Love Israel

Guest (Male): Shalom, and welcome to Ve'ahavta Yisrael, a Hebrew phrase which means you shall love Israel. We hope you'll stay with us for the next 30 minutes as our teacher, Dr. Baruch, shares his expository teaching from the Bible. Dr. Baruch is the senior lecturer at the Zera Avraham Institute based in Israel. Although all courses are taught in Hebrew at the institute, Dr. Baruch is pleased to share this weekly address in English. To find out more about our work in Israel, please visit us on the web at LoveIsrael.org. That's one word, LoveIsrael.org. Now, here's Baruch with today's lesson.

Dr. Baruch Korman: David is going to reveal something most significant. And what is that? We're going to learn in our passage today that King Saul is not operating because he does not know something. He knows the truth. He is going to confess it in a moment. And what we see is that he is rebellious because he does not like the truth of God. Take out your Bible and look with me to 1 Samuel and chapter 24.

Now, you'll recall that last week, God did something. God, as He promised to do, delivered David's enemy into his hands. And this is exactly what happened when King Saul entered into the cave where David and his men were hiding. This gave David a very good opportunity. And what was that opportunity for? If David wanted to, he could have taken Saul's life. He had a knife, and he was close to him, so close, as you recall, he cut off the corner of Saul's robe where he would have had these tassels that relate to the commandments of God.

One of the things that David was saying is this: I am submissive to the instructions of God. I'm not operating out of my flesh, out of what I want, but I am under God's authority. Let me ask you a question. Can you say that as well? That it's God's truth that you honor, it is God's truth that you submit to, not approaching the scriptures from a position of logic or what makes sense to you or what seems rational, but rather, being submissive to what the Word of God reveals. That's what a disciple of Messiah Yeshua, that is Jesus of Nazareth, is supposed to do.

So look with me to our passage as I said, 1 Samuel chapter 24, and we're going to begin in verse 10 where it says, "Behold." Remember this word, why it's so significant? Because it announces to the reader after this word behold, in Hebrew *hineh*, that something important is going to follow. We read, "Behold, this day your eyes have seen how the Lord has given you today into my hand." And he's going to be very specific. "While you were in the cave and it was said to kill you."

Now, God is at work here. God was the one who brought Saul into this particular cave where David and his men happened to be. And there was a sound of someone's voice, we're not told who, but it said, "to kill you." Many scholars believe that this one who was saying that was God. But notice what David did. Keep reading. Now, we come across kind of a problem because David is speaking, but when we look at the verb here that is used, it's in the feminine.

Now, this probably is an indicator that the noun that modifies this verb is what we talked about earlier with "your eyes." Here it's in the singular and it's feminine, so we could say, "and my eye had pity upon you." And I said, "I will not stretch forth my hand against my lord." Now, remember something. This term "my lord" is a term that recognizes authority. And that's what David is saying to King Saul, that he is king, and therefore David is under Saul's authority.

We're going to find more out in a moment that David is not an enemy of King Saul. That's not what he is motivated by. Rather, he wants to participate and be a blessing to Saul in doing, as he has demonstrated, the various things that's going to strengthen that kingdom. But realize something else. We also know that God has turned away from King Saul. He's operating in rebelliousness. He is committed only to what he wants. And what does he want? Well, he wants to put David to death.

Let's move on where it says in this same passage, "I will not stretch forth my hand against my lord because he is the Lord's anointed." Now, again, we talked about this last week. This expression, the Lord's anointed, it can refer to the king and it can refer to the Messiah. That word for anointed is the same word where we get the term *Mashiach*, which means Messiah.

Let's press on. Notice what else was said in this passage. He goes on and points out in the next verse, verse 11, "And my father has seen also, look at the corner of your robe which is in my hand. Because I have cut the corner of your robe and I did not kill you. Know and see that there is not in me any evil." And the next word is *pesha*, which is transgression. David is saying, "I have no evil intentions concerning you. I am not wanting to transgress the Word of the Lord."

