Mitchell name is Aaron and I’m preaching pastor here. And we’re delighted that you’re with us this morning. So first Samuel, chapter 30, starting at verse 16. And so what I’m gonna do, I’m gonna read verses 16 through 20 and then I’m gonna pray. Ask for the Lord’s blessing on our time as we work through his word.
And after we pray, then we will get to work. Okay, so starting verse 16, this is what the Word says. And when he had taken him down, behold, they were spread abroad over all the land. Eating and drinking and dancing is all the great spoil that they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. David struck them down from twilight until evening the next day, and not a man of them escaped, except for 400 young men who mounted camels and fled.
They recovered all that the Amalekites had taken and David rescued his two wives. Nothing was missing or small or great sons or daughters, spoil or anything that had been taken. David brought it all back. They had also captured the flocks and the herds and the people drove the livestock before them and said, this is David’s spoil. Okay, so that’s God’s word for us this morning.
Let’s pray.
We thank you for your word. Thank you that in your great wisdom you saw it fit to speak to us through your word through the folly of preaching. So Lord, we do pray that in this time, through my folly, that you would indeed speak, that you communicate your word to us through the power of your spirit, and that in this time that you would make much of Jesus, that indeed we would boast of nothing except for Jesus, him crucified and risen, and pray this all in his name. Amen. So, so one of the great themes, the book of Samuel, which is a book that we’ve been studying for about a year and a half, is found the difference between the people’s choice to be king.
First Samuel, which was Saul, and then God’s choice to be king David. And this is a theme that we first started developing our study all the way back to chapter eight, where we read how the people of God desired to be like all other nations around them, which meant they wanted a king to rule over them like all other nations. And these desires that they had for a king to be over them, like the nation, all the nations realm is a rejection of God’s call for Israel to be holy and distinct from the nations. Ultimately this was the desire for God’s people where they rejected God as king. They didn’t want him to rule over them.
And as we learned through our study in For Samuel, this rejection of God by his people, in short, led God basically to give his people over to their own desires, where they got Saul to be the king after their own heart. And throughout for Samuel, we read time and time again how awful of a king Saul was. He was a king who was clear for himself, for his own desire, for his own power, for his own control, rather than being a king who had the people’s best interests in mind. And in First Samuel, Saul has continued to stand in contrast then to David, who as mentioned, was the man who came from God’s own heart, the man God desired to be his anointed king. And even though in our study we’ve learned David certainly was not perfect, in fact we’ve seen some real failures in David in our study.
Overall, in First Samuel, David is presented as a positive character, a person who had an aim and conduct in life that is worthy for us to try to follow. And this theme surrounding the difference between the people’s king versus God’s king has been a theme that covers a significant portion of First Samuel. It’s mentioned all the way back, starting in chapter eight eight and then from there on, virtually every chapter has circled around this theme where we can do to compare and contrast between these two very different kings. This morning, as we come to actually our second to last sermon in the series, it’s appropriate the final two passages that we’re going to look at, God will give us one last look of each character. Today we’re going to get one last look at David the man after God’s own heart, where we’ll see yet again some traits, some aim and conduct of David that is worth following because their traits, their aim and conduct that demonstrate faith in God.
And not only that, they actually reflect the heart of God. Then next Sunday we get to that be our final sermon in our series. We’ll get one last look of Saul the man after the people’s heart, where we’ll see the end of Saul’s tragic life. Which by the way, I think is there to be a warning to us. Now before we go to our text study today, which as mentioned centers on David, let me quickly set the context where we left off last week.
So in chapter 29, remember how David was providentially spared from the Lord from fighting alongside the Philistines against Israel. And as David and his men were spared from that battle, they sent back home to an area called Zikleg, which was a three day 50 mile journey from where they just were. And as David and his men returned home to Ziklag, no doubt exhausted from the journey, we see that in the passage last week they returned home to a land that just was raided by ruthless, evil Amalekites. And as the Amalekites raided the town, we learned that not only did they burn Ziklag down to the ground, we also learned that they captured the wives, the sons and daughters of David and his men. And as they captured these people, they led him off into captivity, seemingly become slaves.
And as David his man returned home to this awful news, understandably they were devastated. And in their devastation, our text last week, they wept to the point of like exhaustion, having no strength in them. In our text from last week, as David his men pained these painful cry or pray, cried these painful cries, we see that the men of David started to look around to blame someone for what just had happened. So I’m going to take out their hurt and the frustration on and the person they started to point their fingers at, as you remember, was David. After all, it was David who led them from the homeland of Judah into Ziklag, all the way back in chapter 27, it was David who led them to accompany the Philistines in their war camp in chapters 28 and 29.
And as they were with David in the Philistines in those chapters, Ziklag and their families were vulnerable, which led them to this attack or falling prey to this attack by the Amalekites. So understandably, the men of David were mad at him. He became the target of their hurt and their pain. In our text last week, as the men started to point their blame at David, they started to entertain the idea of actually stoning David. We were talking about this last week, hurting people, hurt people.
However, as the scene is unfolding, read for the first time since chapter 26, that David actually found his strength in the Lord, which is different from where David was in the previous chapters, where it appeared in these previous chapters, David was attempting to find his strength in himself and his own cunning ability, which, by the way, further underscores, as mentioned, David, as much of a example as he is, he wasn’t. He wasn’t perfect. Good model fellow, yes, but not a perfect model. Far from it. Last week, as David found his strength in the Lord, he started to inquire the Lord and what he was to do from there.
So David sought wisdom from the Lord by calling over a priest. And as David sought wisdom, we see that God generously gave David the wisdom he was looking for. And so through that, as David got wisdom, he learned that he was to take his men from the ashes of Ziklag and they were to pursue the Amalekites, doing so with the promise that God gave them that not only would they catch the Amalekites, but God also promised that in the ensuring battle that was to come, that they would win and that David and his men would get their families back. Passage last week just helps with the context. As David found his strength in the Lord, as he got this clear instruction from the Lord that this was the battle that indeed he was to fight, we see that somehow he was able to win his men back to his side.
And as he gained their loyalty, he led them in pursuit of the Malachites. So in a passage last week, to help set the context, David 600 of his men sent out from Ziklag to find the band that just raided their home. And from there we read that on pursuit about 12 to 13 miles in, they came to a brook, a brook where they had to figure out how to cross. And as they’re trying to figure out those logistics, we learned that a good portion of the 600, 200 of the men informed David that they were actually not going to be able to continue on. They just simply were exhausted.
They had no strength in them to continue on in this pursuit. Some text last week, David, David and his 400 men kept going while the other two stayed at the brook. And this is important information for us from our passage today. And finally, to set the context of our passage, David and his 400 men forged the brook. Continued pursuit in an act of God’s providence, they came across a man from Egypt who was a slave of an Amalekite who was actually present at the raid of the Ziklag of Ziklag.
And he actually knew where the Amalekites were now located. And after David promised this man from Egypt that he’d bring him no harm, the Egyptian agreed to take David and his 400 men to the location of where the Amalekites had now set up camp. So that’s where he left off last week. And that’s we’re going to pick up today. David is about to fight the battle.
The Lord is leading him to fight in this passage. One last look at David. We’re going to see the Lord further set Dave up to be David, up to be the king after his heart. So if that was intro, look back with me Starting at verse 16, we see these words where we read that when he, meaning The Egyptian took him, meaning David, down to the Amalekite camp. David was able to look and behold that the Amalekites were spread out all over the land.
And as this group was spread out all over the land, we read that they were throwing themselves a huge party. So the text, they were eating, they were drinking, they were dancing. I think this is a picture of them like throwing a party to like congratulate themselves, to pat themselves on their backs. And they’re throwing this big party for self because of the great spoil that they had just taken from the land of the Philistines and the land of Judah, which. A couple thoughts here.
First, it seemed like the Amalekites were very opportunistic as Israel and the Philistines were gearing up to battle one another. So with men of both camps away at war, the opportunistic Malachites were going around the region, trade every place they could come across, right? This is what allowed them to grab the gathering of the great spoil. Second, I think the picture in our text is not just a picture of pride, of like self conjured relations, but it seems to me that the Amalekites are being like overwhelmed with like confidence because they clearly are letting their guard down here in verse 16. I mean, just think about this site.
