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welcome to everyone we have just two quick announcements before we begin the first is that a reminder there is no Wednesday night Bible study this week or the following so September ninth and 16th no bible study but God willing we will return on thats that wednesday after the 16th and then the other is that tonight God willing we will meet for the Lord's Supper our service begins at 5pm for our call to worship this morning we're going to read Psalm 34 last several weeks we have taken a break from our exposition of the Gospel of Matthew and have been considering the sections in First Samuel dealing specifically with David and Saul one of the things we've observed is how David in the midst of affliction and trial and difficulty would take time out to worship and to praise and to compose psalms of praise to God this morning will read Psalm 34 which David wrote according to first are in the time frame of First Samuel 21 which we will look at this morning so beginning in verse 1 a psalm of David when he pretended madness before Abimelech who drove him away and he departed I will bless the Lord at all times his praise shall continually be in my mouth my soul shall make its boast in the Lord the humble shall hear of it and be glad Oh magnify the lord with me and let us exalt his name together I sought the lord and he heard me and delivered me from all my fears they looked to him and were radiant and their faces were not ashamed this poor man cried out and the Lord heared heard him and saved him out of all his troubles the angel of the Lord in camps all around those who fear Him and delivers them o taste and see that the Lord is good blessed is the man who trusts in him Oh fear the Lord you his Saints there is no want to those who fear Him the Young Lions lack and suffer hunger but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing calm you children listen to me I will teach you the fear of the Lord who is the man who desires life and loves many days that he may see good keep your tongue from evil in your lips from speaking to see depart from evil and do good seek peace and pursue it the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are open to their cry the face of the Lord is against those who do evil to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth the righteous cry out and the lord hears and delivers them all out of all their troubles the Lord is near to those who have a broken heart and save such as have a contrite spirit many are the afflictions of the righteous but the lord delivers him out of them all he guards all his bones not one of them is broken evil shall slay the wicked and those who hate the righteous righteous shall be condemned the Lord redeems the soul of his servants and none of those who trust in him shall be condemned amen well please turn with me in your Trinity salter to psalm 93 psalm 93 will sing this to a familiar tune when you find it please stand as we sing together you please be seated let us pray our God and our Father we gather together on the Lord's Day in the Lord's house and we come to acknowledge that you are great and glorious you are sovereign and majestic you have made this world and all things in it we know by the word of your power in the space of six days and all very good we know that you did not just leave it to function on its own but you govern all your creatures and all their actions that in your holy and wise and powerful Providence you sustain this world we thank you God most high for the work of salvation we praise You Father for sovereign grace for election predestination all that the Bible ascribes to the Father we thank you for sending the son of your love into this world sinners to save we bless you for the truth of the gospel life and the death and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ Paul says he was delivered up because of our offenses and he was raised for our justification and in this we greatly rejoice when we thank you for the ministry and the power of the Holy Spirit who is the seal and the guarantee that one who takes that adem shun accomplished and applies it to those whom the father gives to the Sun so certainly as we gather on this lord's day we pray that father son and spirit would be glorified and exalted and praised we come to you the living and true God and we would pray that it would be in an acceptable manner with reverence and with godly fear that you would be exalted and praised and glorified in this glad our and help us as your people Lord to see the blessing of corporate worship to see the blessing of the public place where God has promised in a special way to dwell in the New Covenant we ask Lord that you would fill each and every one of us with your spirit so that we may and be engaged and then our hearts may indeed be inflamed and that we would just worship you as you are are worthy of and we pray to that end that you would forgive us for all of our sins and our unrighteousness for not only as we consider your majesty we consider your holiness as the Prophet said and the prophet saw the Lord God most high as holy holy holy and the earth is filled with his glory may we with the Prophet even cry out what was me for I am undone and may we with the prophet know something of that atoning mercy that comes from a gracious God we pray that you would a fresh cleanse us in the blood of the Lamb we pray that you would forgive us for our transgression of your holy law forgive us that we don't do those good things that you command us to do and wash us and purify us and cleanse us in that precious fount that is open for sin and uncleanness God for any and all who have come here this morning that are outside of Christ those who are dead in their trespasses and sins we don't appeal to their goodness we don't appeal to their wisdom or to their free will we appeal to the God of heaven and earth who is able to make sinners willing in the day of his power we pray that today would be the day of salvation that you would open eyes and open ears and open hearts to the truth of Holy Scripture that sinners would be brought under conviction as well they would be brought to see and marvel at the Lord Jesus Christ who died to take away the sins of his people we ask father that you would do this and our meeting here together this morning we pray for other churches here in chilliwack that you would bless them as they assemble together that your word would run swiftly and be glorified locally and throughout Canada to the uttermost parts of the earth we know God that our Lord taught us to pray that your kingdom come we know it will come at the end when Jesus will judge the living and the dead but even now we pray it would calm in the hearts of men through the proclamation of truth we pray the Spirit of God would attend the preaching of the word of God and that many would come out of darkness into marvelous light to proclaim your Excellencies and to proclaim your praises and our God we pray for churches throughout the earth that you would be in the midst of your people that the Lord's Day would be the best day of the week for each and every one of your people that we would see it as a blessed time when we gather in the name and for the glory of our great God we pray for those persecuted in other parts of the world for their Christian faith we just commit them to you into the word of your grace and pray that you would look with favor upon your suffering Saints we ask as well God that you would cause the missionary enterprise to flourish and to thrive we pray for our brothers and sisters in China we thank you for the dear ones that continue to labor in the word and doctrine and we ask that they would know the blessing of God most high we also pray our Father for your blessing to be upon the church in in islamabad and Pakistan we know that this is a strategic location and we pray for that faithful ministry that they would continue to be protected by the Lord and that their gospel or the gospel would go forth from that place God for our own meeting we ask that you would just help us to worship you now