1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:05,520 You remember that last week we began to see how some people gathered around David as, of course, 2 00:00:05,520 –> 00:00:11,680 many people were already gathered around Saul. Remember that David became commander over this 3 00:00:11,680 –> 00:00:18,879 motley crew, and under his leadership they became, in time, those who were known as his mighty men. 4 00:00:19,600 –> 00:00:26,799 And the principle here is really a very important one, that character is shaped by the person 5 00:00:27,360 –> 00:00:35,840 you choose to follow. Who you follow will shape what you become. As we pursue the story, 6 00:00:35,840 –> 00:00:42,720 we’ll see increasingly that the men who followed Saul became very different men from the men who 7 00:00:42,720 –> 00:00:50,000 followed David. Their character was formed by the company that they chose, and the leadership 8 00:00:50,000 –> 00:00:55,919 to which they submitted. Now here at a very practical level is what this means for us. 9 00:00:56,560 –> 00:01:05,440 Your choice of friends, who you hang out with will be a life-shaping decision 10 00:01:06,639 –> 00:01:14,400 for you. The character of the company that we choose rubs off on us and this is illustrated 11 00:01:14,400 –> 00:01:19,919 very clearly in this story as we follow it. The choice of the kind of ministry 12 00:01:20,879 –> 00:01:26,959 on which your soul is fed, your choice of the ministry that nourishes your soul, 13 00:01:26,959 –> 00:01:32,879 will shape in large measure the kind of Christian that you are likely to become. 14 00:01:32,879 –> 00:01:41,279 The books that you read, the kind of films that you watch, the websites that you habitually frequent 15 00:01:41,839 –> 00:01:48,320 will shape your character and they will shape your conversation. A very simple principle 16 00:01:48,320 –> 00:01:53,760 that who or what you follow will shape what you become. Remember the Bible says, 17 00:01:53,760 –> 00:02:00,400 bad company ruins good character and so this principle is a very important one and it’s 18 00:02:00,400 –> 00:02:06,080 illustrated again and again in the story of David and of Saul. The company that you keep 19 00:02:06,080 –> 00:02:13,039 will shape the character that you form. Now today we’re going to see the very different 20 00:02:13,039 –> 00:02:18,800 character of Saul and of David emerging more clearly and more starkly than ever before in 21 00:02:19,440 –> 00:02:26,720 the story. Saul is revealed as a destroyer and we’re going to follow the story of how he 22 00:02:26,720 –> 00:02:33,679 destroyed the entire city of Nob. David, in contrast, is revealed as a deliverer and we’re 23 00:02:33,679 –> 00:02:40,720 going to follow the story that was read for us about how he delivered the city of Kela. So these 24 00:02:40,720 –> 00:02:46,639 two profiles and it becomes very obvious that the people who are gathering around these two very 25 00:02:46,639 –> 00:02:53,520 different leaders end up having lives that move and characters that are shaped in very, very 26 00:02:53,520 –> 00:02:59,360 different directions. So much for us in the Word of God today. I want to give you two profiles. 27 00:02:59,360 –> 00:03:05,759 First, the Profile of Saul, the destroyer, and then the Profile of David, the deliverer, 28 00:03:05,759 –> 00:03:14,880 and for us to seek to shun all that is an evidence of the character of Saul and to pursue all that 29 00:03:14,880 –> 00:03:23,039 is the character of David. So we begin in chapter 22 with this Profile of a Destroyer. And remember 30 00:03:23,039 –> 00:03:28,960 that Saul has been looking for David. David’s been able to hide successfully from him. But now 31 00:03:29,039 –> 00:03:34,539 in the cave of Adullam, there are these 400 men who have joined to David and pledged their 32 00:03:34,539 –> 00:03:40,160 allegiance to him. And obviously it’s quite easy to hide when you’re one person in the hills, 33 00:03:40,160 –> 00:03:44,399 but when you’ve got 400 people following you it ain’t so easy to keep under cover. 34 00:03:44,399 –> 00:03:50,479 And so it’s not surprising that David’s sightings are beginning to be reported back to Saul, 35 00:03:50,479 –> 00:03:56,800 which of course makes him very angry. And so he calls his servants together for a little 36 00:03:56,839 –> 00:04:03,520 conversation. And in that conversation I want you to see today five tactics that are habitually 37 00:04:03,520 –> 00:04:11,479 used by destructive people. Five characteristics of a destroyer. Anyone who has ever been in an 38 00:04:11,479 –> 00:04:17,279 abusive relationship of any sort will immediately recognize all of these things. Their characteristic 39 00:04:17,279 –> 00:04:24,339 and it’s extraordinary how consistently they are repeated. And beyond that what I want all of us to 40 00:04:24,420 –> 00:04:30,540 do as I’ve been trying to do this week, is that we would search ourselves and ask of God that 41 00:04:30,540 –> 00:04:37,239 He shine the light into our hearts and ask the question. Where is there any trace of these 42 00:04:37,239 –> 00:04:47,500 destructive characteristics in my life? Patterns of behavior and of speech and of writing in my 43 00:04:47,500 –> 00:04:53,299 life that I may be by God’s grace delivered from them. The destroyer always works with five tactics. 44 00:04:53,820 –> 00:05:02,299 The first is intimidation. And you have that in chapter 22 in verse 6. Saul sits at Gibeah under 45 00:05:02,299 –> 00:05:10,859 this tamarisk tree on the height, and notice with his spear in his hand. And all his servants were 46 00:05:10,859 –> 00:05:16,179 standing around him. Isn’t it interesting, have you noticed in the story, how often when we come 47 00:05:16,339 –> 00:05:23,440 Saul, he’s got his spear in his hand? What’s all that about? Well, these servants knew about the 48 00:05:23,440 –> 00:05:28,820 spear, they knew how easily Saul could fly into a rage, and when he did, he could throw that spear. 