This morning we are in 1 Samuel chapter 26. 1 Samuel 26. Let us bow in prayer. Father in heaven, we thank you for another day of grace and mercy, whereby we might come before you and look up to you together and to offer you the praises of our lips, our prayers. Lord, I look at your word, and we do ask your blessing upon these things, for we know that without your blessing that we meet in vain and do these things for no end. Oh Lord, be merciful to us. Help us in every way that we need help this day. And we thank you that you are a God that is faithful, who does look to the needs of his people and graciously supplies in ways that you seem best and fittest. We do pray your blessing upon our endeavors here this day. Receive our worship, we pray. Enable us, we pray. And we ask this in Jesus' name, amen. Well, we see in this chapter that Saul resumes his pursuit of David. Let me read you Gil's chapter overview in case you have not read this chapter recently. This chapter relates that Saul, upon the information of the Zephites, went out again with an armed force to seek David, of which David, having intelligence and of the place where he pitched, came with one of his men and reconnoitered his camp, and finding Saul and his men asleep, took away his spear and the crews of water at his head, and departed without taking his life. though solicited to it by his servant, which spear and crews of water he produced to the reproach of Abner, Saul's general, and as a testimony of his sincere regard to David, and that he had no design upon his life, of which Saul, being convinced, blessed David and returned home again. Well, we see in the beginning here that the Ziphites stir up Saul again. Let's read verses 1 through 3. And the Ziphites came unto Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself in the hill of Hekelah, which is before Jeshuvah? Then Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph. having 3,000 chosen men of Israel with him to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul pitched in the hill of Hekelah, which is before Jeshamon by the way, but David abode in the wilderness. And he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness. We don't know why the Ziphites were always so anxious to betray David to Saul, but such was the case. And this must have been especially disturbing to David because these Ziphites were of David's own tribe of Judah. Some suggest that they did it on this occasion because now, because they had done it once before, they feared David's reprisal for their first betrayal. But, be that as it may, Saul encouraged spying on David, and he probably had his spies throughout Judah. The statement we saw back in 1 Samuel 23, 14 may confirm this, where it says, And David abode in the wilderness in strongholds, and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day. but God delivered him not into his hand. Perhaps it was by spies that Saul sought David every day, always waiting on word of David's whereabouts. But it appears that at least for a while, Saul had backed off his pursuit of David following the incident there at the cave of Ein Gedi. And yet he still kept his spy system in place. And I say this because he had not let it be known that he no longer wanted to catch David. He had not granted public amnesty. And to add to that inconsistency, Saul still had those in his court that hated David. Men that Saul listened to, among whom were Cush and Doeg. And he seems to have consistently had his 3,000 chosen soldiers ready to pursue David. And of course, he still envied David, though he admitted how deserving David was there in that last encounter. But we never see Saul really dealing with his envy. And we must remember that evil spirit that troubled Saul from time to time. So all of these things are still realities even though Saul had left off his pursuit of David for a season. Recall now that repentance that Saul demonstrated at the cave at Ein Gedi. And it was sufficient to draw from Saul some expression of sorrow and guilt, and it was sufficient to bring a temporary change of mind concerning David and David's intentions. He saw there that David really wasn't trying to kill him. And it even brought forth from Saul a benevolent attitude toward David. And it was sufficient for Saul to just pack up and go back home. And yet on closer analysis, It appears to have been just a superficial repentance. One that was not a true heart repentance. One that did not spring from a due conviction of his sin. One that was only temporary. And that analysis seems to be justified here. For Saul's spies apprise him of David's whereabouts now and Saul just arose with his armed men and went to pursue David again. And Saul is back to his old ways. Matthew Henry appropriately says, how soon do unsanctified, and here I think by unsanctified he means unregenerate, how soon do unsanctified hearts lose the good impressions which their convictions have made upon them and return with the dog to their vomit? Saul had lost his convictions concerning David. Now there's some truths here that we must not fail to see. They apply to Saul, but they are also principles here for believers. First, it was not enough for Saul to simply give up the chase and go back to Gibeah after that encounter at Ein Gedi. A strategy of simple passivity would not prevail against future