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GOD’S ANOINTED: Coming to his senses.

Published November 10, 2009 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: David, God's Anointed, Victory

David in battle

1 Samuel 30

It is never easy to praise God when our world is falling apart. Elizabeth Barrett Browning once wrote:

Is God less God, that thou are left undone?

Rise, worship, bless Him in this sackcloth spun,

As in the purple.

Indeed, the circumstances we may find ourselves in, whether they be good or bad, should never dictate whether we should praise God or not. The time to praise God is all the time! Judging by how the average Christian behaves, though, we can only assume that God has a lot of “fair-weather friends” these days. That is real shame because God never bails out on us; and there is real value is pausing in the midst of your trial to praise Him. Not only does it serve to take your eyes off of yourself and on God where they belong, but it affords God the opportunity through the ministry of His Holy Spirit to work in you.

There is also a tremendous blessing when we learn the discipline of praise while wearing sackcloth, and it is a discipline because praising God in the bad times is not natural nor is it easy and God will honor you if you put forth the effort.

David’s uneasy alliance with the Philistines kept his safe from Saul, but it brought him a load of misery, as all unholy alliances are sure to do.

1. A crushing disappointment, 30:3—5

When David and his men reached Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. David’s two wives had been captured—Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel.

David’s return to Ziklag, where he and his men had been living in exile, was timely and tragic. While his men were marching north with Achish, the Amalekites from the south had invaded the area, captured and burned Ziklag, and had taken the women and children captives, destined for a fate worth than death. No one could have guessed that the Amalekites would have acted so boldly.

David, while seeking to help the ungodly lost all he had. Such is always the case when the child of God abandons the cause of the righteous for another. In attempting to do a favor for a person he had no business even being associated with, David, as it were, left his home unguarded and wide open.

Yet in the midst of such a tragedy, we can see a glimmer of hope. Notice the phrase, “so David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep.” This terrible event had the effect of a slingshot on David and his men, snapping them back to reality. This is often the case in our own lives, if we would care to view negative events as God does.

And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:27—28)

God alone knows what it will take to get the Prodigal’s attention and return him to Himself. Yes, God will even use our enemies to waken us to our true state.

2. Return to faith, 30:6—8

David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God. Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelek, “Bring me the ephod.” Abiathar brought it to him, and David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?” “Pursue them,” he answered. “You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue.”

Can you just imagine the scene that day? Wives, sons, daughters, homes, cattle; all gone; everything David and his men held dear was taken away while they were busy living a lie. David was upset, curiously, not so much by the loss of his family but by the fact that his men were turning on him. Of course, he was sad at the loss of his family, but it was the betrayal of his men that roused him to action. David’s heart is revealed here, which explains why, years later, he will have so much trouble with his sons and daughters. David was definitely “God’s anointed,” but he wasn’t much of a father.

However, God used this event to force David to come to himself, and for the first time in a long time, David turned back to the Lord, much as a person might do to a friend in the time of need. Here is a remarkable quality in David that we will see time and again. He was very much a passionate human being, and his passions frequently got him into trouble, but when brought face-to-face with his sins, David cried out to God. We also learn something about God, for all the time David was cavorting with the avowed enemies of God, God never left David, and when David finally came to his senses, the Holy Spirit was, once again, on the throne in his heart.

We are told that “David found strength in the Lord.” Yet that kind of strength is found only when a person submits to God. Psalm 56:3—4 expresses a marvelous thought—

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise— in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?

It’s too bad David hadn’t thought of that sooner, it may have spared both himself and his men unimaginable pain. How much pain do we submit ourselves to because we stubbornly refuse to submit to God instead? David seemed to have learned his lesson, at least for the moment.

3. An encouraging word, 30:8

David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?” “Pursue them,” he answered. “You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue.”

Isn’t amazing how a word from the Lord can calm even the most upset heart? Nothing changed for David; his circumstances were still awful, yet when God spoke to him it was like he was set on fire from the inside and his troubled heart found peace.

It is never too late to turn to God for help. Even when we are in a terrible predicament of our own making, if we call out to God in earnestness, He will answer, as He answered David.

4. An ordained coincidence, 30:11, 16

They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave him water to drink and food to eat—He led David down, and there they were, scattered over the countryside, eating, drinking and reveling because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Judah.

