Be Careful Whom You Obey • 1 Samuel 26

41:03 Teaching begins

Notes

Sometimes it doesn’t look like you’re making progress as a follower of Jesus. Instead it looks like you’re looping. I’ve caught myself thinking, “I’ve done this before.” I’m in a similar situation and I know what my response ought to be.

I’ll think, “Didn’t I do this right last time? Why do I have to do this again?” God is going to repeat situations in our lives to discipline us to go His way. How many repetitions? As many repetitions as He thinks necessary.

In 1 Samuel 26 David experiences this deja vú in his own walk with the Lord. He is hunted by Saul, he gets tempted with the same sin of avenging himself and killing someone. He reacts quicker and better than he’s ever done. God is training him in righteousness.

This principle also works in reverse. If you refuse to go God’s way it makes it easier to sin and continue in a way that leads further away from God.

Be careful whom you obey.

I’m reading in 1 Samuel 26 (to v. 5)

1. Kind of a deja vú here: the Ziphites snitch on David again, and Saul mobilises his army to find him and kill him.

2. Saul arrives in Hachillah and assumes a strong defensive posture.

A. This Hachillah that Saul camps on is a hill. This is all rocky, rugged terrain southwest of the Dead Sea area. It’s good defence. Anyone attacking would have to run uphill. That’s harder than defending and running downhill.

B. Notice that Saul is lying down in the centre of camp. The other soldiers are all around him. This is as secure as you can get in the open air.

C. We can conclude that Saul is here to kill David, not to expose himself to danger.

3. David defies all that careful defending, vv. 6-12.

A. He knows that Saul is there to kill him and he is outnumbered five to one.

B. Still he asks two guys around him, “Which one of you wants to go down there with me?” Abishai says, “Me! I wanna go with you!” He is the son of Zeruiah, David’s sister. So Abishai is his nephew.

C. Then they go right down into the centre of camp. No one is awake, not even the sentries. They tiptoe right up to Saul.

D. Then David and Abishai debate about what they ought to do. They are whispering over Saul in the midst of a camp of sleeping armed soldiers.

1. Abishai whispers the temptation: This is the prophecy! God has given your enemy into your hand. You don’t have to do it—I’ll just take his own spear and I won’t have to strike twice. Come on, let me do this!”

2. This is the word of God that was spoken to David, but we know that Abishai is wrong in his interpretation because killing Saul like this conflicts with other parts of the word of God. Any interpretation that contradicts any other part can’t be true. God’s word is consistent. He delights in unchanging love, even toward your enemies.

3. David has already been in this situation with Saul, and also with Nabal. You don’t kill people and you don’t avenge yourself; you trust in the Lord. So David reacts faster and better to this temptation to strike him dead now. No. This prophecy means that when he is helpless in my power I show him the love of God and be merciful to him.

E. But, says David, let’s make a point. Grab the spear and the jug of water and let’s get out of here. This reminds me of a movie where the main character finds himself in a crowd of sleeping wolves. Just one little noise and they will wake up and kill him. But all 3000 soldiers are dead asleep. This was the Lord.

4. Now David makes his mercy known to Saul, vv. 13-20.

A. He gets across the valley and then starts yelling at Abner, Saul’s commander: Hey Abner! What is your big problem? Aren’t you a man of all men? You’re the best man in Israel! How in the world do you let somebody walk into camp to kill the king? You oughtta be fired for this! In fact, all of you guys are falling down on the job. Look for the spear and the water jug.

B. Abner is sputtering, who do you think you are, waking up the king, but Saul gets there faster. Is that you, my son David? He’s thinking, my goodness, he’s done it again! He was that close, and he could have killed me, and he let me live again.

C. David is so reasonable. I’m not against you, why are you against me? We can solve this right now.

1. If it’s the Lord stirring you up against me, let’s offer a sacrifice and move on.

2. If men are stirring you up against me, they are cursed before the Lord. They are driving me out from the inheritance of the Lord, the land of Israel, and they are forcing me to become an idolater somewhere else than Israel.

3. Don’t let this happen to me. Have mercy on this little flea right here.

5. The tragedy is that nothing is resolved here, vv. 21-25.

A. Saul confesses that he is wrong. He even goes as far as saying I have been a fool. I have really made a big mistake.

B. David gives back the spear and the jug and admonishes Saul.

1. I valued your life today when the Lord delivered you into my power. Someone said to put you to death. I said, no.

2. Let the Lord value my life like that and may He deliver me from everything.

C. Saul blesses David, says you’re going to do great things. Nice words.

D. But then Saul goes back to his throne and David stays in the wilderness. This is the same ending as the last encounter. What’s going on?

6. So what?

A. The principle is, what ever you yield to, that is your master, and the more you submit, the more that becomes your way. Be careful what you obey.

1. David is walking God’s ways and learning and submitting to them. He is practicing mercy, patience, peace, love. He’s getting better at it.

2. Saul is practicing his way and he’s getting better at it. And it’s leading him further and further from God.

a. He’s practicing murder. Saul called out his army of 3000 men to kill David and his men. He premeditated murder. He’s sinning against God.

b. He’s practicing not repenting. Saul doesn’t call what he’s doing a sin, he calls it a mistake. I have greatly erred. He doesn’t call it what it really is: stubbornness and disobedience against God. Samuel said disobedience is the same as witchcraft.

c. He’s practicing taking mercy for granted. Twice he has been shown unusual mercy that no man would have practiced. Saul has no thought of, “O God, You are merciful in the face of all my disobedience and stubbornness. I don’t deserve to be alive. Here I am, please have mercy on me and forgive me my sin against you and against David. Please make me right with you. I’ll get off the throne. Don’t kill me. Please just let me live.”

d. He’s finding it easier and easier to continue in sin as he practices it.

B. Be careful what you obey. Though Jesus has set us free from sin, we are not free agents. We will either serve Jesus or we will serve sin. Romans 6:16-19 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.

C. So our way of life is to continually submit ourselves to Jesus for obedience.

1. How you do this is submit to Jesus all the time. It is conscious at the beginning. You say, “Here I am, Lord Jesus.” You practice being in Him. Practice seeking to be filled the Holy Spirit. The result of the Holy Spirit living in you is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. So you pray, “Lord, please bear Your fruit in me.”

2. You unconsciously obey sin by default. It’s so easy to do. When you find yourself sinning you have to call it sin. Don’t justify it or go easy on it. It makes it easier to do it again. Instead, you always come to Jesus, confess your sin, and return to submitting yourself to Jesus. Repent hard. Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, and He will lift you up.

3. When you find yourself sinning in the same situation over and over then look for what you ought to be doing instead. Sin is stopping you from doing that something. What is it? Pray for help to do that. Pray for the death of Jesus in your life, and pray for the resurrection of Jesus. Pray to not enter into temptation. Fill yourself with the word of God. Read your Bible and meditate on it. You bring Jesus into your situation. He belongs in every place in your life.

D. You should be concerned about sin in your life. One way to know that Jesus is in you is that you become more and more appalled at the sin in you. If you are not concerned you need to be concerned. You might not even be born again.

E. If you are born again you can become discouraged because you sin. You think, “How will I ever walk with Jesus?” Notice v. 24: your life is highly valued before God. He will deliver you from all distress.

1. You’re not on your own. You depend more and more on Jesus dying for you on the cross. Jesus’ death satisfied God’s justice.

2. He is with you to deliver you because He loves you. He will never stop working in you until you stand before Him blameless and glorified.

F. It gets better when you walk with Jesus. It doesn’t get easy, it gets harder, more impossible all the time. Yet Jesus does the impossible. He works in you so that you yield to Him in obedience. That’s grace.

Let’s pray.