I Samuel 17:10 “And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.”

This verse set the stage for the story that we know as David and Goliath. As I reflect upon this battle, this fight between a giant and a young man, I recall the words that Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:12 “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” David fought against Goliath not for Israel, but because Goliath defied the name of God of the armies of Israel and the Lord of hosts. We are in the same battle today with everything around us that defies the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. David went into battle with the armor and weapons that God had prepared him with for this battle; and we as believers must fight our Goliath with the armor and weapons that God has given us.

David approached Goliath without any fear and once Goliath fell the battle changed with the Philistine army now running away in fear. The army of Israel and Judah arose and pursued the Philistine’s army all the way to the gates of their city. David not only defeated Goliath but he inspired the army of Israel to battle. This battle between David and Goliath was a turning point in David’s life. From this point on he is no longer a shepherd, but a warrior. Not only a warrior, but a man over the men of war in Saul’s army. And yet before all of this Saul really did not know much about David. Yes, he played in his court and was Saul’s armor bearer. Saul even know him enough to love him greatly. Yet he did not know much about his family or his life as a shepherd.

David’s victory over Goliath was also a win for his family. David would no longer be a shepherd for his father, but instead made his father’s house free from taxes, and other obligations to King Saul. The other part of this victory entitled him to great riches as well as Saul’s daughter in marriage. However, these promises might not have materialized. We know that David did not marry Saul’s oldest daughter Merab, but was given his daughter Michal for the price of hundred (David give two hundred) foreskins of Philistine warriors. In I Samuel 22:3 we are told that David took his father and mother to Moab probably to protect them from Saul. This was early in his journey of running from Saul. These examples provide examples of how Saul ruled his kingdom. It was not God’s kingdom, but Saul’s kingdom.

In I Samuel 17:25 Saul was to reward the man who killed Goliath with riches, his daughter, and make his father’s house free in Israel. As I study David’s life these promises were not kept. David’s defeating Goliath was a great victory for Israel and David at the time it happened. However, as time moved forward this became a past victory in David’s career but started a source of troubling issues for Saul. The woman of Israel would sing praise after for David after his battles against the Philistines lifting him up as a greater warrior than Saul. This cause Saul to become extremely jealous of David. What more could they ascribe to David? Perhaps the Kingdom. This victory over Goliath set the stage for David to fight another battle. This battle was a lot more difficult and would develop David into a man after God’s own heart.

Now David was the son of the Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, whose name was Jesse, and he had eight sons. And Jesse was old in the days of Saul, advanced in years among men. The three older sons of Jesse had gone after Saul to the battle. And the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and the second to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. David was the youngest. Now the three oldest followed Saul, but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s flock at Bethlehem. The Philistine came forward morning and evening for forty days and took his stand.Then Jesse said to David his son, “Take now for your brothers an ephah of this roasted grain and these ten loaves and run to the camp to your brothers. Bring also these ten cuts of cheese to the commander of their thousand, and look into the welfare of your brothers, and bring back news of them. For Saul and they and all the men of Israel are in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. (I Samuel 17:12-19 NASB)

These verses again shows how God opens the door for David. In these verses we see a father sending his youngest son to the battle front to take care of the needs of his older brothers and to bring back news on their welfare to his father. Jesse is picture here as an elder of Israel, one advance in years, and a father concerned about the welfare of his sons. He sends provisions for his three oldest sons as well as ten cuts of cheese to the commander of the thousand over his brothers. We also see from these verses that David who was in Saul’s service had went back home to help out with his father’s flock. These verses also reveal that no one, including Saul, David’s three brothers, Saul’s commanders or his own sons were willing to fight Goliath. Also nothing is revealed about the four other sons of Jesse.

The events surrounding David’s decision to fight Goliath reveals how his faith and belief system was different then those around him. First they all fear Goliath, David did not. Next the motivation that Saul presented to the one that would fight Goliath was for money and power, however David’s motivation was to fight against the one that defied the armies of the living God. As I read and study these verses I gain an understanding that our motivation to follow and live in the way of the Lord is so must more important then seeking the rewards that the world has to offer. David probably faced more opposition from his brothers than anyone else as he made his decision to battle Goliath. This opposition shows how much his brother really did not know his brother. He was just the boy that kept the sheep out in the pasture.

