in the driveway and I made the
mistake of calling Joe to find out Patrick's number, the guy
that plows, and I looked out the window and Joe was out there. Don't. Turn with me to 1 Samuel chapter
17. Verse 28, 1 Samuel chapter 17. And Eliab, his eldest brother,
heard when he spake unto the men. And Eliab's anger was kindled
against David. And he said, why camest thou
down hither? And with whom has thou left those
few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride and the naughtiness
of thine heart, for thou art come down that thou mightest
see the battle. And David said, what have I done now? Is there
not a cause? Is there not a cause? Let's pray together. Lord, we come into your presence
in the name of thy son and Lord, how thankful we are that thou
art God and beside thee is none else. How thankful we are for
who you are. Lord, how thankful we are that
you've been pleased to save sinners. Lord, how we thank you for your
gospel. How we thank you for the blessings
of grace, the blessings of the forgiveness of sins. Lord, we
pray that you'd pour your spirit upon us. That we all might say
with David, is there not a cause? Bless us for the Lord's sake,
and Lord, be with all your people wherever they meet together.
Forgive us of our sins, give us grace to love you more, to
love one another more. And Lord, give us a true sense
of this cause that thy servant David spoke of. Bless us for
Christ's sake, in his name we pray, amen. Is there not a cause? I like
that statement, don't you? Is there not a cause? Is there
not a reason for zeal? Pray for me as I try to deal
with this subject. Somebody once said the gospel,
if true, is of infinite importance. If false, it's of no importance. But the one thing that cannot
be said of the gospel is it's of moderate importance. Now the same thing can be said
of zeal. Zeal for the cause of God. Zeal
for the cause of Christ. The gospel, if true, is worthy
of infinite zeal. If false, it's not worth any
zeal. But the one thing it can't be
is worthy of moderate zeal. Zeal. Zeal for the glory of God. Zeal for the honor of Christ. Now it's interesting that this
same word is also translated jealous. Zealous. is quite often translated jealous. That says a lot about what zeal
is, doesn't it? Jealous of God's glory, intolerant of that which
is contrary to him. Now, zeal will be misunderstood
and zeal will be judged harshly by those who have no zeal. They're always going to feel
like that person who is zealous and jealous is taking it too
far. When Christ took a whip and made
a whip and drove those people out of the temple, you know what
the scripture says about him? It says the zeal of thine house
hath eaten me up. He was filled with zeal for his
father's glory. Zeal for God comes from a knowledge
of God and a love for God. That's where this zeal comes
from. Turn with me for a moment to Psalm 139. Now we all know
that David was a man after God's own heart and David, he loved
the Lord. What greater combination can
you give us somebody than this, that they really love God. They love Christ. They, they
love him for who he is. They love all of his wonderful
attributes. Now look in Psalm 139. Listen
to these words of David. Verse 19. David says, Surely thou wilt
slay the wicked, O God. Depart from me therefore, ye
bloody men, for they speak against thee wickedly. This is what was
upsetting him. They speak against thee wickedly,
and thine enemies take thy name in vain. Do not I hate them,
O Lord, that hate thee? And am not I grieved with those
that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred. I count them mine enemies. Now that is the words of the
man after God's own heart. Now I want to ask you a question. Was he taking this too far? When
he said, do not I hate them that hate thee? Now we see it's not
talking about I hate them that hate me. That's wrong. That's
wrong under every respect. He says, I hate them that hate
thee. I'm grieved with those that rise
up against thee. Now, a dwarfish love and a tempered
zeal would say this is too extreme, but if you love God, You know
it's not when he makes this statement. This is his love for God that
he couldn't bear that anyone would misrepresent or slander
or malign his God or compromise his gospel. That's where this
zeal comes from. And I love it when David says
to Eliab, is there not a cause? Is there not a reason for zeal?