David had God’s promise that everything taken from him would be recovered. But how was that going to happen? Where had the Amalekite raiding party taken the people? They had no clues. They had no guide. Don’t you hate it when all seems hopeless? God loves hopeless situations! He works best when we can’t work at all. Paul the Apostle, no stranger to rough times, wrote this—

That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

How could he say that? Was he speaking through his hat? Quite the opposite; Paul was speaking from his experience. He had noticed something we all need to take heed of: When all seems lost or hopeless, the Spirit of God comes in like a flood and shows us a way out! David experienced this when, by “coincidence,” he came across one of the very Amalekite raiders who had taken his family and possessions away. Naturally, this was no “coincidence,” it was a divinely appointed way to fulfill a God-given promise. In fact, God can use any means to accomplish His will, even a weak and sickly slave of an Amalekite.

God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. (1 Corinthians 1:28)

Here also is a small lesson about the character of David, who, though he had many weaknesses, still exhibited a very God-like character. He spared this slave’s life, fed him and gave him water to drink. Jesus Christ was not so far above us that couldn’t reach down to rescue us, weak and sickly slaves to sin, to use us to accomplish His will.

5. A stunning victory, 30:16—20

David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives. Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back. (verses 18, 19)

This was quite an accomplishment! Not a thing was lost, either when they were taken way or during the battle to retrieve them; there was no collateral damage! When God makes a promise, He surely keeps it.

Our Anointed One, Jesus Christ, embarked on a similar mission. He left His Father and the glories of Heaven to come to earth to recover all that had been lost to Adam’s sin. This is what He prayed—

For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” (John 6:38—40)

6. Sharing the victory, 30:26

When David reached Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah, who were his friends, saying, “Here is a gift for you from the plunder of the LORD’s enemies.”

The word translated “gift” really means “blessing.” David, the man who saved all turns around and offers a blessing to his friends in Judah. In fact, he did much more than that. Not everybody could fight and David understood this. To those who were unable to fight, David promised this—

The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike. (verse 24)

Our Heavenly David who redeemed us, the “lost inheritance,” has given us multiplied blessings that we neither deserved nor earned. It is His right to do so!

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. (Ephesians 1:7, 8a)

Our Savior, who accomplished so much has also been given an inheritance by His Father, which He graciously shares with those who have faith. The prophet Isaiah wrote these interesting words—

Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong. (Isaiah 53:12)

Jesus won a great victory for mankind, and out of the abundance of the grace of His heart, mankind has a share in that victory!

You don’t have to be great, or strong, you just have to be like David: humble enough to admit your mistakes and wise enough to trust in God to set things right. To such, Hebrews 2:16 finds application—

For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants.

(c) 2009 WitzEnd

GOD’S ANOINTED: Slumming

Published November 5, 2009 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: Achish, David, God's Anointed, Philistine

Achish sends David home

1 Samuel 27, 29

The last time we saw David, he and his 600 men were living in the desert; he was on the run from Saul, who was hunting him down, intent on killing him. King Saul, whom God had taken the kingdom of Israel from because of his continual rebellion and disobedience to His commands was slowly going insane. Of course, that is an “editorial comment” on my part, but if we look at Saul’s bizarre behavior after God’s rejection of him as king in favor of David, we see that Saul was beyond fickle. Saul was on an out of control emotional roller coaster, backsliding, repenting, then backsliding again, over and over.

By now, David had come to the realization that king Saul was a lost cause and could never be trusted so he decided it was time for a change of direction. After some brief consideration, and apparently not a word of prayer, David came to this conclusion—

The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me anywhere in Israel, and I will slip out of his hand. (1 Samuel 27:1b)

I say David couldn’t have prayed about this decision because the thought of David—God’s anointed—finding peace and safety among the Philistines is a bigger leap than finding Saul in the company of priests! Saul no more belonged with priests than David belonged with his enemies, yet this was what he decided to do. What a strange spectacle it must have been to see God’s anointed king depending on a heathen king for protection!

But then it must also be a strange spectacle to God, as He watches how we live our lives. Instead of trusting Him to help us, as He promised He would in His Word, how many Christians take matters into their own hands and seek to meet whatever needs they think they have in a worldly way?

