In November 2016, two teenage boys went hiking in the Smokey Mountains near Gatlinburg, Tennessee.  For whatever reason, as they walked the trail, they started lighting matches and tossing them on the ground.  Despite everything that’s ever been said to hikers not to do something like that, these boys, in a “me monster” moment of youthful arrogant stupidity, assumed it wasn’t necessary to consider the long-standing, loudly proclaimed warnings about fire safety in the forest, and ended up starting a forest fire.  A few days later, as the fire continued to burn, a massive windstorm moved through the region and turned it into one of the worst forest fires in the history of the eastern half of the United States.  The fire caused $2 Billion in damages⁷https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Great_Smoky_Mountains_wildfires and, worse, the death of 14 people.⁸https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/local/tennessee/gatlinburg/2017/06/30/attorney-arson-charges-against-teens-fatal-gatlinburg-wildfire-dropped/442706001/ I’m very certain those two boys never imagined nor intended for such horrifying results.  However, the fact remains that if those two boys hadn’t arrogantly walked down a trail lighting matches and foolishly tossing them into the woods, that fire would have never been started, and the thousands of people who were impacted by it would have never suffered the unimaginable consequences it caused!  I can’t even begin to imagine what those boys felt the day they realized they were the cause of that unprecedented tragedy.

Similarly, in 1 Samuel 21, David, acting out of faithless fear and panic, lied to the priests in Nob to manipulate them into giving him some bread and a sword.  On the surface, that sounds inconsequential and less damaging than the two boys tossing matches on the trail in the Smokey Mountains.  Those guys should have known nothing good was to come out of randomly tossing matches into the woods!  But for David, honestly, what harm could come from lying to the priests to get some bread and a sword?

I can only imagine the pain from the weight of the shame and self-disgust that erupted in David’s heart the day he found out his faithless, manipulative lies ended up getting every person in Nob killed—the priests, their wives, children, and everybody else!!  Saul is the one who gave the order, but it was David’s lies that created the opportunity in the first place, something David admirably owned up to when he heard what happened.  1 Samuel 22 ended this way,

21 And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the LORD. 22 And David said to Abiathar, "I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have occasioned the death of all the persons of your father's house. 23 Stay with me; do not be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life. With me you shall be in safekeeping. (1 Samuel 22:21-23)

Now, it's one thing to own up to it, but it’s another thing to move forward in your life when you do.  How could you ever show your face again after hearing something like that?  As a leader, how could you believe that people would ever follow you again or even think you are worth following?  Honestly, suppose your actions caused something that catastrophic. How could you ever move forward with any kind of confidence about anything, especially with any confidence that God was good with you?  Specifically, in the story of 1 Samuel, how could David move forward with any confidence that God truly accepted his repented heart and was still committed to using him as the King of Israel and, more importantly, to even be with him?

Well, what happens next in 1 Samuel had to have pushed out any doubt in David’s mind that God wasn’t good with David, that God isn’t patient, kind, merciful, and forgiving; that God doesn’t restore those who cry out to Him in true repentance.

In 1 Samuel 23, we see four clear testimonies that God was good with David!

 The first testimony that God was good with David appeared before he got word about Nob.

God entrusted David with a “kingly” assignment.

 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?"

 This is huge. David repented in the Cave of Adullam and worked things out with God before he ever knew the severity of the consequences of his manipulative lies. Nonetheless, it's safe to say the weight of the guilt that he had sought out the King of the Philistines for refuge instead of God must have left him with at least some sort of doubt in his heart, wondering, “Is God done with me?”We wouldn’t be shocked at all if David thought, “I know God sent me these 400 high maintenance, stressed out, financially irresponsible bitter debtors to lead, but I wonder if He still wants me to serve His people as King?”

 So, when David hears about the Philistines attacking a city called Keilah, he seeks God to know if he should act like the one Samuel anointed to shepherd Israel as its King or as the one who needs to stay in hiding with his high-maintenance flock.

 And the LORD said to David, "Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah."

