From Shepherd to King (6)
“The Throne At Last” 2 Samuel 2:1-7 & 5:1-12
Have you watched children fighting over a toy? It seems as if they operate under the following rules: 1. If I like it, it's mine. 2. If I can take it from you, it's mine. 3. If I had it a little while ago, it's mine. 4. If I saw it first, it's mine. 5. If you are playing with it & you put it down, it becomes mine. 6. If it's broken, it's yours. Yes, children often fight over toys. And adults are not very different. All-too-often adults fight too. Colleagues in the same company or school or factory fight for position or influence or power. Politicians, of course, are renowned for fighting – not with their fists but with their words. In English we have phrases like “political in-fighting” & “character assassination” – terms that reflect how nasty rivalry can become. Many political leaders have come to power after ruthless campaigns – through the violent overthrow of a previous leader as happens in a military dictatorship, or through a bruising election campaign as happens in a western democracy.
Today we are going to see how David finally became king of Israel. However, as we will discover, the way he became king was very different to the way most leaders in history have come to power. David did not become king through hereditary privilege passed down from his father – for he came from a poor country family. David had been a shepherd boy. He did not have any royal blood. And David did not become king through rebelling against Saul who was king at the time. David did become a great warrior, but even when Saul tried to kill him out of jealousy, David refused to take revenge even when he could have done so. David knew Saul was “God’s anointed” & refused to lift a finger against him. Although David was popular with the people he was not elected by popular vote - for in those days Israel was not a democracy. How then did David become king – the greatest in Israel’s history? The story is told for us in 2 Samuel.
1 Samuel, which we have been studying, focuses on the lives of Samuel (the prophet), Saul (Israel’s first king) & David (up until just before he became king). 1 Samuel ends with the tragic story of the death of Saul & his son Jonathan on the battlefield. 2 Samuel is all about David as king & begins where 1 Samuel ends. David is back in Ziklag, the town in Philistine (or enemy) territory where he & his men were living. They hear news of the disastrous battle between the Philistines & Israel. Israel had been heavily defeated. Saul & his 3 eldest sons, including David’s dear friend Jonathan, all lay dead & the Israelite army had fled. Victorious Philistine forces occupied much of northern Israelite territory. Saul’s army general Abner managed to escape with one of Saul’s sons, Ish-Bosheth. They fled to Mahanaim on the eastern side of the Jordan River. Israel was in total disarray.
When David heard the tragic news he wrote a moving lament for Saul & Jonathan. “Your glory, O Israel, lies slain on your heights. How are the mighty fallen!” (2 Samuel 1:19) David’s response showed how incredibly forgiving he was. He genuinely grieved for both Saul & Jonathan, though of course he felt the loss of Jonathan most deeply. No one could accuse David of secretly being pleased his old enemy Saul was finally dead. For David it was a day of tragic defeat & loss for the whole nation. David had learnt not to judge even his enemies. What a lesson there is for us in this! So often when people have been unkind, even nasty, to us we secretly wish they would “get some of their own medicine”. In other words, we hope they will suffer in some way for the evil they have done to us. However David was not like this. He felt the pain & hurt deeply but he did not seek revenge. He left vengeance to God.
And so we come to chapter 2. David had known for many years that God had chosen him to be king in place of Saul. Saul was now dead. Surely David presumed the time had come for him to be made king. Yet we notice two interesting facts. One, David didn’t immediately rush into things, & two, he asked God what he should do. V.1 says, “In the course of time, David inquired of the LORD. ‘Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?’ he asked.” David asked God if he should return to Judah. David enjoyed a relationship with God so when it says he asked God it means he prayed, he talked to God. He may also have asked other spiritual leaders what they thought – seeking God’s guidance through listening to godly advice. Now that Saul his persecutor was dead returning to Judah might have seemed the natural thing to do. However David still asked God. You & I can ask God for guidance not only when we do not know what to do. It is good to check with Him even if His will might seem obvious. We can bring everything & anything to God in prayer. Whenever Elizabeth & I set out in the car, even just to go shopping in Albany, we like to commit our journey to the Lord. We ask God to guide us in our daily work. Incredibly, God loves to be involved in the everyday lives of His children. Don’t think you are bothering God by coming to Him. Nothing is too small or too big to bring to the Lord.
