1 Samuel 24 (Part 1) Bible Study - Pastor Daniel Batarseh

First Samuel 24 meet me, there, please.

As many of the chapters, in Samuel have proved this is not

going to be settled in one session.

At least this chapter, there is just too much for us to quickly

glance over these verses and you will see, I hope you will see

the reason why in this chapter as you have in the past few

chapters, there's so much meat for us to Feast on, but I would

like for us to pray. One more time.

Before we open up God's word together.

Louis thank you. Written word.

We thank you o God, that it is through this word that you speak

to your people. It is through the word that we

not only have your mind. Not only have your hearts Lord,

it is where we have life. It is where we know as we just

heard satisfaction and we just pray, oh God, that this would

not be a transfer of information to the Mind merely, but that

Lord you would Revive Our Hearts and that we would long for you

personally as a result of This study and so Lord.

We pray that every voice would be silence apart from the voice

of God, we pray O. Lord that no man would be seen

apart from the man Christ Jesus. And we pray O Lord, that there

would be a sanctifying effect of tonight's meeting on our lives.

We trust that by the power of the holy spirit, this will be

the case. And we give you glory in advance

for it. In Jesus name we pray.

Amen, and amen. Let's just read this chapter the

first seven verses together and it will expound beginning in

verse 1 of 1st Samuel 24. When Saul returned from

following the Philistines he was told behold David is in the

wilderness of in Getty. Then Saul took 3,000 chosen men

out of all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front

of the wild goats rocks. And he came to the Sheepfold, by

the way where there was a cave-in, Saul went in to relieve

himself. Now David and his men were

sitting in the innermost parts of the cave and the men of David

said to him. Here is the day of which the

Lord said to you behold, I will give your enemy into your hand

and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.

Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul's robe

and afterward, David's heart. Kim because he had cut off a

corner of Saul's robe. He said to his men, the Lord

forbid that I should do this thing to my Lord, the Lord's

anointed to put out my hand against him seeing, he is the

Lord's anointed. So David persuaded his men with

these words and did not permit them to attack Saul and Saul

rose up and left the cave and went on his way.

Fascinating fascinating. In fact, if you come to verse

one with me, you will see at least two things in this one

verse alone. If you remember, and this is the

beauty of being in touch with the weekly Bible study because

it connects and you don't, you don't feel like you're missing

missing the whole context, but for the sake of just reminding

ourselves Saul had pursued David and he was so close of capturing

him in the previous chapter, but we learn that in God's

Providence, a messenger from Saul's Camp, came to tell him

that the Philistines are invading, the land.

And so Saul turned back and went towards that duty.

While David escaped, one more time from the grip of his enemy.

And we are told here. Interestingly enough in verse 1,

that when Saul returned from following the Philistines, He

was told behold David is in the wilderness of engedi.

Now we would read past that just as an introduction to this text

but verse 1 tells us at least two things, I'm sure.

Among other things, notice here, in verse 1, when Saul returned

from following the Philistines, does that mean that saw defeated

the Philistines or that the Philistines defeated Saul?

Saul actually saw victory over the Philistines.

And that should cause us to think, how is that the case?

I mean you're talking about a man who has been a rebellion

against God. You're talking about a man who

is in an unrepentant State. You're talking about a man who

has already killed, so many priests has and is now willing

to kill God's next king in line. And yet with all of that into

consideration, he sees success. He sees Victory and to the

Natural mind, we would say should not a man.

Like this only no defeat failure suffering.

Should not this man's Faith, be death and instead we see that

his fate is accomplishment. Great strides advancement.

And we say how how is this the case?

Is this really fair? That's a good question, but

reading this reminded me of so many scriptures from old to new

that tell us to never Envy or not to be fretful about the

apparent success of sinners. That even when the wicked

Prosper, we should not question God's justice in his dealing

with them. It seems as though his success

is not fair, but may, I remind you tonight, at least have a few

things. Number one, God is much slower

to judge, and we are much slower.

And what's all is experiencing here in verse one is undeserved,

there's no question about that, but can you reflect upon your

own life especially before you came to Christ?

Especially you who grew up in a Christian household and you've

heard the word preached ever since you can hear pretty much

and how much is God been merciful over you and forgiving

with all the things that you've done and secret all the things

that you've done to others, all the things mainly that you've

done against God. How about the mercy of God,

after you got saved? How many times has he forgiven

you when he should have stricken?

You and me dead for representing him, wrongly for being a

hypocrite to others for causing others to maybe even want to

remain in unbelief and yet, God is merciful.

And so, when you look at how saw Victory, don't see a man who's

getting away with something. See God, who is merciful

Secondly God is very very complex in his ways.

I didn't say contradictory, I said complex and that complexity

deals with his wisdom. And there are times where God

for the sake of the good of others will even give success to

those who don't deserve to be successful.

Especially for those who serve God who are supposed to be his

leaders. And so think of Moses, I often

use that as an example that in Disobedience, he struck the rock

twice. And yet God still let water come

from that rock so that he can feed the rest of the nation who

were were parched, and who wanted something to drink in the

wilderness. Moses was going to be punished

later, but for the sake of his own people, through his

Disobedience, he provided a blessing.

Thirdly when you look at something like this whatever

peace and prosperity they may be experiencing for the moment.

There is an appointment that God has with man to settle accounts

with him. It's true for every single

person whether it's in this life or in the next Saul's life down

the road is going to prove that he could not ultimately get away

with everything. The wick of God's mercy though.

It is long and though it stretches wide comes to an end

eventually and we're going to see that very very soon.

And so, let me, let me just say this.

As you look at Saul seeing success though.

He deserves to be embarrassed. That he deserves to be punished,

though. He deserves to be stricken dead.

