How do you know the Lord is making you stronger in the faith? Answer - He puts you under trial so that your faith is tested and refined. This is the reality for David as we continue to follow his journey.
1 Samuel 23: David Saves the City of Keilah
1 Now they told David, "Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are robbing the threshing floors."
2 Therefore David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I go and attack these Philistines?" And the LORD said to David, "Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah."
3 But David's men said to him, "Behold, we are afraid here in Judah; how much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?"
4 Then David inquired of the LORD again. And the LORD answered him, "Arise, go down to Keilah, for I will give the Philistines into your hand."
5 And David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines and brought away their livestock and struck them with a great blow. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.
6 When Abiathar the son of Ahimelech had fled to David to Keilah, he had come down with an ephod in his hand.
7 Now it was told Saul that David had come to Keilah. And Saul said, "God has given him into my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars."
8 And Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men.
9 David knew that Saul was plotting harm against him. And he said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring the ephod here."
10 Then said David, "O LORD, the God of Israel, your servant has surely heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah, to destroy the city on my account.
11 Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O LORD, the God of Israel, please tell your servant." And the LORD said, "He will come down."
12 Then David said, "Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?" And the LORD said, "They will surrender you."
13 Then David and his men, who were about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah, and they went wherever they could go. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up the expedition.
14 And David remained in the strongholds in the wilderness, in the hill country of the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not give him into his hand.
Saul Pursues David
15 David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh.
16 And Jonathan, Saul's son, rose and went to David at Horesh, and strengthened his hand in God.
17 And he said to him, "Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Saul my father also knows this."
18 And the two of them made a covenant before the LORD. David remained at Horesh, and Jonathan went home.
19 Then the Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, "Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is south of Jeshimon?
20 Now come down, O king, according to all your heart's desire to come down, and our part shall be to surrender him into the king's hand."
21 And Saul said, "May you be blessed by the LORD, for you have had compassion on me.
22 Go, make yet more sure. Know and see the place where his foot is, and who has seen him there, for it is told me that he is very cunning.
23 See therefore and take note of all the lurking places where he hides, and come back to me with sure information. Then I will go with you. And if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah."
24 And they arose and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah to the south of Jeshimon.
25 And Saul and his men went to seek him. And David was told, so he went down to the rock and lived in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon.
26 Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. And David was hurrying to get away from Saul. As Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them,
27 a messenger came to Saul, saying, "Hurry and come, for the Philistines have made a raid against the land."
28 So Saul returned from pursuing after David and went against the Philistines. Therefore that place was called the Rock of Escape.
29 And David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of Engedi.
1 Samuel 24: David Spares Saul's Life
1 When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, "Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi."
2 Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Wildgoats' Rocks.
3 And he came to the sheepfolds by the way, where there was a cave, and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave.
4 And the men of David said to him, "Here is the day of which the LORD said to you, 'Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.'" Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul's robe.
5 And afterward David's heart struck him, because he had cut off a corner of Saul's robe.
6 He said to his men, "The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the LORD's anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the LORD's anointed."
7 So David persuaded his men with these words and did not permit them to attack Saul. And Saul rose up and left the cave and went on his way.
8 Afterward David also arose and went out of the cave, and called after Saul, "My lord the king!" And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the earth and paid homage.
9 And David said to Saul, "Why do you listen to the words of men who say, 'Behold, David seeks your harm'?
10 Behold, this day your eyes have seen how the LORD gave you today into my hand in the cave. And some told me to kill you, but I spared you. I said, 'I will not put out my hand against my lord, for he is the LORD's anointed.'
11 See, my father, see the corner of your robe in my hand. For by the fact that I cut off the corner of your robe and did not kill you, you may know and see that there is no wrong or treason in my hands. I have not sinned against you, though you hunt my life to take it.
12 May the LORD judge between me and you, may the LORD avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you.
13 As the proverb of the ancients says, 'Out of the wicked comes wickedness.' But my hand shall not be against you.
14 After whom has the king of Israel come out? After whom do you pursue? After a dead dog! After a flea!
15 May the LORD therefore be judge and give sentence between me and you, and see to it and plead my cause and deliver me from your hand."
16 As soon as David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, "Is this your voice, my son David?" And Saul lifted up his voice and wept.
17 He said to David, "You are more righteous than I, for you have repaid me good, whereas I have repaid you evil.
18 And you have declared this day how you have dealt well with me, in that you did not kill me when the LORD put me into your hands.
19 For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away safe? So may the LORD reward you with good for what you have done to me this day.
