The Return from Selfish Stupidity to Spiritual Sanity
Ironmen of Calvary 2024 • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
Introduction
This morning we again turn to the life David. As we do, we pick up where we left off in our last Bible study of his life. David was in a dark place once again. However, as the saying goes, the hour is always darkest just before dawn. Perhaps David’s own words give us insight to this moment in his life.
4 The sorrows of death compassed me, And the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.
5 The sorrows of hell compassed me about: The snares of death prevented me.
Even thought David finds himself in dark place, we know, from our own study of Scripture, that is God is there too. We, during such dark times, may not recognize His presence and we might find ourselves helpless in the storm, we must remember the promises of Psalm 34:18
18 The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; And saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
God often brings us to a place of brokenness. It is there that we must realize that we are on the threshold of spiritual growth and revival in our lives.
This is exactly where David found himself. He was in a desperate situation once again. Overcome by depression and the fear of Saul, David had sought refuge among the enemy. If you recall, he and his men along with their families were residing in the border city of Ziklag.
Note the proposition set before David by King Achish of Gath in Chapter 28.
1 And it came to pass in those days, that the Philistines gathered their armies together for warfare, to fight with Israel. And Achish said unto David, Know thou assuredly, that thou shalt go out with me to battle, thou and thy men.
Achish sees an opportunity to attack Israel. He believes that David is fully behind him now as king of the Philistines. Thus, he offers David a position.
2 And David said to Achish, Surely thou shalt know what thy servant can do. And Achish said to David, Therefore will I make thee keeper of mine head for ever.
David is now forced to make a decision. Is he going to accept the position that Achish is offering as captain of the entire Philistine army and march against his own people? Essentially, his willingness to compromise has placed him in a tricky and vexing situation. But wait, things get worse.
3 Then said the princes of the Philistines, What do these Hebrews here? And Achish said unto the princes of the Philistines, Is not this David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, which hath been with me these days, or these years, and I have found no fault in him since he fell unto me unto this day?
It is amazing how ignorantly perceptive even unbelievers can be! They asked the right question. “What do these Hebrews here?” There was no reason why the Hebrews much less the future king of Israel should be in the enemies camp. Achish, as we read, tries to quieten the concerns of these suspicious Philistine lords. However, they weren’t having any of it.
4 And the princes of the Philistines were wroth with him; and the princes of the Philistines said unto him, Make this fellow return, that he may go again to his place which thou hast appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he be an adversary to us: for wherewith should he reconcile himself unto his master? should it not be with the heads of these men?
5 Is not this David, of whom they sang one to another in dances, saying, Saul slew his thousands, and David his ten thousands?
Great point!
What though is the spiritual point of all this?
No Man Can Serve Two Masters!
No Man Can Serve Two Masters!
Everything happening in David’s life is the very same thing that happens in many believers lives today. Unfortunately, some of the biggest culprits are Christian men. Too many times we want to pursue what we desire. And, too often, we are willing to sacrifice our allegiance to Christ and His authority for selfish pursuits. We get so close to the world that it becomes difficult to discern if such a man is child of God or an unbeliever.
For example, how many times have you, as a man, began the day with your devotions, but, later, at work or with friends, you drop your allegiance to Christ simply mingle with the people of the world. At home, that morning, you make the vow to do the will of Christ in words and actions, but soon enough you are there cursing like a sailor and sharing crude jokes with friends. Never once do you bring up things that deal with Christ or Scripture.
14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
You see David became so much like the enemy that even the enemy thought he was one of them. Achish fully believed that David would follow him into battle against Israel, David’s own people. His willingness to compromise caused David to become like enemy.
Now, there is a danger of going the opposite way. The extreme of opposite of being like the world is completely isolate yourself from the world having no contact with unsaved people. However, let me point you to Christ is our example. He was a friend of sinners. How often do we see Christ ministering to those with desperate needs? Even thought He might have sit with sinners and publicans, He still maintained a holy, harmless, separate, and undefiled life. We can be friends with the unsaved in an effort to win them.