They’re just spread out all over and they’re throwing a huge party. So in their overconfidence, they put themselves in an incredibly vulnerable position to be attacked. This would have been very hard for them to now defend themselves, which we see in verse 17. This is something that David clearly wanted to take advantage of as he looked and behold at the camp in the text we read that at twilight, which here could refer to either early morning or possibly early evening. My guess is probably early morning at twilight, David and his men, they went on the attack and they fought against the Amalekites until evening the next day.
And as David and his men fought the battle, the Lord instructed them to fight. We see that the Lord stayed true to his word and the promises to David that indeed that he would have success. As you see that the end of verse 17, that not a man escaped David, that is, outside of 400 young men who were able to find some camels and to flee from the scene, which by the way, I think this year these men escaping perhaps is there to foreshadow some ongoing problems that Israel will continue to have with the Amalekites, which was actually a problem that will continue for generations to come. So if we read through the storyline of the scripture, these ongoing problems go all the way actually into the story of Esther. If you remember that story, remember evil Haman, the agyte who tried to wipe out Israel.
So agyte, this is reference to the Amalekite King Agag, who Saul spared in chapter 15 of 1st Samuel. So even though God instructed Saul to wipe out the Amalekites, remember how Saul spared some of them. And I think this year these 400 escaping, I think the author of First Samuel is this gives us information actually to slight Saul how his sinful disobedience back in chapter 15 continues like to ripple for years to come. And these 400 men who escape, surely we continue to ripple it for generations to come. So this is actually part of the real, part of the warning of Saul’s life.
For us, at times, our sin can have long term devastating consequences that can ripple well past us. Keep going. The text, verse 18, which of course details, further details emphasize that David was successful as he fought this battle. As you read that David is able to recover all that the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives, which say it here, David having two wives, this reminder that David was not perfect. Like he had sin issues, particularly sexual sin issues that would come back to cause pain for him and hurt for him and others later in his life.
Verse 19, to continue to further emphasize how successful David was in fighting this battle, we see that nothing was missing. Nothing great, nothing small. All is recovered. There’s no sons missing, no daughters missing, no spoil that was taken from them by the Amalekites was now unaccounted for. Through the Lord’s strength, David successfully recovered all that was lost.
It’s all brought back. And then in our text to go even further, not only did David bring back all that was taken, but we read that he also captured all the flocks and all the herds that the Amalekites had with them, which is, this is probably a huge flock, a huge herd because of these ongoing raids the Amalekites were making. This is an overflowing spoil here. This is riches beyond measure. This is, I’m sure, far more abundant success than David and his men ever could imagine when they set out from Ziklag.
Everything back and so much more in the text. With everything and more back in hand, we read the people then decided to head back home, driving the livestock before them. And as they were heading home with everything intact, the people were just so grateful for David and how he led them into victory that they started to declare among themselves, like this is. This is David’s spoil, which, by the way, was not only said out of gratitude, but I think this here, this, this is David’s spoil. This feels like the people are like setting up further recognizing David as the one who is their king.
At least to me, I think this is setting us up for that which is to come with the death of Saul that we’ll work through next week. See in second Samuel, David is finally fully the recognized king after God’s own heart. I think this here is setting us up for that. Keep going. As David and his people started to head back home with the spoil in hand, we see they’re kind of retracing their steps, following the same route that got them to the Amalekites camp.
As you see on the way back home in verse 21, they come back to the brook of Basor. And as they came back to the brook, we see that they came to the same location where they just left the 200 exhausted men just a day or so back. And at the brook, the exhausted man not only are there to recover from exhaustion, but we also see in verse 24 that these 200 men were entrusted to watch over some of the supplies that David and his men had. You know, some of the baggage that left behind that they didn’t take into battle. And as David, as the 400 returned back to the brook, clearly the 200 were incredibly excited to see David and the rest of the army return.
