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Return to Learning to Wait on God Series Return to Wed. Bible Study Series 1 Samuel 27
“When We Come Off the Mountain Top”[1] Series:
“Learning to Wait on God: The Life of David Before
He Became King”
1 Samuel 16-31
In our current series on the life of David, we have been challenged by
the life of a man in whose life God was REAL.
Circumstances were tough, but David trusted God and saw Him do the
impossible. David's #1 foe was the
king of the country, Saul. 1 Samuel
is the narrative of what happened when David was being hunted down by Saul.
How did David feel during those long nights of loneliness?
We find out in the Psalms.
See: Ps 18 (see the
heading--"when the Lord delivered him...from Saul")
Q:
What were the first words out of David's mouth?
V 1 "I love You, O Lord, my strength." Q:
How did he describe his problem in vv 4-5?
"The cords of death..." Q:
What did God do for him, acc to vv 16-17?
"He reached down...He rescued me." I love David's
testimony in the first three words of v 46, "The Lord lives!"
This conviction is what made David tick.
We serve a living Lord who is involved in our lives.
Our foes are His foes. He is
involved. He is real.
Now, lest we read testimonials like this and think David never struggled,
I want you to realize this. David
had another foe besides Saul. It was
himself.
We see him wrestling with personal doubts in 1 Samuel 27.
1 Samuel 26 was somewhat of a mountain top experience for David.
He experienced divine deliverance. He
went right into Saul's camp, and left unharmed with Saul's spear and jug.
Review: From 1 Sam 26,
Because God is sovereign... 1.
I can be sure that things that are out of MY control are not out of HIS
control. 2.
I must live my life with my focus on God, not on others, nor on self. 3.
I can DO what's right even if I don't FEEL like it.
David must have been encouraged as chapter 26 ended.
God had delivered him once again. Then
in 1 Samuel 27, David came down off of the "mountain." “When
We Come Off the Mountain-Top: 1
Samuel 27
Let's look at ch 27 from two perspectives... I.
What David did Q:
What did David do in v 1? He
“thought to himself” (KJV “he said in his heart”). Look out when that
happens, when we start trying to figure out situations on our own!
A. He doubted (1a). Q:
What thought did David entertain in his mind?
V 1 One day Saul will kill
me. Q:
Was that true? Could that
happen? Could Saul kill David?
Not if what God said back in 16:12-13 was true--David would be king! Q:
What did David decide to do in v 1b?
B. He detoured (1b-7).
1. He decided to take matters
into his own hands (1b). Q:
In what way did he do this?
2. He left the Promised Land
(1b). Q:
Where did he go?
3. He moved to Q:
Note he wasn't alone; his 600 men went too.
Who else joined David? V 3
His family Q:
Why is this surprising that David went to
4. He settled in Ziklag
(6-7). Q:
How did this take place? V 6 Q:
How long did David stay there? V 7 16 months Q:
What did David do while in Ziklag...
C. He destroyed the enemies
of God (8-9). Note:
The Geshurites were on the south border of the Philistines.
The Girzites were between Philistia and
D. He misled Achish (10-12). Q:
How?
1. He said he attacked the
people of Q:
David said he was fighting his own people.
Was he? No. Q:
Why would he say this to Achish? So
he wouldn't think he would be a turncoat.
2. He left no survivors who
might inform on him (11).
3. He won the confidence of
Achish (12).
Why did God preserve this account? The
key is to look for God in the story. God
was at work. God is the main
character in 1 Samuel. What was God
doing? II.
What God did
Actually, God isn’t mentioned in this chapter.
If you look for Him in the words of the story, He’s not there.
But He was there. Behind the
scenes, God was doing at least three things...
A. He used adverse
circumstances to develop David.
1. Combat skills
2. Leadership skills Even though out of the Promised Land,
David was fighting
B. He blessed David in
whatever he did.
1. He protected him from Saul
(4).
2. He gave him success in
battle (9).
3. He gave him favor in the
eyes of Achish (12).
Discuss: This story
illustrates God’s grace for us. How
so?
[Read observation by Dale Ralph Davis, pp. 231-2:
“By now you may have become an angry reader.
You may be angry at David… Did
you ever think that perhaps the writer is trying to correct your
mistake? Yes, you, Bible reader that
you are…”]
Discuss: What does
C. He didn't let David get
too comfortable outside the Promised Land (ch 29). This was a temporary arrangement (as
with the case of Abraham moving to
Discuss: What does this teach
us about God? Lessons: 1.
Even great men and women of God wrestle with feelings of doubt.
The challenge is to choose to:
a. Claim the unchanging
promises of God.
b. Do what pleases God
regardless how we feel. 2.
Being down is not a sin. Being
down and out is. 3.
Even when we blow it, God is still in control.
He can use our failures to accomplish good in and through our lives. [1]
These are unedited
teaching notes used initially for a Wednesday evening Bible study at
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