Podcasts about Gath

Motion Church | Warrior Poet Society, Week 2: "Lessons on the Lamb" Season two of the David series backtracks a bit this week — picking up not after the Bathsheba scandal, but earlier, when Saul is still king and wants David dead. "Not the kind of situation you want to find yourself in." Jealous and paranoid over David's growing popularity (there was literally a chorus about him: "Saul has slain his thousands, David his tens of thousands"), Saul starts hurling actual spears at him. So David goes "on the lamb" — on the run — which gives this message its title: Lessons on the Lamb. First lesson: strength doesn't always look like what we think it looks like. Even though David once stood fearlessly before Goliath, here he is running from a "washed up warrior." Why? Because David understood it wasn't his timing or his fight to pick. "There are battles in your life... that only God can fight." Sometimes the strongest thing a person can do isn't retaliate — it's walk away. "If I respond, it is not peace. It is debris, it is chaos, it is destruction, and I may feel right or think that it's right, but it doesn't make it right." Discernment — sometimes in the form of a spouse saying "babe" — matters. "Strength doesn't always look like you think that strength looks. It's a different kind of strength." Second lesson, and maybe the coolest full-circle moment in David's life: old swords, new battles. After defeating Goliath, David took the giant's own sword as a trophy. Years later, fleeing from Saul and desperate for a weapon, David arrives at the tabernacle in Nob, and the priest Ahimelech tells him there's only one sword available — Goliath's, wrapped in cloth, practically forgotten. David's response: "There is none like it. Give it to me." The lesson lands personally: "The battles from your past are the weapons for your future." Nothing you've gone through was wasted. "God does not waste anything in our lives." And the weapon isn't just for you — "it helps other people too." The final lesson is what gets called a "looney lesson." Fleeing into enemy territory — the city of Gath, ruled by King Achish — David realizes he's been recognized and is in real danger. So he does something wild: he pretends to be insane, scratching on the gate and drooling into his beard, until Achish dismisses him as a madman not worth the trouble. "Sometimes doing the right thing will make you look like a mad person." When you're doing what God has called you to do, "it's not always going to make sense to other people." And that's fine — "our purpose is more than to impress people. We are here to honor the sacrifice of Jesus' life on the cross." After all, the message of the cross itself looked like foolishness to the world — "the one who knew no sin became sin on my behalf... it's foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God." Three lessons from a man on the run: a different kind of strength, old swords for new battles, and sometimes a little bit of "crazy" is exactly what faithfulness looks like.

Brother Mike Madsen traces the downfall of King Saul through 1 Samuel 20-26, contrasting his pride and jealousy with Jonathan's loyalty and Abigail' s Christlike intercessions, and the hard, personal work of forgiving and laying down a vengeful heart.FREE PDF DOWNLOADS OF followHIM QUOTE BOOKSNew Testament: https://tinyurl.com/PodcastNTBookOld Testament: https://tinyurl.com/PodcastOTBookBook of Mormon: https://tinyurl.com/PodcastBMBook WEEKLY NEWSLETTERhttps://tinyurl.com/followHIMnewsletter SOCIAL MEDIAInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/followHIMpodcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/followhimpodcastTIMECODE0:00 - Part 2 - Brother Michael Madsen1:37 Alma 29 and the abundance vs scarcity mentality3:16 Saul consumed by “I” disease4:57 David at Nob5;42 David flees to Gath, then to caves6:33 Doeg the Edomite and the slaughter of 85 priests8:04 D&C 121–power, the priesthood, and unrighteous dominion9:01 “What makes you think you're not in a similar spot now?”10:39 Tending your own small kingdom13:19 Why do you want to be with the Savior?14:59 Two kings, three temptations, and one prevailed15:24 Looking for Christ in everything and 1 Sam. 2316:33 Abiathar, the ephod, David spares Saul20:52 Samuel dies and Nabal's request22:44 David's weakness and marching to take revenge23:57 Abigail intercedes26:52 Sister Yee: ‘Abigail as type of Jesus Christ”28:53 Nabal's death29:13 Sister Yee's “Beauty for Ashes”32:28 Was David traumatized and receiving counsel35:52 The boy caught in the cog37:22 “Take all you'd like,” and the heart that changed in a cornfield38:11 President Oaks held at gunpoint43:00 President Nelson: “He is coming, get the youth ready”46:53 End of Part 2 - Brother Mike MadsenThanks to the followHIM team:Steve & Shannon Sorensen: Cofounder, Executive Producer, SponsorDavid & Verla Sorensen: SponsorsDr. Hank Smith: Co-hostJohn Bytheway: Co-hostDavid Perry: ProducerKyle Nelson: Marketing, SponsorLisa Spice: Client Relations, Editor, Show NotesWill Stoughton: Video EditorKrystal Roberts: Translation Team, English & French Transcripts, WebsiteAriel Cuadra: Spanish TranscriptsAmelia Kabwika: Portuguese TranscriptsHeather Barlow: Communications DirectorSydney Smith: Social Media, Graphic Design "Let Zion in Her Beauty Rise" by Marshall McDonaldhttps://www.marshallmcdonaldmusic.com

Now that David is king, he intends to reinstitute the proper worship of God at his tabernacle, which means that the ark of the covenant needs to be retrieved. When the ark almost falls in transit, one man reaches out to grab it, which is not permissible by God's law. The Lord strikes him dead, which both angers and terrifies David. Scared to bring it to Jerusalem, he leaves it in Gath. After staying in the house of Obed-Edom for a while, the ark of the covenant finally comes to Jerusalem with great fanfare. After King David reestablishes the tabernacle, he returns to his own home. 1 Chronicles 13 - 1:02 .  1 Chronicles 14 - 3:26 .  1 Chronicles 15 - 6:41 .  1 Chronicles 16 - 11:28 .  :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by the Christian Standard Bible.facebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

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Group Guide Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.Additional context: Watch the theology teaching video, What is the Bible? 2 Samuel 15 Mike Goble Download TranscriptAll right, so Chet and Spencer are away. Let's get down to business. No, no, no, no, no. My name is Mike. I'm an elder in training here. Last week at the end of the sermon, I had three people come up to me and say that I reminded them of Absalom.I had one person come up and tell me I reminded them of Abimelech and I reminded them that that's not what the story was about and that was Raz. So when they told me that I reminded them of Absalom, I said, "Oh, of course, the striking good looks." And they all pretty intentionally clarified, "No, that is not why. it is because you have long hair and you are trying to convince people to leave this church and go out with you to plant another church. And so that brings me to my first point today. Oak Ridge Church in Lexington will be meeting sometime in January of 2027. Now this is not an infomercial for our church plant, even though we are very excited about that.We're going to be today in 2 Samuel. We're going to be in chapter 15. This is going to be on page 304 of the Bibles that are at your seats. We would ask if you'd consider not using an electronic Bible if you're willing and instead maybe pick one of those Bibles up and we're going to read the Bible together. And we think that's a helpful thing. Before we get started in our text, I'm going to pray for us. Father, we thank you for being our God, for being our salvation.We thank you for your good scripture that teaches us about you. Please Lord, may the Spirit work in our hearts through the foolishness of preaching that we would be changed to be more like your Son in Jesus' name. Amen. All right. Last week we saw that David permitted Absalom to return back to Jerusalem after he initially spent three years in exile after murdering his brother Amnon after Amnon's sin with Tamar. But even though Absalom was back in Jerusalem, he was not allowed to be in the king's presence.And after about two years, he kind of forces himself back into the king's presence by burning down Joab's field. Now, Joab is one of David's nephews. He is the son of David's sister. And he's one of the commanders of David's army. So, Absalom burns down the field, gets his attention, and Joab tells David, and David lets Absalom back into his presence. And then Absalom goes and spends the next four years positioning himself daily at the city gate, rendering judgments and manipulating the people, stealing their hearts is what it says. He is taking them away from their loyalty and their allegiance to King David.He then travels down to Hebron, which is about 18 miles or so south of Jerusalem. And he's got a large group of followers with him. And guys, remember Hebron is actually a pretty significant place. It's significant that he goes down there. So Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the patriarchs, the men from which all of Israel descended, are buried.They're all buried in Hebron. And David himself was was anointed king down in Hebron. So this is a pretty significant place. And now we see Absalom is down there and he's proclaimed as king, but he's not anointed. He's taking it by manipulation. And we're going to see taking it by force.This is the beginning of a full-scale rebellion. And today we're actually gonna look at how David responds and how the people around David respond to what's going on here in Israel. We pick up in verse 13 of chapter 15. And a messenger came to David saying, "The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom." Then David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, "Arise and let us flee, or else there will be no escape for us from Absalom," "Go quickly, lest he overtake us quickly and bring down ruin on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword."And the king's servant said to the king, "Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever my Lord, the king, decides." So the king went out and all his household after him. And the king left 10 concubines to keep the house. And the king went out and all the people after him and they halted at the last house. All right.So a messenger comes in and tells David, hey, Israel is going to follow Absalom. So through his manipulation over the last four years, he has won over a significant portion of people that this messenger comes right in and says, "Hey, is the hearts of the men of Israel, they're gone. And they're not just gone from you. They've gone to your son Absalom." Meaning Absalom has the loyalty of these people. So David responds by saying to all his servants that are still in Jerusalem that they need to flee because if they stay, they will not escape from Absalom and he will come quickly and violently and he will ruin them.And so his servants get up with him and they get ready to flee and they leave behind the 10 concubines to maintain the house. And now they're going. And this is a pretty high pressure moment in this story. And we've we've kind of seen stuff like this play out in stories before, right? You know, you know the story the the tale of the prince who his uncle wanted to become king. And so he convinces the prince that the prince killed his dad.And the prince gets so overwhelmed and so scared that he flees. And he leaves Pride Rock. And Zazu and Rafiki have no idea what they're going to do. And we see stories like this in our entertainment. But guys, this happens a lot and it has happened a lot in history.There are so many coups in history from the murder of Julius Caesar to Napoleon taking over France to Castro and the Cuban Revolution. Did you know that in 2024 there was a coup in South Korea where the president of South Korea decided he was going to declare martial law so the legislature you know they couldn't meet or do anything and then well the legislature met anyway and 11 days later he was impeached and then put on trial. That was two years ago. This kind of stuff has been happening forever throughout history. And honestly, when I think about that, I can't help but think back to 1 Samuel chapter 8, where Israel is demanding that they have a king so they can be like all the other nations.And David, their king, is now here fleeing Jerusalem because his son is coming to overthrow him just like so many other nations before them and so many other nations that will come after them. What do you think was on David's mind? What do you think he was thinking about here? You know, the text doesn't directly say, but do you remember what the Lord said through the prophet Nathan in chapter 12? In chapter 12, when Nathan is pronouncing his judgment from God on David for his sin, the Lord says to David that the sword will not depart from your house. And then right after in chapter 13, we find out Absalom kills his brother Amnon.So, one of David's sons kills the other. And now David suspects Absalom is coming for him. So his plan is to flee. And it might be because he's afraid of Absalom. It might be because he wants to avoid conflict with his own son. It might also be acceptance of the judgment of God.And I actually think that the rest of what we're going to look at today supports that idea. Supports that David has accepted what God has planned for him no matter what. All right. So, David's servants are ready to go and they begin leaving Jerusalem together. And let's pick up verse 18. And all his servants pass by him.And all the Cherethites and all the Pelethites and all the 600 Gittites who had followed him from Gath passed on before the king. Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, "Why do you also go with us? Go back and stay with the king, for you are a foreigner, and also in exile from your home. You came only yesterday. And shall I today make you wander about with us, since I go, I know not where? Go back, take your brothers with you.And may the Lord show steadfast love and faithfulness to you." But Ittai answered the king, "As the Lord lives and as my Lord the king lives, wherever my Lord the king shall be, whether for death or for life, there also will be your servant." And David said to Ittai, "Go then, pass on." So Ittai the Gittite passed on with all his men and all the little ones who were with him. And all the land wept aloud as all the people passed by and the king crossed the brook Kedron and all the people passed on toward the wilderness. Okay, so David's leaving and as he's leaving he passes by different people that are highlighted for us here in the text.First there's the Cherethites, the Pelethites and the Gittites. So the Cherethites and the Pelethites are part of the royal bodyguard. So these are warriors who protect David and they go with him. And the Gittites and their leader Ittai are originally from Gath, we're told. And that's a a Philistine city. And the reason that we're told that is because back in 1 Samuel, David when he was originally fleeing Israel, fleeing from Saul when Saul wanted him dead, lived in Gath.And these men followed him when he returned back to Israel. And so he gives Ittai the option. He says, "Go back. You can just go back and align yourself with Absalom. You do not have to come with me." He says, "There's not really a reason for you, Ittai, to go ahead and get caught up in this problem.I'm releasing you from that." And Ittai refuses and he says, "He's going to stay with David even to death." And that is pretty awesome. There's something in us that just kind of loves a display of loyalty and a display of friendship like that. If you remember the famous book series that was adapted into the blockbuster movies, The Lord of the Rings, the whole series, the whole journey, the main character is trying to destroy this ring that he has to carry. And right when he's at the end, right when he's just feet almost steps from being able to do so, he runs out of strength and and by his side with him the whole time is his friend, his best friend that he's known his whole life.And his friend looks at him and says, "I can't carry it for you." And that's the ring, "But I can carry you." And when you watch that in the theater or maybe at your house, you're like, "Yeah, and I can carry it for you, too." You just like get so swept up in it, it's really cool. And your wife says pipe down, but you're like, "No, this is this is awesome." And so we see that and that strikes a chord within our hearts because we love that display of loyalty and friendship.We want to be a part of that display of loyalty and friendship. And so I think that's a really noteworthy thing and I think it's included in that in who he passes by on his way out of town because we get to see that exceptional display of friendship and loyalty to David. So, he's got this large group of faithful friends who in his darkest hour are leaving Jerusalem with him and they're all together and it says that they're weeping and that they're headed into the wilderness. Verse 24, and Abiathar came up, and behold, Zadok came also with all the Levites bearing the ark of the covenant of God.And they set down the ark of God until the people had all passed out of the city. Then the king said to Zadok, "carry the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me back and let me see both it and his dwelling place. But if he says, I have no pleasure in you, behold, here I am, let him do to me what seems good to him." The king also said to Zadok the priest, "Are you not a seer? Go back to the city in peace with your two sons, Ahimeaz, your son, and Jonathan, the son of Abiathar.See, I will wait at the fords of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me." So Zadok and Abiathar carried the ark of God back to Jerusalem, and they remain there. But David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, barefoot and with his head covered. And all the people who were with him covered their heads and they went up weeping as they went. And it was told David, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, "O Lord, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness."All right. Now we are going to get into David's response to the situation that he's in. So Abiathar and Zadok, who are they? They are the chief priests. They are part of the Levites and they carry the ark of the covenant. And the ark of the covenant represents God's presence with his people.What does David say? He tells them, "Take it back to Jerusalem." Why? Why would David say that? Part of the answer to that question is because he says, "Zadok, aren't you a Aren't you a seer? Aren't you a prophet?" maybe David thinks, well, if he's back there, he can he can get some information out to me while I'm out here in the wilderness.It might be good to have him back there. And that is part of it. However, I think the main answer, the main reason that David tells him to take the ark, tells them to take the ark of the covenant back, is because he is accepting of the sovereign will of God. And he's doing it with humility. David's response is to essentially resign himself to the will of God. And if he sees the ark again, he knows God has looked favorably on him.And if not, then may God do what seems good to him. In the 1600s, German theology professor Samuel Rodegast wrote a song for his friend who was dying. And the song is called Was Gott tut das ist wohlgetan. Do you got I'll translate that for you for those of you who don't speak German. Whatever my God ordains is right. And one of the verses in this song goes, "Whatever my God ordains is right, he never will deceive me.He leads me by the proper path, I know he will not leave me. I take content what he has sent. His hand can turn my griefs away, and patiently I wait his day." So David resolutely accepts the will of God and he ascends the Mount of Olives weeping and here we see the second aspect of his response. We first see the humble acceptance of the divine will and after that we see him pray. What does he pray?He asks God to make the counsel of Ahithophel foolish. Now, Ahithophel was once David's advisor, but he turned his allegiance toward Absalom. And David here, powerless from a position of humility, asks the Lord to make whatever Ahithophel advises Absalom to be foolish. And we're actually going to see later on that God is going to answer this prayer. But something I want to see is that the two aspects of the response are actually linked together, require each other.Because intrinsic to prayer is humility. It's recognizing that the greatest thing you can possibly do is acknowledge the will of God and the fact that he is ordaining all things. And when you do that, you are going to pray. No, you are. You pray. When you have a heart posture like that, what comes out of it from within you is prayer.Because you finally understand how insignificant you are in affecting outcomes on this earth and you realize that God is sovereign and that God is ordaining all things and you are not God. What happened in Israel when they decided to accomplish their own will? Sexual sin, murder, treachery, it doesn't really go well. And the world around us doesn't really understand this, right? Because what happens when we see tragedies and things like that and people say, "Well, you know, our thoughts and prayers are are with the victims and and the things that have happened, right?" And people just don't like that.They sort of respond back with, "Well, we don't want that. We would rather you do something. We would rather see action. But if you know God and you know your relationship to him and you understand in your heart that what he ordains is right, that what he is doing has a purpose, then you know that the greatest thing you possibly could do would be to pray and to ask him, hey, if it could work out this way, would you change the counsel of Ahithophel to be foolishness? Right? And to commune with God from a position of humility is a really powerful thing.Let's pick back up in verse 32. While David was coming to the summit where God was worshiped, behold, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat torn and dirt on his head. David said to him, "If you go on with me, you will be a burden to me. But if you return to the city and say to Absalom,"I will be your servant, O king, as I have been your father's servant in time past, so now I will be your servant. Then you will defeat for me the counsel of Ahithophel."Are not Zadok and Abiathar the priests with you there? So whatever you hear from the king's house, tell it to Zadok and Abiathar, the priests. Behold, their two sons are with them. Ahimeaz Zadok's son and Jonathan Abiathar's son. And by them you shall send to me everything you hear. So Hushai, David's friend, came into the city just as Absalom was entering Jerusalem.Okay. Here, David tells Hushai, another one of his close friends and counselors, to go back to Jerusalem and act as a spy, essentially to feed information to Zadok and Abiathar, who will through their sons get that information out into the wilderness to David. And so now we finish chapter 15 with David on his way out of Jerusalem. And we begin chapter 16. And as David is out of Jerusalem, Absalom has now entered Jerusalem. Chapter 16 starts, "When David had passed a little beyond the summit, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him with a couple of donkeys saddled bearing 200 loaves of bread, a hundred bunches of raisins, a hundred of summer fruits, and a skin of wine."And the king said to Ziba, "Why have you brought these?" Ziba answered, "The donkeys are for the king's household to ride on, the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine for those who faint in the wilderness to drink." And the king said, "And where is your master's son?" That's Mephibosheth. "Where is your master's son?" Ziba said to the king, "Behold, he remains in Jerusalem, for he said, Today the house of Israel will give me back the kingdom of my father." Then the king said to Ziba, "Behold, all that belonged to Mephibosheth is now yours."And Ziba said, "I pay homage. Let me ever find favor in your sight, my Lord the king." Okay, so back in 2 Samuel 9, we see the first interaction of David with Ziba. And what's happening there is remember David wanted to honor someone of the lineage of his friend Jonathan. And so he wants to find someone of the lineage of Saul. Jonathan was Saul's son.And he wants to honor him. And Ziba says, "Well, actually, Jonathan's son, Mephibosheth, is here." And David says, "Okay, bring him to me." And he brings him and he honors him. And he says, "You're going to always eat at the king's table." And Ziba then after that is made the servant of Mephibosheth.And now where we are, we've got Ziba coming to tell David, "Hey, just so you know, as you were leaving back in Jerusalem, Mephibosheth went ahead and said, "Awesome. Now I'm going to get the kingdom back because David's gone." Like as if the house of Saul is going to now take back the kingdom. And David kind of takes this just at face value. And I don't know if it's because maybe things have not been working out super well for David. So, you know, when you're not having the greatest of time and you hear a piece of information that's not that great, you're like, "Of course, yeah, that's going wrong, too.The car is broken as well." You know, it's that kind of thing where, yeah, Mephibosheth thinks he's going to be king. I guess that's what he wanted all along. I don't know if that's exactly what David's thinking, but he responds by giving what he had originally given to Mephibosheth over to Ziba. But later on, and we're not going to unpack this as much today, in chapter 19, Mephibosheth is going to dispute this.And we're not actually sure if this is what happened. But from David's perspective, he thinks Mephibosheth has also sort of abandoned him and is looking to gain his own kingdom. And he thinks that's another person who probably is not on his side anymore. Verse 5. When King David came to Bahurim, there came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera. And as he came, he cursed continually. And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David.And all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. And Shimei said as he cursed, "Get out. Get out. You man of blood, you worthless man. The Lord has avenged on you all the blood of the house of Saul in whose place you have reigned. And the Lord has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom.See, your evil is on you, for you are a man of blood. So Shimei, who is one of Saul's relatives, sees things aren't going very well for David. And as David and his guard and all his people with him are are passing by, he starts flinging stones at him and saying a curse at him. And the text sort of reads this as one man just out there flinging rocks into a crowd of hundreds, thousands at David and cursing at him. And we're told he does this because he resents David for what happened to Saul. In verse 9, you see, then Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, said to the king, "Why should this dead dog curse my Lord the king?Let me go over and take off his head." But the king said, "What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the Lord has said to him, "Curse David, who then shall say, why have you done so?" And David said to Abishai and to all his servants, "Behold, my own son seeks my life. How much more now may this Benjaminite? Leave him alone and let him curse, for the Lord has told him to. It may be that the Lord will look on the wrong done to me, and that the Lord will repay me with good for his cursing today."So David and his men went on the road while Shimei went along on the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went and threw stones at him and flung dust. And the king and all his people who were with him arrived weary at the Jordan and there he refreshed himself. Okay. So Abishai is Joab, the guy who we talked about from last time whose field was burned. He's his brother. So this is another one of David's nephews, one of the children of David's sister.And Abishai, he is not liking this. He does not like what he sees here. This is like, you know, if you're like in high school and maybe you're like having a feud with another person and so like all your friends, they're like shooting that other person dirty looks. Maybe that person's having a party and they're like, "Well, we're not going to go because, you know, our friends are feuding with each other. we're not going to go support that. And then your friend kind of comes up to you and he says, "Look over there at that dead dog. How about I just go bring his head to you?"And you're like, "Whoa." Love the zeal, but no. And so David here tells Abishai, "No." But this isn't the first time that's had to happen because actually back in 1 Samuel, Abishai is with David when David is in the camp of Saul when Saul wants to kill him and Saul is sleeping and David and Abishai are there and see him and Abishai goes let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of the spear and David tells him no and he tells him here no again. So he's being cursed and mocked by Shimei and Abishai will not stand for that.And in his zeal he wants to go kill him. And you know David could have just been like yeah I am so tired of this. I am so sick of this. Go over there and bring me his head. But he does not.Instead, he says, "Let him curse because if God told him to curse, then who are we to question that? And perhaps one day God will look favorably upon it for me." This is David again accepting God's will humbly. He rejects the opportunity to control the outcome by manipulating the circumstances and instead he resigns himself to the will of God. I think that's really hard. And I know some of you feel like you're in the same boat, right?Maybe your mind is three steps ahead of everyone else and you're always trying to engineer the best outcome for yourself, especially if things haven't been going well lately. And so seeing David do this this act of humility is impressive and it's really challenging. We're going to bring our time together with this story to a close today. I want us to look back through some of those themes that we stopped to talk about. You know, we're not kings and queens. We probably will never flee our own homes on foot because of a coup.But a lot of these are reflections of what goes on in people's hearts. And I think some of these things go on in our hearts. First, I want us to reflect on Israel's desire for the king. Their desire to be just like everyone else around them. You know, this was a rejection of God as their king. And we talked about this in 1 Samuel, but now here they are just like everyone else.Because murder and sexual sin and treachery are all just glimpses of what life choosing your own sin and choosing your own will can lead to. And it doesn't ever seem like that. Nobody ever says we want a king and is thinking about a military coup. But yes, sin can take us to the place that we never think we'll go. So where are you tempted to believe these things?Where are you tempted to say that you know better that you desire a king even though that's not what God wants? I mean, I know I'm not supposed to sleep with my boyfriend or girlfriend before we're married, but what's the big deal? I mean, it's just so impractical in this economy anyway to not live together. I mean, I understand that God says I shouldn't lie, but really, honestly, taxes are crazy high, and I don't really believe in them anyway. So, what's a big deal if I count that as a deduction? Where do you think you know better than God?And where will it take you today? Reflect on that and turn from it. You can do it. You can turn from it. You can reject it and obey God, but not in your own willpower. But Romans tells us that we were once slaves to sin, but from a changed heart, we can now obey.You can obey if you have repented of sin and put faith in the gospel because your heart is changed. And only from a changed heart can we obey God. Second, I want us to see the beauty of friendship and the beauty of loyalty. David in one of his darkest hours is surrounded by men who refuse to leave him. So where do we need to be a friend like Ittai the Gittite?Where do we need to say that wherever you will be, I will be, good or bad? Are you sticking it out with your friends? Are you showing it up? Are you showing up when they need you or are you just busy? What do you need to remove from your life so that you can have the space to be there for other people? Some of you have been in rough situations in your life.Some of you are in rough situations and some of you can think of people who have showed up. Some of those people are sitting nearby you in this room. Rejoice in that because guys, you know that's a reflection of God. You know in the book of Hebrews it says that God will never leave us or forsake us. Why? Because he forsook Jesus.And so we are welcomed in a relationship with God that even death cannot sever. And we should reflect that to the friends around us that God has brought in our path. Thirdly, I want us to see David's humble contentment with God's will. We see it in his posture toward the ark of the covenant and in the cursing from Shimei. David accepts whatever God has ordained. And the temptation in times when you're walking a dark road can be to look up at God and say, "No, I am the master of my fate.I am the captain of my soul." And so I ask you today, where are you discontent with what God has sent? work, family, dating, children, health. Remind yourself of his goodness and entrust yourself to him. David ascends the Mount of Olives, weeping, resolved to God's will. And about a thousand years later, a descendant of David will sit at the base of the Mount of Olives in the Garden of Gethsemane. And in grief, he is going to call out to God and say, "Let this cup pass from me."Yet, not as I will, but as you will. And that's Jesus. And that's David's descendant who humbly accepts the will of God and goes to the cross and is punished for sin and he dies and he's buried and he rises again. And because of that, because Jesus has humbly accepted the will of the Father and was crushed, you can humbly accept the will of the Father and live. And the band is going to come back up and we are going to close this morning reflecting on Jesus, on the freedom he brings from our own sinful will and desire, on the relationships that he makes possible for us to have with God and on the example of humble acceptance of the will of God that he showed us on the cross that allows us to accept whatever comes our way.

