A TRIBUTE TO DAVID
I've been doing a character study on the life of David these past few days and one conclusion I've come to is that I thank God that David went through all that he went through.
Hear me out, if someone says this about me or to me, I will be upset. Fam, I'm going through a lot and some of it is not fun at all so I get it if David is somewhere in heaven rolling his eyes at me for saying that. But I can't help but be thankful for the suffering he went through and for the mistakes he made. Yes, some of them were consequences of his own actions but I'm grateful that God used all of David's life —the good and the bad— to teach us how to walk with him.
His sufferings
David's early years spent tending to sheep and fighting predators in the wilderness must have been lonely. But we cannot underestimate how that work experience as a shepherd boosted his kingly CV. There would have been no King David if Shepherd David did not exist.
His declaration at Goliath for being “an uncircumcised philistine” was not that of an over zealous youth making vain threats but of a passionate young man who really knew his God for the Warrior that He is. He had seen the Lord help him fight the lion and the bear hence had enough history to know that Goliath was not off limits.
The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”
1 Samuel 17:37 NIV
For while he was wrestling with the lion and the bear, the Lord was teaching us how to serve diligently even in the small places. Because who knows, the experience might come in handy one day.
David teaches us to be graceful in the face of opposition just like he did with Saul. Even when Saul wanted to kill him, David did not retaliate.
He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lay my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the Lord.”
1 Samuel 24:6 NIV
To be reliant on the direction of the Lord in fighting enemies just as he did with his enemies.
he inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” The Lord answered him, “Go, attack the Philistines and save Keilah.”
1 Samuel 23:2 NIV
To not withhold my grief, to not hide my discouragement from God.
This was a man trying to reconcile his life experiences with his theology.
His men betrayed him, his son tried to take his throne, his king went to extreme lengths to kill him yet he stayed fastened to God. In spite of the pain and despair, David knew best that the best place to be was at the feet of his God through it all.
His life is a testament that all things work together for good to them that love the Lord and are called according to his purpose.
Clearly, we see God turning what the enemy meant for evil to good.
His flaws
David was not a perfect man. For someone who was considered as “the man after God's heart”, God spared no effort documenting his flaws. A reminder that even the best of us is still fallible.
Every step that led to his adultery with Bathsheba and every consequence thereafter is teaching the christian how not to live. It will forever be a crimson red warning flag that lust is better fled from than engaged.
David slept with Uriah's wife and killed him as a cover-up, afterwards, we see a template of repentance and returning to God after committing unimaginable crimes. What can we learn from his disobedience in conducting a census and how he went before the Lord asking for mercy?
Maybe for someone who has dealt with guilt and feels that they are unredeemable, this story might be the encouragement they need.
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.
Psalms 51:1-4 NIV
We see God forgiving, helping, fighting for, rebuking and blessing a man whose most enduring posture was one of reliance and obedience to God. David with all of his faults always found his way back to the God who had been his Source from the beginning.
Every tear recorded in the Psalms, every anguish and disappointment expressed has been the companion of believers who did not have vocabulary for what they were going through.
A little pat on the back saying, “I've been there, I get it”.
David's life tells us that a life well lived is a one lived with God—in the good and in the bad.
Every season of his life recorded in the scriptures has been a prototype of what to do or what to avoid. For this I am thankful.
I've been trying to find out what his secret was. What was in his heart that made God choose him out of the eight sons of Eli. What was so special that God called him “a man after my own heart”? My conclusion so far is that David deeply and passionately loved the Lord. However far he strayed, his unwavering love and fear of God brought him back to order.
David gives me so much hope. His life is a picture of the beautiful possibilities of a life lived with God. Surely if he survived all of that, then I guess I can survive all of this too.
Comments