FIRE Conference Session 3

Well, let's pray together, shall we? Father, we're thankful again for your servant as he has ministered your word to us. We're thankful for the insight that we're gaining. We pray that this would excite us to be better students of your word, to look carefully at the text, to see the message that the author has there, which is your message, and Lord, to preach that message when we discover it.

We're thankful for Dr. Jaro and his ministry, enable him tonight to minister even more, and we will thank you in Jesus' name. Amen. Christopher. Good evening. In chapter 16 of 1 Samuel, where we left off this morning, we've seen Israel has gotten what they asked for, a king, and it has not been good for them.

Like the quail that they craved in the wilderness, it has become a stench to them and has rotted between their teeth. in our portrait of a king that we've been painting of this one Saul this asked for he's turned out to be just the man he appeared the first time we met him there he was a man seeking his father's lost donkeys unable to find them and instead becoming lost himself this was his mission to seek God's people wandering as they had been for several hundred years here following their own way doing what was right in their own eyes. And now we have a king to lead them back to the truth, to the ways of the Lord. And he has instead become lost himself, even leading the people astray, provoking them to sin by his own pride, by his own swagger, making vows, binding his people with a curse, doing harm unto them, starving his own men before a battle, foolish strategically, but also arrogant. and extremely damaging.

But like most proud men also being very much afraid of his own people Following them as they have led him by the nose to set aside his own vow to spare livestock for sacrifice and the best of the spoil and the king. We also saw him the first time we met him as a man very much concerned about having a payment for the profit. He needed a gift to give in order to obtain good counsel from the Lord.

And that has turned out to be the king we've met too. He's a man very much interested in sacrifice. Will not fight a battle unless a sacrifice has been offered. Unless a vow has been made and kept. He's been very interested in sacrifice and an offering. Even sparing when he was told to destroy all.

Why? For the sake of sacrifice. This was a very religious man. Or perhaps we should say superstitious man. He was very interested in such things. But he has failed the people of God, and he has failed God.

And the solution has now been announced to us. God said that his kingdom will be given to his neighbor who is better than he, that God has raised up a man like God's own heart. And we meet that new man in chapter 16 of 1 Samuel. and as we draw a new portrait you have a place in your notes to paint this portrait this word portrait we have of David God's chosen man first we'll note some connections to what came before if we look at the first three verses of chapter 16 Samuel faces a problem here as he goes to anoint another we read in verse 1 Now Yahweh said to Samuel, how long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel?

Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided myself a king among his sons. And Samuel said, how can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me. But Yahweh said, take a heifer with you and say, I have come to sacrifice to Yahweh. Samuel's first concern here is that I can't go anoint another king we still have a king and he's going to be very angry about that this would be suicide for me and God tells him I have a solution for that Do it secretly Do it so he doesn know And so our new king just like the first king when Saul was anointed king he was a secret king He told no one.

It took some time for it to become clear that Samuel had anointed him, such that it was unclear in our minds when was he actually the king. We looked at five incidents where we might have said, now he becomes the king. And we were left wondering, well, Does he become more king over time? Or is there one point where the other is just for show and one of these is actually when he becomes king?

We saw him anointed by the prophet and become king. We saw the spirit of God come upon him and change him, thus becoming king. Then we saw the people elect him by casting lots and he became king. And then we saw him waging war, showing himself to be king by being the commander-in-chief and by being the supreme court, giving a sentence. and then we saw a ceremony installing him as king.

Five times we could have said he's king. When was he truly king? It was a secret. This is a secret with David too. We see a little bit of our portrait of the king, the kind of man that God has chosen here. Verse 11, Samuel said to Jesse, in the intervening verses here, Jesse has had his sons, his seven sons, prayed here before Samuel.

And none of them are the Lord's chosen. Finally, in verse 11, Samuel said to Jesse, Are all the young men here? Then he said, There remains yet the youngest. And there he is keeping the sheep. Samuel said to Jesse, Send and bring him, for we will not sit down till he comes. So he sent and brought him in, and now he was ruddy with bright eyes, good looking.

Yahweh said, arise, anoint him, for this is the one. Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the spirit of Yahweh came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah. We first meet David tending his father's sheep. David is a shepherd, and evidently a good shepherd, because he's going to go on in chapter 17 when he is facing the prospect of fighting Goliath.

He announces to Saul that he has defended his father's sheep from the lion and the bear and has fought them valiantly We have some testimony to that effect later on in chapter 16 here When we see a messenger say to Saul in verse 18 one of the servants answered and said look I have seen a son of Jesse, the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, music that is, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person, and Yahweh is with him. This is a valiant man. This is one who has taken care and defended his father's sheep.

And so this is the Lord's pick. And we know the passage probably the Lord says in verse 7 to Samuel as he is considering which son to anoint. Do not look at his appearance or his physical stature because I have refused him. The Lord does not see as man sees. For man looks at the outward appearance, but Yahweh, the Lord, looks at the heart. This is the heart of the king that God has chosen, this shepherd.

