1 Samuel 19, Consider God’s Patience As You Wait For Him
1. God Patiently Endures Open Rebellion (v1-3)
2. God Patiently Endures Broken Promises (v4-7)
3. God Patiently Prods The Rebellious (v8-10)
4. God Patiently Endures Family Issues (v11-17)
5. God Patiently Reveals Himself Repeatedly (v18-24)
Well, as we look at first Samuel Chapter 19 this evening, I've titled the Message Consider God patience as you wait for him.
Consider God patience and as I was reading through chapter 19 and reading through the chapters leading up to it over the past.
Few days.
These the the things that I've been really just kind of stirring on my heart and the things that have really been highlighting for me is God's work in the life of salt and the book of First Samuel is always interesting because the accounting here of the Kingdom of Saul and the Kingdom of David and how that transition.
A Kurd.
There's just so much.
Much that the Lord can speak through those narratives through those accounts, I believe it's one of the reasons why God uses and includes this type of passage in the scripture for us, because we can look at these things and and hear from the Lord and receive from the Lord in so many ways as he highlights different aspects and different perspectives.
Of the accounts that are going on and so here you have God working in the life of David, of course, and we're seeing him and his progression towards the throne.
But we also have God still working in the.
Life of salt. Now from David's perspective, as you look at this, it's easy to see it from his perspective and and I would even suggest you know as we're reading through these things, you're looking at these passages.
You're looking at the account of Saul.
You're looking at the account of David.
I would guess that we typically.
Relate more to David than we do to solve, right?
If we're picturing ourselves in the story.
If we're picturing ourselves in the account, it's like we're relating to David, and I'm David.
And you know these things are happening to me, and this is how things are transpiring around me similar to David's life.
But I would suggest we also need to be thinking about salt and sometimes perhaps we are more like Saul than we are like David and and there's some things for us to learn from that perspective as well, and so this is where I get the idea of God.
Patience as you think about David and you could think about.
You know the the process that God was taking him through to prepare him for the throne and the the training that he went through, but it's going to be a long process in the wilderness being chased by Saul in the coming chapters.
But also just as much as God is working in the life of David, God is working in the life of Saul, and so this.
Passage tonight this message tonight is a little bit of counsel to David to consider God patience as God is working in salt as David waits for the deliverance from God.
And that that God is bringing these things to pass.
He's allowing these things to take place for a multitude of reasons, some of which are for David directly, and the training and things that he needs, but also some of the things that God is doing is in sullen, it's a demonstration of God patients towards Saul.
That we see reflected here in first Samuel, Chapter 19.
There's a couple things I want to kind of share with you and consider as we get started into the chapter because we have Psalm Chapter 59, which is a Psalm of David and it's given to us the context that David wrote this song in First Samuel, Chapter 19. He says at the beginning that.
When Saul sent men and they watched the house in order to kill him, which we'll get into in verse 11 and.
Following and so this Psalm Psalm 59 is directly tide to this specific context. We're looking at tonight in the chapter that we read today and and in this Psalm, David praised this prayer and verse.
One, he says, deliver me from my enemies.
Oh my God, defend me from those who rise up against me.
As he continues on a few more verses down verse nine, he says I will wait for you.
Oh you, his strength for God is my defense.
As David is praying to God in the midst of this situation, as Saul is coming against him in a very strong way, David Prayer is Lord.
You deliver me and his commitment is I will wait for you.
One of the amazing things that you there at least that I think about when I'm reading through this chapter is that.
Chapter 18, chapter 19.
Both times David has Spears thrown at him from Saul, and it's a little bit remarkable.
I think that David didn't pull the spear out of the wall and throw it right back.
Right, but David is not trying to deliver himself in his own efforts or own ways from what is happening with saw.
His commitment is I will wait for you, and when he has opportunity to deliver himself from Saul's attacks.
The opportunities to escape he takes, but the opportunities to strike back.
He always refrains.
I would suggest going back to this commitment.
I will wait for you.
God is my defence.
God is the one who's going to handle this situation.
And so David here is saying I will wait for you.
And of course, that's a great exhortation and encouragement for.
All of us.
We need to learn to wait for the Lord to not just.
Take matters into our own hands and try to make things happen on our own.
To use our own efforts or strategies to deliver ourselves out of difficult situations that we face.
But to wait for the Lord to wait for the Lord to direct or to wait for the Lord to deliver, we need to be rested, rested and settled on him.
But as we do that.
Again here in Chapter 19, I would suggest we learn to consider God patients in that time of waiting we like verse 9 here.
For some 59 I will wait for you. Yes, that's great, but but have you ever waited for someone who is incredibly patient?
God is incredibly patient.
Right?
And and he is not opposed to waiting for some time.
And so if our commitment is to wait for the Lord, understand, we might be waiting for a while.
Factor in God.
Patience to your commitment to wait upon the Lord because God is working in the midst of the situation, in his timing and has a perfect timing to all of these things.
