Well, I invite you to turn tonight in your Bibles to the book of 1 Samuel, 1 Samuel chapter 17, and that is found on page 307 in those Bibles in front of you as we pick up with our study in 1 Samuel, and last time we left off on the great battle with David and Goliath. And so we're really picking up at the end of that tonight, verses 55 through 18.9, so a short section here that is important to show us something. So we will see that tonight from again, 1 Samuel 17, beginning at verse 55. Here's the word of the Lord. As soon as Saul saw David go out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, Abner, whose son is this youth? And Abner said, as your soul lives, O king, I do not know. And the king said, inquire whose son the boy is. And as soon as David returned from the striking down of the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. And Saul said to him, whose son are you, young man? And David answered, I am the son of your servant Jesse, the Bethlehemite. As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul and Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father's house then Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as his own soul and Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David and his armor and even his sword and his bow and his belt and David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him, so that Saul set him over the men of war. And this was good in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul's servants. As they were coming home when David returned from striking down the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel singing and dancing to meet King Saul with tambourines, with songs of joy, and with musical instruments. And the women sang to another as they celebrated, Saul has struck down his thousands and David his ten thousands. And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said, they have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they've ascribed thousands, and what more can he have but the kingdom? And Saul eyed David from that day on. There ends the reading of God's Word. Well, the Heidelberg Catechism, as you know, provides a treatment of God's law in the gratitude section, and that is a wonderful encouragement to us, for we are no longer under the law for condemnation, is the message, but those who are believers now, the law becomes a rule of gratitude and a way of life that we might, as the law is summarized, do what in the course of our lives? Love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love our neighbor as ourself. That is the summary of the law. The law is fulfilled in that way through love. Well, all of this rejection of the Lord that we have seen in Samuel has exposed that this is the heart of Israel's real problem, that there is really no love for him. And because of that, there's no love for neighbor. There has been nothing but rejection of the Lord throughout our study in the book of 1 Samuel. And Samuel tonight is helping us think about what really is the issue of the people's relationship with the Lord. What really is the issue that they should be thinking and we should be thinking about in all of these events that have transpired. And the issue before us then is how are we responding to the Lord's deliverance to us. What I love about Samuel is that it provides strong contrasts to help us hold on to things to consider what is important to the Lord. And the contrast tonight that we have that is set to help us understand this is a contrast between love and envy. Love and envy. It has to do with this question. What is the response to the success of David? Now that's a much bigger question than we realize. And really it's the question of the whole Bible, which I hope to show. What is the response to the success of God's anointed? And that's a far-reaching question because it says that our response to one another in God's work among us is really demonstrating our response to the work of God's Messiah. That's an important point tonight. Our response to God's work among us and how we treat one another and how we respond to one another, whether it be by love or envy, is really a direct response to how we are responding to the deliverance that God's Messiah has given Jesus. Envy or love. So I want to consider this text tonight and to have us look at these two responses and then the end it with a response of envy, the response of love, and then a challenge to us to think about how we are to respond to the work of our king. You'll remember where we are. David has just killed Goliath of Gath. That was one of the most enjoyable sections to preach. I had a great time preaching that to show God's strength and human weakness him destroying and killing with just a single slingshot, one stone, Goliath of Gath, nine foot six, champion of the Philistines, who really, humanly speaking, David had no chance. But in God's economy, in God's kingdom, Goliath didn't hold a candle before David. David now, imagery here, he has gone up, he has conquered the Philistine, he has taken off his head, and in his hand is the head of Goliath. That's a big head. David's a little guy. So here we are, and the text is challenging us with the response to this. The response to this victory. Remember how terrified Israel was. No one would come off the mountain and fight Goliath. No one dared to stand up to Goliath. David has, and now there is the champion of Israel with the head of Goliath. What is the response that the Lord is after to this? Well, let's consider the first response that is embedded here and show you how Samuel is providing this contrast. As soon as Saul, Saul, David go out to the Philistine, notice what he says there in verse 55 of chapter 17. He said to Abner, the commander of the army, Abner, whose son is this youth? As your soul lives, O king. I don't know and the king said inquire i want to know whose boy this is it's an interesting question how do