Skip to content No Substitution for Godly Leadership — Lessons from 1 Samuel May 29 · 15 min ...more
No Substitution for Godly Leadership — Lessons from 1 Samuel
May 29, 2026 · 15 min
A sermon on David among the Philistines—God's providence in peril, prayer for a way out, and trusting the Lord to direct our steps through danger.
Series Stand on the Word - Video On Demand May 29, 2026 · 15 min · Stand on the Word - Video On Demand
A sermon on David among the Philistines—God's providence in peril, prayer for a way out, and trusting the Lord to direct our steps through danger. ...more Show the full description Show less A sermon on David among the Philistines—God's providence in peril, prayer for a way out, and trusting the Lord to direct our steps through danger.
Series Stand on the Word - Video On Demand Support this leader Liking this video? Support this ministry.
Support this leader
Liking this video? Support this ministry.
Give
Support this leader Liking this video? Support this ministry.
93.9K followers
Family Research Council is serving in the kingdom of God by championing faith, family, & freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview.
93.9K followers
David's Deliverance from Philistine Battle 0:09 Good morning. Welcome to Stand on the Word. Thanks for joining me this morning as we complete the first book of Samuel as we read chapters 29 through 31. Verse 4 of chapter 31, then Saul said0:21 to his armor bearer, draw your sword and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised men come and thrust me through and abuse me. But his armor bearer would not, for he was greatly afraid. Therefore,0:33 Saul took a sword and fell on it. Now the book of first Samuel actually begins on a much more positive note that in ends, you recall that we had the prayer of Hannah, which resulted in0:45 God answering that prayer and giving her a son, Samuel. Samuel was the last judge. He served as both priest and prophet and judge. And, he provided that transition0:57 into the era of the kings. Now as the book closes, Saul, whom Samuel anointed at the direction of God, is rejected by God for rejecting the word of God, and he dies along with his sons.1:14 Ending as with the beginning because, Eli's sons who rejected the word of God died in the battle with the Philistines as they were carrying the ark. The ark of the covenant was lost,1:26 then Eli died when he heard the news. So as we finish first Samuel today, I'll share with you kind of my overall observations from this book. What's my main takeaway?1:37 Well, here it is. There is no substitution for godly leadership, whether that's parental, spiritual, or political. The health of a family, of a church, and of a nation1:49 stands or falls on the foundation of leadership, and we see it very clearly in the book of Samuel. Chapter 29 picks up where chapter 28 left off, that is2:01 with the Philistines preparing for war against the, the the children of Israel. Verse 1, chapter 29. Then the Philistines gathered together all their armies at Aphek, and the2:13 Israelites encamped by a fountain which is in Jezreel. And the lords of the Philistines passed in review by hundreds and by thousands, but David and his men passed in review at the at the rear2:25 with Achish. Then the princes of the Philistines said, what are these Hebrews doing here? And Achish said to the princes of the Philistines, is this not David, the servant of Saul, king of Israel, who has been with2:37 me these days or these years? And to this day, I have found no fault in him since he defected to me. David had been, as we've been reading in Ziklag, operating under the blessing of the king of2:49 Gath, Achish. Now we know that, of course, we we know that David had not been completely honest with him about his military operations. We looked at that last time. There there are some3:01 disputes here about David's motive. Some say he was ready to go to battle with Israel. Others say not. I don't believe that he wanted to go to battle with Israel given all that he had previously done to help the people3:12 of Israel. And,3:25 with Israel. I think that would have made it very difficult for him to with Israel. I think that would have made it very difficult for him to become king. I mean, this would that would have been treasonous for him. So3:34 while we have limited information here, I would venture to say that David was praying for a way out, looking for God's guidance somehow that God would intervene here, and3:46 God directed his steps through these other Philistine leaders saying, no way. He is not going to battle with us. In in any case, this is a major victory for David. He will not have to go3:58 to battle against his own people and be charged with treason. So then, in chapter 30, I think we have what I would call the Elijah effect. WeDavid's Crisis Leadership in Ziklag 4:10 talked about this before. The spiritual backlash after a major victory, just what we saw in chapter 27. Let's look at verse 1, chapter 30. Now what happened when David and his men came to Ziklag4:22 on the third day that the Amalekites had