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Alright, you can turn in your 
Bibles to 1st Samuel chapter 27. 1st Samuel chapter 27 will read chapter 27 up to chapter 
28 verse 2. 1st Samuel 27 beginning in verse 1. And David said in his heart, 
now I shall perish someday by the hand of Saul. There is nothing 
better for me than that I should speedily escape to the land of 
the Philistines. And Saul will despair of me to 
seek me anymore in any part of Israel. So I shall escape out 
of his hand. Then David arose and went over 
with the 600 men who were with him to Achish, the son of Maok, 
king of Gath. So David dwelt with Achish at 
Gath, he and his men, each man with his household, and David 
with his two wives, Ahinoam, the Jezreelitess, and Abigail, 
the Carmelitess, Nabal's widow. And it was told Saul that David 
had fled to Gath, so he sought him no more. Then David said 
to Achish, if I have now found favor in your eyes, let them 
give me a place in some town in the country that I may dwell 
there. For why should your servant dwell 
in the royal city with you? So Achish gave him Ziklag that 
day. Therefore, Ziklag has belonged 
to the kings of Judah to this day. Now the time that David 
dwelt in the country of the Philistines was one full year and four months. And David and his men went up 
and raided the Gesherites, the Gerzites, and the Amalekites. For those nations were the inhabitants 
of the land from of old, as you go to shore, even as far as the 
land of Egypt. Whenever David attacked the land, 
he left neither man nor woman alive, but took away the sheep, 
the oxen, the donkeys, the camels, and the apparel. and returned 
and came to Achish. Then Achish would say, where 
have you made a raid today? And David would say, against 
the southern area of Judah, or against the southern area of 
the Jeremialites, or against the southern area of the Kenites. David would save neither man 
nor woman alive to bring news to Gath, saying, lest they should 
inform on us, saying, thus David did. And thus was his behavior 
all the time he dwelt in the country of the Philistines. So 
Achish believed David, saying, he has made his people Israel 
utterly abhor him. Therefore, he will be my servant 
forever. Now, it happened in those days 
that the Philistines gathered their armies together for war 
to fight with Israel. And Achish said to David, you 
assuredly know that you will go out with me to battle, you 
and your men. So David said to Achish, surely 
you know what your servant can do. And Achish said to David, 
therefore I will make you one of my chief guardians forever. Amen. Well, continuing in the 
story of Saul and David, here in chapter 27 at verse 1, all 
the way to chapter 30 and verse 31, David is in Philistia. Now, just a quick note concerning 
the chronology of chapters 27 to 31. You notice at the end 
of 28.2, it says that the Philistines gathered together to fight with 
Israel. When we go down to verse 4, we 
see that Israel is at Shunam before Mount Gilboa. If you turn 
over to 31, verse 1, it says, the Philistines fought against 
Israel and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines 
and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. So what's happening is that chapter 
28 actually happens later than chapters 29 and 30. Why the author does that, we'll 
probably consider that next week. But you'll notice, if you move 
from 28.2 to 29.1, the text just continues to flow. So 28.3 to 
25 is a bit of a parentheses, again, set at a future's time. I think it's to indicate something 
about Saul's state of mind prior to this war with the Philistines. Again, we'll look at that in 
more detail next time we gather. But as we look at chapter 27, 
verses 1 to 28, 2, there are three main points that we should 
consider. In the first place, the escape 
of David to Gath in verses 1 to 4. Secondly, the practice of 
David in Ziklag, verses 7 to 12. And then we'll close by making, 
I said three, oh yeah, the bottom one is the dilemma for David 
among the Philistines in 28, 1 and 2. Now as we look at the 
escape of David to Gath, notice in verse 1, and David said in 
his heart, Now I shall perish someday by the hand of Saul. 
There is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape 
to the land of the Philistines and Saul will despair of me. 
to seek me anymore in any part of Israel, so I shall escape 
out of his hand." That's a lot different statement than we saw 
in 26-24. Remember, as he stands before 
Saul having spared his life once again in verse 24 of chapter 
26, and indeed as your life was valued much this day in my eyes, 
so let my life be valued much in the eyes of the Lord, and 
let him deliver me out of all tribulation." We get to 27.1 
and there's no instance, no indicator whatsoever that David had consulted 
with Yahweh or that he was trusting in Yahweh. That brings me in 
the first place as we consider this escape of David to Gath 
to consider the difficulty of this section. There's going to 
be some tentativeness on my part tonight, because it's a difficult 
passage. And it's difficult for several 
reasons. In the first place, there is the absence of any mention 
of God whatsoever. Davis, in his commentary, calls 
this a godless text. God is not in 27 to 28 too. He's 
not referred to. He's not mentioned. Of course, that's not something 
unique in the scriptures. There is a whole book in the 
Bible where God is not mentioned, and that is the book of Esther. 
