David: A Long Journey
to Kingship
I’ve heard
good teaching on this subject before and it interests me because so many times
we want to reach our destiny quickly and painlessly. In David we see a prime example of a man who
went through years and years of being a servant and being hunted, while all
along he knew that his destiny was to be king over all
A Shepherd Boy
A young boy
in
“And the LORD said unto Samuel, How
long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over
Most know the story, how all the brothers were brought before Samuel, all of them were rejected, is there one more? Yes, the little guy who is relegated to keeping sheep, the servant.
“And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither. And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he.” First Samuel 16:11-12 KJV
Think how
this is for David. He’s just been doing
his job keeping the sheep, and doing it well.
He loves God, for we know God chose a man after His heart, he’s already
gifted with the harp (later in the chapter), and life is pretty good. It’s the House of Bread,
you can eat your fill. He could have
stayed there his whole life and he probably would have been content had God not
called him to a higher place. But God
gave him a call, one that was pretty absurd given that he was a young shepherd
and there was already a king over
And you know how it goes. He immediately went up and took over as king and reigned happily ever after.
No, he went back to being a servant.
The chapter continues with David being called to play before Saul, it doesn’t say exactly how much time has passed. Perhaps it was only a few days, perhaps longer, maybe even shorter. I’m going to guess that David first went back to his sheep, most likely that very day once the anointing was finished.
Fitting Us In
This is the first stage for us as Christians. We love God, we’re going about our business and life is just beautiful, we could go on like this forever! It never seems to happen though, the trials always come, eventually the newness seems to wear off a bit, and you find out that serving God isn’t all fun and games.
In this
place we find out what God wants for us to do for Him. Perhaps He gave you a dream; perhaps a true
prophet gave you a glimpse of your future ministry like Samuel did for David. Perhaps you’ve decided that you’re happy with
what you’ve got. That’s the dangerous
place to be, you always need to be looking for something more. The ultimate goal, of course, is Christ
likeness, but since God puts each part in the church as He wishes (First
Corinthians
The problem with many people is that when they find out what their calling is they immediately go out and try to have it all right then and there. They’ll kick and claw and scratch until they get that position and God help anyone who gets in their way. Leaders aren’t made in a day. Maturation in even a comparatively simple role doesn’t happen overnight. Even when God seems to throw someone immediately into a role there was preparation, we just might not see it.
Other people just give up because it seems too hard, too strange, or it doesn’t fit into their plans. It’s a sure ticket to a miserable life, knowing that you aren’t in the will of God. Pew warming is not a gift of the Spirit, but it is definitely easy, many are satisfied with that. You should be hungering for more, a deeper walk, a greater anointing that will give God more glory.
The End Time Picture
We’ve already been told that we’re going to win. You read the last bit of Revelation and God has everything all set up so that it’s going to be one awesome eternity for His kids. We have the promise of reigning with Christ, how good that sounds!
But that means we’re rulers in training, and we have to go through the training just like David did.
We can’t skip any of the process though, and while I’m getting ahead of myself here, the tribulation will be the ultimate refining for us as we prepare to rule! It’s not all bad, it’s a joy for those who really love Jesus and are willing to go through whatever it takes to know Him intimately.
Many will give up when the going gets tough. That’s not how to become a ruler, that’s how to go to Hell. Set your sights on the highest mark, it’ll be quite the ride.
And it all starts with being a servant.
“But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.” Matthew 23:11-12 KJV
Servants don’t get noticed all that much. You have to be humble and serve others, perhaps even the person whose place you’re supposed to take. For next it’s into the king’s palace.
Into the King's
Palace
"21: And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he became his armourbearer.
22: And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he hath found favour in my sight.
23: And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him." First Samuel 16:21-23 KJV
He started as an armor bearer, taking care of things not his own, making sure that the leader was kept at the best he could be. It's not easy to serve someone who is doing what you know you'll be doing, but David didn't complain. He didn't try to kill Saul, he didn't show himself jealous and angry, he did everything possible to help.
And then came Goliath.
"10: And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of
11: When Saul and all
One man had caused everybody to be afraid until David came along. It was pointed out to me that Saul was not a small man though. If anyone should have been fighting Goliath, it was him. He was bigger than everyone else (Chapters 9 and 10), so while Goliath was still bigger, Saul wasn't exactly a runt.
David, we find, had gone back to his shepherding, so he had actually been temporarily lowered in position:
"And David was the youngest: and
the three eldest followed Saul. But David went and returned from Saul to feed
his father's sheep at
Jesse sent David to bring some food to the men, and at that point his world started going crazy. First Eliab misinterpreted his motives, accusing him of pride when David was inquiring about the reward for defeating Goliath.
