Tonight we're going to begin in Psalm 57. We're going to look at both of those passages Steve mentioned. One thing I wanted to mention, Pastor Marcio made an announcement about Saturday morning. There is a donut fellowship from 8 to noon on Saturday morning. It just happens to coincide with the workday. But if you would like to come, there will be donuts and coffee, and we may actually get some work done in the process. I wanted to start by sharing a little bit of a personal account. About just over a year ago, my wife and I were living just outside of Boise, Idaho. And we were at a time in our lives where things were going along. We loved our jobs. We were doing really well. And I went through a time of tremendous unrest and uncertainty. And for a period of a couple of months, I thought, everything's going well. I don't know why I'm feeling such unrest and uncertainty. We'd only been in that area for about two years, and it was the kind of unrest that God gives you when he's ready to move you on to something. And so on On November 3rd last year, as I was going through that time, I came to a moment and I said, okay, God, I'm willing to do what you want me to do. If this unrest is from you, make it clear that it's from you and that you have something for us to do. If not, give me a spirit of contentedness. Two days later, I got an email from my brother-in-law, Ruth's younger brother, who's on the board of Central Seminary, and he said, hey, they're looking for a business administrator at Fourth Baptist Church and someone to work with the seminary. And here's a copy of the job description. And I couldn't open the copy of the job description. And I said, well, that's okay because I don't want to go to Minnesota. And so I'm not going to go. Of course, two days before praying that God would show me whatever it was that he would have for me to do. Two days later, when God plunks it in the middle of my lap, I say, well, not that Lord. And the next day, November 6th, exactly a year ago today, I got a call from this guy named Matt Murrell. And I'd heard his name, never met him. And Ruth was going off to work that day and she said, are you gonna call him back? And I said, well, the polite thing to do is he has to return his call. It'll be a five or 10 minute call. And she got home from work and I said to her, what would you think about going to Minnesota? And she said, what happened to you today while I was gone? She left me unsupervised for a day. I was a little concerned that they were gonna leave me unsupervised tonight. Thankfully, Pastor Marcio is here to provide balance. But it was just a fascinating time. And I know what it's like to be in a place where in your spiritual walk with God, God is doing things that sometimes don't make sense. You know what God's will is and you know what the matter of obedience is, but on occasion, God moves you in ways that you just never anticipated. And so when God brought us here, we knew this was where God wanted us to be. I did question it on our trip out here. As we drove the 25 hours straight, it was three in the morning, we stopped at a rest area outside of Duluth and it was 30 below zero. And I remember saying, Lord, it's a really good thing this is more than halfway. But you know what? God has done a great thing and thank you all for your welcome and your support. It's exactly where God wanted us to be. But there was a time where we really wondered what God was doing. Why is God choosing to do things this way? Why in a place where we think we're doing just fine, God, why are you unsettling us? And I think that's a place where David finds himself in Psalm 57. He finds himself in a cave and David's been doing the right thing. God had determined that there was going to be another king in Israel. Saul was not the spiritual man that God had intended him to be. And so you are familiar with the story of Samuel and going to find the king. And of all of Jesse's sons, they picked the young shepherd boy to be the king. Probably not the person that they expected would be the right person in that place at that time. And David accepts what God's will is and what's his reward for that? He winds up on the run because Saul is trying to kill him. And it's in that context, we're going to look at these two passages. Psalm 57 tells us the song that David wrote while he was in the cave. I believe it's in the cave at a dulem. Some have said it might be in En Gedi. I think it happens to be this psalm because this seems to reflect the things that were going on in that particular moment. But we want to talk tonight about a song from the cave. What is it like when you're in this situation where you haven't done anything wrong but you're in an uncomfortable place and it really doesn't make any sense what God is doing? And I'd like to help look at this passage through the eyes of David and really understand what it was that he was dealing with. So we're gonna look at Psalm 57. Steve had read it for us earlier. So we'll just dig in and they gave me technology. We'll see how well this works. Hey, there we go. Our first point tonight is the personal cry of David, and this is Psalm 57. As David writes this song, it is not the song of someone who is necessarily dealing with all the circumstances perfectly. He's struggling in the midst of this, as we all do. And the first few verses here, verses one through six, are a section of prayer and lament. David talks to God about the struggle that he's facing. He says, be merciful to God, to me, oh God, be merciful to me for my soul trusts in you. And in the shadow of your wings, I will make my refuge until these calamities have passed by. He's in the middle of a situation that he's calling calamities. That word conveys the idea of something significant. And so he cries out in verse two, I'll cry out to God most high, to God who performs all things for me. He shall send from heaven and save me. He reproaches the one who would swallow me up. So let's just look at some of the language