1 Samuel 23
The God of Deliverance
Context of 1 Samuel 23: Chapter 22 reports the horrific slaughtering of 85 priests of the Lord along with men, women, children, infants, and animals in the city of Nob by Doeg who carries out king Saul’s bidding. David feels responsible for this slaughter because Ahimelech the priest came to his aid and defense. Ahimelech harbored David in Nob and furnished David with food and Goliath’s sword. Saul’s retribution against Ahimelech and the city of Nob is swift and terrible. Saul means to kill anyone who helps David’s cause.
Now David is on the run again in chapter 23. Saul’s is relentlessly hunting David down and is eager to shed David’s blood. Twice in chapter 23 today we will see David surrounded by his enemies. And both times God is faithful to deliver David by His divine providence.
“Divine Providence is the governance of God by which He, with wisdom and love, cares for and directs all things in the universe. The doctrine of divine providence asserts that God is in complete control of all things” (gotquestions.org).
What should we do when we feel surrounded? When circumstances seem totally against us, how should we respond? When financial insecurity threatens are household, what do we do? When a loved one battles sickness, where do we turn? When stress at home or at work threatens to swallow us up, how can we cope? When dealing with tragic loss, how should we grieve? The answer to all of these questions lies in the emphasis of our text today:
Main point today: Our God is the God of deliverance. Therefore, we can trust His providence.
We can trust God’s providence by:
Seeking the Lord’s counsel (v1-12)
Responding to God’s promises (v15-18)
Beholding God’s deliverance (v19-28)
Seeking the Lord’s counsel (v1-12)
23 Now they told David, “Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are robbing the threshing floors.” 2 Therefore David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” And the Lord said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.”
In v1 David is presented with a problem. What is David’s first response?
V2 “Therefore David inquired of the Lord”
Application: what if prayer and seeking the Lord’s counsel was our first response to any problem in life? Problem at work? Seek the Lord’s wisdom and counsel. Problem at home with marriage and parenting? Seek the Lord’s wisdom and counsel. Problem finding a job? Seek the Lord’s wisdom and counsel. Problem with loneliness and singleness? Seek the Lord’s wisdom and counsel.
James 1:5
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
David trusted in God’s providence by seeking the counsel of the Lord, and we must do likewise.
Our God is the God of deliverance. Therefore, we can trust His providence.
3 But David's men said to him, “Behold, we are afraid here in Judah; how much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?” 4 Then David inquired of the Lord again. And the Lord answered him, “Arise, go down to Keilah, for I will give the Philistines into your hand.” 5 And David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines and brought away their livestock and struck them with a great blow. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.
Don’t you just love the gentleness of God here? David’s men are afraid, and they are unsure if David heard correctly from the Lord. So, David inquires of the Lord again and the Lord is so gracious and patient to answer David a second time about going down to Keilah.
God could have said, “Come on, David. I just told you in v2 that you should go down to Keilah and save the people. Why are you doubting my word?”
But God doesn’t do that. Our God is so gentle, and kind, and patient toward us.
In v4, the Lord promises to deliver the Philistines into David’s hand. For our God is the God of deliverance, therefore we can trust His providence.
6 When Abiathar the son of Ahimelech had fled to David to Keilah, he had come down with an ephod in his hand. 7 Now it was told Saul that David had come to Keilah. And Saul said, “God has given him into my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars.”
Take note here in v7 that Saul uses the name of God in vain. Saul is in total opposition to the Lord’s will. God’s will was to install David as the new king, and yet Saul is trying to kill David. We must know the Lord’s will before we falsely attribute opportunities or situations to God’s providence (i.e. a sexualized unmarried relationship should not be considered something God has providentially ordained to be…or the job opportunity that provides a large salary but compromises you morally is not from God’s providence).
8 And Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men. 9 David knew that Saul was plotting harm against him. And he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.” 10 Then David said, “O Lord, the God of Israel, your servant has surely heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah, to destroy the city on my account. 11 Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O Lord, the God of Israel, please tell your servant.” And the Lord said, “He will come down.” 12 Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?” And the Lord said, “They will surrender you.”
