 Chapter 4. We're going to begin at verse 1. We'll read to verse 3. We'll move through chapters 4 into chapter 5. And basically I'll tell you in advance that the majority of what I feel is very applicable to us today is when we get into the portion that says David became great. And we're going to be looking at that today as we look at our study. David became great. Beginning at chapter 4, verse 1, reading to verse 3. When Saul's son heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost heart and all Israel was troubled. Now Saul's son had two men who were captains of troops. The name of one was Ba'ana, the name of the other Rechab, the sons of Ramon, the Beirutite, of the children of Benjamin, for Beirut was also part of Benjamin because the Beirutites fled to Getaim and have been sojourners there until this day. And so let's give an introduction and get into our study. Abner. We've been looking at Abner. We saw how Abner, who was the commander over the the army of Israel, how Abner had been killed. And when Abner was killed, troubled times for Israel, only intensified. Strife and civil war followed the deaths of Saul and Jonathan. And when when David was recognized as king in Judah, Abner had actually, being the commander of the armies of Israel, had actually led a rebellion against David. He placed Saul's son, a man by the name of Ishbosheth, on the throne. And in doings, he'll created a rival king as well as a rival kingdom. Now as this is taking place, Abner decides to take one of Saul's concubines and so Ishbosheth approached him and rebuked him for taking Saul's concubine and that got Abner angry enough to ally himself with King David. Now this is a mistake because the commander of David's army is a man by the name of Joab and he's been waiting for an opportunity to take vengeance on Abner because Abner was responsible for the death of Joab's brother. And so when given opportunity, Joab killed Abner. Now Israel is without a military commander. Ishbosheth knows this and he knows that he's too weak to deal with David. And so as it says here in 2 Samuel chapter 4 verse 1, Saul's son heard that Abner had died in Hebron. He lost heart and all Israel was troubled. He knew that he didn't have the power to hold the nation together. He knew that Abner had been the one who secured him in power and now there's no one there to support him. Now his hesitation to act actually gave time for people to find out that David had been innocent. Had he been courageous and decisive, Israel might have rallied around him. They might have been wondering, did David actually kill Abner? But because he's indecisive, because he doesn't act quickly, Israel has time to hear that David was not responsible for the death of Abner and therefore they begin to be open to having relations with David. Now as this is taking place, notice verses 2 and 3, Saul's son had two men who were captains of troops. And so these men were of the tribe of Benjamin. They were captains over light-armed troops. And so there's now a division that is is rising over Ishmael. And there's going to be a grab for power that begins to occur. We'll see that in a moment. Verse 4, Jonathan Saul's son had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel and his nurse took him up and fled. And it happened as she made haste to flee that he fell and became lame. His name was Mephiboshah. Now this man, this young boy actually, he's only 12 at the time, is introduced because it's the intent of the author to make it clear to us that he was too young to be the king. He was 12 years of age, but beyond the fact of his youth he was also physically impaired. And so it's just a way of letting us know that he was incapable of ruling as king. Now David is going to care for him. We'll see this later on because this one, Mephiboshah, is actually the son of David's closest friend, Jonathan. And when Jonathan was speaking to David on one occasion, he made David make a promise that he would not only care for Jonathan, but also care for Jonathan's children. And so David was going to keep that oath that he had made there in 1 Samuel chapter 20 verses 14 and 15. But Mephiboshah is mentioned to us so that we might see him later on in the book. Now as this is going on, verse 5, then the sons of Ramon, the Verite, Rahab and Abana set out and came at about the heat of the day to the house of Ishboshah, who was lying on his bed at noon. And they came there all the way into the house as though to get wheat and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rahab and Abana, his brother, escaped. For when they came into the house, he was lying on his bed in his bedroom. Then they struck him and killed him, beheaded him, took his head and were all night escaping through the plane. And they brought the head of Ishboshah to David at Hebron and said to the king, here is the head of Ishboshah, the son of Saul, your enemy, who sought your life. And the Lord has avenged my Lord, the king this day, of Saul and his descendants. Now it was normal for captains to secure food for their troops. Ishboshah would not have noticed these people as they came in to get this wheat. So as they came to get the wheat for their troops or at least under the guise of doing so, they killed the king. Now the reason they killed the king is they think that it's going to be able to, they're going to be able to secure peace between David representing Judah as well as Israel. They also believe that David is going to reward them for doing so. Now it's interesting how they put it. Notice verse 8, when it says that they brought the head of Ishboshah to David at Hebron, they said to the king, here's the head of Ishboshah, the son of Saul, your enemy, who sought your life and the Lord has avenged my Lord, the king this day of Saul and his descendants. So