Cloudy Days . . . Dark Nights, Part 3

Today on Insight for living because the wrong fork in the road. David bought a style of life that resulted in an incredible sense of turmoil. He became a displaced person what a Christian he doesn't feel comfortable in the things of God but he doesn't feel comfortable fully with his life in the pits. The sense of being displaced Battle of identity and loan walked away from the godly virtues that once defined you'll appreciate the hopeful message ahead. It's never too late to make a comeback today on Insight for living. Chuck Swindoll continues his biographical series on David were looking at first Samuel chapter 27, after a season of rebellion. David was feeling sorry for himself and in his self-pity. David slipped into a state of depression.

His story and therefore our story needn't end here when we follow the prescribed steps toward recovery rebellion can rise to redemption walk with God now defects walks away from God, and there are some here in that very state. I'm sure you have known the joys and ecstasies of walking with Christ and the duration of despondency is happened and you've opted for the wrong fork in the road and you're now in the camp of carnality for many Christians choose to live. Now the winds and storms begin to increase. As David has opted for this style. Notice a rather rapid movement of events and you I think will be interested in some insights geographically to how it applies to David style and show them to you. First of all, there is a duplicity that marks David steps Webster says that duplicity is deception by pretending you pretend to entertain one set of feelings, but really you're operating from another entirely deep inside David. He was an Israelite. He will always be an Israelite, but is trying to live like a full listing only outside that's what happens when use when you spend your time in the Carl Correll your believer down inside your lifestyle you're wanting to make it look free from that bondage: quote so you're in this miserable dilemma which creates the need to compromise. That's precisely what David does here is on the horns of a dilemma. Militarily, the verse eight David and his men went up and rated the geisha rights of the girl resides in the Amalekites, for they were the inhabitants of the land from ancient times. Verse nine says David attacked the land and didn't leave a man or woman alive will wait a minute, what's so important about those three groups. Well, what is important is that they were sort of neutral people. They were neither the will. They were the enemies of Israel, but they were not the allies of Felicity, so David 20s down the sink lagged by the way, that's the second most southern city in Palestine way down there, just above Beersheba. He's in leg and he say militarily, so he does some skirmishes he fights with the border troops who were described as the girt Shiites and the geisha rights and resides in Amalekites there safe people to slaughter their border people but they're not really philistine enemies or allies what I want to show you is that David begins to be very vague in reporting his actions and I can hardly wait to make this point in in its allegory, but just a second look at the point of what he says in verse nine he attacked the lamb notice he didn't leave a man or woman alive put it into total extermination, nobody living to tell what really happened, not a person was alive. The land was strewn with them on the hillside. He took the sheet. The cattle the dogs. The Campbells in the clothing that's a rather complete job of mopping up. I would say he returned and came to a case to look at this dialogue and he said where you been where you made a raid today.

Apparently David was responsible to report back. He was accountable to a case that uses or to make a raid today. Look at the vagueness. David said against the negative of Judah. The negative is a Hebrew word for South Lachish.

I was fighting in the southern part of Judah, implying I was killing those people of Judah Israelite, but he wasn't killing the Israelites he was killing the Amalekites and the geisha rights and all other rights it wasn't killing people of Israel but he was his answer in terms that couldn't be pinpointed.

There wasn't a clarity about his position. Talk to O'Connell Christian about worries at he will come to terms with you for love is like I was in the thousands style flight and those people Judah implied but not actually stated what else he does.

He lies a little, I am against the drama lights against the Canaanites that lie or fight those people.

That's why he wiped out those he did fine. So the word wouldn't get back to where his head really was. It was, not the traces you see is doing his homework so nobody would really know where he was.

Verse 11 drives at home. There's a secrecy here. See David didn't leave a man or woman alive to bring the gap saying lest they should tell about us saying so is David done so is business practice all the time is live in the country, the Felicity would want to say that. So what you do when you operate from the Carl Correll you operate in secrecy you want to be accountable. You want to body asking and you cover-up it says in verse 12 that Lachish believed in fact, he, he said he has surely made himself odious among his people Israel. Therefore, he will become my servant forever now were not true, or almost were not through.

I want you to to track meet with me now quickly to see the injury and the devastation that happened inside David like and no one else, not even Lachish because he opted for the wrong fork in the road. David bought a style of life that resulted in an incredible sense of turmoil. I want you think of the soul. These last points in stair steps down. Okay like this for steps down until he came to a point of despair altogether.

Despair. The first one is this, he became a displaced person. What I say that look at 29 629 six betray the background education is had some flack from the people of Felicity why the world all is Israelites living down in zig lagged.

