The Plot to Kill David

Father, we thank you for tonight. What a great joy it is for us to be able to gather together in the middle of the week to study your word. We thank you, Lord, for giving us your word in print that we might be able to study it over and over again and to realize the great joy that's there as we read through the scriptures and then begin to understand how you deal with people's lives, because that's how you want to deal with our lives. We thank you for your involvement in David, the great king of Israel, and how his life mirrors so much of what happens in our lives.

May we learn from him this evening, Lord, as we understand your dealings with this man and his future. We pray in your name. Amen. 1 Samuel chapter 19 is where we're at as we make our way through the life of David. We're going through 1 Samuel into 2 Samuel to understand about David, his life, his ministry, what God did to make him the man that was after his own heart. The animosity that began in chapter 18 pales in comparison to the animosity in chapter 19, and that will continue on through chapter 20 and on through Saul's life as he seeks to rid his life of David, that is to get rid of David.

He wants to kill David. Last week we saw in chapter 18 that he was against David, so he threw a spear at him. You'd think that David would learn from that incident, but then Saul decided to give him one of his daughters for the purpose of the fact that he would have to go to war against the Philistines and maybe he would die in that battle. I mean, yes, he could defeat one man in a battle, but could he defeat a multitude of Philistines? And so he asked for 104 skins, but David came back with 204 skins from the Philistines because David was the man of war.

He was the man of battle. He was the great warrior. And Saul thought to justify himself thinking that my hand's not going to be against him, so let the Philistines kill him. But all this has been pent up inside of Saul. He has yet to let his feelings be known to those around about him until tonight in first Samuel chapter 19.

But you'll notice back in chapter 18 that in verse number 12, Saul was afraid of David. Verse number 15, it says that when Saul saw that he was prospering greatly, he dreaded David. And then over in verse number 29 of chapter 18, then Saul was even more afraid of David. Thus Saul was David's enemy continually. That's just a minor way of saying that he wanted David dead. He was his enemy. Hard to believe that a few chapters earlier, he loved David. Now David has become his enemy. And the good thing about chapter 19 is that we're able to see that God is in complete control of everything that's happening in David's life.

God puts him in a pressure cooker. And I don't know about you, but maybe you're in one of those pressure cookers this evening, and your whole life is really squeezing in around you, and you've got to figure out how to handle those pressures. Well, as you look at David's life, his life is filled with all kinds of pressure.

And every plot that Saul had to destroy David's life was thwarted twice by family members. One, his son, Jonathan, one, his daughter, Michael. And yet God would intervene in supernatural ways because God was going to preserve this man, David. God had a plan for David. David was the king of Israel, and God was going to send his son, the Messiah, through the line of David. So Satan was against everything that David would do. And Satan would do all he could through one man, Saul, to destroy this king of Israel so the Messiah would not come.

But everything leads up to the arrival of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, our Lord. So our Lord's going to protect David. He's going to protect his line and use him in a great and mighty way. And no matter what Saul does, he cannot gain the upper hand on David. And yet David has to learn many, many lessons because God is going to isolate him. God puts him in a pressure cooker, and God begins to teach him many lessons that will transform his life. And he will learn from those lessons. Sometimes it takes him a while to get it, but sometimes he never gets it.

And that is unfortunate. But you know what? He's just like us. It takes us a long time to get what God wants us to learn sometimes. We're kind of thick-headed. David was thick-headed in some cases. On the flip side of that, David had great humility, and had a great servant's heart, and was willing to be used of God in a mighty way. And so as we begin to understand more about the life of David, let's read 1 Samuel chapter 19, because that's what we do here at Christ Community Church. We read the Scriptures because the Bible commands us to do so.

1 Samuel chapter 19, verse number 1, Now Saul told Jonathan his son, and all his servants, to put David to death. But Jonathan Saul's son greatly delighted in David. So Jonathan told David, saying, Saul, my father is seeking to put you to death. Now therefore, please be on guard in the morning, and stay in a secret place, and hide yourself. And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak with my father about you. If I find out anything, then I will tell you.

Then Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father, and said to him, Do not let the king sin against his servant David, since he has not sinned against you, and since his deeds have been very beneficial to you. For he took his life in his hand, and struck the Philistine. And the Lord brought about a great deliverance for all Israel. You saw it and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood, by putting David to death without a cause? And Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan, and Saul vowed, As the Lord lives, he shall not be put to death.

Then Jonathan called David, and Jonathan told him all these words. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as formerly. When there was war again, David went out and fought with the Philistines, and defeated them with a great slaughter, so that they fled before him. Now there was an evil spirit from the Lord on Saul, as he was sitting in the house with his spear in his hand, and David was playing the harp with his hand. And Saul tried to pin David to the wall with a spear, but he slipped away out of Saul's presence, so that he struck the spear into the wall, and David fled and escaped that night.

Then Saul sent messengers to David's house to watch him, in order to put him to death in the morning. But Michael, David's wife, told him, saying, If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be put to death. So Michael led David down through a window, and he went out and fled and escaped. And Michael took the household idol, and laid it on the bed, and put a quilt of goat's hair at its head, and covered it with cloths. When Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, He is sick. Then Saul sent messengers to see David, saying, Bring him up to me on his bed, that I may put him to death.

When the messengers entered, behold, the household idol was on the bed with a quilt of goat's hair at its head. So Saul said to Michael, Why have you deceived me like this, and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped? And Michael said to Saul, He said to me, Let me go, why should I put you to death?

Now David fled and escaped, and came to Samuel at Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and stayed in Naoth. And it was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Naoth in Ramah. Then Saul sent messengers to take David. But when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing and presiding over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied. And when it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied.

So Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied. Then he himself went to Ramah, and came as far as the large well that is in Sekou. And he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David? And someone said, Behold, they are at Naoth in Ramah. And he proceeded there to Naoth in Ramah, and the Spirit of God came upon him also. So he went along prophesying continually until he came to Naoth in Ramah. And he also stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel, and lay down naked all the day and all that night.

Therefore they say, Is Saul also among the prophets? This is a wonderful story of God's protection and God's preservation of His people. One thing about our Lord, He's so faithful to take care of His own. He always does that. We're going to look at these four plots and see how it is God did a wonderful, marvelous work.

We're going to begin with the plot, the summons to murder David. The summons to murder David. The Bible is very clear. In verse 1, Now Saul told Jonathan his son and all his servants to put David to death. Evil is progressing. Evil is moving. It's moving in the heart of Saul. What he has kept inside of him in chapter 18, now he voices it. What he has concealed, now he's going to reveal. He is going to tell it to his son, big mistake, and now he's going to tell it to his servants, and let them know that David must die.

Why? Why is this great warrior, this great servant, this great soldier, this great man going to be put to death? What has he done that the king shall summons his death? Well, nothing. He's done absolutely nothing wrong up to this point. Is he a perfect man? No. Is he a sinner? Yes. But has he done anything against the king? No. We saw last time in chapter 18 that the fame for David had grown so large it was way beyond the fame of Saul. And Saul became very jealous. He became very envious. But now he's at the point where he wants to let everybody in on his plots.

He wants David dead. Listen. He tries to dignify his sin by making a summons as a king. But you can't do that. You see, the things that we don't condemn, we will ultimately commend in our lives. The evil of Saul needed to be condemned. His desire to kill David needed to be condemned. But because it wasn't condemned, it then became commended in his life. Take, for example, our country. Okay? What has happened in our country is that we have decided not to condemn those who kill the unborn child. So now we have commended those who perform abortions.

Because we have not condemned homosexuality, we now have commended those who are homosexuals. And we have also commended gay, right marriages. And so now, because we no longer condemn them, we now commend them. We speak well of them. You see, if you don't deal with sin drastically, if you don't deal with it harshly, it becomes almost something that's well accepted in my life. That's a dangerous place to be. We've got to learn to check our lives and make sure that what's happening in our lives is not something that violates Scripture.

Let me give you an example. Let's don't talk about murder, murdering the unborn. Let's don't talk about homosexuals. Let's talk about our lives, the general aspects of our lives. Come back with me to Ephesians chapter 5 just for a moment. Ephesians chapter 5, verse number 3. Paul says this, but do not let immorality or any impurity or greed even be named among you as is proper among saints. And there must be no filthiness and silly talk or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.

Now think about that for a moment. No silly talk, no coarse jesting should be a part of our vocabulary. But you'll be surprised how often we use our words in jest. Paul says these things should not even be named among you. In fact, he goes down even further and says, do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them. Why? Because you are children of light. You are to walk in the light and you are to expose those who live in error. But just think for a moment with me about your conversation and how it is we use our words to jest and say things like, yeah, I was just kidding.

