God is Our Safe Space | A Sermon on Psalm 142:5 & 1 Samuel 23-24

Introduction
VBS at Stark is July 13-17.  Kristin has been working diligently to get ready.  There will be crafts, Bible lessons, games, snack.  I heard a rumor the Bible character David will be our guest one day.  I’m excited about this opportunity to serve the kids and families of our community.  And I’m excited to see you pitching in to help with everything.  See Kristin Williams to find out how you can get involved.

As we are previewing the 5 lessons of Rainforest Falls VBS, the title for Day 3 is “God is Our Safe Place”.  The theme for the day is:  You can find comfort and peace.  The Memory verse for the lesson is Psalm 142:5

Psalm 142:5
Then I pray to you, O Lord.  I say, “You are my place of refuge.  You are all I really want in life.

David, Alone, Watching the Sheep
We touched on the life of David from the Bible last week.  God Saw David as a young boy watching the sheep alone; his family overlooked him and took him for granted.  God never takes us for granted.  God knows everything and that He sees our heart, even when no one else does.   

Today, we zoom in on a time in David’s life when he was a fugitive, running for his life while King Saul tried to kill him.  

Now, David had been faithful to King Saul and served him well.  David was an honest man and a valiant warrior fighting the enemies of King Saul and Israel.  But Saul was jealous.  Saul was not following God and he knew God favored David.  Saul grew paranoid and felt threatened by David’s popularity, even though David was faithful.  So, Saul tried to kill David.

David fled into the wilderness of Judah, the rugged desert region east and south of Hebron overlooking the Dead Sea.  I have been to Israel, to the place where David hid from Saul. 

The Wilderness of Judea
To the left is a picture from 2008 when I traveled to Israel and we made a stop in the Judean wilderness.  As you can see, it is a desolate place with crags and crevasses, cliffs and caves.  It isn’t a very hospitable, but it’s a great place to hide out.
This particular place is overlooks “The Valley of the Shadow of Death”.  It is thought to be the inspiration for David’s famous words in Psalm 23. 
Can you imagine David hiding out here while Saul and his army hunt for him, trying to kill him?  And David prays, “Yeah though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me…” 

It would be one thing for David to be all alone, hiding from Saul in the wilderness.  But since King Saul was an unjust ruler who was going mad with paranoia, there quickly grew up a large number of people fleeing from his tyrannical rule.  

And do you know where they often fled?  To David in the wilderness.  There were soon about 600 people who fled to David in the wilderness.   And though he didn’t ask for it, they looked to David for leadership.  So he didn’t just have to worry about his own safety, he was now responsible for there’s too.

I have reflected on something quite often as a husband and a father.  I’m a survivor.  I survived a lot in my life.  In my childhood, things were rough at home and we lived in rough neighborhoods, but I learned to survive.  And as I grew into adulthood, I always had confidence I coudl survive just about anything.  I can sleep in my care or on the floor, I can eat just about anything, I'm fit, and now how to adapt.  I can survive--even if life is tough.  

But as a husband and then later as a father, I'm charged with providing for my family, protecting them.  And I realized, it's a lot harder to survive when you have a family to take care of.  I can't expect my wife or kids to endure the hardships I would endure on my own.  So, I can survive, but how can I ensure my family survives?

And then as a pastor, I don’t just have to look out for my family, I also to look out for my flock.  These people are in my care and I need to protect them and help them.  Life get's a lot more complicated when it's not only yourself you need to look after.

And here is David, hiding out in the wilderness, but now he is also responsible for 600 people looking to him for leadership.  That's a heavy responsibility--something too big for David to carry all on his own.

So today, God’s reminder to me—to all of us—is a great comfort.  God is our safe place.  Repeatedly, the Scriptures remind us, “God is our refuge and strength…” (Ps 46:1).  “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." (Ps 18:2)  It is God who keeps us safe.  He is our fortress and shield.

1 Samuel 23:14 - "David now stayed in the strongholds of the wilderness and in the hill country of Ziph. Saul hunted him day after day, but God didn’t let Saul find him."