But in the second place, there is the absence of any negative 
or positive comment by the author. I mean, if you follow the reading, 
what David does in this section in his dealings with Achish are 
a little bit different than what we might expect at this point 
in the narrative concerning the man after God's own heart. So 
the narrator, the author, doesn't give us any clear indications 
that David did the right thing or David did the wrong thing. 
It's just sort of balanced in between there. In the third place, 
the fact that David's plan actually worked. What we find is that 
David makes this decision to go to Gath, and in verse 4, Saul 
sought him no more. When David ends up in a dilemma 
in chapter 28, verses 1 and 2, the dilemma being that Achish 
wants David to join the Philistines to war against Israel. That's 
a huge dilemma. for the man that would ascend 
the throne in Israel. Certainly, that would not look 
good on his royal resume if he walked in battle with the Philistines 
to go against the country he was to lead. Well, thankfully, 
in chapter 29, there is divine deliverance from God for David. He gets out of this precarious 
situation. So in many respects, as we read 
27.1 to 28.2, the plan actually worked. But in the fourth place, what 
David does, does create a great dilemma. David joining forces, 
as it were, with the Philistines brought him into this position 
where now the Philistines, specifically Achish, really trusted him and 
really wanted him to be his servant forever. And so naturally, Akish 
is going to want David's employ when he goes to battle against 
Israel. And as I've already mentioned, 
in the fifth place, the difficulty of the section is seen in the 
fact that God does deliver him. Again, there's no clear, specific 
statement. What David did was right in the 
sight of the Lord. What David did was wrong in the 
sight of the Lord. You go to the narrative in 2 
Samuel 11 and 12. The thing that David did displeased Yahweh. The reader is left with no question 
whatsoever concerning David's adultery. and murder. Well, in 
this instance, instead of calling upon the Lord or waiting upon 
the Lord or remaining in Judah, David goes over to Philistia. 
And remember back in 26, one of the big things David didn't 
want to happen, according to verses 19 and 20, was to be driven 
out from the Lord's inheritance because that's where the face 
of Yahweh was. And if David doesn't want that 
in 26, why in the world in 27 would he leave the presence of 
the Lord or the inheritance of the Lord and to go and join himself 
up with the Philistines. So there's basically two ways 
you can interpret 27.1 to 28.2. It is either A, an excellent 
military strategy on David's part, or B, it is a lapse in 
David's judgment that was overruled by God's good providence. So 
it's probably one of those particulars. Let's just move through the passage 
and see what the author does tell us. in the hopes that we 
get some understanding, at least of the overall thrust of the 
passage. Now note the reasoning of David, 
the content. He says in his heart, now I shall 
perish someday by the hand of Saul. David did not believe Saul's 
repentance in chapter 26. Remember, Saul cried. Saul was 
sad, or at least back in 20. 24, he cried. Here he sounds so penitent, he 
sounds so remorseful, he sounds so sorry for what he has done, 
and yet David does not trust him for a moment. Brethren, not 
every time someone says, I'm sorry, do they mean it. Not every 
time does someone repent, do they actually mean it. I'm not 
saying we should always be suspicious of everyone. However, we ought 
to take our cue from David and realize that if we are being 
hunted and pursued like a dog by Saul, and then Saul has this 
epiphany wherein he cries and he shows remorse and he shows 
repentance, it might not be a bad idea to still treat him with 
a little bit of distance so that we don't put ourselves into a 
horrific and compromised situation. Notice, as I've already pointed 
out, the contrast in his reasoning. The man of 2624 now wants to 
leave his land to go and dwell with the Philistines. Again, 
the reasoning of his heart does not include God. Now I realize 
that not every text always says everything. But it does seem 
conspicuous in verse one. And David said in his heart, 
Now I shall perish someday by the hand of Saul. It's really 
an intriguing statement because David has been delivered many, 
many times by God from Saul. I mean, David has a proven track 
record of being the blessed subject of God's delivering power. when 
it comes to the hunt posed by Saul. The reasoning in his heart 
did not recall the past faithfulness of God. In chapter 24, David 
spares Saul's life and he has confidence in the Lord. According 
to 24.12, that the Lord will avenge him. We get to chapter 
25 and we have that fool Nabal. That fool Nabal rejects David's 
overture. That fool Nabal provides an obstacle 
for David. David wants to take him out, 
God sends Abigail to restrain his hand. And then what happens 
according to 25.38? And the Lord, or Yahweh, struck 
Nabal. The very thing that David was 
confident that God would do to Saul, in chapter 24 verse 12, 
God does to Nabal in chapter 25. That then motivates David, 
or that inspires David, in 2610 to tell Abishai not to kill Saul. And the reason why David tells 
Abishai not to kill Saul is twofold. Saul is the Lord's anointed. 
