The Bend of the Story — 1 Samuel 30–31

You're listening to the Bridgetown Church Podcast with

Pastor Casey Kendall, where our vision is Jesus, our mission is

people, and our cause is love. Thanks for tuning in.

Let's dive in. First Samuel chapter 31, the

1 Samuel 31 · chapter mention

title of the series has been heart.

We've been dealing with the heart of the matter, which is

the matter of the heart of the title of this message.

If you're sitting next to someone, this is the bend of the

story. The bend of the story.

Notice this for Samuel chapter 31.

We're just going to look at verse 6 and we're going to end

here. Pray and go into worship now.

I'm just kidding. That would be a very dark verse

to end. So Saul, his three sons, his

armor bearer, and all his men died together that same day.

Can you read this with me again in your Bible?

So Saul, his three sons, his armor bearer, and all his men

died together that same day. What a great Christmas message.

I just want to read this verse one more time.

So Saul, his three sons, his armor bearer, and all his men

died together that same day. If we were just to end here,

it'd be very dark and dreary story.

But I want to talk to you today. If you have someone sitting next

to you, just say neighbor, my neighbor.

This is the bend of the story. Yep, this is the bend of the

story. It was an amazing Marvel movie.

We go on Tuesday nights. If you ever want a cheat code

for going to the movies, it's used to be 5 bucks, but now it's

$8 on Tuesday nights at AMC. So I was taking most of my

children to see Spider Man and it was spectacular.

No one on the movie knew who he was except us.

We knew who the real Spider Man was, and it was something of a

movie where we laughed, we cried, we cheered, we all

rallied together for Spider Man. And guess what the ending was?

He caught the villain. He got the villain.

All of the sudden the credits popped up on the screen with the

music in the background. Names and what they did were

spreckled across all of the theater.

And we, as the credits came up, we got up and we left.

As I went home, one of my boys said, Dad, did you stay for the

end of the movie? I said yes, we stayed for the

end of the movie. The credits hit, the story was

done and we left the theater. He said no, Dad, did you stay

for the end of the story? I said, what do you mean?

He said the the story after the credits were over, did you wait?

I said no, the movie was already done.

He said, Dad, that wasn't the end of the story.

That was just the the bend of the story.

Then that was for us, the bend. There was more to be told.

If we would have waited a little bit longer, the bend of the

story, then there was more to see.

If we would have endured through who actually got the credit.

That's the bend of the story. We would have been better

prepared for what was next in Marvel world if we weren't so

panicked to exit out of that building.

That was the bend of the story, and could it be what you thought

was the end of your story today was actually just the bend in

your story today? Could it be for you and for me

that the temptation is that we begin to see the struggle as the

final scene in our life? We actually begin to take the

pain that we are in as if God has used His pin as the final

page of our life, the story in our life.

Often times when we are in this place that seems dark and it

seems like it is the end, we whisper to ourselves the lie

that we can't do this anymore and we fail to realize that

Jesus our Lord is still writing our story.

The bend of the story. The marriage that you fought

for, the relationships that you've actually longed for.

The bend of the story of the person that you're hurting for,

the job that you sought for. The bend of the story.

The plans you have made for yourself but haven't come to

pass. Could that be not the end of

your story? But maybe it's just the bend of

your story. All throughout Scripture it is

given to us the story the theological preference and

proximity that Jesus Christ in Philippians chapter one verse 6

that he who began a good work in you is faithful to complete it

until the day of Christ Jesus. All throughout Scripture from

the book of Revel Genesis into the Book of Revelation, we start

in a garden and God ends creating a garden.

What we thought was the end of death was actually just the bend

in the story. When we see this in Joseph's

life, Joseph was thrown into the pit, but that was just the bend

of the story. We we see this in Moses.

Moses was sent to the desert, but that wasn't the end of his

story. That was just the bend in his

story. We see this with Esther in the

palace and it looks like Haman will wipe out all of the Jews.

And that is not the end of Esther's story.

That is just the bend of the story.

We see this in Elijah in a cave where he is now depressed and

facing emotional distressing feelings.

That wasn't the end of Elijah's story.

That was just the bend. In Elijah's story, we see

Jeremiah throwing into a cistern.

