We continue our reading of the Old Testament. If you're visiting us today, we've been reading through 1 Samuel and today we come to chapter 26. We'll be able to read the whole chapter. 1 Samuel chapter 26. Now if you've ever been in an abusive relationship, you know that you tend to replay the same scenes over and over. And there's apologies, there's resolutions, but the same thing happens. Nothing really has changed until the Lord has done a mighty work. And David is in an abusive relationship with King Saul. Saul's the abuser. And as we read this chapter, you'll go, I feel like we've done this recently. Well, we have done it recently. Back in chapter 24, David's in a wilderness region because he has to hide there and Saul has him cornered. And the Lord delivers David on that occasion, if you remember, Saul wanders into the cave where David and his men are. He's going to relieve himself. Then David can kill him. He's tempted to do it, but he doesn't. He cuts off a corner of the robe, and then later, when he's safe, he shows it to Saul, and Saul's sorry, and he's going to do better. Well, he doesn't do better. He's back. And it's a very similar passage. On this occasion, David sees him at night and he realizes that the guards all fall asleep. And we are told that God himself caused the sleep to allow this. And David and his servant, they go there, his name's Abishai, and they go and they steal Saul's water jug and his spear. And then they escape, and they're going to show Saul that, see, they could have killed him. They didn't. And they're not really the enemies they are. And Saul should not do what he's supposed to be doing. Well, what we see here, it's a picture of man in sin, of the world in sin. Here's the question. Why does Saul do this? Why is he so hateful towards David? Doesn't he realize, hasn't he learned now that God's going to judge him, God's been judging him, that his sin is not gonna lead in the good direction? Hasn't he learned that he can try to persecute David, but there's promises that God has given to David, and those promises are going to be fulfilled? Doesn't he know this? And the answer is no. Why? Because there's an irrationality to sin. And he's under the control of sin. Jesus said, if whoever sins is a slave to sin and sin is calling the shots, not Saul and crazy though it is, he just comes back and yes, we're going to replay it again because this is man and woman in sin. There's a fundamental irrationality, particularly to their opposition to the gospel, to the church and to the witness of the Lord Jesus Christ. And this picture shows us, by the way, it shows the world. It's not just. individual, Saul's the king. Why are the powers of the world, we ask this about our own society. Don't we realize that it's godliness and virtue that brings prosperity and peace and order, and if we pursue hedonism as a society, it's only going to destroy us? The answer is, we should know, why don't we know? Because man in sin loves to sin in our own society. How many things we protect and we preserve that are manifestly destroying our society? Why are we being so irrational? Because we, apart from Christ, sinners, are slaves to sin. And the malice against God and against the gospel and against the church, you go, it's totally irrational. All of church history shows God protects His people. that the wicked nations that oppress the gospel are judged and destroyed. Yes, but man in sin does not learn. He cannot. He is totally depraved. That's one side. David, on the other hand, shows us here the picture of a growing believer. We have seen, we will continue to see David in his ups and in his downs, but he's growing in grace, and that's an encouraging thing. Back in chapter 24, remember he had Saul in the cave, and David was greatly tempted to slay him. He's not tempted in this account. And he's hard to say, he's not gonna sin. And his friend Abishai, there's Saul sleeping and there's a spear and Abishai goes, you know, this will make a, see if you can video this. I'm gonna drive the spear right through him. David's like, no, we're not. Why not? Because he's the anointed of the Lord. This is why Christians, even against wicked government officials, we don't sin against them. We don't plot their harm. We don't even speak sinfully against them. Why? Because, as Paul says in Romans 13, even wicked rulers are put in place by God. We may not agree with them. We certainly may not have to support everything, but we show them respect and honor and dignity. And David, he's grown. He goes, look, we're not going to do that. Saul is the king of Israel. Israel is the people of God. We're not going to do that. But also his other argument is, you know, we actually don't improve on God's plan by sinning. and we don't need to deliver ourselves. And when we do these things, the expedient things that are really contrary to our message and God's teaching to us, let's leave room to the providence of God. When I read it, you'll hear him say that. We're gonna let the Lord be our savior. By the way, later when David is king, isn't he glad that he did this? That he doesn't take the throne by violence. It's by faith in God and let it be true of us. that as we find our deliverances in life, it's not because we sinned. We don't improve anything by taking matters into our own hands because we're angry. Remember in chapter 25, when Nabal disrespected David, he said, I'm going to wipe him out. Well, David's repented of that and he's growing and he's learning these things. Here he says, you know what? We're going to