I was just joking. You know, the book of Proverbs speaks against that. Book of Proverbs 26 chapter says these words. Proverbs chapter 26 says this, Proverbs 26 verse number 18. Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death, so is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, uh, was I not joking? I was just kidding. I was just fooling with you. Not a big deal. Maybe it was because I was preparing the sermon this past week, last week, that this Sunday I said something in jest to one of the members of our church.

I was greatly convicted, greatly convicted, and maybe it was because I was preaching on it. I don't know. I probably saw the Lord tends to do that with me every once in a while. And so the first chance I had to talk with this individual alone, I did and said, I need you to, I need to ask your forgiveness.

I know that what I said might not have been a big deal to you, but it was a big deal to me because I realized that what I said in jest might've been hurtful to you. And if that's the case, I need to ask your forgiveness. Now they were very kind and they said, no, that's not the case. And I believe them. Okay. But the point of the matter was, is that I said these things in jest, I was just joking. And as I was reading through the book of Proverbs, realizing that so many times we say things and just say, you know, it's okay.

I just kidding. I'm just joking. Not knowing how harmful, how hurtful our words might be to someone who laughs along with us on the outside, but on the inside, they're just being ripped apart. You know, if we don't, if we don't condemn the things that we do that are sinful, we soon will begin to commend those things, whether it be our conversation, whether it be our actions, whether whatever it may be, these are just small things, but you know what? They really make up the bigger picture of our Christian walk and our desire to honor the Lord and to glorify his name.

Here was a man Saul who, who, who just was so evil on the inside. He wanted to destroy David's life, but because he wouldn't hold his life in check because he was unwilling to repent of his sin and get right with God, that evil spirit just began to grow more and more and more in his life. So much that it just developed everything about him. It controlled him. He was a double-minded man. He was unstable in all his ways. As the King of Israel, he was to protect the people. He was to fight against the armies of the Philistines and defend the nation of Israel.

At the same time, he was going against the only one who could protect his life. The only one who could save a nation he wanted to destroy. He was a double-minded man. He was unwilling to hold his life in check and to deal with those things in his life that were sinful. My friends, that's not the way we ought to behave. We ought to look at our lives and look at our conversation, look at the things that we've done and say, you know what?

Maybe I've said some things that, that aren't right. If silly talk and coarse gesturing is not to be a part of my conversation, then I need to rid myself of those things. So I can speak the words that are pure and true and holy and loving and encouraging and kind and gracious. If we don't condemn our sin, we soon will commend our sinful behavior saying, it's just not that big a deal. But if God speaks against it, it's a big deal. But let's go back to 1 Samuel chapter 19 and look at this whole scenario, because Saul told Jonathan, big mistake, because Jonathan and David were the best of friends, the best of friends.

And remember, we told you that the animosity in Saul's life came about because his oldest son, Jonathan, became David's best friend. One of his daughters, he gave to David in marriage. Okay. Because she loved him. And so Saul's family was, it was even against him, but Saul, but Saul didn't quite understand his lack of influence with his son. And Jonathan, who was a great friend of David, and obviously he greatly delighted in David. Well, that's a great phrase because these two were, were genuine friends.

Let me tell you something about friendship. Note this down. It's always more important to be a friend than to have a friend. We think we need to have a friend and we lament the fact that we don't have a friend. But let me tell you something.

It's more important to be a friend than to have a friend because you need to be what God wants you to be. Jonathan was David's friend. And friendship is always marked by two main qualities. One is love and the other is loyalty. Those two pillars hold up all friendships, love and loyalty. There's no doubt that Jonathan loved David. In fact, we saw last week in chapter 18, it says in verse number one, that they were so knit together that Jonathan loved David as himself.

And then it says again, in verse number three, that Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself.

Chapter 20, chapter 20, verse number 17. And Jonathan made David vow again because of his love for him, because he loved him as he loved his own life. Folks, that's an amazing statement that Jonathan would love someone as he loved his own life. That is love at its highest, the highest point, because it's totally sacrificial. It's unconditional. He loved him as he loved himself. And so therefore, Jonathan would be willing to sacrifice everything for his friend. The Bible says, John 15, 13, greater love hath no man than this, than a man laid down his life for his friend.

Over in first John chapter three, verse number 16, it was the apostle John who said these words, we know love by this, that he laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

That's the kind of person Jonathan was. He loved David. He knew that to be a friend was absolutely critical in his relationship with David. Let me ask you a question.

