Conflict Within The Soul Part 1

Israel David fell so far that he joined the enemy's army for a time still, God had a plan and purpose for him as he does for you and me today.

What happens when you get away from the Lord from the Moody Church in Chicago. This is running to win with Dr. Erwin looks teaching helps us make it across the finish line vasculature. It said to see David running the race in the wrong direction. Like many of us do when times get tough, you're absolutely right and I have to say this that David is a good illustration of someone who ran in the wrong direction. As you emphasized, but at the same time he strengthened himself in God. I've written these words. One day while living in enemy territory. David slid down the rope only to find that there was no, not at the end. The disillusionment was so deep that he simply did not know where to turn in that predicament. He illustrates what we can do when we don't know what to do. There is always one step left for us to take, and of course as the story unfolds, we find that David in the midst of absolute despair and loss strengthened himself in God.

I believe it is so important that we learn from the biographies of the Old Testament and the new, the people whom God has put into his word. Are there to instruct us and David is a prime example in the midst of failure in the midst of discouragement.

He strengthens himself in God. I've written a book entitled drawing true conflict lessons from the life of David.

I think that this resource will be of great benefit and will strengthen you in your walk with God for gift of any amount. It can be yours. Go to RTW offer.com that's RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 and now let us listen to David's predicament in the hope that he found in God. It is sometimes been said that if you like butterflies you have to like Coons when we think of David, who is of course given something like 40 or 50 chapters or more in the Old Testament realize that most of us think of him as a butterfly. He's the one who had the wisdom of a Shakespeare to write the poetry that he did. He had the musical ability of a Mendelson and he had really the giftedness of the preps of Julius Caesar and his ability to lead them to give guide fight wars, and we know that he loved God and God seem to love him God and David had this thing going on between but the problem was that David also was not only very human but that he was like the rest of us except only more so.

Sometimes we forget that he was a man of many mistakes. His greatest is yet to come in the future in a future message as he has a relationship with Bathsheba and then tells her husband, but today were going to see the David soul became so discouraged in running from King Saul. He been doing it for about 8 1/2 years and it started to get to him and because he was discouraged. He backslid, he actually ended up going into Philistine territory where he wrote no hymns and where it doesn't appear as if he prayed any prayers and he was there until God got his attention. And when God did David finally bounced back were surprised at how much it took before David got God's message now in order for us to understand old these stories that are connected with this.

I need to cover today maybe four or five chapters, but we shall do so very briefly, hopefully, enticing you and tempting you to read and to reread the text on your own. First Samuel chapter 24 David displays again his greatness because he has an opportunity to kill King Saul, but doesn't first Kings chapter 24 I you can read the story there on your own, but David and his 600 men are in a cave. Now I've been in the cave of a developing and I suppose that the area of this church very easily is the area of the cave.

In fact, that cave has many tunnels to other caves to get 600 men hiding.

The Bible says that soul came into the cave to relieve himself. He was walking along and he saw this cave in. He saw the word men over at what he didn't understand was even read it clearly it actually said David's man so he goes there and he takes care of that which nature did dates and David actually in the midst of this cave sneaks up and cuts off a piece of Saul's cloak and so leaves the tent and David then calls out to him because David is confident that he caught soul in a moment of weakness and says Saul I have a piece of your code here and he even calls him father and Saul, of course, who is really a piece of work.

He he repents after a manner of speaking and in chapter 24 verse 16 it says now it came about when David had finished speaking these words to soul, but Saul said is this your voice. My son David and Saul lifted up his voice, and wept, and he said to David, you are more righteous than I or you have dealt well with me while I have dealt wickedly with you and you have declared today that you have done good to me, that the Lord delivered me into your hand, and yet you did not kill me. David had this thing about soul being the Lord's anointed and he would not kill him. They listen to think that you can believe us Saul when he says that everything is going to be okay. From now on I will cease trying to find you in no way no way Saul is is is fascinating, in terms of human nature.

If I were a student in psychology and had nothing to do and sometimes those things go together and sometimes they don't. I would I would write a dissertation on King Saul.

He fascinates me endlessly and Saul, of course, gives up trying to find David only for a little while and then he sends 3000 of his best man. Throughout all the hills prowling around trying to find this young man who did not do him any harm. Keep in mind, and David has another opportunity to kill King Saul in first Samuel chapter 26 Saul and the men that were with him. They are sleeping one night and that David looks down and he sees Abner was the head of Saul's army sleeping next to Saul and her sleeping very well. In fact, the text says the dog caused them to sleep. A very heavy sleep and David goes down he goes past that particular rock and he goes over there and he chooses a trail and he sneaks up and he steals Saul's sword and to his canister of water. His spear and then David goes up on a hilltop in the morning and says you know I'm here.