They were good little antsy about what was going on down there in a piece was defending him saying everything is clean everything's clear. Dave is our guy is in all. We don't want down there. We don't want about fighting for us. We don't believe in. And so there's this black back and forth and so Lachish is come to David to face him, but they can no longer tolerate having him around, look at this verse six.

A case called David said as the Lord lives you've been up right you're going out, you're coming in with me with the Army are pleasing in my site. I have not found evil and you from the day of your coming to me. To this day. Nevertheless, not pleasing in the sight of the Lord's now therefore return and go in peace that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines.

David said what have I done what I want to see is that he now becomes a man without a country in about the trouble now. David wrestles with his identity. That's the first wrestling of carnality who am I what is my mission going, what's all this about this stuff that I believed all my life. Oh, where is my allegiance. There's an identity crisis that happens inside. David is a displaced person. They don't want to around he's neither fish nor fowl. He's neither Felicity nor Israelite like the carnal Christian. He doesn't feel comfortable in the things of God but he doesn't feel comfortable fully with his life in the in the pits and all that stuff.

The sense of this being displaced Battle of identity. Second, there's a battle of satisfaction. Notice what he says there's disillusionment.

That's the next step down disillusionment. David said what about Don and what if you found me from the day when I came before you, that I may not go in frightened against the enemies of my lord the king and Lachish answered says I know that you are pleasing all that good stuff you gotta leave so David is wrestling now with disillusionment by-and-by.

The benefits of carnality are eclipsed with a lie about by the liabilities. There are times when one walks away from God and it feels pleasurable and relieving and delightful. But after a while the bills come due and you gotta pay the piper.

And when you start paying the piper. There's disillusionment of anybody in our day. This done a better job of addressing this issue than Francis Schaeffer in his book, how should we then live. Some criticize his book because he sweeps over great heroes rather rapidly, and succinctly. Nevertheless, he's done he's done yeoman's work for us as Christians.

He has shown us how the concept of secular humanism as it is stretched itself over our lifestyle has now taken its toll on the youth of our day and what's happened, the things they believed in him pay off.

Whether it was drugs are are are are are booze are free love or just plain old empiricism art or rationalism or humanism. They put their stock in those things and it paid rotten dividends. I got hung out to dry and what happened to the youth was disillusionment. They dropped out the date tuned hand and they turned often in the loss you talk to the youth of that generation tell you that's true, some of the tragic scenes in that book by Schaefer just blow your mind. That's what happened to David what happens to you or me. It doesn't satisfy third is distrust the people who wants trusted me now turn against me, and I bought an island and now I have a battle with self-respect.

Are you following it.

First, there is a displacement and then there is disillusionment, then there is distrust people who look to me as a guide and as a friend and as a leader not turn me off and they're not looking to me they are in fact embittered against me.

See verse one of chapter 30 it happened when David and his men came to zig lagged on the third day. Chapter 30 now that the Amalekites are the ones that he had rated earlier had rated his city and overthrown. Zig lagged and burned with fire. Put yourself in David sandals coming up over the hill on horseback, coming from this disillusioning experience. He looks out over the city of zig lagged and it is burned to the ground just like your driving home tonight in your neighborhood has been burned with fire and as a series of cement slabs in a driveway that runs up to nothing but a flat slab it's burned to the ground. That's what David saw verse two. They took The women and all who were in it, both small and great without killing anyone carried them off and went their way, and when David and his men came to the city, behold, it was burned with fire, and their wives and sons and daughters had been taken captive can imagine that that awesome sense of depression. Dave and the people who were with him lifted their voices wept for there was no strength in them to wait until there was no strength in them to week, they wept until they were cried out. If you cried that long when you know the depth of that depression. Look at what happened look verse six.

David was greatly distressed Hebrew word is depressed. That's the fourth step down depression.

He was greatly depressed because this the people spoke of stoning and there is that distrust the guys he trained in the cave.

His crack troops from the wilderness of Peru and these guys are saying we don't trust David anymore. It says they were embittered against him. Each one because of the sons and daughters. Hey let me have your attention, it's at that juncture that a Christian thinks about taking his life when it comes to that place there has been a loss of trust in him and now in the disillusionment of it all. There was depression and the only way to cope save turning back to God and claiming his forgiveness is to take your life. I don't know a bit of an exception that I dealt with in which individuals have not gone down virtually precise path drawn from this passage tragic that we do notice that he opted for the right road. At this point God never gives up on his on his children. Verse six closes and I close but David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.

Now you're talking. That's the way to handle the slough of despond, David, reach, help is there notice. No one is there to counsel, there's no one there to give that the crutches and the strength these alone, all his guys.

It turned against him. They were written off in all different directions and alone in the ruins of zig lagged. David looks up for the first time 16 months and is so God help me. I come to this timeless truth that's woven all the way through the passage dark days call for right-thinking and vertical focus is what I learned from David what she had done it 16 months earlier, but he didn't ditty.