And so this commitment to wait for the Lord is important. Here in Psalm 59, but also an important thing to factor in is second Peter.
Chapter 3 verse.
Where Peter tells us there the Lord is not slack concerning his promise as some count slackness, but his long suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
God is incredibly patient.
And for some of us, many times that can feel like God is slack concerning his promises.
Remember, at this time that God has anointed David to be king.
That happened back in first Samuel 16.
And during Chapter 19, I think it would be easy for David to start thinking that God is slack concerning his promise.
God promised he would be king.
This is already several years ago.
Now it's been a few years already and.
It doesn't look like it's any closer to happening than it was when he was anointed back in first Samuel 916. The lid is not slack though.
He's just long suffering.
And so when you read through the account here and look at Saul and and what is happening with him as he is coming against David, we need to be mindful of the reality that God is longsuffering towards salt.
God is incredibly patient with salt and God is still not desiring.
That's all should perish.
He's not desiring.
That's all should be lost eternally.
He's not willing that any would should perish, including Saul in first Samuel Chapter 19.
Now God had already.
Old saw that he would be replaced back in for Samuel 15.
But that promise has not been fulfilled yet.
It's been several years, but it's not yet been fulfilled.
Soul could be taken out by the Lord at any time.
Of course, God is capable and easily can handle that kind of thing, but.
He's long suffering, and So what David?
Is experiencing here is?
He's waiting for the Lord.
The deliverance have got it a good and commendable thing.
But he's waiting.
While God is incredibly patient with Saul, because God is not willing that he should perish, that he should die in a state of rebellion against the Lord.
And so as we walk through this chapter.
There's a few things that I I want to walk us through and help us to consider God patients as we wait for him as we walk through experiences in life as we walk through situations and encounters and and perhaps we do identify with David and and we want to commit to, I'm going to wait for the Lord and let God work in this situation.
At the same time, we need to understand as we make that commitment as we determined to wait for the Lord.
That God patience is going to be reflected in the people around us and towards the people around us, and so we can consider this.
And again, perhaps we are identifying as David in this passage.
Perhaps the Lord wants to reveal we're a little bit more like salt than we are like David, either way, appreciating the patience.
Of God is really important for us, and so the first thing to consider we're going to look at verses one through three.
And that is that God patiently endures open rebellion.
God patiently endures open rebellion verse one.
Now, Saul spoke to Jonathan, his son, and to all his servants that they should kill David.
But Jonathan Saulson delighted greatly in David.
Here in verse one we see that Saul is no longer trying to hide his hatred for and his desire for David to be put to death.
In Chapter 18 we saw Saul tried to kill David a couple times.
In Chapter 18, we saw him cast.
To spirit David.
It was kind of a a moment thing, you know, a spur of the moment.
He in his fit of rage he throws the spear at David.
But then.
He tries a couple other tactics and techniques.
He tries to get the Philistines to kill Saul, to kill David.
Instead, he puts David in a position in the the Army where he's likely to be under threat.
You know, as he's going to battle against the philistines, he's promoting him and putting him in positions where he would likely be hurt or harmed.
Or killed by the philistines, and then, of course, in the arrangement of marriage between David and Michelle he.
He purposefully arranged it in a way that oh the dowry is just, you know, these four skins of the philistines, and so requiring David to go and battle against the philistines and all the while.
Saul is hoping that David will fall in the midst.
Of the battle.
But now as we get into verse one of Chapter 19, Saul is no longer trying these kind of roundabout methods.
Now he's announcing it to all of his servants, he says servants.
We need to kill David.
So everybody get on board.
Help me out here.
We need to find him.
We need to catch him and we need to kill him.
Now the.
Son of Saul was Jonathan, who.
From the Battle of David and Goliath had loved David and they really connected as as really men of faith as men who would trust God and step forward in faith.
They had a, uh, a great care for one another and great relationship with each other. And so Saul intercedes on David's behalf.
First of all, he finds David.
He says hey go hide real quick.
My my father is out to kill you.
He told all of his servants, so you stay out of the palace.
Don't be around here because you are in danger.
And so he says in verse three I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are.
I will speak with my father about you.
And then what I observe, I will tell you.
I'll go check this out.
I'll go explore it David, but you go hide.
You go wait on the Lord and let me test the waters and see what God is doing in this and see if I can turn this around for you.
Here I would categorize solace being an open rebellion, you could see the progression that happens again.
Chapter 15.
God tells Saul.
I'm removing you from the throne and I'm replacing you with someone better.
Someone who will seek my heart.
And then in Chapter 17, David comes on the scene.
He fights Goliath, everybody takes.
Note it's remarkable.
In Chapter 18 it tells us.
As they're coming back from that battle that the women are singing, Saul has slain is thousands.
But David is 10 thousands and it really bugged Saul.
Says that Saul was very angry.
It displeased him, and verse nine of Chapter 18 is really important.
It says Solide David from that day forward.