And so Samuel anoints him. And now what? Now we've got a problem. Who is the king of Israel? When we consider when does Saul become king, it seems like an academic question at that point, but now it suddenly matters. Was Saul king when he was initially anointed?

Because if that's the case, we've now got another man who's been anointed. Was Saul the king when the Spirit of God came upon him? If that's the case, then we've got another man upon whom the Spirit has come. So who is the king? Is it Saul? Is it David?

But David has gotten no further than one and two. He's got the anointing, he's got the Spirit of God. Is he the king or isn't he the king? And maybe you want me to answer that question, but I'm not going to, because what our book does now, listen to our author as he speaks, now our author is going to take us on a tour of the people of Israel, like a journalist interviewing various people throughout Israel, to put to them these two questions.

Who do you think is the king? And then secondly, what does it mean to be loyal to the king? We're going to see what Doeg would say to those questions. what Abishai would say, what the people of Keilah would say, what Abigail would say. So follow me on this tour. First, we're going to go quickly. Yes, I'm going to pass over David and Goliath.

Why? We all know that. No doubt there's hundreds of things that we could go further and dig deeper and bring out of that. But what We see in facing Goliath, we see the character of this man. We see that he is one who is willing to face the Lord's enemies in faith. This is the character of a good shepherd who will defend the people of God.

In chapters 18 and 19, we find out that the royal family shows sympathy for this David, even. Saul seeks to use his daughter as a tool to get inside David's house and to seize him, to kill him, as Saul becomes jealous. Saul can see something in this man that he's king material, but it backfires because Saul's daughter has a heart for David more than for her father.

He tries to use his son Jonathan, announcing to his men to simply kill this man, oppose him, but Jonathan too has a heart for this man David, such that he puts his robe upon him and gives him his armor and eventually forms a covenant with David, a legally binding agreement that transfers the throne of the house of Saul upon the demise of Saul to David instead of Jonathan. So David's got a legal right to the throne by being the son-in-law. He's married into the family and there's a covenant with Jonathan.

So even Saul's throne he has a legal right to. But then we turn to chapter, we'll go all the way to chapter 21. And here we meet an individual by the name of Doeg. We meet him at a time when David is now on the run from Saul. Saul has made his hostility toward David overt and open and is attempting to kill him, to remove him. Still few in the kingdom know about Saul's adversity.

And so when David shows up at the tabernacle, the high priest there is not aware of the adversity between David and Saul. And so when David asks for support, for succor, he's on the king's mission, the priest is only too willing to comply. However, the only food that he has on hand is the holy bread, the show bread, which Moses had commanded the Levites to set out in the tabernacle each day and which was only to be eaten by the priests.

The high priest suggests it, and David answers that, I think it's going to be okay in this case. Verse 5 David answered the priest and said to him truly women have been kept from us for about three days since I came out So there was this abstinence here this state of holiness the men were in And the vessels of the young men are holy, the bread and its effect common, even though it was consecrated in the vessel this day. There's some translation questions in verse 5 that I'm not going to get into here, but the force of what David is saying is that no, we're careful about this, I think it's going to be okay, let's eat the show bread. and he gives it to his men to eat.

Well, Doag happens to be there and he sees what happens. And this Doag is a servant of Saul. He's his chief herdsman. We'll look now in chapter 22 at the outcome of this incident. Follow along with me as I begin reading in 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 and all his servants standing about him.

Then Saul said to his 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, captains of hundreds? Can David reward you? I'm the one who's got the ability to give you a reward. Show some loyalty. All of you have conspired against me.

A little paranoia on his part here. There's 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. Completely misrepresenting David. 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 Yahweh for him, and gave him provisions, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine. So the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, the priests who were in Nob. And they all came to the king. Then Saul said, Here now, son of Ahitub. 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 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, who among all your servants is as 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 And the king said, you shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father's house.

Then the king said to the guards who stood about him, turn and kill the priests of Japheth, because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled and did not tell it to me. But the servants of the king would not lift their hands to strike the priests of Japheth. And the king said to Doeg, you turn and kill the priests. So Doeg, the Edomite, turned and struck the priests and killed them on that day, 85 men who were a linen ephod.

Also Nob, the city of the priests, he struck with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and nursing infants, oxen and donkeys and sheep with the edge of the sword. Mr. Doeg, who would you say is the king of Israel? His answer sounds pretty clear, doesn't it? Saul, of course. He has the power.

He has the throne. He has the ability to reward. Thank you, Mr. Doeg. What now would you say? What does it mean to be loyal to the king?

Notice how his actions speak. You do what the king says. He gives a command and you obey. That's loyalty. But suppose he asks you to kill holy men of God who have done no wrong. What do you do then?

Isn't that sin? Isn't that wrong? Doeg's answer, well, that's Saul's problem. I'm just following orders. He's got an answer for that. He's the king and I do what he says.