Feeling depressed? Don’t waste your time praying and looking for good fellowship with other Christians, take a pill. Go to a party and get drunk.
Feeling lonely? Look for another relationship to get into. Find a bunch of people to hang around with that make you feel good; how cares if they are Christians or not.
Kids out of control? Why raise them the Biblical way when all you have to do is “get them counseling” or pump them full of drugs to calm them down or get them so involved in extra-curricular activities they won’t have time to get in trouble.

Of all the moral deserts a believer may find themselves in, none is more sickening to watch than the quagmire of selfishness. Why else would a Christian run to the world for help, if they aren’t selfish and self centered? If God was the primary focus of a person’s life, they would go to Him first. We have all, at one time or another, played the part of the prodigal, taking a long journey into a far country. And some of us have even done exactly what David did; in a fit of cowardice and fear we have sought help or peace or happiness from people who would do us harm and in places we had no business going to.

1. David’s big mistake

The very first phrase of verse one says it all—

But David thought to himself.

Literally, David did what he did because it was in “in his heart” to do so. By listening to his heart, David was denying His anointing. David had the Holy Spirit dwelling within him; he knew what God’s will was, yet he listened “to his heart.” Here is a tremendous lesson for Christians: never listen to your heart! You can’t trust it!

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? (Jeremiah 17:9)

The Bible never encourages a person to “follow his heart.” That’s a Hallmark moment, not a Biblical moment! 1 John 2:24 tells us what a Christian should do—

As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father.

That phrase “what you have heard” means the teachings of the apostles; the Gospel! Listen to the Word, not your heart. You are on dangerous ground indeed if you pay more attention to your heart than to the Word of God. It will make you do things you would have never done otherwise.

Essentially, David’s fear of Saul was greater than his faith in God and that’s why hiding out with the Philistines made sense to him. Again, read verse one carefully—

The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines.

Oh really? The best thing for a child of God to do in a pinch is to seek out the help of the ungodly? What David did reminds me a lot of this verse—

The way of fools seems right to them. (Proverbs 12:154a)

It made sense to David to hide out with Israel’s enemies; who would think of looking for him there? But David’s way was not God’s way.

So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can human beings do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6)

2. David’s plan worked. Sort of.

In running to his enemies, the Philistines, David appeared to have had some success.

When Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him. (1 Samuel 27:4)

The godless plan David hatched in his heart to save his own hide actually worked. And why wouldn’t it? It made complete sense. The only problem, it was David’s plan, not God’s plan. 1 Peter 4:13 is a marvelous verse that not only states the value of difficult and dangerous times, but also the reward for remaining faithful—

But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.

Peter did not suggest that the believer should “avoid suffering at all cost.” Peter did not intimate that suffering was somehow a sign of weak faith. Indeed, what Peter said was the exact opposite to conventional wisdom: the sufferings we may endure make Christ’s glory all the more sweet. Maybe one of the reasons so many Christians have such a low opinion of God that they continually try to manage their own lives is because they have never actually suffered for Christ; through clever manipulation they have avoided it. By backsliding into the world and compromising your faith you can almost always find relief; the world loves its own! However, while that kind of believer may find relief, they will never see the glory of God manifested.

So, David’s plan worked and he found peace and safety for himself and his men hiding out with the enemy. However, that peace and safety came with a heavy price. Verse 5 seems to suggest that in some way David went further than just hiding out with the Philistines—

Then David said to Achish, “If I have found favor in your eyes, let a place be assigned to me in one of the country towns, that I may live there. (1 Samuel 27:5)

What did David do that made Achish, king of the Philistines, look favorably upon him? David was the sworn enemy of the Philistines; had he not slaughtered their champion, Goliath? Not only did David and Achish appear to be on very favorable terms, we read in 28:2 that David refers to himself as Achish’s servant! David was King of Israel; he was nobody’s servant!

As Christians, we are called to high standard of living; much higher than that of the world. For a believer to be found acceptable to the world that believer must lower their standards. Consider what Paul wrote in light of what David did—

Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? (2 Corinthians 6:14—15)

The believer ought not to have anything in common with the unbeliever! The only way a believer can be accepted by an unbeliever is to literally deny their true character as a child of God as David denied his before Achish. There is no other way to explain why David and Achish got along so well; David had to submit himself to a master who was not God. The prodigal son did a similar thing; when he had journeyed to that “far away country,” running from his father, he got into trouble and the first thing he did was not to run back home where he belonged! Luke 15:15 tells us exactly what he did—

So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs.

