David - Lesson 2 (2-8-26)
Overview
David on the Run
Saul's misdirected energy reveals the heart of his tragedy. As Israel's king, his strength should have been spent defending God's people against the Philistines. Instead, he poured himself into hunting down David, the Lord's anointed. The root issue was never David's growing prominence—it was Saul's unrepentant heart, his estrangement from God, and a jealousy that consumed everything it touched. Fear and unsatisfied anger eventually destroyed him on Mount Gilboa 1 Samuel 31:1-6. The same combination can devour any of us if we refuse the forgiveness Christ offers and the grace to refuse to "hurt back."
When Saul's pursuit began, David fled first to Samuel 1 Samuel 19:18 and then to his friend Jonathan 1 Samuel 20:1. Notice the pattern: in distress he sought the Word of God through the prophet, and the comfort of a faithful friend. This is a model for us. We are not all trained counselors, but we are all caregivers, and what God places in our hands is His Word—His sovereignty, His omniscience, His baptismal claim on us. When a hurting friend appears in the narthex or at our doorstep, that is the God-appointed moment to set our schedules aside and minister. And like Job's friends, we should remember that suffering does not always have a tidy, rational explanation. Sometimes the only honest answer is that we live in a fallen world, and God will never leave His people comfortless.
David's flight also shows that believers waver between faith and folly. By faith he ate the consecrated bread at Nob, an act Jesus later affirmed as lawful Matthew 12:1-4. In folly, driven by fear, he ran straight into the hands of Achish, king of Gath—Goliath's own hometown—and had to feign madness to escape 1 Samuel 21:10-15. Then, listening again to the prophet Gad, he returned in faith to the land of Judah 1 Samuel 22:5. When trouble comes, we face the same fork: trust that God works all things for good Romans 8:28, or pull away from worship and sacrament because life is hard. One is faith; the other is folly.
Finally, God's sovereignty is bigger than our circumstances. When Saul was closing in, a Philistine raid forced him to break off the chase 1 Samuel 23:27-28. The Lord used the very enemies of His people to deliver David. God is Lord not only over believers but over the whole universe, and He can use even difficult or unbelieving people in our lives to accomplish His good purposes. That truth is freedom. Bring it into your prayers: thank Him that no situation, no opponent, no fear is outside His reach—and ask Him to keep you walking in faith rather than folly until you, like David, see His deliverance.
Transcript
Good morning. 7s
Let's join in prayer, please. 9s
Grace is heavenly Father, thank you for this day. 11s
Unique in all of history. 14s
Your day of grace, we thank you for gathering us together in this year's house. 17s
And we ask Father, as your word goes forth, that you would bless it to your praise 23s
into your glory in Jesus' name. 28s
Well, we continue on in our study on the life of David. 33s
Last week we talked a lot, or we talked a little bit about the first king who was King 37s
Saul. 43s
David was the second king. 44s
But because of Saul's disobedience, because of his hardness of heart, there was a rejection 47s
of God of Saul as King. 54s
And the Lord anointed the youngest of Jesse's sons, David, to be the king. 59s
We took a look at that really is so often how the Lord works, right? 65s
And he finds the least likely. 71s
And raises them up to the positions that he desires for them. 74s
We studied about David and Goliath. 80s
And remember that David went to the battle with Goliath with five stones. 83s
Whenever detail like that comes up, ask yourself, why might that be five stones 89s
that he went to battle with? 94s
Well, as we read on in Scripture, we found out that Goliath was not the only giant. 97s
There were four other giants. 102s
So David picks up five stones in the possibility that he might be battling all five of the giants. 104s
And we saw the confidence in David that he didn't arm up, did he? 113s
He said, well, there's five giants. 118s
I just need five stones. 119s
That's going to be fine because he knew that the Lord was with him. 120s
We took a look at what Saul's core problem was. 125s
And Saul's core problem was not David's growing prominence. 129s
Saul's core problem was an unrepentant heart, his astrangement from God. 135s
We took a look at his jealousy and how jealousy can just eat away at a person and destroy things. 140s
So last week we saw David in the field. 149s
