Everyone sins. If anyone says they don’t they are lying (I John 1:8, 10). God’s provision is the blood of Jesus, which is applied to our sin when we admit it and recognize that it is sin (I John 1:9). If we don’t confess sin, then we slip into a state called ‘backsliding’ (a ‘slide’ because it is so easy to do and ‘back’ because it is going back to sin instead of ahead with God). God still mercifully awaits our return, like the father of the prodigal son. There are many examples in the Bible of those who have backslidden from God: Solomon, Jonah, Abraham, David — yes, that’s right, David. The man after God’s own heart backslid. There is a 16-month period in his life when he actually abandoned God and lived with the enemy.
1. DAVID WAS DISCOURAGED AND LOST FAITH IN GOD. After killing Goliath David became so popular that Saul was jealous and tried to kill him. Even though God took care of him every day (1 Samuel 23:14), David got weary of the oppression and decided to give up (1 Samuel 27:1). We all have times we are weary of persevering and slip a bit in our commitment and zeal (Gal 6:9). David knew God’s promises about being the king, etc., but instead believing them he became discouraged and went to live with the Philistines, the very ones he had been fighting for years. It was an act of leaving God (1 Samuel 26:19).
2. DAVID ABANDONED GOD & HIS PEOPLE. David moved to Gath; the very place Goliath was from! (1 Samuel 27:2-4). For the next 16 months (1 Samuel 27 – 30) there is no mention of David going to God for help. No psalms were written during this time. He did experience relief from the oppression of Saul, but Satan’s payment for this was far greater than any ‘benefits’ David received. We know, too, that if we let up in our devotion to the Lord that life seems to be a bit easier for awhile. Satan and the flesh rise up against us when we oppose them, but when we give in they are pacified and life seems easier (for awhile). Worse yet for David, he brought all his followers with him. When we drift from God we influence others. When we backslide, we often take our family and friends with us! David forsook God, but God didn’t abandon him (Mt 12:20). Still, “those who forsake the Lord shall come to an end” (Isa 1:28).
3. DAVID ADAPTED TO LIFE WITHOUT THE LORD. To live safely with the enemy one must become like the enemy. This is perhaps the lowest time in David’s whole life. The sin with Bathsheba just feel into his lap and David went with it. This time of sin was planned, plotted and done with his entire free will. He lied to Achish, his benefactor and provider in Philistia (1 Samuel 27:6-8). David supported his followers by attacking people friendly to the Philistines, taking all their possessions, and killing every man, woman and child so the Philistines wouldn’t find out. Then he’d say he had been raiding Jews (1 Samuel 27:9-12). It was because of this bloodshed that David was later forbidden to build God’s temple.
| GRACE | MERCY |
| Getting what we don’t deserve | Not getting what we do deserve |
| To sinful man as guilty | To sinful man as miserable |
| Unmerited, undeserved favor | Compassion, pity, lovingkindness |
| Goodness to the ill-deserving (in sin or guilt) | Goodness to those in need (misery or distress) |
| Focuses on man as guilty | Focuses on man as miserable |
| God’s attitude toward the law-breaker and rebel | God’s attitude toward those in distress |
| Grace comes first I Tim 1:2; II Tim 1:2 Ti 1:4 II Jn 3 | Mercy follows grace, only the forgiven can be blessed |
David seems to be ‘successful’ in his backsliding, but the trap is about to shut. He fits in so well with the Philistines that he is invited to help them attack the Jews and King Saul (1 Samuel 28:1-2). David seems very glad to do so, and disappointed when God, in His mercy, bails him out and keeps him from having to fight his fellow Jews (1 Samuel 29:1-11). Even though David still hasn’t repented, God still is merciful in Hi dealings with David.
Mercy is God’s goodness manifested to those in misery or distress. God is rich in mercy (Eph 2:4; James 5:11). It is often translated as ‘love’ or ‘compassion’ (I Chron 16:34; Ps 57:10; Ps 100:5; 106:1; 107:1; 118:4, 29). Mercy is not getting what we deserve.
4. DAVID REAPED THE RESULTS OF LIFE WITHOUT GOD. When David and his men returned after not having to fight the Jews, they found their town destroyed and their families and possessions carried off (1 Samuel 30:1-4). Life without God is NOT better! David is rejected by the Philistine lords, he loses his family and possessions, and his friends all turn against him and talk of killing him (1 Samuel 30:6). This is what Satan had in mind when he first lured David away from God. Satan promises the best but delivers the worst! He is a liar and deceiver, and any who trust him end up regretting it! It is God who comes to David’s rescue (Psalm 103:8-18) — the very One he deserted to make life ‘easier.’
5. DAVID CAME TO HIS SENSES AND RETURNED TO GOD. “But David found strength in the Lord his God” (1 Samuel 30:6). Repentance is the only solution to backsliding. Turning to God is what he should have done before going to the Philistines. The whole last 16 months would have been different, and he’d still have his family and possessions! David asked God for wisdom and help (1 Samuel 30:7-8). God showed him mercy and forgave him (Psalm 90:14). The same thing happened when he sinned with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12:13) and when he disobeyed and took a census (2 Samuel 24:14).
God’s mercy continued to be shown to David – He made it possible for David and his men to rescue their families and reclaim their possessions. David was so appreciative of God’s mercy shown to him that he showed mercy to others — something he didn’t do during his 16 months away from God. While retrieving his family he came across an abandoned slave that belonged to his enemies. He could have killed him but he took care of him. Some of his men couldn’t help in the battle with those who took their families, but David made sure they got their fair share of the possessions anyway. He gave away much of the bounty to poor Jews. A good test to see if you are aware of God’s mercy is to see how merciful you feel toward others. If you don’t have mercy to others, you may not be in fellowship with God as you should be. When David was right with God he had mercy on others, when he wasn’t right with God he didn’t have mercy for others. The two are closely related. “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.” “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
Are you discouraged, thinking of quitting (or maybe you have already started in little ways)? Don’t believe Satan’s lie that life is better outside the Lord’s camp! If you are backslidden you need to repent and confess your sin, calling on God for mercy. “Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him, and to our God, for He will freely pardon” (Isaiah 55:7).
Ephesians 2:4-6 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
List as many ways as you can that God has shown you mercy?
Take a moment to think about what your life would be like if God didn’t show you mercy?
Do you, like David, need to confess a sin and return to God?
cto Rev. Dr. JERRY SCHMOYER
Christian Training Organization
Jerry@ChristianTrainingOrganization.org
(India, Africa & Spanish Outreach, Spiritual Warfare, Family Ministries, Counseling, World View)
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