Sound Doctrine

Jeff Johnson: You start looking up, and you're going to be redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. You're going to be saved. Let alone for what's really coming down, you're going to be raptured. You're going to be taken up with all those that believe in Him.

We've got a friend who will comfort us through all of our trials and through all of our tribulations. But we've got to do as David, learn to get your eyes upon the Lord, learn to trust in the Lord with your situation and, most importantly, learn to wait upon the Lord as David did.

Guest (Male): I think most of us can look back on our lives and see the protective hand of God. Perhaps it was on the roadway, or at work, or maybe even on the operating table. Whether we see it or not, God protects His children and restrains evil.

We'll see a good example of that today on Sound Doctrine as we open up 1 Samuel 19. If you'll recall, Saul is envious of David and wants to kill him, but the Lord restrains Saul from harming David. Just as He protected David, He can protect you, too. God's protective arms are a wonderful thing to consider. What do you say we do that right now with Pastor Jeff?

Jeff Johnson: David was in good hands. Notice verse 16: "But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defense and my refuge, my hiding place, and in the day of trouble." That's how David made it through. He got his eyes where they needed to be. He got them on the Lord and who He is, and he was able to cry out and sing out unto God.

Now, David's key to peace was in the eye of the storm. In fact, again going back to Psalm 59 and verse 5, it says, "Thou therefore, O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel." Notice again, David, his eyes on the Lord. You are the Lord of hosts of all things. You are Jehovah. You are Elohim. You're the God of the Sabbath. You're the greatest. You're able. And he realized that.

So Saul was the spear-chucker. Saul was the one that was insecure, who was jealous, and his jealousy consumed him. But David, we see him very secure. Why? Because his eyes were upon the Lord and his Lord consumed it. What consumes you today? What is just possessing you this morning? Who has your heart?

Who have you given your heart to? Who are you looking to for help? Who are you going to for everything that you need? Questions that we need to have answered. David was consumed with his God and he had victory. You know what? There's something about those that chuck spears and those that don't. You can always tell both of them. They always stick out.

Those that are in sin and they're gossiping and they just got a hair up their nose and they really are... and you get with them and you want to eat with them and they just go... and you go, "Well, yeah, well let's pray about it." They're troubled about many things and it just goes... "Do you mind if I throw up on you?" We're eating.

And you can always tell. But you can also tell those that are in the Lord because they don't get into that trap. They won't deal with it that way. They won't talk about those things. In Psalm 3:3, which David wrote, he said, "But thou, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory, the lifter of my head. You're my all in all." So David, again, having victory.

Don't be a spear-chucker. Let the Lord defend you. Don't be consumed as you see Saul consumed. Let it go. Give it to the Lord. Listen, we all deserve to be pinned to the wall, don't we? There's not one of us that doesn't deserve to be pinned to the wall. Let he who is without sin cast and chuck the first sword or spear.

I mean, who's going to throw it? Who of you? When you're perfect, you can throw spears. But not until you're perfect. I remember hearing a story about a preacher that was talking about perfection. And as he was talking about it, he said, "Now, nobody's perfect but God. And if there's anybody thinks they're perfect here," and this one guy stood up in front of the congregation.

He said, "What? Pardon me, sir. You mean that you say that you're perfect?" He said, "No. I'm standing up for my wife's first husband." Okay. Verse 11: "Saul also sent messengers unto David's house, to watch him, and notice, to slay him in the morning: and Michal David's wife told him, saying, If thou save not thy life tonight, tomorrow thou shalt be slain. So Michal let David down through a window: and he went, and fled, and escaped."

Saul's heart was totally against David here. You see it more and more. He sent a hit squad out after David. He was going to have him eliminated. And here is David's second friend coming into the situation and I don't know if you'd really call her a real true friend. For a time she was a friend. She intervenes, Michal, a woman who saves David.

Notice verse 13: "And Michal took an image, and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goats' hair for his bolster, and covered it with a cloth. And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, Well, he can't come, he's sick." This image, and I really looked into it, she didn't really take a huge image and lay it in the bed.

Many feel that the images that they dug up and they found during that period of time were very small images. Some feel that she took this image and set it by his bed, which was customary for the image then would heal the person who was sick. And then made up... remember when you used to do when you were a kid? Make it look like somebody was in the bed.

