Scripture: 1 Samuel 24:1-7
Sermon Series: 1 Samuel: God of Reversals – Sermon 25
What’s your favorite Disney movie? Beauty and the Beast? Snow White? Aladdin? (pictures). Please don’t say it was Frozen (picture). Let it go…
One of the most popular ones is The Lion King (picture). It was rumored to loosely be based on Shakespeare’s Hamlet but was more likely to be based on an African king, Sundiata (picture), an influential ruler and founder of West Africa’s largest empire, the Mali Empire (picture) from 1235 to 1255. He was the son of the real life, King Mufasa. His story is very similar to The Lion King and he became one of the greatest kings in the history of Africa.
This morning let me direct your attention to a line from Simba (picture), “I just can’t wait to be king!” So is ambition wrong? Is it sinful?
Ambition is defined as “an intense drive for success or power; a desire to achieve honor, wealth or fame.” To be ambitious, in a worldly sense, is to be determined to be better or have more than others. It strives to be at the top.
Maybe that’s why John Blanchard (picture) wrote, “Ambition is a gilded misery, a secret poison, a hidden plague, the engineer of deceit, the mother of hypocrisy, the parent of envy, the original of vices, the moth of holiness, the blinder of hearts, turning medicines into maladies and remedies into diseases. High seats are never but uneasy, and crowns are always stuffed with thorns.”
The Bible never teaches that ambition is wrong. In God’s Word ambition takes on a holy dimension. 2 Corinthians 5:9, “Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him” (NASV).
The Greek word for “ambition” means literally “to esteem as an honor.” Being ambitious isn’t wrong. It’s what drives it that can be a problem. The Bible teaches we should be ambitious, yet the objective is to please Jesus Christ, not the world.
Think about it. Don’t you want an ambitious employee? We want children to be ambitious. Would you want to attend a church where the pastor wasn’t ambitious? Ambition is not the problem. It’s who and what we’re ambitious for. It’s the
motive that determines whether it’s good or evil.
I cut my teeth in business. I loved being successful and making money. But I knew God had called me to something else. We need to praise God for ambitious Christian business leaders who use ambition to advance God’s Kingdom. Leaders like Truett Cathy (picture) of Chick-fil-a or Liz Bohannon (picture) of Ssesko Design. Ssesko makes sandals to assist women in the 3rd world out of poverty. There’s Lynsi Snyder (picture) of In-N-Out Burgers or David Green
(picture) of Hobby Lobby.
It’s not wrong to want to move up the ladder or to expand your education or grow your business or want to get married or have children. We can be righteously ambitious about those things. The key is being righteously ambitious and
trusting God when it’s not His plan or His timing.
Wrong ambition is “grabbing.” The phrase to grab comes out of Middle Dutch or Middle German in the 16th Century. Its essential meaning is to seize something forcibly or roughly, or to get something by unscrupulous methods. If you had good parenting, you were taught to not just “grab” things.
1 Samuel 24 unpacks how David refuses “to grab” something that’s only God’s to give, power and the throne. This chapter is a study in ambition. David on the run lives out I CAN wait to be King. He’s a model of being ambitious in a way that pleases God. Please turn to 1 Samuel 24:1-7 (p. 246).
1.Sinful ambition tempts us to grab what is not legitimately ours “When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.” 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. And he came to the sheepfolds by the way, where there was a cave, and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave. 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.’” Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. And afterward David’s heart struck him, because he had cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. 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.” 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.”
David knows that God has chosen him to be the next king. He’s been anointed by Samuel to be king, but he’s willing to wait on God’s timing. Saul is not willing to wait. Though David is his son-in-law, he hunts him down like a dog. His army of 3,000 outnumbers David’s men 5 to 1.
600 men disillusioned with Saul joined David’s crew. They’re continually on the run, ending up in a desolate area known as Engedi (map) that has numerous caves. David and his men are hidden deep in one of the caves, but Saul always has spies on the lookout for David.
What’s one of the worst things that you can hear when you’re on vacation and stuck in traffic? It comes from the back seat. “Daddy, I have to go potty.” “Can you hold it?” “No, I gotta go bad. I gotta go number 2.”
Have you ever thought of a bathroom stop as a divine appointment? This one is. Even kings have to go when they have to go. “Saul went in to relieve himself’ (vs. 3). The Hebrew renders it, “Saul went in to cover his feet.” It’s a euphemism for defecation. King Saul sets aside his robe for a “royal flush.”
Under Old Testament Law God commanded Israeli soldiers to carry a small shovel or trowel so they could bury their excrement.
