1 Samuel 21 Bible Study (David and the Holy Bread / David Flees to Gath) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

Well, I'm eager to open the word of God with you tonight. So meet me in the book of first Samuel in chapter 21. First Samuel 21. It's only been a couple of weeks, but it feels like months since we've come to this book again. But here we are in this very important chapter because up to this point in our study, you and I have examined David and benefited from David in the season of his life when he was that humble shepherd boy of Israel.

Right? And after a few chapters, we quickly learned from David, not the humble shepherd boy, but the unexpected hero of Israel. And we were encouraged by that, I'm sure. But now as we come to this chapter, we enter into a new chapter of David's life. And if there was a a theme, if there was a title, if there was a banner over this specific transition, it would not be David the humble shepherd boy of Israel.

It would not be David the unexpected hero of Israel. It would be David the fugitive of Israel. And I'm sure this was unexpected on his part. If you remember, maybe we should just refresh our memories, in our last study in first Samuel 20, David was convincing his best friend, who was also the son of his boss, of his father-in-law, Saul, Jonathan, your father wants to kill me. Jonathan couldn't believe it, but he he didn't dismiss it completely, and they conjure up a plan to figure out if this was true, if Saul really felt this way about David.

And we found out that it was the case. Jonathan was convinced. Jonathan approaches David and they they cry and they weep and they embrace one another and they both come to the conclusion that the best thing for David to do is to flee in the exact opposite direction of this deranged king. And that's what we read in the final verses of first Samuel 20. David David goes into the horizon, into the unknown, not knowing what's going to happen tomorrow, not knowing, perhaps even thinking how is this reconciled with the promise that I would be the next king of Israel.

But what David needed to know is what Jonathan suggested to him. And and and let's go to that verse quickly before we go into chapter 21. In first Samuel 20, look at verse 22 with me. It says here, but if I say to the youth, Jonathan is speaking, look, the arrows are beyond you, then go. He's telling David, you gotta go.

That's the sign for you to flee, for the Lord has sent you away. God is sovereign over this, David. God is in total control. God has not lost control. In fact, if this is happening, then know this.

God has allowed it and God is going to use it to prepare you to be the king that he wants you to be. And that's exactly what you and I are going to discover from this chapter moving forward to the end of this book. We're gonna see David in the most difficult valley of his life, arguably. All he's gonna do is jump from one location to the other, always looking behind his shoulder, not knowing when Saul or his henchmen are gonna come after him. And from time to time, he's gonna look up and just trust God.

And what you and I are gonna observe is the absolute providence of the Lord over all of these things, the orchestration of God over David's life in this valley. And that's what makes this so exciting. And so we read in chapter 21 verse one, the first steps of David's exile as a fugitive. Then David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech came to me David trembling, and said to him, why are you alone and no one with you?' And David said to Ahimelech the priest, the king has charged me with a matter and said to me, let no one know anything of the matter about which I send you and with which I have charged you.

I have made an appointment with the young men for such and such a place. Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread or whatever is here. And the priest answered David, I have no common bread on hand, but there is holy bread. If the young men have kept themselves from women.

And David answered the priest, truly, women have been kept from us as always when I go on an expedition. The vessels of the young men are holy, even when it is an ordinary journey. How much more today will their vessels be holy? So the priest gave him the holy bread, for there is no bread there but the bread of the presence, which is removed from before the Lord to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away. David heads to a place called Nob.

This is where he feels led to go. This is where his reflex leads him. And it and this is where, I guess, the tabernacle is now situated. Please tell me where was the tabernacle before this? In a place called Shiloh.

Right? Shiloh. This is what we learned in the beginning of first Samuel. And then the ark was captured by the Philistines. It was returned.

Now the ark is in some random place called Kiriath Urim. And now for for some reason, we don't know the details, but it's now moved. It's now situated in a place called Nob. And this is where the priests are worshiping God, and they're trying their best to continue the sacrificial system. And this is where David goes.

This is where he wants to go. This is where he feels like he needs to go, and he is he's looking for something. He's looking for help. But as the priest hears or sees David in the horizon approaching the tabernacle, he meets David, and the high priest is fearful. He he's not trembling because of his awe.

He's trembling because of a concern. Why would why would the priest be concerned of David's visitation to the tabernacle? Anybody have an idea? The answer is kind of there. He's alone.

But why is that a concern? Who is David? Is he a reputable man? Is he related to the king? If you see the president's son walking on the street by himself, wouldn't that be concerning to you?

I I think it would be concerning. And I don't know how David looked at this point. We remember he was he was out in the wilderness for three days and three nights. He cried a lot. He was journeying on foot, and now David just shows up by himself.

There's no entourage. There's no bodyguards. There's There's no even announcement of his arrival. He just shows up on the scene. And this is concerning to the high priest.

What's going on here? There's something very suspicious about all of this. And so he approaches David. He rightfully asked, why are you alone? And what David does is disappointing.

It's it's not very admirable or exemplary for a man who who has claimed to have such trust in god. How does he answer him? What's concerning about his answer? Does it seem like a reasonable answer? Does it seem like a good summary?

What is he saying? Some of you are nodding your head. Don't be afraid to answer. Well, as you're figuring out the answer no. It's not I'm not saying that officiously.

I'm saying if as you're thinking about it, consider this. If there's anything that is encouraging by David doing this is that he chooses to go to the right place in his greatest time of need. David's reaction to go to the house of God is something that we should applaud. Out of all the places he wants to go where God's will can be known, where God's men can be sought after for counsel, This is this is where he goes, and and David has proven in critical moments of his life that he goes to the right people or to the right place. Remember when David was first invaded by Saul in his own home?

Where did he go at that point? He went to the prophet Samuel. He went to the prophet, and he he he was surrounding himself by him and those band of prophets. And so that's something we can applaud because I can tell you from experience that when many Christians go through difficult seasons in life, when they are faced with trials and tribulations, their attendance isn't increasing. It's decreasing in church.

You barely see them. You barely hear from them. Because in those moments, whether they wanna admit it or not, they don't believe that being under God's word, in God's presence that is manifested through the gifts, through each of us, they don't really trust that that will actually build them up. Or they're believing the lies of Satan, that they'll be condemned and they're not worthy to be there. Because the enemy knows the building up that can come, the encouragement that can come when we are surrounded by God's people in God's house, in God's manifest presence as we come as temples of the Holy Spirit.

He doesn't do that. He goes to the right place. But as you heard earlier, we're about to discover that he's not gonna do the right thing at the right place. So you had enough time to look at it. What's concerning about David's answer to the question?

Yes. It's a lie. It's a lie. Okay. So David has proven up to this point that at some critical moments, he knew who to go to or where to go to.

But then again, we see here that David has a weakness. And it's a pattern at this point. And you're gonna see in this chapter that it's it's a really it's it's a rooted issue here with David. And here's the issue. I'm sure you never thought about this concerning the man after God's own heart, but the Bible's honest and we gotta be honest.

It might shatter your Sunday school dreams, but it's true nonetheless. David had a lying problem. He did. He didn't handle pressure well. More specifically, he really believed that utilizing lies was a way of accomplishing things.

What what did he do in the chapter before this when he was when he was planning with Jonathan? What did he suggest? Not even suggest. What did he instruct Jonathan to do to discover what Saul felt about David? He told him to lie.

Tell him that I went to Bethlehem. Tell him that my dad called me there. Tell him that's the reason why I'm not there, and let's just see how he responds. You didn't need to do that. If Saul really hated you, it would come out one way or another.

There's other ways of discovering how he felt. But he instructs a man of God like Jonathan to lie. And now he comes here before, listen, before the high priest in the house of God, and he's lying. Now some would say, no. Well, he's just trying to protect Ahimaek.

He's not wanting to disclose unnecessary information to somebody who's not related to the problem. We could try to justify it all we want, but you're gonna see how David's lies are gonna get him more and more into trouble, and how David's false security and lies are gonna fail him over and over again. And that's what he's doing here. He's actually operating from a place of fear. Fear is a powerful emotion.

Fear is a very powerful feeling. And if if we're not quick to manage that by the power of the spirit, if we're not quick to confront fear, then fear will encourage other sins in our lives. See, the reason why David is lying here is because he thinks that if I tell Ahimelech the truth or at least suggest my condition and why I'm in this place at this time, he might not help me. He might not provide for me the things that I need. So I have to quote this.

I have to I have to I have to just shut this conversation down, and he does, and he could've done another way. And I just wanna get to the request. And if I tell him the nitty gritty details, maybe he'll be afraid himself, and he'll say, just get out of here, so let me just lie. Let me just not tell the truth. And so he does that, but it's coming from a place of fear.

I want you to see what God says about fear. God identifies fear in a specific place as a motivator for other sins. And you don't have to turn there, but it's a great insight from the lips of the prophet Isaiah or the writings rather. In Isaiah 57 verse 11, look what God says through the prophet to the nation of Israel. In Isaiah 57 Isaiah 57 verse 11, we read, whom did you dread and fear so that you lied?

And did not remember me? Did not lay it to heart? Have I not held my peace even for a long time? And you do not fear me? Did you see the connection?

The connection that God makes between the nation's fear and their lying. If we're not careful, that feeling can persuade us to forfeit our integrity as Christians. That feeling can be so overwhelming. It can hijack our sensibilities. It can hijack our convictions.