Well David’s move back to Judah was actually not a small matter. It was to prove a major turning point in David’s life. What did the Lord say in answer to David’s question? V.1 continues: “The LORD said, ‘Go up.’ David asked, ‘Where shall I go?’ ‘To Hebron,’ the LORD answered.” How fantastic! God told him not simply “Yes, go back to Judah” but God told him which city to go to. He was to go to Hebron. Hebron was the largest town in Judah at the time. It was in a central location with key trade routes passing through. Hebron was the place where 1000 years earlier Abraham had lived & where he & Sarah & other famous Jewish ancestors, like Isaac & Rebekah & Jacob were buried. Hebron had a long & sacred history. Yes, God does sometimes answer our prayers & guide us in very specific ways. I could share many stories from my own experience – even of how God lead us to serve in this church. He is the living God & loves to communicate with His children. He leads us step by step & will continue to lead us as we gladly follow & obey Him.
So David, his men & their wives & families all settled in Hebron. Things moved quickly once David got back to Judah. We read in v.4, “Then the men of Judah came to Hebron, & there they anointed David king over the tribe of Judah.” Many years earlier, when David was still a teenager, the prophet Samuel had secretly anointed him as the one chosen by God to be the future king. Now about thirteen years later, when David was thirty years of age, he is publicly anointed – inaugurated into his office as king. He was not yet king over the whole nation - only over the tribe of Judah. The nation of Israel consisted of twelve tribes – of which Judah was the biggest. Sometime following the devastating defeat by the Philistine forces, Saul’s only surviving son, Ish-Bosheth, was made king over the other tribes. Though Philistine forces were still in control of key parts of the north, we read in vrs 10 & 11, “Ish-Bosheth son of Saul was forty years old when he became king over Israel, & he reigned 2 years. The tribe of Judah, however, remained loyal to David. The length of time David was king in Hebron over Judah was seven years & six months.”
David did not rush off to attack Ish-Bosheth & his general Abner. He did not try to make himself king over the whole nation. He had learnt to be patient. He had learnt to trust God to do everything in His time & way. His 7 1/2 years as king over Judah gave him time to rebuild part of his homeland that had been left so weak after the reign of Saul. David was able to establish an efficient administration in Judah & was able to work towards the day the nation would be reunited & free from foreign invaders. As we have noticed before in this series, we can learn from David to leave our future in God’s hands. We do not need to get impatient when things do not work out exactly as we might have expected or hoped. Maybe the Lord wants to emphasize this truth to some of us. Let us be faithful in doing what God has entrusted to us now. Let us work with commitment & dedication – whether it is in our profession, or our studies, or being a mother, or building up our business, or serving in the church. Let us be faithful. Let us do our very best – for God’s glory.
David did not have everything easy, even as king of Judah. Not only did he have to contend with the resurgent Philistines, he also had to watch out for Abner & his forces. Abner was a gifted & ambitious army general. He was power-hungry & at first worked hard to mobilize the other tribes against David & Judah. The nation was divided. If David was not careful tribal conflict could further weaken & divide God’s people. Abner initiated a number of attacks against David’s forces which proved deadly - with sad loss of life on both sides. David’s own chief of staff, Joab, was also a powerful & ambitious man. Joab was David’s nephew, son of one of his sisters, & although fiercely loyal to David, he was a difficult man to keep in line. David needed much wisdom. There was a strong rivalry between Abner & Joab.
Sadly tribal rivalry led to war between the two sides. The tribes under Ish-Bosheth & Abner (who collectively became known as Israel) & the tribe of Judah under David & Joab seemed to forget the importance of their unity. They lost sight of God’s plan for them to be the people of God, to settle the land, drive out their enemies & live in peace obeying God’s laws. Instead of working together for this great purpose they fought each other.
There is an important lesson in this for us. If we find ourselves in conflict with our Christian brothers & sisters we need to stop & think. Are we or they trying to build our own kingdom rather than God’s Kingdom? Of course, if people do not share the same vision it is difficult to work together. If people do not accept the truth of God’s Word, they should not be in leadership in the church. Unity & truth are two sides of the same coin. You cannot have true unity without a shared commitment to the truth & without a shared commitment to the same vision. However if true believers do not work together simply because of a clash of personality or because of selfish ambition then something is sadly wrong. Disunity of this sort can destroy the witness of God’s people. The enemy, Satan, loves to stir up rivalry & disunity between Christians for he knows it can destroy the work of God.
I heard a story of two men who met on the Golden Gate Bridge over San Francisco Bay. They greeted each other with a nod. One of them then said, “Praise the Lord, what a beautiful view.” The other immediately asked, “Are you a Christian?” “Why, yes,” came the reply. The other man said, “So am I” & the two men shook hands warmly. “Are you an evangelical?” asked the one man. “Yes, I am,” the other replied. The two men then hugged each other. “Which church do you go to?” said the first. “I am a Baptist.” “So am I”, replied the other & the two men decided to exchange addresses. “Are you a charismatic?” asked one man. “Yes, I am,” was the reply. The other man then said, “A charismatic! Oh, no wonder a moment ago you said ‘Hallelujah, Praise the Lord,’” & he pushed him off the bridge. I am happy to say this is not a true story, but it does illustrate how easily we focus on our differences. We should rather focus on the many really important things that unite us.
