Amen. Father, we thank you for your great faithfulness and your keeping power upon all of us that know you, Lord. Thank you that Every day you bring renewal in this world that's rotting from sin and death. The only light is what you have brought and what you are continually bringing in our growth and enlightenment of your word. We pray that today will be another growth and enlightenment that your word would be illumined in our hearts, that we would see it, that we would hear it, that you would keep us alert. And as the Olympics come to a close, we see how these people train just for a moment, years and years, and then it's over. But this is not what the reality is. In the real reality, we get a crown for eternity. It doesn't just end with a piece of metal, a piece of gold or silver or bronze. They're not even, most of them don't even know you, Father. It's really actually sad. I pray, Father, that you would save, that you would use us to save people. that you would be pleased to use us, that you would bring people to hear your word, and that most of all, that you would help us to, that you would keep us, Father, that you would help us to grow, that we may be a light and not a salt that's lost its saltiness. We thank you, Father, for your faithfulness, because you are the one who makes this possible, because we are not faithful compared to you. Father and we thank you for your steadfastness that you are a rock of Faithfulness in our lives and that you have promised to see you have sealed us with the Holy Spirit You have promised to keep us to the end That we would not shrink back father. There's a temptation to shrink back in times of trial, and I pray you would continue to keep us in Jesus name amen Amen, amen. Well, good afternoon. Our call to worship this afternoon is from Psalm 56. Psalm 56, I'll open by reading verses 3 through 11. Psalm 56. When I am afraid, I will put my trust in you, in God, whose word I praise, in God I trust. I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me? All day long they injure my cause. All their thoughts are against me for evil. They stir up strife. They lurk. They watch my steps. They have waited for my life. For their crime will they escape? In wrath cast down the peoples, O God. You have kept count of my tossings. You have my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book? Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call. This I know, that God is for me. In God whose word I praise, in the Lord whose word I praise, in God I trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?" And Heavenly Father, as we join together in worship, we thank you that in Christ we have a safe refuge of protection, even in the very presence of our enemies. We gather today as a troubled and distressed people from the dealings in this world, but we are nevertheless comforted to have a safe haven among sinners who are saved by grace. Thank you, Lord, for delivering our souls from death, that we might render the sacrifice of praise to you today. Please bless our time together in your presence, in Jesus' name, amen. Amen, brethren, let us stand together and we're going to worship the Lord. Our first hymn, Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah. Afternoon, church. Not that loud today, but I've got a big voice, I'll sing over it. These songs that we picked today, I pray would help us to understand that God has got everything in control and we ought to rest in him through problems. And the sad truth is most of the time we make our own devices on how to get out of situations and problems that we've run through in life. And then in hindsight, we see that God had it all in control anyway. He is our shield. He is our defender. He is the one that we come to. He is our hiding place. So these songs I hope will help us to understand that and to truly walk on that daily. So let's sing, guide me O thou great Jehovah. Thine be, O Thou great Jehovah, pilgrim to this barren land. I am weak, but Thou art mighty, hold me with Thy hand. lead me till I want no more Open thou the crystal fountain, whence the healing stream doth flow. Let the fiery, cloudy pillar lead me all my journey through. Be Thou still my strength and shield. Be Thou still my strength and shield. When I tread the verge of Jordan, bid my anxious fears subside. Death of death and hell's destruction, and we safe on Canaan's side. Songs and praises, songs and praises, I will ever give to Thee. I will ever give to Thee. The Bible to Psalm 96. Psalm 96 could be found on page 434 in the Pew Bible. This psalm is a hymn celebrating how God's kingship over all creation means that all kinds of people should love and worship Him God called Israel to be a vehicle of blessing for all mankind, bringing them knowledge of the true God, and this psalm keeps this mission prominent in the Israelites' view of the world and their role in it. The psalm looks forward to a time when the Lord will come and judge all the peoples with equity. The psalm is more focused on a time in which Gentiles acknowledge the true God and the benefits that this knowledge will bring to all the earth than it is on the final judgment. Psalm 96. Oh, sing to the Lord a new song. Sing to the Lord all the earth. Sing to the Lord. Bless his name. Tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among the peoples. For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised. He is to be feared above all gods, for all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols. But the Lord made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before Him. Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples. Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name. Bring an offering and come into his courts. Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness. Tremble before him, all the earth. Say among the nations, the Lord reigns. Yes, the world is established. It shall never be moved. He will judge the peoples with equity. Let the heavens be glad and let the earth rejoice. Let the sea roar and all that fills it. Let the field exult and everything in it. Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness. Amen. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we praise you and thank you for putting a new song into our hearts and mouths that we may bless your name and declare your glory and your marvelous works with our lips. You are great and greatly to be praised. Oh, Lord, you're filled with splendor and majesty and strength and beauty. And we thank you today because of the new hearts that you have given to your people, that we can give you the glory that is due your name. Lord, though we are seeing this world in the midst of darkness, falling apart around us, we can still proclaim with confidence with the psalmist, the Lord reigns. The world is established and shall never be moved. And Father, we witness all of creation worshiping You, even as the psalmists saw the sea and the field and the trees. We join their mighty chorus and proclaim that You will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in faithfulness. We ask that you use the prayers that are prayed, the word that is preached, the hymns and spiritual songs that are sung to draw your people into your presence today. And as we meet at your table later, that we would celebrate your presence and remember your covenant that you have made with us in