Last week our lesson ended in
verse 19 of 1 Samuel 30. I'd like to begin this week in
verse 17. I have tried to restrict myself
to just a few comments of review before we begin. In verse 17,
and David's smoke then. Do you remember that David and
his men came back to Ziklag. Ziklag was burned to the ground.
Their wives and children taken captive. All their possessions
were gone. David pursued after them, he caught them, and in
verse 17, David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening
of the next day. And there escaped not a man of
them, save four hundred young men which rode upon camels and
fled. And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried
away. And David rescued his two wives, and there was nothing
lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters,
neither spoiled nor anything that they had taken to them.
Now we saw last week how that everything that David recovered
is a picture of everything our Savior recovered for his people
when he died on Calvary's tree. I want us to see two more things
from these verses. First this, David recovered all
through a great slaughter that began in the dark. This began
at twilight. And that's a picture of our Lord.
The Lord Jesus recovered all that his people lost in Adam
through a bloody sacrifice that happened in the dark. When the
Son of God was crucified, he made his soul an offering for
sin. God turned the sun off, turned this earth black. Now,
today we can see some of the results of that great transaction
that took place between the Father and the Son. But we know almost
nothing of the details of that transaction. We don't know much. People pretend they do. People
like to sound like they're great theologians. They can tell you
everything that happens, you know. The earth was black for
a reason. We don't know what happened in
that great transaction between the Father and the Son, all the
details that took place between them. But whatever the details,
however that transpired between the Father and the Son, This
is what we know. In that darkness, Christ won
the victory and He recovered all. That's when He did it. In
that time of darkness and blackness, when He made His soul an offering
for sin, He recovered all. Everything that was lost in Adam,
He recovered it. And second, I'd like us to see
this in these verses. When we read this, it sounds
like David was the only one doing the fighting. It sounds like
David was the only one winning the battle. It sounds like David
was the only one recovering anything that was lost. And we know there
were 400 soldiers fighting alongside David, but it reads like David
was alone in this battle, doesn't it? And there's a reason for
that. David is a picture of Christ, whose scripture says, by himself,
he purged our sins. The putting away of sin and the
recovery of what we lost in Adam is not a joint venture between
Christ and the sinner. The putting away of sin, recovering
what was lost in Adam is the work of Christ alone. And that's why it reads this
way. Well, it sounds like David was alone because this is a picture
of the work of Christ and he accomplished this work alone. And when our Lord died, he recovered
everything. that his people lost an atom,
but that's not all he bought. Look here in verse 20, and David
took all the flocks and the herds, which they draved before those
other cattle and said, this is David's spoil. David recovered everything that
belonged to his people, everything that was lost. There was nothing
lacking to them. But David also took everything
else that the Amalekites owned, everything that belonged to them,
David took it. He said, this is David's spoil.
This belongs to David. And when the Lord Jesus Christ
died, we know he purchased everything, didn't he? He recovered everything
that was lost for his people. He purchased the redemption of
his people. But I'm telling you, he also
received from his father everything else in God's creation. He bought
the whole thing. It all belongs to him. In John
3, verse 35, he says, the father loveth the son. and hath given
what? All things. He has given all
things into His hand. He owns it all. It's all His
spoil. And that's too. Peter was preaching.
He said, now you know this assuredly, that that same Jesus whom you've
crucified, God has made Him both Lord and Christ. He's the Christ. He's the Messiah. He's the Savior.
And He's Lord over all. He owns it all. Everything. belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ. Every spiritual blessing belongs
to Him. Every spiritual blessing is in
Him, and it's His to dispose of as He sees fit. And aren't
you thankful? He gives it freely to His people. Oh, He gives it freely. But it
all belongs to Him. It's His spoil to dispose of
as He will. And every material thing Every
physical ability a man or a woman has, every mental capacity any
of us have, everything, it all belongs to Christ. He bought
it. In that great victory, he said,
this is my spoil. I fought the battle. I fought
alone. I won the battle alone. The spoil is mine. And isn't
that the way it should be? He's the victor. The spoil all
goes to him. Now we're going to come back
to this spoil in a minute. David's spoil, we'll come back
to that. But first, let's see how is it that David disposed
of everything that he recovered that had been lost by his men.