And so she used goat's hair to look like it was all a body there laying, so when they came in they'd just look at the body laying there. I don't know if this was a little compromise on David's part. I mean, David, what are you doing with idols in your house? Guy says, "I'm a Christian." You walk in his house and he's got stuff everywhere and you kind of wonder.

In fact, we're going to see that because of this compromise in David's life, Solomon, his son, is really going to have some problems. You know what, parents? Listen to me. Be careful what you allow in your home because it'll come back on you later on as your kids grow up and it'll affect their lives. Be careful because we're going to see it later on in Solomon's life.

Notice that Michal let down David through the window. Evidently, their house was on the wall, right on the wall. And some houses were built where you could have a window way up high on the wall. And so she was able to let David down that area. David was in God's hand. David knew it.

David wrote Psalm 27. He said, "The Lord is my strength and my light. Whom shall I fear? Whom shall I be afraid?" And he was always looking to the Lord. He was secure in his Father's love and care for him, even during this time.

God help us to also be secure in our Father's love and in His protection for our lives during times of stress and crazy circumstances. He wants to be our peace. In fact, He is our peace. Verse 15: "Saul sent messengers again to see David, saying, Bring him up to me in the bed then, that I may slay him."

And when the messengers were come in, behold, there was an image in the bed with the pillow of goat's hair for his bolster. And Saul said to Michal, "Why hast thou deceived me so and sent away mine enemy, that he is escaped?" And Michal answered Saul, "And he said to me, let me go. Why should I kill thee?"

Saul's again, very desperate. He says, "Bring the guy sick to me in his bed and I'll kill him in his sick bed, then he won't be sick anymore." Just bring him. The next time you feel like sleeping in, think about this. Notice that Michal lies here and I think it's an insight to her character.

You might say, "Well, Michal's his wife and just seeking to save her husband and that's why she lied." But I think it gives us a little bit more in-depth to her real character because she was not only an idolater, she had idols in the home, she was also a liar.

Because to cover up the first lie, and when Saul her father confronted her, she tried to cover it up with another lie and said, "Well, David threatened me with my life if I didn't do that. He was going to kill me." So one lie on top of another. You say, "But God still used her and David got saved." That's right.

You say, "This is encouraging to me because God will use me, even in the midst of my lies." Well, wait a minute. I think you need to study Michal's life a little bit more. God only used her once. And then the end of her life, she fades out and she is, it says in the scriptures, that she's in barrenness.

That's it. We need to deal with sin or sin will deal with us. And she didn't deal with this and it wiped her out in barrenness. Verse 18: "So David fled, and escaped, and came to Samuel to Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth."

Here's the third friend of David's, a true friend, a prophet that was praying for him all the time he was in the palace and Samuel knew there was trouble coming. Because Samuel's the one that was used by the Lord to tell Saul what was coming down. And Samuel knew the storm was going to hit. So Samuel was praying.

And you know, David knew that Samuel was his prayer partner. And what is the first thing that David did when things got heavy? He ran to those that he knew loved the Lord like he loved the Lord. And I love it because in Acts chapter 4, when they were threatened with their very lives, what did they do?

They ran to their own company. They got together with other Christians and said, "Behold their threatenings, Lord." And they began to pray together and watch God work. How we need fellowship with one another. How it supersedes anything that goes on in that world and it'll just give you a breather in the midst of your chaos.

Whatever you're going through, man, some of you are going through hairy trials. You need fellowship. You need prayer meeting. You need Bible study. You need to get with those who believe as you do. And so David runs to Samuel and to the prophets.

And so Samuel is the third friend who seeks to strengthen David's heart. And David fled to the fellow believers. And Samuel, notice, didn't just give David words. He didn't just say, "Thus, thus, and thus, go your way." Samuel went with him. I like that. He walked with David and talked with David.

I think that's an example to us of how we're to minister to one another, that we're to take time with one another. Not just be filled and warmed, but no, let's spend some time and let's deal with the issue together. Let's disciple. Now, it was very dangerous for Samuel to do what he was doing because he knew that taking in David would threaten his life as far as Saul goes.

Verse 19: "And it was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah." See, everything's getting back to Saul the king. And then verse 20: "And Saul sent messengers to take David: and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as appointed over them," he was the leader, "the Spirit of God was upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied."

