1 Sam 24 :1-22 Enemy of instrument

Great people are generally prepared for great works by great trials

A)At this particular point David is being prepared for a great work and he is becoming a great person.

1) THAT is why we are seeing him go through a GREAT TRIAL

B) The plan of God is for David to ascend to the throne of Israel

1) But to PREPARE David for that, we see the Lord allowing David to go through a series of difficult trials

Redpath – God had a great purpose of blessing, a great destiny for David, but at this point he was being put through the Crucible of testing to determine his fitness for what God had planned for him.

We often wish that our next victory, would signal the end of the battle for us We wish that the enemy would just leave us alone

A)But in reality it only means that the next time around – the enemy is going to come after us even harder

B) Lakers 2 time NBA Champs – do teams roll over when the Lakers ride into town ?

1)No way they gear up – Biggest game of the year against Shaq Kobe & Co.

C) Same is true of our enemy – when he cannot get to us thru one particular method & Strategy – Next time He comes even harder

1) So each victory that we have won by the grace of God is the background for the next phase of testing at a deeper level.

D) This is part of the MAKING OF A MAN OF GOD

1) That is what is happening in David’s life as we come to Ch. 24

V.1 ¹Now it happened, when Saul had returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, “Take note! David is in the Wilderness of En Gedi.”

In the barren, desolate territory surrounding the Dead Sea, there is a canyon that runs westward from the Dead Sea.

A)That canyon is called En Gedi, beautiful place – see come w/ us next time we go to Israel –

B) Beautiful waterfalls and vegetation seem more like a tropical paradise than the middle of the desert.

1) As you walk up this canyon, you also notice the numerous caves dotting the hills.

C) This is a great place for David and his men to hide out! Because it is in the middle of barren desert, scouts could easily detect approaching troops.

1) Also because There was plenty of water and wildlife, and many caves and defensive positions.

V.2 Then Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel, and went to seek David and his men on the Rocks of the Wild Goats. ³So he came to the sheepfolds by the road, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to attend to his needs. (David and his men were staying in the recesses of the cave.)

A)The sheepfolds indicates that this was a large cave, large enough to shelter a flock of sheep,

1) so all or most of David’s 600 men could be hidden in the recesses of the cave. While Saul & his men were camping in the Canyon

B) Saul went in to attend to his needs:

1) There were many caves to Choose from – the fact that Saul Chose this one was a God thing !!! What are the chances?

C) This was no coincidence, but arranged by God to test David, to train David, and display godly heart of David.

V. ⁴Then the men of David said to him, “This is the day of 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.’”

David’s men see it as an opportunity for Revenge / to extend Vengence – the Lord has delivered your adversary into your hand

A)Apparently the Lord had spoken thru one of the prophets – Samuel or Gad that a day would come when the Lord would deliver his enemy into …hands

B) So David’s men are thinking this is the Day – strike David – get revenge / that is how they saw it

1) David sees it as an opportunity to extend grace!!!!

And David arose and secretly cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. ⁵Now it happened afterward that David’s heart troubled him because he had cut Saul’s robe. ⁶And 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.” ⁷So David restrained his servants with these words, and did not allow them to rise against Saul. And Saul got up from the cave and went on his way.

C) So Instead of Killing Saul David creeps up & cuts a piece of his robe & then is remorseful afterwards for even doing that -

How do we view such opportunities in our lives

A)When you have the opportunity to lay into someone – they have been caught red handed w/ their hand in the cookie Jar –

B) DO you blast them ? Do you let them have it ? Or do you show them Grace / Extend Mercy

C) Their name comes up in a conversation – in a Negative sense – You know some dirt on that person or that person has irritated you a time or two –

1) Do you join in the verbal assault – or do you extend mercy by not saying anything at all/ or even better show grace by finding something good to say.

David ‘s men saw this as an opportunity from God to strike at Saul to put an end to Saul / But David saw it differently – Why

A)Note several reasons & make some applications to our own lives

1^st David viewed Saul as THE LORD’S ANNOINTED

A)Saul was God’s Chosen to be king !!! Therefore David who had killed many Philistines & other enemies of God wasn’t going to touch Saul

1) And even felt bad for simply cutting a piece off of Saul’s Robe

B) Application for us Every believer in Jesus Christ is anointed of the Lord in the sense that they have been indwelt w/ the very Spirit of God –

1) God’s Child

C)They also have a robe on – they have been robed in the righteousness of Christ –

1) Question are we going to touch the Lord’s Anointed ? Are we going to cut a piece of their Robe off?

