1 SAMUEL 23:1-14 PURSUE GODS HEART BY ASKING HIM QUESTIONS2017 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: 1 Samuel 23:1-14 Pursue Gods Heart By Asking Him Questions

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2017. All right, we're going to be in 1 Samuel chapter 23, looking at verses 1 through 14. And so let's go ahead and read through this passage together, and then we'll dive into what the Lord has for us. 1 Samuel chapter 23, starting in verse 1, it says...

Then they told David, saying,

Then David inquired of the Lord once again. And the Lord answered him and said, Arise, go down to Keilah, for I will deliver the Philistines into your hand. And David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines, struck them with a mighty blow, and took away their livestock. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah. Verse 6. Now it happened when Abiathar, the son of Ahimelech, fled to David at Keilah, that he went down with an ephod in his hand.

And Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah. So Saul said, God has delivered him into my hand, for he has shut himself up by entering a town that has gates and bars. Then Saul called all the people together for war to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men. When David knew that Saul plotted evil against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, bring the ephod here. Then David said, O Lord God of Israel,

Your servant has certainly heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah to destroy the city for my sake. Will the men of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down as your servant has heard? Oh, Lord God of Israel, I pray, tell your servant. And the Lord said, he will come down. Verse 12. Then David said, will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul? And the Lord said, they will deliver you.

So David and his men, about 600, arose and departed from Keilah and went wherever they could go. Then it was told Saul that David had escaped from Keilah, so he halted the expedition. Verse 14, and David stayed in the strongholds in the wilderness and remained in the mountains in the wilderness of Ziph. Saul sought him every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand. Let's pray.

Lord, as we consider this passage and your word this evening, Lord, that last sentence really just stands out in my mind, Lord, that we, like David, have an enemy that is seeking us every day. And yet you, God, are so good and gracious in that you do not allow us to be found. You do not allow us to be delivered into his hand, but Lord, you protect us in your hand.

And Lord, I thank you for that. And I pray that you would continue that protection and that work in us, that you would lead us by your spirit, that you would guide us and keep us, Lord, where you want us to be. And in pursuit of your will and your heart, I pray, Lord, that you would draw us near to you and encourage us to hear from you this evening. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

Well, this evening as we look at 1 Samuel chapter 23 verses 1 through 14, I've titled the message, Pursue God's Heart by Asking Him Questions.

pursue God's heart by asking questions. We've been talking about pursuing the heart of God and seeing David as a great example of that. And here's one of the keys. And in this passage, we see one of the crucial elements of David being a man after God's own heart. And that is that he's not afraid to ask God what

what God wants and what God would say about the situations that he faces. And it would seem that David has learned this valuable lesson through David's

Well, kind of like trial and error. He's tried being on the run with his own wisdom and with his own strength and with his own resources. He's been running from Saul and escaping from place to place. And right off the bat, God was, you know, providing for him and protecting him. But then he kind of freaked out a little bit and decided, I need to run to the Philistines. And he's like, I need to run to the Philistines.

And so he's running into enemy territory and trying to use his own wisdom, his own cunning, his own methods, and even telling lies along the way. And it resulted in some pretty severe consequences in that

priest that he lied to was killed, and that priest's whole family was killed, and that priest's whole town was killed as a result of the lies that David told. He ended up, you know, being in a bad situation in a place almost captured by the Philistines and with lots of people hurt as a result of his attempt to do this run from Saul on his own. But now as we hit

chapter 23, David has come back to his senses. He's called out to the Lord. He's cried out to the Lord. He's back in a right place with the Lord. And here in these few verses, we see that David inquires of the Lord over and over again, each step of the way as things are happening throughout the chapter. And it's a great model for us and a reminder for us. God wants to speak to us.

He wants to speak to us about the details and the things that are happening in our lives. On Sunday, as we looked at James chapter 1, we talked a bit about verse 5, which says, If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

If any of us lack wisdom, that is, if any of us are in situations in this life that we don't know what to do or how to handle it, or we don't know where to go or what exactly God wants from us, here's what we should do, James says. We should ask of God. And that is what we see David doing here in 1 Samuel chapter 23 this evening. He's lacking wisdom.

And so he's asking God for wisdom. And God is providing that wisdom just as James said that he would. He gives to all liberally and without reproach and it will be given to him. And I'd like to just allow us to be reminded and refreshed this evening in the reality that God wants to speak to us. God wants to reveal his will. He wants to give us the wisdom that we need. As I shared on Sunday, God has a recipe for you.

And it's not a recipe that I have. It's not, you know, someone else that can give you the wisdom that you need or the recipe that you need. There's some ingredients that we can provide, you know, and share. Hey, you have some extra butter? Sure. You know, here's a scripture. There's some generic things that we can share and help and minister to one another in those ways. But only God has the very specific instructions that you need for the life that is set before you.

