morning. Maybe you've asked yourself in the past, we'll struggle with one big question, why does God allow suffering and trials and persecution and opposition to happen to those whom he has chosen? Do you ever wonder that? Now the question for us this morning is this, would we rather have an answer as to why God allows suffering to happen to us? Would you rather know that God is with you? Through it all. If you're able, would you please stand as we read God's Holy Word? This morning we're reading from 1 Samuel chapter 18 verses 17 to 30. He now the reading of God's Word. Then Saul said to David, here's my elder daughter Mirab, I will give her to you for why. Only be valid for me and fight the Lord's battles. For Saul thought, let no my hand be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against him. And David said to Saul, who am I and who are my relatives, my father's clan in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king. But at the time when Mirab, Saul's daughter should have been given to David, she was given to Israel, the male, the malely thigh for a wife. Now Saul's daughter, Michael, loved David and they told Saul and the thing pleased him. Saul thought, let me give her to him, that she may be a snare for him and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him. Therefore Saul said to David, a second time, you shall now be my son-in-law and Saul commanded disturbance. Speak to David in private and say, behold the king has delight in you and all his servants love you. Now then become the king's son-in-law and Saul's servant spoke those words in the ears of David and David said, does it seem to you a little thing to become the king's son-in-law since I am a poor man and have no reputation? And the servants of Saul told him, that's and so did David speak. Then Saul said, that's shall you say to David, the king desires no bride price except a hundred four skins of the Philistines, that he may be avenged of the king's enemies. Now Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines, but when his servant told David this words, it pleased David well to be the king's son-in-law. Before time had expired, David arose and went along with his man and killed two hundred of the Philistines, and David brought their four skins which were given in full number to the king, that he might become the king's son-in-law. And Saul gave him his daughter Michael, or why? When Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David and that Michael saw his daughter loved him, Saul was even more afraid of David. So Saul was David's enemy continually. Then the commanders of the Philistines came out to battle and as often as they came out, David had more success than all the servants of Saul so that his name was highly esteemed. The word of the Lord this morning, Lord, would be with us. As we consider your holy word, made encourages, build off faith, and we believe it this morning. In Christ's name, amen. Please be seated. A familiar story that most of us might be, might know, some of us have read, some of us have may be interacted with this man. A remarkable man indeed, the life of Dr. John M. Perkins. Founder and leader of Calvary Ministries in Jackson, Mississippi. Bill Arnold, one of the commentators in the book of 1 Samuel gives a story, or tells the story of an episode that happened in 1970 that taught Dr. Perkins that love is stronger than hate. It was a night when Dr. Perkins was beaten nearly to death by white police officers and he would later state that God would use this experience in his life to give him real compassion for all people, not just his own, but people who are different from him. It was on February the 7th which is actually my birthday in 1970. As police officers set up a trap to capture and to arrest him. The police officers in Mississippi had set a trap for two bands that were carrying students coming from a plain Mississippi, coming from a civil rights march. They arrested just one of the bands and let the other one go. Dr. Perkins received a call from the students and they were in jail to come and set them, set bail for them. When he got there, the police officers showed him where to park and where to go and he realized there was only one band and at that time he started thinking to himself, this must be a trap for me. Why would they just arrest one of the bands and let the other one go? And so they let him inside the jail and him and two other pastors that had come with him, they were searched and then arrested and then the beating started. The scene that he describes is horrific as the sheriff and his men start beating him. He tells of a police officer that picked up a fork and started stabbing him as hard as he could, stomped on him, hit him. He went in and out of consciousness. He says he could recall seeing their faces and they beat him out senseless. He could recall seeing their faces which he said were twisted with hate. They looked like white, they looked like white face demons. This was a turning point for Dr. Perkins' ministry. As he looked upon the officers trying to kill him, he saw poor sinful man. And as the students were looking on him, they thought he was dead but this man was praying as he was getting beat up and he said, Lord, if you will let me leave this place alive, I'm going to do something. The thing that I'm going to do is I will not hate my oppressor. I will