Welcome! Today we begin a new miniseries within the general series called Broken Vessels, a series that focuses on personalities of the Old Testament, looking at their strengths and weaknesses, their victories and their failures, their faith and their lack of faith in God. Our focus for the next three weeks is David. Now, there is more than enough material in the Bible on David to last 20 weeks, so we will just look at certain highlights of David’s life and try to get the “big picture” of this complex man.
Previously, we focused on the life of Saul, a man who repeatedly wanted to do things his own way instead of God’s way, a man filled with a mix of pride, insecurity, and fear that is common today and in every age. Saul’s life ended tragically with him taking his own life on the battlefield, at a battle in which not only Saul fell, but his sons and his nation as well.
Previously, we focused on the life of Saul, a man who repeatedly wanted to do things his own way instead of God’s way, a man filled with a mix of pride, insecurity, and fear that is common today and in every age. Saul’s life ended tragically with him taking his own life on the battlefield, at a battle in which not only Saul fell, but his sons and his nation as well.
In I Samuel 13, Saul disobeyed the Lord by offering his own burnt offering rather than waiting for Samuel, as he had been told. Although David had not yet been introduced by name, Samuel’s prophetic reply to Saul says something very powerful about David:
"You acted foolishly," Samuel said. "You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, He would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after His own heart and appointed him leader of His people, because you have not kept the Lord's command." – I Sam. 13:13-14
“A man after His own heart” – what a powerful description! The Apostle Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, characterizes God’s description of David this way in Acts 13:
After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: 'I have found David son of Jesse a man after My own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.' – Acts 13:22
Now after Saul had disobeyed God again, in I Samuel 15, God had Samuel tell Saul that God had rejected him as king. Saul did not bow out, however, but instead continued to lead Israel apart from God’s will. Meanwhile, God began the process of installing the new king. This process begins in I Samuel 16, where God has Samuel go to Jesse and his sons and have them participate in a sacrifice to the Lord with him. Samuel had Jesse bring his sons before him, and one by one they did so – presumably from oldest to youngest – 7 sons in all. In each case, the Lord told Samuel that they were not the ones whom God had chosen to be the future king. There weren’t any more sons there, so Samuel asked Jesse if there were some more, and Jesse had the youngest, David, come in from the fields. The Lord told Samuel, “Rise and anoint him; he is the one,” and Samuel did so.
Independent of this event, Saul was struggling with being tormented by a spirit. Because music helped him to feel better, Saul asked for a musician. One of his servants suggested David son of Jesse, because he had a good reputation and was known to play the harp well. Saul agreed, and in this way, from time to time David would play on his harp when requested to do so.
In I Samuel 17, we come to the telling of the conflict between the Israelites and the Philistines; more specifically, as it turned out, between David and Goliath. We have looked at these events from Saul’s perspective; today, I want to look at them again but from the perspective of David. The Philistine army and the Israelite army were at a standoff; each day for 40 days, Goliath would challenge the Israelites to bring forth a champion to fight him. The people of the loser of this contest would then become slaves to the people of the victor. Each day, the Israelites cowered in fear, refusing to face Goliath.
Now David hasn’t been a part of this at all, but instead has been tending his flocks. But Jesse sends him to the Israelite camp to bring supplies to his brothers, who are there. He gives the supplies to a supply officer and sees and welcomes his brothers.
Now the Israelites had been saying, "Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Israel. The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his father's family from taxes in Israel." – I Sam. 17:25
Now my focus today is on David, but I have to ask a simple question. Why is Saul offering this incentive plan to his army? Great wealth? Daughter in marriage? And a total Roth IRA for the father? After all, scripture says Saul himself is head and shoulders over every man, and a great warrior. Who then is the most natural person to go out there and fight Goliath? Saul! But Saul is terrified.
David asked the men standing near him, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?" They repeated to him what they had been saying and told him, "This is what will be done for the man who kills him." – I Sam. 17:26-27
When you live with an unacceptable situation long enough, it becomes acceptable to you. The soldiers had become used to this daily shaming by Goliath, by nothing changing, by nobody responding to Goliath’s challenge. This was now “normal” to them. But not to David; this is the first he has heard of this, and to him, even though he is a youngster, it is outrageous. “Yes, Goliath is big. Really big. But we are the people of God. The living God. He lives! He sees! He empowers! What in the world is going on here?”