we pray for those who are unable to be with us so those who are tried with difficulties physical or spiritual we pray that you would undertake on behalf of the saints in this congregation we ask that you'd be with mr nufeld and mr. Proctor bless and encourage these dear brothers I pray as well for mr. bolt that you would just study his heart this morning God we pray that he would find comfort in the reality of Scripture in the midst of this trial in his own life we pray for mr. ditto and four others that cannot be with us we just ask God in heaven that you would be their portion and their lot even as they're away from this particular house of God we thank you for your grace we thank you for your mercy we pray that you would continue with us now and we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord amen well please turn with me in your Trinity hymnal to number 27 m number 27 a good him to consider as we study the life of David God certainly showed faithfulness to David every out of the way please stand with me and we'll sing together you may turn in your Bibles to the book of Jude as we continue our reading through the New Testament and our morning worship we find ourselves in the book of Jude beginning verse one of Jude Jude a bondservant of Jesus Christ and brother of James to those who are called sanctified by God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ mercy peace and love be multiplied to you beloved while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation I found it necessary to write to you exerting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the Saints for certain men have crept in unnoticed too long ago were marked out for this condemnation ungodly men who turned the grace of our God in the lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ but I want to remind you though you once knew this that the Lord having saved the people out of the land of Egypt afterward destroyed those who did not believe and the angels who did not keep their proper domain but left their own abode he has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them in a similar manner to those having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh are set forth as an example suffering the Vengeance of eternal fire likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh reject authority and speak evil of dignitaries yet Michael the Archangel in contending with the devil when he disputed about the body of Moses dared not bring against him a revealing accusation but said the Lord rebuke you but these speak evil of whatever they do not know and whatever they know naturally like brute beasts in these things they corrupt themselves woe to them for they have gone in the way of Cain have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit and perished in the rebellion of Korra these are spots and your love feasts while they feast with you without fear serving only themselves they're clouds without water carried about by the winds late autumn trees without fruit dead pulled up by the roots raging waves of the sea foaming up their own chain wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of Darkness forever now Enoch the seventh from Adam prophesied about these men also saying behold the Lord comes with ten thousands of his Saints to execute judgment on all to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him these are grumblers complainers walking according to their own lusts and they mouth great swelling words flattering people to gain advantage but you beloved remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts these are sensual persons who cause divisions not having the spirit but you beloved building yourselves up on your most holy faith praying in the holy spirit keep yourselves and the love of God looking full looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ on to eternal life and Don some have compassion making a distinction but others save with fear pulling them out of the fire hating even the garment defiled by the flesh now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you faultless before the the presence of his glory with exceeding joy to God our Savior who alone is wise be glory and Majesty Dominion and power both now and forever amen when many respects this is a very simple book in terms of its structure or its content notice that Jude states his purpose in verse 3 says wallet was very diligent to write write to you concerning our common salvation we don't know specifically what he had in mind but it was some treatise or statement concerning Christian faith and doctrine he says I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the Saints the reason that that was necessitated is found in verse 4 for certain men have crept in unnoticed who long ago were marked out for this condemnation ungodly man who turned the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ so Jude says because of the presence of these men because of the presence of these false teachers because of these apostates these heretics it is for that reason that i write to you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the Saints he's not just writing to the seminary and he's not just writing to pastors notice in verse 1 he's writing to those who are called sanctified by God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ he's writing to all of God's people now not all of God's people will be a James White not all of God's people will debate Shabbir Ali not all of God's people will go on these ventures and meet with various persons and bring to bear the Christian faith but all of God's people need to know doctrine enough so that they contend earnestly for the faith that was once for all delivered to the Saints jute then gives a long description of these apostates or these defectors from the Christian truth and then Jude comes to encourage the people of God on how they are to remain steadfast and it is very intriguing Jude does not say you need to go and pray and fast for 40 days or you need to attend a prophecy conference or you need to you know study the enemy and read all their books notice what he says in verses 20 and 21 the primary emphasis is found at the beginning of verse 21 this is the command keep yourselves in the love of God that does not mean make yourself lovely so God really loves you we are loved in Christ the Father's love for the Sun is infinite is perfect is eternal if we are loved in Christ that it's not the case we can make ourselves more lovely to god that's not Jude's point keep yourselves in the disposition of and in the posture of and in the constant pursuit of loving God how do we do that is it esoteric do we just tune out and wait for some sign from heaven no that's what the surrounding vs. tell us the way or means by which we keep ourselves in the love of God first of all in verse 20 beloved building yourselves up on your most holy faith what does that mean means read your Bible means come to church it means that whenever the scriptures are open be under that word that's the way believers build themselves up in their most holy faith and hence the way that they keep themselves in that disposition of loving god it's like a relationship when you get the love letter from your soon-to-be husband or your soon-to-be wife those things encourage you they build you up they strengthen you and it makes you want to see that and to love them even more it's the same with the truth of Scripture the more we build ourselves up on the love of God guess what happens we are loving God in the second place praying in the Holy Spirit you see jus does not have a place for all these extra 80 extraneous use of various means that have brought forth now you read your Bible and you pray zoo mystery in the Christian life it's very simple when all is boiled down to its bare essence the ABCs of Christianity read your Bible pray show up at church and then he says as well looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life those are the means by which we keep ourselves in that disposition of in that love of God that Jude says is going to protect us it is going to inoculate