1 00:00:01,280 --> 00:00:02,680 All right, you guys may have a seat. 2 00:00:09,780 --> 00:00:18,140 It's my favorite sound. There's no more sound 3 00:00:18,140 --> 00:00:20,020 appropriate for Mother's Day, I guess. 4 00:00:22,020 --> 00:00:28,340 By the way, shout out to the moms, the G GS, the meemaws, all 5 00:00:28,340 --> 00:00:36,240 of those surrogate mothers, mothers in waiting, mothers yet 6 00:00:36,240 --> 00:00:39,160 to come. How y'all doing? 7 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:46,800 Well, last night we took a busload of teenagers up the 8 00:00:46,800 --> 00:00:50,480 cranberry and I have not recovered. 9 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:59,560 But as you can imagine, since it's Mother's Day, there's only 10 00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:04,519 one kind of appropriate sermon to give, and that's one that 11 00:01:04,519 --> 00:01:09,880 mothers can relate to. And so this morning, we're going 12 00:01:09,880 --> 00:01:15,840 to talk a little bit about settling conflicts at rest 13 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:20,920 stops. OK, But road trip season is 14 00:01:20,920 --> 00:01:23,680 almost here. And Can you believe it's almost 15 00:01:23,680 --> 00:01:27,080 summer already? I cannot, but I'm really looking 16 00:01:27,080 --> 00:01:30,400 forward to some time on the road this summer. 17 00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:35,400 But I'm also looking forward to some time going off road. 18 00:01:39,480 --> 00:01:43,880 Some of you may have already planned some vacation time and 19 00:01:43,880 --> 00:01:48,120 are are already nervous about how much more expensive gas is 20 00:01:48,120 --> 00:01:49,640 and how it might impact your budget. 21 00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:54,240 But if you are a seasoned traveler, perhaps you have your 22 00:01:54,240 --> 00:01:56,760 rest stops planned out really well. 23 00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:02,760 And if you are a pro traveller, not only do you have your AAA 24 00:02:02,760 --> 00:02:12,520 trip ticket, but you know exactly how far it is to the 25 00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:18,360 promised land of rest stops. You have even perhaps 26 00:02:18,640 --> 00:02:23,920 specifically planned around the rest stop, and the joy is in the 27 00:02:23,920 --> 00:02:31,800 destination, perhaps, but it is sure also about the stops along 28 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:36,080 the way, especially if you end up here. 29 00:02:39,400 --> 00:02:48,960 That, my friends, is a Bucky's. Have you been? 30 00:02:51,600 --> 00:02:55,280 You roll off the Interstate into a neon lit Kingdom where a 31 00:02:55,280 --> 00:02:58,440 Beaver in a bow tie reigns supreme and the aroma of smoked 32 00:02:58,440 --> 00:03:01,200 brisket slings you into instant euphoria. 33 00:03:03,160 --> 00:03:07,960 The vibe is like a festival. Shelves are treasure maps lined 34 00:03:07,960 --> 00:03:11,400 with delectable treats. Buttery kalaches, I don't even 35 00:03:11,400 --> 00:03:15,360 know how to say that. And jerky that bites back with a 36 00:03:15,360 --> 00:03:22,200 wicked grin each find daring you to taste it right there, sticky 37 00:03:22,200 --> 00:03:24,720 fingers and all. Although you must go pay for it. 38 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:34,520 And Beaver Nuggets are the best $4.99 you've ever spent. 39 00:03:36,760 --> 00:03:39,800 And the staff? They smile like they were 40 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:44,760 trained at Chick-fil-A. That's right, I love Chick-fil-A 41 00:03:44,760 --> 00:03:47,840 too. It's the Lord's chicken and a 42 00:03:47,840 --> 00:03:52,880 deli counter where the brisket falls apart like slow jam, and 43 00:03:52,880 --> 00:03:57,320 this place turns any detour into the plot twist of your dreams. 