"26: And David spake to the men
that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the
man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the
reproach from
27: And the people answered him after this manner, saying, So shall it be done to the man that killeth him.
28: And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle.
29: And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause?" First Samuel 17:26-29 KJV
Eliab puts him down, specifying that it's "few sheep", accuses him of wanting to see the battle when it was Jesse who had sent him, and questions his heart. David's answer makes me wonder if he's been tormented for years by his brothers, what did I do this time?
Passion will often be misinterpreted as pride when someone feels threatened by someone else who does more than they will. Eliab wasn't asking about fighting the giant, so when younger brother started showing him up, he attacked. He was probably one of the few who knew that David was anointed to be king, but that was buried in his need to justify his own cowardice.
"31: And when the words were heard which David spake, they rehearsed them before Saul: and he sent for him.
32: And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.
33: 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.
34: 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:
35: 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.
36: Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.
37: David said moreover, 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 this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee." First Samuel 17:31-37 KJV
Saul did not attack him, although he questioned his ability to take on such a formidable foe. So David brings up conquests of the past to show that he is qualified; he has killed a lion and a bear, doing what it took to protect his sheep. The two foes that weren't as tough as a giant have prepared him for this large battle; it has built his faith because now he sees Goliath as more of the same.
We of course don't have much more information on the past, but David probably had not been crowing about how he had killed these animals. Nay, he might have never mentioned it at all if it wasn't necessary; there was no need for a show.
Saul then does something stupid; he tries to make David into his own image.
"38: And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail.
39: And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him." First Samuel 17:38-39 KJV
You can't fit into someone else's mold; you have to do things the way you were called to do them. David was suited for a simple attack that God had prepared him for, not man's way with armor and sword that he wasn’t used to.
I have no
need to go into the details of the slaying of Goliath. We all know that David beat him with the
tools that he had, and a great victory was won for
For whatever reason Saul seems to have forgotten what family David is from, for at the end of chapter 17 he inquires about him. Then again an earthly king can’t be expected to remember everything about everyone. Beginning chapter 18 we see the beginning of the friendship between David and Jonathan, we’ll look at that later.
Top Dog in
“5: And David went out
whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely: and Saul set him over
the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in
the sight of Saul's servants.
6: And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the
slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of
7: And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul
hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” First Samuel 18:5-7 KJV
Funny, it
wasn’t that long ago that David was nobody, nothing more than a servant to the
king. Wasn’t that long ago that he was a
shepherd in
Until Saul hears the singing. Now we have someone who isn’t so happy about things.
“8: And Saul was very wroth, and
the saying displeased him; and he said, They have
ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands:
and what can he have more but the kingdom?
9: And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.
10: And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God
came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played
with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in Saul's hand.
11: And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to
the wall with it. And David avoided out of his presence twice.
12: And Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, and was
departed from Saul.
13: Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a
thousand; and he went out and came in before the people.
14: And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the LORD was
with him.” First Samuel 18:8-14 KJV
One day he’s on top of the world. Another day he’s dodging spears thrown at him by the man who should have been his greatest ally. Goliath was cake compared to dealing with the king with a spiritual problem. What would happen tonight? Would he throw the spear? Would he be calm? David knew what to expect from the lion and bear, they wanted food. David knew that Goliath had one purpose, to kill him. But a king with mood swings like Saul had was tough.
We see through chapter 18 that David got to marry the king’s daughter, but even that had a bad motive. Saul was hoping that Michal would cause David to be killed by the Philistines.
Yet through this all David behaved himself wisely. He had fame on one side, persecution on the other, and he kept his balance.
Saul is (at least somewhat) repentant and promises not to kill David. We see how long that lasts:
“6: And Saul hearkened unto the
voice of Jonathan: and Saul sware, As the LORD liveth, he shall not be slain.
7: And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan shewed him all those things.
And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence, as in times
past.
8: And there was war again: and David went out, and fought with the
Philistines, and slew them with a great slaughter; and they fled from him.
9: And the evil spirit from the LORD was upon Saul, as he sat in his
house with his javelin in his hand: and David played with his hand.
10: And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the javelin;
but he slipped away out of Saul's presence, and he smote the javelin into the
wall: and David fled, and escaped that night.” First Samuel 19:6-10 KJV
Fitting Us In
This is a dangerous stage of the journey for us. Our passion for God can be misinterpreted as pride by those who aren’t willing to go the extra mile. We see this in the Song of Solomon:
“1: By night on my bed I sought
him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.
2: I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the
broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him
not.
3: The watchmen that go about the city found me: to whom I said, Saw ye
him whom my soul loveth?” Song of Solomon 3:1-3 KJV
This first time around everyone is cool when the bride goes searching for her lover, no one seems to mind, but it is not so the next time:
“6: I opened to my beloved; but
my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I
sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.
