DAVID #14--"WHERE HAVE YOU MADE A ROAD TODAY"?--(1 Sam. 27:1-12)

We are skipping chapter 26 because (as in chapter 24) David again spares the life of King Saul.  Here he is given an opportunity to stab him his enemy to death in his sleep....and David's armourbearer even offered to do it for him; but David's answer to the situation was this:  "His day will come to die"-(v.10).  (Hebrews 9:27-"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement.")
(v.4)---When the Devil isn't after you anymore then you are in the wrong place!  David stayed there in enemy territory out of the will of God for one year and four months-(v.7)
(1)-(27:1)- THE REASONS FOR ROAD HE TRAVELED
A. David Trusted The Wrong Confidant – David is pictured having a conversation with himself. Instead of turning to God in prayer as he had so often done; David turns to himself for counsel. The advice he receives from himself is anything but wise.
B. David Believed The Wrong Counsel – When David communed with his heart, he immediately forgot all the great promises which the Lord had made to him. God had promised David that he would be king, 1 Sam. 16:1, 12-13. That promise had been confirmed by Jonathan, 1 Sam. 23:17; by Abigail, 1 Sam. 25:30-31; and even by Saul, 1 Sam. 24:20. Yet, all these great promises are forgotten when David begins to listen to his own heart. David even thinks that he knows what will happen out there in the future. 
C. David Reached The Wrong Conclusions – Because David listened to his heart, he chose to abandon the path of life God had placed him on years before.  This "road" he took in life brought him to the enemy begging for help!   Beware of trusting your own heart! When you consult the heart, you will get in touch with your OLD FLESHLY nature!  (Jere. 17:9-"The heart is deceitful above all things, and despirately wicked: who can know it?")
Your heart will say things like, “This church is dead”; “These people don’t like you”; “God is being unfair to you”; “You would be better off if you stayed home, or went somewhere else”; “God doesn’t even care about you. If He did, these things would not be happening to you”; “Just once won’t hurt”; “Just a little won’t matter”; etc.
*ALL OF US TALK TO OURSELVES!!!-(Luke 12:19-"And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat drink, and be merry.")....(Eph. 5:19-"Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.")
(2)-(27:2-30:6)-THE RESULTS OF THE ROAD HE TRAVELED
A. 27:2-3 The People In David’s Life Were Affected – Because of the foolish road David traveled, everyone traveled with him was affected as well. All 600 of his men and their families; his own wives and children; everyone around David was brought down by this decision to join the enemy!-(Have you done something foolish that has hurt others?)
(Romans 14:7 says, “For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.”)- That basically means that everything we do in our lives touches those around us. When a husband or a wife steps out of God’s will, it affects their marriage. When one or both parents refuse to live by God’s standards, it has an impact on their children. People at school, at work and at church are touched by the way we live our lives. We never know who is watching, or who might be hindered when we travel the wrong roads in life!
B. 27:5-12 The Pattern Of David’s Life Was Affected – Not only did David’s decision affect the people around him; the very way David lived his life was altered: 
Ø v. 4 David lived with a sense of false security. He thought he was safe.
Ø v. 5 David sought help and ran with the wrong crowd. He literally aligned himself with the enemy.
Ø v. 8-12 David did things there that he never would have done before. He murdered, he lied, and he submitted himself to the enemy of God. 
Ø v. 7 David stayed there for 16 months. I am sure he was there longer than he intended to be.  Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you are willing to pay!!!
Ø It is also worthy to note that no Psalms are attributed to David during this period of his life. It seems as though the “Sweet Singer of Israel” has lost his voice.
Like the Prodigal, they will live in a false sense of security; but the backslider is never out of the view of the Lord.  The one who walks away will find that they are soon doing things they wouldn't have done before; and that they are doing them with a crowd they would never have run with before!  They will find that their entire lifestyle has been changed and they will look around and find that months and even years have passed away!  They will also find that their song has departed and that their joy has dried up. (You cannot walk away from God and go off into sin and not be affected!) 
C. 29:1-30:6a The Peace Of David’s Life Was Affected -He is out of God’s will; off God’s path and actively working with the enemy against the people of God. But, thankfully, David was not having a good time!
29:1-5 – David has lost his identity. He unites himself with the Philistines to go and do battle with his own people, Israel. But, even the Philistines do not want him around! He has become and offense to them as well. He is literally a man without a country at this point.
29:6-8 – David reveals the depths to which he has fallen. The future king of Israel grovels at a pagan king’s feet and declares himself to be that king’s servant! 
You and I may walk away from the lord and go our own way, but we will not do so without paying a terribly high price! What will it cost you my friend? Is the sin you are about to walk away from God to commit worth the price you are going to pay? Is it worth your spouse? Is it worth your children? Is it worth your ministry? Is it worth your good name? Is it worth your power with God? Is it worth your health? Is it worth your life?  (Numb. 32:23-"Be sure your sin will find you out.")
(3)-(30:6-8)-THE RECOVERY FROM THE ROAD HE TRAVELED
A. 30:6c David Repented Before The Lord – When David finally hits the bottom; when he has lost all that a man can lose; at long last, David looks toward Heaven again! Perhaps he realized, as he looked at the broken lives and shattered all around him, that everything that had happened was the result of one foolish conversion with his own heart; followed by one foolish decision on his part.
B. 30:7 David Relied Upon The Lord – Now, David does what he should have done at the beginning of this episode of his life: David calls on the Lord in prayer to seek God’s will and God’s help. 
C. 30:8-9 David Returned To The Lord – When David hears the Lord’s direction for his life, he does not hesitate, but he goes out immediately to do what the Lord has told him to do. 
*The first step in getting things right is repentance.  When sin is confessed and handled God’s way, He will forgive that sin and restore the fallen saint.   If you have wandered far away from God, you need to know that you can come home today and find complete forgiveness and restoration!  There is an earthly price to pay for the sins we commit-("You reap what you sow"-Gal. 6:7.)   But, when God forgives, He forgives immediately, completely and eternally!