Our scripture reading this evening is 1st Samuel 26. Let me say thank you to the consistory for the invitation to be here. It is good to be with you and I'm grateful for the privilege to be here and to consider God's word with you this evening. 1st Samuel 26. Hear the word of God. The Ziphites went to Saul at Gibeah and said, Is not David hiding on the hill of Hakala, 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 Hakala 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 lying 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 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 water jug near Saul's head and they left. No one saw 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? Saul recognized David's voice and said, Is that your voice, David, my son? David replied, Yes, it is, my lord the king. And he 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 servant's 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 ends our reading of God's Word. One of the more uncomfortable situations we can find ourselves in as we are interacting with other people is to be talking with someone and suddenly we find this person telling us a story that that person told us just a week before. And this person thinks this is a very good story, a very humorous story. And in fact, it was fairly humorous the first time, but the second time around, it loses a lot of its punch. And you're not quite sure exactly how to react to this. You would feel bad about interrupting this person and telling him to stop the story. And yet it's sort of difficult to fake as if you are really entertained by the story a second time perhaps even worse than that is when you're talking to someone and telling this person a really good story of your own and halfway through you get this voice in the back of your head that says i think i just told this person this story he's just being polite well those can be sort of embarrassing situations that reveal mental lapses and the weaknesses of our memory But there are times when a good storyteller can tell a story a second time, or perhaps a very similar story, and not do it because of a slip of memory, but do it for a very intentional reason, in order to communicate something more effectively than might otherwise be possible. You see, we're picking up this story in 1 Samuel quite late in the ballgame, but if we had been reading just a couple of chapters earlier. In 1 Samuel 24, there's a story that sounds very similar to the one that we just read. Some of you probably know the one that I'm talking about. Saul is chasing David, wanting to put David to death. David is hiding in a cave. And Saul comes into the very area where David and his men are hiding in that cave. And Saul, there being no rest areas around, goes into that very cave to relieve himself, not knowing that David and his men are there. And David's men are excited. They tell David to go and to put Saul to death. Put an end to this sorry saga of Saul chasing David all over the land. And David comes up to Saul and cuts off a corner of his robe and then withdraws his hand. He will not lay his hand on the Lord's anointed. Saul leaves, and from a distance, David calls out to Saul, tells him what he's done, and Saul repents of the evil that he has done to David. Sounds an awful lot like the things that happen here. It's not that the author of 1 Samuel forgot the story that he told us before. No, there are some particular reasons why the author includes this story as well, Even though it sounds so very similar to the one that we heard before. In order to appreciate what the author of 1 Samuel is doing here under the inspiration of the Spirit, it might be helpful for a moment to think about what's going on in the larger story of 1 Samuel. 1 Samuel is about two kings. When 1 Samuel begins, Israel has no king. Everyone is doing what is right in his own eyes. But the people come to the prophet Samuel early in this book and they say, give us a king. And Samuel is troubled by this. And he knows that the Lord is displeased with this. But you see, the reason why Samuel and the Lord are displeased is not simply because they asked for a king. It is a sin what Israel did because they asked for the wrong kind of king. In the book of Deuteronomy, God told His people that they should appoint a king. But they should appoint a king who is a king of God's choosing. A king who meets God's criteria. And instead, the people come to Samuel and they say, Give us a king like the kings of the nations all around us. And that's exactly what God gives them. He gives them Saul. Who is a head taller than anyone else in Israel. He has weapons that no one else in Israel have. He must have looked good at the head of an army. Impressive on the day of battle. A king that the other nations could look at and be impressed with. But you see, as the story in 1 Samuel develops, God's people learn just how bitter it can be to have a king like the kings of the nations all around. You see, that kind of king is fine for the nations all around. God has indeed appointed kings. He's raised up kings to rule. Romans 13 tells us that. But you see, Israel is not just like all the other nations. Israel is God's chosen people. His treasured possession. Through whom He is going to bring salvation to the world. They need a different kind of king. The king that they need is not just one who can keep order and peace. They need a king who can take away sin. A king who can defeat their enemies once and for all. A king who can bring them everlasting life. None of the kings of the nations can bring them that. There's one king that they really need. And that's the Lord Jesus Christ. But you see, God has mercy on His people. though they sinned in asking for Saul, and though they had to suffer for a while under the tyranny and foolishness of Saul, God in His mercy, halfway through 1 Samuel, raises up a second king. He raises up David. A man after his own heart. And this new king, this second king, is to show the people of Israel who their true king is going