I’m sure they’re also very excited to see the great spoil, probably surprised to see the huge spoil that David is returning with. No doubt the 200 men were probably most excited to see their wives, their sons, their daughters, who they’re now reunited with. You know, for us, as we read through this passage, I think this is an incredibly joyful scene we’re to see here. Lots of excitement, great shouts of joy, probably hugging, laughing like tears of happiness, just like running down faces. However, in this text, as great and joyful celebration as this was, as this was all erupting, we see that not everyone in the passage was in a joyful mood.
Not everyone was excited to see the man who stayed behind. Verse 22, if you want to take it, is there. We see that some of the wicked and worthless fellows who were in the group of 400 with David who wins the battle, we see as they return to the 200, they’re not having it. They’re not excited. And by the way, this term, like wicked, worthless, this could also be translated into scoundrels or like good for nothing men, which if you can remember all the way back to chapter two of our study of First Samuel.
So remember the sons of Eli who are priests, these sons who are like abusing the sacrificial system for personal gain, like how the men are described here in the passage. David’s a man is basically the same way how Eli’s sons were described. Wicked, worthless, scoundrels. And by the way, I think this is a little bit of a warning for us also in 1st Samuel. I mean, think about Eli’s sons like they’re around the things of God.
They’re around the sacrificial system. David’s men, they’re around the things of God. They fought this great battle that the Lord was leading David to fight. Yet even though Eli’s sons, even though David’s men were around the things of God, their hearts, their attitudes proved that they did not have true faith in God. They’re wicked, worthless scoundrels who were living for self, not for God.
And this is just such a warning for us. Like we can be around the things of God, we can even sense be doing the things of God. We can even be declaring with our mouths, like, you know, Lord, Lord to Jesus, yet in our hearts not truly know him. So our hearts are still wicked, worthless, dead in sin, filled with pride, arrogance, self righteousness. That’s certainly true of the wicked, worthless men in the text who are part of David’s military.
Wicked, worthless, prideful, arrogant, self righteous. For them, as this celebration was going on, we see that they started to speak up and they let David know that they didn’t share the excitement that the others at the brook were having. And as they were speaking up, they were doing so, voicing some complaints as well as opinions to David, ways to do from there or not do from there. So in the text, hey, David, you know, we were just talking and because this group of 200 didn’t go with us, you know, because they were too weak, because they weren’t as strong as we are, because they’re not as faithful as we are. Because all they did really was just like, watch over the baggage when we went off to do the real work.
David, we strongly believe it would not be right to give these 200 men any of this incredible spoil that we’re returning home with. They didn’t earn this, they don’t deserve this. They clearly are not as good as we are. David, surely you have to agree with us here. It would not be right for them to joy the spoils that we work so hard to achieve.
But David, sure. You know, I guess because we’re kind of nice. I mean, they did watch over the Beggis and the text. I guess they can have their wives and their kids back, but that’s it. Nothing more.
They deserve nothing more. And David, you know what? Once they get their wives and their kids back, we think you should just like, send them home. Send them home in shame. They would just leave us alone.
You know, the stronger, the better, the more faithful, the more spiritual. Our text, as David heard this, we see in verse 23, like, he’s like cut to the heart in disappointment. And I kind of sense anger here. He’s angry these worthless men would come to him with these conclusions, these demands. So in the text we read that David responded back to these worthless, wicked men.
Men, you shall not do this, my brothers. You should not hoard to yourselves that which the Lord has given to us. Meaning it wasn’t any of our strength who was able to defeat the Amalekites and capture the flocks and the herds. This was completely the Lord’s work. This is simply by his strength, his mercy, his kindness, his grace that we stand here today with such a great spoil.
None of us can claim this. This is what the Lord did in the text. Wicked, worthless men. It was the Lord who preserved us. It was the Lord who has given into our hand the band that came against us.
Therefore, verse 24, Wicked men. Why would I listen to you in this matter? Why should any of us entertain this idea that you suggested? For as his share is who goes out into battle, so shall his share be the one who stayed behind the brook to walk over the baggage. And the Lord used each of us to play a role.
Each of us will enjoy God’s favor that he has bestowed upon us wicked, worthless men. These 200 here at the brook, they shall share alike. No, few quick thoughts here. First, just take note that David, the man after God’s own heart recognized and testified to the evidence of God’s grace on this situation. David knew as he found his strength in the Lord, he knew this was all grace.
