WHEN FAITH FALTERS
1 SAMUEL 27
INTRODUCTION:
I remember the day my daughter, Marlo let me know what she thought of the ministry. She was 10 years old and talking to her Mom about school and Deb asked her if anything new was happening and she said with excitement, "Oh, we’re going to have Career Day and parents are invited to come in and share something about their occupations." Being a loyal wife Deb said, "Wow, that’s great! You know, Daddy has an interesting job." Well, Marlo looked at her as if she had just grown an extra head and said, "Daddy? Are you kidding? He doesn’t have an interesting job. He’s just a preacher. Now, Uncle Terry, he’s got the neatest job in the whole family. He gets to drive an 18 wheeler, see all kinds of different places and he even gets to sleep in his truck! Now, that’s interesting."
Isn’t it true that the things we are not closely familiar with are often seen in a flattering light? My brother-in-law, who by the way, is still a “trucker” certainly has an important job. But I’m afraid that Marlo, at least at 10, didn’t have a very realistic picture of interstate trucking. She didn’t understand the long monotonous hours on the road or that her Uncle Terry doesn’t have time for sight seeing or that he sometimes waits for hours at a weight/inspection station and stays days away from his family. On the other hand, she was and still is familiar with the ministry and with her father’s faults and so she didn’t hold either me or my job up on a pedestal.
That’s the way the Bible treats it’s heroes. When you take a close look and become familiar with the characters in Scripture, you find an authentic representation. They are not held up on some unreal pedestal. There is never any attempt on God’s part to win our favor by portraying them as plastic saints with shiny halo’s. Abraham lied, Noah got drunk, Moses lost his temper and committed murder. God paints His people, just as they are. No matter how dignified or high their calling they are fully human. I think He does that for 2 reasons: (1)So we’ll know these are real people. If we were doing a biographical sketch on people of faith we might be tempted to leave their skeletons in the closets. But God wants us to understand that these people really lived, and that they had imperfections. (2) When we see these realistic portrayals, we will have no trouble identifying with them. When we see their sometimes marred character we can say, "If God can use them with their flaws, maybe He can use me too."
With that in mind, I want us to look at this incident in David’s life where his faith faltered. Up until this point, David has been almost flawless in his character. He was an obedient shepherd, a submissive servant, a courageous warrior and a forgiving enemy. But today we come to a period where David goes into a "spiritual slump" and makes a series of drastic mistakes. I think that this passage can be very helpful to us. It is encouraging to those of us who have fallen, to see that a great man like David wasn’t immune to failure. But it’s also a warning to us of the danger of drifting away from God. I want us to see David’s doubt, his defection and his deliverance.
I. DAVID’S DOUBT:
We left David on a spiritually high note last week. He had refused to take revenge on Saul by sparing the monarch’s life. There was no doubt for David of God’s deliverance. He said to Saul in 24:15 - “May the Lord judge which of us is right and punish the guilty one. He is my advocate, and he will rescue me from your power!”He keeps that attitude for the next two chapters. Listen to his words in 26:24- "The LORD will reward any person who is righteous and faithful.. the Lord will rescue me from all trouble."(GW) Not a word of doubt or vacillation there. David had fully given his trust to God to rescue him from Saul’s murder attempts. And Saul responded to David’s faith by seemingly giving up on his desire to kill him. But something happens between chapter 26 and 27. Saul, even though spared by David, apparently did an “about face” and began once again to hunt him down in an attempt to kill him. And all of a sudden in chapter 27 we read this: “But David kept thinking to himself, “Someday Saul is going to get me.” As so often happens when external situations don’t clear up the way we think they should, David becomes depressed, questioning "why is this still happening?" And in his doubt, he loses his spiritual equilibrium.
That is so very evident in vs:1 when we see this crucial phrase - “David kept thinking to himself.." And his thinking takes him from “God will rescue me from all trouble,” to “Someday Saul is going to get me." Had God welshed on His promise that David was going to be King? Had God backed out on His pledge. No! But David, because things did not work out as expected, loses his faith and becomes filled with doubt & fear. Interestingly, not one time in this entire chapter does it say that David prayed, not one time does it say he called on the Lord, he just "thought to himself." That’s what happens when you exchange spiritual reliance on God for self-sufficiency.
