DAVID—A MAN AFTER GOD’S OWN HEART
08—THE STONE OF DESTINY
TEXT: 1 Samuel 20:18-22
1 Samuel 20:18-22 KJV Then Jonathan said to David, To morrow is the new moon: and thou shalt be missed, because thy seat will be empty. [19] And when thou hast stayed three days, then thou shalt go down quickly, and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself when the business was in hand, and shalt remain by the stone Ezel. [20] And I will shoot three arrows on the side thereof, as though I shot at a mark. [21] And, behold, I will send a lad, saying, Go, find out the arrows. If I expressly say unto the lad, Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee, take them; then come thou: for there is peace to thee, and no hurt; as the LORD liveth. [22] But if I say thus unto the young man, Behold, the arrows are beyond thee; go thy way: for the LORD hath sent thee away.
1 Samuel 20:33-38 KJV And Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him: whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay David. [34] So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did eat no meat the second day of the month: for he was grieved for David, because his father had done him shame. [35] And it came to pass in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad with him. [36] And he said unto his lad, Run, find out now the arrows which I shoot. And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. [37] And when the lad was come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad, and said, Is not the arrow beyond thee? [38] And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay not. And Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his master.
I. INTRODUCTION—DESTINY
-Every single person that you meet has a mark of destiny on him. That destiny has been implanted into his life by God but the reality is that it takes several factors to get that man into shape for the destiny that fits in his heart.
-There are some positive aspects that move us toward that place such as well-disciplined routines, commitments to doing the hard tasks, and having a toughness to deal with obstacles. There are also some very negative and trying things that often come into the path of a man who is on the path of destiny. There will be circumstances beyond your control that you will not be able to change except by patience. There are painful choices that you will have to endure the consequences of. There will be critics who will do their best to pull you down because your success makes them uncomfortable with themselves.
-But we have to know that when God has us marked out for a place of destiny that we will get there if we are faithful and committed to the cause. I am sure you are aware that we have a man here in David who has already been anointed to fill the role as the king of Israel but there will be a thousand weary burdens he has to contend with before he gets there.
A. General
Unknown—I was never of any use until I found out that God did not intend to make me to be a great man.
Unknown—Don’t worry about doing something great. Be great by doing what you can where God has placed you. It will pay off after a while.
Winston Churchill—It is a mistake to look too far ahead. Only one link of the chain of destiny can be handled at a time.
B. John P. Kee, Black Gospel Singer
Friday morning when I was working on this message, I did something a little out of the ordinary for me. I put on my Pandora radio channel to the Mississippi Mass Choir and began to listen to them while I was studying. It is not something that I normally do because I have a tendency to start listening to the music and then singing along with it and when all is said and done, the sermon and the songs have gotten all mixed up in a terrible jumble. That is the curse of only having a single track mind.
While I was listening to the music, a very powerful and stimulating song came on by John P. Kee. Pandora is designed so that you can read about the artists who is singing the song and I read an intriguing story about this famous singer on the black gospel circuit.
John P. Kee was born the 15th of 16 children in Durham, North Carolina. At an early age he began to develop his musical talent both instrumentally and vocally. He attended the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem and at 14, he and his brothers Wayne and Al moved to California where he began attending the Yuba College Conservatory School of Music in Marysville, California. During this time, he began playing with various groups such as Cameo and Donald Byrd and the Blackbyrds.
After having a hard time adjusting in California, he left and moved to Charlotte, North Carolina only to find himself living in a part of the city known for its violence and drug activities. It was during this period of time that he became aware of a Pentecostal church in the city. One night after watching one of his friends being murdered in a drug deal gone bad, he decided it was time for him to get back to God. It was during that time that he had a spiritual awakening during a revival meeting.
After that experience, he began to further develop his musical talents that would move him to begin working with choirs with great success. But as he developed his musical skills, he soon felt the drawing of the Lord. At a revival meeting in Ohio, he said he had a prophetic vision from the Lord in which there was a calling into the ministry to preach. He knew that a preparation of study of the Bible would be a necessity for him to be able to pastor a church. After that vision, he made arrangements for a time of intensive study of the Bible and to be involved in a pulpit ministry and so he began to work toward that preparation of preaching. That would lead him to start a church in the Charlotte, North Carolina area. Since that time he has won many awards for his music and has been a blessing to those who listen to black gospel. Yet it would appear that the murder of a friend was what moved him toward his destiny.
