Turning points in David's life

Samuel please chapter 17 verse 4 and there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines named Goliath of Gath whose height was six cubits in a span verse 32 and David said to Saul let no man's heart fail because of him thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine for Samuel 17 verse 45 then said David to the Philistine now come as to me with a sword and with a spear and a shield but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts the God of the armies of Israel whom now has defied this day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand and I will smite thee and take thine head from thee and I will give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines this day unto the falls of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel and all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear for the battle is the Lord's and he will give you into our hands verse 49 and David put his hand in his bag and took that so stone and slang it and smoke the Philistine in his forehead that the stone sunk into his forehead and he fell upon his face to the earth chapter 18 and it came to pass when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David and Jonathan loved him as his own soul and Saul took him that is took David that day and would let him go no more home to his father's house verse 5 and David went out whithersoever Saul sent him and behaved himself wisely and Saul set him over the men of war and he was accepted in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul's servants and it came to pass as they came when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine that the women came out of all the cities of Israel singing and dancing to meet King Saul with tablets with joy with instruments and music and the women answered one another as they played and said Saul is slain as thousands and David is ten thousands this was a defining moment in David's life his victory over Goliath and I would like to look with you now at a few of these moments these turning points in David's life when if he had responded differently his life would have been different now I know life is made up of hours and days and weeks and certainly his value and consistency but there are defining moments in each of our lives critical moments that we need the Lord's help to simply do the right thing you know this turning point in David's life involved a giant and it would surprise me and this has already been alluded to if they're not a number here today and you're facing some kind of giant in your life and your response to this will be critical what was noteworthy in this turning point in David's life with this giant was was simply David's faith now it amazes me that you know I didn't read all chapter 17 I trust you're familiar with it that David's father sends him down to see how his brothers are doing and David hears and sees the giant defying the armies of Israel and and David basically says well I'll take him on now I think with many of us we would have said well I need to pray about this for six months the David had he heard back when he was with his father taking care of the sheep did he hear about what Goliath was doing we're not told but here this younger man what a response he was in touch with God and at this critical juncture of his life he was willing to trust the Lord and this victory over Goliath propelled David into King Saul's court and national prominence it was a turning point in his life why did David do it why did David take on the giant was it just to show off we can do things to show off you know in chapter 17 of verse 29 David says is there not a cause and again and again in chapter 17 we read about Goliath defying the armies of Israel it's like he's kicking sand in there in their face and really he's defying God himself and he was holding people God's people hostage I'll tell you giants in our lives can hold us hostage they can neutralize the power of God the power of the Living God there's still a cause today if we have the same attitude that David had in verse 46 of chapter 17 David said that all the earth may know that there's a God in Israel I think everyone that prayed last night in the prayer meeting prayed for the Anderson family I know young Colin and his parents on the hearts of so many now I wasn't able to check this up I just occurred to me last night and this morning but I believe one of Colin one of Amanda's prayer requests Colin's mother's prayer request was that and I can't quote it here but you know that God would be manifest that God would be made real to people through her son's deep trial that's what God that's what David was saying that all the earth may know that there's a God in Israel and so what did he say the battle is the Lord's brother sister I need to hear this every day my battles your battles against the Giants we all face the battle is the Lord's David was totally dependent upon the Lord for victory so are we so this is one turning point against David's giant and what's noteworthy is David's faith let's look at a second turning point in chapter 24 well chapter 22 chapter 22 verse 1 David therefore departed thence and escaped to the cave Adolam chapter 23 verse 14 and David abode in the wilderness and strongholds and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Zipf and Saul sought him every day but God delivered him not into his hand and David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life and David was in the wilderness of Zipf in a wood and Jonathan saw son arose and went to David into the wood and strengthened his hand in God and he said unto him Jonathan said to David fear not for the hand of Saul my father shall not find me and now shall be king over Israel and I shall be next unto thee and that also saw my father knows and they two made a covenant before the Lord and David abode in the wood and Jonathan went to his house in chapter 24 verse 1 we're in 1st Samuel and it came to pass when Saul was returned from following the Philistines that it was told him saying behold David is in the wilderness of and Getty then Saul took 