David doesn't throw off the rule of law. God the Lord raised up 
Saul, Samuel anointed Saul, Saul was the rightful king on Israel's 
throne. David is not going to raise a 
hand to destroy that man because it would violate the law of God. 
But in the second place, David is confident of the avenging 
power of God most high. Notice in verse 10, chapter 26, 
David said furthermore, as the Lord lives, the Lord shall strike 
him. or his day shall come to die, 
or he shall go out to battle and perish. He had seen this 
happen firsthand in the account of Nabal. Probably why David 
says God may strike him just like he did with Nabal. So in 
light of just these last three chapters we have seen God's hand 
of mercy. We go back further in the narrative 
all the way to chapter 18. The Lord delivers David. Chapter 19, the Lord delivers 
David. Chapter 20, the Lord delivers 
David. Chapter 21, you hear the theme? Over and over and over and over 
and over and over again, the Lord delivers David. We get to 
27.1 and David says in his heart, now I shall perish someday by 
the hand of Saul. God has delivered you multiple 
times. Vanhoy says in view of these 
deliverances, one might expect that henceforth David would be 
a man who had unmovable confidence in God, which should indicate 
for us, brethren, David was still a man after God's own heart all 
the days of his life. But even a man who has seen the 
proven faithfulness of God still at times may falter and may have 
some troubles. And we ought not to minimize, 
on the other side, this has been sort of a negative sound to this 
particular passage, but in terms of treating David positively, 
let us not forget what he has faced. Now, it's easy for me, 
I suppose, or for any of us, to come to a chapter like this 
and say, how in the world could David go live with Philistines? 
How in the world could David engage in covert operations and 
subterfuge? I mean, the narrator doesn't 
tell us the thing that he did displeased Yahweh. But some of 
the things that he does in this particular chapter at least should 
be under the category of shady at best. I mean, he goes out, 
he's a raider, he attacks the enemies of Israel, he destroys 
them completely lest any of them come and tell Achish what he's 
actually up to. He doesn't want to have any evidence 
of the reality of what he's engaged in. But remember David's difficulty. You know, I think it's easy for 
us at times to come along and kick a brother when they're struggling 
because they need to buck up and have faith. We come alongside 
somebody that's in the depths of despair and we say, you know 
what, you just need to man up and trust God. That's true, people 
do need to man up and trust God. But we ought not to minimize 
the great difficulties that persons fall prey to. Wasn't this Job's 
complaint to his friends? I mean, with friends like you 
guys, I don't need enemies. I mean, they come one after another 
after another, just letting him have it and letting him have 
it and letting him have it. Job essentially says, you know, 
sometimes I just need to vent. I don't need to be lectured to. 
I just need to be able to express these feelings of despair without 
getting a five-point sermon on how I need to man up. Consider 
that David had been hunted by Saul. Remember, the chapters 
that I've indicated here, beginning in 18, we're in 27 now, David 
has lived a life on the run. He has been hunted like an animal. He had been betrayed by his own 
countrymen. Remember those pesky Ziphites? 
They were from Judah. The Ziphites in 23 and in 26 
betrayed David. I mean, it's bad enough when 
the king of Israel wants your hide, but you've got Ziphites 
telling him where to find you. In the third place, David had 
been separated from his family. I don't mean his wives, but I 
mean his father and his mother. Where are his father and mother 
now, according to chapter 21 and 22? They are in Moab. David wanted 
to get them out of Israel because Saul was trying to kill David. He had no reason to think that 
Saul would spare his family. He was no doubt extremely weary. Now, I have never been in a situation 
where I've had to run from Saul, had to deal with Ziphites, been 
cut off with my family, and engaged in battles basically nonstop, 
not only with Saul, but the real enemy as well. Because along 
the way, David has dealt with Philistines, too. But added to 
this, according to verses 1 to 4, David is responsible not only 
for his 600 men, but for their families as well. If you notice, 
in verse 3, so David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, 
each man with his household. Perhaps the thought of a nice 
bed, and a warm meal, and not having to look over his shoulder, 
and just so that his men and their families could have some 
respite, and have some safety, and have a bit of safe haven, 
was probably overwhelming the brother to the point where the 
Philistine area, or Philistia rather, looked pretty enticing, 
because at least I get a cot and some hots, and I'll be able 
to enjoy my stay there. So we need to make sure that 
when we interpret passages, we take it all into consideration. Now notice what happens. He relocates according to verses 
2 to 4. Now interestingly enough, this 
is David's second visit to Gath. Remember it was in chapter 21, 
after he was in the city of Nob. Where does David go from there? He goes to Gath. And there they 
recognize him, and they cue Akish to this reality. And so David 
feigns madness. Remember, he's dribbling down 
his beard, and he's scratching at the doors, and he's engaged 
in this particular activity. And Akish says, don't I have 
enough madmen to deal with? Get him out of here. So David 
now comes back to Gath, and we might ask the question, why does 
Achish receive him this time? Could be this was a different 
Achish, because it's identified here as Achish the son of Maok, 
king of Gath. It may have just been a title, 
sort of like pharaoh or Caesar or something of that nature. 