II. THE STORY OF THE ARROWS
-The last time I preached about David in this series on his life, I dealt with the fact that sometimes fear can literally get a chokehold on us to the extent that our faith is almost lifeless.
-Saul’s fury is about to be poured out in the life of David that will send him into caves, mountain passes, deep valleys, and anywhere else he thinks might be a place of security. But what sent him in that direction was the flight of some arrows.
-Whatever you do. . . don’t miss some of the fine details in the previous chapter. Saul sent his men to Naioth in Ramah to kill him. But the story ends by telling us that one after another of Saul’s dark assassins and finally Saul shows up and yet every single one of them are held in the grip of the Spirit of God.
-God would not let these men kill David no matter how close that they seemed to get to him. We ought to take great comfort in the fact that God has far more hedges about us that we are even aware of. Just as Saul and his assassins are held spellbound by the Spirit of God and unable to touch David. . . so it is with God’s saints!
-But the prevailing reality in most of our minds is exactly that of David—we are only aware of our own panic, fear, anxiety, and worry. It can be mind bending and mind numbing!
-Thank God for loyal friends during these times of duress. It is a great thing to be a Jonathon. If David did not have Jonathon he very well could have abandoned his calling and anointing to be the king. He could have decided to quit, to give up, to go back to taking care of sheep. Perhaps there is something even worse that could have happened—He very well could have developed that murderous spirit of retaliation to even with a madman.
-Jonathon comes to David and they work out a plan. Jonathon is going to sense the mood of Saul at the festival of the New Moon. Saul will betray himself when he starts to question Jonathon about the absence of David. That is exactly what happens and there is a bitter, loud, and raging argument between Jonathon and Saul to the degree that Saul snatches up one of his javelins and tries to kill his own son.
-That sends Jonathon fleeing from the house so that he can activate the system that he and David had devised. Jonathon has already told David when he shows up in this field that he will shoot some arrows. If the arrows land before they get to this stone called Ezel that all is well but if they are shot beyond this stone then David will know that he is to flee for his life.
-Once the plan has been set into motion, we come to understand that within just a few yards to one side of this rock or the other side of this rock is going to affect David for the rest of his life. That is often the way that life is, just a few yards of difference, a few days of difference, a few points shy of a grade, a few hours and the interview is completed. . . all of these details so closely linked together is how that God moves us into our destiny.
A. The Stone of Ezel—1 Samuel 20:19
-Out in the margins of some Bibles the meaning of this stone is given. It is described as the stone that shapes or shows the way. It can even mean to depart or to go away or to disappear.
-Every saint of God will find this place called Ezel. Generally they will be very challenging places to be. Never easy but they mark the path of destiny for us. When we have to say good-bye to someone or to something there can be a great pull on the emotions.
• When the Lord sends us or loved ones away.
• When the will of God changes for our lives and a relocation is involved.
• When a new job is taken.
• When a close friend moves away.
• When things are lost because of death or divorce.
• When our children leave for college or the mission field.
-But we can find the presence of God in all of those events of life.
• God’s presence gives us rest—Exodus 33:14. . . My presence shall go with thee and I will give thee rest.
• God’s presence gives us courage—Deut. 20:1. . . when you go to battle. . . be thou not afraid of them; for the Lord thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
• God’s presence comforts us in trials—Isa. 43:2. . . When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
-The stone of Ezel was the stone of destiny in David’s life. He didn’t know it because he was overwhelmed by the sheer pressure and emotional overwhelming he was contending with but it was the turning point.
-Every saint of God will get there. Every person will face their Ezel, a stone of destiny!
• Daniel described it as a stone that was not cut out with hands—Dan. 2:3-4
• Isaiah said the stone was a sure foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone—Isa. 28:16
• Peter described it as a living stone, a stone of stumbling, a rock of offence—1 Peter 2:4, 8
-All of these are descriptions of the Lord Jesus Christ. . . the Rock of Ages. . . What we do with Jesus Christ will determine our destiny.
-Another matter we have to come to terms with is the fact that every one of us will get to our stone of destiny and we will have to wait it out just like David did. It is a wonderful thing to be in that position but we can’t get weary in our waiting.
