The Rock of Escape

one Navy Seal. God's answer is just a simple no doesn't give any direction. He just says go and do it. But you know what? I find that when I get impressions from the Lord, and I know you do, too, that because I've never heard the audible voice of God except one time in my life, I'm positive I did. It came in my brain. But usually, it's just the impression of what I know and and I I got to go. And and it's like this. God gave David some direction. just go get in the battle. In other words, leave it up to me. Just go get in the battle. And uh that's what happens. But then maybe there's a battle you're fighting right now or the battles out there that you're avoiding. Get in the battle. Just you're you're not going to get the battle plan, but get in the battle. But then David's men speak up. And this is what the word of the Lord says. And David's men said unto him, "Behold, we be afraid in Judah." And these, they're not cowards, y'all. They're realistic. This is the Philistine army, and they're just a gang. Behold, we be afraid here in Judah. How much more than if we come to Kela against the armies of the Philistines? Transate. Here's the translation. David, this is a terrible idea because they're saying, David, we're already stretched and now you want us to add war to this. This is this is the biblical version of, "Hey, man, I love you, but I'm just not emotionally available for you right now." And here's a moment that reveals David's true leadership style, because David doesn't shame fearful people. He doesn't say people had more faith. He doesn't do any of that. What he does do is he goes back to God because asking questions of God is not unbelief. And it says, "Then David inquired of the Lord yet again." Now, I know I already asked you God, but I'm going to ask you again. and the Lord. Now, how many of y'all know that God doesn't change his mind, right? I guess we need to go back to Bible study. Okay, [laughter] I'll just assume that you are all going to raise your hand. You just don't want to look Pentecostal on me. That's fair. And David inquired of the Lord yet again. And the Lord answered him and said, "Arise, go down. The message hasn't changed. Arise, go down to Kila, for I will deliver the Philistines into thy hand." So David asked again and God answers again. Keep going back to God with your problems. And so David and his men went to Kela and fought with the Philistines and brought away cattle and and smokeote them with a great slaughter. So David, I don't know if you want to underline this or highlight it in your Bible. So David smoked the inhabitants of Kela. David goes, "The Philistines fall. Kila is rescued. The harvest is spared." Man, I wish the story stopped right there. Because if it did, then I would get to preach a really simple sermon. Do good and good stuff will follow. Be obedient and get a bunch of blessings. But see, here's the thing. Yeah. Scripture scripture doesn't lie. And obedience to God is not a transaction. Obedience to God is alignment. All right, let's dig a little bit deeper on this one because here's the tension of faith. Doing the right thing never entitles you to the right response. David puts himself at risk for them. This is where we would expect some gratitude. This is where we would expect some loyalty. This is where we'd expect the story to finally say, "And David found rest." But that's not how this chapter reads. Dig it with me. Verse 7. And it was told Saul that David was come to Keela. And Saul said, "Ha, God hath delivered him into my hands, for he has shut in by entering into a town that hath gates and bars." Okay, this is just a little bit of aside. Never trust anybody who spiritualizes their paranoia. Never trust anybody who uses God's language to justify their selfobsession. And so it says, "And Saul called all the people together to go to war to go down to Kela to besiege David and his men." So David goes down to Kila. He delivers them. He smites the Philistines. And Saul hears about it. And now he's on the hunt yet again. And David senses the shift that is occurring. The atmosphere has changed. The air is getting heavy. So what happens is is that Abathar brings the ephod and David does something that takes courage. He asked God questions again. And he asked God's question that I think he's probably doesn't really want the answer to that he's expecting. Verse N. And David knew that Saul secretly practiced mischief against him. And he said to Abathar the priest, "Bring hither the ephod for the kids." The ephod was that breastplate that the high priest would wear. and and it uh it had some quality or not the high priest but a priest would wear and and it it was really an instrument of worship. So he's going in worship to seek God's God's thoughts. And then said David, oh Lord God of Israel, this is David speaking. Oh Lord God of Israel, thou has certainly heard that Saul seeketh to come down to Kela to destroy the city for my sake. Here's the question. Will the men of Kela deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down as thy servant hath heard? Oh Lord God of Israel, I beseech thee, tell thy servant. And the Lord said he will come down. So God answers truthfully without cushioning the blow. He says, "Yeah, he's coming after you." And sometimes that's difficult for us. I was having a meeting with one of my subordinate managers who oversees some trial divisions and I'm like, I need you to address this issue with the young attorney and I I need you to be honest and forthright because there is a natural tendency, especially among us in the South, you Yankees know what I'm talking about, where you want to just kind of sugarcoat it and soft coat it and you're like, "Oh, well, next time you're in front of a jury, maybe don't belch out loud." you know, that might be distracting instead of bapping him upside the head saying, "What are you thinking?" That's distracting. Anyway, y'all know what I'm talking about. Um, so the Lord is just very direct. Yeah. And have y'all missed this? Like the people that David just saved are about to sell him out. Because remember when I said let's underline this passage of how he delivered the city of Kila and smokeote the Philistines. Y'all remember that, right? Well, those exact same people that he saved are about to sell him out. And I emphasize that because some of you know this pain where you showed up, you stayed late, you gave to them, you invested years with them, you prayed for them,

