Heroes of the Bible: David
Scott Bayles, pastor
Blooming Grove Christian Church: 8/22/2021
NOTE: This sermon was adapted from my book, Holy Heroes of the Bible. If it's a blessing to you, please consider buying the book which includes chapters/sermons on 17 additional Bible heroes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09SBNJTSZ
Have you ever left the theater after watching a superhero movie feeling like you wanted to be a better person? If so, you’re not alone. According to an article on Scientific American’s website, research finds that superheroes may be more than just entertaining—they can also influence people to do good deeds.
Daryl Van Tongeren, an associate professor of psychology at Hope College in Michigan, wanted to see if superheroes could inspire people to be more altruistic or act heroically. So, his team of researchers asked participants to wait a room with either a poster of a bicycle or a poster of Superman. Participants were given a fake task to complete in the room and then paid for their time, but the real test happened on the way out. As they left, a research assistant asked each participant if they’d be willing to volunteer to help with another project with no pay. The participants who were in the room with the Superman poster were “significantly more likely” to volunteer than the other participants. So, researchers concluded that just seeing the image of a superhero for a few moments inspired people to act more heroically.
Now, you probably don’t carry around a picture of Superman in your wallet, but I hope that you carry God’s word in your heart. For the past several weeks we’ve been studying the stories of the greatest heroes of the Bible, and I believe that their stories of heroism, much like that poster of Superman, can inspire us to act more heroically. So far, we’ve been inspired by the heroics of Noah—the hero who built an ark, Abraham—the hero whose faith founded a nation, Jacob—the hero who wrestled God, Moses—the hero who led a nation out of slavery, Samson—the anti-hero with super-strength, and Ruth—the heroine whose loyalty and labor led to love and the linage of Jesus. Today, we’re going to explore the story of one of the most well-known heroes of the Bible—David.
NEXT SLIDE: David
Much is written in our Bibles about David. His adventures are chronicled in great detail. In fact, more has been written about David than any other person in the Bible other than Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament there are sixty-six chapters written about David and in the New Testament there are fifty-nine references to this holy hero. We can read about David’s life in 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 Kings and 1 Chronicles, but we can also glean insight into what he thought and felt by reading the many psalms he wrote.
Everyone knows the story of David and Goliath (and we’ll get to that soon), but there’s much more to David’s life than just slaying giants. David was a shepherd, a soldier, a king, a musician, a poet, a sinner, and a saint. Of course, the word that might best describe David is hero. King Saul once blessed David, saying, “Blessings on you, my son David. You will do many heroic deeds, and you will surely succeed.” (1 Samuel 26:25 NLT). Saul’s words proved prophetic as David went on to become one the greatest heroes in Hebrew history. The people of Israel literally sang songs about his heroic adventures.
So, what made David a hero and what can we learn from his story? I’d like to spotlight three aspects of David’s character that together reveal the heart of a hero. First, David had a warrior heart.
• A WARRIOR HEART
You know the unforgettable tale of David and Goliath. Israel’s greatest enemies, the Philistines, were itching for a fight. The two armies camped across from each other on opposite sides of the battlefield. “Then,” the Bible says, “Goliath, a Philistine champion from Gath, came out of the Philistine ranks to face the forces of Israel. He was over nine feet tall! He wore a bronze helmet, and his bronze coat of mail weighed 125 pounds. He also wore bronze leg armor, and he carried a bronze javelin on his shoulder” (1 Samuel 17:4-6 NLT).
Goliath challenged Israel’s army to send one solider to face him in a winner-takes-all battle. But the Israelites wanted nothing to do with the fearsome giant. He was a mighty warrior and trained killer, covered head-to-toe in bronze armor that made him look like an ancient Iron Man! One glance at Goliath had Israel’s entire army shaking in their boots.
Then along came a puny shepherd boy named David. When he heard Goliath’s taunts against Israel and God, David volunteered to fight the giant. From all appearances, the odds were in Goliath’s favor. Yet, David had unfaltering faith in the Lord of Heaven’s armies and a warrior’s heart. David ran toward Goliath, twirled his slingshot, and let a stone fly. The rock smacked Goliath right between the eyes, sending the armored giant crashing to the ground! Against all odds, David won the battle and saved Israel to the glory of God! Then he used Goliath’s own sword to lop off his head. You might say David new how to get ahead of his enemies.