here from kind of a high level. The one who swallows, who would swallow me up. God shall send forth his mercy and truth. My soul is among lions. I lie among the sons of men who are set on fire, whose teeth are spears and arrows and their tongue a sharp sword. This is not an image that David is giving us of something that's comfortable or easy. It's not that he feels like he's in a situation where he's feeling necessarily lots of support. He's on the run for his life. And he's hiding in a cave, waiting to see what God is going to do for him. He prays, be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be above all the earth. They have prepared a net for my steps. My soul is bowed down. They have dug a pit for me. Into the midst of it, they themselves have fallen. Selah. So here's a moment of difficulty. He's feeling like he's in a tough place, like he's under threat, which he was. And he's praying to God and he's lamenting the situation in which he finds himself. And he's putting his confidence in who God is. His confidence is not misplaced. But he's admitting to God that he's struggling with the circumstances of where he is. And the fact that it feels like there's tension around him and he doesn't feel safe and secure. But in the second part of this psalm, David gives a time of praise and thanksgiving. Verse seven, my heart is steadfast. Oh God, my heart is steadfast. I will sing and give praise. Awake my glory. Awake, awake Luton harp. I will awaken the dawn. The idea here is that David is going to sing even as he's struggling before the dawn even arises. a time when David is facing this particular question. And he says, David is finding his confidence in who God is. And while he's in this cave, David is experiencing both moments of lament and struggle and difficulty and unsureness about his security and where he is. And on the other side of things, he has ultimate confidence in who God is. It's a great psalm. It's a great psalm to pray when we're feeling uncertain and unsure. But I'd like us to look at this really from the, well, what was happening? What was it like in the cave? And so that's where I'm going to ask you to turn back to first Samuel chapter 22 as we see what it's like for David in the cave. And I think there are some, some truths here that we can look at and they're, they're just really real. This is really real for David. And so, Secondly, I'd like us to look at the problems context here in 1 Samuel chapter 22, primarily verses one and two. The first is that David is on the run. Jonathan has warned him that, you know, Saul is after him. And so David, in verse one, David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Aduam. Not a really great place, but David is on the run from a king who's out to kill him and date for a role that David never particularly sought. David wasn't looking to be king. He didn't campaign to be king. There weren't ads on television with Saul. He's no good for Israel. Vote David. I approved this message. There's no campaign on David's behalf to be king. David was just doing what God called him to do. And so he's on the run, and he's trying to find someplace that's safe, so he runs to a cave. And I'm going to make a little bit of a generalization here. I tend to think that David tended to be a little introverted. Why? Because I think David was comfortable on a hillside with his sheep. We find in places where David liked to be alone, he was very reflective. He was the kind of person who thought a lot about his feelings and therefore he wrote the Psalms. But here he is, he's running and he goes into a cave. Now for me as a fellow introvert, and yes, I am by nature an introvert, the thought of being in a cave by myself, might not be the most horrible thing in the world. Like if I could be by myself, if I could have a good book with me, I'd be okay. But here's David and he's hiding in the cave. And what does God do for David? So he's struggling, he's on the run, he's questioning, he's wondering what God is doing. He's feeling threatened by the people around him as he saw in Psalm 57. So David's running is he's running from God's kingdom and then we see David's relationships. Who does God send? I just find this fascinating. I think God has a sense of humor because it says, so when his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down to him. And everyone who was in distress and everyone who was in debt and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about 400 men with him. Imagine you're on the run for your life and you hide in a cave and God says, I'm going to send you some people, David. I'm not going to send you a couple of your buddies. I'm going to send you some relatives. Now I have to be very careful how I share this in this particular context because I have some relatives who happen to be connected to Fourth Baptist Church and Central Seminary. So let me just say while I know this is being live streamed, for me this would not be any problem whatsoever. But for some people, I can imagine having God send you a whole bunch of your relatives while you're on the run and in hiding might not be the optimal circumstance for you. Can you imagine you're hiding for your life and suddenly there's 400 guys at the cave entrance saying, we're here for you, David. I imagine the first thing David would say is, be quiet and get in the cave, right? He's on the run. But not only does God send him 400 people, did you notice their characteristics here? They are, according to this, they are in distress. That's the idea of physical distress. Meaning there was probably some, they were dealing with some kinds of diseases. at that particular time. So God sends him 400 brethren who are in distress. And secondly, and every everyone who was in debt. So far, this is going really well, don't you think? If you're David and you're hiding in the cave. And lastly note, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. The word discontented there means bitter of soul. So you're on your