learn to love them. I want to go out of this place and preach the gospel. The gospel that changes their lives so that they're not filled with hate. I don't want to overcome my enemy. I don't want to defeat my enemy. I want to transform my enemy. They might love God. And so he tells the story that that was the turning point in his ministry as he came out that he was more effective, not just in ministering to African-Americans but to white people also. It is a story that shows us how God can use our position to bring such goodness to his people. A reminder for us this morning as we gathered before his presence. Are you reminded as you face opposition as the enemy plots against you as you face all kinds of trials in your life, that God is with you and that the devil's plan will not prevail. It is what we see in this verses. Here as we read in 1 Samuel 18, verses 17 to the end, remember. So as we saw him in verses 1 of chapter 18 to 16, he was filled with anger, filled with jealousy and envy. And his jealousy and anger is now driving him into madness. He is now moving from just mere jealousy, from mere anger into plots and scheming against God's chosen servants. And so driven by his fear, knowing that God is with David and there is nothing he can do against him, knowing that all people love David. His own daughter loves David. He is a man who is now willing to use his only, his two daughters to plot against David so he can destroy him. Remember there was a rumor that had been circulated around early in chapter 17, verses 25, as David killed Goliath. What was the rumor? The soldiers came out and said whoever kills Goliath, the king has promised to give him his daughter. Of course we are not sure if it was saw that had given that message but the rumor was there. Now we might think that David that saw is actually keeping his promise to give his daughter to David. Not so. I don't think so. Why? Because this seems to be a miracle incidence here. Because Saul is not offering Mirab is a reward or recognition for what David had done. There is a prize. Look at verses 17, B, what does he say? He says, I will give you my daughter but only be violent for me and fight the Lord's battles. Who was supposed to be fighting the Lord's battle? David? No. The people's king saw himself. There is a prize to pay. But even as we think about this request, it's actually not a very unreasonable request because as you would imagine, a king's son-in-law would be one who would be required to prove his own bravery and that he is a loyal subject to the king. So by the king asking David to go fight the battles, there is nothing wrong with that really. Only that there is a catch here that there is more than meets the eye. That this is truly an incentive for David to take a more dangerous military responsibility. Saul's motives are malevolent. He is trying to destroy God's chosen son. Saul's intent in giving his daughter marriage to David was clear to him in his mind, but it was a secret. David has no idea what is going on. Saul would be saved from the messy work of killing David himself. As being killed in war with the Philistines who do the job for him, listen to what he says, verses 17, see, let now my hand be against him. Let the hand of the Philistines be against him. Saul is driven by so much fear that he is almost hoping and wishing that the Philistines would actually win the battle. Madness indeed. Saul is offering his own daughter to David. What does that review about a father who is willing to take his own daughter and use him as a child to destroy someone else? It truly shows us Saul's depravity. He is a fully depraved man. I like what one of the commentators puts at Blakey says, quote, nothing shows a wicked heart than being willing to involve another and especially one's own child in a lifelong sorrow in order to gratify some feeling of one's own. End quote. But then the picture that we see here is a beautiful picture of God's protection. As he protects David, David is totally unaware. He has no idea that Saul is not planning a wedding but a funeral for him. He's an aware of Saul's plans to kill him. Remember, this is the same David that was sitting in a room and playing music and trying to soothe the soul of Saul and he hurls a spear against him and he dodges and he keeps playing and he goes again. Yahweh is quiet protection saving us from enemies when we might not even be aware that they exist. Do you hear that this morning? Do you have an idea how many times the devil has been plotting and trying to destroy you and planning all kinds of things? And yet God's quiet protection was there with you even when you had no idea that there was any danger that existed and God's quiet protection was right there with you. Can you ponder that? Saul cannot be trusted. Who will trust a man who is throwing spears at you? Saul cannot be trusted because he cannot even keep his promise to offer his daughter to David. Messing with the king's heart, the future king of Israel. Just messing with him. So the plot failed. But we see something here of David's response. Look at David's response when he is told that the king is willing to offer him his daughter for a while. David's humility comes out but it is humility that is actually filled with irony. Why do I say that? Because if you listen to David's words, they remind us of someone else's words. Going back to 1 Samuel 9 