I think that there are at least 3 sources for spiritual doubt, one of which describes David at this point in his life but all of which can lead us to doubt God. (1) There is intellectual doubt. That is when Scripture is inconsistent with our human experience. We read in the Bible where the entire world was destroyed by a flood or where Jonah was swallowed by a great fish or where Goliath was said to be over 9’ tall and intellectually we have a real hard time accepting that. We think, "That must of been myth or legend & if the Bible is not true in those instances then...” (2) There is moral doubt. That happens when a person doesn’t like God’s commands & then rationalizes, "Well, I don’t think I believe in God, or the Bible, after-all." And that becomes a convenient way of relieving guilt or escaping accountability. (3) Is circumstantial doubt. This is the doubt that is produced when a person goes through a long period of problems or a time of extreme difficulty. The adversity begins to wear on us and we doubt that God is really in control or this wouldn’t be happening. That’s where David was. His doubt was a result of difficult circumstances. For 8 years he lived the life of a fugitive, constantly in danger. Imagine the pressure of escaping death day in and day out. Eventually, David began to feel sorry for himself. After all, he was innocent. He had spared Saul’s life, he deserved better. Where was God? Why didn’t He do something? All you have to do is read some of the Psalms that David wrote during this period, to see just how low he was. Psa 10:1- "O Lord, why do you stand so far away? Why do you hide when I need you the most?" or Psa. 13:1-"How long will you forget me, Lord? Forever? How long will you hide from me? How long must I worry and feel sad in my heart all day? How long will my enemy win over me?"(NCV) Ever said anything like that? Do David’s words sound familiar? They do to me, for in certain circumstances I have said things very similar.
And it is very difficult to come up with pat answers, for say someone who has just found out that they have cancer, when they ask, "Tell me, why is this happening to me?" Or- To see some loved one that has Alzheimers and yet lingers on and suffers so and you wonder, "Why does this have to be this way? What purpose could God have for this?" And time and time again you will run into people who are struggling with doubt because of times of extreme difficulty. Now, you need to know that in times like that the truth is, there are no pat answers. But there’s another truth that’s even more important. And that is that God has promised He will not desert us and He has a plan! And I believe that many times in our lives when we go through difficult times and we begin to doubt, that’s when Jesus is the nearest to us. It’s like that well loved poem “Footprints In The Sand.” It talks about walking through life with two sets of footprints.. The beach walker’s and God’s. But then it says that in the times of the beach walker’s worst hardships and troubles they don’t understand why God has left them and there’s only one set of footprints. And Lord replies, “The times when you have seen only one set of footprints Is when I carried you.” But David came to a time in his life when he felt alone and rejected and so he doubted God, but God never gave up nor stopped working out His plan.
II. DAVID’S DEFECTION:
And as so often happens when we give up on God and “think to ourselves,” David makes a major mistake. He defects to the enemy camp. Now, one of the reasons I wanted to look at this chapter is because I think it is an accurate picture of anyone who is out of tune with God. That may be the person who has never received His Son Jesus, as their Savior and Lord or it may be the Christian, who due to difficult circumstances has drifted away from God. I see 6 characteristics in the downward spiritual spiral of David that can apply to all of us.
(1) It begins when David’s reasoning becomes pessimistic. David’s doubt produces a lack of dependence on God and the pity party begins. He says in vs:1.. "I’m going to die. Saul is going to get the best of me. I can’t depend on God so I’ll have to take matters in my own hands." And that is a good example of what Zig Ziegler calls, "Stinkin’ Thinkin’". Anytime you begin to emphasize and verbalize the negatives in your life, your headed for trouble. Pessimism is an enemy because we become what we mentally dwell on. You’ve seen people who predominately portray the "sloutch and groutch" routine. They are never happy. They always have to criticize. You don’t dare ask them how they’re doing because they just might tell you and tell you and tell you. And if you’re mental outlook is negative your life becomes negative.
Next month millions will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley. Now, I didn’t get caught up in the "Elvis frenzy" that his fans displayed when he was alive nor have I joined in the commeration of his death. But something about the circumstances surrounding his death did astound me. Did you know that he died at the exact same age of his mother - not just the same year but at exactly 42 years and 8 months. And the thing that makes that so bizarre is that her death had been an obsession for the last year of his life. And if you think negative thoughts long enough they will begin to take you over until your attitude is exhibited in your behavior. And that applies to your walk with God. Next time you’re down, think about how you’re thinking! Is it pessimistic? Is it critical? Is it spilling over into your behavior?