Look at what I've got. I could've killed you again Saul, and Saul says in verse 21 of chapter 26 now chapter 26, the first Samuel verse 21. Saul says I have sinned return, my son, David, for I will not harm you again because my life was precious and your site this day, behold, I have played the fool and committed a serious error. Can you believe Saul now is he finally serious. No, a don't ever believe the promise of someone. Don't ever believe the promise of someone who refuses to take care of the depth of their sinfulness and deceit do not believe there promises so you'll notice that the David knows that he can't trust Saul and David is filled with discouragement. David no longer remembers the promises of God, and somebody decides to do is to actually go into Philistine territory and is going to live there, and that's what he does. We pick up the passage in first Samuel chapter 27 then David said to himself. Now I will perish one day by the hand of soul. There is nothing better for me than to escape into the land of the Philistines. Saul will then despair of searching for me anymore in all the territory of Israel, and I will escape from his hand now.

Earlier we noticed that David does spend time with a kiss King of Gath or GATT as it is in Hebrew, and that's where Goliath came from and David feigned insanity and was scrolling the stuff on the wall and allowing his spit to run down onto his now he goes and he wants to become a bona fide citizen of the enemy.

You know all those Psalms that David wrote the Lord is my fortress, the Lord is my strong tower all those Psalms are no longer relevant to him now. He runs to the enemy where he might hide and be safe. Now I want you to know that when we do that and backsliding. By the way is turning away from God believing that God is looking out after us. Anyway, he's not meeting our deepest needs and so what we do as we look to the enemy to find the very thing that we should be looking to God for in David's case it was protection when we run like that from God. For a moment, we might actually have a sense of relief.

We might actually feel better and I think David did. He crossed over and is 600 men were with him.

In verse two of chapter 27 and that actually he was able to do something he had not been able to do in the desert before and that is to live with his wives and the men who were these roads who had identified themselves with them. Their wives came their children came and they had kind of a family focus and they said to themselves. We are going to live here amongst the Philistines is more to the story. David even said to a quiche.

He said I want you to know that I think it would be a good idea if you were to give me a town give me the city of Sitka lag and let us all just congregate and live there, and that's exactly what what a kiss King of Gath.C said fine. He said you can have cyclic do you know that it's possible sometimes to rebel against God to do the wrong thing and for a moment, it looks as if it's good you can leave a marriage that you should've stayed with and there may be a sense of relief, a sense of anticipation of something new.

But God is not forgotten. And God is not forgotten David and that David is going to find himself suddenly confronted by the Almighty. In a way that he never dreamed would be possible, but meanwhile he and his men. They live there in Gath and that David you'd think he'd say, well, you know, I've been running a lot now sand everywhere in the desert. Every morning we expect them to wake up to kiss his wives to look into his pouch to dust the sand off and then go down to the local Y to shoot some baskets and to enjoy himself.

There, but David doesn't do that because David is a man of blood. I mean you just read the text. David love war, the love that's why later on he couldn't build the temple because he killed more people than he should've killed sure there were battles, but but David David used to make a raid and and and he he attacked it says in verse eight. Now David and his men went up and rated the guess your rights. The Guerra cites the Amalekites and the megabytes for they were the inhabitants of the land from ancient time. So as you come to sure, even as far as the land of Egypt and notice it says in verse nine, David attacked the land and did not believe a man or woman alive and he took away the sheep the cattle the donkeys the camels the clothing any return. He came to a cash maker said to them, verse 10, where have you made a raid today and David lies through his teeth. He says that against the negative of Judah when you have the word negative. That's the Hebrew word for desert. What he says is I was carrying out raids against my own people. The Jewish people who live in Judah. That was not true. In fact, that's why it says in verse 11, David killed everybody who me write it so that nobody come back and tell the truth and a kiss believed David in verse 12, saying he has surely made himself odious among his own people, Israel. Therefore, he will become my servant forever well.

David and his men are living there. They were there for one year and four months 16 months and one day David goes to his mailbox and he discovers that there's a note that says congratulations your country needs you where going toward David and we want you to join our army and fight against your own people. The people of Judah and and David is willing to do that you read the text and you say David, why is it that you don't seem to show more revulsion at the very idea.

Chapter 28 it says David said to a quiche when a quiche said I need you for war. David said to a quiche very well. You shall know what your servant can do and a quiche said to David very well. I will make you my bodyguard for life, and David signed on David signed on now. Unfortunately we have to skip chapter 28. This would be the chapter would spend some time on if we ever did a series on the life of Saul because Saul again that that 90 day wonder he puts out all the witches from the land and now that he's in trouble. Remember he is the king now of Israel he's in trouble. What does he do. The Bible says he goes to which it is called the law of the grand exception where leaders do not think that they have to follow the same laws that they give their people well there's gonna be a final battle now between the Philistines and Israel.