temptation. And that's basically what Saul did. He just became passive. Saul should have gone further than that. He should have disbanded his army. He should have disbanded his spiring by his army. I mean, the 3000 men that he used to hunt David with. He should have made public David's good standing with him as he had confessed it there at the cave. He should have removed David's detractors from his court. You see, because if David was innocent, like he acknowledged, his detractors were liars and were not worthy counselors for him. He should have got rid of them. And certainly he should have prayed during those times that the evil spirit was not troubling him. But he didn't do these things. He just went into a passive mode. He wasn't active, but it's the same way with us. We're not going to win over sin with a pacifist approach to it. We can't just go back and sit down and think it's all over and we're going to be okay. It will not leave us alone if we just leave it alone. Sin is not that way. Thomas Scott says, if sin be not dethroned and mortified, it shall surely recover its strength when a suitable temptation is presented. Well, Saul left himself open to this suitable temptation by the Zephites by ignoring to do The things that I have just mentioned, he just left himself open. He was sitting there passively. Here comes the temptation he's had. And that is why we, even as Christians are to actively put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make not provision for the flesh to fulfill the lust thereof. We're to be actively doing this. That is why we are to be watchful and active against sin, to be constantly prepared to go on the offensive, to have a killer attitude about sin, to engage the Holy Spirit, to mortify it. That is the way we're told by the Apostle that we shall live if we are on the offensive against it, not if we're passive about it. Well, of course, these things tie into the subject of repentance. Saul's failure to do these things are indicative of a counterfeit repentance on Saul's part. But second, there's an even more fundamental thing about Saul's renewed pursuit of David, and we need to take note of it. I spoke before about Saul's seeming ignorance of the fact that his real problem was disobedience to the Lord. His sin was exceedingly sinful because he sinned against a good and holy God. He rebelled against a God that had been gracious to him and given him great benefits and blessings. And he conscientiously disobeyed the Lord. And he had never fixed this problem. How could he be truly reconciled to David if he was not reconciled to the God that had chosen David to be king? You see, it could never happen, could it? He could never be reconciled to David if he was not reconciled to God. Thomas Scott says again, men's transgressions against God are the cause of their enmities against each other. And no reconciliation has an immovable basis, which is not founded on peace with God through Jesus Christ. So well said Saul's reconciliation with David. The previous time was on a movable basis. It was founded on this temporary feeling of goodwill toward David because David had at that moment done him good. It was not founded on repentance toward God. That was the root problem of this whole thing. And so this temptation comes, this call of the Ziphites and Saul responds almost immediately. And so now he's back to his old pursuits. We see in verses 4-12 that David reconnoitres Saul's camp. And I'm not going to labor all the details here, but we'll just mention briefly the key points. Let's read verses 4-6. And it was told Saul that David was fled to Gath. Oops, I'm a chapter ahead. And David therefore sent out spies and understood that Saul was come in very deed. And David arose and came to the place where Saul had pitched, and David beheld the place where Saul lay, and Abner the son of Ner, the captain of his host. And Saul lay in the trench, and the people pitched round about him. Then answered David and said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, brother to Joab, saying, Who will go down with me to Saul to the camp? And Abishai said, I will go down with thee. Well, David seems to have had this daring plan right from the start. This is one of those situations where we're not told whether or not David inquired of the Lord about this plan, this very bold venture. But you know, if you stop and think about it, David had two choices here. One was flee. And the other was attempt to reason with Saul. Now we might think there's a third choice and that was to kill Saul. But no, that was not an option with David. Never was it an option with David. So he was stuck with two options, flee or try to reason with Saul again. He had reasoned with Saul before and it had gained him some temporary relief. And so evidently he's thinking now he could reinforce what he had done before. And so that's the choice he made. Now, this Abishai that we read about in verse 6, as you can probably tell from the text, was David's nephew, son of his sister, and he and his brother Joab would be prominent leaders under David's reign. And they, along with their brother Asahel, were very aggressive and warlike men. And we see that come out here when David asked for a volunteer, Abishai jumped on the opportunity. Verse 7 says, So David and Abishai came to the people by