And David here is, he is, you know, in this situation in the cave and hearing about the things that are going on. He's looking to God for that specific instruction. Again, something else I shared on Sunday was this quote from Charles Spurgeon. He said, we are all so ready to go to books, to go to men, to go to ceremonies, to anything except to God.

Consequently, the text does not say, let him ask books or ask priests, but let him ask of God. The wisdom that we need, we are quick to go and hope somebody else can tell us what it is that we're supposed to do and how we're supposed to move forward and the steps that we're supposed to take. And it is important and appropriate for us to seek counsel. And yet the wisdom that we need ultimately is going to be found elsewhere.

in the voice of God, speaking to us as we ask him for wisdom, as we ask him questions, he reveals his heart with his voice by speaking to us what it is that he desires for us and for our life.

And so we're going to walk with David through this and see the different times he's asking the Lord questions. There's four points we'll be looking at as we work our way through the passage. The first point is found in verses one and two, and that is ask God for specific direction. This evening, I want to encourage you to not just generally, you know, throw out open-ended questions that, you know,

are not very clear in what you're asking, but to actually work on some questions that you can ask of God that are, well, for specifics. Lord, how do you want me to relate to this person?

Lord, how do you want me to deal with this particular situation? Lord, here's my options as I see them in this decision I have to make. Which option would you have me to choose that we would look at specific details of our lives and ask God for some specifics in those situations? Check out verse one and two again. It says, then they told David saying, look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and they are robbing the threshing floors.

So David now, he's in the cave of Adullam. He is there hanging out with the guys that God has brought to him. He's come back to the Lord. He's trusting in God again. He's back right where he needs to be, but he hears about a situation.

The Philistines are fighting against this town, the city of Keilah, and they're robbing the threshing floors. Now, the threshing floors was the place where they would thresh the wheat. And so it's the harvest time and they're collecting the wheat that they have grown. They're processing it and, you know, going to be able to now store it and make food out of it. And so for the Philistines, they saw this process and they said, this is a very convenient time to rob.

Can you imagine if the Israelites went out, you know, the city of Keilah, they went out and all of their wheat fields, you know, were being harvested by the Philistines. So that's a lot of work, you know. So the Philistines said, we'll let them do the work. When they bring all the wheat in and they've got it all on the threshing floor, then we'll go in and take it after they've done all the work. And so they see it as a convenient time to rob the people where they don't have to do the work.

They've already done the harvesting. And so now they're taking what they've worked so hard for. The Philistines are coming in and taking that away. And so it's shared with David. This is the situation that's happening. This is a city that's not far from the cave where they are hiding. And David responds to this by asking God if he should get involved.

And I think David here, again, as he is many times, is a great example for us that when God brings something to your attention, it is often because he wants you to get involved. Whose job was it to defend the city of Keilah? It was actually Saul's job, right? He's the king, right?

But David, who is the guy on the run, he hears about it and he says, you know, maybe this is brought to my attention because God wants me to get involved in this situation. And there is a lot of times in our lives where we see a situation, we see something, something's brought to our attention and we...

Well, Rick's going to take care of that. That's his job. He's supposed to do that. And so I don't have to do that. I don't have to get involved because that's his job. That's what he's supposed to do.

And yet I would say that many times when things are brought to our attention, when we see situations, injustices, difficulties, hardships, hurting people, don't wait for somebody else or just assume that somebody else is going to take care of it. But here we can follow the example of David and say, wow, here's an important thing that's happening, a difficult situation that's going on, a need that is there.

I'm not going to just assume that someone else is going to take care of it. Lord, do you want me to get involved in this? When you see the need, ask God how you should respond. Notice it says in verse 2, therefore David inquired of the Lord. He hears about this situation, therefore he goes specifically to God for this situation. He's not just, you know, well, I'm just having my daily devotions, and then, you know, if God wants to tell me something, then he's going to tell me something. But

He is going to the Lord. He's inquiring of the Lord. Therefore, because there is this situation, Lord, there is this need. There is this hurt that's happening. There is a situation that's unfolding. Lord, what would you have me to do? And you'll notice that David is asking a very specific question. Shall I go and attack these Philistines?

Shall I go and attack these Philistines? He's not being vague. He's not being general. Lord, do you want somebody, you know, or just, you know, kind of putting it out there. But he is very specific. Lord, do you want me to get involved? And specifically, do you want me to go to battle? Do you want me to go and attack the Philistines? He doesn't just say, Lord, I've heard about this situation. I'm just going to kick back in the cave. You know, let me know if you want me to do something. Otherwise, you know, I'll just be here waiting.

But he is, he's specific in his question. He's specific in saying, Lord, do you want me to attack? Do you want me to start this response and the defending of this city? Do you want me to jump in and get involved militarily? Now, as David asked this specific question, notice that God gives a very specific answer.

It tells us there in verse two, the Lord said to David, go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah. Go attack. Do you want me to attack? God says, go attack. God also gives him that promise of victory. He says, and save Keilah. And sometimes God calls us to do something. He doesn't necessarily promise us victory.

a specific outcome. But here in this case for David, he says, yeah, go save Keilah by attacking the Philistines. And so David asks a very specific question and God gives him the exact specific answer that he needed for that situation. Should I attack? God says, yes, go attack. It's a specific question that David asked God and it's a specific answer that he gets in return.