Saul is going to the witch to try to find a what to do in a shock to death. The witches shot to death when Samuel shows up. This is an unusual story. By the way, in chapter 28 a Samuel in fact comes back from the dead and effects is why in the world are you disturbing my sleep. You know you go through all that to die.

Then you have to do this. That's a very loose translation, but we pick it up in chapter 29 the Philistines were gathered together, and their armies come to a fact which is not too far from modern-day Tel Aviv and the Lords of the Philistines are preparing for war and that when you prepare for work. You have the troops march past you and that they are parading their stuff there, marching in uniform making sure everybody's present everybody is a sphere. Everybody knows which regimen he belongs to and is suddenly the commanders, the heads of the armies are watching this parade and they began to look around and go.

I think I smell some Hebrews here somebody says don't notice it says in verse three. The commanders of the Philistines said these Hebrews doing here while I quiche said luck is at David's here in everybody in the commanders safe. Look, we can't have these guys fight on our side because when the battle goes tough against Judah are going to defect, they are going to become our adversary, so it quiche the king says to David, this is David you know you have to go back to sick lag but David says in verse eight, and David said to the king what have I done then what have you found in your servant from the day when I came before you.

To this day, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of the Lord the King. I David, I think inside is so relieved is saying all things God I don't have to fight against my own people, but on the other hand, he wants to be thought well by the king of the Philistines, and so that is his reply. Remember, David is going through a time of vacillation here. This isn't the David we normally think all when we think of King David. Well, he and his men go back to sick lag and as they go.

They sing where marching Tuesday lag there. Glad that they're out of the Army there on their way home. They're gonna see their wives and their kids and all is good to be wonderful land of sweetness and light three days journey.

They marched to sick lag and gas what chapter 30 verse one and it happened when David and his men came to sick lag on the third day that the Amalekites had made a raid on the desert and sick lag and had overthrown sick lag and earned it with fire and they took captive the women and all who were in at both small and great without killing anyone, though David didn't know that and carried them off and went their way, and when David and his men came to the city, behold, it was burned with fire in their wives and their sons and their daughters had been taken captive and David and the people who were with them lifted their voices on wept on till there was no strength in them to weep, hang onto that phrase.

There is no strength in them to wait and David's two wives had been taken captive. The Hanno home and Abigail the widow of Nepal, the Carmelite. Moreover, David was greatly distressed hang onto that word to because the people spoke of stoning him for all the people were embittered in each one.

Because of his sons and daughters, but David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. If David were to write a book some time that would be his own story he could entitle it. What do when you don't know what to do. Notice he was weakened because he was discouraged because of the long chase the psychological warfare that Saul had against him. He was weakened when he joined in the Philistines to live there to look to them to receive what he thought God wasn't giving him, namely protection. He was further weakened when he began to defend the Philistines, the enemies of God, and now he found himself in a predicament from which he could not seem to extract himself now. What David want to have a personal word with you and I pray for you and ask God's blessing upon your life.

I can't help but think that there are many of you who have listened to those who really do not know what to do. You may be in a predicament of your own making. Someone else may have made it for you, but there you are, and goddesses strength in your hand in me.

Father I pray for all who have listened grant them faith, grant them the strength to CQ, even in the midst of despair and I pray all father come to their aid in Jesus name, amen.

Perhaps now you better understand why wrote a book entitled, growing true conflict lessons from the life of David. I wrote it because David has experienced all the things that we have experienced despair or hopelessness, guilt, exhilaration, and yet through it all we see God now for gift of any amount. This book can be yours.

Here's what you do go to RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 I'm going to be giving you that info again. Perhaps you need to find a pencil or pen so that you can write it down but meanwhile out a thank you in advance for your support of this ministry because of people just like you.

You frequently heard me say running to win is in more than 20 different countries and of course through the Internet. We encompass the world all because we have so many people who hold our hands so to speak and become a part of the running to win the family that information is RTW offer.com. Remember ask for the book, growing true conflict lessons from the life of David RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 thanks in advance for helping us. You know that we exist to help you make it all the way to the finish line we trusted no tell others about this ministry so that we can help them as well. You can write to us running to win 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard Chicago, IL 60614 Erwin Blitzer has brought part one of conflict within the soul. The fifth message in his series growing through conflict. A study in the life of King David. Next time will pick up the story of David's sojourn, far from his people and far from his God, this is Dave McAllister running to win is sponsored by the Moody Church