Christ. We pray for our brother Sam and those who are leading us in singing that you would empower them. We lift up those that are ministering today in the nursery to our children, our sisters Beatrice and Carol. We pray for our brother David as he translates that you give him a gift to convey the message clearly. We pray for the brethren in the audio-visual booth and all those that are ministering today in security and greeting and the Lord's Supper. All the hands that have made today's worship service possible, we praise and thank you for them, Lord. We pray for other congregations in our area who are preaching the gospel and lift up today Pastor Joe Bobbie and Calvary Community Church in Somerset, that you would uphold and protect their ministry, that you would provide for them according to your riches in glory in Christ. We lift up, according to your word, to pray for our governing leaders. We lift up our president, Joe Biden, and we pray, oh God, that you would have mercy on his soul and save that man before he leaves this earth. We pray for the nations, Lord. We lift up particularly our brethren around the world that are being persecuted today, praying for the small nation in East Africa of Eritrea. We lift up our 400 brothers and sisters in Christ who are in prison today merely because of their Christian profession. We pray for the growing underground churches in that nation, that you would protect them from the totalitarian government. Be a shield for your people, Lord. We pray that you topple that ungodly regime and allow your gospel to be preached freely. We pray, Lord, that you sustain our brethren in that nation and enable them to be lights in the midst of darkness. We lift up our missionaries abroad as well as our local ministry efforts to reach the lost. We pray for Caleb and Melissa Gibello in Papua New Guinea ministering among the Mocha people. We praise you for the progress that Caleb has made in the translation of the Gospel of Mark and the progress on the airstrip. And we pray that that airstrip would be officially approved by the government. We pray for their children. We pray for the people of Mocha, in particular lifting up Miria and Lina for salvation. We pray for Melissa's medical ministry and Operation Newborn. We lift up our church's outreaches this week and pray for the ministry in Hackensack at the abortion mill on Saturday for saved lives and saved souls. We thank you for our brethren who have met this week in our life groups at the Molinaro and Haro homes. We pray for spiritual fruit and lift up this Friday's group at the Chiagoro home. And we thank you, Lord, for the Chiagoro's neighbor, Tom, and pray that you would enable him to understand and grow in the faith. We pray for our upcoming mid-year members meeting, Lord, this week, that you would please direct that, the course of that meeting on Wednesday, and enable us, Lord, give us hearts of praise to thank you for the goodness that you have demonstrated toward us in providing for us this year. We pray that you continue to provide for our congregation, that you would move on all the people in our church to give generously to help prioritize our church and their giving. We pray that you strengthen and bless Pastor Eli even as now he might be still preaching at Risen Savior Church. Please bless that message and we praise you and thank you for Pastors Damian and Johnny and the work that you've been faithful to plant and sustain in North Arlington. Please protect and bless them with your presence and continued growth. We lift up Pastor Ibrahim as he is ministering to his brother in the emergency room. Lord, whatever the details are there, you know, we ask, Lord, for your hand upon him. We continue to pray, Lord, for those who are battling cancer. Our brother, Mike Gresh, sister Louisa, Vicky's brother-in-law, John Olinsky, Lord, for healing and endurance. We pray for those that are sick, our brother Bill Rizzo and any that are home that could not be with us today, and for those who continue, Lord, to mourn the Geary family, the Morgan family, the Dunn family, Lord, and the Rivera family. We lift up those that are traveling this month, our brother Joe Flora, the Zapatas going to Columbia. We pray for traveling mercies and that you would use them and minister them grace on their trip. And we're grateful, Lord, to hear the good report from brother Arun of Ananya's health is better. Lord, have mercy on her soul, Lord God, and please save her. Lastly Lord, we pray for our time together now that you would inhabit our praises that you would save and sanctify a people for your glory in Jesus name we pray Let us stand and sing Psalm 3 Lord thou are a shield for me How are they, Greece, that trouble me? Many are they that rise up against me. Many are they that say, O my soul, there is no help for him in God. But Thou, O Lord, art a shield for me, my glory and the lifter of my head. For Thou, O Lord, art a shield for me, My glory and a lifter of my head. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people Who set themselves against me round about. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people Who set themselves against me round about. I cried unto the Lord with my voice And He heard me out of His holy hill I lay me down and I sweat I wait for the Lord, sustain me, sustain me How are they, these crews that trouble me? Many are they that rise up against me Many are they that say of my soul There is no help for him in God. Put thou, O Lord, on a shield for me, My glory and the lifter of my hand. Put thou, O Lord, on a shield for me, My glory and the lifter of my hand. But Thou, O Lord, art a shield for me, my glory and the lifter of my head. Turn in your Bibles to 1 Samuel chapter 21. It was a joy to get back into the Word of God in 1 Samuel, studying this week and in preparation for this. I missed Samuel and Jonathan and David and all of them, even Saul. 1 Samuel 21. I'm going to begin by reading the first 10 verses, and then we'll pray. 1 Samuel 21, verse 1. Then David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech came to meet David, trembling, and said to him, why are you alone and no one with you? And David said to Ahimelech the priest, the king has charged me with a matter and said to me, let no one know anything of the matter about which I send you and with which I have charged you. I have made an appointment with the young men for such and such a place. Now then, what do you have in hand? Give me five loaves of bread and whatever is here. And the priest answered David, I have no common bread on hand, but there is holy bread, if the young men have kept themselves from women. David answered the priest, truly women have been kept from us. As always, when I go on an expedition, the vessels of the young men are holy. Even when it is an ordinary journey, how much more will their vessels be holy? So the priest gave him the holy bread, and there was no bread but the bread of presence, which is removed before the Lord to be replaced by hot bread on the day it was taken away. Now a certain man of the servant of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord. His name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul's herdsmen. And David said to Ahimelech, Then have you not here a spear or a sword at hand? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste. And the priest said, The sword of Goliath, the Philistine, whom you struck down in the valley of Elah, behold, it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take it. There is none but that here. And David said, There is none like that, give it to me. David rose and fled that day from Saul and went to Achish, the king of Gath. Let's pray. Dear Heavenly Father, we come before you, Lord, as a needy people, people who are dependent upon you for revelation of your Word. We ask your Holy Spirit to enlighten your Word to us, that, Lord, you would use it to sanctify us, conform us to the image of your Son. We pray, Father, that your Holy Spirit would convict us of sin, lead us to repentance, and comfort us in the gospel today. Teach us something about ourselves and something about you, that we may grow in our trust for you when we find ourselves in trials and difficult circumstances. Please bless this word for your glory, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Look again at verse 10, the beginning of verse 10, chapter 21. Those words summarize the events that are going to comprise actually the next few chapters. Verse 10, and David rose and fled that day from Saul. That is really the summary of the next few chapters of this narrative of 1 Samuel. It's this cat-and-mouse story between King Saul's wildly demonic pursuit of God's choice for King David. By way of review, I don't know if you had the opportunity to read chapter 20 again, but I want to go back and just remind ourselves, because it's been a couple of months since we've been in 1 Samuel, of chapter 20 and the things that occurred there. We read in chapter 20 of the close covenant friendship. between David and Saul's son, Jonathan. We saw the contrast between Saul, the king, and Saul's son, Jonathan. In the person of Jonathan, we discovered a prototype of a disciple of Jesus Christ. And chapter 20 relays this whole account of this story between David and Jonathan. At the beginning of chapter 20, Jonathan is naive to the jealous, murderous nature of his father. But by the end of the chapter, Jonathan is finally fully aware, because he sees the end of his father's spear. He's finally fully aware that his father is intent to murder his friend and rightful king, David. I find Jonathan's, as I was rereading it, thinking about his naivety, I find it honorable. Now, you may disagree with me. But I find it honorable that he's not too quick to assume the worst about his father. He wants to believe the best. He wants to honor his father. The story depicts Jonathan as a pure man, not even David as much as Jonathan. And we learn from Jonathan that his ignorance stems from an uncomplicated view of people and events. He doesn't read into events and people. He believes the best, even about the worst of individuals, he believes the best. And this is, I believe, because of his own pure motives. In Titus 1, verse 15, it tells us of believers, that they believe the best, that believing the best is a mark of a disciple of Christ. It says, to the pure, for Titus 1, verse 15, to the pure, all things are pure. But to defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure. But both their minds and their consciences are defiled. So while we are to be a people, as followers of Jesus, who are wise, and we are to exercise discernment, that does not mean we become like Saul, suspicious people. Now some might view Jonathan's naivety about his father's evil nature as foolish. After all, we've seen the signs, we've seen everything that has gone on with David before this. But God shielded Jonathan in a way. And the text in 1 Samuel, what it does is actually contrast for us Jonathan's pure naivety on the one hand with the crooked, suspicious nature of his father Saul. Saul jumps to the conclusion, right? Untrue. His son is conspiring to take over his throne. His suspicious nature is actually going to drive him, as we're going to see today, to murder innocent Israelites. A suspicious nature, brethren, is associated with a defiled mind and is akin to Satan. Satan is the accuser, remember? And we do Satan's bidding when we are suspicious of everything. Saul is akin to Satan. Saul's conscience is defiled. He is an unbeliever. While Jonathan is the model disciple. Far better, brethren, to be innocent and pure and see all things as pure than to see nothing as pure. In fact, it was David, not Jonathan, that came up with the whole deception to deceive, to lie to his father. In chapter 20, David is the one who acts in shady and duplicitous ways. Jonathan is straightforward in his speech and in his actions. Jonathan is really the tragic hero of this story. He's the one who lays down his life for the sake of God's messianic king. Jonathan, remember, is the one, I know this goes back many months, but he's the one who surrenders house and father and land and inheritance for the sake of submitting to God's king. Just like a disciple of Jesus, we are called to do for him. Remember the story, if you hopefully read it, but the story, I won't go through it again, because it's quite a tale about the shooting of the arrows, and if the arrow goes this far, it means that the father, Saul, is against him. Well, all of that was really less about David knowing that Saul was against him. He already knew that. He had spears chucked at him. It was more about Jonathan knowing. David already knew. But the whole event, the big change in chapter 20 from the beginning to the end, is that Jonathan now knows beyond any shadow of a doubt that his father is a madman and is seeking to murder his friend and God's King. Now interestingly commentator Robert Polzin makes an observation about these chapters 16 to 20. He says that the narrator of the story of 1 Samuel seems to avoid revealing any of the internal motivation of David. It kind of speaks about David's actions without talking about his motivation. We readily read about Saul's thoughts, Saul's intentions, but he notes that in chapter 16 to 20, the narrator gives us nothing about the inner thoughts of David. Why is this? Well, perhaps it's intentional because David is going to become the central hero of this story. He's the clearest foreshadow that we have in the scripture of the Messiah, but he is a human being. And maybe revealing too much about his sinful human motives might taint the future legacy of the reader, perhaps. While not revealing motives, we clearly see David's actions, as we're going to see again today. And in them, we're going to see his human weakness. We understand that David is a man. And being a human being, he is a sinner. But God chose and appointed this human being, this sinner, David, to be on the throne of Israel. And he correspondingly ordained judgment for the house of Saul. So he's going to exalt David. Everything we're going to see now going forward is the exaltation of David as king and the judgment on not only Saul, but the house of Saul, which includes his son, Jonathan, as innocent as he was. We're going to see in a few months, when we get to the final chapter of 1 Samuel, how they both meet judgment on the battlefield. The end of chapter 20, David parts ways with Jonathan, and he's on his own. And from this point forward, he becomes a fugitive. And the title of this message is Fugitive King. Beginning in chapter 21, David is clearly a fugitive, but he is also the real king. the one true king of Israel at this time. But he's running