I think this sets a very good model for us. We need to ask God specifics and lay out before God specific details about what it is that's going on. I think of Hezekiah who received the letter from Assyria, the threat, you know, to just give up and God had given up on them. And Hezekiah takes the letter and he lays it out in the temple before the Lord.

You can imagine, you know, it's probably a scroll, right? So he just rolls out the scroll. He's like, Lord, look at this. Read this letter that we got from Assyria. And as he lays out all these details and he cries out to the Lord, he's pouring out to the Lord his heart regarding this specific situation and the details that are contained therein. Charles Spurgeon had a quote that went along those lines as well. I almost shared it on Sunday. Again, an idea of asking God for wisdom, but

But he said, look, if you really believe that you could ask God for wisdom and he gives to all liberally and without reproach, then lay out your requests before God. Lay out your situations and go through all the details and lay out all those things that you think you need and present them before the Lord because what we're commanded to, we're instructed to, if you lack wisdom, ask God. Sometimes we're so general, we're so

vague and we're not really expecting an answer. And so we don't bring the specifics to God. We don't get into the details. And I think it's a good example for us to remember. God has some specific instruction for us as we seek him for that direction and those specifics. Now, as we talk about asking God for specific direction, and then of course, looking for God to speak, how does he

speak. And I want to just walk through a couple things along those lines. How does God speak? Well, I would say he speaks simply, subtly, and supernaturally. And so as we ask God for specific direction and we're looking for him to respond, we can be looking in these ways, that he will speak simply, that is, through his word. We have his word as a

Well, his words to us, that he speaks through the things that he has written for us. Psalm 119, 105 says, your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. And the idea there is that, you know, it's like, it's lighting the way right in front of you, to my feet, to my path. It's like a flashlight. It's showing me the way to walk, the steps to take. That is the work of the word of God.

And you know, it's that time of year again where I get to remind you how important it is to be spending time in the Word of God on a regular basis. We are, as a body, wrapping up the Bible in three years over the next month and a half or so, and we're heading into 2018, and I would encourage you to be preparing now. What is your devotional plan for this next year? Now, if you don't have a devotional plan, you're not in the Word of God, don't wait till next year to start. But

But it's time. It's appropriate for you to begin to think about what does God want you to do in your journey through the Word in the coming year. We are going to be offering through the website and in the bulletins and such the Bible in three years again. And so we'll be starting that, many of us. I'm going to be doing it in such a way so that I'm actually going to read through the Bible in one year. But

to be able to stay along. So it'll be a reading schedule that will allow us, if you're going through the Bible in three years, or if you want to do it in one year, we'll still all have some of the same passages that we'll be looking at every day so that we can be in sync and still be in tune with what the Lord is speaking to each of us. But it's appropriate time. You need to be involved in God's word. This is one of the primary ways that God speaks to us as we're asking him for specific direction.

But God also speaks subtly. That is, you might say, with a still, small voice. And that comes from 1 Kings 19, where the prophet Elijah was alone with the Lord, and God said, hey, come out, I'm going to speak to you. But there was the heavy wind, there was the fire, there was the earthquake, and God wasn't in any of those. That wasn't God speaking. Instead, then there came this still, small voice.

It's a good picture of the way the Holy Spirit will speak to us. We have the things found in the scriptures and we have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us who will speak to our hearts, who will give us direct words from God. The prophet Isaiah foretold of this. He said, your ears shall hear a word behind you saying, this is the way, walk in it. Whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left, that God gives us the Holy Spirit to speak to our hearts,

And the Holy Spirit many times is using the word of God. And sometimes it's, well, independent of our, you know, official Bible reading time, but the Holy Spirit prompts our hearts and he puts the words of God and the thoughts of God and the plans of God in our minds and in our hearts. And we need to listen for that voice, that subtle, still small voice from the Lord. And then finally, God speaks supernaturally. He could speak prophetically.

as we gather together and I'm bringing forth the word or someone is bringing forth the word that we believe it's clear in the scriptures that God is speaking prophetically, that many times it's not just I'm teaching a Bible study, but as I'm teaching the Bible study, the Lord is bringing forth very specific things that are for you. I don't even know they're for you, but the Lord knows they're for you. And so he's

prophetically bringing forth things, or perhaps as we have the one another ministry many times on Wednesday evenings that God is able to speak corporately or to someone, you know, who just brings a word to you individually, or it doesn't have to be during an official service. It might just be a text message that, you know, a brother or sister in the Lord send you. And it's a right word. The idea of prophecy is just speaking forth something on behalf of God.