And this week to the myth, it's David on the run. 153s
So last week was David in the field and this week it's David on the run. 156s
If you kept an energy log of where you're energy and I'm not talking about your utilities here, 163s
where your personal energy goes and you had to categorize it and even put a percentage next to it. 169s
It might be an interesting thing to do. 178s
Saul's energy. 182s
Saul's energy should have been spent on the Philistines. 184s
Should have been spent on Israel's enemy. 188s
Enemy's, but what Saul was focused on was the pursuit of David. 193s
Notice where David goes first as Saul is trying to kill him. 202s
Let's go to first Samuel chapter 19. Old Testament. Genesis Exodus, Leviticus, 208s
Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, and then Ruth. 215s
Then first Samuel chapter 19. 221s
First Samuel chapter 19. 226s
So Saul is trying to kill David. David is the anointed one. 232s
And in first Samuel chapter 19 verse 18, 241s
the scripture tells us now David fled and escaped. 246s
He came to Samuel at Rama and told him all that Saul had done to him. 251s
He insamio went and settled at Neoth. 259s
So the first place then that David goes as he is being pursued by Saul, Saul wants to kill him, 263s
where he goes is to the prophet who had anointed him to be the next king. 271s
There is wisdom and comfort of the Lord's Word. 280s
And David knows where he's going to receive that. 287s
And so he goes to Samuel. 290s
It is so comforting, is it not? 294s
To receive the Word of God from a fellow believer amidst times of difficulty and times of trial. 298s
And that is the Word that we can give. 308s
So often people say, what do I say to somebody, when they come and they share their problems with us. 312s
Remember you're not trained counselors, you're caregivers. 322s
We're all caregivers. 327s
And what God has given us to use is His Word. 329s
And so as we share the promises of God's sovereignty, 335s
that God is in charge of God's omniscience, that God knows all as we share the promises of God's 340s
grasp upon us in the waters of baptism. 348s
That is a comforting Word for a person. 353s
All of us are caregivers. 358s
It also to have the humility when a friend is sharing something with you to realize 361s
we're now into something that I'm not trained in. 369s
I'm not trained in that as a caregiver. 374s
So let me find a counselor for you. 378s
Pastor Meloneck and I have some counselors that will refer people to. 383s
So to keep in the role of the caregiver, when a cross is over into that, 389s
don't think you're a counselor, right? 394s
But refer to people that are trained in that area. 396s
First place that David goes, as he's being pursued by Saul who wants to kill him, 400s
is to Samuel and in Samuel, he knows he will hear the Word. 407s
He goes first to Samuel. 417s
Secondly, he goes to Jonathan. 418s
Jonathan was a son of Saul. 420s
Let's go to chapter 20 verse 1. 423s
David fled from Naeoth in Rama. 430s
He came before Jonathan and said, 433s
what have I done? 436s
What is my guilt? 438s
What is my sin against your father that he's trying to take my life? 441s
Let's jump down in first Samuel 22 verse 32. 449s
Is Jonathan the same question here of his father. 454s
So first Samuel 20 verse 32, 459s
then Jonathan answered his father, Saul, 464s
why should he be put to death? 468s
What has he done? 471s
And notice Saul's response, verse 33, 475s
but Saul threw his spear at him to strike him. 480s
So Jonathan knew that it was the decision of his father 485s
Saul's not problems here, right? 493s
I mean, he's got problems here. 496s
Even tries here in terms of harming his own son 498s
throwing the spear at him. 502s
Like David, when difficulties come in our lives, 506s
we usually seek logical and rational connections 512s
and explanations. 518s
He said, what did I do to your father? 521s
What's my sin here that he hates me, that he wants to kill me? 524s
That's our inclination here is to say, 529s
what is the logical explanation here for pain and for heartache? 534s
And sometimes there is no rational explanation. 541s
There just isn't. 547s
There isn't any explanation for the pain that one is going through. 550s
I think a Job's counselors, 557s
and we're suffering all these list of adversities there. 559s
The counselors came and remember what was the best thing 564s
the counselors ever did was to sit with him in silence. 567s
So, best thing they did when they opened their mouths, 571s
that's when things went wonky on that. 574s
Because what they approached then Job is they approached 578s
with the understanding of so Job, what did you do? 582s