and they betrayed you.

You know that. Verse 12, then said David, will the men of Keela, here's the second time he's asked this question, but it's slightly different. Will the men of Kela deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul? And the Lord said they will deliver thee up. So it sounds like David asked the same question twice, but he didn't. This time he's asking not only about the danger to himself, but the danger to his people. The second time David's concern is widening just beyond him because he's a good leader. He's no longer saying, "Will I be betrayed?" But what he's essentially saying is, "Will my obedience to you also get other people killed?" And the Lord says, "Yes." Now, I want you to watch something about David's response because David does not curse Kela even though they betrayed him. He does not burn bridges. He does not lash out. He does not call a meeting. And he doesn't write a psalm about the ungrateful people of Kila. Psalm 151, which I would do, and it would start out these losers and these betrayers anyway, because he just, and this is what he does, he just leaves

after being betrayed. Sometimes the most faithful thing you can do is to just walk away without poisoning your heart. David does not let this betrayal turn him cynical. He simply refuses to let someone else's fear determine his obedience. And that matters because betrayal has a way of shrinking your heart if you let it. David chooses movement over resentment. And here's the hard truth that this section teaches us. Obedience doesn't guarantee safety, but it will guarantee alignment. David did the right thing and he has to keep on running. And some seasons in our life require movement without resentment and without bitterness. So David walks away not because he is weak but because God's leading. And it says verse 13, "And then David and his men which were about 600 arose and departed Keela and went whethersoever they could go. And it was told Saul that David was escaped from Kela and he forbar to go forth." So by the time we reach verse 14, David is no longer surprised by the hardship. He's he's he's not shocked by the danger. He's not offended by the instability. Instead, instead, what David is doing, he's not wigging on out. What David is doing by the time we reach verse 14 is he is enduring. I want you to notice that because it's important. It says, ' And David abodeed, you might want to underline that, in the wilderness, in the strongholds and remained in a mountain. Here we go, in the wilderness of Ze. So, circle Ze because we're going to see something before we reach the end of the chapter about Ze. Now, that might sound like poetic language, but it's not. He abodeed. [clears throat] It's not about poetry. It's about monotony. Same terrain, same fear, same uncertainty day after day after day. And I want you to listen to what the text does not say. It doesn't say that David prayed his way out of it. It doesn't say that God moved him out of it quickly. It doesn't say that deliverance came immediately. It says he abodeed.

That means he stayed longer than he wanted to. And some of you know this season. Some of you are living this season right now and you are so tired of staying. And the scriptures add this line. And Saul sought him every day. Not occasionally. Not when Saul was in the mood. Every day. Every day Saul was in relentless pursuit. Every day David wakes up with the same fear. Is today the day that I get captured and tortured? And then almost quietly the Bible says,