That wasn't the end of Jeremiah. That was just the bend of the

story. We see Jesus, our Lord, our

Savior, hanging on a cross. That wasn't the end of the

story. Although he cried out, it is

finished. He wasn't finished and he lives

to make intercession for you and I.

He is faithful to do what he is called to do.

And this is something that we have to understand.

Although we come to the end of First Samuel, I want you to get

something profound. I want you to take this

theologically with you. Are you ready?

First Samuel is followed by Second Samuel.

That was deep. First Samuel is followed by

Second Samuel. First Samuel is not the end of

the story, it's just the bend in the story.

Chapter 31 bleeds into Second Samuel chapter 1.

2 Samuel 1 · chapter mention

But if we were just to take this one last chapter, we would see

it as something that is drastically dark.

Saw dies Saul's three sons die in that three sons is David's

best friend by the name of Jonathan.

Not only does Saul die in for Samuel 31 verse 6, but we also

see that the Philistines get this cut his head off, strip him

of his armor and they decorate their wall with his lifeless

body. That is a very dark ending to

the story. We we shall see ourselves that

we, if we stop here, we're going to sell ourselves short.

So we don't stop here. And I love what one author

writes. They said these words, breathe.

This is a chapter, not the finished book.

And I want to challenge you this morning in your life to breathe,

to breathe in your relationships.

It's not the end of your story. It's just a chapter in the book.

I want you to breathe at the job you're at.

It's not the end of your story. It's just a chapter of the

story. I want you to breathe.

When you go into Christmas time and you can't find a parking

spot at the mall or at Walmart or at Hobby Lobby or at Target,

breathe. It's not the end of the story.

It's just the bend in the story. Listen, please.

I think it's important that every single one of us breathe

in grace and exhale some mercy. And I think we need to

understand that God is faithful to meet you in the bend of your

story. And I always want to backtrack a

little bit. If you're at my age, I want to

hit the VCR and I just want to hit stop real quick.

And I want to hit rewind because I want you to see that God's

bend of your story could be at the lowest point.

It could be at your transforming point, or it could be at the

ending point of your story. And I want you to get this out

of David's life because God meets him in every situation.

So if you would just rewind with me into the story of David back

in Chapter 30, you remember last week we had discussed that David

had gone back to Ziklag, forced by the Philistines to leave.

And he goes back into Ziklag and he realizes that from there his

family and all the families, all the children have been

kidnapped. Now what would you do as a

parent if your children were being held hostage by the enemy?

This is what the Bible says David did, and notice what it

says in verse 4 of chapter 30. Then David and the people who

were with him lifted up their voices and wept until they had

no power to weep. Then this is the lowest point in

David's life at this point in time, that this is a point where

everyone's been kidnapped, mostly everything has been

taken. And David, along with all the

people who were with them, they lifted up their voices and they

did two things. They wept, the Bible says, until

they had no more power to weep. Now, I don't know if you've ever

cried so much that you stopped crying because you were crying

so much. This is validity through

Scripture that it is OK to express your emotion, but you

don't have to be led by your emotion.

Sometimes in Christianity we get the perspective that the best

thing you could do and the most blessed thing that you could do

is to bury how you're feeling. Don't bury it, bring it and then

let God lead you in it. That was a good spot for an

Amen. Now notice this.

The Bible says that they lifted up their voices and they

actually wept. They cried out.

This, this was the point of of mourning, of moaning, of

sobbing. This is it.

If we were to get a little bit more graphic, this is you're

crying so hard that you can't stop the snot from coming out of

your nose. It is you look like messy as you

are mourning. This is the spot that David's AT

and he's crying out with all of these people.

But it gets worse for David. Notice this.

The Bible tells us in verse 6, then David was greatly

distressed. So he's weeping with people.

He weeps so much that he cannot weep anymore.

And then the Bible says it. David was greatly distressed.

The word greatly there in your Bible means abundantly.

He has an abundance of what? Notice the Bible says

distressing emotion. The word distress there in the

Bible means afflicted and frustrated.

David's crying to the point he can't cry anymore and he's

abundantly afflicted and frustrated.

Anyone ever felt like that? David's plans aren't matching

David's path at this point in time.

And the Bible says for the speak people spoke of stoning him.