When was the last time you were that kind of friend to somebody else? Because I want you to notice something, that Michael, David's wife, wasn't this way.

She didn't love David as she loved her own life because in the story, which we'll see in a moment, she lied to cover her own backside because her father says, why did you deceive me? Why did you deceive me, Michael? Well, she should have said, because that's what you taught me, daddy, but she didn't say that. She said, I deceived you because David said that if I didn't do this, he would kill me. But David never said that. She wasn't willing to sacrifice her life for her husband, but Jonathan was willing to sacrifice his life for his friend.

It's more important to be a friend than to have a friend. Please remember that. Remember that in your marital relationship. It's more important to be the right person than to marry the right partner. Got to be the right person. You got to love unconditionally. And that's what, that's the way Jonathan was. Now the text says that he greatly delighted in David. Now that's a unique phrase because it's used throughout the scriptures. It's used over in Psalm 1. Listen to Psalm 1, verse number 2. We'll begin with verse number 1.

How blessed is a man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers, but his delight is in the law of the Lord. That's a blessed man. He delights in the law of the Lord. Well, Jonathan would delight, listen, in David because he delighted in the law of the Lord. How do we know that? What's the foremost commandment? To love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. And the second is as the first.

To love your neighbor as yourself. Right? It's one commandment. But you can't love your neighbor unless you love God. If you love God, you can love your neighbor. If you don't love God, you can't love your neighbor because they're one and the same. It's a commandment to love. But the reason I can love somebody else is because I love God. I don't love you because I don't love God. That's my problem. In a marriage, I don't love my husband or wife because I don't love God. That's my problem. It's not you, it's me.

It's my relationship with God. Well, David delighted, Jonathan delighted in the law of God so much that he could greatly delight in David because he loved his God. He could love God's anointed one. And that's exactly the way Jonathan was. He was a man of love. He was a man of loyalty. The Bible says in Psalm 22 verse number eight, same word is used.

Psalm because he delights in him. In other words, God delights in you. You commit your life to the Lord. God delights in you. God delights in us. God delights in us so much that he gave his life away for us. This is the relationship between Jonathan and David. It's marked by love and it's marked by loyalty. The text says in first Samuel 19, that Jonathan went out to speak to his father and he spoke well of David.

When you have a friend, they speak well of you. They speak highly of you. And that's what Jonathan did. It doesn't mean that they don't confront you of their sin or deal with the sin of your life. But when they speak to others about you, they speak well to others because they're there to encourage and to build up. And that's exactly what Jonathan did with David. He was a man of love. He was a man marked by his loyalty to David. This is so important. Why? Because a brother is born for adversity. Proverbs 17, 17.

A good friend is born for adversity so that when you go through adverse circumstances, there's someone that will stick by you and always be completely loyal to you. And that's the way Jonathan was with David. Let me ask you a question.

Who do you love as you love your own life? And who are you absolutely loyal to because you're committed to that friendship? That's what friends do. That's what friends are. Sunday, I'm going to introduce to you another new book to help you as you begin to embark on your responsibility as men in your families. It's a book entitled, What Every Man Wishes His Father Had Told Him. It's not a very big book. It's a paperback. It's written by a man by the name of Byron Yon. Forward by John MacArthur. It's a great book.

The man is absolutely hysterical. He talks about friendships in the book. And he makes a contrast between friendships and buddies. Okay? Because men like to have buddies. I like to have friends. He says, there's a difference between friends and buddies. Buddies are the guys who come over to your house in your first year of marriage to play Madden while your wife seeks refuge in the bedroom behind laundry and bills.

Buddies are the guys who resent their marriage and want you to resent yours as well. Buddies are the morons who provide you the excuse needed to avoid your responsibilities. Inviting you to the fantasy draft or the poker night or the bocce ball tournament. Buddies sit around and tolerate your narcissism. Buddies are the guys who call to inform you that Apple will soon release the third generation iPad.

We're going to camp out. You had buddies when you're eight. You're no longer eight. He's really good. We want buddies. Guys we can play around with. We can have fun with. But true genuine friendship is about love and loyalty. And boy, that's what, that's what Jonathan gave to David. Saul says, I'm putting David to death. He told his servants, he told his son. What did his servants do? Nothing. Now listen for Samuel 18 verse number 22 says this. Then Saul commanded his servants, speak to David secretly saying, behold, the king delights in you and all his servants love you.