us it is going to defend us against the presence or attacks of apostates or heretics or false teachers or those who would seek to do damage to our souls that in essence is Jude's meaning and much of the middle section deals with the description of these men and that ultimately they will not prosper but they will indeed suffer the wrath of God just as Sodom and Gomorrah did just as the unholy Angels did God knows how to pay vengeance to those who oppose his kingdom one thing I neglected in our time of prayer a donk witkowsky surgery did go well will be some time in terms of his recuperation and to know fully if you'll have full use of his arm so we'll remember Don as we pray now our Father may we take the words of Jude to heart may we know the Scriptures may we be men and women of Prayer maybe maybe may we be looking for that that appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ and in all of this may we be loving you and may this indeed help us to guard against apostates and Dara ticks and false teachers and may we contend earnestly for the faith that was once for all delivered to the Saints we live in a society that is increasingly more hostile to the truth of God's Word we pray that you'd help us to be faithful students help us to know the truth and help us to be able to contend for that truth as well and our God we pray for dawn that you would comfort him that you would encourage him that you would strengthen him and that his arm would be returned to full use we thank you that the surgery went well and we give all praise and glory to you for these good gifts and we pray through Christ our Lord amen well for our final him before we look in more detail that God's Word will sing number 220 m number 220 will stand as we sing together you can turn in your Bibles to First Samuel 21 First Samuel chapter 21 remember the story of Saul and David takes place in 16 12 the end of the book 3113 and here in First Samuel 21 will read from verse 1 to 20 25 and essentially what we have is David on his escape from Saul as I said with reference to chapter 19 if there was a one word summary of that chapter it would be deliverance God delivered david from threat to his person in chapter 20 that one word summary would be covenant it was the covenant with Jonathan that brought comfort and encouragement and strength to David in the midst of these trials and here in chapter 21 that one word summary would be provision God indeed provides for his man even when he's on the run for his life so beginning in chapter 21 at verse 1 now David came to Nob to ahem elect the priest and a him elec was afraid when he met David and said to him why are you alone and no one is with you so David said to a him elect the priest the King has ordered me on some business and said to me do not let anyone know anything about the business on which I send you or what I have commanded you and I have directed my young men to such and such a place now therefore what have you on hand give me five loaves of bread in my hand or whatever can be found and the priests answer David and said there is no common bread on hand but there is holy bread if the young man have at least kept themselves from women David answered the priests and said to him truly women have been kept from us about three days since I came out and the vessels of the young man are holy and the bread is in effect common even though it was consecrated in the vessel this day so the priest gave him holy bread for there was no bread there but the showbread which had been taken from before the Lord in order to put hot bread in its place on the day when it was taken way now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day detained before the Lord and his name was doe a anita might the chief of the herdsmen who belong to Saul and David said to a him alack is there not here on hand a spear or a sword for had brought neither my sword normal weapons with me because the King's business required haste so the priest said the sword of Goliath the Philistine whom you killed in the valley of a lot there it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod if you will take that take it there is no other except that one here and David said there is none like it give it to me then David arose and fled that day from before Saul and went to a Kish the king of gas and the servants of a Kish said to him is this not David the king of the land did they not sing of him to one another and dances saying Saul has slain his thousands and David his 10,000th the David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of a Kish the king of Gath so he changed his behavior before them pretended madness in their hands scratched on the doors of their gate of the gate and let his saliva fall down on his beard then a Kish said to his servants look you see the man is insane why have you brought into me if I need of mad men that you have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence shall this fellow come into my house David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of the dolim so what his brothers and all his father's house heard it they went down there to him and everyone who was in distress everyone who was in debt and everyone who was discontented gathered to him so he became captain over them and there were about four hundred men with him then David went from there to Mizpah of MOA and he said to the king of Moab please let my father and mother come here with you till I know what God will do for me so he brought them before the king of Moab and they dwelt with him all the time that David was in the stronghold now the Prophet dad said to David do not stay in the stronghold depart and go to the land of Judah so David departed and went into the forest of heareth a man will let us pray father we thank you for the word of God again we pray for forgiveness as we approach the scriptures we pray for the Ministry of the Holy Spirit who takes the things of Christ and makes them alive and real to us may we know that power of illumination that comes from on high we ask that you would bless this time together that we would learn the lessons concerning your provision that we would learn something or two about the Lord Jesus Christ and his glorious gospel and we ask in his Most Blessed name amen well as we read through this particular chapter it seems like a basically a description of geography and topography all these different places and all these different names and all these different locations but if we see it only as a statement concerning geography or topography we will miss the theology that the author has for us concerning God's provision of David in the midst of his escape from Saul and there are several places that we need to focus on this morning first the escape to Nob in 21 verses 1 to 9 secondly the escape to Gath in 21 10 to 15 third the departure to the cave of a dulla min 20 to 1 and 2 4th the departure to Moab in 20 to three and four and then fifthly the departure to the forest of harith in 20 25 so again a lot of name places a lot of locations a lot for geography buffs but hopefully there are some nuggets here for theology buffs because what is conspicuous in this chapter is that it's about God it is about the Lord most high as he says he as he looks with favor upon his servant David when David is tried when David is afflicted when Damon has tested when there are all manners of difficulties that have come upon him nevertheless he confesses that the God of heaven and earth has delivered me from all of my afflictions so let's first go to na in verses 1 to 9 there is a request for bread now knob is probably the sanctuary city it is described in 2219 as the city of priests the high priest is ahem elect the son of a high tub and the brother of a high jump remember that Shiloh is no longer the central sanctuary this is most likely the place before Jerusalem being the center of G of Israel's religious life and noticed that ahem elect seems to have some indicator that things are not well between Saul and David when ahem elec sees David according to verse 1 it says that he was afraid when he met David