David: Shaping a Godly Heart

“Clutches and Crutches”1 Samuel 19:8-20:42

One by one, God took them from me – all the things I valued most,

Till I was empty-handed – every glittering toy was lost.

I walked the highways grieving in my rags and poverty,

Until I heard his voice inviting: “Lift those empty hands to me.”

I turned my hands toward heaven, and he filled them with the store,

Of his own transcendent riches, until they could contain no more.

And at last I comprehended, with my stupid mind and dull,

That God cannot pour his riches into hands already full.

Before God can make a man, he must sometimes break him

The purpose is not to shatter, but to shape him David enters a very thorough shaping program.

In a clutch we reach for a crutch

Life has been called a “learning experience”

It is more accurately a “leaning experience”

What do you lean on? Health? Wealth? Job? Pills?

Most often, we lean on people

James Taylor:

“You just call out my name. and you know wherever I am, I’ll come running to see you again. Winter, spring, summer or fall, all you have to do is call, and I’ll be there. You’ve got a friend.”

Simon and Garfunkel:

“When you’re weary, feeling small, when tears are in your eyes, I’ll dry them all. I’m on your side when times get rough. And friends just can’t be found, like a bridge over troubled waters, I will lay me down.”

Bill Withers:

“Lean on me when you’re not strong and I’ll be your friend I’ll help you carry on. For it won’t be long till I’m going to need somebody to lean on. … You just call on me brother, when you need a hand. We all need somebody to lean on. I just might have a problem that you’ll understand. We all need somebody to lean on.”

God made us to lean on people

Adam needed a crutch

God didn’t send him a pill or possessions, but a person

Sometimes we lean on people so much that we can’t walk without them

The problem with crutches:

Our vision becomes horizontal, not vertical

God may take them from us so we’ll learn to lean on him

God may situate us so we must look to him as a reminder to always look to him

The major drawback to leaning on people:

The grave puts an end to it

Only one relationship is eternal, so …

God helps us develop that relationship!

David’s victory intensifies Saul’s jealousy 1 Samuel 19:8-10 NIV

Once more war broke out, and David went out and fought the Philistines. He struck them with such force that they fled before him. (9) But an evil spirit from the LORD came upon Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand.

David’s victory intensifies Saul’s jealousy While David was playing

the harp, (10) Saul tried to pin him to the wall with his spear, but David eluded him as Saul drove the spear into the wall. That night David made good his escape. 1 Samuel 19:8-10 NIV

Saul’s attempt at murder reminds us of earlier attempts

Plan to plead temporary insanity

1 Samuel 18:10-11 David playing the

harp Saul threw a spear

at him and missed Saul retrieved the

spear and tried a second time!

Plan to make David fall in battle

1 Samuel 18:12-16 Saul gave David

military command Instead of defeat

and death, David won victory after victory!

Israel loved David – and Saul became more jealous!

Plan to publicly humiliate David

1 Samuel 18:17-19 Saul promised Merab

to David as wife Then, he gave her to

another Implication: David is

not good enough to marry into the King’s family!

Making David face overwhelming odds 1 Samuel 18:20-30 Offered Michal to

David as wife Bride price to be 100

Philistine foreskins Won’t get them

without a fight! David kills 200

Philistines – twice what was expected!

Coaxing his own son into murder

1 Samuel 19:1-7 David and Jonathan

are best friends Jonathan intervened

with Saul on David’s behalf

Saul relented – at least for the moment

Now, David can’t trust Saul any more David always solved

his own problems He killed the bear,

the lion & the giant Now he could kill

Saul and claim self-defense But he cannot bring

himself to kill Saul, the Lord’s anointed!

David does something he’s never done before – run!

Sometimes, the most faithful approach to a problem is to leave it until God tells you what to do about it

David will never again appear in Saul’s court

A man in a clutch looks for a crutch

His first crutch: His wife, Michal

1 Samuel 19:11-17 Helped him escape Lied about it, claiming

David threatened her Now Saul’s excuse is:

“He threatened my daughter!”

A wedge between Michal and David Never again in harmony She never helps him

again

Some of you will find out what that is like – You may …

Survive your spouse Become estranged

or divorced Have a mate who

doesn’t know the Lord

It’s tough when the crutch of marriage is gone

His second crutch: His mentor, Samuel 1 Samuel 19:18-24 The one man Saul

won’t threaten Mentor – older friend

who advises and encourages

Crutches sooner or later disappear

Ultimately, God protects David

Saul sends three groups and God stops them

Saul goes, reasoning: “I’m the last person God’s spirit will go to.”

He doesn’t understand that when you fight God’s servant, you fight God!

David leaves for Samuel’s sake and will never see him again

His last crutch: His best friend, Jonathan 1 Samuel 20:1-42 The last person David

could trust Hard to take problems

you deserve Harder to take problems

you don’t deserve

In a nutshell: New moon feast David asked to be away

Saul’s anger tips his hand

If I’d tried to kill someone three times, I wouldn’t wonder why he wasn’t at dinner!

Saul tries to kill Jonathan Saul is lousy with a spear (0 for 4)!

Jonathan’s plan:

“Come this way” or “The arrow is

beyond you” The toughest men in

Israel end up crying in each other’s arms

Why did David weep most?

As much as Jonathan loved David, he still couldn’t leave his father

David has lost his last crutch His relationship with

Jonathan has come to an end

Where Could I Go But To the Lord? With his life in jeopardy,

David took the time to write a song to God

The setting and sentiment of Psalm 59 Setting:“When Saul

had sent men to watch David's house in order to kill him.”

(16) But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. (17) O my Strength, I sing praise to you; you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God.

The task of living demands …

Leaning on the Lord

Looking to the Lord

Learning from the Lord

You can tell how bad things are by what we lean on …

When things are bad, we lean on the doctor

When they’re worse, we lean on the preacher

When they’re really hopeless, we lean on God

Since it always comes down to leaning on God, anyway …

Why don’t we just start there? Could you have written Psalm 59?