to be. The kind of king they should be longing for, looking for, setting their hope upon. And as 1 Samuel moves along, we learn more and more about David. And we learn through him more and more about our great King, our Lord Jesus Christ, who was to come. And we learn what it means for us to live as those who belong to such a king. Who are citizens of His kingdom. And you see, as we come to 1 Samuel 26, we have already learned much about David and therefore learned what kind of king God chooses to have over His people. And as we come to 1 Samuel 26, we read a story that sounds indeed similar to one we've already heard. In part, it reminds us, it reinforces what has already been communicated. But even in the differences between 1 Samuel 26 and 1 Samuel 24, we learn ever new things about David and through him about Christ. And in particular, we learn here that though this king has the appearance of being weaker, he is in fact the one who is powerful. And through this, we learn about our great King, our Lord Jesus Christ, who came once in weakness, and yet through the appearance of weakness, indeed won our salvation. Let's look first at verses 1-5 as we see this story begin to unfold. In these opening verses, we see the main parties, David and Saul, in a sense, stake their positions. Now, the first thing that becomes very clear as we look at this chapter in the very first two verses is that really nothing has changed. Now, if we would look back at 1 Samuel 24, it looks like things are going to change because at the end of that chapter, Saul repents, or at least he gives the appearance of repentance after David tells him what he has done, that he has clipped off a corner of his robe but has not laid a hand upon him. Saul confesses that he has sinned. He practically hands the kingdom over to David. And yet, what do we find here? Just two chapters later, David is hiding and Saul is chasing him. Nothing has changed. Saul has not really repented. And David has not fallen for Saul's false repentance. And I think it's worth us noting right from the get-go in this chapter that David is a kind of king who though he is a man after God's own heart and shuns evil, he is not naive about evil. Perhaps reminds us of our Lord's words in the Gospel of Matthew when He warns us, when He tells His disciples that they should be innocent as doves, but as shrewd as serpents. David is a kind of king who stays clear of evil and yet who is not naive about it. Who recognizes evil and calls it evil and treats what is evil as if it is. Well then in verses 3-5 we find that Saul has come. He has received this intelligence report about where David is and he takes his men. Notice, He takes 3,000 chosen men from all Israel and goes out to face David. And he comes and he stops. And he makes his camp. And he goes to bed. But David learns that Saul has come. He gets up and he goes and he finds where Saul is and he looks down upon him and he sees exactly where Saul is. an amazing reversal has taken place just in these opening verses. Saul seems to be the one who's going after David. He gathers an army. He goes out to meet him. But he doesn't succeed. David seems to be the one who's hunted. And yet David is the one who gets up and finds Saul and knows exactly where he is. And right here already we see an important difference between this story and the earlier story in 1 Samuel 24. In 1 Samuel 24, from a human perspective, it seems that David is just lucky. Saul just so happens to go into the cave where David just happens to be hiding with his men. Saul doesn't do anything irresponsible. David hasn't done anything particularly wise and insightful. It just happens that Saul falls into his hands. But notice what happens here. Saul is incompetent. Saul goes out and looks for David and can't find him. David is competent. David sets out to find Saul and he succeeds. And here we see already a theme emerging that we will see throughout this chapter. That David, though he seems to be the hunted one, seems to be the persecuted one, seems to be the weaker one, is in fact the powerful one, is in fact the one who has things in his control. We will see this theme in the verses that follow. Well, after this opening introduction in which the parties stake out their positions, we come to the heart of the story, which is verses 6-12. Now, here in verse 6, we find David, who has come now to the edge of Saul's camp at night with two of his men. And David addresses these men and proposes a plan of action. Now, I think it's important for us to recognize, as David begins to take these steps, that to this point in 1 Samuel, the one thing that is predictable about David is that he never does what's predictable. He never does what you expect. He's always catching his men off guard. When David hears in chapter 23 that the Philistine army has besieged one of the cities of Israel, David says, let's go. Let's drive the Philistines away. And David's men say, no way. It's hard enough running away from Saul. We're not going to go fight the Philistines. And yet David goes. The next chapter, when they're in the cave, Saul is right in David's hands and his men say, David, strike him down. And David says, no, I won't do it. Saul's men are the reasonable ones. They seem to be the ones who understand what's going on and choose the wise course of action. David never does what's expected. Part of the reason, you see, is that he's a different kind of king. He doesn't operate by the standards of earthly wisdom. And so what does David do here in verse 6? 