44 00:03:58,400 --> 00:04:02,760 Fill your cooler with contraband snacks, snag a Beaver branded 45 00:04:02,760 --> 00:04:06,680 memento, and drive off knowing that your road trip will be 46 00:04:06,680 --> 00:04:14,960 remembered forever. All of that's great, but the 47 00:04:14,960 --> 00:04:19,519 thing that I care the most about is the bathroom. 48 00:04:22,360 --> 00:04:27,440 If you read the blog this week, you already know that there's an 49 00:04:27,440 --> 00:04:32,840 undercurrent connected in this week's message through restroom 50 00:04:32,840 --> 00:04:40,360 propaganda. Angel Soft is the best. 51 00:04:42,280 --> 00:04:48,720 And you know, food you can find just about anywhere but an Angel 52 00:04:48,720 --> 00:04:51,760 soft stalked sanctuary on the road. 53 00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:58,400 They are one in a million. And at Bucky's, the restrooms 54 00:04:58,400 --> 00:05:03,360 are so pristine they feel like a cathedral of comfort, a shelter 55 00:05:03,360 --> 00:05:05,800 from the storm, a refuge for the weary. 56 00:05:06,040 --> 00:05:11,200 Nothing can get to you there, and for a moment everything in 57 00:05:11,200 --> 00:05:15,560 the world is in its place. But if you're not near a 58 00:05:15,560 --> 00:05:27,760 Bucky's, you got to hold it, and you might as well be in a 59 00:05:27,760 --> 00:05:31,440 dystopian novel for the next 262 miles. 60 00:05:32,160 --> 00:05:35,760 The amount of resilience to hang on is something I still need to 61 00:05:35,760 --> 00:05:41,720 acquire, and there's nothing more dangerous than an unplanned 62 00:05:41,720 --> 00:05:46,160 rest stop because you never know what you're going to get. 63 00:05:47,760 --> 00:05:52,480 Let's just say there's a big difference between Jane Lew, WV 64 00:05:54,160 --> 00:06:03,280 and GEM, West Virginia and they're so close that if you 65 00:06:03,280 --> 00:06:08,480 just go by name and you don't make the right choice, you end 66 00:06:08,480 --> 00:06:13,200 up in a gem of a situation in Gem, West Virginia. 67 00:06:15,080 --> 00:06:19,320 Am I standing here today? Let's you know that I survived 68 00:06:19,720 --> 00:06:21,880 that encounter. There's a story. 69 00:06:23,280 --> 00:06:28,120 I won't get into it though, but I will forever carry with me the 70 00:06:28,120 --> 00:06:35,680 scars of Gem, West Virginia. And if I ever write a book, it 71 00:06:35,680 --> 00:06:37,840 will be unsure to include that gem. 72 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:43,000 But this morning we are going to see one such encounter at a rest 73 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:47,280 stop. This encounter is going to turn 74 00:06:47,280 --> 00:06:52,680 out maybe differently than we might expect. 75 00:06:54,000 --> 00:07:00,440 But first, let's pray. Lord, we are so fired up this 76 00:07:00,440 --> 00:07:04,840 morning. Brothers Titus and Brother Sal 77 00:07:05,960 --> 00:07:13,000 sharing their faith. Let us respond continually in 78 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:16,640 worship as we dive into your word and all God's people said 79 00:07:18,720 --> 00:07:28,960 so this is in first Samuel 24 verse one when Saul returned 80 00:07:29,080 --> 00:07:33,840 from following the Philistines, which means he was trying to I 81 00:07:33,840 --> 00:07:35,360 mean, he was fighting them really. 82 00:07:36,640 --> 00:07:43,560 He was told, behold, David is in the wilderness of N Getty. 83 00:07:44,840 --> 00:07:50,920 Now this is a long shot from the Dead Sea and as you can tell, 84 00:07:51,440 --> 00:07:55,520 it's pretty rocky and then roundabouts where the water 85 00:07:55,520 --> 00:07:57,840 would be is where the green is right? 86 00:07:59,280 --> 00:08:05,840 This was considered paradise level, right, considered 87 00:08:05,840 --> 00:08:08,720 paradise level. And so Saul had finished up 88 00:08:08,720 --> 00:08:11,480 following and fighting with the Philistines and turn back to 89 00:08:11,480 --> 00:08:13,400 focus on trying to capture David. 90 00:08:14,880 --> 00:08:19,520 And he gets a hot tip that David is in the wilderness of Engetti. 