Let's open our Bibles tonight
again to 1 Samuel chapter 17. 1 Samuel chapter 17, and I'll
begin reading in verse 54 and read into chapter
18. 1 Samuel chapter 17 and verse 54. And David took the head of the
Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor
in his tent. And when Saul saw David go forth
against the Philistine, he said unto Abner, the captain of the
host, Abner, whose son is this youth? And Abner said, As thy
soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell. And the king said, Inquire
thou whose son this stripling is. And as David returned from
the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him
before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. And
Saul said to him, whose son art thou, thou young man? And David
answered, I am the son of thy servant Jesse, the Bethlehemite. And it came to pass when he had
made an end of speaking unto Saul that the soul of Jonathan
was knit with the soul of David. And Jonathan loved him as his
own soul. And Saul took him that day and
would let him go no more home to his father's house. Then Jonathan
and David made a covenant because he loved him as his own soul.
And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him
and gave it to David and his garments, even to his sword and
to his bow and to his girdle And David went out whithersoever
Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely. And Saul set him over
the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people,
and also in the sight of Saul's servants. And it came to pass
as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of
the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel,
singing and dancing to meet Saul with the tablets with joy and
with instruments of music. And the women answered one another
as they played and said, Saul has slain his thousands and David
his ten thousands. And Saul was very wroth and the
saint displeased him and he said, They have ascribed unto David
ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands.
And what can he have more but the kingdom? And Saul eyed David
from that day and forward. First of all, tonight, I want
to remind us that where we began reading there was David had brought
the head of the giant that he had slain, the giant Goliath. And I want to point three things
out to us in these verses that we've just read. First, how are
we to understand Saul's question in chapter 17 and verse 55? This has caused some people problems. When they read this, they think,
well, how is it that he did not know who David was? How is that
possible? And some have even suggested
as an answer to that question that the scripture may be out
of order here. But we know that isn't true.
If you look back to verse 15 there in chapter 17, the scripture
clearly says, but David went and returned from Saul to feed
his father's sheep at Bethlehem. Yes, David had already been with
Saul. Well, I say two answers, two
possible answers, if that's a problem for anyone. First of all, I would
remind us of Saul's condition, his condition when David first
came to him. We read in that passage of scripture
there that an evil spirit from God troubled him. And I remember
a few weeks ago when we studied from that part of the scripture,
I mentioned that the old writers, they say that a spirit of melancholy
came over Saul. And that word melancholy back
in the days that the writers that I read used that term for
what today men would call depression. Depression came upon Saul. And I know this. I've dealt with
a few people who have experienced depression. It's an awful thing. And it would be easier for a
person who was in depression at a particular period to have
someone come into their life, to hear their name, but it not
register. And we don't know really how
long a period of time transpired from when David left Saul and
now when he came to the army and slew the giant Goliath. That's one possible answer. And to me, that is a good answer. Because Saul, he just wasn't
in his right mind. He wasn't himself. once the evil
spirit from the Lord came upon him, when the spirit of the Lord
departed from him. A second possible answer is if
you look at his question, look at Saul's question in verse 55. It's easy to read through that
and think, well, he asked, who is David? That's not what he
asked. That's not his question at all. And when Saul saw David
go forth against the Philistine, he said unto Abner, the captain
of the host, Abner, whose son, whose son is this youth? He didn't ask David's name. He asked whose son he was. Now I know. that he was told
in the beginning, when David first came to him, that he was
the son of Jesse. But at that time, all Saul was
interested in was someone, a man, who could play the harp, could
play music, and from him, he might be soothed, his spirit
might be soothed, he might overcome whatever turmoil he was in at
the time. It would be easy for a person
in that condition not to really have it register that this man,
his father's name is Jesse, that's Jesse's son. So I don't see any
problem here and I know the scripture is not out of order because David
was with Saul and David returned to his father's house and then
David came, his father sent him with provisions, remember, to
the army of Saul for his two brothers who were part of that
army. A second thing that I want to
point out to us from these verses tonight is how the Lord gave
David favor with men. It's easy to read this and think,
well, you know, he was just a fine young man, but no, it was more
than that. It's more than that we read of.