Now, who is Eliab? He's the one who criticized David,
but look in chapter 16. Verse seven, he was the oldest
son. Verse six. And it came to pass when they
were come, they looked on Eliab. Samuel looked on him and said,
surely the Lord's anointed is before him. He was impressed
with Eliab, but the Lord said unto Samuel, look not on his
countenance or on the height of his stature because I have
refused him. I have utterly rejected him,
is what the word means. I've found him to be disdainful. Now that's how he considered
this man Eliab. Now the other brothers, God said,
I've not chosen him. But of Eliab, he said, I've refused
him. I've rejected him. Now we see
something about Eliab's character in his treatment of David. Look
with me back again in chapter 17, verse 28. And Eliab his eldest brother
heard when he spake unto the men. Now go back up to verse
26. And David spake to the men that
stood by him saying, what should be done to this man that killeth
this Philistine and taketh away the reproach from Israel? Who
is this uncircumcised Philistine? Now remember this man was anywhere
between nine foot nine and 11 feet tall. He was a formidable
man and he was the champion of the Philistines. And you'll remember
the story of how if Israel had one man who could Defeat him,
Israel would win. If Goliath defeated the man that
fought him, the Philistines would win. This is the gospel. Salvation
by representative. That's what's seen here. And
David hears this man speak and defying Israel and he's filled
with indignation. He's upset because he loved the
Lord. He loved the God of Israel and
he was filled with indignation that this giant would defy Israel
and as such defy God is who he's defying. And this is what he
was upset with. He was just filled with anger
at this man because of his defiance. Well, let's go on reading verse
26. And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What
should be done to the man that killeth this Philistine and taketh
away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised
Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?
David wasn't afraid of him, was he? And it wasn't because of
David's confidence in himself, but he knew who the Lord was.
That's where his courage came from. He knew who the Lord was.
Verse 27, and the people answered to him after this manner saying,
so shall it be done to the man that killeth him. Now Eliab was
listening. And look what he said. And Eliab,
his eldest brother, heard when he spake unto the men. And Eliab's
anger was kindled against David. Now, Eliab felt totally justified. He thought, can you believe this
guy? What pride, what presumption.
I mean, he completely judged David in a wrong way. David was filled with zeal for
God's glory, and look how Eliab judged him. You want to find
out what judging is. Here's judging. David was seeking
the honor of the Lord, and Eliab said, He actually thought he
could see his motive. He said, I know your naughtiness
and the pride of your heart. You've just come down here to
see the battle. That's all you want. He judged
him so harshly when David was truly seeking the glory of God. Now, when a person is zealous
of God's glory, He or she will always have people judging them
harshly and accusing them of things that are not true. And Eliab was certainly doing
this, wasn't he? I mean, he was just, he was trashing
David altogether. And I was thinking about this.
You know, I'm not going to get too hard on Eliab because how
many times have you and I done the same thing? Judging people. Judging people harshly. judging
their motives, judging what was, I tell you, the most trouble
I've got myself into is when I've judged other people, which
is all the time. I mean, we shouldn't do it. We always do it. But this
thing of judging, now judging, This is what Eliab was doing.
And remember, judging does not mean you don't have an opinion
about what's right and wrong. We do. We know what the Bible
says. And there's certain conduct people
have that if it's contrary to scriptures, we know it's wrong. If your child is caught with
drugs, and you say, well, you're going to be punished for that.
And they say, judge not. That wouldn't work, would it?
That wouldn't work at all. No, I mean, we have certain things
that we know are right and wrong, but judging is some kind of,
I wouldn't have done that. I'm better than that. I wouldn't
have let that happen to me. That's what judging is. It's
a feeling of moral superiority. Turn with me to Romans 2 for
just a moment, and this is where Eliab failed, this is where I
failed, and while you're turning there, You know, the Lord said,
judge not that you be not judged. He said that. Now, does that
mean if I judge somebody, God's gonna judge me and send me to
hell? Well, if I'm outside of Christ, yes, yes. But the fact
of the matter is, if God's gonna send me to hell
for me judging, It's over for me. You and I judge so much. When the Lord says, judge not
that you be not judged. If you're judgmental towards
somebody, they're going to be critical of you. They're going
to criticize you. They're going to tear you apart.
