Well, good morning, everyone. As we get started here today, would you pray with me? Lord, we are so thankful for the gift of your word, and as we come into your presence here this morning, we pray that you would speak to us through your word, that you would bring us comfort, encouragement, blessing, conviction, that you would spur us on, Lord, in our walk as we seek to follow you. In Jesus' name, amen. Well, we're going to continue our study here in 1 Samuel. We're in chapters 21 and 22 here this morning, and I want to start by asking a question. Where do you turn when you've lost your way? What do you do when you find yourself caught in a tailspin of dark thoughts and feelings of hopelessness? For David, this morning, as we're going to see, he flees. He heads for the hills. There doesn't seem to be any clear plan or purpose that he has in mind. He just takes off. In our passage today, we're going to follow David as he travels at least 150 miles here, all over the place, from Nob up in the highlands, north here of Jerusalem and then right here and he's going to come over here to Gath all the way down here, Philistia, and then over to Cave and Adulim. He's going to come up and over these mountains all the way down here over to Moab. And then he's going to come all the way back up again at the end. Some 150 miles at least of walking around. And he went ahead and made a t-shirt. We found this, archaeologists, to commemorate his travels. This is his... I don't know if you can read it. It says, everything is awful, world tour, 1015 BC, stopping in Nob, Gath, the cave of Adullam, Moab, special stop one night only in the stronghold, and then the forest of Hareth at the end. We'll be selling these outside afterwards, if anyone feels like they need one. David is a mess at this point. Honestly, he is all over the map, literally, as we just saw, and metaphorically. He seems to have temporarily completely lost his way, as we all do sometimes. But what we're going to see in our passage today is that despite all of David's moody meanderings, God remains a steadfast presence in his life, eventually working to pull David out of this tailspin and setting him on his feet again. And the message for us is to turn to God when you feel like you've lost your way. Well we got a lot of stops to make and the first one today is the first stop on his Everything is Awful world tour is the village of Nob, which as I just said is just northeast of Jerusalem. It's close to Gibeah of Saul, perhaps only a couple of miles away from the field where we last saw David and Jonathan saying farewell to each other. Just a a couple of miles away from there. Certainly not yet a safe distance from the murderous King Saul, but David is desperate at this point, and he is desperately seeking help. And perhaps the priest Himalek will be as accommodating to him as Samuel was up in Ramah. So as David pulls into town, Himalek, so you can see here, just like two miles from here to here. So as they pull into town, Ahimelech comes to greet him. He's clearly on edge, though. The text, as you can read, says Ahimelech is trembling. Something is off. Something's not quite right here. News of Saul's increasingly erratic behavior has no doubt been spreading among the people, and it has Ahimelech pretty rattled, I think. He asks David anxiously, are you alone? I mean, why are you alone? Why is there nobody else with you right now? Now here's how David should have responded. These are the thoughts that I'm sure were going through his head. Well, I'm on the run from a mad king who is determined to kill me. I've had to leave everything and everyone I love behind, including my wife and my best friend. I have no clue anymore who's friend or who's foe. I thought Samuel had anointed me to be king, but right now I'm feeling lost and alone, and I really don't know what God is doing anymore. That, I think, is what's probably going through David's mind at that moment. But instead, as we so often do when we're afraid and uncertain, he Massage is the truth. We'll put it that way. He isn't ready to be transparent. He can't be sure if he can trust the Himalaya or not. And so he stretches reality to accommodate the situation. So if you look at verse two, David's like, yeah, so the king, he sent me on like this mission. It's a secret mission. And I'm going to meet these guys at this place, you know, over there somewhere and It's like David is the worst liar at this point. I mean, this is laughably vague and ridiculous. But he's stressed out, he's overwhelmed, and apparently he's hungry too. Those three often go together. Stressed out, overwhelmed, hungry. Now Himalek, he's not an idiot, and I think he most likely sees through this ruse. But he goes along with it anyway, offering David and his men some bread. But there is a catch. This bread is holy bread, what was called the bread of the presence. The 12 loaves of bread that were placed on the altar before the Lord in the tabernacle, representing the 12 tribes of Israel. And the problem is, it was theoretically only meant to be eaten by Aaron and his sons, the Levites. So, available for the priests, but not for the population. But thinking on