7: The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they
wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me.
8: I charge you, O daughters of
9: What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among
women? what is thy beloved more than another beloved,
that thou dost so charge us?” Song of Solomon 5:6-9 KJV
This time
she goes out looking for him and the watchmen (leaders) beat her up instead of
allowing her to go on. They should have
been helping her, but they’re tired of her passion. Even the daughters of
But one day we do something good, something noteworthy and everything changes. Everyone seems to love us; we can get caught up in the euphoria of what we’ve accomplished for God. It’s a dangerous place when everybody loves you, because now pride really can sneak up on you. Pride is in many ways tougher to deal with than persecution, because persecution tends to drive you to God if you have a good foundation. But pride lifts you up; it’s harder to keep your head on straight when you’re somebody instead of nobody. David behaved wisely, many do not. They get their first glimpse of position and everything else fades into the background.
It’s great until someone chucks a spear your way.
Leaders often don’t understand their true role. Yes they lead, but the goal is to help those under them to get to their absolute best, even if it is better than what they themselves are. How many managers in real life keep their underlings bound to a certain level so that they are always in control, they are always the best? That’s the world’s way, but God’s way is to help them become everything they can be. Paul threw himself into guiding Timothy; he didn’t force him to fit a certain mold that wasn’t as glamorous so that Paul would always be the big man.
If every leader made sure every person under them was their “inferior” so to speak, the productivity would decline over time. Each generation wouldn’t be able to hit the same mark as the generation before because of selfish leaders.
But they’re out there, and some of them get jealous when someone has more passion than they do. They get upset when someone seems to have a greater touch of God on their lives than they do. Instead of being your biggest fan and helping, they start throwing spears, trying to keep you down so that they stay in the spotlight. They may apologize because of a guilty conscience, or do something deceptive that looks good, but in the end it’s another spear.
The End Time Picture
Being a true Christian is going to get tougher and tougher as the days go by. Casual Christianity is already getting to be the norm, and probably will be the only kind that is accepted by the coming one-world government. I’m pretty sure they’ll be cool with people having a form of Godliness, having a semblance of being alive, but really just going with the flow. Perfect fodder for introducing a microchip to; here take this and life will just go on.
Those who are passionate about following Christ are going to be a different story altogether. Some will lift them up; they’ll see God in them and set them on a pedestal, helping pride to develop. But many will throw spears, and persecution will start mounting.
Someone you trusted yesterday will suddenly turn on you. Fathers will turn against sons, children against parents:
“Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” Mark 13:12-13 KJV
Jesus was talking end times here; it is going to get ugly. People won’t like it that you’ve sold out to God, because it makes them look bad. Family won’t understand, you seemed so normal before, cut out this business about serving God with everything in you and not following accepted protocol.
And yet for all this David still had years of hardship ahead of him, driven from the palace to the wilderness.
Away from the Palace
We’re going to move ahead a bit and skip the part on David and Jonathan’s friendship for a bit. It’s important, but there’s a message in it that will be better later. In chapter 20 we have the arrow shooting scene and Jonathan tells David that it is no longer safe for him to stay at the palace; it’s time for him to go.
Even with all the spear-throwing David hasn’t been all that far from his calling in some ways. He was in the palace, he had married one of the king’s daughters, and he was great friends with Jonathan. Had Saul been agreeable, he could have received training and been all set to go when Saul died. Saul does know that David is a threat to his kingdom (and unfortunately he saw it as a threat), because of something he said in chapter 20:
“For as long as the son of Jesse liveth
upon the ground, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now
send and fetch him unto me, for he shall surely die.” First Samuel
And so, because of a hopeless situation, David leaves. Sometimes you can be driven out without being “driven out”.
In chapter 21 we see David meeting the priest Ahimelech, receiving the sword of Goliath, and then making a tactical mistake:
“10: And David arose, and fled
that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the
king of
11: And the servants of Achish said unto him,
Is not this David the king of the land? did they not
sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands,
and David his ten thousands?
12: And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of
13: And he changed his behaviour before them,
and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate,
and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.
14: Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye
see the man is mad: wherefore then have ye brought him to me?
15: Have I need of mad men, that ye have
brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence? shall
this fellow come into my house?” First Samuel 21:10-15 KJV
“1: David therefore departed
thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his
brethren and all his father's house heard it, they
went down thither to him.
2: And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt,
and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he
became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.
3: And David went thence to Mizpeh of Moab:
and he said unto the king of Moab, Let my father and my mother, I pray thee,
come forth, and be with you, till I know what God will do for me.
