...Whom G.o.d drave out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David; who found favour before G.o.d....Acts 7:45-46.
King David knew G.o.d so well that G.o.d was very pleased with him; such that Jesus came through the lineage of David and also established His throne forever. And all over today, Jesus is called the Son of David. Despite the biblical record of some faults and failures in the life of David, David commands so much respect in heaven that Jesus Christ our Lord came from the loin of David. The name of David became a name that is reckoned with, all over the world.
How did David command G.o.d"s presence that in him alone is a king, a prophet and a priest? When King Saul offered a sacrifice because Prophet Samuel was late, G.o.d sanctioned Saul; Samuel declared G.o.d"s judgment on Saul that his kingdom had ceased to exist and that it had been given to another.
And Samuel said to Saul, thou has done foolishly: thou has not kept the commandment of the Lord thy G.o.d, which He commanded thee: for now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel forever. But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord has sought Him a man after his own heart.... I Samuel 13:13-14.
But in the case of David, though no one was permitted to wear ephod, David wore ephod and ate the s...o...b..ead; yet, G.o.d spared him. This was all because David was favoured. May you also find G.o.d"s favour in all you do, Amen. Favour doesn"t look fair; the Bible never said G.o.d is fair, but G.o.d is just because He looks at the hearts of men. In David, G.o.d saw a heart that loves Him.
Scholars don"t know much about the mother of David. Their guess had been that David was either born out of wedlock or his parents didn"t plan having a baby at the time he came. Jesse must have thought he had enough children; but most times, those we despise or reject are the ones used by G.o.d for His glory.
Logically, one could safely conclude that David was not desired by his parents. If not, after David was anointed in the home of his father in the presence of his father and brothers, Jesse would have protected David by not allowing him to go the wilderness again after having recounted his experience with the lion and the bear. How can a father still expose his son who is the king-to-be to wild animals in the forest, if not for the fact that the son is not the father"s beloved?
David had enough reasons to be pampered; he was the last son of the family, he had previously encountered wild animals in the forest and to crown it all, he was the future king of Israel. Yet, the father still sent him to the war front to take food to his brothers.
But brethren, do you know it was in the course of obeying Jesse that the destiny of David manifested? If David hadn"t obeyed his father by taking food to his brothers in the war front, he wouldn"t have had the opportunity of fighting Goliath.
Many times, what we call problem or human hatred becomes what G.o.d uses for our uplifting; what people call trouble becomes a future testimony/triumph. Many times, the father"s pampering or the multi-coloured coat will not get you to the palace; in some cases, you have to go to the pit, the Portiphar"s house or even the prison, though you have been falsely accused.
If the enemies will believe in your dream, then, you should also believe in your own dream. The brothers of Joseph believed in his dream; that was why they sold him to slavery. They wouldn"t have sold Joseph if they had not believed in his dream. The enemies wouldn"t have been fighting you if they had not believed you have a glorious future. No sane man will throw a stone at a mango tree that has no fruit. If your life is not fruitful, you would not attract demonic hatred. Therefore, the attack from the enemy is an indication that you are fruitful.
If Saul had not believed that David will one day become the king of Israel, he wouldn"t have fought David with all he had. So, when you see the reaction of your enemies towards you, then it means you are important. See problem as a stepping stone to greatness, grace and glory. In it all, your love for G.o.d will be reciprocated by Him and He will defend you.
When G.o.d was looking for a replacement for King Saul, David was just a young boy rearing his father"s sheep. His other seven brothers, despite their beautiful appearances that almost deceived Prophet Samuel, were all unqualified before G.o.d. Jesse, their father never thought David could be the chosen one; probably because he didn"t look like a king. To Jesse, if anyone would be qualified to be the king, it should be either Eliab or Abinadab but certainly not David.
All the sons of Jesse were members of the army of Saul, David was the only one with their father"s sheep, fighting lion and the bear; playing instrument and worshipping the G.o.d of Israel. Though David didn"t look like a king, yet, a king was in him. It is my prayer that you will command G.o.d"s presence and His favour, Amen.
David knew there is no point pretending before G.o.d. G.o.d knows everything; He doesn"t know what you are saying alone; He even knows what you are thinking before you say it. When you realize your life is opened to G.o.d, you will be sincere before Him. What brought G.o.d"s manifestation to a young David who became a king is that he was sincere before G.o.d. And that consciousness drew him to repentance each time he missed it; it drew him to love and worship G.o.d. No wonder he killed a giant with a mere stone. If you will also follow G.o.d like David, you will command divine manifestation, presence and glory, no matter the darkness on earth.
G.o.d, investigate my life. Get all the facts, first hand. I"m an open book to you, even from a distance; you know what I"m thinking. You know when I live and when I get back. I"m never out of sight…
Psalms 139:1-4 (MSG Bible).
David was a young boy who stood between life and death several times. Right from his early age, he understood the power of commitment and at the age of 17, he got result that was obvious to all. He was on the side of G.o.d and through his bravery and courage; he brought honour and fame to Israel. G.o.d used him to roll away the reproach of Israel and brought honour to Jehovah.
His father sent him to the battle field to take bread to his brothers, not to fight. Even David himself did not prepare for battle when he left home but when he got to his brothers on the battle field, the anointing came on David. Having known G.o.d to a certain level, he knew that what made others fear should not make him fear. While other soldiers feared Goliath because of his intimidating size, David compared Goliath with the G.o.d of Israel.
Others saw Goliath as being too big to fight; but David saw Goliath as being too tall to miss his stone. David believed wherever he threw his stone, the power of G.o.d will direct it to his target.
See how he enlisted the help of the Almighty G.o.d:
Then said David to the Philistine, thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the G.o.d of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.
I Samuel 17:45
While other soldiers were looking for reward alone, David"s goal was to take away the reproach from Israel and to bring down the one who had defied the G.o.d of Israel. His love for G.o.d motivated him.
When Abraham gave t.i.the, the Bible says Levi was in his loin. Though Levi had not been born when Abraham gave t.i.the, in G.o.d"s account, it was Levi that gave because G.o.d saw Levi as the grandson of Abraham. What father Abraham did was imputed to Levi"s account though Levi had not been born. It means Levi had existed as far as G.o.d is concerned.
Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee...
Jer 1:5.
G.o.d sees you not only in your present, but He sees your future. Whatever you do does not affect you alone but your generation. With this in mind, you are not to join others in doing evil because whatever you do may leave your presence but it doesn"t leave the presence of G.o.d. This should bring us to love G.o.d, make us have holy reverence for Him and desire His presence always.
Isaac at his old age had lost his sight, yet every p.r.o.nouncement he made on his children came to pa.s.s. Everything he said was approved by heaven; even in his weak state. It is a wonderful thing to understand spiritual principles for your future and the best thing is to love G.o.d; not for your own sake alone, but also for the sake of your children and their generations to come. Even if you think you already have all you ever need in life and you no longer need G.o.d, what about your children?
Every believer has inheritance in Christ; no one is programmed for defeat and failure. If anything is messed up, it must be your fault. Even though David was anointed, no one would have known him if not for the battle he fought. If there"s no battle, there"s no fame; if there"s no battle, there"s no honour. The same way you don"t develop muscles by reading books but by carrying weight, so also it is true that faith comes by hearing but strong faith comes by the things you go through.
Christianity is more than just cramming biblical verses; it is a life you live. Winning the battles of life is not about your physical size or experience but on whose side you are; whether of G.o.d or the devil. In the above verse, David recognized that he was only representing the Divinity; love was propelling him. The good news is that all that David said to Goliath came to pa.s.s.