Ever since the Battle of David and Goliath.
Saul's had his eye on David. He's been suspicious. Maybe this is the one that God has told me about, and he has been.
Trying to Fort the plans of God, he will.
Try harder and harder.
He's come to the point now where he's announced.
His rebellion.
He says hey team staff son it's official I am.
Opposed to what God is said and I'm going to try everything I can do to not.
Let David take the throne.
It's opened rebellion.
From King Saul.
Meanwhile God.
Is incredibly patient.
God could just strike him with lightning, right?
In that moment.
It could have been that that was the final straw, right?
That that was the last step of stall.
He went too far and now God says, OK, that's it.
Your time is over.
But God doesn't do that.
He doesn't intervene in the midst of this.
Jonathan does.
But God does not directly stop salt or forcibly stop Saul, or give him no more chances.
Take away all of his opportunities to repent.
Instead, God is incredibly patient, and the very fact that's all.
Is able to have this conversation with Jonathan is God.
Expressing and demonstrating his peace.
Since God giving Saul an opportunity to turn back God giving saw an opportunity to be redeemed again to have right fellowship with God to be in right standing before God.
Because God.
He's not slack concerning his promises.
But he's long suffering.
He's suffering a long time.
This is his anointed David.
This is a man after his own heart.
This is.
Someone that God cares deeply about, but he is patiently enduring long suffering this open rebellion this.
Attack against God, in defiance of God and what God has said by Saul.
Because he desires to give Saul more opportunity to come to repentance.
He desires to bring Saul back to a right standing.
Before him.
Of course, we love the idea of God patience towards us, but it's so much harder when we think about God.
Patience towards the one bringing us so much pain.
Consider God, patients as you wait for him.
He is patient.
And he is long suffering, and he desires to bring people to repentance and and that really needs to influence us and instruct us as we wait for him to keep our hearts in the right place to keep our minds in the right place, to have the right attitude as we endure our own situations.
That we would recognize that God is patiently working.
He is on the throne.
He's still in control.
But he is long suffering.
And willing.
To put up with these things to put up even with open rebellion against him.
To give the rebellious opportunity.
To repent well as we continue to consider this idea, we go on into verses 4 through 7. Here's point, #2. God patiently endures broken promises. Check out verse four and five.
Thus, Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul, his father, and said to him, let not the king sin against his servant against David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his works have been very good toward you.
For he took his life in his hands and killed the Philistine.
And the Lord brought about a great deliverance for all Israel.
You saw it and rejoiced.
Why then, would you sin against innocent blood to kill David without a cause?
Jonathan, as he is presenting his arguments on David's behalf here, he reminds us all about the encounter with David and Goliath.
Think about what God did.
Think about this young man who has done such a great thing for our Kingdom and and so remember you rejoiced in this, but also Jonathan.
Throughout here he points out several times that David is innocent.
That in this attempt of Saul to kill David he is sinning against innocent blood.
He's coming against David without a cause.
His argument is very persuasive, and so Saul.
Changes his mind in verse six.
So Saul heated the voice of Jonathan and Saul swore as the Lord lives.
He shall not be killed.
As the Lord lives, he shall not be killed.
He made a promise.
You're right, son.
You make very good points.
David is innocent.
I have rejoiced in him.
I will not kill him.
And Jonathan is convinced this is the truth so convinced he brings David back into the palace of her seven.
Then Jonathan called David, and Jonathan told him all these things.
So Jonathan brought David to Saul.
And he was.
In his presence, as in times past.
Jonathan is so convinced about his father's commitment here about his father promise, my dad promised he's not going to harm David.
So David come on in right now.
Jonathan loves David.
He doesn't want any harm.
If he had suspected any.
Falsehood in Saul he would not have taken this risk, but he believes him.
And perhaps even Saul believed the promise as he made it.
Perhaps we don't know for sure.
But what we do know.
Is it's not more than two verses later.
Saul tries to kill David again.
This promise is immediately broken.
Again, so here is give an opportunity to repent and to turn and to to get right with God again and to to get back on the the right track in his relationship with the Lord.
And he makes a promise.
He makes a vow I'm going to do that.
I'm going to preserve David life.
This time it will be different.
This time I won't attack him this time I won't kill him.
But Saul is going to pretty much immediately break that promise, and yet God patiently endures.
You know, sometimes when we're dealing with people who are breaking their promises.
Whether they be promises to us or promises to God.
We can be.
Pretty frustrated by it, we can be perhaps pretty angry over it.
We can be really upset about it.
And frustrated that.
It's allowed to continue, but God patiently endures broken promises.
Yes, people.
Will be stuck in situations they're going to make all kinds of promises to God, thinking that it persuades God, thinking that they're kind of negotiating a way of salvation for themselves.
Deliverance for themselves, and they're making promises and commitments that we wish they would keep.
We hope that they keep, but they are never going to keep.
It can bother us.
It can become frustrating to us.
