Cancel Your Ticket To Ziklag

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"Cancel Your Ticket to Ziklag"

I Samuel 27:1 I Samuel 30:1-6

Illust: It was the young man’s first day on the job in the produce department of the grocery store. A lady came up to him and said she wanted to buy half of a head of lettuce. He tried to explain he couldn’t do that, but she persisted. Finally he said, "I’ll have to go back and talk to the manager." He walks to the rear of the store where the manager stands, not noticing this woman is walking right behind him. With her standing right there he says to the manager, "There’s some stupid old bag out there who wants to buy half a head of lettuce. What should I tell her?" Seeing the horrified look on the face of the manager, he turns around, sees the woman, and adds, "And this nice lady wants to buy the other half of the head of lettuce. Will it be all right?" Relieved, the manager said, "That will be fine." Later that day, the manager congratulates the boy on his quick thinking, and then asks, "Where are you from, son?" The boy said, "I’m from Toronto, Canada, the home of beautiful hockey players and ugly women." The manager glares at him and says, "My wife is from Toronto." Without missing a beat, the boy replies, "And how long has she been playing hockey, sir?"

It is easy to say and do some stupid things when you’re not careful. It’s especially easy to stumble into folly, instead of walking into wisdom, when God seems to be a missing Person.

David’s fear causes him to make some very foolish choices. He decides the only way to get away from Saul is to go to the land of the Philistines, Israel’s enemies.

A. Until you make up your mind that the only safe place in all the earth is dead center of the will of God ..... You are carrying a ticket to Ziklag.

B. Until you become convinced that you cannot Hide from the Will of God ....

Then YOU are carrying a ticket to Ziklag .

Ziklag was a real place with a real address upon the earth in the South region of Judah during the time of the Kings.

C.When David fled from Saul he and his 600 men sought refuge with Achish, a King of the

Philistine city of Gath

1. Is Really the SAME David Of whom it is written in I Samuel Chapter 16:13“That the Old

Prophet Samuel took his horn of oil and poured it over young David and the Spirit of the

Lord came upon David from that day forward……”(NKJ)

2. Is this the same David that Killed the Giant with a sling?

I Sam 17:49-50-- And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it,

and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell

upon his face to the earth. 50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a

stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.

3. Yes this is the Same David and This was NOT his finest Hour!

D. Here he stands before a Philistine King and he has dragged 600 of his finest men in

humiliation and dishonor.

1. He has brought his men to the level of what was akin to going to the Devil' s Camp and

begging for a place to sleep in safety like a dog begs for a bone or a cat whines to come in

out of the rain

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Philistine! Philistine!

2. The mere mention of that name strikes terror in the heart of every human being who loves life

and embraces anything about anybody that is decent and kind and right

3. Philistines! Philistine!

E.These were the worst of the worst! Wicked - Vile ----Depraved --Men with a bloodthirsty

obsession with senseless evil! I can verify in the scripture that a conversation took place

between Achish and David that went something like this

Achish said to David I don't like you But I need you And as long as you think you need me .....

Then we can do business! You can move down south to Ziklag and make raids against the

Nomadic tribes around that region and help me stay in power and I will let you build a military

fort around your bed if you want to and you won't have to worry about Saul or anybody else

And knowing Philistines like I do . I can tell you with certainty that After that conversation ....

when Achish went into his house and closed the door…He said ..... I don't know who that kid