I'm certain that we all know
someone who's going through a trial of some sort. With believers,
we know that it's through much tribulation that we enter the
kingdom of God. And what a blessing it is to
know that it's God that sends the trials. And he sends them
for our good, that we might learn to trust in him and him alone.
My title tonight is God's Faithfulness in Every Trial, found right here
in 1 Samuel 23, if you would turn there with me. 1 Samuel 23, we'll begin in verse
6 tonight. I've heard over the years people,
say or inquire of the spiritual and physical application of the
scriptures. And what they mean is the spiritual
application of the scripture deals with the transformation
of the heart and the soul, what God does inwardly. And the physical
application of scripture deals with the transformation of our
behavior and the choices that we make day to day. But the passage
before us tonight, and really all scripture for that matter,
is full of both spiritual and practical application. All scripture
is, not just our story tonight. In Matthew chapter 26, the Lord
Jesus alluded to that undeniable truth that is And said that if
the inside of the cup is clean, the outside be clean also. So. All scripture. Is. Has spiritual application. Obviously,
that's how we're saved. We're born again by the Spirit
of God. Jesus Christ is the word and
the Word made flesh. But. God's Word does change us. Now, we're not what we wanna
be, we're not what we should be, but thank God, we're not
what we once were. And in verse six, we read, and it
came to pass when Abiathar, the son of Ahimelech,
fled to David to Keilah, that he came down with an ephod in
his hand. Now, this was the high priest
ephod clustered with the Urim and the Thummim, which God ordained
the high priest to use in the inquiring of the Lord's will
in specific situations. That's why David, as we'll see
in verse nine, calls upon Abiathar to bring hither the ephod." David
was seeking God's guidance here, as we saw last week when they
went to fight the Philistines. And the ephod was God's ordained
way to seek his will. And Abiathar's ephod gave David
a direct line to God. So in our text, the first gospel
connection that we see here is that David needed a mediator
to hear from God. In order for God to hear us and
for us to hear from God, we've got to have a mediator. We've
got to have a high priest. David couldn't approach God on
his own terms. He needed a high priest who had
the ephod. And this is a picture of the
gospel. Sinners can't approach God without the one mediator
between God and man, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ, 1 Timothy
2.5. And here Abiathar pictures Christ,
our high priest. He is the one survivor of Saul's
slaughter of the priest. As you remember, he's the only
one that escaped. He carried the ephod which belonged
to his father, the high priest. And he's now the high priest
by divine appointment. You say, well, how do you know?
Because God allowed all the other priests to be healed. He's the
only one left. He's the high priest. And he's carrying this ephod. We can't approach God without
the Lord Jesus Christ, who's the one mediator between God
and man. Why? Because God's too holy and
we're too sinful. The Lord told Moses, you can't
look upon my face and leap. And Hebrews 7.25 says, wherefore
he, Christ, is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto
God by him. That's the only way we can come
to God. Seeing that he ever liveth to
what? Maketh intercession for us. He's
pleading our cause on our behalf to God. And it's through his
perfection that we can approach God. God looks at us, He sees
Christ. If not, we'd be consumed. And
just as God spoke His will to David through Abiathar, God reveals
His saving will to His people through Christ. Now Saul, he
didn't seek the Lord. This shows us the difference
between him and David. This shows us the difference
between faith and rebellion. Saul cut himself off from the
priestly mediation by killing them all. If the priesthood had
meant anything to Saul, he'd have never done that. It didn't
mean anything to him. But David joins himself with
the only surviving priest here, and he humbles himself to seek
God's will through him. The gospel calls for us to do
the same. We got to reject self-reliance
and trust wholly in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our great
high priest. May we never forget that God
saves and God guides and God keeps his people through the
intercession of the priest that he himself provides. Abiathar
was a temporary picture. Christ is the eternal fulfillment. All the old priests of the Old
Testament pointed to Christ, our Great High Priest, who by
the sacrifice of Himself, once for all, in the shedding of His
blood, put away our sin forever, and forever intercedes for us.