away, he's a fugitive. Who is he running away from? He's running away from an apostate, demonic, human-appointed King Saul. So one might ask, really, the question is, who is the actual fugitive king? Is it King David who is running from Saul, or is it King Saul who is running from God? As chapter 21 begins, David arrives at Nob. He is met by Ahimelech. Ahimelech is the priest at the time in Nob. Ahimelech is the grandson of Phineas. I know this goes back, but remember who Phineas was. Phineas was the wicked son of Eli, the priest. You might recall, in fact, why don't we go back? Go back to chapter 2 with me. You might recall The prophet came to Eli the priest because he was honoring his sons Hophni and Phinehas He was honoring their wickedness in the temple and the prophet came And why don't we go to 1st Samuel chapter 2 look at verses 31 to 33 The Lord says to Eli in verse 31 Behold the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father's house, so there will not be an old man in your house. Then in distress you will look with envious eye on the prosperity that shall be bestowed on Israel, and there shall not be an old man in your house forever. The only one of you whom I shall not cut off from my altar shall be spared to weep his eyes out, to grieve his heart, and all the descendants of your house shall die by the sword of men. Now, I want you to keep that prophecy in mind. We're going to come back to it at the end. Ahimelech, grandson of Phinehas, priest at Nob, descendant of Eli, likely, we have no reason not to think this, but likely continued in the kind of ministry of Eli. What was that? It was kind of weak, watered down, compromised religion. We saw it under Eli. We saw it more under his sons, Hophni and Phinehas, at Shiloh. Now they're at Nob, not far, but still a different place. And this tells us, at this time in history, there was no central place of worship. The ark had not yet come into Jerusalem. David had not yet set up the temple there. So there was this tabernacle. And it was, perhaps some say, even more than one tabernacle, where there were local priests. in various parts of Israel. And Ahimelech is a priest who is serving at Nob. Nob is an area today that we call the West Bank. It was a small town. It would certainly know of David, because David was already well known throughout the land as the one who delivered them from the Philistines. But the things that have been happening with Saul that we've been seeing lately, probably they would not be aware of that. His insane attempts at David's life had not yet reached Nob. Nob was not far from Gibeah. What is Gibeah? Gibeah of Saul, also called, is where Samuel publicly anointed Saul as king. So Ahimelech and the priests at Nob would have had a respect for their king, undoubtedly. Again, David is also known. He's the national hero. He's the one who slayed 10,000. He saved the nation. So when David arrives at Nab, Himalic recognizes him. And in order to alleviate his fears, why are you alone, David? When David responds in verse two, look at verse two, he says, the king has charged me with a matter and said to me, let no one know anything of the matter about which I send you and with which I have charged you. What is he saying? I think basically I'm on a secret mission from Saul. A blatant lie. Now, many commentators seek to get David off the hook here by suggesting that he really meant the king, God, sent him on this mission. That David meant God, that God charged him with this matter, that he was not lying because God is the true king who sent him on this mission. Others say, well, David concocts this story because he's interested in protecting Ahimelech from being considered involved in this conspiracy, because if he told them the truth, Ahimelech would be a co-conspirator. Well, even if that's the case, that didn't work out so well. Some say David is doing everything he can not to lift his hand against the Lord's anointed. Perhaps, and this is a pattern that we're going to see in the chapters to come, that he wouldn't accuse Saul even if it meant not telling the truth. Now, I'm not sure if any of these apologies for David's lie are valid or even necessary. The text tells us nothing about David's motive in lying here. Realize something. We're reading a narrative. A narrative just tells us the actions and events. You're not to read something and take it as, this is a prescribed action for me. So the next time I find myself in a difficult situation, I can lie and justify it by saying, well, David did it. Right? We might be inclined to escape a situation by lying about it and then justifying ourselves. But the text itself leaves us without comment. It doesn't justify or condemn David's conduct. It leaves us up to us to speculate. And many commentators have speculated about this. I won't, other than to say there are two commandments, thou shalt not lie and thou shalt not murder, and neither of them have any exception clauses. Now David goes on in the following verses to tell Ahimelech, my men, I need food, we need bread. Ahimelech doesn't have any common bread, but he has what's the holy bread, the tabernacle bread, the lechem banim, the show bread, the bread of presence, that the priest would bring out every Sabbath morning into the presence of the holy of holies. So Ahimelech says, are these holy men, basically? And David gives this answer. Yeah, they're holy men, and here's proof that they are. And so Ahimelech graciously gives the bread to David and his men under the guise that they are on a secret mission from the king. And they're sustained for their journey. The holy bread of the temple becomes David's daily bread. And this teaches us something, that God provides for sinful people. He gives us, brethren, what we need. He sustains sinners with daily bread. David was not a Levitical priest. He had no right, biblically, to eat of the showbread. But the intention of that law in Leviticus about the showbread was to show that God was providing for the priests. It was actually less of a ceremonial law and more of a law of compassion. So when Ahimelech gives David the showbread, It's more that the law is fulfilled than superseded. Ahimelech is graciously giving to David that which God had provided for the purpose of his people, to feed his people. So he demonstrates compassion for David by feeding him the bread of presence. It was a charitable act. It's an important moment in history. You might say, why? Why is this even in the Bible? Well, Jesus uses this story. And he uses it to answer the Pharisees' accusations that the disciples were not keeping the Sabbath because they were plucking grain and eating. In Matthew chapter 12, Jesus refers to this event as proof that the law was designed for the benefit of man. In Matthew chapter 12, this is Jesus' response in verse 3. Again, the Pharisees are accusing, why are your disciples picking grain and eating on the Sabbath? Here, verse three. Have you not read what David did when he was hungry and those who were with him? How he entered the house of God and ate the bread of presents, which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. And if you had known what it means, I desire mercy and not sacrifice. you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath. So the story of David at Nab may seem unimportant. Just like things in our lives, things happen, they seem