Thank you, Mr. Doeg. now what do we see about our portrait of David in this episode well notice first a contrast with Saul some have stumbled over his giving showbread to the men to eat but that stands out in stark relief to Saul's approach right Saul who starved his men because of a vow we've got to keep this vow we have to keep this ceremonial aspect of God's law and not break it so therefore men you may not eat Now let's go fight this battle. David by stark contrast these men are hungry Not just that they haven had a bite until breakfast They been on the run seems like for three days and they have not eaten These are hungry men And David says I need to take care of them I think God is okay with this.

Let's give them the bread. It's only a ceremonial requirement here. Sacrifice and offering is not what the Lord requires, but mercy. we also see David gaining a great reputation here. There's a song going out about him as individuals begin to recognize David's fame. Interestingly it's reached the words of one of the Philistine kings. If we look back in chapter 21 at verse 18 we see the servants of one Achish the king of God said to him is this not David the king of the land?

Did they not sing of him to one another and dances saying Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands. So here's some Gentiles just looking at Israel from the outside in the picture. And what they see in this picture is, well, here's Saul, here's David. Well, it looks like that guy's the king. He seems to be holding the influence and having the power here.

They're Gentiles. They're on the outside looking in. We also see, don't miss at the end of this episode, one of the priests escapes. The end of chapter 22, beginning in verse 20. Now one of the sons of Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled to David. And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed Yahweh's priests.

So David said to Abiathar, I knew, I knew that day when Doeg the Edomite was there that he would surely tell Saul, I have caused the death of all the persons of your father's house. Stay with me. Do not fear, for he who seeks my life seeks your life, but with me you shall be safe. He takes responsibility. You, Abiathar, are now an orphan, and it's my fault.

But you know what? That is your comfort. Because it's my fault, because Saul hated your family because of me, it's only because he hates me that he hated your family and killed them. therefore you can count on me being your shield and defense I will not forsake you in fact we see David extending the cover of his protection to all kinds of outcasts and malcontents at the beginning of chapter 22.

Verse 1 says, David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adulam. So when his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down there to him and everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them and there were about 400 men with him. Here he is the captain of all those who have issues, who have been driven out, who are pursued because of their debt or other issues here, have found a captain and a champion in David, looking out for the orphan, feeding his men.

This is the portrait of a good shepherd. Well, thank you, Doeg. Let's now consider another population. Chapter 23 introduces us to the men of the city of Keilah. Let's read beginning in verse 1. Then they told David, saying, Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and they're robbing the threshing floors.

Therefore David inquired of Yahweh, saying, Shall I go and attack these Philistines? And Yahweh said to David, Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah. But David's men said to him, Look, we are afraid here in Judah. how much more than if we go to Kaelah against the armies of the Philistines? Then David inquired of Yahweh once again. Yahweh answered him and said, Arise, go down to Kaelah, for I will deliver the Philistines into your hand.

And David and his men went to Kaelah and fought with the Philistines, struck them with a mighty blow and took away their livestock. So David saved the inhabitants of Kaelah. All right, now I'm suddenly distracted reading this. I teach Old Testament survey to seventh graders, and last year I was working with, I couldn't figure out what this one student was trying to, was seeing in this.

I was trying to get her to understand what happened here in the battle. And she kept saying, well, all I know is that somebody blew on them. Somebody blew on them? Where are you seeing that? Oh, a mighty blow. Okay, I got it here.

Different issues than when I have my seminary students. All right. Verse 6. Now it happened. When Abiathar, the son of Ahimelech, fled to David at Kaelah, that he went down with an ephod in his hand, and Saul was told that David had gone to Kaelah So Saul said God has delivered him into my hand for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars Then Saul called all the people together for war to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men.

When David knew that Saul plotted evil against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, bring the ephod here. This ephod for determining the will of the Lord. You can ask yes, no questions, things of that nature, and you get an answer. Then David said, O Yaffe, God of Israel, Your servant has certainly heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah to destroy the city for my sake.

Will the men of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down as your servant has heard? O Yahweh, God of Israel, I pray, tell your servant. And Yahweh said, He will come down. Then David said, Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul? And Yahweh said, They will deliver you.

So David decides to split immediately and not wait for the arrival of Saul. Men of Kailah, what would you say? Who is the king of Israel? Well, Saul, obviously. He's the one that we've elected king. What do you think of David?

Great man. Great man that David. In fact, he's the savior of our town against the hostile threat of the Philistines. But what does it mean to be loyal to the king? What if David is an enemy of the king and Saul asks his life? Well, that's unfortunate, of course.

We would treat him well, but we can't stand in Saul's way. And so to be loyal to their king, they step out of his way and let him do what he will with his enemy. Thank you, men of Kailah. What do we see about David in this? Our portrait of David is growing. We see him as a savior.