bear testimony. We're going to give a witness by what we're going to do, but we are not going to strike out. We need to realize today that the Christian church in America, we must vindicate ourselves not only by the Word of God, but by the godliness of our lives. And that's gonna be very important to David. It's important in our times that we don't engage in the tactics of the wicked. Why? Because we have a sovereign, omnipotent, covenant-keeping God. We don't need to. We don't need to resort to wickedness. In 1 Peter 2, Peter says, look, when you suffer for Christ, let it not be because you were sinning. Let it be because you were standing up for Jesus. Well, the passage ends with David giving a witness to Saul, a witness to Israel. And this is what we're to do. This is our role, is to worship God, to serve him in upright rites, and to bear testimony to the culture. That testimony is greatly helped by righteous prior conduct. That is the role that we play, and the Lord will save us. This is the last actual meeting between Saul and David. And they will never meet again, and Saul is reprobated. He is going to go into Sheol. He's going to end up in condemnation. And David, how glad David will be, the last time he met. They have a long history together. He bore testimony to the truth and grace of God to this wicked man. Well, let's give ear to the reading of God's holy and errant and life-giving word, the 26th chapter of 1 Samuel. So Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph with 3,000 chosen men of Israel to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul encamped on the hill of Hackelah, which is beside the road on the east of Jeshimon. But David remained in the wilderness. When he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness, David sent out spies and he learned that Saul had come. Then David rose and came to the place where Saul had encamped, and David saw the place where Saul lay with Abner, son of Ner, the commander of his army. Saul was lying within the encampment while the army was encamped around him. Then David said to Himalek, the Hittite, and to Joab's brother, Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, who will go down with me into the camp of Saul? And Abishai said, I will go down with you. So David and Abishai went to the army by night and there lay Saul sleeping within the encampment with his spear stuck in the ground at his head and Abner and the army lay around him. Then said Abishai to David, God has given your enemy into your hand this day. Now, please let me pin him to the earth with one stroke of the spear and I will not strike him twice. But David said to Abishai, do not destroy him. For who can put out his hand against the Lord's anointed and be guiltless? And David said, as the Lord lives, the Lord will strike him, or his day will come to die, or he will go down into battle and perish. The Lord forbid that I should put out my hand against the Lord's anointed, but take now the spear that is at his head and the jar of water and let us go. So David took the spear and the jar of water from Saul's head, and they went away. No man saw it or knew it, nor did any awake, for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen upon them. Then David went over to the other side and stood far off on the top of the hill with a great space between them. And David called to the army and to Abner, the son of Ner, saying, will you not answer, Abner? Then Abner answered, who are you who calls to the king? And David said to Abner, are you not a man who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not kept watch over your Lord, the king? For one of the people came in to destroy the king, your Lord. This thing that you have done is not good. As the Lord lives, you deserve to die because you have not kept watch over your Lord, the Lord's anointed. And now see where the king's spear is and the jar of water that was at his head. Saul recognized David's voice and said, is this your voice, my son David? And David said, it is my voice, my Lord, O King. And he said, why does my Lord pursue after his servant? For what have I done? What evil is on my hands? Now, therefore, let my Lord, the king, hear the words of his servant. If it is the Lord who stirs you up against me, may he accept an offering. But if it is men, may they be cursed before the Lord. For they have driven me out this day that I should have no share in the heritage of the Lord saying, go and serve other gods. Now, therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth away from the presence of the Lord. For the king of Israel has come out to seek a single flea, like one who hunts a partridge in the mountains. Then Saul said, I have sinned. Return, my son David, for I will no more do you harm, because my life was precious in your eyes this day. Behold, I have acted foolishly and have made a great mistake. And David answered and said, here is a spear, O king, let one of your young men come over and take it. The Lord rewards every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness. For the Lord gave you into my hand today, and I would not put out my hand against the Lord's anointed. Behold, as your life was precious in this day in my sight, so may my life be precious in the sight of the Lord. May he deliver me out of all tribulation. Then Saul said to David, blessed be you, my son David, you will do many things and will succeed in them. So David went his way and Saul returned to his place. The grass withers and the flowers fall and the word of our God abides forever. Amen.