Saul and his army of 3,000 elite troops were hunting David and his small band of 600.  Saul was on one side of the mountain and David was on the other side.  And then Saul had to leave before he found David.  God is the one who kept Saul from finding David, because God is our refuge.

The Cave Story
Another time, Saul was chasing David in the wilderness and David and his men hid in a cave.

These caves weren't little holes in the rock. The caves around En Gedi were like natural underground rooms with twisting passages and hidden chambers. The entrances may have been small, but then they opened up into large chambers with high ceilings where many men could hide and feel safe.  David and his men were deep in the darkness while Saul unknowingly walked into the entrance unguarded. The cave that looked like David's hiding place became the place where God protected him.

David’s men urged David to take advantage of the situation and kill Saul, but David refused to kill Saul because Saul was still the king of Israel.  Instead, David snuck up and cut off a piece of Saul’s robe. 

After Saul left the cave and was a distance away, 1 Samuel 24:9-12 says, “David came out and shouted after him, “My lord the king!” And when Saul looked around, David bowed low before him. “Why do you listen to the people who say I am trying to harm you? This very day you can see with your own eyes it isn’t true. For the Lord placed you at my mercy back there in the cave. Some of my men told me to kill you, but I spared you. For I said, ‘I will never harm the king—he is the Lord’s anointed one.’ Look, my father, at what I have in my hand. It is a piece of the hem of your robe! I cut it off, but I didn’t kill you. This proves that I am not trying to harm you and that I have not sinned against you, even though you have been hunting for me to kill me.  May the Lord judge between us. Perhaps the Lord will punish you for what you are trying to do to me, but I will never harm you.”  And verse 15 – “May the Lord therefore judge which of us is right and punish the guilty one. He is my advocate, and he will rescue me from your power!”

David trusted God to be his advocate, keep him safe, to be a fair judge, and to punish the guilty. 

Who is Your Safe Place?
But what does all of this mean for us?  Most of us have never hidden in a cave while a king hunted us.  But all of us know what it's like to need a safe place.  Some of you are living in a wilderness right now.  
Maybe your wilderness is a doctor's office where you're waiting for test results.
Maybe it's a marriage that feels like it's falling apart.
Maybe it's grief after losing someone you love.
Maybe it's financial pressure that keeps you awake at night.
Maybe it's anxiety, depression, loneliness, or fear about the future.
Maybe you've been treated unfairly like David was. You've been lied about, overlooked, betrayed, or hurt by someone you trusted.
The details are different for each of us, but the feeling is the same.
You wonder, "Where can I go? Where can I find peace? Where will I be safe?"

Our first instinct is usually to run somewhere.
Some people run to money, hoping it will make them feel secure.
Some run to success or achievement.
Some run to entertainment or social media to escape reality for a while.
Some run to alcohol, drugs, pornography, or other addictions to numb the pain.
Some simply keep themselves so busy they never have to think about what's hurting inside.
But none of those places can truly protect us. They're only temporary hiding places.

David eventually learned something remarkable. His refuge wasn't really the cave.  The cave could collapse. Saul could have found the entrance and attacked.  The wilderness itself offered no guarantees.

David’s refuge was God.  That's why David could pray in Psalm 142:5, "You are my refuge. You are all I really want in life."  Notice he doesn't say, "The cave is my refuge" or "My six hundred men are my refuge."  He doesn't say, "One day when I'm king, then I'll finally be safe."

No—while he is still hiding, while Saul is still hunting him, while nothing about his circumstances has changed, David says, "Lord, You are my refuge."

That changes everything.  Because if God is your refuge, you can have peace before your problems are solved.  You can have hope before the diagnosis changes.  You can have courage before the relationship is restored.  You can sleep at night even when the future is uncertain.  Not because life is safe—but because God is.

Invitation
You can come to God as your refuge today.  You can trust God to be your advocate, your safe place, and a mighty warrior to fight for you.  And you don’t have to worry about your sin--even if you’ve done something awful.  Because Jesus already paid the penalty for all our sin.  So we can come to God with a clear conscious, knowing He loves us unconditionally, and welcomes us just as He welcomes His own son, Jesus.  