own, you're hiding in a cave. It's not like you can go anywhere. And God sends you 400 guys to hide in the cave with you. And they're dealing with sickness, they're dealing with debt, and they're dealing with bitterness. As an introvert, this is the worst possible scenario I can envision, frankly. This would not be the most fun thing. And frankly, I can't imagine what it's like to be, would be like to be in a cave with that many people. Before I came here, I was working for the State Board of Education, and one of the things we got to do every couple of months was have a State Board of Education meeting. We met at different colleges, and the last year I was there, we had a meeting at Boise State University. Some of you may know Boise State for its football team and its blue turf, affectionately known as the Smurf Turf in Idaho. And after the meeting, they hosted a dinner in their football facility. This is a big school with a big football team. Their football facility is 77,000 square feet. It costs them $22 million to build. And it is decked out with everything you could possibly imagine. It's only a few years old. And so they have a big meeting room where they can meet, and there were rooms throughout it where football players could come and they could hang out and they could study together in the study rooms. There were pool tables and foosball tables where they would study. There were a number of kitchens throughout this amazingly beautiful facility. And I really wanted, there was a menu, one of the things I remember, there was a menu on the wall, starting at the 2,000 calorie a day diet, working up to the 10,000 calorie a day diet. So those football players could bulk up. And I really wanted to take one of those down and bring it home and put it on the fridge, the 10,000 calorie diet. Although I was fairly certain Ruth would have looked at me and said, oh, you're cutting back, are you? So I thought that might get me a little bit in trouble. But anyway, there we are, and so we're taking a tour. There's this amazing facility, and we went in the locker room. The locker room had all these lockers that were well-designed, and players could put them in. At the bottom, there was a drawer. And the drawer was so that when the guys came out from playing football or for practicing, they could put their shoes inside the drawer, and each drawer had an individual vent fan. that went out so that when you walked in the locker room, you wouldn't have that lovely odor of sweaty feet. And I thought, that's kind of cool. And I actually thought about this passage with David and the guys in the cave. I don't mean to be crass or base, but I have to say, I don't think that this was the most ideal of circumstances, being with 400 ill, in debt, depressed guys, sitting in a cave. And this is who God sends to David. But I'd like you to know what happens to David here, because what David's role becomes at the end of verse two, or the end of verse one, so he became captain over them. So what happens to David here? David becomes their cheerleader, their captain. the guy who's going to rally them through. He's the one on the run. He's the one whose heart is reflected in Psalm 57. But God sends him these people and David, quiet David, The man who didn't really want or choose to be king, but who's willing to do what God wants him to do, finds himself surrounded by these people and he's thrust in the role of providing leadership and encouragement and guidance to these 400 people in the cave. And I read that and I think, poor David, what must out of him like? What could God be doing in David's life? And we'll see in a moment what that is. But David becomes the captain over them. And it's in that context, there's similar circumstances, though without the brethren, in the cave of En Gedi, which is the other place that people think this may have happened. But David is in a place where he's on the run and he's writing and he's saying, God, there's all these pressures on me. You be exalted. But while David's having that personal struggle, God sends 400 people for him to minister to. And I have to imagine that that was a very difficult time for him to be able to think about that and what that must be like. And so I'd like to suggest that these two passages together give us some clues as to some things we can learn and some considerations. So what are the practical considerations in this passage? What can we learn from this that I think are important? And we're going to talk about some things that we need to pay attention to. There's a story told of two couples, two older couples, way older than anybody in this room, and they're having dinner together one night. And they would get together a couple times a year and talk about the things they had done. And one of the couples said, well, what did you do? What have you done in the last six months? And the first couple said, oh, well, we went on a cruise. We had this beautiful cruise. We went to the Caribbean. And we just really, really enjoyed ourselves. So what have you done in the last six months? He said, well, my wife and I decided that we were going to do something a little different. We were going to go to a memory clinic. Because we're getting older, and it's getting harder to remember things. And so we went to this memory clinic. And they taught us little mnemonic devices to help us remember things. And his friend says, well, that sounds really great. We're getting older. We're having a harder time remembering things, too. What was the name of the place? And the guy goes, all right, well, let me take what I learned. I'm picturing a flower. You give it to someone you love. It's generally red. You often give a dozen on Valentine's Day. They have thorns and long stems. And his friend said, a rose? He goes, yes, that's it. Turns to his wife and says, hey, Rose, what was the name of that memory clinic that we went to? I just love that story. Anyway. Remembering the right things is important, right? And so these