You see, what David was afraid of when he was in this moment was what man could do to him or what man would fail to do for him. I'm afraid of what Saul can do to me, and I'm afraid if I tell you the truth, you won't help me. And what God says in the concluding parts of this verse is applicable to David and all of us. Why why are you lying? Well, because you're fearful.

Why are you fearful? Because you don't fear me. That's what it is. That's ultimately the reason why. And fearing God is synonymous among for many things, and one of the things that fearing God is synonymous with is trusting God.

You don't trust me, so you fear man. When you fear man, you open up the floodgates for all these different kinds of sins, including lying. Including lying. I've seen that firsthand. It's a very sad thing.

And it can persuade even the godliest of people. But the great antidote, the great shield, the great protection from allowing that very powerful persuasion of fear to take over is to ultimately fear God. Keep him ever before you, how powerful he is, how mighty he is. As we heard from from the psalm earlier from pastor Benna, what can man do to me? What can man do to me?

When you continually believe that, that you're dealing with people that God can stop in a moment, that God can literally, by one breath, make their heart stop beating. What do you have to fear? What do you have to fear? David failed to see that. And because of that, he's encouraged to lie.

He shuts the conversation down real quick. He doesn't wanna entertain it. He doesn't want the priest or any other priest to ask more questions, so he changes the subject in verse three. Now then, like, enough of this. And he he's very smart.

He he he presented his answer in such a way that he would discourage the priest from even asking because it's a secret. Don't ask anymore, but I need something from you. What do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread or whatever is here. Again, it's it's admirable that David goes to the house of God in this trial, but we discover that he's not coming to the house of God for what you come to the house of God for.

He he he's not coming for counsel. He's not coming for the priest to determine the will of God in this matter. He's coming for for bread, for something that would satisfy him in the moment and satisfy him maybe for a little bit of the journey ahead. But there's no record here of David seeking God, seeking the priest to seek God on his behalf. He just needs some temporary relief.

This is this doesn't seem like the David that we know. And that's what fear does. It transforms you. It makes you into a different person. It causes you to make decisions, and your convictions become molded and and and bent out of shape.

And so he asked for bread. Now here's the question. Why is he coming to the house of God for bread? Is that a place to ask for bread? Come on, you Exodus students, many years ago.

Is there anything in that house of worship that would suggest that there is something to eat? Is it fat from an animal? Or is there actual bread? There's actual bread. There's actual bread.

In fact, there's a whole piece of furniture dedicated for the, the table, it's called the table of showbread, or the bread of the presence, where there was 12 loaves separated into piles of six, representing the 12 tribes of Israel. And you look at Exodus and Leviticus, and what's happening there is these these loaves of bread would represent the the tribes. They would come before the Lord, and we spent a whole study on this. You can revisit it if you would like. Frankincense was placed on them.

It was an aroma to God. But it was also the portion for the priest. The priest would, every Sabbath, the priest would eat that bread. So it stayed there as an act of worship before God for a week. On the Sabbath, the priest, as a portion for their payment, they would eat of this bread, and then they would replace that set with a fresh batch of hot bread.

The bread was provided by the people of Israel, but it was managed by the priest. And, oh, it is filled with application concerning our worship and the person of Jesus Christ as well. We don't have time to get into it. The main point that I wanna drive from this is that this priest who's about to give this bread to David, perhaps he knew it, perhaps he didn't, is showing us that he might be doing something wrong. Listen to what God says in Leviticus.

This is why you don't skip Leviticus, brother. Don't skip Leviticus, sister. And it shall be, the bread, it shall be for Aaron and his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place, since it is for him a most holy portion out of the Lord's food offerings, a perpetual due. So what does that mean about the bread? Who's supposed to eat it?

The priest. The priests alone are given this holy bread, and they were supposed to eat it in a holy place, and it was a perpetual due, which suggests that what David is about to receive is not legal. He's not supposed to eat this bread because this this bread is is is limited to the the servants of God, the sons of Aaron. But he's gonna receive it. In fact, in verse six we read it, the priest gave him the holy bread.

There was no bread there but the bread of the presence. And we're told here again, as a reminder, which is removed from before the Lord to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away. Is this story mentioned in the New Testament? Thank you. Reference and all.

Jesus brings up this incident. Jesus brings up this actual moment where David receives his holy bread in a confrontation with the Pharisees who were trying to accuse his own disciples of breaking the law, and he uses this as a way of arguing against a certain point made up by the the Pharisees. And I'm curious to know in this Bible study tonight what you make of Jesus' motivation by coming to this story in first Samuel 21 in the context of the confrontation with these Pharisees. So let's go there in our bibles in Matthew chapter 12. And I want you to see, if you haven't learned it yet, I'm sure you're convinced of it, why you and I need to know the Old Testament to be better students of the New.