One willing to risk his life with no support from government forces here to defend a town. Not even his battle. No reason that he should risk himself for this town. That's Saul's business. But in his compassion, in his sense of responsibility, he does everything he can. Let's talk to somebody else.

Chapter 24. Here one of these framing episodes I talked to you about juxtaposition last night where episodes are put side by side Chapter 24 and 26 almost read like the same story A couple different names different location but largely the same situation And then 25 is kind of stuck in the middle. So we're going to look at the 24-26 aspect first, and then we'll consider the middle.

Chapter 24, verse 1. Now it happened. When Saul had returned from following the Philistines, it was told him, saying, take note, David is in the wilderness of En Gedi. Then Saul took 3,000 chosen men from all Israel and went to seek David and his men on the rocks of the wild goats. So 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. Then the men of David said to him, This is the day of which Yahweh said to you, Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand that you may do to him as it seems good to you. Funny, I don't remember reading that anywhere. and David arose and secretly cut off a corner of Saul's robe now it happened afterward that David's heart troubled him because he had cut Saul's robe and he said to his men Yahweh forbid that I should do this thing to my master Yahweh is Christ to stretch out my hand against him seeing he is the Christ of Yahweh remember what I said about that word or we could stick in Messiah there or we could translate it into English as most of our versions do the Lord's anointed here's the men's thinking notice how it works they are interpreting they are determining the Lord's will based on circumstances they don't have a quote they don't have a prophecy that came to them but here they are hiding in the back of a cave afraid for their lives because of Saul and his army coming to destroy them And suddenly here is Saul, unarmed, undefended, no bodyguard with him, unknowing their presence.

Suddenly walks into the cave in a very vulnerable position. And the men say, we understand this. God is telling you something, David. God is telling you to kill Saul. Here's your chance. This is clearly from God.

It's a message he's sending you. and for a little bit David considers it he even goes so far as to cut off the edge of the robe let's compare that to chapter 26 a little bit later we pick up this account say in verse 4 David sent out spies, understood that Saul had come. We're in a different location in Ziph here. So David arose and came to the place where Saul had encamped, and David saw the place where Saul lay.

And Abner, the son of Ner, the commander of the army. Now, Saul lay within the camp, with the people encamped all around him. Then David answered and said to Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, brother of Joab, saying, Who will go down with me to Saul in the camp? And Abishai said, I will go down with you. There's some chutzpah, there's some daring in this man.

So David and Abishai came to the people by night. And there Saul lay, sleeping within the camp with his spear stuck in the ground by his head. And Abner and all the people lay around him. Then Abishai said to David, God has delivered your enemy into your hand this day. Now, therefore, please let me strike him at once with the spear right to the earth, and I will not have to strike him a second time.

Look at the opportunity that God has given you. But David said to Abishai, Do not destroy him, for who can stretch out his hand against Yahweh's Messiah and be guiltless? And David said furthermore, As Yahweh lives, Yahweh shall strike him, or his day shall come to die, or he shall go out to battle and perish. Yahweh forbid that I should stretch out my hand against Yahweh's Messiah.

But please, take now the spear and the jug of water that are by his head, and let us go. And so, in the first episode, David uses the piece of Saul's garment. In this case, he takes the artifacts here, the spear and the jug, and from a distance shows them to Saul as proof that he could have harmed him, but that he does not seek Saul's harm. Abishai who would you say is the king of Israel now that's Saul he's worthless David is my king David gets all my loyalty well what then would it mean to be loyal to your David to be loyal to the king I'll kill his adversary that's what I'll do for my king I'll take him down in cold blood alright David disagrees David has a rebuke, a different approach not my view of loyalty, that's not what I ask of you at all Well, let's ask one more individual.

Chapter 25. David and his men at this time are in Maon, or nearby, where a wealthy man named Nabal has his crops. At verse 3 we read, The name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. And she was a woman of good understanding. and beautiful appearance. But the man was harsh and evil in his doings. He was the house of Caleb.

When David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep, David sent ten young men and said to the young men, Go up to Carmel, go to Nabal, and greet him in my name. And thus you shall say to him who lives in prosperity, Peace to you, peace to your house, peace to all that you have. Now I have heard that you have shearers, your shepherds were with us, and we did not hurt them, nor was there anything missing from them all the while they were in Carmel.

Ask your men, and they will tell you. Therefore, let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we come on a feast day. Please give us whatever comes to your hand, to your servants, and to your son David. Now, a little bit of a background here. Is this David looking for protection money? We were with your servants here, and nobody got hurt.

How about you give us a little food for our feast here? I think we're putting completely the wrong spin on it, especially if we listen to what Naval's own servants are going to say later. First of all, there's a Levitical requirement here. Moses commanded that for the poor, for the homeless, for the wandering, you make sure you set aside some of your provision.

Make sure you provide for those who are homeless among you, for those who are strangers, who have no means of provision. Well, this would be David. So David is simply asking for a compliance here with what God had dictated. in his word. Verse 9, so when David's young men came, they spoke to Nabal according to all these words in the name of David and waited.

