Principle # 13 The Principle of Allowing God to Work Things Out
And David said to Abishai, DESTROY HIM NOT: for who can stretch forth his hand against the Lord's anointed, AND BE GUILTLESS?
1 Samuel 26:9
David said something that I think everyone should learn from. In this passage, David reveals his inner thoughts. He said, "Even though King Saul is fighting against me, I will not kill him myself." However, David was not stupid!
He knew that for the prophecies to come to pass, Saul had to die. However, he was not going to be the person to kill Saul.
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.
1 Samuel 26:11
He gave several options about how the prophecy concerning his kingship would happen. There was no way that David could become king as long as there was a king on the throne. David gave three options about how his dream of kingship and freedom could come to pass.
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.
1 Samuel 26:10
First, he said that the Lord would strike Saul down supernaturally. The second possibility was that Saul would eventually die naturally. David said, "His day shall come to die."
The third possibility was that the king could be killed in a battle. It is interesting to note that the Lord worked out the plan for David's kingship through the third option. Saul was indeed killed in a battle. The point that I am making is that David did not get invloved in the implementation of God's master plan. He left it to God and kept his hands clean!
Everyone could see that God was doing His own thing. We need to trust God for His perfect plan to materialize.
When you get involved and try to help God, you create Ishmaels who rise up to challenge your Isaacs.
And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, STAND STILL, AND SEE THE SALVATION OF THE LORD, which he will shew to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever. THE LORD SHALL FIGHT FOR YOU, and ye shall hold your peace.
Exodus 14:13, 14
Pastors must know that if God wants certain people to be in their churches, there is no need to steal them from another congregation. Perhaps the Lord will bring them to your church through one circumstance or another. Just leave it to God. Do not get involved in any unethical dealings with another pastor's church members.
If God wants you to marry that man, it will work out. Ladies, there is no need to throw yourself at a man for him to notice you.
After four years of marriage, one man told his wife, "You forced yourself on me! I never even had the chance to think about it properly." Perhaps this man would have found her anyway. But because she forced herself on him, he was wondering whether he made the right decision. It is time to allow God to work things out Himself. Keep your hands clean!
Principle #14:The Principle of Not Allowing Rebels into Your Life
One of the interesting events of David's life was when he put to death the man who claimed to have killed Saul in battle.
And David called one of the young men, and said, Go near, and fall upon him. And he smote him that he died. 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.
2 Samuel 1:15, 16
Another remarkable event was when he executed the men who killed King Ishbosheth.
When one told me, saying, Behold, Saul is dead, thinking to have brought good tidings, I took hold of him, and slew him in Ziklag, who thought that I would have given him a reward for his tidings: And DAVID COMMANDED HIS YOUNG MEN, AND THEY SLEW THEM, and cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them up over the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth, and buried it…
2 Samuel 4:10, 12
Everybody knew that King Saul's existence prevented David from fulfilling his dream of becoming king. The people who claimed to have killed Saul and his son Ishbosheth thought they were doing David a great favour. I believe that one of the major secrets of David's success was to eliminate those people immediately. Once a "king killer" always a "king killer". Remember that he who criticizes others to you, will criticize you to others. David knew that these people would be dangerous to have around him. They had the ability to kill their leaders.
I have learnt that a person who is loyal to someone else is likely to be loyal to me. Years ago, a pastor joined me from another ministry. He had faithfully served another minister in London for about ten years. Due to certain circumstances, he was forced to leave London and settle in another country. That was when I met him. He made a decision to work under my ministry. The one thing that impressed me about this man was that he never spoke negatively about the church he had belonged to for the previous ten years.
Although he was greatly impressed with our ministry, there was no time when a sarcastic or disloyal statement came from his mouth about his former pastor. This is a very important sign indeed. It means this person is likely to behave in the same way towards a new "boss". Do not think that you are special. If a man throws his wife outside the gate and you happen to be the new mistress, do not think you will receive any better treatment.
Be careful of wicked, erratic, and disloyal people. What they did to another, they will do to you one day. David prevented his own assassination by immediately eliminating traitors and rebels. A person with traitorous tendencies can practise them on any new master. Move with loyal people. Stay with the few whom you can trust. It is better to have a few loyal people than many treacherous and dangerous people around you.