Despite the hostility & rivalry between those loyal to David & those loyal to Ish-Bosheth, the situation was slowly moving in David’s favour. We read in 2 Samuel 3:1, “The war between the house of Saul & the house of David lasted a long time. David grew stronger & stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker & weaker.” All along David was someone who longed for unity. He never initiated attacks against Abner & Ish-Bosheth though his army chief Joab was always ready for a fight. In fact David was ready to consider a peace treaty with Ish-Bosheth. He worked hard to show to all the tribes of Israel (including his own tribe of Judah) that he stood for unity & equality. God’s people should love & accept one another. Both by his words & by his actions David demonstrated his commitment to the principles of justice & fairness for all. We read that “…all the people took note & were pleased; indeed everything the king did pleased them.” (3:36)
We see here some important principles relevant in building a multi-cultural church, such as our own. Differences such as ethnic background, culture, & language should be bridges to unite us rather than walls to divide us. Together we are far stronger than we are when we are separated. There is a richness in our diversity.
To cut a long story short, a story you can read in 2 Samuel 3 & 4, the day finally came when David was crowned king over all of Israel. David had tried to build bridges to both Abner & Ish-Bosheth but both were now dead. Abner had been murdered by Joab – something that greatly upset & displeased David. Then some of Ish-Bosheth’s own men had murdered him, a crime that also greatly distressed David. However the way was now open for David to be anointed king over all the tribes – over Israel as well as Judah. So we read in 2 Samuel 5:1, “All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron & said, ‘We are your own flesh & blood. In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the LORD said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel, & you will become their ruler.’” Everyone knew of the promise of God to David. From after David had defeated the giant Goliath David had been a hero in Israel. It was only the jealousy of Saul that had driven him into exile. Now, however, without David having to fight for power or position the whole nation wants to make him their king. We read, “When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, the king made a covenant with them …before the LORD, & they anointed David king over Israel.” (v.3) Dear brothers & sisters, if God has called you to a certain place or a certain task, nothing & no one can stop you from seeing God fulfil His promise. Not even Satan can stop you. Of course Satan might try to hinder you but God in His perfect time will fulfil what He has promised. In Romans 4:20 & 21 Paul says that Abraham “…was strengthened in his faith & gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.” David could say the same about his experience. The Bible goes on to say “David was thirty years old when he became king, & he reigned forty years. In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years & six months, & in Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel & Judah thirty-three years.”
Next week, in our final message of this series we will see how David made Jerusalem the new capital of the united Israel & how with the blessing of God he established the kingdom. What wonderful lessons we can learn from David. As we saw last week, we see the importance of asking God for guidance. And we see the importance of waiting for God’s timing & the importance of working together in unity. Let us be faithful serving with one another in the place God has put us. Let us trust Him that in His time & His way he will fulfil all His purposes & plans for us, our families & our church. We can trust Him to complete the work He has begun.
There is a wonderful verse of Scripture in Philippians 1:6. It says, “Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” The Lord who has begun a good work in your life & my life will continue that work until it is completed - when we meet Him face to face, when Jesus comes again in power & glory.
From Shepherd to King (5)
“Living In Exile” 1 Samuel 27, 29 & 30
One of my favourite characters in early Church history is John Chrysostom. He was known as “golden tongue” for he was a powerful preacher. He was from Antioch, home of the famous multi-cultural mission-minded church in Acts. In 386 AD at the age of 36 he became pastor of the largest Antioch church. In 397 he was chosen as the bishop of Constantinople, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire – today’s Istanbul, in Turkey. While the ordinary people loved John, he very quickly offended some powerful political & religious people in the capital, including the wife of the Emperor, Empress Eudoxia. He preached so strongly against hypocrisy & sin in the church & in society that his enemies had him deposed & in 404 AD the Emperor exiled him to Armenia. After just 3 years in exile he died. It is said his last words were, “Glory be to God for everything.”
