He Won’t Back Down (Part 1 of 2)

Have you ever wondered if it's possible to live your life in a way that is opposed to God's purposes and his ways and not even realize it? Today on Truth for Life, Alistair Begg continues our study in 1 Samuel. We'll see how King Saul, hatred and opposition to David, was actually Saul's rejection of God himself.

Here's Alistair. 1 Samuel 19, And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David. But Jonathan Saul's son delighted much in David. 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 Saul his father and said to him, Let not the king sin against his servant David, because he has 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 Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan and 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. Then a harmful spirit from the LORD came upon Saul as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand, and David was playing the lyre. 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 Michal, David's wife, told him, If you do not escape with your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed. So Michal let David down through the window, and he fled away and escaped.

Michal took an image and laid it on the bed and put a pillow of goats hair at its head and covered it with clothes. And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, He's sick. Then Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him.

And when the messengers came in, behold, the image was in the bed, with the pillow of goats hair at its head. Saul said to Michal, Why have you deceived me thus, and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped? And Michal answered Saul, He said to me, Let me go.

Why should I kill you? Now David fled and escaped, and he came to Samuel at Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and lived at Nahath. And it was told Saul, Behold, David is at Nahath in Ramah. Then Saul sent messengers to take David. And when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing head over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied. When it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied.

And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied. Then he himself went to Ramah and came to the great well that is in Sekhu. And he asked, Where are Samuel and David? And one said, Behold, they're at Nahath in Ramah. And he went there to Nahath in Ramah. And the Spirit of God came upon him also. And as he went, he prophesied until he came to Nahath in Ramah. And he too stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel, and lay naked all that day and all that night. Thus it is said, is Saul also among the prophets.

Amen. Tom Petty—that's right, of the Heartbreakers—who died in October of 2017, is remembered not only for the portfolio of rock'n'roll music that he has left to us, but he is remembered, actually, especially by some, for the battle that he waged on a personal front against the entire music industry. And in the course of that, his victory actually changed forever how artists negotiate with publishing companies. It was a battle of the wills, and it was a battle that he won. It was no surprise, then, that some years after that memorable battle, he wrote a song which is called I Won't Back Down. No, I won't back down. You can stand me up at the gates of hell, but I won't back down. Now, I know that you know that I have songs going around in my mind all the time. You think that they're all hymns, and clearly they are not. If you ever knew what was going around in my mind, you would probably never listen to me preach.

And if I knew what was going around in your mind, I may not even preach to you, so at least we're on a level playing field. No, this phrase was in my mind, because I think that Saul would have gladly taken this as a motto. I think this is really Saul here, as we move from chapter 18 and into chapter 19. His murderous plots of the last chapter have afforded him nothing except the opportunity for him to take a moment to review where he was, to reconsider what he was doing, and to repent of his foolish hostility towards David.

And yet, no. Now he has decided to take it out into the open. Previously, he's wanting to work through the agency of the Philistines to accomplish his end. But now he is quite prepared to let those immediately around him know that his purpose is straightforwardly to kill David. You see that in verse 1.

And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David, that they should kill him. So it's very important for us to understand that in this conflict, there is a conflict which, if you like, is behind the conflict. And unless we get this, we will find ourselves having real difficulty in making the connection between this historical record and where we are now at the twenty-first century. People should be asking, as we study in this way, how and why is it possible that this event, these events, so far removed from us chronologically and geographically, how and why is it that they have any bearing at all upon our lives?

Well, I want to tell you that this morning in case we've missed it going along the way. Saul, as we've learned, has been rejected by God. His kingdom has been torn from him. And David has been chosen to replace him. And so he still is in the position of king, but he is of diminishing influence.

And David is now the anointed king, but the fullness of that plan has not yet come into being. Oh, says somebody, well, I get that. It's a kind of power struggle.

It's happened to us a few times in the last while in our office or in our school, whatever it might be. The CEO is still in his corner office, but it's been announced that he's finished. His replacement is known to everybody, and in the tension that exists then, everybody else tries to get on with their work. Well, you see, that is the tension which exists from this point on throughout the remainder of the story.

And so, if that's all it is, then why would we ever be bothered with it? An ancient story of a power struggle, a battle of egos. If that is the case, then I could preach a sermon like, I could call it, Learning to Leave Gracefully. And we could talk about how Saul should have learned to leave gracefully, and since he didn't, we should. Or, perhaps at the other end, we could have a sermon entitled The Importance of Waiting Patiently. And so I would give a talk about how, if you hold on, your time will come.