and said to him why are you alone and no one is with you he probably didn't know all the ins and outs he probably didn't know every jot and tittle he probably didn't know all of the details but he certainly had some understanding the things were not right between Saul the sitting King and David this man who gained victory in the battle in the valley of a lot so he's afraid and he asks David what are you doing here why are you alone and now notice David's response here what David does as he lies I don't want to sugarcoat it I don't want to candy-coat it I don't want to make it any more pleasant but what David does is lie John Gill says that David pretended he was upon a secret expedition now some would say well it's not a lie if somebody's trying to hunt your life down and kill you and all that sort of thing we could deal with the ethics another time another place another situation notice here though it's just told us the Bible's not recommending it it's simply reporting it for us but Gil says that he pretended he was upon a secret expedition by the order of Saul which none were to know of no not one not his own servants and that was the reason why he came to him alone which was a downright lie and was aggravated by its being told only for the sake of getting a little food and especially told to a high priest and at the tabernacle of God and when he was come to inquire of the Lord there and was attended with a dreadful consequence the slaughter of the Lord's priest there which afterwards lay heavy on day it's mine and is the very sin he has thought to refer to in psalm 119 28 he says this this shows the weakness of the best of men when left of themselves David who has much hated lying as many any man did nevertheless fell into it himself again we want to discuss the ethics of lying I'm happy to do that that's not the point in 21 it's not the point Joshua to when we see that Rahab lie it's not the point some of these passages that we fix a tap on and try to engage in a discussion of Christian ethics I'm not saying that lying and not lying and all those things are unimportant but that's not the point of the narrative and we mustn't miss it the narrator narrator simply tells us what the case is and notice what David then requests or david says he says to him elect the priests the King has ordered me on some business and said to me do not let anyone know anything about the business on which I send you or what I have commanded you and I have directed my young men to such in such a place it is intriguing and we considered this at our Wednesday night Bible study dave is not real good at this you've got to be careful when lying becomes really good or you're lying becomes really easy David story is pretty well shot through with holes why would David go on a mission by the king himself and not take a weapon and how is it the case that his young men are ritually pure remember what Israel engaged in was holy war and because they engaged in holy war it was looked at as a sacred act and in order to be prepared for a sacred act one had to be consecrated and in the case of these men they had to be ritually or ceremonially pure David's men had the ability to be three days prepared for this mission but they were too rushed to grab a sword David's not really good at this and that's a good sign it's not like certain politicians for instance I don't want to cloud anybody's mind with such a suggestion but there have been those who have been known to lie and they do it with great easiness and facility and they even seem to believe their own likes David's not like that he's a man on the run he's a fugitive he is on the hot by Saul and arguably again this is a case of self-defense what ends up happening in nob is pretty horrific and David does shoulder the responsibility but God willing we'll look at that another time in another setting but he requests bread for he and his men there's no Brad there except for the table of showbread remember when you walked into the tabernacle and you went into the holy place not the Holy of always if you were not a high priest you didn't go into the Holy of Holies and if you were the high priests you only went there on the day of atonement but in that holy place on the north wall was a table of showbread and there were twelve loaves of bread probably symbolic of and to tip illogical of God's provision for Israel when they were in the wilderness God's people needed to eat and God provided that food for them perhaps as well and lomatic of the necessity of God's Word because when God fed them manna from heaven it was to underscore the reality that man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God and the placement of the table of the showbread was right next to the Holy of Holies that is where God well that was the presence symbolized or signified by this table of showbread and so the priest says the only thing that we have here is the pre the food that is consecrated for the priests and what they would do is on the Sabbath day they would replace the old loaves with new loans and then the priests would eat the old loves you can read more about this in the book of Exodus you can see all of this set forth there but notice very specifically David then underscores that truly women have been kept from us verse 5 about three days since I came out the vessels of the young men are holy and the bread is in effect calm and even though it was consecrated in the vessel this day so the priest gives them the food you say well this is all very you know sort of mundane right this is all very simple this is all you know just geography report just a traffic report we're just going to the city of knob and sort of surveying things here from afar well notice what's at stake here God provides bread for David and are not completely righteous David I might add if David had in fact lied and David secured bread by this lie it might rise up on some of us are in some of us in the church to say well that's not right that isn't legit I have to go out and work very hard to get my provision of daily brat doesn't seem legit that David just got this handout from the priests the bread has exchanged the old loaves that were for the priests are now given to David and he gets to eat and fill his belly I love what Ralph Davis says concerning this observation he says some scrupulous reader may object and complain that David in all his finagling and deception does not deserve this provision he says so what else is new who would have daily bread if it rested on our desserts do you deserve the soup you're going to go home to or the burritos or the chicken or the hamburgers or whatever it is that is going to be on your table can you say with Judgment Day honesty I have a right and an entitlement to this food not if you know anything about the holiness of God in your own sin if you know anything about the holiness of God your own sin you will know the only thing that you deserve the only thing you have entitlement to the only thing you have merited or earned is a place in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone that is your portion that is your lot that is what you deserve back to davis he said we'd all be skeletons we can only second jacobs position i am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which you have shown your servant Davis says when everything is scraped down to the bone I receive my daily bread not because I am godly but because Yahweh is gracious this little stop in nob underscores something that Jesus will let her later tell his disciples to pray give us this day our daily bread this is God's provision of David's daily bread this is God's goodness and kindness to his servant in the midst of his trials his escape from Saul now brethren you may be tried and you may be afflicted and you may be going through severe hardship but when you go home today and when you ladle that soup into your bowl never forget the reality that God is making good on his blessing to his people the fact that we have daily bread there are certain places where I would preach the sermon and I couldn't say it with as much on gumption if you