Soft Music for a Hard Heart, Part 2

Today on Insight for living from Chuck Swindoll pushing somebody out of his job. God open the door. Subservient position toward someone else. You all successful (on your talents to let good support, God will put you where you want to be just at the right time to manipulate that hey let God open the door. If you've ever served the boss who harbors a bitter spirit. Why would someone who's angry and cynical. You know it could be a miserable exercise trying to gain their favor becomes a true test of your humility and patience today on Insight for living. Chuck Swindoll continues a message introduced yesterday. Based on our study in first Samuel 16 were watching the dramatic transition when Saul's leadership was coming to a close, old, ornery and impossible to please Chuck titled his message soft music for hard about that and ministers goes all the way back to the first genealogical record where a man was gifted on the pipe and lyre and a little later on we find in the Bible. A whole book of Psalms right in the middle as if God is saying, sing them often and learn well these are my songs over twice the length of any other chapters, or any other book of the Bible hundred and 50 of them half of them are more written by David who put them together on the hills agenda.

Who knows, maybe in the very context were looking at first Samuel 16 and the threatening presence of a madman named Saul Saul's strange malady starts these verses beginning at verse 14 carrying us down to the end of the chapter were going to see the part that music played in soothing, his savagery. Let's look at the 14th and 15th verse is to start with the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul and an evil spirit from the Lord terrorized him Saul's servants then said to him it's obvious that they could see the maddening results and they said to him, behold now an evil spirit from God is terrorizing you Christians read those words and they fear that could happen today. Let me clarify that tonight before the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost. Acts chapter 2. Prior to that time, the spirit of God never permanently rested on any believer. It was not uncommon for the spirit of God, for a temporary period of strengthening our inside door. Whatever was the need of the moment, and then to depart and then to come back for another surge of the need of the moment to depart. The exception rather than the rule was that the spirit of God came to stay. However, at Pentecost, and from that time all the way through our present era when the Spirit of God comes at salvation. He never leaves reading in first Samuel before Pentecost. Of course we are not surprised, therefore to read that in this moment of severity in the life of Saul the spirit of God departed from Saul and there was a vacuum created and God sent an evil spirit terrorizing. I don't know why no one knows why no one can explain God's permission in this place, except for the fact that he was put out with Saul.

It was as if to say, I will punish you for presuming on your office as a king and walking against my will, and so the friends said to Saul, verse 16. Let our Lord now command your servants who are before you let them seek a man who is a skillful player on the heart now want to see the perspective is a shepherd in the field, strumming a guitar case for the throne.

There is no way on earth shepherd will ever see the inside of the courtroom of the King unless God does it. I want to see how God worked to get this man some exposure in the protocol of the Kings court beautiful, just beautiful how God used the gift of music to put him right into the very presence of the Kings chamber. The King fell in love with K scope 16 let them seek a man who was skillful on the heart and it shall come about when the evil spirit from God is on you, that he shall play the harp with his hand, and you will be well. So Saul said to his servants provide for me now. A man who can play well and bring them to me earliest archaeological records show us that the ancients believed music soothes the passions healed mental diseases and even held in check riots in two moments is an ancient black obelisk of salmon. These are the third while worked on at all weeks to get it out.

Just write that great black obelisk that stands in all our cards on some mock characters who have the instruments that there strumming as far back as is ancient ancient Assyrians got those instruments right there and God had his hand on David who put together music that not only fill the Bible but fill the heart of a depressed king and his daughter Ray Browning's Saul to feel the depression of that man. I took a trip to the library and check it out and I just read through it as I was working through the date the feeling of Saul not I sort of overwhelmed in the sense of Saul's the blackness of the tent and into that campus like attachment, for he was living King David with his with his little liar. He walked into that place and there was Saul madness of his depression well you notice how David is described Saul was willing to try anything. Verse 17 he says provide a man care who it is bringing now. Then one of the young man answered and said notice how God puts together the missing link that's needed to bring all there is a guy who happens to hear that Saul's depressed and he knows a fellow who knows David and he says I know God can do that and is described in six words or six well his resume includes six things. Number one he is the son of Jesse the benefit of mine who is one skillful musician. He knows music to. He's a mighty man of valor. Three. He's a warrior for peace, prudent in speech is got control of his tongue. Five. He's handsome.

Six the Lord is with has not a bad resume is good looking.

He knows music and knows how to keep his mouth shut. He's ready to guys available paid never discount anything of your past God can pick it up and use it most incredible ways, incredible ways. I remember while I was doing a hit to the Marine Corps. I was overseas for 18 months and to end 10 of those 18 months were delightful.

