in our Bibles to 1 Samuel chapter
20. One of the first things that
we read and learn about David is that he was a man after God's
own heart. The prophet Samuel told that
to Saul, the king, when he informed him that he was being replaced
as the king of Israel. But now, in the chapters that
we've looked at and are looking at again this evening, we see
that David also was a man of great trouble. A man after God's
own heart, and a man with great troubles. You know, some people think that's
incompatible, that the same person could be a favorite of heaven,
as David was, a man after God's own heart, and at the same time,
a man who experienced many troubles in this world. We know the same
thing is true of the Lord Jesus Christ, because he too was a
man, we might say, a man after God's own heart. He's the only
man that God ever testified from heaven and declared With him,
he was well-pleased, but at the same time, we know that he was
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. A man after God's
own heart, same man who knew many troubles. You know, Satan,
our enemy, he uses this sometimes to harass God's children, to
cause us to doubt our relationship to the Lord. Sometimes he will
insinuate, well, there's no way you could be a child of God and
experience the troubles that you're going through. But we
must learn, all of us, as we grow in grace and knowledge of
the Lord Jesus Christ, we must learn to trust in God's infinite
wisdom, his infinite wisdom that God has us tonight and every
day in the very place that he sees best for us. And that's
always true. And we must learn to recognize
and to trust in his infinite wisdom in directing and ordering
our steps. That is every child of God. He orders our steps for us on
our way to glory for his own glory. And we must learn to rest
in his providence, his providence, and believe in his word. Believe the many promises that
he has given us. Now last time we saw David fled
from Saul's javelin. You remember David was playing
the harp and Saul took his javelin and tossed it or threw it at
David, hoping to pin him to the wall. And then, of course, Saul
pursued David. If you notice the last two verses
of chapter 19, Saul had sent messengers to kill David, to
destroy him, and that didn't work out because God caused the
messengers to begin to prophesy with the prophets there. And
so Saul goes himself, comes himself, And he begins to prophesy. And we see that in verses 23
and 24. And he went thither to Naorath
in Ramah, and the Spirit of God was upon him also, that is, Saul. And he went on and prophesied
until he came to Naorath in Ramah. And he stripped off his clothes
also and prophesied. And notice this especially, he
prophesied before Samuel in like manner and lay down naked all
that day and all that night. Wherefore they say, Esau also
among the prophets. Now that's not, this is not the
first time this had happened to Esau. We know when he was
first anointed to be king, he had a similar experience. He failed at prophesying. But
the point I wanted to make here is that he did so before Samuel. And so we may assume that Samuel
conversed with Saul at this time and I assume that Saul promised,
because he had done so before, maybe he promised the prophet
Samuel that he would not harm David. He would not do him any
harm. He had said that before, remember?
Made a vow in God's name that he would not harm David, he would
not kill David. But that's when he tried to kill
him with that javelin. But the reason I say that is
because this chapter we're looking at tonight, it opens up with
David going back. He had fled from the palace,
the place where Saul resided. He had fled Samuel and Ramoth,
but now we see he goes back. And he was convinced, now David
was convinced, that Saul was going to kill him. He was going
to do his very best, his dead-level best, to kill him. But Jonathan,
as we read in this chapter, Jonathan, Saul's son, and he was also David's
friend, he didn't believe that about his father. He told David,
no, he's not going to kill you. He wouldn't do anything unless
he first showed it to me. And David, he was convinced Saul
would try to kill him, and Jonathan was convinced that his father
wouldn't do that. And so when they meet, they devise
a scheme or a plan, if you please, where they would find out Jonathan
David would not be where he should be in his place for a meal, a
sacrifice. And by that, by Saul's reaction
to that, Jonathan would find out if his father really was
going to try to kill David. And they had a way that they
would make that known, a way that Jonathan would make that
known to David. If you look in verse 31 here
in chapter 20, this is when Jonathan realized,
yes, his father, Saul, he was intent on killing David. And
