This evening, we will consider together the Word of God from 1 Samuel 26. If you have your Bibles, I would ask you to turn to 1 Samuel 26. I recall as a child, I loved reading this section of the Bible. I mean, there's all sorts of different things going on. You've got kings and wars, battles and different conquests and prophets. And so I just want to sort of place us into the text about where we are when we get to chapter 26. The events leading up to our passage go a little like this. You see, as we know, Israel asks God for a king even though God had said that you really don't want a king and that it won't go well for you when you do. So in response to the people, the prophet Samuel comes and they find Saul and they anoint him as their king and he begins to lead the people. But in short order, we know that Saul breaks the commands of God. He offers sacrifices himself instead of having Samuel do it. He doesn't follow the orders of God to completely destroy the enemies of Israel. And what we read in the early chapters of 1 Samuel is Saul, as a king, is trying to lead the people in his way instead of leading them in the way of the Lord. And so God declares that his favor is no longer upon Saul. and he has Samuel go out and anoint David, the Goliath killer, as the future king of Israel. And then after this, Saul tries multiple times to kill David, and David flees for his life and Saul goes after him into the desert and all around the country. And then just before our chapter that we'll read this evening, in chapter 24, you might recall that that's the time when David is hiding in a cave with his men. And then Saul enters the cave himself, unaware that David is there, and he starts to use the men's room. And this perfect opportunity to kill Saul was right there in front of David. Saul doesn't have any armor on, no bodyguards, and he even has the advantage of surprise. But as we know, David doesn't kill Saul and instead he spares his life. And then that brings us to our passage here, this in 1 Samuel 26, the second opportunity for David to kill Saul and to end the threat against David's life. So let us now consider together the word of God. The Ziphites went to Saul at Gibeah and said, Is not David hiding on the hill of Hekila, which faces Jeshimon? So Saul went down to the desert of Ziph with his 3,000 chosen men of Israel to search there for David. Saul made his camp beside the road on the hill of Hekila, facing Jeshimon. But David stayed in the desert. When he saw that Saul had followed him there, he sent out scouts and learned that Saul had definitely arrived. Then David set out and went to the place where Saul had camped. He saw where Saul and Abner, son of Ner, the commander of the army, had lain down. Saul was laying inside the camp with the army encamped around him. David then asked Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai, son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, who will go down into the camp with me to Saul? I'll go with you, said Abishai. So David and Abishai went to the army by night, and there was Saul, lying asleep inside the camp with his spear stuck in the ground near his head. Abner and the soldiers were lying around him. Abishai said to David, Today God has delivered your enemy into your hands. Now let me pin him twice to the ground with one thrust of my spear. I won't strike him twice. But David said to Abishai, Don't destroy him. Who can lay a hand on the Lord's anointed and be guiltless? As surely as the Lord lives, he said, the Lord himself will strike him. Either his time will come and he will die or he will go into battle and perish. But the Lord forbid that I should lay a hand on the Lord's anointed. Now get the spear and water jug that are near his head and let's go. So David took the spear and the water jug near Saul's head and they left. No one saw it or knew about it, nor did anyone wake up. They were all sleeping because the Lord had put them into a deep sleep. Then David crossed over to the other side and stood on top of the hill some distance away. There was a wide space between them. He called out to the army and to Abner, son of Ner, Aren't you going to answer me, Abner? Abner replied, Who are you who calls to the king? David said, You're a man, aren't you? And who is like you in Israel? Why didn't you guard your lord the king? Someone came to destroy your lord the king. What you have done is not good. As surely as the Lord lives, you and your men deserve to die because you did not guard your master, the Lord's anointed. Look around you. Where are the king's spear and water jug that were near his head? Then Saul recognized David's voice and said, Is that your voice, David, my son? David replied, Yes, it is, my lord, the king. And David added, Why is my lord pursuing his servant? What have I done and what wrong am I guilty of? Now let my lord the king listen to his servants' words. If the lord has incited you against me, then may he accept an offering. If, however, men have done it, may they be cursed before the lord. They have now driven me from my share in the lord's inheritance and have said, go serve other gods. Now, do not let my blood fall to the ground far from the presence of the