1 Samuel

Order of Service

• Announcements
• Call to Worship — Psalm 145:1-2, 9
• Hymn — All Creatures of Our God and King
• Prayer of Invocation
• Confession of Sin
• Assurance of Pardon — 1 John 1:9
• Scripture Reading — Acts 13:26-44
• Hymn — It Is Well with My Soul
• Pastoral Prayer
• Offering
• Prayer of Preparation
• Hymn — O God Our Help in Ages Past
• Sermon
• Hymn — Near the Cross
• Benediction — 2 Corinthians 13:14

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Sermon Title: Cornered — Providence and the Anointed King

Scripture: 1 Samuel 29:1-11

I. The Predicament: David Surrounded by His Enemies

A. Background from 1 Samuel 27: David flees Saul and enters the service of Achish, king of Gath

1. David raids the Geshurites, Girzites, and Amalekites while deceiving Achish into thinking he raids Israelites
2. Achish trusts David completely and plans to bring him into battle against Israel

B. The impossible corner: David is expected to fight Israel alongside the Philistines

1. Turning against the Philistines is not a viable option — their army at Aphek is massive (1 Samuel 29:1)
2. Joining Saul is also not viable — David knows from 1 Samuel 28 that Saul is rejected and will die in the battle
3. David is like an undercover agent whose cover is about to be blown

II. The Solution: God's Providence Through Enemy Opposition

A. The Philistine commanders object to David's presence (1 Samuel 29:3-5)

1. They call David and his men "Hebrews" — likely a derogatory term connected to the Habiru, landless raiders known in the ancient Near East
2. They cite the song: "Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands" — they rightly distrust him

B. Achish is forced to dismiss David, and David keeps up appearances (1 Samuel 29:6-10)

1. David protests with feigned disappointment — shrewd and consistent with his character throughout
2. Letting his guard down would have aroused suspicion

C. God's strange and mysterious providence delivers David through his enemies' own opposition

1. Psalm 2 — the Lord in the heavens laughs at those who seek to thwart his purposes; the reader is meant to laugh here as well

III. Application: Gaining Favor with Enemies

A. Achish acts as David's unlikely mediator and advocate before the Philistine lords

B. This episode belongs to a major redemptive-historical theme: God carries out his purposes through his servants gaining favor with enemies

1. Joseph and Pharaoh — the means by which God preserves the Abrahamic promises
2. Esther and King Ahasuerus — Israel saved from Haman's genocide
3. Daniel and King Darius — Darius executes the conspirators and issues an edict honoring the God of Daniel
4. Nehemiah and King Artaxerxes — favor granted to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem
5. In church history: Martin Luther and Frederick the Wise, Elector of Saxony, enabling the Reformation to continue

C. This theme carries into the New Testament

1. Paul calls believers to honor governing authorities (Romans 13); Peter likewise calls for honor within every sphere of life
2. The church advances not through a revolutionary "us vs. them" spirit but as salt applied even within enemy territory

D. Christ himself is the supreme example — he did not come to destroy his enemies but to save them

1. Romans 5:8-10 — while we were still enemies, God sent his Son to redeem us
2. The church must not look like a political party but like the bride of Christ, who dined with enemies and repaid evil with good
3. We do not gain favor by becoming like the enemy, but by becoming like Christ — his grace, wisdom, and dignity draw hearts toward him

IV. Application: Stay Near the King When He Is Cornered

A. The 600 men with David represent the posture of the believer — they are not the heroes, but their quiet nearness to David is instructive

1. They were not perfect — recall 1 Samuel 24 where they urged David to kill Saul in the cave
2. But at the end of the day, they are with David in the teeth of the enemy, not with Saul at Jezreel

B. Parallel with the disciples of Jesus in John 6:67-68

1. When many disciples left, Peter said: "Where will we go? You have the words of eternal life"
2. They were imperfect — Jesus rebuked Peter sharply, they argued about greatness — but they remained near Christ so he could correct and train them

C. It is better to be a fool near Christ than a fool apart from him

1. Near Christ — through his church and the ordinary means of grace — he corrects, teaches, and trains in righteousness
2. Outside the church, foolishness is only exacerbated

D. The ultimate question of Romans 5:12-21: are you in the camp of Adam or the camp of Christ?

1. The men bound to Saul are destroyed with him; the men bound to David are saved
2. Near the cross is where glory is found — picking up the cross is not a harsh command but a gracious one; it is the path Christ himself took to glory
3. When the enemy surrounds you, whose camp will you be found in?