And sometimes God, well, he speaks that to us through his word. Sometimes he speaks it to us directly through the Holy Spirit. And sometimes he puts someone else in our path to bring forth that word to

prophetically to us. And of course, along with that, you could put in their visions and dreams, and God has a multitude of ways of speaking. But these are, I would say, kind of the primary ways that God speaks to us, simply through his words, subtly with a still small voice, and supernaturally by prophecy. I would encourage you to consider the example of Daniel. Daniel

Heard from the Lord, right? We know him. He was a man who heard from God very specific details about the plans of God and the prophecies that he laid out with all kinds of details. And one of the ways that God spoke to him, he tells us in Daniel chapter nine, verse two, he was reading the prophet Jeremiah. He was reading the Bible and it prompted him to pray. And that's when God gave him the vision of Daniel chapter nine. How did God speak to him?

How did he know that the 70 years were almost up? The word was a light to his path, a lamp to his feet. He was involved in spending time with God in his word. But then, of course, we also know Daniel interpreted the dream for Nebuchadnezzar. That was supernatural. God gave life.

Daniel, supernaturally, prophetically, the dream, the interpretation, you know, all of that. And so there's both. It's not just one or the other or only one. It's God speaks in all of these ways. Don't just limit it to one or just look to him in one way, but look to God to speak to you through his word, but also directly to your heart with a still small voice.

but also to speak to you through others around you and the prophetic words that God will bring in that way. And so we need to ask God for specific direction because God wants to speak to us. And then we need to listen and let him speak in these various ways. Remember what the Lord said in Revelation 3, verse 6, as he wrote to each of the churches in Revelation 2 and 3,

He said, in some form or fashion, in each one, he who has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. If you have an ear, if you want to hear from God, then listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying. God wants to speak. He's seeking. Sometimes we get this idea that God is, you know, kind of playing hide and seek with us. You know, he's kind of like trying to like, you know, you got to figure it out, you know, you know, come, you know, and you got to work for it. And it's

It's not really true. I mean, of course, we do wish, you know, every day we just, like getting a daily newspaper, right? God would just lay out a list of instructions and here's, you know, the things you have to do today and here's all the details and here's how to make all the decisions that you need to make and you don't have to think about anything, you know, you don't have to make any decisions, you don't have to trust me, you know, just follow this list. And, you know, we may wish for that, but that's not what God is wanting to do. But at the same time, he does want to speak to us.

And he's going to reveal himself and reveal his will and show us his heart as we ask him questions about these specific situations in our lives. As I attend different conferences and retreats and things like that, it is my normal practice to take some time ahead of time and write down some things that I'm asking God to speak to me about.

There's some specific things, Lord. Here's what's going on in my life and I need to hear from you. And it's amazing how God is always so faithful to answer those things and speak in regard to those specific details of all the things I'm asking him. And so I would ask you to consider and maybe even right now this evening to begin to write down some things. What are some specific situations in your life where you need wisdom?

where you need God to speak, where you need God to work, begin to ask those things of the Lord specifically, to lay them out before the Lord. And maybe you need to write it on a scroll and just lay it out and present it in the temple and just say, you know, Lord, here's the whole situation and ask God for help and the wisdom that you need to move forward in the things that he has set before you.

And so we need to ask for specific direction. Moving on to verses three through five, point number two, we need to ask God for confirmation. Check out verse three. It says, but David's men said to him, look, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more than if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines? I think David's men have a reasonable question. David, think about what you're saying. We're gonna go fight this battle. He said, God told me to go fight this battle.

But David, we're hiding in a cave. We're fearful of our lives. We're hiding and we're trying to escape. We're not trying to, you know, call attention to ourselves. You know, we're on the lam. We're supposed to be laying low, you know, hiding out and not being out in the open. We're afraid here. How is it that you're saying we need to go fight the Philistines? And so verse four, then David inquired of the Lord once again.

And the Lord answered him and said, arise, go down to Keilah, for I will deliver the Philistines into your hand. And David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines, struck them with a mighty blow and took away their livestock. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah. David's men ask a reasonable question. We are afraid right here. How can we go to battle? And so David goes back to the Lord to get confirmation. This is a really good example for us.

This is a practice we need to follow. We need to ask God for confirmation. Sometimes in the Christian sphere, in the church, you know, elements, that this idea of asking God for confirmation can be frowned upon. And if you're asking God for confirmation, sometimes you can kind of be, you know,

Kind of like a guilt trip kind of brought against you, you know, kind of like, hey, shame on you. You know, you should just have more faith to, you know, to just do what God said. And you shouldn't have to ask God for confirmation. In that many times, Gideon is held up as the example, you know, and that fleece is kind of like a, it's like a, it's like a bad word, kind of like, you're going to put out a fleece, you know, it's like, it's like something that's frowned upon or something that those would scowl against, right?