So it might be a different Achish, but most likely it's the same 
Achish. Remember, when David comes in 
21, He's a renegade by himself, and as far as Akish knows, he 
is a madman. Now he's got 600 men that he's 
leading, that he's commanding, and he's probably interpreting 
David and his 600 men as able mercenaries for the Philistine 
cause. So that probably explains why 
he is received at Gath. Now notice, they get safe haven, 
And then it's reported back to Saul, verse 4, and it was told 
Saul that David had fled to Gath, so he sought him no more. Again, 
verse 1, that was David's concern and David's hope. I've got to 
get away from Saul because he's going to continue to pursue me. 
So the plan worked. David's pursuit of safe haven 
in Philistia paid off. He now has a safe place to live 
and to conduct himself without the threat of Saul. And verse 
4 confirms for us that Saul was lying. Saul was unrepentant. Saul was not actually legit when 
he was pronouncing this benediction upon David and all the things 
that he did. Well, he was speaking like Piapus 
would. He was prophesying truth out 
of the mouth of a wicked man. Now notice, in the second place, 
the practice of David in Ziklag, verses 7 to 12. Well, I'm sorry, 
back to verse five. David said to Achish, if I have 
found favor in your eyes, let them give me a place in some 
town in the country that I may dwell there. For why should your 
servant dwell in the royal city with you? Probably to have their 
own space, right? They'd want their own place to 
hang out and make You know what they say, a little bit too much 
familiarity breeds contempt. Certainly don't want to be hanging 
with Philistines. Their idolater is probably another 
reason why David doesn't want to be in the royal city. As well, 
David wanted freedom to move. David wanted independence. David 
didn't want to be scrutinized. As we see from his practice in 
verses 7 to 12, the last thing we understand is that he wanted 
Achish to be seeing all of his movements within Philistia. So Achish responds favorably 
and gives David and his men Ziklag that had been conquered in the 
conquest according to Joshua 1531. It was given to the tribe 
of Simeon in Joshua 19.5, but it had returned to Philistine 
control. Now, Akish gives it to David, 
and according to the text, it has belonged to the kings of 
Judah to this day. So once David and his 600 men 
set up shop in there, it was no longer turned over to the 
Philistines, up to the time that the author penned 1 Samuel. Now note the time that David 
dwelt in the country of the Philistines was one full year and four months. Now notice the specific practice 
engaged in while in Ziklag. Verse 8, the attacks that David 
engaged in were against the enemies of Israel. That's who he went out and killed. 
He wasn't against Israelites. He wasn't killing. I mean, that's 
what he tells Achish, but that's not what he was doing. Notice 
in verse 8, David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, 
the Gerzites, and the Amalekites. For those nations were the inhabitants 
of the land from of old, as you go to shore, even as far as the 
land of Egypt." The Geshurites are mentioned in Joshua 13 too. There's some debate over who 
the Gerzites are. And of course, the Amalekites, 
1 Samuel 15. Remember that Saul was commanded 
to execute Agag and all of the Amalekites. He was to engage 
in that principle called harem, where he destroyed all the inhabitants 
and he destroyed all of the livestock. David went and he made raids 
on the enemies of Israel. The attacks were conducted with 
a thoroughness that paralleled that Haram principle. The men 
and the women were killed. The livestock and the apparel 
were spared. Now David would return to Achish, 
and he would probably give him a cut of the booty. I mean, if 
Achish is giving him safe haven, and David returns with livestock 
and apparel, Achish is probably going to say, let me get my beak 
wet, too. Make sure that the Philistines 
benefit from these raids that you have gone on. Now notice, 
verse 10, Achish would say, where have you made a raid today? And 
David would say, against the southern area of Judah, or against 
the southern area of the Jeremelites, or against the southern area 
of the Canaanites. So David told Achish that he 
had engaged in slaughtering Israelites. David told Achish, he didn't 
say, I went out to get the Geshurites and the Gerzites and the Amalekites. 
