Seek God Series

The Lord prepares David, His anointed one, for the Kingship.

• Step by step, little by little, the young shepherd is being taught and trained to trust God and manage difficult circumstances.

• God prepares him, not in a classroom but through the crucible of life – through trials and tests. The run became his training course.

• The throne will not be handed over to David on a silver platter. God moulds him and equips him for the Kingship.

I came across this poem that captures this truth.

When God wants to drill a man,

And thrill a man,

And skill a man;

When God wants to mould a man

To play the noblest part,

When He yearns with all His heart

To create so great and bold a man

That all the world shall be amazed,

Watch His methods, watch His ways—

How He ruthlessly perfects

Whom He royally elects.

How He hammers him and hurts him,

And with mighty blows, converts him

Into trial shapes of clay

Which only God understands,

While his tortured heart is crying,

And he lifts beseeching hands.

How he bends but never breaks

When his good He undertakes.

How He uses

Whom He chooses,

And with every purpose fuses him,

By every act induces him

To try his splendour out.

God knows what He’s about.

God knows what He’s about. With David, with Moses, Joseph, Elijah, Daniel, Paul… and the many other servants of God we read in the Scriptures.

• God knows what He is doing. Whatever that happens to David might seems random but behind it all stands the Lord with His unseen hand, guiding his every step. If you ask, “Where is God?” He is right there with him.

• Just because we don’t see God or feel Him does not mean He is absent.

• God is with us in our trials and tests, even when we feel abandoned or forgotten.

Let’s read 1 Samuel 23:1-14. David and his men were hiding in the FOREST OF HERETH in Judah, when they heard this news...

We see TWO very different MOTIVATIONS – that of David and Saul.

• David was moved by the NEEDS of his people. He cares. David wants to do something and so he inquired of God.

• If he was thinking about himself, he would have ignored Keilah and stayed in hiding. That’s the comfort zone and the safest thing.

• Anyway, this is not his responsibility. King Saul, being the King, out to have taken this up and fight for Keilah.

Instead, we see David being moved by the plight of his people whilst Saul was caught up by his own selfish desires.

• Saul was busy defending his throne, not his nation. He was concern about his own welfare, not the needs of his people.

• We see that in many countries today, where corruption is rampant, and leaders are serving for their own gains and not the needs of their people.

David’s men were not keen to leave the hiding place; that’s their comfort zone. They were afraid.

• Keilah is on the plain nearer the border with the Philistines. If they leave, they will be out in the open and exposing themselves to greater danger.

• They have to not only fight the Philistines, but also to make sure that they can get back into hiding before Saul catches up with them.

• There is too much to risk, the men felt. David inquired of the Lord YET AGAIN.

David took the words of his men seriously, but it is the Lord’s will that matters.

• He submits to what God says. The Lord said it again – go and save Keilah, and added a promise, “I am going to give the Philistines into your hand.” (23:4)

• With that, David moved.

We saw David’s MOTIVATION, and now we see his DETERMINATION. David is determine to HEAR from God. It is obvious from this text.

• It’s not about what he can do. Basing on past track records, I believe David is capable of doing a good job in fighting the Philistines.

• Or he could have taken this task up to gain greater mileage or popularity with the people. But his only question is: “Lord, what do you want me to do?”

• This is his concern and it should be ours too. Lord, what do you want me to do?

We see David’s WILLINGNESS TO OBEY. He moves once he knows that it is the will of God.

• It will mean he has to persuade his men. It will mean they will have to fight. It will mean there are exposing themselves to dangers and risks.

• Even King Saul commented in 23:7 "God has handed him over to me, for David has imprisoned himself by entering a town with gates and bars."