WEBVTT 00:00:00.990 --> 00:00:03.209 I invite you to turn with me in your copy of 00:00:03.209 --> 00:00:05.370 God's Word either in the pew rack in front of 00:00:05.370 --> 00:00:08.650 you or that you have brought to the book of First 00:00:08.650 --> 00:00:12.570 Samuel. What we're gonna do today is we're gonna 00:00:12.570 --> 00:00:15.929 look at First Samuel and I'm going to make reference 00:00:15.929 --> 00:00:19.649 at the end of this sermon to two Psalms, two 00:00:19.649 --> 00:00:24.109 Psalms that David wrote in light of his experience. 00:00:24.750 --> 00:00:28.710 in what is happening here in 1 Samuel 21. So 00:00:28.710 --> 00:00:30.449 we're going to read 1 Samuel and then I'm going 00:00:30.449 --> 00:00:34.250 to refer to Psalm 34 and Psalm 56. Those were 00:00:34.250 --> 00:00:36.670 David's lessons learned from this experience. 00:00:36.909 --> 00:00:40.829 1 Samuel chapter 21, we're going to read the 00:00:40.829 --> 00:00:49.049 whole chapter today, 1 Samuel 21. Then David 00:00:49.049 --> 00:00:52.679 came to knob to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech 00:00:52.679 --> 00:00:55.560 came to meet David, trembling, and said to him, 00:00:56.039 --> 00:01:00.500 Why are you alone and no one with you? And David 00:01:00.500 --> 00:01:03.359 said to Ahimelech the priest, The king has charged 00:01:03.359 --> 00:01:05.980 me with a matter and said to me, Let no one know 00:01:05.980 --> 00:01:08.680 anything of the matter about which I send you 00:01:08.680 --> 00:01:11.900 and with which I have charged you. And I have 00:01:11.900 --> 00:01:14.319 made an appointment with the young men for such 00:01:14.319 --> 00:01:16.780 and such a place. Now then, what do you have 00:01:16.780 --> 00:01:20.099 on hand? Give me five loaves of bread or whatever 00:01:20.099 --> 00:01:23.760 is here. And the priest answered, David, I have 00:01:23.760 --> 00:01:26.599 no common bread on hand, but there is holy bread 00:01:26.599 --> 00:01:29.040 if the young men have kept themselves from women. 00:01:29.700 --> 00:01:32.120 And David answered the priest, truly women have 00:01:32.120 --> 00:01:35.519 been kept from us as always when we go on an 00:01:35.519 --> 00:01:38.640 expedition. The vessels of the young men are 00:01:38.640 --> 00:01:42.000 holy even when it is an ordinary journey. How 00:01:42.000 --> 00:01:44.980 much more today will their vessels be holy? So 00:01:44.980 --> 00:01:47.480 the priest gave him the holy bread, for there 00:01:47.480 --> 00:01:50.180 was no bread there but the bread of the presence 00:01:50.180 --> 00:01:54.599 which is removed from before the Lord to be replaced 00:01:54.599 --> 00:01:59.019 by hot bread on the day it is taken away. Now 00:01:59.019 --> 00:02:01.099 a certain man of the servants of Saul was there 00:02:01.099 --> 00:02:04.079 that day, detained before the Lord. His name 00:02:04.079 --> 00:02:07.819 was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul's herdsmen. 00:02:08.189 --> 00:02:11.830 Then David said to Ahimelech, Then have you not 00:02:11.830 --> 00:02:15.770 here a spear or a sword at hand? For I have brought 00:02:15.770 --> 00:02:18.550 neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because 00:02:18.550 --> 00:02:21.370 the king's business required haste. And the priest 00:02:21.370 --> 00:02:24.129 said, The sword of Goliath, the Philistine, who 00:02:24.129 --> 00:02:27.069 you have struck down in the valley of Elah, behold, 00:02:27.210 --> 00:02:30.509 it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. 00:02:30.889 --> 00:02:33.530 If you will take that, take it, for there is 00:02:33.530 --> 00:02:37.729 none but that here. And David said, There is 00:02:37.729 --> 00:02:42.949 none like that. Give it to me." And David rose 00:02:42.949 --> 00:02:46.289 and fled that day from Saul and went to Achish 00:02:46.289 --> 00:02:49.069 the king of Gath. And the servants of Achish 00:02:49.069 --> 00:02:52.669 said to him, is not this David the king of the 00:02:52.669 --> 00:02:56.330 land? Did they not sing to him, to one another 00:02:56.330 --> 00:03:00.270 of him in dances? Saul is struck down as thousands 00:03:00.270 --> 00:03:03.500 and David is tens of thousands. And David took 00:03:03.500 --> 00:03:06.580 these words to heart and was much afraid of Achish 00:03:06.580 --> 00:03:09.360 the king of Gath. So he changed his behavior 00:03:09.360 --> 00:03:12.740 before them and pretended to be insane in their 00:03:12.740 --> 00:03:15.020 hands and made marks on the doors of the gate 00:03:15.020 --> 00:03:17.919 and let his spittle run down his beard. Then 00:03:17.919 --> 00:03:20.659 Achish said to his servants, Behold, you see 00:03:20.659 --> 00:03:23.659 this man is mad. Why have you brought him to 00:03:23.659 --> 00:03:27.300 me? Do I lack madmen that you have brought this 00:03:27.300 --> 00:03:29.740 fellow to behave as a madman in my presence? 