Crown
I Samuel 8
2 part sermon on Saul and David during the times of the Kings.
Both parts are here: http://gbcdecatur.org/sermons/Crown.html
Pt.1-Saul
Israel decided they wanted to be a monarchy, not a theocracy. They wanted a king, not to be led by God. They wanted a visible leader. Fearful of the aggressive nations around them they sought to unify as other nations did under a visible leader.
vv. 1-3 Sad verses. Samuel is very Godly but his sons were not. We see this a lot in Scripture. Sometimes the Bible says it’s the father’s fault, but many times it’s just an example of the free will each person possesses. We can all choose our own path. Regardless of what we do right or wrong, our children will eventually decide which way they are going to go. Even God the Father spent time w/ his kids, Adam and Eve, but they chose to go their own way.
v. 4-7 Samuel was a judge over Israel, but the people said they didn’t want a judge, but a king. Samuel wasn’t being rejected, but God. And when you witness to someone and they want none of it, it’s not YOU they are rejecting...but God. Don’t take it personally.
v. 8-9 It continues and Samuel explains why they shouldn’t want a king. But they get what they insist upon. Never insist with God. Why? He may give you what you want! [and not His best]
Psalms 106:15
And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.
v. 19-22 Saul is chosen as Israel’s first king. Then later we’ll see David was Israel’s finest king. And Solomon was Israel’s fabulous king.
The selection of Saul.
There is disagreement about whether Saul was even saved. Some believe he was, for he was chosen by God, not by man. It was miraculous the way God brought Saul to this position. He used a couple of lost donkeys! But I’m not fully convinced.
10:9 Was this a conversion experience? Unsure.
9:21 Tribe of Benjamin? Is that where the king is to come from?
Genesis 49:10
The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
Actually Jesse, alive at that time, and the future father of David, would have been the best choice for king, if it was God’s timing for the kingdom. He was of the tribe of Judah.
Ruth 4:18-22
18 Now these are the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron, 19 And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab, 20 And Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon, 21 And Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed, 22 And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.
Why did God overlook Jesse? Gen. 38 and Deut. 23 show a soap opera like dysfunctional family drama that is the answer to this question.
In short, Pharez, above, was the son of Judah, who had 3 sons. He wasn’t one of the 3, he was the illegitimate son of Judah and his daughter in law! The first son, above, married Tamar, he died, and his little brother married her, and he died. She then should have gone to the next brother, but he didn’t want her [as you could understand, she was bad luck!] so she disguised herself as a prostitute, enticed her father in law Judah, and they had relations and an illegitimate son.
Deuteronomy 23:2
A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the LORD.
When you count the generations of Judah, in Ruth, Jesse is the 9th generation, just one generation too early. The tribe of Judah was ceremonially unclean until David’s generation came along.
Amazing the little nuggets you can find in the Word that further prove its accuracy! And also how seriously God takes sin.
Saul is the first king: He may not have ended well in his kingdom, but he was humble in his early days as king. But power, wealth, and success turned him over the years.
The rejection of Saul.
God rejected him for several reasons:
a. Because he presumed the office of priest.
Samuel was the priest, but Saul decided to offer the sacrifice himself, though he was king, and not priest, and not even from the tribe of Levi.
13:8-14 The separation of church and state is actually a Biblical concept. Not keeping the church out of the state, but the other way around.
b. Because he ordered the death of his own son.
I Sam. 14—Saul orders no one to eat until the Philistines are defeated in a several day battle. He is flexing his muscles like a jerk, and his own son, who didn’t hear that instruction, finds some honey and eats it. Incredibly, Saul says he has to be punished by death. But the people said over OUR dead bodies.
c. Because of his incomplete obedience.
I Sam. 15—God used Samuel to instruct Saul to destroy and decimate the Amalekites, down to the last living animal. But they don’t. They defeat them, but allow the king to live and a few of the best sheep and oxen.
v. 14 “What meaneth the bleating of the sheep?” [Silence of the lambs!]
v. 22-23 Obedience is disobedience if it isn’t complete, instant, and in the proper attitude.