Saul speaks here and says, for as long as the son of Jesse liveth
upon the ground, that is, David, as long as he liveth upon the
ground, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore, now
send and fetch him unto me, for he shall surely die. So Jonathan finds out, yes, David
was right. His father, the king, was intent
on killing him. And you know they had devised
a plan whereby Jonathan would take a young boy out with him,
and he would shoot the heiress, and when the boy went to recover
the heiress, if Jonathan cried out, no, they're further on,
they're a little bit further on, the heiress is a little bit
further than where you are, then that would tell David, yes, it's
right, my father is going to kill you. And so Jonathan shot
the heiress, and the lad went to fetch his heiress, and Jonathan
said, no, further on, further on. But then they met, they met. And you see in verse 42 that
David now flees again, verse 42. And Jonathan said to David,
go in peace. For as much as we have sworn,
both of us in the name of the Lord, saying, the Lord be between
me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed forever. And he
arose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city. I trust that everyone is familiar
with this chapter that I've just briefly gone over here tonight. But what I want to do, I want
us to look at three sayings. As I read through this chapter,
there's much that we could speak about, but I want to take three
sayings of David, that's the title of the message, three sayings
of David, that we find here in this chapter and make a few comments
upon them. First, David's saying in verse
three. And David swore moreover and
said, thy father certainly knoweth that I have found grace in thine
eyes, and he saith, let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved,
but truly, now here's the saying, truly, as I so liveth, there
is but a step between me and death. That's the saying, the
first saying I want us to think about. There is but a step between
me and death. There are three things that that
saying tells us. First of all, this expression
speaks again of the sharpness, the brevity of our life in this
world. There's just, how long does it
take to take a step? Not very long. Not very long,
right? And David says, there's just
a step between me and death. This is just another one of the
many times in the scripture, you're familiar with many of
them I know, where God shows us how quickly our life passes
in this world. I suppose the one that is best
known is the one in the letter of James, where the apostle tells
us that our life is but a vapor. of April, it appears for a little
time, and then it vanishes away. But we know there are many other
examples that God uses metaphors that God uses in the scripture,
to tell us to remind us to convince us that our time in this world
is really short, really short. I think about the post That's
one way that God shows the post. We think of the postman. I always
think of the Pony Express riders. You know, we used to say in the
old Westerns how they would ride a horse to one station, they'd
jump off of that horse and onto another one and go on to the
next station. They were carrying the mail.
And God uses the post. to show us how brief our life
is in this world. The weaver's beam. Have you ever
seen a man weaving material and working that thing they use,
whatever it's called? I mean, he just pulls down and
then he puts another string through there and pulls down. It's amazing
to watch him work, but it's fast. It's fast. And that's the way
our life is in this world. Now, when you look forward, if
you look, say, something's going to happen, you're looking forward
to something that will happen to you in two years. That seems
like that. That's a long time. That's a
long time, two years. But if you look back at something
that happened two years ago, that just seemed like yesterday. And you can't hardly imagine
it's been that long since something took place, our life. There's
just a step, David said, between me and death. So first of all,
it shows us again the brevity of life. Second, this expression
speaks of the uncertainty, the uncertainty of our lives in this
world. How many people do you imagine
tonight, if you just stop for a second, how many people in
this world do you imagine got up this morning and left their
houses and they were convinced, they were sure, I'll be back
home tonight, I'll be eating supper tonight at my table with
my family, or something like that, who didn't make it back. They didn't make it back. the
uncertainty of life in this world. They'll never return. The writer
of Ecclesiastes speaks to us about that, doesn't he? How that
we're in our place and then our place is empty. And a third thing
