Havasu Christian Church
Series in I Samuel
October 20, 2024
I Samuel 23:1-14
"Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda"
INTRO: We’ve all played the game…. The “Shoulda, woulda, coulda” game. The rules are simple. Think back to something that happened in your past. Something that there is no possible way to change it, then think about what you should have done, what you would have done if you had been given better information, and finally, you ask yourself what could I have done differently instead of what I did do?
This is a TERRIBLE game to play!
You can’t change anything in the past!
However, maybe Saul should have played that game. It seems he made the wrong choice, over and over again.
1 Samuel 23:1–14 Then they told David, saying, “Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are plundering the threshing floors.”
2 So David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” And the LORD said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and deliver Keilah.”
3 But David’s men said to him, “Behold, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more then if we go to Keilah against the ranks of the Philistines?”
4 Then David inquired of the LORD once more. And the LORD answered him and said, “Arise, go down to Keilah, for I will give the Philistines into your hand.”
- David saw a terrible problem.
- Israelites were being attacked by the Philistines.
- Not only were they being attacked, but the phrase, “plundering the threshing floors” tells us 2 things.
- They are being attacked at harvest time.
- Those who are attacking them apparently haven’t bothered to plant their own crops, so they come to steal from others.
- If they lose, they will go hungry.
- David “enquired of the Lord.”
- David asks God what he should do.
- Why would he ask God such a question?
- Perhaps this is God’s judgement on the people of Keilah?
- Perhaps Saul will be bringing his army to come to the rescue shortly.
- Wouldn’t that just make Saul so happy?
- We’re here to save you!” “Too late, it’s already been done!”
5 So David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines; and he led away their livestock and struck them with a great slaughter. Thus David delivered the inhabitants of Keilah.
6 Now it came about, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, that he came down with an ephod in his hand.
- David did exactly what God told him to do.
- David takes his army of about 600 misfits who have gathered around him, and comes to the aid of the city of Keilah. (they have recently grown to 600 from 400 misfits.)
- They take the enemies livestock, and they strike them “with a great slaughter.”
- Is there a significance to the order here?
- Did David take their animals first?
- If they did, then this might be like an old western movie where they cause a stampede at night?
- Perhaps this was part of his strategy?
- Use their animals as a weapon against them?
- David and his “merry men” save the city of Keilah.
- They then enter the city.
- This is where Saul thinks to himself “Now I’ve got him!”
7 When it was told Saul that David had come to Keilah, Saul said, “God has delivered him into my hand, for he shut himself in by entering a city with double gates and bars.”
8 So Saul summoned all the people for war, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men.
- David could be in real trouble here.
- The same thing that had already happened to Keilah, could happen again.
- Saul has “called up the army” and he plans to besiege the city.
- Either the people of the city will chase David out, or they can starve with him.
9 Now David knew that Saul was plotting evil against him; so he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.”
10 Then David said, “O LORD God of Israel, Your servant has heard for certain that Saul is seeking to come to Keilah to destroy the city on my account.
11 “Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down just as Your servant has heard? O LORD God of Israel, I pray, tell Your servant.” And the LORD said, “He will come down.”
12 Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?” And the LORD said, “They will surrender you.”
- But again, David “inquires of the Lord.
- when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech has joined the army at Keilah.
- He is carrying the Ephod in his hand.
- The Ephod???? High priest’s garment.
FROM: JewishEncyclopedia.com
The ephod is referred to in the priestly ordinances as a part of the official dress of the high priest, and was to be made of threads "of blue and of purple, of scarlet, and fine twined linen," and embroidered in gold thread "with cunning work." The description of the garment in Scripture is not detailed enough to give a clear picture of its shape.
The ephod was held together by a girdle of similar workmanship sewed on to it; it had two shoulder-pieces, which, as the name implies, crossed the shoulders, and were apparently fastened or sewed to the ephod in front. In dressing, the shoulder-pieces were joined in the back to the two ends of the ephod. Nothing is said of the length of the garment. At the point where the shoulder-pieces were joined together in the front "above the girdle," two golden rings were sewed on, to which the breast-plate was attached.