Rejoice in God's mercy. But look at this now I see

something else when he returned from following the Philistines

he was told behold David is in the wilderness of in Getty.

Now this is amazing because he's about to now pursue David again,

you would think that after you have seen so many interruptions.

So clearly from God, that you would have learned your lesson

that you would have been sobered that you would have at least

questioned if what you were doing was right.

You see every time that God rescued David, it wasn't just to

rescue David. Oh, that was the ultimate thing.

Right after his own Glory but it was also to bring warning to

Saul. You're not just fighting against

David, you're fighting against me.

And yet, still the way he responds to the news of David's,

new Hideout is no different than before this moment.

And before we get upset with this man saw in his reaction to

this news realized that men is no different today.

Sinners are no different today. They respond no differently than

Saul here to His providential blessings and his warnings, they

persist, in their evil still. And I've seen it, you've seen

it, you're probably one person that's actually doing it.

What do I mean by that? That despite God's warnings,

despite his common Grace, despite the sermons, despite the

conviction, despite the people telling you and warning, you and

trying to shake you up despite near-death experiences, despite

evil on large scales, despite natural disasters, despite all

these things yet still man will persist in their wickedness and

the Rebellion. Saul is not unique here.

His stubbornness is a commentary of the stubbornness of man.

Now we read in verse two, then Saul took 3,000, chosen men.

He takes 3,000 of his finest men and he's about to now come and

pursued David. And so we have something to

learn here from David's perspective.

Okay. If you're a born-again Believer

here and you've walked with the Lord longer than, I mean, this

is not dogmatic. But if you've walked with the

Lord long enough and serving him throughout that time, what I'm

about to say something you can relate to because in verse 2 or

at least in this whole chapter, we are going to learn a rhythm

that is very common and shared among God's Saints.

There's a frequency here of saws attacks that speaks so

accurately of how the believer experiences great trials in his

life. The Bible Asher's you and I that

our destination to Heaven is not free from turbulence, there is

going to be great shaking. Sometimes they're smaller,

sometimes they're shorter, sometimes they're great seasons

of pain and suffering. Yet one thing is for certain you

are not going to go into heaven without scars.

You're going to get in there because of Jesus scars but

you're also going to get in there with your own scars for

living for Jesus. And what we see here is David

though, he has evaded saw and such a beautiful and

providential way in just a moment.

He's about to experience yet. Another attack from Saul

believe, it's no different for you and I, it's strange.

Is it not again? This is for those who are

familiar and serving God long-term, there are moments of

great trial. And then there are also seasons

of great peace. And if you've walked with God

long enough, even in those Seasons, where it seems like

every Christian is walking in the spirit and there's no

commotion and community and it seems like Ministry is

flourishing and flowing without any any resistance or

persecution, you know, down deep inside.

It's not going to be like this very long without a fight.

That's not supposed to be a negative mindset.

It's a realistic mindset. It's a realistic mindset because

if things are quiet in here among the Believers, you know

that there's something outside that's going to happen.

And if there's no persecution from outside then that kind of

piece promotes a type of indifference and laziness within

and and now people start acting up with in because they neglect

their own spiritual disciplines and other matters. and so, with

David here, he's showing us, God is showing us That there are

different times in the Christians life but there must

be a consistent posture throughout at all and it is

demonstrated here with David and what is that?

Believer you and I always have to be on guard.

In times of trouble, in times of persecution, especially in times

of Peace. When you've not, you have no

nothing other than laughter and memories and great success in

your spiritual walk. That is not a time to be

distracted. That is not a time to not be

disciplined David here after he escaped from Salt, wasn't like,

you know, guys, let's go on vacation.

Nothing wrong against vacation of talking about a spiritual

vacation because no matter where you go on vacation, you're

always in the Why don't we just why don't we just lay back?

I mean, just no. No, they were still vigilant.

It got us helped us here, but we have to do our part and be wise.

Here, we have to be careful. The enemy can come from any

place, we have to remain sharp. We have to remain sensitive.

We have to remain nourished. We have to remain strengthened.

That is a soldier mindset in the kingdom of God.

Because oftentimes what happens to Believers is that, when there

are things that happen from within, or from outside, they

have so neglected, their discipline, they have some

neglected taking care of themselves.

They're not ready to respond to it in the spirit, So, David

still knew that there is a threat.

So he remained equipped, he remained among the six hundred.

He remained smart, though, he was securing God's sovereignty.

So listen to this. How does a Believer remain in

the same posture? Listen, your nourish continually

by God's word. You don't just come to the

Bible. When things get shaky in life,

you get fed with the word of God.

So that nothing shakes you You understand the difference.

You don't just pray when things get desperate.

You pray, so that you know how to respond when desperate times

come. You don't just come to church

when you're in trouble, you remain with a family.

So that when Trouble Comes, you have people who can give you

wisdom and counsel and love and encouragement.

David here is proving that And so these men the through the

3000 chosen men just like how Satan Works.

He amps up. He becomes more fierce when he

realizes. He didn't get you the way he

could get you last time. Oh he doesn't fall into that

kind of Temptation. So let me present this one.

Oh he doesn't love money. So let me bother him from within

and he tries to come from different angles. now, this time

Saul is coming with his Elite men and David is ready.

And this is what happens. This is so interesting.

All those this seems like a cycle of cat and mouse between

Saul and David. There's something unique about

this chapter and you already read it.

And so many different chapters. We read that that's all came

close. So that David heard about saw

approaching him and he was able to escape.

But this time Saul and David are going to be the closest they've

ever been physically. In verse 3, you read any came

that's saw to the Sheepfold by the way where there was a

cave-in, Saul went in to relieve himself.

Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts

of the cave. Can you imagine that?

Here's this man. Who's chasing David and

unknowingly he just has to go and deal with personal business.