that this expression reminds us of is the many ways The many
ways that a man's life may end in this world. You know, there's
so many diseases, and they just keep coming up with more. Just
keep coming up with new discoveries of new diseases. And I was thinking
the other day about cancer. In all of my life, they've been
searching for cures, haven't they? Searching for a cure for
cancer. And they've got some treatments,
and for certain types of cancer, I know they've made great advancements. But how many different diseases
are we liable to as human beings in this world? There's just a
step between us and death. Our life is short, it's uncertain,
and there's so many different ways that we may end our lives
in this world. Well, seeing those things are
true, what should we learn from the scriptures? Saying that there
is but a step between me and death? Well, first of all, we
should settle it in our hearts that we're ready. Yes, there's
just a step between me and death, between you and death. Are you
ready? Are you ready tonight? Am I ready
tonight? If the Lord should say, that's
it. That's it, your life is over in this world. You know, there's
a, in Luke chapter two, we read when the Lord Jesus Christ is
about six weeks of age, I believe, when Mary and Joseph carried
him to the temple, we read of two people who were in the temple
that day, and both of them were older individuals. One was named
Simeon and one was named Anna. And Simeon, God had revealed
unto him that he would see the Messiah before he died. And when
they brought the baby, Jesus, in that day, he took him up in
his arms, in his hands, and this is what he said. He prayed unto
the Lord, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace according
to thy word. Now listen, for mine eyes have
seen thy salvation. Mine eyes have seen, where did
he see God's salvation? He saw God's salvation in Jesus
Christ. He is our salvation. There is
none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must
be saved. So seeing that there is but a
step between us and death, we should be ready. We should be
ready. We should be ready at any time
the Lord might call us. When is a person ready? when
he knows Christ as his Lord and Savior. Well, here's another
saying I wanted to speak a few words on in verse five. Verse
five, this is another saying of David. And David said unto
Jonathan, behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I should not
fail to sit with the king at me. Now, this saying, behold,
tomorrow is the new moon, Now that's the first time, the first
time in scripture that we have these two words, the new moon,
new moon. It's the first time in scripture.
It's actually found 10 times. Now the word, this is what's
interesting, the word which is the translated moon, it's found
almost 300 times in the Old Testament, the Hebrew word. The majority,
almost all of those times, it is translated month. The month,
the month. If you look back in Leviticus
with me, in this chapter God gave the commandments concerning
the various feasts that Israel was to celebrate in chapter 23. If we look down to verse 23,
and the Lord spake unto Moses saying, speak unto the children
of Israel saying, in the seventh month, in the first day of the
month. Now this is when it was the new
moon. David said tomorrow is the new
moon. It would be the first day of
the civil year of Israel. The new year's day, as we would
say. The first day of the 10th month,
the 7th month, shall you have a Sabbath, and notice, a memorial
of blowing of trumpets and a holy convocation. In other words,
they'd gather together on this day and they would be blowing
the trumpets. You shall do no servile work
therein. but you shall offer an offering
made by fire unto the Lord. This was one of the feasts of
the Israelites that they were commanded to observe, a new moon,
the first day of the new year. And it was a time when they would
blow the trumpets as well as make an offering by fire unto
the Lord. From what I read, there are so
many different suggestions, because it is a memorial. This was a
memorial. What were they remembering? What were they remembering? What
did this feast cause them to remember by the blowing of these
trumpets? Well, there's a lot of different
suggestions. One suggestion is, this is the
day when Abraham took Isaac up on the mountain to offer him
as a sacrifice, remember, in obedience to the Lord's command.
And then he saw that ram caught in the thicket. Well, some say,
well, this is to commemorate that day. But of all of the ones
that I read, I liked the one John Gill gives, and I want to
give that to us. As this was New Year's Day, it
was a New Year's Day, this ceremony seems to have been appointed
to express joy for all the mercies and blessings of the past year.
