There were two characters in which Saul had known David. There was another in which he did not know him. There are two characters in which great numbers have known something of Christ, the antitype of David. There is another character in which they know not Christ. What were those characters in which Saul knew David?
He had known David as one who brought musical refreshment to him, and he had known him as his assistant. He had never known him, and he did not know him, as the complete savior. It will be a searching question—In which of these three characters do we know Christ?
In the end of chapter 16 we find Saul troubled. “And Saul’s servants said unto him, Behold, now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee. Let our lord now command thy servants, which are before thee, to seek out a man who is a cunning player on an harp.” David is sent for to take this place. “And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he became his armor-bearer.... And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.”
It is therefore evident that Saul well knew David for his amusement. For this purpose “he loved him greatly;” and also as his assistant, or armor-bearer.
Do you ask, How can this be applied to us in this day? How? Is it not the very picture of Christendom? Let us ask this grave-looking, religious man, as he walks to what he considers his place of worship. “Well, friend, where are you going this morning?” “I am going to my place of worship. I can assure you there is splendid music, and the best singing in the town.
After a week’s worry, cheating, and being cheated, and all the trouble of conscience, it is so soothing to hear the sacred music; it does so refresh one, and drive evil thoughts from one—yes, I feel quite refreshed and well, and the trouble of mind is gone. And it is all sacred, all about Christ. I do love it greatly.”
“Well, friend, but what about the salvation of your soul?”
“As to that, all I can say is, Christ is my helper (armor-bearer, like). I know I could not save myself without Him. I could not fight the battle of my salvation without my Armor bearer.”
You may say, What can a man want more than this, to know Christ for refreshment, in sacred service of music and song, and as his helper in the great work of saving his soul?
Let us put another question or two. “Well, friend, we see you are delighted with your religion, for soothing, refreshment, and to help you in the battle of salvation. But do you know Jesus as your complete and eternal Savior! Have you redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of your sins? Do you know Him raised from the dead for your justification!
Do you know Him, at the right hand of God, as your unchanging righteousness? Do you know that you have eternal life in Him?”
As we have seen, Saul had known David as his amuser and helper; but he knew him not as the alone savior. And mark, the battle had not to be fought, but the battle had been fought and won by David alone, in the valley of Elah. This is the great mistake of all who take Jesus as their helper, instead of their Savior.
Let us look at the shadow in this historical picture, and then at the substance, in the battle fought and won at Calvary. “David took an harp, and played with his hand. So Saul was refreshed,” &c. But what a change takes place immediately in the next chapter, 27! The Philistines gather together to battle. The enemy musters his forces in the broad valley of Elah. In that valley there is no hand of David to refresh with sacred song, no David to help as armor-bearer. The terrible Goliath of Gath defies the armies of Israel. Saul and all Israel heard his words, and were dismayed, and greatly—afraid.
And what must be the state of that soul which has only known religion as Sunday refreshment, or Christ as a help and a make-up, in fighting his own battle for salvation: when suddenly, after returning from some soothing evensong or ritual, he finds the Philistines in the valley of death? He trembles with dismay and fear. The soothing melody of sacred music, the sweet notes of the organ, reach him not in the dark valley of death. Satan appears as his defier and accuser. The armies of his sins stare him in the face, and he is alone in the dark valley. He knows no Savior.
And if an army of those deceived with him stand by him, they are all dismayed with him, and afraid. None can help him. Not a man in Israel could meet the giant of Gath. “And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid.” No man was found able to help Saul to fight the battle of his salvation. What a picture of a deceived professor brought into the valley of death! Assuredly, —reader, this will one day be your case, if you only know Christ for refreshment and help. Saul found not David here to play the harp, or to bear his armor. No, the anointed of God must be the complete Savior, or nothing.
How striking the details of this inspired picture! The father (Jesse), in his councils, determines to send his son to his brethren. God the Father, in the councils of eternity, determined to send His Son for His brethren in the vale of sin and death.
Forty days had Goliath presented himself, and all seemed lost, when David, the son, was sent from the mountains to the valley of Elah. There he alone met the power of the enemy. Alone he slew the defier of Israel; alone he fought, and won the battle. He was not the helper now of Saul, but the complete victor and savior. See him take the head of the Philistine, and he brought it to Jerusalem. He that descended alone into the valley of Elah now ascends out of the valley of death to the heights of Jerusalem. The work was done, the battle was won. There was the anointed David, the complete savior. There could not be a question, or a doubt, of it.
But Saul knew him not in this character, neither when he went forth to meet the giant, nor when he had slain him. Is this your condition? Do you neither know Jesus as the sent One of the Father, to meet the whole power and charge of Satan, to accomplish eternal salvation; nor as the risen and ascended victorious Christ at Gods right hand?
“When Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said.... Abner, whose son is this youth?” Saul knew him not. Neither did Abner know him. “And Abner said, As thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell.” How many Abners would say the same now as to David’s, greater King? Who is the mighty Savior, who came from heaven to fight the battle of our eternal salvation alone? How many would have to say, As such I know Him not!
Just, in like manner, “as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul, with the head of the Philistine in his hand.” Does Saul know him now? Not in the least. “And Saul said to him, Whose son art thou, thou young man?” Now He who died the death of the cross, He who came down into the valley of Elah, this scene of sin and death, “that through death he might destroy him that had the power of deaths that is, the devil;” He who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification, when He had by Himself made purgation for our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high! Do you know Him, or do you say, Who is He, and what does it all mean? Are you a stranger to that complete Savior, Jesus, the risen Christ?
Do you say, Well, I will pray to Him to help me to save my soul. Ah, there is the darkness of unbelief. Could Saul have asked David to help him to kill the giant, when David had killed him, and had his head in his hand? Could Saul ask David to go down into the valley of Elah, and help to save him? Impossible! It would have been a flat denial of the wondrous victory of the savior David. Here is the great mistake of the Sauls and the Abners of this day. They would gladly have Christ to help them, if unbelief is only allowed to doubt, and deny that the battle is won, the work once and forever done. “It is finished,” Jesus said it in His last words on the cross. God has declared His full and eternal satisfaction, for He has raised Him from the dead. He, the alone Savior, was as distinctly seen by His disciples alive from the dead. He was seen as clearly ascending up to heaven. He was seen as distinctly in brightness above the light of the sun. All this is as clear to faith, to those who have not seen, but believed, as ever was David, the victorious, seen by Abner and Saul.
The whole question is this: the battle had been fought, and David had not to help Saul to light it. The battle of our salvation has been fought, and Christ has not to help us to fight it.
If we turn to a greatly perverted text, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,” and if we examine the context, we shall find it is not working for the salvation of the soul. This they had. They were called saints in Christ Jesus, and as holy ones, or saints, they were to practically manifest, work out, the eternal salvation they had. Oh, let not Satan use this scripture to lead you to think you can work out a salvation of your own, by his delusive, soothing music, and religious refreshment, and ritual performances; or that, if you will try and fight a little now and then, Christ will be your armor-bearer. Thus is Satan leading on the great mass of Christless profession in this day. May God awaken you to your fearful danger! If not, you will surely find your refreshment end in the gloomy valley of death. And there alone, in all the darkness and horror of death, having rejected the eternal salvation preached to you through the finished work of Christ, His death and resurrection—oh, who shall help you there? Can you expect Christ to help you, He whose complete salvation you have rejected? Be not deceived. It will be too late if the unbelieving eye is once closed in death, in the valley of Elah.
It will now be very blessed to turn to the contrast, as we find it in one whose eyes were opened to know David, not for refreshment merely on the harp, not to be the armor-bearer, or helper, but to own him as the victorious savior.