what they're doing basically is they're saying, God used us to deliver the kingdom into your hands. God has used us to secure peace between you. Well the fact is, David doesn't see it that way. They're blaming God for the murder of a man. And so David in verse 9 answers Rehab and Baniah's brother, the sons of Ramon, the birthite and said to them, as the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from all adversity. When someone told me, saying, look Saul is dead, thinking to have brought good news, I arrested him and had him executed in Ziklah. The one who thought I would give him a reward for his news. How much more when wicked men have killed a righteous person in his own house on his bed, therefore shall I not now require his blood at your hand and remove you from the earth? I don't see this as the Lord's vengeance. I see this for what it is. It's murder. You killed an innocent man. You executed the murder of a king and now you are going to be executed yourself. All the way back in Genesis in chapter 9, verse 6, when God institutes human government, it says there, whoever sheds man's blood by man, his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God, he made man. And so David is basically enacting the penalty for murder. They murdered this man. He was there on his own bed. He wasn't harming anybody. It wasn't manslaughter. It was murder. They intended to kill him, thinking they'd get a reward for it. And so he says, listen, this is what we're going to do. We're going to deal with you. Verse 12, David commanded his young men. They executed them, cut off their hands and feet, hanged them by the pool in Hebron. They took the head of Ishmael and buried it in the tomb of Abner in Hebron. So he commenced their execution. Now notice it says he cut off their hands and their feet. He cut off their hands because it was a hands that were used to murder this man. He cut off the feet because they walked to take his head to him in Hebron. And then he takes the bodies and he has them hanging there at a pool where people come to get water and all. So it will be an open kind of execution in the sense that the people will be warned when they see these bodies hanging there. And it's David's way of saying that the death penalty will be enacted on you if you take somebody else's life, especially as these did. Then they take that head, which was the remains of Ishmael and they gave him an honorable burial. Now as this is taking place, chapter 5 verse 1, all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and spoke, saying, indeed we are your bone and your flesh. Also in time pass when Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in. And the Lord said to you, you shall shepherd my people Israel and be ruler over Israel. Therefore, all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord. They anointed David king over Israel. They've been thinking about what's going on and they made a decision. The elders representing the nation, the 11 tribes. There was only one tribe that was recognizing David as king and that was his own tribe, the tribe of Judah. Now these 11 tribes are represented by their elders and they come to where he's living in Hebron and they say, listen, we've been thinking about it. And these are the three reasons why we're willing to recognize you as our king. One, and I want you to see this, you are our bone and our flesh. In other words, you are a Jew, you are an Israeli, you're an Israelite and not a foreign king, so we recognize you. Secondly, you are Israel's greatest warrior. You're the one who led the army under Saul. And third, God has made it clear that you have been chosen to be king over Israel. And so there in Hebron the tribes of Israel recognized David as the rightful king, reuniting the nation as only Judah had recognized him before. Now in verse 4, David was 30 years old when he began to reign. He reigned 40 years. In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months. And in Jerusalem he reigned 33 years over all Israel and Judah. He had begun his reign earlier in Judah. Now he's recognized simply as being king over Israel. When you combine the seven and a half years that he reigned and then adding to that the 33 years on top of that, all together his reign was 40 years. Now we get into a place where I want to spend some time in just a moment looking at application. But in verse 6 it says, The king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land who spoke to David, saying, You shall not come in here, but the blind in the lame will repel you, thinking David cannot come in here. Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion, that is the city of David. Now David said on that day, whoever climbs up by way of the water shaft and defeats the Jebusites, the lame and the blind who are hated by David so, he shall be chief and captain. Therefore they say the blind and the lame shall not come into the house. David dwelt in the stronghold and called it the city of David. David built all around from the millow and inward. David went on and became great. The Lord God of hosts was with him. Let's look at this for just a moment. First we'll look at verse 6. The king and his men went to Jerusalem. Jerusalem is the most mentioned city in the Bible. It's first mentioned in the book of Genesis in chapter 14 under the name Salem. Salem means peace, but Salem is the city that is being referred to or Jerusalem as it was earlier known in that day. So in Genesis 14 at the beginning of the Bible you see Jerusalem mentioned in Revelation 21 it is also mentioned and so Jerusalem is mentioned throughout the Bible. It was a beautiful city. It still is to this day. It's in the region of Benjamin. It's just north of the boundary of the tribe of Judah. It's surrounded by valleys. It's got