I invite you to turn in the scriptures tonight to 1st Samuel chapter 23, 1st Samuel 23. This is a unique little section here, I didn't want to go too far with it, so we're only going to consider the first 14 verses where we really see a shining moment in the life of David here as he is making such progress, not only in being established as the king of Israel in the future soon future but here in his walk with God and that provides us a great look tonight at what a true walk with the Lord looks like this is 1st Samuel 23 page 313 we'll read the first 14 verses now they told David behold the Philistines are fighting against Kyla and are robbing the threshing floors therefore David inquired of the Lord shall I go and attack these Philistines? And the Lord said to David, go and attack the Philistines and save Kilah. But David's men said to him, behold, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more than if we go to Kilah against the armies of the Philistines? Then David inquired of the Lord again. And the Lord answered him, arise, go down to Kilah, for I will give the Philistines into your hand. And David and his men went to Kilah and fought with the Philistines and brought away their livestock and struck them with a great blow so david saved the inhabitants of kila when abiathar the son of ahimelech had fled to david to kila he had come down with an ephod in his hand now it was told saul that david had come to kila and saul said god has given him into my hand for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars and saul summoned all the people to war to go down to kila to besiege david and his men david knew that saul was plotting harm against him and he said to abiathar the priest bring the ephod here then david said oh lord the god of israel your servant has surely heard that saul seeks to come to kila to destroy the city on my account will the men of kila surrender me into his hand will saul come down as your servant has heard oh lord the god of israel please tell your servant and the lord said he will come down then david said will the men of kyla surround me and any men in the hand of saul and the lord said they will surround you and david and his men who were about 600 arose and departed from kyla and they went wherever they could go when saul was told that david had escaped from kyla he gave up the expedition. And David remained in the strongholds in the wilderness, in the hill country of the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not give him into his hand. And there ends the reading of God's Word. Well, this is a wonderful section that gives us a lot of help in walking with the Lord in distressing times. This is one of the most important times in david's life for growth in learning to trust the lord and to walk with the lord it's a beautiful section we think of the scriptures inspiring that statement that enoch walked with god and i've often wondered what does that ultimately look like and here i believe you have something beautifully shown to us of what a true walk with the lord looks like we have this life of course all backwards and all wrong in the way that we look at it we in the course of our lives are constantly trying to achieve happiness and a trouble-free life, a picture-perfect life, and we can imagine it with growing old to ripe old good age and having the grandkids running all around and all of our kids sitting next to us in church and just a wonderful, splendid, good, blessed life as we would see it. And when you achieve this, when you've achieved just your design of what you think this life should look like and what you would love to create and love to be then you will find most often in those circumstances that your walk with the lord is almost non-existent there will be shown when everything is just great the challenge of the word having little place in your life prayer bowing before the lord and trusting him not quite as prevalent and of course thinking of others and helping others really not too much on your mind that's why i love this particular passage in scripture because david is in the heart of his afflictions david is in one of the most distressing trials of his life he is here in pain he is here in flight in the wilderness and he's not singing praise songs he's writing laments at this time and when he's writing the laments we're finding him with the greatest growth period in his life what do you make of that when he's writing laments he's growing the most when everything's at ease he's not that's the challenge of this life isn't it that's the challenge of this life and that's where i want to consider with you tonight that david in the valley of the shadow of death is learning to walk with God. David in the trying circumstances is learning how to trust him. And this is such a beautiful section that teaches us that and shows us that you really can't miss the clear things that are being shown in the life of David that are changing. I mean that. Saul is on a witch hunt to kill him. Saul wants his head. Saul is giving everything he has all of Israel's best to come after David and utterly destroy him. Can you imagine living in that fear? Can you imagine living life on a run? Can you imagine thinking that anyone peeking into your window is there to utterly kill you? That's David. And he had a terrible moment in the midst of this of backsliding. Remember how bad David backslid in these last sections where he had come to Ahimelech and he had utterly lied. One of you walked up and said, you know, we often talk about David's failure with Bathsheba, but one of the worst failures of his life was also right here, where he utterly lied to Ahimelech. And the implication was the whole city of Nob was taken out. The priests, 85 of them in the last section, were killed because of him. Now, not ultimately, It's Saul's rage and his anger. But David took the blame and said, I brought this on the city through my sinful flight. He had put his trust in Goliath's sword to defend himself. He had ended up a madman in that chapter. And chapter 22 last time ended with this grand confession on David's part that I have brought Saul's wrath on this city. They were innocent. What a failure in my life. You think you've had a bad day? The leader of Israel wants your head. The army is searching for you. Your bad choice has gotten people killed. And now the pain of all this is, how in the world am I going