Abounding Grace

Guest (Male): a beautiful portrait of Grace. Next on Abounding Grace.

Pastor Ed Taylor: Even as David is walking in his flesh, even as David is walking in failure, even as David is aligning himself with the enemy, even as David is living in the enemy territory, even as David is a liar and a deceiver, God still steps in and rescues him, but he didn't have to. It was truly If you're looking for grace in the scriptures, you will find it on every page. And this is a beautiful picture of the grace Wait a minute. Why did God do that? Why why didn't he just let David do what he wanted to do?

Well, because God is gracious.

Guest (Male): King David certainly made some poor choices throughout his life, as will we. And at times, God has to discipline us out of his great love because of those decisions. The consequences can be huge, and David is about to find that out as we return to our study of 1 Samuel. But he would also find Abounding Grace. Pastor Ed Taylor is at the tail end of his verse-by-verse study of 1 Samuel. Today, we will explore chapter 29. Now, maybe like David, you are backsliding today, and the Lord wants to get your attention. I hope you'll find this study very helpful.

Here is Pastor Ed to bring it to us on Abounding Grace.

Pastor Ed Taylor: Take your Bibles, open them to 1 Samuel chapter 29. The end of our study in 1 Samuel is very close, just a couple more chapters. And then when we finish 1 Samuel, we'll go right into 2 Samuel uh and see the next phase of David's life. But here in chapter 29, we left off last time with King Saul going to a witch for help. Very hypocritical as in the beginning of the chapter it talked about King Saul putting out all the mediums and spiritists from the land, which was the right thing to do. Mediums, spiritists, witches, all the occult is strictly forbidden by God.

Yet, as the chapter unfolds, you realize that even his own men knew that not all the spiritists and mediums were put out as requested. And when God could no longer be heard by King Saul, he know no longer had a an end with King with the Lord like to receive from him, the leader of God's people, the one that was appointed and anointed by God himself, willingly chooses willfully and deliberately to sin. That's a pattern in his life. He's not Sometimes we'll hear people, you know, I stumbled into this or I fell into this sin.

That's not entirely true. You may feel that way, and you may regret the fact that you find yourself in the horrible condition that you're in dealing with the consequences or being caught or whatever it is with sin, but you willfully and deliberately when we find ourselves in the midst of sin and the consequences of sin, we have willfully and deliberately sinned against the most high God. That's where we find King Saul, and it happens far too much, unfortunately. I think of King Saul, and I can't help but think and request that you pray for us as leaders.

You pray for yourself in the role that you have as a mom or a dad. The last thing your family needs is for you to willfully and deliberately sin. You know, even as a as a young person in your home, the last thing your parents need is for you to choose to willfully and deliberately sin, to backslide, to turn your back on God. When you think of the pastors and leaders of your church, the last thing our community needs, first our church community and our city, is that the pastors and leaders of of churches deliberately and willfully sin.

It's devastating for the person, but it 's more devastating for those that are alongside of them. The pain and I mean, I dare say and no need for hands at all, but I I dare say that there are many among us today, many listening in on Grace FM, there are many that are in severe pain and deep sorrow because of the consequences of sin of someone close to you. You didn't bring it upon yourself, but because of the decisions of someone that you love, because of the decisions of someone that's close to you, someone that you trusted or whatever whatever the relationship might be.

Why? Because every time there's willful and deliberate sin, there's always pain. Here King Saul's not hearing from God simply because he's out of relationship with God. He's unrepentant, hypocritically living out a outward life of of spirituality, but inward he's filled with dead men's bones as Jesus would later say to those spiritual leaders that were living the same type of life. He had an appearance of spirituality. He had an appearance of spiritual strength, and yet inside he was far from God. He denied He had an appearance or a form, as the Bible says, of godliness, but he denied the power thereof.

And it's far too easy to have that appearance of being a right-on believer or having a relationship with the Lord, but over time your actions will betray your hypocrisy. But God intervened, didn't he? God intervened in this demonic visit, this visit to a a person dealing in the demonic, and God sent Samuel, as we learned last time, because Samuel is alive, separated from the body, but alive and well in the presence of God. And God sends him with a message. The the medium did not call Samuel back. God sent Samuel. As we've seen many times before, that those that have gone on to be in the presence of the Lord come back like you remember Jesus up on the Mount of Transfiguration, Moses and Elijah show up.