beautiful elevation. It would be easy to defend. It had a great water supply, the Gion spring, and it was on a busy trade route. It was just a beautiful place to live. David is there going into the region there and as he gets to the city of Jerusalem, notice there are the Jebusites or the inhabitants. The Jebusites are an interesting people. They actually are from the Canaanites. What's interesting about them is every person, every male who were Jebusites had to have the first name Jeb. So it's just an interesting thing. No, I'm lying. Now you're writing that down. I'm just teasing. Their names weren't Jeb. They were Eusites. No, Jeb. Jebusites. Canaanites. Original inhabitants. When David arrives they begin to mock his army and that's what it says there when it says you shall not come in here. The blind and the lame will repel you. Even blind and lame people can keep you from coming in. Now David is there. He's seen this beautiful city and he intends to take it and their taunting only provokes him greater. Now I want you to see what happens. Notice it says in verse 8, David said on that day, whoever climbs up by way of the water shaft and defeats the Jebusites, well this one's going to be chief in captain. Now David notices there's a small channel. Now we've been to this place many times. We've gone into this area. We've actually been there at David's city numerous times, probably about 20 times. And we have been in this area. We've actually climbed through that shaft that is being mentioned here. And what happened was this. David noticed that there was a small channel that could be used to enter into the city. There was a pipe. And one commentator said that the pipe was the depth of only about 14 inches. Now I want you to get this in your head for a moment. The pipe was only about 14 inches deep and water ran through this pipe and the water depth was 10 inches. The pipe was small carrying the water in and yet it was a way to enter into this fortified city. When David sees it, he says whoever is first to enter in will become chief in captain in my army. And so you actually have men warriors who are willing to enter in that way. Now if the pipe was only 14 inches deep and it wasn't very wide, it was wide enough for you to get on your back and scoot in with four inches of space for air between you and the rock above you. Now I want you to get this in your head for a minute. I don't know if you've got even a little claustrophobia about you. My wife Marie doesn't like people too close to her. You know when we get into elevators, she likes some space around her. And so I always do the same thing. She'll go into a corner, she just doesn't like people around her and I back into her very slowly until I'm about an inch from her and she panics. It's just a lot of fun. She does it all the time. She does not like that if you want to bother her and I'm not asking you to do this, I'm giving away a secret. All I need to do is put my hand close to her face and she doesn't like that. She just doesn't like to be closed in. I can understand that. And climbing into a pipe with 10 inches of water, four inches of space for you to breathe on your back, crawling for four hours, that's what it took for them to get through this pipe. On their back breathing with other men head to toe coming through that, must have been an unbelievable experience to go through in the pitch black, carrying your weapons on your back in that cold water four hours and then being ready to fight once you get out. No wonder David said, if you do it, I'll make you chief and captain. And they did it. They crawled through on their back, they came to a passage 67 feet in length, they came to the water shaft, they scaled that, they entered into the city that brought them into the fortifications and from there the champions took that city. Now what's interesting about this is First Chronicles chapter 11 verse 6 says, Joab the son of Zeruia went up first and became chief. Joab regained his standing before David by being the first to enter in and once again he's going to be recognized as the bravest of his army. David dwelt, it says in verse 9, in the stronghold called it the city of David. To this day when you go to Jerusalem and you go just south of Jerusalem, that's where the city of David is and we take you there and they have the millow there, the millow is a fortification that is there in the site and David went on according to verse 10 to become great and the Lord God of hosts was with him. David became great. This is what I want to spend some time with you looking at for just a moment. David became great. When he says David went on to become great, David grew, David grew in honor, David grew in wealth, David grew in fame, David grew in reputation, David grew through military conquests, David grew through expansion, David became great but the key to David's greatness and I want you to see this with me is the Lord God of hosts was with him. The reason David became great was because God made him great. He had incredible natural talents. When you read concerning David, he was extremely handsome. He was powerful. He was courageous. He was intelligent. He was resourceful. He was creative. He was decisive. He was extremely popular in 2 Samuel 2.36 whatever the king did pleased all the people. This was a man who had incredible assets, natural assets that would cause people to be gravitated to him. I mean he meets a young man by the name of Jonathan and Jonathan immediately says this is a man's man. This guy could be my very closest friend. I can love him like a brother. This is the kind of guy that I have a tendency of naturally gravitating to because David had that capacity about him. When David came into the room, the entire room noticed that he was there. When David spoke, people listened. When