you read it who is this little youth from what family does this kid come from i want to know who has just walked off now the field with the head of goliath david returns back after he's done this and the same discussion with abner happens a second time. You'll notice here it's happened twice. David is set in front of Saul, and David gives the very plain answer, I am the son of your servant Jesse, the Bethlehemite. Now it seems like a logical question of Saul. It seems like a good question of Saul. You remember what had happened when David went out on the battlefield, and everyone said, have you seen this man? Have you seen this man Goliath do you know what the king's going to do for the person who takes down Goliath the king will give great wealth to the man who kills him he will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his family from taxes in Israel wow Saul's now thinking who am I going to give all these privileges to who gets tax exemption who gets my daughter the man had just knocked down David, the greatest Philistine warrior, and had delivered Saul's kingdom. What is he thinking? Who is this youth? I want to know. When you understand that this should have been Saul, when you understand that when Israel asked for the king, the thing that they asked for is that their king would ride out and fight all their battles. Saul had cowered. Saul was a wimp. Saul showed no courage, and now he is deeply distraught that a little ruddy youth has done his job. What would you expect from Saul? Happiness. I mean, really, that would be the right response to this. Joy. I would expect a celebration. I would expect the fatted calf killed. I would expect half the kingdom given to him. I would expect a great, grand celebration for this one that God had used to take down the Philistines. Who are you? Where do you come from? What's he feeling? Threatened. Threatened. See, this begins to launch Saul into what we know is going to happen, a progression from him here, from the threat to envy to murder. Notice the path because it's going to come up over and over. He's a threat and it leads to envy and it leads to murder. He wants to kill David in the end. In fact, this is going to torment him. In the next section, this is all closely tied to his madness. But it's an important progression to see that in the next section look over at verse 5 that David went out and God is blessing David everything that David does is successful because the hand of the Lord is upon David and Saul has sent him out with the men of war notice what happens in verse 6 one time David is coming home and David returned from striking down the Philistine, it says in verse 6, the women came out of all the cities of Israel. Now the women are supposed to pay attention to the king. The women have noticed the strength of David. And notice what they're singing. With tambourines, I mean you can hear this, you can hear this in the cities of israel there is powerful music songs of joy musical instruments and they're saying one great thing in their new song the women sang to one another and celebrated saul has struck down his thousands but david his ten thousands now that's not really the wisest song to be singing is it? Imagine how offended Saul is. In fact, that's what we read. Saul has progressed from the threat now to envy. He is angry. It is envious rage in his heart. They have ascribed to him ten thousands that he kills and they've only given me thousands. What more can he have but the kingdom. And then comes a little statement. And Saul eyed David from that day on. You know it's going to come. David's going to be fleeing for his life. Saul's going to throw spears at him. What has happened is that all the people are recognizing that David is mightier than all so notice the progression a threat to envy envious rage to then murder as we will see and that progression is exactly what we i guess you could say since the themes sometimes always seem to connect you could come with the book of hebrews beware lest a root of bitterness rise up in any of us springing up this is the trajectory of the path this is what happens when root of bitterness comes. It's this kind of thing. But here's what I want you to think about for a moment. God had given to Israel a great victory. Their king had failed them. And God has now raised up a wonderful deliverer in response. No one could take down Goliath. And here God had raised up a champion. And I believe this is something to think about for a moment in terms of response to the Lord's work. Notice the path of a darkened heart. Everything is always a threat. Everything is a threat. Saul represented Israel's rejection of the Lord. I read from, I was thinking to myself as I was reflecting on this again this afternoon, and thinking about these progressions and what happens in a darkened mind and a darkened life, think of what we read from Galatians 5 this morning. The acts of the flesh are, listen to the progression here, and notice exactly the things that could be applied here to Saul. Hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy. Let it set in. This is what's happened to Saul. This is now what is controlling him. We've studied it before. You know, the same thing happened to Joseph. Remember, Joseph comes out wearing his father's robe of many colors. And they were threatened by Jacob's love for Joseph. And they became envious of their father's favor and that coat. And what did they do to him? They went right after him. And they threw him in a pit. And they left him for dead. It's the trajectory here of madness that comes out with this path in life. I can't help but think in our culture you're seeing this right now. It's a madness overtaking the culture. When these works of the flesh are dominant in people's lives, it leads to real madness in people's lives. It leads to real craziness in people's lives. This is what we're going to see with Saul. He's angry about everything. But