00:03:30.180 --> 00:03:33.210 Shall this fellow come into my house? And then 00:03:33.210 --> 00:03:36.210 you see in chapter 22, David departs from there 00:03:36.210 --> 00:03:41.250 and escapes to the cave of Adullam. Well, some 00:03:41.250 --> 00:03:45.550 people say, and it's probably some Greek or Roman 00:03:45.550 --> 00:03:49.370 philosopher who first said that desperate times 00:03:49.370 --> 00:03:54.139 call for desperate measures. meaning that in 00:03:54.139 --> 00:03:56.740 difficult situations, sometimes people will take 00:03:56.740 --> 00:04:00.280 really extreme actions that they wouldn't normally 00:04:00.280 --> 00:04:04.120 consider, acknowledging that unusual problems 00:04:04.120 --> 00:04:08.159 do require unconventional solutions. Well, David, 00:04:09.400 --> 00:04:12.780 it seems to him at least, has fallen on desperate 00:04:12.780 --> 00:04:17.819 times, and so he resorts to very desperate measures. 00:04:18.639 --> 00:04:22.410 But what we need to see from this text today 00:04:22.410 --> 00:04:25.310 and what we will see is that desperate times 00:04:25.310 --> 00:04:30.230 truly call the Christian to dependence upon God. 00:04:31.009 --> 00:04:33.689 Desperate times call the Christian to dependence 00:04:33.689 --> 00:04:36.509 upon God. David here in this passage resorts 00:04:36.509 --> 00:04:42.129 to all kinds of worldly strategies, lying, deception. 00:04:43.120 --> 00:04:47.500 trusting overly so in earthly means to secure 00:04:47.500 --> 00:04:51.680 his safety from whom? He's running from Saul. 00:04:51.779 --> 00:04:55.300 He's afraid for his life. And we see things go 00:04:55.300 --> 00:04:59.079 from bad to worse for David, for his lying not 00:04:59.079 --> 00:05:03.180 only leads to death, but it almost leads to his 00:05:03.180 --> 00:05:07.220 own death, as we will see. And there's lesson 00:05:07.220 --> 00:05:10.480 for us here, great lesson for us, for in times 00:05:10.480 --> 00:05:15.769 of stress, In times of desperation, when we feel 00:05:15.769 --> 00:05:21.209 like we are in a dark place, we may be as well 00:05:21.209 --> 00:05:25.189 tempted to trust in sinful or overly worldly 00:05:25.189 --> 00:05:28.310 strategies of self -rescue. David would tell 00:05:28.310 --> 00:05:34.629 you to trust in the Lord and that God is still 00:05:34.629 --> 00:05:39.810 good to us even, even when we fail to trust in 00:05:39.810 --> 00:05:43.709 him. Our God is so gracious and so good. And 00:05:43.709 --> 00:05:46.110 he is that way to David, he is that to us. In 00:05:46.110 --> 00:05:48.149 times of desperation, then, rather than leading 00:05:48.149 --> 00:05:50.689 on our own understanding, this passage calls 00:05:50.689 --> 00:05:54.470 us to dependence on God. And because God delivers 00:05:54.470 --> 00:05:57.930 his people, because he does deliver his people 00:05:57.930 --> 00:06:01.850 from their foolishness, and even the very fears 00:06:01.850 --> 00:06:04.129 that caused them to act foolishly in the first 00:06:04.129 --> 00:06:07.550 place, because he delivers them from that, because 00:06:07.550 --> 00:06:11.000 he delivers us. from fear and foolishness. We 00:06:11.000 --> 00:06:14.420 must remember his promised provision and run 00:06:14.420 --> 00:06:17.259 to him for refuge. Big idea today because God 00:06:17.259 --> 00:06:20.939 delivers us from our fears and foolishness. We 00:06:20.939 --> 00:06:24.220 must remember his promised provision and run 00:06:24.220 --> 00:06:28.360 to him for refuge. Where do we see that provision? 00:06:28.720 --> 00:06:32.060 Well we see that in David's life if we look here 00:06:32.060 --> 00:06:36.000 at verses one and following to verse nine. From 00:06:36.000 --> 00:06:39.500 the outset, this passage is loaded with anxiety. 