A Man After God's Own Heart (Part 2)

So David is anointed to be king of Israel by the Lord at the hands of Samuel the prophet...
 
This happens in front of all of his older brothers, so I could conceive there might have been some interesting dynamics between them... of course I'd have to go extra-biblical to say that there were, but at some point some anger shows through with at least one of his brothers (more on that later).

What is interesting to me is that David does not get "puffed up" at all.  In fact, he simply goes back to what he was doing before all of the excitement. He seems to be content to take care of his father's flocks. He does not try to make something happen.  He could have become boastful and proud – after all, he was anointed king by none other than Samuel himself!  But pride does not show itself strong in David.


But something has changed. Deep in David's heart, a seed of greatness was planted that would never be diminished; a seed sown by God Himself.

David continues on as if nothing had changed, but I can imagine that his relationship with the Lord deepened and grew. He became even more skillful on the harp, and God began to breathe songs in him... songs that he later wrote down and taught others to play. Some of those same songs we still sing today.

At some point, the Spirit of the Lord departs from King Saul, and he becomes troubled by an evil spirit. His people suggest that he allow them to seek out a skillful harp player, and let him play when the king is troubled, and he would "be well."

Then one of his servants tells him about the son of Jesse who is, “…skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the Lord is with him.” 1 Samuel 16:18. How did this man know all this about a shepherd boy? 

Perhaps David’s reputation had grown.  Perhaps the rumor mill from Bethlehem had gotten around that people should watch this young man that Samuel visited; there was just something about him.

David had grown in the Lord, he had become skillful in playing, and brave.  He is called a “man of war” although he had never been in a battle (that is, with the exception of a lion and a bear!)  David was disciplined and healthy.  He was wise in his speech – he would have had to be wise with his words, especially with, I repeat myself, seven older brothers!  He was good looking and most of all – the Lord was with him.

So the king sends for David, who comes with gifts from his father, Jesse, for the king.  The bible says that Saul loved David greatly and David became his armor bearer.  An armor bearer was a trusted position and that position was for someone who would be right with the king in battle or whatever he was doing. David also  

Saul then sends a message to Jesse to ask for him to allow David to stand before him, for he “has found favor in my sight.” 1 Samuel 16: 22

“And so it was, whenever the spirit from God was upon Saul, that David would take a harp and play it with his hand. Then Saul would become refreshed and well, and the distressing spirit would depart from him.” 1 Samuel 16:23

I’m curious to know if David ever wondered how God was going to make him king.  Did that question cross his mind when he was called up minister to King Saul? Perhaps something would happen, and the king would step down and let David sit on the throne?  Not likely...

Who knows what he was thinking, but the next chapter in his life changed everything again!

Stay tuned...

A Man after God's Own Heart (Part 1)

I think that my favorite hero of the faith of the Old Testament is David - the man after God's own heart. I love to read about him and the relationship he had with the Lord.

I have other heroes of the Old Testament too; Enoch, Abraham, Joseph, Daniel, Moses and the prophets Elijah and Elisha, and many more. However, I find that I identify with David the most.

Perhaps it is because he was a worshipper and a psalmist. I can relate to that. He wanted to know God intimately and to bless Him.

David was also a shepherd, an armor bearer, a man of war, and a king. He went from feeding his father's flocks to leading the nation that God had called unto Himself.

Although he made some huge mistakes in his life, the priority of his relationship with God never changed. Even after incredible sin, he found redemption and forgiveness, and God still called him a man after His own heart.

I have to believe that this relationship started when he was a lad caring for his father’s flocks. David must have spent long hours playing and singing and worshiping the Lord as he shepherded the flock. He became a skillful minstrel and psalmist as he developed his intimate relationship with the Lord.

When we first meet David he was more than likely a teenager – ruddy and young. Saul had been rejected by God as king, and Samuel was on a mission to find the next king of Israel.

You may recall that Israel had begged God for a king, and Samuel the prophet had tried to plead with them to understand that God was their king, but their voices prevailed.

The people rejected God and wanted to be like the other nations. So God chose Saul. He was handsome and a head taller than any of the people, but unfortunately, like most of us, he had some character flaws… one of those flaws was fear. The day Samuel anointed him as king, he was found hiding among the stuff.

