David - Raised Up by God — Devern Fromke

David’s Place in God’s Larger Program

Father, we thank Thee for our sense of helplessness this morning, that, dear Lord, is the cry of a heart that Thou, in the midst of it, will be the strength, the anointing. Thou will minister Thyself to the people, and there will be no calling out of the reservoir of our own knowledge, but, O dear Lord, out of the life stream of Thyself, make this to be very evident and real.

And we look to Thee, we pray, Lord Jesus, that Thou, who alone art worthy, shall be glorified, and for this we'll be sure to give Thee praise and honor and glory. We ask in Jesus' name, Amen. We were saying last evening in getting acquainted that it's wonderful to see the unique place of David in the larger program of God.

This is a relating of things to him. There's such a prominence in us to always relate everything back to ourselves. Wonder what purpose God has for me. That's not my burden. What does God want to do primarily in and through you?

But what is he doing in the larger scope of things and how we are related to it? And we spoke of how Abraham's unique place, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as founding fathers. Then out of Egypt, God brought the people through the deliverer, Moses.

Probably we can say of Joshua that he was the possessor. Then we went through the period of the judges, and I want this morning for us to see two men in contrast, Saul and David. This is my concern, however.

I believe that the Lord's biggest difficulty with his people is that the moment they begin to see something of the larger program of God, they want to rush out to help him. But he's not interested in that.

That's our big problem. The minute we see something, oh how we get drawn and pulled to get our wheels moving and to help the Lord fulfill and realize it. And I hope that this morning we will be able to see that what God is having to do in so many of the lives of his workers and his people is a complete renovation of some of the old concepts, even our better fundamental concepts, to get us to the place where we begin to see things.

How he does it. How it's of him. After we get through, maybe that will be a little clearer this morning. I trust it will be. Let me just turn our attention to a couple of verses, and that will give us the theme as we consider David now, and how God brings his life into the fulfillment.

I won't ask you to turn, but I'll just pick a phrase out of 2 Samuel, verse 1, and chapter 23, where it says, the man who was raised on high, speaking of David. The man who was raised on high. In Psalm 89, verses 19 and 20, we have these words.

He says, I have exalted one chosen out of the people. I have found David. But I want us to turn now to Acts 13 again, and I want to take another phrase, verse 22 of chapter 13. We better take verse 21, I guess.

And afterward they desired a king, and God gave unto them Saul, the son of Seth, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years. And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king.

To whom also he gave testimony and said, I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfill all of my will. Now I believe that the easiest way for us to get in a strain is to get our eyes on all that needs to be done, and to get a little glimpse of the will and the purpose of God, and then try to go out.

I don't know about you, but there comes so often, there's been such an overwhelming in the soul, when I have seen this, and yet so little being done. You begin to cry out, Lord, I'm not getting anything done for you.

Well, maybe there'll come some rest and we can get rid of that strain. We can see the way by which the Lord does it. The way by which God has chosen out of life to affect and to realize. You bear with me for a little bit this morning as I scribble again on the board and try to get something of a pattern before us.

Man’s Way and God’s Way of Ministry

I'd like for us to see man's way, first of all, by which man attempts to achieve and fulfill and realize for God. Then we want to take, by contrast, God's way. As we look at two lives, Saul, who is the choice of the people, and finally David, who was raised up of God, and how God accomplished it.

Let me go back and approach it this way. I think it's interesting to notice that when man is wanting to get something done for God, he's always prone to say, Lord, if I just had a place, if I just had a position, if I just had a pulpit, if I just had a position, then I could have a ministry, then I could be used, I could be fruitful for you.

And of course, we trust that if we get a position, that's the way we'll get some experience, for experience comes out of, we say, out of having a place or a position, a job to do. And then out of the position, we will finally come to be what God wants us to be.

We can be something for him. But I believe this is a total reverse to the real way in which God works. Let me illustrate it by putting this in reverse. If I understand, and I think it will come a little more clearly as we look at these two lives, here we have Saul and this thing quite clearly demonstrated through him.

And then we'll take David and we'll see that God, first of all, works in our being and what we are in nature. And out of this, there flows the proper experience, and in due time, the position is forthcoming.