And that can be a cultural thing for us as Christians. It can be in the heart, the mind, and the attitude for us as believers and for people around us. But what's interesting, if you look through, read through the account of Gideon again, look at what's happening here in 1 Samuel 23. God is not rebuking these men for asking him for confirmation. God did not rebuke David here and say,

David, I already told you, if you come here one more time, you know, he didn't have that kind of response to David. Instead, the Lord, he gave the confirmation. But again, sometimes we can have the attitude or some can, you know, kind of lay this trip on us. Well, you shouldn't need confirmation. You should just have more faith. But I would encourage you to say, don't let guilt trips keep you from asking God for confirmation.

I think it's appropriate, much like the man whose son was demon-possessed in Mark 9, verse 24. The father of the child cries out to Jesus and says with tears, Lord, I believe, help my unbelief. There is an appropriate place for us to say, I think you said this, Lord. I asked for some specific instruction. You gave me some specific instruction, but I believe, but help my unbelief. I want to do what you want me to do. I want to make sure, is this what you want me to do?

It's okay to ask for confirmation. I would say it's encouraged to ask God for confirmation, especially when we're talking about bigger things that God calls us to do. I mean, if God tells you to go have dinner at Baker's, I don't know that you have to like really, you know, fast and pray for confirmation for that. Maybe fast, you know, on the drive there, but after that, you don't need to. But God tells you to make a life change, you know, make a big decision, make something that's, well, I don't know,

Yeah, it's appropriate. Ask God. Make sure that you're hearing from God. Make sure that it is what God wants you to do. I would suggest the only problem with setting a fleece and that kind of concept that Gideon did is setting your own terms. So it could be kind of a bad practice, you know? So, well, Lord, if the sun comes up tomorrow, you know, that means you want me to go do this or go do that. Well, you know, that's

probably not going to be a good fleece. It's not going to be a good indication of confirmation from the Lord because he's not going to change the course of nature just to tell you whether or not you should eat at Baker's, right? You get the point, right? But instead, I would suggest that we just let it be up to the Lord. Lord, I think you told me this. I want to do what you want me to do. Lord, would you please confirm it? Do you want me to go? Not, I'm going to tell you how you have to answer me, but do you want me to go?

Do you want me to take this step? It could be fine to set a fleece and that concept. Again, it's not necessarily bad. It could just be not that great for confirmation if we choose a poor fleece as an example for God to use. But as we look at this, again, I just want to highlight, it's not wrong for these guys to be afraid. Again, it's a reasonable question. We're afraid hiding in the cave. How are we supposed to go to battle? That's not wrong.

They weren't, you know, heathen unbelievers and just, oh, you have little faith. You know, it's a reasonable place for them to be. And it's not wrong for David to come back and say, Lord, I think you told me this. I told the guys and they're a little bit nervous. It's okay if I ask again, Lord, do you want me to go fight the Philistines? It's okay to ask again. It's okay to be wrestling with the decision. It's okay to ask for confirmation because of that. In fact, I would say kind of the opposite.

don't be concerned if you have no fear. I'm sorry. Yeah, don't be concerned if you have fear, but be concerned if you have no fear, if you're too comfortable and everything is just easy. Yeah, I just do whatever God says. I just, well, you know, maybe you're not actually hearing from the Lord because God, it's always going to be requiring faith to be obedient to what the Lord is speaking to us.

If you will be bold and ask God for specifics, he's going to speak to you. He's going to give you wisdom liberally and without reproach, and it's going to freak you out a little bit. And that's okay. That's okay. He's going to call us to step forward, and it's going to require faith, and we're going to need confirmation from the Lord. And that's okay. Ask God for confirmation. Now, there are times we could consider that maybe it's not okay to ask for confirmation.

There are times where, yeah, it's probably not the right thing to do. If you're just looking for an excuse to disobey God, you're looking for an out. I think this is what God told me, but I don't really want to do it. So let me ask for confirmation. That's not what David was doing. But I think this is what you told me. I want to do what you want me to do. So can you confirm it? He wasn't looking for a way out to not do what God wanted. He was just looking for that clarity so that he could move forward in the pursuit of God's heart.

And when we have clear things from God, whether that's to us specifically in the still small voice or prophetically, you know, when we have those kinds of things, well, then we need to be looking for an excuse to obey, not excuse to disobey. There are some things you don't need to pray for confirmation for. You know, God, do you want me to obey the commands found in the word? Do you want me to stay away from fornication? You don't have to pray for confirmation on that one. That's, it's clearly revealed, right?

Do you want me to be engaged with a body of believers and fellowship with other Christians? You don't have to pray for confirmation about that. It's revealed in the scriptures. And so it is wrong to ask for confirmation when it's just, well, I don't really want to do that. So what I'm asking for confirmation, kind of hoping you don't confirm because I didn't really want to do it to begin with. When you have a clear word from the Lord, then, well, you just need to obey.