night, and, behold, Saul lay sleeping within the trench, and his spear stuck in the ground at his bolster. But Abner and the people lay round about him. Now, as David and Abishai walk into this camp of sleeping men, We don't know if David knew that a deep sleep from the Lord was falling upon them, as we're told later on in verse 12. But aware of it or not, it just demonstrates how easily the Lord can protect his own. We have seen in David's case, the Lord intervened in numerous ways. Nothing was, everything was at the Lord's disposal to intervene for David. And I just hope that this little incident reminds us of that. The Lord just put these men in a deep sleep and David and Abishai walk into the middle of the camp and hold this conversation. It's quite a thing. There's nothing the Lord can't do for you or does not do for you in preserving you according to His purpose. We just don't have the eyes to see it sometime. And oh, how valuable, how precious this is. Verse 8. Then said Abishai to David, God hath delivered thine enemy into thine hand this day. Now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with a spear, even to the earth at once. And I will not smite him the second time. One thrust and it's all over." Well, here again David is met with a temptation to slay Saul. Here's the opportunity to get rid of all his troubles. And he wouldn't even have to do it. Abishai would do it for him. But again, David is ruled by principle. He is ruled by the word of the Lord that had established Saul as king. And he is ruled also, especially after his recent incident with Nabal, by the principle that vengeance belongs to the Lord. So David is here in this situation still ruled and governed by principle. And how valuable and precious that is, how we need to remember that when we are oppressed and tempted to take things into our own hands rather than follow the Lord's will. That we ought to be ruled by principle rather than raw passion or selfishness. What a superior way to deal with things. Now I want to interject this thought here concerning Saul. As things turned out, it would have been a mercy if Abishai had thrust him through on this occasion. Saul was only going to live to compound his guilt before God. But for David's sake, I say for David's sake, he was not killed on this day. And now we need to think about that regarding the animosity of the world against Christians. It would be a mercy for one that had animosity toward Christ and his people to die early. rather than to go on and fulfill their days in enmity against God and his people. And if you're an unbeliever, you need to think about this. Every day you live in enmity towards God, you're just multiplying guilt and condemnation. You're treasuring up wrath. And if you're in such a case, I plead with you to repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Gather some true treasure. Don't gather to yourself wrath against the day of judgment. But on the other hand, it is to some measure for our good that unbelievers are allowed to go on. They are often sanctifying rods in the hands of our God, and that's an awesome thought too. That man that may despise you because you're a Christian, and every day that he does is treasuring, building up wrath and condemnation. is only there for your good, for your eternal good. All that ought to humble us, because it could easily be the other way. We could be in his shoes and he could be in ours, but for the grace of God. Well, verses 9 through 11, And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not, for who can stretch forth his hand against the Lord's anointed and be guiltless? David said furthermore, as the Lord liveth, the Lord shall smite him or his day shall come to die, or he shall descend into battle and perish. The Lord forbid that I should stretch forth my hand against the Lord's anointed, but I pray thee, take thou now the spear that is at his bolster and the crews of water and let us go. Well, this is kind of, if you look for some amusement, holy amusement, I guess, in this, Abishai accompanied David into this hazardous situation, but to hear a sermon. Abishai went into that camp to hear a sermon from David, a short sermon, homiletical though, it had three points. I'll show you here in a minute. You know, the Lord preaches to us in strange places sometimes, but we see here, first of all, that David tells him there in verse 9, in effect, that obedience to the Lord supersedes everything. See, David's talking to Abishai in the middle of all of this and telling him this. What a time and a place to put that to the test also. And then he tells him in verse 10 that he would rely on the Lord to deal with Saul. Saul's life was in the Lord's hands and this he showed trust in the Lord. Thomas Scott says, confidence in God fortifies the soul against temptations to seek relief by sin. And that seems like such a simple statement, but it's so true and so vital. Confidence in God fortifies the soul against temptations to seek relief by sin, by some other way. Well, thirdly, he tells him there in verse 11 that his innocence before God meant more to him than his physical safety. Innocence before God was paramount with David. He would remain obedient at any cost. Well, finally, while the deep sleep from the Lord was fallen upon them, we see that David took Saul's spear and water bottle And I