Sermon Tone Analysis

February 28, 2012

By John Barnett

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As we open to I Samuel 16 think with me what David must have felt: So much has happened so fast.

First, “King for a day” in chapter 16 we met a young shepherd boy, minding his sheep when the greatest man in Israel comes and sits in his dad’s house waiting to meet him.

There in front of his family, David is anointed the next King of Israel.

Back to the sheep he goes, and off to the war go his brothers.

Then “Super Warrior” as we turn to I Samuel 17, and enter one of the greatest chapters of the Bible.

Most people have heard of this event.

David facing, fearlessly confronting, and miraculously defeating the biggest, strongest, and most feared warrior of the day is astonishing, and so encouraging.

The lessons flow from this chapter.

Then, David becomes almost overnight, in I Samuel 18-20, a “National Hero”.

In a short period of time he becomes a member of King Saul’s cabinet as a commander of the army.

Plus he gets to marry into the Royal Family, while still keeping his job as the most visible musician of the day.

Add to that the rage and death threats of a dark hearted Saul, and the picture becomes cloudy.

David sticks it out, faces abuse: both verbal, emotional, and physical.

Then the moment of truth comes.

Jonathan warns him that his worst nightmare is true.

The King of Israel wants to use the entire resource of the nation to hunt, track down, and to kill his own son-in-law, David.

David is an unemployed young man, facing a bleak and unknown future with nowhere to go, and on the run.

That is where I Samuel 20 ends.

*DAVID’S SHOCK AT HIS JOB LOSS*

If you’ve ever had to face sudden unemployment, you should be able to identify with how David felt as he was going through this very trying time.

David was always a hard worker.

Because he had been continuously employed since his earliest youth, David never had time to think about unemployment.

Either he was tending the sheep or acting as a courier to run provisions to his brothers at the front lines.

After defeating Goliath, King Saul hired him to work in various departments of the government.

Although David got to sit at Saul’s table as his son-in-law, he had to earn his wife, Michal, by meeting a quota of killing 100 Philistines.

However, as an “eager beaver” employee he went “the second mile” and killed 200.

Life sometimes throws us a curve.

David lived by King Saul: he worked for him, ate with him, sang and played the harp for him, and married his daughter.

All of his financial and family security was wrapped up in that job.

Then suddenly everything drastically changed.

Isn’t that always what happens?

Everything’s just rolling along, we’re up to our neck with an unbelievable workload, and then BOOM!—out of the blue we get notice our services are no longer needed.

When Saul threw a spear at David to kill him, that was the equivalent of today’s “pink slip.”

(Getting fired was more direct and blunt 3,000 years ago.)

Given that David had never felt the sting of a job loss, he was hard hit by the unexpected unemployment.

David’s job loss was a big surprise to everyone but God.

As David mulled over what had happened, he felt the immense pain of loneliness that usually accompanies the unanticipated loss of everything formerly relied upon.

But God was in control, and had allowed that unemployment for a refining purpose.

So everything changed for David except what was most important—his growing relationship with God.

Here’s a key point: habits you’re forming now will determine your response to God when you’re caught off guard by a new heartache.

If you’ve made a habit of turning to God in all circumstances, it will be natural to flee to Christ as your Refuge the moment trouble strikes.

Should you lose your job, or face a different trauma, remember this: everything will change except for one thing—God, and His great love for you!

David reverted to his “default system.”

If you work with computers, you know that occasionally a malfunction causes a changed setting to revert back to its default, or original setting.

When his unemployment malfunction occurred, David reverted back to his original settings, and that is reflected in the setting in I Samuel 21, a time David sang about:

*When Life Hurts*

As we open to I Samuel 21, we are opening to a man on the run, out of work, and literally not even sure where his next meal will come from.

We could say that David is in the midst of great family troubles, he is separated from his wife, he has lost his job, bid farewell to his best friend, and knows that there is a warrant out for his arrest with a shoot-to-kill all points bulletin against him for a crime he never came close to committing.

I Samuel 21:1-15 /"Now David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest.

And Ahimelech was afraid when he met David, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one is with you?” 2 So David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has ordered me on some business, and said to me, ‘Do not let anyone know anything about the business on which I send you, or what I have commanded you.’

And I have directed my young men to such and such a place.

3 Now therefore, what have you on hand?

Give me five loaves of bread in my hand, or whatever can be found.”

4 And the priest answered David and said, “There is no common bread on hand; but there is holy bread, if the young men have at least kept themselves from women.” 5 Then David answered the priest, and said to him, “Truly, women have been kept from us about three days since I came out.

And the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in effect common, even though it was consecrated in the vessel this day.”

6 So the priest gave him holy bread; for there was no bread there but the showbread which had been taken from before the LORD, in order to put hot bread in its place on the day when it was taken away.

7 Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the LORD.

And his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chief of the herdsmen who belonged to Saul. 8 And David said to Ahimelech, “Is there not here on hand a spear or a sword?

For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s business required haste.”

9 So the priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, there it is, wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod.

If you will take that, take it.

For there is no other except that one here.”

And David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.” 10 Then David arose and fled that day from before Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.

11 And the servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David the king of the land?

Did they not sing of him to one another in dances, saying: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands’?” 12 Now David took these words to heart, and was very much afraid of Achish the king of Gath.

13 So he changed his behavior before them, pretended madness in their hands, scratched on the doors of the gate, and let his saliva fall down on his beard.

14 Then Achish said to his servants, “Look, you see the man is insane.

Why have you brought him to me? 15 Have I need of madmen, that you have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence?

Shall this fellow come into my house?”/

This chapter opens with David following:

*The Habits of His Youth*

Habits are what we cultivate to such a point they become automatic in our lives.

It was automatic for David to seek the Lord.

So where does he head in his darkest hour but to the place that God was most associated with, the Tabernacle where the Glorious Presence of the Lord dwelt.

But, when David arrived in Nob, Ahimelech was afraid of him and wanted to know what he was doing there.

Probably fearing that the priest would tell Saul about his visit, David is less than forthright by claiming to be on a secret mission for the king.

He then requested bread to eat, but nothing was available except consecrated bread, which is what the priest gave him.

Having fled so quickly, David also needed a weapon and thus asked for any sword or spear on hand.

Look at verse 9 to see what was in Nob!

So the priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, there it is, wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod.

If you will take that, take it.

For there is no other except that one here.”

And David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.”

The sword of Goliath, won by David in I Samuel 17 is stored here in God’s tent.

How did Goliath’s sword get into the tent of God in the first place?

Way back in Psalms 8, 19, and 23, we saw how David had decided that in everything he would seek to please God.

He never compartmentalized his life by including the Lord in some areas, but not in others.

And that was true when he slew Goliath and got to keep the giant’s sword—a very special trophy.

The Philistines, experts in iron, had made a one-of-a-kind sword for their most seasoned and honored warrior!

But the special lesson here is all about:

*Treasure Keeping*

So then, how did the sword get into the tent of God? David told the Lord, “You are my King.

You lead me in victory.

I didn’t defeat Goliath—You did.

I don’t deserve the credit for this—You do.

This sword is like no other; I’m leaving my greatest treasure with You, here in Nob, in Your tent God, because I want to please You with my life.”

How can you go wrong with an attitude like that?