The Path of Comfort : When Life is Overwhelming
Post written from a sermon preached by Dr. Ken Burkett. To listen to his sermon, click here.
In this week’s series we are looking at the young David who is about twenty years old as he is fleeing from King Saul. The King is determined to kill him. David leaves and becomes a fugitive.
First David leaves his own country and tries to hide out in the land of the Philistines. They recognize him, and he realizes that he is not safe there. He must head back to his own country. He finds himself all alone in a cave in the wilderness.
For the first time in David’s life, we are told that he is afraid. (v. 12) In effect, David has now lost his job, his wife, his home, his spiritual advisor, and his best friend. David is all alone and he desperately needs the comfort of God at this time in his life. How will he find it? What will it involve? What are the ramifications of this? There are several Psalms that David composed on this occasion, and here we will find the answers. We will look at Psalms 142, 56, 57, and 34 this week. I hope you will join for a look at these Psalms.
1 Samuel 21:10-22:1
David Flees to Gath
10 Then David arose and fled that day from before Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath. 11 And the servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David the king of the land? Did they not sing of him to one another in dances, saying:
‘Saul has slain his thousands,
And David his ten thousands’?”
12 Now David took these words to heart, and was very much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. 13 So he changed his behavior before them, pretended madness in their hands, scratched on the doors of the gate, and let his saliva fall down on his beard. 14 Then Achish said to his servants, “Look, you see the man is insane. Why have you brought him to me? 15 Have I need of madmen, that you have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?”
David’s Four Hundred Men
22 David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. So when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him.