What Have I Done?

1 Samuel 29.

Then the Philistines gathered together all their armies at Aphek,

! and the Israelites encamped by a fountain which is in Jezreel.

!

Aphek said to the princes of the Philistines,

Is this not David, the servant of Saul, king of Israel,

who has been with me these days or these years?

And to this day I have found no fault in him since he defected to me.

But the princes 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 one another in dances,

saying, Saul has slain his thousands and David his tens of thousands?

Then 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 in the army.

It is good in my sight.

For to this day I have not found evil in you

since the day of your 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.

So David said to Achish,

But what have I done?

And to this day, what have you found in my servant,

as long as I have been with you,

that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?

Then Achish answered and said to David,

I know that you are as good in my sight as an angel of God.

Nevertheless, the princes of the Philistines have said,

He shall not go up with us to the battle.

Now therefore, rise early in the morning

with your master's servants who have come with you.

And as soon as you are up early in the morning

and have light, depart.

So David and his men rose early to depart in the morning

to return to the land of the Philistines.

And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

The word of God for the people of God.

Thanks be to God.

Please be seated.

The grass withers and the flower fades,

but the word of the Lord stands forever.

Let's pray.

Lord, we trust your promises.

In this life, in this world, we do groan.

We do mourn.

We do fail.

We are weak.

But your joy comes in the morning.

We long for that day, Lord,

when you will come in glory and in power,

riding on the clouds

with the host of heaven's army,

the commander, Jesus Christ,

the King of kings.

And until that day, Lord,

we trust that you will preserve us

by your Holy Spirit,

by the righteousness of Christ.

Your active obedience that you secured

applied to us, your people,

by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Please do that, Lord,

even through this faulty ministry of the word.

I pray that your spirit will take

the scripture and the truth of the gospel

and the plan of redemption

that you fulfilled

and apply it to your people,

this church today, Lord.

For your glory we ask.

Amen.

Linguists use a helpful term.

Lexical stress.

It's the relative emphasis

or prominence given to a specific word

within a sentence

to distinguish that word from others.

Consider this sentence from verse 8.

What have I done?

Question mark.

It can take on three different meanings

based on emphasis.

For example,

maybe some of you teenagers here

in a soccer practice

or jujitsu

or maybe a class in school

or maybe just as siblings,

you all had to share

in a consequence

that everybody had to now do

because of one or two troublemakers.

You might say,

what have I done?

Or maybe some of you

are preparing a dish

for our potluck tonight

after the baptism

and if you're like me

that earlier this week

you accidentally put in

the wrong ingredient

for one of the parts,

you might say,

what have I done?

Or maybe you realize

that you have hurt someone

very badly.

Your conscience

asks you in silence,

what have I done?

This question

David asks of himself

in this chapter

and God's spirit

asks that question

of each of us

from this chapter.

With God's help

I've been praying

that he would cause us

to understand

the significance

of the problems here

at this point

in redemptive history

and even more than the problems

to understand God

through how God

deals with it.

Look at verse 1.

Then the Philistines

gathered together

all their armies

at Aphek.

They're not in Jezreel yet.

It's leading up to that.

And the Israelites

encamped

by a fountain

which is in Jezreel.

So the Israelites

are there

and the Philistines

are on their way.

Aphek

we've heard this before.

If we go all the way back

to the fourth chapter

of 1 Samuel

Aphek was the place

where the Philistines

had first killed

4,000 Israelites

and then to make matters worse

with Saul

trying to take things

into his own hands

or I'm sorry

it was before Saul

before Saul

was even appointed

the Israelites

just wanted to

do things their way.

They wanted to bring

the Ark of the Covenant

as their little

war token

and see if God

would bless that

and instead

3,000 foot soldiers

of the Israelites

were slain.

The Ark was captured

and then remember

the bad news comes back

that Eli died

when he heard about

all of this happening

and his failure

and then one of his

daughter-in-laws

named her son

Ichabod

which means

the glory of God

has departed.