00:06:41.079 --> 00:06:43.860 The priest here receives David. The priest of 00:06:43.860 --> 00:06:47.759 Nob receives him. What does it say in verse one? 00:06:47.759 --> 00:06:51.500 He's trembling. The priest is afraid because 00:06:51.500 --> 00:06:54.480 this is highly unusual. David doesn't have his 00:06:54.480 --> 00:06:57.560 mighty men with him. He has no provisions, no 00:06:57.560 --> 00:07:01.500 weapons. He's all alone and this is out of the 00:07:01.500 --> 00:07:05.879 ordinary and this is not a good situation. And 00:07:05.879 --> 00:07:08.740 so the priest is afraid, he's trembling, and 00:07:08.740 --> 00:07:12.600 he asks David, what are you up to? What are you 00:07:12.600 --> 00:07:15.899 doing here, essentially? And David begins to 00:07:15.899 --> 00:07:18.639 lie as he comes up with this story about this 00:07:18.639 --> 00:07:22.639 secret mission. Why is David lying? Well, you 00:07:22.639 --> 00:07:26.500 see what's going on here. We heard in verse seven 00:07:26.500 --> 00:07:31.120 about a certain servant of Saul who is also there. 00:07:31.519 --> 00:07:34.819 with the priest, and so David doesn't want to 00:07:34.819 --> 00:07:36.740 betray himself. He doesn't want to betray the 00:07:36.740 --> 00:07:38.819 priest. He doesn't want to give himself away 00:07:38.819 --> 00:07:41.680 to this fellow named Doeg the Edomite, and so 00:07:41.680 --> 00:07:45.240 David tries to lie. We can't dive into or know 00:07:45.240 --> 00:07:48.040 all of David's reasons and motivations here, 00:07:48.040 --> 00:07:51.259 but he is afraid, the priest is afraid, and he 00:07:51.259 --> 00:07:56.759 begins to spin this lie. He's hungry. Of course 00:07:56.759 --> 00:07:58.519 he's hungry. He doesn't have any food with him. 00:07:58.879 --> 00:08:02.540 And so he asks the priest for some bread in verses 00:08:02.540 --> 00:08:06.000 three through six. Now the priest essentially 00:08:06.000 --> 00:08:10.040 says, well, I can give you this bread, long and 00:08:10.040 --> 00:08:13.819 the short of that, about keeping themselves from 00:08:13.819 --> 00:08:17.379 women. If they essentially were ceremonially 00:08:17.379 --> 00:08:20.819 clean, if they were holy and ceremonially clean, 00:08:20.839 --> 00:08:23.019 then they could have the holy bread. They could 00:08:23.019 --> 00:08:26.699 have the consecrated bread. Now think about this, 00:08:26.879 --> 00:08:30.100 one of the things that that bread of the presence 00:08:30.100 --> 00:08:33.200 represented, one of the things that that holy 00:08:33.200 --> 00:08:36.559 bread in the temple represented was God's commitment 00:08:36.559 --> 00:08:41.620 to provide and take care of and sustain his people. 00:08:43.059 --> 00:08:45.460 So the priest gives him the bread because, well, 00:08:45.460 --> 00:08:49.860 they meet the requirements. Then David also asked 00:08:49.860 --> 00:08:53.860 for a sword. His lies deepen, claiming that he 00:08:53.860 --> 00:08:56.100 didn't have time to bring his weapons along with 00:08:56.100 --> 00:09:01.360 him. You see there in verse Now, if you're a 00:09:01.360 --> 00:09:05.679 Himalek, the priest at this point, you're beginning 00:09:05.679 --> 00:09:08.620 to wonder, okay, David is here all alone without 00:09:08.620 --> 00:09:14.820 his retinue of knights or mighty men. He doesn't 00:09:14.820 --> 00:09:17.840 have a weapon of any kind. He doesn't have any 00:09:17.840 --> 00:09:20.539 food. He looks like he's running from something. 00:09:20.799 --> 00:09:26.559 This is a very suspicious situation. The priest 00:09:26.559 --> 00:09:29.159 offers Goliath's sword, you see there in verse 00:09:29.159 --> 00:09:34.980 eight and nine. David, seeing the sword, says 00:09:34.980 --> 00:09:38.360 in verse nine, there is none like that. Give 00:09:38.360 --> 00:09:45.720 it to me. This is profound. David is very excited 00:09:45.720 --> 00:09:48.799 to have this sword because there's none like 00:09:48.799 --> 00:09:55.460 it. He's gloating in this sword. He is boasting 00:09:55.460 --> 00:09:59.759 in this sword. To him, this weapon represents 00:09:59.759 --> 00:10:03.840 his best chance of success against the enemy. 00:10:06.399 --> 00:10:08.679 This is a very different picture of David in 00:10:08.679 --> 00:10:14.440 chapter 21 than we see in chapter 17. You remember 00:10:14.440 --> 00:10:20.080 chapter 17. David says no to Saul's armor and 00:10:20.080 --> 00:10:24.490 weapons. And he goes, instead of running from 00:10:24.490 --> 00:10:27.669 danger, what is David doing? He's running to 00:10:27.669 --> 00:10:31.809 fight the battle against Goliath. And instead 00:10:31.809 --> 00:10:35.389 of dealing in lies, David fights Goliath's lies 00:10:35.389 --> 00:10:39.850 and derogatory remarks against the people of 00:10:39.850 --> 00:10:42.769 Israel and against Israel's God. David fights 00:10:42.769 --> 00:10:49.210 those untruths and comments with the truth. This 00:10:49.210 --> 00:10:55.039 is a. Totally different picture of David that 00:10:55.039 --> 00:11:00.860 we see in this passage. He is resorting to his 00:11:00.860 --> 00:11:06.519 own schemes, his own understanding. He is desperate, 00:11:06.519 --> 00:11:10.200 and he doesn't seem to be considering who he 00:11:10.200 --> 00:11:15.320 is or who he belongs to. Doesn't seem to be considering 00:11:15.320 --> 00:11:18.559 the Lord at all. Now, it's somewhat debatable. 