but if you don't, there's some in the back. Lessons from the life of David. And we're up to 1 Samuel chapter 30, and we're actually moving into 2 Samuel today as well. Lessons from the life of David. There are many lessons, of course, in David's life, and we've talked about quite a few of them already. Our study last week, David was victorious over the Amalekites. It says in the scripture that he recovered all. I like that phrase. That was an exciting study I thought we had last week. David not only conquered the Amalekites, he was more than a conqueror, because he also recovered his vision and his leadership. And it's great to see David sort of back in the saddle again. He sees where the Lord wants him to be and leading the people of God. And so for those year and a half, maybe two years, he was out of the Lord's will. seemed to be kind of harebrained and scattered about and indecisive. And he was concerned. And he says, I'll perish by the hand of Saul one day. He flees to the Amalekites. He ends up being one of their commanders and a bodyguard for a non-Amalekite, for a Philistine, a Philistine king, David. But now he's back. He's recovered his vision, his leadership, but providence God's providence, of course, is all-compassing. And providence has so ordered that even as David was conquering, Saul was being conquered. Even as David was conquering, Saul was being conquered. And David was more than a conqueror, but Saul here is worse than a captive. Worse than a captive. Perhaps it was in the very same day. These two events occurred. David triumphs over the Amalekites, and Saul falls before the Philistines. It's a sobering reminder. I don't believe it's set before us by chance. I believe the Holy Spirit has so ordered these events and so ordered them in the word of God that they fall one Well, it's after another in our book, but perhaps at the same time, perhaps the same day. One is he trusted God, that was David, and one forsook God, that was Saul. And we see the results, the one set against another. And that's the way it's been for quite some time now with Saul and David. We've seen the two kind of set against each other. And one commentator had written about, well, David is on the ascent. Now, his ascent is, it's not even, right? He's had some falls and things like that. But while David is on descent, Saul has been on the descent, and they formed sort of a giant X in history, Saul's descent. And so it's a sad lesson today, a sad lesson today. I wish I had a more exciting lesson, but it sort of starts with Saul's sad end, point one on your outline, and that's 1 Samuel chapter 30, Saul's sad end. We see first of all the death of Saul's sons and his men. It says in chapter, I said chapter 30, I should say. Chapter 31, so that's my big boo-boo. 1 Samuel chapter 31, verse one, it says, now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines and fell down slain at Mount Geboa. And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons, and the Philistines slew Jonathan and Abinadab and Melchizedek, Saul's sons. Wow, Saul seizes soldiers, falling about him. The Philistines had prevailed. Remember, the Philistines had marched against Israel, and Israel had fled. It was a rout. In a battle, when one side begins to flee, that's when it turns into a rout. I mean, first of all, if you're fleeing, It's not organized. It's chaos, right? It's every man for himself. A battle is won when there's organization, there's direction, and there's purpose, with the whole army fighting as a unit. When you're fleeing, it's just individuals stumbling and tripping. And secondly, when you're fleeing, it's a little hard to fight. Amen? Because your enemy is behind you. You're most vulnerable now to their advances, to their arrows, to their designs. They see you fleeing. They encircle you. I mean, their goal is not to let you get away, but it's to destroy you. And Israel is fleeing. And as they fled, Sadly, they fall. Even the very best of Saul's troops, the 3,000 of his honor guards, as it were, the ones he had employed to seek out David. Again and again, Saul had his 3,000 men, and those were the best. But now they're fled, and many of them have fallen. Israel was in, just a note here, on the death of Saul's sons and his men. Israel was in a poor position. from the very start of the battle, their commander, that's Saul, had a shaking hand and a trembling heart. You can read about that in the previous chapters. A shaking hand, a trembling heart. His doom, after all, Saul's doom had been read to him literally from hell. When Saul consulted that medium and she pulled up that wicked, evil spirit that was pretending to be Samuel, Saul's doom was read to him literally from hell. He laughed at his consultation with that medium, no better than he had come, worse off, I should say, worse off than he had arrived. And he was in no shape to lead, let alone win. That was their commander. So the commander had a shaking hand, a trembling heart. And secondly, Israel was in a bad position, a poor position, because they had forsaken the Lord. and they now did not have his guidance, nor his enablement. Israel was on their own, and Saul's own sons fall before his eyes. You know, the death of a child is a tragedy, and with your own child, it's a double, triple tragedy, the death of a son. Saul's own sons fall before his eyes. Jonathan, loyal to the end, saw Jonathan still fighting at his father's side, and Binadab, and