lord. The king of Israel has come out to look for a flea as one hunts a partridge in the mountains. Then Saul said, I have sinned. Come back, David, my son. Because you considered my life precious today, I will not try to harm you again. Surely I have acted like a fool and have erred greatly. Here is the king's spear, David answered. Let one of your young men come over and get it. The Lord rewards every man for his righteousness and faithfulness. The Lord delivered you into my hands today. But I would not lay a hand on the Lord's anointed. As surely as I valued your life today, so may the Lord value my life and deliver me from all trouble. Then Saul said to David, May you be blessed, my son David. You will do great things and surely triumph. So David went on his way and Saul returned home. This is the holy word of God. Beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, what a story this is. What a gripping, epic moment in the life of David and Saul. I wonder, as we read this story, could you feel the adrenaline that must have been coursing through David's veins as he crept into the camp of sleeping giants? Each of these men armed and ready for one thing, to kill David and his band of men. Could you, in a sense, hear the sound of grown men snoring and grunting in their sleep? And hear the sound of David and Abishai's footsteps and their heart and their feet as they carefully stepped over swords, spears, water jugs, and sleeping soldiers. After all, this wasn't just making a quick run through the other team's locker room before a big game. It was walking into the heart of the enemy camp and bringing yourself within an inch of victory. Why wouldn't David kill Saul? Victory was right there in his hands. He had everything he needed. Sword? Check. Easy target? Couldn't be any easier. Back up in case the first strike didn't even work? He even had that. The table was set for David. All that he had to do was simply sit down, take his seat, and he would be the new king. Oh, this second round would be a complete knockout. And yet what we read in the passage is that David did not stretch out his hand to kill Saul. Furthermore, he didn't even permit Abishai to kill Saul. For it wasn't the time or the place or the way that the Lord had intended for Saul. Beloved, what our passage this evening gives us is a captivating picture of God's preserving power to protect his people for his purposes. For we do not worship an arbitrary God. We worship and we praise a God who protects and preserves His people for His own purposes. And to see this more clearly this evening, we will look at the three kings in this passage and God's preserving power. Three, you might ask? Three kings. We will consider Saul the wicked king, David the waiting king, and finally Jesus Christ, the coming king. For I submit to you that whenever we're looking at the history of the kings of Israel, it can be very helpful to see three kings. First, the king that is in view, be it Ahab or Jehoram or Hezekiah or Saul, as we have here. Then the great king of Israel, David. And then finally, the mighty king of all Israel and of the whole world, who is Jesus Christ. For David serves as a picture of the true king of Israel who was to come. And that's why his place in this history of Israel still has relevance for us today. For our passage this evening is a snapshot of the grand ark of redemption that is uncovered in the scriptures. The mighty way of redemption for the people of God, those who have been called from every tribe, tongue, and nation. And so then this story is our story, our heritage, our shared past. And it's important to us for that reason, because it serves as a family history, our family history of the Church of Christ. And so by the time that we conclude our study of this passage, my prayer is that you'll see your connection to this history is clear. For the reign of the great King, Jesus Christ, is foreshadowed in this passage and that is the cause of your hope and great joy. After all your fears, your worries, your struggles, these are all occurring right now within the ongoing act of deliverance of the people of God from the power of sin in their lives. Isn't that something that we can rejoice in? Isn't that an encouragement that we need even today? For King Saul isn't our pursuer and we don't have 3,000 powerful men on our trail. But the battle that we are engaged in even now is just as dangerous and just as difficult as the one that David faced. But the great news is the conclusion is never endowed. The triumph of the Lamb is certain. And so in the first place then, we see the powerful preservation of Saul, the wicked king, in our passage here. A quick read through the earlier chapters of 1 Samuel certainly reveals the validity of calling Saul a wicked king. Things had started out pretty well. This tall, strong Benjamite was a powerful manifestation of kingliness. He seemed to have it all mighty in battle, careful to follow the instructions of Samuel the prophet. He appeared to be an answer to prayers, a man of valor who was careful to lead without being a tyrant, being a righteous king and not a dictator. All the people had wanted a king, and things were going okay, it seemed. God was