The story of David begins in the little farming village of Bethlehem. His ancestry in that town went at least went back to his great grandparents Boaz and Ruth, and his father Jesse raised all eight of his sons and his two daughters there. Being the youngest of eight boys isn’t easy, especially when you are the best looking of the bunch. Just out of curiosity, how many of you are the best looking in your family?
As the youngest, David got stuck with the dirty and undesirable job of tending the sheep, but he made the best out of it. He became so skilled in the use a shepherd’s sling that he even killed a lion and a bear while defending the sheep. And while he spent long days and endless nights watching over the pastures, he also learned how to play the harp and he composed beautiful songs of praise to God. David wrote at least 73 of the Psalms that are in the Bible. I picture David composing the 23rd Psalm while he was keeping watch over his flocks by night.
David is one of those larger than life people in the Bible. He rose from being a simple shepherd boy from an obscure rural village to become the greatest king in Israel’s history. His name is mentioned over a thousand times in the Bible and his story encompasses the biblical books of I & II Samuel, I & II Kings, I & II Chronicles, and is repeatedly referred to throughout the New Testament.
Since it is almost impossible to condense David’s story in one sermon, I have decided to do it in two. Today we will focus on the beginning of David’s life—The Rise of a King. Next week we will look at the end of David’s life—The Fall of a King. It is difficult to even tell the beginning of David’s life in one sermon, so I would like to summarize it by highlighting three aspects of his character—his humble heart, his courageous faith, and his undivided loyalty.
A Humble Heart for God (I Samuel 16)
Saul had failed miserably as Israel’s first king and the old prophet Samuel had been moping and mourning about it for a long time when the Lord came to him and said, “Get up! Fill your horn with oil! Go to Jesse of Bethlehem, I have chosen one of his sons to be the new king.” Even though he was terrified that Saul would find out about him anointing a new king and kill him, he obeyed the Lord and journeyed to Bethlehem.
When he got to Jesse’s house and saw his eldest son Eliab’s tall broad shoulders, muscular arms, and rugged face, he immediately concluded, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands in front of me”, for he had the look of a king. But the Lord was about to teach the old prophet a new lesson about divine perspective. The Lord said to him, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Then, one by one, each of Jesse’s sons passed before Samuel, but the Lord did not choose any of them. After all of the sons came through the procession, Samuel said to Jesse, “Are these all of the sons you have?” Jesse said, “Ugh…well… there is still the youngest, but he is out tending the sheep.” Samuel told Jesse to send for him and he would wait until he arrived.
When David walked through the door, Samuel was dazed and confused. David was just a boy. He had a light complexion, maybe a tint of red in his hair, and he had handsome features. The literal Hebrew says that he had “pretty eyes.” We value these features today, but in that time and culture, his looks went contrary to the appearance of a king. He looked more like a pretty-boy model than he did a warrior-king. If I wanted someone to fight for me, I’d look for someone like Arnold Schwarzenegger, not Tom Cruise. But in spite of David’s looks, Samuel heard God’s voice, “Rise and anoint him; he is the one.” God chose David because of humble heart!
This whole scene paints a picture of David’s humble heart before God. We see humility in David’s age, appearance, and occupation. To the human eye, there was nothing about him that would make him a desirable king, but remember what God said to Samuel—Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. We don’t see David bursting into the house, raising his hands, and chanting “Pick me! Pick me!” He humbly went about tending the sheep and singing praise songs to God.
God certainly hit the nail on the head when he said, “Man looks at the outward appearance…” Three-thousand years later, we still live in a culture that worships ego and outward appearance. In America, we are consumed with ourselves and the way we look. Whether we like it or not, everyone in the United States participates in a daily beauty pageant. Engulfed by a popular culture saturated with images of idealized, air-brushed, and unattainable physical beauty, people cannot escape feeling judged on the basis of their outward appearance. Americans spend a total of $7 billion per year on cosmetics alone, not to mention cosmetic surgery. I wonder what would happen if our nation spent that much on our souls instead of our bodies!
God is concerned about our hearts! He is not impressed by how pretty or strong you are! He is not awed by how much money you make or what kind of car you drive! Having a humble heart for God is about being satisfied with what God has given us! Having a humble heart for God is about faithfully serving him without looking for recognition. Having a humble heart for God is about simply doing what God wants us to do and giving him the glory for everything. How humble is your heart?
A Courageous Faith (I Samuel 17)
After David was anointed by Samuel, a few years went by and David continued to tend his father’s sheep. In the meantime, another conflict flared up between the Israelites and Philistines and they were preparing for battle in the Valley of Elah. The Philistines had a champion named Goliath, a man of unparalleled size and strength. With the sun glaring off his bronze helmet, his 125lb. scale armor, and javelin on his back, he imposed terror upon anyone who gazed at him. The tip of his spear alone weighed 15lbs. Every day he would march to the front line and challenge the Israelite army to choose a man to face him. (In those days, it was common for whole battles to be decided by a clash between two champions.) No one in the whole Israelite army had the courage to face him; not even King Saul who stood a head taller than everyone else.