are things that I believe we need to remember. As we think about those times when we don't know what God is doing in our life, times where we're struggling, what things do we need to remember and to learn from the life of David? And I'd like to put this in maybe even a slightly broader context. So the first is this, in Psalm 57 that we read in verse two, David says, Under the shadow of your rings, I will make my refuge. The first principle or consideration I would like us to note is this. I need to remember my refuge is in the provider and not in the provision. I think there are times where we as believers, we wait for God to give us a very specific answer to our prayer. And if God would just answer that prayer, then we would have faith. Then we would know where our refuge is. But when we look throughout the Psalms, as David writes these Psalms, he talks about the fact that God is his refuge. The cave was not his refuge. His God was his refuge. And that's a critical distinction for us because so often we pray and we think, God, if you would just answer my prayer this way, then I would know that everything is okay. But God may be doing a work that we don't understand. And he has us exactly where we're supposed to be so that we will have our confidence in him. We may pray for that errant child to come back to God, and we may be praying and saying, God, I'll trust you if you just bring that child back. God wants us to trust him, even when we don't know the outcome. When we don't know the outcome of that health test that we're having, or we don't know the outcome of that financial consideration or that relationship question, when we don't know the answer to those questions, God is still our refuge. He's the place where we hide. He's the one in whom we find our confidence. And so often in Christianity today, I believe there's a movement somewhat spurned on by prosperity theology that says if you just do the right thing, God will make everything smooth for you. And that's not the message of the scriptures. Scriptures say all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. So my refuge is not in my answer, it's not in my outcome, it's not in my provision, it's in my provider. It's in the fact that God takes care of me, even when I don't know what he's doing. And when people gather in a few weeks and they celebrate Thanksgiving, so many people will sit around a table and they will talk about all the things for which they are thankful. And they will forget to talk about the one to whom they are thankful for what he's done. I believe we need to focus our attention on remembering our refuge is in the provider, but not in the provision. Secondly, I must remember that God wants my obedience, despite my circumstances and or my personality. In Psalm 57 verse 3, it says, he shall send from heaven and save me. He reproaches the one who had swallowed me up. God shall send forth his mercy. and his trust. And then later on, down in verse seven, David says, my heart is steadfast, and I will praise you. God wants us to obey him. God wants, like he did with David, for David to step up and to minister to those around him, even though his circumstances weren't the best, even though I think David tended to be someone who wanted to be alone. God sent him other circumstances and said, David, I have a plan for you and you need to step up here. And very often we use our circumstances or our personality as an excuse for not obeying God. Even things like, you know, I know you want me to share the gospel with that person, but I'm kind of shy and I'm just not really good at that. Is there an exclusion clause in the Great Commission anywhere for us sharing the gospel? I don't think there is. If God prompts your heart to share Christ with somebody, you should do it. I remember hearing a missionary talk about the fact that he said, have you ever gone to hear an evangelist? And they say, I was sitting on a plane next to somebody and I started talking to them about the gospel. And before the plane landed, I had led them to Christ. He said, yeah, I'm the guy who's been witnessing to that guy for 25 years. before the evangelist met him. We have no idea what our testimony will do. And we can't let the fact that we're quiet or that we're having difficulty or that we're having challenges keep us from living a life of obedience to Christ. Our circumstances are not an excuse. Our personality isn't an excuse. We may be extroverted. that God may call us to have moments of quietness and have fellowship with him and to slow down everything and to just spend time with him. Just because I'm extroverted doesn't mean that I have an excuse or have the ability to say, that's not important, I'm not going to do it. God wants us to spend that time with him. Thirdly, we must remember that God is always accomplishing his will. And back in 1 Samuel, you don't have to turn to all of these passages, but I want you to think about what David did. In the chapter before the passage we read, it says, David, in chapter 21, verse one, now David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest, and Ahimelech was afraid when he met David and said to him, why are you alone and no one is with you? So David on this journey, just before he hides in the cave, is all alone. And we find that in the passages before that, we don't see that David has anyone around him. He's fighting this battle and he's all alone. But then we get to first Samuel 22 and he hides in the cave and God sends him these 400 brethren. Well, what happens after that? If we were to go on and look in chapter 22 and verse six, when Saul heard that David and the men who were with him had been discovered, Saul comes after them. So suddenly it's David and the men who were with him. When we look later on in chapter 23 and verse three, David is wondering whether he should go and attack the Philistines. And it says in verse three, but David's men said to him, where did he get men all of a sudden? He got men from the 400 guys that