I was having a good talk with Bernie back there, finding all the people we know, our mutual friends. Would you take your Bible, please, and turn to the book of 1 Samuel. We've been looking at the life of David together on Sunday nights. This evening we're going to look at the theme from David's experience, what to do when the enemy surrounds. After his victory at Elah, killing Goliath the giant, David's popularity mushroomed, and he became prosperous as a young warrior in the nation.
However, that was a test of his faith, that popularity. He passed it. And then Saul demoted him, as we've seen, perhaps hoping that because he was in a more vulnerable position he might be killed. That too was a test of his faith, the demotion. He passed it. And then Saul dishonored David, promising him his eldest daughter as a bride, and then ended up giving that daughter to another man. That was a test of disappointment. But David passed it. Saul used deceit on David.
David did not retaliate using the same. He passed that test of faith. It seems as Saul watched this young man, he became more and more aware that in fact this was the young man upon whom God had put his hand, and who would one day take the spot of Saul as king. So he increasingly disliked and distrusted David. He sought in any way that he could to thwart the plan of God to crown David as the king. After all, he reasoned, a dead man cannot be crowned king.
And in that he typifies Satan, who seeks to keep David's greater son, the Lord Jesus Christ, from reigning as king as well. And Satan will be as frustrated in that as Saul was frustrated in his effort. The story that we're going to look at here in 1 Samuel chapter 19 illustrates the attack of Satan against the believer, seeking to destroy the believer. In 1 Samuel 19 verse 11 it says, Saul sent messengers to David's house to watch him in order to put him to death in the morning.
But Michael, David's wife, told him, saying, If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be put to death. So Michael let David down through a window, and he went out and fled and escaped. And Michael took the household idol and laid it on the bed and put a quilt of goat's hair at its head and covered it with clothes, when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, He's sick. Then Saul sent messengers to see David, saying, Bring him up to me on his bed, that I may put him to death.
And when the messengers entered, behold, the household idol was on the bed with the quilt of goat's hair at its head. And so Saul said to Michael, Why have you deceived me like this, and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped? And Michael said to Saul, He said to me, Let me go, why should I put you to death? Michael's character, unfortunately, is revealed in these verses. She was a woman that was dishonest, and her dishonesty is clearly written before us, it is not excused.
Michael and David, in the house at night, looked out the windows and they saw the soldiers. And Michael was immediately aware of what her father had planned to do. David was surrounded by his enemy. Now what was he going to do? After all that he had experienced, after all the promises of God, now it seems it's all in vain, for he is surrounded and will be put to death within a few hours. Either at that time or later as he thought about that experience, David wrote Psalm 59.
And that's where we're going to focus most of our attention this evening, so I invite you to turn over there with me. Psalm 59. You'll notice the inscription to the Psalm, it's said to be a mectum of David when Saul sent men and they watched the house in order to kill him. In other words, that was the occasion when the Psalm was written. Now with that background, let's read through the Psalm. Deliver me from my enemies, O my God. Set me securely on high, away from those who rise up against me.
Deliver me from those who do iniquity and save me from men of bloodshed. For behold, they have set an ambush for my life. Those men launch an attack against me, not for my transgression nor for my sin, O Lord. For no guilt of mine, they run and set themselves against me. Arouse thyself to help me and see. And thou, O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, awaken to punish all the nations. Do not be gracious to any who are treacherous in iniquity.
They return at evening, they howl like a dog, and go around the city. Behold, they belch forth with their mouths. Swords are in their lips, for they say, Who hears? But thou, O Lord, dost laugh at them. Thou dost scoff at all the nations. Because of his strength, I will watch for thee. Or that could be, O my strength, I will watch for thee. For God is my stronghold. Thy God in his loving kindness will meet me. God will let me look triumphantly upon my enemies, my foes.
Do not slay them, lest my people forget. Scatter them by thy power, and bring them down, O Lord, our shield. On account of the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips, let them even be caught in their pride. And on account of curses and lies which they utter, destroy them in wrath. Destroy them that they may be no more. That men may know that God rules in Jacob to the ends of the earth. Selah. And they return at evening, they howl like a dog, and go around the city.
They wander about for food and growl if they are not satisfied. But as for me, I shall sing of thy strength. Yes, I shall joyfully sing of thy loving kindness in the morning. For thou hast been my stronghold and a refuge in the day of my distress. O my strength, I will sing praises to thee. For God is my stronghold, the God who shows me loving kindness. In Psalm 59, David tells us what to do when surrounded by the enemy. You may feel surrounded tonight where you are.
You may feel that there is no way out from the predicament that you are facing. Let David tell you tonight what to do as you are surrounded by your enemy. Number one, turn to the Lord in patient trust. Do you notice that what David did was to pray? David cries out in verses 1 and 2, deliver me. Set me securely on high. Deliver me and save me. Actually three verbs are used there. He says deliver me. The word literally means to snatch me away.
Tear me away from this situation, he cries out to the Lord. He says set me on high. Literally the word means to be lofty. It means to be raised up. David wishes that he could fly away from his situation and ask God to set him on high. And then he says save me. It means to be open, to be free. It means as though the gates which were barred should be burst open so he could run. Save me, he says.