We can become impatient with them because of those broken promises.
And yet here is God tosaw.
He is going to patiently endure.
This promise that he will break over and over and over again.
This isn't going to happen quickly.
It's going to be over the next 10 years that Saul will be trying to kill David, chasing him around in the wilderness.
As I saw.
Chases David out of the palace and a couple verses it will be the last time that David's.
There in the palace.
For at least 10 years.
But during that whole time Saul will be out to get David breaking that promise over and over and over again.
And yet for some reason God.
Doesn't put an end to these attempts.
He doesn't prevent Saul from.
Packing David.
Or trying to put him to death.
Why is that?
It's because the Lord is not slack.
Concerning his promise, as some count slackness, but he's longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
We must wait upon the Lord.
Again following David's example from Psalm 59, I will wait for the Lord. He is my defence.
Yes, but as we wait for the Lord, let's not be shortsighted and become frustrated when it seems like we're waiting for a long time because we must factor into the equation.
God, incredible patience and even when someone is against us and breaking promise after promise after promise against us.
Or against God even when we are in those kinds of situations, God is not willing that they should perish.
His desire is for repentance, and so he's incredibly patient with Saul.
So that he would have opportunity to repent.
To turn and the whole rest of Saul's life is essentially God patients to give him opportunities to repent, to be redeemed, to be brought back to right relationship with God.
While continuing on verses 8 through 10 give us point #3 and that is that God patiently prods the rebellious.
God patiently prods. Sometimes he's enduring. He's just putting up with, he's allowing to continue. But also God's very capable of just poking a little bit with a stick like hey Remember Me, don't forget me.
Don't forget how much you need me and we see him do this with Saul here in verses 8 through 10.
Here's what it says.
And there was war again and David went out and fought with the Philistines, and struck them with a mighty blow.
And they fled from him.
Now, the distressing spirit from the Lord came upon Saul as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand.
And David was playing music with his hand.
Then Saul sought to pin David to the.
Wall with the spear.
But he slipped away from Saul's presence, and he drove.
The spear into.
The wall so David fled and escaped that night.
So Saul announces his intense hey everybody, we gotta kill David.
Jonathan talks him out of it.
I promise we will not kill David.
But then jealousy?
Rears its ugly head as David goes out to battle again and he defeats the Philistines with a mighty blow.
That song that would resonate's all his Salinas thousands. But David is 10s of thousands right? That that song that.
Bug solve from the beginning continues to be played, continues to be lived out as David goes to battle and God continues to give him victory.
And it's a little bit of a prod.
From the Lord.
The Lord allowing Saul to see.
The issues of his heart, the jealousy that he has.
See, God doesn't just want peace at all costs, he doesn't want just solid to calm down and not try to kill David.
He wants us all to get right with God, and so the fact that David is able to be in the palace peace of peaceably.
Without his life being threatened, that that's not a completed work.
Because Saul still, although he's made a promise not to kill David, he's not repented.
He's not changed.
He's not turned back.
And, you know, gone the right direction.
He's just.
Said OK, I won't do that.
Now he's going to break.
That promise and just right here in these verses, but.
But again, even if he wasn't trying to throw a spirit, David like this wouldn't be the completed work.
Because he would only not be throwing Spears at David if he was truly repentant.
If there had been a transformation and a conversion for him as he turned back to the Lord.
But but that hasn't happened.
So the Lord sends David out onto the battlefield, gives him victory again.
And Saul starts to murmur in his breath and grit his teeth a little bit.
He's he starts to.
Some of those things that he was going through when he was attempting to kill David before.
And then in verse nine it says the distressing spirit from the Lord.
Came upon Saul.
And boy, this is a verse that I've caused a lot of distressing, not just for Saul but for a lot of people over the years.
Ever since this has been written, how can there be a distressing spirit from the Lord?
How can that be?
I have no problem with it.
In a similar way as I would say, you know someone who would cut you if it was a surgeon, I would have no problem with it, right?
That's different than some random guy in the hood trying to cut you, but a surgeon trying to cut you well, it's precision, right?
It's precise, it's for your good.
And yes, even though it might hurt.
It is so that good may come in a similar way.
God is able to use distress.
And he prods Saul.
Here a bit.
So what you need is some distress.
You need some troubled.
Some sleepless nights and and some restlessness within your heart.
You need some distress saw so that you would be reminded of your condition.
You see, it would be a dangerous thing for soul to be in a condition of rebellion and out of fellowship with God.
But to.
Be calm and tranquil and everything is just.
Going great.
That would be worse for Saul.
Because he would have no urgency to repent, no reminder of his need to repent, but here.
We have the distressing spirit from the Lord.
So that's all would have occasion.
To remember the condition of his heart, to remember the issues that he's facing to remember.
How much he needs God?
How how much wrong there is within.
Now during these fits.
Of distress
David was initially brought in because of these kinds of situations and he would play music with his harp and and he would settle down.
But not this time.
As David was playing music on the heart.