4: And he brought them before the king of
A remnant
joins David. They aren’t necessarily the
great people of the land, but some of them become great in time. Taking his parents to
But now
we’re far from the palace. David lives
in a cave until he’s told to go to
“Then answered Doeg the Edomite, which was set over the servants of Saul, and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. And he inquired of the LORD for him, and gave him victuals, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.” First Samuel 22:9-10 KJV
The priests are all slain, only Abiathar escapes and joins David.
“Then they told David, saying, Behold, the Philistines fight against Keilah, and they rob the threshingfloors. Therefore David inquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go and smite these Philistines? And the LORD said unto David, Go, and smite the Philistines, and save Keilah.” First Samuel 23:1-2 KJV
David saves Keilah at the command of God, and then has to leave because they would hand him over to Saul:
“12: Then said David, Will the
men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of
Saul? And the LORD said, They will deliver thee up.
13: Then David and his men, which were about six hundred, arose and
departed out of Keilah, and went whithersoever they
could go. And it was told Saul that David was escaped from Keilah;
and he forbare to go forth.
14: And David abode in the wilderness in strong holds, and remained in a
mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought
him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand.
15: And David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life: and David was
in the wilderness of Ziph in a wood.” First Samuel 23:12-15
KJV
We see that another couple hundred men have joined David, and it’s to the wilderness now. First a cave, now a wilderness, and Saul is winning. When you have to run for your life you know that your enemy is on top for the moment!
“Then came up the Ziphites to Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself with us in strong holds in the wood, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon? Now therefore, O king, come down according to all the desire of thy soul to come down; and our part shall be to deliver him into the king's hand.” First Samuel 23:19-20 KJV
“And David went up from thence, and
dwelt in strong holds at En-gedi.” First Samuel
Does betrayal ever end? David is forced to move again. And then David gets his first big chance.
“1: And it came to pass, when
Saul was returned from following the Philistines, that
it was told him, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of En-gedi.
2: Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all
3: And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul
went in to cover his feet: and David and his men remained in the sides of the
cave.
4: And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the LORD
said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then
David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privily.
5: And it came to pass afterward, that David's heart smote him, because
he had cut off Saul's skirt.
6: And he said unto his men, The LORD forbid that I should do this thing
unto my master, the LORD's anointed, to stretch forth
mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD.
7: So David stayed his servants with these words, and suffered them not
to rise against Saul. But Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way.”
First Samuel 24:1-7 KJV
Three thousand chosen men. Saul is not messing around in his quest to kill David, and you’d better believe that these guys know how to kill. But David has opportunity to kill Saul and doesn’t. He does cut part of Saul’s robe off; and even that makes him feel badly. Why not just kill him now? Because God will take care of it when the time is right!
David calls after Saul, proves that he isn’t trying to kill him, and Saul realizes this… at least temporarily.
“19: For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away? wherefore the LORD reward thee good for that thou hast done
unto me this day.
20: And now, behold, I know well that thou shalt surely be king, and
that the
21: Swear now therefore unto me by the LORD, that thou wilt not cut off
my seed after me, and that thou wilt not destroy my name out of my father's
house.
22: And David sware unto Saul. And Saul went home; but David and his men
gat them up unto the hold.” First Samuel 24:19-22 KJV
Saul admits that David is to be king. But really I think his selfish motives are shown, he makes David swear not to kill his family when David’s day comes, yet doesn’t bring him back to the palace as his heir. Why do I think this? Because in chapter 26 he comes to kill David yet again, it’s the same old same old.
A Brief Respite
Chapter 25 is the story of Nabal and Abigail and how David starts picking up extra wives. But there is a brief respite from Saul with some good food (yummy!) thanks to Abigail’s quick thinking. Abigail turns David from taking vengeance upon Nabal for his unkindness. We can see that David is starting to slip a little bit; he makes an oath to kill them all, he’s let his flesh rise up so that he will repay evil with evil.
“21: Now David had said, Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow hath in the
wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained unto him: and he
hath requited me evil for good.
22: So and more also do God unto the enemies of David, if I leave of all
that pertain to him by the morning light any that pisseth
against the wall.” First Samuel 25:21-22
KJV
He winds up going back on his word, although not killing them all seems to be the better act. The way he talks in verse 22 is something that I believe to be a solemn oath in those days. Sometimes we see “God do so to me and more also” and the variants, when people say this they are deadly serious. By going back on this he actually becomes a lawbreaker:
“If a man vow a vow unto the LORD, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.” Numbers 30:2 KJV
His words have caused him to sin either way. If he kills them he is taking wrongful vengeance, if he doesn’t kill them he is breaking an oath.
“42: And Abigail hasted, and
arose, and rode upon an ass, with five damsels of hers that went after her; and
she went after the messengers of David, and became his wife.
