1 Samuel 26:1-25 ASV, 1 Samuel 27:1-12 ASV, 1 Samuel 28:1-25 ASV, 1 Samuel 29:1-11 ASV, 1 Samuel 30:1-31 ASV, 1 Samuel 31:1-6 ASV and 1 Samuel 31:8-13 ASV

26:1-25
Saul and David were very different. David was wise. He had respect for ‘the Lord’s anointed’(11). This was grounded in ‘the fear of the Lord’ which ‘is the beginning of wisdom’(Psalm 111:10). Saul ‘played the fool’. He ‘erred exceedingly’, choosing the way of self rather than the way of the Lord (21). This is not only the story of David and Saul. It’s like looking into a mirror. In David and Saul, we see ourselves. We are at the cross-roads. We must choose. God promises blessing - ‘The Lord rewards every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness’(23). This promise is full of challenge. Choose ‘righteousness and faithfulness’. Choose Christ. Keep on choosing Him. ‘O happy day, that fixed my choice on Thee, my Saviour and my God... That vow renewed shall daily hear’(Mission Praise, 499).

27:1-28:2
What a difference there is between fear - ‘I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul’- and faith - ‘The Lord will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine (27:1; 17:37)! These words were spoken by the same man - David. There is a battle going on within each one of us - a battle for faith, a battle against fear. How do we overcome fear? How do we grow strong in faith? - ‘Perfect love casts out fear’. It is God’s love which gives us the victory - ‘We love, because He first loved us’. Strengthened by His love, our faith grows strong, and we say, ‘This is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith... Jesus is the Son of God’(1 John 4:18-19; 5:4-5). ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine’(Isaiah 43:1). Let faith grow strong and fear be banished!

28:3-25
Saul sinned against the Lord. He brought God’s judgment upon himself: ‘Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord... the Lord has done this thing to you this day’(18). ‘Saul disguised himself’’- he thought he could get away with his sin. He was wrong: ‘Be sure your sin will find you out’(8; Numbers 32:23). There is no hiding from God - ‘Before Him no creature is hidden, but all are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do’. God’s Word warns us: ‘It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God’. Do not ‘trample the Son of God under foot, treating His blood as an unholy thing and outraging the Spirit of grace’. Don’t fight against God. You will be the loser! Don’t ‘shrink back’ and be ‘destroyed’. ‘Believe’ and be ‘saved’(Hebrews 4:13; 10:29-31, 39; Acts 16:30-31).

29:1-30:15
'David was greatly distressed... But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God' (30:6). Things are going badly. What do you do? Do you start feeling sorry for yourself? That won’t do any good. God’s Word says, ‘Be strong, and let your heart take courage’(Psalm 27:14). In times of difficulty, where does your strength come from? - ‘The Lord is my strength and my shield... The Lord is the strength of His people...’(Psalm 28:7-8). How are we to strengthen ourselves in the Lord our God? We must remind ourselves that God is in control: ‘The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as King for ever’. This is the way in which ‘the Lord gives strength to His people!’.This is the way ‘the Lord blesses His people with peace!’(Psalm 29:10-11). Let us be strong in the Lord

30:16-31:13
Here, we have tragedy and triumph - the tragedy of Saul (4), the triumph of the Lord(23). What we are, in ourselves, is tragic - ‘all have sinned... the wages of sin is death’(Romans 3:23; 6:23). This is not the full story of our life. There’s something else: ‘what the Lord has given us’- ‘they are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus’: ‘the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord’(23; Romans 3:24; 6:23). This is the triumph of the Lord. It is not something that we achieve for ourselves. ‘This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvellous in our eyes’(Psalm 118:23). We give all the praise and glory to the Lord: ‘Thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumph. Let us ‘spread the knowledge of Him everywhere’(2 Corinthians 2:14).