And he goes into a random cave, a random hole in the wall, not

knowing that the person he was looking for is in the very same

room. And this could speak to the

depth of the KB Can. It can speak to the loudness of

the men that were with David just outside of the cave.

It definitely speaks about how stealth these men were as

soldiers. And what David is about to

experience. This time in this chapter is a

new kind of test to his faith. David has had many Divine

evaluations from God up to this point.

Many, we've seen David outshine all the Israelites by being the

sole person that would face a giant named Goliath.

We seen David fail and grow and bleeding and God's protective

care over him. When Saul was pursuing him,

we've seen David clearly, clearly mature, and his

dependency on the Lord. That whenever something came and

he didn't know the direction, he dropped to his knees as God,

give me an answer. And now a new curriculum, David

has enrolled in in this chapter, in the school of God, David is

about to now face, something that he has not faced before a

new kind of Temptation. And this verse sets, the stage.

If you've never read the story before, what would you think?

Imagine that you verse 3 was its own page and you couldn't read

what happens afterwards. How many Believers would think

or be tempted to believe that David is about to take out Saul?

Saul is finally going to get what was coming to him up to

this point saw has outnumbered David up to this point.

David was the mouse. And now here, providentially.

Saul is outnumbered 602 one. And all that has to take is one

of those men to come and Jab him in the back.

And this is done, it's over with how many people When innocently

think that this is not just an opportunity.

It's a god-given opportunity for David to kill Saul.

This is God, giving this you on a silver platter just do it end

your suffering and your misery and this Chase and in fact move

forward with your life and become the next king.

Just kill the guy. And if you and I are tempted to

believe that or if we didn't know the story and we did come

to that thought, believing that was the case, then it would not

be the first time. That many followers of Jesus

have misinterpreted, what God does in their own lives or in

the lives of other people. remember when Jesus was walking

with his that his disciples in John chapter 9 and there was a

John 9 · chapter mention

man there, born blind, and you know what, they ask their Rabbi

rabbi Was it this man sins or his parents sins that caused him

to be to be born this way? And Jesus says, neither it

wasn't because of his sins. It wasn't because of his parents

sins, but it's because this is going to set up a way for me to

reveal my glory. and I want to say to you today that many

followers of Jesus Christ, Put a wrong commentary.

On people on situations on circumstances, whether it's

their own or it's others, you have people today, who still

think with the retribution principle, if you're suffering,

if there's Misfortune, if you have a disease, you might have

done something to make God. Angry must have been some

secrets in for your life, to turn out this way.

You're no different than the disciples in John chapter 9.

John 9 · chapter mention

And yet you have people also who look at their own lives and they

see their Misfortune and they put commentary on what God is

doing because they don't have an understanding of the word of God

and they don't understand the mystery of his sovereignty at

times and so they are quick to say and even accuse God of his

goodness, they're quick to question God's love because of

delays in life. And as they compare with other

children of God they think we'll why isn't it happening to me

when it's happening to them? And so we are very tempted to

not just give personal commentary but commentaries to

others about what God is doing. When in fact, he is ways are not

your ways and his thoughts are not your thoughts or mine.

And that is exemplified here by these men, David's men here.

Are giving a commentary what's happening?

That is totally wrong, totally wrong.

Look what they say here at the second part of verse 3.

And the men of David said to him, here is the day of which

the Lord said to you behold, I will give your enemy into your

hand and you shall do to them as I shall seem good to you.

I'm opening it up to ask. Can anybody find where God said

this to David? You've been here week after

week, where's this prophecy? If you can find it, I will

reward you. What's my point?

You can't find it. Why?

Because God didn't say it. God never told it was never

recorded here and and some would say well just because it's not

recorded doesn't mean that it didn't happen, maybe it did

happen and it's just not it's not in the scriptures.

David's response to these men and verse 6 proves that God

never said it. In fact, what they were

suggesting was totally wrong So, what's happening here?

These many are misinterpreting God's Providence.

And because they're excited. I mean they suffered under saw

themselves. And because they love their

leader and they have the best interest in mind for him.

They're encouraging him to do something that God didn't say to

do. But in their enthusiasm, listen

to this. They know that David is such a

godly man that he only takes his directions from God.

And so what do they do? They formulate this in a way it

as though God is encouraging to do it so that he can he can be

more relaxed and moving forward in this decision.

It could be either that or they are actually really convincing

This Moment. Like no way the most protected

man in Israel is using the bathroom.

Just a few feet from us right here, right now.

No, bodyguard, no. Nothing.

This has to be God. This has to be God.

So they whisper, can you imagine them whispering and David's

here? This is it.

Are you kidding me? David?

This is your shot. This is God.

Clearly doing this. Who knows what else?

They added the scripture doesn't.

I don't want to add to the scripture, but if I was one of

those soldiers in the flesh, I probably said you could be king

right now. We don't have to hide in caves

anymore. We can establish godliness and

Israel again. This is it this is the new

chapter. That God had been prophesying

over you. This is why we're supporting you

and look, God is making a way. So let's just do it.

Go kill him. You want to use my sword?

I don't know. Regardless of their excitement

regardless of how they Justified it even if they included God's

name in it. The question is simple is a

right? Is it right?

And the answer is obviously not, it's not right.

It's not right to kill a man. There is no justification for

him to assassinate the leader of Israel.

And here's the point that you want to take out of this that no

matter how we feel about something, no matter how

convinced we may be, what you and I have to come to is asking,

is this an alignment with God's word?

After having a balanced understanding of God's word is

this, right? If you want to know how to

interpret, God's mind about a person.

Listen carefully, now about a situation, About a circumstance

about a decision. All you have to do the main way

of being safe is ask yourself this.