43: David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel; and they were also both of them his wives.
44: But Saul had given Michal his daughter,
David's wife, to Phalti the son of Laish, which was of Gallim.”
First Samuel 25:42-44 KJV
We see that David is now up to three wives, setting himself up to disobey what God had said about kings:
“Neither shall he multiply wives to
himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall
he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.” Deuteronomy
Solomon, of course, did all this to a much greater extreme than David ever did, but I have to wonder if he took his dad’s example and ran with it. Being pressured in the wilderness refines us for sure, but also can cause us trouble down the road when the consequences come.
Here’s Saul Again!
In this area David is doing pretty well, thankfully. Chapter 26 is the story of the second time David is handed the opportunity to kill Saul, and once again he doesn’t do it. He’s got Abishai with him, a mighty man, and mighty bloodthirsty.
“7: So David and Abishai came to the people by night: and, behold, Saul lay
sleeping within the trench, and his spear stuck in the ground at his bolster:
but Abner and the people lay round about him.
8: Then said Abishai to David, God hath
delivered thine enemy into thine hand this day: now therefore let me smite him,
I pray thee, with the spear even to the earth at once, and I will not smite him
the second time.
9: And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not:
for who can stretch forth his hand against the LORD's
anointed, and be guiltless?
10: David said furthermore, As the LORD liveth, the LORD shall smite
him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall descend into battle, and perish.
11: The LORD forbid that I should stretch forth
mine hand against the LORD's anointed: but, I pray
thee, take thou now the spear that is at his bolster, and the cruse of water,
and let us go.
12: So David took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul's bolster; and they gat them away, and no man saw it, nor knew it, neither awaked: for they were all asleep; because a deep sleep from the LORD was fallen upon them.” First Samuel 26:7-12 KJV
David realizes that God is going to make sure Saul dies; it isn’t his job, even with sleep induced by God. This is a pretty tough test to pass and he does. When you’ve got someone egging you on to do wrong, and God has worked it so you have the perfect opportunity, to forbear really shows maturity. And finally he gets through to Saul!
“Then said Saul, I have sinned: return, my son David: for I will no more do thee harm, because my soul was precious in thine eyes this day: behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly.” First Samuel 26:21 KJV
Saul bothers David no more. He has passed this test of forbearing and doesn’t need any more work in this area. Unfortunately there are still a few things that need to be dealt with.
Two-Faced David
I’m really
not trying to assassinate his character here, but we have to realize that the
pressure cooker causes stuff to rise in us; it shows our true nature. That’s the purpose of these tough times, we
get to deal with these things and take care of them so they don’t come back
worse next time. David hasn’t learned
his lesson about hanging out with the enemy; he goes back to
“1: And David said in his heart,
I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me
than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul
shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel: so shall I
escape out of his hand.
2: And David arose, and he passed over with the six hundred men that
were with him unto Achish, the son of Maoch, king of
3: And David dwelt with Achish at
4: And it was told Saul that David was fled to
5: And David said unto Achish, If I have now found grace in thine eyes, let them give me a
place in some town in the country, that I may dwell there: for why should thy
servant dwell in the royal city with thee?
6: Then Achish gave him Ziklag
that day: wherefore Ziklag pertaineth
unto the kings of
7: And the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was a
full year and four months.” First Samuel 27:1-7 KJV
Why does he
go? He has now lost trust in Saul’s
word, and it’s hard to blame him. Yet he
has fear of something that doesn’t exist, and it causes him to go to the same
place where he had previously needed to get away from, and it’s even the same
king! Usually when it comes to the
Philistines we see David inquiring of God about what to do. It doesn’t happen here, just like it didn’t
happen the last time he came to
“8: And David and his men went
up, and invaded the Geshurites, and the Gezrites, and the Amalekites: for
those nations were of old the inhabitants of the land, as thou goest to Shur, even unto the
9: And David smote the land, and left neither man nor woman alive, and
took away the sheep, and the oxen, and the asses, and the camels, and the
apparel, and returned, and came to Achish.
10: And Achish said, Whither
have ye made a road to day? And David said, Against
the south of
11: And David saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring tidings to Gath, saying, Lest they should tell on us, saying, So did
David, and so will be his manner all the while he dwelleth in the country of
the Philistines.
12: And Achish believed David, saying, He hath
made his people
David the liar surfaces.
He kills people and says he’s killed different people so that he looks
good. It makes Achish think he’s as good as a
Philistine so he’s even willing to take David with him to war against
You Can’t Go To War With Us
The rest of the Philistines reject David (most of chapter 29), and it is a good thing. Saul, after inquiring after the dead Samuel, is already fated to die in this battle; we see his death in chapter 31. David needs to get back to Ziklag to deal with the attack upon it, and it’s so much better that he’s not even involved when Saul is finally killed.