David, however, was not on that side of the pendulum. Instead, He is camping with the enemy and playing along with them. Too many Christian men find themselves in the same predicament. They lower their standards and mingle with the world. When confronted, they use the old worn out excuse that they need to be like the world to win the world. However, there always comes the moment when the unbeliever asks the same things these Philistine lords asked, “What do these Christians here?”
Things only get worse for David. However, for now, we are going to leave his predicament and focus something more positive. God had great patience with David.
Now, remember, he is with the enemy and they have accepted him as one of their own that is until the Philistine lords became jealous. Yet, the truth remains that David is once again determined to handle things his own way only make a complete mess of it all. However, let’s go back to our original thought.
Anytime we find ourselves in a hard place either by our own screw ups or God’s leading, God does not forsake us.
God Never Forsakes His Own
God Never Forsakes His Own
Consider the promise that God made to Israel during the time of Moses.
4 If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the Lord thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee:
5 And the Lord thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers.
Later, in the New Testament, Christ reiterated this same promise to those who would follow Him.
29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.
We also have the promise of Romans 8:38-39
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Without a doubt, God has promised that He will not forsake His own. We, as believers, can persevere through the darkest of times in our lives knowing that God always perseveres and never leaves us.
David was in an appalling plight. Yes, he brought it upon himself through his compromise with the enemy. Yet, no matter how far we wander from the Lord, the blood of redemption goes even father. God is never ever out of reach.
It was the same for David. Here is something amazing that we often miss in this story. Even though David was out of God’s will and living with the enemy, God was still working on David’s behalf. How do we know this? As you might already know, there are more books of the Bible than 1 and 2 Samuel which chronicle David’s life. In fact, I just gave you a clue. There are two other books of the Bible titled 1 and 2 Chronicles which gives some different insight even to this time in David’s life. Note what is recorded in 1 Chronicles 12:1
1 Now these are they that came to David to Ziklag, while he yet kept himself close because of Saul the son of Kish: and they were among the mighty men, helpers of the war.
Now note verse 22.
22 For at that time day by day there came to David to help him, until it was a great host, like the host of God.
In the end, if you add them all up, there were well over 340,000 people who came to David during this time. God was bringing an army to David that would eventually help him secure the kingdom. Even when David was out of God’s will and blessing, God was at work. His grace was at work. God was not dwelling on David’s present selfishness. And, even though in that moment David did not recognize it, God was securing David’s future. One by one they came to David out of Israel.
Here is the amazing thing! God never allowed the lapse of His servant into godlessness divert Him from His eternal purposes for David’s life.
Man of God, you must realize that even though we may be marching through enemy territory, God is at work. Yes, we may be tripped up by our flesh through sin and there may be times when Satan is flinging fiery dart after fiery dart, but none of that will stop God from doing what God does. Let that be a word of comfort and encouragment to you today. Now, that doesn’t mean we have license to stay in sin or live with the enemy. It simply means that even when we fall or give into fleshly lusts, God is still there. He is still working. As He works, He patiently waits on us to see our sin, repent, and pick ourselves back up.
As we turn back to David’s story, we see one more thing that happens proving that God was there and working on David’s behalf.
6 Then Achish called David, and said unto him, Surely, as the Lord liveth, thou hast been upright, and thy going out and thy coming in with me in the host is good in my sight: for I have not found evil in thee since the day of thy coming unto me unto this day: nevertheless the lords favour thee not.
7 Wherefore now return, and go in peace, that thou displease not the lords of the Philistines.
8 And David said unto Achish, But what have I done? and what hast thou found in thy servant so long as I have been with thee unto this day, that I may not go fight against the enemies of my lord the king?
9 And Achish answered and said to David, I know that thou art good in my sight, as an angel of God: notwithstanding the princes of the Philistines have said, He shall not go up with us to the battle.
10 Wherefore now rise up early in the morning with thy master’s servants that are come with thee: and as soon as ye be up early in the morning, and have light, depart.
