I believe when God said, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, He meant that this is our book for life. That we need food to survive, and we need God's word to survive. And he didn't say, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, and some other stuff guys make up. I think that omission is profound And I think that those Christians who don't like that are very offended that that's in the Bible, but they can't come out and say it. You're listening to Cross-Reference Radio with our pastor and teacher, Rick Gaston.
Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel, Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of 1 Samuel. Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about Cross-Reference Radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching. But for now, let's join Pastor Rick in the book of 1 Samuel chapter 29 with today's edition of Cross-Reference Radio. First Samuel chapter twenty nine this evening.
Bad to Worse, that's the title. Perhaps the dominant thought Verse 1, we'll get right to it. Then the Philistines gathered together all their armies at Aphex. And the Israelites encamped by a fountain which is in Jezreel, The lords of the Philistines passed in review by hundreds and by thousands, But David and his men passed in review at the rear. with akish.
Well, if you haven't been following, Achish is the Philistine king that has become friends with David. At least he thinks he's friends with David.
So here is David lining up him and his six hundred men. with the enemy. Ready for battle. On the wrong side. You just got to say, well, what is David doing?
Many commentators are pretty hard on David. They treat him as though he doesn't belong where he is. Was this a planned suicide mission on David's part? I don't think that was it. What about David's men?
What were they thinking? Did they feel like they were defectors, traitors against their own people? I think the answer is a very simple one. they knew they would be in perfect position to attack the enemy from the back. And the Philistine lords, they saw it.
Why can't the commentators see it? But the Philistine lords, they're they're gonna pick it out, eh? Because she's she's just you know naive with the whole thing with David. But while he attacks from the rear, Saul will attack from the front. It would be a perfect storm for victory.
It's not going to work that way. This is a big gathering, incidentally. This is not just a A small battle about to take place. This is a decisive war. Verse 3: Then the princes of the Philistines said, What are these Hebrews doing here?
And Achis said to the princes of the Philistines, Is this not David the servant of Saul, king of Israel? who has been with me these days or these years? And so this day I have found no fault in him. He defected to me. Yuck, yuck, yuck, yuck, yuck.
Incidentally, there's a time stamp here. These days, these years, remember, this whole. Drama which Saul just went on and on, but it's about to end. Yeah, the Philistines, uh they typically refer to the Jews as Hebrews. It goes all the way back to the days of Abraham And then after Jacob was renamed Israel, in time they became known as the children of Israel, and then Israel, since Egypt.
After the fall of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar, they will then pick up the name Jew. Judah, Jew. That's the connection there. But Akish, of course, is reasoning. He can't go back to his people.
He's defected to me. He's run raids on his own people. They'll never take him back. But it was all an illusion. David had lied to him.
Well, you know, it was ambiguous. Yeah, where you've been, David, we're raiding to the south. Aches thought it was the Jewish people. Verse 4. But the princes of the Philistines were angry with him.
So the princes of the Philistines said to him, Make this fellow return, that he may go back to the place which you have appointed for him. and do not let him go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become our adversary. For with what? Could he reconcile himself to his master, if not with the heads of these men?
Now there were five Philistine lords Achish, the king of Gath, he was one of them. Ekron, Ashkelon. You don't need to really go over that unless you want to. But anyway, there were five. five uh different ones and and so akish is A Equal amongst his peers here, but of course, the other four is like, are you crazy?
It's the Acres. Everyone but Akish knew What could happen here?
Well, he was a little blinded because he liked David. He got too close to David. as an enemy and uh he couldn't see the threat any longer. Common sense these men had, In spite of having the wrong God, they still had common sense. And, however, they lack spiritual sense, which is most important.
And it is true, or I say it this way: I believe many believers can, many unbelievers. Many unbelievers can see godliness in someone faster than many Christians can see leaven. And here we have the unbelievers.
Well they can see the problem. They know David Can, you know, uh Turn back to Saul by Taking off the heads of these kings. And he's referencing Goliath. David took the head of Goliath. And so that's.
in the language. Luke's Gospel chapter 6 verse 8 to Back up my statement about many unbelievers can see godliness. in someone faster than believers can see leaven Luke eight, uh Luke sixteen eight. Jesus in his parable says, So the master commended the unjust steward. Because he had dealt shrewdly.