00:11:18.860 --> 00:11:23.919 as to whether David's lies in every case were 00:11:23.919 --> 00:11:27.759 justifiable. We're not going to go down that 00:11:27.759 --> 00:11:32.220 trail. Suffice it to say, I think the picture 00:11:32.220 --> 00:11:35.240 we see here in this passage is that David is 00:11:35.240 --> 00:11:40.259 not behaving courageously. He's not the same 00:11:40.259 --> 00:11:43.879 courageous David that is trusting in the Lord 00:11:43.879 --> 00:11:48.220 that we see in chapter 17. He is the same David. 00:11:48.620 --> 00:11:52.360 But he is wracked with fear and anxiety and resorts 00:11:52.360 --> 00:11:57.220 to lying to save his skin. We'll see later, or 00:11:57.220 --> 00:11:59.580 rather, you'll see later that Ahimelech, the 00:11:59.580 --> 00:12:02.539 priest, is actually killed by Saul because of 00:12:02.539 --> 00:12:06.120 David's lies here and his anxiety. A question 00:12:06.120 --> 00:12:09.600 for us as we look at this passage might be this. 00:12:09.860 --> 00:12:13.480 What do I do? What do you do? What do we do when 00:12:13.480 --> 00:12:20.450 we are wracked with anxiety or fear? or nagged 00:12:20.450 --> 00:12:24.850 by some sort of worry that just won't seem to 00:12:24.850 --> 00:12:34.970 let go or that we can't seem to let go of. We 00:12:34.970 --> 00:12:40.450 fear ill health and so we go through all of these 00:12:40.450 --> 00:12:45.029 measures and protocols and we avoid this and 00:12:45.029 --> 00:12:50.159 avoid that. and our lives may be ruled by fear 00:12:50.159 --> 00:12:54.279 of illness. And so we do all these things that 00:12:54.279 --> 00:12:58.519 we might normally ought to do because we're in 00:12:58.519 --> 00:13:03.500 the grip of fear. Maybe a particular fear that 00:13:03.500 --> 00:13:07.580 you have or that some of us struggle with is 00:13:07.580 --> 00:13:10.600 financial fears, fears of financial insecurity. 00:13:10.740 --> 00:13:16.700 And so there's a temptation to not be forthright 00:13:16.700 --> 00:13:24.299 on taxes, or maybe your fear is loneliness, and 00:13:24.299 --> 00:13:26.879 that fear of loneliness drives you to all sorts 00:13:26.879 --> 00:13:33.240 of illicit relationships. Fears, when they come 00:13:33.240 --> 00:13:36.919 upon us, they cloud our thinking, don't they? 00:13:37.500 --> 00:13:40.600 They cloud our judgment, and they cause us, like 00:13:40.600 --> 00:13:43.779 David, to make all kinds of impulsive decisions. 00:13:45.159 --> 00:13:47.980 I mean, the impulse to run to the Philistines 00:13:47.980 --> 00:13:51.940 for protection is a rather rash and unwise decision, 00:13:52.000 --> 00:13:55.019 but David is in the grip of fear, yet there's 00:13:55.019 --> 00:13:57.480 something in this text that we've already read 00:13:57.480 --> 00:14:01.340 that should help us when our fears seem to rise 00:14:01.340 --> 00:14:04.980 to the surface, whatever those fears are, and 00:14:04.980 --> 00:14:10.120 that is actually in verse six. That help is in 00:14:10.120 --> 00:14:13.820 verse six. You see there the priest giving David 00:14:13.820 --> 00:14:18.980 his holy bread. The priest gives David this bread 00:14:18.980 --> 00:14:27.120 here, and as David consumes this bread, this, 00:14:27.200 --> 00:14:33.200 as Davis says, is a testimony that God still 00:14:33.200 --> 00:14:38.200 cares about him. God has provided David With 00:14:38.200 --> 00:14:42.539 his daily bread, God has met David's need right 00:14:42.539 --> 00:14:47.700 where he needed it. And so in a sense, David 00:14:47.700 --> 00:14:50.000 should be waking up at this point and realize 00:14:50.000 --> 00:14:53.779 that as he consumes this food, this bread, this 00:14:53.779 --> 00:14:56.360 sustenance, that God is still sustaining him. 00:14:57.100 --> 00:15:04.519 God still cares about him. And dear ones, God 00:15:04.519 --> 00:15:08.559 still cares about you. Maybe you know that, maybe 00:15:08.559 --> 00:15:10.980 you're resting