will I certainly couldn't make this point as strenuously in the in Ethiopia or in the Sudan we have an abundance maybe a trip to Knob every once in awhile to see how David is provided for by the gracious hand of our God will cause us to stop in our tracks and say praise God from whom all costco's flow because we have been blessed tremendously we don't just buy a little bag of something we get gunny sacks full of it we've probably got enough food in our pantries to sustain villages for weeks and what we find here is whether it is the bread that was on the table in the city of knob or it is costco that you go to it is as a result of God's goodness and God's provision and God's kindness in God's grace to his undeserving people we would all be skeletons as Davis says if our daily bread rested upon our daily merit notice this statement concerning Doeg the narrative flow perfectly from six to eight but there's this snapshot of an Edomite named oleg now stoic is absolutely crucial to chapter 22 it's Doeg who's going to drop dime on David it is Doeg who's going to come to Saul when he's having his pity party in Gibeah and say to Saul well I know of a truth that David went to the priest at North so doughy notice verse 7 a certain man of the servants of saw was there that day detained before the Lord his name was doe egg the Edomite the chief of the herdsmen who belong to Saul Robert alter says this seemingly intrusive notation is a piece of ominous foreshadowing 22 9 and 10 again will probably continue in that chapter and then head back to Matthew but I want you to see that this is it as alter says an ominous foreshadowing the ghastly consequences of David's visit to Nob will pivot ando eggs fatal presence his identity as an Edomite reflects the enlistment of foreign mercenaries in the new royal bureaucracy it also marks him as a man who will have no inhibition in what he does to Israelites even Israelite priests 22 is terrible the what we didn't read in chapter 22 for those of you who are not familiar with the story Doeg tells saw the david went to the priest and nod and Saul said oh isn't that wonderful isn't that just great no Saul said I want my servants to go and exterminate the priests none of them would even do it praise God for a little civil disobedience there not everything that King tells you to do you should necessarily do and the King tells you to go execute priests and not you don't do that you must obey God rather than that now I don't suppose that that's what really sort of inspired those servants but nonetheless they didn't do it but what about Doeg Doeg the Edomite didn't mind massacring priests in Gibeah and their families in it's truly in the mail situation notice David asks for weapon and he gets the sword of Goliath let's move on to gas where's the worst place David could possibly go wielding the sword of Goliath Gath you say right wake up brethren what did we see in chapter 17 who did David fight who did David disenfranchised off of his head who did David meet in the valley of the battle or the Battle of Valley availa it was Goliath he was a champion from where from gas David's movement here is really difficult to get one's mine wrapped around other than to say the persecution leveled at him by Saul was such that David would go to gaff carrying the very sword that he used to kill their champion it doesn't make a lot of earthly sense on one level it doesn't make any sense on certain levels Davis says it would be akin to a cow if he knew what was going on in a slaughterhouse nevertheless wandered in there you wouldn't do that if you were Tao would you you'd want to avoid such places wouldn't you if you knew you had never had chicken pox and you happen to be an adult for children it's not that severe for adults it's very severe but if you know that a certain family has chicken pox infestation know if that's legit or correct the plague of chicken bought you wouldn't go in there as a non chicken pox having person right why does David go to gaff why does he go to Phyllis Tia Y in his escape from Saul does he see this as a viable option again I don't know the particulars but I know this much that what he was facing from Saul was such that he would rather go into Gath carrying the very sort of the man that he had bested on the field of battle hometown boy loses it in the valley of a law that would have been the headlines and gaff now David comes there to seek refuge Isaac made a good observation on a Wednesday night you know when David comes out Goliath Goliath says this is a ruddy young man probably his face was glowing red well here david has a beard so there's a bit a period of time that is that is past here you know we look at this it didn't happen on monday and then tuesday and then wednesday and thursday we get back to our wednesday night studies we see that samuel dies and the time between Saul's installation as the King to Samuels death is about 21 years so there's a period of time going through here now notice the men of a Kish have never seen David unless they were personally witness in the valley of a lot but they don't have pictures they don't have internet they don't have a selfie of david by the life they just don't have that there's no facebook there's no twitter there's no social media where david says I want the battle in the valley of ayla they don't have that they are a bit perplexus it is this not befit is this not the king of the land is this not the one of whom we we heard the song we heard it they'd have radio they didn't have internet but they had heard this particular song and it goes like this Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands is this not him we don't want him here he's a bad guy he bested Goliath he took out our champion he destroyed our livelihood with reference to Israel so what happens with David David's afraid that's what the text says David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of a Kish the king of God this is the cow who's wandered in the slaughterhouse and starts to see what happens here he doesn't want to be there he understands his plight he understands the Challenger stands the difficulty if these men are able to eyewitness me the king of a Kish is not going to take this happily he's not going to look and say oh wow he's carrying the sword of Goliath good on you know they're going to neutralize David so what does David do he changed his behavior before them pretended madness in their hands scratched on the doors of the gate and let his saliva fall down on his gate it looks like a good doesn't it think about it just from the moment the perspective perspective of wisdom it's you there you see what's happening you understand the score would you think to feign madness would you start letting drool go down into your your beard you start scratching at the doors as if you were a cat or a dog that wanted to get out would you do this probably not i don't know how many of us would conceive of such a ploy so in one hand it looks somewhat lies on the other hand this is the man is going to sit on the throne of David on the throne of Israel as David himself acting like a fool acting like a madman you know it is at this instance that David Wright psalms 34 and 56 the superscription for both those Psalms indicate that he wrote those songs at this particular time again I want to lean on Davis here for a moment he says we must not call or merely call this episode David's folly and sigh about how lucky he was to get out when we read Psalm 34 David is extolling the goodness of God for delivering him from all his afflictions you mean God delivers us from all our afflictions even when we do things like these yeah yeah he does see at some point we really have to come to grips with romans 8 28 at some point we got to take it off the fridge magnet and put it in the heart God does cause all things to work for good we interpret all things there's when I'm reading my Bible up when I'm praying what I'm keeping myself in the love of God just like you said from Jude 20 than 21 all things there is comprehensive it's the bad things too and probably in the context that's the