to get up? I'm distressed. And we looked at the Psalms of Lament. He wrote in the midst of this very difficult time in his life last time. Those Lament Psalms were really helpful to understand and be real about life, because if you have it good now, you probably won't tomorrow. That's how this life goes. It's up and down. So here we are. Here we are. As we open up chapter 23, we read that now they told David, behold, the Philistines are fighting against Kilah and are robbing the threshing floors. Therefore, David inquired of the Lord, shall I go and attack these philistines it's an interesting section that seems to come out of nowhere for why in the world is david worried about this what i like to notice here is something very simple and very beautiful david has no idea of what to do david has no idea of where to go everything is a mess everything is full of fear and yet in the heart of his discouragement in the heart of his panic the text keeps showing you something here and it's a beautiful little phrase he kept inquiring of the lord how many times that comes out there then david said oh lord god of israel you'll notice there it says and david inquired of the lord and the lord answered him when saul comes after him then then david said oh lord the god of israel your servant has heard that saul seeks to come to kylah to destroy the city on my account will the men of kylah surrender me into his hand what do you call this what is he doing now what are we seeing from him in the heart of all of his affliction and in all of his distress prayer you know what prayer is boys and girls it's talking with god he's pouring out his concerns and he's talking to his god and he's asking him for help and he's asking him for direction he is deeply calling out the lord and through this what we're seeing in the king is a king learning to trust the lord that's not what we've seen but now we're seeing it and the first thing that is important to say and i won't just i think this is a a moment where we've been looking at a lot of this redemptive historically but keep in mind that the scriptures also tell us 2 Timothy 3 15 and 16 also tells us that all scripture is profitable for training and correcting and training in righteousness and this is a very helpful section to yes see Jesus but also to help us see a training in righteousness that happens in the life of someone who is walking with the Lord it's beautiful notice here that there will be no real growth in the Christian life until it is accompanied by leaning and learning to trust the Lord in prayer. We are seeing the king learning this. We are seeing the king expressing this, asking the Lord to guide him and to keep him. Now this is a big subject for us because often we look at the Old Testament and say, well look, the Lord just clearly gave him the answer. God, when we're seeking to know God's will, this is our great struggle. This is so contrary, I want you to notice, to Saul. I'll come back to that thought. Who, when Saul has it in his head that David is here, notice the entire attitude difference. Now, it was told, Saul, that David had come to Kilah, and Saul said, God has given him into my hand, for he shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars, and he brings together everyone to go after him. No inquiring of the Lord. He's dead spiritually. I want you to notice here, in his reckless attempt to understand providence, he did what was utterly sinful and utterly destructive in his life. One of the most beautiful ways that we make advancement in this life in walking with the Lord is through prayer. It expresses our utter dependency on the Lord. Trust the Lord, says the psalmist, with all your heart. Do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him. He's saying pray to Him. That's what acknowledge the Lord is. Lord, You're in control of everything. I trust You for this. In all your ways, acknowledge Him. And His promise to you is when you talk to your Father, when you pray to the Lord, He promises to direct your paths. What I like to notice in this case is David was trying to discern the Lord's direction for him. Where would he have him? The same thing that James says to us. Come now, you who say today or tomorrow we will go in such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit. You don't know what's going to happen. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, if the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that. You ought to recognize that the Lord is the one in charge of your life. You ought to talk to Him about that and you ought to express that to Him. That is a heart dependent on Him. All such boasting and the other way is utterly evil. Well, that's the application with Saul. In the New Testament, the Lord tells us to do the same and he gives us and tells us that we actually have a far better and clearer way forward for us in the Lord's will than in the Old Testament when we had direct statements like this. And you say, what in the world are you talking about? Well, you have many things in life that you don't know what direction to go and how to pray and what to do and the Lord tells us clearly that He has given us His Spirit who when we don't even know what to pray is the one praying within us and promising to guide us as that prayer is answered. You will go in the direction when calling out to the Lord that He has you to go. We ask the Spirit to intercede to pray for us and He promises to do so. But what I want to emphasize here for a moment is David's absolute trust in the Lord. All throughout the Old Testament, one of Israel's cardinal sins was any time they were afraid, any time they were in fear, any time things were going wrong, they always looked to anything and everything else as the answer. They went to other armies, other kings, other mighty kingdoms for help. And they never called out to the Lord for help in the midst of these moments for guidance. In all of life's confusion, in all of life's frustrations, does he hear from you i think that's a fair question does the lord hear from us are we on our knees talking to him this is how growth happens prayer god doesn't need your prayers prayer is your act of expressing dependency and our great problem is we want to be independent but you're never an independent you're never an independent in god's kingdom you're an absolute dependent and his promise to us is when we talk to