When Saul questioned David about his ability to fight Goliath, David gave him pass accounts of how had battle both a bear and a lion who were going after a lamb in his care, and how he rescued the lamb. Since the Lord delivered him from these two foes, He would also deliver him this Philistine. David did not even called Goliath by name; he called him the Philistine.

Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle, and were gathered together at Shochoh, which belongeth to Judah, and pitched between Shochoh and Azekah, in Ephesdammim.And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched by the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines.And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them. And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders. And the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam; and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him. And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us. And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid. (I Samuel 17:1-10 KJV)

Goliath the champion of the Philistine took his stand against the Israelites with a challenge to take on any man from Saul’s army. It is interesting that Goliath referred the armies of Israel as “ye servants to Saul”. Saul has probably been the King of Israel for twenty years or more at this time. Samuel the judge that served Israel for forty years before Saul went to Ramah after anointing David. We know from I Samuel 16:2 that he feared Saul after Saul forceful ask Samuel to worship God with him. This was after Saul’s failure of following the Lord’s command to utterly destroy the Amalekites. and the announcement from Samuel that God would take the kingdom of Israel from Saul. With Samuel out of the picture the nation of Israel was no longer referred to as the servants of God but ye servants of Saul.

Verse ten portrays the conditions in Israel at this time as being in dismayed and greatly afraid. Saul was probably between the age of forty-five to fifty years old at this time. It is interesting that Saul could not find a man in his army to face Goliath. As we look at these ten verses we see an enemy that was defeated several years before now leaving the nation of Israel in dismay and afraid. This is what happens when a nation turns away from the way of God. Not only was Israel afraid of the threat from the army of the Philistines they were afraid of one man, the Philistine’s champion.

I Samuel 16:19-22

Wherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said, Send me David thy son, which is with the sheep. And Jesse took an ass laden with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid, and sent them by David his son unto Saul. And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he became his armourbearer. And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he hath found favor in my sight.

The Lord opens the door for David to continue his training as the future King of Israel. Like Moses, David needed the solitude of being alone tending the sheep to grow in the knowledge of the Lord. Paul’s also needed this quiet time to grow in the knowledge of understanding God’s way. Soon after his conversion on the road to Damascus Paul had to flee for his life to Arabia. It was only after three years later did he return to Jerusalem (Galatians chapter one). So as we look at this new stage of David’s life we must realize that he entered it with a firm foundation of knowing God’s way. This quiet time of studying God’s Word is a must in a believer’s life.

In these verses David comes into Saul’s court and soon becomes his armourbearer. We see God opening the door for David. David reflects his belief in Psalms 139 on how much he saw God’s hand as always present in his life. David’s early studies of the scriptures of seeing the hand of God’s presence in a person’s life could have been the story of Abraham’s, Joseph’s, or Moses’s life . Here in these verses from I Samuel 16 we see God opening the doors for the God’s chosen king of Israel, a man after God’s our heart. David was probably well verse in the first five books of the book.

As we study the great example of faith we must realize that God usually placed them in situations that tested their faith. From the tree in the garden in the Garden on Eden to the events even in our lives God is testing us and preparing his children for future events. Understanding God’s testing is very difficult. James devotes his first chapter to this question. In verse two of James he states “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations”. There should be joy in being tested? He goes on to write that this testing of our faith brings patience, which makes us perfect and complete, and gives us contentment where we lack for nothing. He also gives us the example of the double mind man, the forgetful hearer, and the doer of the work and the results that their faith brings. After reading James one we as believers should understand that there will a testing of our faith.

This is why we must make a quiet time for studying the Word so important in the believer’s life. For the Word is portrayed as the only of weapon that we use in our battle in the evil day (the sword of the spirit) as portray in Ephesians chapter six. So when our faith is challenge, we will be prepared like Christ was during his temptation with the devil to be able to quote and use the power of the scriptures to fight these challenges.

I Kings 15:5 presents David as a man after God’s own heart.

As I have attempted several times in my life to start a study of David’s life I have always been drawn back to I Kings 15:5: “Because David did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, and turned not aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.” (KJV) These words speak volumes on how God viewed David’s heart and his life. In verse three of this chapter it is said of David as having a perfect heart with the Lord his God. The Hebrew meaning implies not sinless perfection, but a single-minded sincerity to God’s Word.