just will remark here how this amazing providence would soon be forgotten by David. We'll get to that. His fear of Saul was soon going to cloud his memory of how easily he had done this. Walked into Saul's camp, took his spear, took his water bottle, preached a sermon to Abishai and walked out. So let us be reminded that when God so wonderfully works for us as he did right here for David, take some pains to write it down. If not, literally put it there, put it in your memory, write it down and study it often. We're no better than David was. We easily forget. And when we forget, then we are easily diverted from the path we ought to be on. What we see next is that David chides Abner. Verse 13, Then David went over to the other side, and stood on the top of a hill afar off, a great space being between them. And David cried to the people, and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, Answerest thou not, Abner? Then Abner answered and said, Who art thou that criest to the king? And David said to Abner, Art not thou a valiant man, and who is like to thee in Israel? Wherefore then hast thou not kept thy lord the king? For there came one of the people in to destroy the king thy lord. This thing is not good that thou hast done. As the Lord liveth, ye are worthy to die, because ye have not kept your master, the Lord's anointed. And now see where the king's spear is, And the cruise of water that was at his bolster. Now, David actually had a high regard for Abner and he would mourn Abner's death later on when Joab slew him. I don't think that humiliating Abner was David's main objective here, but he takes this occasion to demonstrate to Saul. that he was in better hands from one he esteemed to be his enemy than he was in the hands of those he esteemed to be his friends. Saul had once trusted David to be his armor bearer and he could still be trusted even more than his general Abner. Well, at the same time, David made liars out of those that whispered conspiracy in Saul's ears. He made liars out of those that told Saul that David was his enemy. So plain, so clear. It was Abner's normal duty to protect Saul with his life. David went out of his way and risked his life to show Saul that he was in good hands with him. Well, by these words, of course, Saul is listening. I think it's still dark, pre-dawn maybe, but Saul's awakened. He's listening to this exchange. And by these words, he disarmed Saul for the moment and got his ear. You know, if Saul ever had an opportunity to once and for all get things right, here it was. Here it was. And he says, is this thy voice, my son David? So now Saul was about to listen to the last appeal he would ever hear, as far as we know. The last appeal. After this, the heavens were going to slam shut on Saul. And he would hear no such reasoning anymore. The last words from heaven Saul would hear would be too late. Too late. Now it's not literally recorded, but that's the essence of it. Too late, Saul. And again, lost friend, if there is anyone lost here today. When will the last appeal from heaven come to you? Will it be today? Tomorrow? See, the thing is, you don't know. It could be today. And that is why you should not trifle with the words that you hear from God's Word today, even today. Well, David pleads his cause then. that he's got Saul's ear. And Saul knew David's voice and said, is this thy voice, my son, David? And David said, it is my voice, my Lord, O King. And he said, wherefore doth my Lord thus pursue after his servant? For what have I done? Or what evil is in mine hand? Now, therefore, I pray thee, let my Lord the King hear the words of his servant. If the Lord have stirred thee up against me, let him accept an offering. But if they be the children of men, cursed be they before the Lord. For they have driven me out this day from abiding in the inheritance of the Lord, saying, Go serve other gods. Now, therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth before the face of the Lord. For the king of Israel has come out to seek a flea. That's when one doth hunt a partridge in the mountains. It is my voice, O Lord, my Lord, O King." You know, David never neglected to show Saul honor. And yet, David is about to speak in a rather reproving way now, showing honor does not squelch reason and truth. So David first asked for his indictment. What is the charge? If he's going to be pursued as a criminal, a just charge needs to be made. Now Saul had accused him of conspiracy before, but where was the evidence? There was none. All the evidence was to the contrary. And you know, Saul was just had with this question, wasn't he? He was had. How's he going to answer this? His excuse for seeking David's life was just totally deflated. But David was very gracious and he proceeded on two possible reasons for Saul's conduct. And one was that the Lord had stirred up Saul against David. for some other crime. You know, Saul, in this case, was simply wielding the sword as magistrate. But if that were the case, if that were the case, if David had committed a crime that the king needed to punish, was there not atonement available for reconciliation to God? Could he not offer a sacrifice for his sin? Could he not make restitution? But here again, What's the answer, Saul, if that's the case? But then if that's not true, if on the other hand, David's enemies