Of course, this was just one of David’s many mighty victories. Many people don’t realize that Goliath had four brothers, one of whom is described as “a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot” (2 Samuel 21:20). The Bible says, “These four Philistines were descendants of the giants of Gath, but David and his warriors killed them” (2 Samuel 21:22 NLT).
Time and again, David demonstrated his warrior prowess. He conquered enemy strongholds and won countless battles. After listing a series of David’s military victories, the Bible concludes, “In fact, the Lord made David victorious wherever he went!” (2 Samuel 8:14 NLT).
David’s warrior spirit ought to inspire Christians everywhere. Your enemies may be different from David’s, but each of us have a battle to fight. I like the way Max Lucado puts it: “You know your Goliath. You recognize his walk, the thunder of his voice. He taunts you with bills you can’t pay, people you can’t please, habits you can’t break, failures you can’t forget, and a future you can’t face. But just like David, you can face your giants… Rush your giant with a God-saturated soul. Giant of divorce, you aren’t entering my home! Giant of depression? It may take a lifetime, but you won’t conquer me. Giant of alcohol, bigotry, child abuse, insecurity… you’re going down. How long since you loaded your sling and took a swing at your giant?”
Too long? Then let David inspire you. David revealed the secret to his warrior prowess when he faced Goliath, announcing, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the Lord will conquer you…” (1 Samuel 17:45-46 NLT). David’s unwavering faith in God gave him the confidence to face any foe, no matter how big.
When you trust in God to fight your battles for you and with you, then there is no foe you can’t face, no enemy you can’t eviscerate. As the apostle Paul put it, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” and, “we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:31, 37 NLT).
His confidence in God empowered David to be a warrior. His love for God drove David to be a worshipper.
• A WORSHIPFUL HEART
In time, David rose from shepherd to solider to king. One of David’s first acts as the King of Israel was bringing the Ark of the Covenant to his new fortress home in the city of Jerusalem. The Ark of the Covenant was a golden chest containing the original stone tablets on which God inscribed the Ten Commandments. The Ark was tied the Shekinah glory of God and was to be housed in the inner sanctum of the tabernacle, but it was neglected and abandoned during the reign of King Saul. David tracked it down and arranged for a huge parade in God’s honor. The Bible says, “David and all the people of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, singing songs and playing all kinds of musical instruments—lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.” (2 Samuel 6:5 NLT).
As the procession entered Jerusalem, the Bible says, “David danced before the Lord with all his might” (2 Samuel 6:14 NLT). Inside the palace, however, David’s wife Michal watched from the window. The Bible says, “When she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she was filled with contempt for him” (2 Samuel 6:16 NLT). Michal thought David’s behavior was undignified and unbefitting a king. She chastised him for making a fool of himself in front of all the peasants. David retorted, “I was dancing before the Lord… He appointed me as the leader of Israel, the people of the Lord, so I celebrate before the Lord. Yes, and I am willing to look even more foolish than this, even to be humiliated in my own eyes!” (2 Samuel 6:21-22 NLT).
Some of us feel uncomfortable just raising our hands in church. Not David. David loved the Lord and worshipped him uninhibitedly. He didn’t care what other people thought of him or if he sang off key! He just cared about celebrating God!
Of course, it didn’t hurt that David was a skilled musician. He played the harp and composed countless worship songs. The Old Testament book of Psalms is a collection of ancient Hebrew worship songs, half of which were written by David! All those familiar psalms, like “the Lord is my shepherd” (Psalm 23) or “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth” (Psalm 8), were penned by David and originally set to lutes, harps, and lyres. Many modern renditions of the psalms are still being produced, which means that we are still singing worship songs written by David more than four thousand years ago!
David wrote, “I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart… I will be filled with joy because of you” (Psalm 9:1-2 NLT) and “Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name” (Psalm 103:1 NLT).
David had a heart of worship, and David’s obsession with worship ought to characterize our lives too. Worship should be the highlight of our week. Far too many “worship services” start at ten o’clock sharp and end at eleven o’clock dull. Worship should be an explosion of joy and reverence, celebrating all that God is and all that he’s done. The esteemed theologian A.W. Tozer once wrote: “I am going to say something to you which will sound strange. It even sounds strange to me as I say it, because we are not used to hearing it within our Christian fellowships... We are saved to worship God! All that Christ has done for us in the past and all that He is doing now leads to this one end.”
It’s impossible to overstate the importance and impact of worship in our lives. So, let’s take a page from David’s book. Let’s sing before the Lord like no one’s listening. Let’s dance before the Lord like no one’s watching. Let’s make a joyful noise before the Lord. Let’s shout to Lord with our whole hearts.
