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Now when he had finished speaking 
to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David. 
And Jonathan loved him as his own soul. Saul took him that 
day and would not let him go home to his father's house anymore. 
Then Jonathan and David made a covenant because he loved him 
as his own soul. And Jonathan took off the robe 
that was on him and gave it to David with his armor, even to 
his sword and his bow and his belt. So David went out wherever 
Saul sent him and behaved wisely. And Saul set him over the men 
of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, 
and also in the sight of Saul's servants. Now it had happened 
as they were coming home, when David was returning from the 
slaughter of the Philistine, that the women had come out of 
all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing to meet King Saul 
with tambourines, with joy, and with musical instruments. So 
the women sang as they danced, and said, Saul has slain his 
thousands, and David his ten thousands. And Saul was very 
angry, and the saying displeased him. And he said, they have ascribed 
to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed only thousands. Now what more can he have but 
the kingdom? So Saul eyed David from that 
day forward. And it happened on the next day 
that the distressing spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied 
inside the house. So David played music with his 
hand, as at other times. But there was a spear in Saul's 
hand, and Saul cast the spear, for he said, I will pin David 
to the wall. But David escaped his presence 
twice. Now Saul was afraid of David, 
because the Lord was with him, but had departed from Saul. Therefore 
Saul removed him from his presence and made him his captain over 
a thousand, and he went out and came in before the people. And 
David behaved wisely in all his ways, and the Lord was with him. 
Therefore, when Saul saw that he behaved very wisely, he was 
afraid of him. But all Israel and Judah loved 
David, because he went out and came in before them. Then Saul 
said to David, here is my older daughter Merib. I will give her 
to you as a wife. Only be valiant for me and fight 
the Lord's battles. For Saul thought, let my hand 
not be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against 
him. So David said to Saul, who am 
I and what is my life or my father's family in Israel that I should 
be son-in-law to the king? But it happened at the time when 
Merib, Saul's daughter, should have been given to David, that 
she was given to Adriel, the Maholothite, as a wife. Now Michael, 
Saul's daughter, loved David. And they told Saul, and the thing 
pleased him. So Saul said, I will give her 
to him, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of 
the Philistines may be against him. Therefore Saul said to David 
a second time, you shall be my son-in-law today. And Saul commanded 
his servants, communicate with David secretly and say, look, 
the king has delight in you and all his servants love you. Now, 
therefore, become the king's son-in-law. So Saul's servants 
spoke those words in the hearing of David. And David said, does 
it seem to you a light thing to be a king's son-in-law, seeing 
I am a poor and lightly esteemed man? And the servants of Saul 
told him, saying, in this manner David spoke. Then Saul said, 
thus you shall say to David, the king does not desire any 
dowry but 100 foreskins of the Philistines to take vengeance 
on the king's enemies. But Saul thought to make David 
fall by the hand of the Philistines. So when his servants told David 
these words, it pleased David well to become the king's son-in-law. 
Now the days had not expired. Therefore David arose and went, 
he and his men, and killed two hundred men of the Philistines. 
And David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full count 
to the king, that he might become the king's son-in-law. Then Saul 
gave him Michael his daughter as a wife. Thus Saul saw and 
knew that the Lord was with David, and that Michael, Saul's daughter, 
loved him. And Saul was still more afraid 
of David. So Saul became David's enemy 
continually. Then the princes of the Philistines 
went out to war. And so it was, whenever they 
went out, that David behaved more wisely than all the servants 
of Saul, so that his name became highly esteemed. Amen. Well, 
let us pray. Father, bless our time in the 
Scriptures now. Help us to learn the lessons 
that you would have for us in the lives of Saul and David. 
God, give us grace and eyes to see as well David's greater son, 
even our Lord Jesus Christ. We thank you for giving us the 
written word. We thank you that it's profitable 
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction 
in righteousness. And our genuine desire is that 
our hearts would be thoroughly furnished unto every good work. Forgive us again for all of our 
sins and send the Holy Spirit that we may rightly receive the 
word of truth. And we pray through Christ our 
Lord. Amen. Well, in the last two weeks we 
saw David's battle in the Valley of Elah, specifically in 1 Samuel 
chapter 17, the preparation, all the things behind the scene 
that led into David going into that particular battle. Last 
week we saw David bring victory to Israel by judging, by crushing 
the head. of this giant from Gath, this 
champion. And here in chapter 18, now we 
continue to see the rise of David and resentment by Saul. As I 
prayed, we see lessons in this particular passage that are very 
pertinent to our spiritual growth. In David, we see a man after 
God's own heart. He is not a perfect man, but 
he is a man that does strive to glorify God. He's a man who 
confesses his sins, He's a man who's closed with Christ. He 
is a man that lives dependent upon the grace of God. Whereas 
in Saul, we see someone who's hardened their heart. He begins 
by steps in chapter 13. And by the time we get here to 
chapter 18, Saul is in a very bad state spiritually speaking. One commentator, David Samura, 
says with reference to the story of Saul and David in chapter 
16 to 31. He says, in the rest of 1 Samuel, God, the Lord of 
history, providentially guides the lives of two persons, Saul 
and David. The former's decline and the 
latter's rise. However, the emphasis is not 
so much on their political actions as on their internal conditions, 
that is, their spiritual relationships with God. Never forget that the 
record of history that we find in the Bible is theological in 
nature. It is not just a rehearsal of 
facts and data and particulars. It's not just concerned with 
giving us a timeline for the earth, but rather it is theological 
in nature. It teaches us concerning God. 