Principle #15: The Principle of Being Led by the Spirit
Therefore DAVID ENQUIRED 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. Then DAVID ENQUIRED OF THE LORD YET AGAIN. And the Lord answered him, and said, Arise, go down to Keilah; for I will deliver the Philistines into thine hand.
1 Samuel 23:2, 4
One of the common phrases in the books of First and Second Samuel, is; "David enquired of the Lord". The principle of David inquiring of the Lord for direction is one that is important for all of us today.
David defended the people of Keilah and delivered them from evil. When King Saul heard that David was in the city of the people of Keilah, he decided to attack. Naturally, you would have thought that the people of Keilah would protect David from Saul. David as a matter of routine inquired of the Lord.
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.
1 Samuel 23:12
To his surprise, the Lord told him that the people who he had just saved would betray him and hand him over to Saul. David must have been surprised when the Lord told him, "These people will be ungrateful to you. They will hand you over to Saul for your execution."
Do you realize that once again, David saved his life by this act of inquiring of the Lord? That is why I call these acts, principles of success. If David had not had these principles, his life would have been cut short. If David had not developed the habit of waiting on the Lord, he would have died as a young man. David's ministry would have ended years earlier if he had not used these important principles.
There are times that the Lord has shown me things that are contrary to my understanding. The ministry is a supernatural vocation. The fact that you use your mind to take decisions does not mean that you should not listen to the Holy Spirit. I use my mind a lot, but I also rely on the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. Thank God for our minds. But the Holy Spirit is leading us everyday of our lives.
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Romans 8:14
If it were not necessary for God to lead us by His Spirit, He would not waste His time. Listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit and you will walk into success.
Principle #16: The Principle of Having a Pastor
That the king said unto NATHAN THE PROPHET [his pastor], See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains. And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thine heart; for the Lord is with thee. And it came to pass that night, that the word of the Lord came unto Nathan, saying, Go and tell my servant David, thus saith the Lord…
2 Samuel 7:2-5
David had a pastor. He had someone who could speak into his life spiritually. Having a pastor is different from belonging to a church. People may belong to a church but have no shepherd over their lives. Is there anyone who can speak into your life? There are many people in my church. I have found out that some of them want to receive counsel, whilst others do not. I do not just advise every "Tom, Dick and Harry" in the church. I speak to those who make it clear that they want that input.
David consulted his pastor, Nathan, when he wanted to build a temple. Nathan gave him good advice. Pastor Nathan later brought a specific word from the Lord concerning the temple. Later, when David fell into adultery, Pastor Nathan had the confidence to minister to the king. He knew that the king would not be offended. He knew that the king would receive it as the word of the Lord.
And the Lord sent Nathan unto David… And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die... And Nathan said to David, THOU ART THE MAN… And DAVID SAID UNTO NATHAN, I HAVE SINNED AGAINST THE LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.
2 Samuel 12:1, 5,7,13
I know that there are some people in my church who are living in the wrong way. I have even known of people with more than one wife. But I also realize that some of these people are not open to receive the pastor's counsel. I just preach and teach generally. If they make themselves open to a direct ministration from me, I will certainly tell them what the Word of God says. Everybody needs help but not everybody wants help!
David could have reacted by arresting Nathan. He could have told Nathan that he was having bad dreams and becoming too suspicious. Jeremiah the prophet was arrested several times because of the prophetic word he gave.
Now Pashur the son of Immer the priest, who was also chief governor in the house of the Lord heard that Jeremiah prophesied these things. Then Pashur smote Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks...
Jeremiah 20:1, 2
I once attended a government function. At this meeting, one of the government officials said the government wanted to hear the prophetic voice of the Church. When this government official said that, I thought, "Does this man know what he's saying? Would the Church not be branded as an enemy or "opposition" if it speaks out against wrongdoing in the government?" It is easy to say, "We want to hear the prophetic voice of God." But do we really want it?
Even Jesus withheld certain instructions from His disciples. He said to them, "I have many things to say but you cannot bear them so I will not say them."
I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
John 16:12
Your ability to receive certain rebukes from the Lord is seen by the way you handled the earlier word you received. David had already demonstrated that he would be obedient to the voice of the Lord. That is why his pastor was bold enough to speak to him.
Principles # 17: Principle of Being Quick to See and Admit Mistakes
It is interesting to note that God describes David as a man after his own heart. We all know that David was far from being perfect. Could it be that God was not looking for perfection?