3,000 chosen men out of all Israel and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats and he came to the sheep coats by the way where was a cave and Saul went in to cover his feet and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave and the men of David said unto him behold the day of which the Lord said unto thee behold I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee the David arose and he did differently what many would have done it says he cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privilege and it came to pass afterward that David's heart smote him because he had cut off Saul's skirt and he said unto his men the Lord forbid that I should do this thing unto my master the Lord's anointed to stretch forth mine hand against him seeing he is anointed of the Lord so David stayed or perhaps restrained his servants with these words and suffered them not to rise against Saul but Saul rose up out of the cave and went on his way now here's a turning point or defining time in David's life that involved opposition or persecution and in his case it was from Saul you see Saul's appreciation for David's victory over Goliath didn't last very long and his jealousy over David's popularity caused him to try to kill David and here we've been reading about David on the run Saul was against him you have people against you at work at school there's some persecution there's opposition and you just like to take matters into your own hands or is it even a Christian and you feel that maybe they're hindering you from being what God wants you to be doing what God wants you to do and so there's always a temptation to do an end run or take matters into your own hands listen what's noteworthy about David in this persecution this opposition went on for seven years or so was his submission to the will of God we just read one occurrence here where David's men said take him out here he is and they even said you know here's the Lord now he told you you're gonna be king now is your chance David wouldn't do it chapter 26 he puts it the Lord forbid that I should stretch forth mine hand against the Lord's anointing submission does that characterize you does it characterize me submission to the will of God even when there's opposition when people are against us you know David's submission cost him something we read about him being in the cave of Dullam and being out in the wilderness this just wasn't a week's vacation in a 30-foot trailer never go camping I don't know about you we've done a fair bit of camping I'm usually glad to get home after a while I mean if David had it taken matters into his own hands I mean naturally speaking maybe could have been in the palace no shortcuts with David and there's no shortcuts with God David was willing to leave his life and the fact that God had told Samuel to anoint him as King he was willing to leave it with the Lord remarkable response you know for some of us we think the end justifies the means you know what I mean by that there's a goal so it doesn't matter what I do to reach that goal as long as they reach the goal that's not the way David lived he realized God's work needs to be done God's way let me just mention this before I leave this point was likely very discouraging for David out in the middle of nowhere on the run but we read that Jonathan of all people the one who naturally speaking would have been the next King his submission he knew David was going to be the next King so he finds David when his father Saul couldn't and it says Jonathan strengthen David's hand in God he went out and encouraged David David in his rejection you know it's wonderful when a child of God is able to encourage another believer there are times when we need it and don't get it you know there may be a lot of things we can't do for the Lord but you know just a little word of encouragement sometimes can mean so much Jonathan understood what David was going through but look at chapter 30 please a turning point in David's life that involved calamity or distress 1st Samuel chapter 30 and it came to pass when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day that the Amalekites had invaded the south I'm still in 1st Samuel by the way and the Amalekites had invaded the south and Ziklag and smitten Ziklag and burned it with fire and had taken the women captives that were therein they slew not any either great or small but carried them away and went on their way so David and his men came to the city and behold it was burned with fire and their wives and their sons and their daughters were taken captives then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept until they had no more power to weep and David's two wives were taken captives Ahinoam the Jezreel itis and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite and David was greatly distressed for the people spake of stoning him because the soul of all the people was grieved every man for his sons and for his daughters but David encouraged himself and the Lord his God verse 8 and David inquired at the Lord's saying shall I pursue after this troop shall I overtake them and he answered him pursue for thou shalt surely overtake them and without fail recover all so David went he and the 600 men that were with him down to verse 18 and David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away and David rescued his two wives and there was nothing lacking to them neither small nor great neither sons nor daughters neither spoiled or anything that they had taken to them David recovered all now again this is familiar I trust to many David still on the run from Saul he's living over in Philistine territory in this town of Ziklag and whether he should have been there or not I'm not going to go into that right now but while David and his men were gone these Amalekites come and attack the town and they they burn it down and they take all the people including David and his men their wives and their children they take him prisoner and carry him away it's hard to imagine what it was like for David his men they come back and they see the smoldering ruins no house no family but not only