Like David, this desperate man joined himself to a stranger when he was in need. David did the unthinkable: he joined himself to Achish his enemy, and he did this because he did what “was in his heart.” Backsliding in the heart always ends in backsliding conduct.

Remember what David “said to himself” back in 27:1—

The best thing I can do…

The KJV translates this phrase a little differently—

There is nothing better for me…

One commentator has remarked:

It is an infallible evidence that we are “living after the flesh” when we are more ready to consider what would be “better for me” than what would be better for Christ and His kingdom.

3. David’ compromise

There is an interesting exchange that took place between David and Achish that is so brief we might be tempted to read over quickly and miss its significance.

Now David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites and the Amalekites. (From ancient times these peoples had lived in the land extending to Shur and Egypt. Whenever David attacked an area, he did not leave a man or woman alive, but took sheep and cattle, donkeys and camels, and clothes. Then he returned to Achish. When Achish asked, “Where did you go raiding today?” David would say, “Against the Negev of Judah” or “Against the Negev of Jerahmeel” or “Against the Negev of the Kenites.” (1 Samuel 27:8—9)

That is an outright lie! David was in Egypt fighting, he was nowhere near those other places! David would lie again when he deceived Achish into thinking he wanted to go and fight with the Philistines against the Israelites—

Why can’t I go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king? (1 Samuel 29:8b)

Of course, Achish providentially let David off the hook, and David was, in all likelihood, very glad.

This is the kind sinful, double dealing life a Christian has to live when they make friends with the world. They have to lie; they have to lie to both God and to the world. When a Christian seeks aid and comfort from anything or anybody in the world, they have to lie and they have to play the hypocrite in order to be accepted. No body, not David and not you if you are born again, is the same after they have encountered Jesus Christ and received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Even salt without its taste is still tasteless salt.

Have you ever been tempted to do what David did? Has life ever gotten so hard for you that you felt like your only way out was to compromise your faith? Maybe you are living a lie right now; maybe you are someplace you know you shouldn’t be or in a relationship you know is wrong for you. Maybe you have been living a life of compromise for so long that you feel as though God would never want you back. Let me assure you that is never the case! God wants you because He loves you more than you can ever know. I promise you, if you are willing to come back to God, He will make a way for you.

And if you are in the habit of listening to your heart, let me urge you: STOP! Or you may find yourself someplace you don’t you don’t belong.

GOD’S ANOINTED: In a cave, surrounded by misfits

Published September 22, 2009 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: 1 Samuel, Adullam, cave, David, hiding, Saul

David and his followers at the cave at Adullam

1 Samuel 22:1, 2, 23

David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and his father’s household heard about it, they went down to him there. All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him.

“Stay with me; don’t be afraid; the man who is seeking your life is seeking mine also. You will be safe with me.”

By the time we get to chapter 22, David is on the run for his life. Like the old TV show, “The Fugitive,” David, is seen running from town to town, hiding out from King Saul and his men, who were in hot pursuit. In order, David hid out in Gath in Philistia (1 Samuel 21:10—15); Adullam in Judah (22:1—2) and Mizpah in Moab (22:3—5). It is interesting to read of how David describes himself during this very dark time in his life:

I am hunted like a partridge, 1 Samuel 26:20;
I am like a pelican in the wilderness, Psalm 102:6;
I am like an owl in the desert, Psalm 102:6;
My soul is among the lions, Psalm 57:4;
They have prepared a net for my steps, Psalm 57:6.

Can you imagine being called of God and anointed by God as king of Israel, experiencing an amazing victory over a giant, being best friends with the present-king’s son, playing a harp in the palace at the king’s request, only to find yourself hiding out from that very king in foreign lands in caves? As you may imagine, David was weary during these years of flight from Saul. In fact, the closing verses of chapter 21 reveal what must have been lowest point in David’s life—

That day David fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath. But the servants of Achish said to him, “Isn’t this David, the king of the land? Isn’t he the one they sing about in their dances:

” ‘Saul has slain his thousands,
and David his tens of thousands’?”