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." "Now what have I done?" said David. "Can't I even speak?" – I Sam. 17:28-29
Wow. Don’t you just love it when interpersonal family “baggage” suddenly rears its head in a public place? Ouch! Of course it is the oldest brother. If you are the oldest child, if you are honest, you will admit that you see a little of yourself here. If you don’t agree, go ask one of your younger siblings. They will be quick to assure you that, yes, you do sometimes act like this. Now, I am an oldest child, and I am guilty as charged.
But there are gentle ways to be bossy and not-so-gentle ways to be bossy. This definitely fits in the category of not-so-gentle! In fact, it seems way over the top. Eliab won’t even give David time to answer any of his questions. And David has very good answers – he is here because their father told him to go. He is here because he has brought supplies to them; he has done it for his father and for them. And I am sure his sheep are being taken care of, since his father has sent him. And what is the reason for belittling David? “Those few sheep”? And where does this “conceited and wicked” stuff come from?
I’m not a psychologist, but I have an idea. I have to read between the lines here, but you can listen and see what you think. I think David has always had high moral standards; to use a phrase we use here, he has been living “the royal way.” There are no shades of gray for David; there is black and white, right and wrong. In contrast, I suspect Eliab is more a “shades of gray” kind of guy. In addition, he may have a big problem with jealousy – after all, David, the baby of the family, has been anointed by a strange prophet guy, and he and his brothers weren’t. Also, David has had a part-time job in the court of the king, serving as a musician. And there is something else: when David is saying that this current situation is completely unacceptable, he is making a statement about the entire army, including his brother Eliab. He is saying, in effect, “What’s going on? Are you all a bunch of cowards? How can you be here “only to watch”? (Psychologists call this projection.) I suspect Eliab feels a complex mix of emotions related to these thoughts, and all together, it leads to the verbal lashing he gives his brother. David, we see here, gives a very human response. He is not just responding to this current situation, but to the past as well, when he says, “Now what have I done?” Family baggage – there is nothing quite like it!
He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter, and the men answered him as before. What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, and Saul sent for him. David said to Saul, "Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him." Saul replied, "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." – I Sam. 17:30-33
I want to stop here for a moment and talk about two words: lose heart. Losing heart is a serious thing. The same phrase is used in Deut. 1 in Moses’ big talk to the Israelites when he explained what happened to them when they received the reports from the spies about how powerful and “giantish” the people in the land were. By the way, just this week there was news that archaeologists have uncovered a giant wall in Israel, 26 feet high, made with stones 4-5 tons each, made in the time period before the Israelites took the land. At this point, the archaeologists have no idea how the wall was made without modern power equipment. I can see why the Israelites lost heart.
Now David hasn’t been a part of this at all, but instead has been tending his flocks. But Jesse sends him to the Israelite camp to bring supplies to his brothers, who are there. He gives the supplies to a supply officer and sees and welcomes his brothers.
Now the Israelites had been saying, "Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Israel. The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his father's family from taxes in Israel." – I Sam. 17:25
Now my focus today is on David, but I have to ask a simple question. Why is Saul offering this incentive plan to his army? Great wealth? Daughter in marriage? And a total Roth IRA for the father? After all, scripture says Saul himself is head and shoulders over every man, and a great warrior. Who then is the most natural person to go out there and fight Goliath? Saul! But Saul is terrified.
David asked the men standing near him, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?" They repeated to him what they had been saying and told him, "This is what will be done for the man who kills him." – I Sam. 17:26-27
When you live with an unacceptable situation long enough, it becomes acceptable to you. The soldiers had become used to this daily shaming by Goliath, by nothing changing, by nobody responding to Goliath’s challenge. This was now “normal” to them. But not to David; this is the first he has heard of this, and to him, even though he is a youngster, it is outrageous. “Yes, Goliath is big. Really big. But we are the people of God. The living God. He lives! He sees! He empowers! What in the world is going on here?”
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." "Now what have I done?" said David. "Can't I even speak?" – I Sam. 17:28-29
Wow. Don’t you just love it when interpersonal family “baggage” suddenly rears its head in a public place? Ouch! Of course it is the oldest brother. If you are the oldest child, if you are honest, you will admit that you see a little of yourself here. If you don’t agree, go ask one of your younger siblings. They will be quick to assure you that, yes, you do sometimes act like this. Now, I am an oldest child, and I am guilty as charged.
