Lessons from David: How to Be a Giant Killer (15 page)

I [Jesus] am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

John 14:6; brackets mine

Just Ask Uzzah

Most people do not let the Bible get in the way of what they believe. But if you’re going to really connect with the Lord, the Bible is the instruction manual. It is God telling you how to relate to Him, and you have to do it according to the pattern He gives. That’s really simple, but I guarantee you there are a lot of people today who have accepted the mindset that they can relate to God any way they want.

That’s what David started off thinking. He wanted to do something good but he thought that it didn’t really matter whether he followed the instructions of the Word of God. A cart can travel faster than a man. It was going to be a long trip, and it’d be much easier for the oxen to carry the Ark than for people to carry it. But quick and easy isn’t always the best way. The Bible prescribes the way to do things. Just ask Uzzah! You need to accept the Word of God and recognize that there’s a reason He gives the instructions He gives.

David finally saw that and transported the Ark the way God told him, so the Scripture goes on to say:

So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obededom into the city of David with gladness. And it was so, that when they that bare the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, he sacrificed oxen and fatlings. And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.

David went back to praising God! He didn’t stop worshiping because of this incident with Uzzah. Things just work out when you do it God’s way! This is a major lesson to learn from the life of David. Do it God’s way—the first time—and you’ll avoid unnecessary problems.

“Frankly, I Don’t Give a Rip!”

And as the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal Saul’s daughter looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart.

Michal was David’s wife. She had been given to him by Saul, the previous king who was her father. Saul had given Michal to David to be a snare to him (1 Samuel 18:21), implying that this woman probably had some really bad attitudes. Saul saw giving Michal to David as a punishment. But the Scripture says Michal loved David (1 Samuel 18:20), and she saved his life from her father (1 Samuel 19:11-18). Then Saul took her and gave her to be the wife of Phalti (1 Samuel 25:44). Women during those days were treated as property and had no choice in matters like this.

When David became king, probably thirteen or fourteen years later, he took Michal from her husband (2 Samuel 3:14-15). The Scriptures don’t give us all the details, but it’s obvious she was hurt by this. Here was a king’s daughter—a princess—who had been married to a man she loved and then ripped from him and given to another man. By the time David took her back, she had probably adjusted and even learned to love Phalti. In other words, she was over David. She probably thought to herself, “Why did you take me from my husband after it’s been so long? Where were you when I was given to Phalti? Where have you been?” She might have even been jealous that David had since married and she had to share him with his other wives. She was used to having a husband only to herself.

This instance in 2 Samuel 6 makes it obvious that Michal was bitter over the abuse that had happened in her life. When she saw David dancing and twirling around, she directed this bitterness at him. The Scripture says “she despised him in her heart.” She didn’t wait for David to come to her. She was hot. She went out to meet him and began criticizing him, saying,

How glorious was the king of Israel to day, who uncovered himself to day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself!

This was totally sarcastic of her. She thought David was ruining the kingship. Her father had certainly never acted like David was acting. But the truth is that Saul would never have danced before the Lord like this because he was a man pleaser, not a God pleaser. David was a completely different king than Saul was. What he was doing was for the Lord! But Michal didn’t recognize that.

When Michal said David shamelessly uncovered himself, she meant he uncovered himself in an improper way. It’s possible that he took off an outer garment but was totally clothed while he was dancing. In his exuberance, he might have exposed something he wasn’t supposed to reveal, but she was unjustly criticizing him. And here is his response:

It was before the LORD, which chose me before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel: therefore will I play before the LORD. And I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight: and of the maidservants which thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honour.

Regardless of the injustices done to her, Michal didn’t get a pass for criticizing David. He was the one who was worshiping God! She totally missed praising God and was blinded by her bitterness. This is one of the things that made David a man after God’s own heart: He loved God and wasn’t ashamed to show his commitment and affection to Him publicly. He basically said, “I was worshiping God, and frankly, I don’t give a rip what people think! I was doing this for the Lord, and I’ll become even more undignified than this!” Contrary to what Michal thought, he had learned to do things the prescribed way. He wasn’t going to stop worshiping God for anything! He referred to how God had blessed him, and he was not ashamed to show his love, his commitment, and his worship to God in front of people. This has direct implications to our lives also.

If you want to be a man or a woman after God’s own heart, you need to learn that your love and commitment to God ought to trump any other relationship. You shouldn’t be a man pleaser, no matter what. David was thankful that God had allowed him to take the Ark—literally, His presence—into Jerusalem. Everybody should have been shouting about this!

Stand Up for the Lord

In John 5:44, Jesus said,

How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?

People act like they have never read this. Most don’t realize that being a man pleaser stops them from believing God. They are intimidated by what other people think. They are afraid to stand up for what His Word says. And you know what? They are exactly opposite of how David was here. I’m not saying you should attack people who are ungodly. Of course you should love them, but you should not be ashamed to stand up for the Lord and His standards.