49 00:05:28,820 –> 00:05:33,380 He’d done it twice at David, and there he is, twiddling his spear again. You know, can you 50 00:05:33,380 –> 00:05:39,540 imagine this? Come on now, my friends, let’s have a little talk together. I have my spear right 51 00:05:39,760 –> 00:05:48,260 here, as you see? The spear is an unspoken threat, and that is what they knew, and Saul 52 00:05:48,260 –> 00:05:54,140 knew that they knew, and there he is, speaking. We’re going to have some words together, he says, 53 00:05:54,140 –> 00:06:02,299 and as he turns that spear in his hand, there is an unspoken or else. That’s intimidation. 54 00:06:02,299 –> 00:06:08,679 Did you know that the Bible gives a very clear instruction with regards to not cultivating the 55 00:06:08,679 –> 00:06:16,480 company of an angry person? Proverbs 22, verse 24, it’s a clear instruction. Take it to heart. 56 00:06:16,480 –> 00:06:26,380 Make no friendship with a man who is given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man. 57 00:06:26,380 –> 00:06:33,359 That’s a definitive statement. People may become angry from time to time for various reasons, 58 00:06:33,760 –> 00:06:41,600 but if a person is given to anger, if it is habitually their character, the Bible gives 59 00:06:41,600 –> 00:06:48,660 you a clear instruction. Do not make a friendship with that man or with that woman. Because here’s 60 00:06:48,660 –> 00:06:54,579 what will happen. The scripture goes on, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a 61 00:06:54,579 –> 00:07:00,459 snare. And folks, I don’t know about your observations of our culture, but it does 62 00:07:00,559 –> 00:07:05,559 seem to me that the way that we are going there are just more and more and more people in 63 00:07:05,559 –> 00:07:13,179 our society who live in a pattern of habitual anger. They’re just angry. That can be true 64 00:07:13,179 –> 00:07:19,459 in the church as well as it is true in the world, and here we have got this very clear 65 00:07:19,459 –> 00:07:23,660 description because your character will be shaped by the company that you choose to keep. 66 00:07:23,660 –> 00:07:28,660 Therefore, make no friendship with a man who is given to anger, nor go with a wrathful 67 00:07:28,980 –> 00:07:34,500 man, because otherwise that character will rub off on you and you will become an angry 68 00:07:34,500 –> 00:07:40,019 person, and that’s one of the marks of a destroyer. If you hang around with angry people, you 69 00:07:40,019 –> 00:07:46,359 become an angry person. Intimidation. Second tactic. Obligation. Here’s the second way 70 00:07:46,359 –> 00:07:52,059 in which a destructive person operates. Verse seven, And Saul said to his servants 71 00:07:52,059 –> 00:07:58,059 who stood around him, Hear now people of Benjamin. Will the son of Jesse give every one 72 00:07:58,720 –> 00:08:07,059 of you fields and vineyards? Now remember what we saw from 1 Samuel in chapter 8 last 73 00:08:07,179 –> 00:08:14,640 time that Saul exercised a kind of totalitarian rule. He really was a tyrant, and Samuel prophesied 74 00:08:14,640 –> 00:08:18,200 that in the days of Saul what would happen would be that the king would take orchards 75 00:08:18,200 –> 00:08:22,500 and vineyards and fields. He’d just annex them. He’d take these things, these properties 76 00:08:22,640 –> 00:08:29,640 from ordinary people, and then he would give them as backhanders to his servants. And that’s 77 00:08:30,059 –> 00:08:35,780 what he did. Saul’s servants were used to receiving backhanders, sweeteners we might 78 00:08:35,780 –> 00:08:40,580 say, and it had happened over time. Oh you’re a good servant. Here’s a field just between 79 00:08:40,580 –> 00:08:46,520 you and me and here’s an orchard and all this kind of thing. And the servants had received 80 00:08:46,520 –> 00:08:52,299 them and now you see what is happening. Saul is using the backhanders that have been given 81 00:08:52,320 –> 00:08:57,919 over time as a means of control. And his message is very clear. He is saying, now you owe me 82 00:08:57,919 –> 00:09:04,380 because remember I’ve been looking after you, I’ve been looking after you. And so now you 83 00:09:04,380 –> 00:09:09,659 owe me. A destructive person, remember this so 84 00:09:09,659 –> 00:09:15,580 that you can be wise, a destructive person uses what they give as a means of exercising 85 00:09:15,719 –> 00:09:20,460 control. Destructive people never give freely, always 86 00:09:20,460 –> 00:09:29,460 with strings attached, and some of you have experienced this. Here you get into a relationship 87 00:09:29,580 –> 00:09:33,859 and someone it seems very kind towards you, you go out with this person, you have the 88 00:09:33,859 –> 00:09:39,359 most marvelous time, no expenses spared, you have never been treated so well in all of 89 00:09:39,359 –> 00:09:43,460 your life. And then you begin to realize that there’s something more going on here. 90 00:09:44,099 –> 00:09:49,099 And gradually, this person is putting you in a position where you feel under obligation. 91 00:09:49,299 –> 00:09:54,960 And what you thought was kindness is actually a means of gaining control and soon the payback 92 00:09:54,960 –> 00:09:55,219 comes. 93 00:09:55,219 –> 00:09:56,700 Now you owe me. 94 00:09:56,700 –> 00:10:01,419 You owe me. And you know this happens all the time in the world in multiple spheres. 95 00:10:01,419 –> 00:10:05,320 This is just how destructive people operate and it’s all here in the Bible. Isn’t 96 00:10:05,320 –> 00:10:11,739 this remarkable? God puts it all in the Bible. Because He wants His own children to be wise 97 00:10:12,140 –> 00:10:17,960 and to have our eyes opened with regards to what it takes to live in this world where 98 00:10:17,960 –> 00:10:28,500 so many destructive people are all around us. Intimidation. Obligation. 99 00:10:28,500 –> 00:10:35,500 Third tactic of a destructive person is accusation. Verse 8, this is Saul speaking to his servants. 