Saul had a spear in his hand, and he thought I'll just take him out with one throw.
Stuck into the wall, he missed David and David slipped away.
This now is another occasion.
Of Saul trying to kill David.
He tries three times in Chapter 18.
He tries four times in Chapter 19 and then over the coming years and in the coming chapters we will see more and more attempts from Saul.
To try to take David out because he is distressed, he is miserable within.
His not.
At peace he can't rest.
Because he's rebellious.
And God is very patient again.
He could have put an end to it at any time.
He could have prevented Saul from from pressing forward, but Saul is rebellious.
And so.
God in his incredible patience prods him a bit.
So that he would not be.
Distracted by other things and not dealing with the real issues of life.
God allows these things to.
Take place for him.
So that he would be refocused.
Be reminded.
Of how unsettled he is.
We're reminded of how great his need for God is.
Because God is not slack concerning his promises.
He's long suffering.
He's not willing that soul should perish.
But that he should come to repentance.
In the similar way as we wait for the Lord.
Oh how we love the idea of God being patient to us when we're rebellious.
But when it's someone else who's rebellious and we're suffering the consequences of it, we're suffering the pain of it.
Oh, it's.
Not so much God, patients that we want to celebrate and enjoy, right?
It's God, justice and deliverance.
And you know, we want all of those things immediately.
But what if God patience is directed at one who is hurting us?
Wait for the Lord.
He is your defence and his desire is for those people, and maybe that's someone.
In your life?
Or maybe you're the soul that needs this prodding.
Maybe you're so unsettled.
Maybe you are so distressed because there is some prodding that is going on so that you don't rest in your state of rebellion, but that you would hear.
The Lord's call that you would respond.
To his desire to bring you back to right fellowship with him.
Well, we continue to consider God's patients and verses 11 through 17 for point #4 and that is God patiently endures family issues.
We might have thought that you know our generation or our society is the one who invented dysfunctional families.
But no, not the case.
Verse 11.
Saul also sent messengers to David's house to watch him and to kill him in the morning, and Michelle David wife told him, saying, if you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.
So Michelle let David down through a window.
And he went and fled, and escaped.
Verse 13 and Michelle took an image and laid it in the bed, put a cover of goats hair for his head, and covered it with clothes.
So when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said he is sick.
Then Saul sent the messengers back to see David, saying, bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him.
And when the messengers had come in, there was the image in the bed with a cover of goats hair for his head.
Then Saul said to Michelle, why have you deceived me like this, and sent my enemy away, so that he has escaped?
And Michelle answered Saul, he said to me, let me go.
Why should I kill you?
God patiently endures family issues.
There's a few different family issues that we could consider in these verses, but.
We won't consider them all.
There's issues that happen within the family you know, family issues.
Are really the most challenging things that we face in life.
They they really are.
I mean the the most difficult things that that people will face typically are not going to be outside of the home.
They're going to be inside the home.
They're they're going to be issues and stresses and problems and difficulties that happen it.
It makes sense because, well, being sinful people, the ones that were around the most.
Are are the ones where we have the most issues because, well, there's a lot of sin between us.
And so there's.
Always going to be challenges and issues.
Within the home where sinful people are.
And there's.
Very great difficulties that arise.
In that immediate context of, you know the.
Your immediate family, but then you're.
Aunts and uncles and cousins and.
Grandparents, and as you know you kind of bring in all of the family all those great challenges that often happen there.
Here in this case, we are reminded that David is Saul's son in law.
He's married to Michelle.
Or Michael, depending on how you want to pronounce it.
Or maybe some other pronunciation? I haven't even considered, but he's married to this girl who is Saul's daughter. Now again, this came about because Saul wanted to kill David, and so he said, I'll use my daughter as bait and you go kill a bunch of philistines and hopefully they kill you and you die in the process of trying to.
Win her.
Here's the beat.
Here's the prize.
So if you can go, you know, do that.
You can have her.
David was successful in victorious, which disappointed Saul, but he gave.
Michelle to be his wife.
Regardless and so.
Here's Michelle David wife.
He runs to her out of the palace, right?
Saul is just thrown the spirit stuck in the wall.
David has fled, ran home.
He had his go bag at home.
He was going to go grab that and head out.
Michelle says, look, if you don't save your life tonight.
Tomorrow you will be killed.
Listen, I, I know my dad.
He's in a fit of rage.
You better run right now.
Or you will not survive.
And so she snuck him out the window.
Now it's probably that David and Michelle their house where they lived, their their house, was on the wall of the city, and so when he went out the window he was going outside of the city, much like the spies did with rehab back in the book of Joshua, right that that they would go out the window.
I think the spice did that.
Maybe that's not the spice.
Who am I thinking about?
There's another passage.
I thought you didn't speak up loud enough.
I couldn't hear you.
OK, well look it up or talk to Evelyn after service and she'll remind you this specific account but.
