Hello again. I always heard that if you had a mule that was willing to work, work him all you could. And I don't know if I qualify as a mule. Maybe another term would be better. I see most of you got that, so you know what I'm talking about. Would you turn with me to the Old Testament book of 1 Samuel chapter 28? I titled this message, God's Roadblocks. God's Roadblocks. 1 Samuel chapter 28.

I'll give you a moment to get there and while you're turning, Let me say that when I look back on my life, I see the divine intervention of God so many ways. I didn't know it at the time, and then I thought it was other factors, circumstances that were directing life's course. But now, by God's grace, I see that it was God. It was His grace omnipotent, His sovereign mercy, Providential work, opening and closing doors to bring me exactly where He intended me to be and doing precisely what He intended me to do. That's the case with all God's chosen people. In my life, God's opened many doors. But He's also put in place many roadblocks. And that's what we have before us here in 1 Samuel chapter 29. It's a roadblock by God. God's roadblocks. And let me tell you what you already know. That's what we do in preaching. We just report what you already know, a believer.

God divinely intervenes sometimes with open doors and sometimes with shut ones. And when God blocks the road, that road's blocked. The child of God thanks Him for open doors, and they also thank Him for His roadblocks. And those roadblocks are on purpose, and therefore are good. I tried to say a moment ago, sometimes God intentionally stops forward motion. God blocks roads that would damage us, harm us. God blocks roads to keep us from being what we shouldn't be and doing what we shouldn't do. And I'm so glad that God has roadblocks, aren't you? God blocks roads when our desires get ahead of our discernment.

And you know, you can be sincere and be sincerely wrong. When God's chosen people rebel, rebellion outruns their obedience to Him, God very, very often applies the brakes. I don't see them so much anymore, but when I was younger, I used to see these license plates that people hung on the front of their car or truck that said, God is my co-pilot. You remember those? You're telling your age, probably.

God is not our co-pilot. And God's in the driver's seat. He controls the pedals. We're not his co-pilot either. And when the way forward closes, men usually begin to manipulate, and they begin to complain, and they begin to retreat, or they wait. But waiting is always the hardest thing for us because it strips us of any control. We want something to happen. We want it to happen right now most of the time. God blocks roads to force dependence. God blocks roads to redirect, not to end. God rarely blocks roads without rerouting. Your road ever been rerouted by God? I'm sure it has.

You know, God stopped Abraham from sacrificing Isaac, and it was then that God provided the substitute. In Numbers chapter 22, God blocked Balaam with an angel and Balaam thought the donkey was the problem. God blocked the road to show Balaam that he was the problem. At the Red Sea, Israel had no way forward.

I think it was Gabe that mentioned it. It may have been Clay. But they had their enemy behind them. They had the Red Sea, nothing but water in front of them. Total roadblock. What did Moses say? Just what Gabe told us. Stand still. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. Why? Because they had and must learn to trust God alone. God roadblocked Jonah with a storm and a fish.

A blocked road exposes who you really trust. A blocked road forces dependence, not despair. A blocked road today may be the reason you're not ruined tomorrow. Paul headed to Damascus to persecute believers and God set up a roadblock. And he shut him down. And he became the apostle that God greatly used. I'm thankful for God's roadblocks. Has God ever set a roadblock for you? In this story, God sets a roadblock for David.

David, if you remember, was living among the Philistines. anointed king by the prophet, but he's not yet king, and he's being pursued by Saul, who was out to kill him. And he's living among the Philistines. He's pledging allegiance to their king. And here in 1 Samuel 28, verse 1, look at it with me.

And it came to pass, in those days that the Philistines gathered their armies together for warfare to fight with Israel. And Achish, the Philistine king, said unto David, Know thou assuredly that thou shalt go with me to battle thou and thy men. And David said to Achish, look at this, Surely thou shalt know what thy servant can do. And Achish said to David, Therefore will I make thee keeper of mine head forever. David's marching with the Philistines against his own people.

Now is this the same man who's a man after God's own heart? Is this the same David that the prophet anointed the future king of Israel? Is this David, Israel's sweet psalmist? Is this David who had defeated Goliath and said, who is this uncircumcised Philistine that defies the armies of the living God? Is this David who would not allow these same Philistines to defy his God? Is David just pretending here? Or is David going along to get along? Where does his true devotion lie? Has David, in his fear, fallen this far? Let me just say this, it's not above any of us to do so. Now, I want you to look in chapter 29, let's pick up there in verse 1.