emphasis of the Apostle Paul everybody knows good things work out when we're doing good don't we I mean at least we all believe they should it's in the difficulties and in the trials and in the seasons of the flexion and distress so back to davis we must not merely call this episode David's folly and sigh about how lucky he was to get out I suggest our response be governed by David's own response according to the headings of Psalm 34 and fifty-six those Psalms arose in the wake of this fiasco and goth you may look at First Samuel 21 10 to 15 and wonder can anything good come out of gas here is David foolish desperate confused ah but it's the stuff Psalms are made of so David does not say I am lucky but God is for me he sees men not as frightful but as flash his deliverance from all his fears in all his troubles is the pledge that Yahweh will follow suit for other believers in the basis for his continuing praise along with desperation there is nevertheless praise he says this is an instance of David's desperation could it be anything less he's standing before an enemy King the enemy King is being alerted by his servants that this is david this is the man wielding Elias sort the man who killed our champion this is a time of desperation Davis says I do not mean that we should act foolishly in order that may that praise may come but only that we should never forget God's mercies given us even in our foolishness it's back to that whole bread thing if we only are worthy of our bread when we do the exemplary things and never sinned we're going to die a skeleton's if God only delivers us when we're absolutely composed and we're towing the line we're doing everything right this was a time of desperation for David and instead of saying why I got lucky they bought my feigning of madness he says God has delivered me God has delivered me I love the response of the king will just spend a second here he says have I need of madmen that you have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence this is a Kish the original seems to suggest do I have need of another madman he's got enough madman there phyllis tia he's got enough gas i'ts that are out of their minds he certainly doesn't need this Israel I get him out of here so where's our next stop he goes to Cave of a dollop what do we see in the cave of a dolla this is the occasion of Psalms 57 and 142 what amazing when you are tried when you are afflicted when you are pressed when you see hardship when you are down is your response to praise maybe there's a lesson as we survey this theological geography on how to respond to the various problems we face if there's a continual theme in the heart and the mind of David it is to respond with praise with Thanksgiving and with worship and for David it meant to compose the very Psalms that we would sing in our church today and even one better Psalm 34 is in a cross stick that means that each verse starts with an a a B a G and all the way through the Hebrew alphabet I got to tell you brethren if I am running from a from a king that wants to kill me probably the last thing I'm going to do is sing a song and certainly the last thing I'm going to do is write us all and if I was going to write a psalm it wouldn't be an acrostic David's the real deal that's how you respond to trial and affliction that's how you respond to the sorrows of the Christian life this taxed underscores that there will be but it highlights the consistent response of God's people it's not to freak out it's not to lose it it's not to say forget it it's not to absent yourselves from that place of keeping yourself in the love of God see that's the tendency there's a quitter mentality among us it's too hard it's too difficult there's too many challenges you don't know what it's like you don't know my problems you don't know how it is to live with such a guy or such a girl you don't know what the temptation of the internet is like you don't know what I'm like when I get around that grain you don't know what I'm like when I get around that drug you don't know what it's like to have these sorts of things no but I do know what it's like to have a God who is our refuge and Our Strength I do know what it's like to see a man like David is running for his life hunted like an animal who nevertheless stops to praise God she may be the reason why we continue in this sorrowful dreadful tried afflicted state is because we never say stop that's enough break out the salt and let's sing you see brethren some of the fixes in the Christian life are very simple because they're so simple we they all that will never help what's more helpful than gathering together in the Lord's house on the Lord's Day if you haven't seen the value of the Church of God on the Sabbath day yet hang around you will talk to people who haven't been in good churches or talk to people that have been in deserts or talked to people who have had no means like you have valuable prize it and praise God in the midst of it this is what we learned from David notice when he goes to a dull what does he do there says when his brothers and all his father's house heard it they went down there to him this was a very strategic and wise move David is being hunted like a dog right David rightly concludes that ass all is against me it won't be long till he turns his attention to my father remember soul reneged on his promise Saul said that whoever kills Goliath he gets to marry my daughter and his father's his father gets tax-free exemption in Israel well now his father and his mother have to run to the cave of a doula belong with us the rest of his family you see even here think about it theologically think about it from a Christian life point of view who do you think gave it needs to see in this moment who's always good to see your mom right she's not a Christian even if she not a believer is it always good to see your mom is there a bigger fan of yours in this world than your mom mother's love some pretty terrible human beings they have a capacity for it I mean maybe even Charles Manson's mother loved there's some beastly people out there and their mothers typically love them this is a blessing from God in the midst of Iran in the midst of an escape in the midst of now hightailing it out of gas he goes to the cave of a doula man who is he joined by he's joined by his family that's a great encouragement from the hand of God at a time of affliction but notice he's not joined only by his family he's joined by the distressed the indebted and the discontent that's who hangs out in the cave of a dulla that's what it says notice verse 2 and everyone who is in distress everyone who was in debt and everyone who was discontented gathered to him so he became captain over them and there were about 400 men with him those 400 men would prove crucial in the coming events she said God doesn't leave his man on his own you see a theme provision of bread in Nam provision of safety and gas provision of Family and friendship in the cave of a doula maybe this isn't where you go to find friendship and family but this is where he found it he say well we'd rather rent a hall and we'd rather have a feast and we would like to have everything just so no you might be the cave of the door but you're going to get you'll get some you'll get some benefit you get some encouragement there now notice from here they go to Moab this is quite a journey this is quite a ways to go this is on the east side of the river Jordan notice in verse 3 then David went from there to Misbah of Moab and he said to the king of Moab please let my father and mother come here with you till I know what God will do for me you see David needs a safe haven for his parents David is on the run let's please not forget that Saul wants to kill David and David rightly concludes that if Saul wants to kill me he's probably going to destroy my family and David was right to conclude this when we get to the rest of chapter 22 because Saul destroys the city of priests so David goes to Moab and he says let my father and come here with you till I know what God will do for me so he brought them before the