his feet, Ahimelech decides, well, David and his men he's meeting with, they can eat it as long as they are ceremonially clean. So not like, hey, can you make sure you wash your hands? He means like, are you ritually clean? Are you spiritually clean? To which David reassures the priest, yes, they're all clean. And so Ahimelech gives them the bread. something we just heard read from Mark here and Jesus later affirming here that this was indeed proper for a Himalaya to give David the bread because his need was more important in that moment than the rigid obedience to the law. Now more than that, I think Ahimelech recognizes there is something special, something different about David. And by giving him this holy, this consecrated bread, Ahimelech is trying to remind David of God's divine provision. This fellowship meal, it's not really between Ahimelech and David, it's between God and David. It's highly significant that David is handed this holy bread because it affirms his exalted status as someone who was chosen and anointed by God, even if David is struggling to see it in this moment. I think it's an experience we all wrestle with here, even at church every Sunday. We're blessed to be able to fellowship with Jesus as we celebrate the Lord's Supper, but not always perhaps feeling worthy to do so, or perhaps leaving the time of communion feeling like we're just exactly the same as we were beforehand. blinded perhaps sometimes by the weight of the burdens that we're carrying rather than being nourished by the healing power of the Holy Spirit. But back in our text, things seem to be going well, right? David has received a warm reception, welcome from Him like he's like, come on in and I'll give you food. Perhaps his fortunes are beginning to change. But then in verse seven, if you look at verse seven, the story takes this dark, sinister turn because they realize they are not alone. There's this man, Doeg, the Edomite. And he's been detained in Nob, and they're told three things here in the text about Doeg that spell trouble. First, he's an Edomite, and Edom was an enemy of Israel. Second, he's a servant of Saul. Saul, as we all know, is David's mortal enemy. He's trying to kill him. There is no way this can be a good sign. David's been spotted, and it probably won't be long now, he's thinking, until Saul finds out where he is. Third, and this is maybe not so obvious to us, but I think for the original audience, this would probably have been picked up on this. In the ESV, it translates as Doeg is described as the chief of Saul's herdsmen. But it's one of those phrases that's really hard to translate accurately into English. And the underlying Hebrew word actually means something more like mighty, powerful, aggressive, maybe even violent, which As we're going to find out in next week's sermon, it's a very apt description of Doeg, who turns out to be a cold-blooded killer, less shepherd, more executioner. None of this bodes well for David. And I think it explains why, then, David's very next question is, hey, do you have a sword or spear on hand that I can borrow? I imagine him looking at Doeg sort of sizing him up and being like, this is not good. I don't have any weapons right now. Realizing he's in trouble. And here's the thing, not only does Ahimelech have a sword, he has the sword. Look at verse nine in the text. This is the very same weapon that David used to cut off Goliath's head. It's like King Arthur sort of pulling Excalibur out of the stone or Aragorn wielding Enduril, right? This amazing sword. There should be this momentous turning point for David. He's handed a physical reminder, this is your destiny, slayer of giants, anointed by God. Literally like a weighty reminder in his hands of God's powerful presence going with him and before him. Giving David the sword is a way for Ahimelech to say to him, look, why is your soul so downcast? Why so much turmoil? Put your hope in God. He is your salvation. He is your hope and your strength. Ahimelech is gently trying to remind David, look, look at this bread that I just gave you. Look at this sword that I just handed to you. These are God-given reminders of who you really are, who God really is. Take hold of them, run with them. You don't need to be afraid. Look, God is with you. And then the scene ends with David standing there, pondering these thoughts, the sword in his hands. And we don't know what will happen next. How will he respond? Well, as we see, sadly, almost right away, David is still trapped in this downward spiral. And we make our second stop here as David heads down to the city of Gath in Philistia. He's still strapped in this downward spiral, and despite the efforts of this well-meaning priest, he can't seem to work his way out of it. Look at verse 10. David gets up the next morning. He continues his desperate flight away from Saul. So he started up here in Gibeah, and then he fled down to Nob, and then he's all the way down here in Gath. Now, of course, if Doeg is giving him bad vibes, then it makes sense for him not to stay in Nob anymore. But the direction in which David flees doesn't communicate a renewed confidence in God's presence and