This is all simply because of the Lord. Second, because David recognized the evidence of God’s grace here, notice how in turn now he now shows grace to others. He’s so gracious, compassionate, kind, filled with understanding to the 200 stay behind. Third, also notice how David, the man after God’s own heart, stood up to worthless men who obviously were filled with pride and arrogance, self righteousness, who were trying to put like unfair burdens and shame on others with worthless, wicked Men who are trying to take credit glory for something that was not theirs to have. Say it again.
This was God his grace that triumphed. Since Pastor David is not going to let these men, these proud self righteous men, take credit for something that was not theirs to take. Fourth, just notice those who have not yet tasted God’s grace or maybe are taking God’s grace for granted, just realize they don’t want to give it. Give grace to others, friends, those who don’t know grace, all they want to do is like stand in proud arrogant judgment shaming others. That was certainly true of the men in our text.
I just mentioned David’s not having any of it from the worthless wicked men. So he rejects their worthless counsel and David graciously divvies up the spoil. This action here in the text was not simply a one time act of grace and kindness by David. If you take your eyes to verse 25, we see that David’s desire was for this to be the standard, the ongoing practice of the kingdom that he was about to officially rule over. So you read that David made gracious and kind acts like this, a statue, a rule for Israel from that day forward to this day.
When the passage was written, friends, that’s the king after God’s own heart. A king who reflected God’s ongoing goodness and graciousness towards his people. This week I couldn’t help them think about Psalm 23 written by David, speaking about the Lord, how surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life. Friends, that’s God’s good heart for his people, filled with goodness and mercy. This is what David is trying to help capture in this statute here.
Being good and merciful, filled with grace. Finally this morning our text ends which brings to conclusion what we see in David and for Samuel, even more grace, even more kindness. Verse 26 as David and the rest got back home to Ziklag, as they started to rebuild their lives, we see that some of the spoil that he had was sent to his friends elders back home in Judah. As he sent this home, he communicated, here’s a present to you from the spoil of the enemies of the Lord and for us, let’s not under value like how kind and gracious this was here of David. In some ways this is probably a real step of faith here by David.
David, his men, they just lost everything.
Everything in Zik was burned to the ground. Think how easy it would have been to justify, you know, keeping the entire spoil for themselves. After all, this is a need that they had. They returned home to nothing.
But here, the man after God’s own heart, he graciously, generously shared, was given to him with others back in Judah, who, by the way, also most likely were in real need. I mean, after all, Judah, throughout Judah, they’re gearing up to go to war against the Philistines. They had nothing. Verse 26 through 30. As David further divvied up the spoils, read the various places on where there’s where the spoils went, the places who are on the receiving end of this kindness and grace which our text tells us all the places where David and his men had roamed.
Here he is, he’s giving back, being gracious, being kind, being generous to those who would soon be under his care as the king after God’s own heart. And for us this morning, not only does this end our passage, but to say it again, this ends our look at David in 1st Samuel. So to close at this time, I do want to just kind of circle back to the passage and just to point out some of the character traits that we see of David in the passage, traits that are there that hopefully we’re striving for in our own lives. And I do think that’s actually in part of why they have these traits present for us to challenge us to follow this aim and conduct, to do similar. But ultimately, I think these traits are here just to help us to further see the heart of God, which is most important.
So as we go through this, yes, be challenged where you need to be challenged by David’s aim and conduct in life, yes, be challenged in ways that maybe can help you grow in your faith. But as we work through this, more than that, as we work through these traits, friends, be encouraged, be humbled, because as mentioned, these are traits that reflect God’s good heart towards his people. By the way, this morning, if you’re here and you do not know God, do not have faith in God. Let me just encourage you here to let God’s good heart that he has for his people, let me encourage you, let it grip your heart in ways that you leave here this morning actually, with faith. So here’s some traits.
So first, David displayed a heart of trust in God’s word. That’s God’s good heart to us, to trust in him, to trust in the good word that he’s given to us, to trust in his good promises. In the text, where David trusted in the Lord his word, his promises was him leading his men in pursuit of the Amalekites, which in our text last week was A pursuit, a battle that God told him, gave him his word that he was to engage in. And as God told David he was to go fight this battle, he promised to David he would find success, which he did not. For us, for a moment, let’s just consider how tempting it would have been for David to like, fear to veer off in pursuing the Amalekites.