They're put outside of the city or David put outside of the city as he goes out through the the window here, and so he's able to escape from Saul's messengers. But then Michelle goes onto.
Kind of pretend that David is home and sick in bed, and so it tells us in verse 13 she takes an image and lays it in the bed.
Now let's talk about family issues.
Why does she have an image that she can put in the bed?
The word is for a household idol, and so there was an idol conveniently there in the home that she's able to lay in the bed.
That probably presents an issue there that probably reflects on her.
State her relationship with the Lord in that she had access to this idol.
But she puts it in the bed and puts goats hair for his head and I don't know about you.
But I'm totally picturing Ferris Bueller's day off right like.
I thought he.
Invented that no, no everything comes back.
To the scriptures, right?
So she leaves it all out. So when the messengers come all David's sick.
And they kind of peek in the door, and the stereo goes on. And snoring sounds come and oh OK, David's sick. OK, so they go back to us all.
And so I was like I don't care if he's sick bring the whole bed, it doesn't matter.
I'm trying to kill him.
I'm not trying to I.
Don't have to wait for him to get better so I could kill him.
This isn't the pit of despair, you know.
I'm not trying to make him well, so I could torture him to the full.
Extent I just want him dead.
Little Princess Bride reference in there.
If you caught it.
Bring up the bed and so they go.
Get the bed.
And then also there is an image in there.
It was fake.
David is not really in there.
Now all Michelle is done is just bought David sometime.
So he could get farther away and not get caught by Saul's men. Now Saul rebukes Michelle, why have you deceived me like this?
He's upset with her.
He's rebuking her.
She's lying to him, David said.
I was gonna kill you or I was he was gonna kill me.
If I didn't, so I had to.
And so, Saul's upset, he's out of line, there's issues there. She has issues with idolatry and.
Not reflecting the truth now blaming David for this.
As you look at this account as you consider all these things again, there's some family issues here that that we could consider.
The one that I'm mostly thinking about and considering is.
Manipulations and using.
Michelle as a pawn, essentially in his schemes against David.
What kind of father is this?
That would treat his daughter this way.
Now culturally things were different.
There is some cultural factors that we could consider in the arrangement of marriage and that kind of thing, but from the get go this was not just a normal marriage even for their culture, because Saul's attempt.
In the midst of this and the arrangement of this marriage was to get David.
She he wasn't interested in her happiness.
He wasn't interested in her well being.
He wasn't looking out for her good.
He was not trying to bless or benefit his daughter, whatever she needed, whatever she wanted that that had no bearing in anything that he's doing in this whole account.
All he cares about is what he wants, she's just.
An instrument to be used.
She is just a pawn in his scheme.
To get what he wants, what kind of father?
Behaves like that.
One that needs a smack in the head.
But God doesn't take him out.
God doesn't put an end to this just yet.
Because he's incredibly patient.
There's some family issues here.
But you know what?
I was scrolling through.
Saws Instagram feed this week.
Would you believe it?
National daughter day.
He posted these pictures with Michelle.
Great family time man my daughter she's the best.
I would.
Given the opportunity, Saul would have totally posted these pictures on national Daughters Day.
Using her.
To try to kill David.
Upset and frustrated with her because she won't.
Cooperate with him.
In taking him out.
Totally fake.
I would suggest to you.
Hope it's not too shocking some of those.
National daughter day posts.
Were posted by.
People in similar circumstances and God is being incredibly patient towards them.
Consider God's patience as you wait for him.
Family issues are tough.
And there is so much hurt and heartache and difficulties that come.
From within the midst of family.
But God is patient in the midst of all of it.
Because he's not slack.
He's long suffering.
He's desiring to give people opportunity to repent.
Of course, in the midst of the hurt and heartache we want deliverance immediately.
Of course we want escape.
We want situations resolved.
We want justice to be done.
We want righteousness, you know, to be upheld.
We want retribution for the hurts and the harm that has been done and God has promised that righteousness will be victorious and that justice will be done.
That Saul didn't get away with.
Any of these things?
But God is long suffering.
So we don't see the end result immediately.
Because he wants to give Saul opportunity to repent.
And as you wait for the Lord.
In your situations with your family drama and your family troubles.
Look through the lens of God.
You wish it was resolved.
You wish they didn't have that opportunity any longer.
But God still loves that family member God still loves that person and desires for them to come to repentance.
Or again, God forbid maybe it's the other side of the coin that you find yourself on.
That you have been the one causing issues.
Treating family members in this way.
And God has been incredibly patient with you.
Because he wants to bring you to repentance.
He's calling you.
He is so gracious and merciful.
Now, the person who says great God patient so I can keep on going like this.
I can keep on behaving this way.
That's a wicked person.
Understand that and God will deal with that wickedness severely and seriously, but maybe not right now.
Because he's incredibly patient.
Bringing us to a place.
Of repentance.
Well, we're going to finish it up in verses 18 through 24.
Point #5 as we consider.
God's patience as we wait for him.