protection. Instead, it looks to me a lot more like blind panic. Because instead of fleeing to the hills or fleeing to his home, David inexplicably flees to Gath in this city in Philistia, right? The home of Goliath. Does David still have Goliath's sword at this point? We don't know. It could be he left it a noob after all of that, or maybe he's hiding it somehow. But either way, it doesn't seem to have helped him regain his confidence. Whether he has a sword or not, its symbolic significance seems to be completely lost on him. And if David was hoping to go incognito, he's out of luck there also, because almost immediately upon entering the city, he encounters the king's servants and they recognize him right away. And they're like, hey, isn't this the guy they sang that song about? You know, the one about like, well, yes, Saul killed his thousands, but David killed his tens of thousands. Which, if you remember, those tens of thousands were like mostly Philistines. So kind of awkward here. Feels a little bit like out of the frying pan, into the fire. And if he was maybe thinking he could play the whole, like, well, you know, the enemy of my enemy is my friend kind of thing, and get a good welcome, that ship has sailed. At this point, it's doubtful he'd be able to fight his way out of this, even supposing he was in the right headspace to do so. So with his back up against the wall, again, David reaches into his back pocket and pulls out his plan B, which is plead insanity. The text describes in verse 13, he starts drooling and scratching on the doors and acting crazy and is so much that eventually the king just yells at his servants and dismisses them all on anger. But why is any of this here? What is going on? Well, if you go back and look at verse 11, it says, and the servants of Achish said to him, is not this David the king of the land? The Philistines see and affirm what even David himself seems to be struggling to admit. He is indeed the true king of Israel, not Saul, David. And then they sing the song about how David is exponentially stronger than Saul. Now the context is wrong, these are David's enemies, not his friends, but the words are right, they are true. And they should bring encouragement, they should serve as reminders of his destiny, his calling, like God speaking through a donkey to Balaam, right? God speaks through the Philistines here to try and get David's attention, to talk him back down off the ledge. And the next verse though is so real, so human. Look at how David responds in verse 12. And David took these words to heart and was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. These words, they seem to sink in. He takes them into his heart. Language that recalls some of the famous last words of Moses in Deuteronomy 32, when he exhorts the people, take these words of mine to heart. Talking about the law of God, hoping that they would sink in deep enough that they could remain in communion with their Lord. But sadly, like the seed that was scattered among the thorny ground in Jesus' parable, these words, they barely have time to begin to take root before the cares of this world choke out the word and it proves unfruitful. And David's response is not encouragement or strength or hope, but hopelessness, discouragement, fear. So much fear. And so he retreats into himself again. He completely changes his behavior. Yes, it is all an act, right? He's just trying to avoid what he assumes will almost certainly be execution. How often do we find ourselves acting differently around other people to avoid dealing with a difficult situation, pretending to be up when we're really down, sharing a prayer request about this thing to ensure that nobody asks us about that thing? refusing to hear words of encouragement from others, or even from Jesus himself, because we're so caught up in our own fears and insecurities. You know, if you're a parent, you've probably all experienced, if you're a parent, you've experienced the challenge of teaching a kid to ride a bike, yes? which essentially really just boils down to one conversation on repeat. It's the same conversation, just different variations of the same conversation. Me, you can do this. Them, I'm gonna die. Why are you trying to kill me? Don't let go, don't let go. I don't wanna do this. Don't let go, don't let go. Why are you trying to kill me? Can I just keep the training wheels on? Over and over again. And we laugh, right? We laugh when we see this in kids. But in a way, we never grow out of those same deep fears. And even as adults, we face that same challenge. God's holding on to the back of the seat and he's pushing us down the street, calling out to us over and over again, like, I've got you, you can do this. But how often are we simply flailing around in panic, refusing to listen, convinced that God's gonna drive us off the road and into a ditch instead? So here, in Gath, in the heart of Philistine territory, God tries to speak to David through these people. But once again, David shows he doesn't have ears to hear. Will we do any better? So David leaves again, and the next stop on this tour takes him to the cave of Adullon. Now this is, again, really not