It teaches us concerning His grace. It teaches us as well 
something concerning our own hearts and our own lives. And 
I think if we are honest with ourselves, when we look into 
sections like these and we see Saul's decline, we ought to be 
very careful that we do not duplicate such things, that we do not try 
and redefine the Word, that we do not leave off of the means 
that God's ordained for our good, that we don't change them, that 
we're not innovators, but rather we want to be faithful men and 
women who follow God as He commands us in His Word. Well, as we take 
up chapter 18, we'll look at three R's. In the first place, 
the relationship with Jonathan, verses 1 to 5. Secondly, the 
rise of David, which is punctuated throughout this chapter. And 
then thirdly, the resentment by Saul, in verses 6 to 30. Note in the first place, the 
relationship with Jonathan, beginning in verse 1, going through verse 
4. We know that David esteems Jonathan 
highly and that Jonathan esteems him highly. We've just seen the 
battle in the valley of Elah. David has taken that sling and 
he has dashed that giant to the earth. He has taken out that 
man's sword and cut off his head. And now David returns victorious 
from the field, from the battle lines, and we read verse 1. Now, 
when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan 
was knit to the soul of David. And Jonathan loved him as his 
own soul. This is a beautiful statement 
concerning Christian fellowship. A beautiful statement concerning 
an allegiance that is built or founded, rather, upon the foundation 
that is God Most High. These two men enact a covenant 
together. It's probably a covenant of friendship, 
a covenant of allegiance, a covenant of loyalty, wherein they will 
have each other's backs, where they will pray for one another, 
where they will care for one another, where they will be there 
for one another. But as well, we need to appreciate 
from Jonathan something that is absolutely amazing in this 
passage. It is his concern for the Kingdom 
of God. Now, up until this point, Jonathan, 
well, even beyond this point, Jonathan is the crown prince 
of Israel. Jonathan is the heir to the royal 
throne. His father Saul is the reigning 
king. It is a dynastic principle, a 
dynastic monarchy. When the father dies, then the 
son rises up and he is enthroned upon the throne. So Jonathan 
is the crown prince to the throne of Israel. But what Jonathan 
does when David returns from battle is truly an illustration 
of what the prophet says concerning God. God is the High and Holy 
One. God does inhabit eternity, but 
God looks upon him who is contrite and of a lowly spirit. God, in 
the language of Isaiah 66 too, looks upon those who tremble 
at his word. Note what Jonathan does when 
David returns from battle. He takes off his royal robes, 
he takes off his armor, he takes off his sword and his bow and 
his belt, and he gives these emblems of royalty to David. Do you know what that underscores? 
For Jonathan, the crown and the throne of Israel was not his 
first priority. What was the first priority for 
Jonathan was for the advancement of the kingdom of God. And when 
Jonathan saw David, Jonathan didn't have that resentment rise 
up in him as Saul will in the rest of the chapter. Jonathan 
sees a victor in David. Jonathan sees a champion in David. Jonathan sees a man that is fit. and meet and ready to occupy 
the throne in Israel, such that he takes his royal accoutrements 
and he gives them to David." This is truly an amazing picture 
of Matthew 6.33. We all cite it. We all talk about 
it, hopefully we all memorize it, but how many of us adopt 
the kingdom principle that we are to seek first the kingdom 
of God and His righteousness and then these things will be 
added to us. I submit that in Jonathan, throughout 
the history that we have recorded in 1 Samuel, is that kind of 
man. He doesn't get his nose bent 
out of shape. He doesn't say, wow, that's unfair, 
he's on his way to the throne. Wow, that's not going to be a 
good thing, he's going to take my crown. No, Jonathan says that 
if the God of heaven and earth has put his blessing upon this 
shepherd from Bethlehem, And if the God of heaven and earth 
is to use such a one to advance his kingdom, Jonathan can't get 
those royal robes off fast enough. For Jonathan, the glory of Yahweh 
is what mattered. For Jonathan, the glory of God 
was uppermost. For Jonathan, it wasn't about 
pride. It wasn't about position. It 
wasn't about prestige. It wasn't about all of the royal 
benefit of being a son of the king. But for Jonathan, everything 
is willing to go if it means that Yahweh's kingdom advances. This is a great attitude. This 
is a great mindset. It is most beneficial and blessed 
in a culture that has what we call celebrity preachers. Brethren, such things ought not 
to be. There's one celebrity that we 
ought to be about worshiping and praising and glorifying and 
honoring. And it's our Lord Jesus Christ. 
Have you ever noticed that every hero in the Bible, God records 
for us their sins? and their shortcomings, and their 
problems, and their issues, and their challenges? Why does God 
do that? Because from Genesis to Revelation, 
God wants all emphasis to be upon His Beloved Son. This is 
My Beloved Son, the Father says, in whom I am well pleased, hear 
Him. He is the hero of Holy Scripture. In fact, David, right now, looks 
beautiful. David only does what is right 
in the sight of the Lord. David has that blessed, bold 
faith in chapter 17, who says, who is this uncircumcised Philistine 
that defies the armies of the living God? He is the one who 
says, the Lord has delivered me thus far from barren lion. 
Certainly He'll give me this Philistine into our hands. He 
has this confidence and this determination and this bold faith 
that we all stand in awe of. In fact, I told you all over 
the last two weeks, who is it in 1 Samuel 17 that we want to 
be like? We don't want to be like Saul. 
