Finding Your Way: Trusting the Lord's Path
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A. Rapport for the time
John Piper’s book Spectacular sins—
How God cand take decisions that we deem to be correct decisions but are not and turn them to accomplish what he desires. The biggest kicker in our amazement with God is that if we truly pursue him after doing it our own way he will use the event to transform us into his beloved son even more.
We know this to be true because every one of us has edges this morning that are not of God.
B. Reading of the text
Have Roger read at the beginning
C. Review of the text
I told you last week at the end of chapter 26 that the events of 27 would be confusing. Chapter 24 Saul runs into David in a cave
Chapter 25 David and Nabal
Chapter 26 David and Saul using the lessons he has learned from the previous two chapters
Then Chapter 27 and David has a lack of trust in the one true God that knows him by name.
D. Relevance of the text
As we enter into this text together this morning is that we deepen our faith in the work of Christ our Savior. Trust is an easy word to say but can be difficult to execute in our actions because of ourselves.
I. Fear's Flight
I. Fear's Flight
1 Then David said in his heart, “Now I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of seeking me any longer within the borders of Israel, and I shall escape out of his hand.”
Do you have this problem that David has this morning? Oh wait. I should probably explain his problem, that way we can all relate to him at the same time. I often talk to myself in an unhealthy manner that is based on my circumstances and not on who I am in Christ. (repeat) We need to understand that at this point in David’s life he knows the proper way to talk with himself.
5 For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.
David knows better than to rely on himself. YET,
12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.
It’s not a deeper theology we need or more information about the holiness of God. What we need to do is stop and be silent before the Lord and listen to his guidance not our own. But far to often we focus upon self and guide our own hearts.
Gospel—have you trusted in Christ a Savior and Lord.
Then we should trust in him today that his guidance and direction is best for our lives. Not get caught up in talking to ourselves and then trying to convince the Lord we are correct and he needs to get on board our plan.
1 Then David said in his heart, “Now I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of seeking me any longer within the borders of Israel, and I shall escape out of his hand.”
There is fear in the life of David and he is allowing that fear to guide his next steps. Looking from the outside we can see all that God has done for David and how sill these thoughts are but to David this is the way. Fear has driven him to this.
It was not decades before that David understood God’s hand
23 The Lord rewards every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness, for the Lord gave you into my hand today, and I would not put out my hand against the Lord’s anointed.
24 Behold, as your life was precious this day in my sight, so may my life be precious in the sight of the Lord, and may he deliver me out of all tribulation.”
David has allowed himself to be worn down by the constant desire of Saul to kill him despite the knowledge that it could never happen.
14 And David remained in the strongholds in the wilderness, in the hill country of the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not give him into his hand.
17 And he said to him, “Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Saul my father also knows this.”
This is why you and I empowered by the Spirit of God just like David still have a sin problem. It’s not the same problem that we had before Christ when sin reigned in our life. Sin has been defeated by Christ and in him it no longer rules over me like a taskmaster. No, the sin problem I have now if very often me choosing a path that is not trusting in the one that holds me.
2 So David arose and went over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.
3 And David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, and David with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal’s widow.
4 And when it was told Saul that David had fled to Gath, he no longer sought him.
David is repeating a choice that he had made earlier.
10 And David rose and fled that day from Saul and went to Achish the king of Gath.
11 And the servants of Achish said to him, “Is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another of him in dances, ‘Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?”
12 And David took these words to heart and was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath.
13 So he changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in their hands and made marks on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard.
14 Then Achish said to his servants, “Behold, you see the man is mad. Why then have you brought him to me?
15 Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this fellow to behave as a madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?”
He had to act like a crazy person to get him out of this situation before but this time it’s going to be different. At least that must be what David is thinking or why would he be doing it. This time David finds himself “safe” (he was already safe) from Saul but now in the land of the Philistines.