But there are gentle ways to be bossy and not-so-gentle ways to be bossy. This definitely fits in the category of not-so-gentle! In fact, it seems way over the top. Eliab won’t even give David time to answer any of his questions. And David has very good answers – he is here because their father told him to go. He is here because he has brought supplies to them; he has done it for his father and for them. And I am sure his sheep are being taken care of, since his father has sent him. And what is the reason for belittling David? “Those few sheep”? And where does this “conceited and wicked” stuff come from?
I’m not a psychologist, but I have an idea. I have to read between the lines here, but you can listen and see what you think. I think David has always had high moral standards; to use a phrase we use here, he has been living “the royal way.” There are no shades of gray for David; there is black and white, right and wrong. In contrast, I suspect Eliab is more a “shades of gray” kind of guy. In addition, he may have a big problem with jealousy – after all, David, the baby of the family, has been anointed by a strange prophet guy, and he and his brothers weren’t. Also, David has had a part-time job in the court of the king, serving as a musician. And there is something else: when David is saying that this current situation is completely unacceptable, he is making a statement about the entire army, including his brother Eliab. He is saying, in effect, “What’s going on? Are you all a bunch of cowards? How can you be here “only to watch”? (Psychologists call this projection.) I suspect Eliab feels a complex mix of emotions related to these thoughts, and all together, it leads to the verbal lashing he gives his brother. David, we see here, gives a very human response. He is not just responding to this current situation, but to the past as well, when he says, “Now what have I done?” Family baggage – there is nothing quite like it!
He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter, and the men answered him as before. What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, and Saul sent for him. David said to Saul, "Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him." Saul replied, "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." – I Sam. 17:30-33
I want to stop here for a moment and talk about two words: lose heart. Losing heart is a serious thing. The same phrase is used in Deut. 1 in Moses’ big talk to the Israelites when he explained what happened to them when they received the reports from the spies about how powerful and “giantish” the people in the land were. By the way, just this week there was news that archaeologists have uncovered a giant wall in Israel, 26 feet high, made with stones 4-5 tons each, made in the time period before the Israelites took the land. At this point, the archaeologists have no idea how the wall was made without modern power equipment. I can see why the Israelites lost heart.
Here we have a similar situation: Saul and his army have lost heart. They look at the Philistine army camped across the valley, and they look at Goliath, and they have lost heart. They are not only paralyzed in fear, but they are without hope for the future, numb, already defeated. We too can lose heart; I will be honest: sometimes I lose heart. It happens when I put my eyes on the situation, whatever it is, instead of God. David’s eyes here are not on Goliath or his army. It wouldn’t have made any difference to him if Goliath were 30 feet tall instead of 9. What’s that great phrase? “The bigger they are, the harder they fall.”
The danger of losing heart is that you quit, you move to a state of inaction, just like Saul and his army. David, though has not lost heart, and as a man after God’s own heart, he says, send me. Notice that he didn’t try to give Saul a pep talk to get him to go – he said he would go himself. This is even though Saul is far more qualified – from a worldly perspective, that is – so much so that any comparison between the man and the boy is just ridiculous. And in more polite terms, this is basically what Saul tells David. And who can blame him? It is ridiculous to send David out there to fight Goliath!
But David said to Saul, "Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 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." Saul said to David, "Go, and the Lord be with you." – I Sam. 17:34-37
David is recounting his past victories, but not so as to make any claim about his own abilities – do you see this? His point is that the Lord has delivered him, and the Lord will do so again, because He is the living God and He will not allow the heathen Philistines, who defame God’s name, to be victorious. But does David actually know this? What do you think?
I think David as it says earlier in I Samuel, is filled with power from God’s Spirit, and this enhances his faith and gives him boldness in the Lord, but I don’t think David, with certainty, knows that he will be victorious. This is just not how faith usually works. Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Yes, the words “sure” and “certain” are there, but they only happen as long as you are looking with eyes of faith. It is a conscious, continual, moment-by-moment choice to do this. You can always go back to looking with “natural” eyes. David had had some oil poured on his head by a weird guy who said some powerful things, and had been called into the court of the king, and had defeated a bear and a lion, but all of this also has a natural explanation: the prophet was just crazy, the being called into the court of the king was a coincidence and because, after all, he was a good harpist, and the bear and the lion were just a combination of his skill with the sling and some good luck. There is always a second, “logical,” “natural” explanation. And our lives are no different.
Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. "I cannot go in these," he said to Saul, "because I am not used to them." So he took them off. Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine. – I Sam. 17:38-40
Now, I did some reading about the sling, and through history, in many cultures, it has been a weapon of choice. Well designed, and in the hands of one skilled to use it, it is an extremely powerful weapon that has tremendous range and accuracy. On the internet you can find directions for making them, using them, and much more.
That being said, it was not a very appropriate weapon against a giant of a man covered in armor. The armor should have protected him from the stones. And here he is, just a boy, with no armor, no sword, from appearances, no anything.
Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. He looked David over and saw that he was only a boy, ruddy and handsome, and he despised him. He said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. "Come here," he said, "and I'll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!" – I Sam. 17:41-44
Are you a little surprised, as I am, that Goliath hated David? That he cursed him? He is just a boy. Goliath could have refused to fight, to kill a kid. But he didn’t care. He hated David! Why? I think Goliath hated anything that represented the God of Israel. Here was this kid, the equivalent of “middle class,” good-looking – and I mean that especially in the non-idiom sense: he looked like he was good. We don’t like to think about this, but the world, even our town, has many people who hate you, if they came to know you, simply because you call yourself a Christian, because you believe in Jesus. In the past it was hard to see signs of them, but in our modern culture, you can find it on countless blogs, on comments to news stories on the internet, places like this. We are scorned, ridiculed, and yes, hated, simply because we are one of them. Sometimes, when you stumble across the truth of this, it can be shocking, disconcerting, demoralizing. What about David?
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. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 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." – I Sam. 17:45-47
David was not thinking about this at all, but about God, about what He can do. Full of faith, David pronounced a much greater judgment on Goliath and all his people than Goliath had pronounced on him. And he did it walking step by step, hand in hand with his God. Can you see why God calls him a man after His own heart?
As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground. 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. – I Sam. 17:48-50
The danger of losing heart is that you quit, you move to a state of inaction, just like Saul and his army. David, though has not lost heart, and as a man after God’s own heart, he says, send me. Notice that he didn’t try to give Saul a pep talk to get him to go – he said he would go himself. This is even though Saul is far more qualified – from a worldly perspective, that is – so much so that any comparison between the man and the boy is just ridiculous. And in more polite terms, this is basically what Saul tells David. And who can blame him? It is ridiculous to send David out there to fight Goliath!
But David said to Saul, "Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 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." Saul said to David, "Go, and the Lord be with you." – I Sam. 17:34-37
David is recounting his past victories, but not so as to make any claim about his own abilities – do you see this? His point is that the Lord has delivered him, and the Lord will do so again, because He is the living God and He will not allow the heathen Philistines, who defame God’s name, to be victorious. But does David actually know this? What do you think?
I think David as it says earlier in I Samuel, is filled with power from God’s Spirit, and this enhances his faith and gives him boldness in the Lord, but I don’t think David, with certainty, knows that he will be victorious. This is just not how faith usually works. Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Yes, the words “sure” and “certain” are there, but they only happen as long as you are looking with eyes of faith. It is a conscious, continual, moment-by-moment choice to do this. You can always go back to looking with “natural” eyes. David had had some oil poured on his head by a weird guy who said some powerful things, and had been called into the court of the king, and had defeated a bear and a lion, but all of this also has a natural explanation: the prophet was just crazy, the being called into the court of the king was a coincidence and because, after all, he was a good harpist, and the bear and the lion were just a combination of his skill with the sling and some good luck. There is always a second, “logical,” “natural” explanation. And our lives are no different.
Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. "I cannot go in these," he said to Saul, "because I am not used to them." So he took them off. Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine. – I Sam. 17:38-40
Now, I did some reading about the sling, and through history, in many cultures, it has been a weapon of choice. Well designed, and in the hands of one skilled to use it, it is an extremely powerful weapon that has tremendous range and accuracy. On the internet you can find directions for making them, using them, and much more.