I mean, just consider from when the promise was first given to him in our passage last week in verse eight. So David, as he left, he went away with 600. But now in our passage today, it’s now whittled down to 400 at the brook. Think how easy, how tempting that would have been to like to start doubting God, doubting God’s promises as he started to sense things dwindle around him. I mean, think about Shirley seeing a good portion of his men not go with him that had not.
I’m sure that was not something David was expecting to happen when he’s given the Command in verse 8. Yet in our text today, the model we see, David continued to trust in the Lord, his good word, his sure promises. Verses 16, 17 takes up God at his word and David goes in to battle. That’s such a great model for us, right? To trust God’s good heart, the good word he’s given to us, to hold fast to the everlasting promises of God, which are sure promises.
Doing so even when things are not going the way we expect, friends, God’s good heart to give us word. He’s given these promises that are sure, they’re true, they’re always right. But God’s word comes from his good heart to his people. Second, David displayed a heart of wisdom, which also is God’s good heart for us, that we would walk in wisdom, that we would be wise as he is wise. One of the things mentioned last week, to be wise as serpents, harmless as doves.
Now, just mentioned David, right? He’s trusting in God’s word, God’s promises as he pursued the Malachites. But in verses 16 and 17, it didn’t mean that he didn’t use wisdom and discretion as he’s about to engage in this battle. Verse 16 In Wisdom, David’s looking around, he’s getting the lay of the land. He’s getting intel on the camp before he goes and strikes it.
Verse 17, in his wisdom, as he gets the intel that he needed, we see him pick the most strategic time to go on the attack under the COVID of twilight, which not only provided some darkness to help them go on the attack. But if it was the twilight of morning, it would have meant the Amalekites were probably still sleeping off the previous night’s party, you know, putting themselves in no position to defend themselves. If it was the evening twilight, it would have meant the Amalekites are probably a few hours into that night’s party, likewise not in a position to defend themselves. So even though David is trusting in the Lord, trusting in his promises, he’s still setting his heart to be wise, to not put God to the test. Friends, for us, God’s good desire, his good heart for his people, is for us to act in wisdom, in prudence.
I mean, that’s why the Lord has given us books like the Old Testament book of Proverbs filled with wisdom, or like the New Testament book of James filled with wisdom. Teach us how we are to live wisely. You know, really, even the book of James tells us that we are to pray for wisdom, trusted that in God’s good heart, through the power of his Spirit, he gives wisdom, wisdom generously to those who seek it. And to go even further, one of the reasons why God’s good desire for us to live in community that we’re connecting is there’s safety and abundance of wise counsel to help us make good God honoring decisions. And we know there’s so many decisions that we’re faced in life, they’re just wisdom decisions.
We’re trying to wisely apply God’s Word to various decisions that we need to to make for us. As we seek to make those wise decisions, do so knowing that as we seek wisdom, we’re following God’s good heart, his eternally wise heart. Third, David displayed a heart of courage, which also is God’s good heart for us. God’s heart is that we will be bold, courageous, that we would not shrink back in our faith. Rather, we would live out our faith encouraged, knowing that our God is a consuming fire.
You know, throughout the study of First Samuel, I do think this is one of the traits of David that has stood out to me. You know, maybe above and beyond other ones, just how bold and courageous he was. Now, first time here, I won’t circle back to all his courageous acts in First Samuel, but let me point out two areas. He showed courage in our text that’d be good for us also to follow. And these acts here, I think, further display David’s trust in God’s Word.
That’s where his boldness was found. Humbly trusting in God’s Word. The first, probably the most obvious act of courage By David was the courage that he put on display by going on the attack against the Amalekites to win his family back. That took courage. Especially remember something that was mentioned last week is that David himself engaged in the battle.
Meaning like courageous David didn’t tell his men to go do something that he himself was unwilling or too scared to do. You know, like, hey men, you go fight, go find, get our families back and I’m actually gonna stay back here in safety. And ziklag. No, Courageous David was there in the battle, risking his life for the sake of others friends. That’s the type of courage we are to have.