He said, I went to Judah and I dealt death blows to the people 
of Israel. Now notice what happens. Verse 
11, David would save neither man nor woman alive to bring 
news to Gath, saying, lest they should inform on us, saying, 
thus David did. Again, when we look at this passage, 
there's no mention of God. The narrator doesn't tell us 
one way or the other. But something here, if you're 
like me, just doesn't feel right. I mean, this is David, who has 
been of noble character and virtuous all throughout. Now again, this 
could be the most ingenious and most noble act of military strategy 
ever planned, but it just feels a little bit odd, at least to 
me. So he would not spare them lest they should inform on us 
saying thus David did. So in other words, killed all 
the people from Gesher, from Berzah, and the Amalekites so 
that they can't tell Achish what was going on. As I'm rehearsing 
this, it does sound like a splendid military strategy. And then notice 
the end of verse 11, and thus was his behavior all the time 
he dwelt in the country of the Philistines. So Achish believed 
David, saying, he has made his people Israel utterly abhor him, 
therefore he will be my servant forever. So David did his job 
extremely well to the point where Achish now says, David is with 
us. David will be with us forever. 
He is a vital component to the Philistia war machine. Atish 
is quite delighted about this situation. That brings us thirdly 
to the dilemma for David among the Philistines. Did David know 
this would happen? I've got to imagine he had to 
have at least thought it might happen. But because of the various 
difficulties, he might have been willing to just say, I'll deal 
with it when it comes. But Philistia was an enemy of 
Israel. And Philistia didn't let things 
go. And so this brings us to the 
dilemma of chapter 28 verses 1 and 2. Now it happened in those 
days that the Philistines gathered their armies together for war 
to fight with Israel. And Achish said to David, you 
assuredly know that you will go out with me to battle, you 
and your men. Imagine if you were David at 
this particular point. Well, I can't do that. I'm supposed 
to be the king there, Akish. I'm supposed to be on the way 
to the throne, Akish. I can't take arms up against 
my brethren or they won't let me be their king and ruler. That's 
just not going to work for me. David can't say that to Akish. Remember, David, 600 men, and 
all their families are basically under the auspices of Akishville. They cannot upset the apple cart. He can't just say, OK, Akish, 
off with your head. No, he's got to be diplomatic. He's got to be tactical. He's 
got to be savvy, he's got to be strategic, and that is precisely 
what David does in verse 2. He says, surely you know what 
your servant can do. Talk about ambiguous. Surely 
you know what your servant can do. He doesn't say, yes, I will 
battle with you against the Israelites. And he doesn't say, no, I won't 
battle with you against the Israelites. He states a fact. Surely you 
know what your servant can do. He's not lying, he's not deceiving. Akish does know what David can 
do. David goes out with his men and 
they bring back lots of livestock into peril. Akish is probably 
tasting victory as we speak. And then notice at the end of 
verse 2, Akish said to David, therefore, I will make you one 
of my chief guardians forever. Something like a bodyguard, somebody 
that's very close, somebody that's going to have watch over me and 
the royal family. Akish was quite delighted in 
this arrangement should it prove to be the case. It's only later 
when it's parade time. Prior to the battle, the soldiers 
march before the leaders, and the leaders of the Philistines 
see David, and they say, what is that man doing there, Achish? So once again, it's the Philistines 
that save David, according to chapter 29, from having to be 
placed into a position of appearing like a traitor before Israel. So God the Lord has everything 
under control in this particular chapter. The Lord God is sovereign 
in his providence. Did David do wrong? Did David 
do right? Again, as I read through the 
passage and as I go through it, boy, I see great arguments for 
both sides. What are some lessons, though, 
that we can draw from the passage? In the first place, the difficulties 
of David. I've already rehearsed this. 
I want to rehearse them again. and then make a particular point 
that oftentimes gets lost on God's people. David was hunted 
by his king. Now that's probably not something 
you and I will ever undergo. Well, maybe. It depends on how 
the current situation proceeds. But it's not the case, typically, 
that we have a Saul on our heels trying to cut our throats, trying 
to destroy us, trying to kill us. David was betrayed by the 
Ziphites. Again, those pesky Ziphites nevertheless 
were David's own countrymen And they were willing and ready to 
give him up to the king that was engaged in a brutal tyranny 
that was filled with murderous rage that was only founded upon 
his own envy and his own wretchedness. And the Ziphites will offer David 
up. As well, David was rejected by 
Nabal. That whole Nabal situation caused 
David grief. The fact that he was tired and 
responsible for his men and for their families. Brethren, never 
underestimate the power of tiredness. Tiredness and weariness is a 
difficult thing. Sometimes persons think, well, 
I just got a soldier through. The Lord Jesus was very gracious 
to his disciples. He actually said, come apart 
and rest a while. Brethren, sometimes we're no 
good when we're tired, when we're worn out, when we're weary. C.H. Spurgeon is quoted as saying, 
sometimes we can do more by doing less. If we actually preserve 
the machinery and we take care of the machinery, we're going 
to get more use out of it. If you do preventative maintenance 
on your vehicle, Hopefully, you're not driving down Highway 1 and 
it falls apart. No, you've taken the time and 
the energy and you put the money into it to make sure that it's 
going to go the distance. We need to do that with our own 
lives, with our own bodies, with our own being. One of the things 
that I think we ought to learn from the life of David at this 
particular juncture is that if you haven't figured it out yet, 
Jesus was absolutely correct in John 16, 33. In this world, 
you will have tribulations. It is simply a common denominator 
for God's people. It is not the case that we're 
going to sing zippity-doo-dah as we skip our way to heaven. 