John Chrysostom was forced into exile. Today we read about David deciding on his own to go into voluntary exile. He had been on the run from Saul for a couple of years. God had miraculously protected him. Twice he could have actually killed Saul, the one trying to kill him – but both times he refused to lift his hand against the king. However as we come to the start of 1 Samuel 27 we read, “But David thought to himself, ‘One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul. The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me anywhere in Israel, & I will slip out of his hand.’” I can understand how David came to this decision. It seems he weighed up his options & decided the easiest solution would be to simply go into exile outside Israel. There is no indication in the Bible, however, that he asked God about this. It seems as if it was David’s own decision.
There are times when we feel so under pressure, when things are so difficult for us, that the easiest thing to do would be to leave, to change our job, to move house, to even move country. Of course it may be God’s will for us to move, change jobs, or whatever but we need to avoid making such decisions on our own. We need to ask the Lord for His guidance. He may want us to wait patiently for His time or He may indeed want us to make a move. If we decide on our own however we could find ourselves living outside the will of God & getting into an even worse situation, not necessarily economically but spiritually. There is an English expression “out of the frying pan into the fire”. It describes getting out of a difficult situation only to find oneself in an even more difficult situation. Was David jumping out of the frying pan into the fire? I think he was! He had seen the Lord delivering him & his followers & their families from danger. God had provided for them. Surely David could trust God to bring them through. But it seems he got impatient. The stress of everything finally got on top of him.
So David & his 600 men & their families left Israel crossing the border into Philistine territory. They headed for the city of Gath which was ruled by a king called Achish. The Philistines were actually enemies of the Israelites. “David & his men settled in Gath with Achish. Each man had his family with him, & David had his two wives: Ahinoam of Jezreel & Abigail of Carmel, the widow of Nabal.” (vrs.2 & 3) You may wonder what has happened to David’s wife Michal? Sadly, her father Saul had forced her to marry another man. That must have been heart-breaking for David & for Michal too. But now we see David has another 2 wives – Ahinoam & Abigail. How can this be? Surely having more than one wife is wrong!
When my ancestor William Anderson brought the gospel to the Griqua people in South Africa about 200 years ago some Griqua leaders had more than one wife. When William taught them about God’s plan for faithfulness & purity in marriage, some argued with him saying, “Why shouldn’t we have more than one wife? Didn’t king David have more than one wife?” A good question! However, as William tried to explain to the Griqua people, the fact David had more than one wife does not make it right. Polygamy, that is having more than one wife, is definitely not God’s plan. Right from the time of Adam & Eve, God said “a man will leave his father & mother & be united to his wife & they will become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24) Polygamy always leads to problems in the home. There are many examples in the Bible – including that of David himself. David may have thought he was making strategic alliances through marriage. He may have argued he was simply following the accepted custom for powerful men in the culture of the time. However having more than one wife later brought much pain & suffering to David. And having many wives was to prove the tragic downfall of his son Solomon. Polygamy, just like adultery & unfaithfulness, cheapens marriage. It degrades women - and men. It leads to unhappiness & strife in the home & in society.
Another question for you, David – “how come you are going over to enemy territory? When you first ran from Saul did you not have to act insane just to escape from Achish the ruler of Gath?”Well, maybe David thought things were now a little different. He now had a large fighting force with him & Achish would definitely know that David was an enemy of Saul, their enemy. Maybe David could come to some compromise with the Philistines. At least he would be free from the danger of being killed by Saul. In fact that seemed to be what happened. “When Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him.” (v.4) David was off the hook. Things seemed to be working out OK. By compromising a little & by promising to serve Achish, David was able to then ask a big favour.
David said to Achish, “If I have found favour in your eyes, let a place be assigned to me in one of the country towns, that I may live there. Why should your servant live in the royal city with you? So on that day Achish gave him Ziklag.” (vrs 5 & 6) David was on a slippery slope. He may have been given new freedom & he may have felt a lot safer but was he not compromising his faith in God? In the year & four months that were to follow, while David lived in exile in Philistine territory, David clearly did compromise his principles. He did make some serious mistakes. He actually got involved in a very cruel & ruthless campaign attacking other ancient enemies of God’s people – the marauding nomads of the south, people like the Amalekites. “…Whenever David attacked an area, he did not leave a man or woman alive, but took sheep & cattle, donkeys & camels, & clothes.” (vrs 8 & 9) These people were very cruel & dangerous. Like the Philistines, the Amalekites were a constant threat to God’s people. Defeating them would certainly help David’s fellow countrymen back in Judah. There would be far fewer guerrilla attacks by these marauding bands from the desert. David might be able to justify his actions but I doubt he was able to justify the extreme cruelty he used against women & children. He also told lies to Achish. “When Achish asked, ‘Where did you go raiding today?’ David would say, ‘Against the Negev of Judah…’” (v.10) David didn’t want Achish to know the full story. Achish thought he was attacking his own people in Judah. No wonder we read in v.12 “Achish trusted David & said to himself, ‘He has become so obnoxious to his people, the Israelites, that he will be my servant for life.’”