It flows out of something else. It doesn't come first. This is why we're saying now that it was the Lord who raised up David, but it was the people who raised up King Saul and gave him a place. I think I have noticed now in these 15 or 20 years of moving around among the Lord's people that so often the struggle that goes on within a fellowship, within an assembly or a church, is the various conflicts.

Here's a conflict of authority. The authority of one who has position. Then you have the authority of someone who has some experience. Then you have an authority that grows out of someone who has something wrought in his inner being.

Maybe I can illustrate. You bear with me now. But it's the best illustration I can use. How often have I been invited into a church? Monday, I'm invited out to Grandpa Brown's for dinner, and quite strategically after the meal, he says, I must lay the burden of my heart before you, young man.

He says, you'll discover, so I just will tell you. He says, we have a very fine young man who's been invited to be our pastor, and he has gathered a group of young people around him, young married couples, and they are determined to have a building program and to put up a new church, because then they'll be able to draw a certain kind of people, and then they'll be able to be the proper image in the community.

Dear old Grandpa Brown, who's been walking with God for 40, 50 years, with deep-grown fast buttocks, that's not God's way. And I know that he has learned by some of the deep teaching and the principles of the Lord.

He's had some experience with God. You might build outer framework and outer structure and all that goes with it, and you might add a lot of people, but you're not really building the thing that God wants.

And so he proceeds to tell me out of the experience and the things he's seen in the Word. Now, he has an authority that issues out of some experience. You follow me? He's been through some things. The young man who just came from Bible college has been inducted into a position, and he has an authority that issues out of the position that he has.

So I get home to the pastors where I'm staying, and he says, Well, I suppose Grandpa Brown told you about our problem. And he says, I knew he would, and so I'll tell you my side. And here we have a conflict of authority.

We have a man who has an authority from position. We have another man who, through the years, has an authority that issues out of experience. And whether Grandpa Brown wants it or not, birds of a feather sort of flock together, and he has some of the old-timers, you know, who have been walking with God.

And you've got a conflict going on. I want to ask you, just who would you stand with? There's the authority that issues out of a position one has. There's the authority that issues out of experience one has achieved through the years of learning the principles of God.

There's another authority that issues out of just what I am in being, what God has wrought. I suppose this is so close to experience, but I make a distinction, and you'll see why. I think I've met some lives who really don't know how to handle the book very well, but God strangely has taught them.

I think of back in Salem, Oregon. We were there for about a year, year and a half. Oh, this is a long time ago, but I'll never forget it. The old, dear old grandmother who lived in that area, who was pretty close to 90, and she'd walked with God.

There seemed to be something of the glory and the presence, the sense of God with her, until pastors from that whole valley would slip in every time they got in a crisis. Now, she didn't give them a lot of the theological principles, but she would pray, and when they prayed, they seemed to get up knowing what God wanted.

Something flowed, something of a flow of life out of her being. And I, as a young man who didn't know much, was quite amazed that so many men would go to sit at the feet of a woman, to be honest with you.

But they did, they did. And they knew, they knew that Grandma had something of God. She belonged to the Free Methodist Church. This was David. They didn't use pianos in those days. And the pastor told me one day when he slipped in to my office in the youth center, something that really amazed me.

He said, you know, we had a vote the other day. The conference gave permission for us to have pianos, but each local church now makes the final vote. So we announced that Wednesday night at prayer meeting, we were going to take a vote as to whether we'd have a piano.

He said, I went over to tell Grandma, but she couldn't get out. She hadn't been out for meetings for quite a while. She was much concerned when I told her what we were going to do. And I'm sure she prayed all during the service that Wednesday night.

He said when the vote was taken, she voted by proxy. The Senator voted in. When the vote was taken, it was 89 to 1. And we all knew whose vote that 1 was. So he said, I went over to inform her Thursday morning on what had taken place.

And the pastor said, I told her I was going to go down and buy a piano right away so we'd have one for Sunday. And she looked at him with something of, you're going to what? He said, why? We voted. I'm going to go down and we're going to have a piano Sunday.