David led, they followed. They liked this man. Everybody loved this man and you can make the mistake when you read the Bible or even consider David and the stories told of him that he must have had some natural capacity that caused people to be just drawn towards him but the Bible makes it very clear that he became great because the Lord God of hosts was with him. His greatness came from God. God's the one who gave him abilities. It's God who gave him the blessings. In 1 Samuel chapter 2 verse 7, the Lord makes poor and makes rich. He brings low and lifts up. It was God who lifted up David and made him great amongst men. God does that. God did that to David. God does that today. When you trust in the Lord, he can place you in a place of greatness. When you diligently pursue him, he has a way of opening doors for you to enter in. When you have a wholehearted pursuit of the Lord, God will put you in a place that will enlarge you and he'll give you greater and greater things to do. And I think sometimes we make a mistake of thinking that these are things that we can just do on our own. You have to prove yourself faithful in that which is least before God gives you something that is greater. And a lot of people don't understand that. Yesterday we had the Anaheim Men's Conference. As I've mentioned to you, 9,000 men in attendance, hundreds who were seated outside because they couldn't get in. They had to close the door because it's illegal for them to be standing in the aisles. And so the fire marshals wanted those doors closed. No entrance. There were hundreds of men, thousands of men who were there. And the men who are speaking to those men can sometimes be looked at by those men. Regarded by those men as being something special in the Kingdom of God and not a single speaker is special in the sight of God in the sense of being greater than those men who were attending. Not one of us who spoke as any better than anybody else who is there. And yet people have a tendency of thinking so they can treat you as if you are special and you're not. You're just one of the guys that God has shown pleasure. God has given his pleasure to you for that purpose. And that's the way it works. You don't speak to 9,000 men if you haven't spoken to five. And in our church, that's how it began. My Bible studies for years were with five people, six people, seven people, no more than nine people, not just one year, not just two years, not just three years, five years, six years, seven years, eight years, nine years. When the largest Bible study we ever had would be 30 people. There were times when I saw 40 people and thought, oh man, the place is exploding. Years, years and years of that. I taught home Bible studies to my mom, my dad, my sister and two or three neighbors. That was it for years. And so sometimes we think, man, it just automatically happens. Listen, if you want to be used by God, just start where God starts you. Wake up in the morning and say to the Lord, God, this is the day that you have made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. Lord, I am thankful that your mercy is renewed every morning because today you're going to give me your mercy because I'm going to need it. Because Lord, I'm putting on my my gear. I'm going to go out today. There's going to be a battle. I want to remain faithful. Use me for your glory. That's what you do. And the amazing thing about that is that God will put his favor on you and use you. You have to get to the position in your life. And I say that as a pastor to my church, you have to be in a position in your life where you say there's nothing that is more valuable to me than to be used by God. And I want to be used by God today. So ask yourself, do you want to be used by the Lord? Because if you want to be used by God, God will use you. There's no reason why he won't unless we're providing reasons for him not to use me. Unless there's some secret sin in my life that there's some besetting sin, there's something going on in me that I am not willing to turn loose to him. And God would say, no, you've got to release that so I can use you. And God will use you. And God has a way of doing that. See, the Lord has a way of doing that. And I've seen that in my life. I can speak firsthand on this, that God has a way of giving you strength to overcome those things, even those things that beset you sometimes, and hold you back. Marie and I, my wife and I, had been married for less than a year. Before I got saved, I was an alcoholic. Anytime I had pressure in my life, I found that as an excuse to go out and drink a little bit, I got saved. But on occasion, not often, but on occasion over the first few years, when I went through pressure, I would find an excuse to drink a little bit. Marie was pregnant with my daughter Corinne. I had to quit school and I went into a depression that was very deep. And I didn't know what to do. And I wasn't exercising the faith that God gave to me, though I was a young believer at that time, still. And one day, I just got tired. I just said, you know what? Nothing's happening in this man's life. Marie was in our kitchen there in Roland Heights. We had a little apartment there in Roland Heights. She was making me dinner. And I basically snuck out of the house, drove down the street, went to a store and bought some beer. And I came back and I sat in the front room there and she's making dinner and I started drinking. And I finished the beer that I bought and I decided I'm going to buy some more. And I drove to the store again, came back with some more. I finished drinking that. I started getting a little high and I got embarrassed. And so I thought, she doesn't know me like this. Marie didn't know me like that. So I went upstairs. We had a little apartment. I walked up the stairs. I