king of Moab and they dwelt with him all the time that David was in the stronghold now he said wait a minute that seems odd wasn't Moab and enemy of Israel didn't they have friction didn't they have tension didn't they have dispute and trial and difficulty one with another why in the world would David first of all go to Gath end up in the cave of adult and now he goes to Moab if we were to be Monday Morning Quarterback sweet music David don't go to Moab they're not going to take kindly to you oh but you see God has prepared the way this is beautiful God has prepared the way who is David's great-grandmother she's a Moabite us by the name of ruth so when David appeals to the king of Moab and he says by the way my great-grandmother had Moabite blood running through her veins the king of Moab says certainly your parents can stay here now brethren think about this God's provision when we don't even recognize it God's provision when we're not even ready for God's provision when it truly is a surprise in this instance several several years prior God prepares for this again Davis he says in David's case all the unusual arrangements had been made over a century before God plans his kindnesses long beforehand he directed circumstances long in advance in order to bring a ray of relief in David's present distress it was not something David set in place it was a gift Yahweh arranged it long before nor is it something he does only for chosen kings a great number of his seats have stories to tell about desperation in Providence you see who would have thought who would have prepared God who would have planned God who would have decreed God those for brief chapters in the book of ruth as beautiful as story as they are in terms of the love and the commitment and the fidelity and the good things that we see spelled out the point of it as Gil reminds us is Christ he is the scope of the whole that book and all of Scripture it is the genealogy at the end of the book of ruth that tells us everything ruth the moabite us was the great-grandmother of David king of Israel this is why Ruth the Moabite asst is found in Matthew chapter one this is how God works God uses means and God employees things that we would never ever imagine it in many ways is exhilarating and breathtaking to see on display the Providence of God as he governs all his creatures as he governs all their actions as he gives favor to David Tua by the king of Moab so that they will indeed be kept safe god is glorious and notice david's recognition of provenance till I know what God will do for me now notice in verse 5 the departure to the forest of harith David no sooner says till I know what God will do for me now the Prophet dad said to David where did dad come from notice there's not a parenthetical statement and the Prophet GAD he'd gone to this school he married this woman he you know fathered these children he was a you know well likes but the Prophet GAD said to David what do we learn here we learned the blessedness and the excellence of God's giving of his word right david says until I know until I know what God will do for me in the very next statement it says now the Prophet God said to David do not stay in the stronghold depart go to the land of Judah so David departed and went into the forest of heareth again we've got a Bible sitting on our laps we've got Bibles in these pews we've got Bibles on our phones we've got Bibles everywhere and we can take for granted the presence of the Word of God you see Saul couldn't take that for granted as a result of Saul sin and Saul's rebellion and Saul's rejection of the Living God God no longer spoke to solve that's something underscored in this section Saul is not getting divine revelation he's not getting a word from the Lord by the time we get to chapter 28 Saul is asking a medium for help why is that he says it's specifically because the Lord will not answer me he doesn't speak to me in word he doesn't speak to me in profit I no longer have the priest and the ephod and he doesn't even speak to me through the euro meeting your army yoram anymore David doesn't have that problem God tells David go to the forest of erin go to Judah why that'll all be unfolded as we move through the rest of the book but the blessing to underscore here is that in the midst of trial in the midst of affliction in the midst of difficulty in hardship what do we nevertheless have the provision of God's Word the provision of God's Word rather than that ought to be enough for us to just stop here and sing praises to our God do we value and prized the word as we are always reminded when we consider certain things like these in that account and in marie's parents and hope there was a parent by the name i think it was John Rogers he was preaching he personified God to the people and the people to God and from God to the people he said I'm going to take your word I'm going to take your Bibles you neglect them you know read them you know come to the house of prayer you do not meet you don't gather you don't use the medes so the man is preaching and he personifies speaking as God to the people and then he says on behalf of the people to God basically fort give us we have neglected your word forgive us we have neglected the means forgive us we have rejected those good things you've given to us and then he says on behalf of the people to God take our houses take our jobs take our stuff even take our children but take not vine word from us brethren we have all these Bibles and all this access and I wonder at times if it's just become old hat what is so familiar with it we become somewhat Bible harden will saul understood the lack that he had such that when he gets to 28 he wants to find a witch that will bring up Samuel so that he can have a private session David's got the word God speaks for God the Prophet is the mouthpiece and this in the midst of trial in the midst of affliction in the midst of hardship and grief brethren this is a life line from God most high to his suffering Saints don't neglect it don't stay away from it don't put it down is it not the devil's logic when you feel down to say well I'm not going to read and I'm not going to pray because it won't do any good anyway guess what you're not simply to read and pray so it'll do good you're to read and pray because God tells you to were utilitarians if it doesn't help me or benefit or make me better I'm not going to use it now we need to be obedient do what God says rather it isn't this one of the things that happens or I'm not going to go to church today because I don't want to be around people that's from the devil so from God it's from the devil it's not from God God command you on the Sabbath day to be in his house guess where you should be not Taco Bell not hanging with the death should obey God it's a blessing for the people of God in the midst of their trials and afflictions and it's a blessing that oftentimes is neglected because we'd rather have pity parties like Saul and Gibeah than manna or woman up and do what we're supposed to do well in conclusion I think this chapter sufficiently underscores that there is in the first place the presence of trials in the Christian life robert van Hoyt describes chapter 21 in a useful overview he says chapter 21 provides a wake-up call to God's believing people of all times and places it is a reminder that one living as a Christian in a fallen world is inherently dangerous in case you needed reminding of that is like a David to our own foolish behavior often heightens the dangers of this hostile environment you see if it was just a hostile world that we were to deal with I mean that would be one thing but do we always respond to that hostile world in the bestest possible ways no we wander into Gath with Goliath sword we go to the priests and knob and we don't tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help us God sometimes we compound living in this world by our own foolish and oftentimes sinful conduct now again I'm not saying this so that we'll go out and sit and be fooled so that God will deliver us but just the point that when we look at the