Does this line up with the balance comprehension of God's

word and I emphasize balanced because anybody can pretty much

Justified just about anything with one or two verses in the

Bible. Cults have started with one or

two verses in the Bible. Is fascinating, how people can

justify just about anything and have a verse to back it up?

And that's what these guys are essentially doing.

Was it God's will for David to become king?

It was God's will. You can say it was God's word,

God's word, declared that David would become king.

But was it God's will for David to kill him to arrive to the

throne? No.

And so you have to have a balance.

If you just have, it's God's will for you to be king.

You could think. All right, then this is the way

to do it, but when you understand the totality of

scripture, you realize, yeah, that sounds right, and it seems,

right? But there's also this, that's

how Jesus combated, Satan's lies with the scriptures.

Satan said it is written and Jesus said what it is also

written. Not just it is written.

He says yeah but you got it. You got to balance that verse

with this verse How do you explain this story with this

commentary in the Bible of that story?

This is where many Christians get themselves in trouble.

David being King was God's will. But David killing King Saul to

get. There was was evil.

It was sin and I want to take this verse and I want you, and I

to see just how clever sin is Let me put it this way.

I want you to see how Temptation works, and David here is

experiencing a heavyweight of Temptation.

This wasn't just a, like a light thing.

There were so many layers that made this extremely attractive

to David. So, look at verse 3 and I want

you to look at verse 3 in your Bibles and and you can, you can

answer give me some elements that would make this very

appealing to David. What are some Elements about

this temptation, that would persuade David more than usual

to move forward and assassinating Saul.

Say that again. Saul's alone.

Sure. So it's easy.

We just covered one part of it. Whose name was invoked into

this. We just we just read it.

Who got brought into the situation, God.

God, number one. Temptation.

Is stronger. When God's words?

Supposedly justifies it one of the ways that men Try to silence

their conscience is if they have enough understanding of God's

word, if they've grown up in a Christian home even if they are

genuine believers, they will try to come to God's word and either

intentionally try to twist it or they are doing something wrong

because they have received a twisted word and have believed

it. So there is something that helps

the the inner alarm by knowing that God's word apparently gives

the green light on it or he silent about it.

And so so it's okay for me to continue in this.

Let me give you an example. I know of a young man many, many

years ago that before he was born again and though he grew up

in a Christian household. He went to Sunday school here at

the sermons, he had Christian parents but he was not born

again. He was living in the world and

he was living at one point and great sexual sin.

And his conscience was so alarmed and Disturbed that at

one point, he came to the Bible itself.

To try to find out if he could justify his behavior.

And this is how he was doing it, he was looking for specifics.

That was the standard. I have to find specifics to my

immorality and if God is silent about those specifics and sure

enough he can give me some Grace here. so you see how men tried

to invoke God's name or go to compromising Christians to get

their Council and they try to ease the disturbance within

their soul by either silencing God's word altogether or

manipulating God's word in order to try to comfort them with a

false peace, peace, peace, that the false prophets, speak on

behalf of God, that gave those men of Israel, some comfort in

their sin So God's name is invoked though.

God never said it. And God's attributes today are

being used, manipulated Twisted to justify sin.

God is love. Love is love.

God is forgiving. He'll forgive, you know, any

Christians, use that. I'll tell you it's garbage.

Your theology brother is garbage.

When you try to plan to sleep with somebody and you say God is

merciful, he'll forgive us. That's an abuse of the grace of

God. And so men, try to come to God's

word and manipulate in twist, in order to bring themselves to it

and he's in their conscience. But let me ask you this

question, who is suggesting it to David?

His friends. His closest friends, his devout

followers. Those that have sacrificed so

much for him, those that have surrendered everything to

support him. And here's the problem.

This is not the first time that David's friends have suggested

something contrary to God's word.

Remember When God says go and defend kiella, remember that?

What did all the rest say we're afraid?

We're already afraid here in Judah.

Now you want us to go fight against the Philistines.

And so, David's friends though they were good-hearted, they

were not mature and faith and so, they were an obstacle to

David. I one point and now they're an

obstacle again, They're now suggesting to David encouraging,

David to kill the king. And here's the point that I want

to make this may shock you this this point may shock you, but

it's true. Nonetheless, and I want to give

you a biblical biblical evidence for that.

Listen to this. Satan knows that there are

certain people in our lives. That carry more influence than

others. Satan knows that there are

relationships in our lives that hold more weight than others and

because of that, Satan will find a way to lie to them so that

they can lie to you. You thinking brother, you're

reading way too much into this, this is extra biblical.

Is it really What did Jesus tell his closest friend when he

suggested to him? Not to go to the Cross, get

behind me, Peter No, get behind me.

Satan, you know what's interesting about that.

Peter though, he was a follower of Jesus Jesus, criticize

rebuked. The representative of the

Apostles because afterwards, he says, for you have set your mind

as a man does and not on the things of God.

In other words, you're thinking worldly and because of Peters

worldly mindset, Satan's lies were believable and then he

began to now cause Jesus to be tempted and it all started with

an Open Door from a follower of Jesus Christ.

I know this is, this is like, what, what are you suggesting?

I'm suggesting this, that when Satan tempted, Jesus directly,

he failed. So, what did he do?

The next thing was this. Well, if I couldn't do it

directly, let me go through one of his closest followers.

All satan wanted. Jesus to do, was not get to the

Cross. You want the world?

I'll give you the world. It just just take a shortcut.

Don't go to the cross. Jesus with the scriptures

defeated Satan and that moment. So what I say to do is the

clever devil that he is, he whispers into a man's mind who

was worldly and is thinking and through Peter, try to convince

Jesus, not to go to the cross. So here's what I want to tell

you today. No matter how much you love

somebody, no matter how much somebody claims to love you, no

matter the history of your relationship with that

individual, people are susceptible to get into the

flesh, even followers of Jesus Christ.

