The Weight of Discouragement - 1 Samuel 27
David Aligns Himself with the Philistines
27:1 David thought to himself, “One of these days I’m going to be swept away by the hand of Saul! There is nothing better for me than to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of searching for me through all the territory of Israel and I will escape from his hand.”
27:2 So David left and crossed over to King Achish son of Maoch of Gath accompanied by his six hundred men. 27:3 David settled with Achish in Gath, along with his men and their families. David had with him his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail the Carmelite, Nabal’s widow. 27:4 When Saul learned that David had fled to Gath, he did not mount a new search for him.
27:5 David said to Achish, “If I have found favor with you, let me be given a place in one of the country towns so that I can live there. Why should your servant settle in the royal city with you?” 27:6 So Achish gave him Ziklag on that day. (For that reason Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah until this very day.) 27:7 The length of time that David lived in the Philistine countryside was a year and four months.
27:8 Then David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites. (They had been living in that land for a long time, from the approach to Shur as far as the land of Egypt.) 27:9 When David would attack a district, he would leave neither man nor woman alive. He would take sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels, and clothing and would then go back to Achish. 27:10 When Achish would ask, “Where did you raid today?” David would say, “The Negev of Judah” or “The Negev of Jeharmeel” or “The Negev of the Kenites.” 27:11 Neither man nor woman would David leave alive so as to bring them back to Gath. He was thinking, “This way they can’t tell on us, saying, ‘This is what David did.’ ” Such was his practice the entire time that he lived in the country of the Philistines. 27:12 So Achish trusted David, thinking to himself, “He is really hated among his own people in Israel! From now on he will be my servant.” —1 Samuel 27:1–12 (NET)
Passage Highlights:
- David thought to himself: ESV states “David said in his heart.” Internalizes his fear, anxiety, and frustrations with this never ending battle with Saul.
- There is nothing better for me: David is worn out, tired, and discouraged.
- If Saul stops searching for me, I will be saved: David does not recognized God as the one who is protecting him.
- David leaves the promised land: The weight on David was so heavy, he just wanted to escape it. He wants relief so he satisfies the flesh.
- David is accepted amongst the enemy: He finds comfort amongst the enemy of God’s people, and thus begins to live amongst them. God’s people treated him poorly, but the enemy is kind to him. The shortcomings of God’s people does not give you permission to yoke yourselves to people who are not yoked to Christ.
- One year and fourteen months: David, his family, his men and their families, stay in the land of the enemy for a long time. They did not see the consequence of their actions. Ecc. 8:11: When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, people’s hearts are filled with schemes to do wrong. Just because God did not correct David right away, did not mean that the consequences were not coming. There is always a cost to leave where God has placed you. See verse 1 of chapter 28.
- Geshurites, Girzites, and Amalekites: David could think he is carrying out God’s plan. These were the people groups God instructed the Israelites to take care of.
- Men and Women, but not the loot: There’s some evidence David could be trying to follow God, but it is the exact same mistake Saul makes and we find out selfish intentions. God does not reward you for half obedience.
- David lies again: This is one of David’s fatal faults. He turns to lying when he is walking in disobedience. When you doubt the provision of God, you try to lean on yourself. David was protecting himself in his own strength and wisdom or lack-thereof.
- David was intentionally being deceptive: You are always in the wrong when you need to decieve.
- Such was a practice for him: These lies and deception became a habit for him, and he is creating an identity that is very distant from God. Look at who people see when they look at this David.
- Hated amongst the people of Israel, servant of the Philistines: David isn’t where God wants him, he is actively deceiving himself and others, and now he is being recognized as an enemy of God’s people. He has destroyed his testimony.
27:1 David thought to himself, “One of these days I’m going to be swept away by the hand of Saul! There is nothing better for me than to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of searching for me through all the territory of Israel and I will escape from his hand.” —1 Samuel 27:1 (NET)
- a loss of confidence or enthusiasm.
Why is David discouraged? His situation never changes.
Compare this with a major theme we’ve talked about: COURAGE.
Biblical
For believers, walking in conviction to The Truth is critical.
-
-
-
It takes strength to hold fast to our convictions and walk in courage.
For simplicity sake, lets call this strength FAITH.
Faith Illustration:
Bucket of Faith filled with God’s presence.
Rocks represent the trials of life (fear, pain, worries, success, etc)
It is easy to hold our faith high when nothing is weighing it down.
When things oppress our faith, it becomes harder and harder to walk in faith as we begin to get wore down.
When fatigue comes (emotional, physical, or spiritual), discouragement comes knocking at the door.
If we allow discouragement in we lose our confidence and enthusiasm.
Results of Discouragement:
When our FAITH is weighed down, what do we do?
-
-
Illustration Reflection
- Do we reach out to others when we are feeling discouraged?
- Do we seek out those who may be discouraged?