to Samuel, How long will you mourn for Saul?

Seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel. He says, Fill your horn with oil and go. I'm sending you to Jesse, the Bethlehemite, for I have provided myself a king from among his sons. And Samuel said, How can I go? For if Saul hears it, he will kill me. The Lord said, Take a heifer with you and say, I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do, and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you.

Okay, so Samuel goes up to Bethlehem as God instructs, invites the family of Jesse to the sacrifice, and in time then the sons of Jesse are brought out. And a one-by-one, as Samuel would view them and consider. Verse 6, it says, So it was when they came that Samuel looked at Eliab, and he said, Surely the Lord's anointed is before him. You know, Samuel's thinking, This must be the guy.

Because God said, I'm gonna choose someone from among his sons. And, you know, this man looked the part, I'm sure. Tall, handsome, probably presented like a leader, carried himself like a king. And Samuel says, You know, This one must be the one. Everything about him says king. Verse 7, But the Lord said to Samuel, Do not look at his appearance, or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees. For man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

Understand, God was looking for something in the next king of Israel that would be special. Something that was internal. Something that God could work with and develop and use in his service. And this is the heart. I use this verse often for baptism counseling, because it's walking the person through a process of recognizing what God is doing in our life is not just external. He's building his character and his likeness in each of us.

And indeed, he looks at the heart. That's what he's searching for in a king. A heart that was teachable, that was moldable, and one that was desirous to fulfill God's will and purpose. To anoint someone outside of kind of the the heart requirement really meant that they would risk heavily going right back down the same path as Saul.

God says, I am seeking someone different than that. So one by one, Jesse's sons pass before Samuel. One by one, God says, no, not this one, not this one, not this one. And they kind of all pass by, and Samuel asks a question that maybe seems awkward. He's like, is this all of them? Are there any more? Well, verse 11, Samuel said to Jesse, are all the young men here? Then he said, there remains yet the youngest, and there he is, out keeping the sheep.

You know, if you look out the window, he's way up there on the hill. That speck, you know, that's the young one. Samuel said to Jesse, send and bring him, for he will not sit down until he comes. You know, this tells us something interesting, because apparently it didn't occur to Jesse to invite David, or you know, maybe it was just thought, well, you know, he's looking for someone that is not a youth, he's looking for a king.

And so David, maybe the brothers say, we've got to meet with Samuel. You watch the sheep, you know, you watch the sheep. And yet, Samuel says, we're not going to sit down until you bring him. Verse 12, this is what David was doing, keeping the sheep. Verse 12, so he sent and brought him. Now he was ruddy with bright eyes and good-looking, and the Lord said, arise, anoint him, for this is the one. You know, God says, I've made my choice, and this is him, and I see something here that I am after, something as moldable, someone who will fulfill my will. You know, David was chosen while still a shepherd, still unknown, still untested, at least in eyes of man.

I would say certainly not in God's eyes. God would have been watching him for a time. But there was something that he saw, even in David as a youth, long before he'd proven himself openly, long before he'd ever gone out and made a public name for himself. God saw a faith, a responsiveness, and a potential. He says, I can take this one and use him in my service and over my people.

As we're going to see, these qualities were formed while David was simply being faithful to the task he was given as the youngest of Jesse's sons. He was tending the sheep. You think, you know, lowly responsibility. Right? You know, that's maybe something that a servant, trusted servant, would do. Okay, maybe the youngest in the family. He's out tending the sheep while the brothers are up to a more important meeting. But God saw David day in and day out doing something.

Tending sheep. Not some great responsibility in the terms of earth-shattering. But God saw something being molded in him that he could use. You know, for me it gives us pause to consider, what is my day-in and day-out responsibility? You know, and for all of us, what does it look like at the job, in our home, among our families and friends? You know, don't think these things are, you know, non-important. You know, God is watching how we handle every responsibility we're given.

He's seeking a heart and a character that is in line with his. Verse 13, and Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed David in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose and went to Rama. And so David is anointed King of Israel.

And then, you know what? Something very important happens. Nothing. Right? Nothing. David doesn't go to the palace. He doesn't have a crown placed on his head and received a scepter or sat in a seat to rule. He simply goes back to the sheep. Because, you see, David has been anointed, but he's not yet been installed. God has chosen him to be the next King of Israel. But he's not yet been placed into that position.

And this is how David's rise begins. Chosen by Samuel's anointing, empowered by God's Spirit, and then sent back into obscurity, doing what he was doing. Keep growing as he was already growing. Understand, God placed value on these shepherding years of David. Through them, he learned how to tend God's people ultimately. In the field, among the flock, learning how to find a stray and bring them back.

