Waiting on God (1 Samuel 24)

Opportunity that was too good to pass up on but it turned out to be a really bad decision. OR Waited and it turned out to be a great decision. 

JOB – Boss/Company. OR Relationships – Dating – Not bad. Not that people shouldn’t do it. But to me – It was silly. 5th Grade. No. I waited. If I had said yes to every opportunity in front of me that looked pretty, my life would be a complete disaster. But thank God I had enough sense to wait. And then 18yrs old, I met Grace. Waiting time is over. And this Tues – 19yr anniversary. Though I think there are a lot of times where Grace wished she had waited. 

If you’re just joining us – Israel demands a king. God – Saul. – He’s the kind of king everyone would choose – manly man. But he cares more about himself than God. So God rejects him and David is anointed. But he doesn’t become king right away – Instead, he spends years in the pasture as a shepherd in obscurity. And when David is finally summoned to the royal palace – where he belongs – He has to flee for his life because the current king Saul wants him dead. 

So David is on the run for his life. But he’s not just running – He’s having to wait on God. – God chose him and anointed him as king. But God’s not put him on the throne yet. And it’s been years.

Ever had to wait on God? It’s hard isn’t it? Don’t always know what God is up to. Easy to question – Does he care? Does he know what he’s doing? Is he even working? And even after a season of waiting – God doesn’t always do what we think. 

1 Sam. 24 – Waiting… What do we do? How do we wait – especially when things are hard or not how we thought they’d be?

Text: 1 Sam. 24 When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.” ² Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Wildgoats’ Rocks. ³ And he came to the sheepfolds by the way, where there was a cave, and Saul went in to relieve himself. (Hebrew – To cover his feet. – Dropped his pants all the way down.) You gotta love this story and all this detail… Saul’s got to take care of business. Nature calls. And the story gets even better…It just so happens…) Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave. (Imagine? Modern day equivalent – Elevator. Trapped. No air circulation. – Someone passes gas. – Rude. Anyone ever been in that situation? Or worse – Anyone ever done it? No one? – Laughing. Don’t be that person. Parents – look at each other funny picking up kids on the 7th flr. )

Sometimes the sovereignty of God is funny! Out of all the other caves they could’ve chosen to hide, that’s the one Saul chooses to use the toilet. But it wasn’t random at all. God was orchestrating it all… ⁴ And the men of David said to him, “Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.’” (Saul is as vulnerable as a man can be. Men – Now’s your chance. This is what we’ve been waiting for. The guy who is chasing us and wants us dead – there’s never going to be a better opportunity than this.) Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. ⁵ And afterward David’s heart struck him, because he had cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. ⁶ He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord’s anointed.” ⁷ So David persuaded his men with these words and did not permit them to attack Saul. And Saul rose up and left the cave and went on his way.

What waiting on God looks like…

1. Waiting on God requires intimacy with God – word, will, ways. Why is David struck at the heart level? He just cut the corner of the robe. Saul probably wouldn’t have ever thought anything about it. But you see David’s reverence for the one God had first chosen to be king, even if God’s Spirit had left him. – Dishonored God. Intimacy with God – conviction over sin/wrongdoing.

When you retaliate against someone, maybe it’s just a jab – a few words – Do you ever feel convicted? That you’ve dishonored an image bearer?

If you don’t know God through his word where his will and his ways are revealed to us – You will never wait on God. Why would you? You will always do what you think is right in your own eyes. You don’t know any better.

But if you truly know God. Intimacy – You abide in him. You become like him – think/act – value – heart. – Then you know that waiting on God is the best thing you can do. – He’s always on time. He never makes mistakes. You can search the world til your head hurts – Just to find out his way is better. (FF) 

No better place you can go to familiarize yourself with God, find intimacy with God – so you begin to know him (what he’s like, what he does) and love him and trust him – than in his Word.

2. Waiting on God demands you surrender your ways. You have to give up control of your life. Surrender to the one who is truly in control – life, joy, peace. Control – Illusion – Restaurant – “Finished already.”

Remember David – God chose him. Anointed him to be king. He could’ve interpreted the circumstances as – Well – This must be God’s will. What are the chances? What else could this mean? That God has put him here in front of me. It’s too easy. It’d be foolish to not take advantage. But David doesn’t take things into his own hands. Sticks to what he knows honors God. Doesn’t let the circumstances determine his actions or who he is. 

PJD – It is easy to confuse our desires with the will of God. It is easy to confuse circumstances with the will of God.

-Coincidences – What are the chances?

-Feels right – must be right.

-Single – Praying – nice nonbeliever.

-Problems in your marriage – You happen to meet someone that takes interest in you. – That’s not a sign from God to leave your spouse.