Now the Philistines gathered together all the armies to Aphek and the Israelites pitched by a fountain which is in Jezreel. And the lords of the Philistines passed by by hundreds and by thousands, but David and his men passed on in the rearward with Achish.

And then said the princes of the Philistines, What do these Hebrews hear? And Achish said unto the princes of the Philistine, Is not this David the servant of Saul, the king of Israel? which hath been with me these days, or these years, and I have found no fault in him, since he fell unto me unto this day. And the princes of the Philistines were wroth with him, that's being Achish. And the princes of the Philistines said unto him, Make this fellow return, that he may go again to his place, which thou hast appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he be an adversary to us, he turn against us.

For wherewith should he reconcile himself unto his master, should it not be with the heads of these men? Is not this David, of whom they sang one to another in dances, saying, Saul slew his thousands, and David his ten thousands? called David, and he said unto him, Surely as the Lord liveth, thou hast been upright, and thy going out, and thy coming in with me, and the host is good in my sight.

For I have not found evil in thee since the day of thy coming unto me, unto this day. Nevertheless, the Lord's favored thee not. Wherefore, now return, and go in peace, that thou displease not the lords of the Philistines. And look at verse 8, And David said unto Achish, But what have I done?

And what hast thou found in thy servant? He calls himself, this Philistine king calls himself a servant. He says that I may not go fight against the enemies of my lord the king. His own people, he calls them enemies. And Achish answered and said unto David, verse 9, I know that thou art good in my sight as an angel of God, notwithstanding the princes of the Philistines have said, he shall not go up with us to battle, wherefore now rise up early in the morning with thy master's servants that are come with thee. And as soon as you be up early in the morning and have light, depart. So David and his men rose up early to depart in the morning to return into the land of the Philistines And the Philistines went on up to Jezreel to fight against Israel. As I said a moment ago, David, who had years before slain Goliath, David who God had chosen to be king, David who was known as a servant of Jehovah, David who was not long before a sworn enemy to the Philistines, now all of a sudden says to their king, I want to stay with you and fight against Israel.

Now, what are we to conclude here? If we had not known the things about David that we knew beforehand, would we really believe that David was a man after God's own heart? Would we believe that David was God's true, anointed, and appointed future king? Was he for Israel? Or was he against Israel? And honestly, I would have been suspicious of David too. And friends, let me say this, if God removed his hand from us for one second, We would like David to be capable of doing the most horrific things.

Man at his best state is but a man. Sinful, nothing but vanity. That's what the psalmist himself said. Man at his best state is what? Altogether vanity. And I would conclude from David's actions that He was not what I would have originally thought him to be. And with that thought in mind, I want to say may God be pleased to keep his hand upon us or we too would put ourselves into question and under suspicion.

Now, as the lords, the military leaders of the Philistines traveled by the hundreds and thousands, David and his band of men pressed on the rear guard with this King Achish. And Achish, the king, he traveled the back roads. You know, the king went up on the front lines. And David was with him, kind of like a personal bodyguard. War was about to take place with Israel, God's chosen nation. David's own people. And David and his men were right there in the mix. So would David really have fought against Israel?

Now, you know, all the commentators that I read, everyone that I could read on this, said that he wouldn't have. But that's not what the Scriptures here suggest. Because these princes of the Philistines became angry with Achish over David being there with them and not trusting him, telling him to make David and his men get on back to where they were in Ziklag.

And God providentially, let me say that again, God providentially causes Achish to do so. And David and his men go back. But David, before he goes, asks why. He said, I want to be with my Lord the King. He implies that he wants to fight against his own people. He seems to be wholeheartedly with the Philistines.

And there's nothing, now listen, there's nothing that any of us, by nature, wouldn't do if God leave us to ourselves. What a humbling thought that is. What a terrifying thought that is. If God, leave me to myself. I remember one time being in a service and an aged saint who'd been walking with the Lord, one time when he stood up to pray, he said, Lord, deliver me from myself. I pray that often now. Don't leave us to ourselves. Deliver me from ourself. Ourself. Deliver us from ourself.