invaded the south and Ziklag, attacked Ziklag, burned it with with fire, and had taken captive the women and those who were there from small to great. They did not4:34 kill anyone, but carried them away and went their way. So David and his men came to the city, and there it was burned with fire, and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive. Then David and the4:45 people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept until they had no more power to weep. Now they didn't know what the outcome of this was at the time. Some it's it's easy sometimes when we read4:57 these stories. We know what the end is. They didn't know what the end was. They didn't know what had happened. Obviously, the the bodies weren't there. They hadn't been killed on-site, but they didn't know what was gonna5:05 happen to them. They didn't know where they were. Verse 6, now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him because the soul of all the people was grieved every man for his sons and his5:17 daughters, but David strengthened himself in the Lord. I can't think of anything that could be worse than this situation. Alright? And remember, who those5:28 600 men with David were. They were those that had been in debt, had been discontented, and distressed. Things quickly spun out of control, and this was a real5:40 test of David's leadership. David was personally distraught. He'd lost his family, and he was leading men who had issues, who were not in a good place to begin with. So I'm sure that5:52 this set some of them off. I mean, they were talking about stoning their leader. Now David did 3 things that we read here in this passage that are critical in crisis situations. And and I've6:04 experienced this myself, not to this degree, but in the midst of natural disasters and, crisis situations that I've been a part of as I've led organizations or churches during these situations.6:16 Verse 8. So David inquired of the lord saying, shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them? And he answered him, pursue, for you shall surely overtake them, and without fail, recover all.6:27 So David went, and he and the 600 men who were with him and came to the Brook Bezor where those stayed who were left behind. Now don't miss this. Okay. So6:39 first, we see in verse 6. Here's what David does, the the 3 things that he does that are critical in crisis situations. First, in verse 6, David strengthened or encouraged himself6:52 in the Lord. I mean, he was distressed. He was without hope is what that means. So what did he do? We don't know for certain. It's not recorded here. But based upon what7:03 we know of David, I believe that he worshiped the lord. David was a worshiper. He, I think, recounted god's faithfulness. We see this7:15 sentiment at the end of his life in Psalm 37 25. He says, I have been young, and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken nor his descendants begging for bread. God is7:27 faithful, and we need to remind ourselves. We need to stir up within ourselves our faith, recounting what god has done. And there are times when we just we're completely just7:39 we're empty, and we have to David encouraged himself in the Lord. No 1 else is gonna do it. We're gonna have to do it. Second, he inquired of the Lord. He prayed.7:51 Now too often in crisis situation, believers turn everywhere but to God, and and and we're too busy to actually stop and pray. We're just kinda running around with chickens like chickens with our heads cut off. He didn't8:02 form a committee. He didn't put it out on Facebook. He got on his face before the Lord. Then what he does next, that's not all. You know, he encouraged himself. He8:14 worshiped. He prayed. But here's the this next step is essential. He put his faith and his prayer into action with a plan that would shift the men's focus from their dire circumstances8:26 to a solution. See, we need to bring people to a solution, move moving them off of their of lamenting their own situation and focus them on a solution.8:38 The result, verse 18 of chapter 30. So David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David rescued his 2 wives. And nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or8:50 great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything which they had taken from them. David recovered all. Now we have another example of David's challenges with the men that he was leading9:02 and the wisdom that he needed to lead them. Look at verse 22. Then all the wicked and worthless men of those who went with David answered and said, because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil9:14 that we have recovered except for every man's wife and children that they may lead them away and depart. So what happened, the 600 men, 200 of them stayed back at, Bezor. They9:25 were tired. They were worn out, but they stayed with the equipment. And so when they captured all of this, plus more, equipment. And so when they captured all of this plus more, they come back and these worthless menSaul's Demise and Gratitude's Power 9:36 said, you know, they're