Of all the caves and all of the times, God arranged this. Saul, as king, naturally wanted privacy. No doubt he had a contingent standing guard outside the cave entry, totally unaware that the real danger was inside. 600 armed guerillas who’d love to slit his throat. Little does he know that his bathroom stall is David’s secret hideout. The awkwardness and fear for David’s men quickly wears off once they realize Saul’s vulnerability.
It’s easy to rationalize evil. This whole scene is all rather humorous. In Saul goes, completely oblivious to who’s hiding in the cave. I imagine that somebody says, “It looks to me that someone has just come into the cave,” looking out from the depth where they find themselves. Another asks, “Well, can you see him?” “Well, actually, he has his back to me at the moment. Oh, but wait a minute. It looks like…It looks like Saul!” “Saul!” says someone. “This is perfect! This is ideal! Surely this is the day of which the Lord has spoken. Here is our chance,” looking at David, “to eliminate him!”
David’s men interpret the circumstances as being a clear indication of the plan of God. They’re the ones who apparently know what David should do.
What they’re actually doing is collating what they’d heard previously. If you look at 23:4, “David inquired of the Lord again. And the Lord answered him, ‘Go down to Keilah, for I will give the Philistines into your hand.’” What was the word that God had spoken: “I will give the Philistines into your hand.” David’s men put two and two together, “Well, the Philistines are your enemy and Saul is your enemy…Take him out.” You can almost hear them singing, “This is the day, this is the day that the Lord hath made.”
Google it and you’ll find at least seven political leaders were assassinated while using the bathroom. Here’s a vital lesson. It’s easy to rationalize our desires and circumstances with the will of God. This kind of muddled justification most often arises in two key areas – romance and finances.
An affair seems so reasonable. There’s problems with the marriage. This other person is so kind and understanding. It must be God’s will. How can it be wrong when it feels so right?
Or spending money that you don’t have with “it was on sale.” Or it’s a gift for someone I care about. I don’t want my kids to grow up and say that their parents never took them to Disney.
We must get a handle on this. Our desires and circumstances aren’t good measuring tools for determining God’s will. God’s Word is the standard. Only when Scripture has primacy can we rightly interpret our desires and circumstances.
It’s easy to be motivated by pride. Pride’s ultimate goal is to preserve self, to protect self, and to promote self. But it’s then robbing God of the glory that belongs solely to Him and to Him alone.
Pride tempts us to believe we’re better than someone else. We may feel we know more, have more and can do more than someone else. But the bottom line for us must be that God uses each of us for His glory.
Pride overemphasizes self. Our hearts need to be God-focused and not self-focused. If you’re setting goals without God’s input, you’re on pride’s path headed for trouble. If you succumb to ambition to make yourself look good, you’re sinning and in a vulnerable position.
It’s hard to stand alone. David is being pressured to take revenge but instead he “stealthily cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.” Every time we have a mention of a robe, our ears should perk up. Remember in chapter 15 that dramatic moment, the tearing of the robe of Samuel. Go back to 1 Samuel 2 and we find Samuel’s mother, Hannah, made a robe for her son each year. In chapter 18 it’s the robe that Jonathan is wearing, as the heir to the kingdom, that he removes and places on David. It’s very significant what David does in cutting off a corner of the king’s robe.
David was very good at stealth. If he hadn’t been good, he’d have been dead. It’s possible that Saul wasn’t wearing the robe when David cut off the corner and could have laid it aside while taking care of business.
The more important issue is why David’s conscience bothered him. After all Saul had done to him, why should minor damage to Saul’s robe even figure in the discussion? Verse 5 “afterward David’s heart struck him.” Some versions have “troubled him.” The Hebrew word is the same one used of military attacks.
David had no sooner rejoined his men in the back of the cave than his conscience began to grieve him. Why did he feel so bad? Because at the moment he did it David was close enough to use his knife on Saul rather than his robe. David
narrowly avoided compromising his conscience, his reputation, and his fellowship with God. He knew that you don’t compromise your conscience for any reason—even to become a king.
For the first time David displayed a small gesture of vindictiveness against Saul. Before this, no matter what Saul had done, David had done nothing injurious back, He told 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.” (1 Samuel 24:6).
Even cutting Saul’s robe insulted the one God put in power. The reason Saul was still in power was not by accident. It was God’s will.
Three times in this chapter David refers to Saul as “the LORD’s anointed.” He knows God put Saul on the throne. It was up to God to remove him. It wasn’t God’s will for David to become king by murdering the current one. God would take the kingdom out of Saul’s hands and put it in David’s hands in His own way and time. Living by faith is living without scheming.
There’s a vital principle here: We have no control over how people treat us, what they say and what they do. We do have complete control over how we respond. God holds us accountable for our response.