So by using this name

of a place

Aphek

where the Philistines

are passing through

on their way

to the battle

we're reminded of this.

In chapter 28

that we saw

last time

we were in this book

is a very dark story

leading up

now it's not Eli

and it's not

all of Israel

you know

trying to manipulate God

it's the king

that God gave them

a king

of their own choosing

like all the other nations

Saul

going to consult

a medium

like all the other nations do

and it's said

in contrast

with chapter 29

side by side

so that we can see

a difference

between these two kings

Saul

the outgoing king

and David

the incoming new king

what will become

of each of these two men

in chapter 28

David

was marching

with the enemy

at the beginning

of the chapter

you remember that

and then it flashes

to Saul

from his perspective

and we're left

in suspense

what's going to happen

now with David

he was stuck there

we know from chapter 28

the glory of God

departed from Saul

Saul got nothing

no response from God

God was silent

toward him

so he consults

with the medium

and God still

prophesies judgment

because the glory of God

had departed from Saul

but we're left wondering

coming into chapter 29

has the glory of God

also departed

from David

and is there no hope

in any king

that David

David nor Saul

can bring this

to the nation

maybe God's glory

has departed

completely from this nation

we read in chapter 29

verse 2

our sermon passage

for today

the lords of the Philistines

lined up

some translations say

the princes of the Philistines

you remember the Philistines

were a coalition

of five city states

that would work together

but they didn't seem

to want to submit

one to another

and they would keep

each other in check

most likely

it's the entire nation

joining along

with King Achish

they lined up

by hundreds

and by thousands

this is why Saul

is trembling

and had that great fear

in his heart

but we read

an interesting detail

in verse 2

that David and his men

where did they line up

it says they lined up

at the back

in the rear

with Achish

in Bible study

this was really helpful

to clarify

if you go back

to chapter 28

look at verse 2

why is David

this mercenary

lined up at the back

with the king

with King Achish

wouldn't it make sense

to send this foreigner

who's going to fight

fellow Israelites

out in front

let's put him

to the test first

let's see if he really fights

and then we got him flanked

and if he's going

to betray us

we slaughter him

along with all of

Saul's army

but in God's providence

chapter 28 verse 2

God had already

caused Achish

to appoint David

to be his bodyguard

to watch over his head

do you remember that

and so there's David

now at the back

the end of the line

the end of the procession

not having to go

and be the front runners

in verse 3

we read

then the princes

of the Philistines said

what are these Hebrews

doing here

think about it

from their perspective

wait a second

King Achish

you see the foolishness

in what you're doing here

you're sending us out first

then here's David

with his 600 men

plus all these mighty men

that have been fleeing

all the way to Ziklag

what if David turns on us

he's going to flank us now

we're going to be trapped

in the middle of this

horrible confrontation

with Israel

this is not wise

there's no way

we are doing that

Achish says

this is David

the servant of King Saul

of Israel

yeah I'll acknowledge that

but he's been with me

all these days

no

it's been all these years now

he's saying

I've tested him

I've proved him

he defected to me

and I find no fault

in him

that's the first time

Achish declares

David's innocence

in verse 4

the princes of the Philistines

are angry

make this fellow return

that we may go back

he may go back

to Ziklag

don't let him go down

to battle with us

lest in the battle

he will become

our adversary

literally the word

for adversary

in Hebrew

you know what this is

Satan

they're accusing David

of being their Satan

their adversary

for with what could

he reconcile himself

to his master

Saul you just

Achish

you just said Saul

is David's real master

if not with the heads

of these men

so the princes are saying

he's