So when he and his men return to Ziklag they are presented with a pretty devastating scenario:
“1: And it came to pass, when
David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third
day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and
burned it with fire;
2: And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not
any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.
3: So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned
with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken
captives.
4: Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice
and wept, until they had no more power to weep.
5: And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam
the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
6: And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning
him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and
for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.” First Samuel 30:1-6 KJV
It’s been a while since we’ve seen David turn to God like this. Perhaps he has but it wasn’t mentioned, that is a possibility. But now he sees that this is the only place to turn, to the Lord his God! And that, my friends, is what adversity should do to us, although we should be seeking God even when it isn’t so bad (perhaps that is a lesson for David in here too). He hasn’t had this kind of adversity in over a year; it’s been pretty easy and maybe even fun killing people and having the favor of his enemy. But now when he’s wiped out he knows where to turn.
“And David inquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.” First Samuel 30:8 KJV
“And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives.” First Samuel 30:18 KJV
The victory is won and all is well, although David has to reprove some of his men for being selfish about the spoils.
He’s almost
to getting some authority over
Fitting Us In
As I’ve kinda interjected throughout the last few sections, we need the dry times to really deal with stuff in our lives. Before you hit your destiny there are tough times that are necessary for your growth. David has gotten farther in these years out away from the palace than he did when he was in the palace. In the palace he was doing well for sure, but now he has learned to depend on God when the going really gets tough.
And it stays with him all his days, for throughout his reign we see him inquiring of God for direction. He isn’t said to be doing it until the wilderness season, it’s a good habit that he has picked up!
Unfortunately some people aren’t willing to pay this kind of price. They aren’t willing to go through times like this, even years like David had to. God thought it was worth it for David, so it is worth it for you too. It is a sad thing when we won’t endure through trials. Some fall away because of it.
“Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.”
Matthew
Others take opportunities and seize authority before it is their time. Remember, David was presented with two chances to do this, so it could happen to you as well. Probably not the same way of course, I should hope people won’t murder for position, but “exposing” authority when it’s not your place? It’s been done before. You have to understand that God will deal with people like Saul; you don’t have to do it yourself.
Rejoice when you go through hard times, when you are persecuted. It’s so counter-intuitive, yet we see it preached in the Bible. Paul hammers it home; Peter even says that people who have suffered in the body stop sinning (First Peter 4:1). Isn’t it interesting that in all the years as king we only see two big mistakes made by David (unless I’ve missed something)? Once he forces Joab to number the people (First Chronicles 21), and of course there is Bathsheba.
Oh it’s
worth it. It’s long, it’s tough, and it
is so worth it. Yet there is more before
David becomes king over all
The End Time Picture
Mainstream theology weeds out this stage of the game. Nope, we go right on out of here with the rapture and then rule and reign with Christ. Hello, anyone listening? This is the most important part to make a spotless bride out of the mess that we have today! We so desperately need tribulation, it will get rid of the junk, it’ll teach us to seek God in all things, and it’s an absolute necessity.
Saul was winning for a while, and so will Satan through the antichrist. Yet those who know their God shall be strong!
“And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days.” Daniel 11:32-33 KJV
David did exploits in the wilderness as he was learning to lean on God. He saved Keilah, he fought the Amalekites and got back all the stolen property with God’s help.
There’s a bigger picture here using Saul’s kingdom and David, I hope you can see it as I try to paint the picture. Saul’s kingdom is like the religious structure that does things its own way. We have all these denominations with everyone sure that they’re right. We have backstabbing and position grabbing, elitist leadership, and all kinds of junk. That’s Saul in a nutshell. We have David with a few great men (admittedly not all of them were of the best sort, but they followed him and were faithful) leaving this system, learning to really trust God, to really follow Him with everything. That’s our remnant bride being purified and getting ready to reign.
And we have
Jonathan. Oh what a sad tale. We don’t even have to go deep into the verses
about him to see that he wasn’t willing to pay the price. He wanted to reign with David (First Samuel
Are you willing to pay the price? Are you in love with God enough that you’ll endure hardship and persecution to get to know Him better? This is the kind of checklists that we need for the end times. Will you die for Christ? Will you allow Him to expose your sin, and then get rid of it? Will you stand when others fall, unwilling to deny your Lord?