 How exhilarating that had to have been for David. David is a warrior who has not only killed the Philistine champion Goliath but has also been credited for killing tens of thousands of Philistines who threatened the prosperity and existence of Israel!  There could not have been anything more assuring for David to hear God say than, “Go get ‘em!”

 But remember who's with him! David is taking care of 400 people, and a noticeable amount of those 400 people are described as those with high anxiety (“distress”) and bitterness. (1 Samuel 22:2).  So, to no surprise, the cold-water committee doesn’t like the idea. Notice how they respond to David.

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?"

 They were already afraid of Saul and possibly even in debt to Saul, so adding that to the fact that they were taking refuge with David would only increase the likelihood that Saul was trying to kill them. Now, David not only wants to come out of hiding, which increases their vulnerability to Saul, but he also wants to attack the Philistines.  This not only meant they would be putting their lives on the line in battle, but even if they were victorious, they would end up being hunted by King Achish as well as Saul!  So, as much as we would want to pick on their response, it’s, by any reasonable observation, an incredibly scary proposition!

Therefore, hearing their doubt, David went back to God for clarity. He likely wanted to be sure he wasn’t misleading the people of God and provide them with some additional surety as well.

 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.

 “God’s promise to David introduced a theme that will run through this chapter with the word “hand.” “Hand” represents power. The Lord was giving the Philistines into David’s “hand” or power.”⁹Woodhouse, J. (2008). 1 Samuel: Looking for a leader (p. 448). Crossway Books.

 David not only has clear marching orders but can do so with the confidence of a guaranteed outcome. God said, “I will give the Philistines into your hand.”  Faith is acting on what God tells us to do; therefore, when God says go and adds that victory is guaranteed, there really isn’t any room for doubt!  So the Bible states,

 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.

 Before this battle, David and his 400 followers had nothing but a place to hide, but now they have something to provide for them. Livestock not only provided meat and milk but also something to trade!

What a huge encouragement from God!!!! David had every reason to believe God was done with him, but God just proved he wasn’t! God not only sent him into battle and used him to rescue the people of Keilah, but he also blessed him to bring away the livestock of the Philistines.

Every athlete has wondered the same thing, especially when they made a mistake that cost the team a huge win. Will the Coach ever give me another chance?  Have I blown it for good?  Eventually, everyone has had their last chance, but how do you know if you just had yours?  The answer is that you honestly don’t know if the last chance was your last unless it’s made clear by another one.  David had to have seen the victory in the simple fact that God even gave him this assignment, but the fact that it resulted in victory made it super clear that God was good with him!

But God wasn’t done assuring David.  The second testimony that God was good with David is in verses 6 through 14.

 God gave David critical knowledge to protect him. 

 6 When Abiathar the son of Ahimelech had fled to David to Keilah, he had come down with an ephod in his hand.

 This is where it becomes clear that 1 Samuel 23 went back in time, some from where 1 Samuel 22 ended. We see here that sometime during the slaughter of the priests, Abiathar escaped and found David in Keilah, where he had defeated the Philistines and took up residence inside this walled city.

 So this is when it got real for David and why it was so significant that God had already given him a successful assignment because when Abiathar showed up, the crushing weight of the reality of David’s previous actions had to have come crashing down on him like an avalanche! This is very likely when David found out that Saul had ordered Doeg to kill all the priests and possibly that Saul had gone on to Nob to kill everybody there as well.

 Have you ever messed up and thought you had it all worked out, only to find out things were a hundred times worse than you could have ever imagined? That’s exactly what just happened here.  What a head-spinning moment.  David had repented.  He knew what he had done was sin.  He knew he had made a complete fool of himself and almost got himself killed because of it, but he had no idea that it had resulted in the priests and everybody in their households being killed!  He knew his actions resembled the very thing he confronted the people of Israel with when they stood in fear before Goliath (1 Samuel 17). Still, he had no idea of the price of faithless fear until Abiathar got there and told him that the priesthood of Israel had been destroyed!

 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.