Here is what I mean – The tongue can be like a sword – we can use it to cut someone to pieces /

A)Or we can use it to cut a piece of their Robe of righteousness that they have been given by Christ by being critical & cutting w/ our words

B) Saul most likely discarded that robe when he arrived home because it was ruined – how many robes have we ruined w/ our words

1) How many brothers or sisters in Christ – have we tainted in the eyes of others – by simply cutting someone down w/ our words.

C) One of the problems many of us face here in America is that we are opinionated people

1)We live in a culture that trains us to be critical of things – cast our opinion

D) Food Critics / Movie Critics / Radio talk shows – bent on calling in to give a Critical opinion.

1) President makes a speech – or gives a Press Conference – his speech is picked apart by the Media or the other party.

E) Result is we become people who are opinionated / arrogant / who have an opinion about everything / Including our Bros/ Sisters in Christ.

The Lord has been convicting me of Late of my Criticalness – especially toward other ministries

A)I can be Critical because I may not agree w/ their Philosophy or their ministry style or flavor – I have opened my mouth too many times

B)Now I am learning to see the good – overlook what I don’t agree w/ say like Paul I just PTL – that the gospel is being preached

C) Now having said that – that doesn’t mean that we are not required by the Lord to point out heretics & those Fleecing the Flock

D) That is a must – but when it comes to these other issues minor issues rejoice that the Word is being preached – even if it is small in amount

1) Rejoice that Lives are being touched –

So one application for us in this is:

A)We need to not touch the Lord’s anointed by using our tongue to cut up / cut down another believer / Ministry

B)The HS is the agent of Discipline in that person or that ministries life not me/ not You !!!!

C) A 2^nd thing that we need to see in this statement concerning Saul being the Lord’s anointed is this/ (Whether David realized this or not I don’t know)

David refers to Saul as the Lord's anointed & Saul is the Lord's anointed INSTRUMENT to work ON David and IN David

A)This is CRUCIAL for us to understand/ Saul had long since lost the anointing to be king

B)Saul was now merely a usurper trying to hold on to power and position that no longer belonged to him

1) He often times acted like a mad man when an evil spirit would torment him/ He was a murderer/ He killed 85 priests/ He was a MESS

But he was also the Anointed to be the instrument whereby the Lord would develop character and integrity and spiritual depth in David

A)Saul was the INSTRUMENT by which God would prepare David to be king over Israel

B) Again Let us make application of this to our own lives

1) Is there someone in YOUR life that in a moment of honesty you would say: "Lord, please get him or her out of my life"?

C) Maybe a boss, a relative, a friend (so-called), even your spouse?

1) "Lord, I wish they would just cease to be a part of my life."

D)Most of us have such a person at one time in our life- Maybe at one time they were close to you,

1) but over time they became envious of you or threatened by you/ And finally they are out for you every step of the way

Saul was out for David He had NOTHING in his heart towards David but to destroy him

A)On this day, David had an opportunity to REMOVE the source of his discomfort - But he did NOT

B) Because he VIEWED Saul as the Lord’s ANOINTED IN HIS LIFE

1) What about that boss or that relative or that brother or sister in Christ?

C) You may look at that person and say: "He can in NO WAY be an instrument of God..... He is a total WASTE"

1) So When you see that person you avoid them / keep distance from them / You want to blast them w/ your words / cut them to shreds

D)NOTE: He/ she is there in that position ONLY because they is the Lord's anointed instrument to develop YOU and YOUR relationship with Christ

1) IF you start to kill that person with your words, THEN you are killing the Lord's anointed instrument in your life to make you more like HIM!!!

3^RD App: Because David viewed Saul as the Lord’s Anointed He was willing to wait for the Lord deal w/ Saul / not take matters …hands v.8-15

A)We are to do what David did - Let the Lord deal with our husbands or wives or bosses or friends

B) The opportunity was there for David to take matters into his own hands / his men encouraged him to do it – even suggesting it was a divine set up

1) When a moment like this comes in life we need to beware of it. How easy it is to take the initiative & how hard it is to wait for God.

C) It is so easy to just react to circumstances – to do what is right in our own eyes

1) But how painful are the consequences of actions that we take that are

outside of God’s will.

David INSISTED he would not touch Saul and insisted that his men not touch Saul

A)What would have happened if those 600 men had watched David cut Saul to ribbons... Run him through and kill him?

B) What kind of men would they have become?

1) They would have become men who would take matters into their own hands

C) They would have been men who refused to be shaped & molded by God

God’s Children need to learn to wait & watch for the Lord who has put him in a situation – wait for the Lord to bring it to fruition.

A)When a man learns that lesson he is getting somewhere spiritually & is about to be liberated through a new measure of power.

Those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

In all this, we see that David knew not only how wait on the Lord, but he also knew how to wait for the Lord.