1 Samuel—Looking for a Leader David’s “Success” (v. 4)
But at what cost? There is no mention here, as previously, of God’s protective hand. Much had been said a little earlier in this narrative about the inappropriateness of David saving himself “with his own hand” (see
T.S.
II. Finding Refuge
II. Finding Refuge
5 Then David said to Achish, “If I have found favor in your eyes, let a place be given me in one of the country towns, that I may dwell there. For why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?”
6 So that day Achish gave him Ziklag. Therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day.
7 And the number of the days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a year and four months.
Be careful of vs. 5 you may slip on the buttering up of David to Achish. You know how you talk to someone when you want a certain desired outcome but feel like you need them to reach the conclusion themselves.
vs. 5 Why would David have found any favor in the eyes of Achish? David has literally been a Philistine problem his entire life and now he asks to receive some territory among the philistines that his people my live protected from Saul.
1, 2 Samuel (12) David Hides from Saul and Resumes Israel’s Conquest of Canaan (27:1–12)
Ziklag (modern Tel Seraʿ?) was located about twenty-five miles southwest of Gath in what was technically territory assigned to both the tribes of Simeon (cf.
WHAT!!!...The city was allotted to the tribe of Simeon and Judah yet the Israelites had never conquered this territory? Now the Philistine Ruler was going to give the very land that God had told the Israelites was theirs in the first place. Stop and think about that.
“God’s purpose is bigger than our mistakes, reminding us to realign with His plan.”
This is a spectacular sin of David that has now turned to provide part of the very area that Judah was supposed to be living in the entire time but they had failed only to find David’s brilliant plan pay off.
T.S.
III. Flawed Decisions
III. Flawed Decisions
8 Now David and his men went up and made raids against the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites, for these were the inhabitants of the land from of old, as far as Shur, to the land of Egypt.
9 And David would strike the land and would leave neither man nor woman alive, but would take away the sheep, the oxen, the donkeys, the camels, and the garments, and come back to Achish.
An assignment that was left undone from the time of Moses was now taken care of by David.
15 And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The Lord Is My Banner,
16 saying, “A hand upon the throne of the Lord! The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”
17 “Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt,
18 how he attacked you on the way when you were faint and weary, and cut off your tail, those who were lagging behind you, and he did not fear God.
19 Therefore when the Lord your God has given you rest from all your enemies around you, in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven; you shall not forget.
Geshurites, Girzites, and Amalekites were all to have been gone a long time ago.
16 But in the cities of these peoples that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes,
17 but you shall devote them to complete destruction, the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, as the Lord your God has commanded,
David the man after God’s heart takes care of the list God had given to his people in the midst of his fear and not trusting God to protect him from Saul.
10 When Achish asked, “Where have you made a raid today?” David would say, “Against the Negeb of Judah,” or, “Against the Negeb of the Jerahmeelites,” or, “Against the Negeb of the Kenites.”
11 And David would leave neither man nor woman alive to bring news to Gath, thinking, “lest they should tell about us and say, ‘So David has done.’ ” Such was his custom all the while he lived in the country of the Philistines.
Negeb of Judah, Jerahmeelites, Kenites. Are Israel territories that Achish thinks David is invading. What David is really doing is lying to Achish and telling him what he wants to hear.
12 And Achish trusted David, thinking, “He has made himself an utter stench to his people Israel; therefore he shall always be my servant.”
There it is!!!! Achish trusted David!
AMAZING—the lack of trust of David and lying of David brings him to live in the land of the Philistines for 16 months. During this time he is used by God to finish off a people and bring judgment on a group of people that have been against God since the time of MOSES.
This was not the intention of David in anyway. He came here because of fear in his soul. God is the one that takes the sin of David and turns it for HIS good in spite of David not because of David.
Application:
Challenge believers to trust that God redeems our missteps; His strength perfects our weaknesses. Encourage reliance on Christ as our ultimate refuge, who embodies perfect trust and peace.