Find the injured and banish them up and put them back amongst the flock once again. Indeed, important lessons that David was learning that would ultimately play into his ability to guide and protect and shepherd the people of God as God wanted them. Like a shepherd who cares for the flock. Hold your finger here, and let's turn over to Psalm chapter 78. It's actually the only time in the message we'll venture out of Samuel's writings, but Psalm chapter 78 verse 70 tells us something very important. As a scripture, it looks back on this point of history, and it shows the value that David's humble beginnings played in his eventual leadership of a nation.

God was doing something here, and something valuable was being molded in the sheepfold. Psalm 78 and verse 70, it says, he also chose David his servant and took him from the sheepfolds. I mean, literally, when Samuel came to anoint him, David's out tending the sheep. Verse 71, from following the ewes that had young, he brought him, and notice why, to shepherd Jacob his people and Israel his inheritance. Verse 72, so he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands. Two very, very important key factors in leading God's people, integrity of heart and skillfulness of hands.

And if you have one without the other, it's just it's not going to work well. But he saw what David was developing out amongst the lowly sheep. Again, a matter of character and a matter of heart. David's time spent tending sheep prepared him for the responsibility of ruling as they learned what it meant to guide and to protect the flock. And so during those quiet years, that's when God actually was working and molding and bringing David along, preparing him for his future service. If we go back to 1st Samuel chapter 16.

1st Samuel 16 and verse 14. Here we have the vision, the curtain opened back up for us on what's happening in the life of Saul. Again, Saul is still on the throne. 1st Samuel chapter 16 verse 14. It says, But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a distressing Spirit from the Lord troubled him.

Okay, so as a result of this, you know, Saul had disobeyed God, not fulfilled his will, done his own thing from his own hardened heart. And God says, I'm removing my spirit, which I gave to empower him. And now a troubling spirit comes and plagues Saul. And all of this, coupled with his own insecurities, Saul slowly begins to unravel. And as the story continues in across the rest of the book of 1st Samuel, Saul becomes jealous, he becomes paranoid, becomes violent.

Ultimately, he seeks to try and kill David, and he even went as far as to try to kill his own son. Again, the result of what happens to this man whom God put over his nation, who rejected God, therefore God rejected him and withdrew that spirit. Saul, again, very quickly began to unravel. As the story continues, then, it's told Saul that one of Jesse's sons is skillful at playing the harp. And so David is recruited into the palace to come and play for Saul. Whenever the troubling spirit comes, David would play the music and the distressing mindset, and the cloud would lift off of Saul, and he would be strengthened again.

Going down to verse 21, 1st Samuel 16, verse 21. So David came to Saul and stood before him, and he loved David greatly, and he became his armor bearer. Then Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Please let David stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight. And so it was, whenever the spirit from God was upon Saul, that David would take a harp and play it with his hand, then Saul would become refreshed and well, and the distressing spirit would depart from him. You know, it's a very interesting story and an interesting way in which God brings these two men together in a relationship that's going to be pivotal to David's development towards kingship moving forward.

Now, as we move into chapter 17, we find an opportunity for David's faith to be publicly tested through a story we know well. Here the Philistines and the Israelites have gathered together across the Valley of Elah. You know, the armies are at a standoff, essentially. The Philistines on one mountaintop, Israel's army on the other, the Valley in between them, and it's a standoff. They're staring one another down, and no one's really moving. And then Goliath appears.

All right, you remember Goliath, this great giant of the Philistines, a mighty warrior and one that towered over everyone else, one that incited fear in the people and the enemies they faced.

Goliath steps forward and mocks Israel. He challenges Israel to send them their best champion. You know, let's have a one-on-one fight here. You take your best guy and you pit him against me, and we'll see who comes out on top. And if you win, we'll be your servants. But if we win, you'll be our servants. And frankly, the response from Israel was fear, and from King Saul, the response appears to have been silence. Day after day, Goliath's coming out, throwing down this challenge and his coming unmet. Meanwhile, David is back at home tending his father's sheep, unaware he's actually about to walk into the middle of one of the most dangerous moments of Israel's history. But if we go to 1 Samuel chapter 17 and verse 15, it says, But David occasionally went and returned from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem, and the Philistine drew near, Goliath, presented himself forty days, morning and evening.

Then Jesse said to his son David, Now take for your brothers each an ephah of dried grain and ten loaves, and run to your brothers at the camp, and carry these ten cheeses to the captains of their thousands, and see how your brothers fare, and bring back news of them. You know, this army's out there for forty days, and you just, they need to be supplied, they need to be fed, and it's generally like people sent up things to support the war effort, is what's taking place here.

