4th May 2026

4th May 2026


Pray (ACts)


Read (1 Samuel 26 focus v1-4)


Message (Alan Burke) 


I think I’ve mentioned before in one of these devotions the quote by George Santayana, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” It was a constant refrain of my history teacher in school, and as we come here to 1 Samuel 26, we see history being repeated. We were introduced to the Ziphites back in chapter 23, and can you remember what they did? Well, they told on David, not quite like the child in the playground telling the teacher on another pupil, but they told Saul where David was, and we’ll get into that in a moment or two. We’ve also got used to Saul’s continual pursuit of David; it’s like a game of cat and mouse, Saul pursuing David for quite a while, and as the chapter goes on, we have again David sparing Saul’s life. In a sense, history is repeating itself. Maybe you’ve from time to time in exasperation said the words “not again,” well, you could say that with most of what goes on in this chapter.


Today we focus on the first four verses; there are a few things that I want us to see. Firstly, the Ziphites, they go tell Saul that David is back hiding in the wilderness of Ziph. Remember that David and his men had gone to the Sinai Peninsula, creating distance between them and Saul; well, we don’t know how long the intervening time has been, but he and his men have subsequently returned. But why would the Ziphites be so willing to go to Saul and tell David, after all, in every way he has acted righteously, and from our point of view, he’s done nothing on them? Well, I’ve read when studying for this that they went because they were politically motivated; they wanted power and influence, they wanted to be on Saul’s good side, but that I’m confident isn’t the reason. Remember Saul had wiped out the priests of Nob (1 Sam 22:6–23); well, from that point on, the message is clear, don’t get on the wrong side of Saul or you’ve had it. Fear was what motivated them.


Next, Saul, and once again when he hears of the report of where David is, he gathers his men and goes. Like, has this lad not learnt anything? Obviously not. I wondered for a moment if, though, if Saul had just taken a moment to think through all that had happened, of how the last time that he pursued David he had been so close to death, reflecting on how it was only that David was such a righteous man that he was spared and still alive, would he have acted any differently, and I came to the conclusion he wouldn’t have, because he had been so blinded by his own sin that he was unable to see. 


And then there is David, the anointed king. He had, well, what happened in the last chapter, he had shown that he was a righteous man, he had trusted the LORD in everything. He was far from perfect, but again, in what he faced, he was trusting in the LORD, trusting in him in all he faced, through the highs and the lows. This time, though, David takes a different tact than before, and instead of running, he stays. 


So, what, if anything, do we learn? Well, in the actions of the Ziphites, it is motivated by fear. In 2 Timothy 1:7, we are told, “ For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline (2 Ti 1:7). That word timidity in the NIV is literally fear, so what Paul is doing is that he is encouraging Timothy to look to God, to rely on him, even in the midst of suffering (2 Ti 1:8-12). The LORD our God has given us a spirit of power and love and self-discipline to help us no matter what we face, and if we are afraid, we should look to the LORD. Next, Saul, ahhhh “not again”, well, yes, again, sin is like that, you can’t see the wood for the trees because of it, it is deceptive. If you find yourself falling into a pattern of sin, be warned, you do not know where it will lead, repent of it, trust in Christ Jesus. Finally, David, well, he here is trusting in the LORD even though he is being pursued again, all because he knew that the LORD is sovereign. The LORD is sovereign and can be trusted, and his sovereignty is seen in our salvation through Christ (Eph 1:11).


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q58 What is required in the fourth commandment?
A. The fourth commandment requireth the keeping holy to God such set times as he hath appointed in his Word; expressly one whole day in seven, to be a holy Sabbath to himself.
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