{"id":4015,"date":"2025-06-13T21:20:40","date_gmt":"2025-06-13T21:20:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/allthecounselofgod.com\/?p=4015"},"modified":"2025-06-13T21:20:45","modified_gmt":"2025-06-13T21:20:45","slug":"lessons-from-bible-lives-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/allthecounselofgod.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/13\/lessons-from-bible-lives-4\/","title":{"rendered":"LESSONS FROM BIBLE LIVES"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

DAVID \u2013 THE MAN AFTER GOD\u2019S OWN HEART<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

SCRIPTURE: I Sam 16-11 Sam 24<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

INTRODUCTION: <\/strong>David means \u201cbeloved.\u201d He was the youngest of the eight sons of Jesse, and the second and greatest of Israel\u2019s kings. He was an eloquent poet and one of the greatest figures in the history of the world. He was also used by the Holy Spirit to pen a number of the Psalms. Volumes have been written about this mountain peak among Bible characters. David\u2019s father was a simple man who lived in the obscure little town of Bethlehem and trained young David to tend his sheep. (The statement in I Sam 17:12 \u201d \u2026 and the man [Jesse] went among men for an old man in the days of Saul.\u201d is quite significant. It is indicative both of his prowess and his character\u2013he was respected and even admired by other men\u2013and gives us a hint as to the source of some of David\u2019s character development.) It pleased God to take David from such humble beginnings and set him upon the throne of Israel. There are so many aspects of David\u2019s life that merit careful study; but due to limited time, our major focus will be on the things he learned which prepared him for stellar success as Israel\u2019s king! The key Principle of Leadership in David\u2019s life is LEARNING TO RULE. He learned in<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stage ONE \u2013 as a Son how to<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. get along with difficult people (his brothers)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. endure criticism (from the family)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. respond to authority (he was obedient, dependable)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stage TWO \u2013 as a Shepherd (while still a son) to<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. spend time alone wisely (honing his skills with the harp and with the sling)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. walk with God (he meditated on God\u2019s Word and wrote some of the Psalms at this time)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. be faithful to duty (fought off a lion, fought off a bear protecting the sheep)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. perform humble tasks<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stage THREE \u2013 as a Servant (while still a shepherd) to<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. look after the needs of others (he ministered to Saul while still handling responsibilities at home)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. handle several responsibilities simultaneously<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. delegate authority \u2013 17:20<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. not neglect his responsibilities \u2013 17:22<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stage FOUR \u2013 as a Soldier (while still a servant) to<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. fight God\u2019s enemies, not God\u2019s people! (David refused to fight Saul.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. trust God\u2019s power and not his own strength and ability \u2013 17:37, 45-47<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. give God the glory!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. to obey orders and carry out his duties in a wise manner \u2013 18:5, 14<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We may also view David from some other perspectives. Here are some brief thoughts on David\u2019s life as<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. A WARRIOR- <\/strong>1 Sam 17:40; II Sam 5:7 David was courageous as a young champion<\/p>\n\n\n\n

and a great soldier. His fight with Goliath is unsurpassed in the annals of history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. A MUSICIAN <\/strong>\u2013 Because he was a skillful player on the harp, David was called to play<\/p>\n\n\n\n

in the presence of wretched King Saul. Only David\u2019s music could soothe the king, from whom the Spirit of God had departed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. A SINNER <\/strong>\u2013 David\u2019s yielding to gross sin in a period of ease (II Sam 11) should give ample warning to every Christian that the flesh can never be trusted, no matter how spiritual one is or how high he rises!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. A SAINT<\/strong> \u2013 In spite of David\u2019s brief fling with sin, he was nevertheless a child of God, and the trend of his life was spiritual (I Sam 13:14; I Kings 15:5!) The Bible stresses the fact that David followed hard after God, and his Psalms are living proof of the God-ward bent of his life. [In fact, as you study Israel\u2019s subsequent history, you will find that David\u2019s life was the standard by which the later kings were judged.] However, I believe the chief reason he was called the man after GOD\u2019s own heart is found in his response to King Saul\u2019s hatred. After all Saul did to him, not a court in the land would have condemned him for killing Saul\u2013it would have been a matter of self defense. But David forgave and would not take revenge in his own hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. A PROPHET <\/strong>\u2013 David was one of those \u201choly men of old\u201d moved by the Holy Spirit to set forth many glorious details about the coming, the suffering, and the coming again as King of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior and the Messiah!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LESSONS From David\u2019s Life:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. The key to advancement (promotion to greater responsibilities) is the faithful performance of the task(s) at hand, no matter how menial or insignificant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. The enemy is \u201cout there.\u201d How it behooves God\u2019s people today to learn the lesson of David\u2019s response to Saul\u2019s persecution!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. It only takes one \u201cboo-boo\u201d to mess up a great record and get a blotch on one\u2019s name. It is also significant that such an incident always brings reproach against God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. When the \u201claws of the harvest\u201d kick in, there is a heavy price tag on sin!<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"