We don't want to be like Eliab. We want to be Davids. We want 
to dare to be a David. But by the time we get to 2 Samuel 
chapter 11, this man, after God's own heart, conducts himself in 
such a way that it brings shock to the system. I mean, do you 
ever not get to 2 Samuel 11 and 12 and say to your Bibles, David, 
please don't do this. We know it's in you to do this 
and we've read it several times before. But David, if you can 
hear us through this means, please stop. Go out to battle. Go out when kings should go out. Don't look upon that woman. Don't 
covet her. Don't lie with her. Don't kill 
or murder her husband in order to cover it up. It's almost like 
the Nazi regime invades 2 Samuel 11 and 12. This is Israel. This is the holy people. This 
is the nation of our God. This is typical of the kingdom 
of God. And David is conducting himself 
like a common thug. Why is that? So that when we 
get to 2 Samuel 11 and 12, we will refrain from having King 
David as my homeboy t-shirts. And we will only praise and worship 
the one who never sinned, the one who never failed, the one 
who never faltered, the one who did not look upon a woman to 
lust, the one who did not commit murder, the one who went to the 
cross and gave himself for our sins. Brethren, an accurate reading 
from Genesis to Revelation will always produce in the child of 
God A self-renunciation and a Christ exaltation. It's just what we 
have in Jonathan. Here, take it, David. Maybe David 
would have said, look, you're the royal heir. Take it. God's 
using you. God's blessing you. In his lectures 
to my students, Charles Spurgeon, in his chapter on conversion 
as our aim, he says, if you hear that a particular pastor is being 
used mightily by God, invite him to your pulpit. Invite him 
to preach. Make the Lord God use him in 
your pulpit so that others will be saved. There is a tendency 
in the heart of man, however, to not do that. Well, wait a 
minute. If he's successful, then what 
does that mean about me? Or if God uses him, then what 
does that mean about me? Not so with Jonathan. Jonathan 
says, let the name of Yahweh increase, just like the Baptist 
will say later in John 3.30. He must increase, but I must 
decrease. I submit, brothers and sisters, 
there is a world of illustration and a world of example in this 
man, Jonathan. Jobling says, the giving of his 
clothes was a virtual abdication by Jonathan, the crown prince. And no one else in the chapter 
may have interpreted it this way. Certainly Saul does in chapter 
19. Certainly Jonathan makes it absolutely 
clear in 1 Samuel 23. So at this particular point, 
Jonathan is willing to forego royal privilege for the glory 
of God. The graph says, this deed on 
his part was an act of faith. Only faith makes us willing to 
be the lesser. Faith causes us to surrender 
the rights we pretend to have over against the Christ who is 
truly Israel's king. There's an interesting statement 
concerning this sort of a mindset in the prophet Jeremiah. If you 
all are reading the McShane calendar, yesterday you read two chapters, 
36 and 45. What happens in chapter 45? We 
get this little snippet about a man by the name of Baruch. 
And Baruch wanted some degree of greatness because God reproves 
him for this. Baruch had seen a hard life. 
Baruch had seen trial. Baruch had seen difficulty. In 
many respects his life was just the opposite of his name, which 
means blessing. You look at Baruch and you think 
blessing, but not with this particular Baruch. There was this in him, 
this desire in him to be something other than what he had been ordained 
to be. God essentially tells him Be happy that you have your 
life. You mean, God, you don't want 
me to reach my full potential? You mean, God, that you disagree 
with all those out there that are telling us we've got to pursue 
our inner greatness? You mean, God, that I have to 
put on the back burner my longings and my desires and my cravings 
and be happy I'm alive? That is precisely what Yahweh 
meant to Baruch. This is Jonathan. Take it, David. You belong on the throne. Now 
notice in the second place, the rise of David. All throughout 
the chapter, we have statements concerning his success. Verse 
5, with people and servants. Verses 14 and 15, with great 
wisdom. Verse 30, with esteem from people. David is on the rise. And again, 
it's not because he has superior political savvy or he's been 
to a good school and learned military strategy. No, it's because 
he's a man of God. He is a man after God's own heart. Notice as well in the chapter, 
we're just glossing over several of these, the love 4. David. He's loved by Jonathan, verses 
1 and 3. He's loved by Israel and Judah, 
verse 16. He's loved by Michael, verses 
20 and 28. He's loved by the servants, in verse 22. And then 
notice, what is the key to his success? You know, you might 
see this businessman's meeting or an article in one of these 
entrepreneurial magazines. They say, what's been the secret 
for your success? Well, I worked hard. I got up 
early. I got a good wife. I have good 
kids. All those things might play a factor under the sovereignty 
of God, to be sure. I don't think you're going to 
prosper if you don't get up early. I don't think you're going to 
prosper if you're married. You don't have a good wife or a good husband. 
I don't think you're going to prosper if you don't have nice 
children or well-behaved children. But what is the secret of David's 
success? Yahweh is with him. That's it. It's punctuated. Verses 12, 14, and 28. Yahweh 
was with David. Conversely, every time it says 
Yahweh was with David, it tells us that Saul feared David all 
the more. Saul was a man that should have 
feared God, but Saul feared the man who legitimately feared God. It truly is a terrible position 
that Saul is in, in this chapter, more in just a little bit. But 
consider this reality of the presence of Yahweh with David, 
the fact that everybody loves David, and the success of David. What is drawn in clear lines 
in 1 Samuel 18 is fleshed out in the Gospel records concerning 
David's greater son. What have we noted in our studies 
in the Gospel of Matthew? There are varying responses to 
the Lord Jesus. Now, David functions typically 
in this particular section of Scripture. We have noted those 
things along the way. David killing Goliath with a 
fatal head wound. Harkens back to Genesis 3.15 
and the seed of the woman that will crush the serpent. David 
is typical of his greater son, the Lord Jesus. In this chapter, 
we see popular response to David is one of love, it is one of 
esteem, it is one of praise. But when we look at Saul, we 
see nothing but anger, resentment, envy, hatred, malice, rage. Jump to Matthew. Isn't that precisely 
what we see in the anti-typical significance? Don't we see this 
in David's greater son? The popular response to Jesus 
is that they wanted to hear him. The popular response to Jesus 
is that many esteemed him. The popular response to Jesus 
is that they wanted to be near him. What did the Pharisees do? They respond just like Saul in 
chapter 18. They resent him. They're angry 
with him. They want to kill him. Their 
hearts are flooded with malice. They want to devastate him. And 
ultimately, they would do so. So much similarity is the case 
that in this very chapter, what Saul will do with David, again, 
is typical of what will happen with our Lord Jesus. Saul does 
not want to kill David himself after that failed attempt with 
the spear throwing. But David reckons that if I marry 
him off to one of my eligible young daughters, then that will 
be the means by which he will come into contact with the Philistines. 