David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath. So he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard. (21:10—13)

God’s anointed one, reduced to this. When a believer loses heart, his behavior changes; there is an unbreakable connection between one’s confession and one’s conduct. When your faith and your heart are steadfast in the Lord, you will act like a child of God. But when, for whatever reason, your faith fails and your heart grows weak, your conduct will betray that.

Because of his fear of Achish, king of Gath, David fled to a cave in Adullam. There is an important lesson here for any believer who has ever tried to befriend the world. For reasons that may seem good at the time, sometimes Christians try to make peace with the world; we compromise our core beliefs and standards to make friends with the world. That strategy never works. David fled to the king of Gath; he tried to befriend the enemy of God’s people, and he simply degraded himself. The peace and safety David sought could not be found in Gath, they were found in the simple solitude in a cave. When David separated himself from Achish and Gath, he was richly rewarded by God when supporters he never knew he came to him.

1. Who were his followers?

(a) Those in distress. We are not told what these people were in distress about. Perhaps they were in distress over the state of their nation; perhaps they were in distress because they, like David, were being put upon by the king. Whatever their problem was, they came to David out of sheer necessity; they believed he could help them; they sensed in him a kindred spirit. How many of us seek the Lord out of sheer necessity? If it weren’t for your problems or your unmet needs, how many of you would have prayed today? The fact is, the dark times that beset us every once in a while are blessings in disguise when they bring us to a position of having to seek the Lord. It sounds funny yet it is true: misfortune enables us to share in the blessings of the Lord! People who have everything they think they need; those who are self-satisfied, have no need of God. That is the point of Revelation 3:20—

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

A person doesn’t eat unless they are hungry.

(b) Those in debt. There are many forms of debt; it’s not always about being broke. But all debt is like a disease that eats a person up. In David’s time, if a man got in over his head, he could lose all he owned; there was no protection for those in debt. There should have been, and there was under the Mosaic law, but under Saul, the Mosaic law was ignored. These people came to David out of desperation because he, like them, had lost everything as he fled Saul. All people are debtors under the Law; sin has made us all debtors to God. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus prayed—

Forgive us our debts… (Matthew 6:12)

Only God can forgive, and forgiveness is always linked to the payment of a debt, and only by coming to Jesus can a person’s debt of sin be written off. Ellis Crum expressed this wonderful aspect of Christ’s work on the Cross:

He paid a debt He did not owe;

I owed a debt I could not pay;

I needed someone to wash my sins away.

And, now, I sing a brand new song,

“Amazing Grace.”

Christ Jesus paid a debt that I could never pay.

He paid that debt at Calvary.

He cleansed my soul and set me free.

I’m glad that Jesus did all my sins erase.

I, now, can sing a brand new song,

“Amazing Grace.”

Christ Jesus paid a debt that I could never pay.

(c) The discontented. This refers to a kind of “bitterness of soul.” Many things in life can make a person bitter. Disappointments can make one bitter. Unmet needs and unfulfilled dreams can lead one to discontentment. A lot of discontented people try to find contentment in the things of the world; entertainment, alcohol, relationships, employment, even family and religion can be used improperly in the quest for contentment. The problem is, lasting contentment is found in only Person: Jesus Christ. In Jeremiah 2:13 we read this stinging indictment about people who look for peace and contentment outside of Christ—

My people have committed two sins:
They have forsaken me,
the spring of living water,
and have dug their own cisterns,
broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

There are many people—Christians even—who are digging their own wells, foolishly thinking their thirst can be quenched by the water even their own wells cannot hold.

These are the kind of people who flocked to David, looking for help.

2. Why did they come to David?

Interestingly, even David’s brothers who once accused him of being “conceited” and of having a “wicked heart” were now numbered among his followers. They, and hundreds of other outcasts, came to David because:

(a) They believed in him. They believed David was the true king of Israel and believed he had the right to rule over them. They had, so to speak, been converted from Saul’s followers to David’s. Remember, his family had seen and heard David’s anointing as king. Faith comes by hearing. Others saw and heard of David’s victory over Goliath and recognized that God’s call and anointing rested on him.

