Real Life Radio

Jack Hibbs: Because as you go through trials, you draw closer to Jesus; you don't let go of him. When hardships come to your life, do you find yourself cursing God, or do you find yourself knowing he's your only friend in the whole world?

David J: This is Real Life. Welcome to Real Life Radio with Pastor Jack Hibbs. I'm David J. Thank you for joining us today as we listen, learn, and are challenged by God's Word, the Bible.

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On today's edition of Real Life Radio, Pastor Jack continues his series called First Samuel and a message titled A Fugitive Faith. Samuel of the Old Testament was the last judge of Israel, and he was the first of its prophets. So here in chapter 19, we're going to see that David's faith was under pressure.

You see, King Saul, because of his own jealousy, was out to kill David. But David, though loyal to Saul and to God, has got to flee for his own life and enter a long time of being tested in the wilderness. A time where faith not only thrives in times of comfort, but also in times on the run.

So today, Pastor Jack teaches that when it comes to faith, we've really got to look inward. Are we running from God or running with God, trusting his protection and plan? God does not abandon his people in the wilderness; that's the truth. Instead, he's working on our faith to be more effective, more refined, and more powerful. Now with his message called A Fugitive Faith, here's pastor and Bible teacher Jack Hibbs.

Jack Hibbs: Well, David's got a fugitive faith. And that fugitive faith is going to take David way in the backside of the desert, people. Some of you, I don't know if you're in this room or not, but we have been to the wilderness of En Gedi. Remember? And remember we got out of the bus and headed up the Valley of the Goats? Remember that?

It's the only valley in all that region where there's fresh running water. And remember those goats? And what were those other rock badgers? They were everywhere. The conies. They're like gigantic hamsters, huge things. Kind of scary, actually, when you look at a rock and then it moves and it's like, what? That rock! And they're all over.

And that famous valley that's been left alone. I mean, we've walked up that valley up to the pools where David and his men would take refuge. Fresh water pools. They're still there. Thousands of years later, they're still there. It's spectacular. And you would never guess. When you're driving the wilderness of En Gedi, you would never guess to turn the bus up in that direction and go and find out of the thousands and thousands of little valleys that go up that craggy mountainous region, how would anyone ever in a lifetime find water or find that little valley?

And David was there, and he sat and wrote many Psalms there. We'll read them as we go through Samuel. And he spoke about being a man having a fugitive faith on the run. Verse 11: "Saul also sent messengers to David's house to watch out and to kill him in the morning." This is serious. "And Michal, David's wife, told him, saying, If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you'll be killed. So Michal let down David through a window, and he went and fled and escaped."

Now that's good. "And Michal took an image"—that's an idol, Teraphim, a little demon idol. What was she doing with that in her house being a Hebrew? I don't know. "And she laid it in the bed and put a coat of goat's hair over its head, over for his head, and covered it with clothes." So when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, "He's sick."

Then Saul sent the messengers back to see David. Now what that means is, verse 14, he's sick. So these guys had some sort of integrity and they must be thinking, Oh, he's sick. Well, we can't kill a sick guy. Somebody looked it up in a book. Yes, it's right here, section 4, verse 9: Cannot kill a sick guy. So they go back home to Saul and they say, "He can't play, he's sick."

Saul is so upset. Verse 15: "Then Saul sent the messengers back to see David, saying, Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him." What a nut. And when the messengers had come in, there was the image in the bed with a cover of goat's hair for his head. Then Saul said to Michal, "Why have you deceived me like this and sent my enemy away so that he has escaped?"

And listen to her. And Michal answered Saul, "He said to me, Let me go or I'll kill you." Now you know where she comes from. Does she show any indication of being the sister of Jonathan? Man, Jonathan and Michal are absolutely opposite. She lies and she lies again. Now David's really in trouble. Oh, that's it! Try to kill my daughter, huh? She should have said, "Dad, you know what? Take a chill pill. Calm down." So, "He's going to kill me!"

So she lies. It's pathetic how stupid Saul looks throughout all this though. He's in an absolute tirade. He's going crazy. And that happens when the flesh panics. Verse 18: "So David fled and escaped and went to Samuel in Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him." I would have loved to have heard that verse. You could just see Samuel's broken heart shaking his head. Oh no, David.