What did you do that has brought all of this suffering upon you? 587s
See, they thought there's the logical, rational, 594s
you must have done. 598s
Your suffering is so much, you must have done something. 599s
And what the book of Job highlights is, Job didn't do anything. 604s
God had allowed the suffering to come upon him. 609s
It wasn't a form of punishment for Job. 612s
God had allowed that to come upon him. 616s
Sometimes there is no logical, rational answer 621s
to why you're going through heartache and pain. 626s
Sometimes the only answer is as we live in a fallen world 630s
and there is misery that comes through sin. 634s
And we are all sinners and sinners influence us 640s
oftentimes in irrational ways that we can't understand. 647s
And so there's no question or there's no answer here that David can give. 652s
Rather, the Jonathan can give of why this is occurring. 658s
And sometimes in our suffering there is no rational answer. 664s
But notice what David has. 671s
David has a dear friend in Jonathan. 673s
God will never leave us comfortless, never leave us comfortless. 678s
And so we are all cold to the ministry of caring for one another. 686s
And that means when that person comes, 695s
that is the God appointed time to minister. 699s
You may be in the narthek on Sunday morning and all of a sudden, 704s
somebody comes and you notice, you know, they're just not right. 707s
It's the image of the shepherd with the rod and at night, all of the sheep 711s
would pass underneath the rod of the shepherd and the shepherd would check the wool of the sheep. 719s
And you look at your friend, you look at someone and you know, 729s
sometimes not right there. 731s
There is the moment that God has arranged for you to care. 734s
And where does the focus come? 738s
The focus doesn't come on dinner. 741s
It doesn't come on. 745s
Oh, God, a busy day coming up and I was, or just about out the door. 746s
Nope, that's the serendipitous moment in which God has brought this person into minister. 750s
And there is the focus on the person. 757s
Why? Because we're all constantly caregivers. 762s
And the Lord uses us to check each other, to see something's wrong in the eyes there. 766s
Something's wrong in the countenance. 775s
And God uses us to be the comfort givers of sharing his word. 779s
So he goes first to Samuel, then he goes to Jonathan. 788s
He's on the run here. 791s
Let's go to chapter 20, verse 3, the last part. 796s
But truly as the Lord lives and as you yourself live, 810s
there is but a step between me and death. 815s
That's his understanding of what he's experiencing. 821s
Saul wants him dead and Saul's throwing a spirit as own son. 824s
He wavers between faith and folly. 836s
He wavers between faith and folly. Let's go to 21, verse 1. 840s
David came to knob to the priest, a Himalek. 850s
A Himalek came trembling to meet David and said to him, 853s
why are you alone and no one with you? 859s
David said to the priest, a Himalek, the king has charged me with a matter and said to me, 864s
no one must know anything of the matter about which I send you and with which I have charged you. 869s
I've made an appointment with the young men for such and such a place. 874s
Now then, what have you at hand? 880s
Give me five loaves of bread or whatever is here. 884s
The priest answered David. 888s
I have no ordinary bread at hand, only holy bread. 890s
Provided that the young men have kept themselves from women. 894s
David answered the priest, indeed women have been kept from us 898s
always when I go on expedition. 902s
The vessels of the young men are holy even when it is a common journey. 905s
How much more today will their vessels be holy? 911s
So, the priest gave him the holy bread for there was no bread there except the bread of the presence, 916s
which is removed from before the Lord to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away. 923s
David is men survived by eating the consecrated bread there that would be put out each and every day 933s
as a reminder to the people of God's provision for them. 942s
They eat now of this bread. There would be 12 loaves, 948s
fresh loaves of bread placed in the tabernacle, each and every day. 954s
And there was an offering then consecrated to God as that symbol of provision for Israel. 960s
This is an act of faith on David's part and Jesus approves of it. 971s
Jump over to Matthew chapter 12, verse 1. 977s
At that time, Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry 1000s
and they began to pluck heads of grain into eat. When the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, 1006s
look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath. He said to them, 1013s
