When troubles come, some people panic, others cry, get angry, worry, blame others, hide, or run away. What we ought to do is to run to the Lord for help, then fully obey and trust Him.

David was a man after God’s own heart. In his heart, he loved God and was not too proud to admit when he failed and then get right with God. At the same time, because he was human, he did not always make wise decisions as we will see in our text.

Transition

This evening I want us to learn beneficial principles from three ways that David reacted to troubles.

David reacted to his troubles by…

Deceiving Ahimelech the Priest (21:1)

  1. David lied about his circumstances
    1. Nob was not far from Ramah (see map).
    2. Ahimelech was afraid when he saw David. “More literally, ‘went trembling to meet David.’” Pulpit Perhaps he knew of Saul’s jealousy and feared upsetting Saul.
    3. Instead of trusting God, David lied to Ahimelech.
      1. First, he lied to hide his exile (22:2).
      2. He lied a second time to get food (22:5)
      3. He lied again to get a sword (21:8).
        ☆ David got on the lying slippery slide. One lie leads to another and it is difficult to stop. That is why God gives us godly counsel in Colossians 3:9, “Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;”
  2. David’s lie cost the lives of many people
    1. The devil wants us to think that lying will help us and not hurt anyone else. That too is one of the Devil’s lies!
    2. David’s lie was not harmless.
      1. God knew he had lied. (Psalms 44:21) “Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.” (Proverbs 12:22) “Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight.”
      2. His conscience told him that he was wrong (22:22)
      3. A few days later his lie cost the lives of many people. When Saul heard that Ahimelech had helped David, Saul had him and all his family executed. Ahimelech was innocent (22:12-15). Because of David’s lie, he did not know that David was running from Saul.
        ☆ Any time we tell a lie, someone is going to get hurt. Even if it seems not to hurt anything, it has already hurt our relationship with God.

Next, David reacted to his troubles by…

Fleeing to Achish the Philistine (21:10)

  1. David foolishly sought help from the ungodly.
    1. David went to Gath. Gath was the hometown of Goliath. (1 Samuel 17:4) “And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.”
    2. Why David chose to go to Gath is hard to tell. The Philistines were Israel’s enemies. It had not been too many years earlier that David killed their hero, Goliath.
      ☆ Many times when we are emotionally upset, we do not think clearly. We make foolish choices. If you are going through troubles and you are emotionally upset, you are in no condition to be making good choices.
    3. We find several Bible examples of people who went to unbelievers for help.
      1. Abram went to Egypt during a famine (Gen 12:10). While there he lied about Sarai his wife and probably got Hagar his handmaid.
      2. Elimelech and Naomi went to Moab during a famine (Rut 1:1). Elimelech died and their two sons died.
      3. King Asa relied on the king of Syria for military help instead of on the Lord (2Ch 16:7). As a result, he became sick and had wars the rest of his life.
      4. Jonah fled to Tarshish to avoid going to Nineveh (Jon 1:3). He was swallowed by a whale for three days.
    4. Each of these examples confirms that it is unwise to flee to unbelievers for help during times of trouble. Instead, we need to seek the Lord’s help. (Proverbs 3:5-6) “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
  2. David’s foolish choice nearly cost him his life.
    1. It did not take David long to discover that going to Gath was a life-threatening mistake (21:11-12).
    2. To get out of this dangerous mess, David pretended to be a mad man (21:13). He went from lying to deceiving. Deceiving is also wrong.
    3. David was not being prudent nor did he trust the Lord as he should. (Proverbs 22:3) “A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.” (Proverbs 29:25) “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.”

David reacted to his troubles by…

Following Counsel of Gad the Prophet (22:5)

  1. David may have received counsel from godly friends
    1. It was at this time that David’s whole family joined him in the cave Adullam (22:1). Because David was a wanted man, his family was also in danger. Evidently his three brothers who had been in Saul’s army deserted and joined David. His father, mother, sisters and other brothers left the peaceful farm in Bethlehem to live in exile with David.
    2. Others in Israel decided to join David as well. Their number included the distressed, indebted, and discontented. At first, this sounds like a group of trouble makers. However, it seems they all had one thing in common – King Saul did not like them. Therefore, it is likely that those in distress were being persecuted by Saul, those in debt were behind on Saul’s tax payments, and those discontented disliked Saul’s leadership. They formed a small army of four hundred men with David.
    3. David may have received godly counsel from some of these family and friends. (Proverbs 19:21) “There are many devices [thoughts] in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.” (Proverbs 24:6) “For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety.”
  2. David obeyed the counsel from God’s prophet
    1. David took his parents to Moab to live during his exile (22:3-4). David must have remained in Moab for some time.
    2. The prophet Gad told David to move into the land of Judah. God did not want David to remain in Moab. Hareth was near Keilah.
    3. The safest place for any Christian is in the centre of God’s will.
    4. God’s will is never contrary to the clear teachings of the Bible.
    5. When you are troubled, the best thing you can do is to follow the victory steps found in James 4:7-10. Make sure you are right with God and then seek His will for your next move. If you will pray from a sincere heart as David did in Psalm 86:11, God will direct your path. (Psalms 86:11) “Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.”
      ☆ Following the counsel of the Lord is the very best thing you can do in your life. Often our problem is not that we do not know what the Bible says we should do, but we do not do what the Bible says we should do. (James 1:22) “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”

Conclusion

When we are facing troubles, we must act according to Bible principles. This evening we noted principles about lying, making decisions when emotionally upset, prudence, trusting the Lord, seeking counsel, and doing what we know God wants us to do.

During your troubles in life, if you have not been following these Bible principles, you need to ask God to forgive you and begin doing right tonight.

Song: Teach Me Thy Way, O Lord – 337
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Reacting to Troubles
26 July 2015 PM – 1 Samuel 21-22 – Life of David – Scott Childs