20 And now, behold, I know that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand.
21 Swear to me therefore by the LORD that you will not cut off my offspring after me, and that you will not destroy my name out of my father's house."
22 And David swore this to Saul. Then Saul went home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.
Things to think about…
1. David does a good work in delivering the inhabitants of Keilah from the Philistines. Nite that he asked the Lord twice whether he should go and fight them in 1 Sam 23:2, 4. The Philistines were not to be trifled with and David makes sure God is in the fight. We should do the same.
2. David asks for the Ephod to be brought, 1Sam 23:11. He asks 2 questions, 1. Will Saul pursue him, vs 11 and 2. Will the men of Keilah give him up. When the men of Keilah have an opportunity to protect David the Lord reveals to David the answer came back that they would indeed hand him over to Saul, vs 12. Have you ever felt betrayed by someone that you have sacrificed for and loved only to be sadly disappointed? It might have been a close friend or even a child. What was your response? How did you grow in your faith through that situation? Often those who have received much from us are the ones who are not strong enough in the Lord to return the favour. God is our Portion and Shield. He is our Protector, and our Reward, trust in Him.
3. We saw yesterday that after David and Jonathan made a covenant together it was as if it would the last time they saw each other. But here we see they meet again and renew the covenant they had made, 1 Sam 23:15-18. This would indeed be the last time they would speak. Have you lost a close family member or friend that was as your very own heart? What were your last words together? How has the Lord used and blessed that relationship in your own walk with the Lord? Those who are in Christ will have a sweet reunion again in glory. What greater hope is there than this!
4. In 1Sam 23:19-26 – David and his men are constantly on the move. It seems there was no city that was willing to protect him because they feared Saul. This is despite the fact that they all knew David had been anointed as king by Samuel. What do the Lord’s people in Australia fear that withholds their witness for Christ? Surely we are at ease in Zion. We are so materially blessed that our witness and boldness in Christ suffers.
5. Saul was closing in on David, 1Sam 23:26-28. David escaped after Saul hears that the Philistines were raiding Israel. Saul rather than pursuing a friend of Israel should have been protecting Israel from the true enemy, the Philistines. When Christians bicker and fight and churches are at war with themselves, Satan is winning, and souls are dying. It’s a blight on churches when we don’t dwell together in peace.
6. 1 Sam 24 is a chapter that shows the fear of the Lord that David has and the fickleness of emotions that Saul has. David is cut to the heart after he cuts Saul’s robe, but we know that Saul after making an emotional display to David would continue to pursue his life after this point. Saul however asks David to swear before the Lord not to destroy his descendants. David keeps his word. Imagine the temptation after years of being pursued by Saul for David to finally deal with the situation and take Saul’s life. Have you ever been tempted to operate in the flesh, but you knew it was a test? Those who wait upon the Lord will have their strength renewed and His promises fulfilled, Isa 40:31. In David’s case, it was that he would be the king of Israel.
7. It seems here that Saul is repentant and acknowledges his sin and says David would indeed by the King of Israel, 1Sam 24:16-21. He asks David to spare his descendants, which David does when he is king. But sadly for Saul, a leopard cannot change his spots and he would continue to pursue David until the Lord finally takes him out of the way. David cannot return with Saul, but remains at Engedi. This site is ideal as it is high with natural protection from enemies and harsh weather having a couple of descent sized caves.
Vision statement for CBC
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Life groups off over this week. Prepare your heart for the Easter services.
Prayer Points
1. New members course – 3 weeks after church. First week completed
2. Pray for new people as they settle into CBC
3. Pray for Israel/Gaza, Ukraine wars.
4. New Life group starting soon in Fernvale/Lowood after membership course
5. Those that haven’t come to church for a while to return.
6. Revival over our city.
7. Finances to cover our needs
8. Pray for PlayPatch, Kids church, Creche and Kids Hope at Karalee State school.
9. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to increase.
Praise Points
1. First week new members course – 16 on the course
2. The Lord’s grace over our lives and country
3. Café, music, kids church, admin, sound and technical team every week
4. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. 2 week of membership course this Sunday 4th May.
2. Ministries this week. Life group, Kids@Church, Kids Hope - Karalee.
3. PlayPatch 1-5yos, Fridays 9:30am at church starting May 2nd.
4. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
5. Tune in again this week on our YouTube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism questions for April...
Q. 31. Can anyone go to heaven with this sinful nature? A. No - our hearts must be changed before we can be fit for heaven.
