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1 Samuel 23:1-13

Do you make good decisions? One time we bought a van and traded in a car $50 less spiral

One of the worst financial decisions of my life

Philistines fight against Keilah, robbing the threshing floors. David asks God- Should I attack? God says yes. Davids men come- hey- we’re afraid, and we’re not even in the fight. David asks God again- God says yes. You will win. They fight. They win. Keilah is saved. There is one surviving priest from the massacre- and he has an Ephod. Saul finds out David went to Keilah. Saul says “he has delivered him into my hand” Calls people for war against David. David realizes Saul is coming for him- Tells the priest to bring the ephod. Asks if Saul is coming and going to destroy him. God says “he’s coming” David asks “ Will the men deliver me into his hands” God says yes. David takes his band of brothers and leaves Keilah, Saul finds out and stops the assault against David.

David made good decisions- we can see how we can make good decisions- they affect your life

TITLE of Sermon- How to Make Good decisions

• 1. Always Ask God First
  • David finds out about what is happening in Keilah and wants to get involved- so David inquires of God: 2 Therefore David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” 4 Then David inquired of the Lord once again.
  • What David knew and what you should know- is if you’re going to move you should be going to God before you go to anyone else. If God isn’t in it- it aint worth doing
  • There’s a reason he could write- Psalm 145:18 The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.
  • David Called upon God because he knew that with his few hundred men he couldn’t win on his own- he needed God’s help and provision to make it happen- what happens?
  • Victory- 5 And David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines, struck them with a mighty blow, and took away their livestock. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.
  • Jeremiah 33:3  ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’
  • The only times that Israel was able to beat the philistines was with GODS HELP.
  • God- If you’re not in this- I’m not going- I’m not moving forward I NEED YOUR HELP.

• 1 Chronicles 16:11 Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face evermore
  • What does it mean to you?
  • In your decision making- what is your first step- prayer or planning? Is God the first?
  • Your desires? Comfort? Plan? Wants? Vindication? Alleviate pain?
  • Or are you asking What does God want? Require? Line up with the word? Witness?
  • 1 thes 5:17 Pray without ceasing
  • We have Good kids- They are obedient- We taught them to ask as children to LEARN
  • We wanted our kids to learn right and depend on us. Safety breeds confidence.
  • 1 John 5:14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. As adults- we need to be completely dependent on God in everything-
  • the decisions that go wrong in your life are because you aren’t going to God- buying house
  • Colossians 4:2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;
  • Ephesians 6:18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—

• Never step out on your own
• David asks God- should I go and Fight- asks twice in fact.
• Here we see Saul Doesn’t inquire of God- he just decides to go to Keilah to fight David
• So Saul said, “God has delivered him into my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars.” 8 Then Saul called all the people together for war, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men.
• He lie to his troops and say “God has delivered him” but never inquired to the Lord what he should do and how he should do it.  (ROE-came from higher- guard duty-cant just shoot farmer)
• Obviously- IF Saul had asked IF Saul had inquired he would know- No killing David.
• Pro 28:26 He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, But whoever walks wisely will be delivered.
• This is what we see here Saul trusting in his own heart and not trusting God
• Spoiler alert- 1 Chronicles 10:14 But he did not inquire of the Lord; therefore He killed him, and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.
• Saul in his brokenness- assumed that God was with whatever he was doing – but God was NOT with him and eventually- Saul is removed and destroyed for his disobedience.
• Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.

• What does it mean to you?
• What areas of your life are you moving forward without inquiring of God?
• And don’t LIE to yourself. If I had a nickel for every “God told me” when its clear its YOU
• Psalm 37:5 Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.
• Waiting on God is a greater chance of success than doing it YOUR way.
• You can’t trust your heart! Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?
• YOU CAN trust God and his WORD- Its usually NOT your feelings- its his WORD
• I’ve had some times when it was really what I wanted and NOT what God wanted
• Romans 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.
• Carnal mind wants what it wants- not what God wants.

• Always depend on God
• Here’s what I love about this story- David already inquired once and already won- but david shows that he Depends on God> times get difficult, what does he do? Back to God
• Read v 9-12- Asks once- no Answer- so he asks AGAIN
• Why? Because He had won with God at keilah and he wasn’t going to lose on this
• Psalm 34:10 The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.
• He was going to seek God! His plan- His purpose- Whatever God wanted!
• This ephod- The priest would have the umim and thummim only a priest Could ask God through the Umim and Thummim
• Simply- they were rocks that were part of the breastplate of the ephod that had stones representing the 12 tribes of Israel- the two stones would be held- the question would be asked- and the way the light hit the stones would reveal the answer to the question
• Decrees of a prophet could be revoked- but the decree of the U and T could not. FINAL
• Saul had to have known- Deuteronomy 28:1 READ
• He’s going to follow God- He’s trusting the Oracle- can’t be revoked. Whatever he says

• What does it mean to you?
• You may be inquiring of God- but is your relationship only as close as your last need?
• David shows his dependence here- Could have moved in his own direction- NO
• Are you depending on God or on your last victory? “ive been fine so far- no need’
• Mt 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
• Christian life is one depending on God- Why? He wants to glory- for MORE to come to him.
• Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.
• Who is your refuge? Who is your strength? Are you maintaining with God?
• There is never a time in your walk where you’re supposed to be on your own
• Make good decisions? Stay dependent on God- (Ranger- food, walk, life, on his own-die)

• Do what God Says
• So david Goes to God- Asks the Umim and Thummim- gets an answer- what does he do?
• Whatever the Sam Hill he wants- He had no intention of following God- he wanted his own way.
• David is obedient to God- already had experienced victory- but he didn’t lean on that
• Past victory didn’t mean future success- before he could fight and win- now God says- Get out of town what does he do? He gets out of town. He doesn’t fight Saul He leaves
• 13 So David and his men, about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah and went wherever they could go.
• Simple- ask God- God tells you- You do what he says. Very simple path to victory.
• Victory always happens in obedience- David listened- Didn’t fight Saul- VICTORY from OBEY
• Psalm 119:60 I made haste, and did not delay To keep Your commandments.
• David was an Israelite- The whole story of the Bible is when obey or not what happened
• Exodus 19:5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.
• God demands obedience folks! Why inquire if you’re going to do it your way?

• What does it mean to you?
• Are you- do you do what God asks of you? Not just in your specific requests- but in the general terms of what is revealed in the clear word of God? (apologizing again- live at peace)
• Jesus showed us obedience- He went to the Cross- we should be as obedient
• Philippians 2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
• That was the measure of his resolve- willing to die in his obedience.
• People say- “I’m under Grace- I don’t need to obey” but you have to obey Grace?
• Obedience is simply acting in belief regardless of what you may feel about the matter
• God says you are saved by Grace- you walk in that grace- you OBEY and SUBMIT to it
• You are saved because the Bible says you are- not because you FEEL like you’re saved
• Same with everything else- You don’t Do it because you FEEL like it its because you OBEY
• Luke 6:46  “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?
• Be obedient to God and his word and watch how better your decisions get

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