It's so easy to look at God and come to the conclusion, well I want that part of Him – but not that part. And definitely not that bit. It seems that all too often, we want Him on our terms rather than His. But God just doesn't work that way.   Take it Back Have you ever wanted something in life – I mean really, really, really wanted it and then when you finally get it, you just want to give it back? I think we have all experienced that at some point and you know, I think that for some people, it can be the case with God. I know people, lots of people, who hunger to be close to God. I know there are people listening today – maybe you are one of them – and all their lives they have wanted God – whatever that means. But can I tell you something? Even something really good – I mean really, really good like God, well, it can be a shock to the system and the reason is that we have these idealised, unrealistic notions of what that good thing will be like. Take the young woman who wants more than anything else, to be married and she meets her knight in shining armour, she marries him and a year later she is wondering, "What happened to all my ideas of romance 24/7?" Today on the programme we are going to take a look at some people who got God and couldn't wait to give Him back. Now over these last few weeks we have been working our way through the story of Hannah and Eli and his sons in the Book of First Samuel. And the crux of it is that Hannah honours God but Eli and his sons don't and the turning point of the whole story comes in the verse First Samuel – if you have a Bible, grab it, open it up here in First Samuel chapter 2, verse 30. God says: I will honour those who honour Me but those who despise Me, will be treated with contempt. And we have seen how the central reality of that verse has played itself out in the lives of Hannah, who was blessed when she couldn't have a son and she honoured God and God gave her a son Samuel and the opposite is Eli and his sons Hophni and Phinehas who didn't honour God and were greatly punished, in fact they lost their lives because of that. This story plays its self out in the storms of life. I mean Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, they were the priests; they should have been bringing God's people close to God yet they were living life of Riley, as we saw last week on the programme. And God had them killed. They're job was to bring people close to God and yet they were not honouring Him. Instead they had led Israel to a place of defeat. We saw last week in First Samuel chapter 4 where the Philistines attacked, Israel thinks "Oh well, God is always on our side – we will go to battle" and they had a huge defeat – thirty thousand of their soldiers were killed. The Ark of the Covenant, the presence of God itself, was captured by the Philistines. See the Ark of the Covenant was where God actually sat in the midst of His people. You see that in the journey through the Exodus – forty years in the Tent of the Meeting and later on in the temple. The Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies; it is the very presence of God. And strangely, you know, when the Philistines are close to capturing the Ark they kind of realise, with a sense of foreboding, what this is about. It says in First Samuel that: When they learned that the Ark of the Lord had entered the camp of the Israelites, the Philistines were afraid. "A god has come into their camp" they said "we are in trouble. Nothing like that has ever happened before. Woe to us. Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods?" And so it goes on … Well, it turns out that they should have followed their instincts. Today we are going to look and see what happens to the Philistines and to the Israelites when the presence of God comes close to them. Let's have a look at it. If you've got a Bible, open it up at First Samuel chapter 5, we are going to begin the story at verse 1. After the Philistines had captured the Ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. Then they carried the Ark into Dagon's temple and set it beside Dagon. When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, their god, who had fallen flat on his face on the ground before the Ark of the Lord. They took Dagon and put him back in his place. The following morning when they rose, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the Ark of the Lord. His head and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold – only his body remained. That is why to this very day, neither the priests of Dagon or any of the others who enter Dagon's temple in Ashdod, step on the threshold. The Lord's hand was heavy upon the people of Ashdod and its vicinity. He brought devastation upon them and afflicted them with tumours. When the men of Ashdod saw what was happening they said "The Ark of the God of Israel mustn't stay here with us because His hand is heavy upon us and upon Dagon our god." So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and ask them "What are we going to do with this Ark of the God of Israel?" And they answered "Have the Ark of the God of Israel moved to Gath." So they moved the Ark of the God of Israel but after they had moved it, the Lord's hand was against that city, throwing it into great panic. He afflicted the people of the city, both young and old, with an outbreak of tumours so they sent the Ark of God on to Ekron. As the Ark of God was entering Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out "They have brought that Ark of the God of Israel around to kill us and our people." So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and said "Send that Ark of the God of Israel away. Let it go back to its own place or it will kill us and our people," for death had filled the city with panic and God's hand was very heavy upon it. Those who did not die were afflicted with tumours and the outcry of the city went up to heaven. Do you see? The Philistines looked like they had won and yet they take the presence of God; the Ark of the Covenant, they put it in their temple next to their god and Dagon falls down, face down in front of the God of Israel. And the second time his head and his hands are cut off and then wherever they took the Ark of the Covenant, the impact of God, as a captive in their midst, was devastating – they got tumours, we will see later, there were plagues of mice. They had captured God – in human terms, they had won but you know what they had forgotten, in fact they had never realised it in the first place? God is not subject to people – God is not someone you can capture and stick in your temple. He is not someone you can tame and subdue. Why are we talking about this stuff today? Because you and I, deep down, we try and tame and subdue God – we try and swing Him around to our way of thinking; to meet our needs. We put Him in the temple of our choice; we put Him in the town and the city of our choice. You know what happens when we try to do that? We discover exactly what the Philistines discovered – we discover that God is not someone you can push around. "Well, I'll just take this God and He'll bless me whenever I want Him to." Ok, we can't see Him! Our present circumstances perhaps, appear much more powerful than Him but if we want to have our feet on solid ground, amidst the storms of life, (that's what we have been talking about over these last few weeks) we look at this maelstrom of the storm; the battle between the Philistines and the Israelites – thirty thousand Israelites killed because they didn't honour their God. Who appeared to win? Who should have been, according to our simple human expectations, on solid ground? The Philistines – they won the war. They captured Israel's God but who they captured was the God who created the entire universe – not some idol; not some tin pot little god. They captured God and He wrought destruction upon them because they tried to subdue God. So much so they couldn't wait to get rid of Him. Do you get it? When we try to take God by force – force of argument, force of opinion, force of anything – anything that doesn't recognise Him for who He is – watch out! There are so many people playing "church". There are so many people playing at being Christians; playing at religion, putting God here, putting God there. That's not what it is about. As Dagon found out, the only way you honour God is when you bow down before Him because of who He is – the sovereign God, above every name and every power and every authority in heaven and earth. That's what Hannah discovered; that's what Eli discovered; that's what Israel discovered and that's what the Philistines discovered, the hard way. You can't have God on your own terms. You can only have Him on His terms.   We Don't Want Him Well, the Philistines finally came to their senses. They realised they couldn't have God on their terms. They had a choice – you either accept God on His terms or you get rid of Him. So they decided to send Him back from whence He came. Now, let's have a look at how they did that. We are going to pick this up in First Samuel – grab your Bible – First Samuel chapter 6, beginning at verse 1 – it's a great story. When the Ark of the Lord had been with the Philistines for seven months, they called for the priests and the diviners and they said "What are we going to do with this Ark of the Lord? Tell us how we should send it back to its place." They answered "If you return the Ark of the God of Israel, don't send it away empty, but by all means, send a guilt offering to Him then you will be healed and you will know why His hand has not been lifted from you." The Philistines ask "What guilt offering should we send Him?" and they replied "Five gold tumours and five gold rats, according to the number of Philistine rulers because the same plague has struck both you and your rulers. Make models of the tumours and of the rats that are destroying the country and pay honour to Israel's God. Perhaps He will lift His hand from you and your gods and your land. Why do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and the Pharaoh did when He treated them harshly, didn't they send the Israelites out so that they could go their way? Now then, get a new cart ready with two cows that have just calved and have never been yoked. Hitch the cows to the cart but take their calves away and pen them up. Take the Ark of the Lord and put it on the cart and in a chest beside it put the gold objects you are sending back to Him as a guilt offering. Send it on its way but keep watching it. If it goes up to its own territory towards Beth-shemesh then the Lord has brought this great disaster on us. But if it doesn't then we will know that it was not His hand that struck us but all this happened just by chance. So they did that – they took two such cows, hitched them to the cart, penned up their calves. They placed the Ark of the Lord on the cart, along with the chest containing the gold rats and the models of the tumours. Then the cows went straight up towards Beth-shemesh, keeping on the road, lowing all the way. They didn't turn to the right or to the left. The rulers of the Philistines followed them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh It is fascinating stuff! See, these people didn't know God – they got their own pagan spiritual leaders to advise them. Now their system of faith was not one God; that's called mono-theism. No, they believed in many gods; they were poly-theistic. And so they see the God of Israel as just another god on their list who may or may not have power. Now, He clearly does because He has brought all of this destruction on the Philistines. So they devise a test for this God. They get these two milk cows, with their calves. You see there is no way two cows that have just calved are going to leave their calves and these cows have never been yoked. So only God could cause them to go back to Israel, away from their young and that is exactly what ends up happening. They don't turn to the right or the left – they are lowing all the way. They don't want to go but they go and clearly this is an act of God. That's how the Philistines saw it. This is a story about so many people in this world who don't know God. See, they hear about God – it's amazing, God is still speaking. The number of times that I have had a letter or an email that says "You know something – I just happened to flick on the radio or turn to a channel and your programme was on and God spoke to me and changed my life." I'm going to share one of those at the end of this programme – an amazing story of a rebel fighter in Africa who laid down his arms. See, God is still speaking today, all over the place, and He reaches out to us and He ends up in our midst, one way or another, as He did with the Philistines. Remember back, how did the presence of God, the Ark of the Covenant, come to be in the midst of the Philistines? The Philistines fought Israel, Israel hadn't honoured their God – they got defeated by the Philistines big time. Eli the priest and his sons, Hophni and Phinehas were killed in that battle. They expected God to show up like He always did, but He didn't. And it was a sovereign act of the sovereign God to allow defeat to come upon Israel and to allow His presence, the Ark of the Covenant to be captured by the Philistines. God's own decision was to be in the midst of the Philistines those seven months. And they discover that you can't have Him on your own terms, so they give Him back – they send Him packing. That's what I did for many, many years of my life. Every now and then I encountered God. And you see I had my own agenda for my life; I had my own plans. God didn't fit so I would send Him packing. And it seemed like He would like to cause me grief and pain; want me to give up things I didn't want to give up. And time and time again I'd want to hang onto Him on my terms. Let me tell you something – it never, never, never worked so I sent Him packing. I rejected Him like the Philistines. I wonder if that has ever happened in your life. Come on, how much do we want God, but on our terms? Well, I believe this about abortion or I believe that about sexuality or I believe this about the different roles of men and women and when I discover what God has to say about those I say to myself "Well, I can't believe that! No, either I have God on my terms or not at all." Come on, there is a reason that God went to the trouble of recording this story about the Philistines and the Ark of the Covenant and then preserving it for a few thousand years and then broadcasting it on this radio station today. There is a reason! He is speaking to us through His story today. To all those people who would have God on their own terms, He is saying "No, you can't have Me on your terms. You can't capture Me and stick Me in your temple. You can only have Me on My terms." And as we are going to see soon, this problem was not reserved for the Philistines – it's not just for the people who didn't really know God but it was also for God's own people – God's own people who would push Him away. This series that we are going through is called "On Solid Ground". We need solid ground beneath our feet and we are going to discover next, exactly how to get it.   When Will We Learn? As I said earlier, the problem wasn't just restricted to the Philistines, sending God packing with those cows with the Ark of the Covenant in tow – it was also a problem that happened with the Israelites. Let's see what happened when the Ark of the Covenant arrives back with Israel - First Samuel chapter 6, beginning at verse 19. The Ark has just wandered down the road with the cows and this is what happened: God struck down some of the men of Beth-shemesh, putting seventy of them to death because they had looked into the Ark of the Lord. The people mourned because of the heavy blow the Lord had dealt them and the men of Beth-shemesh asked "Who can stand in the presence of the Lord, this holy God? To whom will the Ark go up from here?" Then they sent messengers to the people of Kiriath-jearim, saying "The Philistines have returned the Ark of the Lord, come down and take it up to your place." So the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took up the Ark of the Lord. They took it to Abinadab's house on the hill and consecrated Eleazar, the son to guard the Ark of the Lord. See, God is a sovereign God. We get Him on His terms and not ours. And the Israelites dealt casually with God's presence when He came back – they looked upon Him. Now God says "You can't look upon Me and live." How often do we treat the mighty sovereign casually? You and I – we take on God. Can I tell you who is going to win? Not us! Israel was God's people – they should have known better but they didn't. So what was their reaction? The same as the Philistines – "Who can stand in front of this sovereign God. Where are we going to send Him?" They sent God packing and it's a pattern repeated over and over and over again. So what is the answer? What these people needed was some solid ground beneath their feet. What you and I need is some solid ground beneath our feet. Well, that comes next in this story – it's exactly what happened. First Samuel chapter 7, verse 2: It was a long time, twenty years in all, that the Ark remained a Kiriath-jearim and all the people of Israel mourned and sought after the Lord and Samuel the prophet, said to the whole house of Israel "If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the Lord and serve Him alone and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines. So the Israelites put away their Baals and their Ashtoreths and they served the Lord alone. And then Samuel said "Assemble all Israel at Mizpah and I will intercede with the Lord for you." When they had assembled at Mizpah they drew water and poured it out before the Lord. On that day they fasted and they confessed "We have sinned against the Lord." And Samuel was the leader of Israel at Mizpah. When the Philistines heard that Israel had assembled at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines came up to attack them and when the Israelites heard of it they were afraid because of the Philistines. They said to Samuel "Don't stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, that He may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines." So Samuel took a suckling lamb, offering it up as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. He cried out to the Lord on Israel's behalf and the Lord answered him. Whilst Samuel was still sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle but that day the Lord thundered with a loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before Israel. The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to a point below Beth-car. Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and he named it Ebenezer, saying "Thus far the Lord has helped us." So the Philistines were subdued and did not invade Israelite territory again. Throughout Samuel's lifetime, the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines. From the towns of Ekron to Gath – that the Philistines had captured from Israel - they were restored to Israel and Israel delivered the neighbouring territory from the power of the Philistines and there was peace between Israel and the Amorites. First Samuel chapter 2, verse 30 says this: I will honour those who honour Me but those who despise Me will be treated with contempt. See, that's the place of solid ground – Israel finally got it right here! See, before they had had priests who were sleeping around with prostitutes, priests who were dishonouring God, priests who were plundering the sacrifices of the people to God and God said, "You know something? If your leaders are going to be doing that I am not going to bless you." So Israel fights the Philistines and Israel loses. And so the Ark of the Covenant of God goes to the Philistines and there is devastation there because of the presence of God and they send it back to Israel. And there is devastation there because of the presence of God because everyone was trying to have God on their own terms. Here is the place of solid ground: If you want to return to the Lord with all your heart, put away all your foreign gods. And that is God's Word for you and me today. Put away all your foreign gods – all the other things that you put before God – all the other things that you and I worship – put them away and worship God alone. Come to God on His terms, not ours, because He is the sovereign God. He is the God of the whole universe. He is the God – not just one other god amongst many – He is THE God; the only God and He calls us to worship Him and Him alone. So the people did that and right at the moment they did that, the Philistines were going to attack them again, but this time, the moment they began to honour their God – this verse First Samuel chapter 2, verse 30 – came into their experience. I will honour those who honour Me, but those who despise Me will be treated with contempt. People – that is the place of solid ground. It is the only place of solid ground. God is a sovereign God. He is not my performing puppy and He is not your performing puppy. He is not there to do tricks on our command. He is above us and we are His people and God is calling us today to accept Him on His terms as the sovereign God – just the way Samuel told the people. Samuel said to them "You have got to accept God on His terms" – they did and immediately, when a storm arose, God blessed His people. And that blessing went on for many, many years and their feet were on solid ground.

