David in the School of Loneliness

Text: then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest; and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee? I Samuel 21:1

Introduction:

David was fleeing from King Saul. He escaped from his house and met Samuel, where the prophets were prophesying. Three groups of soldiers sent by Saul to catch David came and ended up prophesying, followed by the King himself, who also prophesied. David continued his flight to a city of priests, Nob, to see the priest Ahimelech. The priest was suspicious that David, the son-in-law of the king, was basically alone. David lied and said that he was on an errand for the king which required haste. He asked for food and a weapon. Ahimelech gave him the shewbread from the temple, and the sword of Goliath, which had been left at Nob.

David, learn to think!

We need to remember that the events that occur in the life of a believer pass through the hands of God. He permits trials to teach us lessons. David’s faith had deteriorated and he really did not think clearly. When he faced Goliath in I Samuel 17:45, we read: Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield; but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. 46 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 fowls of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47. And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with the sword and the spear, for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands.

When David faced Goliath, he trusted the Lord and used a sling and stone. The sword of Goliath was not able to save the giant; in fact, David used that very sword to chop off the head of Goliath. Now David lies to the priest. He does not ask the priest for advice, but simply for food and a weapon. And he leaves armed with the sword which could not save his initial owner.? David needs to remember that salvation is of the Lord and to depend on him. God allowed him to be alone with really the Lord as the one to support him, not a man-made weapon.

The secret of true strength:

When the apostle Paul once prayed to the Lord for relief from an affliction three times, the Lord denied his request. II Corinthians 12:7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. 8. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice that it might depart from me. 9. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

Many of the great men mightily used of God were placed also in the school of loneliness to teach them of the adequacy of God. Joseph spent 13 years in prison, Moses spent 40 years on the backside of the desert, and Daniel spent time alone in the lion’s den. We need to learn that we are not adequate, even with the weapons of this world, but that the Lord is always adequate.

David needed to learn that he was never alone:

This lesson began with David’s flight from Saul. But David spent most of a decade running from Saul. David learned that the Lord was always with him. He learned this lesson through his mistakes as well as his great victories. Twice God placed Saul in David’s hands and David did not take revenge – great victories spiritually which stood him in good stead when he finally turned King at age 30.

We too need to learn the same lesson. The Lord may isolate us from the help of man to force us to depend on Him, and for us to see that He is totally dependable. He is adequate. This is a great step forward in our becoming like the Lord Jesus. If anyone could depend on his own resources, it would be the God-man Jesus. Yet on earth, he was always submissive to God His Father.? God’s goal for us is to be like Him. Let us learn this lesson.