remember what he did

with Goliath's head

he presented that back

to King Saul

as a trophy of war

he's going to do that

with our troops now

our hundreds and thousands

that are going out

that's the only way

he can gain back

the favor

of being an Israelite

how else

could he do this

in verse 5

is this not David

who slayed his

ten thousands

these same Israelites

dancing

singing

mocking us

for their great victory

this is that same man

and those were my brothers

and my cousins

that he took their lives

he's going to do that next

well that's from the

Philistines perspective

now from David's perspective

he's got himself

into this situation

if you'll remember

because his relationship

with Achish

has always been based

on manipulation

and deceit

first time he encountered

Achish

he pretended to be crazy

he let drool

and run down his beard

and now he's been

lying to Achish

all along

he's been going out

and attacking

the Amalekites

and other people

that are probably

part of their caravans

and going back and forth

and he's bringing loot

back and profit

back to Achish

and now they've established

this relationship

where David is successful

but it's based on lies

oh what a tangled web

we weave

when first we practice

to deceive

David began

this relationship

with lies

and the longer

the relationship

goes on

the more entangled

he becomes

in this web

of his own lies

from David's perspective

it's understandable

to wonder

have I spoiled

God's plan

have I messed up

God's promises

will David

die now

with Saul

and get the just

judgment he deserves

is this the end

for David

for Saul

is this the end

of God's favor

on an entire nation

is this the end

of the plan

of God's redemption

what have I done

well in verse 6

Achish called David

and swore an oath

surely as

the Lord

lives

we don't know

whether Achish

knew Yahweh

but the writer

of the scripture

knows Yahweh

and it's breathed

out by the spirit

and he's appealing

to David's God

you David

Achish says

have been upright

and you're going out

and you're coming in

with me

in the army

is good in my sight

remember that phrase

it was when

after David

defeated Goliath

Saul kept promoting him

and David would go out

and come in victorious

and go out to fight

and come back victorious

over and over

now it's that similar

relationship

but not with the king

of Israel

with the king

of Saul's enemies

the Lord

blessed

David

his chosen

servant

even in exile

just as God

has a pattern

of doing this

doesn't he

think of how God

blessed Jacob

even when he was

in Laban's house

how he blessed

Moses and Joseph

when they were

in the palace

of Pharaoh

why does God

do this

he blesses

his anointed

servants

even in exile

it's not because

any one of those

servants

is deserving

but it's to

accomplish

God's decree

what God

has purposed

from eternity

past

so to speak

and that's

to redeem

a people

for himself

ultimately

through his

son

our Lord

Jesus Christ

you see

God's providence

in this whole

situation

bringing it up

to this point

I'm reminded

of the New Testament

when Jesus

tells us

you see who

God is

God doesn't

change

it's how he's

always been

in Matthew 10 29

not even one

sparrow

one small

bird children

falls to the

ground

apart from

your father's

will

but the very

hairs of your

head are

numbered

all of them

do not fear

therefore

for you are

of much more

value than

many sparrows

our confession

of faith

on providence

chapter 5

paragraph

paragraph

1

synthesizes

what scripture

teaches this way

God

the good

creator

of all

things

in his

infinite

power

and wisdom

upholds

directs

disposes

and governs

all creatures

and things

from the very

greatest

even to the

least

by his

most wise

and holy

providence

to the end

for which

they were

created

David was

created

for a purpose

despite

David's

lies

despite

David's

sin

despite

his

failings

the Lord

would see

that David

would be

directed

and disposed

and made

fit to

accomplish

that very

end

for which

God

created

David

not because

David

deserves

it

because

that's

who

God

is

and

that's

how

God

deals

with

sinners

in this

world

like you