I saw a clip this morning on the news of Joel Osteen pushing 
his new book called I Am. Well, if you listen to that particular 
man, you will think that no one ever should have any troubles 
or any difficulties whatsoever. I am happy. I am positive. I am good. I am... It's all about 
this pronounce it to be the case for yourself and it will be that 
way. Brethren, that's not reality. 
And the fact that that man dupes so many people is a terrible 
testimony on what these people know concerning the truth of 
God's Word. In this world, you will have 
tribulation. It may not be Saul. It may not 
be Ziphites. It may not be the responsibility 
of taking care of 600 men and their families. I mean, imagine 
that. It's hard to take care of our own families, isn't it? 
It's hard to take care of ourselves, isn't it? Imagine being responsible 
for 600 men, and 400 of them, of whom, were Cave of Adullam 
guys. You don't get from the Cave of 
Adullam that these were the most well-adjusted, happy fellows 
on the face of the earth. They were distressed, they were 
discontent, they were in debt. They were the kinds of guys that 
didn't fit well in the monarchy in Israel. Now, it could have 
been because of the brutality of Saul, but it describes them 
as distressed, discontent, and in debt. Those would be hard 
people to manage. Imagine having a 16-year-old 
son that fit that description. Now imagine having to father 
him. Now multiply him by, you know, 
400. We don't know where the other 
200 came from. They came probably as David was 
engaged in his warfare and in his battle and in his strategies. 
They were attracted to David as a leader. Those 400 men were 
the cave of Adullam guys. It's hard to do these sorts of 
things, isn't it? We need to cut David slack when 
we come to chapter 27. I would have probably been in 
Philistia long before that. Seeking safe havens, seeking 
comfort, seeking safety, seeking a nice meal, seeking not being 
hunted by Saul and not being dimed out by Zephites and not 
having to rub up against fools like Nabals and just being able 
to sleep at a night. So David certainly typifies for 
us, not so much Jesus in this particular passage, but us. In this world, you will have 
tribulations. I've already mentioned the difficulty 
of the passage. Some would hear me tonight and 
say, oh, you're wrong. It was a brilliant military strategy. Others would hear me tonight 
and say, oh, it wasn't a brilliant military strategy. It was, you 
know, he lied, he sinned, he deceived, he did all sorts of 
things that were here. Again, brethren, I feel the tension 
of this particular text. It's hard for me to say absolutely 
one way or the other. If you all can do it, praise 
God, you can email me later. Actually, don't. Just go home 
and pray to the Lord for me that I'll someday come to the truth 
as it is. And then the final thing are 
some lessons that I think we can learn, some practical lessons. 
In the first place, the believer must remember God when he talks 
to himself. We all talk to ourselves, don't 
we? We may not do it, you know, physically, You ever speak on 
the Bluetooth in your car and you know that people are looking 
at you like you're probably nuts and you're really not talking 
to yourself, you're talking to whoever happens to be on the 
other end of that Bluetooth. But we all do talk to ourselves. 
We may not verbalize it, we may not do it audibly, but we all 
are in our heads at some point. We are all musing within our 
hearts at some point. Now when we come out of 26, especially 
24, And we get to 27.1, it is a conspicuous 
contrast. I mean, in many respects, in 
my mind, that sort of tilts the scale. in the favor that it wasn't 
the brilliant military strategy. I mean, if 27 was sort of dislocated 
from these other chapters, but 27 comes on the heels of David 
saying, let Yahweh deliver me out of all tribulation. And in 
27.1, David's in tribulation, and he mentions Yahweh not at 
all. In fact, our conversations with 
ourselves should be theological through and through. When you 
do have cause to speak to yourself, when you do have cause to say 
things in your heart, make sure your heart is sufficiently filled 
with the knowledge of God. Make sure your heart is sufficiently 
filled with the Word of God so that your heart will give you 
the proper response. I fear too often our heart tells 
us things that are simply wrong because we don't know the Bible, 
because we haven't taken time to study any theology, because 
we thought it was, you know, just for that handful of guys 
that likes to get up early on Saturday morning. No, each and 
every one of us should be able to speak to intelligent hearts 
because we all have Bibles, we all have access to a church that 
preaches the Bible, we all have access to sermon audio, and I'm 
convinced you can listen to ten sermons a day until the day you 
die and probably not finish everything on sermon audio. So to not be 
biblically literate in today's theological climate is simply 
unconscionable. The point, brethren, is that 
when you talk to yourself, you better have the Bible's answers 
in response. Now, again, I'm not saying David 
didn't do that. David certainly does that in 
Psalm 103, where he talks to himself by saying, Bless the 
Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me. Bless his holy 
name. David talks to himself theologically. In Psalms 42 and 43, David talks 
to himself theologically. Why are you cast down, O my soul? Hope thou in God. Even when he's in melancholy 
and depression and sorrow. In Psalms 42 and 43, he's still 
a theologian. Hope thou in God. That's the 
answer your heart needs in those seasons. And it can't give those 
answers if the Bible hasn't been internalized. It just amazes 
me at times that people struggle with things that have very simple 
answers. Do you ever notice that there 
are some problems in our lives that have simple solutions? I 
mean, that's just the reality. I'm having trouble getting up 
early. Well, put your alarm clock on the other side of the room, 
and maybe that'll help. Wow, I never thought of that. 