Verse 19, it says, Now Saul and they all, the men of Israel, were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. So David rose early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper.

Important point, he doesn't just abandon his responsibilities, like any good shepherd, he left the sheep with a keeper, took the things, and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the camp, as the army was going out to fight, and shouting for the battle. For Israel and the Philistines had drawn up in battle array, army against army, and David left his supplies in the hand of the supply keeper, ran to the army, and came and greeted his brothers.

Verse 23, then he talked with them there as the champion Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, coming up from the armies of the Philistines, and he spoke according to the same words. And so David heard them. He says, And then all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and they were dreadfully afraid. So the men of Israel said, Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel, and it shall be that the man who kills him, the king will enrich with great riches, give him his daughter to marry, and give his father's house exemption from taxes in Israel. Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine, and takes away the approach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God? There's actually something very telling here in David's description of Goliath and why he actually felt emboldened to step forward and to confront him. Because you see what Saul and the army of Israel saw when they looked at Goliath was a giant, right? This big menacing warrior. They saw this man that towered nine to eleven feet tall. He was covered in armor weighing 125 pounds. He had a spearhead weighing 17 pounds. And literally just a look at this guy, they were trembling in fear. But that's not what David saw. When David looked at Goliath, he didn't see a big scary giant. He saw an uncircumcised Philistine. And he names it as such. And actually that's significant.

It's significant because what was circumcision? Well, was it not the sign of the covenant between God and his people? So what David saw was someone outside the covenant. When he looked at Goliath, he didn't see an intimidating enemy. He saw someone that had no relationship with God, no favor, no protection from him. But he knew who they were. The people of Israel, the armies of the living God. They were God's covenant people. And so the question wasn't, who is stronger? The question is, who is on God's side? And I think that's a very important perspective to always keep. That's the perspective David is coming from. My last sermon I mentioned, right? If God is for us, who can be against us? And that's the mindset of David as he looks at Goliath. Verse 31.

It says, Now then, when the words of David, which were spoken by David, were heard, they reported them to Saul, and he sent for him. Then David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine. And Saul said to David, You're not able to stand and go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are youth. And he a man of war from his youth. You know, David was young, but I don't think he was a boy, as it sometimes is portrayed. He was a youth probably 18 to 20 years of age, somewhere in there. But the point that Saul is making is, you're not battle-hardened. You're not trained in the army. You haven't been through this process. You know, really, what do you know about this? This was Saul's focus. Verse 34, But David said to Saul, Your servant used to keep his father's sheep. And when a young lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, he said, I went out after it and struck it and delivered the lamb from its mouth. And when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, struck it, and killed it. I mean, can you even imagine this, you know, lion comes back at you and you grab it by the beard and slaughter it? Again, as a shepherd, that's when David did these things. Verse 36, Your servant killed both lion and bear, and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God. Okay, verse 37, Moreover, David said, The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion, from the paw of the bear, he will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said to David, Go, and the Lord be with you. You know, talk about a shepherd's story.

And talk about a shepherd's story. David wasn't qualified to face Goliath because he was skilled at killing wild animals. Understand he was qualified because he had faith in God, and that faith had been developed out in the fields, among the flock, day by day. I have to understand, brethren, that this faith didn't appear suddenly. It wasn't like David showed up one day and saw Goliath and said, Oh, I better figure out how to muster up some faith. He had faith that was built step by step as God delivered him out of danger, one danger after another. He faced the lion. He faced the bear. God was there. God provided, protected. The deliverance came, and each deliverance was a builder of faith. Each deliverance was like a stepping stone of faith, leading to greater faith. It's like Paul writes in Romans chapter 1 verse 17, We go from faith to faith, right? Encouraged by what God does in our lives and emboldened to step forward unto greater acts of faith. Because he's there, there's a track record. There's a relationship. And this is where David was on this day that he confronts Goliath. Verse 38, So Saul clothed David with his armor, put a bronze helmet on his head. He also clothed him with a coat of mail. And David fastened his sword to his armor, and he tried to walk, for he not tested them. And David said to Saul, I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them. So David took them off.

Verse 40, Then he took the staff in his hand and chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook. Some say that, you know, he took five because Goliath has four brothers, and David wasn't going to miss even once. But, you know, here's some for the brothers, maybe. But, you know, doing our part, it never hurts to be, do our part, right? And be prepared even while having faith. He took these five stones, and he goes out to face Goliath with a sling in his hand. It says, verse 40, He took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones, put them in the shepherd's bag and the pouch which he had. The sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine. So the Philistine came and began drawing near to David, and the man who bore the shield went before him. And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him, for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking. So the Philistine said to David, Am I a dog that you come at me with sticks?