Melchizedek. What a bitter blow that was to Saul to see his sons fall in battle. And then we see Saul's suicide. Saul sat in, point 1b on your outline. It says, and the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him. and he was wounded of the archers. You know, the archers can shoot at some distance. Perhaps you've seen these movies where the arrows are raining down like a cloud. I don't know if that was the case, where the arrows, I mean, literally, there's no place to escape, or if it's just a random shot that hit Saul, so to speak. But he was sore wounded, it says. And then said Saul unto his armor bearer, "'Draw thy sword and thrust me through therewith, "'lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through "'and abuse me.' "'But his armor-bearer would not, for he was sore afraid. "'Therefore Saul took a sword and fell upon it. "'And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, "'he fell likewise upon his own sword and died with him. "'So Saul died,' verse six, "'and his three sons and his armor-bearer "'and all of his men that same day together.'" What a somber, in a sobering moment. Saul is sorely wounded by the arrows from the Philistines, and he takes his own life in a moment of desperation. What a sad ending, a sad ending to Saul's life. His life had started with such promise. What a tragedy. It didn't have to be this way, after all. You know, we believe in the sovereignty of God, but it didn't have to be this way for Saul. He could have made some other choices earlier on. After all, the Lord had given Saul numerous opportunities again and again and again to turn and repent, turn and repent. You know, it doesn't have to be that way for any soul to fallen to hell. Now, I don't know that's where Saul went. I'm not saying that Saul was lost, but I'm not saying he's saved either. He doesn't have much evidence in his favor, does he? He doesn't have much fruit to show that he was saved. But nevertheless, we can't judge any man. But what a tragedy for any soul to enter into eternity without knowing the Lord Jesus Christ. It doesn't have to be so. The Lord gives numerous opportunities to hear the gospel, to turn and repent, and Saul could have. Saul could have, but he would not. He would not. He'd say, well, how could Saul have turned? I've already suggested a couple. Saul could have just simply abdicated his throne. He knew and he confessed that David was his heir. Saul was trying to destroy David because he was afraid that David was going to be king after him. The Lord had already said he was going to be replaced by one better than he was. And here was David. So Saul was convinced David was the next in line. Saul could have just abdicated. All this would have been avoided, Saul could have repented, but he didn't. How sad the end of his life. He died sadly as he lived, proud and jealous, a terror to all around him. Saul here despairs. of the mercy of God, and he dies at his own hand. He says, better to kill myself than to be tortured by the Philistines. Better to kill myself. Well, the Philistines hadn't got him yet. First of all, something else could have happened. There's never an excuse for suicide. His armor bearer, sadly, here follows his example, swallowed up in the same wicked madness as Saul. One immediate consequence is obvious. There's confusion and chaos. Saul is dead. A mass exodus ensues. Israel flees, it says, from the far side of the Jordan. And the Philistines Move in. I will have more to say about Saul's death in a few minutes. We see Saul's abuse and then his burial. Verse seven, and when the men of Israel that were on the other side of the valley and they that were on the other side of the Jordan saw that the men of Israel fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities and fled. There's a confusion and a chaos as a whole army disintegrates. The Philistines came and dwelt in them. Presumably that's on the far side of the Jordan. And it came to pass on the morrow when the Philistines came to strip the slain that they found Saul and his three sons fallen in Mount Geboa, and they cut off his head and stripped off his armor. We're seeing Saul's abuse in his burial. And they sent into the land of the Philistines round about to publish it in the house of their idols and among their people. They're celebrating, perhaps, You remember, it was years ago now, but it seems so recent, when the Twin Towers fell. And there's celebration in parts of the Arab world. I saw it on the television. They're shooting off guns, and they're parading through the streets. They're celebrating. That's what the Philistines were doing here. They're celebrating Saul's death and Israel's fall. And they put the armor in the house of Asheroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. And when the inhabitants of Gibeesh, Gilead, heard of that which the Philistines had done to Saul, and all the valiant men arose and went out and went all night and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan and came to Jabesh and burnt them there. And they took their bones and buried them under a tree Jabesh and fasted seven days. We see Saul's abuse and burial. First of all, the Philistines gloat and abuse Saul's body, paying respect to their imaginary powers of their false gods. They celebrate and they attribute this victory to the imaginary powers of their false and fake gods. Saul killed himself to avoid abuse, and now his corpse is abused. Matthew