That's a simple solution to a real problem. I'm really struggling 
with this area of my life. Then work harder at it, and be 
more diligent and more disciplined. Wow, that's a simple solution 
to a problem, isn't it? Sometimes married couples, they 
say, you know, we're not communicating. What can we do? How about you 
try talking to each other? It's a simple solution to a problem. What's the simple solution to 
a lack of biblical understanding? Read your Bible. Show up at Bible 
study. Come to church morning and evening. 
Be under the preaching of the Word of God. It's a problem with 
a simple solution. In the second place, the believer 
must remember God's proven faithfulness when he comes to a difficult 
situation. He must remember God's proven 
faithfulness when he comes to a difficult situation. Why is 
it that we come to a difficult situation and everything we've 
ever learned and known about God is forgotten? I mean, He 
delivers us for 9, 10, 11 chapters, and then we get to a point and 
we say, you know, I've got to run and hide or else I'm going 
to get caught. Well, wait a minute. God has 
delivered you these several times. Brethren, rehearse in your mind 
and in your heart the past faithfulness of God. You say, well, I can't 
remember anything in my own life. Then go to the book of Exodus. 
Go to the Psalms. I always am intrigued by the 
Psalms of Asaph. Asaph was a particularly melancholy 
fellow. I don't know, maybe melancholy 
fellows are attracted to Asaph. The Psalms ascribe to the man 
called Asaph. He had a melancholy spirit, and 
rightly so. He saw some horrific things. 
But there are a couple of Psalms in the 70s where he sees nothing 
good going on. What is it that stirs up his 
heart? What is it that encourages him 
to press on and to soldier on? It's what God did at the Exodus. 
It's how God delivered Israel out of Egypt through the Red 
Sea. You may not have something from this morning that you can 
recall, but certainly, if you think long enough and hard enough, 
there are several events in your own life that show and demonstrate 
God's faithfulness. If you're still coming up with 
a loss, then go to Paul. Go to Peter. Go to, you know, 
the prophets. Go to the Torah. Go to the five 
books of Moses. Go to the scriptures and rehearse 
to yourself the past faithfulness of God. In the third place, the 
believer must seek wisdom from God for present decisions may 
produce future dilemmas. The believer must seek wisdom 
from God because present decisions may produce future dilemmas. David going into Philistia, finding 
safe haven there, produced a future dilemma. When Akish became part 
of the David fan club, and Akish says, let's go battle Israel. You're going to be on our side. 
You're going to lead a squadron of men. You are going to take 
your 600, and you're going to get their livestock, and you're 
going to kill their men and women. See, this is wherein believers 
need wisdom. And doesn't God, through James, 
say, if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives 
to all liberally and without reproach. Don't you love that? 
If any of you lack wisdom, buy the new book from so-and-so. 
If any of you lack wisdom, go to wisdom.com. If any of you 
lack wisdom, go to the Wisdom Conference in Vancouver. If any 
of you lack wisdom, ask God. How many of us do that? Isn't 
it intriguing when God comes to Solomon and says, what do 
you want? Solomon says, I want wisdom. 
God's happy with that response, isn't he? God delights in that 
response. I speak in the manner of men. 
