I SAMUEL 23 lesson # 23
IN THE SOUP, BUT WITH GOD
I. Introduction:
Q When do men usually pray?
An = It is often when we are in a tight pinch.
Q Is it OK to pray when we are up against the wall?
An = Yes it is, and today we can see that it is acceptable. We will aslo be given a few hints on how to pray best. Let see what David does when “In the Soup” or “Up against the wall”.
II. The First Storm: Episode At Keilah. I Samuel 23:1-14.
A. Delivering Keilah: Seeking God’s Will. I Samuel 23:1-5.
>>>> Have someone read I Samuel 23:1-5.
Q What does David hear of in 23:1?
An = He hears of the needs of people.
Q What does David do first?
An = He prays for guidance. He prays before acting. Notice, God gives him the go ahead in verse 2.
Q What seems to hold him up in verse 3 from going to battle?
An = The concerns of his men. They knew they were in serious danger already and to help a city in need, so close to Saul, was too dangerous. Keilah was very close to Gibeah where Saul was. SHOW THEM ON THE MAP: KEILAH AND ADULLAM
Q What does David do again in verse 4?
An = He prays again. He is willing to double check and take seriously the fears of those with him. He is the leader, but his actions affect them as well.
Q The battle description takes one verse (23:5), the prayer description takes three times as much space (23:2-4). What is Scripture trying to tell us?
An = The Bible is stressing that asking God what to do is very important when we have a tough decision to make. Especially decisions that are so serious in their potential consequences. We are not to go to battle every time we want to. We need to ask God. When we fight for the Lord, we should ask if He wants us to be fighting.
Q Have you ever had to make such a tough decision and you prayed? What happened?
B. Leaving Keilah: Seeking God’s Will. I Samuel 23:6-14.
>>>> Have someone read I Samuel 23:6.
Q Why is this so important?
An = This is the means for David to ask questions of the Lord. Most scholars think that this verse means Abiathar came to the Keilah incident. That he was with David in 23:1-5 because the word used to mean ask in 1-5 is the same verb used elsewhere in I Samuel to speak about inquiring from a priest.
>>>> Have someone read I Samuel 23:7-13.
Q How many verses speak of David asking guidance whether he should leave Keilah compared to his actual leaving in 23:13?
An = The ratio is about 4 to 1. Again the emphasis is not on the action but the seeking of guidance for the action.
Note: Notice that Saul again sees everything with a religious covering. He claims God’s blessing, but notice the difference. Saul talks about God and David talks to God. Saul is not grateful that David has delivered Keilah. David actually talks to God and hears from Him, where Saul claims God’s blessing and it is not there.
Q From an outward appearance who has the best life: Saul the king, or David the hunted fugitive?
Q Is this true to life?
An = See if some will share. Let them know that obeying and being right with God does not always mean things will go smoothly. Often, from an outward point of view, the Saul’s seem to have it all their way; but from a more comprehensive point of view it does pay to be right with God.
>>>> Have someone read I Samuel 23:14.
Q How does the narrator see the situation? On whose side is God on?
Note: The people from Keilah were seemingly ungrateful, but David takes no revenge. They were, no doubt, aware of what Saul might do to them after what Saul did to Nob for just giving David bread (Gordon, p. 177).
III. The Jonathan Interlude: A Season of Refreshing Between the Storm. I Samuel 23:15-18.
>>>> Have someone read I Samuel 23:15-18.
Q How come Saul has so much trouble finding David but Jonathan does not?
An = See Davis, p. 97. The author goes out of his way to let us see that those who are encouraging David are not those he delivered from the Philistines, nor will it be those of his own tribe of Judah in the next story, but David’s encouragement comes from the most unlikely of sources: Saul’s own son. God gives us the help we need from the most unlikely of places sometimes.
Q Have you ever been encouraged this way by a friend and would like to share it?
Q If we want to encourage our friends who are down, what hints could we take from Jonathan’s speech?
An = Jonathan is said in 23:16 to encourage David “in God”. Let us see what this means. What does it mean to encourage someone in God. I see his speech dividing up into two major parts: a command (17b) and reasons for that command (17c-f). The command is to “get a grip” or Jonathan demands emotional stability: “do not be afraid”. It is alright to be afraid, it is a natural response, but one must grab a hold of that emotion if one is to make it.
Q What are the reasons Jonathan gives David for grabbing a hold of his fear?
An = There are four of them. 1) He addresses David’s immediate felt need: Jonathan assures David that he will be safe and that his father will not find him. We have to deal with the felt need first. 2) Jonathan gives him hope for the future: “you will be king over Israel”. When we are discouraged we need to see that there is a future for us and someone else often has to articulate that for us. That is where friends come in. 3) Jonathan then assures David that he is not alone: “I will be next to you”. 4) Finally, Jonathan assures David that Saul really does know he is wrong: “And Saul also knows this”.
Note: Sometimes when people say or act like we are wrong, when we are not, we begin to believe them. Jonathan reminds him that deep down inside Saul knows that David will be king. Jonathan all along is saying that present circumstances can not dominate one’s thinking. David will not die, he does have a future, he has a friend and his enemies really do know they are wrong. Jonathan will prove to be right because he has a divine perspective.
IV. The Second Storm: Episode at Ziph. I Samuel 23:19-29.
A. The Plot from David’s Fellow Tribesman at Ziph. I Samuel 23:19-23.
>>>> Have someone read I Samuel 23:19-20.
SHOW THEM ON THE MAP ZIPH AND ENGEDI.
Q Do you know people who are like the Ziphites who cooperate with authorities you know to be corrupt?
An = This really hurts sometimes. There are plenty of such folks. Do they always know they are hurting the righteous? Take no revenge. David does not against the Ziphites and maybe they do not know all the facts. Give them the benefit of the doubt.
>>>> Have someone read I Samuel 23:21-24
Q Does Saul give the Lord credit? What does this mean?
An = This must have sounded impressive to the Ziphites coming from their victorious and godly king.
Q Does Saul call David cunning directly?
An = No, but he says he has heard that he is.
Q Is there is a bit of self pity here in 23:21?
Note: Everyone loves to partner with the head guy (the king) and the Ziphites are no exception. Saul assures them that their labor will bear fruit and that must have really encouraged the Ziphites: they could really help their king.
B. The Narrow Escape at Ziph. I Samuel 23:25-27
>>>> Have someone read I Samuel 23:25-29.
Q David is almost surrounded and captured. Who saved him from a certain death?
An = The Philistines. Again, help comes from the most unlikely sources.
Q Has God ever delivered you in strange ways that you would like to share?
V. Conclusion:
1) There is an overall pattern to this chapter. The chapter has three parts.
Crisis and Storm at Keilah: 1-14
Refreshment from Jonathan: 15-18
Crisis and Storm at Ziph: 19-29
Q What is this three fold pattern trying to tell us?
An = Maybe David stays strong in the second storm (as narrow an escape as it was) because he had the encouragement from Jonathan. Let us pray we are “divine Jonathan’s” to our friends and relatives.
2) The story reminds us that we can not often see the future clearly and we need a friend to help us see clearly. The message of this chapter also tells us that God will protect us using the most unlikely of sources: Saul’s son and the Philistines.
But the storm will still go on. David is still left in the soup.
However, things will change. Next week we will see that.