2. Godly ambition waits on God’s timing. A young man had a longstanding dispute with his father, who happened to be a gifted musician. The son would come home late at night and just to torment his father, he would go over to the piano and play the notes up the scale. But he’d always stop before getting to the last note. He’d leave the scale unresolved, knowing that his father couldn’t stand it. Then the son would go up and go to bed. Not long afterward he’d hear his dad stagger downstairs in his pajamas and strike the last note of the scale so he could go back to sleep.
Most of us are like that father. We hate waiting. We want everything resolved. It rarely works that way.
David must learn to trust God through years of Saul’s opposition, trusting God’s will and timing. Verses 8-15:
“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. And David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Behold, David seeks your harm’? 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.’ 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. May the Lord judge between me and you, may the Lord avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you. As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Out of the wicked comes wickedness.’ But my hand shall not be against you. After whom has the king of Israel come out? After whom do you pursue? After a dead dog! After a flea! 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.”
This is great faith on David’s part. Though he’s some distance away, Saul has 3,000 soldiers. They could have easily captured David and his force. Only God and the power of speech could protect them.
It’d have been safer to have quietly slinked away. But God didn’t call David to do what was easy or safe and He doesn’t call us to do what’s easy or safe.
Waiting on God isn’t inaction. It’s a bit like the difference between going to a local diner and a 5 star restaurant. Often at the diner if you want more water or coffee, you must ask for it. At a 5 star restaurant the server is watching, ready to jump in for any need. That’s how we are to be with God. We don’t wait until God nudges us. We’re looking for opportunities to jump in and serve Him. One of the foibles of our culture is that while people will serve if asked, they usually have to first be asked. The church is a volunteer army. We are to look for opportunities to jump in and serve the Lord. Think about this. Are you more pleased in your home if your child looks for ways to help or if they have to be asked first? God is the same way.
Godly ambition influences others for good. Verse 7. “So David persuaded his men with these words and did not permit them to attack Saul.” The ESV is a little mild. Literally, the text says that David tore his men apart with his words. He “tore” them apart to keep them from tearing Saul apart. He could do that because he had total confidence in God and His plan.
Each of us is influencing someone. Scott Adams (picture) said, “You don’t have to be a ‘person of influence’ to be influential. In fact, the most influential people in my life are probably not even aware of the things they’ve taught me.” We need to be aware of the invisible flow of energy from us to others that influences them. This invisible flow makes it possible for even the most obscure person to have an impact on others. Every one of us has been influenced by someone and every one of us influencing someone. My friend, you’re influencing someone. Are you influencing others for godliness?
Godly ambition is willing to honestly and humbly make an appeal. Though David wouldn’t take revenge, he stands for truth and appeals to Saul’s conscience. You may not change the heart of your enemy but you can make sure that they understand the truthful facts.
Can you picture Saul hearing David’s voice right behind him? He suddenly realized the person he wanted to kill had been next to him.
Notice how David addressed Saul. “My Lord, the King.” It’s extreme respect. We have one of the longest speeches of David recorded here.
David declares himself innocent of trying to kill Saul. He offers proof with the severed robe. But his ultimate defense is in God’s justice, May God be judge and give sentence between you and me.
Whenever we are in a tense situation with someone who is angry at us or intends evil toward us, be kind and respectful. Take the temperature in a tense conversation down. Don’t be the one heating it up. David does that by showing Saul great respect. His words were designed to subdue, not to inflame. They’re designed to assume the best of Saul and to show Saul he had nothing to fear from David.
When we’re in conflict with a person, how we say our words is very important. Do we raise our voice? Do we assume the worst of a person and say, “You do this! You do that! You’re the problem!” When we act that way, we’re unwise. David says, “Saul, you need to know that you are pursuing someone harmless to you. I am no more of a threat to you than a dead dog or a flea. You have nothing to fear from me.”
What’s David’s secret? He has confidence in God. He knows God will bring justice to his cause and ultimately vindicate him. David wouldn’t take revenge on Saul, no matter what Saul did. He entrusted any vengeance into God’s hands.
The problem with us taking justice into our own hands is that we almost always do it wrong. We overestimate the hurt done to us and overrespond in an attempt to get even. It’s why God is the only one in a position to carry out fair justice. As James Russell Lowell (picture) wrote: “Truth forever on the scaffold, wrong forever on the throne. Yet that scaffold sways the future and behind the dim unknown, Standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above His own.” In our upside down world, the bad guys seem to be winning but our God is on the throne
David understood that God was ready and able to take care of him. Whenever God was ready, Saul would be out of the way and David would ascend the throne. If God wants Saul removed, He didn’t need David’s help.