I'm going to buy one today. Oh, no you're not, son. Here's something of authority now. Oh, no you're not, son. You're not going to go down and buy a piano. If there's any piano moved into that church, it'll be that one over there.

She pointed to her own in the corner. They told me, this was 20 years ago, they told me. When I was there last year, they're still using grandma's piano. Now you know a lot of people, hear me now, a lot of people would have complained and found some other person who was having some difficulty.

And the first thing you know, the society of the mutually disagreed would be gathering together to pray. They don't all have the pianos as their primary objective, but they're all disagreeing about something until they're agreed and disagreeing and praying about it.

Yeah, it's something good to have a prayer meeting about. Well, I only mention this to simply say to you this morning, I'll never forget Grandma Kuhlman. There was something that flowed, that issued out of a being for over 70 years that had walked with God.

And a strange authority. She was turning to her pastor and saying, Oh, no, son, you won't. You'll see what I'm getting at. Now, I know it may sound strange to you, but I'd like for us to see this morning before we get through.

And we'll go back to the book of Samuel, and we'll follow through the life of Saul and then of David. And strange as it may seem, I'd like for you to consider, and I'm open for correction, but I have a hard time changing things.

I'm pretty convinced that God stands with position first. He would have to in the economy of things. And this so crosses us out when we begin to see that God honors government. God honors the authority that issues out of position.

Saul Chosen by the People

Well, let's read in 1 Samuel first, shall we? Let's see how the people in chapter 8 begin to cry out for a king. Samuel had been the voice of God, and Israel had been a theocracy. Theocracy means that God is ruling over his people, and Samuel is the voice.

Chapter 8, 1 Samuel, it says, and it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over Israel. Now, the people apparently had some good reasoning. They knew that his sons were weak. They knew that he had something of a weakness in Samuel, I believe.

I'm not sure that he was to institute. But you know how a father will place his sons in position. And I think there's something of a groaning within the people. They didn't mind Samuel being the voice of God, but now what if they get some of his sons put in position?

And so they begin to cry out, give us a king that we can be like the other nations. And we read in verse 3,. And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after Lucre and took bribes and perverted judgment.

Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together and came to Saul, Samuel unto Ramah, and said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.

But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord. And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee.

For they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me that I should not reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even unto this day wherewith they have forsaken me and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.

Well, Saul is chosen to be king. We read on in chapter 9 where he's anointed. Verse 16, chapter 9. Verse 15, we'll pick it up. Now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying, Tomorrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over my people Israel, that he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines.

For I have looked upon my people because their cry is come unto me. And when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said unto him, And behold the man whom I spake to thee of, this same shall reign over my people. Now go on to chapter 10.

Verse 1,. Then Samuel took a vial of oil. He didn't take a horn. We'll see in a little while. He took a vial of oil and poured it upon his head and kissed him and said, Is it not because the Lord hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance?

Then he begins to plead with the people. Samuel began to say to them that they have missed the best that God has. They wanted a king, and he's warning them of some of the difficulties that will come because they are taking an alternate way, a way that is not the real choice of the Lord.

Finally, we come to chapter 12, and I want to pick it up there. Chapter 12. Here is Samuel pleading. And Samuel said unto the people, verse 6,. And Samuel said unto the people, It is the Lord that advanced Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt.

Who had advanced all? The people had. Isn't it interesting now? We've been reading in these other verses. It's the Lord that raised up David. It's the Lord that had raised up, that had advanced Moses and Aaron.

And here's David reminding them now, or rather Samuel reminding them. He says,. Now therefore, verse 7,. Stand still, and I may reason with you before the Lord of all the righteous acts of the Lord, which he did to you and to your fathers.

And he reiterates them. Verse 12,. And when ye saw that Nahash, the king of the children of Ammon, came against you, ye said unto me, Nay, but a king shall reign over us. When the Lord your God was your king.

Now therefore, behold the king whom ye have chosen. Underline that. And whom ye have desired. And behold, the Lord hath set a king over you. Now isn't it strange that in their begging and in their pleading, God, as it were, seems to go along in this ultimate course, as if to say, All right, if you want this man and you want to give him a position, you want him to be king, I'll go along.

