David's Harp

The events recorded in the first part of I Samuel 16 are familiar to most people who have spent time in church. Even though Saul was the king of Israel, this chapter explains how God used the prophet Samuel to anoint the future king. Samuel was told he would find the next king in the house of Jesse in Bethlehem, but he wasn’t given a name. Jesse proudly paraded his firstborn son Eliab by the prophet, but God made it clear that Eliab had not been chosen. Jesse continued with his second son, down to his sixth son, but each time the prophet rejected the candidate.

Samuel asked if there were any other sons, and Jesse told him about his youngest son who was tending to the sheep. That seventh son, David, would go on to become Israel’s greatest king. An important lesson is demonstrated here, that “the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart (v.7).”

But that is not the end of the story. Before the chapter ends we read that God sent a “troubling spirit” to Saul so that the only thing that could soothe him was music. The king wanted the best harpist in the kingdom to be brought to him, and someone in the court knew that a young shepherd in Bethlehem happened to play a pretty mean harp. David, the future king, was brought to the palace to play, but he would no doubt get a good education on the life of a king while he was there. Saul couldn’t know David was his replacement or he would have killed him, and David couldn’t be trained otherwise. God used a harp to put David in the place where he needed to be.

I can imagine young David trying to learn his instrument; I’m sure he got frustrated over wrong chords, or had to push through with painful callouses on his fingers. Because he stuck it out he allowed himself to be in position for God to use him. God took something as mundane as a harp and used it to change David’s life. Maybe there is something in your life that God is going to use to bring about something good; you won’t know if you don’t stick it out even when it gets hard. Be faithful in all the small things, and God just might use them to do something great.

Ordinary Superheroes

People have always loved a good superhero. From comics to cartoons, from TV to toys, we like to see larger than life characters accomplish things that no ordinary person can.

Subconsciously many of us think that there are superheroes in life that can do things that we mortals cannot do. We think the best looking, the most talented, the highest GPAs are the ones for the job, and the rest of us are doomed to a life of mediocrity.

Even in the church there exists a hierarchy of super humans: the staff, the deacons or elders, and the gifted few that seem to do everything form their own Justice League.

But God has never been in the business of only calling on the flashiest, most obvious choices. In Acts 9 God chose an otherwise-unknown man named Ananias to be the hero that Saul needed.

In chapter 8 Philip the deacon and Peter and John the disciples were used by God in mighty ways; even a well-to-do eunuch from Africa is highlighted. But Ananias? He was definitely not an admired superhero. He wasn’t even a sidekick.

And yet God chose him to minister to Saul and help launch the ministry of the greatest missionary the world has ever known.

You might not think you are a caped-crusader for Christ, but God can use you anyway. Ananias was simply obedient when he said, “Here I am, Lord (Acts 9:10).”

If you are willing to be obedient to Christ, then He can use you to accomplish great things, possibly even rescuing someone in distress.   

Loyalty

King David is perhaps one of the most well known and beloved characters in the Bible. But a decade before he wore the crown his life was put in danger. The current king, Saul, threw a javelin at David on at least three occasions, but each time David escaped death by a step. Saul also sent David to battle several times, hoping that David would never return. After David’s popularity only increased, Saul ordered his son Jonathan and some of their soldiers to kill David.

The problem for Saul was that Jonathan and David were best friends, and Jonathan helped spare David’s life. Jonathan was the prince of Israel, but he knew that God had chosen David, not him, to be the next king.

How easy would it have been for Jonathan to conspire with his father, off the future king, then await his turn on the throne? Jonathan might be the best biblical example of loyalty and true friendship that we have; even Jesus’ closest disciples deserted and denied Him, but Jonathan risked his own life so that David could live and one day be his king.

Do you display that same type of loyalty as Jonathan? 

“…the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.” I Samuel 18:1

Losing Control

Many people are familiar with the life of Israel’s first king Saul. Many people know that his rule was not a good one, that he was jealous, dishonest, slow to act, and he never fully put his trust in God. Because of the way he lived he lost control of his kingdom in only his second year as king.

In I Samuel 15 God uses the prophet Samuel to tell the king that God has rejected him, and that the kingdom will be ripped from his hands (v. 23,28). Where did Saul go wrong in just two short years? Was it when he took the credit for his son’s military victory, or when he offered a sacrifice that only the priest was allowed to (and then lied about it)? Was it when he ordered a mandatory fast and threatened to kill anyone who broke it, or when he failed to carry out God’s orders against the Amalekites (and then lied about it)?

I don’t believe that there was one single offense that caused Saul to lose control. Instead, I believe this rejection was the culmination of two years worth of poor decisions. After each infraction he received a warning from the Lord, but we never see him heeding that instruction.

It is important that as Christians we remember that God is not out waiting for us to commit a single mistake so that He can pour out His wrath. Make no mistake about it—His wrath will come if we continue in disobedience. But if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9).

You probably won’t lose control of your life with one bad decision. After any bad choice, repent, and get back on the straight and narrow.