Abounding Grace

Announcer: Here’s what’s ahead of us on Abounding Grace.

Guest (Male): It’s true, isn’t it? That God does some of his greatest, deepest work in our lives, not in times of comfort and ease, but in times of the caves. God does a lot of work in the caves. Times of darkness and despair. It’s there that the presence and the power of God shines brightly. It’s in darkness that God’s brightness is revealed to us.

It’s in times of difficulty that we find ourselves crying out in times like never before. It’s in time of deep pressure that we begin to ask the hard questions in life. It’s in times of trials that we really cry out to the Lord. Things change in our lives.

Music: This is amazing grace. This is unfailing love. That you would take my place. That you would bear my cross. You laid down your life. That I would be set free. Oh, Jesus, I sing for all that you've done for me.

Announcer: Offering strength for today and hope for tomorrow through the word of God, this is Abounding Grace. Pastor Ed Taylor will join us in just a second and continue his series in 1 Samuel.

Hey, are you facing what looks to be an impossibility today? Maybe the doctor has come back with some difficult news. It’s cancer. Or perhaps your marriage is on the rocks and looks to be beyond repair. Be encouraged that God can do things we cannot. So join us in 1 Samuel, chapter 22.

Pastor Ed Taylor: As we learned last time in 1 Samuel, if you have your Bibles, open them to 1 Samuel chapter 22. Last time we were together, we only looked at the first couple of verses, learning about a cave and the cross and how God does use unlikely people. He uses people like you and me.

As we learned last time, David escapes from Achish to the cave of Adullam, where far from being alone, God surrounds him with hundreds of people. First his family arrives, and as his brothers renounce the leadership of King Saul and pledge their allegiance to the anointing of God upon David’s life, right then 400 people come.

They come with great difficulties in their lives. Notice verse 2, "And everyone who was in," notice the condition of people that God’s gathering around David. Those that are in distress, those that are in debt, and everyone that was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them, and there were about 400 men with him.

These are the chosen men of God. It wouldn’t be the type of people that necessarily we would immediately put in the category of the chosen men of God, but they are. Those that are in distress, those that are in debt, those that are discontented.

It’s very much in the same realm of how God has chosen us. You begin to think of the condition of your life when you fully understood the work of God for you, when you fully understood the sacrifice of Christ for you, when you fully understood, often we'll refer to that being born again.

That’s what Jesus said, "Unless a man is born again, he won't see the kingdom of God." So many of us had these characteristics in our life, or even worse, where the world would look at us and write us off. It reminded me of how easy it is for us to judge outwardly and just write people off when God’s not writing people off. He sees so much more potential than we'll ever see, and God has chosen us to experience new life, eternal life.

Whatever your condition was, whether it was this difficult time of being in debt and distress or just the difficulty of life, or you were raised in a godly home, either way, you had nothing to bring to God. You had nothing. You came with empty hands, empty hands of desire and desperation to embrace the God who loves you.

Now David could have thought here, "Man, I just want to be alone." We looked at this last time. When you’re running away and you’re discouraged and you want some down time, you run, and oftentimes we find ourselves running to the cave. He could have easily said, as he ran to the cave for a little bit of time, a time to think. We know that in the cave he wrote Psalms, and he wrote some things down.

But God wanted him to lead. God didn’t want him in the cave alone. If he was going to go to the cave, if he was going to run away in this season of his life of leadership, then God was going to intervene and make sure that he was a man that fulfilled his calling. So he brings all these people to him. He wouldn’t allow him to be alone.

These would become, as we'll later see, the mighty men, David’s mighty men coming from such humble beginnings. Verse 3, "David went from there to Mizpah of Moab, and he said to the king of Moab, 'Please, let my father and mother come here with you, till I know what God will do for me.' So he brought them before the king of Moab, and they dwelt with him all the time that David was in the stronghold." Then the prophet Gad said to David, "Do not stay in the stronghold; depart, and go to the land of Judah." So David departed and went into the forest of Hereth.

It’s true, isn’t it? That God does some of his greatest, deepest work in our lives, not in times of comfort and ease, but in times of the caves. God does a lot of work in the caves. Times of darkness and despair. It’s there that the presence and the power of God shines brightly. It’s in darkness that God’s brightness is revealed to us.

It’s in times of difficulty that we find ourselves crying out in times like never before. It’s in times of deep pressure that we begin to ask the hard questions in life. It’s in times of trials that we really cry out to the Lord. Things change in our lives.

For David in the cave, it’s no small thing just on the personal level that God is encouraging him personally. If God was just to encourage us personally, that would be enough, don't you think? Just to have the presence of God in your life and just be so appreciative of what God’s doing in your life, that God knows you’re discouraged, that God meets you in the cave.

You don't get the response from God, "Well, if you want to run to the cave, go on." It seems as if in the scriptures, anytime we find somebody running to the cave, God’s running with them, going after you, not allowing you to be alone, putting people into your life to build you up, to pick you up.

It would be enough if just God came to encourage us in the cave, but consider in David’s life, not only is God encouraging David, but God is arranging the future of the nation of Israel in a cave. He’s doing great work for the future of so many. First he develops the leader, then he sends help. First he works on the leader.

True leaders tend to attract the people that will be used greatly around and from and through their leadership. True leaders seem to attract those people that can see in the leader qualities of character that they admire and want to follow. The people around David never would have been noticed in history if it wasn’t for their association with David. We would have never known that they were in debt. We would have never known how distressed they were until they aligned themselves with this leader that God’s hand was upon.

It’s true we've learned in 1 Corinthians, God doesn’t normally call the great and powerful. He’s looking for people whose hearts are loyal to him in whatever condition their life is. David’s little group around him were rejected by the world, but represent the future of the kingdom. Consider that. The people that the world would reject were actually the ones that God would use for the future of the kingdom of Israel.

What’s your future? You look at your future right now and you think, "Well, considering where I’m at right now, I don't see much future." God sees more than you see, even right now. God can see far greater of how he wants to use you and what’s going to come of your present condition even in the cave. You see so quickly, David, after they gathered around him, so quickly he leaves the cave with this group.

History will reveal to us that it’s this devoted remnant of people, small as it might be, that hold the keys to the future of God’s work upon the earth. What happens with David? The very first thing he does is he takes care of his parents. He takes care of his family. He’s in the cave, he’s got his family coming to him, he’s got these 400 rugged men that come with him. What does he do in verse 3? He heads over to make sure his parents are taken care of.

There’s just something special about our families and about the people in our families, a very special, unconditional love that exists within family. David knows in his leadership, maybe this gathering around put in his mind the reminder, "You know what, David? You’re a leader. You’re a leader on the run, you’re a leader in the cave, you’re a leader. You need to lead these people, and the first thing you need to do is take care of your parents."

The first thing you need to do, and I think he’s assessing his future and knows that he’s going to be on the run for a while. His future is really unknown, and he wanted his parents to be protected. Such a beautiful step from David. One of the things you’re going to learn about David is that he had some historic highs and some really difficult lows. He was really up and down.

There were a lot of character flaws in him as well as a lot of shining attributes of his character, like any normal person. You look at your own life and go, "Man, I've got some radical ups and downs, too." Well, welcome to the club. That’s the work of God in people just like you, just like me, just like David.

I’m reminded in the New Testament, in Ephesians chapter 6, the Bible says, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and your mother, which is the first commandment with promise, that it may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth."

The hazards and difficulties of life and the run in the Judean wilderness was something that he didn't want to see his parents go through, so he took time to take his parents outside of the peril. After David secures the safety of his parents, he returns to Adullam and then took the group to a stronghold, to a fortress for a season, and then he left as the prophet Gad said, "It’s time to go."

Verse 6, "When Saul heard that David and the men who were with him had been discovered—now Saul was staying in Gibeah under a tamarisk tree in Ramah, with his spear in his hand." Isn’t it interesting? Do you notice how many times Saul’s described as a man with a spear in his hand? We looked at that in depth in a previous study, but it made me think, what are you known for? What’s in your hand?

When people are writing the thing, there’s so-and-so with such-and-such. Saul is known as the one with the spear in his hand. He didn’t always have it in his hand, did he? Because he had a tendency to throw it at people. Because what you have in your hand is what you’re going to use. You think about it, you have a spear in your hand, you’re going to throw a spear. But what if you have the sword of the spirit in your hand?

Just in a way like you have the word of God in your hand, you’re going to use it. You’re going to use it. You’re going to be more prone to be a man or a woman after the heart of God when you’re a man or woman with the word of God in your life and in your hand, very symbolically and yet very powerfully. You’re going to have a tendency to use what’s in your hand.

Are your hands crowded with stuff? And that stuff is going to crowd out the work of God in your life. Or as we saw with David, David had often a harp in his hand, an instrument of worship. As David had the harp and Saul had the spear, we saw great contrast in their lives.

So here he is with the spear in his hand and all the servants standing about him. Then Saul said to the servants who stood about him, "Hear now, you Benjamites! Will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, and make you all captains of thousands and captains of hundreds? All of you have conspired against me, and there is no one who reveals to me that my son has made a covenant with the son of Jesse; and there is not one of you who is sorry for me or reveals to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as it is this day."

Oh, Saul, we feel so sorry for you. But not for the reasons that you desire. I mean, that’s pretty bold, "Doesn’t anybody feel sorry for me?" Everybody wanted to say, "No! We think you’re insane. I can’t believe what you’re doing to David." But there he is, holding the spear clenched in his hand.

He’s a paranoid man. Studying the life of King Saul, just as what’s revealed to us in scripture, will lead to the conclusion, no doubt, that Saul was a paranoid man. A man that loved to control. We might even say on a smaller scale, before paranoia ever sets in, Saul was a control freak. A manipulator, using guilt as a motivator, even as we see here. "Is David going to give you more than I've given you? I can give you more. Why would you follow him? Why don't you follow me? Why don't you feel sorry for me?"

And he singles out those from the tribe of Benjamin as suspicion gets the best of him and he begins to belittle them. David attracted men who were willing to risk their own lives for him, but Saul had to use bribery and fear to motivate. You really know what kind of leader you’re following by the methodologies that that leader uses to move you. The greatest motivation in serving the Lord is not fear, is not guilt, is not manipulation. The greatest motivator on the planet earth is love. Love will move people. Love will encourage us. Love spoken, love demonstrated, love is an incredible motivator.

Now, notice with me in verse 9, "Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who was set over the servants of Saul, and said, 'I saw the son of Jesse going to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. And he inquired of the Lord for him, gave him provisions, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.'"

Wherever there is a scheming, manipulative leader, he will surely be surrounded by scheming, manipulating followers. And Doeg is one of them. They’ll do anything to gain their leader’s approval and receive the bonus that comes with that. Doeg was a dog, a scoundrel. He uses the information that he has to sell David out while trying to secure this prime position with King Saul.

The fact is, though, he’s accusing God’s anointed, raising his hand against the king, and it didn't bother him. He just lied. He lied about what the priest said, he lied about what happened. People that are manipulative have no problem lying at any time, all the time, with no shame because it fits their overall goal. It really is a manifestation of "the end justifies the means."

But really, that’s not the heart of God. He wants us to be men and women of truth and fidelity. God’s desire for us is to be men and women of humility and submission to him. He wants us to be real with one another, to grow in grace. Turn over to Psalm 52 for a second, would you? Psalm 52.

We get a little insight from David and his opinion of Doeg. It’s just like, "Hey David, what do you think about Doeg and what he did?" And it’s almost like David said, "I’m glad you asked."

Psalm 52. Remember, we’re learning where some of the Psalms fit into the narrative of David’s life. Psalm 52 is in this region here, in this area of finding out, well notice what he says. It’s to the chief musician, a contemplation of David, when Doeg the Edomite went and told Saul, and said to him, "David has gone to the house of Ahimelech." So here, here’s what David feels, what’s coming from his heart.

"Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man? The goodness of God endures continually. Your tongue devises destruction, like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. You love evil more than good, and lying rather than speaking righteousness." And that "selah" is a pause. Take a deep breath, David. Take a deep breath. Tell us what you really think.

"You love devouring words," verse 4, "you deceitful tongue. God shall likewise destroy you forever; He shall take you away and pluck you out of your dwelling place, and uproot you from the land of the living. Selah." Remember, this is put to music. What a song this is!

But I share this with you as we'll get to the rest of it in a minute, but you have to look at your own life and you go, "You know what, Lord? I feel like this sometimes. I may not write it down, I may not put it to music, but when I see evil or I see something happening to me, I feel like this." And I’m grateful that the Lord would give us an opportunity to express it. It doesn’t condone it, to be all upset, but you have those episodes, don't you? You’re just like, "Man, yeah, you’re just evil. You love devouring words. You’re not upright. You’re not forthright. God’s going to deal with you. God’s going to deal with you. I hope you change before he does because God’s going to deal with you."

"The righteous," in verse 6, "shall also see and fear, and shall laugh at him saying, 'Here is the man who did not make God his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.' But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever. I will praise You forever, because You have done it; and in the presence of Your saints I will wait on Your name, for it is good."

So here’s a little insight of David, what he’s dealing with Doeg and all the how he gets sold out by him. And so notice, back in 1 Samuel chapter 22, verse 11, "Then the king sent and to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s house, the priests who were in Nob; and all of them came to the king. And Saul said, 'Hear now, son of Ahitub!' and he answered, 'Here I am, my lord.' Then Saul said to him, 'Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and a sword, and have inquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as it is this day?'"

"So Ahimelech answered the king and said, 'And who among all your servants is so faithful as David, who is the king’s son-in-law, who goes at your bidding, and is honorable in your house? Did I then begin to inquire of God for him? Far be it from me! Let not the king impute anything to his servant, or to any in the house of my father, for your servant knew nothing of all this, little or much.'"

It was a short distance from Gibeah to Nob, so Saul, enraged, sent for the high priest, sent for his family and the rest of the priests. And in a very disrespectful and in a very disgraceful way, Saul now belittles and berates the high priest, interrogating him. And what he should have been doing, Saul, with all these opportunities, what he should have been doing is recognizing his lost condition before God.

Like the separation every, again, when you’re starting to make these decisions away from the Lord. They often talk about, the illustration is made of a pilot, if it’s off course just one degree, the farther you go off course, you’re not one degree off, you’re way off in the middle of nowhere. Well, I find it’s the same way in the life of the believer. You make one little decision off course, and then you make your next decision a little bit off course, but you are already off course to begin with. So you’re a little bit farther, and now you’re out here. Your destination’s over here, but you’re going over here, over here, and you make another one, you make another one. Those decisions, they get you farther and farther away from where God intends you to go.

And if not corrected, if not caught, if not responded by the patient, loving conviction of God in our lives, you find yourself like Saul, going after the very people of God, turning on this priest, believing lies and even suspiciously making them up in his own mind. What he should have been doing was repenting and seeking God’s forgiveness and direction. And Saul, when you look at it from a very practical perspective, I mean, in reality, he’s conducted...