"The Crowning Of The King"

We read here how David finally seems to fulfill his God-given destiny. Way back in 1 Samuel 16, we read how the prophet Samuel anointed David to replace Saul as king, and now, after about 23 years, that which God said was His plan for David has finally come to pass.

Now, as we consider how God’s purposes for David’s life were fulfilled, it is important to understand that God has a plan in mind for each of our lives as well.

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” - Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

Yes, God has a plan for your life as His child! He has a destiny in mind for you to enter into just like He did for David; and from David’s example, we discover seven abiding principles that can enable us to make sure that God’s plans for our lives might be fulfilled.

1. Trust God’s Timing - 2:1a; 5:4-5

The story of David becoming the king of Israel is an amazing one. It is a beautiful example of patiently waiting on God to fulfill His plan for one’s life in His time. A few thoughts on trusting God’s timing:

A. Even when God seems late, He’s always on time.

B. Even if God’s purpose for your life is to have but one moment in time, your life is still one of eternal significance.

In David’s story, there are several people who each had a moment in time for which they are recognized. There is Saul’s daughter Michael (19:13-16), Ahimelech the high priest at Nob (22:14-16), Abiathar, Ahimelech’s son (23:9; 30:7), Abigail (25:1-44), Jonathon (20:1-42).

Now, we can assume that they were used of God in other ways. But even if the purpose of their life was simply to fulfill the role in God’s work mentioned in the story of David’s ascension to the throne of Israel, that is enough for their lives to have eternal purpose.

“A life well lived is not determined by length of life; but by depth of life.” - Anonymous

In God’s economy, every life has significance and can be used to serve His purposes.

C. God’s plan will adjust for the “seasons of life.”

When we are young, we have lots of energy, but little time. When we are old, we have lots of time, but little energy. But God still has a plan for us, no matter what season of life we are in.

D. You’re never too young or too old to be used by God.

Some suggest David was as young as 7 when Samuel anointed him; that he would have been around 12 when he faced Goliath; that he was probably around 15 when he fled from Saul; and we know he was 30 when he became king. Ray Vander Laan says our Lord’s disciples were all under the age of 20 with the exception of Peter.

Noah was between 500 & 600 years old when he began work on the ark; Abraham was 75 when he answered the call of God; Moses was 80 when he led the people of Israel out of Egypt; Caleb was 80 when he and Joshua led the people into the land of promise.

You are never too young or too old to be used of God! If you want to used of God, trust His timing and . . .

2. Seek God’s Guidance - 2:1b

“Prayer doesn’t change the will of God. Prayer gets in on the will of God and allows us to participate in the fulfillment of the will of God.” - Steve Lawson

3. Obey God’s Word - 2:2

“The straightest line between me and satisfaction in life is obedience to God.” - Anonymous

“The faithful, effective Christian life is not simply a great emotional adventure filled with wonderful feelings and experiences. It is first of all the humble pursuit of God’s truth and will and of conformity to it. The obedient Christian experiences joy and satisfaction beyond measure, far exceeding that of superficial believers who constantly seek spiritual “highs.” Life in Christ is not sterile and joyless. But true joy, happiness, satisfaction, and all other such feelings are by-products of knowing and obeying God’s truth.” - John MacArthur

4. Receive God’s Provision - 2:3

God provided for the needs of David and his men and their families. He will do the same for us if we will obey Him.

“But more than anything else, put God’s work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well.” - Matthew 6:33 (CEV)

“If you just get the big things straightened out, you will have what you need in the little things. What everyone in the world is obsessed with, God makes a distant second. He’ll give you what you need to live on if you need Him in order to live.” - David Powlison