After just two years of reigning over Israel, he went against the word of the prophet Samuel and offered a burnt offering - which was not his job. That was the job of Samuel the prophet. Just as he completed the offering, Samuel came and proclaimed the judgment of God on Saul.

“And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.” 1 Samuel 13:13-14

Even after this, Saul rebels again, and fails to obey the Lord as he was commanded. Samuel has to once again confront him, and the Lord tells Samuel, "I greatly regrest that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments."

It grieved Samuel and he wept all that night long. The next day he delivers the devastating news to Saul of God’s rejection of him as king.

It is after all this that we first get a glimpse of David, the sweet psalmist of Israel...

Samuel clandestinely (for fear of Saul) goes to David’s home town of Bethlehem, to the house of David's father Jesse, of the tribe of Judah to anoint a king.

In those days, it was not a light thing for a prophet of God to come and visit a town. It was especially not a small thing that the prophet Samuel had come to town.

Samuel was the prophet that God promised to not let any of his words hit the ground. In other words, he spoke as an oracle of God.

When he spoke, it was the word of the Lord, and what he said came to pass. At his word Israel trembled. In fact, when he enters Bethlehem, the elders of the city ask him if he came there peaceably! So this is a BIG deal!

Starting with the oldest, all seven of David's brothers pass in front of Samuel. Samuel, who would have anointed the oldest, heard the Lord say, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”1 Samuel 16:7

There was something about David's heart that pleased the Lord. God saw something in David that He really liked. So much so, that He called Him a man after His own heart, and told Samuel to anoint him as King of Israel.

None of the seven are God’s chosen, and finally Samuel asks Jesse if he has any other sons. It almost seems that Samuel is a bit perplexed at this point after going through seven sons of Jesse… Jesse tells him that his youngest son is in the fields with the sheep…

For a moment, imagine yourself as the youngest son in a family with seven older brothers. You are out caring for the flocks as usual, minding your p's and q's because you have seven older brothers who will thump you if you mess up. (Remember what happened to Joseph?)

Suddenly someone from your father’s house comes running and tells you that Samuel the Prophet has come and needs to see you immediately - Yikes!

As David walked in front of Samuel, and the Lord tells Samuel, this is the one!

“And the Lord said, ‘Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!’ Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came on David from that day forward.” 1 Samuel 16:12-13

David is anointed by Samuel

David's life changed from that moment on.

More to come...

Giving Cheerfully...

I just thought I would share a couple of thoughts about giving...

One of the things that amazes me is how simple the Apostle Paul reflected on giving, and how complicated we tend to make it. He shares some excellent principles in two chapters (eight and nine) in his second letter to the Corinthians as he speaks to the believers there about helping out others who are suffering in Judea.

"I speak not by commandment, but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich." 2 Corinthians 8:8-9

Notice the first thing Paul says is that he makes it clear he is not commanding the Corinthians to give, but he then gives an example of the generosity of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We might not think about Jesus being rich because we have this image of a poor itinerant preacher, but think about a couple of things with me: God is incredibly wealthy - beyond belief!

He has streets with pure gold and gates made from pearls. His pattern for the tabernacle was to use implements of gold; the Arkof the Covenant was covered in gold!

Heaven and earth belong to God.

Jesus left all the wealth of heaven to walk this earth. And yet, in His earthly ministry, he still had enough resources that he needed a treasurer! He even gave the job to someone he trusted, Judas (who proved himself a thief and a betrayer).

You may not realize it, but Jesus also had financial supporters who helped Him and his entourage. Can you imagine traveling with at least twelve hungry dudes - not to mention the women that followed Him. They had to be fed and taken care of. Where did they stay in the wintertime? Even Israel gets snow.

To say the least, I think it is a stretch to imagine Him constantly multiplying bread and fish, or having Pete and the boys catch fish with gold coins in their mouths to pay for their needs. But I digress...