very far away at all, maybe half a day's travel. And the name may not mean anything to us, but a Dulum is a hill. And you can see there on a map, it's on the Eastern side of the Valley of Elah, which is not far from where he fought against Goliath. In fact, the main route that he would take, this is right where the Israelites and the Philistines fought against each other. David would have killed Goliath somewhere in here. It's on the way from Gath to Adullon. He's walking right past that spot. So imagine for a moment, you're walking right past the place where you had previously experienced such an astonishing God-given victory, except this time you're weary with regrets, worn down by anxiety. Instead of confidence, you feel overwhelmed with insecurity. Instead of faith, you know only fear. It seems silly for David to be so despondent, and yet, again, we often do the same thing, right? Forgetting or overlooking the powerful interventions of God in our own lives, the blessings he has already provided, the prayers he's already answered, the guidance he has already given, and we just keep walking right past God with our heads hung low, zoned out in a funk. ignoring the Bible verses that we've carefully placed all around our house or our car or our office, right? Tuning out here at church, because we don't want to listen deaf to any words of encouragement or help from others. It may not be where we want to be, it certainly isn't where God wants us to be, but sometimes we find ourselves in that spot anyway, headed towards the cave, like David. It's like when you're a kid and you go hide in a cupboard or under a bed or behind a couch in an effort to escape and hide from everything, from everyone, thinking you can disappear. Back in Adullam, there are many caves all around that area and they're mostly small and dark. And if you've ever been in a cave, you know that kind of like musty, dank, damp kind of smell that's in there. And this vibe, it suits David's mood perfectly, because he wants to be alone. But God has other plans. The first people to show up are his family, right? His dad, Jesse, all his brothers, probably more out of concern for their own lives, for their own safety, because they know Saul is trying to kill their son, and now they're on the run also. But either way, they're here. But then look who else shows up in verse two. Everyone who is in distress, everyone who is in debt, everyone who is bitter in soul, and they all gathered together with him. What a fun, joy-filled gathering that must have been, right? Here's David, he's already on the run for his life from Saul. He's depressed and despondent, feeling persecuted and alone. And now who comes to join him? Everyone who's in distress, everyone who's in debt, everyone who is bitter in soul. Bitter situations lead to bitter hearts. It's the spiritual equivalent of eating raw kale, right? Or sort of sipping cheap coffee that's just been sitting on that burner for like 12 hours straight. It makes you wince. It's unpleasant. And that's David's experience. It's unpleasant. It is in this cave. It's dark and gloomy and depressing. And he's surrounded by people who are in a similar state of mind. The company that he has here, these are the dregs of society, the outcasts, the misfits, the losers, the has-beens, the washed up, the washed out. And David, if you look there at the end of verse two, says, and he became commander over them. And there were with him about 400 men. David is now officially, congratulations, David, you are now the king of the losers. King of the losers. Okay, what is going on here? Why is he in this hole and why does God want him in this cave? Two reasons. First, David's presence back in the Valley of Elah, I don't think it's any accident. In fact, it's the third reminder now that God has given to David of his great victory over Goliath. So remember, the first time was up in Nob and the priest of Himalaya, he gives him the sword. Like, how much more obvious of a reminder do you want than that? And then he goes to Gath, and in the middle of the Philistine territory, they're singing his praises and reminding him of how many thousands of Philistines he killed. And then, on his way to the cave, God directs him to the Valley of Elah, where he defeated Goliath, and he has to walk right past that spot again. I think God wants to remind David of the words that he, David himself, once spoke so boldly and confidently out on that battlefield. David himself said, you come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but what I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel. Saul may come at David with a sword and a spear, but David comes in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel. It's not a fair fight, right? The result has already been decided. Saul literally cannot win. So first, David is in a dulum because God wants him there and he's trying to remind David of all the ways that God has cared for him and provided for him and protected for him in the past. But second, David is in a dulem because God wants to reassure David he's not actually alone. How often do we convince ourselves that it's just us, it's just me against