answering prayers through Saul, it seemed, for them. But Saul's descent into rebellion and sin against God must have been very troubling for the people. One thing after another seemed to be occurring. Every time they turned on the news, it seemed as if there was something new that he had done. A great king, anointed with the oil of the great prophet Samuel, was becoming a paranoid tyrant right before their eyes. The Israelites were used to this disappointment, it seems, for the book of Judges shows us this pattern well. And this king here, first fruits of their new experiment with life under a king, just like the surrounding nations, wasn't turning out so well. This was a tragedy that was playing itself out in their lives and they were turning from God and looking longingly at their neighbor's idols and their neighbor's rituals again. Oh, the God of Israel was being replaced and the anointed King Saul was running around the desert like Wile E. Coyote pursuing the roadrunner. Wasn't he supposed to be ruling the people? Fighting the true enemies of Israel? Attacking the Philistines and doing the work to fortify the cities of refuge? But instead, what do we read? In verse 1, The Ziphites went to Saul at Gibeah and said, Is not David hiding on the hill of Akela, which faces Jeshimon? So Saul went down to the desert of Ziph with his 3,000 chosen men of Israel to search there for David. Here we have Saul's reliable informers, those Ziphites, who knew that he was pursuing David and they tip him off about David's whereabouts. I couldn't help but wonder as I read this passage how long it had been since Saul actually sat in his throne to rule, to solve problems, to administer justice. And instead, here he is running around the hill country in the desert taking tips from unbelievers and foreigners, pursuing a vendetta against David. Saul, you're a mess. Your priorities are out of whack. You're pursuing David when you really ought to be cleaning the country up, knocking down all the centers of false idol worship that are in the land. And what Saul was not seeing, what he couldn't seem to grasp, was the truth that for Saul, God's anointing which had been placed on him was his. And his grip on the kingdom would remain until God decided to change those things. And the reality is the truth of that resonates well for us today. For in our fears and our worries, we can often forget that God is not interested in what-ifs or in worst-case scenarios. For our God is sovereignly administering all things for His purposes in accordance with His time and plan. And what our passage here is showing us is the threat against Saul was not a usurper named David. After all, the threat against Saul was God's decision to bring Saul's reign to an end. Saul couldn't change a thing. He Himself couldn't alter the outcome. You, me, we also are called to serve God now in the knowledge and comfort that He is providentially causing all things to come to pass. We read in Proverbs 3, verse 5, that sums it up so beautifully. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight. Saul had no business in the desert. He had no business taking his best men and wandering off to pursue his own aims and secure his own kingdom. But here comes Saul on a hunt, intent on destroying David. And as we read the text from verse 4 onward, the story does switch to David. But underlying this is still the clear truth that Saul is being preserved. The actions of David, what David does confirms that he could not kill Saul because God had not appointed that hour for Saul to die. So Saul sets up a camp near the place where David was and David goes and picks Abishai to go with him into the camp of Saul. So David and Abishai went to the army by night and there was Saul lying asleep inside the camp with his spear stuck in the ground near his head. Abner and the soldiers were lying around him. Abishai said to David, today God has delivered your enemy into your hands now let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of my spear I won't strike him twice jackpot God has given your enemy into your life into your hand this day you won't even have to do the deed yourself if you say the word all your problems are going to go away David you had your chance last time see a second chance this is it do it David's trip into the camp of Saul is seeming to be an act of provocation. And his journey into the heart of the camp was a bold move. But then consider, there he stands, his fist clenched, his sword in his hand, hovering over the head of his mortal enemy, thinking to himself, Saul, if you had just left me alone, if you had just restrained your wrath and stopped this foolish vendetta against me, There's a boldness in David's actions here. He takes just one man with him. He walks into the heart of the camp. David, reckless and impulsive, prone to a temptation to see and to take what wasn't rightly his as he did with Bathsheba. This same man, and as I reflected on this part of the passage, I had so many questions. What was David doing? Why was he doing this? Was this a reckless act of an impulsive David? Was it David's character flaw to be impulsive and to act without thinking? After all, if David knew that he could not kill