The Danger of Doubting. I will summarize a message from Charles Spurgeon I heard today. In 1 Sam 27:1 David says “one of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul”. To doubt God – is a grievous sin. Yet David – the man after God’s own heart committed it. David is the one who said “by my God I will run over a troop” and “God will destroy all my enemies”. The man who wrote countless love songs of praise to the God who always saved him, seems to say God will let him be destroyed. Why? It was because he was under pressure for many months and years. His troubles never seemed to end. He finally lost hope it seemed. So then what did this loss of hope cause him to do? It caused him to seek help from the Philistines – the mortal enemies of Davids people. He ended up doing raids for the Philistine king and killing the enemies of the Philistines and other people in the land, and then reporting to the king that he had been killing Israelites. What then happened? Well the Lord allowed that the place where David’s and his men and their families were staying (Ziklag) would be captured. David and his men thought all their families were dead. His men wanted to kill him. But David “encouraged himself in the Lord”, and God graciously allowed that the families were preserved alive and returned. If things get tough – even for a long time – don’t give up. Don’t doubt God or it may cause you to seek help elsewhere and make bad decisions. Keep a warm heart towards God – he will make all things right in the end. By the way – Charles Spurgeon – the Prince of Preachers – old sermons can be found on youtube. Nobody’s says it quite like him in my book. Love Mel