Henry had a comment on this. He that thinks to save his honor by sin will certainly lose it. He that thinks to save his honor by sin will certainly lose it. Saul has lost his honor totally. Saul's armor-bearer, had he not foolishly taken his own life, he could have likely have spared Saul's body, this abuse and degradation. That armor-bearer, he could have hid Saul's body, he could have perhaps buried Saul's body, get it out of the way, maybe drug it off. The armor-bearer could have done something. but some valiant men. and brave men still exist in Israel. In a daring move, the men of Jabez Gilead rescue Saul's corpse. A daring move. I mean, after all, the Philistines are celebrating. Maybe they're drunken now, and the men of Jabez Gilead are able to enter into the city by night and take Saul's body. It's not guarded. It's Saul's son's bodies. Out of a common concern for the honor of Israel, and respect for their fallen king. And so 1 Samuel, the book of 1 Samuel, it's also, in olden times, it was called the first book of Kings. 2 Samuel was the second book of Kings. The first Kings was called the third book of Kings. Anyway, this book of the Kings, 1 Samuel, ends, it ends, it began with the birth of Samuel. On a most promising note, it ends with the death of Saul. Matthew Henry again says that this book of Samuel, the book of 1 Samuel, teaches us to prefer the honor that comes from God before any of the honors which this world pretends to have the disposal of. Prefer the honor of God before any of the honors that this world pretends to have the disposal of. The world will post honors upon you, but let's prefer the honor that comes from God first of all, first and foremost. David's report, point two on your outline. That's in 2 Samuel 1, beginning in verse 1. It says, now it came to pass after the death of Saul when David was returned from the slaughter of the Malachites, and David had abode two days in Ziklag. It came even to pass on the third day that, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul with his clothes rent and earth upon his head. And so it was when he came to David that he fell to the earth and did obeisance. We see this messenger. that arrives. David has returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites. He's returned to Ziklag. Now remember, Ziklag is ruins, right? The Amalekites burnt it to the ground. There's nothing there. Just smoldering, well, they're probably not smoldering anymore, but charred timbers and broken down stones. And David now is busy at Ziklag. He's distributing the gifts, the loot, the spoils he won from the Amalekites. he has restored, he recovered all, so he restored to his men and to himself all the peoples and the herds and all the goods that they had, possessed, I guess they're in tents now since they don't have a house to put it, but all the extra livestock that the Amalekites had taken, David has been distributing to his fellow countrymen in Judah, sending out his own men, no doubt, with some of these herds of cattle and sheep and goats, and returning just a portion of what the Amalekites had taken from them. And David's also, in the process, news of his victory over the Amalekites has gotten out, and first chronicles chapter 12, tells us that David's, that other men from Judah are coming to David. And so David's receiving other, his forces are growing. In other words, not just the 600 men he had, but now there's 800, 1,000, 1,500, as more and more men pour in. God's stirring up the hearts of men of Judah. It says in 1 Chronicles that the men that came to David in Ziklag were like a great host, like the host of God. And so David there is quite busy in Ziklag, but into his camp comes this messenger, this messenger. He's in the dress or the attire of a mourner. He comes in torn clothes, his clothes rent, some dirt sprinkled upon his head. I mean, he looks like he's a mourner. He's really not a mourner. He falls in obeisance before David, as if to acknowledge that David is king now. I mean, Saul is, he's bringing what he thinks is good news for David. Saul is dead. Now David can be king. And David was most anxious to hear this news. David said unto him, verse three, from whence comest thou? And he said unto him, out of the camp of Israel am I escaped. And David said unto him, how went the matter? I pray thee, tell me. And he answered that the people are fled from the battle, and many of the people also are fallen and dead. And Saul and Jonathan, his son, are dead also. Wow. And David sentenced a young man that told him, how knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan and his son be dead? And the young man that told him said, as I happened a chance upon Mount Geboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear, and lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him. And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and he called unto me, and I answered, here am I. And he said unto me, who art thou? And I answered him, I am an Amalekite. He said unto me again, stand I pray thee upon me and slay me for anguish has come upon me because my life is yet whole in me. So I stood upon him and slew him because I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen. And I took the crown that was upon his head and the bracelet that was on his arm and I brought them hither unto my Lord." Wow, the message. A general account is provided with some specifics about Saul and Jonathan. This messenger, this