The Rock of Escape

I Samuel 23:24 Now David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah to the south of Jeshimon. 25 And Saul and his men went to seek him. And David was told, so he went down to the rock and lived in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon. 26 Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. And David was hurrying to get away from Saul. As Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them, 27 a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have made a raid against the land.” 28 So Saul returned from pursuing after David and went against the Philistines. Therefore that place was called the Rock of Escape. 29  And David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of Engedi.

Saul's constant pursuit of David in order to eliminate him is a study in futility.  God had chosen David and Saul knew it, yet he bitterly tried every method to do so.  God intervened. Here it was simply something else Saul had to tend to.  Time after time, David could have turned and taken out Saul, but instead he allowed God to do so His way. He put his trust in The Rock of Escape.  God provides a way of escape for us when temptation, trials, and even traitors come after us. Do you trust Him?

Hurting Those Closest to Us

 I Samuel 20:26 Yet Saul did not say anything that day, for he thought, “Something has happened to him. He is not clean; surely he is not clean.” 27 But on the second day, the day after the new moon, David's place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has not the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?” 28 Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem. 29 He said, ‘Let me go, for our clan holds a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. So now, if I have found favor in your eyes, let me get away and see my brothers.’ For this reason he has not come to the king's table.” 30 Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman, do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother's nakedness.? 31 For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. Therefore send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.”

As we have been walking along this downhill journey of Saul's reign, we noted yesterday that his rash actions and irrational reactions affected not only himself and David, but his family. Jonathan was caught in the middle of the one-sided hatred and rivalry of Saul toward his best friend, David.  If you have ever been in a triangle relationship like this, you know the hurt it brings. Have you pitted family or friend against one another?  Who, besides you, have you hurt by your bitterness and unforgiveness?

Falling into Your Own Trap

 

I Samuel 18:24 And the servants of Saul told him, “Thus and so did David speak.” 25 Then Saul said, “Thus shall you say to David, ‘The king desires no bride-price except a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, that he may be avenged of the king's enemies.’” Now Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. 26 And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king's son-in-law. Before the time had expired, 27 David arose and went, along with his men, and killed two hundred of the Philistines. And David brought their foreskins, which were given in full number to the king, that he might become the king's son-in-law. And Saul gave him his daughter Michal for a wife. 28 But when Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David, and that Michal, Saul's daughter, loved him, 29 Saul was even more afraid of David. So Saul was David's enemy continually.

The life of Saul is like a movie that is hard to watch: you know something bad is coming and your whole body cringes, even though you know it's coming. Saul made one bad choice after another.  "The writing was on the wall" for him to lose his kingship, but he grasped for every straw to keep from losing it and his successor, David, from living to receive it.  Every plot went badly, resulting in pain and suffering for himself, his family, David, and the whole nation.  What ways to we come up with to get back at others, only to find devastating results for ourselves? 

Seeing What No One Else Sees

 

I Samuel 17:24 All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were much afraid. 25 And the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel. And the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father's house free in Israel.” 26 And David said to the men who stood by him, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” 27 And the people answered him in the same way, “So shall it be done to the man who kills him.”

This account is one of the best-known events in the Old Testament.  Everyone loves to see the underdog win, for courage to pay-off, and some big, arrogant jerk get what's coming to him.  It is so easy for us to miss what is most important here: David saw what everyone else missed: this guy was mocking God, and no one was willing to care enough to do anything about it.  Goliath and the Philistines were denying Truth, and no one stood up for Him. If that is the case, what hope do we have? Are we willing to stand up for Him?

Was It Really That Bad?

 

22 And Samuel said,
“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
    as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.”
24 Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. 25 Now therefore, please pardon my sin and return with me that I may bow before the Lord.” 26 And Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you. For you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.” 

Yesterday we began to see inconsistencies in Saul's life and leadership. Today we see how he completely crossed the line. God told him to go and completely destroy the Amalekites, who had been a total affront to Him and constant problem to His people. Saul partially obeyed, and when confronted passed the buck to the people. When confronted by Samuel, he said: "Is it really that big of a deal?"  Saul shrugged it off with a half-felt "I'm sorry. Forgive me and let's move on.  But what Saul had done really was that bad. He had rejected God, His will, and His word, and increasingly felt like a law unto himself. That doesn't work

Rash Decisions...

 I Samuel 14:24 And the men of Israel had been hard pressed that day, so Saul had laid an oath on the people, saying, “Cursed be the man who eats food until it is evening and I am avenged on my enemies.” So none of the people had tasted food. 25 Now when all the people came to the forest, behold, there was honey on the ground. 26 And when the people entered the forest, behold, the honey was dropping, but no one put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath. 27 But Jonathan had not heard his father charge the people with the oath, so he put out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb and put his hand to his mouth, and his eyes became bright.

After some initial victories, some of Saul's character flaws began to show. One was his tendency to make rash decisions, like this oath that no one should eat until the victory was won.  The men were already tired and hungry, and this just aggravated it.  Such decisions, rather than being a rallying cry to follow, become a means of abuse of power and false pride.  Even his own son Jonathan saw and spoke of its folly. Those closest to us can see our flaws best and need to lovingly help us see them. Sadly, we will see this tendency again in Saul's life and leadership.  What do we need to see about ourselves. May it not become a habit. 

The Mumbling Minority

I Samuel 10:24 And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen? There is none like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!” 25 Then Samuel told the people the rights and duties of the kingship, and he wrote them in a book and laid it up before the Lord. Then Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his home. 26 Saul also went to his home at Gibeah, and with him went men of valor whose hearts God had touched. 27 But some worthless fellows said, “How can this man save us?” And they despised him and brought him no present. But he held his peace.

In this chapter the presentation of Saul as first king was formalized. He was anointed, selected by lot, and proclaimed before the people as their king.  They got what they had asked for - a young strong king who stood tall above all others. It was spelled out clearly how the people were to interact with the king. Then they all went home, mostly happy that this had finally happened. But... there are always some who find something to complain about.  It wasn't just because they did not like Saul; they really did not like God. When they asked: "How can this man save us?" they were really missing the point. No king can. It is God Who saves. By showing a lack of support for Saul, they were indicating a lack of trust in God, Who had inaugurated him. Are you a mumbler? Are you always finding some fault?