Fugitive
In “Fugitive,” Pastor Dave Gustavsen explores times in David’s life where he was on the run in the desert, revealing lessons on how to handle our own deserts – times that are unfamiliar, unsafe, and unfair. David’s experiences teach us the value of seeking wise counsel, serving others, and trusting in God. Ultimately, Jesus’ sacrifice gives us strength for the desert. We can keep walking through our deserts because Jesus walks with us.
Use these materials to go deeper into this message on your own, or with your small group.
Series Overview
SOAP Bible Study Method
Weekly Material
Good morning Chapel family. Happy Father’s Day to all the dads. I want to thank Lauren’s dad, Herman, for being part of our worship team today—wasn’t that great? I also want to publicly thank my dad for the incredible role model and support he’s been for me throughout my life. He just turned 84 and he’s still going strong, so Happy Father’s Day, dad—I love you.
So—we are continuing our series in the life of David. When David was a teenager he was secretly anointed as the next king of Israel. The problem was, King Saul was still on the throne, so David didn’t know when his moment would come. In the meantime David loyally served the king. David was a musician, and when Saul got in a dark mood, he would call David in to play the harp for him, and it would calm Saul’s nerves. David led the Israelite army in victory over Goliath and the Philistines. So all is well between David and Saul. But then something shifts.
Look with me at 1 Samuel 18, beginning in verse 6:
6 When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with timbrels and lyres. 7 As they danced, they sang:
“Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.”
8 Saul was very angry; this refrain displeased him greatly. “They have credited David with tens of thousands,” he thought, “but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?” 9 And from that time on Saul kept a close eye on David.
As the story progresses, not only does Saul keep a close eye on David, he tries to eliminate him. First, he sends him into dangerous battle situations, thinking he’ll get killed in battle. But David keeps winning the battles. To make things even trickier, David marries a young woman named Michal, who happens to be the daughter of—guess who? King Saul. So now Saul is David’s father-in-law. If you think you have in-law problems, you’ve got nothing.
1 Samuel 18:28-29…28 When Saul realized that the LORD was with David and that his daughter Michal loved David, 29 Saul became still more afraid of him, and he remained his enemy the rest of his days.
Now: we could do a whole sermon on Saul. Saul is a fascinating study about how ego and jealousy can ruin us. That would be a great study…but that’s for another day. Today we’re going to focus on David. Because this marks a turning point in the story. All of a sudden David is no longer trusted by Saul; he’s no longer hanging around the palace. And for the whole rest of the book of 1 Samuel, David is a fugitive. On the run. In the desert.
What could this possible have to do with us? A lot. Because sooner or later, we will spend time in the desert. And this part of David’s life gives us rich wisdom about how to handle those times.
This period of David’s life takes up a huge portion of Scripture—about 13 chapters. So I’m going to read a few key sections to get us started.
Look with me at 1 Samuel 21, starting in verse 10…
10 That day David fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath. 11 But the servants of Achish said to him, “Isn’t this David, the king of the land? Isn’t he the one they sing about in their dances:
“‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands’?”
12 David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath. 13 So he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard.
14 Achish said to his servants, “Look at the man! He is insane! Why bring him to me? 15 Am I so short of madmen that you have to bring this fellow here to carry on like this in front of me? Must this man come into my house?”
Keep reading in chapter 22…
1 David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and his father’s household heard about it, they went down to him there. 2 All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their commander. About four hundred men were with him.
3 From there David went to Mizpah in Moab and said to the king of Moab, “Would you let my father and mother come and stay with you until I learn what God will do for me?” 4 So he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him as long as David was in the stronghold.
And then 1 Samuel 23:1…
1 When David was told, “Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are looting the threshing floors,” 2 he inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?”
The LORD answered him, “Go, attack the Philistines and save Keilah.”
3 But David’s men said to him, “Here in Judah we are afraid. How much more, then, if we go to Keilah against the Philistine forces!”
