God’s Way Out of The Gray

God’s Way Out of The Gray

1 Samuel 27:1-28:2

 

Intro:  Which side?

 

This morning, as we continue in 1 Samuel with chapter 27, if we were to study this chapter alone, David’s loyalties to God, to His will, His way, His good and perfect plan, would be in question. This is due to the direction David goes, and the decisions he makes along the way, but through this chapter in David’s life, as we see him head in and continue in a direction that is different than God’s best for him, we will gain insights in and understanding into God’s way to get out of, and stay out of, the gray. 

The context of 1 Samuel 27 is toward the end of a period in David’s life where he was on the run for his life. His run lasted for over a decade of his life, and as we turn to chapter 27, we are getting toward the end of that long run in his life, and as we have studied his story we have seen victories and tragedies, things done wrong at certain times, and at others, things done right.

David was running specifically, from king Saul, who, along with thousands of his soldiers would set out and search for David with the purpose of finding and killing him. We have seen David running and hiding in caves, going to secluded places, trying any and everything to get away. In chapters 24 and 26, David had opportunities to take Saul’s life after finding him in compromised positions, but David spared Saul both times and would not repay evil for evil, leaving the situation in the hands of the Lord rather than taking matters or Saul’s life with his hands. Both times Saul saw David’s mercy, recognize his sin, state that he was playing the fool and offer blessings to David…But in the next chapter we then see Saul back at it again, searching for David to take his life.

In chapter 27, David, after many years of trying to get away from Saul, seems to have had enough. Nothing is changing, nothing is working, bad is coming after the good he does, and we find him at a point where it seems that he is throwing in the towel, giving up, going into what seems to be, the gray. Makes the decision to give up the fight and go live in enemy territory.

Rather than leaning upon, looking to, and continuing to pursue the Lord, David becomes distressed looks to himself for answers. In this chapter, we will see David head into the gray, we may even find ourselves asking the question, which side is he on? But through his steps in those days, we are given insights and guidance into God’s way out of the gray in our lives today.

 

Read: 1 Samuel 27:1-5

 

1. Seek God, Not Self

 

1 Samuel 27:1(a), Then David said to himself, “Now I will perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than to safely escape into the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of searching for me anymore in all the territory of Israel, and I will escape from his hand.”

 

• David, in distress, is noted here as “speaking to himself.” NIV says he “thought to himself,” NLT, “kept thinking to himself,” NKJV, “said in his heart.”

 

• David has a conversation going on with himself here.

 

• David, the man after God’s own heart, known throughout Scripture, and the Psalms specifically as a man who seeks the Lord…. Is talking to himself.

 

• We see other places where David seeks the Lord, and realizes the results of seeking the Lord…

 

Psalm 34:4-6, I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.

 

• Here, David is in trouble, so he begins talking to himself about the situation.

 

• This is an important point to circle, because self-talk, self-seeking, can be quite dangerous.

 

• There are many things we can talk ourselves into, things we can begin to believe, in hard times begin to speak to our own hearts, and that is a dangerous things because Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that the heart is deceitful, who can understand it…

 

• When we seek and speak to ourselves, we put our thoughts, our feelings, our whims and wants on repeat in our mind. Those things will not offer an objective view on truth and reality.

 

• In other words, people don’t always tell themselves the truth. They become bound up in their own thoughts or feelings.

 

• Think about Davids statement… “I am going to die by the hand of Saul.” In that statement, David had forgotten some things.

 

Illus. David’s promises… Anointed by Samuel as the next king (1 Samuel 16:13); Told by Saul, “I know you will certainly be the next king (1 Samuel 23:20); Abigail described it as the good God has spoken to David, that he would be appointed ruler over Israel (1 Samuel 25:30)

 

• The Lord had promised David that he would be the next king, that he would cast out his enemies like a sling, every word had been confirmed by God, the Lord had protected David again and again.

 

• There were times when David could understand and see the truth clearly…

 

Psalm 27:1-2, The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; whom should I dread?

 

• Now David is in despair and things aren’t so clear for him.

 

• Rather than seeking what the Lord says on the subject, he seeks and speaks to himself.

 

• And this is what he says to himself…

 

1 Samuel 27:1(b), There is nothing better for me than to safely escape into the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of searching for me anymore in all the territory of Israel, and I will escape from his hand.”

 

• David decides to go to Philistine territory, specifically, the town of Gath.

 

• If you have been following along in our study of 1 Samuel, Gath is a familiar city for a couple of reasons.

 

• First, Gath was the hometown of Goliath, the giant that David defeated in one of the most famous battles in Scripture.

 

• Secondly, David had already gone to Gath while on the run from Saul. Saul was trying to find David to take his life, and David ran to Ahimelech the priest at the house of the Lord. There he made up a story about a special mission when he was asked why he was there alone. He then asked for bread, which was given to him, then he saw one of Saul’s servants there onsite.

 

• David then asked for a sword and was given the sword of Goliath, and with Goliaths sword in hand, he headed to Gath, Goliath’s hometown.

 

• Upon arrival, he was immediately recognized, “Isn’t that David? Isn’t he the one the Israelites sing about, that he has slain tens of thousands?”