Let's get a little bit deeper. Davidde lowest point.

Now David comes to a point in his life.

Now everyone is against him. Once they're all mourning

together. Now they're fighting against

them and they want to get rid of David.

Now notice what happens in David's story.

The Bible tells us that the people wanted to stone him

because the soul of all the people were noticed this they

were grieved and then the Bible says every man for his sons and

his daughters, but David strengthened himself in the

Lord. Now check this out if you would.

The lowest point, David's weeping to the point he can't

don't weep anymore. Then he's greatly distressed.

Then people are speaking about his death.

Merry Christmas David, this is a horrible season of David's life.

Notice this David was now facing that the Amalekites had stolen

the wives and the sons and the daughters.

The Amalekites had kidnapped their family and it as everybody

is mourning. Notice this.

This chapter in David's life could have left David resentful,

angry, cynical, due to this experience of disappointment.

This is so low that notice this in David's life.

This negative outlook normally could have led to the difficulty

of forgiving, led to holding grudges, and LED David to only

seeing the negative side of the situations in his life.

And here's the problem with the low points is that it creates

lemon people. Low points have the possibility

to create lemon people. They just become completely sour

and you probably have met them in your life.

I'm sure no one in here is one of them.

No one has faced so much in their life that it has left you

sour. But maybe you have met someone

who has gone through their lowest point and they have

become this lemon person. I mean, everything about their

life is they've had a bad experience.

And now because the bad experience, they leave a bad

taste in everyone's mouth wherever they go.

I wonder no one probably here the married couple who is

struggling, the married couple who is struggling.

Your lowest point of your marriage because marriages

aren't always on high notes. That was a good spot for an

Amen. Marriages have low points, but

sometimes in those low points, married couples become lemon

people. This is how we become lemon

people. Listen, you speak to singles

around you. Oh, you just wait till you get

married like it's payment and punishment.

Or maybe it's this. You thought being a single was a

struggle. Wait till you get married.

And this is how married couples become lemon people is they get

the engagement ring, they find the wedding ring, and then they

face the suffering and they live in the suffering of a struggling

marriage. Have you ever met a single

person who's a lemon person? You ever meet a single person or

maybe someone who's just been dating, not not for like a

month, but maybe like a year. A single person who becomes a

lemon person normally says things that would go like this.

God, you promised, but you're not providing.

Relationships, you might say are too much work.

I'd rather have my freedom. Have you ever faced a someone

who is sour at their job? That's a good spot for the

church to respond. You ever you ever met a lemon

person at their job? This is the job they prayed for.

This is the job they asked for of the Lord.

And this is what a lemon person does.

They make me work so much. This is what you actually prayed

for. Your answered prayer is now your

complaint to God. You ever faced a lemon person at

church? Not here.

This is normally what happens not at Bridgetown, but at other

churches. The pastor isn't meeting my

needs anymore. How about this one?

I've heard this one a lot. I'm not being spiritually fed

here. The worship Why would we ever

have a violin? Why would we bring in drums?

Why, why why do we even have carpets?

Casey? Why are we still in this

building? Why do we have to set up and

tear down every Sunday? At the lowest point?

There is a danger of staying somewhere and you park where

it's just simply become the pathway of your life.

Here's here's the here's the problem.

We park in the pain rather than drive through the process.

Here's here's the problem. We park in the pain rather than

driving through the process. You weren't supposed to pitch

your tent there. You were supposed to keep moving

there. You weren't supposed to just

park in the pain there. But but now what happens in life

is the lowest point becomes my only point in life at your

lowest point. It is the bend in your story,

not the end of your story. Listen to what God allowed for

David in the context of the Scripture.

God allowed David to feel mourning, grieving, affliction,

frustration, threats. But what he allows does not mean

it's the final authority over Davidde life.

And I think it's important that we understand that because all

of us are facing things in our lives and experiences in our

lives that David going into Ziklag, you didn't expect it to

happen like that. You didn't expect for it to look

like that. But what happens is it is the

low points have the potential to make you believe that you are

behind in life and God is not really building your life

anymore. But I want to encourage you

today, if I could, to do some things if you find yourself at

the low, lowest point, or maybe write these down because at some

point in your life you will find yourself at your lowest point.