Saul said, we kept the sheep to make sacrifices to our Lord! But does God want a sacrifice that isn’t rooted in obedience and done the right way? Some try to buy God out. I’ve known men who were called to preach, but they resisted, and to make themselves feel better, they start giving more money, serving in other areas more fervently, and making personal sacrifices. God says, the sacrifice I want is the sacrifice of obedience! So Saul is rejected.
Saul has several fatal flaws:
[what can we learn from this story?]
1. Don’t reject God’s reign. (8:1-21).
We are to be a nation under God, not under man alone. He will give us what we demand as far as human leadership...and we today are paying for that fact! Are you happy with the leaders we have? America as a whole has asked for it to be this way!
Hosea 13:11
I gave thee a king in mine anger, and took him away in my wrath.
2. Don’t emphasize the external. (9:2, 21).
v. 9:2 He was impressive, he was in the prime of his life and no one else was like him. On top of that, Saul was very tall. But may I point out that nothing in this text mentions his faith, or his character, or his humility, or his love? All the emphasis is on the external. This will prove to be very dangerous. Friends, we need to make sure we don’t just focus on the physical. This is not easy to do because our culture elevates the external.
1 Samuel 16:7
But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.
Here’s a good question. Do you worry more about how you look or more about how you really are? Deal with your fatal flaws before they deal with you.
3. Don’t indulge impatience. (10:8; 13:7-12).
When Saul sacrifices without the priest Samuel he is being impatient and takings things into his own hands. Do you ever do that? Do you ever get impatient? Ever want to do things your way instead of God’s way?
Isaiah 30:18
And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.
4. Don’t use unwise words. (14:24-28).
A slippery slope awaits the one who speaks without thinking and praying. This is why Saul said he would kill his own son...to keep his unwise word he had given. And, because the troops were denied food, they were not able to accomplish all they could have, and they eventually end up sinning by breaking God’s command by eating meat with blood in it, they were so famished. Saul’s unwise words were the cause of all of this.
Proverbs 12:18
There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health.
5. Don’t be puffed up with pride. (15:12).
Saul was a complicated person but at the root, he was a man filled with pride. He started out humble but now he wants everyone to give him homage. 1 Samuel 15:12 says that Saul set up a “monument in his own honor.” We need to make sure that our lives are not filled with pride. Is this one of your spiritual soft spots? If so, deal with this fatal flaw before you fall.
6. Don’t make obedience optional. (15:1-15).
I heard about a young boy who wanted to buy his mom a birthday present. He went to the store and asked the clerk to show him the cookie jars. Very carefully and methodically he went to each jar, carefully lifting the lid and putting it back on. He went through all of them and his face fell as he got to the last jar. He looked at the clerk and asked, “Aren’t there any cookie jars with lids that don’t make any noise?”
In what is perhaps his biggest blunder, Saul gets caught with his hand in the cookie jar as he disobeys the very clear command to attack and annihilate the Amalekites and to take no plunder. He makes excuses, blames others, and is very defensive, but God always holds us accountable for our actions, and there’s no way to make a deal w/ God on the side. All the sacrifice in the world is worthless to our Lord next to the sacrifice of obedience.
Hosea 6:6
For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
Donald Gray Barnhouse once told a story of a young son of a missionary couple in Zaire. One day the little boy was out playing in his front yard, and suddenly his father appeared and very sternly said, “Phillip, obey me immediately. Drop to your stomach.” The little boy obeyed. Then the father said, “Now, start crawling toward me.” And the little boy began to crawl, not understanding what was going on. And then the father said, “Now, jump up and run to me as fast as you can.” With tears in his eyes, the little boy ran toward his father, and his father scooped him, hugged him and kissed him. He then slowly turned around and pointed to the deadly snake that was hanging from a branch directly above where the boy had been playing.
What if his son had only partially obeyed? What if he had waited? Immediate obedience literally saved his life; and it can save ours as well. God wants what is best for our lives and the only way for us to experience that is through obedience. Saul never dealt with his disobedience early on and now he’s reaping the result of his rebellion. Deal with your fatal flaws before they deal with you.