And then he says, "I have not sinned against you." But what is Saul doing? "But you are hunting my soul to take it." And here it says "my soul," it can also be understood as my life. So David understands very well what's going on in this passage, and that is that Saul is hunting him down to put him to death. But David says, "I am not going to harm the Lord's anointed. I'm not going to kill you. I have not sinned against you nor have I committed any transgression, yet you are hunting for my life to take it from me."

Verse 12. Now, David is going to do something that I think's extremely wise because he wants God's judgment. Why? Because God always judges correctly. God never makes a mistake. Look at the next verse, verse 12. He says, and David is speaking, "The Lord will judge between me and between you and the Lord will vindicate me from you. But even though God's going to do that," he says, "but my hand will not be against you."

So David is saying over and over, "I'm not your enemy. I don't have any desire to do anything evil." And remember what evil is. Evil represents that which is against God's will. David is saying in the clearest terms in the biblical language, "It's not that I'm against you. I am not going to stretch out my hand against you." Why? "To do so would be evil, meaning it would be against God's will." In this passage, David is affirming what he wants, and what is that? That he has agreed with God. What God wills, this is what David is committed to.

Keep reading. He says again at the end of verse 12, "but my hand will not be against you." Next verse, verse 13. Now, David is going to take up a proverb, and not just any proverb, an ancient proverb. He says, "Just as the ancient proverb will say." And what is that ancient proverb saying? "From evil things will go forth evil." So he's pointing out to King Saul, "What you're doing is wicked. What you're doing is wrong." Nevertheless, he says again, "but my hand will not be against you."

David has said this repeatedly. Why? To make the case that he is not against King Saul. That he does not want to harm him and he's not after his throne. Look now to the next verse, verse 14. "After whom goes forth the king of Israel?" And he's speaking about himself. He's pointing out that, "You, King Saul, you have gone forth after me. And after whom you are pursuing? Is it after a dead dog or is it after one flea?" What David is saying is, "God has manifested to you that if I wanted to, I could put you to death. I'm not a dead dog that couldn't do anything. I'm not like a small flea that couldn't have any type of actions against you. God should open your eyes, King Saul, on what I could have done but I've chosen not to."

Why? Because he's recognizing him as the Lord's anointed. What does that mean? He's recognizing him as king over Israel. Now, all of this is going to speak very strongly to King Saul. But we're going to see later on in the weeks to come, even though Saul knows the truth, he's not willing to submit to the truth. Press on. Notice what it says in the next verse, verse 15. "And may it come about that the Lord to be judge and He will judge between me and between you. And you will see that He will contend my case and He will judge me," meaning He will vindicate me from your hand.

So David here, in my sense, he is speaking prophetically. He knows what the future is. God has revealed to him that David is not going to be put to death by King Saul. David is in a difficult position. David is on the run. He is fleeing from the one who wants to persecute him and ultimately put him to death. But nevertheless, David knows and he speaks very clearly here that he says, "He will judge me," meaning He will vindicate me from your hand.

Move on to verse 16 where it says here, "And it came about when David finished speaking these words to Saul, that Saul said, 'Is that the voice of my son David?'" Now, he's not a biological son, but he is Saul's son-in-law because he's married Michal, which is Saul's daughter. So he says it again, look again at our verse, verse 16. "And it came about when David finished speaking these words to Saul, that Saul said, 'Is it your voice, my son David?' And Saul lifted up his voice and he wept."

Now, why was he weeping? Because he was convicted. He knew now without any doubt that David wasn't his enemy, that David wasn't plotting anything against him, that David wasn't trying to take the throne from him. But David was what? David was loyal. And now he understands that and look on to what else he says. As Saul is weeping, lifting up his voice, crying, notice the next verse, verse 17. And he said to David, "Righteous are you more than me because you have rewarded me with goodness," meaning doing God's will, "and I have rewarded you with what? Evil."

