After God’s own heart series Pt 9Out of Options …Directionless and Hungry

1 Samuel 21:1-9David went to Nob, to Ahimelek the priest. Ahimelek trembled

when he met him, and asked, “Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?”

2 David answered Ahimelek the priest, “The king sent me on a mission and said to me, ‘No one is to know anything about the

mission I am sending you on.’ As for my men, I have told them to meet me at a certain place. 3 Now then, what do you have on

hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever you can find.”4 But the priest answered David, “I don’t have any ordinary bread

on hand; however, there is some consecrated bread here—provided the men have kept themselves from women.”

5 David replied, “Indeed women have been kept from us, as usual whenever I set out. The men’s bodies are holy even on missions that are not holy. How much more so today!” 6 So the priest gave

him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence that had been removed from before the

LORD and replaced by hot bread on the day it was taken away.

7 Now one of Saul’s servants was there that day, detained before the LORD; he was Doeg the Edomite, Saul’s chief shepherd.

8 David asked Ahimelek, “Don’t you have a spear or a sword here? I haven’t brought my sword or any other weapon, because the

king’s mission was urgent.”9 The priest replied, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here; it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want it, take it; there is no sword here but that

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

A. Seeking Direction

1) David in fear and desperation initially relies on deceit and manipulation to get

direction from the priest

2) David sought direction from him as he had in the past

1 Samuel 22:9-109 But Doeg the Edomite, who was standing with Saul’s officials, said, “I saw the son of Jesse come to Ahimelek son of Ahitub at Nob. 10 Ahimelek inquired of the LORD for him; he also gave him provisions and the

sword of Goliath the Philistine.”

3) Apparently God directs David to go to Gath

1 Samuel 21:10That day David fled from Saul and went to

Achish king of Gath.

4) David obeys and goes to King Achish feigning madness

1 Samuel 21:13So 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.

When dealing with uncertainty we tend to vacillate between two extremes:

CONTROL<…………………………………………>AVOIDANCE IN BETWEEN LIES MADNESS

Let go of both the illusion of control, and the fear that produces avoidance and you will find peace.

Psalm 34:1-61 I will extol the LORD at all times;

    his praise will always be on my lips.2 I will glory in the LORD;

    let the afflicted hear and rejoice.3 Glorify the LORD with me;

    let us exalt his name together.4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me;

    he delivered me from all my fears.5 Those who look to him are radiant;

    their faces are never covered with shame.6 This poor man called, and the LORD heard him;

    he saved him out of all his troubles.

Praise necessitates ACCEPTANCEACCEPTANCE is the key to sanity in a

world you can neither control nor predict with any certainty

Psalm 62:1Truly my soul finds rest in God;

    my salvation comes from him.

You can release control to God because he is trustworthy

Psalm 62:11-1211 One thing God has spoken,    two things I have heard:

“Power belongs to you, God,12     and with you, Lord, is unfailing love”;

and, “You reward everyone    according to what they have done.”

God is all powerful …and ……God is all loving

B. The Bread of Presence

Presence…Hebrew…Paneh…….means: Face, appearance, in front of, in the

presence of

Luke 6:1-5One Sabbath Jesus was going through the

grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat

the kernels. 2 Some of the Pharisees asked, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”

3 Jesus answered them, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions

were hungry? 4 He entered the house of God, and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is

lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.” 5 Then Jesus said to

them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

John 6:35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will

never be thirsty.

John 6:47-5647 Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal

life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever.

This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

52 Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have

no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in

me, and I in them.

C. The Sword of Goliath

When scared, directionless, lost, and alone..……Remember who you are in

Christ Jesus.

1 Samuel 21:8-98 David asked Ahimelek, “Don’t you have a spear or a sword here? I haven’t brought my sword or any other weapon, because

the king’s mission was urgent.”9 The priest replied, “The sword of Goliath

the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here; it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want it, take it; there is no sword here but that

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

me.”

D. Out of Options?

1. Seek direction……Let go the illusion of control and avoidance….Trust the all

powerful…all loving God

2. Feast on the very presence of Jesus……The Bread of Life

3. Remember whose you are…..who you are in Christ Jesus