went into my bedroom, lay down on the bed, closed the door, put a pillow over my face to muffle me. I wapped. I began to cry like a baby. I cried so loudly that my little girl, Marie, downstairs, could hear me. She was in her early 20s. She hears this muffled crying and she walks up the stairs. And I still remember to this day sound of her heavy footsteps as she was walking up because she was carrying my baby in her. She was yet to give birth to Corinne. The door swung open and the light hit me and I put the pillow over my face and I tried to stop crying. And she walked to the side of the bed and sat down on it. We didn't really even have a bed. It was a rollaway couch that I had brought from my parents' home. We couldn't even afford a bed. And she says, what's wrong? Why are you crying? And I removed the pillow for a moment and I started to sob and I said, because I'm a loser. I'm a failure. You married the wrong man. You deserve better. And I'm sorry. Marie, there's only one thing in my life that I want to be. And that is a pastor. Look at me now. I can't even stay away from a bottle. I don't know how to deal with what I'm feeling. And I'm so sorry that I brought you into a life like this. I quit school. I'm making just lowest wage you can make. I can't even take care of you. And you're going to have my baby. You married the wrong man. I remember that. You know what she did? She reached down and she took me by my shoulders, actually literally lifted me until she buried me in her shoulder. And I sobbed like a child, like a baby. And she rocked me like a kid my baby did. She held me and she whispered in my ear and she said, God will use you. I believe in you. And that love and that forgiveness and that moment, I have never forgotten. My wife has never mentioned that. She never said anything in anger. You remember when you were all drunk and she's never said anything like that to me? She has never brought it up. I'm the one who brings it up because I'm the one who was ministered to. I'm telling you, God can use you. If you get away from what it is that's holding you back, if you release it into the hands of the Lord and you say, God, I want to be used by you. Forgive me for what I've been. Make me new. You can't. I stand up here right now living testimony of the love of God and the love of a good wife. You can hold your hand in hard times and help you become great in the sight of God and man. And that's what David had. David was a great man. David was a great man, but it was because the Lord made him great. And God can use you. God can make you great. God can show you what he does. What is it in your life that you think is more important than being used by God? What is it? Is it like me? An alcohol problem? Is it a drug problem? Is it an anger problem? Is it a porn problem? What is it? What is it that is keeping you from being used by God? It isn't worth it. It isn't worth it. Let it go. Because when David began to be used by God, the Bible very clearly states, and he became great. The Lord says here in verse 10, concerning David, David went on and became great, and the Lord God of hosts was with him. Psalm 84, 11 and 12 says, For the Lord God is a Son and a shield. The Lord will give grace and glory. No good thing will he withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man who trusts in you. Psalm 115 verse 13, He will bless those who fear the Lord, both small and great. And the Lord has a way of doing that. I would encourage you today, let the Lord work in you that he might make you great, that he might use you for all these good things he desires to do. He's looking. His eyes are going to and fro throughout the whole Lord, seeking someone that is showing themselves open to him, that he might show himself strong on their behalf. The Lord wants to use you. I have no doubt about that. So ask yourself, when is it that's keeping you from being used by the Lord? And let it go. Going on it says then, Hiram, verse 11, King of Tyre sent messengers to David and cedar trees and carpenters and masons, and they built David a house. David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people, Israel. David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem after he had come from Ebron. Also, more sons and daughters were born to David. This is all intended to show us that he indeed became a very great man. He had a house that was built, which demonstrates that his reign is going to be a long and secure one. He begins to take to himself wives and concubines, because at that time it was a symbol of being prosperous and capable of caring for more than one wife. It was not, as I've said to you recently, something that God approved of. It is something that was allowed. Now, when you look at concubines, that's an interesting concept, concubinage. A concubine was a woman who had a legal relationship with a man, and she would bear his children, but a concubine was inferior to his wife. She was regarded as a kind of wife of secondary rank. A concubine had no authority in the family, and they did not share in household government. In Old Testament times, if I have a wife, my wife will say, Marie, is unable to bear children to me. She may have a woman, her own servant, a slave. She would give to me who would bear children on her behalf. They were called concubines. No legal rights, no legal standing in the sense of being equal to a wife, but that's what took place. You see that with Abraham and Sarah and Ishmael in the Old Testament and their various other places. You find that King Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. Imagine that, and they say he's wise. I'm not sure about that. Now, in the case of David, he had these concubines. You might also find this interesting that in the New Testament, the sacred institution