Can you see how David has been allowing compromise & deceit to govern his actions? He was living in a way that was not pleasing to God. Where was his zeal for the glory & honour of God? What had happened? Bible scholars do not know of any Psalms that were written by David during this period of his voluntary exile. Maybe this is an indication of the fact he was not walking in close fellowship with his Lord. He had allowed his own spiritual life to drift. He had allowed compromise to dull his sense of the presence of God. He was living something of a double life – of course he still claimed to believe in God. Deep down he did love the Lord, he knew he had experienced the Lord in many powerful ways, but somehow he was not living in obedience to the Lord. Dear friends, this can so easily happen to us too. We begin to make excuses – “I’m too busy trying to earn a living!” “I have to study – I have no free time.” “My social life is important to me – friends invite me out on Sundays.” Excuses come easy when we are drifting spiritually. We lower our own standards. We no longer seek God’s presence or His guidance. We seldom read the Bible or pray. We start missing church. God is no longer No 1 in our lives. Oh, we still say we are Christians. After all we were baptised. But our walk with God has become cold. There is a distance between us & Him. When this happens, like David, we will find ourselves on a slippery slope.
David was soon to find himself in a very difficult situation. We read in chapter 29 that war was about to break out between Israel & the Philistines & here is David, the one anointed to be the future king of Israel, living in Philistine territory as a servant, a body guard, for Achish one of the five Philistine rulers. “The Philistines gathered all their forces at Aphek, & Israel camped by the spring in Jezreel. As the Philistine rulers marched with their units of hundreds & thousands, David & his men were marching at the rear with Achish.” (1 Samuel 29:1 & 2) To cut a long story short, the other Philistine rulers did not trust David as Achish did & he was asked to return back south to Ziklag. David tried to protest his loyalty to Achish, possibly for fear of being turned on by the whole Philistine force. It must have been incredibly humiliating for David to put on such a show, saying he was loyal to the Philistines when in his heart of hearts he knew his deepest loyalty was to God & His people. This is how low David had sunk - the one who several years earlier had fearlessly stood up to the giant Goliath & had seen God win a great victory. God in His mercy however got David out of the awful dilemma he was facing. He must have been secretly very relieved not to have to go into the battle on the side of the Philistines. That would have been disastrous for his future.
Like David, we sometimes get ourselves into trouble. In fact if often seems as if there is no way out of the trouble. But God is so kind that He is always ready to help us. Just as He helped David get out of his dilemma, He is able to get us out of the messy situations we get ourselves into. In one of the parables Jesus told, the prodigal son who through his own fault ended up hungry & lost was nevertheless welcomed home by his loving & forgiving father. God is like that father. He is ready to forgive & restore us – if we admit our need & come home.
God got David got out of his dilemma with the Philistines but when he & his men reached Ziklag three days later, they were to get a massive shock. While they had been away “…the Amalekites had raided the Negev & Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag & burned it, & had taken captive the women & everyone else in it, both young & old.” (1 Samuel 30:1 & 2) Obviously this situation was distressing beyond words. Their homes had been burnt to the ground & their wives & kids were nowhere to be seen, taken captive. David & his men – all battle hardened warriors “…wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep.” (v.4) To make matters even worse for David, we read in v.6, “David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons & daughters.” No longer was David their hero leader. They now wanted to stone him. How terrible was that! Saul had tried to kill him but now his own men were talking about killing him. David hit rock bottom. He had lost everything. His wives were gone. His possessions were gone. His leadership & his testimony were in tatters. His reputation was blown away. His very life was being threatened. Surely he had now come to the end of himself. He was a total failure. Where could David possibly turn?
This is when we read the most wonderful words – the last phrase in v 6, “But David found strength in the LORD his God.” When all strength was gone, there was no strength even to weep, David found strength in the Lord his God. And friends, when we hit rock bottom that is the only place for any of us to find strength. The only place for us to find hope – is in the Lord. Don’t continue struggling in your own strength. Sooner or later that strength will run out. Turn to the Lord Jesus & find your strength in Him!