were in the cave. It is after that point that we see God raising these 400 relatives of his up to be his guys, the guys who are around him. As a matter of fact, when we look in chapter 23 and verse 13, it says, so David and his men, about 600, arose and departed from Kilah and went wherever they could go. Then it was told Saul that David had escaped from Kilah, so he hated the expedition. or halted the expedition. Now David has men, and how many are there? There's 600. David has the beginnings of an army here. Where did that army come from? Well, that army came from those 400 men that God sent in the cave. Where did David suddenly get the leadership skills to be able to lead a bunch of guys? We see that he was alone up to that point. God placed those men in that cave to be a long time encouragement and battle partners for David in the years to come. And it was in that cave that God began to forge in David the leadership skills that David was going to need to lead the nation. the introvert, the quiet one who didn't really wanna lead people, God put him in that very difficult place because God was going to raise him up and make him a king and David needed to learn those skills. So while he's hiding, God is working in the background to bring these people to him to become his men. And we find other places throughout the book of 1 Samuel where it then talks about David and his men, David and his guys. if you will. Isn't it fascinating how God works in our lives in ways that we never imagined? Ways that push us outside of our comfort zone. Ways where maybe God is preparing a king who may not think that he's ready to take on that leadership role and God sends him the people that he needs. The very people who are despondent and discouraged and depressed and in debt, David takes and through his being a captain over them in that cave, starts to raise up an army. for David to lead God's nation of Israel. And lastly, in here, I would ask you to turn to Psalm 142. And with this, we will wrap things up tonight. Psalm 142. Our last lesson is this, that I think we should remember. Remember that sometimes I may struggle again. I may be here and I may be wondering what God is doing, And God brings me the right people and he brings me the right circumstances and I get through it and I get to the end and there I am at the end and I say, okay, God, you've done it. I've learned the lesson. Psalm 142, the beginning says a contemplation of David, a prayer when he was where? In the cave. David wrote more than one Psalm in the cave. Even if it was later on, even if it was in the different cave, David still had those experiences. And you know, he writes the same kinds of things. I cry out to the Lord with my voice. With my voice to the Lord, I make my supplication. I pour out my complaint before him. I declare before him my trouble. When my spirit was overwhelmed in me, then you knew my path in the way in which I walk. They have secretly set a snare for me. Look on my right hand and see, for there is no one who acknowledges me. Refuge has failed me. No one cares for my soul. I cried out to you, O Lord. I said, you are my refuge. My portion in the land of the living, attend to my cry for I am brought very low. Deliver me from my persecution for they are stronger than I. Bring my soul out of prison that I may praise your name. The righteous shall surround me for you shall deal bountifully with me. David had more than one psalm or song to sing in that cave. And sometimes we think that when we've gotten through it and we question things and God does great and wonderful things for us, we think, okay, God, thanks, I've got it. And sometimes we find ourselves back again. David did too. And I think we can take some great encouragement from the fact that we don't always learn lessons perfectly the first time. We may have to learn them over and over and over again. Isn't it great that we have a gracious and merciful God in whom our faith can be steadfast? And so as we look at these songs, at these songs from the cave, so many people say, you know, if you just hang in there, if you just do the right thing, God will bless. Oh, God did bless David, but certainly not in the way expected. God was preparing him to lead a nation. And God put him in some of what we think might be very adverse circumstances, but because God wanted to bring his glory in the life of David. I don't know what may be on your heart tonight, what burdens you may carry, where it may feel like. Is God really there? What in the world is God doing in my life? I would just say to you this, God is your refuge. God is your safe place. God is the place you can hide, and he will never, ever, ever let you down. Let's close with a word of prayer. Father, thank you for this time. Thank you for these good folks. We thank you for the truth of your word, for all that you have done for us. And Father, we pray that you would strengthen us for whatever the task is that you have for us. We love you. And Father, as we think about the principles of your word, Father, may we recognize our refuge is not in the caves and the provisions and the many, many great things you do for us. Our refuge is in you. You are our hope. Our refuge is not this week in the right outcomes in our voting, although, Father, we do pray for godly individuals to rise up and be voted into office. But our confidence, our refuge, is not in our leaders. Our refuge is in you. Father, our refuge is not in the answers to our prayers. Our refuge is in the God to whom we pray. And so, Father, may we focus on these things, may we be steadfast, may we be aware that you are at work in our lives, and may we never let our circumstances or our personalities keep us from obedience, because as we obey you, we will see your great and wonderful and mighty work accomplished in us. And so to you, we give all the praise. As with David, we say, oh God, our heart is steadfast. You are our refuge and our strength. And to you, we give glory and praise in Jesus' name.