of marriage returned to its original character, and concubinage began to be regarded as fornication and adultery under the New Testament. Because in the Old Testament, these people would have other wives and would have concubines. The New Testament said one husband, one wife, one marriage, one lifetime, and so it's now regarded as being fornication and adultery. Now, David had various children. Verse 14 and 15 gives us a list of these names. You have Shamuah, Shabbab, Nathan, Solomon, Ibar, Elishu, Nefeg, Japhia, Elishema, Eliyadah, and Elifelet. Those are his sons. I'll be quizzing you next week to make sure you got all of that. Verse 17, now, when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David, King of Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David, and David heard of it and went down to the stronghold. The Philistines also went and deployed themselves in the Valley of Refayim. So David inquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up against Philistines? Will you deliver them into my hand? The Lord said to David, Go, go up, for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into your hand. So David went to Baal Parateem, and David defeated them there. And he said, The Lord has broken through my enemies before me like a breakthrough of water. Therefore he called the name of that place Baal Parateem. And they left their images there, and David and his men carried them away. Then the Philistines went up once again and deployed themselves in the Valley of Refayim. Therefore David inquired of the Lord and said, And he said, You shall not go up. Circle around behind them, come up upon them in front of the mulberry trees, and it shall be when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly, for then the Lord will go out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines. David did so, as the Lord commanded him, and he drove back the Philistines from Gaba as far as Giza. Giza is an interesting city because it was inhabited by a bunch of old people. The old Giza's. I live there. So basically what you have here is this simply put, the Philistines are once again making war against Israel. David at one time had pretended to become an ally to the Philistines, but now it's very definitely proven that indeed he is not their ally, he remains their enemy. And so what they do is they decide that they're going to attack him. As they begin to attempt to attack him, David inquires of the Lord and asks of God, what shall I do? It's always wise to ask God what to do when you're entering into battle. And so the Lord gives to him victory. He defeats them in Baal Barat Zim. And so that was about three miles outside of Jerusalem to the south. The warriors overwhelmed the Philistines like water that's bursting through, that's why it's called that. Now notice verse 21, they left their images there and David and his men carried them away. Now they may have thought by carrying their images or their idols that these idols were going to give them security and protection and maybe even victory. And the fact of the matter is David trusted in God, not some graven image, David trusted in God not in some idol. To trust in a lifeless idol is ridiculous. Isaiah 46, 6 and 7 says they, speaking of idols, they lavish gold out of a bag, waste silver on scales. They hire a goldsmith and he makes it a God. They prostrate themselves. Yes, they worship, they bear it on the shoulder. They carry it and set it in its place and it stands from its place that shall not move. The one cries out to it, yet it cannot answer nor save him out of his trouble. It's just a piece of wood with gold on it. That's what he's saying there. It can't move. It's like the psalmist says eyes they have they cannot see, ears they have they cannot hear, noses they have they cannot smell, mouths they have they cannot speak, hands they have they cannot feel, legs they have they cannot walk. And those who make them are like them, because they're lifeless and they cannot help you. David's trust was not in some lifeless image, some good luck charm, some little statue of some sort. His trust was in the living God and that's why he spoke to God and he would ask God, what should I do? God says, go. You'll have victory. Well the next time when they once again want to re-engage in combat, David asks again, shall I go against him? This time the Lord says, no, what I want you to do is circle behind them. And the signal I'll give to you is when when you hear the sound of marching through the trees. In other words, when you hear the wind blowing through the tree, the rustling of the leaves is going to be your signal to go out and to fight, advance and strike the Philistines, which is what he does. Verse 25, David did so as the Lord commanded him and he drove back the Philistines from Gaba as far as Gizzard. The distance is several miles, so this was a prolonged attack. And in all of this, David sought the Lord and followed God's directions. And as long as you seek the Lord and follow his instructions, you're victorious. When you stop seeking the Lord and stop following his instructions, you're going to fail. The best thing to do, get into his word, remain in prayer, have fellowship with godly people who encourage you in the ways of the Lord and trust him. And God will be with you every step of the way. Will you go through battles? Yes. Do you win every individual one? Sometimes you don't. Do you win the war? Yes, you do. Why? Because Jesus is our captain. He's gone before us and we are more than victors, more than conquerors in him. So we just hold fast. We have skirmishes. Sometimes we come out on top. Sometimes we get bloodied, but we remain unbowed because we're on the Lord's side and he gives us victory. So remain close to him and watch what God will do in your life.