in that this morning, but maybe 00:15:10.980 --> 00:15:13.419 someone in here needs to hear that today. God 00:15:13.419 --> 00:15:20.799 still cares about you. If you woke up this morning, 00:15:21.220 --> 00:15:23.830 if you have a roof over your head, If you'll 00:15:23.830 --> 00:15:26.750 have food on the table at lunch today, you know 00:15:26.750 --> 00:15:29.730 he is still keeping his promise and will continue 00:15:29.730 --> 00:15:32.649 to keep his promise to provide for all of your 00:15:32.649 --> 00:15:35.470 needs according to his glorious riches in Christ 00:15:35.470 --> 00:15:38.610 Jesus just as he supplied David with his daily 00:15:38.610 --> 00:15:42.049 bread. So he supplies you with that as well. 00:15:43.470 --> 00:15:46.330 And so I think a practical exercise could be 00:15:46.330 --> 00:15:51.210 for us. when we're anxious about our circumstances 00:15:51.210 --> 00:15:54.730 or overwhelmed with worry, is to take a moment 00:15:54.730 --> 00:15:58.629 and pause and remember the daily bread that God 00:15:58.629 --> 00:16:02.289 does provide. David does this in a couple of 00:16:02.289 --> 00:16:04.769 different Psalms where he recounts to himself 00:16:04.769 --> 00:16:08.789 God's faithful provision. And so maybe someday, 00:16:08.870 --> 00:16:13.169 maybe this afternoon, sit down and write how 00:16:13.169 --> 00:16:16.029 God has blessed you and provided for you today. 00:16:16.320 --> 00:16:18.500 Write a list of things he's provided for you 00:16:18.500 --> 00:16:21.639 this week. Write a list of things he's given 00:16:21.639 --> 00:16:25.019 you this year and blessings he's laid before 00:16:25.019 --> 00:16:29.019 you over the last month even. Count your many 00:16:29.019 --> 00:16:33.419 blessings, name them one by one. Count your many 00:16:33.419 --> 00:16:36.559 blessings and you will remember what the Lord 00:16:36.559 --> 00:16:40.279 has done. So we see God's provision for David 00:16:40.279 --> 00:16:46.269 in the midst of his darkness. and that is a sign 00:16:46.269 --> 00:16:50.289 of his care, and that should be something that 00:16:50.289 --> 00:16:53.730 not only helps him, but helps us realize that 00:16:53.730 --> 00:16:57.289 God is providing for us, even in the midst of 00:16:57.289 --> 00:17:08.109 our fears. But God also provides for David in 00:17:08.109 --> 00:17:12.329 the midst of his foolishness. Despite David's 00:17:12.329 --> 00:17:17.109 foolishness, God rescues him. And despite our 00:17:17.109 --> 00:17:21.869 foolishness, God rescues us and he restores our 00:17:21.869 --> 00:17:27.109 reason. You see that as David moves from the 00:17:27.109 --> 00:17:34.410 place of the priests, the place where the priest 00:17:34.410 --> 00:17:39.930 is there at Nob, he moves from there to this 00:17:39.930 --> 00:17:45.089 city of Gath. David flees to Gath. This is no 00:17:45.089 --> 00:17:47.589 small thing. David is fleeing to God's enemies 00:17:47.589 --> 00:17:51.970 for refuge. Can you believe this? They had just 00:17:51.970 --> 00:17:55.329 chased God's enemies off the battlefield and 00:17:55.329 --> 00:17:58.809 now he is running over to their side. This is 00:17:58.809 --> 00:18:04.009 no neutral thing. David is committing spiritual 00:18:04.009 --> 00:18:07.359 treason. And if the Apostle Paul had lived in 00:18:07.359 --> 00:18:10.660 David's day and somehow passed David by on the 00:18:10.660 --> 00:18:13.759 road on David's way to Gath, he would have said 00:18:13.759 --> 00:18:17.759 to David, David, don't you realize, don't you 00:18:17.759 --> 00:18:20.599 realize what you're doing? Paul would have quoted 00:18:20.599 --> 00:18:25.380 to him, surely, 2 Corinthians 6, 14, do not be 00:18:25.380 --> 00:18:28.519 unequally yoked with unbelievers for what partnership 00:18:28.519 --> 00:18:31.700 has righteousness with lawlessness, or what fellowship 00:18:31.700 --> 00:18:35.049 has light with darkness. Well, of course, you 00:18:35.049 --> 00:18:37.109 can imagine what happens when David goes to Gath. 00:18:37.130 --> 00:18:42.049 He's recognized. Verse 11, you see there, he 00:18:42.049 --> 00:18:46.490 is given away. And, you know, how is he given 00:18:46.490 --> 00:18:48.710 away? How is he recognized? Well, for one thing, 00:18:48.950 --> 00:18:51.549 what's he carrying? He's carrying the sword of 00:18:51.549 --> 00:18:56.950 Goliath in his belt. Obvious giveaway. And everybody 00:18:56.950 --> 00:19:00.440 knows the song about David. that Saul has slain 00:19:00.440 --> 00:19:02.880 his thousands and David his tens of thousands. 