7. Don’t choose relief over repentance. (16:23).
After Saul disobeys he starts to disintegrate in every way. We begin to see violent mood swings, erratic behavior, homicidal anger and perpetual paranoia. In the middle of his madness he finds that when David plays his harp, the music soothes his soul.
While the music seemed to help him, he still chose this over outright obedience and repentance. Saul is not looking for healing. He is not looking for repentance. He is not looking to set things right. He doesn’t want to do the hard work of examining his soul. He just wants to feel better. He just wants relief. He finds a form of entertainment that masks his pain and helps him make it through. But he does not change. He is distracted and relieved, but not transformed.
Friends, we need to guard against this as well. Sometimes people choose the relief that comes from an illicit relationship, or the excitement of entertainment, or the delight of distraction at the expense of what is really needed. Do you find yourself shifting into couch-potato mode, or an insane work schedule, alcohol or drugs, or even a time-consuming hobby? Have you been covering up your pain or trying to soothe your sinfulness when what you really need is to repent and allow God to renovate your life? Don’t trade short-term relief for long-term change. Instead of filling your life with mind-numbing activities, follow the path of confession and repentance. This is the only way to get to the root of your restlessness and to truly find relief for your soul. Deal with your fatal flaws before they deal with you.
8. Don’t dabble with darkness. (28:1-25).
Back in 1 Samuel 15:22 we read that rebellion is like the sin of witchcraft and now Saul has totally slid down a bad path when he dabbles with dark forces. Samuel is now dead and Saul persists in his rebellion, this time asking for the help of a medium. It’s as if he goes to everyone and tries everything but God. This practice has been outlawed by Saul himself in 1 Samuel 28:3 and yet now he’s breaking his own rule. Actually, this was a law established by God himself in Deuteronomy 18:10-12.
The spirit world is very real and very dangerous. Our culture seems captivated by occultic practices. Don’t even crack open a doorway to the darkness. Stay far away from all appearance of evil.
Next time we’ll look at the reign of David.
[Partial outline/info. by Brian Bill]
Part 2-David
Crown, pt. 2
I Samuel – I Chronicles
Saul was Israel’s first king, but David was the finest king. The apple of God’s eye...a man after God’s own heart. He made mistakes...the best of men are men at best. But when he sinned and was confronted, he admitted it and made it right. He never offered excuses or alibis.
David fills more pages of history, poetry and prophecy than anyone in the OT. Of the 150 Psalms, 77 were written by David.
David’s life can be viewed in 10 segments:
1. David the Shepherd. [I Sam. 16:1-13]
After Saul is rejected by God as king, Samuel is instructed to make a visit to Bethlehem to find Saul’s replacement. Jesse [not ‘uncle’] is there and he has 8 sons. And David is the least likely choice in his mind. He’s a ruddy, apple pie faced kid like I used to be. But where others see a shepherd boy God may see a king!
God delights in using unlikely candidates! And good things come to those who wait. The Bible says we will reap if we faint not. David is 17 in our text as he is anointed to be king. But when is he actually crowned as king? When he is 30! And even then he’s only over 2 tribes...not all that is promised to him until he is 37. He must be patient, and tend sheep until his time.
Hebrews 10:36
For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
If you are claiming something yet future that you know God wants, hold on and don’t lose faith. God’s timetable is not ours. He is sometimes early but never late. God hasn’t forgotten you!
2. David the Singer. [16:14-23]
His music soothed Saul’s soul to some degree. Even the savage beast is affected by music. David had his own hymn book [Psalms!].
Success happens when preparation meets opportunity. David became proficient by practice and by using his talent. He spent hours on hillsides with just God and sheep.
And his gift opened doors for him.
3. David the Soldier. [chapter 17]
We know the story of Goliath very well. God can do mightily thru the dynamite of a small package. He actually gets more glory that way!
Something entered the giant’s mind that he never considered before! [skull was penetrated] And David showed he knew how to get a head.