For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light. Christ is a subtle rebuke there. Because you have the right God does not mean you have the right. to stop thinking. The world, they continue to think.
And how much better it would be for Christians to think matters through. That's the point. He continues at the bottom of verse 4: if not with the heads of these men, and again, that's an allusion to David taking the head of Goliath, verse 5. Is this not David? Of whom they sang to one another in dances, saying, Saul has slain his thousands, David has ten thousands, of Philistines.
That's who it was directed towards. The Philistines weren't savages. I mean they were pagans. Uh I'm not trying to Lesson there needs to be judged at this time in history. But if they were savages, they just would have killed, you know, that would have been that.
In verse five, where he mentions this The dances and the singing. David's victories were legendary. He didn't just kill Goliath. He had other victories against the Philistines and other peoples, and in word got around. And so here they say, Good night, Achish.
Yeah. What are you thinking? And you're going to make him tail end Charlie. He's going to be in our rear. The perfect position.
To make things bad for us. Verse 6: Then Achish called David and said to him, Surely As Yahweh lives, you have been upright, and you're going out and coming in with me in the army is good in my sight. But to this day I found Not found evil in you since the day of your coming to me. Nevertheless, the Lords do not favor you.
So he's like, I'm sorry. You know I want you here with us. You're such a great guy. And again, he is He's very naive. When he says, Surely Yahweh lives, he's being polite.
He's not a believer, he's not a convert. If he were, He wouldn't be attacking Israel, but he is honoring. David's God, because it's a polite thing to do. All the pagans did it, they had no problem with it. The Jews, of course, a righteous Jew would never do that.
A Christian would not. Honor. A false god. Uh it just but someone with The wrong kind of faith would. In fact, Some of the Jews were known to do this so much that the prophets called them out.
Zephaniah chapter 1: Those who worship the host of heavens on the housetops, those who worship and swear oaths by Yahweh, but also by Milcom. They're into polytheism. Their rental Acknowledging other forces in the universe as being divine. Equal with Yahweh, who may be not as equal? Oh, well, maybe not equal, but you know, a lesser God to sell.
It's all lies from hell, it's all wrong. And so, this, you know, surely Yahweh lives. Of course, Rome, in the days of the apostles, Rome didn't mind, care whatever God you believed in, long as you also acknowledged Caesar as God. And of course the Jews wouldn't do that. But the Jews made up for it, and the Romans didn't want to keep making a problem with the Jews.
They kind of turned the other way. But with the Christians, when they found out, well, you know, the Christians really are not part of Judaism. Then they turned up the pressure on the Christians. And the persecutions then started. Their thinking was: if you're not showing deference to the gods, we're all going to suffer.
Because the gods may not send rain. Or whatever, you know, we need to, you know, they may not keep the locusts away. And you're. causing us misery because of your religion. They have no proof for any of this.
You could easily refute it.
Well, then, how come there are other places where there are no Christians and they have problems?
Well, they didn't appease the God, and no winning that argument. is dumb.
Well, Achis, you don't know the real David. Verse 7, therefore return now. Achis speaking to David. And go in peace, that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines. Aches is a nice man, as men go.
Um As the witch of Endor was a nice person, as people go, but what does it profit a person who gains the whole world, lose your soul? Verse 8.
So David said the Achish. But what have I done? Oh pause there. Remember David had his acting debut. when he acted crazy in the tent.
So he's gotten good at this. He's got that whole artistic thing going on. He plays the harp with his... Hands.
So he can do this. And so, but what have I done?
So you kidding me? Yeah. It was a straight face. I'd love to see David's, you know, men standing next to him, like. Brother.
And to this day, what have you found in your servant as long as I have been with you? Yeah, what have you found? That I may go out and fight against the enemies of my Lord. How ambiguous. If he had said, Well, who are your enemies?
Write it down on a piece of paper. Who are your enemies, David? And David would not have written, Israel. You would have written Philistines if you were honest. Anyway.
He with these uh developed acting skills. He, of course, stays in favor with Akish. And uh His intentions are to side with God's people. He is being intentionally misleading. Flying beneath the radar all that time.