And that is this. Can you just write these things

down if you're at your lowest point?

It's the bend of your story. So write this down.

Focus on the now. Focus on the now.

Focus on the now. God's Word to you is not a

spotlight into the future necessarily.

It's a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your path.

Focus on the now. Concentrate on your current

God-given goals and the very next thing that God asked you to

do rather than on the lost time that you've experienced.

Philippians chapter 3, verse 14. Just as a side note, you can

Philippians 3:14

write that down. Can can you write this down?

Also, if you're at the lowest point of your life, learn from

the past. Someone once said the only thing

that we've learned from history is that we really haven't

learned from our history. Learn from your past.

Next time, David, don't go to the land of the enemy of the

Philistines. Next time, stay in Israel.

Next time, don't pitch your tent and get comfortable in a place

that you do not belong. Don't go back to the enemy's

camp. Just because it's familiar, it

doesn't mean that it's free. Learn from your past that the

drugs didn't really satisfy you, that the relationship that you

got into outside of Jesus really didn't meet the needs that you

thought it would mean. Learn from the past that the the

the situation you are facing maybe at your job is not

necessarily because there are bad people, but maybe you made

some bad decisions. Learn from the past David.

Don't go with the Philistines anymore and thinking that

budding up with the enemy means that they won't steal something

from your family. Listen, I want us to learn from

our past. If you would just write this

down, do the next thing, do the next thing, do the next thing.

I had a friend I was meeting with on Friday.

He looked at me and he said, Casey, He said, what does

obedience look like in this moment for you?

And I want to ask you the same question today.

What does obedience look like for you in this moment?

Obey the word of God. Obey the word of God.

Can I just say it again? Obey the word of God.

If you're at your lowest point, I want you to focus on now.

I want you to learn from the past.

I want you to do the next thing and obey what God tells you to

do. This is what David does.

His lowest point turns into his turning point.

No notice this if you would that the Bible says that David found

himself in verse 6. David strengthened himself in

the Lord. Excuse me, his God.

David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.

Notice some versions say that David found his strength in the

Lord his God. Other versions say that David

encouraged himself in the Lord his God.

Notice the turning point, if you would, for David's life is at

the bend of his story. So not just your lowest point,

but your turning point in your life.

The bend of the story is David did not stay, he stepped out and

he owned not just just mourned about his situation and he takes

responsibility and accountability for himself.

Notice this, he doesn't blame, he actually brings himself to

God in this situation. And as he brings himself to God,

he takes initiative in the Lord and this is what he does.

He encourages himself in the Lord.

Then the Bible says that he in verse 8, David inquired of the

Lord, he encourages himself self in the Lord.

Then he inquires of the Lord and he went for the Lord and then he

recovered for the Lord and then he moved closer to his family

because he was willing not to stay in the place of weeping and

mourning. He actually got up and he moved

forward towards the Lord. This is what I want to encourage

you to do today. If you're taking note, stop

waiting for people to turn your life around.

Stop waiting for people to turn your life around.

This is for you at this point in time that we encourage ourselves

in the Lord. The Lord strengthens and the

Lord transforms his people and it's all part of the story.

But you're responsible for your own part in the story.

You're responsible for your own part in the story.

I love that David was not a victim to what he had been taken

from. David did not live with this

victim mentality. There are a lot of people that

are getting involved in the Victim Olympics.

They live in this victimhood mindset.

Can I just define that for you really quick?

If you have a victim mentality, you will see your life entirely

through a perspective that things constantly happen to you.

Victimization is thus a combination of seeing most

things in life as negative, beyond your control, and is

something you should been given sympathy for experiencing as you

deserve better. At its heart, a victim mentality

is actually a way to avoid taking any responsibility for

yourself or your life. By believing you have no power,

then you don't have to take any type of action.

Now there's a difference between a victim mentality and someone

who is a victim. And there's some of you that

you've been a victim to very horrible and hard experiences,

abuse. You've been victim to things

that have happened in your life. There are innocent victims that

it is condemned by God. If you want to read about it in

Zechariah Chapter 7 verses 9 through 10 and in James chapter

Zechariah 7:9–10 James 2:6

2 verse 6, people can be innocent victims, but we can

suffer unjust evil at the hands of others.