Amalekite, knew that David was especially anxious to hear about Saul and Jonathan. And this messenger is priding himself. You know, he's kind of puffing himself up a bit. He's the first. He's the first to bring what he thought was good news the first to honor the new king. And may I say, he's expecting to be the first to receive a reward, a reward from the new king for bringing this good news. David is anxious to know more about Saul and Johnson in particular. He says, how knowest thou? How knowest thou? Tell me the details. The messenger assures David that Saul is dead, claiming to have killed him himself. hoping to be rewarded, he holds forth Saul's crown as evidence and his bracelet, evidence that he was indeed there, proof, proof of his story. How foolish, just a side comment, but the crown, how foolish of Saul to wear his crown into battle. How foolish. And Saul, what are you thinking? I mean, here's Saul wearing his crown. No wonder he was a target for the archers. Good heavens. The archers, I said, get the king, get the king. I mean, cut off the head and the rest of the body will die. Get the king. And here's Saul wearing his crown. You know, Saul, how vain. It's another lesson for us, isn't it? How vain is man's pride? Man's pride. Saul felt he had to wear his crown into battle. How much better it would have been if he simply disguised, dressed himself in the garb of one of his foot soldiers. He's wearing his crown. He's a target for the archers. A second note, there's no contradictions in Scripture. Amen? We have an apparent contradiction right here because in 1 Samuel it says that Saul fell on his sword and he died. It says he died several times. His armor bearer saw his dead, it says in verse 5. And then verse 6, Saul died. Saul died. Saul fell upon his sword. But now the Malachite shows up and he says, no, Saul really wasn't dead. Saul wasn't dead. He says, because he says, Saul, talk to him. And Saul says, stand I pray thee upon me and slay me for anguish has come upon me because my life was yet whole in me. And so the Malachite says, he was going to die anyway, so I killed him. Wow. Well, how do we account for this contradiction? There is, may I say, no contradiction. The question is, who are you gonna trust? Are you gonna trust the word of the Lord, or are you gonna trust the word of this Amalekite. I mean, it's like, hello? What are you going to trust? Are you going to trust God or are you going to trust man? That's the question, because Amalekite is lying. The Amalekite's lying. There's no contradiction in scripture. Saul was dead. The Amalekite fabricated a story. You're not going to trust man's word. God's, who do we trust? I mean, that's a question we can ask ourselves many times. Are we going to trust God's declaration? Are we going to trust man's fabrication? The choice is ours. And there's many choices, may I say, in the world today. Of who are we going to trust? Let's trust the word of God. Amen. The word of God says Saul died. We see the morning, the messenger, the message in the morning. So David took hold on his clothes and rent them. And likewise, all the men were with him, and they mourned and wept and fasted until even for Saul and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the Lord, and for the house of Israel, because they were fallen by the sword." The death of both Saul and Jonathan Open the way to the throne for David. Seize the day, some would say. This is your chance, David. I mean, Israel needs a king. And hello, you're the anointed king. And there is no king. I mean, take charge, David. This is the day. This is a moment, actually, of great temptation for David. We'll talk about that in a minute. But far from the expression of joy that the Amalekite had expected, David and his men tear their clothes. Malachi can't believe his eyes. He's waiting for his reward. I mean, he's holding out the crown and the bracelet with one hand. The other hand, he's waiting for the reward. But David is mourning. David is aghast. His men rent their clothes, not only just David, but his men also. They wept and said they fasted. Proverbs 24, verse 17, is applicable to this. It says, Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth. Rejoice not when thy enemy falleth. But that's our natural human tendency, isn't it? To rejoice when an enemy falls. When he stumbles, yeah, he got what he deserved, or she got what they deserved. Rejoice not, says Proverbs 24, 17. David mourned. out of compassion and without malice. He mourned both for Saul's death and for the consequences for Israel. Israel is now scattered and defeated. And Saul asks the messenger. Again, verse 13, David asked the minister, and David said unto the young man that told him, whence art thou? And he answered, I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite. And David asked him again, whence art thou, whence art thou? Unbelievably, Unbelievably, the man confesses to being an Amalekite the second time. The second time. And this guy has a death wish on him because he obviously does not know or he's disregarded the fact that the Amalekites are the sworn enemies. of Israel. You may remember back from earlier times when Israel was on their way to the Promised Land and they were in the wilderness, the Amalekites were harassing Israel, harassing Israel. They were, in fact, picking off the stragglers is what the Amalekites were doing. You know, as Israel moved and they were stretched