What third tribe does the Chronicler especially honor? 1Chronicles 8 looks forward to the hearing of God's Word, publicly read, in the holy assembly on the coming Lord's Day. In these forty verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that, in addition to royal Judah, and priestly Levi, the Chronicler honored faithful Benjamin. The passage from 1 Chronicles 8 highlights the faithful continuity of the tribe of Benjamin, emphasizing their unwavering allegiance to Judah and the Davidic line, particularly through their settlement in Jerusalem. While Judah and Levi are also prominently featured for their roles in the royal and priestly offices, Benjamin's significance lies in their loyalty during the nation's division, symbolizing steadfast commitment to God's chosen center of worship. The chronicler uses geography—tracing movements from Geba and Gath to Jerusalem—to underscore this faithfulness, culminating in the statement that these leaders dwelt in Jerusalem, alongside their relatives, affirming their dedication to God's presence. This genealogical emphasis ultimately points to Christ, the eternal King and High Priest, while affirming that faithfulness in the midst of spiritual decline is honorable before God. The devotional calls believers to remain loyal to Christ and His ordained means of access, even when the broader church strays, honoring the quiet faithfulness of those who cling to Jesus alone.

Then all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the room of his father Amaziah.2 He built Eloth, and restored it to Judah, after that the king slept with his fathers.3 Sixteen years old was Uzziah when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name also was Jecoliah of Jerusalem.4 And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah did.5 And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper.6 And he went forth and warred against the Philistines, and brake down the wall of Gath, and the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod, and built cities about Ashdod, and among the Philistines.7 And God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians that dwelt in Gurbaal, and the Mehunims.8 And the Ammonites gave gifts to Uzziah: and his name spread abroad even to the entering in of Egypt; for he strengthened himself exceedingly.9 Moreover Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the corner gate, and at the valley gate, and at the turning of the wall, and fortified them.10 Also he built towers in the desert, and digged many wells: for he had much cattle, both in the low country, and in the plains: husbandmen also, and vine dressers in the mountains, and in Carmel: for he loved husbandry.11 Moreover Uzziah had an host of fighting men, that went out to war by bands, according to the number of their account by the hand of Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the ruler, under the hand of Hananiah, one of the king's captains.12 The whole number of the chief of the fathers of the mighty men of valour were two thousand and six hundred.13 And under their hand was an army, three hundred thousand and seven thousand and five hundred, that made war with mighty power, to help the king against the enemy.14 And Uzziah prepared for them throughout all the host shields, and spears, and helmets, and habergeons, and bows, and slings to cast stones.15 And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by cunning men, to be on the towers and upon the bulwarks, to shoot arrows and great stones withal. And his name spread far abroad; for he was marvellously helped, till he was strong.16 But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the Lord his God, and went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense.17 And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore priests of the Lord, that were valiant men:18 And they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the Lord, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honour from the Lord God.19 Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a censer in his hand to burn incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord, from beside the incense altar.20 And Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and, behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because the Lord had smitten him.21 And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the Lord: and Jotham his son was over the king's house, judging the people of the land.22 Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first and last, did Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, write.23 So Uzziah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the field of the burial which belonged to the kings; for they said, He is a leper: and Jotham his son reigned in his stead.

Exodus Lesson 71 Part 2 In Exod. 31:13 it says … “But as for you, speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'You shall surely observe My sabbaths; for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you.” (Exo 31:13) The word BUT is the Hebrew word ACH (אַךְ H389) meaning “never the less, or none the less, or but, or surely and more.  It is as if God is saying “What came before is very important but what comes now is even more important that all that has come before, so, Moses, speak to the sons of Israel … “  The Sabbath, the Lord's Sabbath, His Shabbat in Hebrew is  more important than all that has come before.  More important than all the instruction and all the detail about God's Tabernacle and the dress of the High Priest and the Priests starting in chapter 25.  More important that the induction ceremony of the Aaron and his sons.  It seems God is saying it is more important than when Moses first went up Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments.  He's been there since and in v. 18 he gets the two tablets from the Lord and this ends his stay of 40 days and nights on Sinai.  It seems that the Shabbat is more important than everything back to chapter 20!  That was when God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, the Lord's Covenant.  Shabbat is bigger than all this.  On our YouTube channel I have a “playlist” series I did on the Lord's Shabbat, or the Sabbath.  It is incumbent on us, true disciples of Messiah, to know about Jesus' Shabbat, God's Shabbat.  We'll find that it is the most important of the Lord's feasts.  LINK to the Shabbat playlist - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05bc07ssllo&list=PLvcIXun2BQDLshZetXi0avkG665YNcI5I And now here in Exod. 31:12-18 we see the Shabbat is called a SIGN (אוֹת – “oat”) and it is called the covenant of Shabbat.  It is given to man and not man given to shabbat.  But the Hebrews are the Bride.  Just like in a contemporary religious Jewish wedding, only the bride gets a ring.  So, only the bride gets the Shabbat, God's ring, the sign or אוֹת – “oat” of the covenant.  But Jesus is our Bridegroom, our future “husband” and He asked us to keep His commandments and the greatest feast of the Lord is the Sabbath of THE SHABBAT.  And Jesus said do it to show me our love!  (Joh 14:15)  "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”  The shabbat is like our ring as we are betrothed to our Bridegroom, our Yeshua, our Jesus.  We do His Sabbath to tell Him we love Him and to use it as a testimony to the world of God and His Salvation.  How dare us say we can Shabbat on any day we want.  It is NOT about onl rest.  It is about the Lord's Shabbat to testify He is and He is the creator of the universe and He brings His salvation to all of us both Jew and Gentile.  We do Shabbat on God's designated day to testify of Him. Rev. Ferret - who is this guy?  (Ferret - visiting ancient Gath in Israel.  Didn't see Goliath though!) What's his background?  Why should I listen to him?  Check his background at this link - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ortnret3oxcicu4/BackgrndTeacher%20mar%2025%202020.pdf?dl=0    

In this Bible Story, Saul pursues David's life and David once again has the opportunity to end Saul. Yet David spares Saul, and Saul once again repents and leaves David's presence.This story is inspired by 1 Samuel 26-27. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.Today's Bible verse is 1 Samuel 26:7 from the King James Version.Episode 92: Once again, Saul has given in to his hatred and is hunting David. As Saul camped in the wilderness, David was once again given the opportunity to kill Saul, this time in his sleep. But he chooses mercy and calls out to Abner and Saul, chiding Abner and reasoning with Saul. Saul promised to leave him alone, but David, knowing better, fled to the land of Israel's enemies, gaining favor with Achish, king of Gath.Hear the Bible come to life as Pastor Jack Graham leads you through the official BibleinaYear.com podcast. This Biblical Audio Experience will help you master wisdom from the world's greatest book. In each episode, you will learn to apply Biblical principles to everyday life. Now understanding the Bible is easier than ever before; enjoy a cinematic audio experience full of inspirational storytelling, orchestral music, and profound commentary from world-renowned Pastor Jack Graham.Also, you can download the Pray.com app for more Christian content, including Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories.Visit JackGraham.org for more resources on how to tap into God's power for successful Christian living.Pray.com is the digital destination of faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max BardProducer: Ben GammonHosted by: Pastor Jack GrahamMusic by: Andrew Morgan SmithBible Story narration by: Todd Haberkorn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Exodus Lesson 71 Part 1 In Hebrew Genesis 2:3 has a unique Hebrew grammatical construction only found here in chapter 2 verse 3.  The Hebrew translated direct from the Hebrew is that “God ceased from creating all his work that God created TO DO.”  This seems to suggest that the Lord stopped creating work to be accomplished in the future work.  Hebrew scholars such as Ibn Ezra (1092-1167 A.D.) and Radak (1160-1235 A.D.), noted that the Hebrew phrase that God created a world that was complete in its foundation but designed to have its full potential realized through time, partly through the stewardship of humanity. In other words it seems possible that God has created work for the future for Himself, His people like Moses, David, Isaiah, and of course Jesus and US!!  It is a very interesting valid alternative translation of Gen. 2:3.  (See “JPS Torah Commentary: Genesis.  Nahum Sarna.  © 1989.  The Jewish Publication Society.  Jerusalem, Philadelphia, and New York) Ask many Christians today how they are saved and they would tell you they are saved by GRACE and not by WORKS.  They are right.  This is the very words of God found in Eph. 2:8-9.  But, what we miss is this is a Jewish concept and understood quite clearly among religious Jews in Jesus' day.  Consider the Hebrew words Chen (grace/favor) and Chesed (lovingkindness) which represent God's unmerited favor and mercy shown to individuals and the nation, rather than just earning salvation through works. Hebrew Origins: The concept of grace (chen - found 69 times in the Tanakh) emphasizes God's unmerited favor, such as when Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Grace is then connected to Torah often expressed in Judaism as "saved by grace, led by Torah," or God's instruction and not law.  It is seen as a gift that frees individuals to walk in God's ways out of love, not just for merit.  Here's a number of websites to check it out and go deeper in your understanding and study. https://www.myjewishlearning.com/2013/05/21/rescuing-grace/ https://hoshanarabbah.org/blog/2016/02/26/concept-of-grace/ https://free.messianicbible.com/feature/grace-enough/ In this podcast we will study Eph. 2:10.  The verse that most Christians forget.  They stop at verse 9 when they quote Eph. 2:8-9.  They tell us that works don't matter.  But, they do not read THE VERY WORDS OF GOD in verse 10.  We are sved by grace not by works to then become God's workmanship to do good WORKS!!  Thus, the Lord is telling us, the mark of a true Christian is once they are saved they do work given to them by the Father.  Works God created for us in Gen. 2:3.   Many of our Bibles say that Jesus was a carpenter as we find in Matt. 16:18 or Mark 6:3.  But, few study the Greek word that carpenter translates.  I never heard on pastor teach on this.  Not one.  The Greek word is TEKTON. It is a broad term for a craftsman, artisan, or builder, often used specifically for a woodworker or carpenter. Tekton refers to a skilled worker who constructs with various materials, including wood and stone.  Shown below are a few websites to check this out https://biblehub.com/greek/5045.htm https://www.billmounce.com/greek-dictionary/tekton https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tekt%C5%8Dn This Greek word tekton in the Septuagint translates the Hebrew word CHARASH חָרָשׁ H2796.  The meaning in Hebrew is artisan or craftsman whose trained hands shape wood, stone, metal, or precious gems or any material.  Thus, since there was NO New Testament in Jesus'day, only the Hebrew Scriptures, we can confidently say Jesus was not only a carpenter but construction worker.   And as B'zal'el and Oholee-av were to lead a group of CHRASHEEM to build God's Dwelling Place, our Jesus, who is a CHRASH, will build His congregation.  And this congregation will be like ONE TEMPLE, one place where God dwells.  I can't make this up.  The connections are too awesome. These two words in the podcast, TEKTON and CHARASH, were related to the Hebrew phrase tikkun olam (pronounced taykoon olam) תיקון עולם originating in the Mishnah meaning “to fix everything.”  Reform Judaism states that tikkun olam has evolved from a purely spiritual, concept into a mandate for social action, social justice, and environmentalism.  Dennis Prager, a famous conservative talk show host and scholar, who is also a deeply religious Jew, feels that tikkun oal as social justice shows why so many American Jews are democrats.  Some other modern Jewish interpretations suggest that in the absence of a single, personal Messiah, humanity itself (as a collective) is responsible for being the "Messiah" by performing acts of kindness to heal the world.  This results in the general concept in contemporary Judaism that repairing the world is ONLY through human effort to usher in a future Messianic era.  This clearly is not the view in Christianity.  Christians hold to the fact that the Messiah (Jesus) has come to begin this restoration, with a future return for a final, complete, restoration and renewal of the entire universe. The Christian view seems to be more correct.  The phrase tikkun olam appears in the Jewish prayer in the 2nd paragraph called Ahlaynoo עָלֵינוּ – meaning it is against us, on us, or incumbent on us.  This prayer may have been written in Jesus' day.  It first appears in the Mishnah is the 3rd century A.D.  Clearly, the prayer says God will fix everything and perfect the world.  Today in religious Jews seemed to have abandoned the idea that God does tikkun olam.  This is clear in the prayer and in the Hebrew Scriptures. There is nothing in the prayer or in God's word that says Messiah will come only if mankind does tikkun olam.  Shown below is the prayer. סידור אשכנז, ימי חול, תפילת שחרית, סיום תפילה, עלינו א׳ עָלֵֽינוּ לְשַׁבֵּֽחַ לַאֲדוֹן הַכֹּל, לָתֵת גְּדֻלָּה לְיוֹצֵר בְּרֵאשִׁית. שֶׁלֺּא עָשָֽׂנוּ כְּגוֹיֵי הָאֲרָצוֹת, וְלֺא שָׂמָֽנוּ כְּמִשְׁפְּחוֹת הָאֲדָמָה; שֶׁלֺּא שָׂם חֶלְקֵֽנוּ כָּהֶם, וְגוֹרָלֵֽנוּ כְּכָל הֲמוֹנָם. שֶׁהֵם מִשְׁתַּחֲוִים לָהֶֽבֶל וָרִיק וּמִתְפַּלְּלִים אֶל אֵל לֹא יוֹשִֽׁיעַ. וַאֲנַֽחְנוּ כּוֹרְעִים וּמִשְׁתַּחֲוִים וּמוֹדִים לִפְנֵי מֶֽלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים, הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא. שֶׁהוּא נוֹטֶה שָׁמַֽיִם וְיוֹסֵד אָֽרֶץ, וּמוֹשַׁב יְקָרוֹ בַּשָּׁמַֽיִם מִמַּֽעַל, וּשְׁכִינַת עֻזּוֹ בְּגָבְהֵי מְרוֹמִים; הוּא אֱלֺהֵֽינוּ, אֵין עוֹד. אֱמֶת מַלְכֵּֽנוּ, אֶֽפֶס זוּלָתוֹ, כַּכָּתוּב בְּתוֹרָתוֹ: וְיָדַעְתָּ הַיּוֹם וַהֲשֵׁבֹתָ אֶל לְבָבֶֽךָ כִּי יְהֹוָה הוּא הָאֱלֺהִים בַּשָּׁמַֽיִם מִמַּֽעַל וְעַל הָאָֽרֶץ מִתָּֽחַת, אֵין עוֹד. TRANSLATED: It is our obligation (incumbent on us or AHLAYNO עָלֵֽינוּ) to praise the Master of all, to ascribe greatness to the Creator of the [world in the] beginning: that He has not made us like the nations of the lands, and has not positioned us like the families of the earth; that He has not assigned our portion like theirs, nor our lot like that of all their multitudes. For they prostrate themselves to vanity and nothingness, and pray to a god that cannot deliver. But we bow, prostrate ourselves, and offer thanks before the Supreme King of Kings, the Holy One blessed is He, Who spreads the heavens, and establishes the earth, and the seat of His glory is in heaven above, and the abode of His invincible might is in the loftiest heights. He is our God, there is nothing else. Our King is true, all else is insignificant, as it is written in His Torah: And You shall know this day and take into Your heart that Adonoy is God in the heavens above and upon the earth below; there is nothing else. סידור אשכנז, ימי חול, תפילת שחרית, סיום תפילה, עלינו ב׳ עַל כֵּן נְקַוֶּה לְךָ, יְהֹוָה אֱלֺהֵֽינוּ, לִרְאוֹת מְהֵרָה בְּתִפְאֶֽרֶת עֻזֶּֽךָ, לְהַעֲבִיר גִּלּוּלִים מִן הָאָֽרֶץ וְהָאֱלִילִים כָּרוֹת יִכָּרֵתוּן; לְתַקֵּן עוֹלָם בְּמַלְכוּת שַׁדַּי. וְכָל בְּנֵי בָשָׂר יִקְרְאוּ בִשְׁמֶֽךָ, לְהַפְנוֹת אֵלֶֽיךָ כָּל רִשְׁעֵי אָֽרֶץ. יַכִּֽירוּ וְיֵדְעוּ כָּל יוֹשְׁבֵי תֵבֵל כִּי לְךָ תִכְרַע כָּל בֶּֽרֶךְ, תִּשָּׁבַע כָּל לָשׁוֹן. לְפָנֶֽיךָ, יְהֹוָה אֱלֺהֵֽינוּ, יִכְרְעוּ וְיִפֹּֽלוּ, וְלִכְבוֹד שִׁמְךָ יְקָר יִתֵּֽנוּ, וִיקַבְּלוּ כֻלָּם אֶת עֹל מַלְכוּתֶֽךָ, וְתִמְלֺךְ עֲלֵיהֶם מְהֵרָה לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד. כִּי הַמַּלְכוּת שֶׁלְּךָ הִיא, וּלְעֽוֹלְמֵי עַד תִּמְלוֹךְ בְּכָבוֹד, כַּכָּתוּב בְּתוֹרָתֶֽךָ: יְהֹוָה יִמְלֺךְ לְעֹלָם וָעֶד. וְנֶאֱמַר, וְהָיָה יְהֹוָה לְמֶֽלֶךְ עַל כָּל הָאָֽרֶץ; בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִהְיֶה יְהֹוָה אֶחָד וּשְׁמוֹ אֶחָד: TRANSLATED: We therefore put our hope in You, Adonoy our God, to soon behold the glory of Your might in banishing idolatry from the earth, and the false gods will be utterly exterminated to perfect the world (that is לְתַקֵּן עוֹלָם or Leh Taykoon Olam) as the kingdom of Shadai. And all mankind will invoke Your Name, to turn back to You, all the wicked of the earth. They will realize and know, all the inhabitants of the world, that to You, every knee must bend, every tongue must swear [allegiance to You]. Before You, Adonoy, our God, they will bow and prostrate themselves, and to the glory of Your Name give honor. And they will all accept [upon themselves] the yoke of Your kingdom, and You will reign over them, soon, forever and ever. For the kingdom is Yours, and to all eternity You will reign in glory, as it is written in Your Torah: Adonoy will reign forever and ever. And it is said: And Adonoy will be King over the whole earth; on that day Adonoy will be One and His Name One.  (Accessed at www.sefaria.org) Rev. Ferret - who is this guy?  (Ferret - visiting ancient Gath in Israel.  Didn't see Goliath though!) What's his background?  Why should I listen to him?  Check his background at this link - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ortnret3oxcicu4/BackgrndTeacher%20mar%2025%202020.pdf?dl=0    