Verse 21, And David came to the two hundred men which were so
faint they could not follow David, whom they made also to abide
at the brook Besor. And they went forth to meet David,
and to meet the people that were with him. And when David came
near to the people, he saluted them. Now you remember back in
verses 9 and 10, we read this last week, and I told you we'll
get back to these men. In verse 9, so David went, he
and the 600 men that were with him, and they came to the brook
Besor, where those that were left behind stayed. But David
pursued, he and 400 men, for 200 abode behind, which were
so faint they could not go over the brook Besor. Now these 200
men were simply too exhausted to go on. Now think about these
men. They're physically exhausted.
They'd been over here with the Philistine army and they were
released from, you know, having to fight with the Philistine
army. It took them three days to march back to Ziklag. I get
tired walking around the block. These men marched for three days.
And when they get home, they found their houses burned to
the ground. All their possessions are lost. And worse yet, their
wives and children are nowhere to be seen. They don't know whether
they're dead or alive. Now you imagine the emotional
stress on these men. I mean the mental anguish that's
on these men. It's exhausting. If that happened
to you, nobody expects you to go to work the next day. They
give you an amount of time off because it's just not reasonable
to expect you to go to work the next day. These men were physically,
emotionally, mentally exhausted. And they started marching again.
They marched for about the whole day and got to the Brook Beesore,
and their bodies just gave out. When Jay and I first bought our
house, it was a fixer-upper. A lot of work needed to be done
to it. And every day, I'd go to work. I'd get home from work,
change clothes, and before I actually had dinner ready, before I got
done eating dinner, there was a bang on the door. My buddy
Jim Meadows was ready to go to work. He helped me do, I can't
tell you how many hours we put in together working on that house.
And about 9.30 every evening, he'd say, well, you're give out.
And let's call it a day. You're give out. That's the way
these men were. They got to the brook there,
just give out. David said, you fellas are just give out. Just
stay here. Just stay here. David didn't
press him to go on. He said, you boys just stay here.
You see what it says here in verse 21. They made them stay,
abide at the brook, be sore. They had to make them stay. They
wanted to go on, but they couldn't. They're physically unable. The
spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. It's always
been that way. It always will be that way. The
flesh is weak. And David had compassion on these
men. And he went and fought the battle. He recovered all. And
when he gets back to these men, what does he do? He doesn't go
tell them, you should have gone with us. He wasn't hard on them. He had compassion on these men.
He went ahead of the group and went and saluted them. And you
see that word saluted means he asked them how they did. He said,
how are you doing? Do you feel better? Are you recovered? And
isn't that a blessed picture of our Lord Jesus Christ? He
knoweth our friend. He remembereth that we're dust. We have not a high priest which
cannot be touched at the feeling of our infirmity. He knoweth
that we're dust. And our acceptance with God is
not based on how well we did when we went down to the battle.
Our acceptance with God is not even based on if we went down
to the battle. Our acceptance with God is in
The Beloved. It's based on a relationship,
on a union with the Lord Jesus Christ. Not on how well we perform
certain duties. This might be a silly illustration,
but I thought of it. I guess if I think of it, that's
what it is. I thought about my daughter, Savannah. I love that
girl. Now, I don't love her because
she's pretty. I don't love her because she's
a polite girl who says, yes, sir, no, sir. I don't love her
because she does well at school and she does certain duties,
you know, around the house. I love her because she's my daughter. That's our relationship. My affection
is set upon her, not based on duties that she performs. And
that's the way it is with a believer and our heavenly father. Our
relationship, our acceptance with him is It's based on a relationship. It's in the Beloved. And all
the time we're on this earth, He knoweth our frame. He remembereth that we're dust.