First, we see that he immediately found favor with Jonathan. And
you know, we can't help but wonder where Jonathan was when that
giant was coming out day after day and challenging the nation
of Israel. We know before that Jonathan,
under the power of the Spirit of God with his armor bearer,
went up and attacked soldiers of the Philistines, a squadron
of the Philistines. But we don't read we don't hear
of him. When the giant was challenging
Israel, we don't hear a word about Jonathan. And I believe
this is to show us that this power, or to remind us that the
power that David had to slay the giant, that power was God's
power. Jonathan normally was a brave
man, no doubt about that. But without the spirit of God
upon him, he was like the rest of the Israelites. He was like
his father Saul. And they were held at bay by
that giant, him challenging the armies. But notice how immediately
here in chapter 18 in verse 1, that David finds favor with Jonathan. In fact, the scripture says that
Jonathan loved him as his own soul. He loved David immediately. They talk about love at first
sight. Well, this was love at first sight, I guess, because
Jonathan immediately loved David. And not only did Jonathan love
David, but you notice down in verse five, it said, David went
out with whosoever Saul sent him and behaved himself wisely. And Saul sent him over the men
of war. Now he didn't take Abner's place.
Abner was a general in control, the commander in chief, but he
was evidently given some men that he was over. But the point
I want to bring out is he was accepted in the sight of all
the people. Jonathan loved him. He's accepted
in the sight of all the people. And then notice, thirdly, also
in the sight of Saul's servants. How that God gave David favor
in the eyes of these men. First Jonathan and then all the
people and then the servants of Saul. You know, I quote in
preaching and bringing messages that proverb which tells us the
king's heart is in the hand of the Lord as the rivers of water,
and he turneth it whithersoever he will. But let us never forget,
it's not just the king's heart. It's not just the commander-in-chief,
the president's heart, the prime minister's heart, the congressman's
heart, that are in the hand of the Lord, but it is the hand
of all men, or the heart of all men is in the hand of the Lord.
And he turneth it whithersoever he will. And God, there's no
question, God gave David favor. This was something miraculous
in a way, how that immediately he was favored by all the people. You know, when God called Moses,
When God met Moses at the burning bush, the Lord Jesus Christ met
him there at the burning bush and sent him to deliver Israel
from Egypt, God told Moses then, now listen, I will give this
people favor. He's talking about the Israelites.
I will give this people favor in the sight. of the Egyptians,
and it shall come to pass that when you go, you shall not go
empty. And we know God's word always
comes to pass, doesn't it? And there they borrowed, remember?
It sounds like it was almost a day or they were about to leave
Egypt and God told them to borrow from your neighbors, borrow earrings
and gold and silver and things precious And the Egyptians just
gave to them. God caused that. He gave them
favor in the eyes of the Egyptians. And the same thing is here, too.