and me

well

Achish

in verse

6

tells

David

the

lords

the

princes

the other

rulers

of the

Philistines

don't

favor

you

even though

I've

declared

you

innocent

in my

eyes

verse

7

so return

now

and go

in peace

that you

may not

displease

the lords

of the

Philistines

what would

you do

if you

were David

you were

in the

worst

dilemma

of your

life

the worst

battle

tactical

layout

you could

ever mark

up on a

whiteboard

and you

just got

a free

pass

you get

to go

David

and my

relationship

with you

stays good

I

see

you're

innocent

but it's

them

it's

the

lords

just

go

now

this

tells us

a lot

about

David

look at

verse 8

to this

day

what have

you found

in your

servant

as long

as I

have been

with you

that I

may not

go

and fight

against

the enemies

of my

lord

the king

that's a

confusing

response

David

seems to

be

complaining

about

not

being

made

to go

fight

against

his

own

nation

what

have

I

done

wrong

king

Achish

haven't

I

proven

myself

why

can't

I

go

fight

against

the

enemies

of

my

lord

the

king

see

David

is so

cunning

and

deceptive

even

we

now

with

the

help

of

the

holy

spirit

and

all

of

the

bible

completed

we

don't

know

what

he's

meaning

here

we

don't

know

what

he's

trying

to

do

doesn't

he

want

to

get

out

of

there

why

does

he

seem

to

protest

this

I

don't

have

answers

to

either

one

of

those

you're

just

going

to

pray

about

it

and

you

know

the

Lord

can

tell

us

in

heaven

one

day

I'm

just

telling

you

questions

it

raises

for

me

it

also

raises

two

other

questions

when

he

says

to

fight

against

the

enemies

of

my

Lord

the

king

here

are

the

two

questions

who

is

this

king

he's

thinking

of

and

who

are

the

king's

enemies

I

think

there's

more

than

one

possibility

isn't

there

does

David

mean

that

Achish

is

David's

true

lord

and

true

king

when

David

uses

these

lines

it's

a

strategic

tool

it's

shifting

throughout

this book

based

on his

survival

needs

and the

context

he said

these words

many times

and there

are several

options

for what

it

could

mean

the

first

option

is

what

Achish

believes

he

means

that

yeah

he's

referring

to

Achish

as

his

lord

and

his

king

and

the

enemies

must

therefore

be

Saul

and

the

Israelites

that's

the

implied

meaning

but

the

second

option

is

to

see

how

else

has

David

used

those

exact

same

words

and

he's

used

them

toward

Saul

my

lord

the

king

he's

three

times

called

Saul

that

already

in

chapter

24

and

then

twice

in

chapter

26

is

it

my

voice

or

he

says

it

is

my

voice

my

lord

oh

king

remember

when he

yells

that

with

the

evidence

that

he

could

have

taken

Saul's

life

he

says

let

my

lord

the

king

hear

the

words

of

his

servant

and

if

his

lord

the

king

is

truly

Saul

then

who

are

Saul's

enemies

that's

who

David

should

be

fighting

why

won't

I

get

to

fight

my

lord

the

king's

David

is

deceiving

them

the

third

option

though

we

have

to

go

beyond

our

passage

and

even

beyond

this

book

is

that

David

has

a

different

lord

and

a

different

king

than

either

Achish

or

Saul

in

Psalm

5

2

David

addresses

God

this

way

give

heed

to

the

voice

of

my

cry

my

God

and

my

king

for

to

you

I

will

pray

and

then

also

in

Psalm

145

1

we

hear

I

will

extol

you

my

God

O

king

and

I

will

bless

your

name

forever

and

ever

if

the

Lord

God

is

his

king

then

who

are

the

enemies

Achish

is

just

sworn

by

Yahweh

David

has

a

trusting

relationship

and

at

the

same

time

Saul

is

the

king

that

the

Lord

has

anointed

for

now

and

that's

why

he

won't

take

his

life

so

who

are

the

Lord's

enemies

I

also

wondered

has

David

ever

referred

to

himself

this

way

as

Lord

and

king

and

the

answer

was

very

clear

from

all

I

could

tell

he

has

never

done

that

and

never

did

it

even

after

he

became

king

this

was

interesting

to

me

on

David's

use

of

words

so

for

example

in

Psalm

21

1

there's