But each of us has to make a choice.  We must put our faith in Jesus and decide to follow Him as Lord.  Then we will be welcomed into God’s Kingdom—which starts in your life the moment you say yes to Jesus.  Won’t you say yes today?

Today, God is inviting you to run to Him.  If you've never trusted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, today is the day. Turn away from your sin. Place your faith in Jesus. Tell Him, "Lord, I trust You. I want to follow You."  The Bible says, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

Maybe you've already trusted Christ, but you've been running somewhere else for your security. Today, it's time to come home. Lay your burdens at His feet. Let Him be your refuge again.  Run to Jesus.   You'll discover that the safest place in all the world isn't a cave.   It's in the arms of your Savior.

The Division Between David and Saul

Introduction
It grieves God’s heart when there is disunity among His people.  His desire is that we would all be united in love and obedience to His Word.  But we also see in Scripture that God never sacrifices Truth for the sake of a false unity.  If there is to be unity, it must be a unity where people agree to worship and obey the Lord in Spirit and in Truth.  When obedience and Truth are at stake, God may be the very One who divides people.

Last week we saw how Abram and Lot went their separate ways.  Today, I want to study another division among God’s people in the Holy Bible—the division of David and Saul.

A little background.  Saul was the very first king anointed to rule God’s people in Israel.  The people wanted Saul to be their king because he looked like a king—he was tall, head and shoulders above everyone else.  Saul physic inspired people to follow him into battle to fight Israel’s enemies, but Saul’s heart was not right.  He was more concerned with what the people thought than what God really wanted.  He was always getting caught up in trying to please his constituents, even if it meant disobeying God.

And so, God rejected Saul and chose David to replace him.  David was an unlikely King.  He was the youngest of all his brothers who was always overlooked by his family.  David wasn’t as tall or physically imposing as Saul, but David was “a man after God’s own heart”.  David trusted God with his whole heart and always cared what God wanted more than what anyone else wanted.  David was the kind of man who would obey God even if no one else wanted to, even if it cost him.

So one day, God sent the prophet Samuel to call Saul out for his disobedience, and to tear the kingdom of Israel out of Saul’s hand in a dramatic display.  Saul had just won a battle against the Amalekites.  Saul won the battle but disobeyed a direct order from God afterwards.  Saul kept the spoils of the battle even though God had told him to destroy everything.  Saul’s army was greedy and thought it would be a shame to destroy all the loot they’d just plundered from their enemies.  Saul listened to his army instead of God.  God sent the prophet Samuel who called out Saul’s disobedience.

1 Samuel 15:24-25
²⁴ Then Saul admitted to Samuel, “Yes, I have sinned. I have disobeyed your instructions and the Lord’s command, for I was afraid of the people and did what they demanded. ²⁵ But now, please forgive my sin and come back with me so that I may worship the Lord.”

King Saul
God is patient and merciful—even in the Old Testament.  Unfortunately, this wasn’t the first time Saul disobeyed God.  Saul had already disobeyed God repeatedly.  This time was the last straw.  To make matters even worse, Saul is not really sorry for what he’s done.  He is still more concerned with what his people will think that what God thinks.  God is in the midst of calling Saul out for disobeying battle orders, and the most important concern in Saul’s mind is saving face in front of his army.  He want’s Sameul to join him in a public worship ceremony—probably something to honor Saul and his army for their victory over the Amalekites.  Saul is not taking his sin seriously and doesn’t even really care that he has already dishonored God by his disobedience.  To Saul, worshipping God is just a show.  He doesn’t even really care about God.  He only cares about public relations and his own position as king.

1 Samuel 15:26-29
²⁶ But Samuel replied, “I will not go back with you! Since you have rejected the Lord’s command, he has rejected you as king of Israel.”

²⁷ As Samuel turned to go, Saul tried to hold him back and tore the hem of his robe. ²⁸ And Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to someone else—one who is better than you. ²⁹ And he who is the Glory of Israel will not lie, nor will he change his mind, for he is not human that he should change his mind!”