We must always realize this, that it's God who gives us favor. Maybe you found favor in the
eyes of some man. Maybe you work for a person and
for some reason he's just taken a liking to you. No, it wasn't
for just some reason. No, God caused him to show favor
to you. Acknowledge God and His goodness
unto us in all things, right? Oh, that men would praise. Oh,
that the sons of men would praise the Lord for His goodness unto
the children of men. And you might have a boss with
whom you don't find favor. That's of the Lord, too. His
heart is in the hand of the Lord, just like the man with whom you
find favor. Amen. A third thing that stands
out to me here is how spiritually poor the nation of Israel was
at this time. When you study the Old Testament,
when you go through the Old Testament, you see God's grace, His long-suffering,
his forbearance with the nation of Israel over and over and over
again. I was just reading through Acts
chapter 7 where Stephen said, you stiff-necked and rebellious
people, you do always resist the Holy Spirit. That had been
their history. And we see at this particular
point in the history of the nation of Israel, their low spiritual
condition. I see that because God had given
them a great victory. I mean, this giant, what was
it? 40 days, yes, 40 days. He had put off the army of Israel. They were frozen. They were handicapped. They couldn't move. And God gave
them victory, not only over that giant being killed, but then
they fought the Philistine army and defeated them. But notice
when they come back, the women of Israel, they come out and
they don't even mention the Lord in their praise, in their thanksgiving. They don't give any credit, any
glory to their God. It's all about David. It's all
about Saul. David has killed his 10,000 and
Saul his 1,000. Not a mention. Not one mention
in their praise, in their song to the one who really gave the
victory. Not at all. What a difference. Look back here to Exodus chapter
15. What a difference we see in the
women there in Israel at that time, the time of our text, and
when they came out of Egypt. If you look here in Exodus chapter
15 in verse 20, after they had crossed the Red Sea, and the
horse and its rider God had overthrown, remember, look in verse 20, and
Miriam, that's Moses and Aaron's sister, Miriam, the prophetess,
the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women
went out after her with timbrels and with dances, and Miriam answered
them, sing ye to Moses. Sing ye to Aaron. Oh no, oh no. Sing ye to the Lord, for he The
Lord hath triumphed gloriously. The horse and his rider hath
he thrown in the sea. So I see the low spiritual condition
of the nation of Israel at this time. What a lesson for you and
I tonight, for us to learn and to relearn and to be reminded
of, not unto us, O Lord, but unto thy name give glory. for
thy mercy and for thy truth's sake. Not unto us, O Lord, not
unto us. Now that God must be recognized
and he must receive the glory for every good thing that is
done. Now, in the time that we have
left, I'm going to show us David as a picture of Christ as he
is presented to us in these chapters that we've read. And we'll see
him in these four ways. First of all, the first time,
the first time that we see or hear of David, we read of him
connected with sheep, with sheep. Look in chapter 16. First Samuel
chapter 16. This is when God sent Samuel
to the house of Jesse to anoint one of his sons to be the king.
Verses 10 and 11. Again, Jesse made seven of his
sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, the
Lord hath not chosen these, And Samuel said unto Jesse, are here
all thy children? And he said, there remaineth
yet the youngest, and behold, he keepeth the sheep. First time
we read about David, he's connected with sheep. What a picture, right,
of the Lord Jesus Christ. In John chapter 11, the Lord
Jesus confessed. He said, I am. I am the good
shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his
life for the sheep. How superlative good is the Lord
Jesus Christ and his work. He gave his life to redeem his
sheep, and you know, he searches till he finds them. He searches. He's got his sheep
in this world. He's not looking for goats. There's
plenty of goats in this world, but there are some sheep. And
the Lord, the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that
which is lost. He seeks his sheep and he finds
them. He finds each and every one of
them. He searches until he finds them. Because we all had gone
astray. We all had gone astray. I think
two times in the Gospels the Lord gives a parable of that
man who had a hundred sheep and one was missing, remember? And
he goes out and he doesn't quit. He doesn't quit until he finds
that one lost sheep. When that last lost sheep is
found, that last lost sheep that's in this world. Maybe it's today,
maybe it'll be tomorrow, maybe five years from now, maybe 100,
I don't know. We don't know, do we? Oh, but
what a gathering we sang about just a few minutes ago. When
that last sheep is found, that's when the Lord's coming again,
isn't it? He's coming home. He searches
until he finds them. I want you to turn to a verse
In Ezekiel, look over here in Ezekiel chapter 34. In Ezekiel
chapter 34 verses 11 and 12, this is a prophecy concerning
the good shepherd, the chief shepherd, the great shepherd. For thus saith the Lord God,
behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep and seek them
out. As a shepherd seeketh out his
flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered,
so will I seek out my sheep and will deliver them out of all
places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. You know that cloudy and dark
day was the day when Adam disobeyed God, wasn't it? When he disobeyed
God, and so the prophet Isaiah said, we've turned every man,
we've all gone astray, but we've turned every man to his own way. And yet the Lord keeps his people. He searches for them, he finds
them, he saves them, and he keeps them. Do you know how he keeps
them? As the apple of his eye. as the
apple of his eye. All right, the second time that
David is mentioned, first he's connected with sheep, and the
second time he's connected with music. Here in 1 Samuel chapter
16 and verse 18, Then answered one of the servants and said,
behold, I have seen a son of Jesse, the Bethlehemite, that
is cunning and plain and a mighty valiant man and a man of war
and prudent in matters and a comely person and the Lord is with him. A cunning, He's cunning in playing. In other words, he's skillful.
