1 Samuel 24:5
“Now it happened afterward that David’s heart troubled him because he had cut Saul’s robe.”

Life is filled with obstacles. We face constant trials that make this journey difficult. Yet, it seems we can handle almost anything except a troubled heart. When we are overwhelmed from within, it makes even the lightest burdens seem too great to bear. Our hearts are often troubled by loss, disappointment, fear or anxiety. David found there was another cause for a troubled heart – sin.

Whatever liberties others might have had, David knew for certain, he was “not to touch the Lord’s anointed.” In other words, David would not be the one to take Saul’s life, no matter what. David knew God wanted his complete trust. When he sat upon Israel’s throne, it would be because God had paved the way. On this particular day, David allowed his companions to…

Psalm 22:1

“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?
Why are You so far from helping Me,
And from the words of My groaning?”

Although David wrote this Psalm as an expression of the experiences he was facing, it has a much bigger application than he ever could have conceived. It was on the cross that Jesus uttered the opening words to this great Psalm.
“And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “ Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Mark 15:34

In order to speak from the cross, Jesus would have to endure unimaginable pain. He would have to straighten Himself up by pressing against the nail driven through His feet, and breathe in deeply to force any words out. When His silence was broken by these words, His followers would…

Psalms 21:11

“For they intended evil against You;

They devised a plot which they are not able to perform.”

The thing that makes following Christ so difficult are the enemies we face. The primary enemy of the Christian is the devil and his minions. Scripture describes the devil as a schemer who seeks to derail us from following and serving Christ. He will use the weakness of our humanity as a tool to get us to stumble into sin. When at times, it may seem as though the temptations and the obstacles  are too great to overcome, we can be greatly encouraged by this promise. 

Psalms 21:11

“For they intended evil against You;

They devised a plot which they are not able to perform.”

Satan sought to destroy Israel the moment they stepped out of Egypt, yet God intervened and their enemies were drown in the sea. Later, the same demonic…

1 Samuel 23:16

“Then Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose and went to David in the woods and strengthened his hand in God.”

Things seem to be going from bad to worse for David. Saul’s rage forced him to flee the palace, and live the life of a fugitive. For safety sake, he dwelt in caves to hide from the king and his spies. He and his men came out of hiding at the command of the Lord, and risked their lives to rescue the city of Keilah from Philistine invaders, only to find the citizens of Keilah had sold them out to Saul. It is easy to see why both David and his men could become discouraged by their circumstances.

It is during this dark hour that David receives a visit from his closest friend. This visit will prove to be a source of great strength for David, and a powerful…

Psalm 19:10 

“More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.”

We have all had the silly daydream of winning the lottery, finding a stash of money in a secret compartment in the attic, inheriting millions from an uncle we did not know we had, or inventing the next great product everyone wants to own. Why? I think the answer is simply that we would all love to have an unlimited supply of cash; not for it’s intrinsic value, but because of what we can obtain with it, and for the security that it brings. Imagine never having to worry about the bills again.

Here the Psalmist declares there is something he desires, perhaps even daydreams about, more than riches. His desire was for the Word of God. Using such sweet poetry, he declares that God’s Words…

1 Samuel 21:9

“So the priest said, ‘The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, there it is, wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take it. For there is no other except that one here.’

And David said, ‘There is none like it; give it to me.’”

Saul’s rage forced David to flee for his life. He left home and family in such a hurry that he took almost nothing with him. When he arrived in Nob, he immediately searched for both food and weapons. Since he arrived at the home of the priest, and not a military compound, weapons were hard to come by.  The only available sword was the one David had taken from Goliath, and it probably sat in a display case. 

I find it interesting, this is not the first time David had handled someone else’s sword. On…

1 Samuel 20:19
“And when you have stayed three days, go down quickly and come to the place where you hid on the day of the deed; and remain by the stone Ezel.”

The stone Ezel would forever mark a turning point in the life of David. He had been sensing more and more that Saul’s jealous fits of rage would result in his own death. To clarify the matter, he and Jonathan had developed a plan to uncover Saul’s true desires. David would skip out on the palace celebration. In a few days, it would become evident he was not there. If Saul’s reaction was hostile, they determined David must flee for his life. In order to keep David informed of the news, Jonathan would shoot three arrows into the distance. If the arrows fell short of his location, David would know it was good news. If they flew…

Psalms 17:15 

“As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.”

I remember years ago listening to Pastor Chuck Smith teaching from John 15, on the Vine and the branches. To illustrate our need to bear fruit, he asked, “What does a full grown tree look like?” Immediately, my mind was filled with visions of the massive Redwoods of Northern California. I remember, as a child, driving our car through a tunnel cut out of a tree in Humboldt County. After pausing to let the question sink in, he responded, “A full grown tree looks like firewood.” You see, a tree grows as long as it is alive. The moment it stops growing, is the moment it has died.

We are like that. Once we begin a relationship with God, a process known as “Sanctification” begins. Sanctification is…

1 Samuel 19:9
“Now the distressing spirit from the Lord came upon Saul as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David was playing music with his hand.”

Like all of us, King Saul struggled with his emotions. When he looked at David, he did not see Israel’s rising star, or a man after God’s heart, but only a man who was a threat to his throne. Saul found himself filled with jealousy, fear, pride, and anger. As the story unfolds, we find these sins ultimately became his downfall. His failure was partly due to the way he dealt with his sin.

We read time and time again of a “distressing spirit from the Lord” that came upon Saul. This spirit was no doubt a strong conviction for the things he was doing wrong. Instead of allowing his conviction to bring him to repentance, Saul tried…