“If we suffer, we shall also reign with
him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:” Second Timothy
Are you a man or woman after God’s heart? If you’re not, you’re going to find yourself having a harder time when important choices have to be made. Choices like, go with the flow or stand for Christ and be persecuted. Choices like, take the mark and buy food or trust God to provide for you. But what if He doesn’t and you might die? Three boys in Daniel had the right answer:
“If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” Daniel 3:17-18 KJV
God brought them through the fiery furnace. The remnant too shall be brought through, although there will be many losses along the way. Yes many shall die, martyrs for Christ, unwilling to deny their Lord. And some shall make it all the way through to the end. Adjusting theology today will help you to do this, because you’ll be getting prepared for this stuff.
Today we’re still in the palace where it’s tough to be a true Christian yet not so much that we can’t get by. Today this stuff seems weird and out there, David didn’t initially see it coming either. But the day came when he had to leave the mess behind and learn the tough lessons that drove him to the heart of God. I hope that you will be willing to pay the price; the end result is so worth it.
Just a quick note, I’m not
advocating the forsaking of assembling ourselves (Hebrews
Mourning
What love David has for Saul and his family! Instead of saying “Well he got what he deserved!” David mourns for the man, and of course his friend Jonathan. Not only that, but a guy who falsely says that he killed Saul finds out that David isn’t going to hand out rewards for touching the anointed king!
“5: And David said unto the
young man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son be
dead?
6: And the young man that told him said, As I
happened by chance upon
7: And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called unto me. And I
answered, Here am
8: And he said unto me, Who art thou? And I answered him, I am an Amalekite.
9: And he said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me:
for anguish is come upon me, because my life is yet whole in me.
10: So I stood upon him, and slew him, because I was sure that he could
not live after that he was fallen: and I took the crown that was upon his head,
and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them hither unto my
lord.
11: Then David took hold on his clothes, and rent them; and likewise all
the men that were with him:
12: And they mourned, and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and for
Jonathan his son, and for the people of the LORD, and for the house of
13: And David said unto the young man that told him, Whence
art thou? And he answered, I am the son of a stranger,
an Amalekite.
14: And David said unto him, How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy
the LORD's anointed?
15: And David called one of the young men, and said, Go
near, and fall upon him. And he smote him that he died.
16: And David said unto him, Thy blood be upon
thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the LORD's anointed.
17: And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan
his son: Second Samuel 1:5-17 KJV
We all too often are happy when someone falls, even though they deserve it. If someone goes to Hell, is that occasion for joy? No, they are the people we should mourn for. Give you a quick example.
The day Timothy McVeigh was executed I was sad more than anything else. Not that the man didn’t deserve death, not that he hadn’t hurt hundreds of lives with his horrible actions. No he definitely deserved death. But he went to his death not knowing Jesus, an unrepentant sinner who went to Hell. He deserved Hell, yet it’s still sad that he went there; he won’t get a second chance. Eternity matters too much to wish Hell on anyone, even though so many will go there.
Finally… a King!
Well… a
king over a little bit. Even now David
isn’t handed all
“1: And it came to pass after this, that David inquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up
into any of the cities of
2: So David went up thither, and his two wives also, Ahinoam
the Jezreelitess, and Abigail Nabal's
wife the Carmelite.
3: And his men that were with him did David bring up, every man with his
household: and they dwelt in the cities of
4: And the men of
David asks
God what to do and is told to go to
“And the time that David was king in
Fitting Us In
This is kind of like the parable about the talents in Matthew 25 (and the pounds in Luke 19). When the two men proved that they could be faithful with a little, they were rewarded with much. They weren’t just handed everything up front, they had to prove themselves with a small amount first. As just shown, this is what happened with David, for after these seven and a half years he was finally given the entire kingdom. He was faithful with one tribe, God finally gave him all twelve.
Unfortunately, just as with the other stages, some people take a mile when you give them an inch. You have to be okay with what you have, not whining, complaining, and striving for what hasn’t been given you. This is not to say that you don’t look forward to the full promise, but you don’t go take it for yourself. You wait until God gives it to you.
An easy example would be someone who is called to be a senior pastor. They might need to serve under someone else’s ministry for a while as an assistant pastor, getting on-the-job training with only a little authority. Accepting this and learning will be the key to moving into the fullness of their ministry.
How to slow
down moving to the next step? Oh that’s
easy. Unbelief, murmuring, complaining,
all that stuff. I’ve been told that it
would have taken
The End Time Picture
If any part is to be skipped for us, this would be it. From what I’ve read in Revelation, once we endure through and make our garments white we will be scheduled to rule and reign with Christ for a thousand years. Not fully sure what happens after that because I haven’t looked into it enough. I’m pretty sure it’ll be nice though, after all it is eternal reward.
King Over All
“1:
Then came all the tribes of
2: Also in time past, when Saul was king over us, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in
3: So all the elders of
4: David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned
forty years.