David didn’t care that he was thought of as a fool for showing that kind of affection and commitment to God. He turned the tables on this criticism. This is one of the lessons you can learn from David. You shouldn’t feel strange or intimidated by people who don’t love God, whose standards are totally wrong. They are the ones who ought to feel strange. You’re not the weird one—they are! You’re the one who loves God and believes that He’s alive and that miracles happen. That’s normal! You shouldn’t be the one who feels awkward and out of place.

Look at what happened to David and Michal after this:

Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death.

In other words, that was the end of her relationship with David. She let this bitterness ruin her relationship with the man after God’s own heart. She had some bad things happen to her, but she vented this bitterness and it cost her dearly for the rest of her life.

Here’s another lesson that you can learn from this situation. You may have had bad things happen to you, but you have a choice as to whether you’ll become bitter or better. If you allow this bitterness to fester, the Scripture says that a root of bitterness will spring up and defile the whole body and many people will be defiled because of it (Hebrews 12:15). You need to run to the Lord and let Him take care of any bitterness you might have. You don’t need to spew it out because it’ll keep you from being fruitful the rest of your life. There are a lot of things to learn here, but you don’t have to learn them from your own hard knocks. The Bible is full of examples like this one to show you how to do things and be who He’s called you to be.

Chapter 16
The Danger of Prosperity

Although David had many great and godly accomplishments, he also experienced a great downfall. The man after God’s own heart sinned and transgressed against the Lord.

The Bible is very candid, even when dealing with major characters like David. Instead of glossing over his failures, it’s very plain. The Lord’s purpose for this was to benefit you and me today. We can learn many lessons, even from the negative aspects of David’s life.

Have you ever been through a major moral failure? If so, there are some things in David’s life that can help you recover, especially when you see how God dealt with him and was able to continue using him. If not, then you can receive instruction through David’s life regarding how much his sin cost him and damaged those around him. It will definitely inspire you not to go that route. So whether you’ve been through a major moral failure in your life or not, there are lessons God wants you to learn from David.

When David sinned with Bathsheba, he didn’t just make a mistake. It wasn’t that he just momentarily gave in to his humanity and failed in one small area. David literally turned from God and went the other way. He rebelled. David didn’t have a major departure from God “accidentally.” There were reasons why this happened.

Sin Must Be Conceived

But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

James 1:14-15

Sin must be conceived, just a like a baby is conceived. A stork doesn’t bring a baby, and you can’t get pregnant by drinking “contaminated” water. Conception isn’t something you catch from the germs of another person, like a cold. You have to plant that seed.

David began with a pure heart, a heart after God himself. Despite all of the hardships and challenging circumstances, David had remained faithful. While being pursued by his father-in-law, King Saul, he refused to be influenced by the ungodly counsel around him and stayed sensitive to the Lord. Throughout all of the battles and overwhelming circumstances, David kept his faith steadfastly in God. However, this episode with Bathsheba was an anomaly; it ran totally contrary to how his heart was most of his life.

David Lost His Vision

And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem.

David was anointed by God to be king. Part of the king’s job was to serve as commander-in-chief and supreme general over all the troops. As king, David should have gone out there with his armies and led in the battles. However he delegated this role to Joab, his highest-ranking general, and chose to stay home instead.

This is our first clue as to why David had this major moral failure. He wasn’t doing what the Lord had called him to do. David had lost his vision. When you’re under pressure, a hunger is stirred up on the inside of you to work harder to achieve your goals. When what you’re pursuing seems almost out of reach, it keeps you intent and focused on the things of God. When you have a goal out in front of you, it keeps an energy and enthusiasm alive on the inside of you. But once you attain your goal, it is a dangerous time because you no longer have this purpose.

One of the things that made David such a great man was that he had a purpose that was bigger than himself. He served a higher purpose. He wasn’t in it for himself. David’s goal was to liberate God’s people and bring the nation of Israel to the place of prominence and power that the Lord intended. He occupied himself with this as long as he saw himself as God’s appointed minister and kept that goal out in front of him.

Bored

One of the best defenses against temptation is just being focused on what God has called you to do. Be occupied with your heavenly Father’s business. It’s very beneficial to have a purpose and a goal that consumes your time, energy, and attention. When you get bored, you open yourself up to many things from the devil.

As the popular saying goes,
Idleness is the devil’s workshop.
Although this phrase is not in the Bible, I believe it’s still a godly principle. You need to be doing something. You need to have a purpose, a goal and an aim for your life.

David had quit doing what God had called him to do. He had won many victories and the kingdom was now established. He had prospered and wanted to build God a temple, but the prophet had told him that one of his sons was going to do that. The Lord had given David tremendous prophecies concerning how his kingdom would endure, and that he would always have a son sitting on the throne. All of this brought David to an apex—he was at the top of his game. He had everything he wanted for the nation, for himself, and for his heirs. He had reached his goal and fulfilled what he set out to do.

He was so prosperous now that he could send his armies into battle without him at the helm. Besides, this was just a minor skirmish. It wasn’t a major battle. There really wasn’t any chance that Israel would lose this battle because they had superior power. Since victory was certain, David didn’t have to go. He didn’t have to do what God had told him to do.