 When Saul learned that David was in Keilah, he saw an incredible opportunity to get to David and trap him. A city as small as Keilah would be easy to lay siege to and eventually defeat David. Saul could bring in resources from all of the Kingdom and starve David out if need be.

 However, Saul had a pretty good information network around his Kingdom. Word seemed to have no problem getting to him about David’s locations, and thus, it’s tough to imagine that Saul didn’t know the Philistines had attacked Keilah.  So apparently, Saul was so focused on killing the innocent people of Nob, whom he irrationally believed were plotting against him, that he ignored the news that the Philistines were attacking Keilah.  He didn’t care about protecting Keilah and the people under his rule; he only cared about eradicating David and anybody he believed sympathized with David!

Hearing about the slaughter of the priests and the fact Abiathar found David at Keliah made it clear to David that Saul would find out where he was as well. So the Bible then states,

 9 David knew that Saul was plotting harm against him. And he said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring the ephod here."

 “Now the surviving priest had arrived with an ephod. This seems to have been the ephod that belonged to the high priest, Abiathar’s murdered father, Ahimelech. All priests wore an ephod, called a “linen ephod,” 9 but the high priest’s ephod was a more elaborate affair (see Exodus 28:6–14; 39:2–7). Attached to this ephod was the breast-piece, which contained the Urim and Thummim (Exodus 28:30; Leviticus 8:8), associated with receiving revelation from God (see Numbers 27:21; 1 Samuel 28:6; Ezra 2:63; Nehemiah 7:65). We do not know the details of how this happened, probably because, once again, to the Bible writers the fact and the content of divine revelation were far more important than the mechanism.” ^{10Woodhouse, J. (2008). 1 Samuel: Looking for a leader (p. 448). Crossway Books.}

 “Many interpreters assume that the inquiry in 1 Sam 23:1–4 was by the Urim and Thummim. This assumption is reflected in the niv, esv, and nabre translations of the verbs in v. 6 as pluperfects. Tsumura (549) disputes this: David inquires of the Lord about his response, presumably through the prophet Gad (see 22:5), since Abiathar is not with David at this point: see v. 6. Note that David has sought God’s will (see 22:15) and been guided by Yahweh even before Abiathar’s arrival: see on 22:20. Too much emphasis has been given to Abiathar’s arrival as if “the divine oracle is now David’s ally to guide him into safety.” In 22:5 the prophet Gad had already instructed David to come to the land of Judah. And the spirit of the Lord who had been on David since the time of his anointing (16:13) could have conveyed a divine answer directly, though this would have been exceptional; cf. 2 Sam 23:2: “The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me; his word was on my tongue.” In fact, the text will not allow us to assume that Abiathar and the Urim were involved in the inquiry in 1 Sam 23:1–4, since it was conducted before David came to Keilah, and it was in Keilah that Abiathar joined him.”¹¹Hoffner, H. A., Jr. (2015). 1 & 2 Samuel (1 Sa 23:6–8). Lexham Press.

 An ephod was a priestly garment similar to the bibs blacksmiths wear, or the aprons chefs wear. It was used to seek the Lord’s will. Although we see it in various places in the Old Testament, the exact way it was used to decipher God’s will is lost in history.

 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."

 The important part is not that David incorporated the ephod into his discovery of the Lord’s will, but that the Lord spoke a very specific truth to David that David could not have otherwise known—a life-giving truth that gave David a chance to flee persecution!

 Now, understand how big of a deal this is. David has just found out that his manipulative lies have resulted in the annihilation of the priesthood of Israel, and he likely even soon heard about what had happened at Nob!  The fact that David even sought the Lord was huge.  It demonstrates that he already believed God had forgiven him, but the fact that David is now in a highly vulnerable position could have easily allowed doubt to creep in!

It wouldn’t be unimaginable at all for David to start thinking, “God let me come here and conquer the Philistines so that I would move into this walled city and get killed by Saul,” especially after he heard about the horrifying consequences of his manipulative lies to the priests!!! But instead of running away and assuming God wasn’t good with him, he went to God!  Instead of assuming the fruit of his sin was evidence that God didn’t love him, he acted on the truth that God had clearly declared to David that He did love him, and as such, he went to God, and God answered!

