Psalms 25:4-5
“Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day.”
As I child, I remember watching a movie where a group of people were trying to escape a town. Whatever direction they took, or road they chose, they always arrived at the same destination. They continued trying until they found the one way out. According to Jesus, life is like that. He stated that life really only consists of two roads. One is wide and crowded, but leads away from God. The other is narrow and difficult, and sadly, often ignored, but results in eternal life (Matthew 7:13-14).
David knew a lot about walking on the right road, but he also knew what it was to wander down the wrong path in life. After fleeing from Saul, living in the wilderness, sleeping in caves, surrounded by criminals and constantly fearing for his life, David grew tired. In the midst of his trials, and the difficulty they created, He began to doubt the promises of God.
“And David said in his heart, ‘Now I shall perish someday by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape to the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me anymore in any part of Israel. So I shall escape out of his hand.’ Then David arose and went over with the six hundred men who were with him to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.” 1 Samuel 27:1-2
David had the promises of God telling him he would survive the threats of Saul and become king. He also had the difficulties of life casting a shadow of doubt on the promises. This led him to listen to and follow his heart; and his heart led him out of the will of God. After failing so greatly, it is easy to understand why the cry of his heart was, “Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths and lead me in Your truth” (Psalm 25:4).
One of the most common causes of failure in the life of the child of God, is following our hearts. After all, Jeremiah taught us the heart is deceptive above all things (Jeremiah 17:9). We must not let out hearts guide us. Instead, we must let the Word of God act as a lamp guiding the way of life and living. Instead of following what our heart says, let’s determine to become familiar with what God says, and live in line with His Promises. His ways are not our ways because they are so much better.
Pastor Jim
Questions for Psalm 25
- According to verses 1-2, what struggle was David facing?
- Notice his solution was to seek the Lord. Take some time right now to take your current situation to the Lord either thanking for the blessings or petitioning for help in the trial.
- In his trial, what does David ask the Lord for, see verses 4-5?
- David bases his petitions on God’s mercy and asks for forgiveness for his own sin. We must always come based on mercy, not merit. What does David hope for in verses 15-20?
Old Testament:
Psalm 26- His Habitat
1 Samuel 24- Conviction
1 Samuel 25- Heritage
As the time of David’s departure drew near he took the time to commission his son to follow and serve the Lord. Solomon would be surrounded by things that would make his task easier but it would ultimately be his own responsibility to choose to live according to the precepts laid down in the word of God. Solomon had the gifts he received from God, the pattern and the resources his father had left behind and he was surrounded by the men who had assisted David in his walk with the Lord. Sadly, the one thing that was missing was a personal desire in Solomon to live a life that pleased the Lord. Instead his life was marked by constant and continual compromise.
The Psalmist writes regarding the forgiveness of God and the fact that He will mete out vengeance on certain actions. These concepts often seem contrary to one another. We associate forgiveness with the removal of any and all consequences, but God does not see it that way. Abraham was forgiven for his sin with Hagar, but Ishmael was still born. Samson was forgiven for his sin, but the pillars still fell upon him. David was forgiven of adultery, but Bathsheba’s child still died. Peter was forgiven for denying Christ, but still had to live with the image of Christ’s gaze and the memory of the rooster’s cry.
Years ago I injured my knee and required surgery. Before the operation, I was given a detailed description of the human knee. I learned how it was constructed, how it functioned and how mine was damaged. When the surgery was completed, I was even given a video of the operation. If I wanted to, I could have watched on the big screen as parts were cut away and replaced. I learned things I never really wanted to know.
The bible describes David as a man after God’s own heart. I am sure the meaning behind that statement is many faceted. While I do not pretend to know all that it means, I am pretty certain that it has a lot to do with the fact that David, like God, had the heart of a shepherd. When he looked at the people of God, he did so with the eyes of a shepherd. His great desire was to see them flourish and grow in the Lord. There are very few texts that express that idea in a greater way than the one before us. Here we are invited into the prayer chamber of the king, as he stands before the throne of grace, on behalf of congregation of Israel. His prayer is a beautiful expression of love for others and should serve as a model for each of us to follow.
Life is filled with trying experiences. We are often faced with difficulties we would not wish on our enemies, or with circumstances we would love to change. These experiences can shake us at the core of who we are and cause us to look outside of ourselves for assistance. We can learn a vital lesson from the Psalmist, who, in the midst of his difficulty, chose not to look out to his friends, or back to his old ways, or around at what others might be doing, but instead, he chose to look up to the only One who could truly assist him in his time of need.
When it comes to worship, we can learn much from King David. The longest book in the Bible is a book of praise songs, and David was its largest contributor. In addition to being a king and a prophet, he was also called the Sweet Psalmist of Israel. In our text, we find David bringing an offering to the Lord. Because of his position as king, Ornan offered him the field and the animals free of charge. Instead of accepting the gift, David made a statement that should become a foundational principle in our worship, “I will not offer that which cost me nothing.”
This chapter records the successful military endeavors of King David. We read of his defeating, or subduing, at least eight separate kingdoms, as he established Israel among the strongest of the nations. His military exploits resulted in peace and prosperity for Israel, and the entire region. However, I think it is worth noting that while we read, “David attacked, David defeated or David subdued”, scripture makes it clear, he did none of these things on his own. His exploits were accompanied by both the presence of the Lord and a host of faithful men. As the chapter concludes, we read of Joab, Jehoshaphat, Zadok, Abimelech, Shavsha, Benaiah and David’s sons, all of whom served alongside the king, making this success possible. David started out as a Lone Ranger, stepping into the valley of Elah when no one else would, but as time went on, a host of others teamed with him to accomplish the work of God.
As we seek to follow Christ, we often fall along the way. Sometimes, we may only slightly stumble, while at other times, we may take quite a hard fall. It is not uncommon after failing, falling, or having a set back, that we may feel as though we can no longer follow or serve Christ. Without even knowing it, we have turned our relationship with the Lord into something reward based. We think we are blessed when we do what is right, and once we fail, we are no longer worthy of His love, favor or calling. Without a doubt, the low point in David’s life was when he fell into sin with Bathsheba. How remarkable to find that the next king of Israel would be her son, Solomon. The grace of God is an ocean so deep we could never fathom its depth or stop its flow. No matter how far we have fallen, He is able to redeem us completely.
Abner is an interesting case study in human behavior. He was the commander of Saul’s armies. After Saul’s death, he became the commander of Ishbosheth’s army. In many ways, he seems to be a very good man, and had even earned David’s trust. If there is one word that sums up the life of Abner, it is loyalty. Webster defines loyalty as “unswerving allegiance.” In other words, Abner was a man of commitment. We might say his word was his bond. When he committed to something, he saw it through to the end. In many ways, this is an admirable character trait. Abner’s folly was in putting his allegiance in the wrong place. By his own admission, he knew God had called David to be king, yet he found himself committed to Ishbosheth, refusing to allow David to sit upon the throne.
Jim Gallagher 