Aftermath of a Giant-Killing, Part 1

On Insight for living from Chuck Swindoll. I wonder how many people think that David, after he killed the giant within a matter of just a few days took the throne and became the youngest king in the history of Israel know the aftermath of the giant killing lead David into the deepest sides of his entire life. A man who proved himself the battlefield turned in his experience from the highest popularity to the lowest after we've completed an overwhelming project that were overcome by an emotional letdown were expecting elation, but sometimes instead its depletion today on Insight for living. Chuck Swindoll continues to study the life of David, and if you're with us yesterday we come to the place of David still followed his unlikely victory over the Philistine, there may have been a few high-fives that followed David's trial, but the emotional exhaustion was a surprise title. Today's message aftermath of a giant fresh off the greatest woman of his young life. David was riding high, that high moment is recorded for us in the 17th chapter of first but like all of us when we experience the joys of victory. He had no idea what the following days would bring would be more successes and greater glory or would he fall from his new lofty status. He didn't know either way.

Standing at the pinnacle of profound triumph.

David had to trust the Lord, just as you and I have to do when we experience successes of our own turn with me now in your Bibles to the last verses of first 17 want to begin reading at verse 55 and then will continue on through the 18th chapter verse nine.

This is for several 17 beginning with verse 55 now when Saul saw David going out against the Philistine. He said Abner the commander of the Army Abner whose son is this young man and Abner said by her life.

Okay, I do not know you inquire, whose son the youth is so when David returned from killing the Philistine.

Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the Philistine's head in his hand. Saul said to him, whose son are you young man and David answered I'm the son of your servant Jesse. The Bethlehem light now ring to verse one of chapter 18. Now it came about when he had finished speaking to Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as himself. Saul took him that day and did not let him return to his father's house. Then Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself.

Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David with his armor including his sword and his bow and his belt so David went out wherever Saul sent him and prospered and Saul set him over the men of war, and it was pleasing in the sight of all the people and also in the side of Saul's servants. It happened as they were coming when David returned from killing the Philistine that the women came out of all the cities of Israel singing and dancing to meet King Saul with tambourines, with joy and with musical instruments and the woman sang as they played and said Saul has slain his thousands, and David his 10,000s.

Then Saul became very angry for this saying this pleased him and he said they have ascribed to David 10,000, but to me they have ascribed now. What more can have the king Saul looked David with suspicion. From that day aftermath of a giant killing. I like to begin the message by asking a rather unusual question what you think about it even though it may make you chuckle as a serious point to it. When is the last time that you think the Lord for not showing you the future. He never changes, but we certainly do matter fact I made a note of some of the things that change over the passing of years.

Let's take five years day is think about our lives as they have been altered and affected over these past five years.

The places where you have lived. You know that the American family on an average moves once every three years. We have friends who live very near us who have moved over 30 times in their years in marriage, and it's very possible they'll be moving soon again the places we live change about the people people that we knew and claimed his close friends today are not close friends and some that we didn't even know five years ago. We have among the closest of our friends right now, friends change people that once we held dear, have become on some occasions enemies have misunderstood us today we live in the wake of that unhappy and unfortunate memory.

People change jobs change very few people are working right now where they worked five years ago. In fact, some are not working tonight that were working five years ago. Some of you have been promoted.

Some of you have entered businesses on your on your own and others of you have left your own business and gone into corporate work starting with the mother following the first service. She said my daughter recently graduated from university and maintenance of fine universities. As you know what she's doing us and what is it she's a shepherd in Wyoming. Can you believe that college graduate highly qualified. The shepherd sheep. Maybe you're working at a place you never dreamed you'd be working five years ago. Or how about your home.

Things change their some parents here tonight brokenhearted because they don't really know where the kids are some brokenhearted because they do. They're not walking with God. Some of you have parents that have changed over the last five years. Some of you have lost your parents on the lost those dearest and nearest to them dentist, how about school. I will pass on to the next one.

Our health is changed for some of you there are physical disabilities.

You never knew before or others.

There's been healing and you've never been healthier.

