The Bible Study Podcast, episode 242. Today, the Bible Study podcast continues the study of 1stamiel with chapter 23.

Welcome to the Bible study podcast. I'm your host, Chris Christensen. As you may recall, in chapter 22, we left David fleeing for his life against Saul, the king, and that's the way that's going to stay for a little while now.

1 Samuel 23. David saves Kila. When David was told, look, the Philistines are fighting against Kila and are looting the threshing floor. He inquired of the Lord, saying, shall I go and attack these Philistines? The Lord answered him, go attack the Philistines and save Kila. But David's men said to him, here in Judah, we are afraid how much more than if we go to Kila against the Philistine forces? Once again, David inquired of the Lord, and the

Lord answered him, go down to Kila, for I'm going to give the Philistines into your hand. So David and

his men went to Kila, fought the Philistines, and carried off their livestock. He inflicted

heavy losses on the Philistines and saved the people of Kila. Now Abathar, son of Ahamalek, had brought the Ifah down with him

when he fled to David at Kila. David finds himself in this strange situation where he has been

anointed by God as king of Israel. So he's supposed to succeed Saul. Saul certainly wants no part of it,

and so Saul has been chased David into hiding.

But David still has a responsibility to the people of Israel.

That's what it means to be a king.

That's what it means to be the anointed one of God,

is to protect the people from their enemies.

And that's what's going on is the Philistines have attacked.

And he's trying to decide in the midst

of his troubles, should he take on the troubles of someone else? Or should he just ignore this

because he has troubles of his own? When we say troubles, this isn't David having a bad day. This is David fleeing

for his life. As we'll see here in a moment, he's putting himself at risk because he is going to

the aid of the people of Kila. And so this is a very serious decision. But what he decides,

first of all, is to listen to what God says. But second of all, is the reason he asks in the first place, I believe, is that he understands that he has a responsibility to the people of God.

He understands that even though he is in a difficult situation, it doesn't absolve him of responsibility for caring for the people of Israel. And I think that's an important lesson here,

because sometimes when we get in a bad state, when we get into a bad place, it's very easy

...