Well, that was true. They did. They all loved him. Did they? Did they really love him? Here Saul makes a summons, put David to death. He tells it to a son. He tells it to his servants. What did his servants do? Nothing. What did his son do? He went right to his dad, right to his dad, right to the king. The servants didn't want to lose their position. They didn't want to lose their job. See, so they're not going to confront the king on his evil ways because they valued their position over a person.

David, the next king. They valued what they could get from the relationship. They didn't value their commitment to truth. Jonathan was a man committed to truth. So therefore his love and his loyalty would shine. And who do you want to be? You want to be like the servants or do you want to be like the son? Do you want to be like the servants? You say, you know what? I'm not going to confront the evil. I'm just going to let it go. It's okay. God will deal with him. They're not going to say anything because I might lose my status as a servant in the palace of the king.

But Jonathan, who would go and confront his father and ultimately be disinherited by his father because his dad becomes so angry with him and ultimately loses his life beside his father on Mount Gaboa, was willing to sacrifice everything because of his love and his loyalty to one man, David. It was all based on his commitment to God. He delighted in the law of God, therefore he would delight in the people of God. He would love his God. He would love the people of God. So much so that in the last chapter we saw, he took off his armor.

He gave it to David and says, you know what? I'm honoring you. You're the next king. I'm not going to be the king. You are. I was in line to be the king. My dad forfeited that. You're the king. You have the armor. I honor you, David. How many friends do you have like that? No. Hard to find them, isn't it? If you find it, keep them. Hold on to them. Don't share them with anybody else. Make sure you hold on to that guy or that girl because they're hard to find. And Jonathan and David had that kind of unique relationship that was based on love and it was based on loyalty.

So he would go to his father, confront his dad. Dad, look, what has he done wrong? He's done nothing wrong. What did he do? He was used by God to deliver Israel. So even Jonathan goes back and says that this whole thing that took place in verse five, for he took his life in his hand, struck the Philistine and the Lord brought about a great deliverance for all Israel. You saw and rejoiced. He pointed his dad back to God. He pointed his dad to the fact that it was God who used this man to deliver Israel.

Oh, by the way, by way of inference, dad, he could have used you to deliver Israel, but you were unwilling. He could have used you to deliver Israel, but you were too busy rebelling against his authority. He could have used you, dad, but the Spirit of God departed from you. But it came upon him and God used him in a mighty way. And God would use Jonathan, this friendship that was based on love and loyalty in a unique way to preserve David's life. So the king makes a vow. Okay, we're not going to kill David.

Well, that was short-lived because now you go to plot number two. Okay. And that simply is the spearing to murder David. Says in verse number eight, David's brought back to Saul and as he was formerly, you know, everything's good to go. No problem. There was war again. David went out, fought the Philistines and defeated them with great slaughter so that they fled before him. David was victorious. And the more David was victorious, Saul was furious. The more David was victorious, the more Saul was furious.

Now there was an evil spirit from the Lord on Saul, as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand and David was playing the harp with his hand and Saul tried to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he slipped away out of Saul's presence so that he struck, stuck the spear into the wall and David fled and escaped that night. Now, if I was David, I would have learned from chapter 18, that when you're playing with the king, he's got a spear in his hand that you need not be playing at that time, you know?

Well, how would you think that if the choir got up here and suddenly began to sing and all of us out in the audience had spears in our hands, you know what I'm saying? You mess up, man. We're going to go right through you. You know, you put the fear of God in the choir, wouldn't you? Well, here was David. Here he is playing this harp, trying to do what God had called him to do. Now, the remarkable thing about David is that he goes out to battle. He wins another war because that's what David does.

He's just a winner. He always goes out and wins and he comes back to do what? Play the harp, the guitar, whatever he's doing, you know, just for the king, you know, singing, you know, goodbye, country road, whatever. I don't know what he's singing, but here he is singing to the king. I mean, he could be sitting there saying, you know what? I'm not doing this any longer. I'm tired of playing the guitar for you, man. I'm moving on. I am a warrior. I'm not just going to sit here and sing for you all the time.

But David didn't do that. He was a humble servant of the Lord. He used every gift that he had for the glory of the Lord. He didn't say, you know what? I'll be on this. This is beneath me. I'm better than this, Saul. I am going to stay with my men and I am going to be the best warrior possible. No, he goes back into the king because it was more dangerous to play the harp in front of the king than it was to fight the Philistines in the battlefield. The dangerous place was at home. Oh, by the way, so it is for you.