1 Samuel 16:7
God tore the kingdom of Israel away from Saul, not just because Saul was disobedient, but because Saul’s heart was not right.  He cared more about pleasing people than pleasing God. 

And so in the next chapter, 1 Samuel 16, we find God sending the prophet to anoint David to be the new king of Israel.  David will be faithful to God.  He won’t always do the right thing.  He made some big mistakes of his own.  But the thing that was different about David is his number one concern was his relationship with God. 

God told the prophet Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

Align Your Heart with God’s
In this world, we will always be tempted to go along with the world’s values. 
We want to belong.  We want to fit in.  But the world is not right.  The world is corrupted by sin.
Part of the healing process for our soul is learning to trust in God more than our own selfish desires to fit in with a fallen world. 

Sometimes our call to keep our hearts aligned with God’s heart means turning away from a from people or groups in this world.  Even Jesus said in Luke 12:51-52, “Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I have come to divide people against each other! From now on families will be split apart, three in favor of me, and two against—or two in favor and three against.  Father will be divided against son and son against father; mother against daughter and daughter against mother; and mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.’”  Jesus' claim as absolute Lord of all forces people to choose sides.  Jesus doesn't want people to be divided, but inevitably some will receive Jesus as Lord and some will reject Him.  Their rejection divides them from those who accept Him. 

Has your heart been torn in two because someone you care about deeply has turned away from you because you disagree about one of your deeply held core values?  I know that hurts and breaks your heart.  But if your heart is right with God, you’ve done the right thing.

There are many hearts that are breaking in our current divides between the life of faith and the corrupt values of society.  Many of you may be facing these.  I know it’s hard.  I know it’s hard when a family member or a close friend says your religious beliefs are ignorant or outdated or hateful because you believe what the Bible teaches.

I think about so many churches in the United Methodist tradition right now.  Many churches across the state of Georgia are divided—some 70/30, some 60/40, some even 50/50—divided about whether the congregation should disaffiliate from the UMC.  In those churches, no one is going to be totally happy.  Many of those churches will end up being torn apart—whether they stay in the UMC or if they leave.

I don’t want that sort of thing to happen at Pleasant Grove.  And I don’t think it needs to because I think we are more united in our core values than most churches.  We have hearts that want more than anything to be aligned with God and His Word.  But even if we lose one family or one person through this transition, it will hurt.  Yet, we must be faithful to God.  And it is also very important that we strengthen the ties that bind us to other believers who share our values.  What are you doing  to help with that?

Let us be willing to give up any thing, but never let go of God!
Let us walk away from any relationship, but never walk out on God!
Let us be torn apart from any group, political party, denomination, faction,
      but never be torn apart from God!
Let us rend our hearts in sorrow at the loss of friends or family or church members,
      but let us always rejoice that we remain faithful and true to God and His Word.

For in the end, our relationship with God is the only thing that matters. 
It is the only thing that is eternal.  All these other things will soon melt away.

God Shelters Us In Difficult Times
But we can learn yet one more thing from the story of David and Saul.
As you can imagine, it wasn’t an easy life for David to be chosen as Saul’s replacement while Saul was still the King of Israel.  It was a dangerous life for David.
Saul grew more and more jealous of David and paranoid for his own position.
Saul went mad trying to hold onto power and a kingdom God had already torn away from him.
And Saul chased David around the countryside trying to kill him.
David had at least two chances to exact revenge and kill Saul,
but David refused to take matters into his own hands. 
David would let God work out how to finally take the kingdom from Saul and give it to David.
Through all David’s difficult years as a fugitive running for his life from Saul,
God took care of David. 
And so David could write God's sheltering protection in one of his most beautiful psalms:

Psalm 64:10 - The godly will rejoice in the Lord and find shelter in him.  And those who do what is right will praise him.

Close your eyes and consider:
In what ways has your faithfulness to God caused divisions in your life and relationships?
How can you seek shelter to protect you from pain and sorrow and even real harm?
Now imagine that God, our Heavenly Father, is with you right now, sheltering you in His loving arms.  He is pleased with Your faithfulness, despite your suffering.  And He will honor your loyalty.