SATURDAY September 21, 2019
A Speedy Escape
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.”
1 Samuel 27:1
David is one of my favorite heroes in the Old Testament. Most people know of the heroic stories of David in the Bible. David was a great man of God––a man after God’s own heart. Yet at this point in David’s life, he had a lapse of faith. David was no longer trusting in the Lord. He feared for his life. He believed Saul would eventually kill him, so he escaped and fled to the land of the Philistines where he remained in exile.
This time was an extremely low point in the life of David. He was completely discouraged about the situation. Discouragement caused David to choose his own plan. He pushed himself away from the Lord into a place where God never intended for him to be. He began to act on his own, without the Lord. Even though David was young, strong and a mighty warrior, he became backslidden.
Later in David’s life, he would enter another time of discouragement. The Amalekites would invade the South and the land of Ziklag. They would burn the land with fire. Then his enemies would take captive the wives, sons and daughters of David’s men. David’s wives, Ahinoam and Abigail, would also be taken (1 Samuel 30:1-5). The people would become so distraught, they thought to stone David.
Yet this time there would be a marked difference in the way David handled his discouragement: …David strengthened himself in the Lord his God (1 Samuel 30:6). He would seek the Lord for the next plan of action. He would trust the Lord.
At times, Christians can suffer a lapse of faith. Low points in your life can cause discouragements. Strengthen yourself in the Lord your God. Seek Him for the next steps to take, and keep your eyes on Him.
My soul melts from heaviness; strengthen me according to Your Word.
~Psalm 119:28~
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