And by God’s grace we can defeat the giants in our lives.
4. David the Sought. [chapters 18-31]
Saul then became very jealous of David. Women were singing about David. For 10 years he was chased and harassed by Saul, in the woods, mountains, but mostly David hid in caves. But these weren’t wasted years at all. He is forming some convictions that will guide him as king.
When life caves in on you, learn to run to God, not from Him. We all have some cave experiences. Tough times will either make you bitter or better. Choose the latter. You can focus on your problems or on God. Choose the latter.
1 Samuel 21:1
Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest:
David runs to the house of God. But many Christians lay out of church when things go wrong. They don’t feel like smiling or being around people who do. They don’t feel like laughing or worshipping either.
When our children don’t feel like going to school or taking a bath or brushing their teeth what do we emphasize at that moment? You have to! And it’s when you feel the need church the least that you need it the most.
1 Samuel 21:3
Now therefore what is under thine hand? give me five loaves of bread in mine hand, or what there is present.
1 Samuel 21:9
And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it:
David got bread and a sword. Bread to sustain him and a sword to equip him.
Usually when people lay out of church is when God has me give out the bread and the swords they need in particular. I think of them, and pray for them, and try to get them to listen to the links later, but if you don’t want help you won’t find it. Sometimes you’ll have to come when you are discouraged, but you won’t leave that way!
David was sought, and so are you. The devil seeks you. Run to God!
5. David the Sovereign. [II Sam. 1-10]
Saul is wounded in battle, then commits suicide, falling on his own sword. David is crowned as king.
He receives a covenant. There are 3 main covenants in your OT.
Abrahamic—new land
Davidic—new king
New covenant—new hearts
II Sam. 7:12-16
A prophecy of David’s son, Solomon; the temple being built; and this kingdom will be forever.
It’s an unconditional covenant that isn’t affected by the Jews, or how America deals w/ Israel, or who wants to wipe them out. It WILL happen.
Psalm 89 is a parallel passage:
Psalms 89:30-37
30 If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments; 31 If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments; 32 Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. 33 Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. 34 My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. 35 Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. 36 His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me. 37 It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah.
A problem: Someone from David’s lineage will sit on the throne forever. How can this be? Only someone who is eternal can fulfill this promise!
Luke 1:30-33
30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
Acts 2:29-30
29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. 30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
Acts 15:14-17
14 Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. 15 And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, 16 After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: 17 That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.
His first coming was for a crown of thorns, but next time it’s as King of Kings. Not the cross, but the crown this time. Last time as a redeemer, but next time as a ruler. Last time as a Savior, but next time as a Sovereign!
Every prophecy of Christ’s first coming was fulfilled literally...why not his 2nd coming?
6. David the Sinner. [II Sam. 11]
What names come to mind when you hear the name David? Goliath and Bathsheba. His greatest victory and greatest defeat.
He has been king for 20 years. He is rich. He has the praise of the people. His approval rating is high...he has it made. And he became very vulnerable thru success. Lust led to covetousness, stealing, adultery, lying, and murder.
Proverbs 6:27-28
27 Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? 28 Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?
In context those verses are about adultery.
7. David the Sorrowful. [II Sam. 12-31]
The Prophet Nathan uses an illustration to show David his sin. It was David’s own judgment he pronounced upon himself. 4 fold repayment.
David confesses and is forgiven, but his judgment is set.
4 installments:
· 7 days later his baby son dies.
· His son Amnon rapes his half sister Tamar.
· Absalom murders his brother Amnon.
· Absalom revolts and is killed by General Joab.
We reap what we sow, later than we sow, and more than we sow.
But God used David again mightily after this, because when confronted he repented, and fully made it right. A perfect heart comes not from sinlessness, but from confession. Some preachers say the sin nature is eradicated at salvation, but none of their wives believe that!
8. David the Seeker. [Psalm 51]
How does he seek God’s forgiveness? We’ll see in this passage.
a. Sin soils the soul.
v. 2 He felt dirty and wanted to be made clean.