That being said, it was not a very appropriate weapon against a giant of a man covered in armor. The armor should have protected him from the stones. And here he is, just a boy, with no armor, no sword, from appearances, no anything.
Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. He looked David over and saw that he was only a boy, ruddy and handsome, and he despised him. He said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. "Come here," he said, "and I'll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!" – I Sam. 17:41-44
Are you a little surprised, as I am, that Goliath hated David? That he cursed him? He is just a boy. Goliath could have refused to fight, to kill a kid. But he didn’t care. He hated David! Why? I think Goliath hated anything that represented the God of Israel. Here was this kid, the equivalent of “middle class,” good-looking – and I mean that especially in the non-idiom sense: he looked like he was good. We don’t like to think about this, but the world, even our town, has many people who hate you, if they came to know you, simply because you call yourself a Christian, because you believe in Jesus. In the past it was hard to see signs of them, but in our modern culture, you can find it on countless blogs, on comments to news stories on the internet, places like this. We are scorned, ridiculed, and yes, hated, simply because we are one of them. Sometimes, when you stumble across the truth of this, it can be shocking, disconcerting, demoralizing. What about David?
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. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 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." – I Sam. 17:45-47
David was not thinking about this at all, but about God, about what He can do. Full of faith, David pronounced a much greater judgment on Goliath and all his people than Goliath had pronounced on him. And he did it walking step by step, hand in hand with his God. Can you see why God calls him a man after His own heart?
As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground. 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. – I Sam. 17:48-50
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. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran. – I Sam. 17:51
Now we talked about some of the events that happened next when talking about Saul. David went on to a series of military victories, and the people loved him, saying “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” Saul became jealous of David, and fearing that one day he would take the kingdom from him, watched him and plotted to get rid of him.
Saul offered his daughter Merab to David, and later, his daughter Michal, hoping he would be willing to do heroic exploits to gain her hand, so “heroic” that it would get him killed. David turned down Merab, but went with his men to do heroics to gain Michal. David did twice as much as what Saul had asked, and married Michal. This made Saul even more afraid and eager to get rid of David. David also became best friends with Saul’s son, Jonathan, and I’m sure this only added to Saul’s anger.
Saul threw a spear at David while he was playing the harp, but David eluded him, and escaped. Later, Jonathan couldn’t believe David was right about Saul wanting to kill him, so they worked out a plan together to find out. The result was just as David had said. Jonathan, now convinced, sadly bid David goodbye as he left to find someplace safe away from Saul.
While in flight, David visited Ahimelech, the priest at Nob, who gave him provisions as well as Goliath’s sword which had been kept there. Later, Saul was so furious about this that he had everyone in this village, even the children, killed.
David, being pursued by Saul’s armies, decided to leave the territory altogether and went, of all places, to the king of Gath, a Philistine territory. But the servants of the king there thought they recognized him as David. David then pretended to be insane; “he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard.” This fooled the king and he let him go. Picking up the story:
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. - I Sam. 22:1-2
Now we talked about some of the events that happened next when talking about Saul. David went on to a series of military victories, and the people loved him, saying “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” Saul became jealous of David, and fearing that one day he would take the kingdom from him, watched him and plotted to get rid of him.
Saul offered his daughter Merab to David, and later, his daughter Michal, hoping he would be willing to do heroic exploits to gain her hand, so “heroic” that it would get him killed. David turned down Merab, but went with his men to do heroics to gain Michal. David did twice as much as what Saul had asked, and married Michal. This made Saul even more afraid and eager to get rid of David. David also became best friends with Saul’s son, Jonathan, and I’m sure this only added to Saul’s anger.
Saul threw a spear at David while he was playing the harp, but David eluded him, and escaped. Later, Jonathan couldn’t believe David was right about Saul wanting to kill him, so they worked out a plan together to find out. The result was just as David had said. Jonathan, now convinced, sadly bid David goodbye as he left to find someplace safe away from Saul.
While in flight, David visited Ahimelech, the priest at Nob, who gave him provisions as well as Goliath’s sword which had been kept there. Later, Saul was so furious about this that he had everyone in this village, even the children, killed.