When surrounded by the enemy, the first thing that David did was to turn to the Lord in a patient trust. Rather than fret and fear, he turned to the Lord and asked the Lord for his deliverance. And there was a way for him to be delivered. God provided an escape for him. And that escape was through his wife, Michael, who let him down from the window. And he was able to elude those soldiers who had surrounded him. And where did David go?
Well, the text in Samuel says that he went to Ramah to see Samuel to have a conversation with him. You say, well, I don't know how to get a hold of Samuel these days. Well, neither do I. But what David did was to seek out the word of the Lord. Because you see, that's how he heard from God, through God's man, God's prophet. And so he sought out the word of the Lord regarding this. What was he to do? How did all of this fit into God's plan for him?
After all, it was Samuel who had declared him to be the next king and who anointed him in private as the king. So he sought out Samuel to know what the word of the Lord might be. And I say to you that that, too, is a part of our patient trust in him, not only crying out to him for deliverance from the enemy who surrounds, but turning to his word and saying, Lord, what are you trying to teach me? What is it that I should learn in this situation?
This also may picture another thing that we might do when surrounded by the enemy, and that is to turn to a spiritual friend who can counsel us and help us. Because sometimes, folks, we get so close to our circumstances that we cannot see the trees for the forest. We cannot see even some of the things that should be clear to us, and we need a spiritual, God-honoring friend who knows the word, who can counsel us and help us to see our circumstances as they really are.
And that's how Samuel served David on this occasion. So what do you do when you're under attack and surrounded by the enemy? Number one, turn to the Lord in patient trust. Number two, see the enemy in right perspective. David sees his enemy in contrast to God. It's not really that he sees one or the other, but David sees his enemy, and in the background, over it all, is the Lord. Last evening, my wife and I enjoyed the play, The Music Man, here on this stage.
The actors, students here at Northwestern College did quite well. But behind those actors who were giving their lines and doing their thing, there were backdrops and sets. Now, why was that?
In order to give us out there watching a certain perspective or a certain background, a certain setting to what was being said and the action that was taking place on the stage, I want to suggest to you that what we need to do when the enemy surrounds us is to put the enemy in perspective, to lift our focus just from the enemy and to put him in light of God. David cries out to the Lord regarding his enemies. He says, deliver me from my enemies, O my God. What does he call the Lord?
Notice that there are at least five names that he calls the Lord in this psalm. In verse five, he calls him the Lord of Hosts. That is the warrior name of God. That is the name of God as he goes out to battle against his foes. That was the name that David invoked as he fought against Goliath in the valley of Elah. He said, I am going in the name of the Lord of Hosts. And so as he finds himself now surrounded by soldiers of his own blood, he cries out to the Lord of Hosts.
He calls him as well his shield. In verse 11, O Lord, our shield. That word literally means the hide of a crocodile. But it was the word that the Hebrews used for a small buckler or shield that was used in combat. And David says, the Lord is my shield. He protects me. He calls him in verse 9, in verse 16, and in verse 17, my defense or my high tower or my stronghold. That word literally is a cliff. The Lord is my cliff, he says.
When I think of that, I think of Masada, that fortress built into the cliff in Israel where the Jews withstood the Roman army to the last man. It is the place today where every Jewish soldier is taken as he is sworn into the army in Israel. And he promises by oath to defend the people of Israel in our day until his death because of what happened at Masada. He's saying here, the Lord is my Masada. He is my fortress. He is my stronghold. He lifts me up on high, and I am delivered.
He calls him in verse 17, my strength. And then he calls him again in verse 16, my refuge. That comes from a verb which means to flee or to vanish. And that's what David wanted to do there in that house surrounded by the enemy. He wanted to vanish. In the noun form it means a retreat. He says, Lord, you are my retreat. What he is doing here is calling God by various names, but he is calling upon God as his inner strength and his outer protection.
He calls God the one who empowers him within and encompasses him without so that he is safe. And it is that God who gives his enemy a certain perspective. Indeed, in another place the psalmist says, thou dost surround him that is the righteous with favor as a shield. And again he writes, the angel of the Lord encampeth round about those who fear him and delivereth them. That is the experience of the child of God. The Lord is our defense.
There are times when you and I are tempted to defend ourselves. Particularly is that so when our reputation is at stake and someone is saying something about us that is not true. We are tempted then to fight back with words. The Lord is our defense. That is one thing that I especially admire Dr. Billy Graham for. The fact is that through the years he has had his critics. And there are certain aspects of his ministry that I disagree with as well.
But those who have harshly criticized him have never heard a word of defense from him. Early in his ministry he determined that the Lord would be his defense. And God has defended him. That is a lesson for you and for me. David cries out in this imprecatory psalm as it is called, for his enemies to be destroyed. There are ten psalms that are called imprecatory in nature. That means that the psalmist calls God's judgment upon his enemies. He says, Lord destroy them.
In one place he says, Lord don't kill them, just scatter them real good and make it slow. In another place he says, destroy them, that everybody in the whole earth will know that there is a God in Jacob. There is a God in Israel. That seems like strange words, doesn't it, from a believer? Remember that David here is not writing so much for himself and his own situation as he is for the glory of God. He says that they may know that there is a God in Jacob.