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? Now think about this. How many men does Saul have surrounding him in the camp? Three thousand. How many men does David have to go with him and walk into the middle of the camp? Two. David doesn't do what we would expect him to do. It seems like a crazy, suicidal course of action. And yet David sets his mind again on the thing that we don't expect. But then we meet Abishai. And Abishai says, sure, I'll go with you. Abishai is not like the rest of David's men. We don't read about Ahimelech the Hittite. He apparently was a little smarter than Abishai. We're getting just a little foreshadowing here. Abishai and his brother Joab, the sons of Zeruiah, become major players later in 1 Samuel and especially 2 Samuel. And two things that we learn about these sons of Zeruiah is that they are very loyal to David and they are very reckless. And we see both of those things right here. Just a little foreshadowing for later. But Abishai decides he'll go with David. So David and Abishai walk into that camp. David walks right up to Saul, who is lying there. And David again does what we don't expect him to do, as we should expect by now. Saul is lying there. And Abishai says, David, there he is. Abishai was probably in the cave with David, so he knew that David gets squeamish in these occasions. So he says, let me do it. It will only take one thrust of my spear. I won't need two. The sons of Zeruiah probably wouldn't need two to get the job done. And David again refuses. With words very similar to the ones he spoke in chapter 24, he refuses to strike down the Lord's anointed. What kind of king is this? What kind of a king would get the enemy in his hand and show mercy? What kind of a political leader would you want who would go to war with an enemy and withdraw when he could strike the winning blow? You see, David is a different kind of king. And why did Israel need to learn about this kind of king? Because God was preparing them for their greater King, their true King, our Lord Jesus Christ. And when our Lord Jesus Christ came into this world the first time, what kind of a King did He resemble? A military leader? One who took vengeance upon His enemies? One who struck down those who opposed Him? No. He came as one who was humble and gentle and meek who was insulted and blasphemed and flogged and he opened not his mouth. He did not strike back. Not the way we expect a king to act. Not a way that the people of Israel at that time expected their Messiah to act which is why they rejected Him. They couldn't understand a king. A king who would come to show mercy. A king who would come to be meek and humble. But of course, it was precisely in his meekness, in his humility, in his enduring suffering that he won our salvation. This is the sort of king that we needed. And this is the kind of king that David shows us. A king who endures suffering and doesn't move the clock of God ahead of schedule who will not strike down the enemy before the time has come. But remember, remember as we read this, that David acted as though he were weak but not out of weakness. Notice a few things that are going on in this passage. Did you notice when I was reading it a few minutes ago the downward progression of Saul's actions, or should we say lack of action? You may have noticed in verse 5 that we read that Saul had lain down. When Saul sees him, he's lying down. Then we go a couple of verses later to verse 7 and we read that Saul is there lying asleep. And then by the time we get to verse 12, we find that Saul is lying there asleep in a deep sleep. Do you notice that Saul gets more and more helpless? More and more oblivious? In fact, there's something rather humorous. If you read the Hebrew of verse 12, It comes across a little more prosaically in the English. In the Hebrew, it literally says, there was no seer, there was no knower, there was no waker. That was the scene that David found. 3,000 mighty army, 3,000 mighty soldiers from all of Israel, and there was no knower, there was no seer, and there was no waker. Who is in control? Who looks like the king? Is it not David? Is not he the one who has the situation firmly in his grasp? And Saul, a head taller than anyone in Israel, the leader of this mighty army, lying in a deep sleep, completely oblivious to what is going on around him. How important this is for us to understand. For you see again, David shows us the greater King who is to come. When our Lord Jesus came, when He came to suffer, to be insulted and flogged and ultimately crucified, He did not endure these things because the enemy was stronger. He didn't endure these things because of His own inherent weakness. You remember what our Lord Jesus said in John 10. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life only to take it up again. No one takes it from me. But I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I receive from my Father. Our Lord Jesus was far more powerful than any enemy who rose up against Him. And yet, out of obedience to His Father and out of love for us, He willingly laid down His life and endured what He did not deserve. People of God, this is your King. You are citizens of His Kingdom. And so, who are you? How have you been called to live? How do you understand yourselves? Do you remember the words of the Apostle Paul at the end of 1 Corinthians 3? Paul says, all things are yours. Whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future, all are yours. And you are of Christ and Christ is of God. You see, if you belong to Christ, that all-powerful King, then everything is yours. By faith in Him, the world, the present, the future, all belong to you. And yet you look at us. You look at Christians. You look at the church. We don't really look like it, do we? The world makes fun of us. Many of our brothers and sisters around the world are thrown into prison, their property is taken away, they're put to death. We're no richer than anybody else. We're certainly no more powerful than anyone else. We don't feel very influential in this world. What's going on? You see, we have been called, like our Lord, to suffer for a time. Not because the enemy is stronger. For our Lord is far stronger than the Lord of the people of this world. But we are called willingly and obediently to suffer with our Lord for a time. To be like Him, humble and meek. To be kings of the world and yet servants of all. To endure hardship and suffering without raising a hand in retaliation. That's who we have been called to be. Remember, people