(b) They decided to follow him. Their belief led to action. They not only recognized something divine in David, they pursued their beliefs. Jesus taught that wise people not only hear the truth, but practice it—

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. (Matthew 7:24)

Untold millions claim to believe in Jesus, but few take their stand for Him or with Him. In deciding to follow David, they, like us, had to leave their homes and their familiar ways of life to be with him; no camp and no prospects forthcoming. In casting their lot with David, his followers also had to bear his reproach. In following Jesus, we bear the same disgrace He bore—

Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. (Hebrews 13:13)

(c) They were prepared to submit to him. They claimed David as their king and in doing so recognized his authority over them. They would do all they could to advance David’s kingdom. They would even fight for their sovereign. For those of us who have acknowledged Jesus Christ as our King, have we similarly surrendered ourselves to Him? Have we put our wants and desires in a subordinate position to His? Romans 12:1 makes our obligation to Christ pretty clear—

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.

Singing a hymn and going to church is not necessarily a “spiritual act of worship.” Have we offered ourselves, completely and without reservation to God’s service?

3. David became their “captain”

As soon as they took their place as his followers, David became their leader. Followers have a right to expect certain things from their leader:

(a) Guidance. These followers of David looked to him for guidance, for a plan to live by, and it was their right to do so. We, who have chosen to follow Jesus; who have yielded our wills to His will, have every right to look to Him, our Captain, for guidance. Why would David’s followers look to any other man for guidance? Why would followers of Christ look elsewhere for guidance?

(b) Protection. Because they became David’s followers, these social misfits had exposed themselves to the wrath of Saul. Similarly, those who stubbornly obey the god of this world will always be in opposition to God and God’s people. However, we have nothing to fear from those who may be against us. We are on God’s side, and behind us stands the mighty army of heaven. A child of God cannot possibly lose in life. David told his new friends—

“You will be safe with me.” (verse 23b)

We will be safe with God.

(c) Reward. The cause of David was not a lost cause, even though at the moment all seemed lost. He was God’s chosen king, and no man could thwart God’s plan. It is true that for a while it seemed as though Saul was going to prevent David from assuming the throne, but God’s will prevailed in God’s own time. A righteous cause in God’s name can never fail. Romans 8:17—

Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Too many of us want to skip the sufferings and get right to the glory, but God has established an order that cannot be changed.

You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ (Matthew 25:21)

Too many of us despise the “little things” as we presume them to be beneath us; and because of that sinful attitude, we miss out on so many wonderful blessings.

Conclusion

As David was fleeing for his life, God gave him hundreds of followers; social outcasts and misfits all. But in that crowd, God had his man, a priest by name of Abiathar. He was the sole survivor of an entire town priests. He had seen not only his hometown, but also his father, a priest, and his whole family killed mercilessly by Saul because they chose to follow the Lord. This brave man joined David’s fugitive band and he would be David’s priest for rest of David’s life. To this man, David promised protection—

You will be safe with me.

In the Hebrew, the “you” in emphatic; Abiathar from this day forward may count on David’s faithful protection. But for now, Saul will seek out the lives of both of them. King and priest-elect had joined forces to become fugitives, hunted men.

You never know where serving the Lord will take you! However, of this you can be certain: a life of faith is a life of adventure!

(c) 2009 WitzEnd

GOD’S ANOINTED: The Battle of Champions

Published September 15, 2009 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: David, Giant, Goliath, Philistine

1 Samuel 17

The story of David and Goliath is one of the most famous stories in the entire Bible. To many, it is a rousing example of how an underdog can triumph over impossible odds to achieve victory. Goliath, who was a real person, has come to represent any kind of insurmountable obstacle. David has come to represent a person who, when mustering his courage and determination, and by a sheer act of his will, is able to defy all expectations. But in light of what David told Goliath, that isn’t the lesson of this story at all—

David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head.” (1 Samuel 17:45, 46a)

This story is simply a dramatic example of what happens when one person is obedient to God. In this case, the one person was David, and his obedience saved an entire nation. This war between the Philistines and Israel provided David with an opportunity to show Saul and all of Israel, and the Philistines as well, what can be accomplished when one acts in faith, boldly trusting in the omnipotence of Jehovah.