00:19:03.319 --> 00:19:07.359 So immediately David's fears, rather than being 00:19:07.359 --> 00:19:11.079 answered, his fears go from bad to worse at this 00:19:11.079 --> 00:19:16.359 point. He foolishly runs into the den of disaster, 00:19:16.779 --> 00:19:20.460 thinking he will escape. Instead he falls into 00:19:20.460 --> 00:19:23.519 the hands of God's enemies. And so David resorts 00:19:23.519 --> 00:19:26.680 to further desperate and shameful behavior here. 00:19:27.049 --> 00:19:29.809 It's hard to blame him. I mean, what else would 00:19:29.809 --> 00:19:37.089 you do? Yet, we need not excuse this behavior. 00:19:37.289 --> 00:19:42.890 This is coming from a heart that is lacking in 00:19:42.890 --> 00:19:49.029 trust. And so here, he resorts to further human 00:19:49.029 --> 00:19:53.529 strategy to save his skin. In terror, it says 00:19:53.529 --> 00:19:58.099 verse. David takes these words to heart and because 00:19:58.099 --> 00:20:01.140 he's afraid of the king, he changes his behavior 00:20:01.140 --> 00:20:04.480 in front of the king in the king's court. He 00:20:04.480 --> 00:20:09.460 pretends to be crazy. And David who had stood 00:20:09.460 --> 00:20:12.759 tall against the indomitable Goliath now begins 00:20:12.759 --> 00:20:15.180 to act like a lunatic. This is a sorry scene. 00:20:16.119 --> 00:20:20.019 He's drifted into very impulsive behavior, but 00:20:20.019 --> 00:20:24.839 it works. It works and King Akish says, there 00:20:24.839 --> 00:20:29.220 in verse 14 and 15, get this man out of my sight. 00:20:29.259 --> 00:20:32.279 I don't have time for crazy people. So David 00:20:32.279 --> 00:20:37.619 is released and he flees and he's spared. A few 00:20:37.619 --> 00:20:41.200 things that we learn negatively, a couple of 00:20:41.200 --> 00:20:43.279 things from this passage that Phillips points 00:20:43.279 --> 00:20:50.500 out. None of us are immune to fear and any of 00:20:50.500 --> 00:20:55.289 us can fall prey to sin. the way David did. David 00:20:55.289 --> 00:20:58.009 is one of these mighty men, a man after God's 00:20:58.009 --> 00:21:02.210 own heart, and yet we see him here lying, deceiving, 00:21:02.509 --> 00:21:05.549 and acting like a madman to save his own skin. 00:21:08.710 --> 00:21:14.569 We need to be reminded that though we have many 00:21:14.569 --> 00:21:18.349 great spiritual successes in life, we are still 00:21:18.349 --> 00:21:21.190 weak and we are still dependent on the Lord. 00:21:22.069 --> 00:21:25.509 And that's why we've got to be on our guard and 00:21:25.509 --> 00:21:27.609 how do we remain on our guard? By keeping close 00:21:27.609 --> 00:21:31.170 to the Lord and by keeping close to his people. 00:21:31.250 --> 00:21:35.329 Notice David is alone. David is alone here and 00:21:35.329 --> 00:21:37.369 Christians are not meant to live life alone. 00:21:37.890 --> 00:21:39.609 And that's why we need one another as a church 00:21:39.609 --> 00:21:42.849 family to encourage one another and to hold one 00:21:42.849 --> 00:21:47.690 another accountable to pursue holiness because 00:21:47.690 --> 00:21:50.230 none of us are immune. We need the Lord and we 00:21:50.230 --> 00:21:53.589 need one another. to point each other to the 00:21:53.589 --> 00:21:58.170 Lord. Another thing we learn here is that sin's 00:21:58.170 --> 00:22:01.509 cost is far greater than we can imagine it to 00:22:01.509 --> 00:22:04.509 be. Sin's cost is far greater than we imagine 00:22:04.509 --> 00:22:08.009 it to be. David thought by leaning on his own 00:22:08.009 --> 00:22:10.690 strategies he could get away from Saul. But he 00:22:10.690 --> 00:22:14.150 ends up with lie after lie after lie and you 00:22:14.150 --> 00:22:17.940 see later in scripture that after he is shamed 00:22:17.940 --> 00:22:21.700 and broken, the priest of Nob, Ahimelech, is 00:22:21.700 --> 00:22:25.039 actually killed by Saul as a result of David's 00:22:25.039 --> 00:22:32.940 lies. His sin leads from bad to worst. Someone 00:22:32.940 --> 00:22:35.079 has said that sin will take us further than we 00:22:35.079 --> 00:22:39.099 want to go, keep us longer than we want to stay, 00:22:39.160 --> 00:22:43.160 and cost us more than we want to pay. The scripture 00:22:43.160 --> 00:22:46.950 says that When desire has conceived, it gives 00:22:46.950 --> 00:22:49.430 birth to sin, and sin, when it's fully grown, 00:22:49.470 --> 00:22:52.710 gives forth to death. And so we should make no 00:22:52.710 --> 00:22:58.329 allowance or no justification for sin. But knowing 00:22:58.329 --> 00:23:01.650 that any of us could fall to sin, and knowing 00:23:01.650 --> 00:23:05.930 that sin, the pursuit of sin, only leads from 00:23:05.930 --> 00:23:10.730 bad to worse, how do we deal with that? How do 00:23:10.730 --> 00:23:13.450 we fight? What do we learn from this passage? 