God Grants Grace to an Undeserving People
Delivered by Pastor Jonathan Oh on Sunday, October 4, 2026. This is part of the WTUC sermon series “We Three Kings”.
英語のテキストの後に日本語訳があります。こちらはGemma4（ローカル大規模言語モデルAI）による機械翻訳であり、文法的な誤りが含まれている可能性があります。基本的な正確さを確認しております。
Passages:
1 Samuel 17:40-54 (NRSV)
40 Then [David] took his staff in his hand, and chose five smooth stones from the wadi, and put them in his shepherd’s bag, in the pouch; his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine.
41 The Philistine came on and drew near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. 42 When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was only a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. 43 The Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the field.” 45 But David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This very day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head; and I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army this very day to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not save by sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and he will give you into our hand.”
48 When the Philistine drew nearer to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49 David put his hand in his bag, took out a stone, slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead; the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground.
50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, striking down the Philistine and killing him; there was no sword in David’s hand. 51 Then David ran and stood over the Philistine; he grasped his sword, drew it out of its sheath, and killed him; then he cut off his head with it.
When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. 52 The troops of Israel and Judah rose up with a shout and pursued the Philistines as far as Gath and the gates of Ekron, so that the wounded Philistines fell on the way from Shaaraim as far as Gath and Ekron. 53 The Israelites came back from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their camp. 54 David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armor in his tent.
1 Samuel 24:1-15 (NRSV)
David Spares Saul’s Life
24 When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, “David is in the wilderness of En-gedi.” 2 Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to look for David and his men in the direction of the Rocks of the Wild Goats. 3 He came to the sheepfolds beside the road, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave. 4 The men of David said to him, “Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it seems good to you.’ ” Then David went and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul’s cloak. 5 Afterward David was stricken to the heart because he had cut off a corner of Saul’s cloak. 6 He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed, to raise my hand against him; for he is the Lord’s anointed.” 7 So David scolded his men severely and did not permit them to attack Saul. Then Saul got up and left the cave, and went on his way.
8 Afterwards David also rose up and went out of the cave and called after Saul, “My lord the king!” When Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the ground, and did obeisance. 9 David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of those who say, ‘David seeks to do you harm’? 10 This very day your eyes have seen how the Lord gave you into my hand in the cave; and some urged me to kill you, but I spared you. I said, ‘I will not raise my hand against my lord; for he is the Lord’s anointed.’ 11 See, my father, see the corner of your cloak in my hand; for by the fact that I cut off the corner of your cloak, and did not kill you, you may know for certain that there is no wrong or treason in my hands. I have not sinned against you, though you are hunting me to take my life. 12 May the Lord judge between me and you! May the Lord avenge me on you; but my hand shall not be against you. 13 As the ancient proverb says, ‘Out of the wicked comes forth wickedness’; but my hand shall not be against you. 14 Against whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom do you pursue? A dead dog? A single flea? 15 May the Lord therefore be judge, and give sentence between me and you. May he see to it, and plead my cause, and vindicate me against you.”
Sermon Text:
Series: We have been going through a series on the three kings of united Israel - Saul, David, and Solomon. When we began our series, we saw how throughout the book of Judges, the point that there was no king over the land led to the people doing what was right in their own eyes. That eventually led to their clamor for wanting a king - someone who would rule over them and lead them into battle just like the nations around them. So the Lord gave them a king - someone that they believed was good for them and matched their expectations: Saul. We have discussed Saul over the past couple of weeks, but now, we are transitioning to David today. Last week, we read about how Saul and all of Israel were in fear as Goliath, champion of the Philistines, challenged Israel’s army by telling them to send out one fighter, and whoever’s side wins will be the victor and rule over the other side. We discussed how Saul, who was what the people wanted, became the king that the people deserve. As an imperfect person with subjects who were desiring a king of their own personal wants, the people ultimately rejected the perfect One who led them out of slavery and into the Promised Land - they rejected God Himself. They could never save themselves and needed a Savior. We ended the message last week talking about how only one person could ever fulfill that role: Jesus. But until then, God still had a plan for His people - an act of grace for those who did not deserve it.