What a relief it must have been when God told him what to do! I mean, seriously, at what other moment in your life would it be good news to hear that the people you put your life on the line to protect were getting ready to sell you out?  This was the best bad news David could have ever heard.  After facing the full ugly reality of what his faithless fear and panic had cost others, God assures David that He’s good with him!  It was one thing for God to assure David He was good with him when all he thought he had done was not act in faith and told some lies to get some bread and a sword, but it is an entirely different thing to know that God is assuring him He’s good with him knowing that his failure has cost thousands of lives!

 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.

 Whenever somebody gives you privileged information, you know they are good with you! In this case, the privileged information also proved God wanted David to thrive despite the horrific consequences of his faithlessness! God was letting David know that He was good with him!

 This leads us to the third testimony that God was good with David.

 God provided David with a true brother to strengthen him.

 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.

This is huge! We all need to be satisfied with God’s love and affirmation for us, but God has also built us to give and receive love and affirmation from one another, especially those who are in Christ (more on that in a minute).

So, understand the significance of what’s happening here. Jonathan certainly knew all about everything at this point.  He’s very likely heard about David lying to the priests, and he’s certainly seen the carnage his dad created because of it.  He’s likely even heard about David’s panicked attempt to find refuge in King Achish and how that all ended.

He’s also likely to have heard about David’s repentance and the evidence that he’s back being David again, fighting the Philistines and, as only David could do, successfully doing so with a band of rejects and misfits!! Therefore, knowing David and knowing he likely needed somebody he trusted to assure him God was good with him, Jonathan put his own life on the line to encourage David’s faith … and encourage him he does.

Jonathan assured David that Saul wouldn’t quit his efforts to kill him, but there was no way it would work because God had anointed David to be King, and Jonathan was committed to serving him as such! How big of an encouragement is that!  The assumed heir to the throne was telling David, who wasn’t even a son of Saul, that he was looking forward to the day he could stand by his side and serve him as King!

Verse 16 tells us it worked. David’s faith in God increased, and he was more confident than ever that God was good with him, which, again, is a massively big deal given that David just recently found out his faithlessness had cost thousands of lives.

“Jonathan and David reaffirmed their relationship “before the Lord”—that is, in full awareness of and trust in the Lord’s promise. The threat from Saul, however, meant that they had to part: “David remained at Horesh, and Jonathan went home” (v. 18b). This was the last time they saw each other.”¹²Woodhouse, J. (2008). 1 Samuel: Looking for a leader (p. 457). Crossway Books.

 This leads us to the fourth testimony that God was good with David.

 God providentially rescued David from danger. 

 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."

Note: The Ziphites were too chicken to attack David and his men, so they attempted to put on a front of tolerance with David while sending messengers to Saul.

 21 And Saul said, "May you be blessed by the LORD, for you have had compassion on me (remember Saul the “me monster” still thinks David is out to kill him!) 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."

 Note: Saul applauds them for ratting out David and tells them to find out everything they can about David.

 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.

 This is likely where David writes Psalm 54. Listen to the confidence in this prayer!  God has been repeating to David over and over again that He’s good with David, and David is choosing to believe it, even though he’s still on the road with people betraying him all over the place!  The people he saved in Keilah were going to sell him out to Saul, and now he finds out the Ziphites have sold him out, but he knows God hasn’t sold him out!  He’s still afraid and battling doubt and hurt from being betrayed, but he’s working it out with God just like he did in the Cave!  Listen to Psalm 54.

 The Lord Upholds My Life To The Choirmaster: With stringed Instruments. A Maskil of David, when The Ziphites Went And Told Saul, “Is Not David Hiding Among Us?” 1 O God, save me by your name, and vindicate me by your might. 2 O God, hear my prayer; give ear to the words of my mouth. 3 For strangers have risen against me; ruthless men seek my life; they do not set God before themselves. Selah 4 Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life.  5 He will return the evil to my enemies; in your faithfulness put an end to them. 6 With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you; I will give thanks to your name, O LORD, for it is good.  7 For he has delivered me from every trouble, and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.