They're very alive, the Bible says in Matthew chapter 22 verse 32 that God is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. And if you You know, that's one of the that last chapter, chapter 28, that that question about what's going on with Saul and the and Samuel coming back and and the witch, we answered that. It's one of the most probably the one of the top five, if not, you know, maybe the top 10, if not the top five Bible difficulty questions. When you're going through your devos and you're going through and you're just reading, clipping along and and you go, what?

It's one of those chapters is what is going on here? And so we looked at it in depth last time. If you weren't with us, we answered it uh with some of the options that are out there and what makes most sense biblically it's what happened. The message Saul receives is not what he expected and it's not what he wanted. He's told very specifically that he will die in battle alongside of his sons. And the long sad saga of King Saul chasing David will soon come to an end. Now, with that in mind, pick up with me in verse one of chapter 29.

Then the Philistines gathered together all their armies at Aphek, and the Israelites encamped by a fountain which is in Jezreel. And the lords of the Philistines passed in review by hundreds and by thousands, but David and his men passed in review at the rear with Achish. Then the princes of the Philistines said, what are these Hebrews doing here? And Achish said to the princes of the Philistines, is this not David, the servant of Saul, king of Israel, who has been with me these last days or these last years? And to this day, I have found no fault in him since he defected to me.

And you know why he found no fault in him what remember? He's been deceived. David also has been lying. This isn't the highlight of David's life, unfortunately. This is another low light. And yet we find this has been the pattern then throughout the book of 1 Samuel that God loves to intervene, and he does. And we'll see this in David's life. But here Achish is so confident. Hey man, his own guys are going His own guys He doesn't see it, but his own guys are going, David? What's he doing here? He's our enemy. And Achish says, oh no, you don't understand.

He's been with me and everything's fine, and he's been fighting for us. But the princes, verse four, of the Philistines were angry with him. So the princes of the Philistines said to him, make this fellow return that he may go back to the place which you have appointed for him and do not let him go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become our adversary. For with what could he reconcile himself to his master if not with the heads of these men? Is this not David of whom they sang to another one another in dances, saying Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands?

The scene shifts away from King Saul and the medium now back to David. The Philistines are in the arch enemies of Israel are in battle array against Israel, and their king Achish, who's mentioned again here, has invited David to join in the battle against Israel. Remember, he heads off to hide with the enemy, and I don't think he ever bargained that he'd be enlisted to fight against the people that he's been anointed to be king over. Because when you go the route of sin, when I choose that route, we always get far more than we bargain for.

It's much more than we think we have figured out. It's much more than just a little thing or or a little step or a I mean, it's much more, and this cannot be underestimated and not under emphasized in the sense that now David is being enlisted by the enemies of God to fight against the people of God, the very people of God that God has anointed him, empowered him, and said over and over again, these will be the people that you are king over. I mean, think about the mess that we've got ourselves in when we've turned away from trusting in the Lord.

This is a huge mess. This is no small thing in David's life. It's huge. And yet again, we see God intervening. And how does he do that? But by the very enemies of God. I mean, God is sovereign, and he can use anyone and anything to accomplish his will. Who is going to Who's going to help David here? The Hebrew I mean, the Philistine princess. They're upset. Why is he here? Are you Are you Are you not thinking, king? We're not fighting with him. There's no way we're not going into battle with him. And their reasoning is interesting, isn't it?

What's their reasoning? Well, notice at verse five, they say, isn't this David? Is this the right David? Is this the guy that they sang that song to? Remember, we were introduced to this song back in 1 Samuel chapter 18. Isn't this the guy they sang the song about when they said Saul has slain thousands, but David ten thousands? Do you guys remember that song? Now, God uses the song Think about this. The first time this song comes up, it turns King Saul against David because it is a true song. It's the truth. The first time it comes out, the first release, you know, the the very beginning when it comes out, when the when it's popped up on iTunes, there it is, it flipped King Saul out.

He can't believe it. Now, this time the song when in the first time the song was used in a way to infuriate the enemy against David. In this case, God uses the song to save him. I mean, it's amazing. We can't forget this. God is the master of our lives. Do you remember in 1 Corinthians, you can jot it down in verse six, it says that you are not your own. You were bought at a price. That's the relationship change when you and I were born again. You were not your own. You were bought at a price.

That that language gives us the picture of ownership, and the ownership is very clear. God owns us. We don't own God. He's responsible for us. We're not responsible for him. We we are his possession. We belong to him. Remember when in in Acts chapter 20 verse 28 when Paul is telling the elders of Ephesus how to take care of the flock, this is what he says. Acts chapter 20 verse 28 he says, shepherd the church of God which he purchased with his own blood. Our responsibility in serving the flock is to remember that you belong to him.