the Lord's anointed, then why was he in the camp? Why was he there standing over Saul? Why was he poised to destroy Saul? Was he having second thoughts about the need to preserve the Lord's anointed? How those words must have been echoing through his mind. God has given your enemy into your hand this day. Adrenaline coursing, heart pounding, palms sweating. This was it. But David said to Abishai, Do not destroy him. Who can lay a hand on the Lord's anointed and be guiltless? As surely as the Lord lives, he said, The Lord himself will strike him. Either his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. But the Lord forbid that I should lay a hand on the Lord's anointed. Now get the spear and the water jug that are near his head and let's go. David, reckless and impulsive, prone to see and to want to take what wasn't rightly his as he had done with Bathsheba, is spared here by the Lord. And his response to Abishai, we have to see, is God-given. Who can put out his hand against the Lord's anointed and be guiltless? For the spear of Saul, likely the same spear that Saul had hurled at David on numerous occasions, was right there, ready to reverse directions and kill Saul. But David could not take this action that was counter to God's intentions, not when God was preserving a king for a purpose known only to him. But David knew that he could fully rely upon the will of God, And as a consequence, he brings them three possibilities to light. For he knows that this king has been protected and he speaks. He says, as the Lord lives, the Lord will strike him or his day will come where he will go down into battle and die. Now he wasn't a prophet, but he correctly foretold the looming death of Saul which occurs just a few chapters later in the book if you read ahead. And this demonstrates so clearly for David, for Saul, Even for us today, that the Lord's plans are not our plans. And His ways, even though we may sometimes want to modify them, are not our ways. God has given us the discernment and the direction to know that these temptations to sin against God's holy law, they must be resisted at all times, no matter the circumstances. For what David could have said, he said, God, I'm here to help you out. I want to do you a favor, and do a favor, I'm sure, for all of Israel. But instead, David heeded the words of the Lord, and he spares Saul's life. And it brings to mind these questions. Are you yourself ever confronted with openings that seem very tantalizing? Opportunities that seem just a little too good to be true? Moments where taking a shortcut to victory seems like a pretty good idea. Maybe it's taking a job that will pay really well in a remote area where you know that there's no church to feed you the preached word. Maybe you're faced with closing a business deal by slipping in just a little bit of extra cash to seal the deal. Maybe you're being asked to lie to cover up someone else's error. Maybe you have an opportunity to bring about renewal of an entire nation by killing a wicked king. See, trusting in God is a lot harder whenever you're on the front lines, when you're in the enemy camp, as it were, when you really want to do good just by doing this one thing to get you there that's not right. We have the clear teaching of Scripture. Resist those temptations, those desires to take shortcuts with the law of God. For our service to God is to be pure and righteous even when it's painful and contrary to what we really want to do. For what we see is that David could not kill Saul in this way because Saul had been anointed to serve Israel for a specific God-ordained time. God was preserving Saul for his divine purposes. He was making things result that he intended. And yet at the same time, David himself, as he stood there over Saul, was responsible for God for his actions and for his standing before the law of God as one who is living in gratitude before the God of Israel. And what we see in verse 12 as we look ahead, we see how David and Abishai leave the camp with Saul's spear and his water jug to demonstrate just how close they had come and how vulnerable Saul had been. Oh, we could have done it. But what's so striking, so interesting, is look at the end of verse 12. No one saw it or knew about it, nor did anyone wake up. They were all sleeping because the Lord had put them into a deep sleep. It's a small detail, but it's a powerful one. On the one hand, it's almost funny. But it also reveals something. God had the whole camp in a deep sleep. Everything was set for David to go in. And what does God do? God preserves David from harm by his power. For the entire situation we see was created by a divine act of God. David's back and forth with Abner was a challenge against Abner for neglecting his duties. Though who can blame him for he was put into a deep sleep by God himself. But in David's challenge is a clear message. As surely as the Lord lives, you and your men deserve to die because you did not guard your master, the Lord's anointed. How do we translate this? I have guarded the Lord's anointed and I have valued his life. I, David, the aggressor against Saul, am actually the guardian of Saul's life on this, my second chance to kill Saul that I've