At long last David is ready to ask God for guidance. He had come to the end of his plans, his schemes, his way of doing things. He was desperate to find the will of the Lord. So in v.8 we read, “…David inquired of the LORD, ‘Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?’” And the answer came back from the Lord, “‘Pursue them …You will certainly overtake them & succeed in the rescue.’” God gave him an answer when he asked. Do you ask God what He thinks about your plans, about what you should or should not do? Jesus said, “Ask & it will be given to you; seek & you will find; knock & the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7) Knowing what God had promised, David & his men took off south – the direction taken by the raiding Amalekites. They eventually caught up with them & following a fierce battle David & his men defeated the Amalekites & recovered everyone & everything the raiders had captured. What a huge relief! What a victory!
David tells his men in v 23 that it was the Lord who had been with them. He said the Lord “…has protected us & delivered into our hands the raiding party that came against us.” David recognized that it was the Lord who had won the victory for them. They had safely rescued their wives & children & had also taken lots of plunder. David was once again walking with the Lord. He once again asked God for guidance & saw God intervene on his behalf. He once again humbled himself & admitted his need for the Lord - & the Lord honoured him for that. God saw David’s heart.
Unlike John Chrysostom who was sent into exile, David took himself into exile. He compromised with the enemy. He lost his testimony. He got himself into trouble. But despite this the Lord rescued him. The Lord restored him. I trust that the message today has encouraged you to make sure that you seek first the will of God & that you keep close to Him, rather than relying on your own wisdom or strength. I trust too that if you do fail, as David did, that you will remember that God is able to lift you up out of your failure & despair. Yes, there may be consequences resulting from our sin, things we have to live with, but fellowship & usefulness can be restored. If you feel that you have, like David, been going your own way, making your own decisions without seeking the will of the Lord, & you want to come back into the place of closeness & fellowship with the Lord Jesus, then do come for prayer at the end of the service. When David hit rock bottom, he turned back to God. “David found strength in the Lord his God.” May you & I do the same!
From Shepherd to King (4)
“On The Run” 1 Samuel 21-26
During the Cultural Revolution in China my dear friend Stephen Wang was arrested & accused of being a counter-revolutionary, someone who was a traitor to his country – & it was all because he was known as a Christian. He had to put on a big dunce hat & was paraded through the streets in front of mocking crowds. He was told to shout out the words “down with Stephen Wang”. His first thought was “how can I say such a thing” but then he remembered the Bible says we should die to the old self – so he shouted out as loud as he could “down with Stephen Wang”. The Red Guards were so impressed with his “good attitude” & cooperation that they let him return home. When he reached home he discovered something wonderful. While he was being paraded on the street his twin daughters asked their mother why their father was being treated as a criminal. She explained it was because he loved Jesus. The two girls said they also wanted to believe. And both are serving Jesus today.
Have you ever felt weak or even helpless? Have you ever been falsely accused or misunderstood? Have you ever been attacked – verbally or even physically? Have you ever felt under such pressure that you despaired of finding a way of escape? Have you ever felt completely overwhelmed? I guess to some degree most of us have experienced such things, at one time or other. However few of us will have experienced living with the degree of danger & uncertainty that David experienced after he fled for his life from Saul. Those living through war or times of political upheaval, such as occurred during the Cultural Revolution, might be able to understand. David was on the run for several years living in constant danger. He was not a criminal, but he was treated as one. He had done nothing wrong, but he was accused of all kinds of evil. He loved his king & country & had proved it with a lot more than words, yet he was accused of being a traitor.
Today we are going to look at what we could call “the wilderness experience” of David. Several chapters in 1 Samuel are given over to this period in his life. It was a very difficult & dangerous time for him. He was on a roller coaster of ups & downs & he had to cling to God. He had been chosen by God & God was preparing him to lead His people. Some of the Psalms that David wrote during this period of his life reflect the incredible hardships he faced but they also tell of the wonderful deliverance & comfort he received from God. So too the wilderness experiences in our lives are allowed by God & can help draw us closer to Him. C.S. Lewis the famous author said, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, but he shouts to us in our pain.” The tough times we go through often force us to listen to God. Our struggles & difficulties (whether they are emotional, physical or spiritual) can be used by God to mould us into the kind of people He wants us to be.
It happened this way with David. Let us briefly look then at some of the main incidents recorded for us in 1 Samuel chapters 21-24 & as we do so let us note some of the important lessons that David learnt.
David in Nob – lying leads to trouble
After his sad farewell to Jonathan, David escaped to Nob, the village where the priest Ahimelech was in charge of the tabernacle, or tent of meeting. David was hungry & desperate when went in to see the priest. V 1 says, “Ahimelech trembled when he met him, & asked, ‘Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?’” Ahimelech was surprised that David, such a prominent person, seemed to be alone. He may have sensed something was wrong. Notice how David answered him. “The king charged me with a certain matter & said to me, ‘No one is to know anything about your mission & your instructions.’ As for my men, I have told them to meet me at a certain place.”(v.2) Was David telling the truth? No, of course he wasn’t. He had not been sent on a mission by Saul. He was running for his life trying to escape from Saul. David, for whatever reason, was telling a lie.