100 00:10:36,340 –> 00:10:44,299 you have conspired against me? Now that is an extraordinary accusation and it was absolutely 101 00:10:44,820 –> 00:10:51,820 without foundation. But you see the destructive person often lives with the feeling that everybody 102 00:10:53,659 –> 00:11:00,659 is against them. And the reason for this is quite obvious. You see, Saul everyday is consumed 103 00:11:01,239 –> 00:11:07,099 with how can I destroy David, how can I destroy David, how can I destroy David? And so, his 104 00:11:07,099 –> 00:11:12,599 natural assumption, because that’s his own way of operating is, well, I guess, everyone 105 00:11:12,599 –> 00:11:16,919 else has gone around saying how do I destroy Saul, how do I destroy Saul, how do I? So he builds 106 00:11:16,919 –> 00:11:23,900 all this up in his imagination. It is a complete fabrication but it is characteristic of a 107 00:11:23,900 –> 00:11:29,659 destructive person. And so, although in verse 8 he says, no one discloses to me when my 108 00:11:29,659 –> 00:11:34,900 son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. Well, that was true. Jonathan had indeed made 109 00:11:34,900 –> 00:11:40,640 a covenant with David. But notice what he says next. Verse 8, none of you discloses 110 00:11:40,640 –> 00:11:48,119 to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me to lie in wait as at this day. 111 00:11:48,119 –> 00:11:55,760 Well, he thinks David is lying in wait to ambush him? That’s a complete reversal of 112 00:11:56,559 –> 00:12:01,400 which it is that Saul is the one who is stocking David. 113 00:12:01,400 –> 00:12:06,099 But this destructive person has, and this habitually happens, gets things exactly the 114 00:12:06,099 –> 00:12:10,859 wrong way around — the persecutor presents himself as the one who is persecuted and 115 00:12:10,859 –> 00:12:19,919 lashes out with these wild, wild accusations against people, his servants, who have actually 116 00:12:19,919 –> 00:12:22,739 been perfectly loyal towards him. 117 00:12:22,739 –> 00:12:30,840 Now, how often a marriage, a church, a business, a family, a ministry has been destroyed by 118 00:12:30,840 –> 00:12:34,539 wild accusations? 119 00:12:34,539 –> 00:12:41,239 And this is simply how destructive people operate — intimidation, obligation, and 120 00:12:41,239 –> 00:12:42,580 accusation. 121 00:12:42,580 –> 00:12:45,539 Number four, manipulation. 122 00:12:46,179 –> 00:12:48,640 Look at verse 8. 123 00:12:48,640 –> 00:12:53,799 None of you is sorry for me. 124 00:12:53,799 –> 00:12:57,539 Can you imagine a king saying that? 125 00:12:57,539 –> 00:13:01,479 Oh, you’ve no idea how hard it is for me to be a king. 126 00:13:01,479 –> 00:13:03,760 Nobody knows the pressure that I’ve got. 127 00:13:03,760 –> 00:13:05,880 Oh, why don’t you have sympathy for me? 128 00:13:05,880 –> 00:13:08,979 And this is emotional manipulation. 129 00:13:08,979 –> 00:13:18,739 How hard my life is, and it’s a pattern of the destructive person, a tactic that is habitually 130 00:13:18,739 –> 00:13:19,739 used. 131 00:13:19,739 –> 00:13:23,500 And once you, once you see these things in the Bible, you say Oh, now I begin to understand 132 00:13:23,500 –> 00:13:26,140 more clearly what is going on in the world. 133 00:13:26,140 –> 00:13:27,739 And then sometimes you’ll say, You know what? 134 00:13:27,739 –> 00:13:31,780 I just saw a trace of that in my own heart. 135 00:13:31,780 –> 00:13:32,859 And I know where it comes from. 136 00:13:32,859 –> 00:13:34,020 It comes from the Destroyer. 137 00:13:34,020 –> 00:13:37,340 I want nothing to do with it. 138 00:13:37,460 –> 00:13:40,539 But the truth tactic is misrepresentation, misrepresentation. 139 00:13:42,299 –> 00:13:45,000 And here we’re looking at verse 13. 140 00:13:45,000 –> 00:13:52,700 The backstory is that earlier David, when he was alone, had gone to this town of Nob. 141 00:13:52,700 –> 00:13:57,059 He was hungry, and the priest there, Ahimelech, gave him bread. 142 00:13:57,059 –> 00:14:03,820 It was actually the show bread, you may remember Jesus referred to this story in the Gospels. 143 00:14:03,859 –> 00:14:08,419 And then, because David needed some means of defending himself out there on his own 144 00:14:08,419 –> 00:14:14,119 in the wild country, he asked if there was any weapon there. 145 00:14:14,119 –> 00:14:16,099 And, Ahimelech said, oh you don’t have weapons. 146 00:14:16,119 –> 00:14:17,799 But we do actually have one. 147 00:14:17,799 –> 00:14:26,400 And it so happens that Nob was the place where they had stored the very sword of Goliath, 148 00:14:26,400 –> 00:14:30,460 that of course rightfully belonged to David who had in that great triumph killed him. 149 00:14:30,460 –> 00:14:34,320 Remember he’d thrown the stone and he’d then he took Goliath’s own sword, cut off his head, 150 00:14:34,320 –> 00:14:36,880 and that very sword was there in Nob. 151 00:14:36,880 –> 00:14:40,840 And so, Ahimelech says in effect to David, well, you know, actually, we do have one weapon. 152 00:14:40,840 –> 00:14:42,340 Here it’s yours. 153 00:14:42,340 –> 00:14:46,539 It’s the sword of Goliath, and that’s now yours, so here it is. 154 00:14:46,539 –> 00:14:51,700 So, that’s what happened, Ahimelech prayed for him, inquired of the Lord on his behalf, 155 00:14:51,700 –> 00:14:55,479 and David went on his way. 156 00:14:55,479 –> 00:14:59,679 Saul hears about this, that David has been there in this town of Nob, and so he calls 157 00:14:59,719 –> 00:15:07,020 this man, Ahimelech, to account and Ahimelech shows up, not alone, but with a total of 85 158 00:15:07,020 –> 00:15:13,580 priests, so imagine these folks in their outfit, 85 of them, and Ahimelech at the front, and 159 00:15:13,580 –> 00:15:16,979 they’re standing in front of Saul. 160 00:15:16,979 –> 00:15:21,500 And verse 13 tells us what Saul said to Ahimelech. 161 00:15:21,500 –> 00:15:29,460 And what I want you to notice here is the extraordinary mixture of truth and of lies. 162 00:15:29,460 –> 00:15:39,539 Verse 13, And Saul said to him, that’s Ahimelech, why have you conspired against me, you and 163 00:15:39,539 –> 00:15:47,599 the son of Jesse, that’s David, of course, in that you have given him bread and a sword 164 00:15:47,599 –> 00:15:56,440 and have inquired of God for him, so that he has risen against me to lie in wait, as 165 00:15:56,440 –> 00:15:57,840 at this day? 166 00:15:57,840 –> 00:16:08,440 Friends, look at the extraordinary mixture of truth and lies in that one short statement. 