He's not going to put on us more than we're able to bear. And
He doesn't require of us more than we're capable of. He remembereth
that we're dust. But men frequently forget that
we're dust. We need to be very careful to
remember we're dust. And other men and our brethren
are just dust. That's all we are, but men frequently
forget that. And that's what happens in verse
22. Then answered all the wicked men and the men of Belial, of
those that went with David, and said, Because they went not with
us, we will not give them all of the spoil that we have recovered,
save to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead
them away and depart. Now these men of Belial, they
went to the battle with David. But they would not return what
they'd recovered to those men who were gave out, who stayed
back there at the broken beast sword. And you know why they
did that? They forgot their dust. They forgot that they're just
dust. They said, we won't give them any of the spoil that we
recovered. Now, wait a minute. I thought
David recovered all. David recovered all, didn't he? Forgot their dust. And there's
three things we need to learn from this verse. The first one
is this. These men are men of Belial.
They're men of Satan. That's who they belong to. They
don't belong to David. They're men of Belial. Well, then what
on earth are they doing with David? Here's what we need to
learn first. There is always tares among the
wheat. Always. In every congregation,
I don't know who's the weak and who's the tares, but I promise
you there's always tares among the weak. These men were tares
among the weak. Secondly, we need to learn this. The wicked love the law. They do. Now you'd think the
wicked would hate the law that condemns them, but the wicked
love the law because they think they can keep the law. They don't
know that they're just dust. They think Their works make them
more acceptable, put them on a better plane than those who
have fewer works. And there's nothing more wicked
than that thought. There's nothing more wicked.
Because that thought denies completely salvation by grace in the Lord
Jesus Christ. That's what it denies, doesn't
it? The wicked love the law. And third, we need to learn this,
this kind of thinking. that my works make me better
than someone with fewer works. That kind of thinking leads to
an elitist, holier-than-thou attitude, and God won't accept
it. These men of Belial, not only
were they not going to return what they'd recovered that their
brethren had lost, they were going to drive those men out.
who stayed by the Brook Beesore. They didn't go with us. They
don't have as good of works as we do. They don't deserve to
be with us. We're driving them out. The law always speaks of
separation and death. The gospel speaks of union in
life. That's what the gospel of God's
grace speaks of. Look over in Isaiah 65. What
is it? What does God say? What does
God have to say about this attitude? elitist, separatist attitude. This attitude of men who are
just made of dust. What does God have to say about
this? Isaiah 65, verse 2. I have spread out my hands all
the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was
not good after their own thoughts, a people that provoketh me to
anger continually to my face. that sacrificeth in gardens,
and burneth incense upon altars of brick, which remain among
the graves, and lodge in the monuments, which eat swine's
flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels, which
say," and this is just what these men back in our text said, which
say, "'Stand by thyself, come not near to me, for I am holier
than thou.' These," God says, "'are smoke in my nose, and a
fire that burneth all the day. God's not going to accept, he
will never honor that kind of thinking and behavior. And believers,
now I'm not just speaking to wicked people out there, I'm
talking to believers, children of God, people who have been
given spiritual life, we must guard against this kind of thinking. We're not immune to this kind
of thinking. Because that old dead nature,
Adam's dead nature, the same nature as these men of Belial,
is in us. We're still carried around with
us. And we may be too polite, we may be too politically correct
to say it out loud, but this kind of thinking can enter into
the believer's heart. We may not say, well this brother,
we may not say he's not saved. But we'll think, well, he doesn't
do as much as I do. I'm a better Christian. We're
both saved, but I'm a better Christian. I'm on a higher spiritual
plane. I'm more important than the kingdom
of God. Are you really? That kind of thinking is evil. I mean, it's evil. It's contrary
to God's grace. I pray that God would remove
that stinking thinking from our hearts and from our minds. Do
we really think that something I do makes me more holy? than one of my other brothers
who's also been washed in the blood of Christ? If I think that,
tell you what I believe, it's Christ plus something I do. Isn't
that right? Do I really think that all my
