David’s mistakes

1 Samuel 25, 29, 30

Introduction

Last time we saw how David acted under pressure – how he sought God’s will, waited for God’s intervention, and acted honourably. But this week we see a very different David. After all the triumphs, David fell back spiritually and made grievous mistakes. We are going to look at two of these, and see how God extricated his servant from them.

Neither in Bible times nor in our own lives today is there even progress. We are pulled up short when we think all is well with us. When we acknowledge our weaknesses, it is good to realize God has not given up on us, and is still working in our interests to bring us back to Himself. When we have failed, we need not despair, but must try to learn what God is teaching us through them.

The episode of Nabal and Abigail

According to 1 Samuel 25, David and his men were the unofficial protectors of wealthy farmers’ sheep because of constant Philistine raiding. One of the beneficiaries was Nabal. His shepherds were grateful to David, for he had been “as a well” to them. Now David was hungry, and he asked for food from the wealthy sheep owner, via ten young men. Nabal was an ignorant, boorish, ill-mannered lout, and questioned who this David was, and refused David food and water.

Nabal’s rudeness and ingratitude were so apparent. One of the servants remarked to Nabal’s wife, Our master is such a son of Belial that a man cannot speak to him (1 Samuel 25:17). Although normally David was self-controlled and waited for the Lord, on this occasion he was impetuous and hasty. He forgot himself, and was indignant about Nabal’s attitude, a man who owed David so much. David’s 400 men buckled on their swords and set out to settle their scores, while another 200 looked after their possessions.

Just in time, the wife of Nabal intervenes. Abigail was very different from her husband. She was attractive and intelligent, and had a totally different attitude. Maybe she had been the victim of the oriental custom of arranged marriages, for she seems to be so different from Nabal. She set out to meet David, with generous gifts of food. She showed him utter respect, and confessed her husband’s wrongdoing. She expressed admiration for David’s ability as a soldier, and her certainty that one day he and his house would be established in greatness, and David would be a great king. Abigail pleaded with him not to take vengeance in the way Saul did, nor stain his record in a way that would haunt him in the future. Many innocent people would have suffered in this vengeance, and it would be the better course to let God deal with Nabal.

So in the nick of time, David is prevented from sinking to the level of Saul, who had massacred innocent people at Nob. David came to his senses and left Nabal to the judgement of God. Blessed be thou, which has kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with my own hand (1 Samuel 25:33). Soon after, Nabal died, and David married Abigail. Blessed be the Lord, that hath pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal (1 Samuel 25:39). Vengeance was God’s concern, not his.

So God used this woman to stay David’s hand when he forgot himself and his own standards when thirsting for revenge and consumed with passion for getting his own back. She saved him from a crime that would have cast a shadow over future years.

The episode of David with the Philistines

Now the second incident where David made another mistake and in which God graciously interposed to save him from further folly. If he acted in the Nabal incident out of passion, in the incident with the Philistines he acted out of panic.

Though Saul pretended to be friendly after David had spared his life, David wisely did not trust him. So he sought for refuge with Israel’s enemies, the Philistines under King Achish. On previous occasions, David had enquired of the Lord, but on this occasion he did not. He did the first thing which came into his head – and settled among the enemies of God’s people. He was welcomed by the Philistine King Achish, and in the end this turned out to be a terrible mistake.

All seemed well for a while. David told the Philistines he was raiding Israelite towns, but in fact he was raiding the towns of Israelite enemies who were in league with the Philistines. He massacred every man, woman and child to make sure the Philistines never got to hear of it. So he was living a lie and deceit before the Philistines. Then worse was to come. The Philistines mustered an army to fight Israel. This was a real dilemma for David – whether to fight on the side of the Philistines or his own people.

What was David to do? The folly of going over to the Philistines without guidance was plain. Mercifully, God intervened. Some of the senior Philistine officers decided they did not want David fighting with them in case he turned his coat in the middle of battle and went on Israel’s side.

David went back to Ziklag, a Judean town, to discover it had been destroyed and burnt down by the Amalekites, and the women and children had been taken away. David’s men, whose wives and children had been captured, blamed David, and plotted to overthrow and murder him. David’s fortunes had reached an all time low. He realized fully now where his step in going over to live with the Philistines, and exposing his own people to the Amalekites, had led him.

Now at the very limit, David turned to God. David encouraged himself in the Lord his God… And David enquired at the Lord… (1 Samuel 30:6,8). Eventually he rescued the women and children who had been taken captive. Again, God acted through the Philistine commanders. They thought they were executing a piece of ordinary policy but in fact they were the shears by which God was cutting the meshes of David’s net. Eventually David got back to God.

Lessons to be learned

We need to avoid the mistakes of David. Firstly his impetuous hasty outburst of passion, seeking for revenge. The very thing he had earlier avoided, he now fell prey to. If God had not intervened, David would have sunk to the level of Saul. Also need to remember not to be panicked into taking actions because of circumstances or pressure from friends, instead of calmly seeking God’s will. David so eloquently in his Psalms urges us to wait on the Lord – but it was something that on occasions he found difficult to put into practice.

Realize that throughout times of relapse, God has not given us up or washed his hands of us. The loving mercy of God still hovers over us. Even when we are faithless, He remains faithful. He cannot deny Himself. He restoreth my soul; He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake (Psalm 23:3). Recognise His restraining hand and chastening hand. The plea of Abigail, and the decision of the Philistine commanders, was the hand of God in action. Sometimes God uses a mother’s look, a wife’s restraining hand, or a child’s pitiful look, to speak to us and restrain our hasty actions. Association with warm-hearted Christian friends keeps us from sin. God can use physical infirmities and sickness, remarkable providences, the voice of conscience, a timely sermon, a verse from Scripture.

Perhaps we are in that position at this very moment. If we find ourselves in a trying position of our own making, it is probably a mistake, and we are out of God’s will. If we feel someone is exercising a restraining hand on us at the time, and we are not sure what to do next – confess, and put away that sin that is coming between us and the Lord. Hope in God. Strengthen and encourage ourselves in God, as David did. Seek His guidance and direction. We may feel as if we have spoiled things for ever, but in Him is our help.

Conclusion

The moment David went back to God, he was his old strong, glad, noble self again. He returned to knowing the sunshine of God’s favour on his life again. He broke free from Doubting Castle and Giant Despair (c.f. John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress). He reached again the path of obedience and safety. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings (Psalm 40:2). There was a new song of praise in his mouth.

Let all backsliders give heed to the experience of David, and take comfort from the graciousness and mercy of God.