Context: I mentioned that in the previous chapter, 1 Samuel 16, David, a young shepherd boy in Bethlehem, was anointed as the next king of Israel. He was chosen ahead of all of his seven brothers and was in all likelihood a teenager. The youngest of the family always attended to the sheep, and so that was the reason why he had to be called from the fields. And while he might not have physically looked like what a king was expected to look like (compared to Saul), God said that David was the one whom He had chosen, and David is the man who goes after God’s own heart. We will see examples of this in our passages today. In chapter 17, we come to the battlefield where Israel and the Philistines are facing off. David, who was still tending the sheep and at this point also was playing music for Saul from time to time, was sent by his father to take bread to his three oldest brothers who were in the army of Israel and to bring word on how they were doing. David happens to see Goliath once again challenging the army of Israel, and this makes him want to take action - because how dare this person defy Israel and the God who is above them all? I’m going to leave out all of the smaller details because you can read them in chapter 17, but ultimately, David comes before Saul and says that he will fight Goliath - and that God will be the One who will grant victory. Then the rest of the story you probably already know - David takes a few smooth stones, runs up to Goliath, and clearly declares that he is coming in the name of the Lord, and David will strike down Goliath because the battle is the Lord’s, and this will prove that there is a God in Israel. One stone, one sling, one God - one victory. Goliath is dead. Israel celebrates and chases the Philistine army far away. It won’t be the last we hear about the Philistines, but they are gone for the moment.
Reflection: We can take a quick pause here to reflect on this passage. Even though the people rejected God as their leader, God still saved them. Even though the people got their king, God delivered them through someone else. God is the hero here - and He used David to provide grace to the people of Israel. Keep these points in mind as we continue through our message.
Drama: Now, we know that because people are involved, there has to be some drama, right? Let’s look quickly over the next few chapters of 1 Samuel.
Chapter 18: Saul gets jealous of David and tries to kill him. When that fails, Saul tries to get David to marry his daughter Michal - at the price of 100 Philistine foreskins (yikes), and the army just loved following David more than Saul, which just made things worse.
Chapter 19: Saul’s son Jonathan tries to help David by intervening on David’s behalf, and Saul seems to accept that he should not harm David, but that doesn’t last. David’s wife Michal has to help him escape from Saul’s men. David runs off to see Samuel, and as Saul tries to come after David, he gets caught up in the frenzy of prophets and starts prophesying.
Chapter 20: When David goes to Jonathan asking why Saul is constantly coming after him, Jonathan is there to support David. That’s a refreshing take compared to his father Saul. When Jonathan truly realizes that his father Saul will not stop coming after David, even knowing that he will never be king as long as David is alive, Jonathan sends David away safely with tears because they truly were bonded in friendship.
Chapter 21-22: David runs off to see the priests in Nob, and he receives provisions as he stays on the run. Eventually, David slips off to where the Philistines are, but realizing he is in danger there too, he acts insane and gets thrown out. Meanwhile, Saul hears that David had gone to see the priests in Nob, and so he ends up slaughtering almost the entire village. Doesn’t sound like the king God would have wanted to rule over His people.
Chapter 23: The Philistines attack the people in Keilah, and so David goes to save them, but after saving them, when David realizes that the people of Keilah won’t defend him against Saul, he runs away to the wilderness, and Saul goes in hot pursuit of him. He is detoured as the Philistines attack. Jonathan comes to see David to support him, and he clearly points out that David will be king. Again, Jonathan gets this a lot better than his father Saul. The person who should be more threatened by David is actually not threatened at all. So we could have a whole series right there for a daytime drama if we wanted.
Chapter 24: We now come to our second passage. Once again, Saul comes back and is on the heels of David. But humans are humans - they have to use the bathroom. And while he does, David’s men are telling their leader - “This is it! God is giving you this chance! He’s giving you the enemy, and so do what you wish!” And what does David do? He cuts a corner of Saul’s cloak off. Don’t ask me how that happened - but somehow he did, and guess how David felt about it? Stricken. Guilty. Maybe even a little ashamed. He forbade the men to touch Saul. When Saul is done with his business, he gets out, and David calls out to him: “My lord the king!” And David clearly tells Saul that he has no intention of harming the Lord’s anointed - even showing the little piece of the cloak that he had cut off to prove it. David could have killed Saul, but he did not. He never desired nor intended to. And through it all, even though Saul had continued to wrong him, David would let the Lord avenge him instead.