God is rejoicing over the reality that Solomon requests wisdom. Why? Because without wisdom, 
Solomon can't effectively run his kingdom. Without wisdom, 
we can't effectively run our lives. Without wisdom, we won't 
foresee the reality that if I choose plan A here, it may produce consequence 
B here. I should think long and hard 
about plan A before I undertake because I don't want consequence 
B. You see, this is my point. And again, I'm not picking on 
David. I think it is a lesson that we 
can glean from it. David's going into Philistia 
and engaging in this alliance with Akish produced a dilemma 
for David in terms of being perceived as a traitor. In the fourth place, 
and again, I cannot qualify enough. I'm not picking on David with 
this one. I'm picking on us. The believer 
must not presume on divine providence to deliver him from bad decisions. Again, I'm not saying this isn't 
David. I am saying us. Here's what we 
can do. Well, you know, God overruled 
and brought good out of this. God did amazing things with David 
and the Philistines and with Israel. God, you know, makes 
crooked sticks straight. Yes, He does. He most assuredly 
does. But we are not to presume that 
bad decisions we make, knowingly and willingly, we can just trust 
that God's going to sort it all out. Now God is good and gracious 
and kind and more often than not he does make straight sticks 
out of the crooked things we make. Often times we put ourselves 
into messy situations and God reaches down and he pulls us 
out of that. But brethren we are not to plan 
on sin or plan on failure or plan on disobedience with the 
intention, well, you know, God's just going to sort it all out 
and I know that He works all things for good. God didn't give 
us Romans 8.28 so we can pare off rough edges and we can shave 
corners and we can engage in sloppy living with the idea that, 
you know, God's just going to deliver me because He did this 
with David. We need to be careful of that sort of reasoning. In 
the fifth place, the believer must realize that David ultimately 
is not the hero in Holy Scripture. Jesus Christ is. I mean, up to 
27. And again, however you interpret 
27. It's a different looking David 
than what we've seen. I mean, we've seen him with Nabal. 
He's ready to shed blood with Nabal. But even then, you're 
thinking, you know, Jesus was reviled and he reviled not. He didn't engage in this personal 
retaliation. So even back in 25, there's hints 
of David there that he's not Jesus. You know, what we deal 
with in Old Covenant Israel is David is a hero. But even in 
the Old Covenant Israel, the scriptures continually press 
the reader. There is one hero throughout 
scripture. David is a type, to be sure, 
but it's the anti-type that we worship. It's the antitype who 
redeems us. It's the antitype that gave his 
blood for us. It is the antitype that demands 
and deserves our allegiance and our praise and our worship and 
our adoration. And in the sixth place, if we 
reflect upon David in 25, we reflect upon David here in 27, 
and we can even extend it. I mean, there's no doubt whatsoever 
in 2 Samuel 11 and 12. David sinned against the Lord. We need to remember that God's 
dealings with his servants is according to grace. It is according 
to grace. You see, it wasn't that David 
was the most excellent man in the world. He wasn't. Jesus Christ 
was the most excellent man in the world. How in the world could 
God use a man that would one day commit adultery and murder? God's dealings with his people 
is according to grace. Davis, I think, says this well. 
He says, you must get a grip on grace, you the reader of this 
narrative. The Bible does not claim that 
God's servants are dipped in Clorox so they will be infallibly 
sin-free and attractive to you. The living God does not have 
clean material to work with. And don't get sentimental when 
you sing hymns about the potter and the clay. Remember, it's 
only sinful clay the potter works with. We should not criticize 
the potter because of the clay, but rather marvel that he stoops 
to work with such stuff. As long as we wallow, however 
subtly, in some idea of human worthiness, we will never understand 
the Bible." I think he's right. If we actually think there's 
such a thing called human worthiness, we will never understand the 
Bible. Isn't this what the God-hater 
has a problem with the Bible for? Because it just doesn't 
seem fair. It just doesn't seem fair that 
a man like David who committed adultery and murder is going 
to be in heaven. It just doesn't seem fair because 
I, the atheist, don't commit adultery, and I don't commit 
murder, and I'm an upright guy, and I pay my taxes, and I know 
the whole spiel about immigration in Canada, and I've read all 
the facts, and I'm just upright and good. Doesn't it? An affront 
to the unbeliever? He hates that. Just like in the 
parable in Matthew 20. It's not fair that we don't get 
more. We started in the early morning, 
and we worked and bore the heat of the day. We bore the burden 
in the heat of the day and you're only giving us the same amount? 
And the Lord God Almighty says, is it not right for me to do 
with mine what I want to do? God is good, brethren, and he 
deals according to grace. I love that. If we have some 
idea of human worthiness, we will never understand the Bible. 
He goes on to say, never tremble before this God and never delight 
in this God. We must get a grip on grace. 
Maybe a God-less text can do that for us. Amen. I'll close in prayer, and since 
I mentioned Dr. Davis, we'll pray for he and 
his church. They are in Columbia, South Carolina, 
and it is filled with water. So let us pray. Father, we thank 
you for this opportunity, and we thank you for your goodness 
and kindness as we have seen it in our own lives. Give us 
grace to learn lessons from this passage. Give us grace to apply 
these things in our own hearts and lives. And as well, God, 
we pray for the congregation in Columbia, South Carolina. 
We ask that you would watch over that flock. We pray for Pastor 
Davis and the other elders and all of the brethren in that local 
assembly, that you would protect them, give them grace and large 
hearts to be able to minister to their community at this time 
as well. We ask that you would go with us now, and we pray through 
Christ our Lord. Amen.