In this Bible Story, David escapes from Saul and has to lie to priests, pretend to be insane to kings, and escape to caves in order to preserve his life. However, God continued to bless David. Outcasts, misfits, and debtors from Israel began to band around him. This story is inspired by 1 Samuel 21-22. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.Today's Bible verse is 1 Samuel 21:5 from the King James Version.Episode 89: David made his way to Nob, the city of priests, and Ahimelech came to meet him and asked why he was there. David quickly told Ahimelech what he needed to hear and asked for food to sustain him on his journey. He asked for a sword and Ahimelech gifted him the sword of Goliath that he had used so many years ago. After this, David fled quickly to Gath knowing that Saul would be hot on his tail. But Gath wasn't safe for him either and so he fled again to a cave in Adullam where he would praise God and write Psalms in the midst of his suffering. Hear the Bible come to life as Pastor Jack Graham leads you through the official BibleinaYear.com podcast. This Biblical Audio Experience will help you master wisdom from the world's greatest book. In each episode, you will learn to apply Biblical principles to everyday life. Now understanding the Bible is easier than ever before; enjoy a cinematic audio experience full of inspirational storytelling, orchestral music, and profound commentary from world-renowned Pastor Jack Graham.Also, you can download the Pray.com app for more Christian content, including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories.Visit JackGraham.org for more resources on how to tap into God's power for successful Christian living.Pray.com is the digital destination of faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store.Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max BardProducer: Ben GammonHosted by: Pastor Jack GrahamMusic by: Andrew Morgan SmithBible Story narration by: Todd Haberkorn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

APR. 22, 2026Raise the bar."Jonathan..David's brother, killed him."2Sa 21:21 NIVAfter David killed Goliath, four other men, including his nephew Jonathan, killed giants that rose up against the Israelites. "In still another battle, which took place at Gath, there was a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot— twenty-four in all. He was also descended from Rapha. When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of Shimeah, David's brother, killed him" (2Sa 21:20-21 NIV). David had raised the bar. Witnessing the defeat of what others had previously deemed impossible gave them the strength to overcome their own giants. Until 1954, no one had ever run a mile in under four minutes, and most people assumed it was virtually impossible. But on May 6, 1954, at an Oxford University track meet, Roger Bannister completed the distance in 3 minutes and 59.4 seconds. He had slain the giant. Two months later, Australian John Landy broke Bannister's record, proving that the four-minute mile was as much a psychological as a physical barrier. In the first half of the twentieth century, many people attempted to climb Mount Everest and failed. It was the unconquerable giant in the world of mountain climbers. On May 29, 1953, Edmund Hillary and his Sherpa guide, Tenzing Norgay, were the first humans to reach the summit. Since then, over seven thousand climbers, ranging from age thirteen to eighty, have completed the expedition. David, Bannister, and Hillary all conquered giants of their day and inspired others to match and excel in their feats. You do yourself and others a disservice when you run from your giant. You need to stop being afraid to tackle hard tasks and remind yourself, "If God did it before, He can do it again, and if He did it for others, He can do it for me."Raise the bar Stop being afraid.Share This DevotionalSend us Fan MailSupport the showChanging Lives | Building Strong Family | Impacting Our Community For Jesus Christ!

Fr. Mike reflects on King Saul's despair in the face of trial, and how he seeks other means of comfort when he feels like God has abandoned him. God never abandons us, especially in the midst of danger. Fr. Mike invites us to place our trust in God's promise, instead of resorting to sinful acts. Today's readings are 1 Samuel 27-28 and Psalm 34. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear. Please note: The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

Experience the "Diary of a Madman" as we explore Psalm 56 and David's desperate flight to the city of Gath. Learn how faith doesn't require fearlessness, but rather the honesty to trust God even while the spit is on your beard and the walls are closing in.

"David, though the Lord's anointed king, is driven into exile, rejected by his own people, and forced into the wilderness. Yet in this very humiliation, he becomes a powerful picture of Christ—the suffering Messiah who protects His people in their pilgrimage through this fallen world.In this sermon on 1 Samuel 21:10–22:5, we explore David's flight to Gath, his faith in the midst of fear, and the gathering of the distressed to him in the cave of Adullam. These wilderness scenes foreshadow Jesus Christ, the greater David, who gathers weary sinners to Himself and keeps them safe as elect exiles on the way to the heavenly kingdom.The church today is that same distressed company in the wilderness—finding refuge not in the power of the world, but in the rejected yet reigning Messiah.#1Samuel #David #JesusChrist #Sermon #ReformedPreaching #BiblicalTheology #ChristInTheOldTestament #SufferingServant #Wilderness #ChristianLiving"

And it came to pass, that after the year was expired, at the time that kings go out to battle, Joab led forth the power of the army, and wasted the country of the children of Ammon, and came and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried at Jerusalem. And Joab smote Rabbah, and destroyed it.2 And David took the crown of their king from off his head, and found it to weigh a talent of gold, and there were precious stones in it; and it was set upon David's head: and he brought also exceeding much spoil out of the city.3 And he brought out the people that were in it, and cut them with saws, and with harrows of iron, and with axes. Even so dealt David with all the cities of the children of Ammon. And David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.4 And it came to pass after this, that there arose war at Gezer with the Philistines; at which time Sibbechai the Hushathite slew Sippai, that was of the children of the giant: and they were subdued.5 And there was war again with the Philistines; and Elhanan the son of Jair slew Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spear staff was like a weaver's beam.6 And yet again there was war at Gath, where was a man of great stature, whose fingers and toes were four and twenty, six on each hand, and six on each foot and he also was the son of the giant.7 But when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea David's brother slew him.8 These were born unto the giant in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.

https://www.patreon.com/AdeptusRidiculoushttps://www.adeptusridiculous.com/https://twitter.com/AdRidiculoushttps://shop.orchideight.com/collections/adeptus-ridiculousIn the grand finale of the Dark Imperium trilogy, Roboute Guilliman is having a spectacularly bad time. Not only is he forced into a miserable reunion with his stinky brother Mortarion, but he's also dodging fanatic priests and dealing with Ku'Gath's ultimate weapon: the Godblight.Things get so bad that Guilliman actually dies, only to have a lovely chat with the Emperor, who kindly reminds him that he is nothing more than a tool, a number, and a weapon. Truly, the "#1 Dad" of the 41st Millennium.Support the show

In this powerful episode of The Voice Podcast, Bishop Mark Brown unpacks the journey from Gath to the crown—revealing how God uses unexpected places and difficult seasons to prepare us for destiny. Before David ever wore the crown, he found himself in Gath—the territory of the enemy, a place of pressure, hiding, and survival. Yet even there, God was shaping his character, refining his mindset, and positioning him for rulership. This message reveals a powerful truth: Your process is not punishment—it is preparation. From caves to conflict, from obscurity to opportunity, every step was necessary for David to become the king God called him to be. If you've ever felt like you're in a place that doesn't match your promise, this episode will remind you: God may hide you in systems that do not celebrate you—only to protect what He plans to reveal later.- Bishop Brown  This is your moment to understand the process, embrace the pressure, and prepare for the promise. Because the same God who allows the process… is the God who appoints the crown.

https://www.patreon.com/AdeptusRidiculoushttps://www.adeptusridiculous.com/https://twitter.com/AdRidiculoushttps://shop.orchideight.com/collections/adeptus-ridiculousRoboute Guilliman has officially had enough, and the Avenging Son is about to deliver the ultimate crashout. In this episode, we dive deep into the absolute madness of Dark Imperium: Plague Wars. Nurgle's forces are making a mess of Parmenio, with Ku'Gath stressing over his favour with Nurgle, and Mortarion dropping in from the toxic fog to challenge his brother.Meanwhile, things on the Imperial side are getting weird. A mysterious girl named Kaylia is manifesting Living Saint powers, Sister Iolanth is going rogue and bodying Sisters of Silence, and Frater Mathieu is pushing Guilliman to his absolute breaking point.Support the show

In this passage, David is running for his life and ends up in Gath; the very place where his enemies live. To escape, he does something unexpected: he pretends to be insane. It's not a moment of strength, but a moment of weakness that God still uses to preserve him. Following God doesn't always look impressive or logical. Sometimes obedience in the middle of fear looks strange to the world. But faith means learning to follow Christ through fear rather than letting fear control us. The real question is: What are you doing with your fear? Will you trust God through it like David, or be ruled by it like Saul?

A – About: This passage focuses on David fleeing from Saul and seeking refuge with Achish, king of Gath. In desperation, David pretends to be insane to preserve his life. The emphasis is not on imitation of David's behavior, but on God's sovereign protection even when His servant makes fearful and questionable decisions. B – Best Verse: 1 Samuel 21:13–14 — David feigns madness before Achish, resulting in his dismissal rather than execution. C – Called to Do: We are called to trust God's providence in fearful and uncertain moments. Rather than imitating David's actions, we rest in the truth that God is sovereign, protective, and faithful—even when our judgment falters.

How do you respond when the giant turns out to be something that you created?Questions for the Road:1. In what ways do you personally “Run to Gath” in seasons of pain, exhaustion or stress?2. Where are you right now: In the battle, running or in need of sitting by the Brook Besor?3. Based on your responses to the previous questions, what is the Welcome of God that He is inviting me into?

2607 - From Shiloh to Ashdod to Gath to Kiriath Jearim and the Jerusalem tunnels beneath Jerusalem, the Bearded Bible Brothers retrace the steps of the Ark of the Covenant to uncover its final resting place. Is the discovery of the Ark integral to the construction of the Third Temple? Joshua and Caleb search the scriptures to find out!

Fear can push us into places we never planned to go and make us act in ways we never expected. In this message, we look at David's darkest detour—when fear drove him away from Gath and into desperation—yet praise never left his lips. All Times Means These Times reminds us that worship isn't reserved for the good moments, but is forged in the middle of fear, confusion, and uncertainty. Even here, God is worthy.