And anyone who would say that a believer wouldn't do what David here is doing still doesn't fathom the depravity of their own nature. You know, I've often said, I've got many dear friends like you that are fellow believers and I often say, you know, the one thing that you and I would disagree on is who's the worst sinner. Isn't that true? No, brother, I'm the worst. No, no, I am. That's what we disagree on, who was the worst between us. There's no sin. I qualify that no sin. that you and I wouldn't commit apart from the restraining grace of God.

And remember that David's here in a dark place. He thought in chapter 27 that it would be nothing better for him to escape to the land of the Philistines, the future king of Israel. For 16 months, David dwelt in this land and served the king who worshipped Dagon and never a fish god. with a people who hated Jehovah and was in the midst of idolatry and he never said a word. Now on this day, David says, I'm with you, I'm going to fight against your enemies because you're my Lord and you're my king. So what should we conclude about David?

The same that I would conclude about you and I. Prone to wonder. prone to leave the God I love." Now the other Philistine lords thought that David might turn on them, they didn't trust him, but it's here that we see one of the most beautiful displays, and I pray that the Lord enable us to see it, one of the most beautiful displays of God's wonderful providence, His Divine intervention in preventing David from committing this awful sin against God and against Israel.

It's a divine roadblock. And it's God who intervened in the hearts and minds. Now think about this. It's God who intervened in the hearts and minds of these Philistine soldiers who did not want David fighting with them. God did that. God does not speak in this chapter. You don't find anywhere in this chapter where God says anything. There's no prophet, there's no angel that speaks or intervenes. God simply causes and uses the suspicion and the objections of unbelievers to accomplish His will.

Going back to what we said in the beginning, sometimes God saves through a closed door, and sometimes God saves through a denied opportunity, and sometimes God saves through the resistance of others, and sometimes God's deliverance can feel like rejection. David sent away. That was humiliating to him. But it was a rescue. It was a divine roadblock. It was God's roadblock.

So David rises early and leaves, no argument, no protest, and the chapter ends quietly. But God has just saved David from a great sin. You know, later on in 2 Samuel, you find that this was the same battle that Saul and Jonathan were killed in. Can you imagine? As much as the way he loved Jonathan and had respect for Saul, and he would have been right there with him. What kept him from doing so?

God's roadblock. Now I want to just give you four quick things that we can learn by if God enabled us. First, God is faithful even when His servants are not. Here, David's not seeking God. We don't find anywhere where he sought God during that whole 16 months he's in the land of the Philistines. But God is caring for David regardless.

Why? Because he's God's chosen. Grace does not wait for perfection. Aren't you glad about that? Grace intervenes to prevent destruction. God's faithful when His servants are not. Secondly, God often delivers through divine roadblocks. And as I said, we love open doors. And by grace, we learn to love closed ones too.

You ever ask God for something and then you're sitting there looking at your watch like, If David would have had his way, he would have ruined himself. God's roadblock was protection for him. This should give us some needed understanding to the words of Solomon who said, there's a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. We need divine intervention. We need God's roadblocks. Human judgment, self-directed paths, they're unreliable and they lead to destruction.

Have you ever had to cancel a vacation? Have you ever been delayed in traffic? How'd you feel about it? Have you ever been upset because a certain event was postponed and might have been a much-needed intervention? I remember someone telling me one time that, you know, they got delayed on a trip and then, you know, was upset and threw them hours behind their schedule and found out later that right up the road, you know, there'd been a horrible crash and people killed.

Maybe God delayed your trip for something like that. That's a divine roadblock. And no matter, I'm telling you, no matter how Righteous or logical man's choice seems, if it's made apart from God's sovereign guidance, it most definitely can end in spiritual death.

As Marvin said in the beginning, this is serious business. We're not just playing church. We're not just checking boxes. This is serious, serious stuff. Matter of life and death. You and me and every child of God needs Christ. Our natural understanding is flawed. We're prone to trust in our own wisdom. We're inclined to trust in our own righteousness. But God reveals that these things to be insufficient. There's a way that seems right to us. And we seem bound and determined to have our way. But the end thereof is oftentimes a way of death, a way of destruction. Isn't that what Paul warned us of in Romans chapter 3?