sacrifices, all my giving, all my giving of my time and things
that I would do for the good of God's people to spread the
gospel of the grace of our God, do I really think that makes
me more accepted? than another one of my brothers
who's also in Christ? If I think that, what I really
believe is Christ plus, plus something that I do. And I say
with the Apostle Paul, God forbid, God forbid that I would think
this way. Now, it's true that different
people have different roles in the body of Christ. Different
people have different roles in God's church. But now a more
public role does not make a person more important than someone with
a less public role. All that means is you've been
given a different role. That's all that means. And each
role is necessary. Now look over 1 Corinthians 12
and I'll show you that. Each role is necessary. Each
one of you here, every one of you is necessary. You're necessary. Miss you when you're gone. 1
Corinthians 12, verse 14. For the body is not one member,
but many. If the foot shall say, because
I am not the hand, I am not of the body, is it therefore not
of the body? Or if the ear shall say, because
I am not the eye, I am not of the body, is it therefore not
of the body? If the whole body were an eye,
where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where
were the smelling? But now hath God set the members,
every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. Different
ones have different roles, and all that means is God gave you
different roles than somebody else. That's all that means.
And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now
are they many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say
into the hand, I have no need of thee. Nor can the head to
the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more. Those members
of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary. They're all necessary. And those
members of the body which we think to be less honorable, upon
these we store more abundant honor. And our unkindly parts
have more abundant kindliness. Each member of the body is necessary,
every one of them. And we can't think one is more
important than another, just because it's not seen. publicly
does not mean it's not important. I'll give you a perfect example.
Nobody in this room, I bet you, has ever seen a kidney. Have you ever seen a kidney?
Ask Chuck Moore if he can lift that one. Necessary. Just as necessary as those parts
we wash and get all dressed up to come to service on a Sunday
morning. It's just as necessary. Every member of the body of Christ Now think about it. The most
important thing we do here as an assembly, the most important
thing we do without controversy is preaching the gospel. Is that
right? I mean, there's lots of things that need to be done,
but the most important thing we do is preach the gospel. Does that make the preacher better
than everybody else? That's not what God's word says,
is it? Now, the authority in the church rests with the pastor.
He's the captain of the ship. But Don Portner said this in
one of the preacher school we're at. The pastor's the captain
of the ship. He's responsible for everything
that goes on in that ship. But let him try to sail that
ship by himself. Can't be done. Can't be done. The preacher,
God says, is not lord over God's heritage. He's a servant. He's a servant. He's God's servant
and you're a servant. Look at Matthew chapter 20. You're
just a servant. In Matthew chapter 20, and this
is right after James and John, went and asked the Lord, when
you come into your kingdom, let one of us tell your right hand
and one of your left. Would you do that for us? And verse 24, when
the other ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against
the two brethren. Well, of course they were. But
Jesus called them unto him and said, you know that the princes
of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are
great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so
among you. This is not the way it is in
God's church. But whosoever will be great among
you, let him be your minister. And that word minister is waiter.
You want to be great in the household of God? Be a waiter. Just be
the waiter that brings the dishes and takes the dirty dishes away.
Be a waiter. And whosoever will be chief among
you, let him be your servant, even, and here's the key, even
as the son of man. came not to be ministered unto,
but to minister and give his life a ransom for many." Now,
does that mean that what I do or my attitude and how I do it
doesn't matter? Absolutely not. Nobody's saying
that. You put your whole self into
doing whatever it is God's given you to do. Whatever your role
is, whatever your function is, you put your whole self into
it and do it as well as you can do it. And do it humbly. Now do it humbly. Remember, it's
just your reasonable service. I want to show you two more things
on this. Look first in Luke chapter 17.
Now do it as, whatever it is God's given you to do, you do
it as well as you can do it. And remember these two things.