There is definitely a pattern to the history of Israel’s first two kings. Right after Samuel anointed Saul, Saul defeated Nahash and the Ammonites (chapters 10 and 11). Samuel had just anointed David, and now David will defeat the Philistines (chapters 16 and 17).

It seems clear that some time must have elapsed between the events of chapters 16 and 17. Some scholars believe several years may have passed, given the fact that Saul did not seem to recognize whose son David was at the end of chapter 17 whereas Saul knew all about David in chapter 16.

Scottish preacher and hymn writer Walter Smith wrote,

Faith alone is the master key to the straight gate and narrow road.

David learned to use this “master key” as a young man when he tended his father’s sheep in the rough Palestinian wilderness. It was there, in the deserts and mountains, away from everybody, that his character was forged. Those who achieve very public victories for God are those who have first achieved victory in the lowest spheres of life and in the hidden corners of the heart.

Goliath was not only a giant; he serves as an excellent type of the god of this world, who defies the Lord and the Lord’s people, frustrating them as they seek to serve Him. Notice what Goliath says to the army of Israel—

Choose a man and have him come down to me. (verse 8b)

Israel could not choose a man to fight this arrogant Philistine warrior; that was God’s job; the man who would fight for Israel would have to be God’s choice and he would have to be the “man after God’s own heart,” a true type of the Son of God who came to destroy the works of the Devil and fight for the soul of man. The work of David and the work of Christ bear some remarkable similarities, which we will examine.

1. Obedient Son, verses 17—22

Now Jesse said to his son David, “Take this ephah ^[d] of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp. (verse 17)

Early in the morning David left the flock with a shepherd, loaded up and set out, as Jesse had directed. He reached the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions, shouting the war cry. (verse 20)

Not only does David represent the believer, he also represents Christ. Jesse’s command to David involved three things:

Take supplies to David’s brothers;
Find out how they were doing;
Bring back a token of their warfare.

David fulfilled the first two parts of his father’s wishes when he got to the camp; the last part was fulfilled at the end of the encounter with Goliath. Jesse was a concerned father, indicated by the urgency of the command, “hurry to their camp.” What father wouldn’t be worried about his sons in battle?

Like David, our Lord was sent out from His Father. What did Jesus bring from the Father? While David brought food and things necessary for their survival, Jesus brought an endless supply of spiritual gifts and blessings from heaven to man, also necessary for his survival in a sinful world. David did not stop to consider the danger to himself as he ventured close to the lines of battle; Jesus also did not stop to consider the cost of leaving heaven to be obedient to His Father’s will—

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:5—8)

Jesus was obedient and brought God’s grace and mercy to man! Who could have imagined that a baby born in a manger could change the course of the world? Only His Father.

2. Mocked and misjudged by his family, verse 28

When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.”

Just as Joseph’s older brothers reacted with jealousy to the dreams of their younger brother, and Jesus’ family didn’t understand Him, so David’s older brother completely misjudged him and treated him with the greatest contempt and ignorance. What Eliab didn’t understand was that David was acting in a totally unselfish manner. Most people tend to superimpose their character onto others; in assuming David was acting in a conceited manner and with a wicked heart, Eliab was, in reality, revealing his true character! Eliab could not possibly understand David because Eliab was nothing like David. Furthermore, Eliab’s attitude was a gratuitous insult to Jesse, their father.

It is not easy for sinful man to understand Jesus Christ and what He did for us; that is only possible when the Holy Spirit works in the heart. That’s why so many people fail to appreciate the work and the sufferings of Christ; they are spiritually blinded by their sin. David’s treatment at the hands of his brothers is not unlike the treatment Jesus received at the hands of His people and the treatment we may expect from the world if we are true followers of His. If we are faithful, we will be treated just like the One we are faithful to.

3. Total determination, verse 32

David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.”

David was absolutely resolute because he knew the he was on the Lord’s side. In spite of the overwhelming odds against him, this confident statement says it all. David had a heart for God; David did not volunteer for this mission. David was being obedient and in that obedience his faith was unleashed. Yet, Saul remained unimpressed. Saul had no faith; he could not see what David saw. David, walking in faith, already knew he had won before he had fought. Saul saw only what he could see.

