Back to the future...5 - David

Samuel said to Saul, “But now your kingdom 

shall not continue; the Lord has sought out David,

a man after His own heart…

...but the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, 

and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented and

 troubled him.   

                              1 Sam16:13-14  AMP (Classic)

 A well-known story. David, a shepherd boy is anointed by Samuel as King and stands up for God against Goliath. Without the above Bible verse I’d question if God gives anyone an evil spirit.  Saul was comforted by David’s harp playing. Is this a key to mental anguish? Over years in difficult times listening to worship music opens up my heart and brings that ‘peace that passes understanding’. Then the answers come, and I find rest for my soul.  In retrospect we may even ‘count it all joy’ as our trust grows in the Lord's love for us.  

David wrote many psalms/songs, often asking God for advice and declaring ‘I will be confident that I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living’ adding, ‘Wait for the Lord, be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.’  Ps.27  I suspect today many of us are doing that.

Saul’s jealousy of David’s popularity and desire to kill him causes David to flee.  A real ‘back to the future’ moment is where David’s character and faith are tested as he is prepared to be King.  David doesn’t touch God’s anointed physically or by negative speech, instead he points out to Saul the opportunity he had to kill him, but had only torn his robe.

As adopted children we are all chosen and become His anointed, and told to pray, even bless those who ‘despitefully use you’ as He says, ‘vengeance is mine, I will repay’.  God in His love will use people to discipline us, but my experience in this deepens my love, relationship and faith in my heavenly Father.

However, after extended persecution and threatening circumstances David seems to forget that. He aligns himself to the Philistines and lives in Ziglag.  Fortunately, in wanting to fight with them against Israel it’s the Philistine rulers who send him away! In returning to Ziglag he finds it destroyed and everyone taken captive.  Distraught David remembers to ‘encourage himself in the Lord’ and God tells him to pursue his enemy.  He obeys, everything is returned including the spoils of his enemy’s previous wars.  David was a man after God’s heart, but we know he wasn't beyond temptation and sin.  And proved that despite our mistakes, in times of trouble if we run into God, not away from Him, He has the ability to turn situations around.   

Today there is no better time to run into God, to believe, trust and declare ‘Your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven…etc.’ Our government has been shaken up with divisions in the need to make national decisions.  We must believe our God will guide us through.  David wrote, ‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain…the One enthroned in heaven laughs, the Lord scoffs at them.’  Whatever the outcome, it good to remember Our God is the King of all Kings, He reigns over all.  And in putting our trust in Him He is able to do more than we could ever hope or imagine.