3. Godly ambition is vindicated by God. In response Saul launches into his longest speech recorded in Scripture, verses 16-21. “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. He said to David, “You are more righteous than I, for you have repaid me good, whereas I have repaid you evil. 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. 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. And now, behold, I know that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand. 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.” And David swore this to Saul. Then Saul went home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.”
Interestingly, Saul calls David by name for the first time in years (usually he referred to David as “the son of Jesse”). Saul also admits that David will be king. David is reassured once again of God’s promise to be king!
The ancient custom was to wipe out all descendants of a predecessor, so Saul is concerned about his family and asks David to spare their lives. David has already promised that to Jonathan and this promise is kept when David shows grace to Saul’s grandson, Mephibosheth, in 2 Samuel 9.
Yet David wisely plays it safe. He doesn’t go back with Saul to the palace but retreats with his men. Saul illustrates what the Apostle Paul calls a worldly sorrow that leads to death. He’ll be back hunting David in chapter 26. Sure he cried, but tears are not necessarily a sign of repentance. It’s remorse. His confession is superficial.
David won many battles. One of his greatest was when he didn’t kill the man trying to kill him. Proverbs 16:32,
“Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.”
David is ambitious. That was seen when he was a young man and took on Goliath. God wants us to be ambitious yet in a way that brings Him glory.
Conclusion: This is truly an amazing story. Who’d have thought that “nature’s call” would result in this peaceful parting of David and Saul? God is sovereign and in absolute control of all things. Those “all things” include things as basic as going to the bathroom.
Most of us want certain things to happen. We have hopes, plans and dreams. We’re ambitious and do what we can to make our plans happen. David shows us the right way to be ambitious. We’re to hold our hopes loosely with open hands as we wait for God’s plan and time to unfold.
David was tempted to take matters into his own hand and grab the crown. The Lord Jesus was also tempted in the wilderness. Hebrews 4:15 tells us that He was tempted in every way that we are yet without sin. Satan came to Jesus in Matthew 4:9-10 and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. Satan said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” But Jesus resisted the temptation. He said, “Be gone, Satan!” Jesus knew all kingdoms were His already, but He’d gain them God’s way and not take matters into His own hands. And neither should we.
Those who have trusted Christ as their Savior know that if the Lord Jesus can solve their sin and eternal destiny problem, He can certainly resolve their place and position in life. Like David, we must trust Him.
How do you determine whether or not the ambitions in your life match up with the plan God has for you? How do you keep your ambitions godly? Let’s tie this up with five questions.
#1. Is your ambition all about you? A significant indication of godly ambition is where it falls on the spectrum between selfishness and selflessness. Selfish ambition is self-serving. You’ll act based on how it furthers your agenda. It isn’t godly because it doesn’t serve God. We’re all more self-serving than we want to believe. Every time you’re overcome with ambition, ask yourself, “Is this serving God or just me?”
#2. Does your ambition allow you to serve God? We can serve others and still not be serving God. There are many good causes. Following Christ means listening to what God wants for us in every season of our lives.
Like everything else, it takes prayer, reading Scripture, and listening to godly friends to determine the right direction. It’s crucial that we ask ourselves if our ambitions are truly serving God. Ambitiously pursue Him and the rest begins to take care of itself.
#3. Is there room for some humility? Ambition can help us to get ahead in life. But Even godly ambition can go sour if we don’t have the right attitude. If your ambition has squashed humility in you, it’s likely gone off the rails. You may be successful, but no level of accomplishment justifies mistreating others or thinking too highly of ourselves. Check your attitude towards your ambition. Do you have a healthy level of humility? Godly ambition isn’t filled with arrogance.
#4. Does your ambition bring you joy? The end goal of ambition is not our satisfaction. That doesn’t mean it should be joyless. If the work you’re doing only brings misery, perhaps it’s time to question if it’s where God wants you. Everyone goes through seasons of unrest or uncertainty, but there should still be something about your work that brings joy.
#5. What is the motivation behind your ambition? Ultimately, we need to ask ourselves what our underlying motivation is. Why do you work hard? What drives you? The answers to these questions are likely complex, but God must be part of it. Plenty of things can motivate us—providing for family, gaining influence, helping others, being pleased with what you’ve accomplished. Our internal motivations reveal a lot about our ambitions. They’re the why behind the what. They’re a good way to gauge whether or not it’s godly ambition. Does God factor into the equation?
Your motivations are an indication of your priorities. Prayerfully take time to inspect what inspires you. List it out. Are they moving you toward or away from God? Godly ambition is wonderful. It’s our motive that can be a problem. It’s WHO are you ambitious for?
David was ambitious for God. Let’s follow his example. 1 Corinthians 10:31, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”