And he and Samuel went and stayed in Naioth. Now it was told Saul, saying, "Take note, David is at Naioth in Ramah." Then Saul sent messengers to take David. And when they saw the group of the prophets—listen carefully everybody—when they saw the group of the prophets prophesying, Samuel had a school of ministry and there he had prophets.

He didn't train prophets to be prophets. It was a school to train them in scripture because they had the gift of prophecy. You don't go to school and get the gift. God gives the gift and you go to school. So these prophets are there. Watch what happens. This is amazing.

And Samuel standing as leader over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, Saul's henchmen. The Holy Spirit came upon them in a God-divine conquering, so to speak. These guys are pursuing David to kill him, right? The Holy Spirit comes upon these bounty hunters and they also prophesied. They started speaking forth the Word of God. It's not because they were godly. God was showing Saul's henchmen that he was in control.

Verse 21: "And when Saul was told, he sent other messengers and they prophesied also." They began to proclaim. And I bet it's not recorded, I bet they were saying, "God is great! The God of David is awesome! It's God who's given these victories! Saul's a nincompoop! God is awesome!" I mean, these guys started preaching and speaking truth. Doesn't the Bible say, let your enemies praise you, let the wrath of man give glory to God? That's what's happening here.

Verse 22: "Then Saul also went to Ramah." Oh, this is going to be good. "And came to the great well that is at Sekhu, so he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David?" By the way, most scholars believe that he was going to kill Samuel too because of that question. He is out of control. "And someone said, Indeed they are at Naioth in Ramah. So he went there to Naioth in Ramah."

And it's at this point where we know that David writes the 59th Psalm. And I'm going to end with the 59th Psalm. I'm almost done, hang on. Then the Spirit of God came upon Saul, and he went on and prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah. What was God doing? God was announcing to Saul, "You've never been in control, Saul; I'm in control."

And I wonder what Saul was saying. "I am a nincompoop! The God of David is great!" Who knows? I don't know; I made that part up. But you know he's speaking truth. It was the Spirit of God speaking through him even though he didn't know much about truth.

Verse 24: "And he also"—listen—"he stripped off his own clothes." That's his kingly robe. People, nobody touches the king's robe, nobody. You die. It has all of his authority. You guys in the armed forces, you know the stripes and all that stuff on the bars. What happens if you get your stripes pulled off? You're in big trouble. No retirement for you; you're probably going to jail.

The king never removed his stripes, his bars. His robe was absolutely one-of-a-kind, created by a specific group of people to announce the fact, "This is the king." When they went to battle, they looked for the king to conquer. By the way, in the ancient world, you didn't beat the other opponent until you took the king. That's where chess came from. You don't win the war until the king's removed. That's real war.

And so the king's got this robe on, Saul's got this robe. You know what he does? He takes off his own robe under the influence of the Holy Spirit. Do you know what that means? I think you know what that means. This is power of God in effect. God is operating and God has Saul take his own robe off. People must have stood in shock.

He prophesied before Samuel in like manner. In other words, he was—out of the mouth of this man was speaking forth the fact that Samuel had always been and was a man of God and a minister of God. "And he lay down naked all that day and all that night." Stripped of his kingdom is what that means. "Therefore they say, Is Saul also among the prophets?"

I mean, I thought we had to walk with God and have a relation with God to be one of the prophets. Is Saul one of the prophets also? Looks like anybody can be a prophet if Saul can be a prophet. Plus he's naked and where's his robe?

David J: You're listening to Real Life with Pastor Jack Hibbs. You know to hear more episodes and maybe catch up in the series, just go to jackhibbs.com. That's jackhibbs.com. And for now, let's get back to our teaching. Once again, here's Pastor Jack.

Jack Hibbs: People, I believe that Saul fits the bill of what is found in Hebrews chapter 6 verses 4, 5, and 6. Hebrews chapter 6, I believe it's all about Saul and Saul-like people. It says there in Hebrews 6:4, it says, "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened." Was Saul once enlightened? Oh, yeah.