And the rather, at this time of the year, all the fruits of
the earth were gathered in. And as I read that, I thought,
that's kind of like our Thanksgiving. You know, it was a time of the
year when they were gathering in the fruits, and of course,
when Thanksgiving Day was set aside in our country, it was
in the harvest time, in the autumn, and it was a time of thanksgiving,
of blowing the trumpets to remind everyone, and the joy they experienced
for God's blessings. Thanksgiving, you know this about
me, that's my favorite holiday. Of all the holidays in the year,
it's Thanksgiving. Why? Because I just know we should
be thankful. We've got so much to be thankful
for, and God deserves our thanksgiving. He's so good and so kind to all
of us and our country. Well, maybe that was the reason
for this particular day. But, as I said, this new moon,
those two words, found 10 times, only one time in the New Testament. Let's look at it in Colossians. Colossians chapter two. Colossians chapter two and verse
16. Let no man therefore judge you
in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new
moon, or of the Sabbath days, which are a shadow of things
to come, but the body is of Christ. Notice that word therefore in
verse 16. Let no man therefore judge you. Why? Why should we let no man
judge us in respect to a holy day, to a new moon, to a Sabbath
day? Why? Because of what he said
before, right? Because, as we read here in verse
14, blotting out the handwriting
of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us,
and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross. The law, the
law that you and I cannot obey, We have not the strength, the
grace, the ability to obey God's law. And it was a law, the handwriting
of ordinance says God, we know, wrote the Ten Commandments. He
wrote the Ten Commandments himself. But the Lord Jesus Christ took
those commandments, the law of God, it says here, he nailed
them to his cross. In other words, he fulfilled
all the law. All the law that you and I could
not fulfill and cannot keep perfectly, he kept perfectly. Therefore,
therefore we should not let anyone judge us in these things because
as he says in the next verse, those were just shadows. Those
were just shadows, which are a shadow of things to come. But the body is of Christ. The new moon, as well as the
Sabbath and all the other holy days, pictured to us the Lord
Jesus Christ. They were days of rest, and the
Lord Jesus Christ, he is our rest, and he gives us perfect
rest. He said, come unto me, all ye
that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. He is our Sabbath. Well, go back
with me to 1 Samuel 20. There's one last saying I wanted
to mention tonight and that is in verse 8. 1 Samuel 20 and verse
8. David speaking to Jonathan, therefore
thou shalt deal kindly, no this is Jonathan speaking, therefore
thou shalt deal kindly with thy servant, for thou hast brought,
no it is David, thou hast brought thy servant into a covenant of
the Lord with thee. Notwithstanding, if there be
in me iniquity, slay me thyself, for why shouldst thou bring me
to thy father? But the saying here is, thou
hast brought thy servant into a covenant of the Lord with thee. Now this is the second time that
Jonathan and David enter into a covenant. If you look back
to chapter 18, after David had killed Goliath, In chapter 18,
in verse 3, we read, Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because
he loved him as his own soul. Thou hast brought thy servant
into a covenant of the Lord with thee. Now what's the stipulations
of this covenant? The stipulations were, as we
read in verses 14 and 15, Thou shalt not only while yet
I live show me the kindness of the Lord that I die not, now
that is Jonathan speaking, but also thou shalt not cut off thy
kindness from my house forever. No, not when the Lord hath cut
off the enemies of David, every one from the face of the earth.
So the stipulations of the covenant were they would show kindness,
that David would show kindness. unto Jonathan and his family. Did David honor this covenant? Did he show kindness to the house
of Jonathan? You know he did. You know he
did. Have you ever heard a message
on Mephibosheth and not been blessed? I don't think I ever
have. Why? Because you know Mephibosheth,
he was lame. He was a descendant of Jonathan. And because of this covenant
that these two men made, David said, is there any of the house
of Saul left to whom I may show kindness? And this man by the
name of Ziba said, well, there's one man. There's one who lives
down there in Lodibor. And you know what that means?
The house of no pasture in Lodibor. That's where he's living. And
he's lame. There's no way, there's no way he could come to the king.
He's lame. And that's the way you and I
were. Not only lame, but worse. We were dead in trespasses and
sins. But what did King David say?
Fetch him. Fetch him. And that's what God
said concerning you and concerning me in the day that he brought
salvation to our soul. We couldn't come to him. We didn't
have the power. But he came to us by his spirit,
quickening us and giving us life and faith and repentance. Well,
I pray the Lord would bless these thoughts to those of us here
tonight. Three sayings of David. Let's sing a hymn, Brother Bill,
if you will.