unimportant to us. But they become an object lesson for God's people. Just like this became an object lesson for God's people to this day. No event is unimportant. that God would not use it to teach his people, to lead his people in truth. As the verses continue in verse 7 of 21, it tells us of the presence of this man. And when you see this, here, for you Star Wars fans, the Imperial March. Doeg, the Edomite, the chief of Saul's herdsmen, is there in verse seven. When you hear Edomite, hear that dun, dun, dun, dun, da-dun, dun, da-dun, playing. He's the dastardly villain who's secretly in the midst rolling his mustache. Like Darth Vader in Star Wars, sometimes a villain does not need to say a word, you just know he's evil. And that's the way this is here. Doeg the Edomite is there. He will be diabolically instrumental in the very near future. Remember his name. Remember the imperial march. Doeg the Edomite. Verse 8. David asks Himelech for a weapon. He says, I don't have sword, I don't have a weapon here, because I'm on the king's business and I had to leave in haste. So he's playing up this lie more. Verse 9, and the priest said, the sword of Goliath, the Philistine whom you struck down in the Valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the nephod. If you will take it, take it, for there is none but that here. And David said, there is none like that. Give it to me. Again, no comment made about David's motives, but he jumps at the opportunity to be reunited with David's sword. What's going on here? Well, if nothing else, it's a symbol of David's authority in the land. It's a symbol of his God-given right to lead Israel, that sword. No sooner does he have the sword than he travels across the land. Now, he's going to go to Gath. Yes, the same Gath that is the home of the Philistine champion Goliath. Why on earth would David go to Gath? Why would he make this long arduous journey from east to west and go right into the home of his mortal enemy, the very ones who know that not only did you kill our champion, but you actually slayed thousands of our kinsmen, and now you're coming into our town and you're carrying a sword. Now, some presume, just to tell you what different ideas here, some presume that David is going to show himself as a mercenary, that he's willing now to fight against Israel, that this sword is, in a sense, his resume. Look, I struck down your champion. Imagine what I could do if I'm for you rather than against you. Others see this as just some haphazard act, a lack of faith, fear, panic. Where am I going to go? But the text is silent as to why David went to Gath. Maybe we can ask him one day. The fact that David so quickly fled Gath would indicate that Gath was no place for him to begin with, but that again is speculation. When the people of Gath and their king, Akish, recognize David, David fears Akish. Look at verse 13. Verse 13, this is how David escapes after he fears Akish. Then a key shed to his servants. Behold, you see, the man is mad. Why then have you brought him to me? Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this fellow to behave as a madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?" So David, here again, the man David, the sinning David, fearing for his life, uses deception to escape. Again, no comment. The text makes no comment. Is this right? Is this wrong? David's ploy, though, was effective. It worked. He escaped. Now, does that prove that he was right to do that? That it was morally right for him to do that? Is it right for a person, in the interest of preserving their life, to break another commandment? Well, before you too quickly say no, remember the Hebrew midwives. Remember they lied to protect the life of the babies in Egypt. Hebrews 11 praises Rahab. for using deception to hide spies. And it raises the whole question of situational ethics, something that I will not get into today, because the text doesn't drive us in that direction. But it raises that question, and it has throughout. So much ink has been spilled on this question of situational ethics here. Was David right? Was David wrong? Is there a hierarchy of commands? And if there is, who determines what that hierarchy is? Jesus taught, certainly, the law, the ceremonial law, the showbread, was of less importance than God providing for his people. So I think we'd all agree, life trumps ceremony, right? I think we can agree on that. The story of the Good Samaritan shows us that. It was the Samaritan's life that was important, more important than the priest and the Levite's duties being carried out. But these are two moral laws here. Despite the effort of commentators to draw a moral conclusion about David's conduct, I don't think this is the emphasis of this text. I don't think the text drives us in this direction to try to understand David's motives here. And I'm only bringing it up because, again, so much has been written about this. And it is an interesting topic to discuss. You can discuss it all you want. Did David lack faith in fleeing Israel? Should he have gone to Gath in the first place? Did he have to lie to Ahimelech? Is it wrong to pretend that he was insane? All these are good questions. But the text gives us nothing to provide answers to those questions. Which is why I think commentators are all over the place on this. It's funny to read. You'll read one commentator and another and they'll be at odds, exact opposite, saying exact opposite things. But the story is here in scripture and it has a purpose. What does this story accomplish? Why is it in the word of God? Why does David get this sword, go to Gath, no sooner is he there than he's got to escape Gath, again go on the run, back east to west, staggering. What is going on here? The story tells us something very important. Not so much about David. Yes, it demonstrates that he's a human being and he sins. But I think primarily, This tells us something about Saul. The story shows us that David feels safer in the border of his enemy than he does in the courts of Israel under King Saul. Now again, whether David was right or wrong to flee so haphazardly as he does, the story illustrates to us how far Saul had fallen and become just like the kings of the nations. This is exactly what the people wanted when they raised him up. Lord, Samuel, give us a king just like the nations. Well, guess what? They got exactly what they asked for. A paranoid king who, just like the kings in the nations, will use Gentiles to kill Israelites. That's what I believe is being highlighted here. And I think it gets lost amidst all of the speculation about David's motives and his sin. Now, it's not uncommon for God's people in scripture to find protection among their enemies, physical enemies. God protected the nation of Israel while they were in exile in Babylon. God shielded the sons of Jacob in Egypt when there was a famine in the land of Canaan. Think about how God protected Joseph and Mary in Egypt while Israel was under the tyrannical rule of the murderous Herod the Great. And God promises us, Psalm 23, He will set a table before us even in the presence of our enemies. Brethren, there's great comfort to know that. Proverbs 16, 7 says that when a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. What a comfort it is to know for us, in this dark world that we roam in, surrounded by enemies left and right, people that hate God