Three things to do when you are in a crisis.
Notes
Transcript
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.
Review
Review
from 1 Samuel 27 until the end of 1 Samuel, we get to view David’s side of the story and Saul’s side of the story
today we will look at David’s side
David takes 600 men and their families to go live among the Philistines, the enemies of Israel
living with with the ungodly (2,000 + easily) - who are you influencing?
He makes a home in a city named Ziklag, have you made a Home among the ungodly? Seems safer but it is not
David becomes a bandit, robber, gangster - robs and kills and leaves no witnesses
he lies to the Philistine leader and says that he is attacking Israelite towns
David tells Philistine ruler that he is raiding Judah (foreshadowing- kill to cover up tracks)
other foreshadowing of trouble is David adding wives when he can
Probably tries to ease his conscience by the fact that he is at least attacking traditional enemies of Israel;
I am living however I want but at least I go to Church
I don’t go to church but will send an offering
I’m sleeping around but share inspirational messages on social media
But in truth he is drifting from God - no Psalms written during time
Ch 29
Philistines prepare to attack Israel. Will David attack his own? He told the Philistine leader that he would, but was he tricking him? We don’t know.
David was already at a bad place, and now he was about to cross another line, maybe even a point of no return
Some of you might close to crossing that line.
In this narrative, God rescues David through doubt of other philistine leaders
that song must have been the jam, because it comes up again
took David 3 days and about 75 miles to return home to find that their home had been raided (sowing and reaping)
1 And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire;
2 And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.
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.
and that brings us to day’s verse
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.
David is distressed - his family taken captive, he is in danger of being killed by his own men, he has let down the very people he wanted to protect, he is surely questioning himself, and his men are angrily questioning his decisions . . . I can hear:
we should have stayed in Judah!
we should have killed Saul in the cave!
God game you a second chance to kill Saul in the camp, but you wouldn’t listen to common sense!
if you had kill Saul we would have never run away to the God forsaken place
You should have left some men to guard the place
David, you cost me my family!
everything is going wrong, everything is trending downward . . . but David encouraged himself in the Lord
some versions use the phrase “he strengthened himself f in the Lord”, the key words are “in the Lord”
David encouraged himself in the Lord, David found strength in the Lord
now we are taught that if you have a tough day - you need a stiff drink, find some strength
about to deal with some news? Famous line is, “I need a drink first” - get some strength
others encourage themselves in weed and other drugs.
some try to strengthen themselves through family
I just need my family around me
some encourge themselves through positive phrases
it’s going to be ok, because when the going gets tough, the tough gets going
i’m just like rubber ball, I bounce back!
but these are only temporary fixes, that often times bring more trouble
add alcohol or drugs to a troubled mind, you might get some bad decisions
your rubber ball might be flat
today, God is showing us that we must find strength in him, courage in him
again, we are going to look at . . .
Three things to do when you are in a crisis.
Three things to do when you are in a crisis.
the natural question: How did David encourage himself in the Lord? How did David find strength in the Lord?
Singing? Did he pull out is harp? Did he pray?
God left out the detail on purpose There is no magical formula or combination of prayer, song, chants But there is a clue in what David wrote about strength in Psalms
7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in him, and I am helped: Therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; And with my song will I praise him.
Commercial: David, like others in the Bible learned the secret of “The Lord is”
Moses said the Lord is my banner
Gideon said the Lord is my peace
Jeremiah said the Lord is my portion
in Psalm 18 David said the Lord is my rock, fortress, my deliverer, the horn of my salvation, my high tower
In Psalms 23 David said the Lord is my Shepherd
in Psalms 27 said the Lord is my light and salvation
and here he said the Lord is my strength and my shield
now watch how this strength thing works: My heart trusted in him, and I am helped
in other words, I was helped when I trusted in him
Step 1: Find a way to trust God again.
Step 1: Find a way to trust God again.
David had lost trust in God (that’s why he is in Philistine territory in the first place, but he found a way to trust God again
again I don’t know how David found a way to trust God again while looking at the burned ruins of Ziklag, but he found a way
I don’t know what it will take for you, but find a way to get there
Listen to some Christian songs , pray until you have peace, read the scriptures, speak the promises of God over your life, sing God’s praises, remember how he delivered you in the past, coming to church more, coming to Bible, ask someone else to pray for you . . .find a way! get there!
don’t we find a way for everything else?
i don’t know how I’m going to pay for schooling, but I’ll find a way
I don’t know how I’ll get them to date me, but I’ll find a way
get those new shoes, that new phone, go on that vacation, but I’ll find a way
and we put our heart and mind and soul into it!
do the same for God! You find a way to trust HIm again!
I find that when I need to trust Him again, when I need to encourage myself, I start singing grandmother’s songs
they didn’t mean much to me back then, but now that I’ve gone going through some stuff, now that I need to trust him more than ever, now that I’m trying to hold on to my faith, I find myself singing, . . .