out and, you know, the pillar of fire is going in front and they got the tabernacle, they got all the armed men. There's always Some stragglers, the weak, the sick, the aged. That's what the Amalekites were picking off, the stragglers. And the Lord says, I've had it. I've had it with the Amalekites. It says, destroy them all. The Lord gave a command to Israel, destroy all the Amalekites. That's after all why Saul had lost his kingship. Saul had failed to destroy the Amalekites. He had kept some of their best sheep and cattle and goats and whatever else they had. and he had spared the life of the Amalekite king. Samuel had to kill that Amalekite king. Saul lost his kingship over his failure to, now there's an Amalekite. He says, I'm an Amalekite. David wants to make sure. He'd already said he was Amalekite once, but David is double checking. Are you a Malachite? Yes, sir. Well, apparently not knowing his race have been devoted to destruction. David puts God's sentence into execution. He says, and David said to him on verse 14, David said unto him, How was thou not afraid to stretch forth thy hand to destroy the Lord's anointed? And David called one of the young men and said, go near and fall upon him. And he smote him. Then he died. David was entirely justified in this summary execution. I mean, there's no trial. There's no court. There's no hearing. David didn't need that. The man's confession, he says, I'm an Amalekite. He's devoted to destruction. And then the man had said, I killed the Lord's anointed. I killed Saul. That's what the man said. Now, that was a lie. All right. But still, he confessed to be a murderer. And he was a Malachite. He was a Malachite. So David orders his death for his confession of murder for the man's race. David's sorrow expressed, beginning in verse 17, and David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan, his son. And David composes a poem here. and to honor and remember Saul and Jonathan. And he gives a command for this poem to be taught and to be remembered. And that's the best way to remember. It's in the eulogy, is what it is. David wants to remember Saul and Jonathan. And here, to help our memory, he composes this psalm, this poem, an eulogy, a tribute of respect to Saul and his affection toward Jonathan. poem that David composes is not found in the Psalms. So by that, we might conclude that perhaps this is not inspired word of God. I mean, just as Amalekite had said, I killed Saul, that was not inspired word of God. That was truth. It was true, don't get me wrong on that, but it's not inspired by the spirit. And so perhaps this poem here is not inspired by spirit because it's not in the Psalms. Nevertheless, it reflects David's emotions in a moving and enduring tribute to Saul and Jonathan. If in it, David's generous to Saul, saying nothing false, nothing false, but also nothing evil and nothing but good concerning the dead. David only speaks good concerning the dead. I mean, Saul, after all, had been, after his life, umpty-dump times, and there's a lot of bad things we could say about Saul, but David says none of those, nothing false, only good, celebrating that which was praiseworthy. And he sets an example for us. He, first of all, expresses sorrow over the deaths of both Jonathan and Saul. Both Jonathan, yes, and Saul. Verse 19. Verse 18, it says, and he also bade them teach the children of Israel, of Judah, the use of the bow. This is not, I mean, okay, commentators think, well, maybe this could be the bow, like the bow and arrow. I think it's referring to this poem, the use of the bow, the use of this poem. Where was I? Behold, it is written in the book of Jasher. That's apparently where this poem was originally written in this book. We have nothing more of the book of Jasher except for this poem. He says, he celebrates, expresses sorrow over the deaths. He says in verse 19, the beauty of Israel is slain upon the high places. How are the mighty fallen? And then verse 25, he says, how are the mighty fallen in the midst of battle? Oh, Jonathan, that was slain in thine high places. So he expresses sorrow over the deaths of Jonathan and Saul. How are the mighty fallen? He expresses his anguish that the Philistines are, in fact, rejoicing. Verse 20, tell it not in gath, Paul does it not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph. And the exaltation of the enemies of God has David in mourning, anguish. He celebrates Saul's valor. as a mighty in his military accomplishments. In verses 21 and 22, he says, ye mountains of Geboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain upon you, nor fields of offerings. For there the shield of the mighty is vitally cast away, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil. From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turns not back, and the sword of Saul returns not empty. Saul was God's anointed. Saul was God's anointed, and Saul was a mighty man of war. His disgrace, his fall at the end, must not erase. his previous successes. Saul had many successes on Israel's behalf. Israel, after all, had been floundering under the judges and was at the mercy of the Philistines. And now they had a king, albeit not the best king, and it was one of their own. After all, it was not the best king because it was one of their own choosing. Israel demanded a king, demanded a king. David had been God's king from the beginning. If Israel had waited, They would have got