Group Guide Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week. TranscriptGood morning. Through snow and ice and disconnected H VAC units, we have finally gathered together, and we are getting ready to finally start Second Samuel. So if you're with us in the fall, we finished up First Samuel. We. We took a break with the Remember series and Give series, and now we get to start Second Samuel. We kind of jump into the middle of the story. First and Second Samuel actually were written as one book together. If you remember this when we first started, it's written as one book together because of how scrolls worked back in the day, they had to divide it in two separate scrolls. So it's one story. And we're jumping in the middle of a story at the beginning of 2 Samuel chapter 1. And we jump in the middle of a sad moment. And what we're going to see today is a lament that David has wrote for the people of God. And there are times where it's good to be sad. And when tragedy hits, when loss hits, there's something in us that aches for a response. I remember in 2001 when 911 happened, that as a nation, we were just collectively at a loss of words, and there was just a deep sadness for what many of us witnessed on TV and all the horror and the pain that came with that. And in November, two months after. I remember at the cmas, which is the Country Music Awards, Alan Jackson, he performed a song that he had written just a few weeks before. It's called Where Were youe In the World? Stop Turning. And the whole song is. It's a lament. It's country music, but it's a lament that captures how everyone felt in that moment as we witnessed all the pain and suffering at 9 11. And I just remember watching that with my parents and just being. Just felt it. You felt it in the room. And, you know, people outside of country music that don't even like country music, which is quite a few people, they actually, some of them very much appreciated the moment because what he was doing was capturing what we just felt. And that's what lament does. It captures this. This suffering, this. This loss, this pain that we feel. And it's good for. For us to sit in that. And poetic songs and poetic laments capture that. And that's what we get to see today as we jump into the middle of a story where we finish up in Second Samuel. We see the death of Saul and Jonathan and the defeat of Israel. We're going to walk through how David finds out about this. Then we're going to see how he laments and then as Christians, we're going to be able to sit in this and understand the importance of. Of what it means to be a people who lament. Well, so I'm going to pray for us, and then we'll walk through this together. Heavenly Father, I thank you for your word. It is precious, it is a gift, and it communicates wonderful, eternal truths that mold and shape us and conform us into your image in new and better ways. And I pray that you would do that to us this morning as we read and study and sit under the authority of your precious word. We ask this in Jesus name. Amen.Okay, so if you weren't here for First Samuel, let me just give a quick summary. If you were here and it's been months, let me just help us remember. In 1st Samuel, God calls the final judge and the period of the judges and prophet Samuel. Because first and Second Samuel in the Old Testament is the beginning of the age of the kings. So the people are longing for a king. They want a ruler. They had God as their ruler. They had God as their king. And God used judges to reign them in at times. But this moment, they want a king. They go to Samuel. Samuel listens to the Lord, gives them their first king, which is Saul. And at first it goes well. Saul fits the bill. He looks like a king. He's tall, he's handsome. He leads the people, and they beat, they defeat the Ammonites. They do all kinds of things like this. And it's wonderful. And then as you keep reading, you see that his heart actually isn't fully for the Lord, that he has moments of deep faithlessness. And in his faithlessness, God rejects him as king. He anoints David, who is the next king of Israel. If you're familiar with anything in first and Second Samuel, you're probably familiar with the story of David and Goliath. That is when David steps onto the national scene after he's anointed by Samuel and he becomes a hero. He defeats Goliath, and then Saul appreciates David for, like, 10 minutes. It seems it's not very long. He, like, invites him to marry his daughter. He marries into the family. Things are good for a moment. And then quickly, I think Saul realizes, oh, David is the next king, and he becomes a threat. And the whole rest of 1st Samuel is Saul trying to kill David over and over and over again until finally we get to chapter 31 of 1st Samuel, when finally God brings judgment upon Saul and his house, and they're defeated by the Philistines.In 1st Samuel 31 it says,> Then the battle went hard against Saul, and the archers hit him, and he was badly wounded by the archers.> Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through and mistreat me." But his armor-bearer would not, for he was very afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword and fell on it.> And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he likewise fell on his sword and died with him.> So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, on the same day together.So that is the end of Saul and 1st Samuel, or 2 Samuel chapter 1 picks up right where that leaves off a few days later. Verse 1.> After the death of Saul, when David had returned from striking down the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag.> And on the third day behold, a man came from Saul's camp with his clothes torn and with dirt on his head. And when he came to David, he fell to the ground and paid homage.So while Saul was fighting the Philistines, David was facing off with a band of Amalekites who had kidnapped him and his men's families. So he goes, he defeats them, and this is them kind of resting after the battle. And then all of a sudden, verse two, it says, and on the third day, behold, a man came from Saul's camp with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. And when he came to David, he fell to the ground and paid homage. So clothes torn and dirt on your head. That was an immediate sign to David and his men that something bad has happened. That's a sign of lament. You're in your garments, you put dirt on your head. Something major has happened. Which David said to him, verse three, where do you come from? And he said to him, I have escaped from the camp of Israel. And David said to him, how did it go? Tell me. And he answered, the people fled from the battle. And also many of the people have fallen and are dead. And Saul and his son Jonathan are also dead. So this is the first that David hears of this, that Saul, Jonathan, his friend, they're gone.Now, put yourself back in when we finish this up in the fall, and remember all that David went through to get to this moment and understand the complexities of how he must have been feeling. Saul tried to kill him over and over and over and over again, hurling spears, chasing him in the wilderness, chasing him in and out of towns, and finally it's over. And David had opportunities. He had opportunities to kill him himself. He had two opportunities with his hand in his life, and he spared him because he would not raise his hand against the Lord's anointed. He said, God will bring judgment on Saul. I will not. And it's finally happened. So that's in the background. And then also, Jonathan was one of his closest friends. Jonathan was a dear friend to him. If you remember when we walked the story of David and Jonathan, we got to see Jonathan, who was the next in line to be the king. Saul's son was. He was beloved by the people. He was a mighty warrior. And when David steps on the scene, he yields. It's very clear that he trusts that God has anointed him to be the next king. And that doesn't happen in the Old Testament, that doesn't happen in history. People don't give up their right to the throne like that. But he's a faith filled man and he trusts the anointing that David has. And you see, even when they talk, he longs to be serving in David's court one day. And he also. We saw how much Jonathan honored his father. He called him out at times for how he was pursuing David, but he honored him and stood by him in this battle. And his friend Jonathan is dead. So there is a lot happening in the soul of David as he receives this.And then in verse five, it says,> And the young man who told him said, "I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and there was Saul leaning on his spear, and behold, the chariots and the horsemen were closing in on him.> And when he looked behind him, he saw me and called to me. And I answered, 'Here I am.'> And he said to me, 'Who are you?' And I answered him, 'I am an Amalekite.'> Then he said to me, 'Stand beside me and kill me, for anguish has seized me, and yet my life still lingers.'> So I stood beside him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen.> And I took the crown that was on his head and the bracelet that was on his arm and brought them here to my lord."Okay, if you're reading first into second Samuel, just chapter 31, straight into this right here. That's quite jarring because those aren't the same stories. That is two different tellings of what happened. And I just want to show you the differences in this. I've got a chart up here. And first Samuel, chapter 31, the narrator tells us that archers surrounded Saul and badly wounded him. But when the Amalekite retells, he says, no chariots and horsemen were close upon him. And in 1st Samuel 31, the narrator tells us that Saul turns to his armor bearer and asks to kill him because he doesn't want to be mistreated. But Amalekite says no. He called out to me. He said, I'm. He said, ask me to kill him. In 1st Samuel 31, we see that the armor bearer refuses. So Saul kills himself, but the Amalekite says, no, I killed him. The only part where. Where it is similar and you can line them up in compatibility is when it says in 1st Samuel 31 that the Philistines recovered just the armor. And then we get in the Amalekite retelling that the crown and the armlet he had so that you can line up, but everything else is different. So when we come upon situations like this in the Bible where there's. There's two differences there, that's an opportunity to lean in and to ask why? Why are these accounts different? And if you are undiscerning and you hop on the Internet and you get into the deep pages of Reddit or Google or wherever you go, you might find the lazy approach that's like, aha. Contradictions. See, your Bible is not trustworthy. And that's an opportunity to just sit in it longer, to ask deeper questions, to be more thoughtful and discerning. And once you do that, it's very clear what's happening. The Amalekite is lying. He's a liar. He's an opportunistic liar. He stumbles upon the battle. He sees Saul. Everyone knows that if Saul's dead, David is the next king. This is an opportunity for him to be rewarded in his mind. Grabs the crown, he grabs the armlet, he makes up a story, he leaves. And then he comes and he tells David the story. So he tells him this. Now David begins to really lament.Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him.> Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and likewise all the men who were with him.> And they mourned and wept and fasted until the evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the LORD, and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.For Saul and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the Lord and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword, which is just a picture. When, when the leader mourns and laments, everyone does. They follow suit. They tear their clothes, they weep, they fast. Which just as a thing to think about, that's one of the reasons for fasting. Like we're in the south and when someone dies, we eat. Which I think can be fun, but also have a category for fasting is good for the people of God to actually to. To fast and to pray and depend upon the Lord. And that's what they do until evening.And David said to the young man who told him, where do you come from? And he answered, I am the son of a sojourner and Amalekite.> And David said to the young man who told him, "Where are you from?" And he answered, "I am the son of a sojourner, an Amalekite."David said to him, how is it you who. How is it you who were not afraid to put out your hand to destroy the Lord's anointed? So this is about the moment the Amalekite begins to realize that he has made a massive mistake. Because David had multiple opportunities to do just this. David could have ended Saul's reign, could have taken the throne, could have seized power. But he feared the Lord and he trusted the Lord. And he was not going to do and raise his hand against the Lord's anointing. He was going to trust the Lord when the Lord decided to bring judgment. So how in the world could this Amalekite, this person who belonged to a people who were enemies of God, think that he could raise his hand against the Lord's anointed and this would somehow be rewarded? This is not the case. And he realizes he has made a mistake, that condemnation is coming.Then David called out, called one of the young men and said, go execute him. And he struck him down so that he died. And David said to him, your blood be on your head for you, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, I have killed the Lord's anointed.> And David said to him, "How is it you were not afraid to lift your hand to destroy the LORD's anointed?"> Then David called one of the young men and said, "Go near and execute him." So the young man struck him down, and he died.> And David said to him, "Your blood is on your head; your own mouth has testified against you, saying, 'I have killed the LORD's anointed.'"So the Amalekite, his reward for opportunistic lying is execution. And that's is another example from the scriptures of the dangers of lying. You can do a whole sermon on that right there. But that's actually not the main point of this story. And we're going to move on to what is the main point, which is this moment of loss for David and the people. And David is going to enter into a lament that he has written. We get the setup for that in verse 17 when it says,> And David took up his lament over Saul and his son Jonathan, and he ordered that The Song of the Bow be taught to the people of Judah; behold, it is written in the Book of Jashar.So what we're about to read is a lamentation, a poetic sadness that the people of God are meant to read for centuries to come. And we also see that it's recorded in the book of Joshar, which. That is a Jewish history book that's referenced a few times in the Old Testament. It's lost to history. We don't have any more copies of it, but it was written in the Book of Joshar for the people, and it was recorded here in these scriptures for the people to remember and to lament together. So we're going to read this lament. But as we read this, I want us, as we catch this poetic capturing of the sadness of the people of God and David, we should remember the complexities of how David is feeling in this, of everything that's happened to him and everything that even Saul and his relationship and how complicated that was, that Saul was his enemy, that Saul wanted him dead, but Saul was also his father in law. Saul was also his king. Saul was also his commander. And now he's gone and so is his friend Jonathan. So there's a lot happening here. And we'll read this lament together. He said.> Your glory, O Israel, lies slain on your high places! How the mighty have fallen!> Tell it not in Gath; proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines be glad, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised rejoice.> O mountains of Gilboa, may you have neither dew nor rain, nor fields of offerings; for there the shield of the mighty was defiled, the shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.> From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan did not turn back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty.> Saul and Jonathan, beloved and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided; they were swifter than eagles; they were stronger than lions.> O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you with crimson in luxury, who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.> How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle! Jonathan lies slain on your high places.> I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; very pleasant have you been to me; your love to me was extraordinary, surpassing the love of women.> How the mighty have fallen, and the weapons of war perished!If you have a title for this lament, it's how the mighty have Fallen, which I got curious and I was wondering, and as best I can tell, that is where we get the sarcastic play on Lament, oh, how the mighty have Fallen. So this is. It comes back to this. It's how the mighty have fallen. One of the things he laments in the loss of Saul and Jonathan and this army is that the daughters of the Philistines rejoice. And this is. This is a picture of the people in Gath and Ashkelon. These are cities in Philistia. They're all celebrating. So not only have they lost their leader, but also their enemies are rejoicing and they're sad.You mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew or rain upon you, nor fields of offerings. For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, the shield of Saul not anointed. With oil. Mount Gilboa is where this battle happened. It's where Saul died. And David curses it. He curses it. He wishes this place to be as desolate and devoid of the life that was taken there. Cursed be Mount Gilboa. Says, from the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back. And the sword of Saul returned not empty. Which, every now and then the ESV translations get a little clunky. I think it's helpful if you reverse this. The bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty from the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty. What that is saying is that they once were mighty warriors. They. They once fought for Israel, they slayed their enemies, and now they're gone and they're lamenting the loss of their mighty warriors. So Saul and Jonathan, beloved, beloved and lovely in life and death. They were not divided. They were swifter than eagles. They were stronger than lions. And we've seen this, we talked about this, that they, that. And through everything that was going on with Saul and David, Saul or Jonathan, honored both his friend and also his father. And they fought together, and they were mighty in battle. You read that in First Samuel. Together they were mighty warriors who defeated their enemies. They were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.You, daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you luxuriously in scarlet, who put ornaments of gold on your apparel. Remember how when he reigned, how prosperous we were. How, how the daughters of Israel had scarlet and gold. He says, oh, how, he said, how, how the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle. And this refrain leads into David reflecting on his friendship with Jonathan. Jonathan lies slain on your high places. I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan. Very pleasant have you been to me. Your love to me was extraordinary, surpassing the love of women. So we catch this final glimpse of David's great love for his friend. And he describes this brotherly love that he had with Jonathan as surpassing the love of women, which we talked about this in the David and Jonathan sermon in First Samuel. If you weren't here, I'd encourage you to go back and listen to it. But just a moment to sit in that idea. It is good to have deep friendships like this. And more specifically, it is good for men to have deep friendships with other men. And a time where it is regularly written about that, that male. That male loneliness is a crisis. It's talked about as an epidemic, that men, especially young men, suicide rates are through the roof, substance abuse is through the roof. Drug overdoses has been through the roof. Sports gambling is an absolute disaster right now for young men. And on and on and on. It's just, it's regularly observed there's something wrong and that they're. There's a need for men to have deep friendships. And we aren't culturally set up well to do this. The men aren't culturally set up well to do this. In fact, it's very apparent that culturally we don't understand a depth of friendship like this. Because people read this and they, they, they jump to, oh, something, something sexual in nature must have been going on between those two. I mean, that is, that is, that is what some people will argue that this is evidence that something was happening between those two men. And it's like we've so misunderstood and are so underprepared to understand how important is to have deep relationships with other men that you can walk side by side and that you can see as brothers. So we, we need to, to grow in this. And especially if you're, if you're married. Let me just say this very clearly. If you're married and your wife is your only friend, nowhere in the Scriptures do I see that as wise. You should absolutely have friendship with your wife. Also, you should have depth of relationship with other men. She should not be your sole confidant. We have care nights where we separate the men and women. And one of the reasons we do that is so that men can grow in friendship and brotherhood and accountability and depth. And that matters. So you can go back, listen to that sermon. More was said there, but I'll move on. And he is just lamenting the loss of this great friend that he had. Verse 27. He ends, how the mighty have fallen and the weapons of war perished. So he ends that refrain, the reminder of what they lost in Jonathan, what they lost. And when you think about what David's doing on behalf of the people of God and personally, and thinking about this, it's very peculiar because you have to recognize that ultimately for David, this is a good thing for him. He's not going to have to look over his shoulder. He's not going to have to be on the run. He's not going to have the threat of death hanging over him over and over and over again. Saul for years has made his life miserable. And you can see this very clearly not just in First Samuel, but when you read the Psalms, particularly the Psalms that David wrote while he was on the run from Saul. You see this in Psalm 57. 4. It says, My soul is in the midst of lions. I lie down amid fiery beasts, the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp, sharp swords. I mean, you see the distress as. As Saul and his men, and all the lies and all the. All the slandering, all the. The threats. In Psalm142.3, another Psalm he wrote on the run from Saul, it says, when my spirit faints within me, you know my way in the path where I walk, they have hidden a trap for me under the threat of being captured continuously. Psalm 54, another Psalm that he wrote while on the wrong from Saul, he says, for strangers have risen against me. Ruthless men seek my life. They do not set God, God before themselves. They seek Saul and his ambition, but they don't consider the Lord. And you see the turmoil that David was in for years. So it's reasonable to assume this moment that he hears of Saul's death, that he's relieved. But that's found nowhere in this lament, not for a moment as you celebrate this, even though ultimately this is for David's good and he knows now I'm able to step into the throne that God has prepared for me, he still appropriately laments. He laments the loss of this nation's leader. He laments the loss of his king, he laments the loss of his friend. And he does this for himself and the people of God to remember. And I think David's response is exemplary. I think it's a very helpful example for us to have this category of lament, even though good things may await us, because I think as Christians, we are just in America. I think we're weaker here. And I see this in a few different ways. I see this in the way that some Christians approach funerals. And I'm not here to attack you. If you've said this or if you believe this, I do want to correct you. I've heard Christians say, well, this brother or sister died, and we're not having a funeral, we're having a party. We're having a celebration because we know where they are, and where they are is far better. So there will be no tears. We will celebrate. And I just go, where do you get that from the Scriptures? Where do we get that idea that we smile in the face of death? Where do you get the idea that we should just be happy? We know that good things just. David knew that good things awaited him. But in the moment of death, the appropriate response is lament. I see people when they lose a job, some Christians come alongside them and they're quick to just want to point out things and they'll say things like, yeah, you know, but it's an opportunity for you to trust the Lord. And it seems like you're really upset about losing this job. You might want to check your heart. It's possible that you have some idolatry for this job. It's possible that you have some control idolatry, that you're trying to control everything. And this is an exposure. God is working in this trial to teach you you should be joy filled. And it's like, whoa, he just lost his job. She just lost her job. There's a moment that it's appropriate to be sad. And certainly we can work through the other things later and count it joy for sufferings. But must we jump straight into the good things that might away? This happens with health trials, various members of our church going through all types of health trials and battles. And I appreciate some of the optimistic culture that surrounds all of that. You hear people say, you know, God's got this and, and, and we're, you know, just. And I appreciate aspects of that that rally in a way that's appropriate and good. But there also, there's a moment and there are days that it's just okay to be sad. It's just okay to lament the reality of suffering. And we should hold these together because human emotion is far more complex than this. We as Christians should be the best at this, y', all to have moments where we are just sad for the reality of death and loss and suffering, while also having our hope secured and tethered to the reality of the future promises that await God's people. We should be able to hold both intention together. And no one exemplifies this better than Jesus Christ.When you get to the Gospel of John in chapter 11 with the recounting of the story of the death of Lazarus and his resurrection, when you read that in verse 11, it says, after saying these things, he said to them, our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him. And that's important because Jesus absorbs the reality that his friend is dead, that Lazarus is dead, while also saying, I'm going to raise him. Jesus knows exactly what he's about to do. He's about to raise Lazarus from the dead because that resurrection is going to point forward to later, not far actually down the road where Jesus Christ will be resurrected, which again points to the future resurrection. So he's doing something bigger here. He knows what he's about to do. He knows the good things that are about to happen. And yet when he meets his friends Mary And Martha, verse 32, it says now, when Mary came to see to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews would come with her, also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. And he said, where have you laid him? They said to him, lord, come and see. Verse 35. Jesus wept. And I think that's important because I think if some American Christians would have written this story, they would have said, Jesus comes on the scene and he sees them weeping and he says, dry your tears because I'm about to do something big, I'm about to do something good. I'm going to do something glorious. But he doesn't. He sees his friends who are broken and in tears, and he's deeply moved in his spirit and he weeps. It doesn't say he cried a few tears, it says he weeps. What a wonderful example we have in our Savior. And seeing the need to lament, knowing that good things may await. But the reality is, is that death stings. Yes. Oh, death, where's your sting? That's future looking. But the sting is now. And there are moments where that recognizing that and living in that reality is beautiful and good for our souls. We should be a people who do this well. We should be a people who both hold the reality of death in front of us and cry. And also hold the reality of the future resurrection and new heavens and new earth, where there is no more death, where there is no more sting, where there is no more tears. And hold those both together. I mean, that's when Paul is writing to the Thessalonians. In 1st Thessalonians 4, he says, but we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others who do not have hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. And I think some people just jump to the we have hope. We have hope. And it's like. But it presupposes what he just told them. He says, may not grieve as others who do not have hope. But he doesn't say, don't grieve. He says, no, we're going to grieve, but we're going to do it as those who have hope. Those who are grounded in the hope of the future resurrection. And that's what we're called to do. That when someone dies, the appropriate response is, if they're a Christian, is not, let's have a party. It's like, no, no, Death is awful. Now, we had a funeral here three weeks ago for one of our members, Ms. Valerie. And she was 93 years old. And y', all, she suffered greatly in the last few years of her life. And I could hold the thought in my head that says, I'm so thankful for where she is now. But when I sat with her family, I said, y' all should feel this death stings and it's okay to be sad. And we could hold both of those thoughts together. That when you experience loss, when you lose something, that you can be sad while also having your faith anchored in the reality that one day there will be no more losing, there will only be gain. That we as Christians can have sufferings. And know what James 1 says, when it says, count it all joy. My brothers know what Romans 5 says, that suffering produces character, care produces endurance. Like we can have all these together while also being faith filled and sad and also putting our hope in what is to come and growing and maturing along the way that we should be able to hold these both together. Because we as Christians live between the already and the not yet. We live between the reality of present suffering and the future promises that await. And we should be a people who lament well personally, but also we should help others lament, brothers and sisters. Do not rob others of the opportunity to both grieve and be sad and let God meet them in their grief. Because I think sometimes because we're uncomfortable, because we don't like the silence, or because we lack the theological depth to understand how we should respond. And we'll just offer shallow truisms or Christian niceties. We need to grow in helping other brothers and sisters who are lamenting suffer well and lament well so that God can meet them in their grief and grow their faith in wonderful ways.I was on the Internet the other day and I saw one of my friends from college post this, one of the most moving things I've ever read on grief. And him and his wife had struggled with infertility for years. They six months ago had twin boys and were excited and did the gender reveal and all the things. And we're all very excited. And at 22 weeks, everything fell apart. They had emergency delivery and their boys lived for only a day. And then this past week, after six months of reflecting, he wrote this. And I Want to ask permission for me to read this because I found it to be very moving, very helpful. How God can meet us in our grief and our lament. And here's what he wrote. He said, grief is about allowing loss to enlarge my heart and increase my capacity to hold both joy and sorrow. Grief is teaching me that my boys live on in me and will always be a part of me. Grief is instructing me to cry out to God and complaint and lament long enough to hear him whisper, I know what it's like to lose a son. Grief is increasing my longing for heaven and the renewal of all things. Grief is daring me to believe that despite our loss, God is still writing a good story. Grief is consistently inviting me to choose life in the face of death. I'm a different person than I was six months ago. But as a friend who knows what it's like to lose a child, has told me I want my child back, but I don't want the old me back. I think I'm just starting to believe him. So it is through grief that I echo the words of Nicholas Wolterstaff in his book of Lament of a Son. I shall look at the world through tears. Perhaps I shall see things that dried eyed I could not see. I read that and I just was like, you don't arrive at that conclusion without having your faith so deeply anchored. The reality that one day he will make all things new, but he's sufficient to meet us in the moment of lament that comes through faith filled lament. You don't see God like this without him meeting us in our grief like this, knowing that God in our suffering gives us eyes to see, even if those eyes are stained with tears. You don't embrace this without faith filled lament. You don't refuse it. You lean into it. And that is something that we need to grow in as Christians. We need to grow in learning to lament well. We need to grow and having this trusting the Lord in the middle of the suffering and the loss.And one of the ways we get to do that is through taking the Lord's Supper and through singing, which we're going to do in a moment. We're going to take the Lord's Supper and we're going to sing a song of lament. As we come to the table as Christians, we're reminded of what Jesus instituted for us on the night that he was betrayed. He took bread and he broke it. He said, this is my body that was broken for you. And he took the cup of the new covenant. He said, this is my blood that was shed for you, that as often as you eat and drink this, you proclaim my death until I return. Jesus instructs his church to practice this practice, to remember that he secured salvation for us on the cross while also pointing forward to one day when the final feast happens. And that we as Christians live in the middle between both. So we don't come to the table all the time with just joy filled hearts. Sometimes we come with heavy hearts, and that's good. If you're a Christian, you get to consider your sin, you get to consider our sufferings, and we also get to consider our Savior who meets us in our sufferings. And in a moment you'll come to the table and I invite you to. If you're not a Christian, we don't want you to come to the table. We want you to come to our Savior. That walking through this life will be filled with suffering, it will be filled with trials, it will be filled with death. And I hope that reality is impressed upon your heart to see that there is someone who can meet you in that and can point you to the hope that we have that is secure. So don't come to the table, come to Jesus Christ in faith. But the band's going to come up now. They're going to take the Lord's Supper, and then we're going to sing a song of lament that is meant to help us learn how to grieve well, how to lament well. And we will sing this out together.