"But God delivered him not into his hand." This verse is the theological backbone of this entire chapter. Every day Saul hunts, every day David is delivered. Every day Saul hunts, every day God delivers. And [clears throat] it's not a flashy deliverance. It's not like the waters parting in the Red Sea. This is a a daily divine restraint on the actions of Saul. And I want you to notice that God's work here is invisible because it does not tell us how Saul was restrained. And God's work is invisible not because he's absent, but because he's precise. David is is living under a protection he cannot see, cannot measure, cannot predict. I got to be honest with you, that's hard on faith because we prefer rescues that we can point to. And it seems that God prefers protection that we never notice. And then after time, after time, because David right now, it's almost like a baby being protected by his father. Daily divine protection that he just can't see. But then babies grow up. And so David does. And now next verse, he's going to be participating in some of that because it says, "And David saw Saul was to come to seek his life." So now David sees it. And it says, "And David was in the wilderness." Here we go. As if in a wood. So remember, God doesn't always rescue us loudly. He sometimes he simply gets allows us to see the problems coming. But either way, every day, whether David saw it or not, Saul saw it. Every day, God delivered. Whether it was by happen stance or by nudging David, hey, Saul's coming. And here's the thing about this passage right here before we move on to the next. You know, David doesn't feel victorious in these moments. You might not be feeling victorious in the moments that you're enduring right now that God is delivering you from because God delivers us in ways that we don't know, from accidents that we can't see. God delivers us in thousands of ways that we'll never know about on this side of eternity. It doesn't feel victorious. But what I want you to notice is that even though David might not feel victorious, he is not defeated. And that's a victory in and of itself. And that's faith. And just when the wilderness feels endless, something beautiful happens. And Jonathan, Saul's son, arose and he went to David in the wood. So Jonathan went, didn't send a message, a tweet, a text. Because sometimes the most important things that we can provide is just our presence. Just being there. Jonathan goes, no message, no rumors, just his present. And he enters into the wilderness. And this is what it says. And strengthened his hand in God.

So thankful for that. Um, we lost an officer a week ago. Had to go to the crime scene, had to take care of some stuff. went by the hospital, see the officer that survived. And I noticed how different people, it's always a study in humanity of how people comfort the morning. Can I tell you the least comforting thing that you can do to a family that's lost someone or someone that's hurting? You're strong enough to make it through. You can do it. You can guide this. Can I tell you what works? God's there for you. Whether you see them or not, whether you understand them or not, God's there for you. Don't strengthen people in themselves. Strengthen people in the Lord. Because only God can take something as horrible as a death and turn it into something good. Only God can heal the heart. Only God is known as the balm Gillian. Strengthen people in the Lord. Hey, let me extend that. Don't strengthen them in the church either. Ah, come and hear our pastor. Many of y'all say that by the way. [laughter]

It's okay, Lord. [laughter] See, see what I did there? I strengthen myself in the Lord because you people suck.

and he strengthened them in the Lord. Man, that that's faith. But it says, "And Jonathan says, and I want you to dig this because Jonathan, how did Jonathan strengthen him in the Lord? Jonathan doesn't hype him up. Jonathan doesn't strengthen David in strategy. He doesn't strengthen him in promise." He reminds him, this is it. Verse 17. And he said unto him, "Fear not, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee, and thou shalt be king over Israel." He reminds him of God's promise. So Jonathan reminds David of what God has already declared. Yeah, that's gospel. That's good news because it's news of a completed event. And sometimes

our faith doesn't need like some new revelation. And I know that the apostle Paul prayed in Ephesus that their eyes of their understanding would be enlightened. So he's praying for revelation at that moment and wisdom. He also prays for wisdom. But sometimes our our eyes don't need the revelation. We don't need to be have new revelation. We just need remembered truth. your eternity is secure.

And Jonathan also says, "Dig it, and I shall be next unto thee, and that also Saul my father knoweth." He knows, he knows your end, and he knows my This is astonishing humility. Jonathan releases the throne in his heart. This is a friendship that is rooted in God's purpose. So, they make a covenant before. And I gotta tell you, if I had done a Bible, I when the reason Joshua was named Joshua is because when I was growing up, I knew from a youth that I just I fell in love with the character of Joshua. If I had read more about Jonathan, Joshua would be known as Jonathan. What a great dude this guy is. But that would have been right.