00:23:13.960 --> 00:23:16.140 Well, we learned what David learned in Psalm 00:23:16.140 --> 00:23:20.059 34 and in Psalm 56, and I wanna read some of 00:23:20.059 --> 00:23:23.740 those lessons that David drew to encourage us 00:23:23.740 --> 00:23:27.559 today. David learned that in the midst of all 00:23:27.559 --> 00:23:31.660 of his struggle and despair, God is still tender 00:23:31.660 --> 00:23:38.400 -hearted towards David. In Psalm 56, it says, 00:23:38.730 --> 00:23:41.809 David says about this situation, about this time 00:23:41.809 --> 00:23:44.230 when he was running from Saul and when he was 00:23:44.230 --> 00:23:49.230 running from the priest to the Philistines, he 00:23:49.230 --> 00:23:53.910 says, of the Lord, you have kept my tossings 00:23:53.910 --> 00:23:57.109 and my tears in your bottle. Are they not in 00:23:57.109 --> 00:24:01.190 your book? The Lord sees our tears. He sees our 00:24:01.190 --> 00:24:05.279 anguish. He sees our desperation. And he sympathizes 00:24:05.279 --> 00:24:08.480 with us in our pain and our weakness and our 00:24:08.480 --> 00:24:13.079 struggle. And how can he do that? Because the 00:24:13.079 --> 00:24:15.680 Lord Jesus knows what it's like to be tempted. 00:24:15.980 --> 00:24:18.619 He knows what it's like to be tried. David's 00:24:18.619 --> 00:24:20.940 greater son knows what it's like to struggle 00:24:20.940 --> 00:24:23.640 to the point where he sweated drops of blood 00:24:23.640 --> 00:24:26.579 in the garden of Gethsemane. He was made like 00:24:26.579 --> 00:24:29.680 his brothers in every respect except without 00:24:29.680 --> 00:24:33.170 sin so that he could sympathize with us. and 00:24:33.170 --> 00:24:36.990 so that he could help us. And so what we see 00:24:36.990 --> 00:24:40.750 from David's learned experience out of this passage 00:24:40.750 --> 00:24:44.410 in Psalm 56 is that God is so tenderhearted to 00:24:44.410 --> 00:24:47.829 us in the midst of our struggle, whatever that 00:24:47.829 --> 00:24:51.789 despair, whatever that difficulty may be. We 00:24:51.789 --> 00:24:55.009 also learn from Psalm 34, another set of lessons 00:24:55.009 --> 00:24:59.029 learned from David in this experience, that the 00:24:59.029 --> 00:25:03.319 Lord is the only lasting refuge, the only lasting 00:25:03.319 --> 00:25:07.880 protection. When sorrows like sea billows roll, 00:25:08.279 --> 00:25:11.460 we won't find safety in the world's ways. We 00:25:11.460 --> 00:25:15.640 won't find safety in sin. We will only find safety 00:25:15.640 --> 00:25:19.880 in our Savior. David says this, taste and see 00:25:19.880 --> 00:25:24.839 that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man who 00:25:24.839 --> 00:25:29.420 takes refuge in Him. The sword of Goliath was 00:25:29.420 --> 00:25:34.039 not going to bless David. Only the Lord, his 00:25:34.039 --> 00:25:38.099 refuge, was going to bless him. And David realized 00:25:38.099 --> 00:25:40.980 that after this experience. This is David's testimony 00:25:40.980 --> 00:25:45.900 after that experience. And so what should we 00:25:45.900 --> 00:25:48.900 do then in light of that, in light of the reality 00:25:48.900 --> 00:25:52.299 that the Lord is the only refuge we will find 00:25:52.299 --> 00:25:55.960 in the midst of trouble? We ought to make every 00:25:55.960 --> 00:25:59.500 use of that refuge. We run to him when we seek 00:25:59.500 --> 00:26:03.000 him. In his word, we run to him when we get on 00:26:03.000 --> 00:26:05.900 our knees in prayer. We run to him when we gather 00:26:05.900 --> 00:26:08.400 with the saints on the Lord's day. When we come 00:26:08.400 --> 00:26:11.940 week by week, we find that refuge, that protection 00:26:11.940 --> 00:26:14.559 in the midst of our trouble. Are you running 00:26:14.559 --> 00:26:19.400 to the Lord for refuge? Another lesson that David 00:26:19.400 --> 00:26:23.160 learned from this experience is that God actually 00:26:23.160 --> 00:26:29.119 provides for our needs. Oh, we go through trials 00:26:29.119 --> 00:26:31.880 and we doubt, don't we? We go through tribulations 00:26:31.880 --> 00:26:34.960 and we