only

a

couple

times

and

every

time

he

refers

to

David

as

the

king

it's

never

in

your

strength

O

Lord

how

greatly

shall

he

receive

in

your

salvation

he

will

rejoice

Psalm

1850

God

gives

great

deliverance

to

his

king

and

shows

mercy

to

his

anointed

so

when

he's

thinking

of

himself

as

king

it's

always

under

God

always

subservient

to

God

the

king

well

I'm

going to

let

some

of

those

questions

hang

with

you

as

they

have

with

me

for

now

and

let's

see

how

the

rest

of

this

chapter

ends

up

in

verse

nine

then

Achish

answered

and

said

to

David

I

know

that

you

are

as

good

in

my

sight

as

an

angel

of

God

nevertheless

the

princes

of

the

Philistines

have

said

he

shall

not

go

up

with

us

to

battle

see

despite

what

David

has

done

his

lying

and

deceiving

!

Achish

he's

declared

innocent

by

Achish

three

different

times

remember

how

the

princes

of

the

Philistines

called

David

a

Satan

well

here

now

Achish

calls

him

as

an

angel

from

God

verse

10

now

therefore

rise

early

in

the

morning

with

your

master's

servants

who

have

come

with

you

as

soon

as

you

are

up

early

in

the

morning

and

have

light

depart

even

though

David

seemed

to

protest

and

maybe

that

was

just

further

deception

to

play

it

cool

and act

like

he

wasn't

just

so

happy

to

get

out

of

there

he

still

gets

this

free

pass

God

makes

sure

that

David

will

not

die

in

this

battle

and

he

sent

away

early

in

the

morning

what

does

this

reveal

to

us

about

God

who

rules

over

all

Ephesians

1

11

reminds

us

that

God

works

all

things

according

to

the

counsel

of

his

will

confession

summarizes

the

teaching

of

scripture

that

God

does

his

will

according

to

his

infallible

foreknowledge

and the

free

and

immutable

counsel

of

his

own

will

to

the

praise

of

the

glory

of

God's

wisdom

God's

power

God's

justice

God's

infinite

goodness

and

God's

mercy

and

so

in

verse

11

David

and his

men

rose

early

they

depart

and

they

return

to

the

land

of

the

Philistines

this

is

the

land

set

apart

for

them

Ziklag

appointed

for

them

to

live

and

now

the

Philistines

go on

to

Jezreel

chapter

29

it's a

flashback

it's

before

or in

parallel

to all

of those

events

in chapter

28

and it

shows us

that

from

Saul's

perspective

in

28

he's

he's

in

Jezreel

and he

knows

the

Philistines

are coming

down

to fight

him

and he

assumes

David

with the

600

plus

more

are

on

the

side

of

the

Philistines

and it's

doomsday

for him

and that's

what

Samuel

tells him

is going

to happen

but now

based on

what we

just read

David

left

before the

Philistines

even

descended

to

Jezreel

it gives

us more

insight

on the

darkness

that Saul

was in

spiritually

that which

Saul feared

most

which led

him to

consult

with the

witch

turns out

to be

unfounded

David

wasn't even

with them

the Lord

delivered

David

out of

this

decision

how foolish

I was

how can I

deliver myself

David had to

think but God

did it

see God is

sovereign even

over David's

weakness

over his

failures

and even

his sins

God determined

to set David

on the throne

and nothing

will deter

God from

accomplishing what

God has

decreed

God is

with David

still

the glory

of God

has not

departed

not because

of David

but despite

David

because of

God

God is

the one

who will

see it

through

we've

reached the

end of

this chapter

and you

see how

even though

it's short

in these

11 verses

the glory

of God

shines

brilliantly

we're

revealed

the mercy

and the

providence

of a loving

father

that will

accomplish

his decree

he will

fulfill

all of

his

promises

it's

God's

mercy

that

finds

David

and saves

David

again

and again

and again

God's

inexhaustible

mercy

never

runs dry

it reminds

me of

Joseph

remember

when his

brothers

were trying

to you

know

kill him

and send

him away

and basically

his whole

life in

prison

because of

their

cruelty

but God's

providence

sustained

Joseph

in

Genesis

Genesis 50:20

50