1 Samuel 23 (WEB)
Dr. House teaches 1 Sam 23, when Saul sought David at Ein Gedi. David revealed his leadership in this incident, and serves as our example in dealing with leadership in the local church.
I'm standing on an overlook of what is known as En Gedi, an oasis out in the middle of the desert by the Dead Sea.
And it's here that one of the most interesting stories of the Old Testament is given.
For we find out that Saul, who had been seeking the life of David, upon arriving in Jerusalem, was told that David, according to 1 Samuel 24, is in the wilderness of En Gedi.
And so, David having several hundred men, Saul went out with 3,000 soldiers.
And what would happen?
Well, God had a plan.
When you find out that Saul came here, the text says that David was in the rock of the wild goats.
And you may be familiar with wild goats, or what we think of as the ibex today.
And they are all over the place at En Gedi, climbing the mountains.
And oftentimes you can see them at different times of the day.
I've even been very close to them, just a few feet.
And so at this particular location, Saul goes into a cave where David's men are.
And he went in to relieve himself.
And as he was occupied there, David came up and cut off just the portion of his robe at the end.
Now, David's men had been encouraging David to take Saul's life, because they said, Saul's trying to kill you, and you know that Yahweh has planned for you to become the king of Israel, so this is your opportunity.
Take it.
And David chose not to.
Notice his statement.
This is a day of which Yahweh said to you.
In other words, his men said, we know the will of God for you — that is, you're to be the king of Israel.
And this seems to be the activity of God in getting Saul in here at your hand.
Now, it happened afterward, though — after David had cut the portion from Saul's robe — that it says his heart troubled him because he had done it, in verse 5.
And he said to his men, Yahweh forbid that I should do this thing to my master, Yahweh's anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of Yahweh.
Even though David's men clearly would have wanted him to kill Saul, it says something about David's leadership capabilities.
Because here are these fighting men wanting a war to come to the end, for their leader to become king, and this would be a quick way to solve the problem.
And yet David knew that even if it would put him in a position of being king, it was not God's timing.
Because in order to follow this timing would have required him to kill God's anointed.
And he says, I can't let this happen.
So David's men were restrained, it says in the text, from following through with this — indicating his tremendous respect that he received from the men, and also his leadership.
But then David goes outside, as the text reads on in verse 8, and approaches Saul and says, Saul — as he speaks to him from a distance.
He said, I could have taken your life, and I had people asking me to do so, but I wouldn't do that.
He says, because in fact you're God's anointed, and it would not be the right thing to do.
Now, based on this, as you read the story, it says that Saul recognized that he had been doing a foolish thing and that it was inappropriate that he be following David, and he repented, and he calls him his son.
And Saul leaves here and does not pursue David anymore at this location.
Saul, however, later on as the story continues, seeks David again.
But what I want to point out in this text is not just this beautiful location of En Gedi out in the middle of the desert, but something about the character of David.
First, I've already mentioned.
He was a man of leadership, and a man who just demanded respect by his men, by his actions.
But one other thing about David.
See, a lot of people in seeking to know the will of God do not also consider the fact that even what they view to be God's will and God's actions in the world, if they in fact violate a principle of God, is not God.
Did you catch that?
You might think that, well, God is wanting me to do this or do that, or God is putting this into my hand.
And so I should move on that, because it looks that way to me.
But you must always evaluate, like David did: does this violate some basic moral requirement that I have?
And David said, it's not my job to take the life of one that God has anointed.
We're not to lay hands, the Bible even indicates, on elders.
We're not to rebel against them.
The New Testament church, for example, provides opportunities to — if you're going to bring a charge, you are really in a very precarious situation, because you're not to rise up against God's leadership.
David knew that basic principle.
And he thought, I know that God will make it right when the time is right.
And so I think we see in David a tremendous man of character, as revealed here at the site of En Gedi.
1David was told, “Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and are robbing the threshing floors.”
2Therefore David inquired of Yahweh, saying, “Shall I go and strike these Philistines?”
Yahweh said to David, “Go strike the Philistines, and save Keilah.”
3David’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?”
4Then David inquired of Yahweh yet again. Yahweh answered him, and said, “Arise, go down to Keilah; for I will deliver the Philistines into your hand.”
5David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines, and brought away their livestock, and killed them with a great slaughter. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.
6When Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David to Keilah, he came down with an ephod in his hand.
7Saul was told that David had come to Keilah. Saul said, “God has delivered him into my hand, for he is shut in by entering into a town that has gates and bars.” 8Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men. 9David knew that Saul was devising mischief against him. He said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.” 10Then David said, “O Yahweh, the God of Israel, your servant has surely heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah to destroy the city for my sake. 11Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? Yahweh, the God of Israel, I beg you, tell your servant.”
Yahweh said, “He will come down.”
12Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul?”
Yahweh said, “They will deliver you up.”
13Then David and his men, who were about six hundred, arose and departed out of Keilah and went wherever they could go. Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah; and he gave up going there. 14David stayed in the wilderness in the strongholds, and remained in the hill country in the wilderness of Ziph. Saul sought him every day, but God didn’t deliver him into his hand. 15David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. David was in the wilderness of Ziph in the woods.
16Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose and went to David into the woods, and strengthened his hand in God. 17He said to him, “Don’t be afraid, for the hand of Saul my father won’t find you; and you will be king over Israel, and I will be next to you; and Saul my father knows that also.” 18They both made a covenant before Yahweh. Then David stayed in the woods and Jonathan went to his house.
19Then the Ziphites came up to Saul to Gibeah, saying, “Doesn’t David hide himself with us in the strongholds in the woods, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of the desert? 20Now therefore, O king, come down. According to all the desire of your soul to come down; and our part will be to deliver him up into the king’s hand.”
21Saul said, “You are blessed by Yahweh, for you have had compassion on me. 22Please go make yet more sure, and know and see his place where his haunt is, and who has seen him there; for I have been told that he is very cunning. 23See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking places where he hides himself; and come again to me with certainty, and I will go with you. It shall happen, if he is in the land, that I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.”
24They arose, and went to Ziph before Saul; but David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah on the south of the desert. 25Saul and his men went to seek him. When David was told, he went down to the rock, and stayed in the wilderness of Maon. When Saul heard that, he pursued David in the wilderness of Maon. 26Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain; and David hurried to get away for fear of Saul, for Saul and his men surrounded David and his men to take them. 27But a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have made a raid on the land!” 28So Saul returned from pursuing David, and went against the Philistines. Therefore they called that place Sela Hammahlekoth.
29David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of En Gedi.