But this is what I want you to be aware of, of moving from

being an innocent victim to adopting a victim mentality, the

victim mentality. In the case of other victims, we

should affirm the reality of their suffering, but there is

healing for what has happened and we can, much like David,

move forward in the light of everything that we have faced.

So what does it do when you live in this victim mentality and you

are stuck in a certain spot? Listen, I want you to write this

down. This is important.

The Bible doesn't encourage A victim mentality.

The Bible doesn't encourage it. While the Bible does recognize

reality, see the reality of innocent victims, it stops short

of affirming A victim mentality. We see this in the life of Jesus

himself. If anyone had a right to adopt A

victim mentality, blaming other people for their own unjust

suffering, it was Jesus. And yet, according to Scripture,

Jesus didn't adopt any behavior consistent with a victim

mentality. Instead, in response to his

suffering, he had the mindset of a humble servant.

Listen to this He endured faithfully as he saw the joy

that waited for him on the other side of his resurrection.

And he actively trusted God throughout the ordeal, knowing

there was a purpose behind His suffering.

Furthermore, he lovingly suffered and bled for those who

victimized him. Even in the midst of His

suffering, he prayed the words of forgiveness.

In Luke 23, verse 34, the foremost victim of human

Luke 23:34

history, Jesus never adopted the victim mentality.

Can you write this down? The victim mentality distorts

our view of reality. The victim mentality distorts

the view of reality. The victim mentality distorts

our view of reality. When we adopt A victim

mentality, we tend to see things always through a negative lens.

We magnify the bad things that happened to us and attribute

them exclusively to people and forces outside of our control.

And we lose the perspective of our own reality of our life #3

the victim mentality. It binds us to our own sin, in

our own need of a savior #4A victim mentality will disempower

you, and then it sucks the joy right out of your life.

And then the victim mentality does this.

It damages relationships around you.

So notice what David does. David gets up from where he's

at. He inquires of the Lord.

The Lord says go, and David goes.

He lands himself, finding one of the servants of the Amalekites.

That servant takes David and his men to the Amalekites.

David recovers everything. Would David have recovered

everything if he still sat in the place of being a victim?

He moves forward in this process, and notice what happens

in verse 21 of chapter 30. Now David came to the 200 men

who had been so weary that they could not follow David, whom

they also made to stay at the brook of bazaar.

So they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were

with him. And when David came near the

people, he greeted them. Then all the wicked and

worthless men of those who went with David answered and said,

Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the

spoil that we have recovered, except for every man's wife and

children, that they may lead them away and depart.

But David said, My brethren, you shall not do so with what the

Lord has given us, who has preserved us and delivered into

our hands the troop that came against us.

For who will heed you in this matter?

But as his part is who goes down to the battle, so shall his part

be who stays by the supplies they shall share alike.

And so it was from that day forward he made it a statute in

an ordinance of Israel to this day.

Now when David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the spoil to the

elders of Judah, to his friend, saying, here is a present for

you. From the spoil oil of the of the

enemies of the Lord to those who were in Bethel, those who were

in Ramoth of the South, those who were in Jatar, those who

were in AR, those who were in Sif Moth, those who were in

Eshtimoa, those who were in Rakal, those who were in the

cities of the Jahamalites, those who were in the cities of the

Canaanites and the flashlights and the parasites.

No, that's not in there. Those who were in Horma, those

who were in Core Rashan, those who were in A, those who were in

Hebron, into all the places where David himself and his men

were accustomed to Roe. What happened in David's

transforming place of his life? This place of healing LED David

to a place of generosity. And that's what happens when you

heal at the end you feel is the end of your story.

It's just the bend is God takes what you have been clinching

onto and he calls you to release it.

And he uses what you release to bless others around you.

Notice David's at his lowest point.

No, David is at his transforming point.

But notice this, The bend of the story is even at the ending

point. Look at chapter 31.

So the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of

Israel fled from before the Philistines and fell slain on

Mount Gilboa. Then the Philistines followed

hard after Saul and his sons, and the Philistines killed

Jonathan Abinadab Malkaishua, Saul's sons, heartbroken, weary.

The battle in verse 3 became intense against Saul and The

Archers hit him and he was severely wounded by The Archers.