So as I study David’s life from the almost one thousand references to him in the scriptures this verse will be my starting point. David’s heart was the human reflection of God’s heart to mankind. Even through his life on this earth was over three thousand years ago the words that David penned in the Psalms alone brings comfort to millions everyday. The words written by David are still being used by God every day on this earth. Therefore as I study David’s life it will be in light of how David’s words and actions reveals to me how to be more of a man after God’s own heart.

Understanding the events that happen with the rule of Saul before David was anointed by Samuel to become King (I Samuel 16:12,13) will not only add an extra understanding to David’s life, but will also give insight on the way God works in the daily affairs of a nation. Samuel anointed Saul king because the people of Israel wanted to be like other nations. This was over Samuel’s objectives which was displeasing to him, but he took it to the Lord in prayer. The Lord’s answer to Samuel was to hearken to the voice of the people of Israel and give them a king, because they have rejected Me and did not want God to reign over them. So as part of my study of the life of David I will include the reign of Saul. The reign of Saul is a reflection of rejecting God’s way and the making self the most important issue in one’s life and career. The reign of Saul can serve as an example of a nation under God, but not conducting itself as a nation living in God’s way.

The theocracy rejected

I Samuel 8:9 “Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them and show them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.” (KJV) The decision of having a king over the nation of Israel so that they could be like the other nations would cost them their children, land, and they themselves would become his servants. And then Samuel warned them that when they would cry out to the Lord in that day He would not answer them. However, the people refused to listen to Samuel’s voice. They wanted a king like all the other nations who would judge them and go before them to fight their battles. This was the setting for the selection of Saul.

In Revelations 3:7b John writes this message to the church of Philadelphia “He who is holy who is true who has the keys of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens say this”. (KJV) Before I go any farther I need to let the readers understand that I believe that God opens and closes doors daily in the life of the believer. I have witnessed that in my life as well as others close to me. Yes we must go through the open doors, but when God closes a door it stays closed. As we study David’s life we need to understand how God directed his paths. God as the potter and David as the clay. The events that lead up to making David king of Israel were are planned by God. So let start the process of looking at the doors that the Lord opened up for David, as well as some doors that were closed to him.

David’s family had a very rich and interesting background. In Matthew 1:5,6 “And Salmon beget Boaz of Rahab; and Boaz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; and Jesse begat David the king” (KJV) we have David’s genealogy. David’s genealogy is found in several other places in the Bible, but this one is special since it also list his grandmother and his great grandmother. Both of these women were great women of faith, and yet the ways they came into the lives of Salmon and Boaz was amazing. The door of opportunity was opened for Rahab when the two spies for Israel stayed at her house in Jericho. This account recorded in Judges 2:1-24 gives us a full account of her faith. She could had turned the spies over to the king of Jericho, but instead protected them. She did this because she believed in their Lord, and asked for kindness to be shown to her family. As we see God rewarded her faith by becoming one of the five women in the genealogy of Christ.

The same can be said about his grandmother Ruth who could have been alive at the time of David’s birth. The story of her faith and her decision to chose to travel with her mother-in-law Naomi back to Judah is recorded in the book of Ruth. As we read the story of how Ruth meet Boaz we can see how God opens doors of opportunities to those who have faith in the Lord . As we study the Bible God has given us books such as Ruth, Esther, and Job to show to us how God works in an individual life and reward that individual for their great faith in God.

David had a rich history of men and women of faith in his family. As we read the Psalms, we realize that David’s faith in God was something he acquired at an early age. So as the door opens for David’s journey into the courts of king Saul, we must reflect on how God set the stage early in his life by giving him such a rich heritage of faithful parents, and grandparents. The faith that Rahab and Ruth were great examples of faith in which David must have heard and possibly even seen early in to his life. So as we look to these great individuals that God has given us as example of faith; we as parents and grandparents should strive to be good examples of faith to our children and grandchildren. This is the greatest gift in life we could give them, so we must strive so that we can be a faithful witness to them.

Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6,7).

In difficult times may the people around me see the real purpose of walking in the way of God. Here in Philippians Paul gives the Philippians the true meaning of living in God’s way and the gift of the peace of God which passeth all understanding. This is the type of peace that enables all who processes it to weather all the storms of life that comes their way. This peace is easy to achieve and yet seems so difficult for others Christians to achieve in their lives.