A)"We wait on the Lord by prayer and supplication, looking for the indication of his will;

B)We wait for the Lord by patience and submission, looking for the Positioning of his hand."

1) David was determined that when he sat on the throne of Israel, it wouldn’t be because he got Saul out of the way, but because God got Saul out of the way.

C) He wanted God’s fingerprints on that work, not his own, and he wanted the clean conscience that comes from knowing it was God’s work.

1) David was content to let the Lord Judge between him & Saul.

"We win most when we appear to have yielded most, and gain advantages by refusing to take them wrongfully. The man who can wait for God is a man of power." (Meyer)

D) David’s Loyalty to Saul had a Profound affect upon David’s men as they were throughout his reign as king – incredibly Loyal – never an insurrection

1) in fact – Uriah wouldn’t even go home to his wife

E) David even went so far as to make Saul look good in the sight of others / taking Saul off the hook by asking the question in v. 9

Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Indeed David seeks your harm’?

Rap up You can be the most liberated person in the world today IF you will but recognize that that ENEMY is actually the INSTRUMENT of God to mold and shape you

A)You are FREE when you do NOT touch the Lord's anointed...when you

RECOGNIZE that that person is the Lord's anointed

1) Do NOT kill him with your words

B) Do NOT seek to short circuit the process of spiritual maturity

C) Resign to the fact that God can and will deal with that person and remove that person when HE is ready to do so....

1) When HE is done with that particular shaping process in your life

You might be thinking: This sounds THEORETICALLY right but PRACTICALLY it is simply impossible

A)In MATTHEW 5 Jesus gives to us THREE important insights into dealing with the Saul's in our lives

Matt. 5:43-44 ⁴³“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴But I say to you, 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, ⁴⁵that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

It was love for fallen humanity that led Jesus to go to the cross in the greatest display of Love –

A)And pray from the cross – Father forgive them they know not what they are doing ( God’s commandments are His enablements)

B) HOW do we do that? Love our enemies !!!!!

1) Matt. 5:44 bless them that curse you

C) What does it mean to BLESS someone? It means to confer happiness to them !!! To whom? / Those that curse you

1) Those that wish evil and destruction upon you

D) Bless them – find ways to make them happy / show them Kindness

E) Jesus said this because if someone is desiring some form of evil upon you/ as you seek God for them to be blessed, /you are protecting yourself from falling into the same bitterness that they have fallen into!!!

Bless them And do good to them that hate you

A)IF someone is HATING you, THEN you do GOOD to them WHY? –

Mt 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

B)As you pour goodness upon them, you will find your heart is following the treasure that you are pouring out upon them

C) You will NOT be able to fall into HATRED as they have

Bless them/ do Good to them & PRAY FOR THEM!!!! WHY? – A)Something happens when I pray for people

B) You can NOT continue to be mad at someone you are praying for

You CAN be mad at someone you are cursing

1) In fact, you will get more angry with every evil desire that you harbor towards them

C) But You can NOT be in the throne room of God and be angry

You find that YOUR heart begins to melt

1) Prayer changes things – The one it Changes most is me

D) Each of these commands of Jesus are really designed to PROTECT you from falling into the sin that is inflicting pain in your life.

1) And thru the Power of the HS – He can make them a reality in our lives and in the Process make us more like Jesus – that is the Goal.

Note the Reaction that David’s love had upon Saul – v.16-22

A) Saul was a man who spent his final days battling against God – but when he encounters the love & Patience of God demonstrated thru David

1) IT MELTED HIS HARDENED HEART

B) Almost like a flash of lightning – Saul sees his own stupidity & folly

1) That is why the Practice of Love is so important / Love has the ability to break down the most powerful Barriers

C) It has a way of stripping people of their defenses that allows them to be open to the message of the gospel

1) The love that melts a persons heart to the point of being open to receiving the Love of Christ – often starts when they see that love in us

What a Miserable Picture that Saul is though

A)He experiences the emotion of sorrow / tears / remorse confesses – He sees that he is wrong – but doesn’t Change / No repentence

B) What good are the tears / the confession if he doesn’t act upon his remorse

1) Emotions are great if it awakens a person to their sinful condition & results in their turning from their sin

C) Sometimes we see people streaming down the aisle to the front of the altar at Church service crusade/ or outreach. Tears in eyes

1) But what good are the tears if it doesn’t lead to Obedience

D) Not coming forward to acknowledge Christ or Remorse or conviction that Saves a person

1) It is surrendering their hearts to Christ – & the evidence that occurred is seen in their continuing to walk w/ Christ after that day.

E) Coming forward is just the Beginning !!!!

GODLY SORROW THAT RESULTS IN REPENTANCE