Here's the point that I want to make.

It doesn't matter. Who says it?

What they say doesn't matter. Your history with that person

God's word Trump's over man's word.

Every time, every time. And David here is going to prove

that that even though 600 unanimously are trying to

convince him a go one way, God's word was more important and more

authoritative than the word of 600 men.

And I'm telling you not to condemn others, not to think

that people are demon possessed, who have the Holy Spirit and I'm

not saying that. What I am saying is this that we

have to be so wise and Discerning that even people that

love you. Even people that claim to love

God, like these men like Peter. If what they say doesn't line up

with God's word, you always stand by God's Eternal,

unchanging Council always And that's what David's about to do.

That's what our lord Jesus did. That is what you and I have to

do. Lastly, there's something else

here. We consider the fact that God's

name was invoked. Now as you're hearing this,

think about David was a man, think about the weightiness of

this God's name you have 600 people saying.

God is telling you to do this. Wow, it wasn't even like 90/10

100%. You have 600 people who have

your best interests in mind who are giving you advice.

We're giving you counsel but it contradicts God's word.

What are you gonna do? And lastly, you have the

personal interest, the ends that can be achieved if you do this,

imagine what can be finished once and for all if David just

kills Saul Imagine that peace. The harmony.

Imagine you can arrive to the throne much earlier.

This is taking forever. And this is the Temptation.

David knew he was going to be king and sometimes she needed to

be reminded of that. But the thing that was tricky

here was that there was a an offer for an early fulfillment

of that. There is no doubt that David was

going to arrive. But in this moment, he can have

it now. Much sooner.

Suffering can be spared. Seems like all of this is done

for his favor and for his benefit.

But let me say this, just because an ambition is good, it

does not permit us to use, sinful means to get there.

Just because the end might be good, it will never justify sin

to obtain it. Never forget this no matter how

profitable something is. No matter how much good you

think that you can promote, and accomplish if you get there, if

it is not done. According to God's ways, you

will not have God's ultimate blessing on it.

Is this not true among Believers?

How many Believers are constantly tempted with a less

costly way of doing something? How many Believers are tempted

to shortcuts in life and those shortcuts are sin?

Sinful ways of arriving somewhere.

So I think of Christian businessmen.

Who want a quicker way to make money.

And so they will lie, they will cheat.

They might even justify and say I have more to give to the

church if I make more if I have more property and so they

deceive and they write false information and they tell their

employees to not, be honest, how many single Christians can't

imagine living another year being single.

So they'll take a shortcut and they will justify marrying

somebody who's not saved because that's how much they longed for

companionship and for a family. So, so we'll take a shortcut to

arrive to God's desire for them. How many people in lust for

something as holy as a Ministry. Position will manipulate

people's minds and make politics within the church.

So they can poison people because somebody's in the way of

what they want and they want to do it.

Apparently, in the name of God, do you see Do you see how this

temptation is very relevant to many people's lives today?

Temptation is much more desirable when it offers a

shortcut to things. When it can bring things.

Now when it could bring things quicker, when there's more

fulfillment that can be known. And yet I will tell you this

that a Spirit-filled Christian will be much more satisfied and

knowing that they are pleasing God.

Even though there is a delay on whatever blessing they are

hoping for So now David has a mountain.

Of Temptations on his shoulders. Apparently you have God's name,

invoked in it, you have your friends telling you to do it and

now you have even your personal interest freedom from suffering,

you can now govern, you can be king, you can see, God's will

performed and you're thinking, what is he going to do?

And with suspense in our hearts, as we're reading it, David

doesn't answer them at all and with the Assassin abilities that

he As a mighty warrior as saw, there is taking care of his

personal business. Most likely facing away from

David and his men. He stopped, Ali comes to this

King. And like any King in that day

would have a long robe that would symbolize their Authority.

David pulls out his dagger and the men behind watching from the

womb of that cave or probably celebrating inwardly.

Like this is it man we're getting out of this thing.

I'm getting one room in the palace.

I'm getting that and there they're just here it is.

He pulls out that dagger he approaches saw saw has no clue.

He's probably whistling himself to his death in a moment.

And as he lifts up his hand, men are thinking, maybe he's going

to go right for the jugular, he brings it low and he cuts a

piece of fabric. Off of Saul's rope.

And he back, pedals into the shadows of that cave.

And then we read verse 5. And afterward.

David's heart, struck him. Because he had cut off a corner

of saws rope. So, David Cuts, just a piece.

I wonder if it was the color red.

He had a piece of the robe in his hand.

And he comes back to his men and I don't know what the response

of the men were like, probably like, what are you doing?

Get back there and kill him. And we're about to find out,

maybe there were like, I'm gonna do it myself because it says

that he restrains them. In that moment, David wasn't

concerned about anything else other than his conscience.

His heart struck him. That word struck is a very

powerful word. It's the same word that is used

in Exodus to 12, where Moses saw, an Egyptian mistreating, a

Jewish slave and he looked around to see if there is

anybody watching and he slew That Egyptian Soldier and he

buried them, it's the same word for kill.

His heart was smitten, it was stricken it exploded with

conviction, imagine that just for cutting a piece of Saul's

robe. What would have become of the

man? If you actually killed Saul, I

read this verse verse 5 first, Samuel chapter 22, 24 verse 5,

many years ago and it has greatly impacted.

My walk with the Lord, particularly in my fight against

sin. Why?

Because what you have here is a man with a very, very sensitive

conscience. I mean David is proving much

already. He has proven that he will not

get to the throne knowing that I got here because I killed Saul,

he subtle with himself. If I'm going to go where God

tells me, I'm gonna go, God's gonna have to do it.