(2) Next, David’s downward spiritual spiral gained momentum when he chooses the wrong companions. In vs:3 it says that David settled in Gath. Do you believe that? If you have been with us during this series the name Gath might strike a familiar chord. When you read 17:4 you see just how incredible this is. It reads: “A champion name Goliath, who was from Gath..” Just several years back Gath had been the heart of enemy territory, the spawning place of David’s giant foe. But now, David had settled down there to live and now those who he was consorting with were still bent on destroying his people and worse, were blasphemers of the God he served.
Listen, one of the things you must be careful of if you are interested in seeking God or staying spiritually strong, is those who you hang out with. They will invariably drag you down. You’ll begin to make small compromises that lead to spiritual cracks, then ungodly chasms. And you’ll find yourself saying things like, "Oh, doing this with them isn’t all that bad." - or- "You know, I find these people more accepting & less judgmental than many of those who call themselves Christians." Duh! Why wouldn’t you? They have no real standard for judgement of behavior, there is no Christ, no Bible to reject- anything goes. Rollo May a psychologist said, "man is the strangest of creatures. He’s the only animal that runs faster, when he runs in the wrong direction.”
(3) And notice in vs:4 how being out of tune with God somehow produces a false sense of peace. “Word soon reached Saul that David has fled to Gath, so he stopped hunting for him.” Oh, yeah, David had gotten rid of Saul’s advances by running to the enemy, but it was false sense of security. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that the blessings of life necessarily are a sign of God’s approval of your actions. David felt better out from under Saul’s persecution, but he was also out from under God’s will. Hebrews 11:25 talks about "..enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin." Sin has it’s exhilarating moments but they are temporary.
(4) Being out of tune with God results in David’s life being characterized by vagueness and secrecy. David was very clear in his statements before this chapter, very honest. But now he becomes very vague in reporting his actions. In order to stay in his little sanctuary, David is expected to be a traitor to Israel by attacking his homeland. But David was an Israelite at heart and so he only acted the part of a Philistine. He made military raids on neutral tribes, and then he gave the impression that he was doing Israel harm. Vs:10 - “‘Where did you make your raid today?’ Achish would ask. And David would reply, ‘Against the south of Judah, the Herahmeelites, and the Kenites.’" When, in fact he wasn’t attacking the Israelites at all but friends and cohorts of the Philistines. And double standards, half-truths, and cover-ups became his way of life.
And when we are out of tune with God we can become very secretive about our actions. We become veiled in our answers. Parents you know how that works. You catch your child doing something wrong and you ask, "What you doing?" "Oh, just
playing." Or if you find out that your teen has been somewhere that they’re forbidden to go and you ask them, "Where did you go?" They’ll say, "Oh, just driving." "Where
did you drive?" "Oh, you know, around." Even as Christians we get caught in the same trap.. We say we want to be accountable but when asked how our quiet time with God we say, “Oh, it’s fine, just fine,”when we haven’t had one in weeks. Or we play golf in Delta when we should be honoring God in Church and someone asks, "Where were you Sunday?" "Oh, I was out of town."
(5) But then finally, David’s spiritual spiral concludes with an insensitive conscience. David reasoned that if he left any people alive in the places he raided that they would squeal on him. So David covered up the real truth by slaughtering innocent men, women and children in each village. Could this be the same David that two years ago was conscience stricken because he had cut off a piece of Saul’s robe? Now, he’s able to cut off people’s heads and commit murder? Yes.. You see, David had drifted far enough away from God that his conscience became seared. And we need to realize that sin’s downward spiral doesn’t often happen fast. It is usually a gradual process whereby the conscience becomes harder and harder. And David began with doubt and it turned to deception, lying and finally violence.
III. DAVID’S DELIVERANCE:
Now, we have to turn over to chapters 29 and 30 to read of David’s deliverance. But before he is delivered, the consequences of David’s defection from God start to mount. There comes a time when the Philistines wanted to launch a massive attack against the Israelites. But the Philistine commanders, David’s so called “comrades-in-arms,” don’t trust David. Achish had been won over by David’s lies but the other commanders were afraid that this Hebrew would turn against them in the middle of the battle and so Achish apologetically sent David and his 600 troops back to Gath.