sadly, he's angry with God's work among them. What is he angry about? I've been in the ministry long enough to see, and I know watching my own heart, what bitterness can do in an unforgiving spirit to people. When they're in conflict with their neighbor, one of these conflicts that are driven by something that threatens us about them. When our neighbor threatens us. When their successes threaten us. When they're a threat to our progress, A threat to our name, to our goals, our ambitions. Envy and emotion overtakes people. And with the heart, we murder them. We refuse them. We avoid them. We hate them. You say, I don't really do that, do you? We'll come back to this thought in a minute. You see the contrast now that Samuel has set up for us. Now one of the most beautiful contrasts in Scripture is given. Something that probably is one of the most beautiful descriptions of love that we have in the Bible. True love. In fact, it's so rare, it's so peculiar, that liberal scholars have tried to make this about some kind of homosexual desire in Jonathan and David. That's how perverse people are. Because this love that is here described is so foreign today. I make that point because people in darkness don't know this love. They don't know what's described here. If you want to understand love, if somebody asks me, they say, well, Pastor, where in the Old Testament would you go to show what love is and the way that it should function in the kingdom of God? I'm here. I'm here. This is beautiful. In contrast to his father's envy, we read that the courts have now been gathered. And David has come in and Saul is interrogating David about who he is and his son is sitting there. Jonathan is sitting there next in line for the throne, by the way. If anyone was a threat to Jonathan, it was this guy. If anyone was a threat to Jonathan's advancement and success and future, it was this little ruddy youth. As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul. What a verse, huh? The soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David. And Jonathan loved him as his own soul. I get giddy about that. I just think that's so beautiful. So beautiful, isn't it? You expect the son of the king to be the most threatened by David. But what do we read? There is something radically different about Jonathan. Something radically different. In fact, he is so taken by David, we read that he goes and he cuts a covenant of love. In other words, think of Genesis 15. The animals were put in rows when these covenants were cut and the parties would pass through the rows and they would walk through together. Jonathan has walked with David together saying we will always be bound together by love and nothing will separate that. What a radically different response than his father. Who are you? This guy, they're saying he's killed 10,000 and me only thousands. He's going to get the kingdom. what did he look at David and see? Well, the first thing you have to say is he saw the Lord's work in David. Jonathan was much older than David. What he witnessed was the Lord's hand of strength. What Jonathan saw was through true kingdom eyes. No mere man can fight that battle and win. The Lord's strength rested on him, and I want that. Because it's not resting on dad. Which is interesting, too, of where true loyalties are here. True loyalties are not just blood family. True loyalties are God's family. And so the first emotion that overtook Jonathan was encouragement. In other words, God had sent deliverance among his people. There wasn't a threat like Saul. There wasn't anger. In a sense, what we have is David now has set free Jonathan to love. That's the imagery here. I see a champion. When we're threatened, our natural tendency is to pick apart the good thing that has happened in the life of somebody else and find all their faults. When we're threatened, that's what we do to discount and not have to deal with the thing that has happened and we're good at it. I'm good at it. And in that way, we can disregard them. But notice here, love does what? Rejoices in all things. It does not envy. And that rejoicing in God's work has left him with an allegiance to David now that's beautiful. It goes on. You'll notice verse 3 says, because he loved him as his own soul, Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David and his armor and even his sword and his bow and his belt. No royal heir, no warrior does that. That's a humiliating act. Jonathan just gave him full allegiance. He recognized that a greater leader stood in front of him and he bowed. It was a surrender. In other words, he just decreased himself and increased David. He became his servant. It was a recognition of God's work. It's really a moment to ponder love. Love is the word that the Holy Spirit keeps seeming to put in the narrative here, doesn't he? He keeps interjecting it. Love is the most freeing action that way. It's the way that we truly live in freedom. This is such an important point for tonight. The bitterness, the lack of forgiveness, the envy, the hate, the murder, all of that would ultimately destroy Saul. It would eat him alive. He is going to have a sad ending. And it is absolutely true that a lack and refusal to love our neighbor and forgive our neighbor rips people apart on the inside. They do damage to themselves. But when we're walking in love, we're not threatened. We're genuinely happy for the blessing and success of our neighbors. We're genuinely happy for how God is working in their lives. It doesn't lead to a judgment of one another. the blessing that they enjoy, but it leads to a recognition of God's hand upon them. Love covers a multitude of sins. Love is patient. Love is kind. Love does not envy or boast. Love is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way. It's not irritable or resentful. It does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things. endures all things. Love never ends. Jonathan's