Verse 9: Then Achish answered and said to David, I know that you are as good in my sight as an angel of God. Nevertheless, the princes of the Philistines have said, He shall not go up with us for battle. Aches doesn't want to burn his bridges. He wants to keep a good relationship with David. David knows that these guys are right.
He would never, if David were in command and the Philistine 600 men from them lined up with the Jews, there's no way he'd let that happen.
Well, not at this time in history. Because later he is going to put some people around him that are not Jews, that have. Are going to be very close to him, carrying swords. Verse 10.
Now, therefore, rise early in the morning with your master's servants who have come with you, and as soon as you are up, Early in the morning? and have light, beat it. Uh depart.
So David, I I would like to do a Bible translation. it would be a little bit more, you know Yeah So David and his men rose early, to depart in the morning. To return to the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel. Jezreel, where the valley of Megiddo and all that area, northern Israel, very beautiful, very flat.
Ideal for chariot warfare, tank warfare. I mean, it's it's um. It is a Perfect battlefield. What is happening here with Achis sending David home is God is disentangling. David.
From the entanglement that David has gotten himself into, and really is not maybe as aware of it as he thinks he is. This disentanglement will distance David. from the scene of Saul's death. David will be nowhere near Saul's. No one can say David killed Saul to get to that throne.
He will be blameless. But things are going to go from bad here. And David, you have to go back to Ziklag. To worse.
Now I'm always, you know, I wish they would tell us how these guys traveled. Were some of them on horses? The way it reads, and we'll come to this in this next chapter, is that most of them were walking, at least most of them, if not all of them. Because they're going to cover 55 miles now in three days. Which is you know Again, Israel only has uphill.
There's no downhill. And so it's going to be quite a trek. But verse one now. 1 Samuel 30.
Now it happened when David and his men came to Ziklag, that's David's base camp. On the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag attacked Ziklag. and burned it with fire. I could get a little redundant there, I think, right? You didn't burn it with water.
But anyway, you can't burn it with other things.
However, I digress. As I mentioned, AFACs, where they lined up for Pass in review of troops to Ziklag. at least fifty-five miles, and that's as the crow flies. Why did it take three days? Again, apparently not riding horses.
Verse 10, 17 suggests this when the men are too weary to go further, get back their loved ones, and then later 400 of the Amalekites escape on camels.
Well, if they had horses, they could have just trotted after them and likely, or at least. Possibly. Anyway. You might not be bothered by those things, but when I read, I want everything to fit. I don't want anything to be magical.
I I want it all to be the way it was. And accepting the miracles, of course. And so to me, it helps understand because I believe when God said, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, He meant that this is our book for life. That we need food to survive, and we need God's word to survive. And he didn't say, Man should not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, and some other stuff guys make up.
I think that omission is Profound. And I think that those Christians who don't like that are very offended that that's in the Bible, but they can't come out and say it. More on that later. We're still at verse 1. And the Amalekites had invaded the south and Ziklag.
and attacked Ziklag and burned it with fire.
So while David was lining up with the Philistines, even though he had this. Great plan. It costs them regardless. And the Amalekites are taking revenge. more than likely.
Not only stuff, But David had been launching raids against their people, and they're just coming back. And David's going to sort of send a message to them: you don't mess with me when he finally gets his sword on them. But verse 2. And had taken captive the women and those who were there from small to great. They did not kill anyone, but carried them away and went their way.
Well, had Saul obeyed. The commandment through Samuel from God to destroy the Amalekites, we wouldn't have this mess, more than likely. But there was much to be thankful for. All right, Zig Lag is burned to the ground as typical in those days. But there was no blood and no bodies.
The people were alive. Because there were only women and children here. And so the violence was unnecessary on the side of the Amalekites. Nobody stood up to resist them, at least, not enough for them to kill them. And so they just captured them to enslave them.
Verse 3. I don't know. I don't want slaves, but I would like servants. I mean, who wouldn't? You would have to mow.
Empty the dishwasher. Deal with maggots in the trash can in the summer. I mean, it's just a lot of benefits to having servants. We call them employees now. But anyway Yeah.
Yeah. I'm simplifying it, of course. There's life's tough for all of us. Verse three.