way God works in the midst of his people even through those things the Lord proves faithful van Noy says thirdly God's mercies are new each day in spite of our failures and forth God's purposes for his people cannot be frustrated by the designs of the ungodly you need to appreciate that from knob to Gath to a dalam to Moab back to harith what's happening God is going to station David on the throne saw the rebel pilot saw the rejecter of the word of God saw the one who has engaged in a sin that is as bad as witchcraft is going to be destroyed and the kingdom of God is going to advance never forget that David's greater son tells us in these terms I will build my church and the gates of Haiti shall not prevail against it and then what he says at the end it is important that God's people are reminded of the dangers that are endemic to their own journey through life as strangers and pilgrims on earth and that these dangers do not just arise from without but also from within in the second place we have seen I hope successfully God's provision in the midst of trials David interprets it this way many are the afflictions of the righteous but the lord delivers him out of them all whether it's the need for bread whether it's protection from hostile enemies whether it's for friendship and fellowship and family and encouragement whether it's a safe haven for one's parents or whether it is the word of God through the Prophet gat the Lord is with David every step of the way brethren read your Old Testament certainly read the new read the entirety of the Bible you need to see the life of God's people flushed out in the midst of Israel in the Old Covenant community to see David go from place to place and to see how in the world is he continuing how in the world does he get up out of bed every day I mean brethren what affliction oftentimes is enough to bury some of us david has it over and over and over and over again alright when he gets the spirit in chapter 16 the troubles begin when he gets the spirit all these things fall upon him just like his greater son as soon as we see that Spirit descend upon the Lord Jesus at his baptism and the father's voice say this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased you think the spirit is upon him not that it was devoid but this is a public manifestation to confirm the reality that he is Yahweh servant of the Lord but when he has the spirit you think well everything's going to be good from here on out right just like you do with David he has the spirit now everything's going to be good from here oh no just like with us we have the spirit now everything's going to be good from here on out well we know what David as soon as the Spirit comes upon him all the troubles come when David's greater son receives the Spirit what happens that self same spirit drives them out to the wilderness to be tested by Satan for 40 days and 40 nights the same manner brethren when we receive the spirit there are times and seasons in it instances were trouble and trial and hardship and affliction come that's just the reality of the Bible the health wealth prosperity gospel is so wrong it is so contrary it is so far removed from anything scriptural and yet that health wealth prosperity gospel if it isn't proffered by big haired men with big haired women with big cars and big houses and big everything it still seeps down into the event evangelical might and persons even it would form churches in persons and good of angelical church churches thing well I'm a good guy so everything should go well right I'm a believer in Jesus so why do I have these trials nowhere in the bible does it say believers in Jesus won't contract cancer nowhere in the bible does it say that believers in Jesus won't lose children believers in Jesus won't lose their way believers in Jesus won't lose their jobs these are the trials and the frictions that God uses to conform us unto the image of his son of whom it was said he learned obedience through suffering Hebrews 58 as a standing testimony to each and every one of us that if we would be conformed under Christ that conformity is not going to come through ease and through a lack or absence of trial it's going to come through this section provides as well the occasion for worship if David didn't go through these situations we wouldn't have psalms 34 56 57 and 142 and I want to end on a note that points us to David's greater son look back to add ullam in chapter 22 verse 2 and see if you don't hear the echoes of David's greater son in that cave and everyone who was in distress everyone who was in debt and everyone who was discontented gathered to him doesn't that describe us aren't we in distress aren't we in debt and aren't we discontent now note what happened so he David became captain over them who the distressed the indebted and the discontented I love what John Gill says in this connection he says in this he David was a type of Christ who receives sinners distressed with a sense of sin discontented in their present state and in debt and unable to pay their debts is it David here functioning in a typical capacity pointing forward to the one who would one day say come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will rest in other words Christ comes to the cave of the deulim and he bids us flee he bids us come he bids us to believe and he becomes captain over them it is a most blessed picture or illustration or emblem of what Christ and the gospel does and if you are not a believer in Christ today if you are outside of Christ if you have not come to him received him and rested upon his gospel then you find yourself described in this section you are distressed by sin you are indebted to God because of sin and there is a discontentment you won't acknowledge it the persons of our day who are not Christian say well I have greater peace and greater freedom greater quality of life not being a believer know deep down inside you know in your heart of hearts things are not right with you in God that produces discontent John Owen said something to the effect when men here thunderings and they see the Lightning's and they see the tempest they fear not so much at what the phenomena shows but in their secret thoughts that God is nigh and that he is a consuming fire I think Owens right on the basis of Romans chapter 1 men know you know that God is and you suppress that truth in unrighteousness to all of your boasting and your bragging and your self sufficiency to say well I'm happy and I'm content and the atheist or the agnostic life is most satisfying to me at heart there is a discontented pneus because god made us for communion with him and when we don't have that communion with him things are not right to see there's hope their safety there's forgiveness for Dilla mites there is hope safety and forgiveness for those who are in debt those who are in distress and those who are discontent and it's in the person and in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ believe on Him repent from your sins and by God's grace you will know what it's like to have him as the captain it's no greater joy is there than to have the one the bride calls altogether lovely and chief among 10,000 no greater joy than to call him captain there ought not to be anyplace we don't want to follow that blessed captain our beloved Savior our Redeemer and our Lord let us pray our Father in Heaven we thank you for the word of God we thank you for the story of Saul and David and what it tells us concerning you we thank you for your deliverance your provision your covenant your kindness to your people in their trials and afflictions I pray that this would not just stay in First Samuel 21 and 22 but we would see it in our own lives that we would appreciate Providence of God that we would thank you for the revelation that you've given us in the Old and New Testaments give us grace Lord God to go from this place to honor and to praise you bring us together tonight so that we may hear the word of God that we may see the word of God in this ordinance of the Lord's Supper and we pray these things through Christ our Lord amen