Part 16 (1/2)

The above train of thought introduces us to the circu of the Philistines--circurace and mercy

”And David said _in his heart_, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul; there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines” This was David's second visit to the land of the Philistines In chapter xxi we read, ”And David arose and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath” Here we find David really taking hi himself into the hands of Achish He leaves the place of dependence, and goes into the very midst of the enemies of God and of Israel And, be it remarked, he has in his hand the very sword of the Philistine champion Nor is it to act in his true character as the servant of God; this would have been happy indeed; but no; he goes to act the madman, in the presence of those before whom he had so recently acted as the champion of Israel ”The servants of Achish said unto hi one to another of hi, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?” The Philistines recognized David's true character as ”king of the land”--the slayer of ten thousands; they iined that he could not possibly act otherwise than as their enemy Little were they able to enter into the e of his history; little did they think that the slayer of Goliath had fled to them for protection from the hand of Saul The world cannot understand the vicissitudes of the life of faith Who that had seen David in the valley of Elah could ever suppose that he would so soon fear to avoith boldness the results of that faith hich God had endowed hiht that with Goliath's sword in his hand he could tremble to avow himself the victor of Goliath? Yet so it was

”David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish, the king of Gath And he changed his behavior before thened hiate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard” Thus must it ever be when a saint deserts the path of siershi+p in the world The ”behavior” ed,” the real character abandoned, and instead thereof a course is adopted which is marked by positive deceit before God and folly before the world This is nity--the dignity which flows from the consciousness of the presence of God But the one, and the man of faith is despised as a ”madman” When David ”said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul,” he forsook the only path of real power Had he continued as a hoh the mountains, he would never have presented such a melancholy picture in the view of the servants of Achish--he would never have been pronounced a madman Achish would not have dared to call David by such a name in the valley of Elah! No, nor in the cave of Adullam; but, alas, David had put hier, and therefore he should either suffer for his past faithfulness, or give all up, and pretend to be a fool in their eyes They rightly judged hi of the land, but he, afraid of the consequences of shi+p, and beca of this same evil in the walk of Christians! How frequently y of the Spirit of God, has attained a very high position in the thoughts, not only of his brethren, but even of the children of this world, and yet, when such an one gets out of communion, he is really afraid to maintain his position; and, at the veryand unqualified testies his behavior, and instead of being esteemed and reverenced, he is actually despised We should ainst this; it can only be effectually avoided by walking in the full and blessed consciousness of God's sufficiency So long as we feel that God is sufficient for _all_ our need, we are entirely independent of the world; if it be not thus with us, we shall just compromise the truth of God, and deny our real character as heavenly men

How completely must David have lost the sense of God's sufficiency when he could say, ”There is _nothing better_ for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines” Nothing better for a e!

Strange confession! The confession of one who had allowed circumstances to come between his soul and God When we slip off the narrow path of faith, we are liable to run into the wildest extre canat God and one looking at circumstances, than David in the valley of Elah and David scrabbling on the doors of the Philistine king The contrast is full of sole It is well calculated to teach us e are, and how little the best of us can be depended upon Ah! , stu creatures; prone, at every turn in our path, to wander into error and evil--prone to forsake the Rock of Ages, and lean upon the broken reeds of the world--prone to forsake the fountain of living waters, and hew out for ourselves broken cisterns that can hold no water Truly we have need, deep need, to walk humbly, watchfully, and prayerfully, before our God--deep need to utter David's own prayer, continually, ”Upholdunto Thy word, that I may live; and let me not be ashamed of my hope Hold Thou me up, and I shall be safe; and I will have respect unto Thy statutes continually” We need to have our feet h and slippery places through which our path lies

Nothing short of grace divine can enable us to pursue a course of steady devotedness: for, if left to ourselves, there is no extreme of evil into which we may not run They alone are safe whom God keeps in the hollow of His hand Truly happy is it for us to have to do with one who is able to bear with us in all our ardness, and able also to restore and revive our souls when faint and withering under the influence of the atmosphere of evil around us God forbid that we shouldportion of David's history, save to apply it to our own hearts before God, and use it as a h it may be said that there is a wide difference between the standing and privileges of David and those of the Church of God now, yet, in every age and dispensation, nature is the sa our own souls if we fail to learn a wholesoh up in the school of Christ as David Dispensations differ, no doubt, in their great leading features; but there is a wonderful analogy in God's principles of discipline at all ti of His people differ as itDavid, in his further sojourn in the land of the Philistines, we only find fresh cause of hu, where he sojourns for sixteen h free from all fear with respect to Saul, he was at a distance from God and froet out of a place of trial; but then we get out of a place of blessing also It would have been much happier for David to have remained in a position which left him exposed to Saul, while, at the same time, he enjoyed the protection of the God of Israel, than to seek safety fro of Gath However, when the pressure of trial is upon us, the thought of relief is sweet, and we are in danger of seeking relief in our oay The eneypt for Abraha for David; and now he has the world, in all its varied forms, for us ”And truly, if they had been ht have had opportunity to have returned” It is the opportunity to return that proves the genuine fixedness of purpose to go forward The Lord leaves His people free, in order that they may ”declare _plainly_ that they seek a country”

