SEPT. 27, 2026, REVIVAL SERVICE: Spiritual Growth: There's still oil left Part II

First Samuel 18 places David in a whole different kind of fight. David has already handled the public giant named Goliath, but Saul becomes the private giant close enough to hurt him personally. David’s victory brings him into Saul’s court, where he plays the lyre, leads soldiers, wins battles, and serves the king faithfully. David’s anointing for a future throne never makes present service beneath him.

Saul’s heart shifts when Israel starts singing, “Saul has killed his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.” Comparison turns David’s favor into friction. Comparison makes somebody measure their worth against another person’s assignment, celebrate publicly while competing privately, and confuse another person’s elevation with their own rejection. Saul does not merely see David’s success. Saul sees what he has refused to deal with in himself.

The text sets David’s lyre beside Saul’s spear. David has the Spirit of the Lord and an instrument that facilitates peace. Saul has spiritual activity, but little spiritual or mental stability, and he holds a weapon in his hand. Spiritual expression cannot substitute for spiritual formation. Saul’s raving proves that shouting, scripture, and religious language cannot replace the emotional and psychological healing a soul may still need.

David’s presence exposes Saul’s unresolved insecurity, but David does not allow Saul’s insecurity to become his identity. Saul’s spear does not prove David has done wrong. David’s favor simply aggravates what Saul has left untreated. The spear teaches that everybody with a problem is not injured by the person they oppose. Sometimes a person simply represents a place another person has not made peace with.

David eludes Saul twice. David does not pick up a spear and throw it back. The word “eluded” means David turned aside and moved out of the way. Preparation teaches more than how to fight. Preparation teaches what to avoid, what to release, when to move, and how to govern emotions without pretending the spear did not hurt.

David’s boundaries become part of his preparation for the throne. Silence, refusing access, and getting out of spear-throwing distance can be holy discipline. God allows Saul to stand near David so David will not become Saul when David reaches Saul’s seat. Power without self-control becomes dangerous, but God forms David to carry power without letting power control his spirit.

The repeated witness of the text is simple: “the Lord was with David.” Saul can alter David’s position, make life difficult, and throw spears, but Saul cannot separate David from the presence of God. God’s keeping does not mean the spear never comes. God’s keeping gives discernment to move, strength to keep going, and grace to remain faithful after the wound.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Favor can create painful friction Comparison turns another person’s God-given assignment into a personal threat. Saul cannot rejoice in David’s victory because David’s visibility exposes Saul’s insecurity. Favor does not always produce applause; sometimes it reveals what others have refused to heal. [45:09]
• 2. Spiritual activity requires spiritual formation Saul’s raving with a spear in his hand shows that visible spirituality can exist alongside deep instability. Praise, scripture, and religious expression do not remove the need for emotional healing, wise care, and inner formation. The fruit of God’s Spirit produces peace and self-control, not violence disguised as spiritual intensity. [48:56]
• 3. Do not inherit another person’s insecurity David does not create Saul’s brokenness; his presence simply exposes it. Another person’s hostility may say more about their unresolved struggle than about any failure in the person they target. Identity must rest in God’s call, not in the shifting reactions of insecure people. [51:22]
• 4. Maturity knows when to move David’s strength appears not only in fighting Goliath but also in stepping away from Saul’s spear. Boundaries, silence, and limited access can protect a calling without denying that real harm occurred. Forgiveness does not require standing repeatedly in the path of what has already shown itself dangerous. [59:25]
• 5. God keeps the opposed and advancing David remains anointed, favored, and still attacked. God’s keeping does not always exempt a life from pain, but it preserves a person through seasons that could have destroyed them. The Lord’s presence gives security that no title, relationship, approval, or enemy can provide.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [35:33] - Prayer and Praise
• [38:12] - Scripture: First Samuel 18:10-11
• [39:33] - When Favor Creates Friction
• [41:11] - David’s New Season of Service
• [43:02] - Giftedness Does Not Excuse Service
• [44:25] - Saul’s Comparison and Jealousy
• [46:54] - Spiritual Activity Without Stability
• [50:05] - David’s Lyre and Saul’s Spear
• [51:22] - Do Not Carry Others’ Insecurity
• [55:29] - David Moves Out of the Way
• [59:25] - Boundaries Can Be Preparation
• [60:00] - Power Without Self-Control
• [62:17] - Opposed but Still Kept
• [63:55] - The Lord Was With David
• [66:27] - Psalm 27 and the Kept Life

Bible Reading

1 Samuel 18:10-11
“And the next day a harmful spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he raved within his house while David was playing the lyre, as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand. And Saul hurled the spear, for he thought, 'I will pin David to the wall.' But David evaded him twice.” [38:12]

1 Samuel 16:13
“Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.” [50:14]

Psalm 27:1-6
“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident. One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple. For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock.” [01:06:35]

Observation questions

1. What is David doing when Saul becomes violent, and what is Saul holding in his hand? [50:26]
2. What does David do each time Saul throws the spear, and what does the passage not say David does in response? [55:29]
3. What contrast is drawn between David’s anointing in 1 Samuel 16:13 and Saul’s condition in 1 Samuel 18:10? [50:05]
4. According to Psalm 27:1–6, what words and images describe David’s confidence in God while facing enemies and trouble? [01:06:35]

Interpretation questions

1. Saul’s attitude toward David changes as David’s victories become more visible. How does comparison turn another person’s success into a personal threat? [45:20]
2. David is anointed for a future throne, yet he continues serving Saul faithfully. What does this reveal about the relationship between God’s future calling and a person’s present responsibilities? [43:15]
3. Saul appears spiritually active, but his actions are dangerous and unstable. Why is outward religious expression not enough without inner formation, emotional health, and self-control? [48:56]
4. David’s response is to move out of the spear’s path rather than return the attack. How can stepping back be an act of wisdom and strength rather than fear or weakness? [56:02]

Application questions

1. Is there a place where comparison has made it hard to genuinely celebrate someone else’s progress, opportunity, gift, or recognition? What might it look like to return attention to the work God is doing in your own life? [45:23]
2. David’s future elevation did not make present service beneath him. Where is there an opportunity to serve faithfully right now, even if it feels small, unnoticed, or below your abilities? [43:31]
3. Spiritual activity does not remove the need for healing. Are there places where praise, Bible knowledge, busyness, or church involvement may be covering pain, anger, anxiety, or unresolved hurt that needs honest attention and wise care? [49:10]
4. Have you been tempted to make someone else’s insecurity or criticism part of your identity? What helps you remember that another person’s reaction does not get to define who God has called you to be? [51:29]
5. What “spear-throwing distance” might you need to step away from—such as a harmful conversation pattern, constant access, social-media conflict, or a relationship with no healthy boundaries? What would a wise and loving boundary look like? [59:37]
6. When you feel hurt or provoked, what does it look like for you to govern your emotions without pretending that the harm did not happen? [58:24]
7. Where do you need the assurance that God’s keeping does not always mean avoiding every hardship, but receiving discernment to move, strength to continue, and grace to remain faithful? [01:03:37]