Today's life changing message by Bishop Mark Brown from Arlington, TX talks to about from burned areas to the Throne of Israel.  David didn't go from anointing to the throne overnight. God led him through three strategic seasons, and each one mattered. First was Gath, the season of preservation. Gath was enemy territory, yet God used it to keep David alive. In Gath, David learned how to survive without promotion, gain wisdom in unfamiliar systems, and function without favor. Gath keeps you alive—but it cannot crown you. Then came Ziklag, the season of purification. What preserved David in Gath was burned in Ziklag. Loss, pressure, and betrayal tested his leadership. Instead of reacting, David strengthened himself in the Lord, inquired of God, pursued, and recovered all. Ziklag removes what promotion cannot tolerate. Finally came the throne, the season of appointment. David had been anointed years earlier, but now he was publicly positioned. The throne required obedience, restoration, humility, and the ability to govern people—not just survive crisis. Here's the progression: Gath to Ziklag to the throne—preservation, purification, appointment. You can't skip a season, but you're not meant to stay in all of them. Your appointment is ahead.

This sermon, centered on Psalm 56, presents a profound meditation on trusting God amid fear, grounded in the psalmist's experience of fleeing from Saul and facing mortal danger in Gath. It emphasizes that true faith is not emotional but rational, rooted in the unchanging character of God—His sovereignty as the Most High, the reliability of His promises, the certainty of His justice, the personal care He extends to His people, and the assurance that He who began a good work in them will complete it. The preacher underscores that fear, though natural, is overcome not by denial of danger but by fixing one's mind on God's eternal purposes: His power to protect, His faithfulness to fulfill His word, His intimate knowledge of every tear and wandering step, and His unwavering commitment to sanctify and preserve His children. The message is both pastoral and convicting, calling believers to trust God not because circumstances are favorable, but because He is faithful, and His work in the soul is already underway and will reach its fulfillment in eternity.

Was Goliath just a myth? For nearly 3,000 years, there was no physical evidence—until 2005. During excavations at the ancient Philistine city of Gath, archaeologists uncovered a pottery shard bearing a name that appears to read “Goliath” in ancient script. Found in the very city the Bible says Goliath lived, this discovery marks the first time his name appears in the archaeological record. Watch as we explore what this small fragment reveals about biblical history!-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------DONATE: https://evidence4faith.org/give/WEBSITE: https://evidence4faith.org/NEWSLETTER: http://eepurl.com/hpazV5BOOKINGS: https://evidence4faith.org/bookings/CONTACT: Evidence 4 Faith, 349 Knights Ave Kewaskum WI 53040 , info@evidence4faith.orgMy goal is that their hearts, having been knit together in love, may be encouraged, and that they may have all the riches that assurance brings in their understanding of the knowledge of the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. - Colossians 2:2-3CREDITS: Developed & Hosted by Michael Lane. Produced & Edited by Isabel Kolste. Graphics & Publication by Isabel Kolste. Additional Art, Film, & Photography Credits: Stock media “Memories” provided by mv_production / Pond5 | Logo Stinger: Unsplash.com: Leinstravelier, Logan Moreno Gutierrez, Meggyn Pomerieau, Jaredd Craig, NASA, NOASS, USGS, Sam Carter, Junior REIS, Luka Vovk, Calvin Craig, Mario La Pergola, Timothy Eberly, Priscilla Du Preez, Ismael Paramo, Tingey Injury Law Firm, Dan Cristian Pădureț, Jakob Owens | Wikimedia: Darmouth University Public Domain, Kelvinsong CC0 | Stock media “A stately Story (Stiner02)” provided by lynnepublishing / Pond5