And God has graciously provided for your need in your health or how about tests in life like a make a list of those things that have happened in five years time not you glad God didn't tell you all of those things five years ago aren't you glad he didn't give you your life on credit so that you can pick and choose those enormous things you could have worried about five years ago, you can just take him now just one day at a time. That's what he dispenses life because he never changes and he knows what will work together for good. You and I don't. We sort of ricochet from one moment to the next trying to put together what life is all about and we can't figure it out. Some here thought for sure they would have a mate by now some of you wish that you didn't make true life changes in all life is like that… Did this in the days of of a prophet named Habakkuk. I believe that he would've told us what he told Habakkuk, we wouldn't believed they lived in hard times in the Habakkuk said God you can trust me difficult days like this demand and understanding of where I'm going in God's is no Habakkuk about told you you wouldn't believe it. Habakkuk said yes I would tell me I want to trust you for your plan and God told him and he didn't believe it. He said to God in so many words I can't believe you're going to do that and that's often the way it is when God unveils that curtain called the future we wanted shut right quick is that strange people spend literally millions of dollars every year to discover the future, only to have their fears strengthened and their worry list lengthened God's good not to show us tomorrow. That's what makes the Bible so relevant how gracious of God to give David one day at a time. I wonder how many people think that David, after he killed the giant within a matter of just a few days took the throne and became the youngest king in the history of Israel know as a matter of fact, the aftermath of the giant killing lead David into the deepest low tides of his entire life God was good not to tell it was coming.

A man who proved himself faithful on the battlefield. A man who killed one that everyone else was afraid of turned in his experience from the highest pinnacle of popularity to the lowest tide dislike some of you tonight. You have known in the past five years and elevation and now a depression that's unparalleled well in chapter 17 of first Samuel were going to be looking at some very practical things as the passage bleeds on into chapter 18. I think it's very unfortunate that we have a chapter break here. They all tied together in sort of a panoramic flow of life. David has just accomplished an incredible thing. It's a remarkable achievement.

The young man not get 20 years old, not 6 feet tall. I'm sure never wore a uniform from the Israeli army never once suited up for battle.

Never once knew what it was to carry a sword under the kingdom of Saul and yet he walked down the battlefield, he faced a 9'9" giant and with one's one throw of the sling. He killed it and you know what happened there was instant popularity. Very few people can take that very few can take what oh what David took.

He suddenly flew into the attention of the public before we get into that I want to show you something about them.

Verse 55 through verse 58 here. It's sort of a flashback. You've seen films are our movies are art art television dramas where you're looking at the present and then suddenly the lenses fading out and there's a smear and you suddenly come back into focus on something that happened before. That's verse 55 through 58 flashback when David when Saul saw David going out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the Army Abner whose son is this young man ever said by your life.

Okay, I do not know. This is a flashback David we know is already slaying the giant, but God wants us to hear something that happened back in the tent of Saul, while the giant killing was going on. There was a conversation that happened is very significant. It ties David with Saul to son is verse 56 the king said you inquire who suddenly uses when David returned from killing the Philistine.

Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the Philistine's head in his hand.

Must've been super stop on the way to Jerusalem and walked up to the king and visited with them. This gigantic head in his hand and a talk with King Saul verse 58 says Saul asking whose son are you young man.

David answered I'm the son of your servant Jesse.

The Bethlehem I critics just do back flips and passages like this. So you see there. We got an unreliable text is a perfect example of how the Bible is corrupt, save for, say, the critics, why would they say that well first chapter and 1/2. David has been Saul's personal musician. He's played for him during his depressed days he has been standing before him and suiting up for battle.

He's been a man who is been a personal confidant, we saw their time and again in previous studies, and here he wants to know who he is well bothered by that kind of criticism because Saul never asked who is this man the critics build strong men and set them on fire and say you see there.

The Bible is not reliable look at what Saul wanted to know he didn't want to know who is David he asked three times the same basic question. He wanted to know who son is the young man verse 55 who son is this youth verse 56, whose son are you young man. Verse 58 David was a new David wasn't one of those who his father was. The question becomes what one who his dad was we need to learn to read the Bible for what it is not for what we think it's saying it's a good question. Verse two of chapter 18 will help you know part of the reason he wanted who his son was whose father was Saul took him that day and did not let him return to his father's house.