had. And King Saul does realize what's taken place. And he must have been humbled by it. He must have realized just how perilous the situation had been and what it was that David had done in sparing his life. The cat had been spared by the mouse. How is it that David could continue to pursue Saul? And in verses 18 through 20, David goes and he brings specific charges against Saul and his advisors. Charges declaring that Saul has been bewitched by ungodly counsel and turned aside from the pursuit of what a real king must be pursuing. Righteousness, holiness, and justice for the people. For Saul's character was being corrupted by the company that he kept. His decisions were being twisted by the influence of ungodly men upon him. And here was the evidence of his foolishness facing him from across a small valley. The king of Israel has come out to look for a flea as one hunts a partridge in the mountains. Then Saul said, I have sinned. Come back, David, my son. Because you considered my life precious today, I will not try to harm you again. Surely I have acted like a fool and have erred greatly. Here we have recorded that Saul relents, but David is still forced to live outside of Israel as we clearly read in the following chapters. And King Saul, this man who had just been spared, is back at it again in chapter 28 when he's consulting the medium of Endor. So clearly all is not well with Saul despite his words to the contrary here. But what David's speech to Saul that comes next really shows us is a declaration of faith in the Lord. David's declaration of full reliance and trust in the Lord who must not be mocked or disobeyed. And with it is a plea for the favor of the Lord to shine upon him. See his words there in verse 23. The Lord rewards every man for his righteousness and faithfulness. The Lord delivered you into my hands today, but I would not lay a hand on the Lord's anointed. As surely as I valued your life today, so may the Lord value my life and deliver me from all trouble. And see how he doesn't say, as your life was valued much this day in my eyes, so let my life be valued much in your eyes. Ultimately, it doesn't matter a bit how Saul sees him. What matters is the favor of the Lord, the protection and the care of the Lord for his child. And David says, May the Lord deliver my life and deliver me from all trouble. The God who had anointed Saul, the God who brought the Israelites into the land, the God who delivered the people of Israel from bondage in Egypt, the God who chose for himself Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and made them into a royal family, a covenant line. This God, who put the entire camp of Saul to sleep and protected David from being killed and from killing, this God is the God of deliverance. The God who values the life of his people so much that he will deliver them from the troubles and the turmoils of life. For when David cries out for deliverance in our passage here in 1 Samuel, he invokes the name of the Lord of Israel, the God to whom he cries for his deliverance. And his plea, his cry, is for deliverance from Saul, yes, from his pursuers, but it is also a cry for deliverance from all of the tribulation that he faces. May the Lord value my life and deliver me from all trouble. As you look at it, is that your cry as well? Have you with David called upon the name of the Lord that he would deliver you? For in David's lifetime, he would see deliverance from his enemies, but it would be at a great cost. His life would be spared countless times and he would become a great king in Israel. And then more broadly, in the lifetime of Israel, a deliverance would come from enemies in accordance with the will of God. When he saw fit to bless Israel with peace, there would be peace and there would be deliverance. And when he saw fit to punish Israel for her sin and disobedience, He would send tribulation against them. And what our passage points to in veiled form that we need to see whenever we read through this is the final deliverance of God's people which came in the incarnation of Jesus Christ, the Anointed One. Jesus Christ, the coming King, the promised descendant of David's line, was the source of hope and comfort for the Israelites and for David and for all those who called on the name of God. Jesus Christ, the King who has come, is our great hope and joy. How has Jesus delivered us from our tribulations? How has our Lord's coming been an answer to David's cry for deliverance? Brothers and sisters, the unmistakable truth of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection is that He came to save sinners. Sinners who call on the name of the Lord in faith. Oh, this is the glorious truth which we celebrate every Christmas and Easter is that Christ, the Anointed One, was revealed. He was revealed to all as the mighty King of all creation amidst a crowd of unanointed rebels. While David was pursued by Saul, we read in the book of Revelation that Jesus Christ was pursued by the devil and his forces, by Herod, Pilate, the Pharisees, and all those in the Old Testament who served Satan by trying to crush the seed of the woman. We need to see that the answer to David's plea for deliverance rests in Christ alone