Now, this is important because what it reveals to us when we understand the Hebrew language is that King Saul is saying, "I'm acknowledging that you are in God's will and I'm also acknowledging that I am outside of God's will, rebelling against it." Saul knows this, but here's the problem: he is not willing to change. And let's just pause for a moment. Let's make some practical application for this.

See, if you are living in the flesh, doing what you think is best, doing what is right in your eyes, realize you are not going to have any peace. You will not know contentment. You will be frustrated. And likewise, you will not know the joy of the Lord. It is only when you do one thing, and what is that? When you surrender your life. How much of your life? All of it. And you need to be committed to, and I've said this earlier, but it's really the foundational principle for spirituality, and that is that you must surrender to the truth of God.

Acknowledging this book, all of it, every word, and not just the words but even their grammatical constructions, all of it is inspired by God. All of it is truth. And you should have one objective, and what is that objective? To submit to the revelation of God. So what does King Saul say? He speaks to David and he says, "You are more righteous than me because you have rewarded me good. You have been doing God's will, while I have rewarded you with what? Evil." That which is in conflict with the Word of God.

Move on to verse 18. "And this day you have declared what you have done with me." And what is that again? That same word, good. "That you have done to me this day what is good. And the Lord," even though the Lord has delivered me into your hand, "you did not kill me." Now, I believe here Saul is saying, "You know, if it was the opposite, if God had delivered you into my hands, I would have killed you." That is what Saul is confessing to David.

Look now to verse 19. "For a man will find his enemy and a normal man will do what? He will will send forth on the way goodness?" Well, that's not what most people will do. Most people, even though God is sending to them his enemy, he's not going to do what is good. He's not going to be thinking about God's will, he's going to be doing what he wants to do. So he says, "May the Lord repay you with goodness in exchange for this day when you have done good unto me."

So Saul understands this and he's even going to be more specific. Look now to verse 20. "And now behold, I have known." Now, it's not "I know," but it's "I have known," meaning this: what is being put forth is Saul has learned a lesson. He understands what is going to happen and this lesson is of great significance. What is it? Well, when we look at it, notice what Saul is saying. He says in this passage, verse 20, "And now behold," something very important is going to be said, "I have known that you will reign and the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hand."

Now, hand is synonymous with authority. So what is King Saul saying? He's saying, "You know, I know something now. There's no doubt in my mind that you are going to rule over the kingdom of Israel and that your hand is going to establish the kingdom of Israel." He knows that but as I said, we're going to see example after example. Even though Saul knows the truth, he has not submitted to the truth.

See, you can know a lot of of this Bible, but until you begin to submit to its truth, you know what? All of that knowledge, all of that understanding, all of that wisdom that you may think you have is not going to be a blessing in your life until you begin to implement it into your life. Only then are you going to see the work of God being done in your life to change you.

And let me just simply say, if you're wise, you're going to know something. And what is that? You're going to be praying daily, "Oh God, change me. I need to be different. I need to be brought into Your will. I need to submit to Your truth. I need to follow Your character and be changed by You so I can reflect a testimony that is pleasing to You."

So King Saul says, "I have known," it's not just a new revelation, he says, "I have known in the past. I have known that you will reign and in your hand the kingdom of Israel will be established." Look now to verse 21. Now he says something. He knows this stuff and therefore he knows who he's speaking to. The future king and we could say from our perspective, the rightful king over Israel.

Notice what King Saul requests. He says, "Now," and it's this word with a sense of urgency, "now swear to me in the Lord that you will not cut off my seed after me." So he's saying, "Don't take retribution on my house after I have died." And he says as well, "Do not destroy my name from the house of my father," meaning that you do something where no one will ever talk about King Saul. Well, what are we doing? We're talking about King Saul. So this means David did not make anything that was forbidden to mention King Saul. He has his place in history. Unfortunately, it's a shameful place in history.