David, being pursued by Saul’s armies, decided to leave the territory altogether and went, of all places, to the king of Gath, a Philistine territory. But the servants of the king there thought they recognized him as David. David then pretended to be insane; “he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard.” This fooled the king and he let him go. Picking up the story:
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. - I Sam. 22:1-2
From there David went to Mizpah in Moab and said to the king of Moab, "Would you let my father and mother come and stay with you until I learn what God will do for me?" So he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him as long as David was in the stronghold. But the prophet Gad said to David, "Do not stay in the stronghold. Go into the land of Judah." So David left and went to the forest of Hereth. – I Sam. 22:3-5
David then learned about Saul’s massacre at Nob from a son of Ahimelech who came to him in the forest. David told him this:
"I am responsible for the death of your father's whole family. Stay with me; don't be afraid; the man who is seeking your life is seeking mine also. You will be safe with me." – I Sam. 22:22-23
So let’s pause here for a moment and think about the situation from David’s perspective. He has seen God work through him, miraculously, powerfully. However, he has also seen his king, whom he served, seemingly go nuts and go all out trying to kill him. He has been in near-constant flight for his life; his family and friends have also escaped to be with him. A priest who was his friend has been killed, along with his whole town. All this upheaval is due to David. It is not his fault, but these things are happening because of Saul’s hatred for him.
What would you think would be an appropriate, understandable response? Some might blame God, for letting it all happen. Some might become so despairing as to give up, even take your own life, or turn yourself in to Saul so he could kill you. But in David I find two responses, both which I find remarkable. The first can be found in Psalm 57, which David wrote in that cave:
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in You my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of Your wings until the disaster has passed. I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills [His purpose] for me. He sends from heaven and saves me, rebuking those who hotly pursue me; Selah – Psalm 57:1-3
God sends his love and his faithfulness. I am in the midst of lions; I lie among ravenous beasts—men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be over all the earth. They spread a net for my feet— I was bowed down in distress. They dug a pit in my path— but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah – Psalm 57:3-6
My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music. Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of You among the peoples. For great is Your love, reaching to the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be over all the earth. – Psalm 57:7-11
It is at those darkest moments that our faith can really shine. It is easy to trust God when things are going well; can you trust Him, believe He is still good, that He still cares about you, that He loves you, when things are at their worst? There is a popular song based on the last few verses of this Psalm by Third Day. But how much more powerful these verses are when you think about what David was going through. So the first incredible response I see in David is that you keep praising God in the middle of the darkest trial.
The second incredible response of David is in the very next verses in I Samuel:
When David was told, "Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are looting the threshing floors," he inquired of the Lord, saying, "Shall I go and attack these Philistines?" The Lord answered him, "Go, attack the Philistines and save Keilah." But David's men said to him, "Here in Judah we are afraid. How much more, then, if we go to Keilah against the Philistine forces!" – I Sam. 23:1-3
Once again David inquired of the Lord, and the Lord answered him, "Go down to Keilah, for I am going to give the Philistines into your hand." So David and his men went to Keilah, fought the Philistines and carried off their livestock. He inflicted heavy losses on the Philistines and saved the people of Keilah. – I Sam. 23:4-5
So the second incredible response I see in David is that you keep serving God in the middle of the darkest trial. I totally understand the response of David’s men – “David, come on! Are you crazy? We are just barely staying alive here! You want us to go off to war?” But David is inquiring of the Lord; he is his servant, there for Him, regardless of the circumstances, no matter how crazy they become. And God has told him twice to fight against the Philistines. So he does, and of course, they are victorious.
It is understandable to ask, “How do I do that?” How do I keep praising God and serving God when my life is totally out of control? And to respond to that, I am drawn back to the Goliath story, when David said, don’t lose heart. Don’t lose heart in the middle of the darkest trial. Remember who God is, what He has done for you. Get around believers that can encourage you. Pursue God! Pour out your heart to him! If David is an example of anything, he is an example of this!
The New Testament speaks of these themes in powerful ways. Yes, David was filled with God’s powerful Spirit and this enabled Him to do amazing things, to have amazing faith. But so are we! Let me close with these amazing verses from II Corinthians:
Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! […] And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. – II Cor. 3:7-9, 18-4:1
Do not lose heart! The God who made the entire universe loves you so much that He died for you. And He has not left you alone but is watching over you constantly, lovingly, and is in you through His Spirit. He gives you the power to praise Him in darkness and to serve Him in darkness. Simply yield to Him, availing yourself of the gifts He has given you – prayer, the Word, other believers – and He will empower you to overcome.