I'll allow it. The anointing, I'll anoint him to be king. But he's saying all the way through, It's you who have chosen it and you've desired it. You're going to have to suffer the consequences. Now, let me see if we can bring this down into a little more practical area.

It is interesting to notice when you see, as we go along now, that Saul is given a position, but he has never had anything wrought in his life. He has no background. He has no experience. There's nothing of preparation in his inner being.

He's not ready for the position. But man's way is to give a man a position, and out of it he'll get some experience. And out here on the pedestal, in front of everybody, he has to learn. It's something to have a position before you're prepared for it.

How many times have I looked at some sweet little lassie who comes in and says, Brother Framke, I'm in love with John and we're going to get married. And I've looked at her, and especially if I've known John a little bit, and I've said so often, I wonder, young lady, if you know what you're doing.

Are you ready to give John the position of Lord in your home? That is, of head in your house. Of your head? Well, you know, love is so blind. She looks up and she says, Oh, I love John. I'm sure it'll work out.

I've prayed about it so long, and he's just the one. And it seems that any amount of counseling or trying to prepare her to say that she is giving a position to someone, and that from that position John's going to have to learn some experience to learn how to be what he should be.

But all the years of learning, he hasn't been through it. And don't you know, six months later, the young lady comes in, and I see such a different look on her face. And she says with tears, Brother Framke, I should have listened.

John just doesn't seem to have any ability to run our home. Why, last week he took our whole paycheck and spent it on his jalopy. You know, buying gadgets for it. He doesn't know how to handle money. And the undertone of her groan is, Do I have to obey John?

He doesn't have any experience. He doesn't know anything. Do I have to obey John? What do I do? Now we're on real touchy ground. But we always are when you're touching the things that are vital. There are those who will always say, Well Mary, just obey the Lord.

Just obey the Lord. John will learn. Who does God stand with? Who does God stand with? All the struggle that goes on in this dear heart while she hears the words reiterated again. Young lady, you have given this man a position for which he was totally unprepared.

This is man's way. He has a position now. He's head. He's your husband. And now he's going to learn experience. And God will go on. God hasn't counted Saul out. You're going to see. He hasn't counted the whole thing out.

He just says, All right, this is your way. We'll just have to let him learn some experience now. I'm trying to do something in his inner being. I'm trying to get out a well, a union. I'm trying to bring him to a place where he can learn something in his innermost being of the ways of the Lord.

But here we are. Now this is a problem that carries over all the time. We were dealing with the church a little bit ago. The conflict of Grandpa Brown, you know, and the pastor. And I have letters from people who come all the time who are saying, Oh, Brother Fromke, we have a fine young fellow who's pastor.

And he has a position. He doesn't have much experience. He doesn't know the ways of the Lord. What do we do? Well, the American way is to vote him out. After all, he was voted in. Why not vote him out?

No, we don't have theocracy. Now, don't misunderstand me. We are real thorough. We believe in democracy. Vote him in. And if the fellow won't go, we'll starve him out. Now, you don't believe that's true.

I can show you some letters that are going on right now where a pastor has said, You didn't put me here. God did, and I don't intend to move. And the people have said, Well, we'll help the Lord a little differently then.

And they're starving him right now. The turmoil that's going on in what I call a religious ecclesiasticism today that has set up their soul. Someone with a degree, someone with the image. Head and shoulders, he looks the part.

He's the image of what we want to draw and win people. But I want you to see what they got when they got Saul. Chapter 13. Here's a man with position who has no ability to lead the people. Chapter 13 and verse 1.

Saul reigned one year. When he had reigned two years over Israel, Saul chose him 3 ,000 men of Israel. Whereof 2 ,000 were with Saul in Mishmash and in Mount Bethel, and 1 ,000 were with Jonathan in Gibeah, Benjamin, and the rest of the people he sent every man to his tent.

And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land saying, Let the Hebrews hear. And all Israel heard say that Saul had smitten a garrison of the Philistines and that Israel also had an abomination with the Philistines.

And the people were called together after Saul to Gilgal. And the Philistines gathered themselves together to fight with Israel. 30 ,000 chariots, 6 ,000 horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the seashore in multitude.