free. Jonathan's free. We read that David went out and was successful. There are two kinds of responses to God's work among us. Love or envy. What are we demonstrating? Now here's where the larger consideration of the whole Bible comes in, doesn't it? How can we miss it? How can we miss what really is being shown to us? Think what Samuel is doing. What is the real story of the Bible? It really gets into how we read the Bible. This would be a good place, some would think, if you want to be just a moralist in the sermon here. But there's a bigger story here, isn't there? This is capturing our response to God's work among us. It is capturing our response to the work of His anointed. Have you thought that we are pressed with the truth that we, like Jonathan, need to be delivered to enjoy the love of our King and love for Him? A love that ultimately belongs to the Lord, a summary of the law that we are to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and then what follows is loving our neighbor as ourself. When God's Messiah came, when Jesus arrived on the scene of history, what do we see? I want to take you back for just a moment to Dr. Godfrey's sermon last week when he came off the lake of Gennesaret and down from the mountain came Goliath. Came the legion, the demon-possessed guy. It was a David and Goliath-like moment. Have you ever thought of it that way? This was Jesus' David and Goliath-like moment. No one could bind him in that region. He kept ripping apart the chains. That's how strong this man was. All of them tried. Everyone was utterly scared of this man. jesus with a word defeated legion and in the process delivered a man and what was his first response to jesus love i want to be with you i don't want to be anywhere else remember the crowd's response they begged jesus to depart dr godfrey made the very important point that jesus was a threat to their pocketbooks remember that he's absolutely right i think you can push that further i've often thought there's so much going on in the minds of the people there that no one could bind him. Jesus, with one word, has shattered the shackles. Jesus was the greatest threat to them. Why? Because such a deliverance demanded their allegiance. Such a deliverance demanded their allegiance. This is what Jonathan understood. This is what the demoniac understood. Why did the people hand over Jesus to Pilate? Listen to this. For Pilate perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up. You know why he was turned over? Envy. They were envious of God's Messiah. The greatest threat to people today is the success of the cross. Hear me. The greatest threat is the success of the cross and then the resurrection. Because through it, a great claim is made. God's anointed has established His kingdom. No other king stands. No other Messiah will ever come to the Jews. Every knee must bow. and every tongue must confess him. It's the greatest threat if you want to continue to rule your own life and you don't want the Lord as your king. If you want to live life on your terms, this is a great threat to you. But it will mean the complete renouncing of yourself, which anyone who understands their misery will gladly welcome. All the placing of your life at his feet is the best place to be. because Jonathan lost nothing, and he gained everything. And that is no burden, because it's motivated by love. The redeemed life is now driven by love. And that's what we need to be set free to. That's what Jesus came to do. The greater story of David and Goliath is the story of us needing to be set free from us. From all of our desires and everything that is contrary to following the Lord. And Jesus came to do that and to free us from our pride and our envy and our selfishness to now enjoy a love that the world does not know. This has been Israel's problem. And the greater beauty here tonight is the beauty that the greater son of David loved us in all of our selfishness and in all of our pride. It was in the denial of himself that He won us. And Jonathan that day represents all who come to the feet of Jesus, who gain everything at that foot. That's the response of a soul delivered. And then a covenant, you remember, had already been cut and made. A covenant where Jesus had promised way back from Genesis chapter 15 when He passed through those pieces alone to never separate us from that love. A love that binds us together and now a love that binds us in our love for one another that wants the best for our neighbor, that wants to see them succeed while we learn to more and more deny ourselves. There's one course we're all walking, to put it in closing tonight. A life of threat, envy, frustration, hatred, murder, or beginning to taste what we've been delivered to enjoy, a life of love. This is what the Lord is doing among us, and this is what He's accomplished. What a reason to celebrate tonight. After all, it was the Lord who inspired in the Thanksgiving section of Romans. Think about this. In the Thanksgiving section of Romans, Where the law is rehearsed, he said this, and we'll close with this word. Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for teaching us tonight about love. And thank you for helping us to understand the course of life that we are delivered to and set free from. When these sins snare up in our lives and flare up that take us back to the old way, let us always remember the blessing of your anointing and what we've been delivered from and see how great a champion we have and have great delight in his work. And like Jonathan, recognize the Lord's work among us in the lives of your people and that you would remove from our hearts, Lord, in the course of our lives a root of bitterness, envy, murder, anger, all the things that are the work of the flesh, and replace it in this place and in all your believers' hearts with a life of love. Thank you, O Lord, for teaching us and instructing us in these things. In Jesus' name, amen.