First in Luke 17, remember this. But in verse 7, But which of
you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto
him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down
to me? It will not rather say unto him,
Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me,
till I have eaten and drunken, and afterward thou shalt eat
and drink. Does he thank that servant because he did the things
which were commanded him? I pro-not. I think not. So likewise
ye, when ye should have done all those things which are commanded
you, if you can do everything it is that's commanded you, here's
what you say, we're unprofitable servants. We've just done that
which is our duty to do. You remember this. I don't care
if you have done everything that you've been commanded to do.
Remember, it's just your reasonable service. You're still just an
unprofitable servant. Look over in 1 Corinthians 15.
1 Corinthians 15, verse 9. The Apostle Paul says, for I
am the least of the apostles. They have not need to be called
an apostle. I'm not fit to be called an apostle, because I
persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God, I am
what I am. And His grace which was bestowed
upon me was not in vain. But I labored more abundantly
than they all. Now, some people do. There's
no denying that. Some people do labor more abundantly. Yet
not I, Paul says, but the grace of God which was in me. This man went to the battle. I never made it as far as the
Brooke B. Sword. This man went to the battle, didn't he? And what does he say? I'm the
least. I'm the least of all the apostles.
In another place, he says, I'm the least of all the saints.
I'm the least. That's the attitude we're to
have. No matter what it is that we've done, I'm the least. It's Christ's foil. It's Christ's
victory. He recovered all. Now, back in
our text, verse 23. Then said David to these men,
you should not do so, my brethren. With that which the Lord hath
given us, who hath preserved us and delivered the company
that came against us into our hand." David said, this is not
going to be our attitude. This is not the attitude of a
child of God who remembers it's Christ that recovered all. It's
Christ's oil. And I was looking at this yesterday
and I thought about this congregation. You are so generous. This is
the most generous, kind, loving people that I know, and I'm not
talking about just generous with your money, although you are,
but you're generous with your time, you're generous with your
compliments, you're generous with your affection. I'm so thankful. How'd that happen? That's God's
grace, God's grace in the heart. You're not going to be selfish
with what God gave you. What do you have you didn't receive?
God taught you that. He taught you everything you
have. He's given you and you're not selfish with it. I'm so thankful.
I know Johnny is. We've talked about it. So thankful.
And in this verse, there's three keys that will help us keep the
same loving, generous attitude. The first one is this. Everything
we have is what the Lord has given us. David says we're not
going to do this with what the Lord has given us. I didn't earn
it. It's not mine. It's his. He gave
it to me. I'm not going to be selfish with it. Secondly, the
only reason we're here is because the Lord preserved us. We didn't
go down there and win this great battle. The Lord preserved us.
And thirdly, we've never won a victory in our life. Not one.
But we're the victors in Christ who had delivered us. He delivered
the enemy into our hands and he delivered us today, to this
day. won't be selfish with what the Lord's given us. The Lord's
preserved us and he's delivered us. That'll keep us from this
attitude of these men of Belial. In verse 24, then said David,
ye shall not do so. Now who will hearken unto you
in this matter? Believers won't. But as his part
is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarry
by the stuff they shall part alike. And it was so from that
day forward. that he made it a statute and
an ordinance for Israel unto this day. Every believer has
the exact same inheritance. One's not going to receive a
finer crown or more crowns than another. One's not going to receive
a bigger, fancier mansion than another. We'll all receive a
crown, but not only a gold crown you put on your head, it's a
crown of righteousness. And that is the righteousness
of Christ. Well, no, that can't be improved
on. One can't have a better one than another, all perfect. We'll
all have the same dwelling place. We're not going to live on mansions
on the hill with the gates, you know, in the driveway to keep
everybody out. That's not talking about mansions. He's talking
about a dwelling place. And our dwelling place is going
to be a body, just like the body of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now
that dwelling place can't, that mansion cannot be, everybody's
going to receive a perfect dwelling place. And the thief on the cross,
the fellow like me, he never made it to the Brook Beesore,
is going to have the exact same wedding garment as the Apostle
Paul who went to the battle. He'll have the exact same wedding
garment as the Apostle Peter. That man went to the battle,
crucified upside down because he would not die in the same
manner that his Savior died. They'll have the exact same wedding
garment. They'll be the spotless, perfect
robe of righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now how foolish
is it to think that I'm going to have a better garment than
somebody else because I added my works to it? A man who says
that doesn't know anything about God's grace. Adding my works
to it would do nothing but ruin it. And people are so interested
in rewards in heaven. Now, I know everyone here has
heard this. The word rewards, plural, is never used in scripture
relating to a believer. I looked this up yesterday. The
word rewards, plural, in scripture is used five times, just five.