Then Nabal answered David's servants and said, who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants nowadays who break away each one from his master. Shall I then take my bread, my water, my meat that I have killed for my shears and give it to men when I do not know where they from He not the king What does he You think you can tax me So David young men turned on their heels and went back and they came and told him all these words then David said to his men every man gird on his sword so every man girded on his sword and David also girded on his sword and about 400 men went with David and 200 stayed with the supplies now one of the young men told Abigail Nabal's wife saying look David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, and he reviled them.

But the men were very good to us. We were not hurt, nor did we miss anything, as long as we accompanied them when we were in the fields. They were a wall to us, both by night and by day. All the time we were with them, keeping the sheep. Do you understand what he's saying here? It's not that we weren't missing anything.

They didn't take anything. He says we weren't missing anything because they were there as a shield, as a wall to us. Ordinarily, we would have been missing something. We're constantly losing to those Philistine raiders. We're constantly losing stuff to the animals that come in that we're struggling to keep out. But do you know what?

When we had David and his armed men, we were protected. He did what Saul has been unable to accomplish for us, to give us some peace and security. Abigail, think about it. Verse 17, Now therefore, no, consider what you will do, for harm is determined against our master and against all his household, for he is such a scoundrel that one cannot speak to him.

Then Abigail made haste and took 200 loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five sheep already dressed, five sails of roasted grain, 100 clusters of raisins, 200 cakes of figs, and loaded them on donkeys. And she said to her servants, Go on before me, see, I am coming after you. But she did not tell her husband, Nabal. So it was, as she rode on the donkey, that she went down under cover of the hill, and there were David and his men coming down toward her, and she met them.

Now David had said, surely in vain I have protected all that this fellow has in the wilderness so that nothing was missed out of all that belongs to him and he has repaid me evil for good. May God do so and more also to the enemies of David if I leave one male of all who belong to him by morning light. Now when Abigail saw David, she dismounted quickly from the donkey, fell on her face before David and bowed down to the ground.

So she fell at his feet and said, on me, my Lord, on me let this iniquity be. And please let your maidservant speak in your ears and hear the words of your maidservant Please let not my Lord regard the scoundrel Nabal for as his name is so is he Nabal is his name and folly is with him Nabal is the Hebrew word fool, or there's a number of words for fool in Hebrew. This one is the extremist of them that really means scoundrel.

Not somebody who's simply silly and doesn't think, but somebody who's looking for trouble. This is Nabal. that I, your maidservant, did not see the young men of my Lord whom you sent. Now therefore, my Lord, as Yahweh lives and as your soul lives, since Yahweh has held you back from coming to bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now then, let your enemies and those who seek harm for my Lord be as Nabal.

And now this present from your maidservant has brought to my Lord, let it be given to the young men who follow my Lord. Please forgive the trespass of your maidservant, for Yahweh will certainly make for my Lord an enduring house because my Lord fights the battles of Yahweh and evil is not found in you throughout your days. Yet a man has risen to pursue you and seek your life but the life of my Lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with Yahweh your God and the lives of your enemies he shall sling out as from the pocket of a sling and it shall come to pass when Yahweh is done for my Lord according to all the good that he has spoken concerning you and has appointed you ruler over Israel that this will be no grief to you, nor offense of heart to my Lord, either that you have shed blood without cause, or that my Lord has avenged himself.

But when Yahweh has dealt well with my Lord, then remember your maidservant. Then David said to Abigail, Blessed be Yahweh, God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me. And blessed is your advice, and blessed are you, because you have kept me this day from coming to bloodshed and from avenging myself, with my own hand. For indeed, as Yahweh, God of Israel, lives, who has kept me back from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, surely by morning light no males would have been left to Nabal.

So David received from her hand what she had brought him and said to her, Go up in peace to your house. See, I have heeded your voice and respected your person. Abigail, who would you say is the king of Israel? Quite clearly, she answers, David. David a man seeks your life but Yahweh hand is upon you You are the true king Now let stop here for a minute and ask the question why would she think so Why would she say so Sometimes we get, I think, a misconception of this story.

We forget what we read at the beginning of chapter 16, that it's not because people have been going about announcing that Samuel anointed David. This was not a public event. David's household, at the most, were those that knew about this. This was a secret anointing. So what makes her, what makes some of these others think that David is the king? Well, observe who thinks that David is the king.

Even the Philistines looking in are under the impression that he's the king. The women are singing these songs about Saul slaying his thousands, David his tens of thousands. This song is the top ten. This has been on the top of the charts here for months. And all the ladies in Israel are singing it. And Abigail's hearing this song, this one who's acquiring these valiant victories, fighting the Lord's battle and acquiring them.

David's reputation is getting to be known, and people are thinking, God's hand is on this man. Surely this is God's chosen vessel. Surely this is the true king of Israel. Not because David has been flying campaign flyers, vote for David king. They're seeing something in David, in God's man. And so she concludes that this man is the king.