You don't belong to us. You don't belong to the church. You don't belong to to Calvary Chapel. You belong to God. And we must not forget that as we serve you. You don't belong to us. You belong to God. And so with that it serves You know, you might think of the language you go, I don't want to be owned by anyone. Well, that's too bad. Cuz then you were born again. I mean, it's not too bad in the sense where, you know, too bad that It's too bad that you think that because listen, if God doesn't own you, who does?

Well, you know, I'm the captain of my own ship, man. That's pretty sad. You you think of having control of your life and all the decisions that you made. How are you going to get yourself out of this one? And and everyone I mean, it seems like everyone in the world has a sense where they've got their self out of this, they got their self out of this, but then there comes that one where they can. And what do they do? What did you do? You cried out to to God, and you made some deal with God.

You know what, God, if you just get me out of this, I'll just I'll dedicate my life to you and everything I've ever heard and my grandma told me and when I was in church and and you know what, you get me out of this, I'll dedicate my life. Now, that that We kind of chuckle at that. That's not a bad. If you're at that place right now, that's not a bad commitment to make. You say that to God, and then when he shows himself faithful, you follow through. You dedicate yourself to him. He'll show you time and time again of his faithfulness.

But think about it. You live your life so many times, you live you know, you kind of control, I'll do my own thing. I don't care what mom says, I don't care what the church says, I don't care. I'm just going to do whatever I want to do until you get to that place where you can't do anything. And the only thing you can do is cry out to the God that you've denied all that time and how gracious and loving God is, the one that you've denied all these years is you call upon the name of the Lord and you shall be saved.

He will hear. There is hope and there is time. It's good news to think for me that I belong to God because in my mind and in my life and one of the things that helps me get a good night's sleep and one of the things that helps me to wake up with great joy is simply this fact in my life recently, you know, in the last couple of years is my problems are his problems. And I can trust him. They're not all on my shoulders. I don't have to figure them out. I don't need to fix it.

I mean, as if I could anyway. My problems are his problems, and I can trust him. I love him. He bought me. He showed over and over again his faithfulness in my life when You know, when we're going through a tough time and what's our first response? This is horrible. Why is this happening to me? What's going on? Why are people saying those things about me? Why is he doing that? Why won't she just But truly, the things that often stain our lives can often end up to be the very things that rescue us down the road.

That God uses and turns around for his glory to conform us. Romans chapter eight, God works all things together for the good for those that love him, those called according to his purpose. Why? Conforming us into the image of Jesus Christ. Romans chapter eight verse 29. A lot of those times I mean, that song that song Can you think of David? I hate that song. I hate that song. I'm sure you have songs right now cuz they're they're playing all those 80s songs right now in the in the market and everything. And and I hear a song and I just think, I hate that song.

Not not not because it's an 80s song, although, you know, I get that, but there are songs from the 80s that associate with really bad times in my life. I did some really bad stuff with those songs playing in the background. And I just hate that song. And yet I don't know how God does it. You know, you can think of David. He could think of this song as I You know, I know that compared to King Saul, you know, he killed thousands, I killed ten thousands. That's the truth, but I hate that song. Well, why, David?

Cuz that was the song that turned King Saul against me. That was the last straw for him, and I just hate it. I don't want to hear it anymore. That song put me on the run for the last 10 years. I hate it. I hate that song. But now God has turned it all around so that this song is starting to play again. It's the platinum release. It's been played a million times, two million times. And now Wow, this song is saving his life. The very same song that caused him so much pain. Here's a song that infuriated King Saul against David, but now is being used to deliver David from a much worse outcome.

That to me is just amazing. If you and I were given free reign on how to get ourselves out of problems or if you were given free reign to get yourself out of the great difficulty that you're in right now, I seriously doubt that you would go back and use the thing that started it all. And yet God can do that. And another place in the scriptures is described of God bringing beauty from ashes. It's so wonderful. And David, he's just all over the place. In some cases, David is just as bad as King Saul.

What's the difference? Well, we know the difference that even in his backslidden condition, his lack of faith and sometimes David take things into his own hands, sometimes he trusts the Lord. We know the difference. Saul had no heart for God. David was a man after God's own heart. And later we're going to find out when Solomon's introduced that Solomon was half-hearted. So you got King Saul with no heart, you got David with heart, and then Solomon's half-hearted. And we'll see the dangers of that as well. Verse six. Then Achish Achish called David and said to him, surely as the Lord lives, you have been upright, and you're going out and you're coming in with me as the army is good in my sight.