I believe that what makes us great in God's sight is the manner in which we deal with our mistakes. Almost every person in the Bible made mistakes. From Adam to Peter, the Bible is replete with stories of impeachable offences. Yet, God has been merciful to His children.
When Saul made a mistake, he was confronted by the pastor of his day. Notice how Saul argued with the prophet Samuel. He insisted that he had not done anything wrong.
Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the Lord, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the Lord? And SAUL SAID unto Samuel, YEA I HAVE OBEYED THE VOICE OF THE LORD… And Samuel said…Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice…Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.
1 Samuel 15:19, 20, 22, 23
He argued that he had done the right thing. The evidence was there, yet he denied any wrongdoing. Compare this to David. When David was confronted by the pastor of his day (Nathan), he immediately said, "I have sinned." He admitted his wrongdoing, although no one could have even proved it.
Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight? Thou hast killed Uriah…and hast taken his wife to be thy wife… And DAVID SAID UNTO NATHAN, I HAVE SINNED AGAINST THE LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.
2 Samuel 12:9, 13
From my experience with handling people, I know that these two types of people are found in everyday life. Decide to be a David who sees and admits faults easily. Remember this: Failure to admit faults is a manifestation of pride and stubbornness.
God does not like proud people. The Bible says that he resists the proud!
Principle #18: Principle of Being Merciful
And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, THAT I MAY SHEW HIM KINDNESS for Jonathan's sake?
2 Samuel 9:1
David said, "Is there anyone I can show kindness to?" God had blessed him. David remembered where he had come from. How many of us remember what God has done for us? We say that the Lord has been good to us, but do we remember the vessels through whom God blessed us?
David called on an old friend's son and showed him great kindness.
Now when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come… And David said unto him, Fear not: for I WILL SURELY SHEW THEE KINDNESS FOR JONATHAN THY FATHER'S SAKE…
2 Samuel 9:6, 7
The Bible tells us in Proverbs 3 that showing mercy is a key to finding favour and understanding from God.
Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find FAVOUR and GOOD UNDERSTANDING in the sight of God and man.
Proverbs 3:3, 4
If you want to receive the mercy of God in your lifetime, learn to be merciful. One of the great keys in helping us to be merciful people is to remember what we ourselves have been through.
I once discussed with some medical student friends what their plans were for the future. One of them indicated that he would return to the medical school as a wicked lecturer. Even though he had suffered at the hands of unreasonable lecturers, he was intending to do worse. I always wonder why people forget what it is like to be "under".
David did not forget what it was like to be "under". He called for those below and tried to lift them up to where he was. He raised up Mephibosheth, Jonathan's son, to sit at his table. It is time to remember those who are down and below! God will bless you as you help others to come to where you are! I wrote this book because I want to share with you what God has given to me. I want you to come up to the table that the Lord has prepared for all His children.
Principle # 18: Principle of Being Religious
David was a very religious person. He did not leave spiritual things to the prophets and pastors alone. Although he was a king, his heart was in spiritual matters. You can see the type of person he was from the Psalms he wrote. David spoke of living in the temple of God. He thought of staying in church for long hours.
For A DAY IN THY COURTS is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
Psalm 84:10
I WAS GLAD when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.
Psalm 122:1
David organized the transfer of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. It was very important to him that these things were done. I believe that making God a central figure in your life is vital to success. David wanted to build a temple. He wanted to build a church. How many politicians and people of power, think about building the church? How many would say that they'd like to stay in church for long periods?
People with wealth and influence often fight against the church. They lift themselves up as proud and arrogant elements capable of destroying the church. Learn a lesson from David. His heart was in the church. His vision was to build God a grand temple. This is what I mean by being religious. No matter your profession, you can make God the centre of your activities. God is not blind. He will see and reward you because you love Him.
Psalm 91 tells us that because you have set your love on God, He will remember you in your time of trouble. He will lift you up and establish you. Let Jesus be the centre of your life and you will enjoy the blessings of Jehovah.
Because HE HATH SET HIS LOVE UPON ME, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I WILL BE WITH HIM IN TROUBLE; I WILL DELIVER HIM, AND HONUR HIM. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.
Psalm 91:14-16
In conclusion, remember that not many people succeed in this life. It is wise to notice and to study the few that succeed. It is wise to learn from them and to tap into their secrets. Hebrews 6:12 teaches us to follow those who inherit the promises of God. David was one such person. My prayer is that you would experience success as you follow the principles that guided David!