"And have tasted of the heavenly gift." Does Saul know about the truth of the kingdom of Israel and all and the God of Israel? Oh, yeah. "And have become partakers of the Holy Spirit." Was not the Holy Spirit upon Saul? Yep. "And have tasted of the good word of God and the power of the age to come." Isn't that Saul?

"If they fall away to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God and put him to open shame." What's the author of Hebrews saying? You can embrace Jesus Christ, you can embrace the gospel, you can be as it was in Luke chapter 8 verse 11 when Jesus says, "Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God. Those by the wayside are those who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.

But the one who's on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy and these have no root in themselves. They believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away." Jesus said, like Saul, these are those who believe for a while. They're all giddy and excited about Christianity.

They have felt the Spirit of God move in a worship service. They've seen people around them come to Christ. They may have seen somebody healed. They may have been able to have been touched by God's Spirit. They may have even done a miracle themselves. But Matthew 7:21 warns us that no such person enters the kingdom of heaven because they do a miracle or have been touched by such things.

These taste of these things to come. They never do what you have been called and I have been called to do. They've never ingested the Word of God that it comes out in a living reality. They don't go through trials like you do. They don't have fugitive faith experiences where they're all alone, only left to cry to God. And in those hours and in those years, God becomes great and huge in their lives.

Not with these people. When temptation, when difficulty comes, they stop coming to church, they stop reading their Bibles, they curse the God who they once lifted their hands to, and they're hitting the bottle or they're hitting the trail and they're gone. And we so foolishly say, "Well, you know, they were saved once. I don't know what happened to them."

You do not have that authority to say that they were saved once. If you're saved, you're saved. But are you saved? That's the question. These are they who believe for a while. Now I see why James says it's a good thing to have trials come in and test my faith and strengthen it unto patience. Because without the testing perfecting my faith, I am in danger.

But the awesome thing is, I am not the person in Hebrews 6, nor do I trust you because as you go through trials, you draw closer to Jesus; you don't let go of him. When hardships come to your life, do you find yourself cursing God, or do you find yourself knowing he's your only friend in the whole world?

How you respond to the difficulties of life is a warning shot to where you are with God. Years ago, a friend of mine in Utah had cancer and he was going to die. And I said, "How are you?" He said, "I'm okay." I said, "Do you have any questions?" And he said, "Like what?" Like maybe do you want to ask the question, how could God have allowed this or whatever?

And he says, "No way." He said, "This is not a card dealt by the hand of God; this is an evil fallen world we live in. And God is awesome. This is not the will of God; this is a fallen world. And I'll go to be with him." And God completely healed that guy. He's living today. That was like 20 years ago. But he didn't care one way or the other.

My friend, close your Bible and listen carefully and we'll end with this. I promise, truly we will. Psalm 59. David wrote this at this time. If you want, even close your eyes and meditate on what's going to be read, that's cool too. It's biblical. Let this wash you and comfort you.

David first of all starts out like you and I do in a panic. But he focuses on the Word of God and he ends up in victory. In only 17 verses, there's a great transformation. May this be your experience tonight. David cries out from First Samuel 19—he writes the 59th Psalm.

"Deliver me from my enemies, O my God. Defend me from those who rise up against me. Deliver me from the workers of iniquity and save me from bloodthirsty men. Behold, they lie in wait for my life. The mighty gather against me, not for my transgression nor for my sin, O Lord. They run and prepare themselves through no fault of mine. Awake to help me and behold."

Now listen to him strengthening now. "You therefore, O Lord God of hosts, God of the battle, the God of Israel, awake to punish all the heathen. Do not be merciful to any wicked transgressor. At evening they return, they growl like a dog and go all around the city. They belch with their mouth; swords are in their lips, for they say, Who hears? But you, O Lord, shall laugh at them in the end. You shall have all the heathen in derision."

He strengthens himself more in the Word of God. He says, "I will wait for you, O you, his strength. For God is my defense. My God of mercy shall come to meet me. God shall let me see my desire on my enemies. Do not slay them, lest my people forget. Scatter them by your power and bring them to nothing, O Lord our shield.

