Today, we’re diving into a passage from 1 Samuel 23:6-14 where we see the ungrateful people of the City of Keilah betray David and his men to Saul. David and his fledgling army delivered the people of Keilah from the raiding and robbing Philistines, only to be betrayed by the people they had helped. This happened almost three thousand years ago, and I’m still angry about it.
“If I only knew God’s will about this, I’d do it.” Here’s the thing: we need to start with the premise that God isn’t trying to hide His will from us. God wants us to know His will and obey His will so that we can walk in His favor and live life more abundantly. God is not concealing His will from us in some kind of cosmic game of hide-and-seek. He wants us to know His will, so He gave us His written will and testament in the Bible. We will never know or understand God’s will if we don’t study what He has already given us.
Somebody here today feels like you’re in a cave. You feel isolated, abandoned, and forgotten. But let me remind you that the cave is not your final destination—it’s your place of preparation! The cave is where God strips away your fears and builds up your faith. The cave is where God takes your loneliness and turns it into leadership. The cave is where God gathers the broken to create something beautiful.
David played the fool, but it was just an act performed out of fear in an effort to get out of the trouble he walked into. If you have started down the wrong path out of fear, don’t keep walking. Stop! If we don’t put our foot on the brakes, the fear and the crazy can take control of us. It can take us further into the darkness until it becomes harder and harder to come back. The depression becomes worse. The fear grows into panic. The stress becomes overwhelming. The anxiety becomes debilitating. We cannot allow that to happen. Instead, cry out to Jesus!
Don’t forget your testimony. There’s none like it. No one else can tell it like you can, what God has done for you. And if He’s done it once, won’t He do it again? Somebody here today needs to pick up their sword! You’ve been walking around feeling defeated and unarmed, but God has given you weapons for your fight! He’s given you faith! He’s given you prayer! He’s given you His Word! And He’s given you a testimony!
When one plan fails, the enemy will try another, but every time the devil comes at us, God will make a way of escape! The Bible says in Psalm 34:7 that “the angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him.” That means no matter where we are—whether we’re in our house, on the job, or out in the streets—God has angels standing guard around His people! Oh yes, He does! So when the enemy tries to come for us, those angels go to work on our behalf. And sometimes, God strategically positions people to help, to promote, and to protect us.
David and Jonathan’s friendship became tighter than the lid on grandma’s pickle jar. Their friendship wasn’t just casual; it was covenant-level serious. Jonathan even gave David his royal robe, his armor, and his weapons. That’s like giving someone your Netflix password and the last slice of cheesecake. That’s deep, folks. Most of us have friends, but a covenant-level friendship is a special kind of friendship.
Being an obedient son, David got up early that morning and headed to the battle to check on his brothers as his father instructed him to do, “And he came to the camp as the army was going out to the fight and shouting for the battle” (v. 20). The armies would go down into the valley in battle array, but no one from the army of Israel would step forward to face Goliath. They were all shout, but no fight.
Pentecost Sunday reminds us that this same Holy Spirit who anointed David and Jesus now anoints the church, you and me, to go forth in power and courage with our witness that Jesus is the Son of the Living God and the only hope for salvation.
Saul’s story begins in 1 Samuel 9, where we meet a man named Kish. He was a mighty man of Benjamin, who had a son named Saul. The Bible says Saul was tall and handsome—there wasn’t a man in Israel better looking than him. He looked like a king. He walked like a king. But how many of you know that looking the part doesn’t always mean you’re ready for the part?