Right now, the Lord Jesus is on the throne, pleading our cause
before God Almighty. That's why everything's gonna
be okay between those who love the Lord Jesus and trust in Him,
and God the Father. He pleads our cause. No one like
him to plead it. And he doesn't do so with repeated
sacrifice. Sacrifices, but according to
his finished work on the cross, I have. I don't know in the last
several years it is. That word finished. When Christ
cried from the cross, it's finished. To understand what that means
has become such a blessing to me. The work's finished. There's not anything for us to
do. Nothing we can do. God won't accept our filthy rags
of righteousness, but he shall accept Christ's perfect righteousness. And that's our only hope. And
his finished work on the cross is continual and it's unceasing. He ever live it, the scripture
says. He never grows weary. He never
forgets. And that's why our salvation
is secure. So never forget. Contemplate
that. Think on those things. that Christ
did for me what I couldn't do for myself, did for you what
you couldn't do for yourself. And He keeps doing that. He's
done it. He's finished the work. God's
accepted the work, and He proved it when He raised Christ from
the dead. That's why He sits at God's right hand. And what
a privilege to have the Lord Jesus Himself to guide us. We
have Him to plead our cause. We're never left to our own understanding. Oh, I don't want to be left to
my own understanding. Lean not on your own understanding. David again and again and again
faced enemies and he faced uncertainty. So do we. So do we. We don't
know what tomorrow's going to bring. We don't know what tonight's
going to bring. Yet God has provided a way for him, David, and us
to know God's will. God will guide, protect, and
provide for us always. He's our shepherd, we shall not
want. Roughly 115 times the phrase,
fear not, or be not afraid, or fear ye not, or neither be afraid,
is found in the King James Version of the Bible. It's one of the
most repeated messages in all the scripture, fear not. And
it's sad that we have to be reminded over and over again, who's taking
care of us. Why did we forget that? It's God Almighty that's our
heavenly father. Why should we ever be afraid? Well, Sin has a lot to do with
it, has everything to do with it. Look at verse seven, and
it was told that Saul, that David was to come to Kiala. And Saul
said, God hath delivered him into my hand, for he is shut
in by entering into a town that hath gates and bars. And I was
thinking to myself, isn't it striking how an unbeliever can
be so deeply deceived and yet still persuade themselves that
their way is of God. There's a way that seemeth right
unto us. But the end thereof is a way
of death. It's the way of death. Yes, all
things are of God, but Saul still thought that everything between
him and God was all right, and it wasn't. Saul believed that
David's arrival here in Kielah was a divine opportunity for
him to do David in. How many times do unbelieving
men and women misinterpret circumstances, attributing them to divine favor,
saying, you know, God's behind this. They justify everything
they do by saying, God's put his stamp of approval on this.
When in reality, they're acting out of selfish motives. Listen,
I've done it and so have you. Something comes up and we know
what we want to do, but we say, well, we need to pray about it
and we don't really listen. We're
not really interested in what the Lord has to say about it. We're interested. You know, when
someone calls you and asks your advice on something, they're
not really interested in your advice. They just want you to
agree with them that that's the thing to do. That's how we are.
Let's just be honest. There are great dangers in self-deception. Saul equated his own desires
with God's will. He said, oh, the Lord, the Lord's
delivered him into my hand. Here he is in Kielah, and it's
a city with gates and fences, and we got him now. And yet it was the very means
that God used to deliver David. Saul's actions reveal and teach
us that failure to correctly discern God's will can lead down
a path of further disobedience and conflict. I suppose we can
convince ourselves that most everything that we desire is
divinely appointed. Yet, if our desire is selfish,
it's not of God. God help us to rightly discern.
We ought to seek the Lord in prayer and in scripture and everything
we do, even the, what seems to be so insignificant. Saul thought
he could capture David, but God was actually protecting him.
And here we see that God watches over his people, even while their
enemies are plotting against them. We're in good hands, in the hands
of God. Nobody pulls the wool over on
God. He knows and ordains all things,
and none are able to pluck us from His hand. So the lesson here, again, is
to rely on God's guidance, just as David did. Human understanding,
listen, it's flawed. Our understanding's flawed. If there's one person in this
world that we shouldn't trust, it ought to be ourselves. Christ
is our refuge. Christ is our guide. He's worthy
of our trust and dependence. Look at verse eight, and Saul
called all the people together to war to go down to Kielah to
besiege David and his men. So we see here upon learning
that David had taken refuge in this city, Saul brought all his
forces together under the pretense that they were going to confront
the Philistine. David had already defeated the
Philistine. And this was unaware to Saul's
men. And in verse nine, it says, and David knew that Saul secretly
practiced mischief against him. And he said to Abiathar, the
priest, bring hither the ephod. God's king seeks God's will. God's people seek God's will. Unlike Saul, David doesn't rely
on his own strength. He seeks God's counsel. Our Lord
Jesus always sought His Father's will, and He always perfectly
obeyed Him. He said to Himself in John 6,
38, He said, for I came down from heaven, not to do mine own
will, but the will of Him that sent me. And that's what He did. That's what He did. David's immediate
response here was not to rely on his own cleverness, or his
own army or any spies that he might have, but to call for the
priest who had the ephod. Now, men and women may convince themselves that
they can pray abracadabra and God will poof, give them what
they want. No, sir. No, sir. We have a lot
of that name it and claim it in the world today. God means
everybody to be healthy, wealthy, and wise. And by thinking that, they prove
themselves to be unwise, they prove themselves to be ignorant.