verses 21, listen to this words. Am I not a Benjamin from the least of the tribes of Israel? And is not my clan the humblest of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then have you spoken to me this way? Do you know who said those words? It was not David. It was Saul in response to Samuel and Samuel told them, you are the man that is chosen to be the next king and he is thinking, what are you telling me? I am from one of the smallest clans in Israel. I'm a weak man. How can I be the king? But here David is actually showing us true humility. David is a man that is actually pleading his own unworthiness to be elevated into the royal family saying, I am not worthy to become a king's child, son-in-law. And you know what's even beautiful here? It is the fact that it is David's humility that leads him to God's protection and blessings. Why do I say that? If we continue reading the story and you read 2 Samuel 21 verses 8 to 9, you know what happens to Mirab and her new husband, Adriel? They have children. Five of them, actually seven of them. Five of them get killed. They die. I must wonder, was God here protecting David from ever experiencing this pain and tragedy that would come upon Mirab? I do not know. The text doesn't tell us. But I do see David's humility and how this humility leads to God's protection upon him and blessings. And so the question for us to think about this morning is this, something that we must ponder. Why? Whenever we are facing trials, whenever we are living our life as Christians, why do we always seek to be elevated as Christians? Why do we always want to be on top? Why do we never want to humble ourselves before Lord? Why do we never want to show our own unworthiness? Why do we not want to go back with what Paul tells us in Philippians to consider others, to estimate others higher than ourselves? Why do we not want to decide that any advancement that comes upon our life only comes from God Almighty Himself and not from us? Another question we must ask ourselves to think about this passage here is we must go ourselves. How are we dealing presently with our trials and temptations and suffering when Satan is trying to plot against us? Are you dealing with it in humility? Are you complaining? Are you grumbly? Are you running somewhere else instead of running to the one who should be with you, running to God with full assurance that the enemy will not succeed at all? Because there is an assurance that the enemy will not succeed and I have it. It's right here in Scripture for us. Our assurance lies in the fact that we know that David's greatest son, Jesus crossed himself was the one who was opposed by wicked men who plotted against him in order to destroy him and you know what they thought that they had won the battle, they thought that he was done when they crucified him on the tree. But you know what Jesus Christ throws again from the dead? He lives. He's alive and he's the one who is with us. He's defeated sin and death and temptation. And so in our lives as we know we have, we do go through trials and temptation and Satan plots against us. He's started from the very beginning. Go back to the fore in Genesis chapter 3 always plotting against God's people. But we know that in the end he will not prevail. He will not succeed for death and sin. Temptation has been defeated. The enemy has been rendered powerless. Do you believe that? That we are safe and secure in Christ Jesus. As we sung this morning the beautiful hymn in Christ alone nothing can take us away. Snatch us from Christ. That he is our strength when we are weak. Second thing that we see here is that the fact that the enemy's plan or plots will fail. God's plan for us will succeed. It's a contrast here of Saul's plot against the chosen people of God, failing. But it's also a demonstration of God's plan for his people, succeeding, not failing. Look at how the story develops here. His time passes on. Saul is seizing another opportunity to use again yet another daughter of his Michael. He learns or he's told the cheese in love with David. And the thing we're told pleases the king. Now this is the man that you love and hate. He disgusts you. And yet you're told your daughter is in love with him and you're saying yes awesome it's just what the king wanted to hear. We would have expected him to be angry. I'm not going to give my daughter to you. I don't like you that he is happy. But what does he say? What is the reason that Saul gives that he is so pleased he's going to give his own daughter to David. He says I'm hoping that she can be a snare to David. What does that mean? You know that language is used elsewhere in Exodus chapter 23 verses 33. The Hebrew there that is used it means to tempt into idol worship or to run or to ruin his relationship with God. Now remember what is the one reason that Saul hates David so much? Not because he killed Goliath. Not because he had a slingshot and a stone that was so powerful. Not because he was a shepherd boy thinking like sheep and goats. What is the reason? Because God is with him. So he's saying I want that relationship to be destroyed so that God is not with you because that's the reason why I don't like you so much. But look at Saul's offer this time. It's prefaced with words of approval some gentle appreciation if you will to accompany the offer. What does he say? Verse 22. Behold the king has