So. It's tougher for some than others, in case you're thinking. Verse 3: So David and his men came to the city. And there it was, burned with fire. And their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive.
And David, verse 4: Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept until they had no more power to weep. You want to say save some of that energy for the fight. Don't use up your fight in the gym. Uh it's um It's horrible. They just, you know, there are these 600 men.
This had to be loud. Imagine if you're up on a hill about a mile away with binoculars and you can see this happening. Look at this. It's a very horrific experience. Things went from bad to.
Worse. Just like that. In the three days that they it had taken them to come from Aphex, Their families are gone. And verse 5, and David's two wives, Ehinoem, the Jezreelites, and Abigail. Oh, stop right there.
Now I'm in the fight now. Messing with Abigail. And Abigail, the widow of Nabal, the Carmelite, Had been taken captive.
Well now I'm in it now. If I was n dragging before, I know. Anyway. This uh dread that they have. We we face perverted devils.
I mean, they're all over the place insisting that we conform. I don't know how I would handle that. If somebody came up to the church and said, you have to stop preaching that. I would be so ready to get in the flesh. And say, look, boom.
I mean, shoes untied, clunk. I don't, you know, I just. I don't have an orthodox style with dealing with these people. You know how some people are very polished and they want to exchange ideas. I want to call his mama names and start doing really, you know.
I'm just telling you. I don't have that.
Well, our opinion is So I say to myself, how would I handle this? And God just says, I'll take care of it. Don't you worry about it. If it happens, and I'm not telling you if it is or it is. But if it is, I'll take care of it.
So I'm good with that. But still, I I lose I fret over it just a little bit. I don't care for the orthodox style of debate when you're dealing with devils. I think a demon a demonic person should be called demonic. to their face.
You've gotta be ready to deal with them, 'cause they're demonic after all. All right, you're not with me on this, but that's your fault. Anyway. Uh we face these perverted devils in our age, and they're facing these violent ones in theirs. Which would you rather?
None. I don't I want to go to heaven. I don't want to deal with any of this. Verse six Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in Yahweh his God.
Now it's starting to heat up for us as believers. Who says we live by the Word of God? We take lessons from this scripture and we apply it to our lives, and that's why the Bible is relative to me. Because it has something to do with my life directly. And for those who don't believe it and claim Christ, that's their problem.
But that, as for me and my house, it's the word of God. Discouragement can move from weakness to defeat to bitterness very quickly. Very fast. Discouragement is so powerful, it kept an entire nation out of their land. Numbers 13 and 14.
It wouldn't let the Jews, God said, that's it, you're not going in. Only, you know, the only two that stood up to everybody, they wanted to kill them for doing it. Nothing's changed in all that time.
Some people seem to enjoy discouragement and depression. They're so happy they're depressed. Bromp. Yeah. It's true.
I mean, you can sometimes just see it on their faces. They have no desire to break free. They've learned to embrace their depression or their discouragement. And they want to let you know they're depressed, and they want to let you know they're discouraged. And they wear it on their face its somber look.
How do I escape that? I don't want to be that way. What if you're that way? How do you get out of this? You have to believe the things that are in the Word of God.
Or chase your tail. And you don't even have one, so you're not gonna catch it. It's like waiting for the cows to come home. I don't have any cows. That's a long wait.
Philippians 1. Paul, speaking of himself, and applying it to his audience. Being confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. You've got to believe this everything is going somewhere and is going to Jesus Christ. He writes Timothy On death row.
Paul on death row, for this reason I also suffer these things. I hate suffering. I mean, humidity makes me just, I'm just like, who thought of humidity? Nevertheless, I'm not ashamed. I love this.
Paul is like, I suffer, and I'm not ashamed. He says, I know for whom I have believed, and am persuaded he is able to keep that which I have committed to him until that day. That's courage. This man Saul was just extraordinary when it came to faith. There are others that are, Daniel, of course, and others.
John writes this about Jesus. In him was life. And the life was the light of men.
Okay. Um Thanks for joining us for today's edition of Cross Reference Radio. This is the daily radio ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel, Mechanicsville, in Virginia. Currently, Pastor Rick is in the book of 1 Samuel. If you'd like to listen again to this or other messages or share it with someone you know, please visit crossreferenceradio.com.
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