He says, as it is written, there's none righteous, no, not one. There's none that understandeth. There's none that seeketh after God. They're all gone out of the way. They're all together become unprofitable. There's none that doeth good, no, not one. I want God directing my path, not me. I'm my own worst enemy. Salvation is in and by and through Christ. Salvation is repentance and reliance upon God alone. Salvation calls for humility, a turning from self-dependence. Thirdly, God can use unlikely means to accomplish His will.

Here it was through Philistine commanders. Those that hated God. Here it was by pagan rulers. Here it was through enemy suspicion. What about Pharaoh? God used Pharaoh's stubbornness and hard heart and his pride to demonstrate His power, God's power, and deliver Israel from slavery. And even though Pharaoh was ungodly, God used his hardened opposition to accomplish salvation for his people. You remember what Joseph told his brothers? He said, you meant this for evil, but God meant it for good.

Nebuchadnezzar, remember old Nebi? Nebuchadnezzar was a pagan king. He was prideful. often a cruel man, and God used him to discipline Israel through exile and also to reveal God's power and God's sovereignty in all things through events like the fiery furnace and Nebuchadnezzar's own humbling. Nebuchadnezzar went out on his palace patio one day and he said, look at what I've done. Ain't I something? God said, no, you're not. You're not anything. You're nothing. And made him as a beast of the field. My God uses ungodly rulers to accomplish His will, even in correction and salvation.

What about Cyrus? Remember Cyrus, the Persian king? Cyrus was a Gentile king who did not worship the God of Israel. God called him His anointed. to decree the release of the Jews from Babylonian exile. And through Cyrus, God allowed the temple to be rebuilt and His people restored.

Now listen, God can use someone who doesn't even know Him to fulfill His purpose and His promises and save His people. That's the God with whom we have to do. Judas Iscariot. He was the treasurer. He was probably the most trusted among all the disciples, and yet he betrayed the Lord for money. His actions set in motion the events that led to our Lord's crucifixion, which was necessary for the salvation of God's elect.

Even betrayal and even evil intentions can serve God's redemptive purpose. What's often meant for evil, God makes it for good. God's sovereignty is never ever limited by human morality. God takes the plans and the pride and evil intentions of the most ungodly and redirects Them to bring about salvation and justice for His people. Isn't that something? What a God. What a God. Aren't you glad that God's on His throne? Aren't you glad that God is sovereign?

And then lastly, silence from God does not mean absence from God. Nope, God never speaks in this chapter, as I said, but He's active in every single verse. When we don't hear Him, it doesn't mean that He's left us. He was with David here every step of the way, and David didn't even know it. He'll never leave us nor forsake us. Never. So what is the gospel connection to this chapter? If we don't see that, then we've just wasted our time.

David is spared from shedding innocent blood. Later, the Lord Jesus would not be spared. David was sent away from battle. Christ, our Lord, met the battle head on. Concerning David, the commanders objected. In the case of Christ, the commanders persisted. With David, the door was closed by God. With Christ, God opened the door wide. David was given escape. No escape was given for the Lord Jesus, the spotless Lamb of God. David's removed from danger. Christ was sent to the cross.

Why? So those who deserve divine judgment, wrath, condemnation, receive mercy. Boy, we take that word substitution for granted. That should have been me on the cross. That should have been God exacting His wrath and His judgment and condemnation upon me for my sin. But Christ went there for me. David's deliverance points to the great deliverer. We've got a great deliverer. Our Lord is one who does not avoid the fight. As Gabe said earlier, Christ fights our battles. He wins the fight through the shedding of His own blood.

You know, we need to stop calling every closed door a setback. Well, it was just a little setback. You know, no, no, no. Some of them, most of them are rescues. A lot of times God delivered us from ourselves. Sometimes God plants roadblocks and closes doors that we would foolishly walk through. But in and by and through his sovereign grace and divine intervention, God refuses to let us go any further. Kept. Kept by the power of God. What a thought. Thank God for his roadblocks. And thank God for his open doors. Christ is the door that leads to life. And He's the way, He's the truth, and He is the life. And listen, no sinner comes to God but by Him. Amen.