Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - When Belief Isn't Smart | David's Life in 22 Stories | (1 Sam. 21-22)

Starting point is 00:00:00 Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life and the time it takes to get to work. I'm Patrick Miller. And I'm Keith Simon. Right now, we're working through the story of David's life found in First and Second Samuel. In our last episode, we learned about Jonathan's friendship with David. In chapter 19, Jonathan rescues David from one of his father, Saul's murderous plots. And now David is officially an outlaw, a fugitive. the run for his life. And so the next question is obvious. Where is he going to go? We pick up in

Starting point is 00:00:41 chapter 21, verse 1. David went to Nob to Ahimelech, the priest. Okay, so where does David flee in these terrible circumstances? To the place of God's presence. Ahimlech trembled when he met him and said, why are you alone? Why is no one with you? Ahimlech is wondering whether all of David warriors are dead. I mean, why are you alone right now? Or maybe he even suspects that things have finally gone upside down with Saul. We really have no idea. Verse two. David answered Ahimelech, the priest. The king sent me on a mission and said to me, no one is to know anything about the mission I am sending you on. Okay, so here's why David says he's alone. And it's obvious that David is lying here. What we don't know is why. Is he trying to protect himself? Or is he trying to protect himself? Or is he trying to

Starting point is 00:01:34 protect Ahimelech from knowingly committing treason by helping a fugitive. We don't know. David continues. As for my men, I have told them to meet me at a certain place. Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread or whatever you can find. You see, David is hungry. He hasn't had anything to eat. He's been on the run. And as the story continues, Ahimilek ends up helping him. He gives David the bread he needs from the tabernacle? David asks if there are any weapons he can take, and Himalek says, yeah, I've been storing Goliath sword. And so he gives that to David, and then David heads on his way. And so the question is, what can we take away from this story? On the one hand, it might just be giving us the historical facts. Where did David go when he first

Starting point is 00:02:23 ran away from Saul? Well, he went to the tabernacle, to Knob, to a Himalek, the priest. But I think it's actually saying a lot more than that. This story is highlighting something fundamental to David's identity. And to get at it, we really need to put ourselves inside of David's shoes or sandals is probably more like it. Just imagine your world is falling apart. The person that you spent your entire life serving is hunting you down. Why? Well, it's because you did such a good job, such a good job that people praised you as much as they praised him. Add to that that you've left behind your closest friend, your spouse, everything that you own. You don't even have food. That's how much you left behind. Oh, and by the way, the person who wants to kill you, the person who wants to murder you

Starting point is 00:03:14 is the most powerful person in all the land. Can you imagine the fear, the anxiety, the desperate questions? Where can I go? Where can I hide. What's going to be next? And you don't have answers for any of those things. Where do you go when you're anxious? When you feel like you're on the run, when you're not sure what to do next, where to go next, who to turn to. Do you know where David goes? He goes to God. He runs to the place of God's presence. And I think it's striking because it's actually not very smart. If you're on the run from a king, you don't go to a public place, filled with people who know the king, filled with people who probably are spies for the king. But it's almost like David can't even help himself.

Starting point is 00:04:10 This is his default in need. You run to God. Because David deep down really truly believes that God's ability to protect him, it transcends Saul's capacity to kill him. I can't help but think of the many Psalms that David wrote. For example, Psalm 16, he says, keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, you are my Lord, apart from you, I have no good thing. Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more. I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods or take their names upon my lips. Lord, you alone, you alone are my portion in my cup. You make my lot secure. I will praise the Lord who counsels me. Even at night, in my heart, he instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore, my heart is glad. My tongue rejoices.

Starting point is 00:05:10 My body will also rest secure because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. You make known to me the path of life. You fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. David really believed that. It's remarkable. Where do you turn when you're anxious? Who do you trust? Who tells you where to go?

Starting point is 00:05:41 Who counsels you? Who tells you what's next? To tell you the truth, if I believed even a tenth of Psalm 16, my life would be radically changed. Because I would know that even if, if a bloodthirsty murderer was chasing me down, I could count on God to be my refuge, to protect my life, especially in the ultimate eternal sense. I could trust God to be the one who gives me joy

Starting point is 00:06:08 and delight, which transcends pretty cruddy circumstances. Where will you turn today in your anxiety? We have anxieties every day. Where will you turn today? Turn to the only true refuge. Turn to God. In the next chapter, chapter 22, something appalling happens. Saul ends up ordering the execution of Ahimelech, that's the priest who fed David, alongside every man, woman, and child in his town. Why does he do it? For conspiring against him. Of course, Saul's charges are totally false. Hemelike had no idea. Why would he suspect the king's own son-in-law had become a fugitive? But the contrast is intentional. It's supposed to be stark. Saul's anxiety over David turns him into a mass murderer. It leads him not to turn to God, but to snuff out God's living voice, the priests.

Starting point is 00:07:10 And isn't that what anxiety does to us on a smaller scale? It leads us to blame others. We end up taking our anxieties out on them internally or even externally through our words. It doesn't it sometimes make us into cynics about God? You know, we just kind of snuff out his voice in our life. We think, yeah, you know what, I've tried the God thing. It just doesn't work. I've tried to do it. I'm just moving on.

Starting point is 00:07:38 Today, I want you to cast your anxieties on God because he cares. Because Jesus is your refuge. Apart from him, you have no good thing. He'll counsel you. And when you're at his right hand, you will never be shaken. Let your heart be glad. because he's never going to let go of your life. And when you turn to him, he's going to make known to you the paths of life.

Starting point is 00:08:02 Even when it seems like the shadow of anxiety threatens to overshadow it all, Jesus will be with you. Thanks for listening. If you've enjoyed this content, please subscribe and give us a rating. That helps other people find this podcast more easily. Also, ask yourself, who could you share this podcast with? Texting an episode to a friend or a family member is a great way to help them grow spiritually. If you want to go deeper, check out our show notes for book recommendations.

Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - When Belief Isn't Smart | David's Life in 22 Stories | (1 Sam. 21-22)

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