1 Samuel 21:1-15

Run away from Danger, not from God.

Have you tried running away from danger?

David ran away because Saul wanted him dead. David is now a fugitive. A wanted man. Running away from danger is the natural response. However, when you run away from danger, do not run from God. Instead we should run away from danger with God’s guidance and direction. Unfortunately, we can’t read David calling upon God and asking for God’s direction.

Here in chapter 21, we read a somewhat painful part of David’s history. This is the first time in 1 Samuel that we see David’s flaws and mistakes. The Bible does not hesitate to record his wrong doing. This goes to show that the Bible is God’s Word, not man’s Word.

David is a man after God’s owns heart but he is still a man, prone to mistake and sin.

At this point, David is not living so near to God as before. How do we know that? We can already observe in the previous chapter that David somehow forgot God’s promise to preserve him and make him King after Saul.

1 Samuel 20:3 “But I swear to you that I am only a step away from death! I swear it by the Lord and by your own soul!”

Yes it is true that Saul desires to kill him but it is also equally true that God desires to preserve him and God had preserved his life over and over again - against Goliath and then Saul.

Since David is not living so near to God as before, in consequence his actions becomes more worldy and unlikely for a man of God.

Scene 1 (vv.1-9)

David escaped from Saul and went to Nob to get provisions.

- David went to Nob (v.1) - 3 km away from Gibeah, a city of priest (1Samuel 22:19).

Why not go to Ramah where Samuel is? He was protected their as we read in chapter 19. He is safer their under Samuel.

Ahimilech got suspicious/curios (v.1). why are you alone? As a high ranking official, David is expected to have soldiers with him. And problably Ahimilech already heard about Saul’s attempts to kill David (thus trembling, why are your alone?).

David lied to Ahimilech (v.2). why lied?

- David lied to protect the life of the Priest in Nob. So that Ahimilech will not be guilty of helping a fugitive.

David asked for bread and received bread from Ahimilech (v.3).

David asked for a spear or sword (v.8) David lied again! lies lead to more compromise!

Then we are are introduced to an enemy spy - Doeg the Edomite (v.7)

- the chief of Saul’s shepherds (v.7) - a prisoner of war because he is an Edomite. A high ranking official under Saul - who later Killed the 85 priest of Nob inclusing Ahimilech.

- Detained before the Lord (v.7) - making a vow, payment of offense.

David knew that Doeg will tell Saul about his location and so he decided to ran away again.

Scene 2 (vv.10-15)

David fled to Gath to be safe from Saul.

Gath is a Philistine town. The hometown of Goliath. An enemy of Israel. Idol worshippers.

Why Gath? - David probably believed that no one could recognize him there thus safer compared to the places in Israel.

David might have thought. “Mas safe ko dire! All right!

But here’s the problem, the servants of Achish recognized David (v.11)

Is this not David the KING of the Land? (v.11)

David’s feelings - greatly feared Achish because the people think he is KING (v.12)

David’s response to save himself - He disguised his sanity and acted insanely (v.13). David lied again to protect himself.

King Achish doesn’t like that his servants brought an insane man to him (v.14-15) - why? In the ancient times, they believe that an insane person (drooling saliva on the mouth) is cursed by a god and in some sense an evil warning and so they must not harm the person or the gods will be provoked.

David was able to escape because of this bizarre behavior. Was it wise for David to do that? Well, he could have avoided that if he did not go to his enemies territory.

He is much safer in Israel, under Samuel and God’s protection in Ramah.

David lied in both scene. Again David is not perfect!

But where is God in this story?

We can’t read any statement about God nor a message from God.

But God is in the background. This is part of God’s plan to prepare David before becoming a King - a test of character and faith.

God allowed David to make decisions on his own. We all have free will. Sometimes, God will not do something and just allow us to make decisions and do things which we think are good, practical, and logical despite knowing it’s a sin. So that later on when we go through consequences, we will learn to not repeat the same mistakes.

Sometimes we put ourselves in certain difficult situations because of our sin, but that does not mean God cannot bring about good. We should not use that as an excuse for sin, but we must also remember that the Lord is big enough to bring good out of our mistakes. That His grace is greater than our sin!

The death of Jesus is a testament that shows that indeed God’s grace is greater than our sin!

This is the good news! The gospel!

Ephesians 2:4–8 “4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;”

But God! - pero ang Ginoo, the previous verse talks about our deadness to sin! But God did something!

take note of the word mercy, love, and grace! By grace you have been saved!

Later in life, David talked about God being his refuge and deliverer based on this event - Psalm 34

Psalm 34:4 “4 I sought the Lord, and He answered me, And delivered me from all my fears.”

Psalm 34:6–7 “6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him And saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, And rescues them.”

Psalm 34:18 “18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

David learned and believed that it was God who rescued him!

David now teaches the lesson he learned from this event in his life:

Psalm 34:11–14 “11 Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. 12 Who is the man who desires life And loves length of days that he may see good? 13 Keep your tongue from evil And your lips from speaking deceit. 14 Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.”

David learned his lesson and he was able to teach his lesson to others

What is the author’s main point in including this tragic story about David’s life?

Sermon main theme: The man of God can make mistakes but because God is faithful. God will provide deliverance.

3 Ways to help us avoid compromising situations.

1. Stay focused on God.

David failed to focus on God and so he allowed his faith to waver in the face of danger.

To focus means “to give careful attention”. David was not able to give careful to attention to God who was always helping Him, again and again.

We will go through difficult situations in life - dangerous, difficult, or happy, success. These could take away our focus on God as we become focused on solving our problems, paying our bills, or achieving more success. etc. So in order for us to stay focus on God in the midst of danger and success, we need to build a strong foundation of connection with God. How?

Application: a. Maintain a daily prayer life. You need to be continuously connected to God through prayer.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 “17 pray without ceasing;”

Ephesians 6:18 “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,”

Why? It is for our perseverance!

b. Maintain a daily intake of God’s Word. That is how God’s takes a hold on you - through His living and active Word.

Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”

Ex. When I was working in Timex. We use microscope to do visual inspection on the product . To see if the product is good or reject so that we will not sell defective products. In this microscope, we use high a bright light to clearly see the product under test. A microscope without a bright light is useless.

In the same way, God’s word will give us better insight and focus to see the things that are good and not good for us.

Illustration: Don’t start your day with prayer and Bible reading, I will tell you what will happen. You will not care about asking God as you make decisions in your life. Am I right?

Transition:

The first way to help us avoid compromising situation is Stay focused on God. As we focus on God, we will not be able to easily forget God and His Word! and that leads me to my second point.

2. Seek God’s guidance before making decisions.

David did not seek God’s guidance. He just decided on his own and He decided to go to the most logical place - Nob, the city of Priest (near, and not a threat to me), and to Gath (no one knows me here!)

The most logical decision might not be the best decision. The best decision is when asked for in prayer and with the guidance of God.

Proverbs 3:5–6 “5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.”

Application:

Seek God’s guidance always, not just when you are already in trouble or compromising situation.

Remember that God’s guidance does not contradict His Word.

The second way to help us avoid compromising situation is to Seek God’s guidance before making decisions.

One of the ways that God guides His people is by using other godly people - like Jonathan and Samuel.

3. Seek the help of Godly people.

David went to Nob very shortly and then went to Gath. A place where no godly people lives. Far away from Samuel (about 35 kilometers away)

Application:

Develop relationship with godly people around you.

Be that godly-people who is ready to help.

You have god-given resources that you could use to bless God’s people.

Conclusion: