Can we Talk About David

 

 

Who Is David

 

David the great man of the Bible who slayed the giant, a great warrior, King of Israel, the man God called “a man after my own heart”.

 

David is impressive isn’t he. He was a very impressive man, and very different from any man I have ever known. Have you ever known a man so willing to pour his heart out? I might even be inclined to call him emotional; have you read the Psalms?

 

David is so full of honest heart-breaking pleas to the Lord, and yet the faith he has never fails. The first Psalm I think shows what David firmly believed and lived accordingly.

 

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”

Psalm 1:1-3

 

David, A Shepherd Boy

 

This man was a shepherd as a child. We see when he comes before Goliath how this prepared him for his future. Not just to slay the giant, if we look closely at what it is to be a shepherd I think it is safe to say that it prepared him to be King.

 

In the world David lived, as the youngest of many boys, he was the least in his family, he probably expected his life to consist primarily of hanging out with the sheep. In 1 Samuel 17 we see how being a shepherd prepared him to defeat Goliath.

 

Saul Says to David

“And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.

And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:

And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.”

1 Samuel 17:33-35

 

Going down a little farther in Chapter 17 we see David’s heart and his great faith in the Lord.

 

To Saul David says,

 

“The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of the Philistine.”

1 Samuel 17:37

 

And to Goliath David says,

“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 God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.”

1 Samuel 17:45

 

Even as a young boy David had an amazing faith in God. I wish I had that much faith.

 

Can you imagine going up to a warrior who is 3-4 times your size and carrying a sword and shield and your choice of weapon is a sling and a few smooth stones. I believe I have a lot of faith in the Lord, yet I still find it hard to believe that I would be able to do that.

 

In the Kings household

 

After David slayed Goliath he was welcomed, well it was more like he was mandated to come, into the kings household. He quickly became a leader in the kings army, he was a great warrior who lead many victories for Israel.

 

However, he became more highly regarded than king Saul, and Saul became very jealous and angry at David. Soon Saul was out to kill him, quietly at first. Eventually David had to flee.

 

Honoring Authority Honors God

 

Then Saul out and out sought to kill him. He went out with his army to hunt him down. David maintained true to God through all of this. At one-point Saul came into a cave to use the restroom, and it just so happened that David and his men were in that same cave hiding in the dark.

 

David crept up to Saul and cut off a piece of his garment. He could have just as easily have killed Saul. But David held the king in high regards and refused to kill him. David didn’t trust Saul to do the right thing, he trusted God and he knew that God had named Saul king and David had great respect for the man God called king. Yes, even when his life was at risk. It was the Lord that David trusted his life with.

 

Today we tend to forget that God in in control, and he puts our leaders in their place of leadership. We have been called to obey the laws, and respect our leaders. The only exception is if it goes against the Word of God.

 

David as King

 

After Saul’s death, he becomes king of Judah. However, Saul’s captain took Ish-bosheth, one of Saul’s sons and anointed him king of Israel, with the exception of Judah. Ish-bosheth would be king of Israel for 2 years. After the 2 years David became king of all Israel.

 

His trust is in the Lord and the Lord rewards him for his faithfulness. David is a good king and the people adore him. His heart was to serve God, and did many great things.

 

Great Faith

 

Protect me, God, for I take refuge in you.

I said to Yahweh, “You are my Lord; I have nothing good besides You.””

Psalm 16:1-2 HCSB

 

Psalm 16 is believed to have been written by David just after he became king of Israel. Here we see how much David trusted in God and considered God the only thing good in his life.

 

Imagine, becoming king and saying God is the only good thing I have? I am ashamed to say that I don’t believe that is what I would be thinking, let alone saying. I would be filled with praise for the Lord, and know that He put me there. Yet, to say that He is the only good thing in my life…. Sadly, probably not.

 

Bathsheba

 

We can clearly see what an amazing man of God David was, and why God would call him a man after His own heart. Now, we come to Bathsheba. I don’t know about you but when I see how blind David was to this sin it makes me feel a whole lot better.

 

I hope that is not too terrible of a thing to say. It’s just that I know how blind I can be to my sins. It brings me comfort to know that David was blind to his sin too and he was still be considered a “man of God”.

 

It doesn’t destroy my forever relationship with my Lord and Savior. I know it doesn’t excuse any sin and that I need to confess. And I accept that there are always consequences. Although, I am not forever lowered in the eyes of God and this lifts my heart. Let’s look at the story, specifically when David realized how blind he has been.

 

Humility

“And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.

Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast give great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.”

2 Samuel 12:13-14

 

“David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.
And the elders of his house arose, and went to him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat bread with them.”

2 Samuel 12:16-17

 

David, did all that he could do to save his child’s life. Only it was a consequence of his actions, there was no more he could do. Except hope on the loving mercies of his Father in heaven.

 

Once the child had died, David got up, cleaned himself, and went and praised the Lord. After he then went home and ate.

 

Repentance

 

He acknowledged his sin, and he accepted the consequences, even with praise. And then he praised the God that he knew was good, good above anything that we know here on earth.

 

David trusted in the goodness of God and relied on it. He knew who God was. And he never doubted that God would always be what He had always been.

 

The whole David and Bathsheba debacle and the aftermath, makes me 1. want to be more like David and 2. feel like it is possible to be more like David.

 

So, how do you feel about David and Bathsheba, remember that the next child of Bathsheba would be king Solomon, does that seem like a reward or consolation?

 

Is there a Bible character that helps you feel like you can be a woman of God, even though you are not perfect?  There are quite a few that I can think of. And I would love to hear your your favorite.

 

If you enjoyed this you may also enjoy

Psalms 23 The Lord Is My Shepherd, God’s Grace, King Hezekiah The Fear of the Lord

Grace and Peace

Debra Jean