Ill.—difference between a cat and a hog when it comes to dirt.
If you are truly saved, you’ll feel dirty when you sin. A believer lapses into sin and loathes it. An unbeliever leaps into sin and loves it.
b. Sin saturates the mind.
v. 3 He couldn’t get it off his mind. It echoed as the first thing he thought about when he awoke and the last when he lay down at night. But once he truly confessed it he got God’s help to get past it as much as humanly possible.
If you can sin and get past it easily, that’s not a good sign. Sin makes it hard to pray, hard to have joy, hard to laugh, and hard to forget until you deal with it.
c. Sin stings the conscience.
v. 4 When it breaks your heart that you have hurt the heart of God, you are in a good position. God is so good to us, and when we turn around and treat him so shamefully, we should sting inside.
d. Sin saddens the heart.
v. 8a, 12 He wanted back what he lost. Not his salvation, but his joy...one of the fruits of the Spirit. Miserable people are Christians who have one foot in the world and one in the Lord. There’s no joy in that.
How did David come back to God?
· With confidence, v. 1a.
The devil is the accuser after we sin, saying that God can never use you again. But David is proof positive that you can still be used of God!
· With confession, v. 3.
‘Acknowledge’ is the key word. No alibis allowed. Fess up and face the music. It wasn’t Bathsheba’s fault for bathing on the rooftop. It wasn’t his wife’s fault if she wasn’t in the mood. It wasn’t that strong sex drive God gave him as a man. He took full responsibility for his actions. The guys at the jail are all innocent! [so they say]
· With cleansing, v. 1b.
‘Blot’ has to do w/ the penalty of sin. V. 2 says ‘wash’, which is about the pollution of sin. And v. 7 says ‘purge’, which has to do w/ the power of sin. It means to yank it by the roots for future prevention.
9. David the Statistician. [II Sam. 24]
He numbers the people. He took a census. It was a pride thing. He had been commanded not to. Plus, he would feel independent, and not trust in God, but in horses and chariots, soldiers and artillery.
God gave David the choice of 3 punishments: 7 years of famine, to be pursued by enemies for 10 days, or a 3 day pestilence, which is what he chose. 70,000 men died. That’s a number!
Sin always affects others around us. You are not an island.
10. David the Sponsor. [I Chron. 22-29]
He wanted to build a temple for God. But God wouldn’t let him because he was a man of war w/ blood on his hands. But his son Solomon would be able to.
But God did give him permission to make preparations for the temple. He was 70 at this time. Stone and iron, cedar logs, and 3 million dollars of gold bullion, 2 million in silver. [in that day’s economy it was more than we can imagine]. He organized 22,000 Levites for the temple work. Then he fundraised by getting the people to give to the Lord. [not a bake sale, ringing a bell, or washing a car]. God’s method of building the church is thru the giving of God’s people.
He led the way w/ a personal offering of 85 million in gold, 20 million in silver [today’s equivalent]. This inspired many others to give sacrificially themselves.
No sacrifice is too great. Giving to God should be done w/ reckless abandon. You cannot out give God.
We won’t look much at King Solomon other than to say he had a promising start, growing up in such a good home. He became the richest and wisest man in the world. He also had progressing sin. He had a weakness for women. 1,000 pair of pantyhose hanging in the shower! And those women had pagan gods and they influenced him and he wound up building temples to those false deities, worshiping them w/ orgies and child sacrifice. He wound up in pervasive sadness, dying a miserable, broken man. Solomon wrote his Songs as a young man about love. He wrote Proverbs later about wisdom. Ecclesiastes was the writing of a miserable old man, waiting to die and explain to God why he threw away such a promising life. ‘Vanity of vanity’! He had more than anyone who ever lived, and considered it emptiness. There is nothing good under the sun. That’s why we must live for things above the sun!
Here’s the great lesson of David: God is not looking for perfect people, but rather for those who have a perfect heart toward Him. Do you have a perfect heart? You can!
http://gbcdecatur.org/sermons/Crown.html
