Question - How do you know the Lord is making you stronger in the faith? Answer - He puts you under trial so that your faith is tested and refined. This is the reality for David as we continue to follow his journey.
1 Samuel 23: David Saves the City of Keilah
1 Now they told David, "Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are robbing the threshing floors."
2 Therefore David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I go and attack these Philistines?" And the LORD said to David, "Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah."
3 But David's men said to him, "Behold, we are afraid here in Judah; how much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?"
4 Then David inquired of the LORD again. And the LORD answered him, "Arise, go down to Keilah, for I will give the Philistines into your hand."
5 And David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines and brought away their livestock and struck them with a great blow. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.
6 When Abiathar the son of Ahimelech had fled to David to Keilah, he had come down with an ephod in his hand.
7 Now it was told Saul that David had come to Keilah. And Saul said, "God has given him into my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars."
8 And Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men.
9 David knew that Saul was plotting harm against him. And he said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring the ephod here."
10 Then said David, "O LORD, the God of Israel, your servant has surely heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah, to destroy the city on my account.
11 Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O LORD, the God of Israel, please tell your servant." And the LORD said, "He will come down."
12 Then David said, "Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?" And the LORD said, "They will surrender you."
13 Then David and his men, who were about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah, and they went wherever they could go. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up the expedition.
14 And David remained in the strongholds in the wilderness, in the hill country of the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not give him into his hand.
Saul Pursues David
15 David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh.
16 And Jonathan, Saul's son, rose and went to David at Horesh, and strengthened his hand in God.
17 And he said to him, "Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Saul my father also knows this."
18 And the two of them made a covenant before the LORD. David remained at Horesh, and Jonathan went home.
19 Then the Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, "Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is south of Jeshimon?
20 Now come down, O king, according to all your heart's desire to come down, and our part shall be to surrender him into the king's hand."
21 And Saul said, "May you be blessed by the LORD, for you have had compassion on me.
22 Go, make yet more sure. Know and see the place where his foot is, and who has seen him there, for it is told me that he is very cunning.
23 See therefore and take note of all the lurking places where he hides, and come back to me with sure information. Then I will go with you. And if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah."
24 And they arose and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah to the south of Jeshimon.
25 And Saul and his men went to seek him. And David was told, so he went down to the rock and lived in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon.
26 Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. And David was hurrying to get away from Saul. As Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them,
27 a messenger came to Saul, saying, "Hurry and come, for the Philistines have made a raid against the land."
28 So Saul returned from pursuing after David and went against the Philistines. Therefore that place was called the Rock of Escape.
29 And David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of Engedi.
1 Samuel 24: David Spares Saul's Life
1 When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, "Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi."
2 Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Wildgoats' Rocks.
3 And he came to the sheepfolds by the way, where there was a cave, and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave.
4 And the men of David said to him, "Here is the day of which the LORD said to you, 'Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.'" Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul's robe.
5 And afterward David's heart struck him, because he had cut off a corner of Saul's robe.
6 He said to his men, "The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the LORD's anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the LORD's anointed."
7 So David persuaded his men with these words and did not permit them to attack Saul. And Saul rose up and left the cave and went on his way.
8 Afterward David also arose and went out of the cave, and called after Saul, "My lord the king!" And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the earth and paid homage.
9 And David said to Saul, "Why do you listen to the words of men who say, 'Behold, David seeks your harm'?
10 Behold, this day your eyes have seen how the LORD gave you today into my hand in the cave. And some told me to kill you, but I spared you. I said, 'I will not put out my hand against my lord, for he is the LORD's anointed.'
11 See, my father, see the corner of your robe in my hand. For by the fact that I cut off the corner of your robe and did not kill you, you may know and see that there is no wrong or treason in my hands. I have not sinned against you, though you hunt my life to take it.
12 May the LORD judge between me and you, may the LORD avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you.
13 As the proverb of the ancients says, 'Out of the wicked comes wickedness.' But my hand shall not be against you.
14 After whom has the king of Israel come out? After whom do you pursue? After a dead dog! After a flea!
15 May the LORD therefore be judge and give sentence between me and you, and see to it and plead my cause and deliver me from your hand."
16 As soon as David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, "Is this your voice, my son David?" And Saul lifted up his voice and wept.
17 He said to David, "You are more righteous than I, for you have repaid me good, whereas I have repaid you evil.
18 And you have declared this day how you have dealt well with me, in that you did not kill me when the LORD put me into your hands.
19 For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away safe? So may the LORD reward you with good for what you have done to me this day.
20 And now, behold, I know that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand.
21 Swear to me therefore by the LORD that you will not cut off my offspring after me, and that you will not destroy my name out of my father's house."