Reflection: Think about this. David doesn’t presume to be the instrument of God’s work and wrath. He knows very well that he will be Israel’s next king, yet when we look at the way he interacts with Saul, you wouldn’t be able to tell. David doesn’t take on the assumption of being the Lord’s hand. Instead, he sees himself as an insignificant flea, a dead dog. This is such a contrast to how Saul seemed to carry himself - worry about his self-image and how people would perceive him.
Contrast: When we look back at chapter 17 and here in chapter 24, we can probably pick up on a couple of things that are consistent throughout these passages.
God is the hero. Even though we are reading about the first three kings of Israel, ultimately, God is still the hero in our stories. God is the one who brings resolution to the standoff between the Israelites and the Philistines. God is the one who ultimately brings the peace and protection that the people were hoping to find in a king. God is the one whom David turns to in order to prove that he is not trying to harm Saul.
God is the Savior. God had granted grace to the very people who had rejected Him. God could have easily left the people to their unwise and even foolish decision to demand a king. And yet, God did not leave them there. He redeemed the situation. He called up a man after His own heart, and it was through this person that God granted grace to His people and saved them. They rejected Him, but He did not reject them. They got what they deserved, and yet, they also received grace when they were so undeserving.
Application: I think there are a couple of things that these passages can teach us.
God in the center: In connection to that, we see that God is always the center of the story. David saw it the same way - it is God who is in control. It is God who makes all things work for good. It is God who will redeem and save. Sometimes, we can be like ants - focused so much about what’s happening in front of us. And yet, when we look up, we can see that God truly is in control. Even when the world seems to be falling apart around us, God is still in control and still the hero of our stories.
Grace and mercy: And in the midst of all of that, we will see that God continues to grant grace and mercy. In our failures, God still grants us grace and much patience. In our mistakes, God continues to provide mercy and redemption. As I mentioned last week, this is all made possible through Christ. In Christ, we are granted both grace and mercy, so that we as undeserving sinners are given salvation and love.