He then went on to ask – “…what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever you can find.” (v. 3) Ahimelech only had consecrated bread that was reserved for the priests but seeing that David was in real need he agreed he could have some. Did David’s lie pay off? Did he get away with it? Yes, to begin with but later it all back-fired. Lies have a habit of back-firing.
We read something ominous in v.7 “Now one of Saul's servants was there that day, …he was Doeg the Edomite, Saul's head shepherd.” In the next chapter we discover that in fact this same man told Saul he had seen David at the tabernacle in Nob with Ahimelech & the priest had given him bread & a weapon. The tragic outcome of all this was that Saul ordered Ahimelech & his whole family & all the other priests to be killed. Eighty five innocent people were slaughtered. When Abiathar, Ahimelech’s son, the only one to escape the massacre, came & told David what had happened, David himself admitted (in 22:22) that he was to blame. David’s small lie seemed harmless enough but it led to tragedy. Lying is wrong. It always gets us & others into trouble – sooner or later. It was a painful lesson David had to learn.
David in Gath – those who trust God will not be put to shame
David hurriedly left Nob & fled over the border from Judah into Philistine country. It was a very risky move. It was enemy territory & Gath was the home town of the giant Goliath whom David had defeated a few years earlier. What on earth made David go there! Had he checked his plans with the Lord? It seems he had not. Did he think he could remain incognito – unrecognized? Sure there was no TV in those days – 3,000 years ago. People would not recognize him from his photo in the newspaper, for there were no newspapers. But in fact it did not take long before people were talking. David may have said he was a political refugee on the run from their enemy Saul but soon the servants of Achish king of Gath were saying, “Isn’t this David, the king of the land? Isn’t he the one they sing about in their dances: Saul has slain his thousands & David his tens of thousands?” It seems that the old number 1 hit song of the women of Israel was also known in Gath. Unless David could escape from Gath his days were numbered. Poor David was in a real mess. He may have been out of the reach of Saul but Achish was no friend either.
What did David do? We read in v.13 “So he pretended to be insane in their presence; & while he was in their hands he acted like a madman.” It was a desperate move but David knew that in those times people tried to avoid madmen. They left them alone fearing their madness was connected with the influence of demons & no one in their right mind would interfere with demons. David’s acting worked. Achish dismissed him with a joking comment to his servants saying he had enough mad people around him already, “…Am I so short of madmen that you have to bring this fellow here to carry on like this in front of me?” (v15) David was able to escape from Gath. He must have breathed a huge sigh of relief but how humiliating the whole episode must have been for him!
Around this time David wrote the magnificent Psalm 34. “I sought the Lord, & 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, & the Lord heard him; He saved him from all his troubles.” (Psalm 34:4-6) David must have felt not only embarrassed but also covered in shame. The Lord had indeed saved him out of his troubles. David continues in v18, “The Lord is close to the broken-hearted & saves those who are crushed in spirit.” I think David must have felt pretty crushed in spirit after his brief stay in Gath. As he also wrote in Psalm 56:11, “In God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” In the midst of his troubles he learnt to trust in God & seek His solutions.
Let us learn from David the importance of calling out to God & putting our trust in Him. He can deliver us from the most embarrassing & shameful situations. When we seem to be sinking in the very troubles that we ourselves have caused, He is able to lift us up & out of the mess. He is able to give us back our dignity. He restores us & heals us if we will call out to Him, putting our trust in Him & obeying Him fully.
David at Adullam – learning to lead
At the start of chapter 22 we read, “David left Gath & escaped to the cave of Adullam. [The Cave of Adullum was not too far from David’s home town of Bethlehem. He knew the area well] When his brothers & his father's household heard about it, they went down to him there.” David had had to say goodbye to his friend Jonathan but unexpectedly & wonderfully God now brings David’s own family to him. It seems that his older brothers no longer looked down upon David. They were ready to support him. Is this not an encouragement for those of you who have felt misunderstood by your family! God can change their hearts.
Something else very significant is mentioned. “All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, & he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him.” (v.2) What a training ground for the future king! Somehow he had to get this diverse bunch of difficult & discontented people to function together under his command. Many of them were to become famous warriors in David’s future army. He was able to mould them into a loyal band of followers. He challenged them to fulfil their potential despite the many negative life experiences they had had up until then. David was being trained by God for leadership.