the world, right? That nobody else sees or cares or notices. But look what God has done for David. He's provided food, right? The bread of the presence from Ahimelech. And he's provided weapons, the sword of Goliath. And now he's provided people. Maybe not the kind of people that David had in mind, but 400 men is a decent sized cohort to start an army. And these men, they're not there to hold David's hand. Oh David, I hope you feel better. Like everything's gonna be okay. These men are ready to fight. That's what that word commander means. It's a military term. These men are ready to join David's mission, ready to align themselves with God's cause. Think about the way Jesus started his kingdom. He didn't go to the rich, he didn't go to the powerful, didn't go to the wealthy, the good-looking. He went to sinners, tax collectors, prostitutes. He worked through lepers, the blind, the lame, the demon-possessed. Because Jesus takes everyone who is in distress, everyone who is in debt, everyone. who is bitter and lonely and everything in between. And he says to them, come follow me and I will make you the dregs of society to be fishers of men. Jesus is the true king of the losers in the best possible way. Because salvation is only offered to those who are willing to admit their failures, willing to admit their sin, willing to admit their weakness, their deep neediness, those who are willing to lose their lives in order to gain Christ. Because Jesus came for people just like this, the has-beens, the washed up, the washed out, and he says, together, We can change the world. And sometimes God provides people in our lives that we did not quite expect because he's planning something that maybe we can't quite envision. Embrace it. Embrace the people that God sends into your life. Well, David leaves the cave. We have two more stops on his whistle stop tour, and they're going to be quick. And the next stop is in Moab and beyond. Now, this is probably like a 60 or 70-mile journey all the way from Adullam, all the way down the bottom of the Dead Sea and into Moab. Basically, maybe three, four days in the opposite direction here. He's starting to feel a little bit like Jonah. Like, just get me out of here. I want to go in the complete opposite direction, as far away from God's mission as possible. But as it turns out, this move is actually far more calculated than when he ran to Gath. So if you look at verse three in chapter 22, and he said to the king of Moab, please let my father and my mother stay with you till I know what God will do for me. It's this touching scene. David's concern here is for the safety of his family, specifically his parents, because he knows they've been dragged into something they never would have chosen for themselves or asked to be a part of. And he wants to do whatever he can to keep them out of harm's way. But why Moab? Why Moab? Weren't they enemies as well, just like the Philistines? Yep, they sure were. But they were also family, because life is messy like that, right? We want neat and tidy borders and everything to be compartmentalized out like that. But it never works out quite the way we expect. And David's great grandmother, Ruth, was from Moab. So despite the military tensions that might have existed, David hopes to leverage these bonds of kinship to protect his family, his loved ones. But there's also some signs David's outlook might be beginning to shift. So David asks the king, he says, please let my father and my mother stay with you until I know what God will do for me. For the first time in a while, David finally speaks of seeking God's direction. Right? He's affirming that God is somehow still in control. He's expecting that God will do something for him. So now David must wait on the Lord to act. It's like one of those, those really foggy mornings, right? Where you can't see anything, but then as the sun begins to rise and the day heats up, the mist starts to dissipate and you can begin to see trees and houses and people, and then finally the road in front of you. And it feels like that fog is beginning to lift for David now as well. So the king takes his parents and David heads over to a place called the stronghold. Now, you're not gonna find that on a map, but most historians reckon it's actually Masada. So these are the hills of Moab here. This is the Dead Sea and this is Moab. I mean, sorry, this is Masada right here. That's another view there. It means stronghold. Masada means stronghold in Hebrew. And this is massive cliffs, like 1500 feet tall on the Western coast of the Dead Sea. And this, imagine he's gone from the cave in a dulem, right, to the top of this mountain fortress in Masada. It's incredible. And there seems to be a difference here in David between the kind of waiting that he did in the cave, waiting as he was for God to work, and the waiting that he's doing here in the stronghold. It's the difference between hunkering down in fear, trying to escape our problems by drowning them out with TV or music or social media. And the kind of waiting that we do with confident expectation, trusting that as Abraham once said, on the mountain of the Lord, God will provide. But then