And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said that David, Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air, the beasts of the field. And David said to the Philistine, You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Okay, one is the weapon of warfare of might and power and skill, humanly. The other is faith in God. And that's truly who Goliath was standing against. Verse 46, This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands. I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistine to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the field, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. You know, in my mind it's like maybe the cheer went up from from those that are backing David. You know, I could paraphrase this, but to me, to me, let's read it. The words are powerful. Verse 47, Then all the assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with the sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hands.

And so it was when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. Then David put his hand into his bag, took out a stone, and slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David. Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword, drew it out of his sheath, and killed him, and cut off his head with it. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. You know, I guess they never expected this defeat. I guess maybe they forgot the deal, right? You defeat him, we'll be your servants. Off they go. Down to verse 54. David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put the armor in his tent.

Then Saul saw David going out against the Philistine. He said to Abner, the commander of the army, Abner, whose son is this youth? And Abner said, As your soul lives, O king, I do not know.

So the king said, Inquire whose son this young man is. Okay, again, not a boy, a young man, but a youth. Verse 57. Then as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. And Saul said to him, Whose son are you, young man? So David answered, I am the son of your servant Jesse, the Bethlehemite.

This moment marks a major turning point in the life of David, because suddenly he's gone from obscurity, right? The obscure shepherd boy in the wilderness, now national attention in the eyes of all of Israel. And as a result, his rise becomes visible. 1 Samuel chapter 18 and verse 1. Everybody now knows his name. 1 Samuel chapter 18 and verse 1. Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David. And Jonathan loved him as his own soul.

Saul took him that day and would not let him go home to his father's house anymore. And then Jonathan and David made a covenant because he loved him as his own soul. I should mention, there's so many storylines that are attached to David and his experiences that there's not possibly time to go through most of them in any detail, because I want this overview of David to cover two sermons and not ten. But Jonathan and David is a story of an incredibly close friendship, a remarkable relationship. I actually gave a sermon on Jonathan and David, so I'll give this to you if you want to go listen to it. It's in our archives from February 16, 2019. I gave a sermon titled, A Story of True Friendship, and it traces that thread through the entirety of that story of David and Jonathan and the loyalty that Jonathan showed towards David and to his father Saul.

Really, it's an incredible relationship that they maintained. For our purposes today, it's enough to say that David and Jonathan recognized something special in each other. They shared a common faith. They shared a courage. They shared a trust in God. If you go back to part one of this sermon series when I was talking about Saul, you know, Jonathan's his son, you'll recall Israel was facing off against the Philistines again, and they were stalled. And Jonathan took his armor bearer, and the two of them single-handedly went in and attacked the garrison of the Philistines and sent them on the run. And at that time, Jonathan said in 1 Samuel 14 verse 6, nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few. That sounds like David, doesn't it?

Sounds like that kind of mindset, that kind of faith and courage. And so you can understand the mutual admiration that there was between these two men. And indeed, it was a friendship that was so incredibly valuable to David, as well as Jonathan, during the years of David's trials.

After Goliath's defeat, Saul brings David into his court.

Chapters 18 and 19 cover this. David becomes a great military leader, and the scripture says he behaves wisely in all his ways. You know, God just is blessing David. People can see when he goes out and then he comes in, he is a success. Anything his hand touches, you know, it turns the gold. And people are on their lips and their mind thinking and repeating the name of David. And you know, that becomes a real problem for Saul, at least in his own mind. The people begin to sing, Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands, as David's favor now begins to grow in the eyes of the people. And the problem with Saul now is, again, his insecurities. Those things that have been there all along. He begins to look at David, begins to compare himself with David, and he begins to see David as a threat. The comparison leads to jealousy, the jealousy leads to rage, and ultimately the rage leads to attempted murder. And Saul seems to seeks to remove David from his up-and-coming position. So for David, God's calling didn't mean an easy path right up front. And you know, that's a lesson for us as well, brethren. You know, God calls us out of this world and into relationship with him, and we might think, well, it is smooth sailing from here.