and hate you, you need not fear, because the Lord is your shepherd. He is leading you, He is guiding you along treacherous paths, in deep dark valleys, in the presence of your enemies, He is with you, He is comforting you, He is providing, He is protecting you, even when you sin. Well, I get from this when I look at David. And I believe that is grace, brothers and sisters. We're seeing God's grace leading a sinner here in this story. It is grace that's not merely reacting to life's circumstances, but it is a grace that foreordains life's circumstances. And this idea is illustrated in chapter 22. Chapter 22 begins with David escaping Gath, making his way back eastward, and he comes to rest in a cave in a place called Adullam, which is back now in the border of Israel. He came back from the land of the Philistines, back to Israel, rests in a cave, and here he meets up with his family. His parents and his brothers find him there, along with those who will become his mighty men. David's parents would undoubtedly have been vulnerable targets of King Saul. I'm sure this was in Saul's mind. I can't get the man. Let me get his parents. Let me get someone so I can get to him. He would stop at no ends to kill David. So seeking safety for his parents, David again turns to another foreign land, the land of Moab. Look at verse 3. David says to the king of Moab in verse 3, Please let my father and my mother stay with you till I know what God will do for me. And he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him all the time that David was in the stronghold. Why Moab? Why does Moab remind you of? Who was David's great-grandmother? Who was David's great-grandmother? Someone. Ruth. Where was Ruth from? Moab, Ruth the Moabite, a Gentile. Maybe David's Moabite blood might secure a safe place for his mother and his father Jesse, who's the grandson of Ruth. Look, there are no coincidences. God had a plan, and God's plan included using a Gentile Ruth and Boaz to give birth to Obed, the father of Jesse. And we know that great plan and how it extended beyond Jesse and beyond David even to the one true messianic king, Jesus. But God not only ordains grandiose ends, he ordains the small details along the way. And it was important that Ruth be a Gentile Moabite. And in all likelihood here, David chose Moab as the place where his parents would be protected because they already knew who he was. And it shows the benevolence of Yahweh. He plans in direct circumstances of our lives to protect and comfort his people. And he does this long in advance of our need, brethren. just like Ruth and Naomi had no idea how their future would turn out, that their home, that her home would be a place of refuge for their great-grandchild's parents or their grandchildren, grandson, had no idea, it was secret to them, in the same way he weaves details of our lives. for the sake of future generations. Things that we may never know of. We may be in the box under the ground. We may be in our grave with not understanding all of his ways. It may take generations to be revealed. But we can live with confidence and comfort now knowing this. So many in this world are trying to create a legacy for their name and have their name out there. We don't have to worry about that. God has a legacy for you and he's weaving your future even in your present. It is this cave of Adullam where all this happens. David gets this idea. He's also joined by some misfits. Look at verse 2 of chapter 22. And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter gathered to him, and he became a commander over them. And there were with him about 400 men. Now, these become what we call David's mighty men. But think about it. David escapes Gath, pretending to be mad, comes to the cave of Adullam, and he's joined by 400 madmen, in a sense, outsiders, losers, maybe even some genuine madmen in the mix. David attaches himself to these people, the meek, the miserable, the lost, the weak, the distressed, the indebted, the bitter. How we see a contrast here in earlier in 1 Samuel 14, verse 52, it tells us of Saul, King Saul. It says, anytime he saw a strong man or a valiant man, he attached himself to them. So Saul went after strong men and valiant men to feel good about himself, right? Look who I have around me. All these strong men are around me. And look who surrounds David. Not many wise, not many according to worldly standards wise at least, not many powerful, not many of noble birth. And in this way, David is a type of Jesus whose followers were and are, including us, meek, miserable, lost, weak, distressed, indebted, and bitter. This is something that we must come to grips with as Christians. We're rarely gonna find in our number a great person. I put aside, what's the girl's name? Sydney McLaughlin, who just set a world record in the 400. Put that aside, she's in our number. Praise God, we're thankful for that. But that's rare. Rarely will we find in our number presidents or kings or congressmen or emperors. There will be few rich, few noble, few wise by earthly standards among us. Jesus, our one true king, was meek and lowly, and we are like him. And in this world, Christians will always be meek and lowly and despised. We are a peculiar people. That peculiarity is the badge of our election. 1st Corinthians chapter 1 makes this very clear. Verse 20, as God not made foolish the wisdom of the world, it pleased God through the folly of that which we preach to save those who believe. We preach Christ crucified, Paul says, a stumbling block to the Jews. He says that Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God, for the foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God stronger than men. He says then in verse 26 of 1 Corinthians 1, for consider your calling, brothers. Not many of you are wise according to worldly standards. Not many were powerful. Not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise. God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong. God chose what is low and despised in the world, even the things that are not to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God, hallelujah. That hasn't changed, okay? We have not evolved past that. Until this present order changes, until Christ returns, this will be true of us. And yes, God does change hearts and he changes hopeless debtors into mighty men, but our might is never in chariots and horses and armies and governments. Our power is in the powerful message of the gospel that we preach that brings about the things that are from things that are not. That's where our power lies. And let me just say this, if you're listening and you're apart from Christ and you're not trusting in Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life, the only way to the Father, I preach today a Savior who was crucified, a foolish, crucified Savior who died on a tree to carry the sin of His people. And I preach this trusting that that foolish message of a crucified Savior on a cross is wiser than any of the human methods that any human being might devise or any religion might devise now about how life, any empty promises about how you have life now or in the future. The message that I preach is one that if you will humble yourself, that is, if you will accept your low estate, know that you're a sinner, know that you have a need, know that you have need of something outside of yourself