In Naioth was the area actually in Ramah where the school of the prophets was located. And that's what Samuel began, the school of the prophets. These men just sought the Lord. These men just fasted and prayed. These men worshipped the Lord. There was an atmosphere that was electric.

It was full of the Spirit when you entered into the area. I mean, these guys were just anointed of the Lord. And so when the messengers of Saul came and all angry and "We're going to get David," and they came into this situation, the Spirit of the Lord came on them and just enveloped them into the praise and into the worship.

Overwhelmed them. Then they joined in in just praising God. And you know, this is so neat because the Lord does it so many times. I've had a couple of times where I've had death threats. And there's this one guy that came in here with a gun in a bag and he was going to do me. And he was sitting right down in front.

He had it in the bag. And that somehow, some way, the Lord just used that message and a couple of times I went boom, boom. And he went "whoa." And the worship and the praise and everything just overwhelmed him. He began to weep. He just left quietly. He started coming. He got saved and began to worship the Lord with us.

The Spirit of God overwhelming the hatred, the anger, the bitterness that we can build up towards an individual or some institution. Anger at the church and with God. But yet, when you come into the midst of the love of God, it somehow just overwhelms you and has a way of just conquering your heart. And the Lord just apprehended him, as He did these messengers of Saul.

Verse 21: "And when it was told Saul, he sent other messengers." You know, he said, "What are they doing? They're prophesying? That did it. Next hit squad. Come on up here you guys. Listen you guys, I want you to go and don't none of this prophesying, man. Don't let anybody brainwash you. Don't let anybody hypnotize you. When you go in there, I want you to go in there and do what I asked you to do."

And they prophesied likewise when they went in there. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they prophesied also. Everybody's getting won over to the Lord. I mean, the atmosphere was electric. You can sense it. Where God's people are praising Him, He inhabits the praises of His people. His love is there. I mean, there's something different than the world and you know it.

And those that have ears to hear and they just were captured. These guys are having what many call Holy Ghost breakdowns. He's breaking them down. This is representing and giving us the fourth and final friend of David's and this is the greatest friend. What a friend we have in Jesus, huh? When the Spirit of the Lord is on our side doing God's work.

And so the Holy Spirit begins to baffle David's enemies. The Holy Spirit begins to bring exhortation, edification, and comfort in the midst of a chaotic situation. I love it when they went, do you remember in John chapter 7, when the enemies of Jesus sent officers of the guard to go capture Jesus and bring Him in? "Go get Him."

And so they went, "All right." So they went out there and they sat there and they listened to Him. And they came back and they said, "Hey, why didn't you bring Him?" And they said, "Never a man spoke like this man." They were just baffled, man. They didn't know what to do. "We can't lay our hands on that guy. We couldn't bring Him in. Never a man spoke like that man."

Verse 22: "Then went he," Saul, "also to Ramah, and came to a great well that is in Sechu: and he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David? And one said, Behold, they are at Naioth in Ramah. And he went thither to Naioth in Ramah: and the Spirit of God was upon him also, and he went on, and he prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah."

But notice Saul's reaction to what was going on. He stripped off his clothes and he also prophesied before Samuel in like manner and he lay down naked all the day and all the night. Wherefore they say, "Is Saul also among the prophets?" And I want to point this out to you because we know his heart. We know Saul's heart.

So what's going on here? I mean, is he really being captured by the Lord now? Yeah, somewhat. But he's like a novice. Or let me put it this way, he's like somebody that's never tasted the things of the Lord, but yet has a lot of anger and bitterness and jealousy in his heart. And when they finally do receive the things of God, they have weird quirks and they do weird things.

They'll scream out in the middle of a service or they'll disrupt. Or they'll do something weird and you just go, "This is a weird reaction." Because David didn't have this reaction. He just went in there and prophesied and worshipped. But Saul had a weird, quirky reaction to the whole thing.

See, there's something underlying here that needs to be dealt with and it's his heart. So Saul is affected. If you remember chapter 10 of 1 Samuel, God's Spirit came upon Saul that time also. But that was a time to confirm that he was to be the king. This time it's to convict him. I believe it.