A lot of times the most dangerous place is at home, not out in the marketplace someplace. It's at home. Well, you have to live the reality of your faith. That's where it's hard, right? David was going to live the reality of his faith right in the palace, right in the closest, most intimate places he could be because he was going to demonstrate the character of his God. What a great man. No wonder he's a man after God's own heart. So he goes back in, he begins to play and the evil spirit comes upon Saul and you can just see him begin to shake right there, man, just getting all furious about what's going on with David and winning all these battles.

And he picks up that spear, man, whack, throws it right at him. And David, you know, he ducks and gets out of there. He flees. He runs, which tells us this, look, you always need to be able to flee when evil abounds. You gotta be able to run. You gotta go. David didn't sit there and say, host, let me offer up a prayer to the Lord here just for a second.

Let me, before you throw that at me, let me say a prayer. No, because it wasn't time to pray. It was time to run, right? And so that's the way he fled. He could sit there and pray. The spirit would go right through his heart. He'd be dead, but he ran. It was time to run. There's always a time to run. And you need to be alert enough to know when to run, right? Remember way back in 1 Corinthians chapter 16, it was the apostle Paul who said these words, 1 Corinthians chapter 16, verse number 13, be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.

Let all you do be done in love. Be on the alert, he says. Be vigilant. You know, vigilance is a lost art in today's, in today's modern church. Be alert, stand awake, be ready. There was a church in the book of Revelation, the church of Stardust, that wasn't alert and that wasn't awake to evil. And the Lord said, wake up. If you don't wake up, I'm going to come to you and you're going to be in big trouble if I come to you. So wake up, stand alert, be vigilant, get awake. Why? Because you've got to always be ready.

That's why Peter said in 1 Peter 5, 8, be vigilant because your adversary, the devil goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, right? He wants to, he wants to consume you, but you've got to be vigilant and you've got to know when to run. You've got to know when to run. That's why the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 10, verse number 14, flee idolatry, flee.

In 1 Timothy chapter 6, verse number 18, flee immorality. Why? Because every other sin is committed outside the body, but there's one that affects the inside of the body. There's only one sin that affects the inside of the body and like anything else, it's the sin of immorality. It affects your emotionally, spiritually, physically, mentally, it affects everything. So run, run. 2 Timothy 2.22, flee youthful lust, run. 1 Timothy 6.11, you, O man of God, flee these things. Paul says to Timothy, and by the way, Timothy's the only guy in the New Testament called the man of God.

It's not that Paul wasn't a man of God, he's just never called a man of God. It's not that Jude wasn't a man of God, he just wasn't called a man of God. It's not that John wasn't a man of God, he just wasn't called a man of God, but Timothy was called a man of God. O man of God, you flee these things, 1 Timothy 6.11, and you pursue righteousness. The word flee is the word fuego, where we get the English word fugitive. What's a fugitive doing all the time? He's always running, right? Always running.

He's always on the run. Why? Because there's somebody wanting to catch him. You see, as a Christian, we're like running men. Remember years ago there was a movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger in it called The Running Man? It was a futuristic movie about how the people would watch on television this man who would run from those who were trying to kill him. It was what they did for entertainment in the future. And Arnold Schwarzenegger, our future, our former governor, then movie star, was the running man.

He was always on the run, running from those who wanted to kill him. Well, as a Christian, we're running men. We're running women. We're always on the run. We're fugitives. What are we running from? The love of money, youthful lust, idolatry, immorality. We're running from those things that will ensnare us and trap us and bring us down. That's the kind of people we need to be. We need to be running men, running women. We need to be fugitives from evil all the time. David gives us that great example.

He just ran. He escaped. Remember like way back in the book of Genesis with Joseph when he would flee from Potiphar's wife. She grabbed his robe. He ran. He didn't sit there and say, you know, let me pray about this.

Before I go anywhere, before I leave the palace, I better pray about it because there's a lot at stake. I better pray, Mrs. Potiphar, before I do anything else. No, he ran. He was out of there. Heels and elbows, he was gone. See, David ran. There's going to come a time though he's not going to run. That's 2 Samuel chapter 11. There's going to come a day where he's a little older. You think he'd be a little bit more wiser, but as he gets older, he doesn't run. He stands. He stands. He stares. And as he stares, he stumbles because he would not flee the balcony.