91 00:08:19,520 --> 00:08:22,840 And then Engetti is this Canyon that runs westward from the from 92 00:08:22,840 --> 00:08:26,200 the Dead Sea. And you can see how beautiful 93 00:08:26,200 --> 00:08:29,640 that looks and at different spots, there's waterfalls, 94 00:08:30,200 --> 00:08:32,960 right? There's Beaver Nuggets, there's 95 00:08:32,960 --> 00:08:35,640 all this kind of fun stuff in Engetti, right? 96 00:08:35,640 --> 00:08:41,440 And and so this is an an exceptional place, one to try to 97 00:08:41,440 --> 00:08:50,520 lose somebody in, but also to sneak up on somebody because 98 00:08:50,520 --> 00:08:56,600 there's caves everywhere. Verse 2 Then Saul took 3000 99 00:08:56,600 --> 00:09:01,240 chosen men out of all Israel and went to seek David and his men 100 00:09:01,760 --> 00:09:05,560 in front of the wild goats rocks. 101 00:09:06,760 --> 00:09:12,680 This is Gem, West Virginia. And so, I mean, but, but have 102 00:09:12,680 --> 00:09:15,120 you ever seen how crazy goats can be? 103 00:09:16,160 --> 00:09:19,720 Like, they're nuts. They will climb just about 104 00:09:19,720 --> 00:09:22,720 anything without any real sense of danger. 105 00:09:22,960 --> 00:09:28,840 And in this rocky, craggy kind of area, it's well known that 106 00:09:28,840 --> 00:09:31,960 the goats are just doing their thing, running around. 107 00:09:32,680 --> 00:09:38,880 And so this is where the pursuit picks up and it's getting pretty 108 00:09:38,880 --> 00:09:42,920 intense. And as they are pursuing David, 109 00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:50,560 nature calls Saul, and you Better Call Saul verse 3. 110 00:09:50,880 --> 00:09:54,520 And he came to the sheepfolds, by the way, where there was a 111 00:09:54,520 --> 00:09:58,800 cave, and Saul went in to relieve himself. 112 00:10:00,280 --> 00:10:04,880 The Bible is about real people with real situations. 113 00:10:07,000 --> 00:10:12,160 God uses all of our lives, in case you were wondering, for His 114 00:10:12,160 --> 00:10:14,920 purposes and glory. And another translation puts it 115 00:10:14,920 --> 00:10:17,880 this way. Saul went in to attend to his 116 00:10:17,880 --> 00:10:22,520 needs. So he had this group of people 117 00:10:22,520 --> 00:10:25,600 with him. And it's highly likely what did 118 00:10:25,600 --> 00:10:30,520 they do? They stayed outside and he goes 119 00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:38,320 inside. Now this cave, right? 120 00:10:38,320 --> 00:10:41,440 When you think of a cave, maybe your experience is in the 121 00:10:41,440 --> 00:10:44,040 Highlands, right? You can just kind of spelunk 122 00:10:44,040 --> 00:10:46,240 around. It is something like that. 123 00:10:47,240 --> 00:10:57,760 The Cave that is being described is actually quite large and 124 00:11:00,920 --> 00:11:06,520 here's why we know that continuation of verse 3. 125 00:11:07,560 --> 00:11:14,480 Now David and his men we're sitting in the in the in most 126 00:11:14,480 --> 00:11:23,600 parts of The Cave, David 600 men roughly pretty big cave. 127 00:11:25,480 --> 00:11:28,160 So Saul went to the Bucky's of caves. 128 00:11:30,040 --> 00:11:34,080 I mean, what are the odds, right, of all these caves that 129 00:11:34,080 --> 00:11:38,080 are in that area? 1 David's hiding in that one, 130 00:11:38,360 --> 00:11:40,880 and two, Saul decides that's where he wants to go. 131 00:11:43,440 --> 00:11:45,920 But it says now David and his men were sitting in the inmost 132 00:11:45,920 --> 00:11:49,920 parts of The Cave. And the men of David said to 133 00:11:49,920 --> 00:11:54,800 him, Here is the day that the Lord said to you, Behold, I will 134 00:11:54,800 --> 00:12:00,280 give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him, as it 135 00:12:00,280 --> 00:12:04,240 shall seem good to you, lock that sentence up and put it in 136 00:12:04,240 --> 00:12:10,880 your back pocket. Then David arose and stealthily 137 00:12:11,520 --> 00:12:24,200 cut off a corner of Saul's robe. I can imagine those guys hiding 138 00:12:24,320 --> 00:12:29,240 and David's like of all the caves and all the wildernesses 139 00:12:29,520 --> 00:12:36,160 in all the desert he walks into. Mine got him. 140 00:12:38,400 --> 00:12:43,000 And David's men sure think so. They're trying to talk him into 141 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:45,200 like, hey, this is it. This is our opportunity. 