4 Once again David inquired of the LORD, and the LORD answered him, “Go down to Keilah, for I am going to give the Philistines into your hand.” 5 So David and his men went to Keilah, fought the Philistines and carried off their livestock. He inflicted heavy losses on the Philistines and saved the people of Keilah.
And then finally, skip down to verse 13…
13 So David and his men, about six hundred in number, left Keilah and kept moving from place to place. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he did not go there.
14 David stayed in the wilderness strongholds and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph. Day after day Saul searched for him, but God did not give David into his hands. This is the Word of the Lord.
Sooner or later, every one of us will spend time in the desert. Probably not exactly the way David did, but we’re going to see that what David experienced actually parallels our lives in many ways.
So…let’s do three points today. Point number one: Experiencing the Desert. Desert times are characterized by four things. So as I talk about these four, see if this reflects anything you’ve been through—or maybe something you’re going through right now.
First, life in the desert is Unfamiliar. David is forced to leave his familiar surroundings and go to places he’s never been before. He’s living in caves; he’s trekking through deserts; he’s so desperate, he goes to Gath—which is Philistine territory—to see if he can slip in unnoticed. Everything is strange and unfamiliar. Not only that, he suddenly finds himself with a very unfamiliar role in life. Right? He used to be a shepherd—very clear role. Then he was a commander in Israel’s military—another clear role. And now, his only job is…what? To stay alive. To run for his life. It’s disorienting and confusing.
I spoke with someone this week who lost his wife several months ago. He said, “You know, it’s really starting to sink in that she’s not coming back. I’m in this house all alone, and I think about holidays coming up, and I feel kind of lost.” After decades of doing life with this person, now everything is unfamiliar. For him, this is a desert time. Maybe that’s you right now—something has changed, and everything is unfamiliar. It’s a desert.
Secondly, life in the desert is Unsafe. The very reason David is out there is because Saul is hunting him. In fact, Saul is using the armies of Israel to carry out his mission of vengeance against David. So it’s incredibly unsafe. Did you notice, when David tried to slip into the Philistine city of Gath, and they recognize him, it says David was very much afraid. Of course! His life was truly in danger. When we’re unsafe, our bodies are affected by that stress in so many ways. We don’t sleep well; we experience anxiety; our nerves feel raw all the time. The desert is an unsafe place.
Third, the desert is Unfair. David was in the desert, running for his life, and he didn’t do anything to deserve that. He’d been completely loyal to Saul; in fact, he had shown exceptional valor and courage in serving Saul! And this is how he was treated. In several of the Psalms, David writes about what he experienced in this period of his life. For example, look at Psalm 59, verses 3 and 4…
3 See how they lie in wait for me! Fierce men conspire against me for no offense or sin of mine, LORD. 4 I have done no wrong, yet they are ready to attack me. Arise to help me; look on my plight!
Do you hear his anguish? I don’t deserve this! God, can’t you see how unfair this is? Do something! Have you ever prayed those prayers? Sometimes you know you messed up, and you’re experiencing the consequences of your bad choices. But there are times when you truly haven’t done anything wrong, and you get pushed out into the desert. And it’s completely unfair. Have you felt that sting of false accusation, or having people turn against you for no reason? That’s a painful desert.
And then, fourth, the desert is a place where you’re Unaccompanied. Now, there were times that David was with other people in the desert—and we’ll look at that in a minute. But at the end of the day, he was the only one being pursued by Saul, and no one else truly knew what that was like. And many times, for his own survival, David was literally all alone. The desert is a place where you feel utterly alone. Now, sometimes you’re not actually alone—but you feel like it. If you’ve ever experienced depression, it’s possible to have people around you, but you feel so removed and so isolated…and you don’t want to feel that way, but you feel powerless to change it. Depression is one of the most excruciating deserts you can go through. Or maybe you literally are alone. Like my friend in the big, empty house. Or you go away to college, and you have a hard time connecting with people, and you just feel isolated.
The desert is unfamiliar, unsafe, unfair, and unaccompanied. It’s a terrifying place to be. Another Psalm David wrote during this time was Psalm 63—listen to the first verse:
You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.