 

• He was then brought into custody, and began to pretend insanity (Scribbling on doors, drooling down his beard). Achish, the king, told the people he didn’t lack, or need any more insane people… David was released from there and went to hide in a cave.

 

• When we studied David’s situation in in Gath from chapter 21, we noted that running to Gath was running into enemy territory…He was in the wrong place, at the wrong time, amongst the wrong people.

 

• On the way to enemy territory he began to live a lie, and while in enemy territory, he began acting crazy and foolishly.

 

• Here, David, in despair, goes back to Gath…

 

• He talks to himself about what he believed was his situation, and then concluded that he should go back to Gath.

 

• In his distress, David tells himself a lie, believes the lie, and lives according to the lie.

 

• David was so worried about Saul, that he sought safety in enemy territory. That is what he believed was best for him…Clearly, it was not a good place for him to be.

 

Illus. Subjective vs. Objective.

 

Illus. No good.

 

Illus. Elijah.

 

Jeremiah 29:13, And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

 

1. Settle on His Interpretation of Your Situation

 

1 Samuel 27:2-7, So David set out and went over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath. And David lived with Achish in Gath, he and his men, each with his own household—David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal’s widow. Now it was reported to Saul that David had fled to Gath, so he no longer searched for him. Then David said to Achish, “If now I have found favor in your sight, have them give me a place in one of the cities in the country, so that I may live there; for why should your servant live in the royal city with you?” So Achish gave him Ziklag that day; therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day. The number of days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a year and four months.

 

• Notice in verse 2, it says “so David set out and went over to Achish.”

 

• David went over, set out for and crossed over into enemy territory to be with Achish, the enemy.

 

• David takes his family, his soldiers and their families and the go over to enemy territory.

 

• They live with Achish the king, Saul finds out that David is in Gath and stops searching for him, David is given a city with Philistine territory.

 

• But here is the reality, David is now living in enemy territory, and not only is living in enemy territory, but he has also called himself a servant of the enemy (27:5).

Illus. CheifsAholic.

 

Matthew 4:8-10, The devil took Him along to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’”

 

Mark 8:35-36, whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it benefit a person to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?

 

1 Samuel 27:8-12(a), Now David and his men went up and attacked the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites; for they were the inhabitants of the land from ancient times, as you come to Shur even as far as the land of Egypt. David attacked the land and did not leave a man or a woman alive, and he took the sheep, the cattle, the donkeys, the camels, and the clothing. Then he returned and came to Achish. Now Achish said, “Where did you carry out an attack today?” And David said, “Against the Negev of Judah, against the Negev of the Jerahmeelites, and against the Negev of the Kenites.” And David did not leave a man or a woman alive to bring to Gath, saying, “Otherwise they will tell about us, saying, ‘This is what David has done, and this has been his practice all the time that he has lived in the country of the Philistines.’” So Achish believed David, saying, “He has undoubtedly made himself repulsive among his people Israel…

 

• The groups David attacks were common enemies of the Israelites and the Philistines. They were tribes of the Canaanites who have been there for some time.

 

• David would go attack these enemies, and though they were common enemies he was attacking, he would tell the king of Gath another thing.

 

• He would tell Achish, “I am taking care of those people from Judah.”

 

• In other words, I am taking out Israelites, my own people…and he was lying about it.

 

• It does not seem that he was lying because he was ashamed of what he was actually doing, but rather, to gain more favor with the Achish, to make it seem like he is really on his side, he has really switched teams.

 

• …And Achish believed him.

 

Illus. Not like them…

 

1 Samuel 27:12, So Achish believed David, saying, “He has undoubtedly made himself repulsive among his people Israel; therefore he will become my servant forever.”

 

• Achish followed that up with, “he will be my servant forever.”

 

1 Samuel 28:1-2, Now it came about in those days that the Philistines gathered their armed camps for war, to fight against Israel. And Achish said to David, “Know for certain that you will go out with me in the camp, you and your men.” David said to Achish, “Very well, you will learn what your servant can do.” So Achish said to David, “Then I will assuredly make you my bodyguard for life!”

 

• Here again, David responds to Achish by calling himself, his “servant.”

 

• It is a dangerous situation for David. He had been pretending that he was going against the Israelites, telling this to Achish, but now, Achish and his army are setting up for war against the Israelites, and tells David, know for sure that you are coming with us.

 

• David seems to go deeper into the gray with these words, “you will learn what your servant can do.”

 

III. Serve Him, Not Shifting Shadows

 

• When David said, “your servant,” it is a word that means, servant…or slave.

 

• Person devoted to the service of another.

 

• David crossed over, found safety in, and is now serving the other side. He had found safety in the shadow the Achish and the Philistine territory. But that shadow of safety would soon shift, David was servant of the Lord, and the Lord would spare him from that war.

 

• In chapter 29, we will see the Philistines turn on David, they will remember the song people used to sing about Saul slaying his thousands and David his tens of thousands. The Philistines will shift their posture and approach toward David.

 

• But here, is if evident that David was willing, for a short time, to serving the Philistines and their king.

 

• David was serving the wrong king…When Jesus spoke to satan, he quoted Deuteronomy 6:13, “it is written, you shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.”

 

Illus. On the clock?

 

James 1:17, Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.

 

Illus. Shifting shadow.

 

Psalm 91:1-2, He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust!”