He would not flee the scene. He stayed. The day you stay, the day you stay is the day you stumble. Got to run. Got to go. David couldn't stay in the presence of Saul. He had to get out of there. Oh, the spirit running through. He escaped. He was gone. Which leads us to the third plot.

Okay. The first plot was the summons to murder. Second was the spearing to murder. The third was a snare for murder.

The enemy never gives up. That's why you got to be a running man because the enemy never gives up. The enemy is never winded. The enemy never gets tired. The enemy never slows down. That's why you've got to be in spiritual shape. You've got to be a running man. You've got to be a running woman. You've got to stay one step ahead of evil because it's going to catch you. If you stop, you got to keep going. And here was evil in the form of Saul. Saul sent messages to David's house to watch him. Why? Because he was going to kill him in the morning.

Now, we don't know how Michael find out about this, his wife. We have no idea. All we know is that she found out. How did she find out? God somehow manifested to his wife so she could tell David that Saul was coming to kill him. He fled the palace. He went home to his wife. His wife found out that her father, the king, wanted to kill David. So she tells him, if you don't save your life tonight, tomorrow you're going to die. So she lets him down out of the window. He flees. He runs. And what does she do?

She takes this idol, this terrapin. It must be a big one because it was big enough to put in the bed and think that David was there. She wanted to deceive them into thinking that this was David's sleep. So they would go back and tell the king, well, we asked the wife. She said he's sick. And Saul was so evil. He said, you know what? Bring David on his bed to my chambers. I'm going to kill him even though he's sick. Saul was a sick man. Sick man, I tell you. But that's what he was going to do. So they go back to get him.

And sure enough, he's not there. Now that idol is a story in and of itself because it tells you that there's incompatibility between David and his wife, Michael. And you'll see this later in 2 Samuel chapter 6, when the ark of God comes to Jerusalem and David begins to dance and Michael, his wife, speaks against him because of the joy that he has. David had it tough. This woman wasn't one who feared God and loved the Lord God. That's for sure. And so she would at least tell him the truth. He would flee.

Again, one of Saul's own family would turn against him. And when he comes and asks, why? Why did you do this? Why did you deceive me? She says, well, because David said that he would kill me. That was a lie. It wasn't true. She lied about David. She didn't really love David. She loved David for what he would give her, status. I mean, this guy killed the giant. If I'm married to this guy, just what kind of status I'm going to receive because of what he does. A lot of women do that. They marry for status.

They marry for publicity. They marry for the opportunity to be famous or to be greater than they are. Not recognizing that that's not what marriage is about. That's why she loved him. She loved him for what he would do for her, not for what she would do for him in sacrificing her life for him. She would lie about him. She would slander him. She would speak against him. No wife who loves her husband ever slanders her husband. Does not speak against him. That's exactly what she did. And yet the plot was foiled.

So where does David go? He goes to Samuel, a godly man. He goes to Samuel, the prophet, because there's a school of prophets in Naoth. It's a place called dwellings. It's what it's called in the Hebrew. It's the place of dwellings. And Samuel had a school for prophets. And so David fled to where Samuel was so that he could find solace and to find some refuge and to have a man of God pray alongside of him. That's what he did. And this was the third plot, or excuse me, the fourth plot.

We call this the searching to murder. Saul is going to search for him. And Saul will spend the rest of his days searching for David, trying to find him, always one step behind David. But he goes after him. He sends his messengers in because someone tells him that David is at Naoth in Ramah. So he sends his messengers in. And lo and behold, the messengers go in, these warriors go in, and these warriors turn into worshippers. They begin to prophesy. And that word in the Hebrew could mean to sing and to worship and to praise, or it could mean to foretell the truth of the gospel.

And these men began to worship and praise God. The spirit of God came upon them in a supernatural kind of way and caused them to be focused above and not below. So Saul sends another group of messengers in. Same thing happens to them. So he sends a third group in.

Same thing happens to them. So like any great leader, if you want to get it done, what? Do it yourself. So forget about the messengers. I'm going in myself. I'm going to go in. I'm going to kill David. And the spirit of the Lord comes upon Saul. And now he begins to prophesy. I mean, can you, can you imagine this? Can you imagine this? So much so that he takes off his outer tunic. He doesn't really strip down naked. He takes out off the outer cloaks. He still has his inner cloak on. He lays down.

