LESSONS FROM THE LIFE OF KING DAVID (PART 1)
.
TEXT:
"... And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither." (1st Samuel 16 verse 11, King James Version).
King David was Israel's sweet Psalmist and the most revered among her kings (see 2nd Samuel 13 verse 1). Also, amongst the saints of old, he was all the more suggestive a type of our Lord Jesus Christ.
After king Saul fell out of God's favor, He instructed prophet Samuel to go to the house of Jesse to anoint for Him a king amongst his sons (1st Samuel 16 verse 1). Jesse had made all of his seven sons to pass before prophet Samuel and the Lord rejected them one after the other. Upon inquiry whether those were all his sons, Jesse said "There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither" (1st Samuel 16 verse 10 to 11).
The eventual choice of David as king amongst his brethren was most striking. He was the youngest of the sons of Jesse and was the least to be considered for the position if the matter was entirely left for prophet Samuel to execute. Had the Lord not stopped prophet Samuel, he was to have anointed the elders of David as king. Apparently, when David showed up, he didn't look like king material, not where his elder brothers like Eliab, Abinadab and Shammah were. Yet, God chose him.
Indeed, David's own father, Jesse, didn't think that his last son, David had a chance. He had omitted him from among his sons to be presented before prophet Samuel. Is somebody reading this devotional facing neglect and rejection from people who ought to rather believe in you? On the other hand, do you consider yourself unfit for what you're called to do in life? Besides, are you one that's intimidated by other people's characteristics that you consider yourself unfit for what you're asked to do? Dear child of God, don't get agitated over these.
Truth is, God doesn't look at us the way man does. The story of David's choice amongst his brethren teaches that it's wrong to evaluate people by the way they look, etc. God looks on the inside and sees differently than the way man sees. Most importantly, for you that's a child of God, don't ever buy into other people's evaluation of your person because they may be looking at your outward appearance. According to 1st Corinthians 1 verses 26 to 29, the Bible says that God chooses the base, weak, despised and foolish things to confound the wise. That's the way God does His things.
What you should know is that as a born again child of God, you are brand new on the inside. You are much bigger on the inside than you look on the outside. On the inside, you are a king and a priest. You are not only God's son, you are anointed and full of power to do extraordinarily in life.
Most of the time, we get carried away by other people's estimation of us. It's a very wrong thing to do. Don't let other people's opinion and evaluation of your person in the natural realm to browbeat or to limit you. As a child of God, He has qualified and strengthened you to do anything given to you in life to do. The Bible says in Philippians 4 verse 13, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."
PRAYER:
Father, thank you for choosing me, though man may never consider me for anything.