1 Samuel 27:1 Amplified Bible
David Flees to the Philistines
27 But David said in his heart, “Now I will die one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me inside the borders of Israel, and I will escape from his hand [once and for all].”
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning; is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, Amen.
Sometimes, Our Thoughts are Our Greatest Enemy
However difficult his circumstance at any given time, David had always placed his confidence in the promises of God – God would deliver him from troubles.
Indeed, in the final conversation that ever took place between King Saul and David, David declared to Saul that although he didn’t know what would happen, he knew that God would deliver him from his troubles (1 Samuel 26:23-24).
23 The Lord will repay each man for his righteousness and his faithfulness; for the Lord handed you over to me today, but I refused to put out my hand against the Lord’s anointed. 24 Now behold, just as your life was precious in my sight this day, so let my life be precious in the sight of the Lord, and may He rescue me from all distress.”
David had good reason for thinking and verbalizing such a level of confidence: deliverance from his vast array of enemies was a big theme throughout his life.
Throughout his life, whether it was from the lion, the bear, or the Philistine giant (1 Samuel 17:37) Goliath, or, later, from Saul’s murderous pursuit of him, David was always rather quick to attest to the promises of God’s rescues.
It is surprising, then, that having just avowed his commitment to the delivering hand of God, David had then somehow convinced himself in his heart that Saul would not give up his murderous pursuit and would eventually come to kill him.
Rather than continually and continuously reflecting on God’s goodness and faithfulness, as was his habit, he allowed his thoughts to enter into dark places.
His confidence gave way to depression and his faith gave way to fear, and so he sought escape, he went to seek security in the company of the enemy (1 Samuel 27:2)—a decision that would lead to a mess of deceit and difficulty (v 8-11).
The direction of our thoughts really matter; for they give rise to our actions.
An old saying reminds us of this principle: Sow a thought, reap an action. Sow an action, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny.
We may be able to look back on chapters in our own life when, like David, we began to have long two way conversations with ourselves, talk nonsense to ourselves, talk ourselves into foolish choices, and then find ourselves trapped.
We may be in that place right now, where we are struggling mightily to stop our thoughts from spiraling downwards and then leading ourselves into a course of action we know, deep down, in our souls, is 100% irrational, unwise or wrong.
David didn’t just need saving from threats to his life; this time he needed saving from himself—from the direction of his own mind and perhaps so do you and I.
But the good news is that we can’t exhaust what God constantly thinks of each and everyone of us, of God’s kindness and mercy, even if our thoughts have gone in the wrong direction and even if our actions have taken us off course.
As God rescued David then, so He has rescued us through the Cross of Christ.
Each and everyone of us were on His mind when He gave His life’s blood for us.
When we find our own thoughts turning to dark places, then, we can all remind ourselves of God’s goodness, deliverance, and faithfulness, let our thoughts of that Cross at Calvary shape our heart’s response to the difficulties we face, and shape the course of the narrow road we each take as we navigate them with him.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 23 Amplified Bible
The Lord, the Psalmist’s Shepherd.
A Psalm of David.
23 The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, to guide and to shield me],
I shall not want.
2
He lets me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still and quiet waters.
3
He refreshes and restores my soul (life);
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
for His name’s sake.
4
Even though I walk through the [sunless] [a]valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort and console me.
5
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You have anointed and refreshed my head with [b]oil;
My cup overflows.
6
Surely goodness and mercy and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life,
And I shall dwell forever [throughout all my days] in the house and in the presence of the Lord.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning; is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, Amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 