For to this day, I found no evil in you since the day you're coming to me. Nevertheless, the lords do not favor you. Therefore, return now and go in peace that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines. God kept David from doing something that he surely would have regretted his whole life. These are amazing words. The the guy Achish, the king here, the Philistine king that hates Israel, that is the enemy arch enemy of Israel, that's gathering an army to go kill Israel, to displace them, to take them off the face of the planet, has this conversation with David and says, you need to go.

I don't think I don't have a problem with you, but my guys behind me, they've got a problem with you, and I don't want a problem with them. So get out of here. You can't fight with us, but you know, I don't see any problem with you. I'd love to have you with me. You did kill your ten thousands, you know. And and this last verse what what it looks like is not really what's happening. That's what blows my mind about this section. When verse seven it says, therefore, return now go in peace that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines.

That's not true. What this is really happening Now, again, that's what it sees Again, remember we've looked at this before. That's what it looks like with your eyes, your physical eyes. That's what it looks like. So in that sense it is true. It does look that When you look at it you go, hey, get out of here. These the the guys that are leading my army, they don't want you here. If you leave, they'll make They'll be happy. But that's not what's happening. This is all happening in the spiritual. You put your spiritual eyes on.

What's happening here is David's being rescued from his from his own sinful self so that he might not displease the Lord. That's what's happening. And you look at a situation you go, whoa. Just And you describe it physically. Man, I know that I've been desperate in my heart to say what I got to see the spiritual in this because the physical is not very encouraging. So Lord, just like, you know, Elijah's servant, just open my eyes. I need to see the chariots, man, because what I see is not what I see is not very encouraging, but I know that there's more than my eyes can see.

And that's what's happening in David. I don't think he even realizes, and maybe he does, we're not really told, that God is stepping in in his life, God is rescuing him, God is intervening, God is interrupting this. This was so monumental in David's life. We know that later on in David's life, those of you that have read ahead and your Bible students, you know later on that David was not allowed to build the temple because his hands were filled with blood. So we know that God is measuring David's life, and there are sometimes where in David's life he's crossed the line and he's paying a price for it.

And I just see this early on that God is rescuing him from missing out on a lot of things because if his hands would have been filled with blood so early, I wonder what the consequences would have been so early in his life. And God just looking out for us even when we don't look out for ourselves. So gracious. Even as David's walking in his flesh, even as David is walking in failure, even as David is aligning himself with the enemy, even as David is living in the enemy territory, even as David is a liar and a deceiver, God still steps in and rescues him, but he didn't have to.

It was truly If you're looking for grace in the scriptures, you will find it on every page. And this is a beautiful picture of the grace Wait a minute. Why did God do that? Why why didn't he just let David do what he wanted to do? Well, because God is gracious. And you cry out not for judgment from God in your life, you cry out for grace. It was an act of his love and grace toward David and toward the nation. The nation needed David not to make this blunder. The nation needed them, needed his leadership.

You know, the prophetic word of God, the prophetic the the the prophecies of God when it relates to Messiah needed David rescued here. And God intervenes.

Guest (Male): Today on Abounding Grace, we've been in 1 Samuel as Pastor Ed Taylor is leading us verse by verse through this marvelous Old Testament book. Now, if you joined us late or we just like to hear the message again, drop by AboundingGraceRadio.com. Another way to take in a steady dose of God's word is through our app. It's free. Just search for Calvary Church. We're also on OnePlace.com. Abounding Grace is made possible through the support of our listeners, and when you give a donation of $25 or more to Abounding Grace, you're invited to request a copy of Jim Symmank's book Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire.

In it, he shares unforgettable stories including from his own daughter. You'll see how the church has grown and how God has helped people through difficult changes, challenges, and encounters. Jim also reveals how God continues to reshape the lives of so many people who come to Jesus through the power of the gospel. Request a copy of Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire when you give a donation of $25 or more today. We genuinely appreciate the generosity of our listeners. It helps us provide the teaching of God's word on stations all across the nation. So thank you for standing with us.

Call 877-30-Grace. 877-30-Grace. You can also get the book online at CalvaryCO.store. And then be sure to join Pastor Ed next time for more teaching from the book of 1 Samuel right here on Abounding Grace.

Pastor Ed Taylor: Abounding Grace is brought to you by Calvary Church Colorado here in Aurora.