Skillful in playing. Skillful in playing his art. The second time we see him is
he's connected with music. You say, well now how does that
picture Christ? Look with me in Hebrews chapter
two. Hebrews chapter two. Verse 9, But we see Jesus, who was made
a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned
with glory and honor, that he by the grace of God should taste
death for every man. For it became him for whom are
all things and by whom are all things, and bringing many sons
unto glory to make the captain of their salvation perfect through
sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth
and they who are sanctified are all of one. For which cause he
is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, I will declare thy name
unto my brethren in the midst of the church will I sing praise
unto thee. in the midst of the church. This
is definitely a prophecy from Psalm 22, I believe it is, of
the Lord Jesus Christ singing praise in the midst of his church. Now, if you notice all of that
verse, it says, I will declare thy name unto my brethren. In his prayer in John 17, he
said, I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest
me out of the world. I will declare thy name. I will
declare God, is what he actually is saying here. To see the Lord
Jesus Christ is to see the Father. That's what he said, isn't it?
I and my Father are one. Philip, have I been so long time
with you? And yet you say, show me the
Father. He that hath seen me hath seen
the Father. He manifested the Father. He declared the Father, but also
he would in the midst of the church sing praise unto thee.
You know, the church, now, we know for sure this one time the
Lord sang. I believe probably more than
once, but we know this one time there was just 11 disciples the
night before he was crucified. And the last thing they did before
they left that upper room, they sang a hymn. in the midst of
the church. Music connected with David. Music
connected with the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, when they left
that upper room, where did they go? They went to the Mount of
Olives. And that actually means the olive
press. The olive press. And wasn't our
Lord pressed there in that garden? when he said, my soul is exceeding
sorrowful, even unto death. All right, a third way, we see
him connected in battle. That's the third way we see David.
He's on the scene, he goes out to fight. Back here in 1 Samuel
chapter 17, verse 48. And it came to pass when the
Philistine arose and came, I want you, came, the Philistine came,
drew nigh to meet David. In John 14, the Lord Jesus Christ
said, Hereafter, I will not talk much with you, for the prince
of this world cometh. Who's the prince of this world?
Satan, the devil. He's usurped authority, hasn't
he? For the prince of this world
cometh and hath nothing in me. And just as the giant came to
meet David to kill and to destroy him, so the devil came to kill
and destroy the Lord Jesus Christ. But he found nothing in Christ.
He found nothing in Christ, no sin in him. For while the sins
of his people were laid upon him, But in him there is no sin. The giant, what happened to the
giant? He didn't defeat David, he had
his head cut off. And Satan, he did not defeat
the Lord Jesus, but the Lord defeated him and his works. And just as that first promise
had declared, the serpent would bruise the heel of the seed of
the woman, but the seed of the woman would crush his head. And the last thing that I mentioned
that we see here in these verses in 1 Samuel, we see him in them
all. We see David in all of these
verses as a servant, as a servant. First, he served his father in
watching and keeping, tending his sheep. Second, he served
Saul, playing that harp to soothe him. And third, he served the
nation of Israel in defeating the giant. We see him in all
of them as a perfect servant. The Lord Jesus Christ is God's
perfect servant. He said this, behold my servant. Behold, that means to look, behold
him. Behold my servant, whom I uphold,
in whom my soul delighteth. God delighteth in him. The Lord Jesus Christ said he
came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his
life a ransom for many. May the Lord bless these words
and thoughts tonight to all of us.