This is what glorifies God It would avail nothing if ere to be coo frorace, we voluntarily abandon the things of earth to seek those things which are above, this is to the glory of God, because it deive is far more attractive than this present world[19]

[19] ”_He led theo_ to a city of habitation” (Psa cvii 7) Grace not only leads forth froo to Canaan

David, however, accepted Ziklag, and instead of reer in the cave of Adullam, he becomes a citizen in the land of the Philistines Nor does he now act the madman, as before: no; he now acts the part of a positive deceiver He wages war on the Geshurites and Gezrites, and tells a lie about it, lest he should again lose his self-chosen place of protection Yea, so far does he proceed in his unhappy course, that when Achish proposes to him to act as ally to the Philistines, his answer is, ”Surely thou shalt knohat thy servant can do And Achish said to David, Therefore will I athered together all their armies to Aphek; and the Israelites pitched by a fountain which is in Jezreel And the lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds and by thousands; _but David and his men passed on in the rearith Achish_” Here, then, we have a strange ano of Israel about to be made keeper of the head of a Philistine, and about to draw the sword against the ar like this? The slayer of Goliath, servant to a Philistine! Who could have looked for such a thing? Truly difficult is it for us to determine where all this would have ended, had David been left to the full results of his false position But this could not be

God was graciously watching His poor wanderer, and had rich andlessons and painful exercises of soul

The very lords of the Philistines were the instrue position They, judging from his past ways, could not be induced to trust him as an ally ”Is not this David, and how can we confide in him?” A Philistine could never rely upon a Hebrew for co-operation against Hebrews In a word, the men of this world can never place full confidence in one who has once been decided for the truth of God A saint who has got out of coreat length, will never be regarded or confided in as one of themselves; he will be suspected, just as David was by the Philistines ”Make this fellow return, that he ain to his place which thou hast appointed hio doith us to battle, lest in the battle he be an adversary to us” They could give hist them, but when it became a question of war between thee him And they ise; for let David _assuht else save an enen_ hiht _pretend_ to make war upon the south of Judah; but when matters came to a positive issue, David could only act consistently with his true character, as the slayer of ten thousands of Philistines The fact is, from first to last David was misunderstood; the Philistines did not knohat it was that had sent him into their midst There was far ht that he desired to be reconciled to histhat they had before them one as so soon to lay his hand upon the sceptre of Israel, and to ht of his power

However, the Lord would not allow David to appear in the field against Israel He sent hiht deal with him in secret about his course ”So David and his , to return into the land of the Philistines And it ca, on the third day, that the A, and s, and burned it with fire; and had taken the woreat or small, but carried them away, and went on their way”

David is here ht to Achish for help in the day of his need He had taken up his position ast the uncircumcised, and must, therefore, be st the mountains of Judah, he would have escaped all this sorrow; his God would have been a wall of fire round about hi to escape Saul; and then, as it were, at the veryon Mount Gilboa, David eeping over the ruins of Ziklag Surely it was not thus we should have expected to find David ”Then David and the people that ith him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no reatly distressed, for the people spake of stoning hi with His dear child, not to crush hiht sense of the course he had been pursuing ast the Philistines Surely when David beheld the s, and felt himself deprived of his wives, children, and all, he had a practical lesson as to the evil and sorrow of taking anything from the world We can hardly picture to ourselves a condition more painful than that in which David found hi He had been, for a year and foura course which must have left him with an uneasy conscience toward God; he was cast off by those on whose protection he had thrown hie was burned; his wives and property were gone; and lastly, his cos, were threatening to stone him

Thus was David sunk to the very lowest ebb, in every point of view; all creature-streaht effectually ply his fiery darts at such a ht work, andthe place of dependence; his flight to Achish; his change of behavior; his acting the ainst Israel, as the servant of the Philistines: all these things uish of soul But David was aall, _he knew the Lord_, and His ”boundless stores of grace” This was his joy and coly dark moment of his career Had he not been able to roll his heavy burden over upon infinite grace, he iven up in utter despair He had never before been so tested He had iant of Gath in the valley of Elah; but he had neverarray of circumstances before Yet God was sufficient, and David knew this Hence we read, ”_David encouraged himself in the Lord his God_”

Happy, well-founded encouragement! Happy the soul that knows it! Happy he who could rise from the very deepest depths of hu resources! Faith knows God to be fully equal to all human need, human weakness, human failure, human sin God is above all, beyond all, beneath all; and the heart that apprehends Him is lifted above all the trials and difficulties of the way

There is no condition in which the Christian can find himself in which he may not count upon God Is he crushed beneath the pressure of trial fro God's os Is the heart oppressed by the burden of personal infirmity?--truly a heavy burden! Let his of Divine compassion and mercy Is the soul filled with horror, by the sense of sin and guilt? Let hirace of God, and the infinitely-precious blood of Christ In a word, whatever be the burden, the trial, the sorrow, or the need, God is more than equal to all, and it is the province of faith to use Hied hi around was dark and depressing My reader, may we know the true blessedness of this To have to do with God is rest to the soul, and happiness and power To disentangle our hearts fros which surround us, and rise upward into the holy calmness of the Divine presence, imparts comfort and consolation beyond what one can utter Satan's object is ever to hinder this He would fain lead us to s the boundary of our soul's horizon; he would seek to surround us with a thick, dark, inize our Father's countenance, and our Father's hand in our circuets upward to God; it looks not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are unseen: it endures, as seeing Him who is invisible; it can say to God,

”In darkest shades, if Thou appear, My dawning is begun; Thou artsun”

Truly David's return to Ziklag was a dark hour--one of his darkest; yet God appeared, and his dawning began God appeared for his relief and restoration; He graciously reht froo free Such is the manner of God He permits His children to taste the bitter fruit of their oays, in order that they may return to Hiracious and holy presence Ziklag may shelter for a time, but it will perish; and even while it lasts, ood conscience toward God, and toward His people A heavy price, surely, for a temporary relief from pressure! How much better to endure the pressure for a tiether for good to them that love Him” The death of the Philistine cha; the cave of Adullaood The Lord , inasilance of spirit, and a closer ith Him

If our stumbles teach us to lean more implicitly upon God, we shall still thank Him, however much weas David's Ziklag experience must have been to hiht hirace and faithfulness; it enabled hiht down to the very bottos, he could find God there in all the fulness of His grace

This was a valuable lesson, and it will be our place to learn from it also Are we able to lean on the Lord a to our souls? Can we encourage ourselves in Hiainst us? Is His name dear to us in this day of faithlessness and cold formality? Are we prepared to pursue the rest of our course through the desert in solitariness and desertion, if such should be needful?

It , in any way, to the children of this world; but are we prepared to lose the approval and confidence of our brethren? David's co him; but the Lord was e_;” do we know the power and corant that wethis chapter, I would call the reader's attention to the instructive scene between David and the young man as servant to the Aard it as a positive type; but we are certainly warranted in looking at it as a very striking illustration An illustration of what? Let us see

In order to appreciate the teaching of the Spirit in this scripture (chap xxx 11-16) we ypt and A of the latter day, ”In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with assyria, even a blessing in the , Blessed be Egypt My people, and assyria the work of My hands, and Israel Mine inheritance” Amalek, on the contrary, is thus spoken of, ”The Lord hath sworn that the Lord will have ith Ayptian, therefore, and an Amalekite stood in a very different relationshi+p to Israel

Now this young yptian, servant to an Amalekite, and his master left him because he had fallen sick This was the treatment he had received from his Amalekite master; he had abandoned hier able to be of service to him But his very ruin and wretchedness threw him upon the sympathies of David, who refreshed him and revived his spirit He found him faint and weak fro restored his spirit he inquired, ”Canst thou bring me down to this company?” He here puts in his claim upon the service and devotedness of one ed hih fully restored, was unable to act with David until possessed of the full assurance of _life_ and _liberty_ ”Swear unto me by God,” said he, ”that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliveryou down to this company” He could not serve David until fully assured of deliverance fro as an illustration of the apostle's teaching in Romans vi The believer needs to know his entire emancipation from the dominion of his old master, the flesh, before ever he can, with confidence, apply himself to the service of Christ We have felt the bitterness of serving the flesh; as the apostle says, ”What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashas is death” It is impossible to walk in peace and liberty of heart until we knohere death and resurrection have placed us

Until we know and believe that sin has no dominion over us, we must, of necessity, be occupied about ourselves, for we shall be constantly discovering the working of indwelling corruption, and thus be filled with apprehension of being delivered over into the hands of our former oppressor We may be very clear as to the theory of justification by faith; we may understand what it is to rest in the accomplished work of Christ in reference to sins that are past, and yet be so troubled about indwelling sin as to be quite hindered in our service to Christ and His Church The gospel of the grace of God, when entered into in its divine fulness, sets the soul at rest, not only as to the past, but also the present and the future The Lord forgives ALL our sins, not _soive sins, but also delivers from the power of sin, as we read in Romans vi,--”Sin shall not have dorace” This is a truly precious truth for those who are daily harassed with the seeds of evil within Though sin _dwells_, it shall not _reign_ And how is this deliverance accomplished! By death and resurrection ”He that has died is justified from sin” (R V) What claim has sin upon a dead man? None! Well, then, God looks upon the believer as dead--dead with Christ, and risen again; and his power to deny the working of sin consists in his reckoning himself to be what God tells hi ainst the Amalekites, so the word of Christ banishes fear and hesitation froh the Spirit, to act against his former master--the flesh Grace assures us that all our interests, for time and eternity, have been most fully provided for in the death and resurrection of Christ, and gives us to see that our only business now is to live to the praise of Hiain

”Shall we continue in sin?” Could the young ain to his Amalekite master? Impossible What fruit had he from his former service? Ruin and desertion And what fruit had we?