Real Life Radio

Jack Hibbs: Can you believe that? It's going to turn out to be the better. That difficult situation and we react in a certain way, good or bad. God will cause good to come out of it even if we fail in it.

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

Guest (Male): Looking for real answers in real time? JackHibbs.com is your go-to destination for resources on faith, world events, and everything in between. Explore Happening Now, where Pastor Jack Hibbs takes a timely, no-nonsense look at today's biggest issues, blending biblical insight with the latest headlines.

Whether you're curious about the world around you or you want guidance on a personal level, Pastor Jack has you covered. And by the way, don't miss the Real Life Network. It's packed with relatable, family-friendly content that really speaks to everyday challenges and triumphs, offering something really valuable for every member of your family. Now, if you're new to the faith or you want to refresh your perspective, start with that tab that says "Know God," an accessible, welcoming space to learn and reflect and find your footing. Now, whatever your path, JackHibbs.com has the tools and the insights and the encouragement that you need. Tune in, log on, find something real. Once again, the website: JackHibbs.com.

David J.: On today's edition of Real Life Radio, Pastor Jack continues his series now called First Samuel and his message titled Friends and Foes in the Faith, Part 1. Samuel of the Old Testament was the last judge of Israel and the first of her prophets. Here in chapter 18, we're going to consider the highs and the lows of friends and relationships.

When David arrives at the palace after defeating Goliath, King Saul's son Jonathan makes a covenant with David as a symbol of their friendship. That was all while Saul was jealous and fearful of David. A godly friendship is both self-sacrifice and true loyalty even in adversity. Today, Pastor Jack teaches that relationships are not just a matter of the soul, but they're an issue of the heart. Jonathan pledges loyalty to David even though his father Saul is becoming increasingly hostile towards David. Now, with a message called Friends and Foes in the Faith, Part 1, here is pastor and Bible teacher Jack Hibbs.

Jack Hibbs: In verse 4, we learn this. There will be a willing sacrifice when there's a friendship. If you've got a friend, there will be a willing sacrifice. A foe will never do that, but a friend will. Look what it says in verse 4: "And Jonathan took off the robe"—can you circle "the robe"? It is the robe. You notice how it doesn't say in your Bible, "a robe"? It's the robe.

The sons and daughters of Israeli kings wore robes that announced who they were. They could not go out in public without the adornment of being a king's child. Jonathan takes the robe, his robe that was on him, and gave it to David with his armor. His armor was unlike anyone else's armor in the whole world. Even to his sword, which was very ornate, very much signifying the fact that he was Jonathan, son of the king. And his bow, and his belt. He gave them to David.

He's not saying, "Well, here's half a sword. Here's a belt loop. Here's a little bit of a bow." He gives it all to him. True friendship means sacrificing willingly. If you're wondering if somebody's a friend of yours, are they willingly sacrificing for you and being blessed by it? What a tremendous relationship we see, and such a magnitude of act on Jonathan's part, being heir to the throne and all.

We look at our second point tonight, and it's this: verses 5 to 16, it is an issue of the heart. It's not only a matter of the soul, as in verses 1 through 4, but it's an issue of the heart, verses 5 through 16. In verses 5 through 7, we see that a godly heart is an attractive thing. Listen up. Husbands and wives, listen carefully. A godly heart is an attractive thing.

David went out, verse 5, wherever Saul sent him and behaved wisely. Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people. They were drawn to him. He was also accepted in the sight of Saul's servants. It happened as they were coming home, when David was returning from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women had come out of all the cities of Israel—all the cities of Israel—singing and dancing to meet King Saul with tambourines, with joy, and with musical instruments.

The women sang as they danced and they said, "Saul has slain his thousands," and it's too bad the record didn't skip right there. Saul's going, "Yes." Remember the kind of loony Saul is? He's a real nut. He's an emotional wacko. Besides, everybody's talking about this teenager running around town with a giant head. This kid killed the giant, ended the 40-day standoff, and did it with a stone. On top of it, insult to injury, he cuts the guy's head off with his own sword while Saul the king is hiding out in his tent.

They are all singing: "Saul has killed his thousands." Everyone's like, "All right," and Saul's going, "Yeah." This song is being sung throughout all Israel, not just a city or two. This is the top song of the month in Israel. Everybody's singing. Now, verse 7 says, "And David his ten thousands." You can see Saul. "Yes, I've killed thousands. Yeah, second chorus, ladies, hit it." Then they sing, "And David killed ten thousands." You can see Saul go, "Ah!" Instantly, someone else is being acknowledged. Someone is getting promoted in the eyes of the people.

God had done a work. God was doing a good thing. Saul couldn't handle it and he freaked. You can hear his teeth start to grind, and it absolutely wigs him out. But look what it says: in verse 5, it says David behaved wisely. That's a tremendous statement. It means that he did all that was needed to be right before God and the people. He wasn't taking that head that I've been joking about and going, "Look what I got! I'm getting ahead in life. What about you guys?"