By #5, as God patiently reveals himself repeatedly.
Verse 18 says so.
David fled and escaped and went to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that's all had done to him, and he and Samuel went in stead at knee off.
Now he's told Saul, saying, take note David is at NIU in Rama.
Then Saul sent messengers to take David, and when they saw the group of prophets prophesying and Samuel standing as leader over them, the spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied.
As David runs out the window, he runs to Samuel the Prophet.
And there with Samuel.
Samuel's been a little bit off the scene because he's no longer the judge of all Israel.
He is.
Anointed Saul as king, and so Saul has had that responsibility.
So meanwhile we find Samuel back home.
A group of people at a school of prophets.
Teaching them the ways of the Lord.
Teaching them.
To worship the Lord, teaching them to speak on behalf of God.
And so David finds shelter there with Samuel.
Remember it was Samuel that anointed him as king.
I can imagine perhaps there's some conversations between David and Samuel, you know?
David, saying Samuel, I mean what's what's going on here?
I mean, back in chapter 16 you anointed me as king, but we're so far away from that and look at all the things that are happening here, and this just looks terrible and and he's seeking refuge.
With Samuel there.
Saul hears about it though, and so he sends messengers, assassins.
His guards to go and collect David and to bring him back.
But when they come.
As this worship service is going on.
They saw the group of prophets prophesying.
It says in verse 20.
There's some kind of service type thing happening.
Many believe that this idea of the groups prophesying was involved in music that the School of prophets were like it was a like a musicians school and there was a worship type of thing that was going along with this situation.
We can't say that for sure but.
These messengers come on the scene.
And they are overcome by the Holy Spirit.
Here God lets us know, reminds us as we're reading this account.
God says I am on the throne and in control.
None of this is outside of my realm of authority, so that even when the messengers come, I can just boom, hit them with the Holy Spirit.
They are completely stalled in their mission and all they can do is glorify God.
So I was frustrated by this.
So verse 21.
And when Saul was told, he sent other messengers, and they prophesied likewise.
Then Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they prophesied also.
Consider what God is doing here, so all your messengers have now become my messengers.
I have overruled you.
I have overridden your mission and I've given them a new mission.
They are glorifying me there.
Overcome by
The Holy Spirit
And so I.
Was like, well, we'll just see about that.
Here's another group of messengers and God says, those are my messengers too, and they are going to proclaim the name of the Lord.
They're going to glorify God, they.
Are going to be reflecting my authority by the Holy Spirit and salsa as well.
Let's just try this again.
Third time's a charm, so he sends a third group of messengers, and they prophesied also. And you see God revealing himself to Saul.
Of course he's revealing himself to these messengers, right?
But but he's revealing himself to Solly saying looks all.
You you are not.
The final authority in this situation.
No matter what you do, no matter who you said, no matter what you want to accomplish, I have the final say, God letting him know he's revealing himself.
To us all.
Over and over and over again, and Saul finally gives up.
He says, look if you want to get something done right, you gotta do it yourself so he goes.
To track down David verse 22, then he also went to Ramah, and came to the Great well that was that set you.
So he asked and said, where is Samuel and David?
And someone said, indeed, they're at Nathan Ram Rama.
So he went there to Nathan Rama and the spirit of God was upon him also and he went on and prophesied until he came to Nathan Rama.
And he also stripped off his clothes and prophesied before Samuel and like manner and lay down naked all that day and all that night.
Therefore, they say, is Saul also among the prophets.
Think about the incredible patience of God towards Saul.
He's furious and frustrated.
With David, he hates him bitterly.
He wants him dead.
He tries and tries and tries and tries here.
God says he saw I'm God you're not.
Your messengers are my messengers.
Again, so I'm God, you're not your messengers are my messengers again.
So I'm God, you're not your messengers are my messengers, sagas himself so so I'm God, you prophesy, you become my messenger.
You speak forth, my words, you glorify me.
You're overcome by the Holy Spirit.
And and it's describing this this prolonged experience all day and all night.
He is there prophesying clearly God is.
Revealing himself to saw in an incredible and powerful and miraculous way.
And and I can't help but notice the pattern, right?
Go back to first Samuel chapter 10.
When Saul was told that he would be king by Samuel.
And God gave him all these signs, and the third sign was that he would run into a group of prophets and that he would prophesied.
Now just think about the patience of God in that.
God is setting up these circumstances so that Saul would have a direct memory to how he started and how God spoke to him at the beginning, so that through that direct memory it would be such a powerful.
Call of God
An opportunity for him to a week to what is really happening in his life right now and to turn and to repent.
And to get back to where he started, he's he's reminding Saul so clearly of how he started.
Impressing upon saw his authority in his life.
Demonstrating once and for all God God could have done this.
When he was contemplating.
Throw in the spirit David a few verses earlier, right?
And God could have just overwhelmed him with the Holy Spirit.
He prophesied for a day and a night, and Dave was able to get.