The servants even support this perspective. He has protected us. He is worthy of your loyalty. In fact, even Saul looks at David and sees, that's a threat to my kingdom. Many can see that there is kingdom in this man. All right, Abigail, thank you.

Now, what does it mean to be loyal to the king? does she think like Doeg thinks does she think like the men of Kailah think the men of Kailah would say there's David he's going off half cocked he's going to kill Nabal better step out of his way he's the king now again lest we misunderstand her motive is not but it's my dear husband I've got to protect him because I love him and I want the best well no I think if we take her at her word it's pretty clear that this relationship it's been nothing but trouble for her. She has been miserable in this relationship. He is a scoundrel, she's probably one of many and she is not being treated well, despite the fact that she is very wise.

No, she's not trying to protect her dear husband. If she were Doeg, she'd join right in and say, David, just wait a minute, tonight I'll take care of it. No. What does it mean to be loyal to the king? Well, here she sees her hero, the hope of Israel. what she says in verse 28 she's confident Yahweh will make for my Lord for David an enduring house because my Lord fights the battles of Yahweh and evil is not found in you throughout your days David you have been the hero you have been upright you've been the man of integrity you've been everything we need in a king don't blow it now we need you to be pure and righteous and compassionate to be loyal to the king means when she sees the king going the wrong direction, she throws herself right in his way and says, you can't do this, and that's loyalty.

That's what it means to be loyal to the king. Of course, we've seen that before. We've seen that even in Exodus, when God tells Moses, step aside, Moses. Israel has offended me, and I'm going to wipe them out and make you a great nation. Moses' response is, Lord, you can't do that. That wouldn't be like you.

That would be inconsistent with everything I understand about what it means for you to be God. And God's response is exactly David's. You're right, Moses. Good answer. I'm not going to do it. David's response toward Abigail, Thank you for sparing me from bringing dishonor to my name.

And he remains in his integrity. what do we see in our portrait of a king this is a good shepherd this is a savior to the people in distress this is a man who is merciful in fact the most harm he does to Saul is ruin his outfit he takes a piece of his garment and even that he regrets doing he's not happy even to have taken a piece of what was Saul's and here let's finish the Abigail story verse 39 so when David heard Nabal was dead he said that doesn make any sense because we haven read from verse 36 Back up a couple more Verse 36, now Abigail went to Nabal and there he was, holding a feast in his house like the feast of a king, and Nabal's heart was merry within him for he was very drunk, therefore she told him nothing, little or much, until morning light. So it was in the morning when the wine had gone from Nabal and his wife had told him these things that his heart died within him and he became like a stone. You did what?

With my money and my stuff? 38. Then it happened after about 10 days that Yahweh struck Nabal and he died. So when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, blessed be Yahweh who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal and has kept his servant from evil. For Yahweh has returned the wickedness of Nabal on his own head. And David sent and proposed to Abigail to take her as his wife.

When the servants of David had come to Abigail at Carmel, they spoke to her, saying, David sent us to you to ask you to become his wife. Then she arose, bowed her face to the earth, and said, Here is your maidservant, a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my Lord. So Abigail rose in haste, rode on a donkey, attended by her five maidens, and she followed the messengers of David and became his wife.

David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and so both of them were his wives. Saul had given Michal, the daughter of David's wife, to Palti, or Saul's daughter Michal, David's wife, to Palti, the son of Laish, who was from Galim. Oh dear, now we've got the dark side of David. Here he is. David, the polygamist. David, the one who's snatching up beautiful women as soon as their husbands are dead. probably that was his plan all along.

That's the way we're responding to it. We're completely missing the point. Why does David marry her? Well, we need to read it in the same light as the last deaths that occur. This is the same. This is a repeat of the story with Abiathar who has lost his whole family and has found himself an orphan because of David.

Now here is Abigail who is now a widow. Why? Because of David. If she hadn't done this thing, if she hadn given Nabal precious stuff to David Nabal would not have had this heart attack Nabal would not have died And David sees you are widowed on my account This is David taking responsibility for a woman who is now in a very vulnerable position. It seems to be pretty clear that she did not have children, since she is going to bear a child to David here, and there's no mention of anybody else in the family.

Probably she was not the only wife. It seems likely that Nabal had children from other wives. And so Abigail was not in any position to receive an inheritance from Nabal or to be provided for by her children. She was in a very vulnerable situation, and it is David's fault. And David says, come, come under my wing, and I will protect you. and legally, the only secure way he had of protecting a woman in that manner was by marrying her.

I mean, sure, he could set up an endowment, right? Set up the Abigail Fund to provide for her. But if anything happened to David, if David were to die, there was nothing to stop anybody else coming after to just abolish the thing and undo it, and she'd be vulnerable. The only way that she could be guaranteed legally provision was by marrying her. And through that marriage, therefore, David's assets would be legally transferable to her.

