After Jonathan had exposed his father’s wicked intentions beyond all doubt, David knew it was time to go. From now until the end of the book, David will be on the run as a fugitive, as an exile. Like Israel, who escaped from Pharaoh yet had to wander through the wilderness before entering the promised […]
In this sermon, pastor Matt reminds us that there only two responses to the Son of God: devoted love or foolish hate. It is only those who choose Christ above all else, who swear allegiance to him and live for his kingdom, who know the blessing of his grace and peace. It’s only those who […]
After reading about Saul’s plot in 1 Samuel 19—how he sent men to watch David’s house in order to kill him—we are now going to look at the psalm David wrote in response, Psalm 59. In this sermon, pastor Matt reminds us that our God will keep us safe in the mighty fortress of his […]
After David defeated Goliath we saw how David was becoming God’s prospering king, successful and loved by many. But he wasn’t loved by all. Saul was becoming jealous of David; he was David’s enemy continually (1 Sam. 18:29). As a result of this hatred, God’s prospering King would also become God’s persecuted King. Saul tried […]
In this sermon, pastor Matt once again shows us that God has chosen for himself a king to shepherd his people. As David enters Saul’s service, he begins to prove that he is the man of God’s choosing, the son with the Spirit of Yahweh, the king-in-waiting who will one day wear the crown. But […]
1 Samuel 16 marks a turning point in the biggest story of the Bible. Israel had demanded to have a king like all the other nations had, and God had given them just what they asked for. Saul turned out to be just like the kings of all the nations. He had no concern for […]
Samuel had delivered God’s verdict to Saul: “To obey is better than sacrifice. . . . Because you have rejected the word of Yahweh, he has also rejected you from being king” (vv. 22-23). Our passage picks up at the climax of this story. The question is, how will Saul respond? In this sermon, pastor […]
In this sermon about king Saul’s foolish vow, pastor Matt shows us that apart from God’s life-giving word we are left to our own folly. To forget the Lord is to do what seems right in our eyes, to care more about our reputation, and ultimately to remain under the curse of sin. But it […]
In the story of Saul’s faul we were introduced to a certain man named Jonathan who “defeated the garrison [outpost] of the Philistines that was at Geba.” We now learn in chapter 14 that this is Saul’s son. And while he would not be the next king, he proves to be a better man than […]