He begins to prophesy, does this thing all night. So much so that the phrase is, is Saul also among the prophets? That was said way back in chapter 10, when Saul was anointed by Samuel. And when he was anointed by Samuel, he began to prophesy. And that phrase came out, is Saul also among the prophets? And this, this came true again. Is Saul also among the prophets? And that's how the story ends. Just like that. God had once again stepped in in a supernatural way and thwarted all of Saul's efforts.

He used his own family against him, his own son, his own daughter. He enabled David to escape Saul's desire to throw a spear through his, through his heart. He, he, he, he came upon the messengers of Saul, caused them to, to prophesy and to worship God. So much so that he even caused Saul to worship God. Does this mean Saul was saved? No, it does not mean that. This was God's way of giving Saul opportunity to come to his senses. I mean, after all, he sends his men in, instead of killing David, they begin to prophesy.

Sends another group in, instead of killing David, they begin to prophesy. I mean, how many groups of men does he have to send in to understand that God's not going to let this happen? These guys are just as evil as Saul is. They're going to carry out the commands of Saul. And yet God intervenes and causes them now to become worshipers of the Lord God. But this is an amazing story of God's supernatural intervention in the life of David to protect him, to allow him to flee once again and go back to where Jonathan was in 1 Samuel chapter 20.

Saul, Saul was so evil that the opportunities that came before him that would allow him the opportunity to repent, he did not even see. He was so committed to the darkness that when the light would shine, he could not even see it. And therefore he remained in darkness. What a sad indictment upon a man who started very well back in chapter 10. But now in chapter 19, he is so evil. What's Proverbs tell us? That envy is rotten to the bone. He is so envious. He is so jealous. He is so bitter. He is so resentful that nothing will stop his efforts to kill the next king of Israel.

And yet God would always protect his own. And God's going to do that with David. And yet Saul is that picture of people who have the opportunity to repent and don't. Have the opportunity to see the truth and refuse to bend in submission to an almighty God who rules over everything. He just would not do it. And God gave him opportunity after opportunity. And all through the story of Saul and David, God always grants Saul one more day, one more opportunity to repent through his encounters with David.

And yet he never does. Bitterness is a horrible thing. It's a horrible thing. And the Bible says in Hebrews 12 verse number 15, that you need to be careful that a root of bitterness doesn't spring up within you, thus defiling many.

Not a few, but many. Many people's lives are defiled because one person becomes so bitter and so angry and so jealous and so envious that their lives are just overcome with this animosity. That was Saul. And I would pray that's not you. I would pray that you don't even want to go down that path, but that you would remain true to the Lord and follow his word. Be like Jonathan. Be a friend. You go home tonight. You say, boy, I wish I had a friend. Go home and say, you know what? I'm going to be a friend to one person.

I'm going to love them unconditionally. I'm going to be loyal to them to the very end. And I will greatly delight in that relationship because I'm willing to give my life away. It might be for you as a husband to go home to your wife and say, you know what? I'm going to be your best friend. And you know, as husband and wife, you should be best friends, right? That should be your best friend. But you should go home and say, you know what? I'm going to be your friend. I'm going to love you as I love my own life.

I'm going to be so committed to you, so loyal to you that you can count on me no matter what you go through. I will be there with you. Reminded of the man who was married, was well up in business. His wife contacted Alzheimer's and he had to resign his job and take care of his wife. And one day, one of his former associates had seen him as they were walking in their neighborhood, his wife could hardly walk. And he was with her side by side, having resigned his business, forfeited all of his fortunes to take care of his wife.

And this former associate came up to him and said, you know, what's it like to, to forfeit everything, to stay home and, and take care of your wife? He says, listen, I don't have to do this. This is what I want to do. I don't have to take care of my wife. I want to take care of my wife. He was loyal to his wife. He loved her. He cared for her. She was his best friend. It's more important to be a friend and have a friend. Let me pray with you.

Father, thank you for tonight, a chance to be together. Truly you are a great God and worthy to be praised. Thank you for this beautiful historic lesson in the life of David, Jonathan, Saul, Michael, the servants of Saul, Samuel, all the characters involved. Truly Lord, you are a great God and worthy to be praised. Help us Lord to leave this place, knowing that you, you want to be our friend. You said, I no longer call you slaves. I call you friends. There's no one who loves us more than you. And there's no one more loyal to us than you.

You are completely loyal, completely committed to your own and you love us unconditionally. That becomes the model for us in dealing with others. May we follow that example, Lord, and be loyal lovers of those we call our friends. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our soon coming King. Amen.