For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips, let them even be taken in their pride, for the cursing and lying which they speak. Consume them in wrath, consume them that they may not be. And let them know that God rules in Jacob to the ends of the earth.

And at evening they return, they growl like a dog and go all around the city. They wander up and down for food and howl if they are not satisfied. But I will sing of your power. Yes, I will sing loud of your mercy in the morning. For you have been my defense and my refuge in the day of my trouble. To you, O my strength, I will sing praises. For God is my defense, my God of mercy."

Do you hear that? He starts out surrounded by his enemies. And in the midst of his enemies surrounding him, he ends up singing songs of deliverance while he's surrounded by his enemies. This is our lives and this is our lot in this life until we go to see Jesus or Jesus comes for us.

Father, we thank you for your truth. And Lord, in this life, in this world, let us see, let us know that a fugitive faith is not strange to us. We live in a world that Jesus, you told us hates us because it hated you first. Father, rather than recoil and hide, Lord, may we worship and praise you.

And Lord, may we wax stronger because you alone are God. May we sing loud because you alone can hear. And God, may we fulfill your plan in our lives because Lord, your will will not be deterred. Father, if our enemies surround us, give us that peace that David had that passes all understanding. In Jesus' name, amen.

David J: Pastor and Bible teacher Jack Hibbs here on Real Life Radio with his message called A Fugitive Faith. Thanks for taking the time to tune in today. You know this message is part of Pastor Jack's series called First Samuel.

It's a series that highlights the prophet Samuel who was called by God during one of Israel's darkest times to bring the people back to a heart of true worship. And we'll continue on the next edition of Real Life Radio.

So as you heard from our broadcast, Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. And if you'd like to know what a commitment to Christ can mean in your life personally, we would love to help you out with that. Go to jackhibbs.com/knowgod. That's K-N-O-W God.

And there you'll be guided through what a commitment to Christ can mean in your life and the freedom that you'll find in knowing God. Don't miss out. That's the Know God tab at jackhibbs.com.

Jack Hibbs: Hey, everybody, this is Pastor Jack here. First of all, I want to thank you for being part of the ministry. I know that you pray. Just that alone, lifting up this ministry and asking God for his favor is incredible. Thank you so much.

Listen, I want to encourage you. Right now in the Christian community, all around the world, there's the great debate all of a sudden. Is Israel for real? Should they really exist? Should a Jew be continued to be viewed as a Jew? Has the Bible now replaced Israel with the church? A lot of people are hurt, a lot of people are confused. And I want to encourage all of you. Listen very carefully.

I'm not only not bothered by this time that you and I are going through, I embrace it for this reason: those who know the Word of God understand God's Word. Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice, and they follow me." And so I want you to know, don't get caught up in the podcast or in the streaming program of this and that or that person's famous name or that other person's famous name. Well, they said, she said, he said. Don't do it.

Get into the Bible more and more as you see these days becoming more confusing. Friend, please listen. If you do not, you will be swept away by the opinions of men. And the Bible warns us that much of that will be none other than the doctrines of demons and the propagation of evil spirits. Whenever there's confusion, whenever there's fear, God is not in that.

So this is a word of encouragement to you, it's also a word of exhortation. Stick to the Bible, nothing but the Bible, so help us God. In fact, in light of that, let's all pray together.

Father God, we ask you for the gift of discernment. Lord, that we would be a people who know the truth and that truth sets us free. Father, that we would walk in the light as you are in the light and that we maintain our fellowship with you. Lord, help us. We are all being distracted by the rhetoric and things of this life. So make us wise, give us discernment. And Lord God, we pray right now that your body, your true believer, wherever we are in the world, would experience your tremendous favor and grace and your great encouragement. In Jesus' name, amen.

David J: This program is made possible by the generous contributions of you, our listeners. Visit us at jackhibbs.com. That's jackhibbs.com. Until next time, Pastor Jack Hibbs and all of us here at Real Life Radio wish for you solid and steady growth in Christ and in his Word. We'll see you next time here on Real Life Radio.