A False Sense of Hope

1 Samuel 27:2-4 “Then David arose and went over with the six hundred men who were with him to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath. So David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, each man with his household, and David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal’s widow. And it was told Saul that David had fled to Gath; so he sought him no more.”

Loneliness is not the same thing as being alone. Many people have times when they are alone through circumstances or choice. Being alone can be experienced as positive, pleasurable, and emotionally refreshing if it is under the individual's control. Solitude is the state of being alone and secluded from other people, and often implies the individual having made a conscious choice to be alone. 

However, loneliness does not require aloneness and is often experienced even in crowded places. It can be described as the absence of identification, understanding or compassion. To experience loneliness is to feel overwhelmed by an unbearable feeling of separateness at a profound level. This can manifest in feelings of abandonment, rejection, depression, insecurity, anxiety, hopelessness, unworthiness, meaninglessness, and resentment. 

If these feelings are prolonged they may become debilitating and prevent the affected individual from developing healthy relationships and lifestyles. If the individual is convinced he or she is unlovable, this will increase the experience of suffering and the likelihood of avoiding social contact. Many are victims to low self-esteem, which will often trigger the social disconnection which can lead to loneliness.

Loneliness can be summarized as falling into these categories:

-Situational or circumstantial loneliness is created by the loss of a relationship, a move to a new city, or an abrupt change in life.

-Developmental loneliness is the need for intimacy balanced by the need for individualism.

-Internal loneliness, which David himself felt, often includes feelings of low self-esteem and vulnerability.

Loneliness can evoke feelings that 'everyone else' has friends, and that one is socially inadequate or socially unskilled. A lonely person may become convinced there is something wrong with him or her, and that no one understands his or her situation. Such a person will lose confidence and will become reluctant to attempt to change or become too scared to try new things for fear of further social rejection. In extreme cases, a person may feel a sense of emptiness, which may become a state of clinical depression. Loneliness can also cause people to create a false sense of hope.

We see through the heart of David what loneliness and fear can do to good people who find themselves in a serious situation. David allowed fear to blind his vision of God and block God’s blessing on his life. It was that fear and loneliness that led him into the enemies’ territory and caused him to develop a false sense of hope concerning himself and those he had influence over. 

When we develop a false sense of hope we often put our own lives at risk because a state of loneliness becomes our companion. Loneliness places confusion at the forefront of our minds. It causes us to make decisions that we would never make if we felt contentment in our lives, but it can also create the illusion that we are better off if we don’t let anyone into our personal space. Loneliness creates the atmosphere that my decisions only affect my life and no one else will be affected by what I do.  Loneliness manifests a void that causes irrational decisions based on the belief I’m okay even though there is emptiness inside.

David would have never dreamed of living in the enemy’s territory before. It was only after he had sunk into his pit of discouragement and despair that he made such a drastic move that almost cost him everything.

 

A false sense of hope begins just as it did with David when we began to reason our destiny rather than trust in the Lord.

Psalm 38:19 “Many are those who are my vigorous enemies; those who hate me without reason are numerous.”

You can develop a victim’s mentality. David did by thinking he could never escape the pursuit of Saul within his heart. You can allow your imagination to run rampart. Again, David did by allowing his fears and frustration separate him from the bigger picture of what God had in store for his life. You can permit little things to become large things. What was destiny in the hands of God for David became an insurmountable mountain for David. Only by going to the side of the enemy did David think he would find relief.

 

A false sense of hope can put many lives in jeopardy.

David arose and went over with the six hundred men that served him. David’s discouraged and despairing heart didn’t just affect his life but also these six hundred men. They were lead out of the land of promise and over to live with the ungodly. David’s defection to the Philistines touched even more than the six hundred men. It also touched all of their families because they went with them. It directly touched David’s household also, because Ahinoam and Abigail were with him. Many times we get out of God’s will and miss his direction because we think we know better. The next time you are tempted to listen to your own voice rather than the voice of God remember how many others could be affected by your decision. 

 

A false sense of security causes you to forget your first encounter with the enemy.

1 Samuel 21:10-15 tells us that David had briefly gone over to Achish of the Philistines, believing there might be a place of refuge for him there. God allowed that experience to quickly turn sour and David pretended to be a madman so he could escape. In his discouragement and despair, built upon what David said in his heart, David will go down a road of sin he has been down before. This time though his false sense of security has convinced him it’s alright to do what you have to do to survive.

 

Why does Achish receive him this time, when he would not in 1 Samuel 21:10-15?  First, it is clear now when it wasn’t clear before that David and Achish both share the same enemy, Saul. Secondly, now David brings with him 600 fighting men, whom Achish can use as mercenaries.

 

A false sense of hope causes you to flee from one enemy into the camp of another with both results being disastrous!

The Bible said that “it was told Saul that David had fled to Gath; so he sought him no more.” 

David accomplished his immediate goal, because now Saul has stopped pursuing him. But now David is in a place of compromise that will leave him worse off than before. He is actually submitting to a Philistine master. When did selling out to one enemy become the easy way to get out of danger from another? One enemy is just as bad as the other. However, when you are convinced in your mind what you are doing is right, personal reasoning often overpowers the plan of God for your life.

 

(6) What happened when David’s experience brought him this false sense of hope?

He lost the anointing of God. We have no record of any Psalms that David wrote during this time. There is very little mention over this time period of David’s life that indicates he communicated with God or heard his voice speak to him. His safety became more important than God’s Will. David left Israel and went among the ungodly because he badly needed a sense of security from Saul’s unrelenting attacks. But where was David more secure-in Israel and in God’s will, or among the Philistines and out of God’s will?  David lost for the time being the clear vision of God which had made him strong against Goliath and the Philistines in the past. It was that vision that enabled him to take out the lion and the bear while shepherding his sheep. Without it, he developed a false sense of security by justifying what was wrong as right for his own sake.

What do we learn from this? It’s pretty simple. It’s easy to be lulled to sleep by the enemy and become convinced that your own judgment is greater than the Lord’s in many areas of your life.