have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of 1022s
God and ate the bread of the presence, which he was not lawful for him or his companions to eat, 1029s
but only for the priests. Jesus here is affirming that David's action was a statement of faith 1035s
that it was indeed acceptable. Remember, Jesus was constantly criticized for healing on the Sabbath. 1045s
They're doing this on the Sabbath. And we see in Scripture that is always 1055s
lawful to do good and to save life even on the Sabbath. So what you see here, as David is on the 1063s
run and the eating of the bread, you see this as an act of faith here. There is provision, there is food, 1073s
that is given to those that are with him. But then you see an act of folly. 1080s
Let's go to first Samuel chapter 21 again, first Samuel chapter 21, 1094s
verse 10. 1104s
David rose and fled that day from Saul. He went to King, 1111s
Ackish of Gaff. The servants of Ackish said to him, 1116s
is this not David the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another of him in dances? 1121s
Saul has killed his thousands and David his 10,000s. 1130s
David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of King Ackish of Gaff. 1135s
So he changed his behavior before them. He pretended to be mad when in their presence. 1142s
He scratched marks on the door of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard. 1148s
Ackish said to his servants, look, you see the man is mad. 1154s
Why then have you brought him to me? Do I lack madmen that you have brought this fellow to play the madman 1159s
in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house? 1167s
You see an act of faith in eating the bread of presence, which was affirmed by Jesus doing good on the 1174s
Sabbath. And now you see David going to his enemy. Where was the king from? He was the king of 1180s
Gaff. Remember what was Glya's hometown? His Gaff. His Gaff. Why David goes to his enemy here? 1192s
It simply looks as an act of folly based upon fear. 1203s
Chapter 22. David left there and escaped to the cave, added him. When his brothers and 1212s
old his father's house heard of it, they went down there to him. Everyone who was indistress and 1218s
everyone who was in death and everyone who was discontented gathered to him and he became captain 1225s
over them. Those who were with him numbered about 4,000. David went from there to mispa 1230s
of Moe. He said to the king of Moe, please let my father and mother come to you until I know 1239s
what God will do for me. He left them with the king of Moe and they stayed with him all the time 1247s
that David was in the stronghold. Then the prophet, Gareth, said to David, do not remain in 1254s
stronghold, leave and go into the land of Judah. David left and went into the forest of 1260s
Herath. Here David is acting out of faith. He listens to what God's prophet says and he hides in 1270s
the forest. Here's the point. When we are faced with difficulties and challenges in our lives 1282s
we can either act in faith or fully. David did both. He did both. When we face the difficulties 1291s
we can either step out on faith confident that God will bring good out of this situation as 1305s
as the promise that in all things God works together for good to those who love the Lord or 1313s
we can act in fully. Where we can say because I'm experiencing difficulty in my life where is God 1319s
who needs God? God isn't fulfilling my expectations. That's fully. Instead of stepping out then 1326s
on faith and in the confidence of God's promises that he holds us that he knows about the situation 1335s
that he is Lord that he uses everything for his glory and our ultimate good. That's faith. 1341s
Fully is. Things aren't going well in my life. I'm going to pull myself away from worship. 1353s
I'm going to pull myself away from the reception of the sacrament. All of these things about 1358s
God's love. I don't see any love from God because things are difficult for me. That's Fully. 1365s
That's Fully. Instead of understanding we live in a sin for world. We can bring difficulties upon 1374s
ourselves because of our sin and difficulties can simply come to us because we live in a sinful world. 1381s
And however the difficulties come we act in faith or we act in Fully. David gives us 1388s
two examples. Doesn't he? Of acting in faith and acting in Fully. 1395s
When we come now to verse 23, look at verse 13, and David and his men who were about 600 said 1405s
out and left Kila. They wondered wherever they could go. When Saul was told that David had escaped 1419s
