Delivered From Fear
Delivered From Fear
Psalm 34:4 (NKJV) I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears.
Background: When David writes this Saul, the king was after him, Jonathan his covenant friend stands up to his father who is so outraged that he throws a spear at his son (1Sam 20:33). David has to depart his friend and go on the run to Nob, a city of priest, it’s here where he eats the showbread, gets Goliath sword, and endangers the priest. He flees Nob and ends up in a cave in Adullam. Adullam is near the Dead Sea. It’s an arid, desert place. It is also a place with natural springs. (1Sam. 22:1-2) He ends up with all those who are distressed, in debt, and discontented. It was in this place that he formed his army.
1) What is fear?-Webster’s Def.- mean painful agitation in the presence or anticipation of danger. fear is the most general term and implies anxiety and usually loss of courage 〈fear of the unknown〉. dread usually adds the idea of intense reluctance to face or meet a person or situation and suggests aversion as well as anxiety 〈faced the meeting with dread〉. fright implies the shock of sudden, startling fear 〈fright at being awakened suddenly〉. alarm suggests a sudden and intense awareness of immediate danger 〈view the situation with alarm〉. panic implies unreasoning and overmastering fear causing hysterical activity 〈the news caused widespread panic〉. terror implies the most extreme degree of fear 〈immobilized with terror〉. trepidation adds to dread the implications of timidity, trembling, and hesitation 〈raised the subject with trepidation〉.[1]
2) Rational or Irrational Fear-
For example, when we are afraid of something that cannot actually harm us - such as spiders - or something we can do nothing to avoid - such as old age or being struck down with smallpox or being run over by a truck - then our fear is unhealthy, for it serves only to make us unhappy and paralyze our will.
On the other hand, when someone gives up smoking because they are afraid of developing lung cancer, this is a healthy fear because the danger is real and there are constructive steps they can take to avoid it.
We have many fears-fear of terrorism, fear of death, fear of being separated from people we love, fear of losing control, fear of commitment, fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of losing our job, the list is never-ending!
· Rational Fear- There is a legitimate reason to believe that you are endanger
· Irrational Fear- There is not a rational reason to be fearful. You have a fear of the unknown, anxiety is building up, you’re sleepless, and you sense danger instead of God’s presence.
· We all deal with fears. Irrational fear is not in the kingdom of God.
2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV) For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. How do you deal with it?
David had some legitimate fears, Saul and his army where after him with plans to kill him.
3) How Do You Perceive The Cave?
1 Samuel 22:1-2 (NKJV) David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. So when his brothers and his father’s entire house heard it, they went down there to him. 2 And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him.
2 Cave Perceptions:
#1 – Lord, You brought me here to die. My enemies are greater than me, they desire to kill me, and I am out here in this desert cave
· Prov 23:7 As a man thinks in his heart so he is
#2- Lord, You are my fortress and my shield and what can man do to me? If You are for me, who can be against me?
· Dine on the bread of life
Matthew 4:4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’ ”
4) How did David deal with the cave?
a) Don’t let circumstances dictate your destiny.
· David was on the run
· David lost his relational support base
· Everyone around him was a mess
· He was in an unfamiliar place
· He was facing a well trained, well resourced, professional army that had driven out Philistines from the land of Israel.
b) Get the heart of God -Psalm 34:4 (NKJV) I sought the Lord
Robert the Bruce the Scottish noble whose character is most remembered for betraying William Wallace, latter rose up to lead Scotland to freedom after Wallace’s execution. In 1329 at the age of 44, Shortly before his death, Robert the Bruce requested that his heart be removed from his body and taken on crusade by a worthy Knight. James Douglas, one of his closest friends, took the honor and responsibility. The heart of Robert the Bruce was embalmed and put into a small container that Douglas carried around his neck. In every battle that Douglas fought, he literally carried the heart of his king pressed against his chest. In the early spring of 1330, Douglas sailed from Scotland to Granada Spain, and engaged in a campaign against the Moors. In an ill-fated battle, Douglas found himself surrounded, and in this situation death was both certain and imminent. In that moment Douglas reached for the heart strapped around his neck, flung the heart into the enemies midst and cried out, “Fight for the heart of your king!” One historian quoted Douglas as shouting, “Forward, brave heart, as thou were wont to do, and Douglas will follow his king’s heart or die!” The motto of Douglas clan to which the present duke belongs is even to this day simply “Forward.”
c) Don’t listen to the cave crowd.
· You will eventually take on the values and norms of those you open yourself up to.
1 Corinthians 15:33 (NASB95) Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.”
· You need to make a decision to walk differently than those in the cave
Ephesians 5:8 (NASB95)for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light
d) Get to the man/men of God and strengthen yourself
1 Samuel 22:5 The prophet Gad said to David, “Do not stay in the stronghold; depart, and go into the land of Judah.” So David departed and went into the forest of Hereth.
· When we are dealing with fear we need to fight its voice
· Learn the wisdom of David
· Seek God
· Listen to His people
· Notice, David did not look to men but to God.
· What would have happened to David if he listened to the people in the cave?
e) Go into the land of Judah
Judah = “praised”
· Learn the secret of how to encourage yourself in the Lord
1 Samuel 30:6 Moreover David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, for all the people were embittered, each one because of his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.
Reality- David was greatly distressed, the people wanted to kill him. He did not deny the pain, the stress, or the situation. Instead, he went to God and contented with God about his case.
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[1]Merriam-Webster, I. 1996, c1993. Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary. Includes index. (10th ed.). Merriam-Webster: Springfield, Mass., U.S.A.