Saul gets hit by an arrow. Then Saul said to his armor

bearer, Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, lest

these uncircumcised men come and thrust me through and abuse me.

But his armor bearer would not, for he was greatly afraid.

Therefore, Saul took a sword and he fell on it himself.

Let's just end there. Is that horrible?

This is suicide. This is suicide.

Saul gives up his life and ends his own life.

And when his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell

on his sword and died with him. So Saul has three sons, his

armor bearer, and all his men died together that same day.

And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the

valley, and those who were on the other side of the Jordan,

saw that the men of Israel had fled, that Saul and his sons

were dead, they forsook the cities and fled.

And the Philistines came and dwelt in them.

Now the Philistines are inhabiting the same places that

the children of Israel should be living.

So it came to pass the next day that when the Philistines came

to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons

fallen on Mount Gilboa. And they cut off his head and

stripped off his armor, and sent word throughout the land of the

Philistines to proclaim it in the temple of their idols and

among the people. Then they put his armor in the

temple of the Asterisks, and they fastened his body to the

wall of Beth Shan. And when the inhabitants of

Jabesh Ghalid heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,

all the valiant men arose, traveled all night, and they

took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall

of Beth Shen, and they became or they came to Jabesh and burned

them there. And then they took their bones

and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh and

fasted 7 days. What a story, what a story.

But this is where some of you are at today.

They took the bones and they buried them under the tamarisk

tree. All the things you've dreamed

about are dead and now buried. Everything that you hoped for is

now dead and buried. Everything that you would plan

for in this Christmas is dead and buried.

Every hurt that you're harboring is now led to a life that seems

to be dead and buried. Everything that you'd hope for,

for work, seems like it's dead and buried.

But this is not the end of the story.

It's not the end. This is not the end of the

story. If you remember, Saul was the

first king of Israel, but he wasn't the only king in Israel.

You remember it was Saul then. OK, let me read it to you.

King Saul leads into now if we get a little technical, a

Shibasheth David and David bleeds into Solomon.

But this isn't the end of the story.

King Rehoboam, King Abayaham, King ASA, King Jehoshaphat, King

Jehoram, King Azahiah, King Athaliah, King Joash, King Azah,

King Uzziah. You might remember him, the

cousin to the prophet Isaiah, King Jotham, King Ahaz, King

Hezekiah, King Manasseh, King Ammon, King Josiah, King Jehoaz,

King Johiah, Kim, Johiah Chin, and Zedekiah from the tribe of

Judah. But there's another king coming

from the line of Judah. There's another king coming from

the line of Judah. There was another king coming

from the line of Judah. From the tribe of Judah, out

would come one who would rule and reign with a scepter of

righteousness. And although the serpent's head

was crushed and the heel was bruised, out of Judah would come

one who would reign forever more.

You see, this wasn't the end of the story.

This was just the bend in the story.

There's a king who is coming. Greater than David, has a

greater word than the prophets, who is more majestic than the

angels. He is the Word, and the Word

became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory.

The glory is the only begotten from the Father, full of grace

and truth. There's a king who's coming and

you might be looking at in your life just the end of your

situation, but the end of your situation does not mean that the

this is the end of your story. There's a bend, and the bend led

me to rule or to the rule and bending my knee to Jesus Christ,

the King of kings, and he is the Lord of Lords.

So what does all this mean? What does all this mean?

That means this. The story's not over.

Let's validate some things. The story is hard.

Let's kind of validate some things.

You're angry in your story, you're hurt in your story,

you're frustrated in your story, you're still in agony in your

story. But that does not mean that

Jesus does not rule over your story.

And as First Samuel ends in chapter 31, I want to challenge

you on this December the 7th to come and bring all of that to

the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

I want you to come and ask that the Lord would work and your

eyes would be open to see the beauty of Jesus.

Your ears would be attentive to the voice of Jesus, and your

heart would be aligned with the will of Jesus.

He is king. It's not the end of your story.

And can I just speak this over you?

God is not finished with you, He is faithful to you.

We hope you enjoyed this message and we'd love for you to join us

in person every Sunday at 10:30 AM.

For more information and updates, visit

wearebridgetown.com. Thanks for tuning in and we'll

see you next week.