So we need to read this in the cultural setting, not necessarily in our 21st century or even post-New Testament here mindset. Why polygamy? God didn't expressly forbid polygamy in the Old Testament. And I'm not sure entirely why not. But one of the reasons here seems to be that polygamy is a very good means of God expressing things about himself. Because God is the one who takes people under his wing, and there's no limit to the number of people he can do that to.

Right. It's a different, it's a metaphorical kind of polygamy. All right. So what is this, who is this good shepherd? This is a man who feeds his men, even setting aside ceremonial law to do so. who shows mercy, who gathers around him those who are outcasts of society. He's the one who takes care of the orphan on his account and the widow on his account He a savior to those in need even when he has no personal interest in the struggle He one who is merciful even upon his enemies and does not seek to use violence against those who are his adversaries or his rivals here So who is the king?

Well, we're learning that in David's opinion, Saul is still the king. and yet we're seeing that David is the king. We're living in a time, a strange situation here in Israel. We have a land with two kings, two men, both of them anointed by God, both of them chosen by him, both the Lord's Messiah, both the Lord's anointed and yet the one hates the other and is trying to kill him.

What a weird world to live in. Aren't you glad you don't live in a world like that? That's right, you do. This is our world. Before we fast forward too far to our time, let's go in steps. Probably when this book was written, I take Samuel and Kings to have been an exilic composition here.

So written as a whole, or at least put together in its final form as a whole during the exile. And so the author is living in, say, Daniel's day, where we have a situation where the Jews are bound to be loyal to their God. They have a king in the Lord God, and yet there is a king over them, say Nebuchadnezzar or Cyrus or Darius. And it often will happen that that king will give decrees that are in conflict with the invisible king, their God.

How do you live in that world? to which king should you be loyal? Well, our text is teaching us you should be loyal to both. Because God has raised up Nebuchadnezzar and yet God also is king. How do you do that? It's complicated. It doesn't mean faithfulness to Nebuchadnezzar.

It doesn't mean you do everything Nebuchadnezzar says. Or what Darius says. If he tells you to bow down before no one but him for 30 days, you don't do it. And that's not disloyalty. Because it's not in his interest. To be loyal to him when he asks you to sin is only heaping up more sin to his account that he's going to have to answer for.

It's in his best interest. that you don't do that sin that he is commanding you to do. Let's fast forward a little bit more. The Lord stands up in the temple and says, Render to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's. Who is the king, Jesus? Are you the king or are you not the king, Jesus? It looks like there's a Caesar guy.

Should we be loyal to him or should we be loyal to you? Jesus' answer is yes you must be loyal to both because God put Caesar on the throne and God backs his authority and if you would dare to hold his authority lightly you're going to answer to God for that but God also has a king who doesn't look like a king a king who's been anointed secretly but has just as much authority in fact more authority who has even given Caesar his authority and you must be loyal to him too yeah but what if Caesar tries to destroy the other king. What if there is adversity?

Well, get ready for a ride. It's going to be fascinating as you navigate that world. Loyalty doesn't necessarily mean obeying, but it does mean having a heart like Abigail. To stand in the king's way respectfully. You see her tone? She doesn't stand up and say, David, what kind of fool are you?

You shouldn't do that. Knock it off. No. Humility. Throwing herself at the king's feet saying, please put it upon me. I'm so sorry.

I'm stepping out. I don't mean to offend you. But in your interest, notice who she's concerned about. Not Nabal. She's concerned for David. This is not good for you, O king.

That this should come upon your name. This was written for the people of God who live in a world of two kings just like ours. well we're going to see right here to the end of 1st Samuel a couple more sections here that happened the next few chapters deal with David finally getting to the point where he can no longer even remain in the land it's become too hot for him because of Saul's army and so he flees over and gains asylum in the Philistine city of Gath where King Achish favors him and in fact even gives him his own city nearby. David of course doesn want to live in God It going to be hard for him to follow the Mosaic law living in the same city with Philistines So he very happy to have this Cyclades city where he can be simply nearby in Philistine territory but have it be an Israelite city.

And so he goes out on raids and remains there safe from Saul. Saul, however, has it announced to him that his end is coming quickly and his final battle is at hand. the last two chapters here we have Saul marching off to meet the Philistines in their last battle and David finds himself in an uncomfortable position of having pledged a certain loyalty to a Philistine king who is now going to march against the king of Israel the Lord's anointed fortunately for David he is sweating it for a little bit there but fortunately the other four Philistine kings tell Achish you can't bring that man into this battle he's an Israelite he's going to turn sides and join Saul And Achish pleads and says, no, no, you can trust him. Really, he's faithful to me.

He'll support our cause. But they won't have it, and Achish says, I'm sorry, David, you can't come. So David turns and goes back to his city of Ziklag. But when he arrives at Ziklag, what should have happened? But the city is burned to the ground. Everything is gone.