Saul is not an idiot. He sees the popular esteem that 
is pointed toward David in this particular instance. Isn't that 
how the Pharisees responded to? They were put on horns of a dilemma. 
When the Lord Jesus says to them, John's baptism, was it from heaven 
or from men? They don't want to answer. Why? Because if they say from heaven, 
they'll validate the thought or the claims of Jesus Messiah. But if they say from man, they 
feared the popular response because everybody started to see and 
esteem the Lord Jesus. Saul is typical of the Pharisees. Saul and his rage against David 
looks precisely what we see, or looks like what we see when 
we get to Matthew's gospel and the other gospel narratives where 
the Pharisees are filled with this malice and this rage. Now, 
having said all that, are you a Saul? Are you a Pharisee? You know, when you look at 1 
Samuel chapter 18, I don't think it would be far off to suggest 
that anybody in their right mind should be voting for David. Now, 
maybe you're one of those few that say, no, David's a bad guy, 
he should get killed. I think most of us on a basic reading 
of 1 Samuel 18 would say that David is the hero in this chapter 
and everything that Saul is doing is wrong, it's unkind, it's untoward, 
it's ungodly. Same thing, we jump to the gospel 
narratives and we see how the Pharisees respond to Jesus. I 
mean, what was Jesus crying? He went about doing good. He 
healed people. He raised the dead. He gave vision 
to the sightless. He gave hearing to the deaf. 
He gave those who were unable to speak the ability to speak. 
Jesus fed people. Jesus did most excellent things. And a fair reading, or just a 
basic reading of those gospel records ought to suggest to everyone 
here that that was unfair, that was unrighteous, that they would 
cry out, away with him, away with him, crucify him. But you 
know there's not three camps in this world. There are those 
who are with Him and those who are against Him. If you, my dear 
friend, has not closed with Jesus Christ, you are with Saul. You are with the Pharisees. You are with the opponents of 
the godly men that the Lord has put for us in the Scripture. 
Choose ye this day where you will stand. Is it going to be 
with this Saul-like rage against the godly David? or with the 
Pharisees who reject the Lord Jesus and cry out or lead the 
multitudes to cry out, away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him. 
There's no third position today. So I think this is one of the 
biggest problems that man entertains. You're with Christ or you're 
against Christ. Some of you are not with Christ 
today, but you perhaps put yourself into this other category. Well, 
you know, I'm not as bad as others. I'm not really as bad as Saul. 
I'm not really as bad as the Pharisees. If I was standing 
there that day, I don't think I would have been saying, away 
with him, away with him, crucify him. You are as bad. You are as bad. You may not verbalize 
it, you may not vocalize it, but a failure to close with Jesus. A failure to believe on Him who 
is altogether lovely and chief among ten thousand. A resistance 
against gospel invitation. A resistance against the glory 
of God calling sinners to be reconciled to Himself through 
foolish preachers. A failure to close with that 
promise puts you in the camp of Saul and the Pharisees. Matthew 12.30 couldn't be clearer. He who is not with me is against 
me. There is no neutrality in this 
world. There is zilch, zero, nada. There is no neutrality. You say, 
well, Pastor Butler, you know, that's all fine and well, but 
we believe in the doctrine of predestination. And if God doesn't 
lay the whammy on me, then I'll never believe. What do you think 
the doctrine of predestination needs? It is the blueprint. It is the decree set in order. It is the foundation upon which 
men like me come and say, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. You're 
not to question the blueprint right now. You're not supposed 
to look at the foundation. You're supposed to hear of a 
blessed Savior. You're supposed to come and believe 
on Him. You're supposed to leave off 
your sin and close with the Savior. It's an amazing thing. We want 
to spend all this time debating predestination and election when 
we're not trusting in Jesus. You know what the answer for 
you today is? Trust. Believe, synonymous words as 
we were reminded in this last hour, come to the Lord Jesus, 
receive him, and rest upon him. That's what the gospel says, 
or that is the response. When you look at the book of 
Acts, notice what the apostles never do. They never go out and 
say, you've got to consider whether or not you've been predestined, 
whether or not you're elect. You know what else is intriguing 
against the Arminian view is that the apostles never once 
mentioned love in the whole book of Acts. Take your concordance 
out. You may not believe me, but the word love never shows 
up in the book of Acts. Does that mean everybody hated 
each other? No, that's not what it means. The Arminian is wrong 
to conclude God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your 
life. That's not necessarily the case. Psalm 55 tells us God 
hates the workers of iniquity. The Arminian is wrong to reduce 
the gospel to the free will ism of man. But so is the view that 
thinks that the apostles went out and simply taught Bible studies 
concerning predestination. They preached the gospel. Do 
you know what the gospel is? It's about the life and the death 
and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Such that the apostles 
themselves could say, everyone who believes will be saved. Isn't it beautiful? Why do we 
make it more difficult than it needs to be? We can maintain 
the reality of sovereign grace and election and predestination 
and all those things that are simply beautiful and gorgeous, 
but we also maintain the reality that everyone who believes in 
Him will be saved. If you do, by God's grace, believe, 
all glory and praise and honor goes to Him. Truly an amazing 
thing. Are you with Saul? Are you with 
the Pharisees? Are you with those who reject 
and oppose the servant of God, even our Lord Jesus Christ? Don't 
let the sun go down today. You hear a lot of preaching in 
this church. If you come to the confession study, you hear a 
lot of teaching. You come to the Wednesday night. You guys, 
all you do is teach and preach. Yeah, because that's what we 
need. That's what we need. We need to be reminded. We need 
to have this recalled to us. We need to stand in constant 
recognition of what God's Word actually says. And by His grace, 
believe it. Now notice in the third place, 
the resentment by Saul. The resentment by Saul. In the 
return from the valley of Elah, verses 6 and 7. Of course, the 
ladies go out with tambourines, with joy, musical instruments. 
