David Spares Saul's Life A Second Time Series

Do you ever feel in your life like you’ve been tested in this area already? I know I’ve felt that way. Lord I went through this test already. I’ve given you my problems. I’ve given you my sins. But God says, I will test you again, and your faith will be proven.

David went from being a shepherd boy, alone with his sheep, trusted with only a little bit, and he showed himself faithful. His life shot into a new time after his courageous victory over Goliath. We saw him become a leader in Saul’s army. He won great victories. But then we saw Saul become jealous of David, and he even tried to kill him. David went on the run then, all by himself. But as he hid in the caves over the months many gathered around him, until he had 600 men around him. God was with him. And David spared Saul’s life in the cave, when he could’ve killed him.

Yet David will be tested again. It's the same with us today. We're tested once, then again. And we think to ourselves, "again Lord? Not again, can it be? I gave you my sin. I gave my struggles. I gave you my nightmares." But God says you’ve given me your struggles, your difficulties, you’ve sent away Hagar, but I want your heart, the things you love, you things you enjoy.

We gave him our sins. Now he wants our heart. He wants to take away the bad, yes, but he wants us to give up our hopes and our dreams to Him. Abraham gave up Hagar, and he must’ve thought this is enough, I’ve sent her and Ishmael away. But God says what about the apple of your eye, what about what you love? What about Isaac? Would you be willing to even give him up, for me?

David has already spared Saul’s life once, in a situation where he is running. Now there is a new situation, but the same life is in his hands, what will he do?

It says in verses 1-4, “Now some men from Ziph came to Saul at Gibeah to tell him, “David is hiding on the hill of Hakilah, which overlooks Jeshimon.”

2 So Saul took 3,000 of Israel’s elite troops and went to hunt him down in the wilderness of Ziph. 3 Saul camped along the road beside the hill of Hakilah, near Jeshimon, where David was hiding. When David learned that Saul had come after him into the wilderness, 4 he sent out spies to verify the report of Saul’s arrival.”

So many times now, Saul changes his mind. He realizes David isn’t his enemy. Alright David is my lovely friend again. Then he gets jealous again and throws a spear at him. Then David spares his life in the cave and he leaves him in peace and says we’re ok now. Then he changes his mind again and comes after him again.

First point today, stick to your decision. If you’ve chosen God’s way, stick to that decision. Don’t be double minded, constantly floating between two opinions. I had a friend like that, close friend, he could never up his mind, he would always float between two decisions. If you’ve come to God, you make a faith commitment. You keep that faith. You stick to your guns, you stick to your decision, even when it’s hard. That’s a fact of character.

And if you don’t, you’ll find in everything in life you’ll start to wobble. We don’t want to be wobbly people. We want to stand firm in Christ.

David had sent spies to view Saul’s camp. But now David himself goes with two of his closest friends.

It says in verses 5-8: David slipped over to Saul’s camp one night to look around. Saul and Abner son of Ner, the commander of his army, were sleeping inside a ring formed by the slumbering warriors. 6 “Who will volunteer to go in there with me?” David asked Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother.

“I’ll go with you,” Abishai replied. 7 So David and Abishai went right into Saul’s camp and found him asleep, with his spear stuck in the ground beside his head. Abner and the soldiers were lying asleep around him.

“God has surely handed your enemy over to you this time!” Abishai whispered to David. “Let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of the spear; I won’t need to strike twice!”

Once again, the life of Saul is in the hands of David. They are in a deep sleep, and David can do as he pleases. What will he do?

Second point today, God will put you in a situation where you have a difficult choice to make. I’ve found that time and again in my life. Many things are not easy for a Christian. God tests and refines our hearts. That’s what I want you to see today: God is looking at the heart again and again. We can adjust the course of our heart toward good or evil by our choices. Our choices determine the course of our heart. But, only God can transform a heart. Only God can turn a heart of stone to flesh. Once our heart is flesh, we must then guard our heart (Proverb 4:23).