The year is 1010 BC. David was anointed by Samuel in 1024. Figure he was between 12 and 15 years old at the time. He’s been on the run for 14 years! That’s about half his life! He’s had a lot of time to write his psalms! Interestingly, as the Psalms are songs and prayers to God, 1 Samuel 27 is a Godless chapter! It seems like David gets tired of waiting on God. I don’t blame him. Seriously, 14 years of living on the run! I’d be exhausted, too! He still fears for his life. Albeit, his reaction is faith over fear instead of the other way around. Let’s dig in….
We’re going to start with a couple of psalms…
Psalm 13
How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?
2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul,
Having sorrow in my heart daily?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?3 Consider and hear me, O Lord my God;
Enlighten my eyes,
Lest I sleep the sleep of death;
4 Lest my enemy say,
“I have prevailed against him”;
Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.5 But I have trusted in Your mercy;
Psalm 13 NKJV
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord,
Because He has dealt bountifully with me.
- It’s obvious here that he’s pleading with God asking him how much longer?! That’s one of our questions to God, right? That and “What if?” Well, the answer to “How long?” is “Wait”. Likewise, the answer to “What if?” is “Rest”. God’s timing is perfect. Unfortunately, He rarely reveals how long it’s going to take. I was unemployed for 2 years. Believe me, I asked God both of those questions all the time. The big one was, “What if I lose my house?” I came up with my worse-comes-to-worse scenario, which I hated the thought. Knowing I didn’t want that to happen, I kept trusting God and seeking His will.
- I pray verses 5 and 6 every night as I thank God in a prayer of praise. The NIV version of v. 5 reads, “I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.” It’s God’s unconditional love, grace and mercy that saved me — and it’s available for you YOU, TOO!
- Verse 6 is true because He provides for my every need. Check out the videos at the bottom.
Psalm 17
1 O Lord, hear my plea for justice.
Listen to my cry for help.
Pay attention to my prayer,
for it comes from honest lips.
2 Declare me innocent,
for you see those who do right.3 You have tested my thoughts and examined my heart in the night.
You have scrutinized me and found nothing wrong.
I am determined not to sin in what I say.
4 I have followed your commands,
which keep me from following cruel and evil people.
5 My steps have stayed on your path;
I have not wavered from following you.6 I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God.
Bend down and listen as I pray.
7 Show me your unfailing love in wonderful ways.
By your mighty power you rescue
those who seek refuge from their enemies.
8 Guard me as you would guard your own eyes.
Hide me in the shadow of your wings.
9 Protect me from wicked people who attack me,
from murderous enemies who surround me.
10 They are without pity.
Listen to their boasting!
11 They track me down and surround me,
watching for the chance to throw me to the ground.
12 They are like hungry lions, eager to tear me apart—
like young lions hiding in ambush.13 Arise, O Lord!
Psalm 17 NLT
Stand against them, and bring them to their knees!
Rescue me from the wicked with your sword!
14 By the power of your hand, O Lord,
destroy those who look to this world for their reward.
But satisfy the hunger of your treasured ones.
May their children have plenty,
leaving an inheritance for their descendants.
15 Because I am righteous, I will see you.
When I awake, I will see you face to face and be satisfied.
- He says he follows God’s commands, so he doesn’t follow cruel and evil people. Who do you follow on social media? Popular celebrities? Are they a good and positive influence? You might want to do a bit of an audit as to who is influencing your life.
- God should be enough.
- David has pleaded with God, but apparently, he hasn’t received an answer in his time frame — fast enough. So what does David do? That’s the next part of our story…
1 Samuel 27 – Reacting with Fear over Faith
Hiding among the enemy…
But David kept thinking to himself, “Someday Saul is going to get me. The best thing I can do is escape to the Philistines. Then Saul will stop hunting for me in Israelite territory, and I will finally be safe.”
2 So David took his 600 men and went over and joined Achish son of Maoch, the king of Gath. 3 David and his men and their families settled there with Achish at Gath. David brought his two wives along with him—Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, Nabal’s widow from Carmel. 4 Word soon reached Saul that David had fled to Gath, so he stopped hunting for him.
5 One day David said to Achish, “If it is all right with you, we would rather live in one of the country towns instead of here in the royal city.”
6 So Achish gave him the town of Ziklag (which still belongs to the kings of Judah to this day), 7 and they lived there among the Philistines for a year and four months.
8 David and his men spent their time raiding the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites—people who had lived near Shur, toward the land of Egypt, since ancient times. 9 David did not leave one person alive in the villages he attacked. He took the sheep, goats, cattle, donkeys, camels, and clothing before returning home to see King Achish.
