Today, on the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. A wiser, a godlier man than Saul would have rejoiced that Israel was going to have a great leader, a great prince, a great successor to him. But the more Saul drifts away from the Lord, the more his hatred of David intensifies, as we're going to see. Saul could not rejoice in the work of God and the life of David. He's jealous, he's envious of this young man.
Mm-hmm. Welcome to the Verdict, featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe. Have you ever felt unfairly persecuted? Perhaps there was a teacher who seemed to have it out for you. Or maybe you have a boss or a family member who tries to make life difficult.
Well, today we have a good example of how to handle these situations as we continue studying the life of David.
Now, with today's message titled Pursued by Saul, here's Pastor John Monroe. In the series on the life of David, we've seen that David led a very full life. He comes from a seemingly insignificant background, being the youngest son who looks after his father's sheep. But then he is anointed by Samuel as the next king of Israel. The present king, Saul, is very envious of David, who is a brilliant warrior.
David not only kills the giant Goliath, but has greater victories than Saul over the Philistines. Today, as we return to our continuing story, we see David being pursued by Saul. It's difficult to think of how any of us would react if someone were trying to kill us. Yet we see David respond in a very godly way. And there are important lessons here for us on dealing with injustice and resentment.
Two of your Bibles there. Turn to First Samuel chapter eighteen. This is our continuing series on the life of David. And today we're thinking of David being pursued by Saul. When things are going well in life, and that's true for, I'm sure, many of us here, it's easy to praise the Lord, isn't it?
Easy to take the Lord's blessings for granted. But how we respond to difficulties and failures and opposition and trials of suffering. in life is a good barometer of our spiritual Maturity.
So we don't judge how we're doing spiritually when we're on the mountaintop. But more When we're in the valley. There are character is revealed. And this evening, we see two men in a difficult situation, a pressure situation. One is Saul, and the other is David.
And David is being pursued. By The king at the time. King Saul. David at this time has been anointed by Samuel. He is going to be king one day.
But King Saul. is pursuing him. And we read 1 Samuel 18, verse 6. And as they were coming home, When David returned from striking down the Philistine, the women came out of all of the cities of Israel, singing and dancing to meet King Saul with tambourines, with songs of joy, and with musical instruments. And the women sang to one another as they celebrated, Saul has struck down his thousands and David his ten thousands.
And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said, They've ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they've ascribed thousands. And what more can he have but the kingdom? And Saul eyed David from that day on. The next day, a harmful spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he raved within his house while David was playing the lyre, as he did day by day.
Saul had his spear in his hand. And Saul hurled the spear, for he thought, I will pin David to the wall. But David evaded him Twice.
Now just think of what The writer says next.
So was afraid of David. You'd have expected the text to say that David was afraid of Saul. But it says that Saul was afraid of David. Why? Because the Lord was with him.
but had departed from Saul.
So Saul removed him from his presence, and made him a commander of a thousand. And he went out and came in before the people. And David had success in all his undertakings, for the Lord was with him. And when Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in fearful awe of him. But all Israel and Judah loved David, for he went out and came in.
before them. David is the Lord's anointed, whereas this evil spirit from the Lord has come to Saul. who becomes increasingly depressed, increasingly jealous, envious and even paranoid. He's so overcome by evil that he desires to kill David. And uh in 1 Samuel 18, we didn't read all of the chapter.
We read several times. That the Lord was with. David. But the Lord had departed. From Saul.
What was the secret of David's success? Wasn't really a secret, is it? He was a man who walked with God. He was a man after God's own heart. And the more Saul saw the success of David, the more he stood, as we read, in fearful awe of him.
Now, Saul, as the king of Israel, should have been the one who had gone to battle against Goliath. That was a test of his kingship and his leadership. But in that test, even though he had 40 days to stand against Goliath, he failed to do so. And God used this unknown young man, a shepherd. from Bethlehem.
The son of Jesse. And now when the woman's saying, Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousand. Saul is very angry. He's jealous, he's envious of this young man. And verse 9, Saul eyed David from that day on.
A wiser, a godlier man than Saul would have rejoiced that Israel was going to have a great leader, a great prince, a great successor to him. But the more Saul drifts away from the Lord, the more his hatred of David intensifies, as we're going to see. Saul could not rejoice in the work of God and the life of David. That's sad, isn't it? Paul tells us in the New Testament in Romans 12 that we are to rejoice with those who rejoice, and we're to weep with those who weep.
Sometimes it's easier to weep with people than to rejoice with them, isn't it? If some sad situation, if some disaster comes upon one of our fellow believers, the people of God usually rally around that individual and help that individual. But sometimes it is the case that when success and blessings come to a fellow believer, there is sometimes resentment, there is sometimes petty gossip or envy, and occasionally outright opposition, as is the case. No one wants to be like Saul, who hates David, who is envious of him, and who plodded to kill him. We want to be a man, a woman after God's own heart, don't we?
And when God blesses us, we should humbly receive it from the good hand of God. When God blesses others, we should rejoice with them and be thankful for them. But isn't it the case? That families are divided, business partners fall out. Friends feud, churches are in turmoil.
often through jealousy and envy, false accusations and bitterness. Jesus said in John chapter 15 verse 25 that they hated me without a cause. And yeah. Our Lord Jesus, of course, is David's greater son. He is the root and the offspring of David.
And Saul hates David without a cause. David had given no reason to Saul to hate him. But because of his righteousness, because the Lord was with him. He hated David. Even as the enemies of the Lord, we're going to hate our Savior without any.
Hatred, scheming against others, putting people down, should have no place in the Church of Jesus Christ. Christ.
Now let's go over to chapter 19, where we see David, as he's being pursued by Saul, seeks godly wisdom. First of all, when Saul is seeking to kill David, he goes to Samuel. 1 Samuel 19. We're going to read a lot of scripture. Oh, that's good.
It's far better than listening to me, right? 1 Samuel 19 verse 1 When Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all of his servants that they should kill David. But Jonathan Saul's son delighted much in David. What a different attitude. And Jonathan told David, Saul, my father, seeks to kill you.
Therefore, be on your guard in the morning. Stay in a secret place and hide yourself, and I will go out and stand beside my. Father, in the field where you are, and I will speak to my father about you. And if I learn anything, I will tell you. And Jonathan spoke well of David.
To solve. His father, and said to him, Let not the king sin against his servant David, because he's not sinned against you, and because his deeds have brought good to you. For he took his life in his hand, and he struck down the Philistine, and the Lord worked a great salvation for all Israel. You saw it and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood by killing David without Cause And so listen to the voice of Jonathan, Saul swore, as the Lord lives, he shall not be put to death.
And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan reported to him all these things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as before. And there was war again. And David went out and fought with the Philistines, and struck them with a great blow, so that they fled before him. David is very much a warrior.
And obviously he was a magnificent soldier. Verse 9 Then a harmful spirit from the Lord came upon Saul as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. What kind of man sits in a house with his spear in his hand? That would put me off my supper, wouldn't it? And David was playing the lyre.
That's okay. Verse 10. And Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he eluded Saul, so that he struck the spear into the wall, and David fled and escaped that night. Saul sent messengers to David's house to watch him that he might kill him in the morning. But Michael, David's wife, told him, If you do not escape with your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.
So Michael let David die. down through the window and he fled away and Escaped. Can you imagine the king wanting you dead? Uh try and put yourself in in uh in David's place.
So I'll know Even though he says to Jonathan, I'm not going to kill him. This is a man who is very moody, whose spirits are going up and down, a man of the flesh. He's open in his desire to kill David. Jonathan confronts his father, as others do, and saying, Look, what has he done? Why do you want to kill him?