wonder, is God going to show up or is 00:26:34.960 --> 00:26:37.579 He going to abandon me? David learned that God 00:26:37.579 --> 00:26:40.920 really does care and He really does show up. 00:26:41.259 --> 00:26:45.839 Even, even when He was acting like a madman in 00:26:45.839 --> 00:26:48.160 front of the Philistines to save His own skins, 00:26:48.299 --> 00:26:52.460 God was there and He was meeting His needs. Psalm 00:26:52.460 --> 00:26:55.859 34, 8 and 9. about David's experience before 00:26:55.859 --> 00:26:58.819 the Philistines at Gath. David says, oh, fear 00:26:58.819 --> 00:27:01.339 the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear 00:27:01.339 --> 00:27:05.579 the Lord have no lack. The young lions suffer 00:27:05.579 --> 00:27:08.579 want and hunger, but those who seek the Lord 00:27:08.579 --> 00:27:13.460 lack no good thing. Dear ones, God provided for 00:27:13.460 --> 00:27:16.160 David, God provided for David in the day of trouble, 00:27:16.160 --> 00:27:19.880 and he's going to provide for you on Monday morning 00:27:19.880 --> 00:27:26.549 as well. Lastly, Well, second to lastly, this 00:27:26.549 --> 00:27:29.769 passage calls us to trust. It simply calls us 00:27:29.769 --> 00:27:34.529 to trust. David says in Psalm 56, when I am afraid, 00:27:35.009 --> 00:27:37.809 I will trust in you and God whose word I praise. 00:27:37.930 --> 00:27:40.970 And God, I trust I will not be afraid. What can 00:27:40.970 --> 00:27:45.029 flesh do to me? In other words, if David's God 00:27:45.029 --> 00:27:48.670 is your God, you are safe, whether you are in 00:27:48.670 --> 00:27:52.349 battle or whether you are in bed, if you're in 00:27:52.349 --> 00:27:57.339 his hands. What can flesh do to you? This passage 00:27:57.339 --> 00:28:01.019 calls us once again to rest on him and his protection 00:28:01.019 --> 00:28:05.900 and provision. But you know that you have a true 00:28:05.900 --> 00:28:10.380 refuge and protection and provision in him, not 00:28:10.380 --> 00:28:16.680 because, well, not because of David ultimately, 00:28:17.119 --> 00:28:20.839 but because of David's greater son, the Lord 00:28:20.839 --> 00:28:24.640 Jesus Christ. He knows what it's like to be isolated 00:28:24.640 --> 00:28:28.319 and desperate because he was forsaken on the 00:28:28.319 --> 00:28:32.599 cross by his father for your sake when he paid 00:28:32.599 --> 00:28:38.380 for our sins. He knows what it's like to bear 00:28:38.380 --> 00:28:42.880 the full weight of temptation because he suffered 00:28:42.880 --> 00:28:48.200 in temptation and trial and fasting for 40 days 00:28:48.200 --> 00:28:50.859 in the wilderness and never gave in to the tempter. 00:28:51.660 --> 00:28:54.519 He knows what it's like to be troubled because 00:28:54.519 --> 00:28:58.140 he says, in this world you will have trouble 00:28:58.140 --> 00:29:00.140 to his disciples. But what does he say after 00:29:00.140 --> 00:29:02.619 that? He says, take heart, I have overcome the 00:29:02.619 --> 00:29:09.099 world. And because Christ stood condemned, we 00:29:09.099 --> 00:29:11.880 say with the psalmist in Psalm 34, we will never 00:29:11.880 --> 00:29:16.900 be condemned. We will never be condemned for 00:29:16.900 --> 00:29:19.440 every time we have lied, doubted, wandered or 00:29:19.440 --> 00:29:23.319 worried. because Christ has paid it all. He stood 00:29:23.319 --> 00:29:26.980 there in our place enduring the cross for our 00:29:26.980 --> 00:29:32.059 sins so that we who receive Him by faith will 00:29:32.059 --> 00:29:35.259 have eternal life, so that we who receive Him 00:29:35.259 --> 00:29:37.160 by faith would have assurance that there's no 00:29:37.160 --> 00:29:41.880 condemnation. He's redeemed our life by His blood, 00:29:42.019 --> 00:29:45.819 obeyed God's law perfectly, and He's the bread 00:29:45.819 --> 00:29:50.049 of life that will supply our daily bread. our 00:29:50.049 --> 00:29:55.809 daily bread as well. And so remember, God has 00:29:55.809 --> 00:30:00.670 provided for you His greatest gift. He will be 00:30:00.670 --> 00:30:04.609 everything you need. You have no other refuge. 00:30:05.910 --> 00:30:09.309 So whatever you're dealing with today, run to 00:30:09.309 --> 00:30:13.210 Christ and you will find, as David did in Psalm 00:30:13.210 --> 00:30:17.700 34, that when you seek Him, He will. deliver 00:30:17.700 --> 00:30:21.859 you not only from your sins, amen, but he will 00:30:21.859 --> 00:30:24.900 deliver you from all of your fears. Let's pray.