And if you want to do what God wants, you just want to make sure that it's from the Lord, ask God for confirmation. And the Lord knows your heart. He knows the difference. Might look the same to us, whether you're asking as an excuse to disobey or an excuse to obey, that we might not be able to tell the difference from the outside, but the Lord knows your heart. He knows what he's spoken to you. He knows where you're at with him. And so if you're looking to please God, ask him for confirmation. He wants to reveal his will.

example, if you're, you know, teaching a kid to dive, let's say, they're hesitant to jump, and they're like, are you sure it's okay? Are you sure you're okay with that, right? You're like, yeah, it's okay, and you're just reassuring, and you're giving the confirmation that they need. Now, it's a different thing with, you know, if the kid's looking for an opportunity to not do what you're asking them to do. Well, that's different. Are you sure I should obey you, Lord? Yes, I'm sure, right? You don't need to ask for confirmation there, but when you have

God's answer and some things that he's laid upon your heart. And you just really want to make sure, Lord, I want to make sure this is, I want to do what you want. I'm not trying to get out of what you want, but would you just bring that confirmation? Show me that I'd be able to go forward in faith, trusting in you. And as we ask God for confirmation, how does he give it? Well, I would suggest it's same way he spoke to us originally. He can give confirmation through his word and

He can give confirmation with a still small voice and just speak directly to our hearts. He can give confirmation supernaturally by a prophetic word, again, either personally or corporately or one-on-one somewhere else that he can do that. And then I would add to this list special circumstances. Now, I would distinguish and make a distinction. Special circumstances aren't necessarily things

in the initial one, in hearing from God. And sometimes I think we can make a mistake by saying all these situations lined up. And so that must've been God speaking. I prefer to let circumstances, when all of those coincidences happen, be confirmation to things that God is already saying, rather than let circumstances dictate and determine the decisions that I make. And that's an important thing for us to consider.

Sometimes the enemy lines up things in our lives just as the Lord does. And so we can't just go by, well, you know, the situation was there, the door was open. And so, you know, God must open that door. Well, not necessarily. But if God's speaking to you about a direction, about something, and then there's an open door, that's different.

And you can allow that to be confirmation. And so special circumstances can be a confirmation from the Lord along with, again, through his word, through a still small voice and by him speaking prophetically. But either way, we need to ask God for confirmation. Remember in Jeremiah, in Jeremiah chapter 32, the Lord told them to buy a field. And it was a weird thing because they were under siege. It didn't make sense to buy a field. He was in prison. Why would I buy a field? I'm in prison.

But then it tells us that his cousin came and said, hey, you want to buy my field? And then it tells us in Jeremiah chapter 32, verse 8, he says, then I knew that this was a word from the Lord. So he heard from the Lord, you need to buy this field. It's like, that's a strange instruction. I didn't even know how I'm going to do it because I'm in jail. But then he knew it was from the Lord.

when the circumstances unfolded, when it happened, and when that presented itself. And see, it was the confirmation for the thing that God had already been speaking to him. And so we can ask God for that. We can ask God for confirmation as he's speaking to us about these situations that we are presenting before him. Well, moving on to verses 6 through 12, here we have point number three, and that is ask God for clear insight. Verse 6 says,

David has come out of hiding.

in this battle with the Philistines, in saving the city of Keilah. And Saul is rejoicing. All right, he's not hiding in a cave somewhere where I can't find him. He has set himself up in a city. I know where that city is. And I can lay siege to that city, Saul's thinking. And I can take out David. Finally, once and for all, I've got him trapped. As soon as Saul hears about this, he mounts up for an attack. Now,

Just take a second to appreciate the irony. Saul's job was to defend the city against the Philistines, but Saul wasn't doing that. And so David does. He goes, he fights the Philistines. He saves the city.

And now Saul says, all right, finally my chance to get David. And he's going to go battle the city that he was supposed to be protecting. But he failed in that obligation and David had to step in. But now he's going to attack the people he's charged to protect because David is there and he's going to take him out. Saul was in a bad place and we've seen that over and over and over again. But here's David now in this city that he's just saved and Saul's on his way.

It sets a good reminder for us. When you start obeying the Lord, when you ask God for specifics and he speaks and you go forward, you can expect that the enemy is going to attack. As soon as Saul hears it, he mounts up and he goes to attack David.

And that is the same pattern that we see in our lives over and over again. As we call out to God and ask God for wisdom, and as God gives us that wisdom and we start to obey that wisdom, you can expect that the enemy will attack. We can see that in the example of Jesus in Luke chapter four, as he is beginning his ministry out in the wilderness, just been baptized, filled with the Spirit, led by the Spirit into the wilderness, and here comes the attack.

In the book of Acts, Acts chapter 3 and 4, the birth of the church happens in Acts chapter 2, right? And then right after that, the enemy through the religious leaders begins to attack. And there's persecution against the church. And you sign up, you know, to serve in some capacity. You sign up to go forward. You...

Begin to spend time with God and his word and all of a sudden there's attacks. This is the tactic of the enemy. Because when you're on the right track, especially as you begin the right track, that's an opportune time for the enemy. Because if he can get you to go off the rails now, then that'll keep you out of his way and out of commission for a while.