were stirring up Saul out of jealousy and self-seeking, then he calls down a curse on them, and rightfully so. And Saul would have to agree that if David's enemies were lying against him and causing all of this trouble in his life, then they were worthy of a curse. Saul couldn't disagree with that. Let the Lord deal appropriately with them if that's the case. But if that was the case, but would this not involve Saul inquiring into the matter to see if he was being misled? And was that not perhaps David's challenge? Saul, if men are stirring you up against me, shouldn't you look into this a little bit closer? Shouldn't you investigate this a little better? If it were men stirring up Saul against him, their crime was great. They were separating him from the Lord's people and from the Lord's worship. And this, to him, was a terrible thing. And might we pause to be challenged by this. Is separation from the Lord's people and His worship a grievous thing to us? It was to David. Well, as I can see it, David's argument here was locked tight. Locked tight. It's almost as if he had reasoned this, thought this whole thing out before he ever went in to confront Saul. He had a loctite argument. Saul was boxed in. If David was guilty of seeking to harm Saul, then he should be charged with proof of the matter. If he were guilty of some other crime, let him know what it was and he would make restitution. If it were men striving or stirring Saul up, then he needed to investigate and take appropriate action against them, for they were sinning against David and against Saul. And then comes this one final argument, sort of icing on the cake, and it's one that David had used before. For the king of Israel has come out to seek a flea, as when one doth hunt a partridge in the mountains. Is this king's business to be chasing me around, Saul? Does the king of Israel have nothing better to do than this? Is this dignifying of the king or a help to the nation that you're so consumed? With someone as harmless as I am, that you're ignoring the other affairs of the nation. And then with all this, David pleads for his life as an innocent man. What a case he had made. Well, we'll lump all the rest of this together and call it the parting exchange, verses 21 through 25. Then said Saul, I have sinned. Return, my son David, for I will no more do thee harm, because my soul was precious in thine eyes this day. Behold, I have played the fool and have erred exceedingly. And David answered and said, Behold the king's spear, and let one of the young men come over and fetch it. The Lord render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness. For the Lord delivered thee into my hand today, but I would not stretch forth mine hand against the Lord's anointed. And behold, as thy life was much set by this day in mine eyes, so let my life be much set by in the eyes of the Lord, and let him deliver me out of all tribulation. Then Saul said to David, Blessed be thou, my son David, Thou shalt both do great things and also shalt still prevail. So David went on his way and Saul returned to his place. Again, for all we're told, this was the last meeting of David and Saul. This was the last conversation they would have. Saul would not have long to remember it. But I suspect this would linger with David all his life. Wittingly or unwittingly, Saul proclaimed David's innocence and granted him a reprieve. All Saul's men heard it. All Israel would know it. And so now David could never be justly accused of usurping Saul's throne. He would be accused, but not justly so. He had been acquitted by Saul's own words. He was even invited back to Saul's court. His confession in verse 21 is quite remarkable. And this is a great improvement over his last confession. Here we have Saul owning his sin and having some change of mind and even determining to change his course. He owns his sin. I have sinned. You know, he didn't do that before. The previous time he just compared his righteousness with David's righteousness. Now I have sinned and even owns the grievousness of his sin. Behold, I have played the fool and have erred exceedingly. And this change of mind. My soul was precious in thine eyes this day. I see, David. I see that my mind is changed. You're not really after me. You're doing me good. You're not a conspirator after all. And then here, determining to change his conduct. Return. Return. Come back. My son, David, for I will do no more. I will no more do thee harm. So here's full restitution promised David. All he'd lost, he would be returned. Well, the thoughts and intents of the heart are very difficult for us to know sometimes. And thankfully, God knows them perfectly. But it's interesting that when it was all said and done, As genuine as this looked, David did not see a change in Saul's heart. In fact, we know there wasn't in the final analysis. He no doubt saw a man with a very guilty conscience, but David understood enough to know that a person can have a guilty conscience without truly having his or her heart changed. A guilty conscience can cause one to express sorrow and to determine to make amends for doing wrong. You know, no one really likes a guilty conscience, do they? So I'm sure Saul was trying to alleve himself of that. I don't claim to have keen insight into this whole matter, but if I were forced to offer an