Secondly, we learned that this man did not have bitterness

against Saul when he had the opportunity to do more harm to

the one who is creating much misery in his life.

He did not take vengeance. But more than that, more than

that. More than that.

This man here, it's incredible. The purity of his soul is on

Full display here. He could not handle the fact

that he actually, he actually did something to him those so

insignificant and small. and here's the point that I want to

make, This is a great thing to have in life.

It is a great thing to feel great pain, for small sins.

Listen, God has instituted many restraints and creation.

He has provided institutions and he has even provided an inner

faculty. It's called a conscience.

And what a conscience does is that it accuses you when you do

wrong and it rewards you, when you do write it celebrates, when

you are walking righteously. And it condemns you, when you

are doing something that is, contrary to the sense of

morality that God is established in the universe.

And here's the thing. That restraint that God has put

in every single human being by the way.

What is that? By the way, what is that?

How do humans have that I often? Say?

Those who believe that? They've come from animals.

Don't you ever wonder how monkeys don't have a Judicial

System? Humans do.

Do cats and dogs have a prison system humans do.

There is something that we've been wired with.

That knows right from wrong and people are trying to explain it

away and for a reason schools are trying to teach the media is

trying to do something with man's conscience.

Have you noticed they are trying to blur as much as possible this

concept of right and wrong. They want to eliminate this,

this idea which is God's doing that.

There is objective morality in the world.

And so, what's happening here is that the enemy wants to wants to

silence people's consciences? Because that is one of God's

restraints in society when you silence people's consciences

evil, becomes more accessible. And people are more willing to

sin without hesitation or a second thought.

So there's no right and wrong. Hey, if your shirt is black and

you want it to be green, let it be green.

Hey if it feels good, do it. If if you want it you can have

it. What is that?

That is training the conscience to not listen to the voice.

That says this is wrong. This is right.

And I want to show you how that is the case I want to show you

how this conscience that God has given every man, you can either

train it to become more sensitive and that preserves you

for much trouble or you can. So damaged it That's in.

Is a reality in your life. As breathing is go to.

First Timothy, I want you to see this.

In chapter 4. Here's what the scripture says

in verse 12 1st Timothy 4 verse 1.

Now the spirit expressly says that in later times some will

depart from the Faith by devoting themselves to

deceitful, spirits and teachings of demons through the

insincerity of liars, whose consciences are seared.

Notice the equation here, Paul, by the spirit is warning that in

the last days you're going to have more and more people

teaching, things contrary to the Bible or twisting the Bible.

It's going to become more and more Uncommon and here's the

cause how is it that you're going to have people behind

pulpits? How is it that you going to

people in popular TV shows and podcasts teaching others demonic

things the cause is here? Their consciences are seared.

Meaning it's burned and just like how if you burn your nerve

endings? Severely enough you lose

sensation in them. What Paul is saying here is that

these men have so callous, their souls, that they have no issue,

spewing lies, it doesn't bother them or keep them awake at

night. One bit, So how could they lie

in a way that would damn people? Well, it started with the fact

that they've silenced their conscience, They have sold

burned. Their inner alarm system that

they are capable of doing this knowing that it can destroy

people. And that is a dangerous thing

when you no longer able to feel guilt, shame, hesitation

discomfort, fear, a healthy fear regret, especially those who are

outside of Christ. I'll get to the how we should

feel outside inside of Christ. But when man, fails to feel

these things, Sin will become more rampant.

Devious schemes will become more.

Common people will be destroyed. and so one of Satan's strategies

as we're seeing them full display is to make sure that

this thing that restrains man from going too far, Would be

muted as much as possible. It's the same idea as pain pain,

physically is good. Is good. because when I put my

hand on top of a heated stove, it's pain that goes, ah, and we

can liken that to the conscience when a conscience is sensitive

and it's doing something right, it promotes you to retract and

from continuing in that sin But my question is this, how does a

man come to the point where they see her their conscience?

How does it may come to a point where they so burn up that part

of their inner faculty? That there are willing to live

in sin to their own self-destruction and the

destruction of others, isn't it? Relieving to know that the

answer is found in the same book.

Go to chapter 12, First Timothy, and verse 19.

There's a little phrase that we might Overlook first Samuel 119,

and here's what we're told. Holding faith and a good

conscience by rejecting this. Some have made shipwreck of

their faith. Rejecting, what?

Not just the faith, but a good conscience.

The word rejecting means to repel.

It means to push away. It means to continually reject.

T'. What we are being told here is

that the way a person arrives to a seared conscience is they

weren't born that way. Though, they might have

developed early on, they've learned to ignore it.

So this is what happens, you ready?

And it could be possible that somebody listening today is in

the very process of what I'm about to describe.

You do it the first time and you feel intense guilt.

You lose sleep that night. You can't believe that you've

brought yourself to do such a thing.

There's no repentance, not least heartfelt repentance.

So you do it again and you still, you still feel that Rush

of disgust of embarrassment, Maybe.

And your conscience tells you don't you ever do that again.

You do it again, the fourth time, the tenth time, and that

voice that was trying to negotiate with you before doing,

it is getting quieter and quieter and that feeling of

disturbance. It's like a whisper now.

And now for something you find yourself, not only in it, but

doing things that you never thought you would do watching

things, you thought you never watch handling things.

The way you never thought you would handle it.

And how a person arrives there is that they have trained to

ignore their conscience. and it can come to a point where it

becomes so insensitive that the feeling is gone, And that's why

you can have people who kill. they're serial murders and it's

like, And then you watch him in interviews and you think they

look. So they talk normal.

They look like a guy that would live down my street.

Yeah, they have seared their conscience though.

And that's why there are people who are liars and they don't

even realize that they're like sometimes there's there's

there's so they're so used to doing that and ignoring it.

And perhaps, they've even thought themselves, I've gotten

away with it, I've gotten much from it, I've made much great

moves because of it and so now they lie.

They don't even realize they're lying is just like them talking,

what happened? They've seared their conscience.

By rejecting this. Look at the result.

They have made shipwreck like a boat crashing into rocks.

Is what happened to their relationship with the Lord?

By rejecting, not just their faith, but their conscience and

I read that I go. Well, now I know how to silence

my conscious, but that's not my concern.

That's not my concern. My concern is, how can I make it

sensitive? My desire is I want to be like

David and that's what I was alluding to earlier.

I read this many years ago and I thought to myself, I want that

Lord, I so want my soul to be in tune with you, because remember,

the robe symbolize saws Authority, and in David's, Mind

by cutting a piece of the robe, he assaulted to a degree saws

Authority, How do I get there? How do I arrive there?

How do I keep it tender? How do I keep it soft?

How do I keep it in tune with God?

How do I keep it from taking me places that I don't want to go

go back to 1st Samuel, 24, and you'll find out.

It's in verse 6 of first Samuel, 24.

He said to his men being David. The Lord forbid that I should do

this thing to my Lord, the Lord's anointed to put up my

hand against them seeing. He is the Lord's anointed.

Is there a name that's repeated there?

Three times. Yahweh is mentioned in one verse

when he says my Lord concerning Saul, it's not the same name.

That's just a title Master, three times.

David looks at his men in that cave, says God.

God. God God.

He knew what God's word said about unjust killing and he knew

God's Will. And he knew that God's will up

to this point is that saw was the appointed Authority. and so

in his mind, what face this mountainous layers of

Temptation, Was God's word, God's word, God's will the Lord,

the Lord? The Lord.

I didn't tell Daniel was going to Pastor Daniel was going to

reference this verse but he read in the beginning of the service

I was thinking to myself. Is there a Psalm though?

We don't know a song for this chapter but is there something

that David had said where he can he can show us that it was

really God's word that prevented from doing certain things and it

was in Psalm 17 listen to this. Psalm 17 the half of it verse 4

David says by the word of your lips, I have avoided the ways of

the It. By the words of your lips, I

have avoided the way of islands because I knew your word.

I didn't kill Saul. And I didn't listen to the 600

who are telling me to kill Saul. How do you keep a conscience

soft, you saturated with the word of God?

You wash it with the word of God.

You don't just memorize it. You believe it.

You let your life be governed by it.

You're convinced that this is your rule of life that this is

your Authority. That this word is the determiner

of not just your decisions for big things but even the way you

react to the evil of others, like salta David, You know what?

I think that this is convicting to me.

You know what? I think of that cutting of the

robe. Can be referenced to in our

context like speaking ill of somebody.

A trying to ruin the reputation, whatever it may be, it might not

be, might not be me, hitting them with my fist.

But with my words, And yet, David in a sense, felt

conviction for such a small thing.

But how because he was so consumed with the word of God,

That when sins suggested itself it had to deal with layers of

revelation of who God is. And what I love about this

moment is that we don't just learn how the word of God keeps

our conscience sensitive. But listen to this, it's so

powerful that it can awaken the consciences of others.

Look at verse 7. So David persuaded his men with

these words and did not permit them to attack Saul.

What a contrast to Saul and his men when Saul's men with the

amalekites says, you know, we can, we can take some of this

and make great sacrifices. He believed them and he did it.

He listened, he listened to his men and yet David finds itself

in the same situation where the men, his followers are trying to

tell him to do something and yet he preaches to his men.

What a man of God are wish I was in that cave.

I wish I was a fly on that wall to see David Whispering this.

Sermon to his men while Saul is out there.

Relieving himself in the same room, he's going God, God put

him there and God will not. Let me kill him and God and God

and he's preaching the word. And what happens?

Now, their conscience is awake. Like all he's right.

That's the power of God's word and may I remind you that is why

Satan and America has trying to take God's word out of all that

we do in life. You think getting God's word

being removed from schools? You think prayer removed from

schools is just a list separation of church and state.

You think that's the issue? No.

It's that we don't want children growing up with an awareness of

God's holy law. And now we're in the day where

we don't just have the absence of God's word, we have the

promotion of insanity That's what's happening.

Because even a knowledge of God's word even.

And so I don't know if all states do it you have to swear

on this book. Why?

Because the presence of God's word provides a sense of an

Awakening to the conscience. So let's get rid of the Bible,

get rid of the Ten Commandments get rid of prayer.

Let's try to remove God as much as possible because here's the

spiritual strategy, remove God, and the conscience becomes more

susceptible to being seared. But we're Americans.

So we're very smart. So what do we do?

We put the Bible in prisons. And let their Consciousness be

awakened. After the fact that they've done

the crime. What do you put in the schools

for? So they don't have to read it in

prison. And so we see here, the power of

God's word that even the name of the Lord was invoked in a right

way. And six hundred men were

stopped, were restrained from doing something that would have

been evil. And we can applaud David for

many things and I'll play this David then ago.

Well, Brothers, I can't kill Saul.

I can't do it. I can't kill saw, but let you

didn't play that game. He didn't play that game.

He feared God. Here's what's so encouraging

about this? We often think of David being a

faithful man when he faced Goliath and killed him.

How many people considered David as a faithful man?

When he faced salt and didn't kill him?

When we think of David as the hero of faith, we think about

the one who stood out among all the Israelites and all the

armies of Israel and he killed Goliath.

What about what about the faith that he had, when he had an

opportunity to get to the throne?

But he chose not to kill Saul and left him into God's hand.

We learned back in chapter 17. that God's Providence, LED David

precisely to be on the battlefield at the right time to

hear two Goliath's taunts and to make himself available to go to

war with Goliath and deliver Israel is God's Providence, any

different here Saul having to use the bathroom and the exact

cave where the men were hiding in.