167 00:16:08,440 –> 00:16:13,340 Saul says to Ahimelech, you have given him bread and a sword. 168 00:16:13,340 –> 00:16:14,340 That was true. 169 00:16:14,340 –> 00:16:16,500 Ahimelech did that. 170 00:16:16,500 –> 00:16:19,640 He says you have inquired of God for him. 171 00:16:19,640 –> 00:16:21,119 That is true. 172 00:16:21,119 –> 00:16:23,919 Ahimelech did that. 173 00:16:23,919 –> 00:16:25,479 But notice what he says next. 174 00:16:25,479 –> 00:16:28,359 Why have you conspired against me? 175 00:16:28,359 –> 00:16:33,820 The idea that Ahimelech was conspiring against Saul is an utter fabrication. 176 00:16:33,820 –> 00:16:35,080 It was an assumption. 177 00:16:35,080 –> 00:16:39,880 The only conspiracy was one that existed in Saul’s mind. 178 00:16:39,880 –> 00:16:46,260 And then notice that he tags on a false conclusion, so that David has risen against me. 179 00:16:46,260 –> 00:16:47,599 David never rose against Saul. 180 00:16:47,599 –> 00:16:49,799 David never lifted a finger to touch him. 181 00:16:49,799 –> 00:16:54,479 And we’re going to see that next week when David has the opportunity twice to take Saul’s 182 00:16:54,500 –> 00:16:58,000 and he will not harm him in any way at all. 183 00:16:58,000 –> 00:17:01,280 No, the trouble is only flowing in one direction. 184 00:17:01,280 –> 00:17:04,359 It is not flowing back in the other. 185 00:17:04,359 –> 00:17:07,300 And so I want you to notice what is happening here. 186 00:17:07,300 –> 00:17:10,760 This is what destructive people do. 187 00:17:10,760 –> 00:17:18,540 They say some things that are true, but then they mix them up with other things that are 188 00:17:18,540 –> 00:17:21,579 completely false. 189 00:17:21,579 –> 00:17:27,439 And notice that the false elements involve particularly an assumed motive and a false 190 00:17:27,439 –> 00:17:28,780 conclusion. 191 00:17:28,780 –> 00:17:32,119 So, Saul correctly states two facts. 192 00:17:32,119 –> 00:17:33,599 You gave him bread. 193 00:17:33,599 –> 00:17:35,140 You gave him a sword. 194 00:17:35,140 –> 00:17:36,420 That’s true. 195 00:17:36,420 –> 00:17:39,319 But then he adds an assumed bad motive. 196 00:17:39,319 –> 00:17:42,599 It must be that you are conspiring against me. 197 00:17:42,599 –> 00:17:44,439 Absolutely not. 198 00:17:44,439 –> 00:17:46,099 And then he draws a false conclusion. 199 00:17:46,099 –> 00:17:50,359 David’s obviously in hiding and he’s out to attack me. 200 00:17:50,439 –> 00:17:51,500 Absolutely not. 201 00:17:51,500 –> 00:17:55,079 So, what this man Saul does, and this is what destructive people do. 202 00:17:55,099 –> 00:17:58,560 This is at the heart of misrepresentation. 203 00:17:58,560 –> 00:18:04,579 Take a couple of things that are factual and then add an assumed motive, draw a false conclusion, 204 00:18:04,579 –> 00:18:10,400 mix altogether, put it out there and you have a complete misrepresentation. 205 00:18:10,400 –> 00:18:15,859 Because what is conveyed in verse thirteen, is that somehow Ahimelech is a traitor to 206 00:18:15,900 –> 00:18:22,640 Saul, and there was not a shred of truth in that statement. 207 00:18:22,640 –> 00:18:23,640 Listen to W.G. 208 00:18:23,640 –> 00:18:30,400 Blakey, writing more than a hundred years ago, but so on the mark for us today. 209 00:18:30,400 –> 00:18:39,500 It can never be too earnestly insisted on, he said, that to be just to a man. 210 00:18:39,520 –> 00:18:47,420 You must not merely ascertain the facts of His case, but you must put the facts in their 211 00:18:47,420 –> 00:18:58,579 true light, and not color them with prejudices of your own or with suppositions which the 212 00:18:58,579 –> 00:19:01,020 man himself repudiates. 213 00:19:01,280 –> 00:19:14,260 Now, folks, in a world of Twitter and of Facebook where massive numbers of people make instant 214 00:19:14,260 –> 00:19:24,219 decisions about others on the basis of minimal information, this is a truth that we desperately 215 00:19:24,219 –> 00:19:39,099 need to hear. And it is a great sin to assume a bad motive. It is a great sin to draw a 216 00:19:39,099 –> 00:19:49,699 false conclusion. And that is what destructive people habitually do. And more clearly, I’ve 217 00:19:49,699 –> 00:19:52,780 seen this in the Scripture, it is coming and saying, that’s exactly right. It’s right 218 00:19:53,239 –> 00:19:58,699 me in the Bible, I say, oh God, deliver me from ever doing that. Because we live in a 219 00:19:58,699 –> 00:20:06,339 world in which that’s happening all the time. Watch for any pattern of that in your own 220 00:20:06,339 –> 00:20:16,420 life, and avoid people and avoid places where that is the pattern for them. 221 00:20:16,420 –> 00:20:20,819 Now do you see how striking this is? I had so many conversations last night. People saying, 222 00:20:21,420 –> 00:20:24,420 I couldn’t believe it, all five of these things, and I can see them, they hang together. 223 00:20:24,420 –> 00:20:30,900 That’s because human nature never changes. God never changes, human nature never changes. 224 00:20:30,900 –> 00:20:34,920 Here is how destructive people operate, there are five tactics. 225 00:20:34,920 –> 00:20:41,020 It involves intimidation, obligation, accusation, manipulation, and misrepresentation. 226 00:20:41,020 –> 00:20:48,380 From all such dear Lord, deliver us. 227 00:20:49,140 –> 00:20:54,599 Now, the rest of the chapter, of course, shows where all of this leads, and how terrible 228 00:20:54,599 –> 00:20:55,599 it is. 229 00:20:55,599 –> 00:21:02,060 Saul the Destroyer calls on his guards to kill, not just Ahimelech, but all 85 of these 230 00:21:02,060 –> 00:21:06,680 priests who have just heard this misrepresentation. 