You and I cannot afford to neglect the Old Testament even in the name of being a new covenant people. Those who claim that have to understand they will not be the greatest of students if they neglect two thirds of the Bible. Would you say amen to that? Amen. So we read in Matthew 12 verse one.

At the time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath, his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, look. Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath. Pause. So let's visualize this.

We're gonna we're gonna break this up. If you ever want answers in the Bible, if you ever want revelation in the Bible, ask the text questions. Ask the text questions. Question number one. The Pharisees observed that as these disciples were letting their hands run through the grain fields and plucking the heads of them and nibbling on some things, that they were doing something that was against the law.

Question number one, was it actually against the law? Was it actually against the law? I'm seeing heads say no, and I'm gonna ask why. Because when you look at what Jesus says, there's no indication that he necessarily corrects them, is what they're doing is wrong. Is it actually a form of work on the Sabbath?

Who would say yes? Who would say no? Okay. Who doesn't know? Who's awake?

Okay. You want the answer, I'm sure you have to go back to the old testament to find out. I'm not gonna tell it to you, I'm gonna let you turn your bible there. And Deuteronomy 23 verse 25. Once you get there, you will get your answer.

Deuteronomy 23 verse 25. And we're gonna see what God says about what these disciples did. Was it right or was it wrong? Now you saw it. Right?

So who says it was against the law? Who says it's it's not against the law now? K. If you go into your neighbor's standing grain, you may pluck the ears with your hand, but you shall not put a sickle to your neighbor's standing grain. So not only are they, are they doing what's permissible, they're doing it exactly the way God said to do it.

They were plucking the heads of the grain. And that was in accordance with the law. And And god says, don't take advantage of the situation and and use a farming instrument to gather much more than than is required. As you're traveling by, if you're hungry, you can grab some with your hand. You're being respectful to your neighbor's property, but you're also receiving a means of my grace through this law.

So question again, were the Pharisees right or wrong? They were wrong. They were wrong. In fact, the disciples were exactly in line with the word of God. Interestingly enough, when Jesus responds to them, he responds with what we just read in first Samuel 21.

So go back to Matthew 12 now and look at verse three. He said to them he said to them, have you not read what David did when he was hungry? And those who were with him, how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priest. So let's backtrack here. The disciples are eating the grain with their hands.

They're plucking the heads of the grain. The Pharisees see it. They see this as an opportunity to condemn Jesus for allowing this behavior. Hey, your disciples are breaking the law. Well, if you know the law Pharisees, you'd realize, no, they're not breaking the law.

So what's happening there? We are seeing the manifestation of the ugly face of legalism. And what legalism looks like often in its fullest form is that you have man's tradition supersede God's law, holding greater importance and even greater authority than what is written. And you have many people bound by this devil. But Jesus' answer is brilliant.

He brings up this situation with David, and I'm curious to know, as a matter of discussion, why do you think Jesus points to David and his eating of the bread when he was hungry? Any ideas? Mhmm. And that is one of the most common interpretations of this, that that the Lord is trying to provide a principle for mercy here. That the idea here is that ceremonial regulations are not more important than human need.

If there is human need, if there is an emergency situation, then there is some room for a neglect or or to even violate certain ceremonial laws in order to provide for his people, provide for human necessity. And I can see, and this is this is one of the most common understandings of this, and I can see where people are coming from with that argument. But I do not believe that is the primary thing that Jesus is trying to communicate here, and I'll and I'll tell you why. Very simple observation. Jesus is not promoting primarily situational ethics.

Have you heard of the phrase situational ethics? That sometimes it is permissible to execute certain things that might be wrong in order to perform a greater good. Have you heard of it? In some situations, it might be okay to lie. Because if I lie and it and it promotes this good, then let it happen.

I mean, when you do that the the math and when you when you weigh it, it seems okay. I don't believe that's what Jesus is primarily teaching here for one simple reason. I could see that that is the primary argument if the disciples had broken the law, but they didn't. Do you see what I'm saying? Why is Jesus using an example of David who it's clear.

You can't debate it. He did something unlawful. Didn't we read it? He did something unlawful. Why would he use an example of somebody who did something unlawful to defend the case of somebody who is guiltless?

Are you tracking with me tonight? It would make sense to use an argument of somebody who broke the law in order to satisfy a need if somebody just broke the law in order to satisfy a need. Correct? But they didn't break the law. They were obeying the law.

The ones who who have it wrong here are the Pharisees. And so I personally believe that this is less about upholding situational ethics or upholding the idea that sometimes it's okay for things to not be observed in order for a need to be met. And this is more of Jesus in his brilliance cornering the Pharisees in their hypocrisy. He's calling for their conviction to be consistent. When he brings up David, what he's essentially trying to say is, you're willing to overlook David, who you revere, don't you, you Jews?