-Item – Sale. Popped up on my phone. God must want me to get it. No – Your phone is just spying on you.

God’s will is never determined just by circumstances or by our feelings. Sometimes God uses circumstances but other times, they are just circumstances and our feelings are terribly unreliable. They’re a terrible guide. A lot of things in my life – Great idea! – Slept it off. – What was I thinking?

Not every opportunity that looks good or promising is from God. Ge. 3. – The opportunity to be like God sounds great. Why wouldn’t they want that? It can look so good and yet lead to your death. Students – Have to keep going back to what God said. Ge. 1 – Only God gets to determine what is good or not good. Not us. 

God’s will never allows for doing things contrary to the good ways of God. You can’t do the will of God – honor God – while breaking the commands of God. You can never accomplish the will of God by the power of your own flesh – the way you want to do things. (PJD) You can’t rationalize or justify your fleshly actions/means whatever the end.

Note: Even good friends can give you bad advice. David’s men quote a promise of God BUT they misapply it. Your friends are only as good as they know the word and know God. AND have the wisdom to skillfully, precisely, and accurately apply it. (Struggling/Hard time – Whacked with the whole bible. – Job’s friends)

Every major decision in my life and most of the small ones too – I always consult good counsel. People who I know will not just agree to everything I say. I need people who love me enough to disagree and tell me the truth in love. Moving to KL. – Wait. Why is everyone so excited? Too excited. (Because I know I can convince myself of anything no matter how crazy it is.)

David – Inquires of God. – God – What do I do? When he stops asking God what he should do and does things according to his ways – That’s when he gets into trouble…

⁸ Afterward David also arose and went out of the cave, and called after Saul, “My lord the king!” And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the earth and paid homage. ⁹ And David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Behold, David seeks your harm’? ¹⁰ Behold, this day your eyes have seen how the Lord gave you today into my hand in the cave. And some told me to kill you, but I spared you. I said, ‘I will not put out my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s anointed.’ ¹¹ See, my father, see the corner of your robe in my hand. For by the fact that I cut off the corner of your robe and did not kill you, you may know and see that there is no wrong or treason in my hands. I have not sinned against you, though you hunt my life to take it. ¹² May the Lord judge between me and you, may the Lord avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you. ¹³ As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Out of the wicked comes wickedness.’ But my hand shall not be against you. ¹⁴ After whom has the king of Israel come out? After whom do you pursue? After a dead dog! After a flea! ¹⁵ May the Lord therefore be judge and give sentence between me and you, and see to it and plead my cause and deliver me from your hand.”

3. Waiting on God calls for hope. – You don’t have to take things into your own hands. Expect – God is going to work. He will take action on your behalf. No matter how bad things look.

Wouldn’t it just be better for everyone to just get rid of Saul? He’s selfish, paranoid. Terrible king.

Movies – You let the villain go, he will come back for you. You have to end it. Don’t let him go. Don’t show mercy because it’s going to come back to bite you. – Compromised decisions in the present because of fear of the future. Terrible way to live. 

I can’t do this now because that might happen in the future…

I can’t give generously…what if I have a need later.

I can’t serve in the church now because I need to invest in myself and get ahead in my career now so I can have the life I want later.

The things you worry about – those are your idols. Whatever you can’t let go of. Whatever your worry about if God will get right or not – That’s your idol. Idols have a way of promising and never delivering. They always want you to be their slave. They control/rule over you.

And even if you do all these things – There’s no guarantee everything is going to be great. The grace of God is your hope in this life. Hope in God in the present – He will provide in the future. 

Proverb – Out of the wicked comes wickedness. And the opposite is also true – Out of the righteous comes righteousness.

What comes out of you? When you’re hurt/wronged. When you’re disappointed or angry. When you have to wait on God. – CUP – The circumstances, the situation, the person didn’t create that in you. They didn’t create that reaction in you. Rather, the circumstances, the situation, the person presented you with the opportunity to spill out and to reveal what was already in your heart. 

Better to be innocent and free of sin and suffer injustice than it is to sin and feel like you’re coming out on top. Wickedness/Sin are bad no matter how opportune or good it feels in the moment. 

Hope – Not in what we can do – In what God has promised. He will accomplish…He will deliver. He will avenge. He will judge. Hope and confidence is why…

Humility – Dead dog. Flea. – I’m nothing. – Out of the mouth of the king. Is that how you see yourself? When you are wronged – If you think you’re somebody – you’ll seek vengeance. Righteous – Won’t be able to forgive. But if you’re humble – God has been loving and gracious and merciful towards me – I can hope in God to work on my behalf. I can love and forgive others freely cause that’s what God has done for me.

¹⁶ As soon as David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. ¹⁷ He said to David, “You are more righteous than I, for you have repaid me good, whereas I have repaid you evil. ¹⁸ And you have declared this day how you have dealt well with me, in that you did not kill me when the Lord put me into your hands. ¹⁹ For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away safe? So may the Lord reward you with good for what you have done to me this day. ²⁰ And now, behold, I know that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand. ²¹ Swear to me therefore by the Lord that you will not cut off my offspring after me, and that you will not destroy my name out of my father’s house.” ²² And David swore this to Saul. Then Saul went home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.

4. Waiting on God trusts and rests in his loving faithfulness. 

Think about what Saul is asking David to do – To not kill off his children – the princes – the ones who biologically have the claim to the throne – the ones who could one day rise up against David to take back what they think is rightfully theirs.

Yet David is willing to put himself in a compromising/vulnerable position. Because he trusts God with his life, with his future. 

Repaying someone with good always the good/right decision. – Leads to the wrongdoer to come to their senses. – Prov. 15:1 A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger… Overcome evil with good. (Ro. 12:21)

Because of this decision, David would continue to flee for his life. Why would he do that? It would’ve been so much easier – to just end things with Saul and his lineage and assume his rightful place on the throne as God’s anointed king. No more running, no more hiding, no more hiding in caves and begging for help.

Personal vengeance is so tempting. Vengeance isn’t always a bad thing. It can be good. God – God of vengeance. He will not and cannot leave sin and unrighteousness unpunished. – The one who trusts in the Lord waits for the Lord to deliver. He fights for us. We don’t have to take things into our own hands. – The worst thing we can do. Get ahead of God – We always get ourselves into a mess. It never gets better.

It would’ve been easy for David to complain about his crappy/terrible situation. To question God. To be angry at him. And to do his own thing. To stop waiting. Look – Heart – 

Psalm 57 A Miktam of David, when he fled from Saul, in the cave. (In the cave – Saul taking his time scrolling on his phone – guy – or just around that time…)

¹ Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge;in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by. ² I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me. ³ He will send from heaven and save me; he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness! ⁴ 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 swords. ⁵ Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth! ⁶ They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my way, but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah ⁷ My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody! ⁸ Awake, my glory! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! ⁹ I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. ¹⁰ For your steadfast love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. ¹¹ Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!

What do we see in this psalm?

Intimacy – Presence – Soul takes refuge.

Hope/Confidence – God will fulfill his purposes. Salvation.

Trust – Love and Faithfulness – Singing in the midst of trouble.

Surrender – Glory of God – At forefront of mind. Not just deliverance. Not just relief.

Waiting on God – One of the most important disciplines we can have as Christians. 

Elementary School Experiment – Marshmallow. I didn’t know any English. So I saw the treat in front of me and I took my shot. No stopping me. The ability to wait and delay gratification is a marker for life success. Later – Waiting AND Character of person being waited on.

Waiting on God is not passive. Not just sitting around.  Clinging to his goodness, his love, his faithfulness, his promises. EOJ.

God is not passive. God is – Creator, Protector, Provider, Healer, Help, Father, Shepherd, Righteousness, Peace, Hope, Joy, Redeemer, Refuge, Light, Rock, Strength, Savior. – All these names have real actions tied to them. – There is nothing you need that he is not. 

We are the ones who wrongly took over God’s throne. We rejected him as king. We removed him and placed ourselves in his place, as kings, as rulers over our own lives. We thought we would do a better job. But it didn’t lead to life. It led to our death.

God would have been just to punish us with death, but because of his great love, he made a way to show us mercy, to give us grace, and spare our lives – to let us go free. But it would cost him his own son, Jesus.

Jesus didn’t take things into his own hands – He didn’t make his own way and do his own will. He trusted the Father’s plans. – He took on flesh, became one of us, and died the death we deserved on the cross. And God fulfilled his perfect righteousness and justice as he put the full weight of his wrath for our sin on Jesus. See – You/I put the rightful king, Jesus, to death by our sin. 

But by overcoming the grave, Jesus freed us from the power of sin and death to himself when we trust in him. So there’s nothing left for you to do.

Jesus has already won it all for you. He fought the battle you couldn’t win. He overthrew our greatest enemy through his humility that would lead him to the cross. And he would rise again from the dead in victory. To rescue you. To raise you up as coheirs with Christ. 

So even when you can’t see. Even when you can’t feel it. Even when the timing feels completely off. – Wait – hoping and trusting in the God of your salvation who loves you and is faithful to you.

There is no peace, no joy, no fulfillment in a life that is lived your own way by your own hands apart from God. You can try all you want to be good and do good to try and save yourself, but it will all be in vain. Jesus has already done everything necessary to save you. And he’s been waiting for you to put your trust in him… It’s why you’re here today.