that as bad as all this is David's men talked about stoning him you know God's people go through times of trial we've been hearing about it times of great distress it happens none of us like it but the critical thing is what's our response what do we do it says here that David was deeply distressed you know he could have given up on God could have said that's it here I am I'm trying to submit to the will of the Lord I haven't taken Saul out trying to do the right thing God you said you I'm to be king it isn't happening I'm done listen Satan would like nothing better for you brother sister to give up as well and say I'm done what did David do these remarkable words but David encouraged himself in the Lord is God Scott is this what you did you're talking about that this morning with God's word on that whiteboard you say well you know what did David do well I don't know but I wonder if he didn't remind himself of who God is you say where do you get that well you read the Psalms and so many of the Psalms David extols the greatness of God we need God's word we need to read it and realize his greatness perhaps David reminded himself of God's purposes or promise again God had Samuel annoyed David when he was still watching sheep that he was going to be the next king it was a promise and God gives us promises in his word but you know David could have reminded himself of what God had already done in his life how God helped him against the bear and the lion how God helped him against Goliath and you know these victories that the Lord helps us maybe in private when nobody's around they seem smaller thing they prepare us for the the larger conflicts don't they so what's noteworthy in this turning point in David's life at least it's a turning point as far as I could see when there's such calamity distress was David's dependence you know what's interesting when he was out in the wood Jonathan came and it says his strength in his hand and God but here when nobody else could help David's member gonna stone him what do we read David encouraged himself that's the same word he strengthened himself in the Lord but I want to look at one final defining moment in David's life that's of a much different nature 2nd Samuel chapter 11 now this defining moment this turning point involved temptation and what's noteworthy about this is David's failure 2nd Samuel chapter 11 and verse 2 and it came to pass in an evening tide that David arose from off his bed and walked upon the roof of the king's house and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself and the woman was very beautiful to look upon and David sent and inquired after the woman and one said is not this Bathsheba the daughter of Eliam the wife of Uriah the Hittite and David sent messengers and took and took her chapter 12 chapter 12 and the Lord said and the Lord sent Nathan unto David and he came unto him and said unto him verse 9 now the Lord is speaking through Nathan the prophet Nathan to David wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord to do evil in his sight thou has killed Uriah the Hittite with a sword and has taken his wife to be thy wife and has slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house because thou has despised me and taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife now here we don't see David's faith we don't see his submission we don't see his dependence the enemy now isn't Goliath it isn't Saul it's not the Amalekites who burned Ziklag it's right here his own heart his own flesh and let's not be too critical of David 1st Corinthians we read let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall you know we're not told the details of what was in Bathsheba's mind whether this was premeditated what she was doing whether it's an ulterior motive with her and we don't know if David had ulterior motives I mean had he been out there before but to put the best construction on it all if it was just he happened to see something would have been better for him not it not to see he should have shut the door right there but he opened the door he couldn't close we read that David sent and inquired after the woman now possibly maybe it was just an accidental he saw and brethren it happens all the time it's hard to live in this world that is so defiling even going out a checkout counter driving down the street in the summer billboards it's all over and it's often been said you know we can't stop sometimes that first bombardment it's the second look the third look the prolonged looked and we need the help of the Lord to shut the door you see against this enemy David suffered a great defeat because he didn't trust the Lord in this battle like he did with Goliath against Goliath he said the battle is the Lord's David's gonna do this all by himself with regard to Bathsheba it seems like the Lord was far from his mind and again let's remind ourselves he said these things are written for our learning God wants us to learn from David's example the the good things the positive but also his failure here David suffered a defeat here because he didn't submit to the Lord against this enemy I mean he was characterized by submission when Saul was after him but against this one he didn't submit he did his own thing and he didn't encourage himself in the Lord apparently like he did when Zikla was burned and his family was taken away you see David down went down a path he should never been on and you know sometimes we think well you know we can just start down it but at any moment we can just turn our backs on it we think you know Old Testament Joseph is a tremendous example of what David should have done David Joseph shut the door when Potiphar's wife made her attack he said I'm out of here you know it's very interesting that David himself wrote the opening verse there in Psalm 16 preserve me O God for in thee do I put my trust but it's only the Lord can preserve us we need we are so frail so weak let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall but thank God we have a great God who wants to preserve us may the cry of our heart be preserve me O God for in thee do I put my trust