The women sang as they danced, and they said, Saul has slain 
his thousands, and David his ten thousands. Notice Saul's 
response. Then Saul was very angry, and 
the saying displeased him, and he said, They have ascribed to 
David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed only thousands. 
Now what more can he have but the kingdom? So Saul eyed David 
from that day forward. Could there be a greater contrast 
between Saul and Jonathan? Jonathan throws his royal robes 
at David so that David can take the throne. And what Saul responds 
with is anger, with envy, with rage, with malice. He is going 
to take my kingdom. I submit that that's probably 
where some of us find ourselves. God opposes the proud, but he 
gives grace to the humble. Jonathan is one of the heroes 
in this particular chapter. Saul is certainly a menace to 
the good order of Israel. One man says, the very fact that 
David was accorded equal treatment with the king in the song would 
be sufficient to arouse the suspicions of any monarch, and especially 
of one insecure in his position and jealous of his prerogatives. Insecure in his position and 
jealous of his prerogatives. Don't we see the political scene 
in 1 Samuel 18 as well? I argue with reference to this 
chapter, one of the problems of tyranny. I mean, there's many 
problems with reference to tyranny, but a big one is simply what 
we see in this chapter. If Saul spent more time administering 
his kingdom rather than trying to get David, everyone would 
have benefited. When the tyrant puts his needs 
before the kingdom, when the tyrant craves that power, when 
the tyrant wants to eliminate any threat to that power, he 
is not functioning in behalf of the body governed. Tyranny 
is horrible. Why would we take a proud man 
and give him that sort of control? Why would we readily hand a chimp 
a gun and stand in front of him? Brethren, in the final analysis, 
the chimp is going to pull the trigger. You don't do that. You 
cannot trust men. Ever! Well, that doesn't make 
us feel good. I'm not saying wives and husbands 
can't trust each other and their kids. But when it comes to power, 
power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. You know 
who said that and with reference to what institution? It was Lord 
Acton with reference to the papacy. Power corrupts! Absolute power 
corrupts absolutely. You put that funky hat on a man's 
head and there's no telling what's going to happen. in a few weeks, 
months, or years to come. You put a man in a position of 
authority who conducts himself like Saul, it's tyranny. Absolute, wretched, and abominable 
tyranny. The political emphasis in this 
particular chapter underscores, and chapters subsequent, how 
often is Saul out to get David? Guess what he's not doing? He's 
not doing his job. And that is a bad, bad thing. Now notice, verses 10 and following. His attack upon David, verses 
10 and 11. Now, some would say, why would 
David sit before Saul again? I mean, didn't we go through 
this in 1 Samuel chapter 16? Didn't Saul already try to throw 
spears at David? Didn't he? Let's just look back there for 
a moment. 1 Samuel chapter 16. I'm missing it. Where's the time 
when the first swords were thrown? Is it 1 Samuel 16? Or is this the first time? Sorry, 
brethren, my mind wandered there for a moment. Go back to verses 
10 and 11. And it happened on the next day. Yes, I'm sorry. This is the first 
instance where the swords are thrown at David. Some might say, 
why would David not ever avoid Saul after this. In other words, 
in 1 Samuel 19, David gets back together with Saul. David, again, 
has spears thrown at him. David doesn't understand the 
murderous malice and the intent of Saul at this particular juncture. 
We know what the narrator tells us. We know what's going on. 
David, at this particular point, is a a servant of the court, 
specifically tasked with playing the harp. 1 Samuel 16, this is 
where David was identified as the man to play the harp before 
Saul. This distressing spirit from 
Yahweh would come upon Saul. So perhaps this is the way David 
is thinking. He's just a little mad right 
now. The servants perhaps said he's 
a little worse today than normal. David at this point doesn't know 
Saul's trying to murder him. It will be closer or clearer 
to David as the narrative progresses. But in this instance, David is 
doing his job. He was a court-appointed servant 
to come and play the harp when Saul would go into one of these 
frenzies. The prophesying here is probably not him getting a 
word from the Lord. It probably has the idea that 
he's raving inside of his house. I think the ESV even translates 
it that way. He is raved within his house. So when Saul throws this spear 
at David, David does not conclude that Saul wants to murder him. 