You're willing to overlook the fact that he did break the law. And then in verse five, he brings an example of the priest. Let's actually read it. Or have you not read in the law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? In other words, if you think that nothing should be done on the Sabbath, the priests actually do more work on the Sabbath than any other day of the week.

They're actually they're killing animals, and they're burning things, and they're preparing things, and they're doing a lot of things on the Sabbath, yet they're guiltless. And the strictest Pharisee would never ever condemn a priest from the law who is performing their duty on the Sabbath. And Jesus is calling their attention even not just to priests, but to David. And he's what he what he's saying is this, why are you not willing to condemn the priest who did much work on the Sabbath? Why are you not willing to condemn David who did something unlawful, but you're willing to condemn unjustly my disciples for not holding to your tradition.

You're you're condemning my followers for something that's violating your human law. Are you willing to condemn David who actually broke the law? Are you willing to criticize the priest who did much work on the Sabbath? And so Jesus is essentially cornering them because of their hypocrisy, and many would object to what I'm saying because of what he says in verse seven. Look at verse seven.

And if you had known what this means, I desire mercy and not sacrifice. So he quotes Hosea, and that's that's where the argument might come from that Jesus is providing a principle for mercy, and he is. He's not not doing that. But the second part of the verse might solidify what I'm trying to present to you tonight. And if you had known what this means, I desire mercy not sacrifice, comma, you would not have condemned who?

The guiltless. You would not condemn the guiltless. Your traditions, you Pharisees, is so merciless. It's so void of mercy because you think that your severe strictness is a form of sacrifice to God, when in fact it suffocates my people. It suffocates my people.

And you you are so adamant about being sacrificial that you're willing to even attack the own law that gives them the permission to do what you are so condemning. Consider that. Consider that. So Jesus in his brilliance, Jesus in his brilliance points to David, points the activity of the priest in the Old Testament to say, what are you gonna do with these guys now? What are you gonna do with these guys?

What you're seeing here is the danger of legalism. It's so blinding. It's so powerful, but it is actually satanic. It's satanic because when when it has its full force unleashed, it begins to trump over the word of God itself. And you have millions today that are holding dear to tradition even for their their salvation as we speak tonight.

And like the Pharisees, they could even step on the word of God and make pronouncements of judgments on people because they think that this is a form of sacrifice that is pleasing to God when in fact it is merciless and it can even be damning. Jesus is a wonderful apologist. He's an incredible, incredible evangelist. And we see that in one example here. You may not agree with my interpretation.

I would love to discuss it. I would love to discuss it afterwards if you have the time to discuss it. But we come back to first Samuel. First Samuel chapter 21. I hope you're motivated to know the Old Testament in order to know better the New Testament.

And what we see here is after the fact, in verse seven, now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord. His name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul's herdsmen. Remember Doeg. Because next week, we're gonna see a lot of Doeg. He's a troublemaker.

He's a troublemaker who's detained in the house of the Lord. Just a reminder, there are troublemakers in the house of the Lord. And And we'll talk about that more next week, God willing. But we'll move on to verse eight. Then David said to Ahimelech here's his second request.

So he received the bread. He had some bread to feed some of the men that were with him. Then have you not here a spear or a sword at hand? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me because the king's business required haste. What's concerning about this request?

There's two main things. Oh, he's still lying. Where's the lie? The king's business requires haste. Really?

Did it? What an amazing principle principle for sin. If we do sin and we're not quick to repent of that sin, to come before God with that sin, to ask God to empower us to overcome that sin, it will only become easier for us to sin. Oftentimes, our first steps into sin are met with, conviction, are met with disgust, are met with disturbance. And something begins to happen as we familiarize ourselves with that sin, is that that sin becomes less bothersome to us.

We justify it, we lose that sting that comes with it, and what was once a hesitation now becomes a habit. What was once something that we treaded very lightly on now is something we're swimming in. David lied once to a priest, may I remind you, where in the house of God? And he's willing to do it again. It's now becoming part of his language.

It's not just it's like a reflex. Boom boom. There it is. And this is gonna become more troubling for David in this chapter. That's one thing.

Great observation. What's the other concerning thing about his request here? What is he asking for? Sword? Is he asking it in the right place?

No. I've studied Exodus, and so have you. Last time I checked, I never saw an armory in the tabernacle. Never saw it. And god was very specific of what was supposed to be in that place.

God was very specific of the measurements, the materials, and even where they were placed. What's a weapon doing in god's house? He's inquiring, and it's really an illustration of how people come to the house of God to demand for things that the house of God was never designed to give to you. Right? You wanna come to church for entertainment?