142 00:12:45,520 --> 00:12:49,080 We can end this now if you go take him out. 143 00:12:53,160 --> 00:13:00,200 And so David sneaks over and chops off some of Saul's robe. 144 00:13:05,400 --> 00:13:09,080 Verse 5. And afterward David's heart 145 00:13:09,080 --> 00:13:14,320 struck him because he had cut off the corner of Saul's robe. 146 00:13:14,960 --> 00:13:17,560 He almost instantly regretted this. 147 00:13:19,440 --> 00:13:23,520 He said to his men. So he he gets the piece and he 148 00:13:23,520 --> 00:13:25,840 takes it back to the guys who were hiding. 149 00:13:26,440 --> 00:13:30,640 And this is what he says. He said the Lord forbid that I 150 00:13:30,640 --> 00:13:37,200 should do this to my Lord. Saul's been after him for some 151 00:13:37,200 --> 00:13:45,160 time. The Lord's anointed to put out 152 00:13:45,160 --> 00:13:50,280 my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord's anointed. 153 00:13:50,720 --> 00:13:52,240 There's a lot going on right there. 154 00:13:53,920 --> 00:13:57,720 So David persuaded his men and like, Can you imagine? 155 00:13:57,720 --> 00:14:03,840 Like they're like quiet guys, We're not going to do this. 156 00:14:04,800 --> 00:14:08,200 But he persuades his men with these words and they and he 157 00:14:08,200 --> 00:14:11,800 says, I, I don't permit you, like, don't take it into your 158 00:14:11,800 --> 00:14:19,120 own hands to go attack Saul. And then Saul rose up and left 159 00:14:19,120 --> 00:14:28,560 The Cave and went on his way. So this is like perfect 160 00:14:28,560 --> 00:14:32,680 scenario, right? And David doesn't cash in. 161 00:14:32,680 --> 00:14:40,080 Why? Because he had a crisis in his 162 00:14:40,080 --> 00:14:46,120 heart as much as he could have pursued revenge. 163 00:14:48,880 --> 00:14:51,720 This is the same guy that's always talking about like we 164 00:14:51,720 --> 00:14:57,200 just heard in Psalm 51, Like, hey, take my sin and get rid of 165 00:14:57,200 --> 00:15:01,400 it. Like David is a conflicted man 166 00:15:02,040 --> 00:15:04,520 and a lot of times he acts impulsively, right? 167 00:15:07,320 --> 00:15:10,280 But then in that moment, he comes to grips with what he had 168 00:15:10,280 --> 00:15:18,160 done, and you can see God working in real time in his 169 00:15:18,160 --> 00:15:27,910 heart. And Saul was able to walk away 170 00:15:29,430 --> 00:15:34,270 clean and alive. Verse 8. 171 00:15:34,990 --> 00:15:39,590 Afterward David also rose and went out of The Cave and called 172 00:15:39,590 --> 00:15:45,950 after Saul, My Lord the king. And then Saul looked behind him, 173 00:15:46,630 --> 00:15:49,710 and David bowed his face to the earth and paid homage. 174 00:15:50,520 --> 00:15:55,200 This was a major risk. Why? 175 00:15:57,040 --> 00:16:06,600 Because Saul has been looking for David, and Saul wants to get 176 00:16:06,600 --> 00:16:11,520 rid of David. And then he sees David by 177 00:16:11,520 --> 00:16:16,880 himself. Opportunity knocks. 178 00:16:20,760 --> 00:16:25,040 Just because David had a change of heart in that cave doesn't 179 00:16:25,040 --> 00:16:27,960 mean Saul. One knows about it. 2 cares. 180 00:16:28,520 --> 00:16:30,480 Three, would it impact him if he knew? 181 00:16:34,280 --> 00:16:39,760 But David, and this is kind of a commentator's speculation here 182 00:16:40,400 --> 00:16:43,000 is the David. He says that David is really 183 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:47,000 banking on the fact that God told him that eventually he 184 00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:50,840 would be king. So that's where the boldness 185 00:16:50,840 --> 00:16:59,960 comes from. And he uses this opportunity to 186 00:16:59,960 --> 00:17:06,359 do something different. And here's what he says, verse 187 00:17:06,359 --> 