1 Samual 27:1-28:2
Intro
- David ended chapter 26 walking by faith.
- Chapter 27 begins with David walking in fear.
- His circumstances had not changed. God’s promises had not changed. David’s perspective had changed.
- The Progression
- God had promised David the kingdom.
- David forgot God’s repeated faithfulness.
- David feared Saul more than he trusted God.
- David acted on that fear.
- David became entangled in his decisions.
David’s Fear – 27:1–4
- David reasons within himself instead of seeking the Lord (v.1).
- Fear overshadows God’s promises (v.1).
- David flees to Achish and finds temporary relief (vv.2–4).
- Fear causes us to forget what we once believed.
- Guard your heart before making decisions.
- Proverbs 3:5–6; Isaiah 26:3–4; Philippians 4:6–8; Psalm 42:5–11
David’s Compromise – 27:5–12
- David settles in Ziklag (vv.5–7).
- David deceives Achish concerning his raids (vv.8–12).
- Achish believes David has turned against Israel (v.12).
- Compromise usually begins one step at a time.
- Choose conviction over comfort. Walk by faith. 2 Cor. 5:7
- God remains faithful even when we falter. 2 Tim. 2:13
David’s Dilemma – 28:1–2
- Achish expects David to fight against Israel (v.1).
- David’s compromise places him in an impossible situation (v.2).
- Today’s fearful decision can become tomorrow’s crisis.
- Proverbs 14:12; 16:9
The What Now….When You Have Drifted
- Own your past. – 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (ESV)
- Return to the Lord – James 4:7–8 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (ESV).
- Do the next thing right. – Micah 6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (ESV) James 4:17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. (ESV)
- Be patient with the process. – Galatians 6:1-10 (READ) And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. (ESV)
- Walk with God’s people. – Hebrews 10:24–25 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, [25] not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (ESV))
- Press on in faith. – Philippians 3:13–1 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, [14] I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (ESV)