Sadly, despite having a warrior heart and worshipful heart, King David eventually developed a wayward heart.
• A WAYWARD HEART
Even the greatest heroes can become villains. In his later life, David made some unheroic decisions. He strayed from his heroic journey and wandered into wickedness and wrongdoing.
With numerous military victories in his rearview mirror, David grew tired of war. So, one spring while the Israelite army set off to battle the Ammonites, David stayed behind in Jerusalem. Late one afternoon, after his midday nap, David took a stroll on his palace rooftop overlooking the city. As David surveyed his kingdom, he suddenly noticed a stunningly beautiful woman… taking a bath. Driven by lustful curiosity, David sent someone to find out who she was, and then—even after learning that she was married to one of his soldiers named Uriah—he summoned her, had sex with her, then sent her home.
David’s sexual sins, of course, were only the beginning. Bathsheba soon sent David word that she was pregnant. Her husband couldn’t be the father because he was off fighting the war that David refused to fight. Long story short, David first attempts to cover up his sin by getting Bathsheba’s husband drunk and sending him home to his wife; but when that doesn’t work, David arranges for her husband to be abandoned on the battlefield where the fighting was fiercest. When David receives news of Uriah’s death, he takes Bathsheba as his wife and pretends like nothing ever happened. David thought that no one would be the wiser. “But,” the Bible says, “the Lord was displeased with what David had done” (2 Samuel 11:27 NLT).
Harvey Dent once said, “You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” David started off as a hero, but lived long enough to become the villain. Of course, David isn’t alone in his villainy.
You might not be guilty of adultery and conspiracy to commit murder like David, but we’re all capable of losing our way and wandering into serious sin. The Bible says, “When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these” (Galatians 5:19-20 NLT). Perhaps the sin you struggle with is somewhere on this list or maybe it’s one of the “other sins like these.” But even if you’ve lost your way and given into some terrible temptations like David, you don’t have to be defeated or defined by them.
David started down a villainous path, but when the prophet Nathan confronts him, David admits his wrongdoing. He makes no defense. He offers no excuses. Rather, he falls on his knees and confesses: “I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Samuel 12:13 NLT). If we question David’s sincerity, we need only read the psalm he wrote in the wake of Nathan’s visit. For nineteen verses, David weeps over his sins and pleads with God for forgiveness and grace: “Create in me a clean heart, O God,” David begs. “Forgive me for shedding blood, O God,” he pleads. “Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow” (Psalm 51). And God did with David’s sins what he does with yours and mine—he forgave them. Nathan, again, delivers the message: “the Lord has forgiven you” (2 Samuel 12:13 NLT). Those must have been the sweetest words David ever heard.
David lost his way for a while; but thanks to Nathan, he found his way back to God and back on the hero’s path. We could all use a Nathan in our lives. We don’t need friends who will lie to us, telling us that we’re making good choices as we wander away from God. We need friends who tells us the truth and aren’t afraid to point out our faults and failures.
The good news is—if God could forgive David, he can forgive you. David’s heart was selfish, scheming, and stained with sin. But God loving washed away David’s sin, restored the joy of his salvation, and renewed his spirit. Once again David became a hero after God’s heart. You can too. We all sin and fall short of God’s goodness. But it doesn’t matter what you’ve done or how far you’ve fallen. God never gave up on David. He won’t give up on you either.
Conclusion:
David was far from perfect, but he was an accomplished and admirable king with the heart of a hero. David possessed a warrior heart, trusting in the Lord to fight his battles for him. He had a worshipful heart, singing and dancing and writing beautiful songs of praise to the Lord. And he had wayward heart. He sinned and screwed up, but found mercy and grace at the throne of God. Next week, we’ll meet another inspiring hero of the Bible—Elijah, the prophet hero who performed mighty miracles.
Invitation:
In the meantime, if you’re facing some giants of your own right now and need some reassurance that God has your back or if you’re struggling with sin and need to seek forgiveness and grace, I want to invite you to bow before the throne of God. Lay your troubles at his feet and trust him to help you. And as you do that, let’s all stand and worship. Let’s praise the Lord with all our hearts.
NOTE: This sermon was adapted from my book, Holy Heroes of the Bible. If it's a blessing to you, please consider buying the book which includes chapters/sermons on 17 additional Bible heroes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09SBNJTSZ