not getting anything. They stayed back here. Look what David says. 23. Verse 23. But David said, my brother, and you shall not do so with what the lord has given us. It came from the lord9:48 who has preserved us and delivered into our hands the troop that came against us. David is saying, look. We need to be we need to have gratitude. You didn't get this. The lord gave it to us. The lord10:00 preserved what was ours and more. For who will heed you in this matter? But as his part is who goes down to the battle, so shall his part be who stays by the supplies. They shall10:12 share alike. And that became a standard, it said, going forward in Israel. David understood the vital role that each person played, whether on the front lines in the battle or in10:24 a supporting role behind. The chapter ends, and, as it ends, it speaks to David's political insight. Look at verse 26. Now when David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the spoil10:36 to the elders of Judah to his friends saying, here's a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the Lord. He was, taking next steps. He was, I think,10:48 reaching out and building bridges and roads for the future. In chapter 31, we have, the very last chapter, we have Saul's tragic11:00 end. Verse 1, now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. Then the Philistines followed hard after Saul and his11:11 sons, and the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Mount Jeshua, Saul's sons. The battle became fierce against Saul. The archers hit him, and he was severely11:23 wounded by the archers. Then Saul said to his armor bearer, draw your sword and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised men come and thrust me through and abuse me.11:35 But his armor barrel would not, for he was greatly afraid. Therefore, Saul took a sword and fell on it. But the book concludes with a11:47 remarkable example of courage and kindness driven by and rooted in gratitude. Verse 11. Now when the inhabitants of Jabesh11:59 Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, all the valiant men arose and traveled all night and took the body of Saul and the body of his sons from the wall of Beshan, and they came to Jabesh12:11 and burned them. Jabesh Gilead was the city that the Ammonites had said, look. We'll make peace with you if you let us put out your right eye.12:23 Remember, back at the beginning, this is when, they sent word. Give us 7 days. They sent word. Word got to Saul. The spirit of God came upon Saul. He responded. That was his12:35 first military campaign that solidified his leadership as the king of Israel. So in this final chapter, the tragic end of Saul and his son actually overshadows this12:47 powerful display of gratitude. Despite Saul's failed leadership, the men of Jabesh Gilead did not forget what he had done for them.12:59 Gratitude is powerful, and we should never forget to be grateful for what others have done, what the Lord has done, even if they have failed in many ways. And I appreciate,13:11 the gratitude of these men and the courage that they displayed in honoring Saul even though he was a failed leader. Father, thank you for your word. And, Lord, we do13:23 see and hear, you know, this this theme of gratitude. That is something we see throughout scripture, but we saw even David told these these worthless men they should be grateful that you gave the victory,13:35 and they should not be, you know, trying to deprive others as, the the the other soldiers that were a part of their, army. And and, lord, I just pray that our hearts would be13:47 grateful, lord, for all the things that you have done for us, even, lord, in the midst of, those around us who have failed. And, lord, that there there's we've all failed. But, lord,13:59 help us not to, to overlook those things that, leaders have done. It could be any number of people. But, lord, just help us toPrayer for Grateful, Obedient Hearts 14:11 have grateful hearts. And, lord, help us to have obedient hearts that we would obey you. And that, lord, we would not reject your word, but we would obey your word that we might have your blessing, your guidance, and14:22 your strength upon us, guiding and directing our steps. Lord, that we might bring honor and glory to you. We thank you once again for your word, and we pray for your guidance upon our lives. We ask this in Jesus14:33 name. Amen. Alright. Thanks for joining this morning, and until next time, keep standing on the14:41 word. Today's study comes from the stand on the word bible reading plan available for free at f r c dot o r g slash bible. By following along14:52 in just a few minutes a day, you can read through the entire Bible in just 2 years. Learn more and request the free reading guide at frc dot org slashPrayer 15:04 bible.In this video 0:00 David's Deliverance from Philistine Battle4:00 David's Crisis Leadership in Ziklag9:30 Saul's Demise and Gratitude's Power14:00 Prayer for Grateful, Obedient Hearts15:03 Prayer
Comments No comments yet. Start the conversation.
Comments
Keep it kind. Comments are public.