Where Are You Seeking Refuge?
“Then David said in his heart, ‘Now I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of seeking me any longer within the borders of Israel, and I shall escape out of his hand.’” 1 Samuel 27:1
King David is a beloved spiritual hero in Scripture, celebrated for his great faith and exploits, such as defeating Goliath. God Himself described David as “a man after His own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14). Yet, the Bible doesn’t shy away from recording David’s lapses in faith, revealing the trustworthiness of God’s Word. The good, the bad, and the ugly of David’s life are laid bare for our inspiration, warning, and instruction. David’s own psalms, alongside accounts written by others, attest to this.
As Paul explains, “Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did… They were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.” 1 Corinthians 10:6, 11
While David’s faith shone in his victory over Goliath, his life also includes darker moments, such as his sin with Bathsheba and the subsequent murder of her husband to cover it up. An earlier, lesser-known period in David’s life, recorded in 1 Samuel 27, reveals a deeper struggle. During this time, David was not only fleeing from Saul but, in a sense, running from God. Seeking refuge among the Philistines, Israel’s enemies, he believed Saul would cease pursuing him. To maintain favor with the Philistine leader Achish, David engaged in secret raids against other pagan groups, plundering their resources and leaving no survivors, including women, to conceal his actions. These acts were arguably more grievous than his later sin with Bathsheba.
Why is this recorded? Not to glorify sin or violence, as some modern movies might, but to warn God’s people of the dangers of straying from Him. David, once a man after God’s heart, followed his discouraged heart in this season. Instead of speaking God’s truth to himself, as he did in Psalm 42:5—“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation”—David succumbed to fear and despair. He said in his heart, “Now I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape to the land of the Philistines” (1 Samuel 27:1).
Preacher Martyn Lloyd-Jones insightfully explained: “Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself?” David’s discouraged heart, shaped by fear rather than God’s promises, led him to actions that betrayed his calling.
Bible commentator David Guzik notes: “What we say in our heart has a tremendous power to shape our thinking, our actions, even our whole destiny.” Discouragement seeks escape and refuge, which can be good when we turn to God but disastrous when we seek refuge in worldly solutions, such as unhealthy relationships or destructive habits. David believed his escape to the Philistines would cause Saul to despair (1 Samuel 27:1), but Guzik observes: “Saul will not despair if David leaves the land of promise. Saul will not despair if David forsakes the people of God and joins the ungodly. It is David who is in despair, not Saul. Saul could never drive David to the Philistines. If Saul told David, ‘You must leave the people of God and go to live among the Philistines,’ David would never bow to it. But discouragement and despair are more powerful enemies than Saul. Discouragement and despair will drive David to do something that Saul could never make him do.” David’s greatest threat was not Saul but his own discouraged state, which led him to follow his feelings rather than God’s truth.
The modern adage to “follow your heart” or “do what makes you happy” can lead to ruin, as it did for David in this season. Yet, David’s story also reveals God’s boundless mercy. At his lowest point, when even his own men turned against him, David turned back to the Lord and found strength, mercy, and guidance (1 Samuel 30:6, 8). Theologian Matthew Poole powerfully put it: “But it pleased God to leave David to himself in this, as well as in other particulars, that those might be sensible demonstrations of the infirmities of the best men; and of the necessity of God’s grace, and daily direction and assistance; and of the freeness and riches of God’s mercy, in passing by such great offenses.”
David’s life teaches us the dangers of discouragement. As my mentor Daniel Henderson notes: “Discouragement is often a temporary lost of perspective.” When discouraged, resist making rash decisions. Feelings are poor leaders but excellent followers. Instead of listening to yourself, speak God’s truth into your life. Seek refuge in Him, trusting His past faithfulness and promises to renew your perspective. Your sin may be great, but God’s mercy is greater. Surround yourself with faithful friends who will weep with you and, with patience, truth, and love, help lift you up.
In the good, the bad, and the ugly, may our anthem be: “Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:25–26
King David is a beloved spiritual hero in Scripture, celebrated for his great faith and exploits, such as defeating Goliath. God Himself described David as “a man after His own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14). Yet, the Bible doesn’t shy away from recording David’s lapses in faith, revealing the trustworthiness of God’s Word. The good, the bad, and the ugly of David’s life are laid bare for our inspiration, warning, and instruction. David’s own psalms, alongside accounts written by others, attest to this.
As Paul explains, “Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did… They were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.” 1 Corinthians 10:6, 11
While David’s faith shone in his victory over Goliath, his life also includes darker moments, such as his sin with Bathsheba and the subsequent murder of her husband to cover it up. An earlier, lesser-known period in David’s life, recorded in 1 Samuel 27, reveals a deeper struggle. During this time, David was not only fleeing from Saul but, in a sense, running from God. Seeking refuge among the Philistines, Israel’s enemies, he believed Saul would cease pursuing him. To maintain favor with the Philistine leader Achish, David engaged in secret raids against other pagan groups, plundering their resources and leaving no survivors, including women, to conceal his actions. These acts were arguably more grievous than his later sin with Bathsheba.
Why is this recorded? Not to glorify sin or violence, as some modern movies might, but to warn God’s people of the dangers of straying from Him. David, once a man after God’s heart, followed his discouraged heart in this season. Instead of speaking God’s truth to himself, as he did in Psalm 42:5—“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation”—David succumbed to fear and despair. He said in his heart, “Now I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape to the land of the Philistines” (1 Samuel 27:1).
Preacher Martyn Lloyd-Jones insightfully explained: “Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself?” David’s discouraged heart, shaped by fear rather than God’s promises, led him to actions that betrayed his calling.
Bible commentator David Guzik notes: “What we say in our heart has a tremendous power to shape our thinking, our actions, even our whole destiny.” Discouragement seeks escape and refuge, which can be good when we turn to God but disastrous when we seek refuge in worldly solutions, such as unhealthy relationships or destructive habits. David believed his escape to the Philistines would cause Saul to despair (1 Samuel 27:1), but Guzik observes: “Saul will not despair if David leaves the land of promise. Saul will not despair if David forsakes the people of God and joins the ungodly. It is David who is in despair, not Saul. Saul could never drive David to the Philistines. If Saul told David, ‘You must leave the people of God and go to live among the Philistines,’ David would never bow to it. But discouragement and despair are more powerful enemies than Saul. Discouragement and despair will drive David to do something that Saul could never make him do.” David’s greatest threat was not Saul but his own discouraged state, which led him to follow his feelings rather than God’s truth.
The modern adage to “follow your heart” or “do what makes you happy” can lead to ruin, as it did for David in this season. Yet, David’s story also reveals God’s boundless mercy. At his lowest point, when even his own men turned against him, David turned back to the Lord and found strength, mercy, and guidance (1 Samuel 30:6, 8). Theologian Matthew Poole powerfully put it: “But it pleased God to leave David to himself in this, as well as in other particulars, that those might be sensible demonstrations of the infirmities of the best men; and of the necessity of God’s grace, and daily direction and assistance; and of the freeness and riches of God’s mercy, in passing by such great offenses.”
David’s life teaches us the dangers of discouragement. As my mentor Daniel Henderson notes: “Discouragement is often a temporary lost of perspective.” When discouraged, resist making rash decisions. Feelings are poor leaders but excellent followers. Instead of listening to yourself, speak God’s truth into your life. Seek refuge in Him, trusting His past faithfulness and promises to renew your perspective. Your sin may be great, but God’s mercy is greater. Surround yourself with faithful friends who will weep with you and, with patience, truth, and love, help lift you up.
In the good, the bad, and the ugly, may our anthem be: “Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:25–26