They're going to see every fault you have. If somebody judges
you and you feel like you're under their microscope and they're
judging you and judging your motives and judging what you're
doing, you're going to see every fault they have. You're going
to be critical of them. This thing of judging can be
so destructive. And it was with a lion. He was
looking at David, and David was filled with a zeal for God's
glory, and he was criticizing him for it. He was saying, you've
got a wrong motive. I know the pride and naughtiness
of your heart. Well, I ask you to turn to Romans
chapter 2. Let me get there. Get my glasses
back on so I can see what I'm doing. Verse 1. Therefore, thou art inexcusable,
O man, whosoever thou art that judgest. For wherein thou judgest
another, I don't care what it is you're judging for, you condemn
yourself, for you that judge do the same things. I tell you what, what did he
say about that? Anytime I judge you, I'm playing the hypocrite. I'm playing the hypocrite. Anytime I judge you, anytime
you judge me, you're playing the hypocrite. That's what Paul
tells us, isn't it? Thou art inexcusable, O man,
whosoever thou art that judges another. What you're judging
them for, you do the same things. Now, can you say amen to that?
Do you believe that about yourself? I do right now, anyway. Now,
when I start judging somebody, I probably don't. Right now,
I feel that way, though. I think, how can I judge anybody? But
I'll go right out, and we're a mess, aren't we? Well, back to our text in 1 Samuel
17. Well, it's a great chapter, isn't it?
We've been in it five or six weeks, and we've got a few more
weeks to go, and I'm excited about it. Now hear David's response to
Eliab. And David said, what have I now
done? I think it's interesting the
way he says this. Evidently, he knew, here we go again, Liab. You're getting on me again. What
have I done now? What have I done now? I mean,
come on. Really? That's what he says when he says
this. What have I now done? I mean, he'd experienced this
before. And then he makes this statement. Is there not a cause? Is there not a reason for zeal? Is there not a reason for indignation? He's defying the armies of the
living God. Is there not a cause? Now, if you love somebody, you're
not going to stay silent when they're misrepresented, when
they're maligned, when they're slandered, And if you love the
Lord, if I love the Lord most especially, we'll find it intolerable
if somebody misrepresents Him and His gospel is compromised. We will find that intolerable.
And if I can tolerate it, what's it say about me? It says I don't
really love Him. Is there not a cause? In our text, there's so much
we could say about, is there not a cause, a reason for zeal,
a reason for intoleration of that which is contrary to the
gospel of God's grace. Is there not a cause? There's
so much we can say about this, but there's so much in this text.
So let's just look at exactly what he says. Look in verse 46. This is when he comes at Goliath.
He says, this day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand.
And I will smite thee and take thy head from thee. And I'll
give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines this day into
the fowls of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth. And
here's my reason. Here's the cause that all the
earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Is there not a cause? Don't you
want people to know that God is God? And you want them to
know Him. This isn't about you wanting,
I want all these people to be consented. No, I want people
to know that God is God. You know, when somebody worships
God for who He is, you love them, don't you? I mean, that's your
friend. And we really, I want everybody in Lexington, Kentucky
and everybody in the world to know that God is God, that He
rules, that He's in control, that He's the God of Israel,
He's the God of His people, He's the God of those for whom Christ
died, He's the God of all who worship Christ. God is God and
we want the world to know that God is God. Isn't that a cause? I mean, the
people you work with, don't you want them to know that God is
God? Your boss, don't you want your boss to know that God is
God? The people that work under you,
your spouse. Oh, you certainly want your spouse
to know that God is God. You want your children to know
that God is God. You want to know that God is
God. Is there not a cause? Is there not a reason? Eliab
is speaking so harshly to David, and he said, is there not a cause?
Look in verse 47. And all this assembly shall know
that the Lord saveth, not with sword or spear. And I love the
way David didn't even use a sword or spear. You remember when Saul
tried to give him his armor. He said, I'm not taking this.