God throws a wrench in David's plans. We don't know how long he was in the stronghold, a day, a week, a month. But then God sends this prophet, this man named Gad. And Gad says, if you look at verse five, He says, do not remain in the stronghold. Depart and go to the land of Judah. In other words, you can't stay holed up in this amazing fortress any longer. I'm sending you back home. I'm sending you to Saul. I'm sending you back into the fray. I'm guessing that would have been tough for David to hear after all this running, that God wants him to go back to the one place that he's been trying to avoid, the place he's literally tried to avoid at all costs, especially since if he was indeed a Masada, this would have been a perfect place to stay, well-protected from Saul. But as is so often the case with God, the path he wants David to take is not over or around, but through. He doesn't want David hanging out here in safety, waiting for the trouble to pass. He wants to put David right back in the thick of things. And look at how David responds. I think this is really just amazing here. If you look at the text, So David departed and went into the forest of Hareth. Now the forest of Hareth is probably somewhere just a little bit south of Adullam. As you can see here, that's the cave. Forest is probably right around here. Right back in the region of Judah, right back where Saul can find him and indeed will find him. But look at David, this is where we get an example of when the Bible talks about David being a man after God's own heart. I think this is one example of that happening. He obeys immediately. There's no whining, no complaining, no bargaining, no asking for a second opinion. And whatever doubts or fears or concerns that were still lingering in his head and in his heart, he manages to set them to one side and he starts walking and he goes right where God wants him to go. I wish I could say that I was always that obedient, that quick to obey God's leading and direction, that confident always, 100% of the time, in God's plans. I want to be, I am frequently, but I also know how quickly I can get derailed by sudden sicknesses or by unexpected challenges. And then my faith feels less like an anchor securing my faith, securing my soul, and more like a house of cards ready to tumble at the slightest breeze. And we all want to hang out with David, right, in Masada, in these places of safety. We want times of blessing and peace to go on forever. We want the true, lasting, eternal rest God promises us. But we tend to want it right now, right here. That's understandable. I want that too. And God does give us peace in so many ways. And he gives us so many times of blessing and comfort and enjoyment and celebration. And we should savor those when they come. But in the end, this world is not our home. This place is not the promised land. We experience tastes and hints and glimpses of it, but it's true fulfillment. That promised rest awaits Jesus' return. And in the meantime, there is work to be done, kingdom work, gospel work, spirit-filled work. We are sent ones commissioned by God to serve him as he grows and expands his kingdom. And so it's time for us to heed the word of God, to step out of our comfort zones, to come out of our fortress and head back into the battle. I want to make one last comment here about David's travels in conclusion. And that's, there's no indication that Saul had any role in any of this. It's not like David closely evaded capture in Nob, or that Saul was hot on his tail in Gath, or Saul had him surrounded at the cave in Adullam, or that Saul chased him all the way down to Moab and back again. In fact, Saul doesn't even seem to know where David is until David finally returns to Judah. The entire time that David is frantically racing around the countryside, Saul remains comfortably in Gibeah. David runs because he's afraid, because he's lost sight of what he's doing and who he's serving. But what I want you to see is that God never abandons David. He never leaves his side, and God never stops looking for ways to gently nudge David back on track. And Jesus continues to do the same for us today, working through his spirit to patiently bring us back from the brink, to remind us of what is true, to keep us from the dark caves of isolation, and to set our feet on solid ground. So look for God's provision, listen for God's words, embrace the help that God gives from other people, and follow where God leads. Would you pray with me? Louis, thank you for the patience and the mercy that you have shown in those times where we, like David, have found ourselves lost in a tailspin of dark thoughts, feeling abandoned and overwhelmed by life, frantically racing this way and that, unsure of where to turn next. And Lord, in those moments, we recognize that we don't always see your presence standing there, guiding us, leading us, and helping us. And we pray this morning that right here at church, our time of worship and of study and of prayer will be an encouragement and a reminder that you have never left us, never forsaken us, and you're working through your spirit to bring us peace. We pray this in Jesus' name, amen.