Out of there.
Without any threat.
Any Spears thrown at him, right like God could have done that back then?
Why didn't he?
Well, you can talk to God and wrestle with that later on when you meet him, but.
God's incredible patience.
Demonstrated over and over again as he reveals himself as he reveals himself as he reveals himself.
And he reminds Saul, I'm God.
I'm at work in this situation.
You're not right with me.
And you need to come.
To repentance, Pastor Thomas Constable says solid began his reign with great potential plus God, enabling spirit.
Yet now he was almost a raving madman. Solid drove himself to the brink of insanity by refusing to submit to God, who still exercise sovereign control over him despite the King's attempts to go his own way.
Why doesn't God just let him go?
Because God's patient.
His long suffering, he's not.
Willing that any should perish.
But that's all should come to repentance.
And so God patiently reveals himself to Saul, over and over and over.
Again, consider God's patience.
As you wait for him.
Again, looking at David, it's a good thing for us to wait upon the Lord.
We need to wait upon the Lord and trusting God and not just take matters into our own hands and work out our own plans.
But lest we be discouraged in our heart when we don't see God work right away, we need to consider God patients, even when we're involved in situations where there is real threats to us, where there is real difficulty and challenge or really hurt and harm.
We need to consider God patients because God doesn't just love me.
But he loves all the people involved in this situation.
And he's willing to wait.
And he'll make it worth our.
While he's like, look.
This is going to hurt for a little bit.
I could end it right now, but I'm not going to.
I need to give these people opportunity.
And the pain that you experience, the difficulty that you go through.
I promise it'll be worth it like like.
The apostle Paul says later, right?
That the things that we go through now, the suffering and the difficulty.
It will not compare.
To the reward in eternity.
It's going to be worth it.
But lest we be discouraged, lest we give up on God or become frustrated or bitter towards God because of the prolonged situation, we need to understand God's patience. Not only is he using.
These things to work in us.
So go into jeans.
Consider it joy.
When you suffer when you encounter all kinds of trials.
God's working in you through that God's working in David through this.
But it's not just for David that these things are unfolding.
It's also for Saul.
And God is demonstrating incredible patience.
So that's all might have opportunity to repent and whichever side we find ourselves on tonight.
We need to consider God patience and wait for him.
To submit our lives to him and surrender to him fully and completely.
I want to finish with this.
Quote from Pastor David Guzik.
He says God showed much grace to salt by putting him in a place where it would be easy to repent, easy to return to the Lord and easy to stop his backsliding.
Yet Saul still had to make a choice to surrender to the power of God.
God God gave Saul every opportunity every chance he made it.
It would have been so easy for Saul.
To come up from a day and a night of prophesying and say, oh Lord, I repent but but he had to make that choice to surrender.
Just as David had to make that commitment, I will wait for the Lord.
Saul had to come to that same kind of position.
That same kind of place, and sadly he does not here.
He really doesn't for the rest of his life.
He resists and resists, and resists, and God showed him much patience again.
There's at least 10 years more of this kind of thing to go through.
But God was waiting.
Incredibly patient.
Because of his great love for soul.
Giving him opportunity to repent and so let's consider God patients.
We enjoy it and celebrate it for ourselves.
And that's great.
Let's also consider that for everyone around us, God loves them.
His main goal, his main concern is that they would come.
And get right with him that they would be able to experience eternity with him.
And everything that we experience along the way, he says, I'll make it up, I'll make it up to you.
It'll be worth it.
You will not be in eternity and thinking, oh man.
God, why did you do it that way?
You'll be rejoicing and celebrating the work of God.
He's big enough to do that.
Consider God's patience as you wait for him. Let's pray, Lord, we thank you.
These reminders tonight Lord, they're not particularly easy reminders to receive.
But how much do we need to be reminded of this truth, Lord, that you are so patient?
You're patient with us.
You're patient with everyone around us.
In the things that they're doing.
Towards us, for us or against us.
But you're patient with our society, you're patient with our nation.
You've demonstrated incredible patience.
Repeatedly, continually.
Because your great desire.
Is for people to know you.
To turn from sin to believe in you.
And to have the opportunity of everlasting life.
And so God, I pray.
That you would help us.
To never take your patients in our lives.
As a license to continue in sin.
But Lord is a clear call and reminder.
To surrender ourselves to you.
To wait for you to look to you.
To trust in you.
And I pray God that you would give us your eyes in your heart.
For everyone around us, may we demonstrate patience towards them?
As you demonstrate patience towards us as well as them.
Or that we would join you in your mission.
Of giving them opportunity to repent.
Not sabotaging that mission by our own frustrations or impatience, but Lord, that we would.
Have your perspective in.
Your hearts on the situations that we face.
Or that we might contribute and be part.
Of your good work.
As you see, as you seek to work all these things together for good, you're big enough to do that.
God, we trust you to do that.
So help us to wait for you and rest in your plans.
I pray this in Jesus name.