The church wasn't designed for that. Wanna come to the house of God to feel good about yourself with bible less preaching? Church wasn't designed for that. Wanna come to make friends because you just want friends and you're not concerned about personal holiness or being sanctified or partnering with people for the kingdom? The house of God was not designed for that.

And it is the duty of the ministers of God to protect the design of the house of God. It's the concern of the people of God to preserve the purity of the house of God. Because throughout the the life of a church, the life of a ministry, you will have people coming to that place to make suggestions and to make requests that are contrary to the blueprint of the house of God. And that's what we're seeing here. There's a request for a military weapon.

The tabernacle was not designed to equip soldiers that way. But David makes that request. And would you know it, there was something tucked in there. We read about it in verse nine. And the priest said, the sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck down in the Valley Of Elah, Behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod.

If you will take that, take it, for there is none but that here. And David said, there is none like that. Give it to me. Give it to me. So this sword, David's trophy, essentially, over his victory concerning Goliath in the Philistines was there.

Why was it there? I have no idea. Why did they put I have no clue why it was there, and it shouldn't have been there. But it was there. He receives it, and he praises it.

He praises this weapon, and I don't know why he's praising it, because that sword didn't do much good for Goliath, did it? Didn't have much to offer Goliath, did it? But we're we're when we're not in a good place spiritually, we tend to praise things. We tend to overvalue things that are void of the substance that only God and his word and his spirit provide. And you would hope that once David took that sword into his hands, you would have hoped, wouldn't you?

That in that very scene, he would have had flashbacks. He would have had flashbacks of how God's faithful power intervened against his foes. You would have hoped that in that moment as he's holding that sword, he would have remembered that it's not by the arm of the flesh, it's not by sword, it's not by chariot, but by bold faith in God do you see great success. Right? It's not by manipulation, David.

It's not by carnal schemes. It's not by the flesh that you get things done. It's not by that. It's by trusting in God. You would have hoped that in that moment, he would have believed that.

But unfortunately, as he embraces that sword, as he's elated, as he's excited about the fact that he has something to defend himself with, he makes another disappointing decision. Let's read about it in verse 10. And David rose and fled that day from Saul, and went to Ahish the king of Gath. And the servants of Ahish sat them, is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another of him in dances?

Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his 10 thousands? The first thing that this man does after he receives this weapon is he flees where? To Gath? Why is that concerning? Who's from Gath?

Goliath. Where is David going? To the enemy's camp. Why? Because it's amazing what fear can do to your judgment.

It's amazing when you're so out of touch with God. It's so amazing when you've lost sight of Christ, what you believe will be a solution to you. And Christians are no different. You have Christians who try to medicate themselves with sin, when there's a need, when there's a void, when there's lack of answers, when there's long seasons of of great difficulty, they try to medicate themselves with sin. They try to comfort themselves with the presence of unbelieving people.

They try to numb themselves with substances. They try to distract themselves to death. David is running to the wrong refuge. He's trying to find some kind of comfort. And because he's operating with worldly wisdom, here's the wisdom that he's operating with most likely.

If I go to the Philistines, there's no way David is gonna, Saul is gonna chase me there. If I go to the Philistines, there is no way that Saul would entertain or at least he'll be much more hesitant to come there if he knows that I'm there. So let me go there. So you're gonna go to Gath, and not only Gath, you're gonna go to Gath with Goliath's sword. It's not gonna make a great impression on the Philistines.

But what you and I are seeing here is the absurdity that we fall into when we lack the trust that God demands. We might not believe it, but it's amazing. It's amazing what happens. Not just when something is difficult in your life, when people feel like they lack the motivation that they once knew in Christ. It's amazing where they float towards.

David is illustrating that so clearly. He goes to the Philistines, and his fame was so great that the Philistines even knew about the song that won the hearts of the people of Israel. But did you notice something about their their comment? Look at verse 11 again. What stands out to you in their comment?

Somebody said it. Not just the question, but his identity. How do they identify David? The king of the land. Isn't that fascinating?

He's not the king. But even the enemy was so convinced that this man's destiny was for the throne that they didn't even object to the possibility. The king of the land, they did not sing to one another of him in dances, and David is freaked out. He realizes that they've identified them. I don't know how he thought he was gonna blend among the Philistines.

You are enemy number one to the Philistines. You have destroyed their dreams, their hopes, their strategies, and here you are thinking that you're just gonna camouflage. They identify him, And it says here in David in verse 12, took these words to heart and was much afraid of Ahish, the king of Gath. So let's stop here. He's terrified even more now.

So his lying, his skin, it didn't lead to what he thought it would lead to. He's in a darker pit, he's in a more difficult circumstance than what he began with, and so what is this man after God's heart going to do? And the answer is in verse 13. So he changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in their hands, and made marks on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard. Behold the future king of Israel.