Saul said we want to know who your dad is because I want you permanently is my bodyguard. Anybody that can whip up a listing that big deserves to be my bodyguard, so he wanted David to be in the court permanently and that took the father's permission. Furthermore, look at verse 25 of chapter 17 and you'll see another reason he want to know who his dad was 17, 25 men of Israel said, have you seen this man who was coming up.

Surely he's coming to define Israel Spigner Goliath, and now it will be that the king will enrich the man who kills it with great riches and will give him his daughter and will make his father's house free and Israel. Saul wanted to make his promise good so I want to know who his father was so he could write the check and unload his daughter and want to know who his father was because I want to give them tax free benefits, whose son is he this man is obviously the giant and I need to make the promise good makes good sense doesn't pay close attention to those that attacked the Bible. Those who point out all of its policies and all of its contradictions, and you look close, you will discover by just common sense interpretation. Most of those can be given almost in an off-the-cuff manner.

Critics work overtime to really confuse what is quite simple.

Now here's a simple question that deserved a simple answer. And frankly, no one knew his lineage but he was destined to greatness. By the way, some of some of you are to know that very few people can handle instant success. Carlisle was right. Affliction is bad, but for every person that can handle prosperity. There are 100 that can handle adversity and of the greatest testers is success.

Some of you are highly gifted. You were on the verge of being used in a business or in a career or in the world who knows entertainment may be in the world of music, perhaps as a writer or a composer of books or music in not knowing that perhaps tonight God is saying to you learn a lesson from David about instant success. Man, I read Mark Spitz comment after he run a 1 to 7 gold medals in the Olympics and he commented that he never dreamed that the pressure would be so great public applause overnight success. A millionaire several times over just in the commercials just in the ad world.

Elvis Presley never did learn how to live with it.

The highest-paid male performer in American history never really learn how to handle that. David knew how to take success and live with it without it's affecting him. That's a rare person. In fact, as I read this passage. It sort of unfolds into four different relationships. There is a relationship of submission with Saul as a relationship of affection with Jonathan a relationship of elevation or exaltation. As we mentioned with the nation people and then finally of opposition, which lasted year after year after year to see God's hand was on David he was going to use them as the great King of Israel, and he had to break him and hold him and sharpen him and crush him toes or his right. It's doubtful that God can use any person greatly until he is hurt him deeply. And that's where David was in the in the crucible of pain.

Now you will notice that he brought him and that is Saul brought in David verse 58 said I'm the son of your servant Jesse. The Bethlehem light verse two of chapter 18. Saul took him that day and did not let him return to his father's house. So verse five ads. David went wherever Saul sent him is not beautiful.

Here is the Champion of champions this the slave giant and he went wherever Saul sent him. He was in submission, you might be a very gifted person highly capable of many things beyond what you're asked to do in your employment. You be careful about running ahead. You do your job in a submissive manner. If you work under an individual you be loyal to that individual or you quit, you make a success of that individual that you serve under or you leave the company your calling is not to badmouth your superior your calling is to be a person of integrity and to go wherever you are sent as what David did.

He served as sort of an intern.

Incognito king in the making a that that really does put down roots. Right now, and some lives that are here God talks in practical ways. In fact, I find four times in this chapter we read that David prospered. See verse five he went wherever Saul said him and he prospered.

Verse 14 David was prospering in all his ways. Verse 15 when Saul saw that he was prospering greatly. Verse 30 then the commanders of the Philistines went out to battle and it happen as often as they went out. David prospered not one whit of envy or jealousy, he simply did what God led them to do and God gave him prosperity.

He'll do that submitting to authority. God lifted up the the life of David above his peers. So that's the first experience. There's another one standing in the shadows. As David stood before the king was a man who is named Jonathan. Verse one. He is the son of King Saul. They have apparently never met until this moment, but suddenly their lives are knitted together.

It came about when he David had finished speaking to Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as himself. Verse three. Then Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. There is an interweaving of soul was sold. It's what I call a kindred spirit is the true you will run across a few people in life with whom you have a kindred spirit and you don't even have to work at cultivating a relationship. It just grew just do this, there you are intertwined together. You're listening to Insight for living Chuck Swindoll titled today's message aftermath of a giant killing. There's much more teaching from this passage coming ahead. Please stick around because we set aside the close of the program to hear some personal comments from Chuck and to learn more about this ministry.

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