He's the one who defeated our enemy Goliath and you rejoice. What's the problem now? But there's no lasting impact on Sol. Saul is both irrational And evil. Incidentally, we shouldn't be afraid to confront evil, should we?
And David then flees to Samuel, verse 18.
Now David fled and escaped, and he came to Samuel at Ramah. Samuel's hometown, and told him all That Saul had done. to them. He's a man after God's own heart. Notice what he does.
He's got this king trying to kill him. And he very wisely, this young man David, he seeks godly counsel and he goes to Samuel. After all, Samuel is the man who had anointed him. And there, then, I want to read it from verses 19 to the end of the chapter: the strange story of the men who prophesy. Remember, Saul comes and he prophesies himself.
And to me, it isn't clear: was this a prophecy of the Lord, or was it more, as some commentators say, a kind of raving? Whatever it was. David shows humility and wisdom in going to Samuel. And the Spirit of God is protecting David. Remember we saw this morning?
If God is for us, who can stand against us? David is a good example of that. God was for David. And therefore David was safe. Even although he's in the same house and a man is throwing a spear at him.
What do you do in times of difficulty? They complain. Gossip. I trust you're like David. and you seek godly advice.
When something won accuses you, someone is awkward with you.
Someone makes it clear that they don't like you. A godliness perspective. It's neat it doesn't it? That you'd go to A wise friend, a godly pastor, a mature elder, a woman of maturity, and ask for their perspective and obtain their confidential counsel and prayer. That's what David does, he goes to Samuel.
And also, chapter 20, he's encouraged by the friendship of Jonathan.
So first He goes to Samuel. 1 Samuel 20. Then David fled from Naot in Rama. From where Samuel is, and came and said to Jonathan, What have I done? What is my guilt and what is my sin before your Father that he seeks my life?
And he said to him, Far from it, you shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing, either great or small, without disclosing it to me. And why should my father hide this from me? It is not so. But David vowed again, saying, Your father knows well that I have found favour in your eyes, and he thinks, Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved.
But truly, as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death. Jonathan, understandably, wants to think the best of his father, but David is not, although he's young, he's not naive. And he says, listen, your father doesn't tell you everything. And I'm very, very aware this man wants to kill me and there's just a step between me and death. In life, I've had quite a number of people who didn't like me for some unknown reason, but I've never had anyone that I know of seeking to assassinate me.
I mean, could you imagine it? And the king is after you and wanting to kill you. But David and Jonathan, we saw a few weeks ago, have a deep Friendship, their hearts are bound together. Men, I ask that you develop these friendships. Women seem to do it easier than we do.
We, as men, seem to shrink back sometimes from strong forces. friendships, but when troubles come and difficulties come. Isn't that wonderful to have a godly man? to speak to. If you're a woman to have a godly woman that you can speak to.
And as the son of King Saul, one could have understood if Jonathan had had a resentment against David, after all, he was the crown prince when his father died, he certainly would have been one of the candidates to be king of Israel. But rather than having resentment, Jonathan has great love. For David.
Now in chapter 21. David goes to Nob to see Abimelech the priest. He's gone to Samuel Here's this conversation with Jonathan. We're obviously skipping a lot of the text, but now in chapter 21, he comes to the priest. He's finding it increasingly difficult to escape from Saul.
Then David came to Nob to Abimelech the priest, and Abimelech came to meet David trembling. Because he knows that Saul is after David. and said to him, Why are you alone and no one with you? And David said to Ahimelech the priest, The king has charged me with a matter and said to me, Let no one know anything about the matter of which I send you and with which I have charged you. I have made an appointment with the young men for such and such a place.
Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread or whatever is here. And the priest answered, David, I have no common bread on hand, but there is holy bread. If the young men have kept themselves from women, And David answered the priest, truly women have been kept from us always when I go on an expedition. The vessels of the young men are holy, even when it's an ordinary journey.
How much more today will their vessels be holy?