00:17:09,240 9. And David said to Saul, why do 188 00:17:09,240 --> 00:17:13,520 you listen to the words of men who say, Behold, David seeks 189 00:17:13,520 --> 00:17:19,359 your harm, behold this day your eyes have seen how the Lord gave 190 00:17:19,359 --> 00:17:35,000 you today into my hand in this cave, and he told me to kill 191 00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:38,000 you, but I spared you that. Remember that sentence I told 192 00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:42,680 you to put in your pocket? It said does what seems good to 193 00:17:42,680 --> 00:17:46,120 you. That's not the same thing as he 194 00:17:46,120 --> 00:17:50,560 told me to kill you, right. So even in David's trying to do 195 00:17:50,560 --> 00:17:53,440 the right things, he's like, I don't always get the details 196 00:17:53,440 --> 00:18:00,480 right. And so you have he's appealing. 197 00:18:01,920 --> 00:18:05,240 And he said I will not put my hand against my Lord, for he is 198 00:18:05,240 --> 00:18:08,160 the Lord's anointed. See my father? 199 00:18:08,920 --> 00:18:11,160 See the corner of your robe in my hand. 200 00:18:12,760 --> 00:18:15,760 So it's one thing to say, hey, I could have got you. 201 00:18:15,880 --> 00:18:18,440 It's another thing to say, hey, I got receipts. 202 00:18:20,560 --> 00:18:26,200 I got receipts for by the fact that I cut off the corner of 203 00:18:26,200 --> 00:18:33,080 your robe and did not kill you. You may know and see, know and 204 00:18:33,080 --> 00:18:40,160 see that there is no wrong or treason in my hands. 205 00:18:40,800 --> 00:18:45,320 I have not sinned against you, though you hunt my life to take 206 00:18:45,320 --> 00:18:48,720 it. And may the Lord judge between 207 00:18:48,720 --> 00:18:53,000 me and you. May the Lord avenge me against 208 00:18:53,000 --> 00:18:58,560 you, but my hand shall not be against you. 209 00:19:00,360 --> 00:19:04,960 As the proverb of the ancients says, Out of the wicked comes 210 00:19:04,960 --> 00:19:09,920 wickedness. But my hand shall not be against 211 00:19:09,920 --> 00:19:12,760 you. After whom has the King of 212 00:19:12,760 --> 00:19:18,680 Israel come out? After whom do you pursue after a 213 00:19:18,680 --> 00:19:21,520 dead dog? A flea? 214 00:19:23,320 --> 00:19:27,920 May the Lord therefore be judge, and give sentence between me and 215 00:19:27,920 --> 00:19:34,120 you, and see to it, and plead my cause, and deliver me from your 216 00:19:34,120 --> 00:19:37,200 hand. What a speech. 217 00:19:41,920 --> 00:19:51,240 And you see in real time the best of David and maybe even 218 00:19:51,240 --> 00:19:54,520 some not of the best of him on display. 219 00:19:58,360 --> 00:20:04,760 He is literally learning how to be king right here. 220 00:20:07,400 --> 00:20:16,600 Think about it. This is on the job training and 221 00:20:16,600 --> 00:20:20,680 this is the kind of king that God would desire him to be. 222 00:20:20,920 --> 00:20:27,560 The kind of king who knows what is possible, but in the end does 223 00:20:28,040 --> 00:20:40,480 what is right by the Lord. David understood that he was not 224 00:20:40,480 --> 00:20:47,160 to kill the king, but he most certainly understood that he 225 00:20:47,160 --> 00:20:56,760 could approach him. And you also see Saul, I mean, 226 00:20:56,760 --> 00:21:01,440 imagine what he's doing like maybe he maybe he's like this. 227 00:21:02,680 --> 00:21:13,560 And as David is talking. Perhaps some memories are 228 00:21:13,560 --> 00:21:18,280 flooding back to him. Maybe this has happened before 229 00:21:20,080 --> 00:21:25,480 this cut robe. It's like God is sending a 230 00:21:25,480 --> 00:21:28,120 message specifically to Saul that only Saul would get. 231 00:21:30,760 --> 00:21:35,200 So this robe is a picture of Saul's authority and and through 232 00:21:35,200 --> 00:21:41,880 this God said and first Samuel 15, if you go back, there's 233 00:21:41,880 --> 00:21:46,520 another instance where there's talking about a robe being cut. 234 00:21:50,840 --> 00:21:54,080 It says I, I am cutting away your royal authority. 