Why is this peace so difficult to achieve? Could it be that the human heart does not like passing over the controls of their life to any one including God. Paul knew from his own life how important it was to turn the controls of life over to God. For it was on his way to Damascus to rid the synagogues of the people following this new way that Paul came face to face with Christ. Yes, Paul thought he was doing this task God’s way, and yet he had no peace about it. When Christ confront him, Paul heard these words “I am Jesus whom you persecute it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks”. How many times do we go about our religious ways and yet leave out Christ? Check your heart and mind. Do we have the peace of God that passes all understanding in both our hearts and minds?

This Damascus road experience was an important day in Paul’s life. It was the day he learned that the controls of his life had to be turned over to Christ. From this point on the direction of Paul’s life changed. This happens when Christ takes over our life. Let the Spirit of God use the Word of God to guide your life and give you the peace that passes all understanding today. As the great hymn of the faith states “Just trust and obey for there no other way to be happy in Jesus then to trust and obey”.

Set apart from Birth

Like David, Paul was also set apart at birth. I believe that as believers look back on the events in their life we can also see God’s hand directing our path. See Psalm 139.

Paul in Galatians 1:15-17 states “But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus.” Paul realized that his life was always in God’s hands. Just as God had chosen the parents of John the Baptist and of Jesus, he also placed Paul in the family in which he would get all the training he needed for the purpose of preaching Christ to the Gentiles.

As I study Paul’s writings, I realized that his one true passion was to preach the gospel of Christ. And when this gospel is presented and believed not only is eternal life guarantee, but a change also takes place in the new believer’s life. As I study the scriptures it is amazing how God prepares individuals for His purpose. The way of God is beyond our understanding in how He works in His creation. As Paul realized that his life was always in God’s hand, we as believers must also believe the same.

As we make our journey in this life, we can touch so many lives. Is the presentation of the gospel our one true passion? Is our true focus serving the Lord? Is today a wonderful, beautiful, outstanding day that the Lord has given you no matter the situations around you? God’s message for the world is found in John 3:16 and His patient in this world is not wanting anyone to perish, but for everyone to come to repentance (II Peter 3:9). Do we reflect the gospel of Christ in our daily walk to others?

I have a note in my Bible next to I Samuel 16:18 that reads “God set the stage before David played for Saul. The little events in our life are really divine events that God causes to happen.” As we study this first time meeting of Saul and David we must realized that God had a hand in it. The Spirit of God departed from Saul and and evil spirit from God tormented him. Saul had abandoned God’s way. Saul was ruling Israel as his kingdom not God’s kingdom. As one abandons God they also abandon relationships with those that walk in God’s way. There were probably few around Saul that had a godly influence on him. We must remember that Jonathan, Saul’s son, who was probably one that could have given him godly advice was usually away from him leading another garrison. So one of Saul’s attendants suggested to search for someone who could pay the harp to make him feel better. During the conversation another servant recommended David, the son of Jesse. He also mentioned that David was also a brave man, and a warrior and the Lord is with him.

As I look at I Samuel 16:14 “Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul and an evil Spirit from the Lord terrorized him.” I myself have no problem with the phrase “an evil Spirit from the Lord” found in this verse. God is the creator of all things in the universe. He is the creator of Satan and all his domain. Satan chose to rebel against his creator and desired to be like God, however his rebellion end with him and a third of the angels being cast out of heaven. Rebellion against God was a decision that not only Satan had made but also a third of the angels in heaven with him. Soon after the creation of man Satan presented himself to Eve and convince her to disobey God and partake of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. So all creation is from God, but when creation chose not to follow God’s way it becomes without God, or godless.

So Saul sent for David. His message to Jesse was simple: “Send me your son David,who is with the sheep.” As king I guess he could make such a request and my this a demand to Jesse. An interesting portion of this verse also mention that Saul knew that David was tending the sheep. We can not be sure if Jesse believe that Saul knew about the anointing of David by Samuel at this time, but it could have been on his mind. We are not given the time between the anointing of David by Samuel and the request for David to serve in the courts of Saul, but we do know that God had set the stage. So Jesse gave David a donkey, loaded with bread a skin of wine and a young goat and send him to Saul.

David not only played the harp for Saul, he also became one of his armor-bearers. Saul like David very much. So much that he sent back to Jesse and asked him to allow David to stand before him because he hath found favor in my sight. So David became part of the court that surrounded Saul. So when the evil spirit came upon Saul, David would play the harp and Saul would find relief. David was well received by the court of Saul which provided him with experience that God had planned for his future as king.