And my hope is this: that you learn some of the simple truths that we're coming across in this book of 1 Samuel and that you will agree that if you're going to be found pleasing to God, faithful to God, and doing the will of God, that you have to first and foremost recognize the truth of scripture. That it is absolute truth. It is eternal truth and there's no errors whatsoever in this book. So he says, "Now swear to me in the Lord that you will not cut off my seed after me and that you will not destroy my name from the house of my father."

Last verse, look at verse 22. "And David swore to Saul, and Saul went to his house. But, in contrast to that, what did David do? David and his men went up into the strongholds." Now, what is being said here? Just one thing. We see that David, even though Saul said all of these things—you want to know my perspective? I know that David didn't believe it. He was saying the right thing, but he had to say it. He called David "my son," he spoke very kind to him, but in reality, what does Saul believe? That the only way that he is going to thwart what God has told him is to put David to death. That this prophecy that David will be king over Israel, having been anointed by Samuel, that it's not going to become a reality.

Realize something. Realize that what God says will be. God is never wrong. God is forever perfect. And He calls us to Himself that we might submit to Him, that we might experience blessing, that we might know God's faithful provision, that we might have His perspective so we know how to make wise and God-pleasing decisions. That's what God wants to do. And in the same way we see how God moves mightily in the life of King David, you know what? God will move equally mightily in your life as well.

All you need to do is to submit to God. Let me say that differently. All you need to do is to bring your life under the authority of God's Word. If you do that, you are going to be amazed on how your life changes and how you begin to experience God and how God begins to teach you things spiritually so that you can serve Him, glorify Him, honor Him, and know the joy of the Lord. What does Nehemiah say in Nehemiah chapter 8? He talks about this joy of the Lord as his strength. You see, the more joyful you are in the Lord, the more powerful you will be in doing the things of God.

Don't rely upon your own strength, your own abilities, your own logic, your own way of thinking. What does the scripture say? "Lean not on our own understanding." When you do so, you know who you're going to reflect? You are going to reflect King Saul. And you're going to have to confess, "There's another one more righteous than me, another one that is returning good for evil." That's what David was doing.

So let me just ask yourself, or just let me ask you if you want to be changed. If you want to be transformed, if you want to become a faithful servant of the living God, there's only one way—don't miss that. There's only one way to do that. And first and foremost, you need to receive the Gospel. That reception of the Gospel changes everything. It begins by acknowledging what should be obvious and that is we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. What does that mean? We're all in need of God's grace, His mercy, His forgiveness. And God is willing to do that.

You confess your sin, but you trust in the provision of God. And what has He provided? He's provided His son's own blood. When He was crucified, He shed His blood, and that produced something of great value. What is that? Redemption. And when we receive that blood by faith, we will experience eternal redemption. And in that new covenant relationship that we enter into, because that's what His blood—remember what He said on the night that He was betrayed where He took the cup and He blessed it, and He prayed, and He spoke. He says, "This cup is a new covenant in My blood." He shed His blood so this new covenant, this covenant of redemption, could go into force whereby we would be made forever into the people of God, with the opportunity and the liberty and the freedom to serve God and to behave in a way that's pleasing to Him.

I want to just share with you as we wrap up that walking in faith is exciting. It will put you on the greatest adventure of your life. So don't be faithless. Trust God, believe in Him, honor His Word, fear God, and see how good He truly is. Well, I'll close with that. Until next week, may indeed God bless you, lead you, empower you, and may you live a praiseworthy life.

Guest (Male): Well, we hope you will benefit from today's message and share it with others. Please plan to join us each week at this time and on this channel for our broadcast of LoveIsrael.org. Again, to find out more about us, please visit our website LoveIsrael.org. There you will find articles and numerous other lectures by Baruch. These teachings are in video form. You may download them or watch them in streaming video. Until next week, may the Lord bless you in our Messiah Yeshua, that is Jesus, as you walk with Him. Shalom from Israel.