There was another Saul in the Bible. Did you know in the New Testament? His name was Saul. He went out persecuting the saints. And as he persecuted, he ended up converted. It was a beautiful story of Paul. And yet we don't see this with Saul. He continues on.

Saul is like those in Matthew chapter 7 who said, "We prophesied in your name, Lord." And the Lord looks at them and says, "I never knew you, you worker of iniquity, depart from me. Lord, Lord, didn't we do this? Didn't we do... I never knew you." And Saul is one of those.

This story, I think, really reveals God's divine protection and that His promises are always true. "All of those that live godly shall suffer persecution." Hold on to that one, folks. That's a true promise. If you will live for the Lord, you will suffer persecution. All those that live godly shall suffer it.

In the world, here's another promise, "you shall have tribulation." Aren't these great promises? But be of good cheer, Jesus said, "for I have overcome the world." And so it's our faith in Christ that causes us to be overcomers in this world, to sing songs in the midst of chaos and frustration, to praise the Lord.

Why? What is wrong with us? We've got our eyes looking up. We're looking for a kingdom not of this world. We're not looking for things to just nicely work out in Russia to be at peace and everybody to be just fine and dandy. The economy to come back and everything to be just great.

If you're looking for that, you're living in a fool's paradise. You start looking up and you're going to be redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, man. You're going to be saved, let alone for what's really coming down. You're going to be raptured. You're going to be taken up with all those that believe in Him.

We've got a friend, man, who will comfort us through all of our trials and through all of our tribulations. But we've got to do as David. Learn to get your eyes upon the Lord. Learn to trust in the Lord with your situation and most importantly, learn to wait upon the Lord as David did.

I love that Psalm, Psalm 130. It says in Psalm 130:5, "I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in His word do I hope." I don't hope in my situation. It's terrible. My circumstances are crazy. I mean, the guy's after me. He wants to kill me. I'm running around in the desert trying to make ends meet.

I'm just making it. But man, I'm learning to wait upon the Lord. And my hope's not in this world. It's in the word of God. "My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning. I say, more than they that watch for the morning."

You know how it is when you have a restless night and you're just wondering and maybe you're going fishing that day or whatever? You're excited and you're waiting for the dawn and you're just waiting for it. You're waiting for it. That's how David was just waiting upon the Lord, waiting upon the Lord, continuing to wait upon the Lord. And he was renewing his strength as he waited, right? Isaiah 40:31.

Guest (Male): Well, none of us really like waiting for something. You've heard the saying, "God, give me patience and give it to me now." But waiting upon the Lord is an opportunity to gain trust in God's timing, as David so perfectly illustrated in today's message. Pastor Jeff Johnson will be back in a moment with more on Sound Doctrine.

We pray you've been blessed by what you've heard today. 1 Samuel is filled with practical insights for Christian living. And if you'd like to hear this study again, go to sounddoctrineradio.org or listen through the Sound Doctrine podcast app.

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And thank you very much for your support. It's greatly appreciated and will be put to good use helping others build their lives on the sound doctrine found in God's word. Now, with more encouragement for us to wait upon the Lord, here's Pastor Jeff once again.

Jeff Johnson: "They that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. They shall fly up like," what? "Eagles. They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." Listen, the eagle is interesting. It always sees the storm coming and then flies above it, lets it pass, then comes back down.

Oh, let it be, Lord. We know there's storms. You might be in the midst of a storm. Wait upon the Lord. You'll be like that eagle. You'll fly into the safety and the peace of the Lord and He'll surround you with His love and His peace and you'll be able to make it through your trial.

And you'll be able to sing at the same time. You know, I'll tell you something about worship and praise. Those who do not worship and praise the Lord and sing unto the Lord, they are the ones that are fighting carnality. Carnality is the things of the flesh. You haven't let go, man.

He wants you to let go. He wants to put a song in your heart, even praise unto your God. Those that are singing and worshipping have entered into His presence. Come on, let's check ourselves out. Let's evaluate our hearts this morning. And let's ask the Lord for deliverance. Let's ask the Lord for help. We've got a friend in Jesus. He's for us. So who can be against us?

Guest (Male): Imagine having someone hunting you down trying to kill you. That's the place we find David next time on Sound Doctrine when our study of 1 Samuel takes us to chapter 20. This program is brought to you by Calvary Chapel Downey.