When the World Dulls Your Conscience

Who Made You King?
Written By Tommy Smith

Sermon Notes

DAVID SPARES SAUL’S LIFE
Maintaining a Sensitive Conscience in a Very Calloused World

KEY PASSAGE

1 Samuel 24:6-7 ESV…He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord's anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord's anointed.” 7 So David persuaded his men with these words and did not permit them to attack Saul. And Saul rose up and left the cave and went on his way.

1 Samuel 26:9-11 ESV… But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can put out his hand against the Lord's anointed and be guiltless?” 10 And David said, “As the Lord lives, the Lord will strike him, or his day will come to die, or he will go down into battle and perish. 11 The Lord forbid that I should put out my hand against the Lord's anointed.

DAVID IS ANOINTED KING

  • David’s legacy is most defined by the title, “A man after God’s own heart”… 1 Sam. 13:4; Acts 13:22

  • One thing that made David a man after God’s own heart was his sensitive conscience.

  • John Owen once wrote, “David's sensitive conscience was a key aspect of his relationship with God. He was acutely aware of the holiness of God and the gravity of sin. His heart was tender before God, and he sought forgiveness and cleansing whenever he fell short. This sensitivity made him a man after God's own heart."

  • David sparing Saul’s life is a great example of a sensitive conscience…1 Sam. 24:1-7

A BATHROOM BREAK THAT COULD HAVE TURNED DEADLY

  • David had an incredibly high view of the people God put in place… and the purposes God was working out.

  • John Calvin wrote this, “David's refusal to kill Saul, his anointed king, is a striking example of his reverence for God's appointed authority. It demonstrates his submission to God's providence and his trust in God to deal with Saul's injustice. David's actions reveal a heart shaped by faith and humility.”

  • David’s own men were encouraging to go for the kill… 1 Sam. 24:4

  • For David it was better to have a clean conscience before the LORD, rather than a dead enemy laying at his feet.

GOING TO SLEEP AND NEVER WAKING UP

  • David is given a second opportunity to kill Saul while he is asleep… 1 Sam. 26:6-12

  • Any hope that Saul had learned his lesson was gone at this point…1 Sam. 24:16-22

  • David killing Saul in his sleep would have been a mercy killing… 1 Sam. 26:8

  • David will have nothing to do with killing Saul… 1 Samuel 26:9-11; 2 Samuel 1:14-16

DAVID’S WRITINGS REVEAL A MAN WITH A SENSITIVE CONSCIENCE

  • David speaks of the blessings of the man with a clean conscience… Psalm 119:1-16

  • The Apostle Paul was a man who worked hard to keep a sensitive conscience… Acts 24:16

  • As Chrisitans we must avoid those who have a calloused conscience… Eph. 4:17-19

  • David’s prayer was for God to search him and cleanse him… Ps. 139:23-24

Tommy Smith
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