Conclusion: As we look at David’s life before he became king, we see how the Lord mightily used him, providing grace to an undeserving people - the very ones who rejected the Lord. As we see God use David to bring salvation to the people, we also see God once again revealing Himself to be the center of the story. And so as we get to see more of David’s story, may we seek to pursue God as the Hero and the Savior that we so desperately need. For His grace, and mercy, and love are everlasting for His undeserving people. Amen.
日本語の翻訳：
1. シリーズの振り返り
皆さん、私たちはこれまで、イスラエルの三人の王——サウル、ダビデ、そしてソロモンについてのシリーズを学んできました。このシリーズの最初の方で、裁判官（士師）たちの時代のお話をしましたね。当時は国に王がいなかったため、人々はそれぞれ「自分の目に正しいと思うこと」を勝手にやっていました。その結果、彼らは周りの国々と同じように、自分たちを支配し、戦いに導いてくれるリーダーが欲しいと強く願うようになりました。
そこで主（神様）は、彼らの期待に沿った王として「サウル」を与えました。ここ数週間、私たちはサウルについて話してきましたが、今日はそこから「ダビデ」へと話を移していきます。先週は、フィリスティア人のチャンピオンであるゴリアテがイスラエルの軍を挑発し、サウルとイスラエル全土が恐怖に震えていた場面まで読みました。
私たちは、人々が「望んだ」王であったサウルが、結果的に彼らが「受けるべき（ふさわしい）」王になってしまったことを話し合いました。不完全な人間たちが、自分たちの個人的な欲求を満たす王を求めた結果、彼らは究極的には、自分たちを奴隷状態から解放し、約束の地へと導いてくれた完璧な方——つまり神様ご自身を拒絶してしまったのです。人間は自分だけでは自分を救うことはできず、「救い主」が必要でした。先週のメッセージの最後で、その役割を果たせるのはただ一人、「イエス・キリスト」だけであるとお話ししました。ですが、その時が来るまでにも、神様はご自身の民のために計画を持っていました。それは、ふさわしくない人々への「恵みの業」でした。
2. 背景とストーリー
前の章（サムエル記上16章）で触れたように、ベツレヘムの若い羊飼いの少年だったダビデが、次のイスラエルの王として油を注がれました。彼は7人の兄たちを差し置いて選ばれましたが、おそらく当時はまだティーンエイジャーだったはずです。家族の一番下の子はいつも羊の世話をしていたので、彼は野原から呼び出されることになりました。外見だけを見れば（サウルと比べて）、王に見えなかったかもしれません。しかし神様は、「ダビデこそが私の選んだ者であり、私の心にかなう人である」と言われました。今日の聖書箇所で、その具体例が見えてきます。
17章では、イスラエル軍とフィリスティア軍が対峙する戦場へと舞台が移ります。まだ羊を飼いながら、時々サウル王のために音楽を演奏していたダビデは、父から「軍隊にいる3人の兄たちにパンを届け、彼らがどうしているか確認してきなさい」と頼まれます。そこでダビデは、ゴリアテが再びイスラエルの軍を挑発している場面に遭遇します。彼は憤慨しました。「この男は、イスラエルと、その上にいらっしゃる神様を侮辱していいのか！」と。
細かい部分は聖書を読んでいただきたいので省きますが、最終的にダビデはサウル王のもとに行き、「自分がゴリアテと戦います。勝利を与えてくださるのは神様です」と申し出ます。あとの話は皆さんご存知でしょう。ダビデはなめらかな石を数個持ち、ゴリアテに向かって走り出し、こう宣言しました。「私は主（神様）の名によってあなたに立ち向かう。戦いは主に属するものであり、主があなたを私の手に渡してくださるだろう。これにより、イスラエルに神がおられることが証明される」
一つの石、一つの投石器、一人の神様——そして一つの勝利。ゴリアテは倒れました。イスラエルは歓喜し、フィリスティア軍を遠くまで追い払いました。彼らとの戦いはこれで終わりではありませんが、ひとまず彼らは退散しました。
3. 考察（リフレクション）
ここで少し立ち止まって考えてみましょう。人々は神様をリーダーとして拒絶したのに、それでも神様は彼らを救い出されました。人々は自分たちの望む王を手に入れましたが、実際には別の人物を通して、彼らを解放されたのです。ここでの真のヒーローは神様です。神様はダビデを用いて、イスラエルの人々へ「恵み」を与えられました。この視点を忘れないまま、続きの話に入りましょう。
4. 人間ドラマの展開
さて、人間が関わると、どうしても「ドラマ（揉め事）」が起きますよね。サムエル記上の次の数章をざっと振り返ってみましょう。
18章： サウルはダビデに嫉妬し、彼を殺そうとします。それが失敗すると、今度は自分の娘ミカルを結婚させようとしますが、その条件として「フィリスティア人の割礼の皮100枚」という（ひどい）代償を要求します。さらに、軍隊がサウルよりもダビデに従うようになったため、サウルの不満は爆発します。
19章： サウルの息子ヨナタンが間に入って助けようとし、サウルも一旦はダビデを傷つけないことに同意したように見えます。しかしそれは長く続きませんでした。妻のミカルに助けられて、ダビデはサウルの部下たちから逃げ出します。その後、ダビデはサムエルのもとへ向かいますが、追ってきたサウルが預言者たちの熱狂に巻き込まれ、自分自身も預言し始めるという奇妙な展開になります。