And they came up and pitched in Mishmash eastward from Beth-Avon. Now notice, when the men of Israel saw that they were in a strain, for the people were distressed, then the people did hide themselves in caves and in thickets and in rocks and in high places and in pits.

And some of the Hebrews went over Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he was yet in Gilgal. And all the people followed him. I don't blame them. I tremble too with that kind of a general.

You know why? He doesn't know how to get a word from the Lord. We'll see a little later this week probably. He knows that the customary way when you need divine guidance is to go to the altar at Gilgal and to make an offering.

And somehow the Lord will send a letter down and we'll know what to do. Now I'm not being facetious. He has no background of the acquaintance, the personal way by which God in the hour of crisis can come in and give the direction that is so much needed.

And hear me, it is strange, but God always precipitates those hours of crisis for this man in order that through it he can establish him. The crisis isn't bad, it's good. How else will he be established in his position?

Moses had to be as every man of God. Everyone who has ever moved on with God has always had the challenging of authority. But when God in his own way had been able to do some preparing in the heart and life of this individual, then they were always equal to the position.

David’s Preparation Through Crisis

Let me see if I can illustrate. You remember how God was preparing the man after his own heart? Here was a boy out with his father's sheep, handing them out in the wilderness. And one day, I cannot help but believe that up to this time, there had been something of a strange and wonderful communion and a union developing with the heart of David as he'd been responding to God.

And God precipitates and brings a crisis. Here comes a bear, here comes a lion, let's take the lion. What does he do in the midst of this first physical crisis? I believe, I don't think I'm reading into it, but I believe he simply looks up as a helpless lad would just to say, Oh God, this is your hour.

God gives him the strength to tear the lion asunder. Very simple, very small, but it's the beginning of a man who is moving into union and moving into the sharing of the life of the Lord. Something in his being is in tune with God and out of it he issues in an experience.

Well Lord, that's wonderful. You do get strength in the moment of crisis. And there's something of a position that issues out of what has happened in him, experience that has been wrought and what has come.

But that's just preparation for a bigger lion. Cheer up. One day this boy went out to visit his brothers. And here were the armies of Israel on one slope and the armies over here challenging and a big old giant by the name of Goliath stands there.

Ha ha, he's laughing. Is there any among you who will dare to come out and fight me? And David overhears. This is not merely a man challenging. This is the enemy challenging the people of God. Oh, David doesn't just immediately step into this position, but what there's been some preparation previously.

Do you see that? He'd met this lion before. He just changes his coat. It's the same lion. Hear me. It's the same lion. And that day when something of the inner voice of God speaks and he hears the challenge, God is being challenged.

He dare not let the glory and the name of the Lord be challenged by this one. He moves out with his slingshot and five stones. Puts off the armor that has been given him. But he moves out. You know the lion that falls.

I think every time I used to read these I would shudder and I would say, Oh, Lord, I'm not ready for that kind of a position. But the Lord's sweet voice always seems to say, Son, I never push anybody into the position that they're not prepared for.

The preparations of the Lord. The preparations of the Lord. First this lion, the physical. Then Goliath. But that's just preparation for another one. Thoughts some day I don't know that we'll get to. So we talk about the warfare on three levels and the overcoming.

First the physical realm. Here he tears this lion and the bearer's thunder. And I don't know, but I think I can see in the realm of the giant all the war of the soul. All that rises up to antagonize. But when he faces this third lion, I mean the lion in his third phase, it's old King Saul himself.

You know the story. You know how David flees through the wilderness and you read all of the Psalms, how again and again he cries out and you sense that there is something of an attunement. In the midst of his fear, yet God is working.

God is working to prepare. And I say that each line is preparation for a lion on another phase. Here's the spiritual. Here's the kingdom phase. The spiritual aspect when old Saul is after him. So we're saying now in chapter 13 that Saul was unprepared.

And by contrast, God has been preparing himself a man, the scripture says. He's been preparing him in his inner being, bringing about a union. And out of that experience each time, the reality. And out of it, there flows a new position each time.

But Saul, Saul got his position first. And so he has to learn right out here on the pedestal in front of everybody. Oh, I look back. I look back at some of those first days when I was thrust out tempting to do some ministering.