And so expect that as you begin something new for the Lord, as you begin to take steps of faith and do what the Lord has called you to do, expect and be prepared for the attacks of the enemy to try to discourage you and get you to quit. I like what Peter says in 1 Peter 4, verse 12. Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial, which is to try you as though some strange thing happened to you. Even though we have this instruction,

When these fiery trials happen to us, boy, we think they're strange, you know? And even though we have, you've been walking with the Lord for some time. You've seen this pattern in your own life. You take a step of faith. You respond to something that God's put upon your heart. And then there's this battle. And every time it's like,

like, why is there this battle? And there's this season of confusion, like, man, I don't know why things are so hard. I don't know why there's all these, you know, obstacles and challenges. I think this is what God called me to do. And so why is it so hard? And then, you know, after a season of wrestling with that, we remember the enemy. It's a spiritual battle and we don't wrestle against flesh and blood. But we think it's so strange in the midst of it as it happens to us. And Peter says, look, you need to remember this.

This is what we should expect. It's not some strange thing that's happening to you. We are in a battle. And as you begin to take steps of faith and to trust God and go forward, there is going to be opposition to that. So Saul now comes against David. Verse 9. When David knew that Saul plotted evil against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, bring the ephod here.

Then David said, Notice David continues the pattern and he is laying out the situation before God. He's being very specific. Hey God, here's what I heard.

This and this and this and that. Saul did this and he's on his way and here's what's happening. And he lays out the specifics before the Lord. And he asked God some specific questions. He's going to come destroy the city for my sake. Will the men of Keilah deliver me into his hand? So continuing point number one, asking God for a specific direction and asking God about these specific things that are happening in the life that he is in or the world around him.

He says, I pray, tell your servant. And the Lord said, yes, Saul will come down. David here is asking God for clear insight. I heard rumors that Saul's on his way and that this is his plans. He's asking God for insight, not necessarily direction here. There's maybe a little discussion we could have about that later on. Like, why would he not ask for direction here? Lord, should I leave the city or should I not leave the city? But here, instead of asking for a specific direction, he's saying,

I don't know the intentions. I heard Saul's on the move. I heard people are speculating he's on his way over here to, you know, do this. Lord, is that what is really going on? As David is watching this situation unfold, he's asking God for insight. I would describe insight as, you know, things that we could not understand by our own senses and our own observations, our own intellect. But we need some, well, some insight from the Lord about what's happening behind the scenes.

Is Saul coming here? Is this his intention? And then in verse 12, he says, will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul? And the Lord said, they will deliver you. He's asking the Lord for insight into the hearts of the people that he just saved. Will they give me up and turn their back on me even though I just saved them? Yes, the Lord says they will. They will deliver you.

David here sees the situation unfold. He says, I can't just trust what's happening on the surface. I need to know what's happening behind the scenes, beneath the surface. It would be easy for us to think, hey, I just saved these people. Of course, they're not going to turn me over to Saul. I don't need to pray about that. I don't need to ask God for that. I know it because I just saved them. It's the right thing for them to do, you know, but he doesn't go through all of that. Instead, he goes to the Lord and says, Lord, I need insight. I don't know

what the intentions of Saul are. I don't know where the heart of these people are. What is going on behind the scenes? Sometimes we pride ourselves at our ability to discern, but I think we all need to come to grips with the reality that we're terrible at accurately discerning the hearts and motives and intentions of others. That's why the Lord tells us to not judge because we're not equipped for it. We're not good at it. We can't see the heart.

We can see the expression on someone's face. And by that we read into, oh, I know what you're thinking. And it's like, you know, very seldom are we really accurate in our guesses at what's happening internally in the people around us. We don't know what's happening, but the Lord does. And so we can ask God for insight, for clear insight. Lord, what is the motivation behind this? Is there some demonic influence in this situation?

Something happening behind the scenes, it's not obvious, it's not apparent, but Lord, you know what's going on. Is there some bad motivation? Is there some issue that's happening underneath the surface? David asked God for that insight, for that clarity about what the intentions of Saul are and where the heart of the people of Keilah are. And he sets the example for us to ask God for clear insight. You know, there are people who would say, I have the gift of discernment.

And, you know, right away, if you say you have the gift of discernment, I'm suspect. And I suspect that you have no discernment because, well, read the scriptures carefully. There is the gift, discerning of spirits in 1 Corinthians 12, verse 10. But as we've talked about spiritual gifts many times over the years,

It's one of the gifts that I would say is laid out in such a way that it's a gift that's available to any believer at any time that God wants to give it. It's not a lifelong position that you have. Well, I am, you know, the ultimate discerner of everybody, you know, that nobody has that status, that position, that role, but it is something that the Holy Spirit can give to you.

whenever you need it, according to his will, just like the rest of the gifts of the spirit, like prophecy, like tongues and interpretation and tongues and so on and so forth. It's not a lifelong position. It's a, the Lord gives it to you when you need it. And so ask God for discernment as you face situations that are complex and difficult and you need to know, Lord, what is going on? What is happening here? And it's not a permanent gift that then you will be Solomon for the

that God will give you clarity and insight as you need it in the situations that you face. Well, finishing it off in verse 13 and 14 here, point number four is ask God questions daily. I would say these questions. You're looking for specific direction. You're looking for confirmation. You're looking for insight. Don't be shy and don't stay away, but come back to the Lord with these requests daily.

daily. Verse 13. So David and his men, about 600, arose and departed from Keilah and went wherever they could go. Then it was told Saul that David had escaped from Keilah, so he halted the expedition. And David stayed in strongholds in the wilderness and remained in the mountains in the wilderness of Ziph. Saul sought him, notice, every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand. Notice the daily routine. Saul is seeking David to destroy him.