Finally he he finds that the slough despond isn't designed to throw them on his back is designed to bring it to his knees. This seems strange to you as it does a little bit to me that John Bunyan wrote the greatest work in the slough despond greatest work he turned the prison and to up a pulpit. They left a legacy over 12 years in prison thrown back in that third time and he thought God or something that I can I can do rather than just ended all he did tell me level with you tonight III think that some of our visitors and friends came for reasons you can't really explain it just sort of slipped in maybe heard about the church and I have assumed, perhaps unwisely all the way through this message that we are Christians, not people who come to church with people who have given our lives to Jesus Christ by faith, and that that is not true of everyone here I'm convinced it might be that slough despond has come your way to bring you to Jesus Christ, not the church to Christ. He who died for our sins and took our place on the cross, which we as sinners deserve death itself. He opened the way to heaven or Mandan.

Mankind might know God personally and I like to close by addressing you, especially you bow your heads, please close your eyes. I won't linger long at this. I just feel like it needs to be said.

I offer you a gift. My friend the congregation this large. I know there are some who've never accepted the gift is nothing magical is nothing complicated. There's really nothing that tangibly remarkable for you here things and see things and feel things but there is an offer for God says to you, my son died for you. Jesus paid it all for your sins and right this moment take him believe in him receive that gift that I offer you doesn't come because you have paid money are attended a church are tried to give up your sins. None of those things open my heart to you. But just believe in Jesus Christ as your personal savior. Change your mind concerning him, receive him now. They been talking about leaning on him alone.

I offer you that the choice right now our father, we thank you for speaking to us in relevant terms and tones about our lives from the life of a man who lived centuries ago. We appreciate so very much that when you put your book into print. You didn't write a riddle and you didn't play games with us. He found no joy in mocking us. You came to us like we are and you talk to us and words that we could understand and you made the offer crystal clear and you never in unit you never paint your saints is perfect.

You show us these men and women with all the cracks of humanity so that we might never get a rise in the David's are the Moses of the Abigail's, but only on Christ tonight. Thank you for showing us Christ through David and forgiveness through his faith in Jesus name. Maybe you identify with John Bunyan's character pilgrim spent far too much time trudging through the slough of despond carnality woos us away from God and the outcome of our rebellion is devastating. How much better the finder satisfaction in God's goodness and grace you're listening to Insight for living Chuck Swindoll titled today's message cloudy days.

Dark nights to learn more about this ministry. Be sure to visit us online@insideworld.org.

First I'll remind you that Chuck wrote a full-length biography on David. It's called David a man of passion and destiny in the early days, David was known for his integrity and courage. But as we heard in today's message David made some regrettable mistakes. Even so, God maintained his affection for David.

It's a beautiful story of forgiveness and redemption. In fact, redemption is the overarching theme that's woven throughout Chuck's biography on David. It's a great choice for your summertime reading to purchase a copy, give us a call if you're listening in the United States, call 800-772-8888 or you can go online to Insight.org/offer Pierce Chuck thanks Bill Branson goes without saying that were living in chaotic times the headlines are filled with alarming news about inflation rates innocent families threatened by rogue nations and the unsettling aftermath of a global pandemic. Amidst these distractions.

My hope and my prayer is that Insight for living has become a combing oasis for you and for many others, but in Zion. This is a place that dispenses the life-changing truth of the Bible. Our daily focus is vertical knothole result.

We look upward for our answers, not outward. This is a place for God's wisdom, not human wisdom reigns supreme. And this all made possible because people just like you give voluntary donations. That's the truth. People just like you make it happen on June 30 Insight for living ministries will close the accounting books on another financial year. The goal we need to reach for June is enormous but we know that our God is great, he will supply our every need and he will do that through his people who give generously people again just like you. So please, as we give our contact information taken note and then give us a call or perhaps you wish to go online or even address a liver is someone who gives to Insight for living ministries you personally play a major role in providing a combing oasis in chaotic time's so ahead of time. Even before your gift comes I will say thank you so much. Thanks, Chuck, and here's how to respond.

You can give online@insight.org/donate or if you prefer, give us a call if you're listening in the United States, call 800-772-8880. That's 800-772-8880.

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I changed my family tree for at least this generation and the next. Thank you for all you've done for millions around the world is not great. It's your contributions that make comments like these possible once again, you can give us a call if you're listening in the United States, call 800-772-8880 or you can give online@insight.org/inviting you to join us. When Chuck Swindoll continues his biographical series on David Friday on Insight for living. The preceding message, cloudy days, dark nights was copyrighted in 1978, 1988, 1997 and 2009 and the sound recording was copyrighted 2009 by Charles R.

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