Eventually, you'll be in a position. And that, of course, is the way that the Bible is often handled. People sit and wonder why we even use the Bible at all, because it just seems like a trampoline. It seems as though the person has just bounced down onto the text, and then has bounced onto wherever he's gone to, and it's very hard for people to understand why we're even using the Bible at all.

Well, that's why I'm saying what I'm saying. Saul's opposition to David is an outright rejection of David as the Lord's anointed. As David, the one as we read in verse 5, through whom the Lord has worked a great salvation. And whether, as we read this story, Saul realizes it or not, his hostility is actually directed to God. And it is at that point that the avenue of entry into our experience then becomes apparent.

Because that is actually where the story of our lives are to be found. Saul, you see, is a type or is an illustration of all who reject the Lord and his anointed King. He is a type, or he's an illustration, of all who reject the Lord and his anointed King. You say, well, what anointed King? King Jesus. For the story of the Bible is pointing us inevitably towards the one who in a few weeks will be recalled on Palm Sunday in some congregations with pageantry and certainly with symbolism, and people will take the same verses from Zechariah upon their lips that they've done over maybe thirty and forty years—"See, your king comes to you riding on a donkey, mounted and humble as he is." And if you were to interview people going out of the congregation—I hope not here, but maybe here too—and you say, What is the significance of Jesus as a King?

I say, Well, I don't really know. Well, it wasn't it at his crucifixion that the inscription read, King of the Jews? Wasn't it before he ascended into heaven that he gathered with his disciples and he said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. That, by any standards, is a staggering statement. All authority that exists anywhere in heaven or on earth has been given, says Jesus, to me.

Who is he? He is the King. And when you get to the book of Revelation, the angelic word says, He is Lord of lords, and he is King of kings.

Now, if you're following with me, then you will see exactly where we're going. In the same way that David was the Lord's anointed, opposed by Saul, who was in fact opposing God himself, so Jesus is the Lord's anointed. And until my will is aligned with Jesus as King of my life, then I am living my life, whether I realize it or not, in opposition to God himself.

Saul wanted the throne, and he saw David as a threat. By nature, I want the throne. I want to control my life. I want to rule my destiny. I want to make choices with my body.

I want to do what I want to do. And in that context, I see Jesus as a threat. I don't mind him as a bystander. I don't mind him as a prophet.

I don't mind him as a philosopher who's had a few ideas. But I flat-out reject him as a king. It may never once have occurred to you that your plans—yes, your good plans, your nice plans, your moral plans—are actually opposed to God's perfect plan. And what this chapter actually does in the clash of the wills is at least confront us with the question, Am I, if by nature I am opposed to God, am I prepared to change sides?

Am I prepared to surrender the throne to the legitimate king? Or am I going to say with Saul, No, I won't back down? Now, the text which is before us contains four incidents which are woven together, four incidents in which the attempt is made on the life of David, the Lord's anointed. And it is the story of the way in which the Lord protects his anointed. All of Saul's attempts have been unsuccessful.

It's a miserable failure at the end of chapter 18. And now he enlists those who are immediate to him. Let me tell you what the four incidents are and the way in which God protects his servant. He protects his servant David, first of all, by the intervention of Jonathan. He protects his servant by the skillful evasion of David. He protects his servant by the deception of Michal. And he protects his servant by the direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

He said, That's a tremendous amount. It is, but we'll move through it directly. First of all, then, by the intervention of Jonathan. One of the questions, as you come to 19, would inevitably be, since Jonathan is such a bosom buddy of David, what will happen if he's confronted with the question, Are you going to support your father or are you going to support David? And that is exactly what is called here at the beginning of the chapter. And you will notice the way in which the emphasis on the relationship between Jonathan and Saul is made. I won't delay on this, but look at how many times Jonathan is referred to as Saul's son. Why does it keep saying Saul's son? Look at how many times in speaking he says, My father, my father, my father.

The reason for the emphasis is to make the point so clearly. The ties of filial affection are deep, and they're real. He really is his father, and he really is his son. And his father is asking him to take out this fellow who he loves, who is a kindred spirit. What is going to happen?

Where will they go? You say, Well, that's a rather remote thing. I've never had that happen.

Really? Well, maybe not. I haven't personally faced this challenge, but it's the challenge that is contained in Matthew 10 when you do your homework later in the day. You remember where Jesus says, Do not think that I have come to bring peace, but realize that I have come to bring a sword. And I'm going to set husbands against wives and parents against children and siblings against one another. What is Jesus saying?