10 “Where did you make your raid today?” Achish would ask.
And David would reply, “Against the south of Judah, the Jerahmeelites, and the Kenites.”
11 No one was left alive to come to Gath and tell where he had really been. This happened again and again while he was living among the Philistines. 12 Achish believed David and thought to himself, “By now the people of Israel must hate him bitterly. Now he will have to stay here and serve me forever!”
1 Samuel 27 NLT
- As you can see, God is not in the picture at all.
- David, in despair, went to hang out with the enemy instead of God. It’s a clever survival tactic, but it’s faithless and Godless. But it worked!
- Meanwhile, he’s wiping out the other pagan nations gaining plunder for him and his men.
- Nevertheless, he’s also lying to the king of the Philistines and deceiving him. But then again, he is the enemy.
Psalm 58
This is another of David’s “cursing” psalms. Do you blame him?
1 Justice—do you rulers know the meaning of the word?
Do you judge the people fairly?
2 No! You plot injustice in your hearts.
You spread violence throughout the land.
3 These wicked people are born sinners;
even from birth they have lied and gone their own way.
4 They spit venom like deadly snakes;
they are like cobras that refuse to listen,
5 ignoring the tunes of the snake charmers,
no matter how skillfully they play.6 Break off their fangs, O God!
Smash the jaws of these lions, O Lord!
7 May they disappear like water into thirsty ground.
Make their weapons useless in their hands.
8 May they be like snails that dissolve into slime,
like a stillborn child who will never see the sun.
9 God will sweep them away, both young and old,
faster than a pot heats over burning thorns.10 The godly will rejoice when they see injustice avenged.
Psalm 58 NLT
They will wash their feet in the blood of the wicked.
11 Then at last everyone will say,
“There truly is a reward for those who live for God;
surely there is a God who judges justly here on earth.”
Psalm 39
1 I said to myself, “I will watch what I do
and not sin in what I say.
I will hold my tongue
when the ungodly are around me.”
2 But as I stood there in silence—
not even speaking of good things—
the turmoil within me grew worse.
3 The more I thought about it,
the hotter I got,
igniting a fire of words:
4 “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.
Remind me that my days are numbered—
how fleeting my life is.
5 You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.
My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;
at best, each of us is but a breath.” Interlude (Selah – pause & think about it)6 We are merely moving shadows,
and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.
We heap up wealth,
not knowing who will spend it.
7 And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?
My only hope is in you.
8 Rescue me from my rebellion.
Do not let fools mock me.
9 I am silent before you; I won’t say a word,
for my punishment is from you.
10 But please stop striking me!
I am exhausted by the blows from your hand.
11 When you discipline us for our sins,
you consume like a moth what is precious to us.
Each of us is but a breath. Interlude (Selah)12 Hear my prayer, O Lord!
Psalm 39 NLT
Listen to my cries for help!
Don’t ignore my tears.
For I am your guest—
a traveler passing through,
as my ancestors were before me.
13 Leave me alone so I can smile again
before I am gone and exist no more.
Have you given up on God?
Are you reacting with fear over faith? Or do you put your faith over fear?
- Read Hebrews 11 and 12.
- Where do you put your hope?
- How can you complain, when God is in Control!
- David knew he was innocent. So did Jesus. Yet, Jesus, knowing he was going to suffer torture and die, prayed…
36 “Abba, Father,” he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
Mark 14:36 NLT
“Your will be done, not mine.” Can you sincerely pray that? If you can, then you surely understand how God works and you put your complete trust in HIM. Your complete HOPE is in HIM only! You can’t put your trust and hope in any earthly things because what is in this world is temporary. Only God and His Salvation is eternal.
If you’re not sure if you’re saved or not, if you truly want to be born again and have the assurance of salvation, receive the Holy Spirit, feel His Shalom — a peace that surpasses all understanding, and get a 1-way, non-stop ticket to Heaven after you die, or that you won’t be left behind at the Rapture, which can happen at any moment, this is what you have to do…
Believe. Repent. Be Baptized. Receive the Holy Spirit.
- Believe — have Faith — that Jesus is the Christ and He died taking your sins away forever and that He rose from the dead 3 days later.
- Repent of your sins — stop sinning! Do a complete 180-degree turn in your life and surrender your life to Him. When you ask Jesus to forgive you He will. ALL your sins will be wiped clean — past, present, and future! And All means ALL!
- Be Baptized by water baptism — show the world and yourself that you have died to your old life and are born again in Christ.
- Receive the gift of Holy Spirit in your heart.
