Dodging God's Rod - 1 Samuel 18:1-19 Series

1 Samuel 17:1 After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. 2 From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return to his father's house. 3 And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. 4 Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt. 5 Whatever Saul sent him to do, David did it so successfully that Saul gave him a high rank in the army. This pleased all the people, and Saul's officers as well. 6 When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with tambourines and lutes. 7 As they danced, they sang: "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands."

8 Saul was very angry; this refrain galled him. "They have credited David with tens of thousands," he thought, "but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?" 9 And from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David.

10 The next day an evil spirit from God came forcefully upon Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the harp, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand 11 and he hurled it, saying to himself, "I'll pin David to the wall." But David eluded him twice. 12 Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with David but had left Saul. 13 So he sent David away from him and gave him command over a thousand men, and David led the troops in their campaigns.

14 In everything he did he had great success, because the LORD was with him. 15 When Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him. 16 But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he led them in their campaigns.

17 Saul said to David, "Here is my older daughter Merab. I will give her to you in marriage; only serve me bravely and fight the battles of the LORD." For Saul said to himself, "I will not raise a hand against him. Let the Philistines do that!"

18 But David said to Saul, "Who am I, and what is my family or my father's clan in Israel, that I should become the king's son-in-law?" 19 So when the time came for Merab, Saul's daughter, to be given to David, she was given in marriage to Adriel of Meholah.

Review

Walk with God

Last week we talked about the fact that the solution to people-pleasing is God-pleasing. Our goal should be to live to please God, and to desire and delight in God’s approval and praise more than human approval and praise. I did not mention it last week, but I should also add that this goes for all people-pleasing, even if the person you are trying to please is yourself. Some people do not really care much at all what everyone else thinks, and their lives are not driven by the impossible slave-driver of popular opinion, but they are driven by an even worse slave-driver – and that is, their own opinion. Sometimes in our pride we imagine that we are far stronger, far more capable, much smarter, and much more righteous than we really are, so we are constantly defeated - not because we fall short of other people’s expectations, but because we fall short of our own expectations. Living for human approval is sin and it is idolatry even if that human is yourself. Remember 1 Cor.4:3 – Paul did not even accept his own judgment of himself – only God’s. We should not live to impress others, we should not live to impress ourselves, we must always live only to please God, and I gave you a big long list of things the Bible says are pleasing to God. I was tempted to turn that into another whole series on how to please God, but we are already on a bit of a tangent as it is so that study will have to wait, so instead of studying that whole list, let me just give you a three-word summary. The three-word summary of how to please God is found in the life of Enoch.

Heb. 11:5,6 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 without faith it is impossible to please God