It's not been proved. And then he picked him up five
smooth stones out of the brook. And somebody says, why five? The five points? I don't think
so. Don't think so. But there's a reason for five. We'll consider that probably
next week. But he picked out five. He didn't have a sword
and a spear and armor. And I love to think of him coming
running at that giant. That giant says, come. Am I a
dog that you'd send a youth like this at me? He said, I'm going
to kill you. And David comes running at him
with that sling and all the things he says. He's going to teach
us that the Lord doesn't save a sword or spear. The battle
is the Lord's. Look, verse 47. And all this
assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and
spear, for the battle is the Lord's and he'll give you into
our hands. Now, he wanted all the people
to know that salvation is not by works. Don't you want people
to know that? I want everybody to know. Is
there not a cause? I want everybody around me to
know that salvation is not by works. It's not dependent upon
anything you or I do. What a cause! What a cause to
cry out, salvation is of the Lord. Salvation is by grace. That's our cause for being here,
to tell this world that salvation is not by works. Everybody believes
in salvation by works. Everybody does. And our cause
is to say, no, salvation is of the Lord. The battle is the Lord's. It's not won by human effort
or human works or human industry. The battle is the Lord's. Salvation
is of the Lord. Oh, is there not a cause for
us to make this message known to everybody we can? Is there
not a cause? Oh, Marvin Stonerger made a painting,
he's an artist, and one of his paintings at Solarwell is Ladies
of the Cause. It was in the civil war, you
know, they were ladies of the cause, you know, well, don't
you want to be people of this cause? Oh, I want this to be, I want
to be a, I want to be just with David. Is there not a cause look
back at verse 26. And David spake to the men that
stood by him, saying, what should be done to this man that killeth
the Philistine and taketh away the reproach from Israel? Now here's the cause, to have
the reproach taken away from Israel. And the only way my reproach
will be taken away is if Goliath is killed. The only way my reproach will
be taken away is if the Lord is killed and takes away my reproach
and takes away my sin. But here's the glorious thought.
The reproach has been taken away for every believer. Now isn't
that a cause? That the reproach of Israel might
be taken away. You know, in preaching the gospel, we're preaching in
such a way as the reproach of Israel, of every believer, is
taken away. My sin, he was manifested to
take away our sins. That's my reproach. He was manifested
to take away our sins and in him is no sin. The reproach has been taken away.
Now, did David know at this time that he was a type of Christ
in defeating Goliath? You know, I wouldn't say he didn't.
Turn with me to the book of Acts for a moment, Acts chapter two. You see, David knew the Lord
Jesus Christ. when he did this. Don't you love when David said,
the Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou at my right hand till I
make thy foes thy footstool. The Lord, the Father said to
my Lord, the Son. He knew the Lord Jesus Christ,
just like you and I do. More, more. But look what he
says in Acts chapter two during this sermon on Pentecost, verse
25. For David speaketh concerning
him. I foresaw the Lord always before
my face, for he is on my right hand that I should not be moved.
Now David was speaking of him, he knew it. Therefore did my
heart rejoice and my tongue was glad. Moreover also my flesh
shall rest in hope because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell,
neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption. Thou
hast made known to me the ways of life. Thou shalt make me full
of joy with thy countenance. Now that's Christ speaking, isn't
it? He's the one. God wouldn't leave his soul in
hell. He never saw corruption. He never saw decay. Now let's
go on reading. Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you
of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and
his sepulcher is with us unto this day, therefore being a prophet
and knowing. that God had sworn with an oath
to him that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh,
he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne. He seeing this
before spake of the resurrection of Christ. David knew exactly
what he was saying when he was saying those prophetic statements
concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. So why would I doubt that he
didn't know that he was a type of Christ at this time? I believe
he did know. He is the one that was going
to take away the reproach from Israel. Now, you think of the
Lord Jesus Christ saying with David, is there not a cause? Is there not a cause? His cause
was obedience to his father. His cause was the glory of his
father. Everything he did, he did for
the glory of his father. And his cause was to remove my
reproach, to remove the reproach of Israel. And that's such a
glorious thing to think about because my sin, what a reproach,
what a reproach, but he removed it. And so now, right now, while
I'm talking to you, I don't have anything to feel guilty about,
because I do not have any sin. It was removed by my great David,
the son of David. Now, is there not a cause? You know, every believer, without
exception, wants to live a life and have conduct that honors
Jesus Christ. Every one of them. None of them
are indifferent about their conduct and the way they are. And here's why. They've got a
cause. I want to honor the Lord Jesus
Christ. I want to honor Him. That's it. Is there not a cause? Is he not worthy of this great
cause that every believer has? Is there not a cause? May we
be like David. Is there not a cause? Yes, there
is. May we be people of the cause. Okay.