him he will guide us he will help us he will strengthen us think about this truth god turns away his prayers from the wicked his ears from the wicked their prayers but he does not to the righteous so what a blessing to talk to god what a blessing to come before him every morning and reckon with the lord to talk to him and depend upon him i don't think a day should be started without talking to god how are you going to make it through your days without him see you've tried so often you wonder why you're frantic and and full of all fret and worry notice here it's dependence that's the first thing there's another there's a second thing here that's a huge change in david that you can't miss the first verse says that david is concerned concerned about who the city of kila the philistines are over there lord and they're robbing the threshing floors of kila and they're doing great things against them therefore david inquired shall i go and attack and the lord answer him arise and go down to kila for i will give the philistines into your hand it ends by saying there that david saved the inhabitants of kyla now do you see the contrast the city of nob had just been wiped out because of david's neglect and notice the turn that is happening in this man he is now concerned for others can't help but contrast that massive failure here that really bothered him he had failed in that regard but notice now in the way that he's turning around in the way that he's walking all of a sudden there's a deep concern about others in his life he's now beginning to act like a king. And guess what a king acts like? He becomes a servant. He becomes a servant. He desires to shepherd. He desires to care for those in need. His eye is on the oppressed of Israel. His eye is given to help them and deliver them. What a crucial point this is to tie it together with prayer notice eyes are off himself and his prayer now is directed in concern for others the love of others when someone has a a great concern for the plight of others and how they can be used in God's kingdom to help others in their hardships and in their sufferings and in their sorrows and in their great depressions and hurts think of the beauty of what's happening in it's no longer about you that is so beautiful isn't it this is somebody who is truly walking with the lord not only is he inquiring and trusting the lord in prayer but his eye is on helping and caring for others not just those closest to us this is a beautiful section that's teaching us this but i want you to notice here something so helpful for us that in this particular section contrary to saul there has been nothing but a total neglect of the sheep and a hatred of the sheep and a not fulfilling of the lord's kingship for the sheep and here the king is rising up and the king is loving the sheep and fighting for the sheep and caring for the sheep well the lord calls us this constantly do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit but in humility count others more significant than yourselves let each of you look not only to his own interests but also to the interest of others and when you do that which i'll come back to in a minute you're looking a lot like your true king you see this is this is the path the lord has for us but then comes the best mark yet you have a servant returning to the lord in prayer you have a servant thinking of others but then notice what happens saul hears that david has come to defend kyla and saul says god has surely given them into my hand for he is shut up in the town and the gates and bars. And Saul summons all the people to go to war, to go down to Kilah to besiege David. David knew that Saul was plotting his harm and Abathar had the ephod. Then David said, bring the ephod here. And David said, O Lord, the God of Israel, your servant has surely heard that Saul seeks to come to Kilah to destroy the city on my account. will the men of kila surrender me into his hand will saul come down as your servant heard oh lord the god of israel please answer and tell your servant and the lord said he will come down and david said will the men of kila surround me and my men in the hand of saul and the lord said they will surrender you the ephod in the old testament you see we're confused about it we think that god spoke in in in numerous ways and he did he uh hebrews tells us that in various ways in different times he spoke but it wasn't as common as you think the ephod was a way that they achieved direct revelation from god but it wasn't just that god spoke freely throughout the old testament as we often think they didn't have bibles in their hands god spoke in different ways but notice that david is specifically attempting to discern god's will through his word i think that's the point a third thing we see in a return of the king here the third thing we see in a servant walking with the lord is a deep reliance on the word of god i've tried to make a big case of this that the real litmus test to where we are right now in our walk with the lord has everything to do with what place the Word has in you. Jesus will say this in John's Gospel to people, the real big problem with you is my Word has no place in you. The Lord gave us His Word to lead us in all truth, to lead us to Him, to guide us in all righteousness. Truth be told, everything that you really need in this life to make every good and right decision in this life is found in the very book you're holding. David was rescued by the Word of the Lord. And the Lord went so far as to give you an inspired Word to tell you everything you need to know for life and godliness. It's that Word that keeps us from sin. As it was said, sin will either keep you from this Word or the Word will do what? Keep you from sin. It's the Word of God that guides your life. It's the Word of God that upholds you. It's the Word of God that is your food and your daily strength. You know, I think, and fair enough, there's been a lot of emphasis said in our day on pressure on Bible reading and prayer, devotions and prayer. And as it became a new law and evangelicalism where people were so beat up with this, I think Reformed people have reacted some. And Reformed people have, in some ways, reacted against this. And I think that's a mistake. It is very important that we, as believers, hold the Word high in our life. That we spend time in it. That we read it. We spend so much time in everything