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. – II Cor. 4:7-9
Like David, we too can continue to praise God, continue to serve God, and not lose heart.
David then learned about Saul’s massacre at Nob from a son of Ahimelech who came to him in the forest. David told him this:
"I am responsible for the death of your father's whole family. Stay with me; don't be afraid; the man who is seeking your life is seeking mine also. You will be safe with me." – I Sam. 22:22-23
So let’s pause here for a moment and think about the situation from David’s perspective. He has seen God work through him, miraculously, powerfully. However, he has also seen his king, whom he served, seemingly go nuts and go all out trying to kill him. He has been in near-constant flight for his life; his family and friends have also escaped to be with him. A priest who was his friend has been killed, along with his whole town. All this upheaval is due to David. It is not his fault, but these things are happening because of Saul’s hatred for him.
What would you think would be an appropriate, understandable response? Some might blame God, for letting it all happen. Some might become so despairing as to give up, even take your own life, or turn yourself in to Saul so he could kill you. But in David I find two responses, both which I find remarkable. The first can be found in Psalm 57, which David wrote in that cave:
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in You my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of Your wings until the disaster has passed. I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills [His purpose] for me. He sends from heaven and saves me, rebuking those who hotly pursue me; Selah – Psalm 57:1-3
God sends his love and his faithfulness. I am in the midst of lions; I lie among ravenous beasts—men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be over all the earth. They spread a net for my feet— I was bowed down in distress. They dug a pit in my path— but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah – Psalm 57:3-6
My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music. Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of You among the peoples. For great is Your love, reaching to the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be over all the earth. – Psalm 57:7-11
It is at those darkest moments that our faith can really shine. It is easy to trust God when things are going well; can you trust Him, believe He is still good, that He still cares about you, that He loves you, when things are at their worst? There is a popular song based on the last few verses of this Psalm by Third Day. But how much more powerful these verses are when you think about what David was going through. So the first incredible response I see in David is that you keep praising God in the middle of the darkest trial.
The second incredible response of David is in the very next verses in I Samuel:
When David was told, "Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are looting the threshing floors," he inquired of the Lord, saying, "Shall I go and attack these Philistines?" The Lord answered him, "Go, attack the Philistines and save Keilah." But David's men said to him, "Here in Judah we are afraid. How much more, then, if we go to Keilah against the Philistine forces!" – I Sam. 23:1-3
Once again David inquired of the Lord, and the Lord answered him, "Go down to Keilah, for I am going to give the Philistines into your hand." So David and his men went to Keilah, fought the Philistines and carried off their livestock. He inflicted heavy losses on the Philistines and saved the people of Keilah. – I Sam. 23:4-5
So the second incredible response I see in David is that you keep serving God in the middle of the darkest trial. I totally understand the response of David’s men – “David, come on! Are you crazy? We are just barely staying alive here! You want us to go off to war?” But David is inquiring of the Lord; he is his servant, there for Him, regardless of the circumstances, no matter how crazy they become. And God has told him twice to fight against the Philistines. So he does, and of course, they are victorious.
It is understandable to ask, “How do I do that?” How do I keep praising God and serving God when my life is totally out of control? And to respond to that, I am drawn back to the Goliath story, when David said, don’t lose heart. Don’t lose heart in the middle of the darkest trial. Remember who God is, what He has done for you. Get around believers that can encourage you. Pursue God! Pour out your heart to him! If David is an example of anything, he is an example of this!
The New Testament speaks of these themes in powerful ways. Yes, David was filled with God’s powerful Spirit and this enabled Him to do amazing things, to have amazing faith. But so are we! Let me close with these amazing verses from II Corinthians:
Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! […] And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. – II Cor. 3:7-9, 18-4:1
Do not lose heart! The God who made the entire universe loves you so much that He died for you. And He has not left you alone but is watching over you constantly, lovingly, and is in you through His Spirit. He gives you the power to praise Him in darkness and to serve Him in darkness. Simply yield to Him, availing yourself of the gifts He has given you – prayer, the Word, other believers – and He will empower you to overcome.
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. – II Cor. 4:7-9
Like David, we too can continue to praise God, continue to serve God, and not lose heart.
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