A Pastor’s Perspective, A Look At Why King David Was King
Southaven,Ms
By: Mike Upchurch
A Look At Why King David Was King
King David penned these words in the Psalms…..
“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread?”
Psalms 27:1
A powerful statement of his faith in the Lord to deliver him in peril. A statement you might make yourself as well. But have you ever pondered how David got to the place in his walk with God that he could proclaim such a thing; that the Lord was his salvation and his deliverer in every situation where fear might creep in?
David certainly didn’t go to church as we do. He didn’t hear sermons every Sunday morning on TV. He didn’t have the Bible to read. He didn’t have Paul’s letters to encourage him. He didn’t have Facebook or social media so that he might be encouraged by his friends in his relationship with God. He didn’t even have the grace and mercy Christ’s death on the Cross brought us, to give him hope. Quite the contrary, he had nothing available to him that we have today other than the Torah, which he had obviously studied well. In fact, as a teenager he was alone most of the day as a Shepherd with nothing but the Torah and sheep as companions.
So how did David know so much about God, when seemingly many of his peers had no interest in the Lord? How did he amass such a love for the Lord?
Well the answer is obvious, and something we can learn from even today. He was a worshipper of the Lord! He had developed a personal relationship with God that went beyond keeping of the Levitical Law. He had understood His majesty. David had uncovered a simple truth; God was the Creator of all things and was worthy of worship! He also learned nothing was impossible for Him!
Think of how he spent his days; he was continually viewing all the beauty of the pastures and meadows he was in; he might have lain on his back and studied the wonder of the different types of clouds; he would see all the majesty of the stars at night; he would experience the power in the storms of the seasons; all those things and more gave him a deep understanding that the Lord in His infinite intellect and power was indeed the Creator of all he witnessed, and that He alone was worthy of worship. And I believe the more David worshipped, the more God poured into him and the more he began to understand about the character and nature of God. Re-read Psalm 23 to see how his experiences as a shepherd boy gave him the understanding of the parallels of the Father as a Shepherd!
He also began to understand the deliverance available to him when he faced dangers. He had learned first hand that God could be counted on when trouble did come. He gave this account of killing predator animals in 1 Samuel…
But David said to Saul, “Your servant was tending his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, I went out after him and attacked him, and rescued it from his mouth; and when he rose up against me, I seized him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the living God.”
1 Samuel 17:34-36
A teenager killing a lion? Impossible, you say. But David had no fear. He had no fear because he had complete confidence in his God to deliver him. Why? Because he had spent time with Him. He walked with Him. He knew Him. In those times of quiet worship, I can only imagine that God would indeed talk with him, pouring into his heart the intimate things David needed to hear and know. Those conversations brought David the confidence he needed to face challenges in his life. Confidence to make the statement years later that “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?”
It’s not exhaustive study of the Bible, or Church attendance 7 times a week, or denying yourself the pleasures of the world, that will put you in the company of the likes of David. It’s the depth of your PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD that will allow you to possess the confidence David had. Yes you need to study His word, and you need the fellowship of others, but it’s hours spent with Him that will make the difference. It’s hours spent walking with Him. It’s crying out to Him and seeing Him deliver you, that will allow you to say “whom shall I fear? Read the psalms that David wrote. Read the worship and awe in his words. Read the love he had for the Lord and the confidence he had in Him. You’ll see the key to living fearlessly; it’s the knowledge of who God is and that He can be counted on! Here’s just a tiny sample…..
“I love You, O LORD, my strength.” The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.”
Psalms 18:1-3
Get alone with God. Give Him an opportunity to pour into you. Give Him an opportunity to love on you! Give Him an opportunity to build your faith. You will be able to do anything through Christ who strengthens you, when you know what David knew.
But you might say “Pastor Mike, David was special to God. I’m no David.” No? Do you think David was more special than you? Do you think you’re not special to God? You indeed are very special to Him! He created you. He loves you with same unconditional love that He loved David with. You might think David was special to God because He was going to make Him King, and that’s why he favored him as a youth. If you think that, then I think your thinking is backwards. I think God made David King because he was a worshipper as a youth and that touched God’s heart. It’s possible that if David had been an ordinary Jewish teenager of his day and not given much thought to God, that he may have just lived an ordinary life and never been King. But remember what God said about David….
“After He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I HAVE FOUND DAVID the son of Jesse, A MAN AFTER MY HEART, who will do all My will.”
Acts 13:22
God didn’t anoint David because He created him to be King. God anointed him to be King because he touched His heart with his worship. Be this generation’s David! Learn what David learned from time spent with the Lord! Learn that you don’t need to fear anyone or anything when your God is on your side!
And that’s the way I see it!
Pastor Mike