David is surrounded by his enemies. And so, in v11-12, David seeks the Lord’s counsel again by asking God three questions: Will the men of Keilah surrender David over to Saul? Will Saul come down as David has heard? And again, David asks if the people will surrender him over to Saul.
God answers affirmatively to David’s questions: Saul will come down, and the people of Keilah will surrender David over to Saul.
This is how we fight our battles y’all: It may feel like you’re surrounded, but you are surrounded by the Lord. David knew that the Lord ultimately surrounded him even though David was circumstantially surrounded by his enemies. David trusted in God’s providence and sought the counsel of the Lord. It’s the ask, seek, and knock principle. Keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking on God’s door. What we are talking about here is drawing near to the Lord for intimacy with Him in prayer. Do you merely say your prayers out of ritual, or do you pray to experience intimacy with the Lord in seeking His counsel? Do you delight to draw near to Jesus for intimate fellowship with Him through prayer?
Not only should we seek the Lord’s counsel in prayer, but we must also seek His counsel through reading Scripture. To discern the will of the Lord, we need to understand and apply the principles and precepts of God’s word to the specific situations of our lives.
David being surrounded by his enemies gave him a God-ordained, a God-orchestrated opportunity to trust in the Lord’s providence. His circumstances gave him an opportunity to trust in the Lord with all his heart.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Oh, how easy it is to forget to trust in the Lord when you feel surrounded!
13 Then David and his men, who were about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah, and they went wherever they could go. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up the expedition. 14 And David remained in the strongholds in the wilderness, in the hill country of the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not give him into his hand.
Psalm 32:7
You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance.
Our God is the God of deliverance. Therefore, we can trust His providence.
Not only can we trust God’s providence by seeking His counsel, but we can also trust His providence by…
Responding to God’s promises (v15-18)
15 David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh. 16 And Jonathan, Saul's son, rose and went to David at Horesh, and strengthened his hand in God. 17 And he said to him, “Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Saul my father also knows this.” 18 And the two of them made a covenant before the Lord. David remained at Horesh, and Jonathan went home.
Jonathan responded to God’s promise that David would be king. He responds to this promise in 2 ways:
He goes and encourages David
He covenants with David
What does Jonathan do for David in v16-17?
V16-17 says Jonathan encouraged or strengthened David’s hand in God by telling him not to fear and by reminding Him of God’s promise that he would be king (see 1 Samuel 15-16).
Application: These verses teach us the importance of Christian community. We need people in our lives who point us to God’s character and remind us of His promises. Christian community is a visible example of God’s providence.
Do you have a community group or discipleship group you belong to? If you are interested in one of these groups, please mark it on your response card and come see me after service so I can point you in the right direction.
Not only does Jonathan encourage David by reminding him of God’s promise, but he also covenants with David in active response to God’s promise.
2. In v18, Jonathan acted on the promise of God that David would be king. He aligned himself with David’s future kingship by making a covenant. V17 describes the covenant: “You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you.”
Application: We can trust God’s providence by responding to His promises. Consider this promise from God:
John 3:16
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Do you actually believe this promise to be true? Will you respond to this promise by entering into covenant with Jesus? Will you trust in Him as your King today for salvation? For those of you who have already entered into covenant with Jesus, do you feel strengthened by this promise from God?
In His providence, God has also provided His church to be a source for strengthening in the Lord. Today at noon, we are going to have a Town Hall meeting here at Mission. I want to invite you to learn about joining the church through what we call covenant partnership or covenant membership. Becoming a church partner is another way to respond to God’s promises.
Not only can we trust God’s providence by responding to God’s promises, but we can also trust His providence by beholding His deliverance. Look at v19-28 with me now.
Beholding God’s deliverance (v19-28)
19 Then the Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is south of Jeshimon?
20 Now come down, O king, according to all your heart's desire to come down, and our part shall be to surrender him into the king's hand.” 21 And Saul said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, for you have had compassion on me. 22 Go, make yet more sure. Know and see the place where his foot is, and who has seen him there, for it is told me that he is very cunning. 23 See therefore and take note of all the lurking places where he hides, and come back to me with sure information. Then I will go with you. And if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.” 24 And they arose and went to Ziph ahead of Saul.
Look at v19 again: “Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh”
This event in David’s life was the inspiration for Psalm 54.
To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Maskil[a] of David, when the Ziphites went and told Saul, “Is not David hiding among us?”
54 O God, save me by your name, and vindicate me by your might.2 O God, hear my prayer; give ear to the words of my mouth.
3 For strangers[b] have risen against me; ruthless men seek my life; they do not set God before themselves. Selah
4 Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life.
David trusted in God’s providence during this dreadful time of his life. He was literally being hunted by bloodthirsty men who wanted to take his life.
But he could still say in the midst of being betrayed by the Ziphites: “Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life.”
David trusted in God’s providence enough to call the Lord his helper and the upholder of his life even before God provided the deliverance he so desperately needed. He knew that ultimately our God is the God of deliverance.
What about you? Maybe you feel betrayed or surrounded right now. Maybe you feel so stressed by the situation surrounding you that you just want to throw in the towel.
Will you trust God’s providence today in the middle of your stress? In the middle of your fears? In the middle of your anxiety? Will you trust the Lord’s providence even before God provides visible deliverance?
Now let’s behold God’s deliverance in v25-29:
Now David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah to the south of Jeshimon. 25 And Saul and his men went to seek him. And David was told, so he went down to the rock and lived in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon. 26 Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. And David was hurrying to get away from Saul. As Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them,
Pause…What do you think David was feeling at this point in v26? Terrified? Afraid? He’s completely surrounded with nowhere to go. Saul is closing in on him and getting ready to capture and kill him. But let us behold the providence of God in v27:
27 a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have made a raid against the land.”
28 So Saul returned from pursuing after David and went against the Philistines. Therefore that place was called the Rock of Escape. 29 And David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of Engedi.
Look at v26-27 again. The chasm of difference between v26 and v27 can feel very daunting when you feel stuck in v26—when you feel surrounded by the circumstances of life. Many of us feel surrounded right now.
But by God’s grace, can we pry our eyes from v26 and gaze upon God’s providence in v27 and 28?
Application: We need to be looking for God’s providence in our own lives. Look for how God is orchestrating circumstances in your life for good and for His glory. Be encouraged by looking back at all the ways God providentially worked in your life to bring you to salvation in Jesus—even thru your sins and mistakes.
Back to the text: God, in His glorious providence, orchestrated the circumstances so that at His perfect timing the messenger would come to Saul to tell him of the Philistines making a raid against the land. The Lord gets all the glory!
Our God is the God of deliverance. V28 “Therefore that place was called the Rock of Escape.” And David escaped to the strongholds of Engedi in v29.
What we see today is that the Lord, Himself, is the One who bridges the chasm of difference between v26 and v27. The Lord is the One who is actively moving and working ALL things together for good, for those who love Him and those who are called according to His purpose. What man intends for evil, the Lord intends for good to bring about deliverance for the many. The Lord is the one who surrounds us with shouts of deliverance when we feel surrounded in this life.
We have only but to behold God’s deliverance and trust His providence.
Caveat: God’s deliverance in your life may not always work out the way you expect it to. Look at Jesus. He was crucified and yet God’s providence was perfectly at work. Our hope is not that our circumstances would get better, but our hope is in the ultimate deliverance we have from sin and death through Jesus. Our hope is in getting to be with Jesus forever. God’s providence in our life will lead us closer to Jesus, but His providence will not always ensure comfort and ease in this life.
How hard is it for you to trust God’s providence at this point in your life? How hard is it for you to truly believe that our God is the God of deliverance? How hard is it for you to trust that He is indeed working and moving in unseen ways amidst the trials we face in this life?
You see, in Jesus Christ, God the Father has provided a deliverance for us far greater than the deliverance we see at the Rock of Escape in 1 Samuel 23. God delivered David from his enemy, Saul, in our text today. But in the gospel, Jesus Christ delivers us from the greatest enemies we could ever face: the enemies of our sin, Satan, and death. Jesus, the true and better David, was providentially handed over and crucified by the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, so that He could providentially deliver us out of eternal separation from God. And now all who trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior belong to Him forever.
Will you trust His providence today?
Our God is the God of deliverance. Therefore, we can trust His providence.