20章： ダビデがヨナタンに「なぜサウル王はこんなに私を追いかけるのか」と尋ねると、ヨナタンは彼を全力でサポートします。父親のサウルとは対照的な、とても爽やかな関係です。ヨナタンは、父サウルが止まらないことを悟ります。ダビデが生きていれば自分は王になれないことを知りながらも、親友であるダビデを涙ながらに安全な場所へ送り出しました。
21-22章： ダビデはノブの祭司たちのところへ逃げ込み、食料などの援助を受けます。その後、フィリスティア人の領土へ逃れますが、そこでも危険を感じたため、わざと「狂ったふり」をして追い出してもらいます。一方でサウルは、ダビデがノブの祭司たちに会ったと聞き、村の人々をほぼ全滅させるという惨劇を引き起こしました。神様が望まれた王の姿とは程遠い行動です。
23章： フィリスティア人がケイラの人々を攻撃したため、ダビデは彼らを救いにいきます。しかし、救った後で「ケイラの人々はサウルから自分を守ってはくれない」と気づき、再び荒野へと逃げます。サウルが猛追しますが、途中でフィリスティア人の攻撃があったため、方向転換せざるを得なくなります。そんな中、ヨナタンがダビデを訪ね、「あなたが将来王になる」とはっきり告げます。またしても、息子の方が父親よりずっと理解がありました。本来なら一番脅威に感じるはずの人間が、全く動じていない。まるで昼ドラのような展開ですね。
5. 第24章：洞窟での出来事
さて、ここからが本日のメインとなる箇所です。再びサウルがダビデを追い詰めてきました。しかし、人間ですから、どうしても「トイレ」に行かなければなりません。サウルが用を足している間、部下たちはリーダーのダビデにこう囁きます。「チャンスです！神様が敵をあなたの手に渡してくださいました。さあ、好きなようにしてください！」
さて、ダビデはどうしたでしょうか？ 彼はサウルの上着の端を少しだけ切り取りました（どうやってそんなことができたのかは謎ですが）。そして、どう感じたか。彼は激しい罪悪感に襲われました。恥ずかしささえ感じたかもしれません。彼は部下たちに「サウルに触れてはいけない」と禁じました。
サウルが用を済ませて外に出ると、ダビデは彼に向かって「我が主なる王よ！」と呼びかけます。そして、自分は主（神様）が任命された方に手を出すつもりはまったくないことを伝え、証拠として切り取った上着の端を見せました。ダビデはサウルを殺すことができたはずです。しかし彼はしませんでした。そうしたいとも思わなかったし、意図もしませんでした。サウルにひどい仕打ちをされ続けてきたけれど、それでもダビデは「復讐は神様に任せる」としたのです。
6. 考察（リフレクション）
これを考えてみてください。ダビデは、「自分が神様の怒りを実行する道具だ」とは思い上がりませんでした。彼は自分が次の王になることを分かっていましたが、サウルとの接し方を見れば、そんな野心は見えません。自分を「主の手」だとは考えず、むしろ自分を「取るに足らない虫のような存在」「死んだ犬のような存在」だと謙虚に捉えていました。これは、自分のイメージや周囲からの見られ方を気にしていたサウルの姿と、強烈な対比になっています。
7. 対比から見えること
17章のゴリアテ戦と、24章の洞窟の出来事を振り返ると、共通して言えることが二つあります。
第一に、**「神様こそがヒーローである」**ということです。私たちは三人の王の話をしていますが、物語の主役は常に神様です。イスラエル軍とフィリスティア軍の膠着状態を解決したのは神様です。人々が王に求めていた平和と保護を最終的に与えたのも神様です。ダビデがサウルを傷つけないことを証明するために頼ったのも神様でした。
第二に、**「神様こそが救い主である」**ということです。神様は、ご自身を拒絶した人々に対してさえ、「恵み」を与えられました。王を欲しがるという愚かな決定をした人々を、そのまま放り出すこともできたはずです。しかし、神様は見捨てませんでした。状況を変えてくださったのです。神様の心にかなう人を呼び寄せ、そのダビデを通して、ふさわしくない人々を救い出されました。「彼らは神を拒絶したが、神は彼らを拒絶しなかった」ということです。
8. 私たちへの適用
この箇所から、私たちは二つのことを学べます。
一つ目は、**「人生の中心に神様を置くこと」**です。物語の中心が常に神様であるように、ダビデもまた「すべてをコントロールしているのは神様だ」と信じていました。すべてを善に変え、救い出してくださるのは神様だけです。私たちは時々、アリのように、目の前の小さな出来事にばかり集中しすぎて不安になります。しかし、顔を上げて見上げれば、神様が本当にすべてを統治していることが分かります。世界がバラバラに崩れているように見えるときでさえ、神様はコントロールされており、私たちの人生のヒーローであり続けてくださいます。
二つ目は、**「恵みと慈しみ」**についてです。私たちは失敗し、間違いを犯しますが、それでも神様は恵みを注ぎ、忍耐強く待ってくださいました。先週お話ししたように、これはすべてキリストを通して可能になりました。私たちのようなふさわしくない罪人が、救いと愛を受け取ることができるのは、キリストにある恵みと慈しみがあるからです。
9. 結び
王になる前のダビデの人生を見ると、主がどのように彼を用いて、神を拒絶した人々へ恵みを注いだかが分かります。神様がダビデを通して救いをもたらされたように、ここでもまた、神様こそが物語の中心であることが示されています。
これからさらにダビデの物語を進めていく中で、私たちも、自分たちが切実に必要としている「真のヒーロー」であり「救い主」である神様を追い求めていきましょう。神様の恵みと慈しみ、そして愛は、ふさわしくない私たちに対しても、永遠に注がれ続けています。
アーメン。