Instead of acting hastily, David sought divine direction. Now
listen, this epod was not a magic wand. It was designed of God
to access his will through the priest. It shadows Christ who
is our true priest who gives us direct access to God's divine
guidance. We have direct access to God
through Jesus Christ. Why wouldn't we take advantage
of that on everything? We have not because we ask not
and we ask amidst that we may consume it upon our own lust.
We're all guilty of it. God's promise has promised to
guide His people and all the promises of God in Christ are
what? Yea and amen, yes. Why? He says unto the glory of
God. You see, God gets all the glory
for the promises that he fulfills to us in Christ. Hebrews 4.14
says, seeing then that we have a great high priest that has
passed into the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast
our profession. For we have not a high priest
which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities,
but was in all points tempted like as we are yet without sin. So let us therefore come boldly
into the throne of grace. Why? That we may obtain mercy
and find grace to help in the time of what? Need. The child
of God doesn't need an ephod today. They got Christ who is
their direct access to God. Saul relied on secrecy and deceit. David relied on God's protection. The difference is the same today. God's people walk by faith, not
by sight. Well, it don't look like the
Lord's going to deliver me from this. It doesn't matter what
it looks like. We walk by faith, not by sight. Faith is the substance
of things hoped for, right? Our faith causes us to hope that
God's will will be accomplished in our life, and that His will
is always, always, always for our good. He works all things
after the counsel of His own will, and He works all things
together for His people's good, those who are be called according
to His purpose. I love that. I find a great comfort
in that. That gives me great rest. It gives me assurance. But I know you have, and so have
I. We've lied to ourselves at times and tried to convince ourselves
that what we're asking God for is needful. But deep down, we
know that it's really not. There's only one thing needful,
that's Christ. And I'm convinced that if we
would make Him our prayer, our desire, that we might grow in
the grace and in the knowledge of Him, God would do it. And thank God that He does, even
in spite of us. Look at verse 10. Then said David,
O Lord God of Israel, Thy servant hath certainly heard that Saul
seeketh to come to Kielah to destroy the city for my sake,
because of me. And notice here that David is
not only worried about himself, I mean, no doubt he is, but he's
worried about this city. He's worried about the people
in this city. He didn't want that city to be
destroyed because of him. He didn't want men and women
and children to lose their lives because of him. You know, he's
still under the guilt of the slaying and slaughtering of the
priest. He took blame for that. But notice David acknowledges
God's sovereignty. He addresses the Lord here as,
oh Lord God of Israel. He confesses God's authority
over the nation, over the city, over Saul's intentions. God is
over everything. You know, people have said things
in time past to me like, oh, you're one of those that believe
in the sovereignty of God. There is no other God but a sovereign
God. There is no other grace but sovereign
grace. There is no other mercy but sovereign
mercy because God is the author and finisher of this mercy and
this grace and this salvation. We'd never be saved if it wasn't
for God. granting us mercy and grace in
the Lord Jesus Christ. David here exhibits the true
burden of leadership. He feels the weight of knowing
his presence may bring dangers to others, and he intercedes
for Kiara. Christ intercedes for us. David
bore the danger for others. Christ bore sin and death for
his elect. In verse 11, David asks the Lord,
he says, will the men of Kielah deliver me up unto his hand? Speaking of Saul, will Saul come
down as the servant hath heard? O Lord God of Israel, I beseech
thee. That word means earnestly beg
and plead. Tell thy servant. And the Lord
said, he will come down. He's coming. He's seeking to
kill you. And then said David, will the
men of Kielah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul?