Let us not despise the opportunities God gives us to serve even if those we work with are very different to us. If we are to lead others, whether in the secular world or in God’s Kingdom, we sometimes do have to work with difficult people. We need to win their confidence & earn their respect. David, despite his mistakes & failings, was able to inspire others & unite them in a greater cause. When He was close to God David helped others come closer to God too. David did not need to lower his standards or compromise his principles for short-term gain. God was shaping him into a true leader.
David at Engedi – allowing God to be the judge
We have jumped over several very interesting incidents as we come to chapter 24. David & his men, who by now numbered about 600, were moving around in the Desert of Engedi, near the Dead Sea. The area has steep limestone cliffs with many caves & short steep valleys with good water supplies. It was a rugged area with many places to hide. Some of the caves were huge & could easily hold many hundreds of people. When Saul heard David was somewhere in this area he came with a special force of 3000 fighting men. We read in v3 “…a cave was there, & Saul went in to relieve himself. David & his men were far back in the cave.” Incredibly Saul came into the very cave in which David & his men were hiding. Saul had no idea they were there, of course, & squatted down to use the cave as a toilet. David & his men clearly saw Saul come in but having come in from the bright light outside Saul could not see David & his men who were further back in the darkness of the cave. David’s men urged him to take this golden opportunity to kill Saul. David had another plan. He crept up unnoticed behind Saul. Saul must have taken off his robe & put it down before finding a place to relieve himself. David quickly cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. Unaware anything had happened Saul again picked up his robe & left the cave.
A nurse, Sister Dora, started a small hospital in England about 140 years ago. One day a young teenage hoodlum threw a stone at her causing a nasty gash in her forehead. A few weeks later this same boy was badly injured & was brought to Sister Dora’s hospital. She recognized him at once & personally cared for him with special tenderness. One day she found the boy quietly crying. Sobbing he said to her, “Sister, I threw that stone at you.” Sister Dora replied, “Oh, did you think I did not know that? Of course I recognized you right away.” “What!” cried the boy, “you knew me & have been nursing me like this!” He was deeply touched by her forgiving, loving heart.
David showed that same forgiving spirit to Saul. His men had wanted him to kill Saul but David told them, “The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the LORD's anointed, or lift my hand against him; for he is the anointed of the LORD.” (v.6) What a dramatic scene as David then calls out to Saul from the entrance to the cave. “‘My lord the king!’ When Saul looked behind him, David bowed down & prostrated himself with his face to the ground.” (v.8) David was able to prove to Saul that he could have killed him but chose not to as he believed he was still God’s anointed. He said, “…I am not guilty of wrongdoing or rebellion. I have not wronged you, but you are hunting me down to take my life. May the LORD judge between you & me. And may the LORD avenge the wrongs you have done to me, but my hand will not touch you.” (vrs 11 & 12)
What lesson had David learned? It was surely that he should leave vengeance to God. It was not for him to kill Saul, even though Saul was trying to kill him. His life & his times were in God’s hands. In God’s perfect time & way David knew he would be made king, for that is what God had told him. All David needed to do was to continue to do what was right & to commit his life & future into God’s hands. Paul writes to fellow believers: “Do not repay anyone evil for evil…Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.” (Romans 12:17, 19) Jesus said we must love our enemies & do good to those who persecute us. It is for God to judge, not us.
There was another occasion when God delivered Saul into David’s hands but again David resisted the temptation to kill Saul. It was so important for the future. All Israel knew that David had not been a rebel trying to steal the throne from Saul. He was the leader God had chosen. I believe there is an important lesson here for us too. We must not try to grab power or influence. That is the way of the world. In the Kingdom of God, & in the Church, we must be ready to serve others. If & when God calls us to leadership we must be ready to step forward but we do not need to fight for position or for influence. Sadly, even in the Christian Church, people sometimes seek for position & influence instead of seeking God’s glory alone. Let us learn from David.
We can also learn from David that no matter what trials & difficulties we face we can find our refuge, our security, our identity, our destiny, in Him. David himself writes in Psalm 57:1, “Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.” He continues, “I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfils His purpose for me. He sends from heaven & saves me, rebuking those who hotly pursue me; God sends His love & His faithfulness.” (vrs 2 & 3) Yes. God sometimes allows us to go through tough times in order to teach us important lessons, in order to draw us closer to Himself. He wants to toughen us up, to mould us to be what He wants us to be. We must learn to trust & obey Him. We can leave our future safely in His loving & powerful hands. May we learn these important lessons – the lessons that David learnt through his wilderness experience.