And now a new test presented itself for David.

What are you going to do? Brothers and sisters, the test

of your understanding of God's word is not going to come and

Bible trivia. It's not, it's going to come in

real life. Going to come in real life.

And our knowledge, or at least our trust in God's word.

God is such a, wonderful teacher and discipler.

He will put you in situations. Never in a situation to be

tempted beyond what you can bear never in a situation to prepare

you to fail, never in a situation to tempt you to sin.

But in life, he puts us in moments.

And he brings us two seasons left to see how much do you

really believe me? How much do you really want to

apply this to your life? There's some things you want to

apply it for and other things. Not David didn't do that David,

anything to himself when it came to Glide from me killing.

Yeah, I can trust God for that but for this, thank you God.

I'll handle it myself. He didn't do that.

He trusted God all across and all season, and this test David

past. David past.

And then make a final note before we pray about how the

Believers should deal with their conscience.

Walking With Jesus, When a sinner is conscience is

sensitive, it has the same purpose.

For the saint whose conscience is awakened because of his sin,

they might have committed, both ends are the same, you run to

Jesus. You run to Jesus.

The conscience given to man is a general Grace to make life

livable. So that even if a person does

not come to Jesus, that conscience can be loud enough to

hold them back from creating chaos, in the home and family

and in the streets, and in school at work.

But the ultimate goal is, for the people to come to Christ and

that's where the gospel Comes. The Gospel is good news, it

heals, it invites people to know a guilt-free conscience and to

have the burden of sin, roll off of them believer, although we

want to have a sensitive conscience.

We also want to have an awareness of the mercy of Jesus

Christ. That when I do wrong, when I do

something. I know I wasn't supposed to do.

Yes, you want a sensitive conscience, you don't want to

ignore it, but you also don't want to sit in your guilt.

That's not God's will either. God's will is for you to come

with your dirty feet to sit at his table and let him wash it.

That's what he wants to do. So I want the most sensitive

conscious possible, and let me also say this, there is a

difference between a sensitive conscience and our oversensitive

conscience. Let me just make that clear

because you have people who are guilty about just about

anything, they do that. They think that, if it's in, if

it's sin and there are sins with different magnitude of

consequence, and what we want is even for the smallest sins, we

want to feel that sensitivity because listen, when we ignore

smaller sin, We tend to then ignore bigger ones but I'm not

talking about something that's not in the word.

I'm not talking about something that's outrageous and not

realistic. I'm talking about something that

we should feel pain for so that it can keep us from doing more

damage to ourselves and others. Let me wrap this up before I

continue. What's your conscience telling

you tonight? Maybe, I don't know.

There's a new person here, every week, at least one new person,

Friday, or Sunday. So, I don't know what your

conscience is telling you, are you ignoring it?

Are you ignoring it? And I can tell you this, if you

know that you are not in Jesus Christ and you know that you're

in sin, you know that your uncompromising, you're still

ignoring it. Here is God's way of trying to

awaken it again. But if you walk out of here, I

can tell you confidently that you're just going to sear it a

little bit more than you did before you walked in.

So come to Christ and surrender. And no, something that nothing

else can offer you in this life and that is a liberty to your

conscience. There's nothing that feels

better than to know that you're forgiven, nothing, nothing

compared to it. Nothing can compare to knowing

that you've been reconciled to God and you have peace with God,

nothing. Believer.

What's your conscience telling you have you been have?

You been doing what these men have been doing with God's word,

twisting? It adding to it subtracting from

it, to try to justify something, for your personal gain.

It's not worth it. Because you're his child and

guess what? You're not going to get away

with it. I've seen God's children trying

to run and do something outside of God's Will, and God is a good

good father. He will discipline that's not

going to be in that famous song. Good good.

Father a good good father. Yeah he'll discipline you.

He's a good good father. And so you're not going to get

away with it either and you're just listen, save yourself from

the trouble of same. Your sit save yourself from the

shame. Save yourself from the save

yourself and just respond to the word of God as it is been given.

And you will know life and peace and whatever that sin is trying

to convince you with it's a lie. It's a lie, take it from a

brother who loves you, who cares for you?

Isn't Bible study amazing. I study this by myself and I get

excited and I'm glad that you love God's word as well but

let's apply and ask God to help us apply.

Amen. Let's pray.

Lord your word amazes us. It moves us.

To the core, it moves us. What wisdom, what treasure?

What jewels, what life. That in seven verses, you can

change us so dramatically. Oh Lord.

We are we are amazed that you What a wonderful God.

You are what an amazing text for us tonight.

And Lord. We hear what you're saying in

these verses? Oh God.

Make us tender in our conscience.

What a man of God David was in this moment.

O, Lord may we reflect that posture of heart when it comes

to sin that even a sliver of wrong would cause great turmoil

within Not so that we can live feeling that we are not accepted

by you, not so that we can think that we are condemned but oh

Lord to know that we have broken your heart.

It's a know that we've done something that doesn't represent

the Lord. That we said we would serve and

follow. and so Lord by the spirit of God, through the word

of God, may you tenderize our hearts, We are attracted to what

David displayed before us. We are not, we are not afraid of

that. Lord, we long for it, but Lord

also protect us from a misunderstanding of these

things. And so father, we just praise

you, we praise you that and this in this moment as a family,

we've feasted on your word, we sat at your table and you have

not left us hungry and God. We worship you.

We worship you. And Thanksgiving for your

provision for our spiritual nourishment in this place in

Jesus name, we pray. Amen, and amen.

Why don't we with joy in our hearts?

Thank God for his word and celebrate.

His goodness. Hey man, can you stand with me?