And the Lord said, they will deliver thee up. Now, I find
that somewhat amazing. This shows us something of the
nature and fickleness of man. David had rescued Kielah from
the Philistine. He just done it. It just happened. Yet the very people He delivered
would betray Him. Judas betrayed the Lord Jesus.
His own people cried, crucify Him. The gospel reminds us not
to trust in man. We must trust in Christ alone
who cannot fail. And humanity is, listen, selfish. Sinful, quick to betray, Christ
came to save, yet he was denied and betrayed. Isn't that something?
The Lord reveals the truth to David and he escapes here. The
gospel does not leave us in the dark. That's why we study the
scriptures. We seek God in his word to find
out about him and ourselves. God reveals his purpose of salvation
to us in Christ. And our deliverance is through
Him and Him alone. Salvation's in a person. David
is spared from betrayal because God warned him. And you and I
are spared eternal condemnation, destruction, and judgment because
God sent His Son to bear our judgment for us. And that's what
this book teaches us from cover to cover. This is the good news
of the gospel. Though man is unfaithful and
prone to betrayal. Well, there was none of the disciples
that seemed to love the Lord Jesus more than Peter did. He
was always the outspoken one. He was always the bold one. And
yet he denied the Lord three times when it come to saving
his own skin. God and His grace provided us
a deliverer in spite of us. That's the amazing thing about
grace, isn't it? That God saves us in spite of
us. David escapes, and that points
to Christ's deliverance. 1 Corinthians 10, 13 says, there
hath no temptation taken you, but such as common to man, but
God is faithful. who will not suffer you to be
tempted above that ye are able, but will with the temptation
also make a way to escape that you may be able to bear it."
You're not gonna be tempted above what you can bear. God's not
gonna allow it. And look at verse 13 here in
our text. Then David and his men, which
were about 600, arose and departed out of Kielah and went whithersoever
they could go. And it was told Saul that David
was escaped from Kielah and he forbear to go forth. In other
words, he just stayed where he was. And after God advised David
that Keala would betray him, David didn't hesitate and he
immediately moved his men to safety. Listen, what's the practical
lesson there? Faith is never passive. Hearing
God's word requires action. We always heard, you know, well,
when to get around to it. And then I remember seeing somebody
had this, I think it was a piece of wood cut out in a circle and
it said round to it. That's about all it is. It's
insignificant. We're going to get around to
it, but faith is, Faith is not passive, it requires action.
We depend on God, not man. When God tells us something,
we better listen. When God's word instructs us
and God reveals a truth out of God's word, we better act on
it. Instead of relying on the town that he saved, David heeded
God's direction. So David, with great preparation
and prudence, relocated his men to a strong, defensible place
in the wilderness. And beloved, the teaching here
is just this, faithful obedience, reliance on God, prudent action
to God's word ensures safety even when others are untrustworthy. Obedience is submission to God. David obeyed God's warning. Christ
perfectly obeyed His Father. He came down from heaven, Scripture
says, not to do His own will, but the will of Him that sent
Him. He always did those things that pleased His Father, always. John 8, 29. Philippians 2, 7,
Christ made Himself of no reputation. God Almighty, God the Son, who
left His throne on high and came to this forsaken world of sin,
made Himself of no reputation and took upon Him the form of
a servant. and was made in the likeness
of men and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself
and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Not just any death, the worst imaginable death, the death of
a criminal, the death of one who's the worst of the worst.
And through our Lord's obedience, we're saved. David's faithfulness and submission
to God here simply foreshadows the faithful obedience of Christ,
who's our refuge and our savior. God directed David to a safe
place in the wilderness. And the gospel provides the ultimate
refuge in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our refuge in this worldly
wilderness in which we live. You don't have to go far outside
of the doors of this church, very far or for very long to
see that this is a wilderness of a world. And what a picture
this is of the gospel. The faithful son of God secured
our salvation. He guides us safely through life. He guides us in a hostile and
untrustworthy world. and how precious the Word of
God is to us. It reveals the truth to us about
human sinfulness, and it reveals the truth to us about God's sovereign
provision. What is God's sovereign provision?
No, it's who is God's sovereign provision? The Lord Jesus Christ. Who verily was foreordained before
the foundation of the world was manifest in these last times
for you. who by Him do believe in God. And this is for believers. And
the only reason that you and I believe is because God intervened
and God divinely interrupted in our lives. You believe in God that raised
Him up from the dead and gave Him glory that your faith and
hope might be in God. That's where our faith and hope
is. It's certainly not in ourselves. We pray that God deliver us from
our sin. We pray that the Lord not give
us our will. Let's don't talk about our will.