David doesn't know that at this point. He's just going to a man 
who's got a frenzy. He's going to a man who's a little 
off his rocker. He's going to a man who's a little 
out of his mind. So, in subsequent narrative, 
when David comes back to Saul, don't fault David, David doesn't 
know what we know. So, in this instance, Saul goes, 
throws the spears at David as a response to this particular 
situation. Now, notice what we find with 
reference to Saul in verses 10, 12 to 16. He appoints David. Verses 12 to 16, Now Saul was 
afraid of David, because the Lord was with him, but had departed 
from Saul. Therefore Saul removed him from 
his presence, and made him his captain over a thousand, and 
he went out and came in before the people. And David behaved 
wisely in all his ways, and the Lord was with him. Therefore 
when Saul saw that he behaved very wisely, he was afraid of 
him. But all Israel and Judah loved 
David, because he went out and came in before them. He removes 
him from his presence and he gives him charge over military 
troops. John Gill says, he made him his 
captain over a thousand, not out of respect to him and in 
honor of him, but partly to cover his malice and please the people, 
and partly in hope that he might be slain by the enemy at the 
head of his troop. Saul is not functioning here 
in a righteous manner. Saul gives David this particular 
status to remove him from Saul's presence and to put David in 
harm's way. And that brings us to that final 
attempt, his antagonism in verses 17 to 30. I've already mentioned 
this. I know what I'll do. I'll give 
him my daughter. being the son-in-law of the king, having power over 
my military, not entire power, but having control over military 
troops, David will certainly be in harm's way. I can usher 
him into battle so that the Philistines will ultimately shed his blood. 
Of course, it doesn't work out with Merib in the first place. 
Why did Saul give her to someone else or to Adriel? We don't know. 
It says that Michael loved David. So Saul says, I know what I'll 
do, I'll give Michael to him. She will be a snare to him. Now 
what does that snare mean? It means that David will come 
into close contact with Philistines. I mean, you can't come into close 
contact with Philistines when you're cutting, not come into 
that contact without cutting off foreskins. This was the test. I don't want a dowry. I just 
want you to bring me 104 skins. I know that sounds odd to us, 
and I know that sounds bad, and I know it sounds unseemly on 
a Sunday morning. I mean, who would go out and, 
you know, take 104 skins? Well, in this instance, no one. 
David will take 200. 200. Why? What does it mean? What is the 
significance here? Saul thinks that if I place this 
on David, no dowry, but you bring me a hundred foreskins, that 
means David is going to have to come into contact with a hundred 
angry Philistines. Do you think they're going to 
willingly give up those foreskins? Do you think they're going to 
say, oh, Dr. David, do with us as you will? No, these are angry 
men with weapons in their hands that are not going to stand for 
this. And Saul knows this. This is a means by which I get 
David into contact with the enemy. They kill him. He's off my plate. Everybody's happy. And I look 
like the champion because it wasn't my hands that shed his 
blood. I'm a good guy. I'm a great guy, 
Saul says. I gave him my daughter. Even 
in this, Saul didn't make good on the requirements. What was 
the promise in 1st Samuel 17? To the man who kills Goliath, 
Saul will give the daughter and Saul will give tax-exempt status 
to his father's house. Saul changes up. Now Saul says, 
you gotta bring me a hundred foreskins from Philistines. This 
man cannot be trusted. This man is full of rage and 
envy and murder and malice of heart. This is a wicked man and 
a picture of which is pointed or portrayed for us of what can 
be in our future if we don't stop in our sin. So this is the 
particulars. So what does David do? Well, first of all, David's just 
humble, right? Who am I that I should marry 
the king's daughter? Isn't that beautiful? Isn't that why we 
love David? He's like Jonathan too. David 
essentially says, I'm a wretch. Why would you let me marry your 
daughter? If there was any shred whatsoever of decency left in 
Saul, I hope that cut him like a knife. Saul is handing his 
daughter over to him so that she will be a means by which 
David will die. And David says, you know, I'm 
not worthy of this. I am just a lowly servant. I am just a man from Bethlehem. 
I have no pedigree. I have no heritage. I have no 
stock. That must have cut if there was 
a shred of decency in the man's heart. So now notice, what does 
David do? He goes out and gets 204 skins. 
Now, you do know he did this by killing Philistines. The text 
is conspicuous. What's the point? The kingdom 
of God matters for David. If my king says a hundred foreskins, 
I will get two hundred. If my king says go kill Philistines, 
I will kill them in duplicate. If my king says I am to brandish 
the sword against the enemies of Yahweh, then I will certainly 
and gladly and happily do such a thing." That is precisely what 
David does. He arose and went, he and his 
men, verse 27, and killed 200 men of the Philistines. And David 
brought their foreskins and they gave them in full count to the 
king that he might become the king's son-in-law. Then Saul 
gave him Michael his daughter as a wife." Davis comments on 
this practice, some people are repulsed by such ancient barbarism. But barbarism is as much modern, 
more so than ancient. Something a little history of 
warfare and persecution will make clear, or even five or six 
recent videos from Planned Parenthood. I mean, what they have just shown 
the world makes what David did here a walk in the park. He goes 
on to say, at least these Philistines were dead before they were mutilated. Much warfare is not so merciful. Such practices were not uncommon 
in the Near East. Egyptians might count severed 
hands of their enemies. Assyrians might tally heads. 
Egyptians sometimes cut off and counted the male organs of the 
sea peoples they killed in battle. Philistine males did not practice 
circumcision as did Israelites and others. Hence, Saul could 
ask for a hundred foreskins of Philistine dead. Or consider 
the atrocities perpetuated upon the people of God under the banner 
of a religion of peace. Girls being terrorized, people 
being brutalized, murder happening at tragic and alarming rates 
in Syria, Lebanon, Middle Eastern places all over the world. Brethren, 
what David does here is an act of war. He killed 200 Philistines. He brings the four skins to show 
this to Saul so that he can live happily and forever after with 
Michael. Now certainly that doesn't happen, 
but we'll save that for another day. The last few verses really 
summarize the chapter. We see the presence of Yahweh, 
Saul recognized it. We see the love of Michael, Saul 
recognized it. The fear of David, Saul still 
had it. The enmity between them, the 
prosperity of David and the esteem of David by all those who were 
in Israel. Now in conclusion, I want to 
just draw out a couple of practical lessons and then we'll close. 
