And David said in his heart,
I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul.
1 Samuel 27:1
"To doubt the loving kindness of God is thought by some to be a very small sin; in fact, some have even exalted the doubts and fears of God’s people into fruits and grace, and evidences of great advancement in experience. It is humiliating to observe that certain ministers have pampered and petted men in unbelief and distrust of God.
Unbelief is akin to Atheism. Atheism denies God’s existence— unbelief denies his goodness, and since goodness is essential to God, these doubts do, in reality, stab at his very being.
I. First, THE THOUGHT OF DAVID’S HEART WAS FALSE. He said, “I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul.”
On no one occasion had the Lord deserted his servant; he had been placed in perilous positions very often, but not one single instance had occurred in which God’s strength was not sufficient for him....what David said in his heart was not only without evidence, but it was contrary to evidence. What reason had he to believe that God would leave him?.... this exclamation of David was contrary to God’s promises. Samuel had poured the anointing oil on David’s head— God’s earnest and
II. But I must now, while my strength shall hold out, proceed to the second part of the discourse, namely, HOW WAS IT THAT DAVID CAME TO THINK THUS OF HIS GOD?
....you must consider that David had been exposed to a very long trial;... It seems to us that David had restrained prayer. In every other action of David you find some hint that he asked counsel of the Lord....Having restrained prayer he forgot his God, he looked only at his enemy....Restrain prayer! I say unto thee this day, if thou wilt neglect thy closet, all the troubles thou hast ever had shall be as nothing compared with what will yet come upon thee....
III. But I must hasten on, for my failing voice tells me I must soon conclude; but not until we have discharged, briefly, the third point: WHAT WERE THE ILL-EFFECTS OF DAVID S UNBELIEF?
We do grow; we do learn, the Lord being with us; but if we are left, we are no stronger after we have been established in the faith, than we were before. I say again, if we were left at any moment, no matter who we may be, sin would soon be our pursuit, and iniquity our companion....for the beginning of sin is like the letting out of water, and we go from bad to worse....he went over to the Lord’s enemies. Would you have believed it – he that killed Goliath sought a refuge in Goliath’s land; he who smote the Philistines trusts in the Philistines; nay, more, he who was Israel’s champion, becomes the chamberlain to Achish....The last effect of David’s sin — was this: it brought him into great trial.....Blessed afflictions, that drive him back to where he ought to have been all the time!"
Charles Spurgeon