So the priest gave him the holy bread. For there was no bread there but the bread of the presence which is removed from before the Lord to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away. Remember the tabernacle initially was in Shiloh. And now it goes from Shiloh and seems to be in Nob. And so the bread that was used in the holy place.
Is there.
Now, a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord. His name was Doag the Edomite, the chief of Saul's herdsmen. Then David said to Ahimelech, Then Have you not here a spear or a sword at hand? For I've brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste. And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck down in the valley of Elah, behold, it's here, wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod.
If you will take that, take it, for there is none but that here. And David said, There's none like that, give it. to me. David's on the run. He's finding it increasingly difficult.
And he goes to the priest. And the priest's afraid because he no doubt knows how volatile Saul is. He's taking his life in his own hands by even speaking to David. And David lies. Did you notice that?
David lies to Ahimelech by saying he's coming on behalf of King Saul. Yes, great man. consent, can't they? The fear and the pressure of being persecuted and hunted by Saul is beginning to take a toll, an understandable toll on David. And under this pressure, David, yes, he's a man after God's own heart, but he.
lies. You know, but sin has grave consequences, doesn't it? And the presence of Doag, the Edomite, If you know the story, results in the death of 85 of the priests. David, by going Uh to see uh Himalayk. Is putting in danger the priests.
And Dog later is going to tell Saul, and Saul is going to slaughter. These priests. David is finding it very difficult to maintain a humble and a godly perspective when Paul, when Saul is persecuting him. Plotting against them. And why did he want Gliath's sword?
Had he forgotten? That God just used one stone to kill Goliath? And so he gets Goliath's sword. In verse 10, what does he do now? He arose and fled.
Notice how he's fleeing. And fled that day from Saul and went to Achish, the king of Gath. Who came from Gath? Clift. Strange place to go, David.
We could read on and we'll read a little bit about the encounter of Saul and David when they meet. in the wilderness. But Let's stop and think of this. How would A man like David. How could he survive?
by being pursued By Saul. for many years. He's given the promise you're going to be king. But Saul is still alive. And how is it that David When he has an encounter, two encounters at least with Saul, as we'll see in a minute, how is he able?
To show respect and honor for Saul in that impossible situation of being hunted as an animal. Easy to criticize David. We know he failed, he failed here. We know he's going to fail with the sin of Bathsheba. The fact that he is able To continue to praise God in the middle of being persecuted demonstrates He's a man after God's own heart.
Now, how was that possible? Go over to Psalm 5:9. Simple answer is David is a man who is God-centered in his life. Psalm 59, notice the superscription. It is to the choir master.
according to do not destroy and make A miktam of David. Remember the Psalms are set to music? We don't have the music, but we have the words. When Saul sent men to watch his house in order to kill him. Does that sound familiar?
I hope so. We just read it in 1 Samuel 19. This Psalm is written when David is being persecuted. and plotted against So What kind of song would you write in these circumstances? What would your reaction be?
when someone is trying to kill you. And you've done nothing wrong. This is the verdict with Pastor John Monroe and the start of a message titled Pursued by Saul. John will be right back with his closing comments, so keep listening. As a special bonus for this study on the life of David, we'd like to offer you a free copy of the Helpful Listening Guide written by John.
This printable workbook is designed to walk you through each lesson of this series, and it will equip you with key notes, questions, and specific thoughts and prompts to help you apply the Biblical teachings from the life of David to your own life to day.
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Now here's Pastor John Monroe with closing remarks for today's message.
Well, what's your verdict? Is there someone in your life to whom you turn when problems come? A wise, mature person who knows the Holy Scriptures is of great value and can pray for you. On the other hand, perhaps you're like Saul. and are resentful of someone, gossiping about them.
trying to belittle them. even hurt them. If you see God at work in someone's life, rejoice. Otherwise you may be opposing God. Join me next time as we continue to see David being pursued by Saul.
Thanks for joining us today on The Verdict. I'm Michelle Davies. Today's program with Pastor John Monroe was produced and sponsored by Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