What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear, what a priv
guide me o though great Jehovah, lead me through this barren land
I am weak, but thou art mighty, hold me with thou powerful hand
sometimes I have to go back to childhood songs
Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so
little ones to him belong, they are weak but he is strong, Yes . . . Jesus loves me
He’s got the whole in his hands (He’s got you and me brothers)
and that may not work for you, but find a way!
David had to find a way, I have to find a way, and you’ve got to find a way to trust God again!
even if you just have to reason it out
my way hasn’t worked so let me do things God’s way
I’ve come this far by faith, can’t turn around
I might as well run on and see what the end is going to be
and when you get to a place of trusting him again, look what the rest of that scripture says
7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in him, and I am helped: Therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; And with my song will I praise him.
I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth . . . and with my song I will praise him
when i trust him, I can rejoice before he delivers me
praise him before he rescues me
bless him before he makes a way
I’ll have a song of praise even in the midst of trouble
Caution!
Caution!
When we say trust in him again, it means a real trust
trust him no matter the situation/consequences/no matter what happens
Trust him to the point of whatever he allows is ok with you
We want to put limits on our trust in him
David put limits on, and when passed that threshold, he gave up and moved in with the Philistines
Limits - trust God long as
God does this or that
God does it in a reasonable time frame
God works through this person or group ofpeople
God does helps me and I get to keep my pride and self respect and social standing
We might not verbalize it . . . but our actions show it
Real trust
Job trust - though he slay me
three hebrew boys trust - we are not careful to answer you o king
Step 1: find a way to trust God again.
Step 2: Ask God what He wants.
Step 2: Ask God what He wants.
7 And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David.
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.
David didn’t just take off on a rescue mission. He asked God what He wanted them to do
It is implied that, “Should I take the loss?” is asked also
his question was not, “Which direction should I go?”
David is fully trusting God, no matter what he says
Many of us have skipped this important question with the things we are dealing with!
we just assume that God wants what we wants, his agenda is our agenda
but real trust causes you to ask God what he wants
maybe that door should stay closed, maybe that relationship does not need to be the same
maybe that career needs to be changed
God what do you want?
The Lord’s prayer says, “Thy will be done”
one of the top purposes of prayer is asking God’s will
too many times we try to move God with our prayers when in actuality the goal of our prayer should be to discern which way God is moving
Example of Christian family that went to church all the time, (not this church)
in a crisis - marital problems and wanted to move to a new city to solve problems, get people out of their business
every Godly person they talked to believed it was a bad idea - God was speaking
so they moved and problems were amplified - ended up divorced, one is an alcoholic, child has been to prinson, neither go to church
see at that time they needed people in their business - support and accountability
Ask God what he wants
David gives an example of how to handle when you agenda is different from God’s
David’s infant boy was sick and at the point of death . . .
19 But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead: therefore David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead.
20 Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the Lord, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required, they set bread before him, and he did eat.
his servants were surprised, but David explained that there was no need of falling out! Once he got the answer from God, he abided by his decision
Step 1: find a way to trust God again.
Step 2: ask God what he wants
Step 3: Follow His instructions
Step 3: Follow His instructions
walk this trust in God thing out
put your belief in action, show your faith
David is pursuing with no directions, no idea which way to go, he sets out in faith
and God made a way since David was obedient
Egyptian slave showed them the way v. 11-15
you might have to follow him a long time
Long, tough trip after a long trip they just finished - 200 couldn’t go on
9 So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind stayed.
10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred abode behind, which were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.
had already traveled about 75 miles
you might have to fight for a long time
17 And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels, and fled.
it was a Long battle - fought them throughout the night until the next evenving
Defeated a much bigger army - only 400 escaped, which means they started with a much bigger army
Was not an easy miracle like Goliath, every miracle is not easy
David happened to be there - no long trip
short battle - sling, rock, victory
we want that fast/easy miracle
that’s why nobody talks about this miracle - it took too long (ask for permission,travel a long way, find Egyptian, ask for directions, fight a whole day)
talked to my barber and he gave up smoking in one day! just decided! . . . that’s what we want every time
let me ask you a question - are you willing to take a slow miracle? or rather have no miracle?
successfully financially in 10 years or still broke in10 years
delievered in 3 years or still jacked up in 3 years
for your miracle, you might have to go to that doctor, that counselor, specialist, church member who has been through it before
just follow his instructions!
and by following instructions, they won the victory
18 And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives.
19 And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that they had taken to them: David recovered all.
20 And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drave before those other cattle, and said, This is David’s spoil.
actually got back more than what was taken, spoils from other raids
men went from wanting to kill David to saying, “this belongs to David” David is the man!
had enough to share with others
there is a way out of your crisis!
Step 1: Find a way to trust God again.
Step 2: Ask God what he wants.
Step 3: Follow His instructions.
same steps for Salvation
find a way to trust him the first time
ask him what he wants - become his disciple
walk the christian walk