But as Mr. Hayes said, we have an adversary who seeks to trip us up. We have a world that is against the people of God and the ways of God, and it's not always going to be smooth sailing. Indeed, that is the record of the Scripture. But what we recognize is through the process and through the trials, God is often doing something and developing something that will be great in his service. And this is the case with David. Chapters 21 through 27 describe David's flight from Saul, where he literally spends years on the run living in caves, hiding in wilderness strongholds, and in a foreign territory. And during this time, his following grows. As you consider the story, eventually he has 600 men that are part of the grouping that is now following him. And you figure, connected to many of them are probably wives and children. So there's literally an army that has attached itself to David, 600 men. And these were individuals who were distressed, indebted, and discontented. They rallied around David. And you can find that reference in 1 Samuel, chapter 22, in verse 2. Ultimately, this group becomes the foundation for David's future leadership structure, as you have the men that stood by him through the years, through his wilderness runnings from Saul, covering his back, fighting side by side with David. Indeed, this was something that was building towards the future. For most people, a season like this would be discouraging and maybe even crushing. Many estimates put David's wilderness years at 10 to 13 years. 10 to 13 years. Where's the kingdom?

Right? He's been anointed by Saul, and he's probably asking himself why. You know, why is God allowing this? What am I supposed to do? How is this going to work out? The king now, Saul, wants to kill him, and it's known that Saul is not a righteous man of God. Why is no doubt on David's mind.

But understand, these weren't wasted years for David. Just like his time spent tending the sheep, God uses this season to teach him important lessons through his experiences. And we don't have time to delve into all of them today. We'll hit a couple of high points, but the point is it is not wasted in God's sight, and this is not time wasted in David's development either.

It's also during this period that David begins to build a household. Now, you'll recall that David's first wife, Michael, was Saul's daughter. Okay, so she loved David, and Saul had given Michael to marriage to David. She helped him escape Saul's attempt to kill him. That's in 1 Samuel 19, verse 11 through 19. You'll recall Saul wants David dead, and he sends men to the house, and she helps him escape, and then basically, you know, puts a form in the bed to make it look like David's there, and he's sick. He helps him to escape. Later, Saul takes Michael away and gives her to another man, and it wasn't until David was established as king, actually quite a number of years later, that he then demands the return of his wife. I mean, he's not in a position at this point. Saul's taken her and given her to another. While on the run, David marries Abigail, the widow of Nabal, and you heard in Mr. Neff's sermon last week the story of Abigail and Nabal. Nabal dies, and Abigail is recognized by David for her wisdom, for her humility. That's 1 Samuel 25, verse 39 through 42.

David also marries a Hinnom of Jezreel, 1 Samuel chapter 25, verse 43. So, you know, these marriages actually help us to understand the growing complexity of David's life politically, relationally, as we get forward into the next part of this series, and we look at some of the challenges David faces later in life, and frankly, family dysfunction that comes between his children, and even one of his own children tries to kill him and take the kingdom. This is kind of the foreshadow of what ultimately will build to some of those family difficulties later in his kingship.

Nevertheless, during this time on the run, David was learning how to lead people, how to survive under pressure, and how to depend on God day by day. He is literally being shaped in the wilderness years on his run from Saul, again, through the experiences that he would encounter. Indeed, a number of the Psalms record David's insights, his feelings, right? They're kind of his internal emotions that come forth in these Psalms, and a number of Psalms are actually written during these years. I'll give you a reference to a few of them here. Psalm chapter 34, Psalm chapter 34 was written when David pretended madness before Achish, and that relates to 1 Samuel chapter 21. So, you know, sometimes it's interesting to go and take a psalm, and if you notice in the header, it'll generally tell you when and where it was written and what was going on in the life of the psalmist, and go back and read that account, and then read the psalm, and it really shows the expression coming forth from his heart. Psalm chapter 56 was written when the Philistines seized him in gath, and that parallels to 1 Samuel chapter 21. Psalm chapter 57 is written while he's hiding in the cave, likely in Ngedi or Adilim. There's a couple of different occasions for this, and it relates to 1 Samuel 22 or 1 Samuel 24. Psalm 59 written when Saul sent men to watch David's house and to kill him, again, when his wife helped him to escape, and that parallels 1 Samuel chapter 19. And the last one I'll give is Psalm chapter 63, which was written while in the wilderness of Judah. There's kind of a broad time frame context there, but again, to read the accounts, to know what David is going through, and then to read the Psalms is pretty enlightening. I mean, they're expressing things like, I was surrounded on all sides by my enemies, and the pit was before me, and you know, God, I cry to you for deliverance. No one can deliver but you. And then it will transition into, essentially, you took me from the pit, you opened the way before me, you delivered me, you are my God in whom I trust. You know, so many of those Psalms, and are written with that cadence of distress, danger, apparel, deliverance, and praise. And it's just, it's enlightening to me to read them kind of side by side with the actual physical accounts of what was happening.

There's others, too. You can go research those. The Psalms are filled with honest prayers that reveal both the weight of David's trials, and the depth of his trust in God.

Twice during this period of the 10 to 13 years of wilderness years, David had the opportunity to kill Saul. Twice. But he didn't take it. Let's take a closer look at those accounts. First Samuel chapter 24 and verse 1.

Again, the point of going through a number of these things is not just kind of a historical oversight, but helps to give us an insight into the heart and character of the man, and why God said, this is a man after my own heart. First Samuel chapter 24 and verse 1. Now it happened when Saul had returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, take note, David is in the wilderness of Ngedi. It says, Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel and went to seek David and his men in the rocks of the wild goats. You know, that name just kind of lights up the imagination as to, you know, what kind of territory must these men have been running around in? The rocks of the wild goats.

Verse 3. So he came to the sheepfolds by the road where there was a cave, and Saul went in to attend to his needs. He had to use the restroom. David and his men were staying in the recesses of the cave. Verse 4. Then the men of David said to him, This is the day which the Lord said to you, behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it seems good to you.

You know, the guys are like, David, this is it! We've been running from this guy for years. He wants to kill you. You're the king! This is God's deliverance. Rise. Take the opportunity.

And David rose, it says, and secretly cut off the corner of Saul's robe. Now it happened, verse 5, afterwards, that David's heart troubled him because he had cut Saul's robe. And he said to his men, The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the Lord's anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord. David had a respect for who it was that Saul was as king, even if he had disgraced himself, even if he had to a degree turned from God. This was still the sitting king, the anointed of God. And David respect that position very highly. Verse 7, so David restrained his servants, again, with these words, and did not allow them to rise against Saul. And Saul got up from the cave and went his way. And David also afterwards went out of the cave and called to Saul, saying, My Lord the king. And Saul looked behind him, and David stooped with his face to the earth and bowed down. And David said to Saul, Why do you listen to the words of men who say, Indeed, David seeks your harm? He says, It's not true. It's not true.

Verse 10, Look, this day your eyes have seen that the Lord delivered you today into my hand in the cave. And someone urged me to kill you, but my eye spared you. And I said, I will not stretch out my hand against the Lord, my Lord, for he is the Lord's anointed. Moreover, my father, again this term of endearment, my father, he sang to Saul, See, yes, see the corner of your robe in my hand. For in that I cut off the corner of your robe and did not kill you. Know and see that there is neither evil nor rebellion in my hand, and I have not sinned against you, yet you hunt my life to take it.

Let the Lord judge between you and me, and let the Lord avenge me on you, but my hand shall not be against you. It's quite an incredible, incredible incident. David is in a position to kill Saul, just get him out of the way. Get this problem out of the way quickly, easily. You know, go assume the throne, and who would blame him for doing so? You know, certainly none of his men thought that would be out of line to do this thing, and it was well within David's power to do so, but he restrained himself. His men probably thought he was crazy. Why not take the opportunity? But David still respected Saul as God's anointed. A remarkable quality about David is that he was willingness to extend mercy toward someone who had wronged him, and wronged him severely. And this is part of what makes him a man after God's own heart. This is a God-like quality. After all Saul had done, seeking his life, taking his wife, and giving her to another, David would not even do what seemed logical from the human perspective to end Saul's life. You know, it's an incredible example, I would say, of what Jesus taught and exemplified in Matthew chapter 5 and verse 44, where Jesus said, Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you. Again, Matthew 5 verse 44. That's not easy. And that goes contrary to our carnal and human nature to to let such a thing go. And I can't even imagine the scope in David's life. He's on the run under the threat of death. And he let Saul simply walk away.

Verse 16. So it was when David had finished speaking these words to Saul, and Saul says, Is that your voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. Then he said to David, You are more righteous than I, for you have rewarded me with good, whereas I have rewarded you with evil. And you have shown this day how you have dwelt well with me. For when the Lord delivered me into your hands, you did not kill me. For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him get away safely? Therefore may the Lord reward you with good for what you have done to me this day.

And now I know indeed that you shall be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand. Therefore, verse 21, swear to me now by the Lord that you will not cut off my descendants after me, and that you will not destroy my name from my father's house. So David swore to Saul, and Saul went home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold. So, you know, again, despite everything he had endured, David maintains his integrity, and he shows respect towards Saul, and even towards his descendants. He says, I will not wipe them out before you when I am king. You know, that's the way the nation's around. If somebody came to power, or they became the king, or if another army invaded and they conquered your king, and they became king, they wiped out all opposition to the throne. They killed your brothers, your sisters, your children, your grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins. Just wipe the slate clean so that there would be no challenge to their authority. And David says, you know, I will not do such among you in Israel.