God's people won't. It's ungodly is what it is. That's
why we trust God, not man. That's why we trust God and not
ourselves. I don't trust me. I don't. Not when it comes to the things
of God. Christ is our ultimate deliverer
and our protector. And He is so when all around
us fails. Things look pretty bleak, someone
might say. Not if Christ is my Lord. He's
working it all together for my good. Verse 14, and David abode in
the wilderness in strongholds and remained in a mountain in
the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day. I'm talking about a man on a
mission. He's out to do David in. Saul
sought him every day, but God, there's those two wondrous words
again, but God delivered him not into his hate. God continues to protect and
deliver us. David's pursued by Saul. God
kept him safe. That's the gospel. In Christ,
we are delivered from our ultimate enemy, that being sin, death,
and eternal condemnation. And David strongholds here, and
mountains symbolize places of divine protection. What a beautiful
typification of our Lord Jesus. He's our refuge. He's our stronghold
in this hostile world. Christ is our safety in this
wilderness in which we live. Though Saul sought Him every
day, David was not delivered into his hand. I immediately
think of Psalm 91 that says, He that dwelleth in the secret
place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the
Almighty. And I will say of the Lord, He
is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in Him will I trust. I love the words of the Lord
Jesus who said, and I give unto them eternal life and they shall
never perish. It's a long time. Forever, they
shall never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them
out of my hand. I'm safe and secure with Christ
as my keeper. My father which gave them me
is greater than all. No man's able to pluck them out
of my father's hand. That means that our security
is eternal. Somebody says, you believe in
eternal security? There is no other kind of security
but God's eternal security. I can't be lost. I didn't do
anything to save myself. I can't do anything to lose my
salvation. You can't say that. In and of
myself, I can't, but in Christ, I can. Why? Because my salvation is 100%. You know, they used to say when
I played basketball, coach used to say, you got to give 110%.
Well, okay. And then my salvation is 110%.
because of what Christ has done for me. It doesn't have anything
to do with what I've done. Saul could plan and Saul could
search, but God controlled the outcome. Nothing can thwart the
purpose of God. His counsel shall stand. None
can stay His hand. This is our God. This is our
Heavenly Father. Though enemies pursue and danger
looms, God takes care of His own. Any kind of parent, true parent,
loving parent, will give their own life for their children.
God takes care of His children. And He gave His life in order
that they might be saved. Our salvation is secure and certain.
None for whom Christ died will be lost. Look at verse 15, last two verses. And David saw that Saul was come
out to seek his life. And David was in the wilderness
of Ziph in a wood. And look at this. And Jonathan,
Saul's son, arose and went to David into the wood and strengthened
his hand in God. What a blessing we find in these
two verses. I've often said that the greatest
blessing of God that God gives us, apart from Christ and salvation
in Him, is one another. Jonathan deliberately goes to
David to encourage him, and it says, strengthened his hand in
God. That's the... The call of a preacher
to comfort God's people, to strengthen their hand in God. I think what sometimes folks
forget is that we need to have our hands strengthened in God
also. This teaches us something of
the importance of the support of one another. And I will be
the first to tell you that I feel miserably, especially during
trials. You know, well, I won't go into the detail
of it, but sometimes you, when people help you in a time
of trouble, it causes you to be more helpful in the time of
others' trouble. That phrase strengthened his
hand and God puts emphasis on the reality that real courage
and perseverance comes from dependence on God and him alone. We got
to be strengthened in his hand. Just as God protected David,
the gospel declares that believers are kept safe in, by, and through
Christ. me telling you over and over
again that salvation is of the Lord, should strengthen your
hand in Him. We're delivered from eternal
danger of sin and death and judgment. And Jonathan here strengthens
David's hand in God. We build one another up in the
faith. Jonathan's actions here point to this spiritual support
that he gives, that Christ gives us for one another. This is why
we forsake not the assembling of ourselves together. Now listen, that's not just a verse that
preachers use to shame people on not coming to church. Not
forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some
is, but this is why, exhorting one another. And so much the
more as you see the day approaching. the coming of the Lord. We're
encouraged when we meet together, when we sit here together, when
we open God's Word together, when we understand and realize
that we're in this together. We're sinners. We need a God
who is able to do exceeding abundantly above that we could think or
ask. And it comforts me and it encourages me when I see you
here to hear about the same God that I need to hear about. This
ain't just a way of checking a box. Had a man tell me one time that
he didn't miss Sunday school for 50-some years and didn't
know God. Didn't know God. What good did
it do him? We come here to encourage one another, to worship the Lord,
to be encouraged, exhort one another as the day approaches.