opinion Based on this text, it would be this. Saul never mentioned the Lord as the one he had sinned against. They say that's a slight matter. Well, it could be, but it might not be. I see that he does not reckon the Lord here as a supreme judge in the matter either. This was missing in the previous confession also. He really does not seem to want this issue settled in the court of heaven. But he wants it settled in his own court, you see. David had appealed to the court of heaven. Saul does not really act like he wants to go there. I'll settle this my own way myself. He could admit that in his controversy with David, he had done wrong. But where is that anguish of heart that he had repeatedly sinned against the Lord? I don't see that here. He could never say, or at least he never did, as David one day would, against THEE, The only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight. Saul just never seemed to get there. And it's true that a guilty conscience can serve us well. But if it does not search the depths of the heart to discover animosity towards God and bring one to a woeful confession of it. I fear that it can only bring an outward reform and a temporary one at that. Well, so much for that analysis. We see David's answer back there in verses 22 and 23. And of all the things that might be said here, I'll just mention three. First, David gave back Saul's spear and water bottle. And that was a token he didn't want Saul's place. Saul's spear was his scepter and David didn't want it. And second, David himself put the case in the Lord's court of justice. Maybe Saul couldn't bring himself to do that, but David would. That's where David would have his cause pled. David pled with Saul on the merits of the case, but the final judge was the Lord himself. David committed that to the Lord. Let us remember this example in our own earthly controversies that we sometimes have. It is right and it is proper to plead our cause with men. But the Lord is the final judge and it is his opinion and it's his justice we seek, even if we are wrong. And finally, we see that David would not depend on Saul for his life. He had appealed to Saul to spare him. But his real trust was in the Lord. His real trust for deliverance was in the Lord, not in Saul. We see that. He's depending on the Lord for this now. He's seen too much of Saul. Well, here again is a good model for us. We can seek to be treated fairly by men. But in the final analysis, we know that men are fickle, and it is the Lord himself that we trust for safety. He is our high tower. Verse 25. Then Saul said to David, Blessed be thou, my son David, thou shalt both do great things and also shalt still prevail." So David went on his way and saw a return to his place. Well, these were good words. They seem to involve a prayer for David's success and maybe even a prophecy concerning that success. And it seems for the moment Saul desired and acquiesced in David's success. And, you know, I think this being the case that Saul returned to his place in a placid state of mind. Desiring and accepting the truth on any level brings some peace of mind. I don't know if Saul had the presence that his end was near and this long struggle was about over. But I think Saul was a man wearied by his own sin. And, you know, there are many that come to their end, wearied by the ravages of their sin. It gets old. And they seek to find some relief for it. Kind of like Saul did here. I think he was seeking some relief. Some men come to the end or come near the end and seek for some relief, perhaps by becoming benevolent to others, more benevolent than they'd ever been. Kind of like Saul was here. Perhaps they even accept the idea that Christ deserves his throne rights. They come to some agreement with their place before God. Again, desiring and accepting the truth on any level brings some peace of mind. And so I think many people ease the terrors, many sinners ease the terrors of death in this way. But like Saul, all this without true repentance toward God, and so ultimately it does no good. We need to be able to discern, don't we, what true repentance is and what it isn't. The chapter ends with words that are almost poetic. So David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place. These few words tell the story of the chapter, don't they? And they just leave this vivid picture in your mind. Picture this. David going away over the hill with Abishai. Saul and his troops breaking camp and Saul going back to Gibeah from whence he ruled. And the message that comes to me here is that there is a parting of the righteous and the wicked. The righteous will go on their way, difficult though it may be, and the wicked will return to their place They who are wicked will be wicked still, but eventually this parting will be final and permanent. And there will be no more opportunities for repentance. There will be no more confrontation with truth. There will be no more pleas to do good and to repent. No, it will be over. The Day of Grace is past. This parting just kind of pictures that, doesn't it? The Day of Grace, Saul, is past. If you are a sinner, if you are an unrepentant sinner today, don't return to your place. Don't return to your place. Bow to Christ and go on your way rejoicing in Him, no matter how hard the way might be. We'll pick up chapter 27 next week.