One where we are courageously actively involved, putting ourselves at risk for the things of God, for the betterment of others, doing so, trusting in God’s good word for us and for us. This can and should be a good example for us to follow at work in our neighborhoods or wherever else the Lord may have planted us. To be bold, to be courageous for the glory of God, to fight the good fight of faith in ways that we’re testifying to the Lord, to his grace. We can’t just sit back in relative safety, whatever that safety may be. Therefore, we must boldly engage the world around us with the truth of God’s word, declaring to the world around us that God does have a good heart towards his people.
Second, also in the passage, David was courageous in that he was willing to stand up to worthless wicked men who were in his midst. Worthless wicked men who are seeking to place harsh burdens of shame on others. At least for me this week, as I said in the text, it felt like these wicked and worthless men, you know, these were like self righteous bullies, right? They’re trying to bully David here, trying to bully the 200 at the brook. Like they’re arrogantly thumbing their noses, they’re beating their self righteous chest, declaring that they are glad that they were so much better and happy that they’re not like the 200 who simply are watching over the baggage.
Over in the text is no, as the bullies tried to bully courageously, David stood up to them, which I’m sure was not easy. In the text, David courageously did not entertain their self righteousness. Rather he courageously took a stand and defended judges 200 friends. That’s God’s good heart for his people to be courageous. Because in the end, God is actually the one who is courageous, who boldly defends his people.
The Old Testament book of Deuteronomy. The Lord is your mighty defender, perfect and just in all his ways, your God is faithful and true. He does what is right and fair. Multiple times we see that the Lord, he is our courageous, strong tower. Psalm 3, written by David.
The Lord is the shield about me. He’s the glory. He’s the lifter of, of my head, who not only boldly defends his people, but boldly declares his steadfast love to them. Fourth, David displayed a heart of grace and kindness towards others, which is God’s good heart towards his people. Psalm 86, written by David.
But you, O Lord, you’re a God who’s merciful, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. Friends, that’s the heart of our God. A kind, gracious, generous God. One who has a heart that is full of mercy and love and faithfulness towards his people. A heart that shows grace and mercy to weak sinners like us.
And by the way, God showing grace and kindness towards weak sinners, he does that because that’s actually the only kind of sinners there are. We’re all just weak sinners. The only difference is that some, like David in our text, accept that reality. But there’s others, like the wicked, worthless men, that do not. In our text, unlike the worthless, wicked men, David reflected the heart of God and was gracious to the 200 at the brook.
He’s honoring them. He’s seeing them as part of the team who had a role to play as they watched over the baggage. As David honored the 200, he graciously, generously gave these men a share of the spoil, and not only to show grace and kindness towards the 200. As we ended the passage, he graciously, generously sent spoil to numerous places all over the region. All over the region.
Grace upon grace, incredible generosity. Friends, that’s the heart of God that David is displaying in this passage. A gracious, kind heart towards his people.
For us to go back to something that’s kind of said in passing, the reason why David was able to be so gracious, so generous, one, David recognized himself on the receiving end of God’s grace. I mean, go back again, the previous text, it was the graciousness of God that allowed David to strengthen himself in the Lord. As you remember, before David, before David received this gracious act of God in his life. In our passage last week, you know, for a few chapters, some real time, David, he’s just like, really twisted around like he was not in a good place. So now, here, for David, who just received such grace and kindness from God to strengthen himself to get out of the fog he was in.
Really, how can he not now not give grace to these 200 men? Friends, when you and I, when we get a taste of grace, what happens in turn? We show grace. Second, in the passage today, David showed grace because he recognized that in the end, the victory that he and his men just claimed to get, this huge spoil mentioned earlier, this is all because of God’s grace. In the end, this was God’s victory.
This was God’s spoil. Verse 23. If I take your eyes back there, the spoil was what the Lord had given to them. It was the Lord who preserved David and his men. It was the Lord who gave the band of the Amalekites into their hands.