And God did not deliver him into his hand. This is a daily routine that we experience as well. We have an enemy that is seeking every day to destroy us. And we may not be conscious of that attempt and that battle as much as David was all the time. Maybe we need to be more conscious of that. But regardless, whether we're aware of it or not, the enemy is seeking every day to take us out, to destroy us, to destroy our lives, to destroy our families, to destroy our

He's looking for those opportunities. But also every day, God is at work to keep us, to protect us, to provide for us, to lead us, and to guide us. And so ask God questions daily. Every day, you're in the midst of a battle. Every day, life and death and eternity hang in the balance. Every day. Don't let it be few and far between. Don't let it be. It's a daily thing. And we need that daily connection to the Lord daily.

in order to be able to pursue God's heart and stay right here, right where he wants us to be. And so this evening, I would encourage you to pursue God's heart by asking him questions. This past week, we read through Hebrews chapter 11 as we are reading through the Bible in three years. And there in Hebrews chapter 11, you have the hall of faith, right? Faith, trusting God. But I always find it interesting as you go through those. I like to define faith as obedience to God at his word.

And as you read through each of those examples of faith, you can see that this was not, you know, them just believing God in something that they made up, but they were believing God in what he said. Noah, he built the ark. Why did he build the ark? Because God told him, Noah, build the ark. And in faith, what did Noah do? He built the ark. It's responding. Faith is doing what God tells you to do. It doesn't make it

less faith because you have instruction. Sometimes we kind of think that, you know, it has to, we have to have no clue what we're doing or why or what the outcome is in order for it to be faith. But no, God can tell you exactly what to do and why you're doing and what the outcome will be. And it's faith because you're obeying God at his word. Abraham's faith. Why did he go to the land of Canaan? Because God said, hey, leave this place and go to the land where I'm going to show you. He responded. He did what God said.

Sarah's faith. It talks about Sarah's faith in Hebrews chapter 11. And even though she laughed when God said, you're going to have a son, she had God's word to her and she believed God. Her initial response was to laugh, but she came around. She believed God and she had faith. She did what God said. And so on and so forth. You go through all those, you could see God told him to do that. God told him to do that. God told her to do that. God told him to do that. They were asking God questions.

They were hearing from God. And you and I can find ourselves in the hall of faith, not because we invented some crazy thing to do and just said, okay, God, here I'm going, you know, bless it. But because we present our requests before the Lord, we present our situations before the Lord, we present ourselves before the Lord. And we say, Lord, what do you want to do? Where do you want me to go? How do you want me to live? We're pursuing the heart of God.

Noah's going to come up and close us in a time of worship. And as he gets ready, I want to share this last quote from you or for you from Thomas Constable. He says, Here's the first question. Here's the second question. Here's the third question.

Or do I disobey it, having ignored it or disregarded it? Two questions, he says. We can find out where we're at with God. Is God in control of our lives? Number one, do I ask God for guidance? Am I asking God after the fact, after like David, I've just, I've run to the Philistines, I've done what I thought was best, I went where I wanted to go, and now I'm in trouble, and oh, Lord, help me. God's not in control of my life if that's my only relationship with him. But instead, before I make those decisions, Lord, help me.

Do you want me to go fight the Philistines? Lord, do you want me to go this direction? Lord, do you want me to take that step? And then do I submit to his word? When I have God's clear instruction, am I running to obey or am I dodging it? Or am I so neglecting the word of God? I don't even know what God wants because I'm not even spending time with him and seeking him. It's easy, he says, for us to find out if God's in control of our lives.

by looking at how we relate to him in our daily decision-making, in our daily steps, in the choices that we make, in the things that we do. This evening, I want to encourage you to pursue God's heart by asking him questions. Look to him for guidance. In the little things, in the big things, in the very specific details of the situations of your life, in the relationships, in all the complexity, in all the... You need that specific direction. You need that insight. You need that confirmation. Ask God.

And as we spend this time in worship, I would encourage you to do that. Again, maybe it is appropriate for you to write down some specific things and ask God and look to him. And as I shared on Sunday, that doesn't mean he always answers exactly on the timeframe that we set, you know, but he will answer. He gives to all liberally without reproach. And so if you lack wisdom, ask God. Let's worship the Lord and ask him for those things that are on our hearts.

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