1 Samuel chapter 25 verse 1 says, Then Samuel died, and the Israelites gathered together and lamented for him, and buried him at his home in Rehma. And David arose and went down to the wilderness of Puran. So this ends the chapter of Samuel's life. Again, he was the first judge of Israel, excuse me, the last judge of Israel, the last standing judge of faithful loyal man to God. He was the anointer of the first two kings of Israel. And again, he was a righteous and a faithful man. Now the second incident where David's fair, Saul's life is found in 1 Samuel chapter 26. I just want to read a few verses from this. 1 Samuel chapter 26, once again, Saul is hunting David, and his camp lies down to sleep at night. David takes a man, and they sneak into the midst of the camp. You know, it's a pretty bold move. The king's going to be in the middle, surrounded by his most trusted servants, those that would be watching and defending him. So they sneak into the camp right up to the point of King Saul, where he is sleeping, and they take his spear and his water jug that are by his head, just to prove again, you know, Saul, your life was in my hand, and I have spared it. So 1 Samuel chapter 26 and verse 7 says, So David and Abishai came to the people by night, and there Saul lay sleeping within the camp, with his spear stuck in the ground by his head, and Abner and the people lay all around him. He says, Then Abishai said to David, God has delivered your enemy into your hand this day. Now therefore, please let me strike him at once with the spear right to the earth, and I will not have to strike him a second time. He says, This is a one blow deal. But David said to Abishai, Do not destroy him, for who can stretch out his hand against the Lord's anointed, and be guiltless? David said, Furthermore, as the Lord lives, the Lord shall strike him, meaning Saul, the Lord shall strike him, or his day shall come to die, or he shall go out to battle and perish. The Lord forbid that I should stretch out my hand against the Lord's anointed. But please take now the spear and the jug of water that are by his head, and let us go.

So throughout both of these incidents, David is demonstrating something crucial in his ability to lead, and that is, he trusts God's timing more than his own opportunity. That's important.

David trusts God's timing more than his own opportunity. I mean, Saul's there. He's there for the taking. If David will take him, I'm sure God would not have stopped him. But the point is, we're going to do this right, not my way, not what seems good in human eyes. This is going to happen according to God's timing. So he says, God's going to handle this. Maybe he'll die of old age. I don't know. Maybe he'll die in battle. Whatever it is, it is not for my hand to be lifted against the Lord's anointed. You know, that's a pretty incredible and important part of leadership, recognizing maybe when something is in your power to do, but to not do it. To recognize, actually, this is something that belongs in the realm and in the court of God's timing and God's resolution.

By refusing to harm Saul, even when he had the chance, David shows that he's not willing, again, to take these matters into his own hands. And indeed, it's a lesson for us, a lesson for the people of God today on waiting on God. And it reminds us that waiting on God is not weakness. David was not weak. It's a matter of trust. It's a matter of faith. It's a matter of turning these important things over to God. There's often going to be times when we can just push ahead our own way, we can defend ourselves, or we can force an outcome ourselves. But real faith is saying, I'm going to let God handle this in his timing and just give it over to him and be okay with that.

Even if for you and I, it leads to more challenge, more hardship, more struggle.

At the end of the day, to recognize what is in my hand that God has put in my hand to do legitimately, and literally what remains in his. Let it remain with him who judges faithfully.

Again, this is a major reason why David was fit to rule, and why he was a man after God's own heart.

Now, if we jump forward to 1 Samuel chapter 31, we see how God eventually allows the resolution to this issue to be brought about. You know, God's not blind to what's going on here. In fact, he knows intimately what's happening. Again, he's watching, he's guiding, he's directing, and he's allowing certain things for his ultimate purpose. But 1 Samuel chapter 31 and verse 1, it says, Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Geboah. Then the Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons, and the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Mount Shishua, Saul's sons. Verse 3, The battle became fierce against Saul, and the archers hit him, and he was severely wounded by the archers. Then Saul said to his armor bearer, Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised men come and thrust me through and abuse me. But the armor bearer would not, for he was greatly afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword and fell on it. Verse 5, And when his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died with him.

So Saul, his three sons, his armor bearer, and all his men died together that same day. And when the men of Israel, who were on the other side of the valley, and those who were on the other side of the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, it says, They forsook the cities and fled. And the Philistines came and dwelt in them.