So often thrust into position. It's quite a thing on the table out in front of everybody to make all of your mistakes. We make enough anyway. But it's quite a thing to get all your experience right out in front of everybody.

God does have hidden ways. Back in the sheep coat. God does have ways of preparing. And Saul, Saul is in a crisis. Here is the proof now in chapter 13. The people are following him, but I think they see his knees knocking and that's why they tremble.

He doesn't move with, he doesn't have any principle. There's nothing of background. There's been nothing prepared in his life. He trembles when he speaks. Verse eight, we read, and Saul carried seven days according to the set time that Samuel had appointed.

But Samuel came not to Gilgal, and the people were scattered from him. And Saul said, bring hither a burnt offering to me and peace offering. And he offered the burnt offering. Here's a man who doesn't know.

But he knows one thing, that he has to have a word from God. And the way you get it is to what? Go to the altar and offer. But he doesn't know that he isn't prepared. Samuel comes, and it came to pass that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came.

And Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him. And Samuel said, what hast thou done? And Saul said, because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou camest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered themselves together to make smash, therefore said I, the Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal.

I have not made supplication unto the Lord. I forced myself. I forced myself, therefore, and offered a burnt offering. A desperation moved. Samuel said to Saul, thou hast done foolishly. Thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee.

For now, or for through this, would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel forever. He hasn't rejected him. Just because the people gave him a position doesn't mean that God was rejecting. God was saying, all right, this is the man you want.

We'll allow him to learn. We'll allow him to be established, but it will have to be through the crisis in this way. For in this way, or for through this, for now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel forever.

But now thy kingdom shall not continue. The Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart. And the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee.

David Refuses to Seize Saul’s Position

Now I want you to bear in mind one thing. There's only two people who know this so far. Saul and Samuel, right? Now, dear heart, I do not believe that the Lord ever gives any wife the privilege of saying, Lord, my husband hasn't any experience.

This position, he's not big enough for it, and I'll reject it. He's not worthy. I know the involvement. I know how the rationalizing of the mind, the reasonings rise up to say, but what if, what if. I know, but I simply say that God's peculiar way seems to be to stand with government and position.

And I don't believe, I think I'll say it as softly and kindly as I can. I don't believe that any people who are mixed up in an ecclesiastical system in which you have given a position to some pastor, that God gives you any right to reject him.

As long as you're in it, you're stuck. Here we go. You have no right to reject. Lost a lot of frames. Well, now, let me illustrate why I'm sure this is so. We're talking about this last big lion that was the one that was after David.

You remember when King Saul begins to be jealous and envious of this little boy who killed the giant? And word got back among the people, and pretty soon there's a whispering campaign that goes on that says, what is this the women were saying?

Saul has killed his thousands, but David has his 10 ,000. Now, that'll help you if you're a king. That'll help you if you have a position, and here's somebody who has some experience, you know. That'll bring the best out, and you'll get to see yourself.

And immediately there's an envy and a jealousy, and Saul must get rid of David, and he pursues him. He pursues him through the wilderness. One day, when David is hiding in a cave, Saul comes in, and is, I expect, momentarily blinded, coming in from the light into the darkness.

There's David and some of his men around the edge of the cave, and he pounces upon Saul, and you know, he could have said, oh, this is the day I'll help the Lord. This is the day I'll fulfill the thing that God's after.

This man who's a murderer, right? Who has a position, right? Who's not worthy of it and not deserving of it? Why? That's true. And Samuel himself has told King Saul that he'll be rejected, but oh, here's a principle.

David turns, and he has to say that he will not touch the anointed of the Lord. Hands off. He's a man who had a position which God still honored, even though, even though we know. Now, you think it made any difference if David had overheard what Samuel said?

Well, that's conjecture. We won't go into it. But he doesn't know this. He knows one thing, and it's a principle. He must not touch the Lord's anointed. The man who was in position, and God stands with that position, yes.

Oh, I've squirmed about this. I've seen some Saul, and I've cried out, oh, God, why? Just touch not mine anointed. Does it happen just once? In case we think, you know, I think God wants to verify it again by saying to us, once again when he is caught, same thing, touch not mine anointed.