 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.

In the providential work of God, totally unbeknown to Saul, while he was heading to Maon to find David, the Philistines must have gotten word that Saul was still distracted with killing David and invaded Israel. They did so with a large enough force that Saul had to stop pursuing David and deal with the Philistines.  It must have been a sizable force because Saul seemed more than willing to let the Philistines have Keilah when they attacked it.  But remember, the wrath of God is now on Israel.  Saul killed the priests and, in doing so, removed the pathway for being reconciled to God in the Covenant He made with them.  Therefore, to no surprise, here comes the Philistines in such numbers that it forced the “me monster” Saul to abandon his obsession with killing David, something nobody could get Saul to do!

Now listen, Saul had David in sight! Saul and his army could see David and his men, and they were marching as hard as they could to catch up with them, possibly even jogging at this point.  David was toast!!  There was no possible way to get away from Saul; that is, no possible way for David to do it; which is that magical moment you can always expect God to do what He promised.

If God said you’re going to accomplish something, and you’re doing everything in your God-given ability to faithfully do it, but it still ain’t getting done, don’t worry; keep pressing forward, knowing if He said it was going to be so, then it's going to be so! You and I can be 110% sure HE will do everything He promises!

When David saw them turn his army around, David had to know God was once again saying, “I know you were faithless, and it even led to something horribly horrific, but I’m good with you, David!”

So listen, Church. David repented as he should for sure.  And make no mistake, God’s grace is NEVER a license to sin; rather, God’s grace is the assurance that the door is always open for those who repent to leave their sin and walk in His righteousness!  It's not about nullifying the laws of the harvest; David’s faithlessness still resulted in thousands of people dying, but it does say our life in Christ, which is eternal, is never over because of our sin!  The cross is the announcement that God is good with us; the only question that remains is, are we good with Him?  Let me put this another way to wrap up today’s sermon.

 Challenge:  Because of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, God’s good with you!  Do you believe it, and what difference is it making in your life?

 Let’s get more specific and quickly look at how the Gospel does for us in greater measure than what God did for David in 1 Samuel 23.

 God has given us an eternally significant assignment. Are you walking in it? (Matthew 28:19-20, 1 Peter 2:9)

 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20)

 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9)

 God has given us critical knowledge to protect and empower us. Are you clinging to it and acting on it? (Hebrews 10:23, 2 Peter 1:3-4)

 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. (Hebrews 10:23)

 3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. (2 Peter 1:3-4)

 God has given us the church, the most powerful family possible, to comfort and strengthen you. Are you engaging it? (1 Corinthians 12:21-27, Hebrews 10:24-25)

 24 … But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. 27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. (1 Corinthians 12:24b-27)

 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:24-25)

 God has and continues to providentially rescue us from the penalty of our sin! Are you living your life praising Him for it? (Colossians 1:12-14, 1 Peter 1:3-7)

 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:12-14)

 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith--more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire--may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:3-7)

Assurance of Salvation

Today’s sermon is all about the ways that David found the assurance in his life that God was indeed WITH him. Today, to have the guaranteed presence of God in our life is to have the promise of eternal salvation. Even though we live under a new covenant, the principles are very similar in experiencing our own assurance of salvation.

Knowing for sure whether or not I am saved is one of the most common and most pressing questions that people often ask in church. Take time in your group to ask this major question. Then take time to follow it up by learning from the life of David.

• How do I know that I am saved?
• What actions did David take that allowed him to be convinced in himself that God was with him?
• How does a changed life give us the assurance of our own salvation?
• Can you testify to a change in your life that you could not have made except that God is with you?
• How did David know that he was hearing the voice of God?
• How do you hear from God today?
• What role did the priesthood play in helping David to hear from God?
• How does the priesthood of Jesus function to give us assurance of salvation?