That is his motivation for praying that way. He calls his enemies scavenger dogs. Do you notice that? Twice. He says they are but currs of the street. But he says God will eventually and gradually starve them to death. And so it is with all of those who are wicked and all of those who declare themselves to be enemies with the people of God. Do you realize that because you are a child of God there is no weapon that is formed against you which can prosper?
Ultimately all of those who are the enemies of God's people will be destroyed. And that is taking place right now in our world. Because the world is passing away. It is passing away. Every enemy of the child of God will ultimately be consumed. And as David prays here, let me see their destruction. So every child of God will share in that. Your enemy may seem very large and looming tonight.
Oh, it may be for some of you a person there in your office who is attacking you or ridiculing you, mocking you because of your witness. Perhaps it has not even been your witness. It is just your character in the office. Maybe it is someone in your family. Maybe it is a circumstance that has come upon you which threatens to destroy you and your family. I do not know what the enemy may be tonight.
But this much I know you need to put that enemy in perspective and see that enemy against the backdrop of the Lord God who is your defense and leave it with Him. Number three, when surrounded by the enemy, respond from the heart in proper praise. David concludes this psalm in verses 16 and 17 by saying three times, I will sing. I will sing. I will sing, he says. You know it requires faith to sing when the enemy is surrounding.
And will you even notice that David in verse 16 says, I shall joyfully sing of thy loving kindness when? In the morning. Pray tell me what was Saul's plan for the morning. He expected by morning to have David's neck, but David knew better. And he says as he finishes this psalm, I will sing in the morning because he knew the Lord would deliver him. There are many commands that we have in the Word to give thanks to the Lord.
When you and I give thanks to Him in the midst of the battle, it takes faith. But there are few things that will lift the heart when we are oppressed than simply beginning to praise the Lord. I have a friend who at one time when he was in the service, was in the middle of a hurricane. A hurricane that stretched for hundreds of miles across the Atlantic Ocean, which caused the waves to roll and to beat upon the shore. It endangered the shipping.
He was within a hundred feet of the eye of the hurricane, but was in complete calmness and serenity. Do you know how? He was in a submarine. A hundred feet down below the surface of the ocean, he was perfectly calm in the midst of the hurricane. What is the hurricane that blows against your life tonight? What's the answer to it? Go deep. Go deep. Turn to the Lord in patient trust. Cry out to Him. Express your needs to Him. He hears you.
Even see your enemy with the right perspective and respond from your heart with thanksgiving and praise to the Lord. And as you go deep in that kind of a response to the enemy, you will be in complete serenity in your storm. Let me close with a final illustration. We turn to the New Testament for this, to the book of 2 Timothy chapter 4. The Apostle Paul is in a hurricane. He recounts in a few verses in the last part of chapter 4 the circumstances that he faced.
He says, Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. And then he mentions others of his companions who had gone for one reason or another, only Luke, the beloved physician, was with him. He particularly mentions Alexander in verse 14, who did him much harm. He says the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. In verse 16, perhaps he shares the thing that hurt him most. At my first defense, no one supported me, but all deserted me.
How many thousands had this man led to faith in Jesus Christ? How many in Rome called themselves friends of Paul? And yet when he stood in his first trial before the Roman court, there was no one there who would identify with him. They all deserted him. He was in the midst of an attack from the enemy for sure. What did he do?
Well, he says in verse 17, the Lord stood with me and strengthened me in order that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished and that all the Gentiles might hear. And I was delivered. He turned to the Lord. The Lord stood with him. Paul had experienced that before in the book of Acts when no one was there but Jesus. And that's all he needed. And that's all you and I need too, though all others forsake us.
And he says in verse 18, the Lord will deliver me from every evil deed and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. There you see he puts his enemy in perspective. He says there's nothing, there's nothing that Rome or anything else or anyone else can do to keep me from my destiny. The Lord is going to deliver me one way or the other and preserve me for his heavenly kingdom. And then he concludes by saying to him, to the Lord, be the glory forever and ever.
You see there is his proper praise from his heart. To God be the glory, he says, for his deliverance. Whatever your hurricane, whatever your battle, whatever enemy it is that surrounds you tonight, will you learn from the word of God what to do as your enemy surrounds. Let's bow together in prayer.
As you're sitting there, I wonder if the Spirit of God has put his finger on your heart and encouraged you perhaps, at least reminded you of what to do in the circumstances that confront you this evening. Will you right now patiently trust him and express that? Will you in your mind put your enemy in right perspective? However loud the barking of those scavenger dogs in your life be, however harsh the sound of the enemy, greater is he who is in you than your enemy.
And then will you look to the Lord and say, Lord, thank you. Will you by faith praise him tonight? Father, I pray that each of us who knows the meaning tonight of being surrounded may be able to respond as your word encourages us to do. We thank you for your deliverance. We thank you that you are our strength inwardly and our shield outwardly.
And Father, this week as we talk with people who likewise are going through the battle, may we be discerning of their real need and compassionate to reach out to them where they are and share your word with them. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.