delight in you. What a liar. And all his servants love you. Yes, they do, but not you. Now then become the king's son-in-law. And then David responds a second time. But this time round he adds a little more information to help us understand why David is refusing that the king's offer says I'm a poor man. I cannot afford to give bright price. I always tell my wife that I paid in secret some bright price to to our father and mother, which is a lie obviously. But I'm glad I made an American because in my culture I would have paid over $20,000 just to get her father's approval from me to marry her. So I'm glad. And David adds in verses 23. It is not a small thing or is it a small thing to become a king's son-in-law? Is it a small thing to become a king's son-in-law? But Saul is determined to sell I should say to give away his daughter. I said sell because he does sound like selling right? Bright price. I got a pay for a wife. But look at the request. What does Saul ask of David? It's a very specific request with nasty humor. I'm not going to even try to make fun of it because it's horrible. He asks for 104 skins of the unsturken sized Philistines. Now if you really think about it, there's actually nothing wrong or weird about asking for that gift because in ancient Near East communities they would actually go kill the enemy and keep part of the bodies of people that they killed their heads, their toes, whatever it was, you would keep it as a war souvenir if you will. But to ask for specific, for skin of the Philistines is a bit outrageous. And weird to say the least. It is both cruel. But it also shows David Saul's distrust of David. Think about it. Saul might suspect that this guy might want my daughter so much that he could actually just go ahead and kill just anyone. Remember the Philistines are the ones who are described as unsturken sized. So it's specific to make sure that David actually kills Philistines, not just anybody. It is cruel because you imagine David can go into war and kill 100 men easy. Of course, he's a proven warrior. But for him to go back and circumsize 100 of them, that's embarrassing. And he could easily get killed while doing that. But even more, David would become so obnoxious to the enemy that it would hunt him and to the day they would find him just because of what he's done to them. So Saul has a plan here. Either you get killed in war or the Philistines will not give up hunting you and they will find you one day because of the horrible thing you've done to them and they will kill you. Are you think about this? Notice how David is magnifying the honor of being a son-in-law to the king claiming that this is not a small thing. A question for us that we have to think about ourselves, right? Do we ever magnify the honor that it is for you sitting here this morning to be a son and a daughter? Not a son-in-law or a daughter-in-law to be a son or a daughter of the not a king of the king of kings. What a privilege and an honor it is for us to be sons and daughters not just to a king, but of the king of kings. David responds. He says, I am pleased as well as the king was so pleased that Michael loved David. David says, oh man, this is what I've been waiting for. I am going to fulfill my desire and I will be your son-in-law. He succeeds exceptionally bringing not just 100 bouquet of the gift, doubles it, 200 of them and actually the text is so clear that the narrator wanted to tell us that he got 200 and all of them, every one of them in number was given to the king just so that he don't think that he actually kept some of it for himself. He brought them all. He earns his highest status. Not only did David succeed but his reputation goes up several notches. And to add the icing on the cake, he gets the daughter. He's now in the royal family. How would so react now? He asks 100. He gets 200. Are you going to back off now? You're going to say, no, you can't help my daughter. No, he had to. But look at David's success versus 28 and 30. The consequences of what happened is that Saul recognizes. He's now fully aware that the Lord is with this young man. And no matter how hard I try to plot against him, no matter what I try to do, God still continues to be with him. He's going to succeed no matter what I do. But what is what is David's success attributed here to? Are we told is the narrative telling us that David is succeeding because of his ability? Because he killed Goliath? Because he made all this big things. Is that what the text is telling us? Absolutely no. You know why? Because I think this is not a show of ability and strength and personal power. It is a reminder for us of God being the center, being at the center of everything that we do, that if we're in him, David is with God, he's with God and God is with him. Which is the promise that God gives his people in having his covenant with him. And when God is with you, you're able to accomplish great things for his kingdom. And sometimes you know, we think about success. And we have our own ideas as to how success ought to look like. And sometimes we might even look like we're losing the battle, but that God, but if God is with us, that we can still accomplish great things for him. It is the only way to find peace and satisfaction in life. It is to be with God. David is with God. Saul is not with God. That's why he cannot even enjoy the blessings of being a