else. Reading the Scriptures that renew our mind and praying to the Lord are important aspects to our walk with the Lord. How can we do it without these things? This is why the Lord's given them to us. If prayer is absent, if the Word has no place in us, well, I can guarantee you that you're not going to be at all interested in the interests of others and your walk with Christ is being greatly hindered. That's just the reality. There's something so beautiful here about seeking the Lord while He may be found. And this is the beautiful way for us to walk with the Lord. by praying to him, by studying his scriptures, and by caring for the interests of others. You want to know what the opposite looks like? When we have life at ease, when we are eating and drinking and full, when everything is going great, David went into that season. Remember what happened? In the spring of that year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent to Joab, and his servants with him in all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. It happened late one afternoon when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king's house. But he saw from the roof a woman bathing. And the woman was very beautiful. You notice the sense of ease in his life there? Walking on the roof, strolling around with his couch, sitting on his couch. everything's great, I'm blessed. He hits a landslide, doesn't he? And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? So David sent messengers and took her. And she came to him and he lay with her. Thus, one of his greatest falls in Scripture came when everything was going great. and I can tell you that he was not inquiring of the Lord. I can tell you that the word was not being sought, and he definitely wasn't looking out for his neighbor Uriah, was he? Here you go. This is why it's helpful to study a period like this of intense trial and affliction and turmoil in his life and see where it brought him. Here's the thing. When you think you're in the worst of circumstances, it's really there that you're in the safest of places. Did you see how this ended? Saul says, he's in my hand. But the end says, when Saul was told that David escaped from Kilah, verse 13, he gave up the expedition, and David remained in the strongholds in the wilderness, in the hill country of the wilderness of Ziph, And Saul sought him every day, but God did not give him into his hand. He was in the safest place he could be. Saul couldn't touch him. You realize every aspect of your lives is under the sovereign care of the Lord. In your deepest valley, in your deepest affliction, nothing can touch you apart from the will of the Lord. That's the most comforting truth here, isn't it? Well, it really is about a greater king who's loved me and a greater king who's cared for me. You know, I look over this and I think, as much as it teaches us tonight about righteousness and about walking with the Lord, what a reason do we ever have to fear in this life anything when we have a king who came in the fullness of time and gave himself in the service of others, in the service of you, to save you from all your sins. When Jesus prayed, remember what he said? Father, the hour has come. John 17, glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I have glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. I've manifested your name to the people whom you have given me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. You have a king. who prays for you all the time you have a king who watches over you who cared for you so much that he got down off his throne think about what philippians 2 says emptying himself that glory that he had outwardly think of his glory with this why he got off that throne and God on His knees as your King in the interest to save you and the whole way prayed for you and the whole way leaned on the Word of God and taught us that. So that now as we go forward and saved from all of this, we can have this kind of walk with Him. There's nothing that can separate you from Him. There's nothing that can harm you in this life. He says that over and over. So trust Him. And may what David learned inspire us. What He shows us, may we learn. That as we go through and start another week, may the Lord hear from us. When you think you're at your lowest, it's then that the strength of the Lord is upon you. When you think you're in the doldrums and everything's falling apart, it's then that His power is shown. So talk to Him. He has promised you His grace is sufficient. Consider others in your life. There's a whole bunch of people who have needs. Love them. And look to His Word. And He promises you, this is the kind of upholding power He will keep you with as we come every week to worship and gather around this Word to keep you until the end. I thought tonight that this passage would be a great help in practical righteousness. I couldn't get away from it this week. As a pastor, all the time and all the more, I have to be reminded myself that everything I do, I don't do in my own strength. I must pray. I must look to the Scriptures, and I have to love you. And guess what? All three of those things, I easily stumble in. That means so do you. This is why the Lord gives us these passages to encourage us and to show us our Savior and to tell you, when you're weak, then you're strong. May we take that this week and trust Him for everything. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word to us tonight, and thank You for showing us the way of righteousness and thank you for guiding us in all truth and help us more and more to talk to you as our Father, to trust you in everything, to not doubt you, to be concerned about others in our lives and, of course, Lord, thinking about how our sins hurt others, to give ourselves on the sacrifice and service of another's faith. And then, Father, to drink deeply from your word, to trust it every day, to study that word, to understand it, to know it, that the Word may find a place in us. And may all the more we look like our wonderful Savior. Thank you so much for a King who's loved us this way and given His life so that we might have fullness of joy. Send us out this week with that, and may the name of the Lord be known again in the earth through the witness that you've given us to have in this place. Thank you, O Lord, and hear our prayer and receive our thanksgiving in Jesus' name. Amen.