In the first place, the spiritual declension in Saul. We don't 
have time to go back to chapter 13 or 14 or 15. Remember in our Wednesday night 
Bible studies, I suggest that men don't typically just fall. Men typically take steps before 
they fall. A man doesn't wake up on a Monday 
morning and renounce Jesus, typically. A man doesn't go on a Wednesday 
afternoon and say, you know, that's it, I'm done. No more 
Jesus. No more faith. No more religion. 
No more for me. It typically happens in steps. We neglect a little here. We 
neglect a little there. We put on a little there. We 
do this over here. It typically comes in a gradation. 1 Samuel 13, Saul's instructions 
were very clear. You stand and wait for Samuel 
to arrive. That's it. That wasn't good enough 
for Saul. Saul said, no, I couldn't wait 
for you, Samuel. So I went ahead and did the sacrifice. You're not supposed to do the 
sacrifice. You're not given that particular 
task in 1 Samuel 13. All you had to do was wait. Oh, 
but my spirit was hankering and longing and yearning for this 
worship experience. And I didn't want to wait for 
you, Samuel. So I went ahead and did it on my own. That's 
always frowned upon by God. God doesn't want his creatures 
to be innovative and creative. He wants them to be obedient. 
That may come as a shock to many of us because we love innovation 
and creation. Oh, your church is so boring. 
All you do is what you always do. It's all right. We have biblical warrant for 
what we do. It's not innovation and creation. It's obedience 
that God's after. Saul faltered, Saul failed, Saul 
rejected, Saul resisted. You say, wait a minute, that 
seems a small thing. Worship is never a small thing. Worship 
is never a small thing. See how quick we are to say, 
well, you know, this man's failures were moral. He committed adultery. 
It was a terrible thing. But how many guys get away with 
preaching heresy and being innovative and creative with reference to 
worship, such that the people of God, instead of worshiping 
in spirit and truth, are actually offering up strange fire to the 
Lord? Yes, the man shouldn't commit adultery, but a man tasked 
with preaching the Word needs to be exegetically correct, and 
he needs to lead the people of God to the proper worship that 
the Bible enjoins and not what man is hankering after. We all 
want what we want. Saul was that man. What happens 
in 1 Samuel chapter 14? A Saul-imposed fast upon Israel. Another surefire sign that you're 
under tyranny when your leaders act like idiots. Israel is in 
battle. Israel needs to fight. What you 
do is feed them and give them rest so that they have the vitality 
and the energy to engage the foe and to beat them. Not Saul. He imposes a fast upon Israel. How foolish! You know what Saul 
was probably doing there? Something else that I think can 
occur in the evangelical church. Trying to impress God. Well, I know we'll impose this 
fast and God will see our great intentions. God will see our 
great hearts. God will see our earnestness 
and our desire. And when God sees that, He'll 
reward us with victory. No, he won't. Absolutely, he 
will not. We are to obey. If we pray to 
get from God, we're praying wrong. If we worship to get from God, 
we're worshiping wrong. If we're living to get from God, 
then we need to rethink the way we approach things. We cannot 
gain or curry God's favor by our religious fastings, by the 
amount or number of our prayers, by how much scripture we have 
memorized. All those things are good in 
their proper place. Certainly pray, certainly worship, 
certainly read, certainly memorize. But the moment that we adopt 
a mercenary spirit and think that somehow God will bless us 
as a result. That's not Baal. That's how the 
heathen got Baal to function. In particular, do you know what 
a worship experience looked like at a Baal church? It looked like 
people fornicating. That's how they got Baal to reign 
on their fields. The idea was like priming the 
pump. Way back in the day, I visited 
a cabin of my uncle's in Oregon, and they had one of those old 
hand pumps out there. Well, you didn't just get it going, you 
had to pour some water to prime the top of it, and then it would 
get going. The worshipers would copulate 
one with another in order to prime the pump. The idea being 
that Bale would then engage in that sort of activity with one 
of his consorts, and the result would be increased productivity 
in the land. Yahweh is not like that. We do 
not put a quarter in Yahweh and pull the handle and out pops 
blessings. So much of our religion, unfortunately, 
has been reduced to that, at least, caricature. Oh, you Christians, 
you just treat God like He's a genie, like He'll do anything 
you want. Our God is in the heavens. He 
does whatever He pleases. It's obedience that God is after. 
And in case we missed that, 1 Samuel 15 drives it home for the reader. What happens there? Saul go in 
and kill the Amalekites. Take no prisoners, but kill Agag 
and the Amalekites. What happens? Does Saul obey? 
No. He tells Samuel he does obey, 
and then Samuel says, well what of the bleeding of the sheep 
and the lowing of the oxen I hear? If you did your job, I wouldn't 
hear farm animals, Saul. What's the matter with you? Well, 
it was the people. They suggested that we spare 
Haggag and that we keep the best spoils for ourselves. Probably 
in his mind so that we could offer it up to Yahweh. You see, 
God's not impressed with our innovation when it comes to worship. 
So he's saying, wow, I see your heart and it's wonderful. Now 
God sees our hearts and they're far but wonderful. That's why 
his son had to come and live and die and rise again. Would 
it be obedient? And what does Samuel underscore 
under that particular exchange? First Samuel 15. Verse 22, "...has the Lord as 
great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying 
the voice of the Lord. Behold, to obey is better than 
sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is 
as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and 
idolatry. Because you have rejected the 
word of Yahweh, He also has rejected you from being king." That's 
it, man. You can't continue to disobey 
God. So by the time we get to 1 Samuel 
18, the anger, the envy, the suspicion toward David, the duplicity 
in telling David now he has to go out and kill more people before 
Saul will make good on his promise to give him his daughter. And 
the fear that he has of David, a man who genuinely fears the 
God of heaven and earth. Now all that to outline this 
very simple thing. Typically men don't fall right 
now. They're steps. There's steps. We'll leave off the Bible here. 