235 00:21:56,920 --> 00:22:01,920 And some are Samuel 15. The prophet Samuel rebukes Saul 236 00:22:02,200 --> 00:22:04,800 for his hard hearted disobedience. 237 00:22:06,160 --> 00:22:10,720 And in his distress, Saul tried to keep Samuel from leaving. 238 00:22:11,440 --> 00:22:16,360 And he grabbed his robe and he wouldn't let it go. 239 00:22:16,360 --> 00:22:19,320 And guess what happened? He kept going. 240 00:22:19,600 --> 00:22:22,760 He wouldn't let go. What ends up in his hand? 241 00:22:25,880 --> 00:22:35,280 A piece of robe. Saul was left holding a torn 242 00:22:35,280 --> 00:22:41,640 piece of Samuel's robe. And then Samuel says to him, the 243 00:22:41,640 --> 00:22:49,880 Lord has torn the Kingdom of Israel from you today and has 244 00:22:49,880 --> 00:22:55,280 given it to a neighbor of yours who is better than you. 245 00:22:55,280 --> 00:23:02,800 And now when David confronts Saul with the with a torn robe, 246 00:23:03,600 --> 00:23:07,400 I have to believe that's all, remembers this. 247 00:23:08,480 --> 00:23:14,960 I have to believe it. And God's message to him in that 248 00:23:14,960 --> 00:23:21,400 moment is loud and clear, and the heart melts. 249 00:23:25,920 --> 00:23:28,840 These seeming enemies are brought face to face. 250 00:23:34,760 --> 00:23:38,480 And it could have went one way. It could have went another way, 251 00:23:39,520 --> 00:23:45,640 but it's going a third way. Verse 16, as soon as David had 252 00:23:45,640 --> 00:23:50,400 finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, is this your 253 00:23:50,400 --> 00:23:57,600 voice, my son David? That's not enemies words. 254 00:24:01,120 --> 00:24:04,600 And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. 255 00:24:06,040 --> 00:24:11,920 He said to David, You are more righteous than I, For you have 256 00:24:11,920 --> 00:24:16,960 repaid me good, whereas I have repaid you evil. 257 00:24:18,560 --> 00:24:22,960 And you have declared this day how you have dealt well with me, 258 00:24:23,240 --> 00:24:27,760 in that you did not kill me when the Lord put me into your hands. 259 00:24:28,680 --> 00:24:33,520 For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away safe? 260 00:24:36,800 --> 00:24:41,720 So may the Lord reward you with good for what you have done to 261 00:24:41,720 --> 00:24:47,240 me this day. And both David and Saul's hearts 262 00:24:47,560 --> 00:25:01,800 grew 3 times that day. Verse 20 And now, behold, I know 263 00:25:01,800 --> 00:25:08,000 that you surely or shall surely be king, and that the Kingdom of 264 00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:11,280 Israel shall be established in your hand. 265 00:25:12,400 --> 00:25:14,080 This is where the negotiation happens. 266 00:25:16,000 --> 00:25:21,520 Swear to me, therefore, by the Lord, that you will not cut off 267 00:25:21,520 --> 00:25:28,200 my offspring after me, and that you will not destroy my name out 268 00:25:28,200 --> 00:25:33,800 of my Father's house. And David swore this to Saul. 269 00:25:35,960 --> 00:25:44,120 Then Saul went home, but David and his men went up to the 270 00:25:44,120 --> 00:25:48,480 stronghold, which was a another way of just saying he went back 271 00:25:48,480 --> 00:25:56,040 to The Cave. Saul has come to grips with the 272 00:25:56,080 --> 00:26:02,360 ultimate destination of his trip in the oath swearing. 273 00:26:02,680 --> 00:26:07,000 Saul simply wanted the same kind of promise from David that he 274 00:26:07,000 --> 00:26:11,240 himself made to Jonathan in First Samuel 20. 275 00:26:13,680 --> 00:26:15,560 I suggest you look that up at some point. 276 00:26:16,720 --> 00:26:22,680 Homework. And in that day when 1 royal 277 00:26:22,680 --> 00:26:28,720 house replaced another, it was common for the new royal house 278 00:26:29,280 --> 00:26:35,360 to kill all the potential rulers from the old royal house. 279 00:26:40,680 --> 00:26:45,040 And Saul knew that one day David and his descendants would rule 280 00:26:45,040 --> 00:26:49,600 over Israel. And he wanted a promise from 281 00:26:49,600 --> 00:26:55,800 David that when that happens, he won't be customary. 