231 00:21:06,680 –> 00:21:11,500 To their great credit, the guards refuse to do it, and so this wretched man by the name 232 00:21:11,500 –> 00:21:17,359 of Doeg the Edomite, what a name that is, by the way, Doeg the Edomite. 233 00:21:17,479 –> 00:21:20,780 On one of these occasions I say, thank you, Lord, for being called Smith. 234 00:21:20,780 –> 00:21:23,579 I have no problem with that today. 235 00:21:23,579 –> 00:21:25,859 Much better than Doeg the Edomite. 236 00:21:25,859 –> 00:21:35,000 But this wretched man steps forward, and in verse 18, Doeg the Edomite turned and struck 237 00:21:35,000 –> 00:21:42,000 down the priests, and he killed on that day 85 persons. 238 00:21:42,000 –> 00:21:48,579 And Nob the city of priests he put to the sword, both man and woman and child and infant 239 00:21:48,579 –> 00:21:54,380 and ox and donkey and sheep he put to the sword.” 240 00:21:54,380 –> 00:21:57,579 That’s a terrible destruction. 241 00:21:57,579 –> 00:22:08,060 It’s awful, tragic, and it’s the fruit of a man, Saul, who gave the command. 242 00:22:08,060 –> 00:22:13,900 Who operates with intimidation, obligation, accusation, manipulation, and misrepresentation. 243 00:22:13,900 –> 00:22:15,760 Utter destruction. 244 00:22:15,760 –> 00:22:18,619 It applies in any area of life. 245 00:22:18,619 –> 00:22:22,459 That’s how things get destroyed. 246 00:22:22,459 –> 00:22:35,540 Now, the story of Nob that was destroyed by Saul is immediately followed in the Bible 247 00:22:35,579 –> 00:22:41,900 by the story of Kela that was delivered by David. 248 00:22:41,900 –> 00:22:48,180 And the fact that these two stories are right next to each other makes the contrast very 249 00:22:48,180 –> 00:22:49,180 obvious. 250 00:22:49,180 –> 00:22:53,780 We’re being invited to see look there’s the destroyer, and there’s the deliverer. 251 00:22:53,780 –> 00:23:01,300 And the future for all of us will depend on which of these we are following and which 252 00:23:01,300 –> 00:23:04,800 of these will prevail. 253 00:23:04,800 –> 00:23:09,680 So let me give you in this second half, very quickly, then a profile of a deliverer. 254 00:23:09,680 –> 00:23:13,239 Obviously, none of us wants to be like the destroyer. 255 00:23:13,239 –> 00:23:15,380 All of us want to be like the deliverer. 256 00:23:15,380 –> 00:23:20,939 What does it mean to cultivate the character of a deliverer? 257 00:23:20,939 –> 00:23:24,599 Well, let me give it to you straight out of the story under these headings. 258 00:23:24,599 –> 00:23:25,719 Number one. 259 00:23:25,719 –> 00:23:31,900 Deliverers are ready to extend themselves for the good of others even when their hands 260 00:23:31,900 –> 00:23:34,000 are already full. 261 00:23:34,060 –> 00:23:39,880 Deliverers are ready to extend themselves for the good of others even when their hands 262 00:23:39,880 –> 00:23:41,859 are already full. 263 00:23:42,800 –> 00:23:45,199 Now you see this with David. 264 00:23:45,199 –> 00:23:49,719 Saul’s army is hunting him, he’s got to find food and water every day, not only for himself 265 00:23:49,719 –> 00:23:51,160 but now for 400 men. 266 00:23:51,160 –> 00:23:53,479 He’s absolutely got his hands full. 267 00:23:53,479 –> 00:23:57,319 Now he hears about a problem in this town of Keila. 268 00:23:57,319 –> 00:24:01,400 They told David, verse 1, behold the Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and they’re robbing 269 00:24:01,400 –> 00:24:02,920 the threshing floors. 270 00:24:02,920 –> 00:24:08,479 And David could so easily and legitimately have said, that is not my problem. 271 00:24:08,479 –> 00:24:12,000 I’ve been anointed to be the future king, but right now Saul is the king, he’s got the 272 00:24:12,000 –> 00:24:13,000 crown on his head. 273 00:24:13,000 –> 00:24:18,560 Why didn’t he go to protect the people of Keilah, that’s his job, that’s his responsibility. 274 00:24:18,560 –> 00:24:23,199 But David doesn’t respond that way. 275 00:24:23,199 –> 00:24:28,459 He’s ready to extend himself, even in the present difficulties that he’s facing for the 276 00:24:28,459 –> 00:24:34,140 good of others even when his hands are already full. 277 00:24:34,140 –> 00:24:38,420 Just as I’ve meditated on this, I’ve been thanking God for the way in which so many 278 00:24:38,420 –> 00:24:45,219 of you model this in your lives. 279 00:24:45,219 –> 00:24:52,339 Your hands are already full with your own family, and you extend to your home to give 280 00:24:52,339 –> 00:24:55,979 refuge to another child. 281 00:24:56,439 –> 00:25:01,439 Your business life has your hands absolutely full, and some need in ministry comes forward, 282 00:25:01,439 –> 00:25:07,260 and you extend yourself, you go the extra mile, you step up to the plate, and you say, 283 00:25:07,260 –> 00:25:10,040 I’ll do that, I’ll help with that. 284 00:25:10,040 –> 00:25:16,160 It’s the character of a deliverer to do that. 285 00:25:16,160 –> 00:25:20,119 Deliverers don’t pass the buck. 286 00:25:20,119 –> 00:25:25,079 Deliverers step up and that’s what David did here. 287 00:25:25,160 –> 00:25:30,180 Second, deliverers seek the face of God in prayer before they take action. 288 00:25:30,180 –> 00:25:34,780 David, verse two, inquired of the Lord, shall I go and attack these Philistines? 289 00:25:34,780 –> 00:25:37,300 Isn’t this fascinating? 290 00:25:37,300 –> 00:25:41,920 So wonderful biblical wisdom for our lives here today. 291 00:25:41,920 –> 00:25:49,500 David, while he is willing to respond here, his life is not driven by every need that’s 292 00:25:49,500 –> 00:25:50,500 out there. 293 00:25:50,599 –> 00:25:55,479 We can mean every need that’s out there so what David does with an open heart is, 294 00:25:55,479 –> 00:26:00,140 he inquires of the Lord as that need has come to him and effectively, he says, now, is this 295 00:26:00,140 –> 00:26:03,979 the situation in which I should get involved? 296 00:26:03,979 –> 00:26:09,060 And if it is, Lord, what exactly is it that you want me to do? 297 00:26:09,060 –> 00:26:14,280 And the contrast here is absolutely fascinating because, of course, it was Saul’s responsibility 298 00:26:14,280 –> 00:26:18,819 as the reigning king at the time, to protect the people of Keilah. 