Be Strong in the Lord

1 Samuel 28:3-19; 30:1-20

Introduction

• Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ~ Ephesians 6:10
• Next week begins Advent when we start counting down the days to the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
• We are wrapping up another year that our Lord has given us to serve His will.
• I think we are finishing pretty strong as a team here – we may even make the playoffs.
• We’ve been in a war against evil and didn’t even know it.
• The enemy set his sights on destroying this church and locking the doors for good.
• God had other plans for Biltmore though and He has the power to overcome evil.
• Do we have power? NO – I sure don’t have any power.
• I’m telling you two stories today from 1 Samuel that have very different outcomes.
• One story has King Saul leaning on the power of the world at his most difficult moment.
• The other story has David leaning on the power of God at his most difficult moment.
• Think about when we are faced with difficult circumstances.
• Which way do we turn?
• Do we turn to the world and our own abilities? Or do we turn to God?
• Let’s compare these two stories to understand how to be strong:

1. Turn to the world for strength.
2. Turn to God for strength.

 

1. Turn to the world for strength.

• Saul is in a real mess in this story.
• He has been pursuing David with the intent of killing him.
• Saul is jealous of, and afraid of David and has been trying to kill him since chapter 18.
• In chapter 19, Saul tried to skewer David with a spear, but missed and David escaped.
• In chapter 22, Saul killed 85 priests of the Lord.
• In chapter 24, David has a chance to kill Saul in a cave but only cuts off a corner of his robe.
• David talks to Saul and pledges not to kill Saul or his descendants and leaves Saul.
• Then in an interesting turn of fate, in chapter 26, David sneaks up on Saul while he was sleeping and has a chance to kill Saul with his own spear but steals it instead.
• David and Saul meet and talk it out and peacefully go their separate ways.
• David doesn’t trust Saul so in chapter 27, David goes to live with the Philistines in Ziklag
• And then here we are in chapter 28. The Lord’s prophet and judge, Samuel, is dead.
• Saul has expelled all the mediums and spiritists from the land.
• Now, Saul’s army has come face to face with the army of the Philistines.
• Saul is worried about how things are going to go for him in battle.
• He tries to find someone who will tell him what the Lord says, but the Lord has turned his back on Saul and isn’t speaking to him.
• So, after he has banned all mediums and spiritists from the land, what does he do?
• Yep, you guessed it, he goes to see a medium – in a disguise …
• He tells her to conjure up somebody from the dead for him and she still hasn’t recognized him yet.
• Then he tells her to “bring up Samuel” and she suddenly recognizes him as Saul.
• Saul assures her its ok and not to worry.
• So, the medium woman conjures Samuel up from the dead.
• Samuel is annoyed at being summoned up to meet Saul.
• Samuel says: “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?”
• This is when Saul lays it all out for Samuel:

I am in great distress, the Philistines are fighting against me, and God has departed from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So, I have called on you to tell me what to do.

• Samuel said: “Why are you asking me?”
• Samuel, the great prophet of the Lord wants to know why he is talking to him since it sounds like the Lord has turned into an enemy.
• Samuel tells Saul:

The Lord has done what he predicted through me. The Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors—to David.

• Samuel goes on to tell Saul the reason things have gotten the way they are:

Because you did not obey the Lord or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the Lord has done this to you today.

• Then Samuel gives Saul the really bad news:

The Lord will deliver both Israel and you into the hands of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also give the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.

• These are the consequences he will face for turning away from God and leaning on himself for strength.
• Sure, he was strong for a while but times-up for old king Saul.
• This story of Saul is about turning to the world and self for strength.

2. Turn to God for strength.

• Contrast the story of Saul with the story of David that is running in parallel.
• Saul has been doggedly pursuing David for reasons that David did not understand.
• David and Saul’s son, Jonathan, had become close – like brothers – and they couldn’t figure it out.
• Everything Saul asked David to do, David performed it well. From 1 Samuel 18:5:

Whatever mission Saul sent him on, David was so successful that Saul gave him a high rank in the army. This pleased all the troops, and Saul’s officers as well.

• But one of the things that kept eating at Saul was what an overachiever David was.
• In verses 18:6-8 we get a sense of what a thorn David was in Saul’s side:

When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with timbrels and lyres.  As they danced, they sang:

“Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.”

Saul was very angry; this refrain displeased him greatly. “They have credited David with tens of thousands,” he thought, “but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?”

• Here in verse 18:12-16 is where there is a clear distinction between someone who draws strength from God compared to someone who draws their strength from the world:

Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with David but had departed from Saul.  So, he sent David away from him and gave him command over a thousand men, and David led the troops in their campaigns. In everything he did he had great success, because the Lord was with him.  When Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him.  But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he led them in their campaigns.

• David’s strength came from God and therefore God blessed him immensely.
• We can take a brief pause because these are great stories but what do they have to do with us? I mean it was written almost 3000 years ago.
• Well, it has EVERYTHING to do with us. We can literally see the results at Biltmore by becoming more like David and less like Saul.
• The world was telling us to give up. The world was saying it couldn’t be done.
• But you, my friends, stepped out in faith and TURNED TO GOD.
• God already had a plan waiting for Biltmore. I was friends with Dennis and knew when he retired, and I waited TWO YEARS for Biltmore to come available and pounced on it.
• Try and tell me THAT wasn’t a GOD THING!!
• As soon as the church pushed back on the world’s advice and turned to God, He provided the strength that has gotten us to where we are now.
• So back to the story. We already saw that Saul failed in an attempt to kill David.
• We also saw that David was obedient NOT to kill Saul even though God gave him 2 chances to easily do so.
• In chapter 30, the Amalekites had raided David’s home base at Ziklak.
• They had attacked Ziklag and burned it and had taken captive the women and everyone else in it, both young and old without killing anyone.
• So, what is the first thing David does when he sees what happened in Ziklak? Verse 7-8:

David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelek, “Bring me the ephod.” Abiathar brought it to him.

• The ephod is like a sacred cloth vest worn for prayer to God. David kept it close at hand.
• David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?”
• “Pursue them,” God answered. “You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue.”
• And so, he did. He took 400 of his men and attacked and defeated the Amalekites.
• He did this because he turned to God for strength.
• In everything he did, he turned to God for guidance and submitted to His will.
• This worked for David, and it is working for us today.
• We must never forget in all things to turn to God for strength and it will be like Paul says in Phillipians 4:13:
• I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.