All the people have been taken captive. All the possessions have been looted and taken. and who is the aggressor? It is none other than the Amalekites, that people that Saul failed to destroy when he was sent by Samuel. Now they've made themselves David's enemy. Let's look at the beginning of chapter 30. They didn't kill anyone.

They took them all captive. And we read beginning in verse 3. So David and his men came to the city and there it was burned with fire and their wives and their sons and their daughters had been taken captive. Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept until they had no more power to weep. And David's two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite had been taken captive.

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. Can you overhear the talk in that moment? The bitterness? why do we ever get into this? Why do we ever line up with that man? I thought he was going to do something I thought he was going to be our hope And I thought he was going to provide for us and become the king And what happened We lost everything because of him We never should have done it Tell you what, we need a different leader.

Come on guys, let's take care of David. The bottom for David. As low as he can go. But, the end of verse 6. but David strengthened himself in Yahweh his God and so David inquires of God God assures him of victory and he goes in pursuit of the Amalekites he gets so far he gets to the brook of Besor and some of them just can't catch up they're exhausted and so he leaves about 300 of them behind the rest of them are 200 behind and the other 400 go on and they fight the battle and they are successful they are victorious in fact not a thing is lost in this whole battle We go from the very low point, this crisis point in David's life, to a high point, to an epiphany here.

And we read in verse 17, Then David attacked them from twilight until evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled. So David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away. And David rescued his two wives, and nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything which they had taken from them.

David recovered all. Then David took all the flocks and herds that they had driven before those other livestock and said, This is David's spoil. Now David came to the 200 men who had been so weary that they could not follow David, whom they also had made to stay at the brook of Bethsa, whom they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him.

And when David came near the people, he greeted them. Then all the wicked and worthless men of those who went with David answered and said, Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered except for every man's wife and children back, that they may lead them away and depart. They didn't help. We won the victory.

They didn't win the victory. They sat on the bench. But David said, My brethren, you shall not do so with what Yahweh has given us, who has preserved us, who has preserved us and delivered into our hand the troop that came against us. For who will heed you in this matter? But as his part who goes down to the battle, so shall his part be who stays by the supplies. they shall share alike.

So it was that they forwarded. He made a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day This is now our policy Everyone shares from the spoil alike whether they actually in the combat or whether they had to stay behind and guard the battle Now don't miss what just happened. David just gave a ruling and a statute that becomes a permanent policy for the nation of Israel.

David has now passed a couple more of these phases of becoming king. He has now shown himself to be the commander-in-chief of the army. He has led his people to a great victory in defeating his own city. He's been the commander-in-chief. And he has declared as Supreme Court a statute for all Israel and a precedent that will apply. And as soon as we turn to chapter 1 of 2 Samuel, we're going to see now the people coming around him and electing David king over Israel.

Finally, we've got all five. He's been anointed by the prophet. The spirit of God has come upon him. He now here has been, he's proven himself in battle and in judgment. Then in 2 Samuel, we have the people choosing him to be king. And then he's going to acquire the trappings of kingdom, a crown. a capital city a palace a throne all the trappings of kingdom all five steps here now are gone through this is our king once king in secret but now king visibly and obviously I hope at this point it is clear that this story this book is for us whatever things were written before says Paul were written for our learning that we through the patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

But we have to read it the right way. And too often, we only look at David and say, well, how am I like David? Or should I act like David here or not like David here? Did David do well here? Did David not do well here? We are not David in the story.

We're the other little guys. We need to be looking at Doeg and Abigail and Abishai. David is our king. And yes, we're supposed to imitate our king. That's not a wrong approach. But that's secondary.

This book is showing us first how should we relate to our king. Because we have a king who is invisible. The Lord Jesus Christ. Who demands all of our loyalty. And he is a good shepherd. he takes care of his own, even when they suffer on his account. And not one of them will ultimately suffer loss.

Though they lose everything, he will obtain everything back. This is the king that we can trust ourselves to. Let us be loyal to him, and let us still be loyal to those authorities that God raises up over them. Yea, though they be increasingly hostile to our King Jesus. Let us oppose where we have to, but let us do it with submission and with humility and with reverence.

Please pray with me. Lord God, you are a beautiful painter of truth. And you have revealed here in your word, Lord, not just a list of do's and don'ts. Make sure you obey your rulers. Make sure you trust God. Promises in isolation.

Lord but you have given us a colorful portrait a stirring vision of what it means to have a king who is like God a man after God's own heart and Lord I pray for each heart that is present here Lord that you would bow it before this king who does not appear to the world to be a king the Lord Jesus and if there's any here present who has maybe not known him maybe not submitted to him or maybe has outwardly submitted but who has struggled to love him and to appreciate him and to find delight in him. May you, through this glimpse that we have had of the model Messiah, David, Lord, may you stir up faith and comfort in that heart and may it abound to a fruit of loyalty that is characterized by joy above all things and might win others to the throne of our King Jesus. I pray it in his name.

Amen.