22 And David swore this to Saul. Then Saul went home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.
Things to think about…
1. David does a good work in delivering the inhabitants of Keilah from the Philistines. And yet when the Keilahites have an opportunity to protect David the Lord reveals to David that they would indeed hand him over to Saul, 1 Sam 23:1-14. Have you ever felt betrayed by someone that you have sacrificed for and loved only to be sadly disappointed? It might have been a close friend or even a child. What was your response? How did you grow in your faith through that situation? Often those who have received much from us are the ones who are not strong enough in the Lord to return the favour. God is our Portion and Shield. He is our Protector, trust in Him.
2. We saw yesterday that after David and Jonathan made a covenant together it was as if it would the last time they saw each other. But here we see them renewing the covenant they had made, 1 Sam 23:15-18. This would indeed be the last time they would speak. Have you lost a close family member or friend that was as your very own heart? What were your last words together? How has the Lord used and blessed that relationship in your own walk with the Lord? Those who are in Christ will have a sweet reunion again in glory. What greater hope is there than this!
3. In 1Sam 23:19-26 – David and his men are constantly on the move. It seems there was no city that was willing to protect him because they feared Saul. This is despite the fact that they all knew David had been anointed as king by Samuel. What do the Lord’s people in Australia fear that withholds their witness for Christ?
4. 1 Sam 24 is a chapter that shows the fear of the Lord that David has and the fickleness of emotions that Saul has. David is cut to the heart after he cuts Saul’s robe, but we know that Saul after making an emotional display to David would continue to pursue his life after this point. Saul however asks David to swear before the Lord not to destroy his descendants. David keeps his word. Imagine the temptation after years of being pursued by Saul for David to finally deal with the situation and take Saul’s life. Have you ever been tempted to operate in the flesh, but you knew it was a test? Those who wait upon the Lord will have their strength renewed and His promises fulfilled, Isa 40:31. In David’s case, it was that he would be the king of Israel.
Vision Point for cell groups – Cell groups on break over the school holidays
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Sunday’s sermon “Samuel the Judge” – reading 1 Samuel 7:3-17
1. Who is that person that has spoken into your life? They might be a patent, or close friend or a lifelong mentor. They can tell you anything whether you appreciate hearing it or not?
2. Some people are spiritual guides/mentors for nations. Billy Graham is an example in more recent history. Samuel the prophet and the last Judge of Israel fulfilled such a role. Do you remember some of the characteristics about Samuel’s ministry that made him fit for the role?
3. Israel wanted a king. They had rejected God’s rule over them. What was the physical sign of God’s displeasure at the decision they made? Jay spoke about this on Sunday. What about recent flood events along the east coast of Australia. Is this just a case of a natural weather event or is it a judgement of God? Discuss.
4. Samuel was summoned by a witch at Saul’s request after Samuel died. Samuel’s message didn’t change. We will all die and breathe our last breath. But we will live on. Does this encourage or frighten you?
5. Pray for each other and current events locally and around the world.
Prayer Points
1. Pray about your support to the floods in Qld and also to the Polish Baptist Church in Chelm efforts to support Ukrainian refugees. This is the church we will be supporting. You will need google chrome to translate https://baptysci-chelm.pl/kontakt .
2. Pray for the flood clean-up and all those affected a second and third time round.
3. Sally Gauntlett in care. Please pray for Richard and the family through this challenging time.
4. Ross Goltz is in constant pain. Has constant hip and joint pain. Seeking specialist help. Please pray for relief.
5. Families that have just started attending CBC.
6. Ukraine to repel Russia and peace to come.
7. Christ to be seen through us in our community.
8. Pray for other building projects – café roof, the repair of the house roof.
9. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points
1. People visiting church on Sunday.
2. Folk returning after being stranded by the floods.
3. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
4. Flood cleanup is restoring communities around Ipswich and Brisbane.
Announcements
1. Donation funds been set up to assist a Polish Baptist Church with Ukrainian refugees. Please label your donation – Ukraine appeal. The same will be the case for those who have gone through the floods in Qld. Label Flood appeal.
2. A new cell group has started at the church for residents around Karalee. Wed 7pm at church.
3. Kidz@Church every Sunday
4. Members Meeting next Sunday after the service.
5. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
6. Tune in again this week on our youtube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism question for March...
Q. 1. Did Christ remain in the grave after his crucifixion? A. No; he rose from the grave on the third day after his death.
Bible Reference – Luke. 24:45-47; 1Cor.15:3&4.
“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known” Jer 33:3