The first one talks about the rewards of diviners, the rewards
of those who talk to the dead and those who do satanic things.
They have rewards. The second one is the rewards
of the wicked. The wicked have rewards, plural.
The third one is the rewards of a harlot. Harlots have their
rewards, plural. And two other times, it's used
in the conversation between Belsazer and Daniel, where Belsazer offers
rewards to Daniel if he'll act as a diviner and interpret Belsazer's
dreams. And Daniel says, keep your rewards.
Give them to somebody else. I'll tell you what your dream
means anyway. All five times that's used regarding the wicked. The word reward, singular, is
in scripture relating to a believer. And here's the chief one. God
says, fear not, Abram, I am thy shield. And I am thy exceeding
great reward. And every believer has the exact
same reward And that reward is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the reward. That's what
our Lord taught. Those workers in that parable
went out in the field and worked eleven hours. At the end of the
day, they got the same penny as those who went out in the
field and worked one hour. Because salvation is all of grace, not
of works, lest any man should boast. And plenty of people enjoy
more spoils than they ever lost because of David's victory. David
not only gave back to every man what he lost, he also distributed
those spoils that he took from the enemy. You can read this
this afternoon, verses 26 through 31, how he sent this present,
and the word present there is blessing, he sent this blessing
to all these different cities. The believer's inheritance, and
we touched on this last week, is far greater than what we lost
in Adam. When the Lord Jesus Christ died,
he recovered everything we lost in Adam and more. In Ephesians
4 verse 8, I quoted this last week, he led captivity captive
and did what? Gave gifts unto men. And that's
what David does. He gives these gifts unto men. Everything we have in Christ
is greater than what we lost in Adam. Adam had a human righteousness. The believer has a divine righteousness,
made the righteousness of God in him. Adam, for a while, lived
in a state of innocence. The believer lives in a state
of grace. Adam had a righteousness, he had a holiness, he had a standing
before God, but now Adam can fall. The believer will never
fall, because he's able to keep you from falling. Adam saw some
of God's glory, he saw God's He saw the perfect creation without
sin. He saw glory in that. When Adam
was cast out of the garden, he saw something of God's ruling
authority. The believer sees God's greatest
glory, His sovereign mercy to sinners. In Isaiah 53, verse
12, it says, He shall divide the spoil with the strong. With
the strong. Eric, do you feel strong? I don't. I don't. Who are these strong? I'm left out. He's not going
to divide the spoil with me. Who's the strong? Remember last
week, David encouraged himself in the Lord. That word encouraging,
he made himself strong in the Lord. The Apostle Paul said,
I'm going to glory in my weaknesses and my infirmities because when
I'm weak, then am I strong in him, in the strength of Christ.
Those are the people that received the blessings. And when you read
these last verses this afternoon, there's a lot of cities in there
with names that are hard to pronounce. Read it like this when you read
it. David sent blessings. To those in Ashland, to those
in Piteville, to those in Danville, to those in Lexington, to those
in Cottageville, to those in Dingus, to those in Rocky Mount,
to those in Orlando, to those in Spring Lake, he sent all these
blessings In the very last verse there, to places where Christ
himself and his people are wont to haunt. You know where the
blessing's found? Where Christ is. Where his people
are. Because he's the blessing. He
is the blessing. And he gives that blessing equally
to all his people. Alright. The Lord bless you.