-Some perhaps are here right now. . . today. . . and you are getting antsy and are wanting to leave your place of destiny. . . Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord! This battle is not yours, it belongs to the Lord and you need to let Him fight it out for you!
B. The Lessons of the Arrows
-There are some lessons of the arrows that we have to consider in this story of David’s life.
1. The Arrows Are Controlled by Someone Besides You
-This is the moment you learn how to lose control. You finally learn that you have to give up your plans, your ideas, and your desires.
-The arrows are in somebody else’s hands!
-We must do everything we can that is within our power to serve the Lord but there are people that God graces our lives with that have greater (and might I add God-given control) control than we may understand.
Andrew Carnegie—It marks a big step in your development when you come to realize that other people can help you do a better job than you can do alone.
-What happens to far too many people is they end up fighting with the people who have the arrows in their hands. Don’t fight with the archers who are trying to direct your destiny, God has placed them in your life.
2. The Arrows Have a Specific Meaning
-Even though you may have a hard time finally letting go and giving up, you also need to have a great sense of confidence and faith in knowing that these arrows have a specific meaning. It is great to know the will of God and instead of walking around in some dark mysterious place, the arrows give you a specific direction.
Alan Redpath—The arrow of God on the target may leave a scar on your heart. In the years to come you may look back upon this time and your eyes fill with tears as you remember the moment when the arrow went beyond. But the Savior is alongside: He is reminding you of the blood he shed for you, which takes you beyond the veil—to a place of constant access to His presence—is the blood that takes you outside the camp to a place of consecrated availability for His plan.
-There is a specific will of God for every one of us! We cannot dither about life trying to figure out where it is that God wants us. The arrows of God’s will have a specific direction that we must submit our lives to.
3. The Arrows Will Leave you with Nothing But God
-The last thing I know about the arrows is that you are left with nothing but God. After the arrows hit their mark, the direction has been set and then it has to be walked out.
-If there had been any hesitation in David at this point, he would lose his life, the crown that was in his future and everything that God had in store for him.
-In biblical times, wine would be emptied from one vessel to another vessel in order to preserve its freshness and keep it from ruining. For it to be preserved it had to be emptied out. A man’s life is like that! Every prop we may lean on is taken away from us because there are some demands of life that you must stand alone in.
-David was forced to leave:
• The comfort of his friendship with Jonathon.
• The security of love he found in his home with Jesse and his family.
• The potential for reconciliation with Saul.
• The boundaries of his own human security.
-It can be summed up in that old song from years ago. . . Whatever It Takes. . .
There’s a voice calling me, from an old rugged tree
And He whispers draw closer to me
Leave this world far behind
There are new heights to climb
And a new place in Me you will find.
And whatever it takes, to draw closer to You Lord
That’s what I’ll be willing to do
And whatever it takes to be more like you
That’s what I’ll be willing to do.
Take my houses and lands
Take my dreams and my plans,
I place my whole life in Your hands.
And if you call me someday,
To a land far away,
Lord, I’ll go and Your will obey.
And whatever it takes to draw closer to You, Lord,
That’s what I’ll be willing to do.
And whatever it takes for my will to break,
That’s what I’ll be willing to do.
-If you will do the complete will of God, there has to be a moment where you stand at the stone of destiny. . . see the direction of the arrows. . . and take the paths that you have to take. . . just you and the Lord!
-No one else can do it for you!
III. CONCLUSION—WHAT IS BEYOND THE ARROWS?
-I find that increasingly more than anything in life is the fact that we must have an infusion of faith into our souls. We have to believe that there is hope beyond this stone of destiny.
-David was unable to know what was beyond that moment that day in his life. Just as we are unable to know what is beyond this day in our own lives. But by virtue of history, we can know that there were some great things in the future of David’s life:
• He would be victorious in fleeing from Saul.
• He would be a leader of the greatest band of soldiers that Israel ever had.
• He would rule Israel as their king in their brightest days.
• He would become a worshipper.
• He would become a psalmist.
• He would gather the materials to build the Temple.
• He would be honored and revered the rest of his life.
• He would be known as a man after God’s own heart.
-Certainly there would be more difficult days ahead but his destiny was to shape history as one of the greatest men of the Bible. . . . May that be so in every one of our lives!
Philip Harrelson
February 8, 2014