He's not bragging or boasting. He's giving God all the glory. Nobody could point a finger at him and say, "You know what? You're kind of out of hand there, David." They couldn't say anything about him. He was a man of integrity. He conducted himself wisely. He's just right on. That is just going to add much more injury to Saul because he is so carnal.

He behaved wisely in thought and in deed. The decisions that you and I make reveal what kind of people we are. David really could have taken advantage of this moment, but he did not. He chose and decided rightly. In situations of maybe being extolled—maybe you're being promoted at work—do you say, "Well, thank you very much, thank you"? Or do you say, "I shouldn't even be standing up here today. It should be the staff that made me look so good. They should be standing up here today"?

When someone's promoted at work, do you sit there and grind your teeth like Saul? "Man, that guy made salesman of the year. I should have had it." Saul is a very insecure, very jealous man. It's terrible. In verses 8 to 13, look at this. A godly heart will have its enemies. Guaranteed. Listen, you don't need to raise your hand. Do you want to be a man or a woman with a godly heart? I would assume that's why you're here tonight. You want to be godly. You want to have all that God has for you. Well, know this: you're going to have enemies.

If you make a stand for righteousness, people are going to come against you. We don't even need people to come against us. If we make a stand for righteousness, we often come against ourselves. Have you noticed that? I'll make a stand for something, and then I start rethinking. "Wow, maybe I should back off. Is this a hill worth dying on? Maybe I should hold my energies and strength for something else," even when God prompted me to take a stand. I don't need the enemy and I don't need Satan. I'm bad enough to myself. You ever have that? You launch out on something and then you start doubting. I can't stand that.

A godly character or a godly heart will be attacked. Verse 8 says, "Then Saul was very angry." The word implies that he was heating up. He was starting to bubble, like water in a percolator before it boils. You could see how the water begins to get agitated and get ready to go up the glass tube. That describes Saul. He's starting to bubble. He's so angry.

The saying displeased him. He said, "They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed only thousands. Now, what more can he have but the kingdom?" Do you see this? He's a king. He's got his helmet on, he throws himself down in his room, and he's kicking his feet. This is an amazing thing. Saul's hidden nature is coming out. This is who he is in secret. This is who he is when the pressure's on.

We hate pressure, but when the trials come, they show who we are. I don't like it any more than you do. But when the pressure's on and I cave in, I know exactly what I'm supposed to do. When it happens, we have to get up and turn to God and say, "Lord, I just cannot stand what I just saw in me. Lord, take it away. Change that in my life."

When those difficult times come, it raises who we are to the surface so that we might know ourselves. Listen, cheer up. It's not like God is saying, "Ha! I turned up the heat and you saw who you are. Chew on that for a while." He does it to cause us to grow deeper. It's actually going to turn out for the good. It's going to turn out to be better.

God will cause good to come out of a difficult situation even if we fail in it. He'll sit us down and say, "Now, look, this is where you blew it. Now we're going to try this again in a couple of months and we'll see how you do." He'll do it again until we get the Word of God applied to that thing and we make it through. As James talks about, when we've allowed that trial or tribulation of our faith to have its perfect work, it brings forth patience.

It's important to God that we have patience. It may not be important to us, but it's important to him. I can't think of a greater manifestation in the life of the believer than trusting in the Lord and being patient. When we're patient, it declares to the world we're resting in the Lord. That's a good thing. He knows what's going on.

Saul is beside himself. Verse 9 says, "So Saul eyed David from that day forward." The word "eyed" means he's fixed on him with jealousy. When your eyes are off the Lord like Saul's eyes were, this is what happens. When your eyes are off Jesus, things happen and you start to eye that neighbor, worker, family member, or church person with jealousy and anger. You get bitter. Your eyes are off the Lord.

Put your eyes on Jesus and let your friends and your enemies be blessed. What is it your business? Put your eye on Jesus and live and walk with him, and it doesn't matter what goes on around you. The greatest friendships, marriages, and corporate ventures happen in the Lord when both people have their eyes on Jesus. If you keep your eyes on Jesus, you're going to constantly be together, and in the end, you're going to bump into each other up there.

Amos 3:3 says, "How can two walk together unless they're in agreement?" Keep a fixed eye upon the Lord. Saul's eye had departed from the Lord a long time ago, so his eye was wandering to other places. In this case, David's promotion is making him sick and he can't take it.

In verse 10, it happened on the next day that the distressing spirit from God—that's a demonic spirit that God allowed to come upon Saul. If you don't walk with God, you're going to get in trouble. If you walk out from underneath his umbrella, you're going to get wet. He prophesied—you need to mark that word because it's a negative, meaning that he babbled in insane rage. He babbled inside the house. David played music with his hand, as at other times, but there was a spear in Saul's hand.