king, a mad man. Because the presence of the Lord is not with him. I like what one commentator Philip said. He says, God's real, David's real victory was his humble confidence and delight in the Lord, a blessing that is made available to all who are faith in God. And so in the midst of all this plotting, in the midst of Saul plotting against David and God continuing to be with David, we see God's preserving care for his chosen servants. But the very means that Saul seeks to use to destroy David are the very means that God uses to bring him closer. Because it makes a difference. Doesn't it? It makes a difference if the Lord is with us or if we're right with God. Are you right with God this morning? Are you not glad that you do not have to be right with God by killing 100 Philistines and bringing their four skins to God to use that analogy? Are you glad that we don't become right by doing good work? Are you glad this morning that we don't become right with God by cleaning up our acts? We don't do it by our own strength and ability. That the only way we become right is by accepting the mercy and grace that is revealed in Christ Jesus, who is David's greatest Son. Are you glad that even though we've become right with God and we're accepting in him that we still do experience trials and suffering and hardships and sin and we don't do it without hope that when we do that we know that he's always with us that when we sin, as James tells us, he's able to restore to bring us back to reconcile us with God until glad that God is able to use or victories and all losses sometimes we lose and it's okay but that's not a problem at all. His God is able to use that as well to his own glory from in day 28. I love what the Psalmist Psalm 121 says. The Lord is your keeper. The Lord is your shade on your right hand. The Son shall not strike you by day no moon. Imagine trying to oppose the people who have God as their keeper. What a warning to all of those who seek to oppose God's people. You are warned. Stand warned Satan and sin and temptation. My God is my keeper. You don't scare me one thing. What do you think is God's greatest plan?
What is the one thing that God wants to accomplish? Could there be anything any better planned greater than the fact that God is preparing you to present you before Heavenly Father, pure and blameless? So we go back to the very first question that I asked. We ask ourselves this morning. Do we ever wonder why God would allow David? David has been anointed as God's chosen man to take over the kingdom, to be the king for Israel, for his people. Why would God allow him to go through this trials through Saul trying to destroy him? And so we think about our lives and we ask ourselves why would God allow you as a son and a daughter of God? Why would he allow you to go through trials and suffering and hardship? Why? Why would he let that happen? The best place that we can go is one place. We can only go to one place that God allowed is only begotten Son to go through the greatest violence, opposition, and plotting that anybody can ever imagine, and that he would be hung on a tree that evil men would lay them on the cross to die taking upon our every sin, our every hardship, our every struggle that we ever have to struggle on the cross. And that the prophets would declare that his name is Emmanuel. God with us. And Paul reminds us that after his humiliation on the cross, he was highly exalted. He's now sitting at the right hand of God the Father. And when he left this, after dying on the cross and resurrected, he left us with the dwelling of the Holy Spirit. And so the better question for us to ask this morning would be this. Would we rather have an answer to that? Or would we have rather know that he is with us? Maybe the better question for us to ask ourselves this morning is this. Do I have faith? Do I trust God's loving care to sustain me through the harshest of times? Maybe the best question I need to be asking myself this morning is this. Do I need to lay aside every doubt and anxiety and fear and worry that plagues my life? Because I don't believe in Emmanuel. God is with us. Maybe that's a better question, right? I think it is a better question for me to ask. Because God is in control. He is with you. Because he went through all of that suffering so that he could sympathize with you. He was tempted in every way, yet without seeing you. And you know what I should be singing this morning? And I hope this is my, your song as well. This is my song. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all of His benefits. They are many who forgives all of my nicotine, all of your nicotine, who heals all of my disease, all of your disease, who redeems my life from the pit, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you, who crowns me, who crowns every one of us with a steadfast love and mercy. Praise be to the King of kings. He is truly with us. Father, we thank you for your word this morning reminding us that you are truly with us, that though we may go through trials and temptations, through all kinds of plots against us, would you help us? As we ask our questions, that our questions will lead us to you, to being assured, that you are truly Emmanuel, with your with us. And so Lord has become even to be reminded of how you truly are with us. Do this table speak to us this morning we pray to Christ's name. Amen.