282 00:26:59,480 --> 00:27:04,320 And David swore that oath. And Saul departed, and David 283 00:27:04,320 --> 00:27:14,720 remained back. The human part of this story is 284 00:27:15,760 --> 00:27:18,400 I still have a little bit of doubt about Saul. 285 00:27:20,720 --> 00:27:24,800 Like, was he really, was he really that upset? 286 00:27:31,400 --> 00:27:36,920 And that might be why David doesn't just go like, he goes 287 00:27:36,920 --> 00:27:39,200 back to his men. Like, maybe there's still some 288 00:27:39,200 --> 00:27:44,320 caution there because after all, he's been wanting to kill you 289 00:27:44,320 --> 00:27:52,720 this whole time. What would you do with that? 290 00:27:55,560 --> 00:28:01,760 From either character's perspective, you have a conflict 291 00:28:01,760 --> 00:28:10,800 with someone and they are coming for you, and then somehow you 292 00:28:10,800 --> 00:28:17,120 gain the advantage and they're dropped into your lap and you 293 00:28:17,120 --> 00:28:22,560 have the moral high ground and you have the ability to just 294 00:28:22,560 --> 00:28:28,960 simply end it. What would you do? 295 00:28:34,560 --> 00:28:39,840 I have no doubt that we've all been in either Saul or David's 296 00:28:39,840 --> 00:28:47,720 place before, and I have indeed been both, and I'm a better Saul 297 00:28:47,960 --> 00:28:56,000 than I am a David. But God requires us to be both 298 00:28:56,000 --> 00:29:02,360 of them. Hearts that are able to be 299 00:29:02,360 --> 00:29:05,280 changed because He does all the work. 300 00:29:07,320 --> 00:29:13,080 Have you noticed this? He orchestrated this in such a 301 00:29:13,080 --> 00:29:17,480 way that neither man could claim ownership of the situation. 302 00:29:17,880 --> 00:29:22,600 But in both of their reactions we see that God moved them both 303 00:29:23,760 --> 00:29:31,320 towards His desired outcome. Not one, not two, but the three. 304 00:29:37,920 --> 00:29:44,240 This is an amazing case of the destination, which is far off is 305 00:29:44,240 --> 00:29:46,760 on equal footing with the journey to get there. 306 00:29:48,680 --> 00:29:52,280 It was at a rest stop in and Getty this paradise in the 307 00:29:52,280 --> 00:29:56,680 desert that God worked in their lives in a rather significant 308 00:29:56,680 --> 00:30:02,000 way. And do not be surprised if God 309 00:30:02,000 --> 00:30:08,320 decides to use Gem West Virginia in your life to help you become 310 00:30:08,320 --> 00:30:15,080 more of who you need to be for who you are when you arrive. 311 00:30:25,080 --> 00:30:31,240 Your unplanned rest stops and life are indeed planned. 312 00:30:34,280 --> 00:30:39,920 Your job, my job is not to be the one who knows all the 313 00:30:39,920 --> 00:30:44,040 details about where we're going, but it's the trust, the one 314 00:30:44,040 --> 00:30:49,280 who's taking us on the trip. And as much as there might be 315 00:30:49,280 --> 00:30:54,360 uncertainty on the road and you might be attempted to ask Dad, 316 00:30:55,480 --> 00:31:08,510 are we there yet, his response might be now there's still 262 317 00:31:08,510 --> 00:31:12,150 miles to go. You can hold it. 318 00:31:14,350 --> 00:31:20,990 Let's pray, Lord, you have shown us mercy. 319 00:31:22,470 --> 00:31:35,280 That is uncalculable. It is unbelievable, It is 320 00:31:35,280 --> 00:31:39,360 amazing. We ask, as we continue to 321 00:31:39,360 --> 00:31:42,120 worship you this morning, that we would be front and center, 322 00:31:47,860 --> 00:31:53,060 bringing everything we have to your feet, that we might 323 00:31:53,060 --> 00:31:59,700 understand that we are forgiven, and that while we were still 324 00:31:59,700 --> 00:32:08,120 sinners, you died for us. You redeemed us, You restored 325 00:32:08,120 --> 00:32:15,560 us, and you've purposed us so that we might go into all the 326 00:32:15,560 --> 00:32:23,160 world sharing the good news of our great Savior. 327 00:32:25,040 --> 00:32:27,400 And it's your name we pray. Amen.