Saul is going nuts because of jealousy and insecurity, and he's panicking that someone else is being blessed. He's talking to himself and going into tirades. He's in a rage, and he's got a spear in his hand. That's a bad combination. David is following the Lord. Instead of having his sling, David has a harp. He's going to worship. Saul has war on the mind. In one hand is a spear, and the other hand is a harp.

David obviously sees this insanity in Saul. He reaches as in the past to play music to calm the evil spirit and drive it from him. You can see Saul is crazy and in a rage. Verse 11 says, "And Saul cast the spear, for he said, 'I will pin David to the wall.'" Think about that. The guy won't even fight a giant. Does he have the skill to pin David to the wall? He's going to kill him.

He hates him. But David escaped his presence twice. Verse 12: "Now Saul was afraid of David." You need to mark that word "afraid." He was afraid of David because the Lord was with him, but had departed from Saul. The Lord had departed from Saul, but the Lord was with David. And Saul was afraid of him. Insecurity will do this to a person every time. It causes them to be erratic and crazy in their decision making. It causes them to be bizarre in their conduct. They'll pick up spears and throw them at people, or chairs, or whatever they can find.

He's Israel's king, but he's crazy. He started out sort of with God. God promised him great things, but Saul repeatedly would not follow the direction of the Lord. He got in trouble quite a few times with Samuel. Finally, God says, "Samuel, just stop crying over Saul. I'm done with him. He doesn't want me in his life. He doesn't want anything to do with me."

Instead of Saul humbling himself to follow the Lord, he strengthened himself against the Lord. We know that because he's resisting David. David was an emblem of God's will. David was living out the will of God, and Saul knew it but he would not repent. He dug his stubborn heels in his pride and he actually began to fight against God. You cannot fight against God and win. Never.

You can come to church, you can be king of Israel, you can prophesy, and you can have all the wealth of the world. But you can also harden your heart against God and resist him. The Bible says, "He who is often rebuked and hardens his heart shall be taken away, and that without remedy." I'm not quite sure I know the full meaning of that, but I know it's horrible. At some point, a person resists the Word and the will of God until God says, "That's it, I'm done with them. I'm going to put my spirit on another person, and I'm going to do a work with them."

The Bible says that that person who has hardened their heart against God will be taken away. It's tragic. It's interesting to consider that David was a man on the way up. God was with him and moving in his life. David had a hunger for the Word of God. He was a worshiper, a warrior, and a servant. He had an instrument of praise in his hand. Saul is a man on the way down. He has a weapon of war in his hand. His heart is against God. He's bitter, jealous, and insecure. Insecurity causes others to go nuts.

If you are battling that in your life, you've got to find your place with the Lord. You've got to find your strength in Jesus. Don't let that bitter path consume you. It kills so many people. It's true in ministry. My day will come when it's time for me to slowly step aside, hand things over, and go away. Those times will come. That's the work of God. Thank God that godly works are not founded on a man, because when the man dies, it's over.

They have to build a statue. "Oh, remember him? Well, there he is, right out there in the courtyard." That's pathetic. But if you're a servant of the Lord Jesus, there will always be a new kid on the block. Before you kick against him, you need to back off and talk to God, because you could kick against the work of the Lord. Paul told Timothy, "Young Timothy, don't let anybody despise your youth." Paul was saying, "God is on you, Timothy. Don't let anybody tell you you're too young to do the work of God."

Watch out, those of you who are in Christian service. Don't look to some other man or some other task or some other church that's growing bigger or faster or deeper. Don't do that. You're following man. Punch out, take a drive, go to the beach or the mountains, and sit down and talk to God. He'll fill your cup again. He'll overflow you again with fresh wine and new vision. He's not done with you yet. Just don't do as Saul. Humble your heart.

David J.: Pastor and Bible teacher Jack Hibbs, here on Real Life Radio with his message called Friends and Foes in the Faith, Part 1. This message is part of Pastor Jack's series called First Samuel, a series highlighting 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. We'll continue on the next edition of Real Life Radio.

What if 2026 wasn't about doing more, but about knowing God more? This January, we're featuring one of the most powerful and timeless books on Christian faith, *Knowing God*, written by J.I. Packer. This classic has helped millions of believers move from knowing about God to actually knowing God personally. With deep biblical insight and a heart-centered focus, Packer invites you to explore God's character, his love, and what it really means to walk with him.

It's not a quick read; it's a life-changing one. Start your year with truth that will reshape your mind, strengthen your heart, and deepen your faith. Friend, this is a great book to take time to read. Maybe read a page or two a day. Contemplate it and think about it. Get a copy for yourself of *Knowing God* by J.I. Packer. I promise it affected my life, and it'll do the same for you. Get your copy for a gift of any amount at JackHibbs.com.

This program is made possible by the generous contributions of you, our listeners. Visit us at 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.