David. But instead, they demanded a king, and they got Saul. So they got what they demanded. But Saul was God's anointed, and Saul was a mighty man of war. David touchingly speaks of Jonathan's devotion to his father, fatal as it was. He says, 22, from the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, sorry, verse 23, Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives. And in their death, they were not divided. They were swifter than eagles. They were stronger than lions. That was Jonathan's devotion to his father. It was a fatal devotion. I personally believe that Jonathan should have left his deranged father and joined up with David, but he didn't. And David then calls upon the daughters of Israel to weep. Remember verse 24, ye daughters of Israel weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet and other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel. Saul had enriched the country compared to the days of the judges. And then charitably, Saul's faults aren't mentioned at all. Nothing could be said of Saul's piety, so David says nothing. That would be good. To remember, if you're called upon to speak at a funeral, let's not elevate someone falsely. Let's just speak of what they have done that's good. That's what David does. David ends with this repose for his friend, Jonathan. He says, Verse 25, how are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle? Oh, Jonathan, thou was slain in thine high places. I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan. Very pleasant hast thou been unto me. Thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women. How are the mighty fallen and the weapons of war perished? That's David's concluding phrase, a widely quoted phrase. How are the mighty fallen? in the weapons of war of Paris. David clearly was gifted with words and with a pen. Just as a few notes in conclusion, let me recap. Receiving news of Saul's death, David responds characteristically like David. Yeah, characteristically like David. His anger first flames. against the lies. Of course, he didn't know they were lies, but the claims of the Amalekite, who had pretended to kill Saul, hoping to win favor. And then after the flame dies out, David mourns the deaths of Saul and Jonathan, thinking only of his friendship with Jonathan, and thinking of Saul's position as the Lord's anointed his position. David in his noble eulogy sings Saul's praises and Johnson's friendship. From his actions, let me say in conclusion, it's clear that David never regarded Saul as standing in the way. You know, David was anointed king, but Saul was king, but David never regarded Saul as standing in the way of his kingship. You know, if I can only get rid of Saul, then I can be king. No, that wasn't David's thoughts at all. But this is another time of testing for David. His men, no doubt, are urging him forward. David, forward. I mean, seize the day. Here's the crown. Let's crown you right now, right here in Ziklag. You're king. I mean, we've got the crown. We've got the bracelet. March into Jerusalem, triumphant. Israel needs a king. No doubt that was a temptation for David, but he resisted it. David, he's still a fugitive in Ziklag, in the ruins of Ziklag, and he seeks the Lord's guidance. We'll see that next time we come back to this lesson in chapter two. David immediately seeks the Lord's guidance. Seeking the Lord's guidance, of course we, are driven to seek the Lord's guidance in times of distress, driven in times of distress. But when God, when God's providences are working in our favor, you know, and all of a sudden we get the letter in the mail that we'd been hoping for, we get the phone call, we get the news, we, you know, Publishers Clearinghouse comes through. I don't know what it is, but, you know, providence seems to be working in our favor. Do we seek the Lord then? The door's open. Should I go through it? The door might be open, but you should ask the Lord before you go through. And that's exactly what David does. He says in chapter two, should I go up to any of the cities of Judah? Should I go up to any of them? Any of them? Or should I just stay here in Zikli? Zikli was technically part of Judah, just ruins. But should I go up to any of them? So we'll come back to that in two weeks. Next week, Brother Lamar Ard is going to be teaching the Sunday school class because Sue and I will be out of town. So if you'd pray for us, we'd appreciate that. But we'll return to life lessons from the life of David in two weeks. Let's look to the Lord in prayer. Our most gracious Heavenly Father, we are thankful, Lord, for an opportunity we have to take time to move slowly through the lessons of life of David. Lord, we're sobered at this sobering reminder of the frailty of life, Lord, the suddenness of change, David's victory, Saul's defeat and death, Lord. It's a sobering contrast. I pray that you might help us to learn the lessons that we've taught even this day. and put them into application in our lives this week. We pray now for the service that follows, Lord. We pray for Brother Demarest. We thank you for a safe trip he's had here. Pray that you give him power in the pulpit, Lord. Pray that you help him to clearly convey his ministry and the message that he's brought to us. We pray, Lord, he might lift up our hearts and our voices and our minds in worship and song and praise to you and fellowship with each other this day. For we pray in the name of Jesus Christ,