We'll leave off prayer here. We'll leave off worship here. 
We'll leave off here. We'll start flirting here. We'll start doing 
this over here. We'll start shaving off the perceived rough edges 
on our tax forms here. We'll start small. Does sin ever 
just stay small? I mean, maybe it does in your 
bosom, and praise God, I'm very happy for you. I side with Owen. Owen said that if sin had its 
way, every lustful thought would end in complete filth. Every 
doubt would end in atheism. Brethren, you have to view your 
own heart with a great deal of suspicion. We are typically not 
as strong as we like to think that we are. Our holiness doesn't 
rub off on others as much as we would like it to. Typically, 
the unholiness of others rubs off on us. Now, that doesn't 
mean you'll live on a pole. You'll buy an island and sit 
there, because then you'll be fine. No, when you sit on an 
island, you're not fine. You've still got you. But you 
need to see from Saul this declension that ends in apostasy. Sometimes 
people get content with declension. Well, I don't read my Bible like 
I used to. I don't pray like I used to. I don't attend church 
like I used to. But you know, I'm doing all right. I'm doing 
all right. What does Paul say in Philippians 
1? One of the most blessed statements in all of the Bible. For to me 
to live is Christ and to die is gain. Did Paul say that after 
he'd just been converted? Did Paul say that after Bible 
camp? Did Paul say that after he went 
to a conference? He heard one of the celebrity 
preachers bring it. Now he says, for to me to live 
is Christ and to die is gain. No, Paul said that after having 
been a Christian for about 30 years. A Christian who, by the 
way, saw his share of trials. Brethren, that ought to be the 
heartbeat of all of God's people. For to me to live is Christ and 
to die is gain. That's what beat David's heart. 
That's what beat Jonathan's heart. That's what godly men demonstrate 
in the scripture. In the second place, we ought 
to appreciate the providence of God. The more Saul opposes 
David, the more God blesses David. I know what I'll do. I'll give 
him Michael and she'll be a means to provide a snare to him. Who 
delivers David in the next chapter? Michael. It's got to infuriate 
Saul that his son and daughter love the man he hates. Who delivers 
David later in the narrative? Jonathan. Every time Saul tries 
to get David, God intervenes. Providence is truly amazing and 
glorious. Samarra says, once again, Saul's 
strategy in the marriage of David and Michael has backfired. Instead 
of killing David, his attempt has given David honor in the 
eyes of all the people as the king's son-in-law, has given 
him someone who will protect him against Saul, and has strengthened 
his claim as Saul's successor. And a third observation is the 
danger posed to the kingdom. This is a grieving thing here, 
because in 1 Samuel 17 we expect blathering Goliath to yammer 
on about David. We expect blathering Goliath 
to yammer on about the nation of Israel. We expect threats 
from without. It's those threats from within 
that are more pesky to God's true people. It's the problems 
in house. Perhaps this is why Peter said, 
judgment must begin in the house of God. Where's the threat in 
1 Samuel 18? It's not a giant. It's a king. The very king of Israel. The 
man who should be concerned with the propagation of Israel. The 
man who should be concerned with the security and stability of 
Israel. You see, the church has its same 
nemeses today. We not only have the problems 
without, but we have problems within. 2 Timothy 4, we considered 
that on Wednesday night. Why does Paul tell Timothy to 
preach the Word? Well, Paul's going to die and 
he wants faithful servants to take his place. But because the 
time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. That's 
going to happen, Timothy. In the churches, you minister 
it. Persons are going to turn a deaf ear to sound doctrine. 
But Timothy, you be faithful in all things. You fulfill your 
ministry. You do the work of an evangelist. You endure afflictions. We noted there on Wednesday night, 
it wasn't the pagan persecution by Rome that Timothy had to endure 
by way of affliction. But it was the heretics within 
the professing people of God. There is a genuine threat posed 
within, and we need to be careful. And then finally, let us dare 
to be a David, let us dare to be a Jonathan. The king fears 
that David will take the kingdom. So it says in verse 8, Jonathan 
wants to give him the kingdom. Brethren, we ought to be a prayerful 
people that we would pursue humility. Actually, That seems odd, because 
if we're pursuing humility, we're probably going to Facebook about 
it. We're going to put a Twitter update. You know, I'm really 
pursuing humility today. We need to kill pride. You see, 
the killing of pride will leave in its wake humility. If we actually 
became humble, we'd write books. Humility and how I mastered it. 
Humility and how I attained it. Ten easy steps to humility. Walk 
with me and I'll show you what... It's not the pursuit of humility 
per se. It's the death to pride. It is cutting its throat. It's 
landing a rock in its forehead. It's taking a sword out of its 
belt and cutting off its head. We need to kill pride. What will be found in its absence 
is that blessed sweet fruit of Christian humility. And if you 
are not a believer, pride is something that characterizes 
you. You may appear to be humble, you may appear to be lowly, but 
anyone who does not see themselves as God rightly says that they 
are, and one who does not flee to Christ as the only source 
of refuge and hope, is at heart a proud man, a proud woman, a 
proud boy or a proud girl. The only place that an unbeliever 
can find that back of pride broken is at the cross because the cross 
shows us our sin and the cross shows us God's grace. Believe 
in Him and you will be saved. Let us pray. Father, thank you 
for your word, and thank you for this narrative concerning 
Saul and David. Give us wisdom, God, to take 
from these things the lessons you would have for us. And go 
with us now, Father, and grant us grace to kill pride, to be 
like Jonathan, and to be like John the Baptist. And may it 
be our cry that Jesus must increase, but we must decrease. And we 
pray these things through Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.