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1)

David was beginning to see life the way God saw it. Jesus was determined in His mission, and if you are moved by the Holy Spirit to do something for God that seems impossible and unprecedented, do not be swayed by what other people think. Whenever we are excited about the work of God, you can be sure somebody close to you will say something like this—

“You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth.” (verse 33)

God has chosen the weak things of this world to confound the so-called wise. Never let anybody tell you that you can’t do something if that something is what God wants you to do.

4. Unquestioning confidence, verses 34—37

The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” (verse 37a)

How could David make such an audacious claim: “The Lord…will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” David had already experienced the miraculous power of God’s deliverance in the past, when nobody else was around. In the secret place, God manifested His power. It is in the secret place where our faith is tested and perfected. Who has never noticed how hard it is to be faithful when they’re all alone?

When Saul looked at David, Saul saw one who had courage but whom he thought needed help, so Saul did what anybody else would do: put armor on the young man. But David’s battle was a spiritual one and physical armor was of no value; it just got in his way. Goliath was a flesh and blood human being, but he was representative of every spiritual battle every believer will ever fight. Spiritual battles cannot be fought in the flesh; they must be fought in the spirit and in the Spirit. Too many Christians suffer defeat because they try to fight in the flesh when they should be fighting in the power of the Holy Spirit.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Ephesians 6:12)

5. David’s invisible armor, verse 45, 47

David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

David responded to Goliath’s taunts with the weapons of war referenced at the beginning and the end; “swords and spears.” The army of Israel didn’t have too many weapons, but they were ineffective anyway, because God was all they needed. “The Lord of hosts,” in the KJV, is a title given to the God of Israel first used in the books of Samuel, but commonly found throughout the Psalms and the books of the prophets, in particular Isaiah. It refers to God as a warrior; the One who conquers all powers on earth and in the heavenlies. To David, this Mighty God was the Leader of Israel’s army. With a General like that, how could they possibly lose?

Goliath could see only a small young man; he could not see the Leader of the army of heaven standing with David. David said that instead of fighting with the usual weapons of war, all he needed was “the name” of God. Proverbs 18:10—

The name of the LORD is a strong tower;
the righteous run to it and are safe.

David’s armor was the Name of the Lord, wrapped around him, protecting him. Psalm 124:8—

Our help is in the name of the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

David’s help is also the help of every believer; OUR help is in the Name of the Lord. If He could make the material universe, is there anything He can’t do for you?

Jesus once said this—

Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? (Matthew 26:53)

Jesus didn’t have to die on the Cross; but He chose to. Ray Overholt penned the famous words in his song, Ten Thousand Angels, that puts it all in perspective:

He could have called ten thousand angels

To destroy the world and set Him free.

He could have called ten thousand angels,

But He died alone, for you and me.

6. An undeniable victory, verses 50, 51

So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him. David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and drew it from the scabbard. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword.

This was the beginning of the end for the once-mighty Philistines. This resounding and decided victory proved for all time that true victory does not lie in the skill of man or the might of an army or the wisdom of science. God can show His amazing strength in an earthquake or storm or in the sling and stone of a young man. When Goliath was killed, the Philistine army fell apart and fled, pursued by the army of Israel.

David slew Goliath with his own sword, and Christ will ultimately triumph over Satan with His sword: His Word of judgment. Some who are faint-of-heart wonder why David had to chop off Goliath’s head. From a practical standpoint, this was a very common practice in ancient warfare. Humiliating one’s enemies by decapitation served in demonstrable fashion how decisive the victory was. The fact that he brought it to Jerusalem was interesting. At this time, Jerusalem was not under Israelite control. By putting the mighty Goliath’s head on display, David was putting the Jebusites on notice that their days were numbered.

David’s victory over Goliath was far more than one man triumphing over another. This seminal battle was really between the representatives of two competing kingdoms: one a kingdom of darkness and despair, the other the kingdom of light and hope. Each kingdom would rise or fall in the performance of their champion. So it was with God’s anointed Son, Jesus Christ. He came into the kingdom of darkness and despair, and the light of His victory brought hope to all who would claim His victory as their own.

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:5)

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. (Romans 8:37)

David’s victory was great, but so may ours be, if we put our complete trust in Christ.

(c) 2009 WitzEnd

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GOD’S ANOINTED: In a cave, surrounded by misfits

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GOD’S ANOINTED: The Battle of Champions

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