who is the Lord's anointed. For David believed that God would deliver him. And yes, we now see more clearly how God has delivered David and us today. For the answer to our plea for deliverance is Christ Jesus. The same answer for David, for Israel, and for all who have called in the name of God in faith. Do you desire to be rescued? Do you want to be delivered? Do you know what you need to be saved and rescued from? Do you see the grave danger that the soul is in that is unconverted? The soul of one who does not call on the name of the Lord in faith. Do you know the anguish that comes from considering your own bondage to sin and your inability to deliver yourself, to improve your life in any meaningful or lasting way, it's never easy to face our inadequacy it's not enjoyable to acknowledge our own need but the word of God is so clear beloved without the power and the righteousness of Christ you will not know true peace or comfort in this life or in the life to come have you repented of your sins have you called on the name of the Lord God for your salvation salvation from what? from your sin your inability and your failure even in this day, in this hour to keep the law of God the righteous requirements which He has laid out for us the law which Adam and Eve failed to keep and which we cannot keep on our own I'll believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved for there is great hope and great comfort in His name I'll believe in the Son and you will have everlasting life complete deliverance a full and free salvation from all your sins and all of you here who know the release and comfort that comes with faith in Jesus Christ can be assured that your deliverance has been even more dramatic even more amazing than the deliverance of David from the clutches of Saul more climactic than the deliverance of Israel from the hand of Pharaoh and the Egyptians through the Red Sea through Jesus Christ the King who has come we have passed from death into life our identity is secure our preservation to the end is certain because of the promise of God to his people that he will never leave us or forsake us how on earth can we persevere through the struggles and the trials and the temptations that we face with David we look to the Lord for deliverance and we see his mighty hand in Christ the anointed one and the beautiful result of God's deliverance of our souls in Christ is that our deliverance then becomes our motivation to trust God more, to rely upon Him more and His promises and to act in accordance with the commands that He gives us. Commands to which we respond in great gratitude. Is there sin in your life that you see with constancy? Desires of the flesh that are ruling you? Pray for the Holy Spirit to work within you in a powerful way in a mighty deliverance to increasingly grow in faith and trust in Him and His power to preserve you. For even looking at David's life from this point in the story onwards, as we read the rest of the story of David, we know it is a story that is marked by grievous sins that he committed. And yet, there is David's trust and his reliance upon God for deliverance and forgiveness. The troubles were never over for David, for he awaits the same resurrection that we eagerly anticipate, the resurrection of the dead and the transformation of the living at the final coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Give thanks to our God and Father that he sent his only begotten Son to earth to take on flesh, to live as we lived, to defeat the forces of Satan and Satan himself opening up a way into heaven through His blood, that by faith in Him we might have life eternally and that we might one day reign in glory with Him. For Saul, the wicked king, had his life preserved by God for God's purposes. So how much more can we, the sheep of God's own pasture, those whom He has called from before the foundation of the world, have reason and confidence to place our trust and reliance upon God who preserves His people for His own purposes. For the anointed kings of Israel show us the way to Christ. And we now have the anointing of the great King upon us. And we can live with confidence and trust no matter what comes our way this week. For we do not follow the wicked King Saul. And we do not even follow the King who is waiting for His turn to reign David. Instead, we are following in the way of Jesus Christ For as the writer of the Hebrews says, we have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. Let the confidence of your salvation in Christ and the comfort of the preserving power of God richly bless you as you serve in Christ's kingdom in this week. Amen. Let us pray together. Almighty God and Heavenly Father, we give thanks to you lord for your powerful demonstration of your great love and your protection of your servant david we thank you that you have revealed your son to us and we pray that you'll cleanse us from our selfish desires and our worries by the power of your spirit we are your servants we have been humbled by your deliverance of all who call upon your name in christ jesus our lives are yours our hearts are yours and we await the great day of your appearing. Come, Lord Jesus. In his name we pray. Amen.