Do you hear his aloneness and desperation and dryness? How do you survive that? How do you not let the desert make you bitter and self-pitying and vengeful toward the Sauls in your own life? How do you keep the desert from crushing you? Let’s talk about that—second point…
Redeeming the Desert. During his time in the desert, I see David making some wise choices. Let me point out three.
First, Seek counsel. This is a verse we didn’t read before, and this is when he first flees from Saul—look at 1 Samuel 19:18…When David had fled and made his escape, he went to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went to Naioth and stayed there. Raman is about five miles north of Jerusalem, so David makes his way up there, he finds Samuel, and he explains this crazy situation he’s in. Together, the two of them travel to this place called Naioth, probably because it’s less likely Saul will find them there. The point is: David seeks out a familiar, safe, wise, person. Next week we’ll see how he does the same thing with his friend, Jonathan. Because he realizes he can’t face this on his own. He needs help.
And so do we. If you’re in a desert right now, do everything you can to seek out wise people to support you. Why wouldn’t you do that? Because I’m good—I got this. OR, Well, I don’t want to bother anyone. I don’t want to be a burden. It’s embarrassing to admit I can’t handle it on my own. Stop that! The New Testament calls us to bear one another’s burdens! So humble yourself and reach out for help. One of the things I love about this church family—and it is a family—is when I see people walking with each other through deserts. Through cancer…through tragedies…through depression. There have been times in my life that I’ve agonized over something, and lost sleep, and carried it alone. And then I finally got a clue and just called someone, and that was the turning point.
When you’re in the desert, seek counsel.
Secondly, and this is so counterintuitive, Serve people. When you’re in the desert, it’s so easy to get wrapped up in yourself, and the injustice of your situation, and your own pain. But there’s something powerful that happens when you choose to turn outward and serve. Right in the midst of your own mess! Think about what David does:
In chapter 22, he finds refuge in a cave in a place called Adullam. His parents and his brothers find out he’s there, and they join him. So the cave gets a little more crowded. And then about 400 other people squeeze in there—people who are in distress or in debt or discontented. These are people on the fringes of society—a lot like the people who gathered around Jesus. So does David chase them away? No—he takes them in, and he becomes their leader. And under his leadership, they become a well-trained team of warriors.
Then, he decides cave life is too dangerous for his elderly parents, so he brings them to Moab. Anybody know why Moab? Probably because David’s great-grandmother, Ruth, was from there. And he probably still has family there, and it’s far away from Saul and his posse. So in the midst of his own chaos, he serves the needs of his parents.
One more example: we read from 1 Samuel 23, where David hears the Philistines are attacking an Israelite city called Keilah. He asks God if he should go and rescue the people of Keilah. Think about that! He doesn’t say, “I’m going to get as far away from Keilah as possible!” He says, “Lord, you want me to go and save these people?” God says, “Go.” So he takes his 400 men to Keilah and delivers the people, and as a reward he carries off the Philistines’ livestock, which is really helpful when you’re trying to feed 400 guys.
Do you see the pattern? David has been driven from his home, and he’s being hunted by the government, for no fault of his own. But instead of losing himself in self-pity, he chooses to serve people. He knows his gifts—he’s a gifted military general—and he uses his gifts to serve.
If you’re in the desert right now, don’t wait until you get out of the desert to start serving God. I often tell people: if you feel depressed—if you feel confused—go visit your sick grandmother. Offer to take your dad to lunch. Wash your wife’s car. You will not feel like doing any of those things, but choose to serve, and it will take your focus off yourself, which is usually a good thing. And if you don’t have a grandmother to visit or a dad to take to lunch or a wife whose car you can wash, look around. There are people you’ll encounter in the desert that you would never meet anywhere else. Serve them. Love them. In the name of Christ.
And then third—and this is the most important one: Trust God. There’s a little phrase in chapter 22 that grabbed my attention, because it’s a window into David’s heart. So this is when David took his parents to Moab for their safety. Look at 1 Samuel 22:3… From there David went to Mizpah in Moab and said to the king of Moab, “Would you let my father and mother come and stay with you until I learn what God will do for me?” Did you see the phrase? Until I learn what God will do for me. That says so much, doesn’t it? That says, “Right now, I have no idea what God’s going to do for me. No clue!” But, “God will do something for me.” So I’m in a period of not knowing, of uncertainty, in this desert. But I know God, and I know he’s in control, and he will do for me whatever needs to be done for me. In his way, and his timing, he will come through.
In Psalm 59, David describes the men hunting him as hungry dogs—look at this:
14 They return at evening, snarling like dogs, and prowl about the city. 15 They wander about for food and howl if not satisfied. 16 But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.
17 You are my strength, I sing praise to you; you, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely.
I don’t know how you’re going to do it, Lord. But I know I can rely on you.
Listen: I know the desert can suck the life out of you. There are people who are deconstructing their faith and abandoning their faith because they can’t understand why God would allow them to be in a desert for so long. Don’t do it. You’re not going to find what you’re looking for outside of God. Trust him. Trust his timing. The story ends really well.
There’s one more think I need to say about surviving the desert, and it’s really the key that unlocks all of this. Final point: Strength for the Desert. We’ve been saying every week that the main reason the story of David is in the Bible isn’t to give us moral examples to follow, although there are some good examples to follow. But it’s deeper. See, David was an imperfect leader…but his life points us forward to a perfect leader. David was a very flawed king—and we’ll see that very clearly in the coming weeks…but his life points us forward to a perfect king. Ultimately, David points us to Jesus.
So what does David’s time in the desert teach us about Jesus?
Well, Jesus did some time in the desert, right? At the beginning of his public ministry, he spent 40 days in the desert, and wasn’t being pursued by Saul; he was being targeted by…Satan himself. So Jesus was starved of food; he was completely alone; and successfully resisted the temptations of Satan. So David survived a hard desert; Jesus survived an even harder desert.
But there’s something even deeper. Because all of Jesus’ life, and all of the Bible, and all of history, centers on the cross. And when Jesus hung on the cross, here’s what we can say about it:
Jesus found himself in a place that was completely unfamiliar. For all of eternity past, Jesus—as God the Son—had walked in perfect fellowship with God the Father. And now, for the first time ever, as Jesus was carrying the sin of all humanity on his back—the Father turned his face away.
Jesus found himself in a place that was totally unsafe, as the life was draining out of his body, and he was surrounded by mocking crowds.
What he was experiencing was 100 percent unfair. He literally had done nothing wrong; in fact, he was the only person ever to live the way people are supposed to live. And for that, he was crucified.
And maybe most excruciatingly, he was unaccompanied. He might have had a few loyal supporters standing near the cross, and a couple of criminals dying on either side of him. None of them could possibly fathom what he was going through. None of them knew the horror of having the full force of God’s justice poured out on them. Only Jesus felt that. Alone.
This was the ultimate desert of all time. And in his agony Jesus cried out to his Father: Eloi, eloi, lama sabachthani. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.” Did you know he was quoting a Psalm? You know who wrote that Psalm? David wrote it—in one of his desert experiences. He was in pain, and he was confused, and he was desperate for God’s help in the desert. And for David, God came through! We’ll see in the coming weeks—God delivered David from the desert. But on the cross—in the ultimate desert—God was silent. And Jesus was left to face the furty of God’s righteous judgment on his own. So that we don’t have to. See, we may walk through deserts—and we will!—but we will never have to walk through the ultimate desert—abandonment by God—because Jesus did that for us.
And this is the secret to handling desert times. This is the key. Here it is: Because Jesus walked through the worst desert for us, we can know that he’ll walk through all our deserts with us. Because Jesus walked through the worst desert for us, we can know he’ll walk through all our deserts with us.
And when you believe that, you can face the desert. It’s not fun. It’s not something you ask for. But when it comes, you can handle it, because Jesus is with you. And he’ll give you the strength to seek wisdom; he’ll give you the strength to serve people; he’ll give you the ability to trust in God. No matter how long the desert lasts, the reason you can keep walking through it…is because Jesus walks with you.