Verse 8, So it happened the next day when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons, following on Mount Geboah. And they cut off his head, stripped his armor, and sent word throughout the land of the Philistines, to proclaim in the temple of their idols and among the people. You know, we have killed the king of Israel. Verse 10, Then they put his armor in the temple of the asterisks, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. Now when the inhabitants of J. Beth-Gilead heard that the Philistines had what they had done to Saul, all the valiant men arose. They traveled all night. They took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and came to J. Beth, and burned them there. Verse 13, Then they took their bones, buried them under the tamarisk tree of J. Beth, and they fasted for seven days. This is a very sad, very tragic ending to the first king of Israel.

Saul died defeated. He died really separate from God in terms of a relationship, and again, this certainly was a tragedy. Jonathan, David's beloved friend, the son of Saul, died as well.

And his story is one of deep loyalty both to David and to his father the king. Again, study that line out. It's pretty incredible how Saul could be just such a close companion to David in a covenant with David. Yet he's his father's son. His father's the king of Israel, and he never betrayed his father, and he never betrayed David. Certainly a very special relationship there, and deep loyalty that exists. In 2 Samuel chapter 1, word then comes to David regarding the death of Saul and Jonathan.

And rather than celebrating, David and his men tear their clothes, they mourn, they weep, they fast, they cry out for Saul, and cry out for Jonathan. And David composes a lament. So let's read just a small portion of this lament. It was to be taught to the children of Judah. It was set to music. They were to learn it, and they were to sing it. 2 Samuel chapter 1. Let's pick it up in verse 23.

I'm going to jump into the middle of it. David writes, he says, Saul and Jonathan were beloved and pleasant in their lives, and in death they were not divided. They were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions. Oh, daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet with luxury, who put ornaments of gold on your apparel. Understand, this is the national tragedy in Israel, that their king would be defeated at the hands of the Philistines, in the whole nation, including David and his men, wept and mourned and lamented for Saul.

Verse 25. How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle. Jonathan was slain in your high places. I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan. He says, You have been very pleasant to me. Your love to me was wonderful, surpassing the love of women, just a very close and faithful, appropriate friendship among two men. Verse 27. How the mighty have fallen and the weapons of war perished. Despite Saul's attempts to kill him for years, David didn't rejoice in his death. Instead, he honors him. Instead, he magnifies him and lifts him up in the eyes of the people. This reveals a heart that respects God's anointed authority, even when that authority is flawed.

He says, This is the one God has chosen and sent. And until God removes him, indeed, he is our king. David's actions toward Saul solidified his reputation as a leader who operated with integrity and grace. After more than a decade on the run, now David's days of fleeing are over. Now a degree, at least, of peace can be built towards, and the kingdom can be established. So this is where we're going to wrap up the story today. Next time, we'll venture into David's appointment as king over Judah in Israel. But before I conclude, I want to give us, very quickly, four lessons that we can take from David's story thus far. I'm going to keep them brief. You can write quickly, but four lessons from the life of David, many more we could come up with.

Lesson number one, God's calling often comes before our understanding of the journey.

God's calling often comes before our understanding of the journey. You know, David was anointed king and then sent back to the sheep. And he's probably out there in the fields thinking, why? You know, what has just happened? I'm anointed, but there's a king. How can there be two kings? How am I going to be king? What is going to happen here? David had no idea, literally, what lay before him, but he had been called and he'd been anointed for a purpose. And God doesn't always give the full roadmap before he asks us to follow. But we must trust him still. Lesson number two, the hidden years are never wasted years. The hidden years are never wasted years. God used David's time as a shepherd and a fugitive to shape his character, his faith, and his leadership. And those years weren't wasted at all. Those years were preparation. Again, go back, study, read slowly through those chapters, and see all that David encountered. David wasn't perfect, and David had lessons to learn, but he interacted with people in a way that was, frankly, so dramatic and so different than society around him. And it was preparation, again, for shepherding the flock of God. The hidden years are never wasted years. Lesson number three, faith grows through experience, not shortcuts. Faith grows through experience, not shortcuts. David's faith against a Goliath didn't appear overnight. It was built step by step as he trusted God and saw him deliver. The lion and then the bear and then Goliath, stepping stones of faith.

And lesson number four, waiting on God's timing is not weakness, it's trust.

Waiting on God's timing is not weakness, it's trust. David refused to take the throne by force, choosing obedience over opportunity. And ultimately, he trusted in God's timing and God's deliverance his way. And, brethren, for you and I, that's an important lesson as well. Indeed, all of these are important. God chose David, chose him his servant, as he is called, and took him from the sheepfold, from following the ewes that had young he brought him, to shepherd Jacob, his people, and Israel, his inheritance. And so next time, we'll see how God completes the work by placing the shepherd king on the throne of Israel.