Question of the Day: When you have been away from home for a long period of time what is the best part of being home?
I am super excited to be back at home and writing a Sabbath School lesson again! It has been three weeks. Thanks so much to Mark Waugh for rescuing me and then Chris for rescuing. What a blessing you guys were to me.
This week we pick up the story of David in Chapter 22 of 1 Samuel. In Chapter 21 there was quite the story. I had not read the chapter when I asked Chris to write that lesson for me, and a day or so later he told me the story... wow. I started laughing so hard when he finished relaying the story and then said, "what life application lessons are we supposed to get out of that?" It seemed impossible at first read but, He did it.
The bible is amazing that way. Some of the most bizzar stories have powerful lessons.
So today we read chapter 22.
READ: 1 Samuel 22:1-5
David at Adullam and Mizpah
22 David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and his father’s household heard about it, they went down to him there.2 All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their commander. About four hundred men were with him.
3 From there David went to Mizpah in Moab and said to the king of Moab, “Would you let my father and mother come and stay with you until I learn what God will do for me?”4 So he left them with the king of Moab,and they stayed with him as long as David was in the stronghold.
5 But the prophet Gad said to David, “Do not stay in the stronghold. Go into the land of Judah.” So David left and went to the forest of Hereth.
Let's take a moment and review where we left David last week. At the end of chapter 21 David is in Gath acting like a mad man because he is afraid. He doesn't want them to know who he is. Ultimately David lacked faith in God and His protection and so he took things into his own hands and chose to act crazy.
So David here in the beginning of chapter 22 is doing what?
Escaping isn't exactly fessing up or having a change of heart or a new found sense of trust. First mad man, now a running man.
1. How many times or have you ever just tried to run from your fears?
2. What does running and hiding in a cave look like for you?
There are times in my life when I hid in a cave of sugar. My fear and inability to trust God made me hide in an addiction. I needed to "run" from my problems, run from my fear and I ran right to sugar. There is no question that we all do at sometime or other run to something, or hide from something or someone.
I am sure the word "needed" above sat wrong with some of you. I didn't NEED to run did I? The obvious answer is no, but that is how it feels. It can feel like there is no other choice, because not running is certain death.
Did David need to run?
3. What kind of people joined David?
What a joy filled group that must have been! Is this the classic "misery loves company?"
Distressed
Debt
Discontented
We could call these the three D's.
Can you imagine being in a group of 400 men who are all one of the three or all three of the big D's. Wow. They all sat and hid in their hiding place. A cave.
Have you ever found yourself sitting in the company of others who are in a similar cave? A similar hiding place? My parents used to say that disfunction is drawn to disfunction.
I know that while I was in my sugar cave, I loved being around people who loved to relish in sugar with me! It was hard being around people who didn't get it or want it. I confess I didn't always like those people.
Where are you today. What cave are you sitting in? What will it take for you to step out of the cave into the light? What are you afraid of? What will you have to face or battle with?
How do we do that?
David was missing faith, and a trust in God handling things. That is easy to say about David, but I know it isn't easy for me to say I don't trust God. I say I do, but if I'm sitting in a cave am I really?
If I am not facing things, I'm hiding right?
At the end of this passage the prophet tells David what to do, “Do not stay in the stronghold. Go into the land of Judah.”
Are you willing to leave your stronghold?
I am telling you today, God wants you and me to leave the stronghold and step into His arms. There is no cave that can adequately protect us. My cave of sugar didn't "save" me it slowly destroyed me. God is again today telling you to step out of your cave, face the giants, the fears, the enemy but to do it with HIM! He will fight with and for you! TRUST HIM! Don't trust your cave!
READ: 1 Samuel 22: 6-23
Saul Kills the Priests of Nob
6 Now Saul heard that David and his men had been discovered. And Saul was seated, spear in hand, under the tamarisk tree on the hill at Gibeah, with all his officials standing at his side.7 He said to them, “Listen, men of Benjamin! Will the son of Jesse give all of you fields and vineyards? Will he make all of you commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds?8 Is that why you have all conspired against me? No one tells me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. None of you is concerned about me or tells me that my son has incited my servant to lie in wait for me, as he does today.”
9 But Doeg the Edomite, who was standing with Saul’s officials, said, “I saw the son of Jesse come to Ahimelek son of Ahitub at Nob.10 Ahimelek inquired of the Lord for him; he also gave him provisions and the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”
11 Then the king sent for the priest Ahimelek son of Ahitub and all the men of his family, who were the priests at Nob, and they all came to the king.12 Saul said, “Listen now, son of Ahitub.”
“Yes, my lord,” he answered.
13 Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, giving him bread and a sword and inquiring of God for him, so that he has rebelled against me and lies in wait for me, as he does today?”
14 Ahimelek answered the king, “Who of all your servants is as loyal as David, the king’s son-in-law, captain of your bodyguard and highly respected in your household?15 Was that day the first time I inquired of God for him? Of course not! Let not the king accuse your servant or any of his father’s family, for your servant knows nothing at all about this whole affair.”
16 But the king said, “You will surely die, Ahimelek, you and your whole family.”
17 Then the king ordered the guards at his side: “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because they too have sided with David. They knew he was fleeing, yet they did not tell me.”
But the king’s officials were unwilling to raise a hand to strike the priests of the Lord.
18 The king then ordered Doeg, “You turn and strike down the priests.”So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck them down. That day he killed eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod.19 He also put to the sword Nob, the town of the priests, with its men and women, its children and infants, and its cattle, donkeys and sheep.
20 But one son of Ahimelek son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled to join David.21 He told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord.22 Then David said to Abiathar, “That day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, I knew he would be sure to tell Saul. I am responsible for the death of your whole family.23 Stay with me; don’t be afraid. The man who wants to kill you is trying to kill me too. You will be safe with me.”
This is one of those eye opening, or soul opening moments for David. He realizes the scope, the depth of the damage that his lack of faith has caused.
It is easy to think that when we have a lack of faith that the only person we are hurting is ourselves. When we are in our "stronghold" it is all about us. We are not hurting anyone. We are just trying to stay safe. Does our lack of faith hurt others too?
There is no question it does. No matter what it is that you are having an issue with I guarantee you it will hurt and possibly even kill those around you! That is how sin and works. That is how living a life without faith works. It hurts others.
I think in this life we like to think that my struggle is just my struggle and whether or not I have victory is none of your business and it doesn't affect you at all. That is not true. Any life lived without faith or any part of your life lived without victory through Christ will adversely affect those around you.
David's lack of faith destroyed an entire family! Can you imagine that kind of wake up call.
What is our takeaway from this lesson?
I want to be real with you this morning. Though I won't share the details with you, there is something in my life that I have been afraid of. Something I haven't been willing to deal with. It has never been more clear to me how that "thing" is rooted in a lack of faith. It all stems from a lack of faith in God. It has also never been more clear to me how much it is hurting those I love the most around me.
Is there something in your life that God is begging you to turn over to Him. To trust Him with. Is there something in your life that God is saying, "come out of your cave, leave you stronghold and come to me." Stop killing those around you! Stop acting like a mad person, stop living distressed, in debt, discontented, and stop running. Come home to the arms of Jesus. Let Him do a huge and difficult work in your life. Let Him set you free!
Last week was our drama homeshow and at the end the whole team sang a song. It is a beautiful song and I want to leave it with you today. I am set Free. You are set free, if you will let him break the chains and do His work in you! Will you today?
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