Rev. David Holwick ZN King David series
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
November 26, 1995
1 Samuel 27,29,30
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I. If only we could see the future...
Story that portrays what God must see, when he sees us in times
of distress.
The Continental Singers visited a Baptist church in upstate New York.
The pastor was keeping a couple of the guys in his home.
At the concert the Singers made a plea for one of the group, named
Kirk, who needed $850 or he couldn't continue with the group as
they left the United States and went to Spain.
If God didn't provide $850 in the next 24 hours, Kirk would be
left behind.
Kirk was a young guy from a hog farm in South Carolina.
That night a person from the church wrote a check for $850, yet
they weren't going to give it to him until everyone in the group
was on the bus ready to leave.
This way he would appreciate how God answers prayer.
Kirk didn't know this, but the pastor did.
That night Kirk called his mother in South Carolina and began crying.
The pastor wanted to burst out, "It's paid for!" but couldn't.
In the morning the pastor's wife got up at 5:30 to feed her newborn
baby, and she saw a light on in Kirk's room.
It was all she could do to stop from opening the door and saying,
"Kirk, stop praying and go to bed and get some sleep - the need
has been met."
The next morning they saw him get on the bus and they made the
announcement and Kirk got to go to Spain.
This must be exactly what it is like for God.
During our times of stress, he knows exactly how he is going to
answer our need.
He can see the future and knows the check is in the mail, the answer
has already been given for that particular need.
And here we are worrying, and sweating it out.
God wants us to pray, and depend on him, but since he wants us to
grow in our trust, it must be all he can do to not intervene
immediately.
But only by his waiting can we grow.
#3419
A. David is under pressure.
1) King Saul is still pursuing him.
2) His 600 men have families to care for.
3) David will end up as king in a short time, but he can't
see it himself.
(similar to dilemma of Princess Diana?)
B. Theme: What do you do when everything is pressing in on you?
1) The "James Bond" approach.
a) Saw "Golden Eye" this week, typical Bond.
b) Always have a gadget on hand to provide an escape
while explosions are going off all around you.
c) Never a hint of fear; total self-confidence.
d) Not at all like us!
2) The Bible approach.
a) "Lean on Lord, not own understanding." Prov 3:5
b) But what does it mean to "lean on God"?
1> Just sit there and wait for the "check to come."
2> Pray hard, then harder.
3> Perhaps use the personal resources God gave you.
c) Hard dilemmas in life are usually not clear cut.
3) In difficult period, David himself choked.
II. Every solution - but God. 1 Sam 27:1-7
A. Humanistic viewpoint. 27:1a
B. Pessimistic reasoning. 27:1b
1) The best I can do is escape to the Philistines.
2) Abigail, Jonathan and even Saul predicted David
would become king.
3) Yet David compromises and goes over to his enemies.
C. Rationalistic logic. 27:1b
1) He stops leaning on God and resorts to his own reasoning.
2) Entire chapter is silent about God.
a) God is not mentioned by characters.
b) We are not told what God is doing either directly
or indirectly, and we are not given God's view.
D. There is a way that seems right to a man... Prov 14:12
1) We must sympathize with David, but he seems to be
flying blind.
2) Don't ignore our understanding, but use it AND lean on Lord.
III. The devious scheme. 27:2-4
A. David and his men move their families to Gath in Philistia.
1) Immediate results - Saul breaks off pursuit. 27:4
B. As pressure from Saul eases, he tries to finesse the dilemma
by moving to Ziklag.
1) Places him between Israel and Philistines.
2) He can get in good with both - if his luck holds.
3) David raids enemies of Jews, gains credit with Achish.
C. A consequence of the scheme.
1) To make it work, all those raided are killed. 27:11
2) Not normal procedure, which is later to David's benefit.
3) Justified?
a) On rare occasions, God commands it.
b) Here, it is due to David's compromise situation.
c) Not condemned explicitly, but results show it was
wrong in God's eyes.
IV. Compromise always bears a price.
A. The adversary's cause was adopted. 27:5
1) A false allegiance takes root.
a) David calls himself a "servant" of Israel's enemy.
b) Philistine king worshipped a fish god.
2) Compromised Christians also give false allegiance.
a) If you give in to world enough, you start thinking
like world, and your faith shrinks.
b) Jesus says, whoever we obey is our real master.
B. David becomes duplicitous and a liar. 27:10
1) Duplicity is where we pretend to be one way, but we really
have something opposite in mind.
a) (Such as when hosts say, "Are you leaving so soon?")
b) David raided border peoples (wiped out), claimed they
were Israelites instead.
2) No one wants to be a hypocrite.
a) Each of us wants to have integrity, be consistent.
b) When we compromise, we endanger our integrity.
C. He becomes vague. 27:10
1) Vague to king of Philistia.
a) Compromised Christians hedge when people ask how's your
walk with God, witnessing, etc.
2) Integrity breeds decisiveness.
a) When you are walking close with Jesus you are prepared
to give specific answers to spiritual questions.
D. He becomes spiritually ineffective.
1) Not one psalm was written during this period (out of 100+)
because of his compromise.
2) If David had had to fight, no one would accept him as
king of Israel.
3) When Christians are compromised, they do little good for
the Lord.
V. The hustler gets hustled. 1 Sam 29
A. David may think he is making a fool of Achish, but in end,
Achish almost makes a traitor of David. 29:2
1) Common theme in TV - boy dates two girls, tries to
juggle them both and gets into funny predicaments.
2) Philistines starts war with Israel. 28:1ff
3) David is expected to accompany Achish into battle.
a) David gives great vague answer - "You will see for
yourself what your servant can do." 28:2
b) What does this mean? "What AM I going to do."
B. Only resistance of enemy generals saves David's hide. 29:1-7
1) When every option looks bad, God can always
provide a third alternative.
2) (example: opening way through Red Sea.)
VI. Compromise crumbles. 1 Sam 29-30
A. Compromise generally comes apart. 29:6-7
1) Uncomfortable to ride the middle of the fence.
2) God loves us too much to leave us on the fence; he will
force the issue.
3) Ever happened to you?
B. Reduced to the lowest ebb. 30:1-6
1) God is going to get him where he wants him.
a) He is still removing David's crutches.
2) Ziklag is sacked. 30:1
a) David wept till he had no strength. 30:4
b) Same reaction when he was cut off from Jonathan.
c) He had nowhere else to turn. He didn't know what
he was going to do.
3) David loses everything. 30:6
a) His wives are captured.
b) His men were talking about stoning him.
c) Possessions - gone;
his family - captured;
his leadership - down the tubes.
His life was on the line.
VII. David hits bottom, and turns back up to God.
A. "But David found strength in the Lord his God." 30:6
1) Previously, Jonathan had led David to this. 23:16
a) Now, David finds it within himself.
2) God wants us to turn to him.
a) He wants us to have an undivided heart.
3) David life now rockets upward (till Bathsheba).
a) Years of continual success follow, because his
heart is prepared.
B. God has to prepare us for success.
1) If we get it too quickly we cannot handle it.
a) Is it any wonder that if you give a 19-year-old
baseball player a multi-million dollar contract, he
gets addicted to cocaine?
2) In spiritual terms, God has to sharpen us first or
success will spoil us.
(Study notes are extensive but omitted)
Copyright © 2024 by Rev. David Holwick
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