During his years as premier of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev denounced many of the policies and atrocities of Joseph Stalin. Once, as he censured Stalin in a public meeting, Khrushchev was interrupted by a shout from a heckler in the audience. “You were one of Stalin’s colleagues. Why didn’t you stop him?” “Who said that?” roared Khrushchev. An agonizing silence followed as nobody in the room dared move a muscle. Then Khrushchev replied quietly, “Now you know why.”
Fear paralyzes people! Thus was the case for Saul and the Israelites. They were so consumed with the gigantic problem standing in front of them that they took their eyes off the Lord. When we take our eyes off the Lord, our problems can consume us and we can be overcome by fear. Do you ever find yourself in that place?
Well, Jesse asked David to take some food to his three older brothers who were serving in the Israelite army. David, who was always willing to serve, left early in the morning and took some bread and cheese to his brothers. As he found his brothers and began talking with them, Goliath came forth and shouted his usual defiance against Israel.
David was appalled by what he saw and heard. He said, “Who is this Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” When he understood everything that was happening, he showed his courageous faith in God and said to King Saul, “I will go and fight him!” Armed with only a shepherd’s staff, five smooth stones from the stream, and a sling in his hand, David defied Goliath by saying, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty…this day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I will strike you down and cut off your head.” And with his courageous faith in God, it all happened just as David said! And the Philistine army
David knew that he could not defeat the enemy by himself. He knew he was outmatched, but he did not trust in his own abilities, instincts, or weapons. He put his faith in the power of the living Lord. He had a courageous faith, a fearless faith!
I know that many of us who are here this morning have things that cause us fear. We don’t have giants with javelins standing in front of us, but sometimes we do face gigantic problems: health problems, relationship problems, financial problems, etc. Like the Israelite army, when our eyes are not focused on the Lord, it is no wonder we are so scared. But when we put our faith in the power of the living Lord, he will give us the courage we need. When we stop trusting in ourselves, it is amazing what God will do!
An Undivided Loyalty (I Samuel 18-26)
After David killed Goliath, Saul gave him a high rank in the Israelite army and his fame grew. David had success in everything he did because the Lord was with him. When they returned home from battle, a victory parade filled the streets of Jerusalem with singing and dancing. One of the refrains heard over and over again that day was “Saul has killed his thousands and David his tens of thousands”, and jealousy crept into Saul’s heart.
Saul was afraid that David was going to take his throne. Even though he still had the crown, David had the hearts of the people. Saul knew that he had to get rid of David, so he tried to murder him multiple times in multiple ways. On one occasion, while David was playing his harp for Saul, Saul rushed upon him with a spear but he missed twice. On two other occasions, Saul tried to set David up by promising him marriage to his daughters Mereb and Michal. He sent David into battle to win Michal’s hand, hoping that he would be killed by the Philistines. When this plan was foiled, Saul tried to get his son Jonathan, David’s best friend to kill him. He tried to get his daughter Michal, David’s wife, to hand him over. And he commanded his military officers to assassinate David. But all of these attempts failed because the Lord was with David.
What is truly amazing about this story is how David remained loyal to Saul, even when Saul was trying to kill him. David had two golden opportunities to kill Saul, but he refused. In I Samuel 24, Saul went into a cave to relieve himself and he did not know that David was already in the cave. David caught him with his pants down, but only cut off a piece of Saul’s robe.
Let me ask you a question, would you remain loyal to someone who repeatedly tried to kill you? We may ask the question, “Why was David loyal to Saul?” David’s own words in I Samuel 24:6—“The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lift my hand against him; for he is the anointed of the Lord.” David remained loyal to Saul because he had an undivided loyalty to God!
How about you? Do you have an undivided loyalty to the Lord? Like David, our loyalty to God is often tested by the opportunities that come our way. Sometimes we are forced to decide between taking a better job or spending more time with our family. Sometimes we are forced to decide whether to work overtime, play a sport, or worship God on Sunday mornings. Sometimes we must decide whether to be loyal to someone we don’t like, or to through them under the bus. (Politics anyone? Family anyone? Church anyone?) Sometimes we may see an opportunity for advancement and success, but we also see how many people it will hurt. What will you decide?
In David’s rise to kingship, we clearly see his humble heart for God, his courageous faith in God, and his undivided loyalty to God. David’s rise to kingship reminds me of another king. This king was also born in the humble farming village of Bethlehem. Like David, there wasn’t anything about his outwardly appearance that would resemble a great king, but he also had a humble heart, a courageous faith, and an undivided loyalty to God. His humble heart was seen in him becoming a man and being born in human flesh. His courageous faith allowed him win the victory over Satan’s power. And his undivided loyalty led him straight to the cross where he suffered and died for our sins.
Who is this king you ask? It is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! It is our Lord Jesus Christ, the lion of the tribe of Judah, descended from the line of David, one who rose from obscurity and became not only the King of the Jews, but the King of the World! May we have a humble heart, a courageous faith, and an undivided loyalty to the King of Kings!