of God, that all is yours. You are kings in Christ. And yet you have been called to be servants. Humble and meek. Patient and kind. As we live for a time in this world waiting for our Lord's return. We come now to the end. The last part of 1 Samuel 26. The last part of this chapter takes up about half of it. Beginning at verse 13, we read, in a sense, about the aftermath of what David has done. David withdraws his hand. He simply takes a few things of Saul and he leaves and goes far away. He crosses over to the other side and he calls out to Saul. In fact, first of all, he calls to Abner. And again, I think there's a little bit of humor here. He calls to Abner. Abner acknowledges him. He says, who is this? And the first thing he says, you're a man, aren't you? Usually the last thing that a man wants to hear. You're a man, aren't you? Abner's manhood is being questioned. What has Abner done? Well, Abner is the right-hand man of Saul. Abner is the one who should do anything to protect the life of his king. And yet someone has waltzed right into the camp and taken things from Saul and left in safety. Abner is embarrassed. Abner is shamed. And the irony here is, who should have Abner's position? Who should be at the right hand of Saul? Who earned it by killing Goliath? leading the army of Israel. It's David. This is where David belongs. And what does David show here? That though he's been banished, he's the one protecting Saul's life more than Abner is, even as Abner stands at his right hand. Well then, after David and Abner exchange a few words, Saul joins in. Is that you, David, my son, he says. And we see David and Saul interacting from this distance, calling out to one another. And Saul once again calls for reconciliation. He repents of the evil he has done. He wants to be restored again to David's fellowship. And yet David has none of it, does he? David is still as innocent as a dove and as shrewd as a serpent. He entrusts himself not to the wicked Saul, but he entrusts himself to God alone. He says, may the Lord value my life and deliver me from all trouble. And interestingly, in case we haven't got the point yet, who is in control? Saul or David? It's David. David tells Saul how their encounter is going to end. He says, you send your young men up and get your stuff and he's going to take it back to you. David says how things are going to work. But as we finish looking at this chapter tonight, let me call your attention especially to verses 19 and 20. These are perhaps the most important words that David speaks in this last speech that he gives to Saul. Let me read verses 19 and 20 again. David says, 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. Now David begins here by speaking rhetorically. If the Lord has incited you against me, may he accept an offering. He knows that is not what has happened. But for these men who have incited Saul against David, David places a curse upon them. This is no mere political struggle in Israel. This is a spiritual battle that is taking place. And what we learn of what David says here is that as David is driven out from his home, As he is wandering now, running through the desert, trying to get away from Saul. That David's chief suffering is not physical. Surely he's suffering physically. Surely it's hot in the desert. It's hard to find food and water. Surely he misses family and friends. But you see, his chief suffering is spiritual. He says, they have driven me from my share in the Lord's inheritance and have said, go serve other gods. What is David talking about? Well, remember that when God brought the people of Israel into the promised land under Joshua, He gave them an inheritance to families, to tribes. He gave them a land which they were not to sell, which were to be passed down from generation to generation. It was the Lord's pledge to them. The Lord's promise to them of something far greater. Of an everlasting inheritance. And the Lord gave them that tabernacle where the Ark of the Covenant was. A place to worship. To know their God and to declare His praises. And you see, David was banished from that. He could not enjoy his inheritance. He could not enjoy the worship of God with his people. You see, that was how God's Old Testament people were to worship, to know God. And David was excluded from that. David experienced a taste of hell. And indeed, in those circumstances, David was tempted to worship other gods because he was cut off from the fellowship of the true God and His people. You see, at the beginning of history, there was a king. Because God created Adam as a king. And Adam was placed under a test. Would he serve the true God or would he not? Would he serve another God? And Adam failed and was driven out of the garden into the wilderness. How could that be remedied? How could God's people be restored to him? another king must come. Another king who could experience that suffering, that exile, that wandering far from home, and who could pass the test placed before him. David is raised up as a king and he is called to suffer. He's called to be banished like Adam from the garden, away from God's presence, away from his inheritance. And he is tested. Will he serve another God? David is not perfect, but he remains faithful and he clings to the true God of heaven and earth. And in doing so, he shows us our Lord Jesus. That great King. That second Adam who came and was driven out into the wilderness and was tempted by the evil one. Called upon to bow the knee to a different God. He suffered. Was tempted. Was tried. But he overcame. He passed the test. He conquered the evil one. Why? So that we might be restored. That we might be brought back to the Lord's inheritance. Not to an earthly land. A small plot of ground in Palestine. But to an everlasting, eternal, heavenly land. A new heavens and new earth. Praise God that He has raised up this kind of King. May we serve Him now faithfully in humility and meekness as we look forward to the day when He returns and welcomes us back into that everlasting inheritance. Amen.