Behold the anointed man of God. Can you envision this? I can just see it. Here he is walking through the streets of Gath. Soldiers are looking from high towers.

They make the observation. They come to him because it says in their hands. They come to capture him, to bring him before the king. And this man's heart is pounding, and he is sweating. He's exhausted.

And what comes to mind here is, let me put on an act. Let me pretend that I am insane. So he falls to the ground, he starts making groaning noises, he's salivating all over himself, he's scratching himself on the door, perhaps the door to go into the king's house. And these guys are looking like, what is going on? It's funny, but can I ask you something?

What is David doing here? Something that he's been doing already in this chapter. Lying. Not just with his words now, not with his conduct. He went from lying to the priest initially, lying to the priest again, and now you are pretending that you have gone mad to persuade somebody of something that is not true.

We look at this and we think it's it's innocent, and it's it's just a strategy. No. We're gonna find out that David himself realized that this was wrong. But here's the point that I wanna make. If earlier we learned that by his second lie, that when we sin and we refuse to deal with the conviction immediately and come before God to deal with that sin, it's only easier to sin.

But additionally, not only is it easier to act upon, but sin also becomes worse and worse in its contempt. It gets uglier and uglier, more degrading in degree than before. And in this case, if you're a liar, not only will you lie more, but your lies will get more outrageous and more crazy and more outlandish. And even in the evidence of proof, you will still lie because that's the nature of sin. You look at James one, and there's a progression there that there is temptations within that entice us.

And if if we if we listen to those temptations, it gives birth to sin, and sin gives birth to what? Death. It doesn't stay in infancy. It grows. It matures.

It becomes stronger. It becomes more vicious, more destructive, and that's exactly what we're seeing here. We're seeing this progression of sin. A weakness in David's life that he refused to deal with, so it was going to now deal with him. So now he's lying with his conduct.

Now he's exaggerating his behavior in a way that is so shameful and is and embarrassing. This is a child of God? Saliva coming down your your beard? Hold on. You're the same guy?

If I was one of those soldiers, I would have said, this is the guy that killed our giant? This is who we were afraid of? Is that how a man of faith acts in the presence of his enemies? But that that is what what fear what fear can bring somebody. That's what sin can bring somebody to.

Where even now David, in his reputation, is becoming tainted and despised, and even to a certain degree, mocked. But one might say, well it worked. It worked because look at the response here in verse 14. And as he said to his servants, behold, you see the man is mad. Why then have you brought him to me?

Do I lack madmen? That you have brought this fellow to behave as a madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house? Then get him out of here. It worked.

It worked. So brother, just calm down. Don't breathe too much into things. And just let it go. It was a little thing, and it's over.

Does the end justify the means? Are we not people of honor? Are we not people of integrity? Should we not strive for the most pure representation that we can have of Christ? Yes?

Would you agree? So this is not our example. That's an interesting ringtone. And we'll wait for it to Wonderful. It's amazing here that we would rather justify this behavior than learn from it.

Right? This is not my example. Neither should it be yours. That is not an example of faith. This is an illustration of weakness.

It worked. Well, let me ask you this, how was it that David was was able to flee from this? Was it because he was so smart in this moment? Or was it because of the grace of God? I argue for the grace of God.

Even though David was at this low point, even though David is just digging himself deeper because of his lie, that shovel of lie that's making this thing more and more embarrassing and harmful, Even as he is headed in the wrong direction, God still visits him with his mercy. Does that sound familiar with another figure in the Bible that we studied not too long ago? What did God do when Saul was in pursuit of David as he was with Samuel? Did he strike him with lightning? What did he do?

No. He showers him with the presence of God. The Holy Spirit comes and arrests him in that moment, and he begins to prophesy and worship God. And I believe in that moment, Saul was getting a taste of what he once knew when he was anointed by God. That very foreign feeling because he was tormented by an evil spirit.

Now God, for a moment, clothed him with the Holy Spirit, and he was now able to sense what he knew when he was anointed by that spirit. I believe that's God visiting him in his mercy. Even in the pursuit of sin, God stops him not to harm him, but to say, do you remember what this was like? And here's David. Righteously and deserving to be punished for his stupidity, and yet God says, I'm getting you out of here.

Wow. And what do you think the goodness of God in this moment and so many people's lives while they're in sin, what do you think that kindness is supposed to lead someone to? Very good. Repentance. Does David repent after this?

Does David change after this? Did David have the spiritual sensitivity to recognize that it was not my crazy behavior that delivered me, but it was God's mercy that delivered me. I'm saying yeses. But can I ask you how you know that? Oh, very, very good.