Did you see what happened? God used the Philistine lords as well as King Achish as instruments to remove David from his position of compromise. David’s deliverance was perfectly timed by God so that David was able to get back to Ziklag. Now, when David arrives at Ziklag, things really do awry, but, again, all according to God’s plan. All of which reinforces Romans 8:28
28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Yes, even when we are out of God’s will and have refused God’s discipline feeling as if the Lord has forsake me, He is always near and He is always working.
So what exactly was God working towards? He was working at bringing David to a point where he reached the end of his rope and the only choice that remained was to look up.
The Cost of Returning to God Can Sometime Be High
The Cost of Returning to God Can Sometime Be High
God always achieves His purposes. He did so with David. However, what did it cost David in the end?
David and his men arrive back at Ziklag only to find the following.
3 So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.
4 Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.
I believe you can imagine the scene here. David, a man of God, has come to the end of his rope. All this time he was hanging out with the enemy. He was pursuing his own plan. He was handling things the way he thought they should be done. He has convinced himself that the only way to escape Saul is live with the Philistines. In doing so, he finds himself in Gath cozying up to King Achish. Meanwhile, as he is in Gath living the life of a traitor to his people and his God, everything that is precious to him, his family and friends, are suffering.
Note the reaction of his warriors.
6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.
Men, let this be a lesson to us all. Whenever we get our eyes on ourselves and we pursue friendship with this world, we place those closest to us in grave danger. I have witnessed over the years many a man who lived for the world and with the world lose his family to the world. David is not standing in the middle of ashes literally. Everything has burned down around him. By this time, even the enemy which he lives among despite him. He has lost his family. His own warriors are threatening mutiny and are thinking about killing him. David is about as low as man can go. Most likely in his mind, God is miles away.
What do you do when you get this low? What is a true man of God to do? He does the only thing that he knows to do which is what David did.
6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.
Return to Spiritual Sanity
Return to Spiritual Sanity
David, in this moment, snaps out of is miserable selfishness and returns to spiritual sanity.
8 And David inquired at the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.
God’s answer is interesting! God did not respond with doubt of David’s heart. God did not question his allegiance. God did not put David in time out. God didn’t even respond with any threat of punishment. No, God simply said, “Pursue.”
You see whenever we hit rock bottom and turn back to God, He is there to greet us with open arms. Just like the father who welcomed back the prodigal son so God stand ready to welcome His children back into His arms. God looked and saw His brokenhearted son weeping until he could not weep anymore. God then responded to His son with a word of power and victory. He sent his son, David, to conquer. It was that moment in David’s life when everything became crystal clear. He was God’s son with God’s blessing. It then that God begin to accomplish all that God wanted to do in David’s life.
It is the exact same place that God want each of us as men to be today. You see God desires more than anything that we be men of victory and blessing. However, God also knows that in order for that to happen we must have broken hearts acknowledging our own futility in fighting against God and His will for our lives. God is looking for that moment in our lives when we turn our eye to Jesus and lift our tear stained faces to His wonderful face. It is then that God cements in our hearts victory and blessing. He then sends us out to pursue the enemy. You see we must come to the same place Paul did when he acknowledged...
18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
When we respond to God with a broken and contrite spirit, we step into a new level of assurance.
20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
Christ noted this.
23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
You see we must come to a point where we humble ourselves before Him even as little children.
16 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
Conclusion
Conclusion
So what have we learned from David today? First, we have learned that we cannot serve two masters. You cannot be a friend with the enemy and serve Christ at the same time. It doesn’t work. Second, even when we do forsake Him or we find ourselves in dark storm of life, God never forsakes His own. He is always near, working, and waiting for us to come to ourselves. However, we must understand the cost of returning can be extremely high if we are not careful. We could find ourselves standing in the midst of the rubble we brought upon ourselves. Let’s not allow things to get that far. Let’s return to spiritual sanity before it is too late. How do we do that? We humble ourselves before the Lord and commit our full attention to obeying His commands knowing that He is at work in our lives.