I should say maybe 12 of the 18 were delightful and the other section would just like to forget about. I was in the infantry Regiment and I realized early after getting there. The God's hand was somehow in my life and I was going to be used in some capacity in the future.

I know where but I knew the country wasn't attributed and I wanted to be in leadership or at least know how leadership was done. I never had any training in it. Just a ruffled of untaught vessel stuck in the Marine Corps on Okinawa and it dawned on me that if I'm ever going to get any kind of relief.

So the first of all I can do intensive Bible study with some kind of leisure and really get a hold of the word of God.

I would have to have some time free in the infantry will not provide. So I drew on school six years earlier I had played the read instruments, clarinet and saxophone and oboe and I played a little on the flute, so I thought payout tryout is about mission with the band third division band.

Never forget it tested clarinet for six years so I decided to go in and audition. I walked in to remind myself what sin would switch way and I stuck it together enough around for about 30 minutes and and the captain called Madden and I auditioned and eyesight red plate marches and played some things from memory. God brought it all back in I was in two days. I'd made the transfer and would you believe that the most familiar surroundings for our third division band was with generalship who became later the Commandant of the Marine Corps and are constant concerts and combos in whatever we were about it were in the presence of the general dumb dumb like me sitting in the presence of the general now.

In fact got to know him and talk with him. One of the few men that jump from a Maj. Gen. to full four-star general.

They also lost 18 Lieut. Gen.'s when that happened on my dad but that's the kind of man he was a leader, leader of the entire division and here I was caught in the tree I would see the Susie war and suddenly I'm now playing music for him in a court to identical, and a woodwind quintet which he loved and here we were looking eyeball to eyeball and I watched the protocol of the general as he did his thing just because of music and opened the door. That's David Harris. David is liar whistling Dixie out of the fields of Judah, Saul and his placement.

Saul's replacement and struck it down with the messenger that said solos to see what you see. It's incredible how it happens. Service.

19. Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, send me your son David, who is with the flock, here's Jesse good father that he is, he just hasn't gotten his word about his son Samuel anointed him and check in the early part of the chapter, and Jesse letting go back with the sheep. And here's another runner says from the King Saul wants to see her youngest son. So Jesse lets him go first 20 it's a funny scene.

Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread and a jug of wine. The young go, but the grace of going over towards all I was going guitar slung over his shoulder look like he was out to lunch and he was on his way to see so what he was getting ready to learn how to kill it.

That's God's program. He knows how to work you sit here tonight and you think some all ancient skill you knew back several years ago was lost. He wasted no time doing such and such. Don't you believe it.

God can draw from your background the most incredible things and put you right in the right place with a little bit of skill in your there with the chief now that so it was with David.

He walked in the tent. What happened is good. David came to Saul and he had him beautiful. David never wants us to Saul, take your place well. Never once did he pull rank on Saul. He was never jealous or envious of that position he been anointed but he let the Lord open the door, got David was pushing somebody out of his job. Let God open the door okay are you in a subservient position toward someone else you that all successful you left him use your talents to let him look good you support him.

God will put you where you want to be just at the right time to manipulate that David comes and he attends Saul remember our guy David no badge, no words he never opened his mouth.

Saul had no idea who that young guy was standing in front of him with a liar, slung over, slung over his shoulder.

That was his that was his successor stand in front of you. Maybe your bosses successor. He may not know what you may have already been told your your heir apparent. Hey let God open the door okay let him do the David came to Saul and attended him, and so he loved him. He became his armor bearer. He was right in the in the chamber of the King quantity loving 23 because it came about whenever the evil spirit came to Saul. David would take the harp and play it with his hand at beautiful is David in the corner. Your Saul, Anna, Scott maybe this bedchamber riding in the madness of those depressing moments and David playing out the song's who knows maybe they sang together. After a while they be taught Saul the song's were not told, but they were bound together in love and Saul that young man because he brought deliverance to his life. You will be beloved. When you minister to people you will be a beloved person for helping them in their misery and malady. You look will be attached to their heart, and you can't drive a wedge between in the most simple things, the things it just come naturally to you minister. He says in verse 22 let David now stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight. What a statement invited to the throne room. He won the heart of the king just a Shepherd lead and now the king says to the father of verse 22. Let your son stay. He's effective. He's got it together show you one of the thing she verse 23, two things happened to show how effective David's music was first of all he refreshed Saul verse 23 David would take the harp and play it with his hand and Saul would be refreshed, interesting word, the Berkeley says it eased Saul, the Hebrew word is Roulac which means to be wide to be spacious to give space so as to bring relief. Moffat translates it.