What day is that? The coming of the Lord. This is our spiritual lifeline. Our encouragement to one another,
it's not optional, it's necessary. No doubt that Saul's pursuit
and threatenings was a part of God's purpose to strengthen and
prepare David for kingship. And likewise, the gospel shows
us that our trials serve God's purpose. He sends them. He sends
our trials. Why? So that they produce faith
and trust and confidence and hope in Christ. David's danger,
Jonathan's encouragement, and reliance on God illustrate the
gospel truth that God protects and strengthens and works all
things together for the good of them that love Him. And again,
verse 16 reminds us of who it is that God sent to encourage
David. the very one whom David is replacing
as the next king. We're often quick to help those
if we think somehow or another it's gonna benefit us. But here
we find one of the most striking examples of godly humility and
covenant love in all the Bible. Even though Jonathan was the
legitimate heir of Saul's throne, he willingly sets aside his own
ambitions, recognizing that God's hand is upon David. And again,
we see that he even risked his own life to come to David in
the midst of Saul's pursuit of him. And listen, Saul would have
just as easily killed Jonathan without any conscience as he
would have David. Remember, he was going to in
an earlier study. Jonathan's encouragement is born
out of faith and love. Those who love Christ and those
that Christ loves, we want God's people to do well
and to be all right. It's born out of faith and love. Jonathan delighted in God's will
being done. So all God's people, more so
than his own advancement. True friendship aligns with God's
will. True faith rules over self-interest. Joy in others brings blessings
to self. Verse 17, and he said unto him,
Jonathan said to David, fear not, for the hand of Saul, my
father, shall not find thee, and thou shalt be king over Israel,
and I shall be next unto thee. and that also Saul, my father,
knoweth." Here we see the assurance that we as believers have in
the midst of our adversity. Jonathan tells David, fear not.
The hand of Saul, my father, shall not find thee. And what
does the Lord say to us? Fear not. He said, sin shall
not have dominion over you. Fear not, I shall be with you
always. even into the end of the earth.
That's our comfort. There's no reason for us to fear.
Christ promises that no one can snatch us out of his hand. David's
safety pictures the believer's eternal security. When facing
trials, God allows us to stand firm. God's purpose cannot be
derailed or defeated. Jonathan affirms that David's
gonna be king. And God's gospel affirms to us
that Jesus Christ is our King, and we're safe in His kingdom.
When facing trials, we stand firm. Jonathan, we see something
of his loyalty here. He said, I shall be next unto
thee. And we tell our brothers and
sisters, and they tell us, and we encourage one another, I'm
with you in this. We're in this together. Christ said, I'll never leave
you nor forsake you. The Lord Jesus strengthened us.
He intercedes for us. He finished the work for us.
In verse 18, and they too made a covenant before the Lord. And David abode in the wood and
Jonathan went to his house. And here we see God's covenant
as a symbol of his faithfulness. Jonathan and David's covenant
represent solemn commitment to God on both of their accounts.
Christ establishes a new covenant with us through his blood that
shows his eternal commitment to us. Having loved his own that
were in the world, how long did he love them? Until the end. And here Jonathan returns home
and David remains in the wilderness. And what a picture that is, our
Lord's ascension, returning to his father while we, the believer,
are left to continue his work of preaching here on the earth. David remaining in the wilderness
signifies our, the believer's trust in God, in his timing,
and his purpose in all things. I don't know when my time will
be up, but I know that God knows. And my prayer is, is that He
keep me faithful until the end. And that's my hope. Christ doing
for me what I cannot do for myself. Salvation's not about us climbing
up to God. How did that work for the people
of Babel, the entire of Babel? Salvation is coming down to us. God coming down to us, and He
did. in the Lord Jesus Christ. He lived the perfect life that
we couldn't live. He died the innocent death that
we as the guilty could not die. He rose again to satisfy the
justice of God that we could never appease. He ever lives
upon the throne of God to make intercession for us. And the
only thing that we can say concerning our salvation is this, salvation's
of the Lord.