to save you, that you cannot save yourself, that you will be saved if you call upon the name of the Lord. That is, if you believe in His atoning death that paid the price for your sin and in His triumphant resurrection from the dead that ultimately transforms you, from that weak and lowly estate into mighty men and women fit for eternal life. That's the message of the gospel. And if you will but believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you will be saved. If you will repent of your sins and trust him, he will save you. Can't get there unless you first recognize and accept your utter helplessness and need. Do you know your need? Do you know that you are helpless to save yourself? What else are you going to trust to save you? Come to him today trust him today. He will receive you by faith Now as we continue in chapter 22 Verse 5 God ministers to David again this time he sends a prophet a Man by the name of Gad. This is Gad's first appearance in scripture. He's going to appear a couple more times, always in the role of a prophet. Verse 5. So David departed and he went to the forest of Hereth. David listens to the prophet, he leaves the cave, he starts to travel southward, and he enters a nearby forest. Obviously he's still fearful, he's still hiding. In all that transpired in this story up to this point, two things are clear. Man is a needy, sinful wanderer, and God is a gracious provider and protector. Man is a needy, sinful wanderer, and God is a gracious provider and protector. Yahweh provided for and protected David in various ways, despite his own folly. He provided physical bread. He provided protection. He provided rest. And he provides here a direct word from prophet. God will lead you in the same way, brother and sister. When you're confused, when you're fearful, when you're running, when you feel like David, you're running around with like a chicken without a head, there will be a place where God will provide bread, where God will provide you rest, a cave of a dulem. He will protect you, and he will direct the course of your life through his word. In some ways, his cave of a dulem for us is a picture of the refuge that we have among God's people in his church. Who are we? We are all gathered outcasts, are we not? Outcasts from this world, gathered together, brought together in a place where Christ is our king. A place where he would tell us, fear not, little flock, I've overcome the world. A place where we can come and be reminded of his grace and his mercy. It is from this very cave of Adullam, by the way, that David composed Psalm 56, which we'll take up next time. We'll look at Psalm 56. Now chapter 22 concludes with Saul's evil now put on full display. He is going to order the massacre of 85 of his own unarmed Levitical priests by the hand of Right, Doag, the Edomite. Let's read from verses six through 19. As I read this, listen to the pettiness, the immaturity of Saul. Listen for the disdain that he has, how he disparagingly calls David the son of Jesse. 1 Samuel 22, verse six. Now Saul heard that David was discovered. and the men who were with him. Saul was sitting at Gibeah under a tamarisk tree on the height of which his spear, his spear was in his hand, always had that spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him. And Saul said to the servants who stood about him, here now, people of Benjamin, will this son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards? Will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, that all of you have conspired against me? No one discloses to me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. None of you is sorry for me or discloses to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me to lie in wait as at this day. Verse nine. Dun, dun, dun. Then answered Doag the Edomite, who stood by the servants of Saul. I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub, And he inquired of the Lord for him, and gave him provision, and gave him a sword, the sword of Goliath, the Philistine. Then the king summoned to Ahimelech the priest, and the son of Ehetab, and all his father's house, and the priests who were at Nob, and all of them came to the king. And Saul said, Here now, son of Ehetab. And he answered, Here am I, my lord. Saul said to him, Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and a sword and have inquired of God for him, so that he has risen against me to lie in wait, as at this day? And Ahimelech answered the king, And who among all your servants is so faithful as David? It's kind of the same words as Jonathan there, right? Who of all your servants is as faithful as David? Who is the king's son-in-law and captain over your bodyguard and honored in your house? Is today the first time I've inquired of God for him? No, let not the king impute anything of his servant, or all the house of my father, for your servant has known nothing of all this, much or little." And he's telling the truth there. He knew nothing about this. Verse 16, and the king said, you shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and your father's house. And the king said to the guard who stood around him, turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because your hand also is with David. And they knew that he fled and did not disclose it to me. But the servants of the king would not put out their hand to strike the priests of the Lord. Then the king said to Doag, You turn and strike the priests. Doeg the Edomite turned and struck down the priests, and he killed on that day 85 persons who wore the linen ephod, unarmed priests. And Nob, the city of the priests, he put to the sword both man and woman, child and infant, ox, donkey, and sheep, he put to the sword. If ever depravity and wickedness on full display, it's here. Unarmed priests wearing an ephod. Priests from his own nation. The very spiritual leaders of his time. Taken, their lives taken merely because of Saul's paranoia. This atrocity committed against the priests of Nob repaid evil for good. It was the kindness of Ahimelech toward David that resulted in his death. Saul is just as the kings of the nations. He kills Israelites by Gentile hands. Saul, the king of Israel, now joins the ranks of evil people who persecute and kill God's people. Saul now joins the ranks of Pharaoh, Ahab, and Jezebel, Haman, and Herod. All of them end up getting exactly what they deserve. But what of Doeg the Edomite? We never hear of Doeg again. Maybe he escapes. to come back in another day. Well, his name actually appears in the superscription of Psalm 52, which is amazing to think about. David is actually writing songs in the midst of this. He wrote Psalm 52 and Psalm 142. about the events that surrounded these few days. We'll talk about that in a few weeks when we get to it. We're gonna look at Psalm 56 next time, and then we're gonna look at Psalm 52 and 142 together the following time. Doeg, like many henchmen, was just carrying out the orders as a loyal subject of Saul. And interestingly, Doeg is written about in the Talmud, the Jewish writings and he's written about as a noble man and he honored the king even when others refused to carry out the king's orders. Doag was considered a noble man by some. He did foresaw what the rest of the people refused to do. We're never told anything more about Doag the Edomite. We don't know if he received justice for