Did you hear the answer? The answer is not found in first Samuel. The answer is found in the book of Psalms. And there are two Psalms written out of this account, and one of them is Psalm 34. Go to Psalm 34 with me as we close this bible study.

I want you to see something quite interesting. Look at the title of the psalm in Psalm 34. Psalm 34 of David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech so that he drove him out and he went away. So get this. All of Psalm 34 is written in light of that moment that we just read.

Yes. This was written after David wiped off the spit from his beard. This was after David escaped from Gath with scabs on his knees, scratches on his arms because he was acting like somebody that was just released from the insane asylum. He writes this, and what this proves is that David recognized something of the mercy of God in being released from that situation, but not just recognizing, then repenting of it. Repenting of all of those things that we studied in first Samuel 21.

This was a turning point for David where God said, though you don't deserve this, I'm going to rescue you from this. And what's so interesting is that when you read the Psalm with the lens of first Samuel 21, it inspires something within you. Let me give you an example. Look here with me in verse 11. Come, oh children.

Listen to me. I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Really? I didn't see a man who feared the Lord in first Samuel 21. I saw a man who feared man.

I saw a man who lied because he feared man, who fled to the enemy's camp because he feared man. But remember, he's repenting. Remember, he changed. Remember, he learned from his failure and he wants to say, let me tell you that the best thing that you can do is fear God. Let me tell you from experience.

And the Holy Spirit designed it in such a way where you can read this in light of first Samuel 21, and you see that this man is speaking not just by the spirit, but by experience. I must teach you the fear of the Lord because it is the remedy to the fear of man. Come, let me teach you the fear of the Lord. Not just that. Verse 12, what man is there who desires life and loves many days that he may see good?

He wanted life. He was escaping for his life. He said, do do you want longevity in life? Now pause, don't look. If you were to suggest if you were to suggest to somebody, hey.

Do you want to live long life? What would your instructions be to that person? Like, your top answer. What would your top answer be? Would you like to live a long life?

Here's here's one ingredient that you need. What would it be? Don't answer it, but just think. Here's David's, verse 13. Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.

Does that make sense in light of first Samuel 21? The guy was lying through his teeth, but he realized the trouble that his lies brought him to. He realized what that sin led him into, and so in light of that, in the Psalm he goes, let me tell you that if you want to avoid trouble, don't be a liar. I could tell you from experience that when you lie, it messes your life up. Turn away from evil and do good.

Seek peace and pursue it. And he goes on to describe the mercy of God. He goes on to describe that the Lord is near to the brokenhearted. He saves the crushed spirit. Look at verse 19.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. See, he realized in that moment in Gath that it wasn't the sword. It wasn't the sword that was gonna help him. It was God's providence, God's power, God's intervention, God's grace. And what you and I are gonna see as we continue to study first Samuel is that this was a great this was a monumental moment in David's trust in God in this valley, in this chapter as he is still a fugitive in Israel.

Shall we pray? Let's pray. Lord, we thank you that your word does not shy away from the failure of your best men. And we thank you that you have placed these things in the word to encourage us and to build us, and to remind us that if we are where David was, you still want to meet us with your mercy. And if we choose to continue in our ways, we must take heed and see what we are potentially leading ourselves into.

But, Lord, we thank you for that concluding truth that while we are even pursuing, while we're still trying to recover from the mess of our own mistakes and our failures and our rebellion, You want us you want us to repent so that we can be revived. And so, lord, we ask you tonight that if there's anybody in this place that finds themselves in a pattern of sin, that they would realize that in this moment, you are communicating your kindness so that they can turn and not continue down the path of destruction. And, Lord, we pray that if there's a fear, not just of man, but of circumstances, of disease, of the unknown, that we would be learned, we would we would have understanding that that emotion, that haunting feeling, that anxiety can be the fuel to more sin. So it help us overcome fear with a trust in the Lord. Lord, we thank you that you've shown us another example of the harmony of the Bible, of the supernatural authorship of this book.

And we are just astounded by your wisdom. Heavenly Father, if even one tonight does not know Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and savior, Lord, I cannot convince them enough. I can do my part and present the gospel, but it must be your power. It must be your conviction that awakens their conscience. Lord, we are powerless.

We will become dead intellectuals if you do not come by the Spirit. And so, Lord, save the unregenerate, save the unbelieving, and also revive those who've known you, but have become dry in the pursuit of you. Lord, just rescue us from our self. Rescue us from our own sin, our own lies, the lies of Satan, the temptations of the evil one. Lord, we wanna be in your will.

We wanna walk with you as closely as possible, and we just hope that this bible study would have provided a nudge in the direction of your presence. So, Lord, because of what we've heard, because of your greatness, we wanna worship you in song. Please, oh God, in this moment, if you haven't already, sanctify us deeply. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Amen. Can we stand and worship the Lord together?