This breast piece was to be made in part of the same material as the Ephod. The directions specify that it was to be made "of gold, of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine twined linen." "Foursquare it shall be, being doubled; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof."
On the front face of this square were set, in four rows, twelve precious stones, on each of which was engraved the name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. These jewels in gold settings were (Ex. xxviii. 17-19): in the first row, "a sardius [ "ruby"], a topaz, and a carbuncle ["emerald"]"; in the second row, "an emerald [margin, "carbuncle"], a sapphire, and a diamond [margin, "sardonyx"]"; in the third row, "a jacinth [R. V.: margin, "amber"], an agate, and an amethyst"; and in the fourth row, "a beryl [margin, "chalcedony"], and an onyx [margin, "beryl"], and a jasper." The exact identification and the order of these stones, as well as the tribe represented by each, are matters of speculation. The breastplate was worn over and fastened to the ephod. It hung over the breast of the wearer, and was secured to the shoulders of the ephod by gold cords (or chains). These cords of "wreathen work," tied in the gold rings at the top corners of the outer square of the breastplate, were fastened to ouches on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod. The lower part of the breastplate was fastened to the ephod at some point below the shoulders by a blue ribbon, which passed through gold rings at the lower corners of the inner square. As well as being a means of securing in its place this most important portion of the dress of the high priest, these fastenings formed a brilliant decoration. The term "breastplate of judgment" indicates that the name was given to this portion of the priestly dress because of its use in connection with the mysterious Urim and Thummim.
- God warns him that the people of Keilah will surrender him to save their own skin.
- This seems pretty harsh, considering the fact that David and his army of misfits have just rescued them from being starved to death.
- But that’s exactly what Saul plans to do if they don’t hand David over.
- So David and his men “get out of Dodge.” (Or in this case, Keilah!)
13 Then David and his men, about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah, and they went wherever they could go. When it was told Saul that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up the pursuit.
14 David stayed in the wilderness in the strongholds, and remained in the hill country in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand.
- When “David and his Merry men” take off, Saul realizes that he’s not going to catch them.
- With the army now grown to 600 capable fighters, he may not WANT to catch them.
- David and his men, again go into hiding.
- Saul begins chasing after them again, but God makes sure that Saul is wasting his time.
Conclusion: At the beginning of the sermon, I talked about how we sometimes indulge in the "Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda" way of beating ourselves up.
We usually look back at things we should have done differently, or that with what we know now, would have done differently, and wouldn’t it be nice if I could go back and change what I did? But it’s almost always something that we look back at when it’s too late to do differently.
On occasion, it is good to think back like that. Not because we can change the past, but so we will live a better future.
- Saul needed a "Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda" moment. He might have made different choices.
- He SHOULD have been the one to rescue Keilah.
- David wouldn’t have needed to do it if Saul was doing his job.
- Saul COULD have done it.
- He had the manpower to do it.
- He had the weapons to fight with.
- But he chose not to.
- So the task fell to David and his misfits.
- Instead of doing what he should have been doing, Saul wastes his time hating David and then chasing after him to kill him.
- It’s easy to talk about Saul & David… but not so easy to talk about our own lives.
- Like David, we should ask the Lord to guide us.
- Jesus spent LOTS of time in Prayer. Maybe we need to “up our prayer game” too.
- Like David, we should act on what the Lord puts in front of us, even when doing so will cost us!
- Jesus did what God gave Him to do, even to death on a cross.
- Unlike Saul, we shouldn’t waste our time and energy hating, holding grudges and attacking others, even if they did harm us in the past.
- Jesus had plenty of reason to hate… The Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Priests, the people who yelled “crucify Him!”
- But he loved them enough to die for them… and us.
- Even the men who nailed Him to the cross. “Father, forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing!”
- Be like David… Don’t be like Saul… But mostly, be like Jesus!