He played for Saul till Saul breathed freely. Music lesson is the caged feelings and soothe his savagery inside of us.

Or I might add, it cages us depending on your taste.

You know me well enough to know that my style is not to harass or nitpick insignificant things, but I have become increasingly more concerned with the things that we let fill our heads as people of God.

I really had taken a hard line look at it with our family. We talked about the choice of music that is acceptable.

I'm glad we done that. I haven't screamed and yelled and thrown radios out the window and acted stupid like one would be tempted to do when angry. I just sat down and tried to work out what taste is all about what music is trying to say you know me well enough to know that I is a Shepherd over a flock and committed to teaching truth, and the application of thinking.

I do need to look at what your looking at and listening to in your leisure is in fact is with Saul giving you release and relief from evil, so that God is greater or is it pulling it down is it cutting against the carnality of your muscular strains within you that we all have our is encouraging what you listen to when you're through. Can you say Christ means more to me now than he did before it started searching question. When David left Saul. Saul was relieved the evil presence had departed together, showing the Lord saying several things to several different people to see for some of you the last few comments do not even apply for others of you. That's really all you've heard, because it strikes right at the jugular of your life began so simple and easy.

Now it's almost a religion with some the beauty and simplicity of the Lord is lost in the pulsation and beat of noise for some of you it's realizing God still got his eyes on you even said even though you're still shepherding the flock in the hills of Judah for some of you been recently promoted and you're really in that place of preeminence like you've never been before and it's great. God knows what he's doing.

He knows what he's about. Tonight might be a decision. Time for some of you to say I need to come to terms with this ridiculous habit. That's captivating.

My time for others of you it's it's saying, Lord, I need the patience to wait is your teaching me the importance of being faithful for sonnets. I need to support that superior. That's hard to get along with but that's what God saying tonight. Soft music for a hard heart.

Maybe that's what God provided for you this evening if you've never met Christ as your Savior. That's certainly the most important place to begin. He died for you. He rose from the dead to give you power the ability to walk away from the drives to control of to live a positive, fulfilling life free of the cage is what I like to have for you, appoint you to him, Lord, we began this service with such a delightful note to you the greatest joy is to provide for your people and to remind us that we are the sheep and you are the shepherd we just rejoice we exult in God together and for the message this evening we have ended on a very searching. Note some someone to put it out of their minds.

Someone to come to terms with it. Some are still not convinced some are adequately convicted by your spirit whatever might be the response. Lord I pray that your ministry would not be supported because even though the sermon ends the word lingers on for some need is for salvation. We pray as we step into the night air and feel the coolness of the night enveloped us. We will have a renewed appreciation for the relief that David brought to his friend and you'll remind us on our way home that there's a Saul available to anyone of us to whom we can minister doesn't quite know how to reach out and ask for it. We pray that we will not be negligent, reluctant to do so. In Jesus name you're listening to the Bible teaching of Chuck Swindoll at a message from his biographical series on David. It's called soft music for a hard heart to learn more about Chuck Swindoll in this ministry. Please visit us online@insideworld.org just before our time is gone today.

I'll remind you that inside for living has a long history of providing Bible study tools to complement each series. The study tools been produced because as Chuck said in his prayer a moment ago. Even though the sermon ends God's word lingers on. Along those lines. You might want to purchase a copy of the very practical Swindoll study Bible chucks warm and personal style comes across on every page and is informed practical insights get straight to the heart of the Bible's message for the world today, you can purchase a copy of the Swindoll study Bible right now. When you go to insight.org/store. Give us a call if you're listening in the United States, call 800-772-8888 did you know that stone briar Community Church provides a live video stream of their Sunday morning worship service find all the details@insight.org/Sundays finally let me relay a message that one of your fellow listeners left for us recently. It said I just returned home from a month-long stay in the hospital, which involved a few surgeries I'm isolated I'm not able to work or drive. And I feel despair, loneliness, depression, and hopelessness. I've yet to express this to God because of your recent study on Psalm 142. I can tell God my fears and worries and know that he is listening. The great king of Israel did and so can I thank you Chuck for moments like these are made possible because loyal friends like Ford insight from head of God's prompting you to get us a call if you're listening in the United States, call 800-772-8880 or give online@insight.org/writing you to join us again next time when Chuck Swindoll continues our study on the remarkable life of David. That's Monday on insight for living. The preceding message.

Soft music for a hard heart was copyrighted in 1977, 1988, 1997 and 2009 and the sound recording was copyrighted 2009 by Charles R. Swindoll. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited