David: No one can take his place in Israel’s history. He’s their Abraham Lincoln and General MacArthur all rolled into one – a great warrior and a dynamic leader. But in the last days of Saul’s reign, he became known as something else: A Philistine! What led David to do this? What were the results? What should we learn?

David’s Road to Philistia (27:1-28:2)
· David finds relief from Saul in Gath (27:1-4)
· King Achish gives David Ziklag (27:5-7)
· David gains riches through raids (27:8-12)
· Philistines enlist David to fight Israel (28:1-2)

David’s Road Back to God (29-30)
· God turns the Philistine commanders against David (29:1-5)
· Achish dismisses David from the fight (29:6-11)
· David finds Ziklag destroyed and his family taken captive (30:1-5)
· David’s own men consider killing him! (30:6a)

David’s plans didn’t end like he expected! But he found strength in the Lord (6b), sought God’s will (7-8), rescued his family from their captors (9-20), and humbly shared the spoils of victory with all Israel (21-31).

Lessons For Life from David’s ‘Sojourn in Ziklag’
· You are never more susceptible to sin than after your greatest spiritual victory! Don’t take your eyes off the Lord!

· Taking the “easy way out” to avoid trials is the first step in pursuing the things of this world. Don’t ‘talk to yourself’ – talk to God!

· The road away from God’s will inevitably leads to fighting against God! Don’t expect good to come from evil!

· God will graciously provide our need when we turn from our own way and seek His will. Find strength in the Lord your God!

But David found strength in the Lord his God.. 1 Sam 30:6a

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