Paul continues talking about giving in chapter nine:

"Remember this: The farmer who plants a few seeds will have a very small harvest. But the farmer who plants because he has received God’s blessings will receive a harvest of God’s blessings in return. Each of you should give whatever you have decided. You shouldn’t be sorry that you gave or feel forced to give, since God loves a cheerful giver. Besides, God will give you his constantly overflowing kindness. Then, when you always have everything you need, you can do more and more good things. Scripture says, “The righteous person gives freely to the poor. His righteousness continues forever.” God gives seed to the farmer and food to those who need to eat. God will also give you seed and multiply it. In your lives he will increase the things you do that have his approval. God will make you rich enough so that you can always be generous. Your generosity will produce thanksgiving to God because of us." 2 Corinthians 9:6-11 God's Word Translation

I love how Paul brings it all together with these verses. We are to sow and give as we decide in our hearts to give. That is what grace teaches.

You "shouldn’t be sorry that you gave or feel forced to give," or feel that if you don't give God won't bless you. 

 

God has already blessed you!

He has given you all things that pertain to life and godliness. How - through your giving? Not through your giving, but through the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ! (2 Peter 1:3). We are blessed because of what Jesus gave at the cross, not because we gave in the plate.

We should give, just not grudgingly or feeling like we were compelled - but we should give with cheerful hearts! Why? Because by giving, we are declaring that we trust God with our lives, and besides, He loves a cheerful giver. It all belongs to Him anyway.

I love that grace is involved with giving. Grace is so involved that "God will give you his constantly overflowing kindness.[Grace] Then, when you always have everything you need, you can do more and more good things."

God even gives us the seed to sow. He gives us the seed, He gives us the harvest. His desire is "make you rich enough so that you can always be generous." That is what I call prosperity with a purpose.

That is why we can give cheerfully!

Persecution - Have You Heard the News?

Last Thursday was a day in which thousands of people from all over the world prayed for the release of American pastor, Saeed Abedini, and for millions of other persecuted Christians worldwide. 

Pastor Saeed's wife, Naghmeh, organized the intercessory prayer effort and released the following video:

Click here for the latest News on the effort to free Pastor Saeed...

 

We are living in a day and time when persecution against Christians seems to be on the rise like never before, and unfortunately, at least until recently, the church in the West has largely ignored it.

 

When is the last time you heard a sermon (or prayer request) for the persecuted church? It is not generally a subject one would bring up in “polite” conversation.  Yet, every year, thousands of Christians are persecuted or killed for their faith.  Estimates range from 105,000 to 176,000 Christians are martyred every year, or to put it another way at least one every five minutes.

More about Grace...

I find it fascinating that (it seems) when anyone starts preaching or teaching about the subject of God's grace, there is always someone else who tries to accuse them of giving people a license to sin... A couple of things come to mind. 

First of all, I'm smart alecky enough to say that I never needed a license to sin - I sinned real good without ever needing a license!  People need a license to drive a car and to get married, but no one has ever needed a license to sin!

The next thing that comes to mind is that a person's sin consciousness is exposed by that statement.  The thoughts of their own heart are exposed.
Sort of like the older brother in Luke 15 who accuses his younger brother to their father of wasting his inheritance on wild living and prostitutes.  Funny, I do not remember any mention of prostitutes before.The word "prodigal" just means wasteful, not wild...  As the older brother made the case as to why he was righteous, he exposed his own heart. 

To paraphrase: "All these long years I served you obediently, and I never once disobeyed anything you told me... and you never even gave me a little kid [a measly little goat!] to celebrate with my friends... But when this son of yours , this fornicating prodigal comes, you roll out the red carpet!

The older brother was so sin-conscious, he could not understand that the grace the father was pouring upon the younger son, had always been available to him too!

Sin consciousness will always question your own performance.  Did I do enough for God to bless me?  Did I attend enough church services?  Did I give enough?  When things aren't looking good, sin consciousness tries to figure out what did I do wrong?

What grace does is liberate us.  We are free from sin.  Free from the law.  Free from the law's requirements. Free to love Jesus - Naked and unashamed because He has chosen to "be merciful to our unrighteousness, and our sins and lawless deeds He will not remember." Hebrews 8:12

Grace does not give license to sin, but sin consciousness pushes you toward the very thing you don't want to do.

When we truly come into a grace-filled, love relationship with God, the last thing we want to do is go lay down with the hogs and sin!  No, grace does not lead us to lasciviousness, it leads us to liberty.

I heard a great message this evening from Creflo Dollar while he was at the Southwest Believer's convention in Fort Worth,Texas on July 2, 2013.  I want to share the link for the video with you.

http://www.kcm.org/media/ondemand/272003

Enjoy!