When David got back to his Philistine home he found that a disaster had occurred. The Amelkites, one of those he had raided, had come while he was gone and burned down the city and had taken all the women and children captive. 30:3-4- “When David and his men saw the ruins and realized what had happened to their families, they wept until they could weep no more.” Then, David’s own men turn on him. They were so upset and bitter toward David because their families had been kidnapped, that they talked of stoning him. He’s not trusted by the enemy, not respected by his friends and has lost his family. It’s all caving in. David’s lost his integrity as a man of God, he’s lost his satisfaction, he’s lost his security, he’s in total despair.
What consequences are you reaping due to the fact you are far away from God? It breaks my heart to see so many without the peace and contentment God promises. Some stray so far from their Creator and Savior and get so dissatisfied and low that they want to take their own life. Some just give up and throw over all traces of seeking or walking close to God and plunge headlong into the world’s corruption. Finding more pain rather the peace they really seek. Yet God says if we seek Him we will find Him, if we draw near to Him He will draw near to us. And fortunately for David that is what he did. Though he had done terrible wrong one little verse tells us of the correction of David’s fall. 30:6- "but David found strength in the Lord his God." I think for the first time in 16 months David got down on his knees, humbled himself before God and said, "God, I can’t do this on my own any more. What do you want me to do?" He learned that this experience was not meant to throw him on his back but bring him to his knees. And God instructed David to chase after the Amalekites and when he did so they were able to re-capture their families and not one of them had been killed. And then in 30:26-30 we see David’s complete restoration when he sends an offering of restitution to the areas he had attacked. Someone has once said, "Often circumstances have to knock us to our knees before we will look up.” David hit dead bottom, but when that happened, he looked up and saw God’s loving, forgiving face. And then he realized that God had never forsaken him, but he had forsaken God. So he got up and began his reconciliation with his people and with his Lord.
You know, I think the thing that David lost in the wilderness, that which sent him into this spiritual spiral, was that he lost sight of his worth before God. He had lost his “spiritual esteem.” Now not his self-esteem.. We can all fool ourselves for awhile that we have it all together, for a while. No, he had forgotten how important he was to God. God was not going to let him die. He was going to be the next king. God had not forsaken him. And If you are longing for real fulfillment, if you have drifted away from God or if you see in your life, any of the characteristics of David’s downward spiritual spiral may I remind you today of your worth in God’s sight?
If you’re outside of Christ, that is, you haven’t turned your life over to God’s Son, please understand how badly He wants you to have a loving, living relationship to Him. Romans 5 says, “..God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.. We can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God - all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us in making us friends of God.”(Rom. 5:8&11) If you’re in Christ, that is, you’ve given your life to Him, would you remember that He has adopted you into His family. 2 Peter 1:9 tells us that if we don’t grow in our relationship to God then it may be because we are “nearsighted and blind and have forgotten that we have been cleansed from our past sins..”(NIV) Oh, how we need to remember and appreciate our worth before God. That we were so valuable to Him that He’d rather die then live without us.. and that’s what He did.
Archie Moore a heavy weight boxing champion, once got knocked down early in a fight. He got back up and won the match by knock-out. Afterwards a reporter asked him, “Archie, what were you thinking while you were on the canvas?” He said, “I thought, Hey, I’m the champ! I don’t belong here!” And this morning if you are down, feeling like you’re worthless would you remember that you’ve been created in God’s image, you’ve been offered forgiveness and eternal life by Jesus Christ. God says, “Hey, you are mine! You’ve been championed by Jesus Christ. So, get up, you don’t belong down there.”
I have heard that someone figured out that the chemicals that make up the human body are worth only about 98 cents. But whether that’s true or not makes no difference. Because a person’s real value is not determined by chemical composition. If you want to see your real value leave the laboratory and go to a hill. It’s called Mt. Calvary. And there on the cross see man’s greatest God and God’s greatest man, Jesus, dying. Why? Because He thought you were worth it. Peter wrote, "For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from an empty life.. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. He paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. God chose him for this purpose long before the world began.. And he did this for you."(1 Ptr. 1:18-19) How much does Jesus love you? Just look to Him, - see His arms stretched out and hear Him say, "I love you this much...."
