1 SAMUEL 27 - THE DECEIT OF A DOUBTING HEART
1 Samuel 27
The opening sentence of this Chapter sets the stage for the downward spiral that David finds himself in for the rest of the Chapter. It says this:
“Then David said in his heart, “Now I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul.”
Now, it is true that Saul had been pursuing David for quite some time to try to kill him and prevent him from ever ascending the throne as King of Israel. Yet, it was equally true that God had anointed David to be King, and had protected him from every one of Saul’s nefarious attempts to kill him. God’s hand of protection over his anointed ones is always stronger than the hand of any foe can be against them. David had seen this truth play out in his life from the time when he, as a young man, was enabled by God to slay Goliath, the Philistine giant. This would have given David a strong faith.
Yet, this opening sentence tells us that David was listening to his heart, not to his faith. Faith would have reminded David of what God had done for Him before. And faith would have reminded him of the promise that God made to His people in Deut. 31:8, and to those that He had chosen to lead His people in Joshua 1:5, that He would never leave them or forsake them. David’s heart, however, was telling him something else.
Jer. 17:9 says “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick.” This was true of David, and it is true of all of us, and it will lead us into sin & doubt, as it did to David here. It is only as we put on the new heart that God has given us in Christ, and hide the Word of God in our heart, as Ps. 119:11 tells us to do, that we are able to not sin & to cast away doubt.
David’s heart was telling him that Saul was going to overcome God’s hand of protection over him, which was not true. God had promised to make David King. So, David’s heart was deceiving him, and causing him to doubt the strength and goodness of God. As a result, as this Chapter goes on, David ends up seeking refuge and protection from an enemy Philistine King, and then plunders towns and kills people in his own nation.
Doubt of this kind is a heavy burden on us, and it can harm those around us. God says in Jer. 29:11
“For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
James 1:16-17 says
“Do not be deceived my beloved brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”
Doubts will come our way, and this often happens under times of trial as David was going through at this point in his life. The enemy will also try to encourage us to doubt God. After all, his first spoken words in Scripture are in Gen. 3:1 when he said to Eve “Did God really say?” So, when doubts come our way, and they will, we need to remember the truth of God’s Word and the promises He has made to us in it.
As Christians, we trust Jesus to have saved us from the biggest problem we ever had, which is that we were sinners headed straight to the pit of Hell. Yet we so often doubt Him and His power to protect us in the lesser things of life. This should not be. We can be sure that if He would do such a great thing for us as salvation, then surely He will resolve every other problem we face. Rom. 8:31-32 says
“What shall we say then to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?”
Sometimes, God may not give us what we want or think that we need, but what He chooses to give us, is always for our good and designed to make us more like Christ. Rom. 8:28 assures us that God is always working all things together for good for His children, and Rom. 8:29 says that He has predestined us to be conformed to the image of Jesus.
So, when we face trials, persecution, or difficulties, or when it seems like the world is against us, as it did for David at this point in his life, it is no time to run to the enemy or to things which are against God for our protection and comfort. Sin & Satan do not have our best interests in mind, and certainly are not there to make us more like Jesus. Times of trouble are times to run to our Heavenly Father, and call out to Him for help, knowing that He has promised to never leave us or forsake us, that His plans for us are good, and that He is for us. James 1:5 assures us that when we need wisdom to guide us through anything in life, that when we pray to God in faith, He will generously give us exactly what we need.