5: In
Look at
those numbers. Thirty years before he
became King at
David was a
good king and has an impressive resume when you read about the rest of his
life. All of that really came from this
preparation. I’m sure he would have been
a good king if he had gone directly to the throne, but some of the problems
would have surfaced down the line and he’d have more blemishes on his
record. It’s one thing to mess up when
you’re a servant; it’s another when you’re the respected authority figure. Everything is magnified because people have
higher expectations of you… to whom much is given much is required (Luke
From here we are still left with a strong warning though, for Bathsheba happened after all this refining. It started with a stupid mistake. David got a little bit lazy and didn’t go out to war:
“1: And it came to pass, after
the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David
sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all
2: And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that
David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and
from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful
to look upon.” Second Samuel 11:1-2 KJV
You can’t afford to get slack. It’s easy to get into trouble when you aren’t doing something worthwhile. Not that you shouldn’t rest and relax, but if you have something important to do, you would do well to be on the job. It was the time for kings to go fight (can you imagine having that on your calendar? April 17, go attack such and such country. May 21 move south), and David didn’t go.
“And David sent and inquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” Second Samuel 11:3 KJV
“But every man is tempted, when he is
drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.” James
“And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house.” Second Samuel 11:4 KJV
“Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin:” James 1:15a KJV
“And the men of the city went out, and
fought with Joab: and there fell some of the people
of the servants of David; and Uriah the Hittite died
also.” Second Samuel
“Then David said unto the messenger,
Thus shalt thou say unto Joab, Let not this thing
displease thee, for the sword devoureth one as well
as another: make thy battle more strong against the city, and overthrow it: and
encourage thou him.” Second Samuel
“And when the mourning was past, David
sent and fetched her to his house, and she became his wife, and bare him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased
the LORD.” Second Samuel
“and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” James 1:15b KJV
When you justify King David’s actions and say he remained saved through adultery and murder, you are silently shouting to people that they too can be adulterers and murderers and remain saved. Hence we have a license to sin. This is what the doctrine of Eternal Security does, although few will admit it if they can see it at all.
“Whosoever hateth his brother is a
murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.” First
John
Fitting Us In
There’s not much to say here really. If we endure through without complaining, learning our lessons, then God will give us the authority and position that He has for us. When we turn aside and do things our own way as Saul did, we mess it all up. God gave Saul a new heart and he prophesied in First Samuel 10, it’s not like God didn’t work on his behalf. On the other hand, Saul was handed the authority quickly and it was downhill from there, so it goes to show that we’re better off waiting.
And as David showed, we can’t get lax when we are in our place of authority and ministry:
“Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”
The process is just as important as the final product, I guess that’s a big message we can glean from this study.
The End Time Picture
Ruling and reigning with Christ will be so awesome… if we endure to the end. It is conditional, and so many people won’t be willing to do so.
“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” Revelation 20:4 KJV
“And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.” Daniel 7:25-27 KJV
We’ve got some more process to go through, are you willing to go through it?
A Lesson Learned
Coming back to the life of King David months later, I must admit that I missed a very important point the first time I studied him out, so I am adding this in to the end. When King David was old he had a second (major) opportunity to allow sex to get him into trouble, but this time he didn’t sin. The four verses that start First Kings say an awful lot:
“1: Now king
David was old and stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he
gat no heat.
2: Wherefore his servants said unto him, Let there be sought for my lord
the king a young virgin: and let her stand before the king, and let her cherish
him, and let her lie in thy bosom, that my lord the king may get heat.
3: So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of
4: And the damsel was very fair, and cherished the king, and ministered
to him: but the king knew her not.” First Kings 1:1-4 KJV
The king was old now, he’d had a long, good life, and he no longer could get warm even when in bed with good blankets. His servants decided that what he needed was a nice young girl to tend to him and help him keep warm. So they searched around to find a good, gorgeous girl. This would be Abishag, although I must say her name doesn’t sound gorgeous.
King David was older so by default all of his wives were older too – probably not as pretty as they once were, not as appealing to the eye as in their younger years. Then he was handed the opportunity with this beautiful, young girl who got into bed with him to help keep him warm.
I don’t know about you, men, but I think that would be just a wee bit tempting. Okay, a lot tempting. It’s tough enough being out in the world with all its temptations, but to have someone young and beautiful snuggled up to you? He was the king, she wouldn’t dare say “no” to him.
Now to be balanced, I suppose it’s possible that King David was simply too old to bother anymore, but I have the feeling that wasn’t the case. The bottom line is that he kept himself under control, as evidenced by those last few words “the king knew her not.”
Why did
that happen? Personally I think it’s
because he remembered what happened the last time he let lust overtake
him. It may not be the case at all, but
I think it’s the most likely scenario.
Either way, this time there was no sin on King David’s part, very commendable.