Feeling brokenhearted, crushed in spirit, or painfully alone can make God feel distant—but Psalm 34:18 assures us the Lord is near in our deepest pain. This devotional points to God’s nearness in suffering, reminding us that He sees, understands, and saves those who feel shattered by life’s hardships. Highlights Feeling alone often hurts more deeply than difficult circumstances themselves. David wrote Psalm 34 during a season of fear, humiliation, and desperation. Scripture describes “brokenhearted” and “crushed” as being shattered beyond repair—yet God draws near. David chose to seek God rather than bitterness or despair. God hears our cries and remains attentive to every moment of distress. Turning to God in pain brings comfort, clarity, and renewed hope. Praise and prayer can coexist with fear, sorrow, and uncertainty. Do you want to listen ad-free? When you join Crosswalk Plus, you gain access to exclusive, in-depth Bible study guides, devotionals, sound biblical advice, and daily encouragement from trusted pastors and authors—resources designed to strengthen your faith and equip you to live it out boldly. PLUS ad free podcasts! Sign Up Today! Full Transcript Below: Held By the One Who Sees and Understands Our Pain By: Jennifer Slattery Bible Reading: The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. - Psalm 34:18, NIV When I look back on some of my most painful experiences, particularly during my homeless period in my late teens, it wasn’t my circumstances that caused the most grief. What hurt most was the fact that I felt alone. I now realize that wasn’t my reality; that the Lord saw me, loved me, and, as today’s verse assures, remained with me every dark moment of every distressing day. David, ancient Israel’s second king, wrote Psalm 34 during a time of crisis. In fear for his life, he hid in Philistine territory, the land of ancient Israel’s fiercest enemies, and in the very city from which Goliath, the warrior David beheaded, came. Learning of his presence, the king's servants said, “Isn’t this David, the king of the land? Isn’t he the one they sing about in their dances: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands’?” (1 Samuel 21:11, NIV). In other words, isn’t this the guy who killed many of our warriors? 1 Samuel 21:13 states that, “David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish, king of Gath” (NIV, emphasis mine). This gains emphasis when one considers that, as a teen, he took on and defeated a large, heavily armed tyrant that had paralyzed the entire Israeli army. And yet, he felt afraid. In desperation, David prayed to God, asking for mercy and declaring, twice, that he would place his trust in the Lord (Psalm 56). He then pretended to be insane, “making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard” (1 Samuel 21:14, NIV). How humiliating this must have been—a powerful and successful warrior and the man anointed to reign as ancient Israel’s next king, survived by feigning severe mental illness. As humiliating as this must have been, it saved his life. Then we get to Psalm 34, a beautiful passage in which he declared His trust in and love for God, stating, “I will extol the Lord… his praise will always be on my lips … my soul will boast in the Lord” (V. 1-2, NIV, emphasis mine). He wrote that God heard his cries, saved him from his troubles, and kept His eyes upon him, adding today’s verse in which he confidently proclaimed the Lord’s nearness in times of distress. Again, today’s verse states, The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. David wasn’t just sad, concerned, or discouraged. In the original Hebrew, the word that our Bibles translate as broken has the connotation of something that’s been shattered into pieces. The ending phrase conveys a similar meaning. The word translated as crushed, in the original Hebrew, refers to something pulverized to dust and beyond repair. Scripture uses the same word in Psalm 90:3, which reads: “You turn people back to dust, saying, ‘Return to dust, you mortals’ (NIV, emphasis mine). Have you ever experienced emotional pain so intense that your chest physically hurt and you struggled to breathe? That was how David felt, and understandably so. He feared for his life, likely the lives of his family, was run out of his homeland and everything he knew, and was forced to live as a fugitive for at least a decade. Oh, how lonely and disoriented he must’ve felt. He could’ve turned bitter or become swallowed up in his grief. Instead, he turned to God and sought comfort in Him. That was David’s regular practice. As the New International Chronological Bible states, “Virtually every important encounter he faces becomes memorialized in his petitions to God.” Yet, his psalms don’t just record his requests. They’re also always filled with praise. Intersecting Life & Faith: What a powerful example for us to follow. Sadly, when I feel sad and afraid, initially, I often get stuck in my head. That only makes things worse as one concern tends to lead to another, then another, until I’m nearly buried in gloom. Thankfully, God always meets me there, draws me into His tender embrace, and speaks encouraging truths to my soul. As today’s verse states, He moves close to the brokenhearted. This won’t change. I’m learning, however, that my sorrow feels much more manageable and less dark when I turn to the One who always turns toward me. He’s turning toward you, in your pain, as well. Further Reading:Psalm 145:9Psalm 86:15Psalm 103:13 Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Introduction: Hebrews 10:24-25 Acts 10:42, 1 Tim 4:1-2 1 Tim 4:13 1 Tim 2:1,8 , Col 4:2 Eph 5:19, Col 3:16 John 4:23-24 All In On Truth (1 Chronicles 13:3-14) Good intentions and enthusiasm != TRUE WORSHIP. It is PERILOUS to worship God CARELESSLY . We worship God WHO IS WITH US. John 14:16–18 1 Cor 3:16 1 Cor 6:19-20 Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Small Group DiscussionRead 1 Chronicles 13:3-14What was your big take-away from this passage / message?What is at stake in God's command to worship Him in truth? See, for example, another account of careless and irreverent worship in Leviticus 10:1-3.Why are good intentions and enthusiasm insufficient for worshiping God in truth? Are they better, about the same, or worse than dead, emotionless, and unresponsive “worship?”Before this message, what was your understanding of verses describing Christabiding in you? (John 14:16-18, 1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19-20)How should the fact that Christ abides in us inspire or change the way weworship?BreakoutPray for one another. AUDIO TRANSCRIPT Good morning, Harvest, and Happy New Year. Open your Bibles, please, to 1 Chronicles,chapter 13. It will be in the Old Testament, 1 Chronicles, chapter 13. If you want, youcan put a little bookmark at chapter 15, because we're going to be looking there briefly aswell. This morning, we're beginning a three-week series on worship. Of course, there are manyways that we worship, prayer, preaching, proclaiming the gospel. I think it's fair to say thatfor everyone who is a believer in Christ, whatever we do is worship. Everything we do shouldbe for the glory of God. There are right ways, and there are wrong ways to worship God. AtHarvest, we follow something known as the regulative principle. That simply means thatif a type of worship is not permitted in Scripture, we don't do it. We don't get to worship Godhowever we want to. We must worship Him in the way that He commands. You may wonder,"Why do we do the things we do here in worship every Sunday? Who makes that up?" Well, it'snot made up. We do what God's word says to. You'll notice that every Sunday, we meettogether. We preach God's word. We read God's word. We pray and we sing. Now, while thoseare ways in which we are commanded to worship, this three-week series is going to focus particularlyon worshiping through music and singing. Our starting point for all three of these messagesis John 4 verses 23 and 24. "But the hour is coming and is now here, when the true worshiperswill worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worshipHim. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." Sowe see that from these verses, the right way to worship God is spirit and truth. In twoweeks, Pastor Taylor is going to cover why worshiping in spirit and truth through musicand song is so important. Next week, Pastor Jeff will take us through what it means toworship in spirit. And then this morning's message is about worshiping God in truth.So here's the point of this week's sermon. "The Lord God Almighty delights to be withus, but we must have regard for His holiness and worship Him according to His commands."You see, when we worship God that way, when we worship God in truth, it means the wordswe sing to and about Him are true. By singing true words about God, we're able to rememberlater what is true. And we learn sound doctrine. If you've ever memorized Scripture throughsinging or you've sung the old hymns that are just chock full of biblical truth, youknow what I mean. When we worship God in truth, the truth fills us with awe. We aremoved emotionally. We're moved physically by the truth that we sing. Now at Harvest,we don't use, you know, strobe lights, flashing lights, fog machines, loud music, and othertactics to manipulate you into thinking that you're worshiping just because you're experiencingone sensory overload after another. But if what we sing is true, then truth will fillus and flow out of us. When we worship God in truth, we recognize that singing His praisesis of the utmost importance to Him. He's worthy of our praises. He's worthy of all our songsabout Him. He commands our praises. He expects it. The Book of Psalms is proof of that. Andwe should therefore make every effort to worship Him the right way because that pleases andglorifies Him. Let's pray. Oh, most gracious God, sovereign of the universe, God most high,you are awesome and mighty, and you are worthy of all praise. You are worthy of all of ourattention. You are worthy of every thought. You are worthy of every song we can sing.Because Lord, you are holy and you dwell in the praises of your people. I pray this morningthat we would overflow in worshipful song because we know the truth. We know the tritetruth of who Jesus Christ is and what He has done for us and that He is in us. And it'sin His great name. We ask it. Amen.Now this morning's passage recounts when David wanted to bring the Ark of the Covenant,the Ark of God, to Jerusalem to be near him. The passage contrasts the wrong way to worshipGod with the right expression of awe and reverence for God Almighty. Before we dive into thismessage, I need to give you some background. We need to do a brief history lesson. So youprobably all know God chose and called the people of Israel out of Egypt so that he couldbe with them. And the primary way that he demonstrated his presence with the peopleof Israel was through a movable tabernacle. That's simply a large tent and it was surroundedby a big fabric courtyard and poles. But inside the tent there were two separate places. Therewas the holy place and that was furnished with the Ark of Incense and a table in which breadwas placed every week and a lamp, a gold lamp to give light. And then on the eastern sideof this tent was basically a cube-shaped area. It was about 15 by 15 by 15. It was a perfectcube and that was the most holy place, the Holy of Holies. And it contained the Arkof the Covenant. In other places in Scripture it's called the Ark of God or the Ark ofTestimony. Now in Exodus 25 God gave some very specific directions for the Ark's constructionand its significance. It was a wooden box. It was about 45 inches long, 27 inches high,27 inches wide. Not that big. And then the wood was overlaid with gold and then on topwas a solid gold lid. It was all hammered out of one piece of gold and there were twocherubim on the top. So this is just a very simple example of what it might look like.We can't really speak in detail now about what the Ark looked like but we have the descriptionin Scripture. Now this lid with the cherubim was also called the Mercy Seat and it wassignificant for several reasons. One, the Lord was said to be enthroned above the cherubim.And two, the Lord spoke to Moses from between the cherubim. And then a third reason is onthe annual day of atonement the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies and he wouldsprinkle blood on the lid to atone for the people's sins. And it's in this way that theLord tabernacled or dwelled between the two cherubim on the lid of the Ark. In this waythe Lord was present with his people and the people knew God was with them because in thedaytime there was a pillar of cloud over the tabernacle and at night it became a pillarof fire and whenever that pillar moved up and forward it was safe for the Levites, thepriests to go in, pack up the Ark, pack up the tabernacle and move it to wherever Godwas leading them. He took them wherever he wanted them to go. Now God also gave veryspecific instructions about how the Ark was to be moved and by whom. Only the Levitesand of the Levites a clan called the Coethites were allowed to carry the holy things includingthe Ark. Now this Ark was meant to be portable. It was carried on poles, passed through goldrings that those rings were attached to the feet of the Ark and in that way the Ark waslifted up over the priests heads when they carried it so all the people could see theArk was with them. Now these poles were never supposed to be removed from the Ark and beforethe Ark was moved it was supposed to be hidden. They put a big goat skin over it and thenthey covered it with a blue cloth and then that's they would pick it up and they wouldmove it. Now let's move ahead in time about 400 years to the end of the period of thejudges in 1 Samuel. At that time there was a man named Eli. He was the high priest andduring this time the Israelites fought a battle against their arch enemies the Philistinesand they were defeated. The Philistines walloped the Israelites and they were like, "Oh whatare we going to do? What are we going to do? Wait no, let's go bring the Ark of the testimonyto us. Let's bring it into the camp with us thinking this will bring us victory." Andthey were instead defeated in a very great slaughter. And Eli's two sons they were killedand the Ark was captured by the Philistines and taken away. When Eli heard his sons weredead and the Ark was captured he fell backwards over on his chair and broke his neck and hedied. This had to be a terribly bleak time for Israel. Their God, their God was captured.They had no priests, they had no prophets and as yet they had no king. Their whole identityas a people has been overthrown in a day. Now the Philistines they took the Ark to thecity of Ashtad and they put it in the temple of their God named Dagon. And the statue ofDagon fell face down in front of the Ark. So they picked him back up and set him upagain. They come in the next day and this time the God Dagon has fallen over again but thistime his head is busted off and his hands are broken off. And something else happens.The Lord begins terrifying the people of Ashtad with plague and tumors and death. So the Philistinesand Ashtad they take the Ark to Gath, another Philistine city. And the people there alsosuffered from plague and tumors and death. So they pick it up and they move it againto the city of Ekron and guess what happens? The people there experience plague, sickness,death. And they go, "Okay, enough of this. Enough of this." They decide to return theArk to Israel after seven months of being afflicted by God. So the Philistines, theysay, "What do we do with this?" They put the Ark on a brand new cart and they hitch it totwo milking cows. And the cows, instead of trying to go back to be with their calves,their babies, they instead they go straight up to a place in Israel called Beth Shemesh.The Israelites at Beth Shemesh, they rejoiced to see the Ark returned. But when some ofthe men of Beth Shemesh apparently looked into the Ark, the Lord struck down 70 of them.So the people of Beth Shemesh asked the people in another town called Keryth Jerem,"Come and get the Ark from us." Which they did. So the men of Keryth Jerem brought the Ark to thehouse of a man named Abinadab. They consecrated his son Eliezer to oversee it. And the Arkremained there, the Bible says, for some 20 years. Now after David becomes king, you know,this is a period of time Saul was king, he is dead, Jonathan is dead, David has become king,he is now established in Jerusalem as his capital. And David's got this idea, he wants to bring theArk of God from Keryth Jerem to Jerusalem. So David gets all the commanders, all the priests,and the Levites together to get their concurrence with his idea. And now we pick up at our accountin Chronicles chapter 13. "Then let us bring again the Ark of our God to us," David says."For we did not seek it in the days of Saul. All the people agreed to do so, for the thing wasright in the eyes of all the people." So David assembled all Israel from the Nile of Egypt toLebohamed to bring the Ark of God from Keryth Jerem. And David and all Israel went up to Bala,that is Keryth Jerem, that belongs to Judah, to bring up from there the Ark of God, which iscalled by the name of the Lord who sits enthroned above the cherubim. And they carried the Ark ofGod on a new cart from the house of Abinadab. And Uzzah and Ohio were driving the cart. And Davidand all Israel were celebrating before God with all their might, with song and liars and harpsand tambourines and symbols and trumpets. So this is quite a procession, quite a big celebration.It brings us to our first point. Good intentions and enthusiasm don't equal true worship.There are some huge red flags in this account. As king, actually David's a prince really,because the Lord is still the true king. You know the Bible calls David King David?He's really a prince of the true king. But as King David wants God's presence near him.The Lord has established David and Jerusalem over Israel and to have the Ark of the Covenantnearby would really cement the relationship between God and the house of David.It was a shrewd religious and political move on David's part.But notice in this account David doesn't seek God's counsel about moving the Ark.David knew what he wanted. And he apparently expected God to bless this plan. It's a goodthing, right? Bring the Ark up to Jerusalem. I mean, after all God had blessed David up to this point.So David just gathers counselors around him to agree with him and they go off and they do justwhatever it is they want to do. And you notice the phrase, "The thing was right in the eyes of allthe people." If you're familiar with the book of Judges, you know there's flashing red lights andwarning sirens going off all over the place. The leaders of Israel may have all agreed,but if something is wrong, widespread agreement doesn't make it right.Not one of the priests, Sir Levite, seemed to have suggested consulting the Lordor the Law of Moses before doing this thing. And then to move the Ark, what do they do?They put it on a cart. "Oh, but it was a new cart," you say. "Well, let's should please the Lord,right? Look, Lord, Lord, Lord, look at this fancy set of wheels we got for you. Aren't you impressed?Finest Cedar from Lebanon. The problem is they're copying the Philistinesrather than consulting God or the Law of Moses." So they got the Ark all loaded up.They got a big procession, almost 30,000 people. Can you imagine? 30,000 people. That's 12,000 morepeople than fit in PPG Paints Arena, just for perspective. 30,000 people with David,and they're celebrating with all their might, and they're singing and praising with lots ofinstruments, the liars, the harps, castanets, cymbals, trumpets. They have every intentionof worshiping the Lord, and they're super enthused. And this is just all quite a spectacle. It looksimpressive. It sounds good, but they're more interested in putting it on a show than worshipingGod. It was more about their worship experience. It was more about what David wanted than worshipingthe Lord. It was more about what they perceived God would approve without confirming than it wasabout worshiping God as he commanded. And that's the core problem here. They're not worshiping theLord the way he commanded. They're not worshiping in truth. They don't even seem to have the slightestinterest in truth. Where? Where was the counsel of the high priest in the Levites? Where was prayerin the simple request, Lord, what do you want? Where are the coethites and the poles to carry theark above the heads of the people? Where is the reverence and the awe due to the Lord?Now, you can manufacture enthusiasm while singing. You know, that's why so many churches, they usethe lights and the fog and the beautiful moving images and the sonic walls of ear-popping soundsand drums and squealing singers gesturing wildly. It looks worshipy. It sounds worshipy. It probablyeven feels worshipy. Therefore, I must be worshiping God. Have you ever heard people say, "Oh, worshiptoday was great." I had a great worship experience. Have you ever said that? Who was it that made itthe worship great? The sonic boom or the truth of God? Did you sing songs about yourself or songsthat praise God's character, mercy, grace, and love? Were you pleased with yourself or did youplease your God by worshiping Him in truth? Now, some of you hearing this are probably congratulatingyourself right now. That's right, Sprunk. That's right. I agree with everything you've said.All that exuberance, it's all fake. It's all performance. I just don't see what all the fussis about. Why? That's why when they're singing going on, I just keep my cool. I keep my reserve.Well, good. If you're thinking along those lines, that's good because this next point is just for youbecause just as good intentions and enthusiasm don't equal true worship, it is perilous to worshipGod carelessly. Look at verse 9. "And when they came to the threshing floor of Chaitan, Azza put outhis hand to take hold of the ark for the oxen stumbled, and the anger of the Lord was kindledagainst Azza, and he struck him down because he put his hand to the ark, and he died there before God.And David was angry because the Lord had broken out against Azza, and that place is called ParisAzza to this day. And David was afraid of God that day, and he said, 'How can I bring the ark of Godhome to me?' So David did not take the ark home into the city of David, but took it aside to thehouse of Obed Edom the Getite. And the ark of God remained with the household of Obed Edom in hishouse three months, and the Lord blessed the household of Obed Edom and all that he had.And we may be shocked that God struck down Azza for touching the ark.I mean, can you imagine this procession of 30,000 people and boom, Azza's dead?Well, that would take the wind out of the celebration, wouldn't it?Try to think what that might have looked like. Well, if you were in Butler on July 18, 2024,and there was an assassination attempt, you probably know what it felt like.If you saw Charlie Kirk murdered, that's what it was like.But God struck Azza down, and you may think, 'Well, what's the big deal? Why did he do that?They were worshiping.' Well, we've seen there were multiple things wrong with the way Davidand the Israelites treated the ark of God. Number one, they copied the Philistines.They're worshiping like pagans, and pagans don't know the truth. They treated the Holy Lord, GodMost High, the Holy Lord of Israel, shabbily. They treated God like baggage in a wooden cart.They were careless and unconcerned whether their worship obeyed the truth or expressed the truth.And we know Israel had a history of careless, half-hearted worship.We saw that in the Book of Judges, the people after they were settled in the land,they became idolatrous and careless in their worship. They served other gods, and they treated the arkas if it was some sort of good luck charm, a lucky rabbit's foot.They had no qualms about taking the ark from the Holy of Holies and carrying it around whereverthey liked. 'Take it down to the battle,' they said. 'God will fight for us,' they said.'You've got another thing coming,' God said. And everything was lost because of their insolence.The Philistines, they thought they had completely defeated the Israelites.'We've captured Israel's God,' they said.'We'll put him in the temple of our God, Dagon, and he'll worship our God,' they said.'You've got another thing coming,' God said. For their insolence, God busted up Dagon andafflicted the Philistines with sickness and death until they sent the ark back to Israelite territory.And after the ark returned to Israel's territory, the people of Beth Shemeshwanted to get a look at the most holy thing in the nation.They treated the ark like a curiosity, as something that they were consecrated and qualifiedto look at. 'Oh, God has returned to us,' they said. 'Let's sacrifice the cows and worship,' they said.'Let's look inside,' they said. 'You've got another thing coming,' God said.And seventy men of Beth Shemesh were struck down for their insolence.And then twenty years after the ark was moved to Curious Gerum, David proposes to bring the arkto Jerusalem. 'God's established me as king over Israel,' he said. 'It's right in our own eyes tobring the ark to Jerusalem,' they said. 'Let's put it on a new cart,' like the Philistines did,they said. 'Let's worship and celebrate with all our might and loud instruments,' they said.'You've got another thing coming,' God said. And as it was struck down for the people's insolence,you see, David and the priests and the Israelites treated God with contempt, and God said, 'Enough.'And David was rightly afraid of God, but no, he was also angry. But it was a self-pityinganger. David was angry because he didn't get his way. He was angry like Cain when God rejectedCain's act of self-centered worship. Angry like someone who knows he hasn't done his best,he hasn't done something right, but he wants approval anyway. But God is not mocked. God wasnot going to allow David and the priests to disobey his commands and still claim that they wereworshiping him properly. We should see that it is perilous to worship God carelessly.David had to learn, and although the text doesn't say, perhaps he repented of his irreverent worship.He was, after all, a man after God's own heart. And when he heard that Obed Edom was blessedby God, he realized it was possible to bring the ark to Jerusalem. But he had to do it the right way.So turn your head to 1 Chronicles 15. We're going to look at verses 11 through 15.Then David summoned the priests Zadok and Abayathar and the Levites, Uriel, Asiah, Joel,Shamiah, Eliel and Abinadab, and said to them, "You are the heads of the Father's houses of the Levites.Consecrate yourselves, you and your brothers, so that you may bring up the ark of the Lord,the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared for it. Because you did not carry it the first timethe Lord our God broke out against us, because we did not seek him according to the rule."So the priests and the Levites consecrated themselves to bring up the ark of the Lord,the God of Israel. And the Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders with the poles,as Moses had commanded according to the word of the Lord.This time David does it the right way. The priests consecrate themselves. They preparethrough sacrifice and washing and abstaining from anything that would make them ritually unclean.Each one got himself ready for worship. They follow the Lord's command when they carry the ark.They lift up the ark and they revere the Lord as holy in the sight of all the people.In short, they now worship according to the word of the Lord. And the Lord showed he was pleasedwith their reverence by allowing David to finally bring the ark to Jerusalem.Likewise, when we worship the Lord in truth and according to his command, he is pleased.All right, so you've been listening intently to all of this. You've been maybe taking some notesand you understand good intentions and enthusiasm don't necessarily equal true worship.You recognize it's perilous to worship God carelessly. You may even be persuaded that you needto worship the Lord in truth. But how? How do we do this? And what does that even look like?Well, we worship in truth when we worship God who is with us.When I was preparing this sermon, I recall seeing a series of memes a few years ago thatcontrasted an event or thing that was brutal with another thing or event that was epic.So I asked some folks familiar with cutting edge technology, cutting edge social media,you know, like MySpace and Vine and Friendster. Did you guys remember those memes?And they're like, no, we I don't remember that at all. And I'm like, well, aren't you people onparlor? Well, anyway, anyway, I know, I know I did not imagine those memes that juxtapose brutaland epic themes. Now, have you have you ever encountered a brutal or brute factthat has set or altered your plans, perhaps altered the trajectory of your life?You know, brute facts are hard, unalterable truths and incurable illness being laid offand debilitating injury. Now, not all brute facts are so dramatic, but we have to reckonwith them. We must adapt and come to terms with them.When I was in 10th grade, I had the ambition to row in college. And one day, the University ofWashington's head coach visited our school. The University of Washington has one of the premierrowing programs, collegiate programs in the country. And their head coach came to our school afterour men's heavyweight four won the American Schoolboy Championship. Now, I wasn't in that boat,but I was pretty excited about this coach's visit. And I was standing in the hallway and he shook myhand and they nice to meet you. And the brute fact was brought home to me that his interest was inOrsman, who were five foot 10 and taller. I had to face the brute fact that I was too short to rowfor any college program. I still am. Now, now that might seem like a silly example, but our livesare filled with inalterable facts. They are the truths we must face. Our intellectual and physicalcharacteristics can only be changed so much. Some of our earlier poor choices in life may have hadconsequences for the rest of our life. Choices or decisions made by others may affect our careers,our health, our relationships. All of us must face a variety of inconsequential to life alteringbrutal facts. But there is one glorious fact so enormous in its scope, so epic in its immeasurableproportions that all the brute facts of our lives pale in comparison. There is an epic truth thatought to completely transform how we think, how we live, and yes, how we worship. It is quite simplythis. If you have trusted Jesus Christ for salvation, he abides in you. Christ in you is your hope ofglory. It is very simple. I repent, I believe in Jesus, and now I possess Jesus. Now, recall fromthe introduction of this message that when God wanted to dwell with his chosen people, he did sothrough the Ark of the Covenant. That simple box containing two tablets of the law and placed inthe most holy place was how God chose to tabernacle with and dwell with and be with his people.John chapter one verse 14 tells us the word became flesh and dwelt among us.The word translated dwelt there is literally tabernacle. Jesus tabernacled among us. Jesuswas the most holy place, the holy of holies in the flesh walking among his people.The world's religious systems have nothing like this. We understand God is absolute power,but yet he's personal. Islam has an absolute God in Allah, but he is in no way personal to his people.Zeus and the variety of Greek and Roman gods, they were personal. They looked very human,but not a single one of them had absolute power.Christianity is unique in the fact that the absolute sovereign of the universehumbly dwells with us in a personal way. There is no other religion, no other systemthat compares with, comes close to the way of Christ.Now you might say, well, he's not tabernacling or dwelling with us now, is he?I mean, even the most ardent followers of Christ can get a bit muddled in their thinking aboutJesus' present location. I mean, I thought he ascended to heaven. He's at the right hand ofGod the Father. Well, he did. He is there. But if you stop there, you may tend to think that Jesusis far away from us. You might think he's like a regional supervisor in a big corporation.He's given us a list of commands to follow. We got to check off our list to make sure we're good.And, you know, he checks in occasionally to see how we're doing. And, you know, he approves orcritiques our performance. We have weekly meetings, right? Every Sunday we have weekly meetings.We get a message from headquarters. We have a musical pep rally. And then we get on with our week.Well, if you think in any way like that about Jesus, you are mistaken. Jesus is not limitedby time or space or location. When you think that way about worshiping Jesus, you neglect this greattruth from John chapter 14 verses 16 through 18. Jesus told his disciples, "I will ask the Father,and he will give you another helper to be with you forever, even the spirit of truth whom the worldcannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with youand will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you."So, where is Jesus? Yes, at the right hand of the Father and present in everyone who believes inhim through the Holy Spirit. First Corinthians reinforces this truth. Look at verse 16 inchapter 3. "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's spirit dwells in you?"And then chapter 6 verses 19 and 20. "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spiritwithin you whom you have from God? You are not your own. You were bought with a price,so glorify God in your body." The Greek word translated as temple in these verses is naos,and AOS, naos. And it refers to the most holy place, the holy of holies, where the ark was kept.You see, beloved, we are living, breathing portable tabernacles, holy places in whom Christabides. And the law is now written on our hearts instead of stone tablets. We must embrace thistruth and worship in it and out of it and through it. The Spirit of Christ in youought to be calling out to the Father and worshiping him in truth. This awesome, glorious,almighty, inipotent Creator and Master of the heavens and earth humbly dwells with youand makes you his friend. Jesus promises to abide in us and he calls us to come and abide in him.What is your response? Maybe you're hearing this truth for the first time and you're overjoyedby this jaw-dropping reality and you're ready to praise him in song right now.Or maybe you've just considered this in passing, but you think that holy spirit stuff,isn't that for the charismatic? And I don't feel, I don't feel the Spirit of God dwelling in me.It's not about feeling. The Spirit of God in dwelling all believers is presented as a statementof fact. It is true of all believers. Look again at 1 Corinthians chapter 6, 19 and 20.Do you not know your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, not outside of you?We don't have to ask him to come and visit us in this place. We don't have to ask him to fall onus or anything like that. He is always with us in us. You're not your own. You were bought with a price.So glorify God in your body. This is not some charismatic mumbo jumbo. You don't need a secondbaptism. You don't need an infilling of the Holy Spirit because when you heard the word of truth,the gospel of your salvation and you believed in Jesus, you were sealed with the promised HolySpirit. You have all the fullness of Christ in you right now. You have all of him that you couldever need. All of us together being built up into a holy temple have all the fullness of Christ in us.Everything that is his, his ours already, you don't need more of him. He simply wants more of you.Every day he calls you to abide more deeply in him. Here's the problem.Some, maybe many of you don't live in this truth and you don't worship out of it.Maybe it's because you're just learning about it. Maybe it's because you don't understand the scopeof this epic truth yet. But it would be really, really bad if you understood this truth.And up to this point in time, you've been careless about it.You know, it's okay if I'm habitually late to worship. I don't feel like singing anyway, you say.You hang out in the kitchen area and you chit chat with friends because fellowship is more importantthan singing, you say. When you are present, your hands are in your pockets, your arms are crossed,you won't open your mouth to sing. God knows I can't sing. He doesn't expect it, you say.It's my choice whether I sing, even if the Lord commands it, you say.You, you may have another thing coming. You treat God shabbily and carelessly. You don'tvalue or appreciate the truth that he dwells in you. Instead, you act like he's remote anddisinterested. Instead of deep calling out to deep, you quench the spirit and you instantlybehave in a way that's right in your own eyes with such worship. God is not pleased and you aretesting his patience. Repent, repent right now and every day this week for treating the Lord JesusChrist with contempt, repent and earnestly seek his face. Here is your assignment this week. Readand reread John 14 verses 15 through 23 and then get flat on your face and ask him to reveal bothin your heart and your mind the truth that he dwells with you. Ask him to help you to liveand praise out of the truth that you are his tabernacle. He delights to dwell with youand he delights to hear you sing his praises. Now the worship team is going to come back upand help us to worship the Lord in truth. Singing his praise is of the utmost importance to him.Right now, you have the opportunity to praise the Lord in truth. Right now, make every effort toget yourself to the throne of grace with your brothers and sisters and glorify your father andyour savior in truth. Because if you didn't know it before today, you do now. You were redeemedto worship and glorify him. It is your purpose and privilege to worship God who is with us.Our closing prayer this morning is from Psalm 98. Oh, sing to the Lord a new song for he has donemarvelous things. His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. The Lord has madeknown his salvation. He has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations. He has rememberedhis steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seenthe salvation of our God. Make a joyful noise to the Lord all the earth. Break forth into joya song and sing praises. Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody,with trumpets and the sound of the horn. Make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord. Amen.