Well, he's saying this. Love for the Lord's anointed—in this case, Jesus—love for the Lord's anointed must take priority over all of our other loves. Over all of our other loves. The most precious and tender relationships are brought into focus when a member of a family gives up their throne to the King Jesus, and the other members of the family say, What in the world are you doing? Why did you become such a crazy person? We've always been a religious family. We took you to church.

What has happened to you? And suddenly, when you thought it was all going to be a wonderful party and everyone sitting in the kitchen singing Kumbaya, you've discovered that every day that you walk out of the house to go to church, the conflict ensues all over again, and the question confronts you, Am I going to stick with the filial relationships of my family and preserve them for the sake of peace, or am I going to surrender to Jesus and have him reign as king on the throne? Now, you see, it is that which is foreshadowed in Jonathan himself. He delighted much in David. Funnily enough, that is what Saul had told his servants to say was true of him, which of course it wasn't. And it's because of this that Jonathan warns David, speaks to him on behalf of his friend. And having given him this context—"Be on your guard. Hide yourself.

I'll go out. I'll stand beside my father in the field where you are." So there's obviously a reason why they're setting it up in that way. I'll speak to my father about you, and then whenever I learn, I will come and tell you.

That's the setup. And then Jonathan is the advocate of David with his father. Verse 4, and Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father, and he said to him—notice how he goes to the third person. It's very deferential, isn't it?

He didn't call him dad. He says, "'Let not the king sin against David, for he has not sinned against you.'" And then he goes on, and he says, "'Anything he has ever done, he's done for good and for your good.'" And his advocacy is masterful. One of my friends says that in appealing to Saul, his comments are—and you won't get this, because I say it so quickly—rhetorically vigorous, logically persuasive, morally convincing, and theologically powerful. Anybody who's a trial lawyer would do well to watch the way he goes in this matter. And he is very persuasive. And so the response of Saul says, Well, then, as the LORD lives, he shall not be put to death, swearing an oath to that effect. What a tragedy Saul is!

He doesn't even know himself where he is. I bet that he really believed this. He really said, Okay, I'm going for it now. That's good. Good work, Jonathan.

Thanks for steering me in the right direction. As long as the LORD lives, David will live. Which is, of course, forever. So the opposition comes from Saul, the intervention comes from Jonathan, and the restoration is enjoyed by David. Look at the final sentence of verse 7. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as before.

I underlined that, as before, because I wanted to say to myself, Yeah, I bet it was as before. And you go into verse 8, and it was. So, the protection of God for his anointed by the intervention of John. Secondly, by the evasion of David himself.

The pattern repeats itself. The Philistines are there. The war is an ongoing rumble. David goes out, verse 8, fights with the Philistines, strikes them with a great blow so that they fled before him. And once again, what ought to be the cause for rejoicing throughout the entire community becomes an occasion for dark and murderous thoughts.

We don't know how much time elapsed. Between verse 7 and verse 8, whatever it was, it was enough time for Saul to realize, No, no, I still want him dead. Where do these murderous thoughts come from? Every attempt by secular psychology to explain it and to fix it will eventually have to bow before the clear instruction of Scripture. Let not the king sin.

And what does he do? He says, I'm choosing sin. You're listening to pastor and Bible teacher Alistair Begg on Truth for Life.

Today's message is titled, He Won't Back Down. We'll hear more teaching from 1 Samuel tomorrow. In this study, we are learning how easy it is for us to live in opposition to God if we're not familiar with the Bible.

That's why we teach from God's Word every day. And we recommend additional books to help you grow in your faith. Today, we want to recommend to you a book called, The Air We Breathe. This is a book that explains how many of the virtues our society holds in high esteem actually stem from a Christian worldview. Our culture may not perceive that its values are Christian, but the reality is our views on compassion, equality, other modern priorities can be traced directly to Jesus. As you read the book, The Air We Breathe, you'll learn about seven specific contemporary values and how they connect to the Christian faith. You'll find the book exceptionally relevant in our current culture. Ask for your copy.

Again, the title is, The Air We Breathe. It's yours when you give a donation to Truth for Life. Just click the image you see on our app, or visit our website at truthforlife.org slash donate. I'm Bob Lapine. Thanks for starting your week with us. Tomorrow, we'll discover why neutrality is impossible when it comes to responding to God's anointed King. The Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life, where the Learning is for Living.