from Kila, he gave up the expedition. Not jump, not a 23. 23 to pick up a 27. 1428s
Then a messenger came to Saul saying, hurry and come. For the Philistines have made a raid on the land. 1445s
So Saul stopped pursuing David and went against the Philistines. Therefore that place was called 1454s
the rock of the scape. Notice here. God used who the Philistines, 1461s
enemies of God's people, and Saul gets diverted. Can God even use the difficult people in your life? 1476s
Can God use even an unbeliever in your life to accomplish his purpose? Absolutely. 1490s
Because God is sovereign. And so when we come in our times of devotions, when we come to a passage 1501s
like this, I think what helps to in life and devotion times is to use the text then as the source 1511s
of your petition, your praise, and so for example, in a situation like this. You can say, Lord, 1523s
I thank you that you even use the enemies of your people, the Philistines, in this situation. 1530s
And I thank you, Lord, that you will bring into people into my life that may not even be believers, 1537s
that you will use to accomplish your good purposes and your plan. What is that then? That's freedom 1546s
and that's for language, isn't it? It's freedom and for language, to know that God is Lord, not only 1555s
over the believers, but God is Lord over the entire universe, and if God wants to use 1562s
perhaps even an enemy in your life, to bring about the purpose and the direction that he wants you to go, 1570s
God will do that. God is not limited. God is sovereign. When we come here to chapter 31, 1578s
we see the sad ending here of Saul. Let's go to 31 here in the few minutes we've got left. 1591s
Verse 1, Now the Philistines fought against Israel and the men of Israel fled to be 1604s
for the Philistines and many fell on Mount Gilboa. The Philistines over took Saul in his sons 1609s
and the Philistines killed Jonathan in a binidab and Mel Kusha, the sons of Saul. 1617s
The battle pressed hard upon Saul. The archers found him. He was badly wounded by them. 1624s
Then Saul said it was armor bear, draw your sword and thrust me through with it, 1631s
so that these uncircumcised may not come and thrust me through and make sport of me. 1636s
But his armor bear was unwilling, he was terrified. Saul took his own sword and fell upon it. 1642s
When his armor bear saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him. 1653s
As you look at Saul's life, a question to ask is, what's the most tragic thing about 1662s
Saul's life and death? God had gifted him and chosen for leadership and Saul disregarded 1670s
God's word and his will. Saul failed to listen and to obey him. Saul thought and cared too much 1681s
about what others thought of him and he lived about God's will and Saul failed to repent. 1692s
Saul's fear was never abated and his anger was never ever satisfied. 1705s
And the combination of fear and anger and anger never satisfied no matter what was done. 1715s
In the end, it completely consumed him and destroyed him. 1726s
As we reflect on our own lives, fear and anger can do the same thing. 1736s
It can destroy us. Absolutely destroy us. That's why the Lord says for us to constantly 1745s
forgive the other. That doesn't mean that you accept what the other has done. 1754s
It doesn't mean that because of what happened, there has to be a break in the relationship 1764s
because that's right. It means sometimes that that has to occur. 1771s
It doesn't mean that you continue to stay in relationship with that person because sometimes that 1777s
relationship has to be severed. But it does mean constantly that you forgive and what is forgiveness, 1783s
but it's the refusal to hurt back. What Saul wanted to do was hurt back. 1791s
And the fear and that anger was that was ultimately what destroyed him. Same thing in our lives. 1799s
God forgives us our failures in his word and sacraments. He empowers us to live free from the bondage 1811s
of fear and anger. David, our first week, David on the rise, David in the field, rather, 1819s
in the second week, David on the run and we've seen where he went, the Samuel, the Jonathan, 1831s
the support that was given there. We've seen him act in faith and in folly. 1840s
And we also reflecting on Saul and the tragedy of his life and how fear and anger we can be tempted to 1846s
let it consume us instead of the grace and the forgiveness that God empowers us to live in. God's grace 1857s
for us, the forgiveness that he gives to us, that forgiveness that refusal to hurt back to the other. 1866s
We've seen David in the field on the run next week. David on the rise. We'll continue then. 1878s