299 00:26:19,060 –> 00:26:23,819 But Saul is, his hands full and he’s not of the character to extend himself, and what 300 00:26:23,819 –> 00:26:26,359 is his hands full with? 301 00:26:27,359 –> 00:26:33,959 Well you see, Saul has filled his life with the wrong things going after David. 302 00:26:33,959 –> 00:26:37,339 And because he’s filled his life with the wrong things, he’s not able to do the thing 303 00:26:37,339 –> 00:26:39,420 that God has called him to do. 304 00:26:39,420 –> 00:26:44,359 And so what he’s doing is, he’s charging round the country, going backwards and forwards, 305 00:26:44,439 –> 00:26:49,280 looking for David, you know, the latest tip off, following the latest blog post, that’s 306 00:26:49,280 –> 00:26:51,020 our modern kind of equivalent you understand. 307 00:26:51,020 –> 00:26:55,079 But he’s acting on impulse, oh this thing, oh yeah snataching at things. 308 00:26:55,079 –> 00:27:02,380 You never make progress in fulfilling the calling of God if that’s the way you live. 309 00:27:02,380 –> 00:27:04,880 And he completely misses the call of God. 310 00:27:04,880 –> 00:27:09,319 Whereas David comes before God with discernment, he said now what is it that you want me to 311 00:27:09,319 –> 00:27:10,319 do? 312 00:27:10,319 –> 00:27:13,319 That’s what a deliverer does. 313 00:27:14,199 –> 00:27:21,439 Deliverers remain resolute despite the fears of their friends. 314 00:27:21,439 –> 00:27:32,020 Verse three, David’s men said to him, Behold we are afraid here in Judah, how much more 315 00:27:32,020 –> 00:27:37,599 than if we go to Kielah against the armies of the Philistines? 316 00:27:37,599 –> 00:27:41,780 Now remember the Motley Crew have not been following David for long. 317 00:27:41,780 –> 00:27:46,060 They have not yet really become the mighty men that they were to become over time as 318 00:27:46,060 –> 00:27:47,819 they submitted to his command. 319 00:27:47,819 –> 00:27:52,300 They’re beginning to change, but they’re at the early stage of their discipleship. 320 00:27:52,300 –> 00:27:57,060 And here they give evidence of fear with good reason. 321 00:27:57,060 –> 00:28:02,380 You don’t need to be a brilliant military strategist surely to realize that no army 322 00:28:02,380 –> 00:28:06,219 wants to be sandwiched between two enemies. 323 00:28:06,219 –> 00:28:09,920 And these guys had been quite clear in the minds, well we got Saul’s folks chasing 324 00:28:09,920 –> 00:28:15,000 behind us if we go down to Kelah and we take on the Philistines in there in front of us 325 00:28:15,000 –> 00:28:23,280 we could be completely wiped out because nobody wants to be fighting a battle on two fronts. 326 00:28:23,280 –> 00:28:30,239 And so, there is some good reason for the fears that they present to David. 327 00:28:30,239 –> 00:28:36,439 But I want you to notice how David responds and how different it is from what Saul surely 328 00:28:36,439 –> 00:28:39,479 would have done. 329 00:28:39,819 –> 00:28:47,199 David does not fly into a rage and denounce his followers as a miserable bunch of faithless 330 00:28:47,199 –> 00:28:48,439 cowards. 331 00:28:48,439 –> 00:28:52,000 You know that that’s what Saul would have done right? 332 00:28:52,000 –> 00:28:54,199 But he does not do that. 333 00:28:54,199 –> 00:28:59,439 No, David listens to what they have to say. 334 00:28:59,439 –> 00:29:03,540 Then he takes their concerns to the Lord in prayer. 335 00:29:03,540 –> 00:29:08,359 And then he continues to lead with strength and with conviction. 336 00:29:09,119 –> 00:29:17,540 So verse five, David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines and struck 337 00:29:17,540 –> 00:29:29,520 them with a great blow, so David saved, look at that word, he saved the inhabitants of 338 00:29:29,520 –> 00:29:31,739 Keilah. 339 00:29:31,739 –> 00:29:34,219 The marvelous story. 340 00:29:34,219 –> 00:29:36,800 But it doesn’t end there. 341 00:29:36,880 –> 00:29:42,119 Saul hears about this victory at Keilah of course and he thinks to himself, ah, David 342 00:29:42,119 –> 00:29:43,160 is at Keilah. 343 00:29:43,160 –> 00:29:45,239 Now, Keilah is a walled city. 344 00:29:45,239 –> 00:29:48,540 If he’s inside a walled city, I got him. 345 00:29:48,540 –> 00:29:52,780 And it’s fascinating to me, just notice this in passing, verse seven, it was told 346 00:29:52,780 –> 00:30:01,719 Saul that David had come to Keilah and Saul said, now think about this, Saul said God 347 00:30:01,719 –> 00:30:08,400 has given him, David, into my hand for he has shut himself in by entering a town that 348 00:30:08,400 –> 00:30:10,900 has gates and bars. 349 00:30:10,900 –> 00:30:14,780 Is this not absolutely astonishing friends? 350 00:30:14,780 –> 00:30:25,060 Saul has just butchered 85 priests, torched the entire town of Nob and is absolutely convinced 351 00:30:25,060 –> 00:30:27,479 that God is on his side. 352 00:30:27,619 –> 00:30:34,479 How spiritually blind can you get that this man who is in obvious rebellion against God 353 00:30:34,479 –> 00:30:41,819 has this extraordinary blood on his hands actually believes that God is acting for him 354 00:30:41,819 –> 00:30:44,979 and against David. 355 00:30:44,979 –> 00:30:51,119 That is the tragedy of self-deception which is the position to which destructive people 356 00:30:51,119 –> 00:30:53,760 ultimately come. 357 00:30:54,040 –> 00:30:55,020 A.W. 358 00:30:55,040 –> 00:31:02,400 pink’s is so helpful on this he says, when the heart is wrong the providences of God 359 00:31:02,400 –> 00:31:06,219 are certain to be misinterpreted. 360 00:31:06,219 –> 00:31:10,160 So be very careful about talking about a God this and God that and God the other when you 361 00:31:10,160 –> 00:31:13,719 know that your own heart is in the wrong place because you’re certain to get it wrong you 362 00:31:13,760 –> 00:31:19,880 You cannot rightly interpret the actions of God when your own heart is hard. 363 00:31:19,880 –> 00:31:29,680 It was very sobering, and here’s Saul, and he’s producing all this God talk and it’s 364 00:31:29,680 –> 00:31:33,839 absolute nonsense, absolute nonsense. 365 00:31:33,839 –> 00:31:41,119 It’s the complete inversion of the truth, but he believes it so he raises a large army 366 00:31:41,140 –> 00:31:46,599 and he moves towards Kela and David knew that Saul was plotting against him, verse 9, and 367 00:31:46,599 –> 00:31:51,140 so David calls in Abiathar the priest who is with him and says, now, Abiathar we gotta 368 00:31:51,140 –> 00:31:55,119 go to God and there are two questions we’ve gotta ask. 369 00:31:55,119 –> 00:31:57,520 Number one, is Saul really coming? 370 00:31:57,520 –> 00:32:00,800 Answer, yes. 371 00:32:00,800 –> 00:32:03,180 Question number two, and this is the big one. 372 00:32:04,140 –> 00:32:12,280 Will the men of Kela surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul. 373 00:32:12,280 –> 00:32:16,420 Now here’s the big question, David says, now look, I’ve extended myself to serve these 374 00:32:16,420 –> 00:32:17,420 people. 375 00:32:17,420 –> 00:32:27,000 I’ve risked a great deal, I have been used by God in a mighty deliverance that has come 376 00:32:27,000 –> 00:32:28,099 to this city. 377 00:32:28,400 –> 00:32:34,079 But here’s my question, will these people who have been blessed in this way, when Saul 378 00:32:34,079 –> 00:32:42,180 comes, which way will they go, will they protect me or will they give me up? 379 00:32:42,180 –> 00:32:46,099 And the Lord gives the answer, here’s what will happen if you’re still here when Saul 380 00:32:46,099 –> 00:32:47,099 comes. 381 00:32:47,099 –> 00:32:52,160 Verse 12, and the Lord said, they will surrender you. 382 00:32:53,119 –> 00:32:56,359 Does that not feel like a punch in the gut? 383 00:32:56,359 –> 00:33:00,219 They’ll surrender you. 384 00:33:00,219 –> 00:33:04,119 That takes me to the fourth mark of a deliverer, and it’s very important that deliverers remain 385 00:33:04,119 –> 00:33:08,540 faithful even when the people they serve are disloyal and ungrateful. 386 00:33:08,540 –> 00:33:15,260 As David is, he extended himself, but these people will betray the one who saved them 387 00:33:15,260 –> 00:33:17,640 and they’ll do it in order to save themselves. 388 00:33:18,500 –> 00:33:23,239 Now what would you have done if you were in David’s shoes? 389 00:33:23,239 –> 00:33:24,400 Not easy to hear. 390 00:33:24,400 –> 00:33:30,680 What do you do when a son, a daughter, a friend, an employer for whom you have extended yourself, 391 00:33:30,680 –> 00:33:36,760 you’ve gone the extra mile, you’ve made all kinds of sacrifices, and they prove to be 392 00:33:36,760 –> 00:33:41,400 selfish, and disloyal, and ungrateful, and they’re ready to give you up, they don’t 393 00:33:41,400 –> 00:33:44,719 care anything about you? 394 0:33:44,719 –> 00:33:46,819 They’re only after their own advantage. 395 00:33:47,699 –> 00:33:51,780 You know this is the reality of the world in which we live so often. 396 00:33:51,800 –> 00:33:55,719 Well, you know what Saul would have done. 397 00:33:55,719 –> 00:33:58,900 Boy, if this had been Saul, he would have torched the whole city. 398 00:33:58,900 –> 00:34:03,020 A plague on all your houses. 399 00:34:03,020 –> 00:34:10,179 But not David, because he’s not a destroyer, he’s a deliverer, and so there is no rancor 400 00:34:10,179 –> 00:34:13,620 here, no denouncing of these people for their ingratitude. 401 00:34:14,439 –> 00:34:29,320 Isn’t that great? 402 00:34:29,320 –> 00:34:37,239 That’s what deliverers do, because they are very different from destroyers. 403 00:34:38,219 –> 00:34:40,100 That leads me to the last thing. 404 00:34:40,100 –> 00:34:48,360 That deliverers trust in God rather than the people that they have served. 405 00:34:48,360 –> 00:34:53,239 How important it was that David did not simply assume that he had safety because of the people 406 00:34:53,239 –> 00:34:54,919 he had served. 407 00:34:54,919 –> 00:34:55,919 He goes to God. 408 00:34:55,919 –> 00:34:58,379 He asks the question, will the men of Cila surrender me? 409 00:34:58,379 –> 00:35:01,320 He might easily have thought, well and you know after what I’ve done for these people 410 00:35:01,320 –> 00:35:05,419 my future’s obviously secure, I’ve helped these people in remarkable ways. 411 00:35:05,500 –> 00:35:09,320 Clearly I can count on them to stand by me. 412 00:35:09,340 –> 00:35:16,040 But David does not put his confidence in the people he has served. 413 00:35:16,040 –> 00:35:18,739 He looks to God. 414 00:35:18,739 –> 00:35:24,379 He does not look to the fruit of his own ministry. 415 00:35:24,379 –> 00:35:26,580 And so notice how the story here ends. 416 00:35:26,580 –> 00:35:32,219 David moves out into the wilderness and into the hill country and verse 14, Saul sought 417 00:35:32,219 –> 00:35:44,399 him every day, but God did not give David into Saul’s hand. 418 00:35:44,399 –> 00:35:46,000 Isn’t that beautiful? 419 00:35:46,000 –> 00:35:56,540 The people David served would have given him up, but though Saul seeks him every day, God 420 00:35:57,040 –> 00:36:01,399 never gives him up. 421 00:36:01,399 –> 00:36:12,439 Friends, the people you serve in life may care for you well, but then again, they may 422 00:36:12,439 –> 00:36:18,060 not, and don’t be surprised if they should give you up should they think it to their 423 00:36:18,060 –> 00:36:19,060 advantage. 424 00:36:19,060 –> 00:36:24,000 And if that should happen in your life, as it often does, here is what you can hold on 425 00:36:24,000 –> 00:36:26,199 to. 426 00:36:26,679 –> 00:36:29,959 God says, I will never leave you. 427 00:36:29,959 –> 00:36:32,560 I will never forsake you. 428 00:36:32,560 –> 00:36:37,139 God will never give you up, remember how David says in the Psalms. 429 00:36:37,139 –> 00:36:46,760 My father and my mother may give me up, but God will never give me up. 430 00:36:46,760 –> 00:36:55,679 Saul sought for David every day, but God did not give him into his hands. 431 00:36:56,159 –> 00:37:02,020 Friends, your security cannot rest in the people you serve. 432 00:37:02,020 –> 00:37:07,280 It can only rest in God that’s your security, thank God for that. 433 00:37:07,280 –> 00:37:09,139 And deliverers know it. 434 00:37:09,139 –> 00:37:14,659 Two things before we close just in these last couple of moments, and they’re simply this 435 00:37:14,659 –> 00:37:20,199 by way of conclusion, number one, beware of destroyers and make sure you don’t become 436 00:37:20,199 –> 00:37:22,100 one. 437 00:37:22,179 –> 00:37:28,860 Remember Paul said many, notice that word, many live as enemies of the Cross of Christ. 438 00:37:28,860 –> 00:37:32,860 And there are many naive Christians who just don’t get that today. 439 00:37:32,860 –> 00:37:37,020 We do live in a world in which the church has many enemies, in which Christians have 440 00:37:37,020 –> 00:37:43,419 many enemies, who are out to see the destruction of the message of the cross of the Lord Jesus 441 00:37:43,419 –> 00:37:45,100 Christ. 442 00:37:45,100 –> 00:37:49,699 And Christians live in a world where enemies of the gospel use tactics of intimidation, 443 00:37:49,699 –> 00:37:53,060 litigation, accusation, manipulation, misrepresentation. 444 00:37:53,060 –> 00:37:59,540 And Jesus said, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. 445 00:37:59,540 –> 00:38:02,959 And so you remember what He said? 446 00:38:02,959 –> 00:38:09,239 As Christian believers, and we have to take this to heart in all of our life and all of 447 00:38:09,239 –> 00:38:17,500 our ministry, be as wise as serpents, and finish it with me, and as harmless as doves, 448 00:38:17,860 –> 00:38:24,000 because you’re living in a world where there are many destroyers and they’re out to destroy 449 00:38:24,000 –> 00:38:26,639 the very gospel that is your life. 450 00:38:26,639 –> 00:38:30,979 So be as wise as serpents and as harmless as doves. 451 00:38:30,979 –> 00:38:37,239 Then my last observation is simply this, behold the deliverer who, and seek to become like 452 00:38:37,239 –> 00:38:38,620 Him. 453 00:38:38,620 –> 00:38:43,080 You see how beautifully David at Kilah points forward as all the Bible points forward to 454 00:38:43,080 –> 00:38:46,840 the Lord Jesus Christ, the deliverer. 455 00:38:47,320 –> 00:38:48,739 So what does a deliverer look like? 456 00:38:48,739 –> 00:38:52,979 Oh, he extends himself for the good of others, even when his hands are already full. 457 00:38:52,979 –> 00:38:56,939 He’s ordering the universe in heaven and sustaining it by the word of his power. 458 00:38:56,939 –> 00:38:57,939 But what does he do? 459 00:38:57,939 –> 00:38:58,939 He takes flesh. 460 00:38:58,939 –> 00:39:00,879 He comes into our Kilah. 461 00:39:00,879 –> 00:39:08,979 He comes into our world in order to overcome the oppressor on our behalf. 462 00:39:08,979 –> 00:39:14,239 And as he comes, he gives himself to God in prayer and is guided in all his ways by the 463 00:39:14,239 –> 00:39:15,360 will of God. 464 00:39:15,379 –> 00:39:18,120 He has his fearful friends come along and say, you can’t go to the cross. 465 00:39:18,120 –> 00:39:19,719 And what does he do? 466 00:39:19,719 –> 00:39:24,000 He presses on resolute in the will of God, regardless. 467 00:39:24,000 –> 00:39:29,419 And think about his grace towards all of us who in so many ways with all that he’s done 468 00:39:29,419 –> 00:39:30,419 for us. 469 00:39:30,419 –> 00:39:35,280 How ungrateful we have been and how often we have been so disloyal. 470 00:39:35,280 –> 00:39:40,639 And how often we have betrayed the very son of God who loved us and gave himself for us. 471 00:39:40,639 –> 00:39:41,959 And what does he do? 472 00:39:41,959 –> 00:39:43,520 Say a plague on all your houses? 473 00:39:43,520 –> 00:39:45,120 I’m condemning you after all. 474 00:39:45,399 –> 00:39:54,159 He’s a deliverer and that’s why Paul says in 2 Timothy, when we are faithless, he remains 475 00:39:54,159 –> 00:39:55,159 faithful. 476 00:39:55,159 –> 00:39:56,399 Thank God for that. 477 00:39:56,399 –> 00:39:57,840 I have a deliverer. 478 00:39:57,840 –> 00:40:02,280 If it wasn’t that he remained faithful when I’ve been faithless, I would have no hope. 479 00:40:02,280 –> 00:40:05,899 I can’t stand on the track record of my Christian life. 480 00:40:05,899 –> 00:40:08,679 No, when I’ve been faithless, he remains faithful. 481 00:40:08,679 –> 00:40:09,679 Why? 482 00:40:09,679 –> 00:40:12,320 Because he cannot disown himself. 483 00:40:13,280 –> 00:40:17,719 And think about when he comes into the world and his own people, to whom he came, received 484 00:40:17,719 –> 00:40:20,939 him not, and they gave him up. 485 00:40:20,939 –> 00:40:21,939 What does he do? 486 00:40:21,939 –> 00:40:23,000 Put his trust in his own people? 487 00:40:23,000 –> 00:40:24,899 No, he puts his trust in the Father. 488 00:40:24,899 –> 00:40:30,080 He says, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. 489 00:40:30,080 –> 00:40:34,439 And the Father will not give him up because on the third day He does not abandon him in 490 00:40:34,439 –> 00:40:41,040 the grave, but He raises him up in the power of a mighty resurrection. 491 00:40:41,040 –> 00:40:46,699 And this is the Jesus, the Deliverer, who’s come to destroy the works of the Destroyer, 492 00:40:46,699 –> 00:40:56,939 and he says to you and he says to me, follow me and who you follow will shape what you 493 00:40:56,939 –> 00:40:58,860 become. 494 00:40:58,860 –> 00:41:05,479 Oh God, search our hearts. 495 00:41:05,479 –> 00:41:09,899 See if there be any wicked way in me. 496 00:41:09,899 –> 00:41:16,500 Any trace of the tactics or the character of the Destroyer. 497 00:41:16,500 –> 00:41:21,659 Help me to root them out by your grace and by the power of your Spirit and have nothing 498 00:41:21,659 –> 00:41:24,699 to do with them. 499 00:41:24,699 –> 00:41:29,260 And lead me in all that it means to reflect the glory and the beauty and the wonder of 500 00:41:29,260 –> 00:41:37,459 our faithful Deliverer, your Son, in whose name we pray and everyone together said, amen.