And so they make a covenant. Jonathan leaves. But guys, David is still hunted, but he is not at this point. David is still hunted, but here's the difference. He's not spiritually isolated anymore. He's got a friend who's strengthened him in the Lord. I want to encourage everybody. Don't abandon your church when life gets difficult. When circumstances get distressing, don't abandon your church. There's so much good that we can do by lifting one another up, by encouraging one another in the Lord. Because let me tell you something, the news isn't going to do it. Nobody else in the secular world's certainly not going to turn you back to the Lord. Let's pick on back up because this is this moment in your spiritual walk when you go, "Oh, can I catch a break?" Then came the Zephanites to Saul. Hold on there, Skippy. David just delivered the Zephanites, too. Then came the Zephanites to S to Saul to Gib and said, "Da, do not David hide himself with us in the strongholds in the woods in the hill of Heekla, which is on the south of Shimon." So they're not only like throwing David under the bus, they're giving Saul David's GPS locations. Now therefore, O king, because we know you have a hard time finding him. Let's just tell you exactly. He's in the woods right back there. Go get him. Now therefore, oh king, come down according to all the desire of thy soul to come down and our part, our part, our part is to deliver him into the king's hand. We're going to help you out, king. And Saul said, "Blessed be ye of the Lord." He's still trying to spiritualize his evilness. Blessed be ye of the Lord, for you have compassion on me. Go, I pray you, prepare yet, and know and see this place where his haunt is. and and who hath seen him there? For it is told me that he dleth very subtly. See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking places where he hideth himself, and come ye again to me with certainty, and I will go with you, and it shall come to pass, and if he be in the land, that I will search him out throughout all the thousands of Judah." So Saul mobilizes, the story tightens, and here we go. And they arose and they went to Ze before Saul. But David and his men were in the wilderness of Mayon in the plain on the south. And Saul also and his men went to seek him. And they told David, wherefore he came down into a rock and abode in the wilderness of Bowan. And when Saul heard that, he pursued David into the wilderness of Meowan. And Saul went, dig this, on this side of the mountain. And David and his men went on that side of the mountain. And David made haste to get away for fear of Saul. For Saul and his men compassed David and his men round about to take them. So this this is the closest, so y'all know, this is the closest that they have been to each other in the wilderness. And right now, David has no cave. He has no strategy. He's just got a geography of a mountain sustaining him uh between life and death. You know, he's on one side of the mountain, the David's on the other side of the mountain. And then and then and then it says there came a messenger unto Saul. And this messenger came to Saul, not to David, but to Saul to tell him of a crisis somewhere else. It says, "And there came a messenger unto Saul, saying, haste thee and come, for the Philistines have invaded the land, wherefor Saul returned from pursuing after David, and went against the Philistines. Therefore they called that place Sila Amma Leha." David went up from then, and dwelt in the strongholds of Engeti. Why is this significant? Because David does nothing to orchestrate this crisis. He doesn't cause it. He doesn't predict it. But he is spared by this divine interruption. And sometimes God doesn't eliminate the threat. Sometimes he redirects it. And David names the place Sila Amma Lehawk. It literally means the rock of escape. Not the rock of strategy, not the rock of courage, the rock of escape. Because David knows what we sometimes forget. I didn't earn this. I was spared. And so throughout this chapter, David [clears throat] is active. He inquires. He leads. He moves. But the decisive actions in this chapter all belong to God. God answers. God restrains. God interrupts. So David's security here doesn't rest on his competence. It rests on God's purposes. Man, that gives me some comfort because let's talk about the purpose of God, you and me. This is from Ephesians 1 and three. And you hath he chosen. And oh my goodness, according he has predestinated us under the adoption of children by Jesus Christ according to the good pleasure of his will. God has purposed your destiny and nothing can dissuade him. And here David is in this chapter. It's not primarily about David's resilience. It's about God's preserving hand. Because here's the thing. Here and in every chapter of the Bible, this story points to Jesus Christ. Because Jesus would rescue people who abandoned him. Jesus would be hunted but innocent. Jesus would withdraw when the time was not yet come. But unlike David, Jesus did not escape death. He endured it. And where David hid in a cave, Jesus was buried in one after going to a cross. And where David was spared, Jesus was sacrificed. And because of his sacrifice, your standing does not depend on your consistency in the wilderness. It depends on Christ's accomplishment at Calvary. So, let's close out because some of you are in a season right now where you feel surrounded. You're pressured at work. You're misunderstood at home. You're obedient but exhausted. And what this chapter does is it reminds us that you're not forgotten in that delay. You're not exposed in this wilderness. You are not sustaining the story by yourself because the rock still stands. The promise still holds. And the God who restrained Saul has already secured you fully in Christ. Even when you're hunted, you're held. If you'd like to worship Jesus as we do here at Camp Creek Church, we give you that chance as we stand.

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