his brutality. Perhaps he did. But we do know he will receive due recompense in eternity, just as all wicked murderous people do, even if they were only carrying out the orders of their more wicked superiors. They will get their just due. In the chapter's remaining verses now, David takes responsibility for the massacre. He says, I was the occasion for the death of these priests. He sensed some level of responsibility. And indeed, if David never went to Nob in the first place, this would not have happened. But David did take precautions to protect Ahimelech, or maybe he did it. Maybe he was convicted because he was more interested in getting bread than he was in Ahimelech's life. I don't know. But nevertheless, David sensed some level of guilt here, whether that's founded or not. He owned some sense of responsibility. Let's look at these in verse 20 and read to the end of the chapter. how David vows to protect Ahimelech's son, who was the one sole surviving priest. Verse 20. But one of the sons of Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord. And David said to Abiathar, I knew on that day when Doag the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have occasioned the death of all those persons of your father's house. Stay with me. Do not be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life. With me you will be in safe keeping." So he protects the son of Ahimelech, who he had some sense of responsibility. This leads us to ask the question, who's the villain of this tragic story? Who's to blame? Clearly, Doeg, right? He turns Himelech in, he upholds the charge of conspiracy, he kills the priests, and then he goes on this siege and kills everyone in Nob, basically. He's responsible. But the sequence of events is more morally complex than meets the eye. Doeg's actions actually facilitate prophesied events that achieve the will of God. Remember I told you earlier to keep 1 Samuel 2 verses 31 to 33 in mind? If you were paying attention, you'll see how precisely that prophecy of the judgment on Eli's house was carried out exactly as prophesied, not only on Eli's descendants, but on the preserving of one, fulfilling the Word of God. Now, now Doeg is undoubtedly evil. His activities are undoubtedly sinful. He is wretched in the eyes of God. And unless he repented, he is in hell. But my friend, if you're among those who demand a simplistic formula between a good God and tragic evil events in this world, it may be of surprise to you how God used Doag's massacre to secure his own redemptive plan. Oh, that's unfair. Doeg's massacre of all these priests, except for one, is more than just a random evil act. It is the fulfillment of the Lord's promised judgment against the priestly house of Eli. You say, I don't understand it. I don't either. Not only does it do that, but it accomplishes so much more. Doeg's destruction of the priests in the line of Eli prepares the way for the rise of a new priesthood that was also prophesied, the priesthood that would become the priesthood of Zadok under David. Not only that, but it also reveals the absolute evil of King Saul and now is setting in motion his final collapse. And not only that, but at the same time, it drives the conflict, this eternal conflict between the two, not eternal, but on this earth, between the two seeds, the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. The Jacob and Esau battle is continuing now. How? The seed of the serpent represented by the Edomite Doeg. Who is the Edomite? Related to Esau who is the seed of the woman David a son of Jacob this battle is continuing So many things are happening here in this text God is fulfilling promises. He's orchestrating events for the future In Doag we find a minor character he's mentioned in one verse and he's an evil man and But he is taken up by God as God's instrument to achieve a stunning variety of sovereign purposes. Am I blaming God? Don't misplace blame. Doag the Edomite is to blame and the Antichrist King Saul who commanded him to do so. They will bear the full responsibility for their hard, brutal, unjust wickedness, but don't miss the fact that they also fulfill the Word of God. That God is good and uses evil. He sinlessly does so, but nevertheless, He still does use evil. God, as He always does, uses His enemies to bring to pass His Word, proving the truthfulness of the Word of God. When faced with evil deeds, brethren, if you want a simple answer, oh, you know, I'm gonna defend God's reputation. I'm gonna go online and on Facebook and defend God because he needs me to defend him. Because all these Calvinists are out there telling him, telling all these wicked things about that, that you're wicked, God, I'm gonna defend your reputation. Look, God doesn't seem to be concerned about his reputation. Opponents to the doctrines of sovereign grace try to offer simple answers. God's not responsible. He's sovereign. Yeah, of course He's sovereign. Can't get around that. But evil? No, that's man's free will. Oh yeah, God could bring about good out of anything, but He's merely responding to that evil. Brethren, look. The Bible often juxtaposes God's goodness and sovereign, all-encompassing will up against very wicked human deeds. And it's not always so neat and tidy. We're left with this tension. There's a tension there that no one can explain. Free will does not explain it. God is good. God is not sinful. God is morally perfect. But God also directs wickedness to achieve His good and perfect ends, all in ways that are beyond our understanding. Commentator Dale Ralph Davis observes this. He says, if we know that as men oppose God and His people, they will only fulfill His Word, He doesn't take away sorrow, grief, or suffering. but it gives secret certainty to victory. Did you get that? If we know that as men oppose God and His people, they're only going to fulfill His word, it's not going to take away the sorrow of the moment. It's not going to take away the grief, the suffering. but it gives us a secret certainty to victory. God is accomplishing his will and his word. And we can rest even in a horrible story like this. The murder of 85 innocent people, a massacre at the Priests of Nob. We can find rest just like in the very next tragedy that's going to come upon us, that's going to strike our world in the months to come. because we understand God's sovereign goodness in the midst of evil. We can both mourn the tragedy of that evil and at the same time be comforted that God's good purposes are accomplished. Ultimately, these things bring us to the cross in Acts chapter 2. where the Apostle Peter says of the cross, this Jesus delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. In the cross, the most wicked act ever committed by sinful man, even worse than Doeg the Edomite, we find the complete sovereignty of our good and gracious God intersecting with the wickedness of men like Doeg. Indeed God works all to get things together for the good according to the counsel of his perfect will. He even bends human events using the acts of evil men while at the same time rescuing and providing and protecting his elect even in their folly. He executes precise justice on his enemies all to the praise of his glorious grace. Amen. Who's praying today? Who's leading us today? Ah, I hear the stairs. Yeah, that was an abrupt ending. I kind of brought the Brother Lewis lead us in prayer.