Psalm 34 resulted from a shocking origin story, in which David pretended to be insane to escape life-threatening danger. From David's humiliation and desperation comes one of the most beautiful psalms ever written, Psalm 34.Psalm 34 explains how God lifted David from his fear and failure and protected and delivered him from certain death in Gath. David learned that safety doesn't come from control, power, or reputation, but in taking refuge in God Himself.Psalm 34 reminds us that David was broken and crushed. But when he was most afraid, humiliated, and exhausted, God's nearness was at its strongest, steadiest, and most sustaining.Psalm 34 serves as a reminder that God may not remove our fear instantly, but he will walk through it with us. David's song still speaks to our fears, brokenness, and struggles today.SUBSCRIBE to our channel / @binmin_org JOIN the NEWSLETTER at https://binmin.org/newsletter/SUPPORT Binmin with a tax-deductible gift HERE - https://binmin.org/donate0:00 - OPENING HOOK & DAVID'S ESCAPE0:39 - EPISODE INTRODUCTION & THEME1:21 - DAVID'S FEAR & THE GATH ENCOUNTER2:03 - DAVID FEIGNS MADNESS2:39 - “I SOUGHT THE LORD” & DELIVERANCE3:11 - GOD NEAR TO THE BROKENHEARTED3:50 - JONI TADA & SUFFERING TRANSFORMED4:50 - WHEN CIRCUMSTANCES SHIFT5:14 - WAITING, TRUST, AND FAITH5:29 - CHALLENGE & PRACTICAL TAKEAWAYS5:50 - CLOSING & CALL TO ACTIONJOIN the⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ NEWSLETTER⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. SUPPORT Binmin with a tax-deductible gift⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ HERE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CONNECT WITH BINMIN: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Linkedin⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Binmin.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Questions?: info@binmin.orgPODCAST RESOURCES: More from Binmin:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Binmin.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe on Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow on Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe on YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LEAVE A REVIEW on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

Text: Joshua chapter 13: 1 When Joshua was an old man, the Lord said to him, you are growing old, and much land remains to be conquered.
 2 This is the territory that remains: all the regions of the Philistines and the Geshurites,
 3 and the larger territory of the Canaanites, extending from the stream of Shihor on the border of Egypt, northward to the boundary of Ekron. It includes the territory of the five Philistine rulers of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron. The land of the Avvites
 4 in the south also remains to be conquered. In the north, the following ...

_________ holds people back more than anything else. [1 Samuel 21:10-15] So David escaped from Saul and went to King Achish of Gath. [11] But the officers of Achish were unhappy about his being there. “Isn't this David, the king of the land?” they asked. “Isn't he the one the people honor with dances, singing, ‘Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands'?” [12] David heard these comments and was very afraid of what King Achish of Gath might do to him. [13] So he pretended to be insane, scratching on doors and drooling down his beard. [14] Finally, King Achish said to his men, “Must you bring me a madman? [15] We already have enough of them around here! Why should I let someone like this be my guest?” [Psalm 56:1-4] For the choir director: A psalm of David, regarding the time the Philistines seized him in Gath. To be sung to the tune “Dove on Distant Oaks.” 1 O God, have mercy on me, for people are hounding me. My foes attack me all day long. [2] I am constantly hounded by those who slander me, and many are boldly attacking me. [3] But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. [4] I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me? Faith is a conscious decision in spite of the _____________. [Psalm 27:1-3] The Lord is my light and my salvation—so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? [2] When evil people come to devour me, when my enemies and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. [3] Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident. Don't trust in your _______________, trust in God. [Psalm 23:1-4] The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. [2] He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. [3] He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. [4] Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. The only way ______ of the valley is ______________ the valley. The antidote to fear is not courage, it's _________ in God. [Psalm 34:1] I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises. _______ and worry cannot be simultaneously in your mouth. [2 Timothy 1:7] YLT for God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind; I will trust God to ___________ me.

For the director of music. To the tune of “The Dove in the Distant Oak.” A miktam of David when the Philistines captured him in Gath.   1  God, be merciful to me because people are chasing me. The battle has pressed me all day long.   2  My enemies have chased me all day. There are many of them fighting me.   3  When I am afraid, I will trust you.   4  I praise God for his word. I trust God. So I am not afraid. What can human beings do to me?   5  All day long they twist my words. All their evil plans are against me.   6  They wait. They hide. They watch my steps. They hope to kill me.   7  God, do not let them escape. Punish the foreign nations in your anger.   8  You have recorded my troubles. You have kept a list of my tears. Aren't they in your records?   9  On the day I call for help, my enemies will be defeated. I know that God is on my side.   10  I praise God for his word to me. I praise the Lord for his word.   11  I trust in God. I will not be afraid. What can people do to me?   12  God, I must keep my promises to you. I will give you my offerings to thank you.   13  You have saved me from death. You have kept me from being defeated. So I will walk with God in light among the living.    

The One-Orc Conclusion: Judging a Village by One Bad Apple!

Chinese Communist Party Turmoil Following Removal of Seven Top Generals. Charles Burton comments on turmoil in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership following the simultaneous removal of seven top generals for corruption, reported after the gathering of the Fourth Plenum in Beijing. Burton suggests that these senior communists, potentially acting patriotically, may be representing the interests of China and the Chinese people in the face of Xi Jinping's "disastrous leadership." Xi is criticized for his handling of domestic economics and the terrible downturn in relations with the United States, which negatively impacts China. Regardless of whether this signals a successful crackdown on dissent, it indicates serious problems between Mr. Xi—who is reportedly very corrupt himself—and the military.

2 Samuel 1: 1-27After the death of Saul, when David had returned from striking down the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag. 2 And on the third day, behold, a man came from Saul's camp, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. And when he came to David, he fell to the ground and paid homage. 3 David said to him, “Where do you come from?” And he said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.” 4 And David said to him, “How did it go? Tell me.” And he answered, “The people fled from the battle, and also many of the people have fallen and are dead, and Saul and his son Jonathan are also dead.” 5 Then David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?” 6 And the young man who told him said, “By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and there was Saul leaning on his spear, and behold, the chariots and the horsemen were close upon him. 7 And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called to me. And I answered, ‘Here I am.' 8 And he said to me, ‘Who are you?' I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.' 9 And he said to me, ‘Stand beside me and kill me, for anguish has seized me, and yet my life still lingers.' 10 So I stood beside him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the armlet that was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.”11 Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him. 12 And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son and for the people of the Lord and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. 13 And David said to the young man who told him, “Where do you come from?” And he answered, “I am the son of a sojourner, an Amalekite.” 14 David said to him, “How is it you were not afraid to put out your hand to destroy the Lord's anointed?” 15 Then David called one of the young men and said, “Go, execute him.” And he struck him down so that he died. 16 And David said to him, “Your blood be on your head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed the Lord's anointed.'”17 And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son, 18 and he said it should be taught to the people of Judah; behold, it is written in the Book of Jashar. He said:19 “Your glory, O Israel, is slain on your high places! How the mighty have fallen!20 Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon,lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised exult.21 “You mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew or rain upon you, nor fields of offerings!For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, the shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.22 “From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty,the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty.23 “Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely! In life and in death they were not divided;they were swifter than eagles; they were stronger than lions.24 “You daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you luxuriously in scarlet, who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.25 “How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle!“Jonathan lies slain on your high places.26 I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;very pleasant have you been to me; your love to me was extraordinary, surpassing the love of women.27 “How the mighty have fallen, and the weapons of war perished!”

“David did not let a man or woman live to be brought to Gath, for he said, “Or they will inform on us and say, ‘This is what David did.' ” This was David's custom during the whole time he stayed in the Philistine territory.”1 Samuel 27:11 CSB

We trace David's path from panic to purpose through the cave of Adullam, showing why the same door that sheltered you can also launch you. We pray for those stuck in revolving doors and call leaders to move with courage, clarity, and compassion.• honoring the house and opening prayer• reading 1 Samuel 22:1–5 in KJV and NIV• entrances and exits reframed by God's direction• David's misstep in Gath and merciful redirection• the cave as safety, recovery, and training• building real relationships in dark seasons• separation for preparation and caring for family• leading while wounded and guarding your heart• prophetic exit from the stronghold to Judah• breaking cycles and leaving the revolving door• scriptural receipts: Noah, Israel, Jonah, Jesus• testimony, altar call, and focused prayer for courage“Go to Judah… your people need to see you.”  Welcome To Chosen City Church! We are excited to you have worship with us today and we pray that this sermon blesses you!Partner With Chosen City Church:https://www.chosencitychurch.com/part...Support Chosen City Church:https://www.chosencitychurch.com/givePodcasts and More:https://linktr.ee/chosencitychurchConnect With Chosen City ChurchWebsite: https://chosencitychurch.com.comInstagram: @ChosenCityChurchYouTube: Chosen City ChurchFacebook: Chosen City ChurchIntro and outro created by Joe Anderson Jr. of Truflava Productions

0900 AMGod's Shepherd King Defeats the Giant of GathMichael Cooke09-14 2025.mp3

In this episode, David becomes a fugitive in his own land. Once a trusted figure in King Saul's court, David is forced to flee for his life due to the king's paranoia and jealousy. His close friendship with Jonathan plays a crucial role in his survival, as Jonathan warns David of Saul's deadly intentions. We follow David's journey as he seeks refuge in Nob, receives holy bread from the priest Ahimelech, and narrowly escapes harm in Gath by feigning madness before King Achish. Amidst these challenges, David's leadership shines, attracting followers even in hiding at the Cave of Adullam.Support the showRead along with us in the Bible Brief App! Try the Bible Brief book for an offline experience!Get your free Bible Timeline with the 10 Steps: Timeline LinkSupport the show: Tap here to become a monthly supporter!Review the show: Tap here!Want to go deeper?...Download the Bible Brief App!iPhone: App Store LinkAndroid: Play Store LinkWant a physical book? Check out "Bible Brief" by our founder!Amazon: Amazon LinkWebsite: biblebrief.orgInstagram: @biblelitTwitter: @bible_litFacebook: @biblelitEmail the Show: biblebrief@biblelit.org Want to learn the Bible languages (Greek & Hebrew)? Check out ou...

When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021, they introduced many controversial measures, including a ban on music. How do people celebrate special occasions, like weddings? BBC Pashto's Payenda Sargand recently attended a wedding in the southern city of Kandahar and tells us about the other forms of entertainment that were on display, including poetry, singers performing without music and stand-up comedians. The tradition of ‘money spraying' is a major part of Nigerian wedding celebrations, but now you could face a hefty fine or even a prison sentence if you're caught doing it. Make-up artist Abdullahi Musa Huseini, also known as Amuscap on social media, was recently sentenced by a high court in the northern city of Kano for throwing cash at his own wedding, and he's currently serving a six-month jail sentence. Mansur Abubakar from BBC Africa has been reporting on this story. Tuareg communities in North Africa traditionally celebrate weddings with a 7-day party. The BBC Arabic's Xtra TV producers were invited to a wedding in Gath, in the south of Libya, and got to know the groom, Jamal, a young man who said he had to save for years to be able to afford such a feast in the current cost-of-living crisis. Saif Rebai reports. This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world. This is an EcoAudio certified production. (Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)

Dometic's Ultimate Campfire Season Base Camp Presents... Blitzed: Pure Tour Nerdism Chopes Preview with Owen Wright! (Get your Dometic Gear Here!) Chopes has been cooking and the forecast looks insane as the CT heads to Tahiti for the final stop of the 2025 Season before WSL Finals Day in September. And who is better qualified to give you the ins and outs of surfing's most treacherous cone than the three-time finalist, two-time 10 point Chopes tube piggery master and 2019 Champion Owen "Bronze Dick Eye" Wright!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's a lot more historical narrative in today's reading, especially when compared to our first three episodes in 1 Chronicles. David becomes king, he intends to reinstitute the proper worship of God at his tabernacle. When the ark of the covenant almost falls in transit, one man reaches out to grab it, which is not permissible by God's law. The Lord strikes him dead, which both angers and terrifies David. Scared to bring it to Jerusalem, he leaves it in Gath, bringing it to Jerusalem at a later date. We'll also hear a few tales of brave men in battle and their legendary accounts of heroism and valor. These men fought alongside David and were there to help him claim kingship over Israel as the Lord had ordained.1 Chronicles 11 - 1:11 . 1 Chronicles 12 - 8:51 . 1 Chronicles 13 - 16:11 . 1 Chronicles 14 - 18:32 . Song of Songs 3 - 21:09 .  :::Christian Standard Bible translation.All music written and produced by John Burgess Ross.Co-produced by Bobby Brown, Katelyn Pridgen, Eric Williamson & the Christian Standard Biblefacebook.com/commuterbibleinstagram.com/commuter_bibletwitter.com/CommuterPodpatreon.com/commuterbibleadmin@commuterbible.org

In this Bible Story, Saul pursues David’s life and David once again has the opportunity to end Saul. Yet David spares Saul, and Saul once again repents and leaves David’s presence.This story is inspired by 1 Samuel 26-27. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.Today's Bible verse is 1 Samuel 26:7 from the King James Version.Episode 92: Once again Saul has given into his hatred and is hunting David. As Saul camped in the wilderness, David once again was given the opportunity to kill Saul, this time in his sleep. But he chooses mercy and calls out to Abner and Saul, chiding Abner and reasoning with Saul. Saul promised to leave him alone, but David, knowing better, fled to the land of Israel’s enemies, gaining favor with Achish, king of Gath.Hear the Bible come to life as Pastor Jack Graham leads you through the official BibleinaYear.com podcast. This Biblical Audio Experience will help you master wisdom from the world’s greatest book. In each episode, you will learn to apply Biblical principles to everyday life. Now understanding the Bible is easier than ever before; enjoy a cinematic audio experience full of inspirational storytelling, orchestral music, and profound commentary from world-renowned Pastor Jack Graham.Also, you can download the Pray.com app for more Christian content, including, Daily Prayers, Inspirational Testimonies, and Bedtime Bible Stories.Visit JackGraham.org for more resources on how to tap into God's power for successful Christian living.Pray.com is the digital destination of faith. With over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible, the Pray.com app has everything you need to keep your focus on the Lord. Make Prayer a priority and download the #1 App for Prayer and Sleep today in the Apple app store or Google Play store.Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max BardProducer: Ben GammonHosted by: Pastor Jack GrahamMusic by: Andrew Morgan SmithBible Story narration by: Todd HaberkornSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fr. Mike reflects on King Saul's despair in the face of trial, and how he seeks other means of comfort when he feels like God has abandoned him. God never abandons us, especially in the midst of danger. Fr. Mike invites us to place our trust in God's promise, instead of resorting to sinful acts. Today's readings are 1 Samuel 27-28 and Psalm 34. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear. Please note: The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.