Friends, it was all grace. So how could David not now respond back in grace? So you know, one of the few lectures I remember when I was in seminary that stick out to me was actually a lecture where a good number of students were like poking holes through different theological systems. Particularly those who kind of deny the doctrines of God’s grace, which is a doctrine that rightly teaches us that it’s just simply God’s grace that brings us to faith and keeps us in faith. We do nothing.
We do nothing to save ourselves or to keep ourselves in the faith. It’s all grace. It’s only God who is mighty to save. So in this lecture that I can remember, while some of the students were appropriately picking holes into beliefs that teach that somehow we have a hand in our own saving faith, they’re doing so in ways that are very arrogant, clearly thumbing their noses at others who thought differently. And the reason why I can remember this lecture is how my professor lovingly confronted the arrogant self righteous attitude as he reminded all of us in the lecture that not only was it God’s grace that brought us to faith, really anything we have, including whatever right theology we have, it’s all because of grace.
It’s all God’s good kind grace. Whatever we have, whatever we believe in, it’s just because of what God has done through his good gracious heart towards us, my friends, to bring this home, this good gracious heart of God. We know not only anointed David to be king, to be the king after his own heart. Whereas we look to David, we get some, you know, imperfect but yet some pictures on what God heart looks like. But friends, as we close out here today looking at David, may we remember and may we never forget in God’s good and gracious heart that he sent one greater than David.
One who came from David’s family, who didn’t give us an imperfect picture of God’s heart, but one who came to fully put God’s good gracious heart on display. And this one, we know, is God’s eternal son, the Lord Jesus Christ, the second member of the Blessed Trinity, the one who is born of the virgin, the one who actively came for us, who came to fulfill God’s word, fulfill God’s promises by becoming man in every way, to fully engage in the battles of life, yet doing so without sin, as in the flesh, the great God man, the Lord Jesus Christ, grew in wisdom and stature and favor among all the people, yet it was in his great wisdom fulfill God’s promises to his people that the Lord Jesus boldly, humbly trusted in God the Father’s good heart as he gave his life over to worthless wicked men who crucified the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross where Jesus Christ died in the place of his people, where on the cross, the judgment of God that burns over sin, including the wickedness in our own heart, right, the burns of the sins of his people, all of that fell on Jesus in our place, where Jesus Christ died and was buried according to the scriptures. Yet on the third day, in accordance with the Scriptures, Lord Jesus Christ rose again from the dead, where not only is he putting on display the wisdom of God found in the cross, but as Jesus Christ rose from the dead, he now promises to continue to pour out his grace upon grace upon grace on his people. When we’re in his incredible amazing grace, Jesus is calling weak sinners to himself so that weak sinners might find forgiveness of their sin and forever be the recipients of his generous grace that will have no end. And only that Jesus promises he’s given us his word that one day he’s going to come for us again to bring us home where we will live with him forever and ever, where Jesus will be our perfect, eternal king.
So yes, for us, as we read this final passage of David and for Samuel, we do see David being set up to be the king after God’s own heart, who’s about to take the throne in Second Samuel. But friends, for us, ultimately, when we read this passage of David in 1st Samuel, it is pointing us, it is setting us up to an even better king that is to come, as mentioned, the one who is not an imperfect picture of God’s heart, but the perfect fulfillment of God’s heart. The one who came full of grace and truth, who for his glory fought the battle to save his people from their sins. So this morning as we close, let this one last look of David in 1st Samuel lead your eyes beyond David, lead your hearts beyond David to look eternally to Jesus, the true King. And as you look to Jesus, may you declare forever and ever that Jesus indeed is the good King, the good King of your heart.
Let’s pray.
Lord, thank you for Jesus.
Thank you that indeed he is the true and better David.
Thank you that through Jesus you pour such grace upon grace on your people.
And Lord, please forgive us all the many times that we fail when our hearts don’t reflect your heart. Please forgive us when we doubt your word, the good promises that you have given to us. Please forgive us when we act as fools, not as wise. Please forgive us when we act as cowards rather than ask courageous. Please forgive us when we are proud and arrogant towards others rather than gracious and kind.
And Lord, this morning we do thank you that you do have a good heart towards us.
Lord, this morning as we confess sins we do receive forgiveness that you’ve given to us through Christ.
I pray this on Jesus name, Amen.