Dove Creek Bible Church's Podcast

Today we see how David learns a terrible lesson concerning how God is good, but He isn’t safe.

Have you ever had a time in your life when you finally achieved some lifelong goal and then the thought occurs to you...now what? In these chapters David finally becomes king...now what? What kind of king will he be?

When someone dies...how do we evaluate their life...how do we encapsulate it? Do we consider it as a whole? Or should we focus on the last few years? Or if their life ended badly do we only remember the early years? I think of this whenever I read an obituary...where a person’s entire life is summed up in a few paragraphs. Do these few paragraphs really give us the essence of the person who has passed? David is faced in today’s text with the dilemma of how to remember Saul? Where should his focus be? On Saul’s unjustifiable and unnecessary pursuit and persecution...or on Saul being the father of his best friend?

Today we finish 1st Samuel with the death of Saul, but before we examine the final product of Saul's life, the fruit; we will look at the seed that gave life to that fruit. Saul proudly planted seeds of defiance and he consequently reaped the thorns of destruction...he should have known what fruit would spring from the seeds he planted.

David’s life appears to be running smoothly since he made the decision to defect to the Philistine camp. He doesn’t have to wander all over the desert anymore hiding in caves, in fact, a whole town has been given to him. Saul had even given up his pursuit of him. The Philistines give him so much personal freedom that he can even go out behind their backs and raid the enemies of Israel...and after all isn't all of this God's will? However, the other shoe is about to drop in two significant ways. David’s deception of the Philistines has painted him into a corner where he may be tempted to keep up the ruse to save his own hide! He will be rescued from this temptation by the mercy of God only to walk from the frying pan into the fire.

Guest Speaker Dave Champness takes us through the thread that connects the entire bible.

One of mankind’s greatest wishes is to communicate with the dead and there are popular "psychics" today that skeptics refer to as “grief vampires”. They find people who are trapped in a place of non-acceptance concerning the death of a loved one and then they provide reconnection and reassurance...and all for a modest fee. In today’s text King Saul seeks reassurance from a person who claimed to be able to speak with the dead.

In today's text David is discouraged. He is tiring of this renegade in the wilderness routine...tired of being the pea in God's Shell Game with Saul. He is weary of fixing the same old problems, resisting the same old temptations, and constantly having the same old needs. How does he become discouraged? By thinking to himself David takes his focus off the Lord and onto himself. Soon his doubt creates problems his fears attempt to fix.

We all have a button that can be pushed...a switch that can be flipped that will send our composure into a tailspin and very often it’s the little things that send us over the edge. We steel ourselves against losing our composure over a big thing only to lose our composure over a little thing. Many times we gain victory over the major complications in life to come totally undone by minor irritations. In 1st Samuel 24, David partially overcame his desire to avenge himself against Saul. David did not exactly pass that test with flying colors, but he passed it. Today he faces a similar test of a lesser magnitude, which he fails, yet he is prevented from carrying out his evil desire by the brains and beauty of a woman named Abigail.

Few things in life are as tempting as the opportunity for revenge. In today’s text, David faces this temptation. His opportunity for revenge comes slickly packaged in the wrappings of providence. It is as though God has delivered Saul to David for this very reason...to take his revenge...but is this an opportunity he must take or a temptation he must resist? This is what David has to decide thus he must struggle with determining God's will. Has God delivered Saul to him in order for David to kill him? Or is his own desire for revenge coloring his judgment so that he misreads the hand of providence?

Last time we observed that Saul’s relentless persecution and pursuit wore David down and caused him to flee in fear. He became a fugitive. Sometimes this period of David’s life is called David’s outlaw years. David had to evade Saul not for 36 days or for 360 days, but for 3600 days. Ten years of facing the same daily challenge. It’s easy to see why David grew weary and felt like giving up. Yet God would always renew his strength and he would hold on and move forward....to the next challenge.

Forty or fifty years ago, the nation's heroes were usually portrayed only in the best light for there was a desire to keep their public reputations pristine. Rarely, if ever, was the country made aware of their personal shortcomings...their alcoholism, their promiscuity, their racism, their gambling, etc. Why? Because their private image was considered a separate issue from their public image. The Bible, to the surprise of some, never does this with its heroes...it reveals its heroes, "warts and all." This is one of the reasons some have argued the Bible is not a man-made document...men are not inclined to report their own failings. You think Moses wanted to write about his temper issues? You think Peter wanted people to know about his denials? Yet, within the pages of the sacred text we are made painfully aware of their shortcomings as well as their victories. David is one such hero. Like others, before and after him, David both succeeds and fails greatly. James said, "We all stumb

Someone has said, "If you must make enemies, make lazy ones." Say what you will about Saul…but one thing is sure…he certainly was not lazy. He attempts to get rid of David in a variety of ways. He will try stealth operations and he will try open aggression; nevertheless, none of his tactics worked because the Lord was with David. Watch closely as we continue our study and see how Saul's jealousy which we talked about last week not only continues to blind him, but bind him.

Thus far, in our study of David we have concentrated on his tender side...the gentle shepherd...the sensitive musician songwriter, but today we meet the other side of David. Shepherd, Psalmist...Warrior. We have to reconcile this gentle shepherd boy who wrote poetry and played stringed instruments with the young warrior who chops off the head of a giant and carries it around with him as a trophy.

1st Samuel, chapter 17, the story of David and Goliath, is one of the most, if not the most, familiar passages in the entire Bible. We love the story because the underdog, a shepherd boy, defies all odds and somehow defeats the warrior, the giant Goliath. This text explores the obstacles and challenges did he face before he battled Goliath.

David didn’t know it, but his training as a shepherd and development of skill as a musician songwriter were preparing him to become the next king. In this text we see how his musicianship opened the door for him to the king’s palace.

David is an interesting Bible character. He’s very complex and often a walking contradiction. He’s tender and sensitive; he’s cruel and vicious. He protects in battle; he murders in private. He is singularly devoted to His God, but his lust drives him to have many wives. He is a good king; he appears to be a poor father. In today's text we are introduced to David for the very first time.

Thus far, this little book of Jude packs a powerful punch. Jude has been highly critical of these false teachers and has painted them in a very unflattering manner. What we must realize is Jude’s warning is not driven by contempt, but rather by concern...which he makes clear today as we finish up the Book of Jude. Jude makes it clear that God is able to save us...God is able to keep us...God is able to present us blameless.

The biggest threat right now to Christianity is not secular atheism...it’s not the prosperity gospel...it's Progressive Christianity. Progressive Christians want the horizontal implications of the gospel for society—without the vertical reconciliation of sinners to God. This version of Christianity is probably the most detrimental because some of what they say on the surface has an appearance of wisdom...especially to the young people of the world...and therein lies the problem. When examined closely though it has the same problem that Jude points out today in verses 12-16. This theology and ideology is ultimately selfish, useless, shameless and directionless.