July 2020

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First Reading = 1 Samuel 16:1-13

16The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” 2Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you, and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you.” 4Samuel did what the Lord commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, “Do you come peaceably?” 5He said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

6When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is now before the Lord.” 7But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 8Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 9Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 10Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.” 11Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.” 12He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; for this is the one.” 13Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah.

Introduction

We are continuing our series looking at the Gospel According to David. In this series we’re seeing how David demonstrates, receives, and desperately needs the grace of God – just like Jesus’ disciples. Last week we heard how David lived a life of guidance. He let God set the direction rather than asking God to help his own personal direction.

This week we are going to the most famous story of David – his battle with Goliath. But we’re not really going to talk about the battle, so here’s a spoiler alert: David wins! Instead, we’re going to focus on what David said and did leading up to the battle.

For a little context, Goliath was a giant champion of the enemy Philistine army. He challenged the Israelites to send their best warrior over to battle him in single combat. That single combat could be a proxy for whose deity was really stronger. But Goliath did not state it quite as nicely as that. He hurled insults at the Israelites and at God. But no one was confident enough to go toe-to-toe with Goliath. And it would have been toe-to-toe, because you can’t go eye-to-eye with a giant!

When David heard about this, he asked his brothers and other Israelites soldiers if anyone had the faith to battle this Philistine. His bravery and apparent faith in God’s presence got the attention of King Saul, and that’s where we pick up the story.

Main Reading = 1 Samuel 17:31-40

31When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul; and he sent for him. 32David said to Saul, “Let no one’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 33Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth.” 34But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father; and whenever a lion or a bear came, and took a lamb from the flock, 35I went after it and struck it down, rescuing the lamb from its mouth; and if it turned against me, I would catch it by the jaw, strike it down, and kill it. 36Your servant has killed both lions and bears; and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37David said, “The Lord, who saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine.” So Saul said to David, “Go, and may the Lord be with you!” 38Saul clothed David with his armor; he put a bronze helmet on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail. 39David strapped Saul’s sword over the armor, and he tried in vain to walk, for he was not used to them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these; for I am not used to them.” So David removed them.

40Then he took his staff in his hand, and chose five smooth stones from the wadi, and put them in his shepherd’s bag, in the pouch; his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine.

Confidence in Provision

As most of you know, our older son developed seizures when he was about two-and-a-half. We were living in Pennsylvania at the time, and I vividly remember one afternoon a little after we realized that he had seizures. He loved playgrounds – still does! And on this afternoon, he was crawling around like a spider-monkey on the playground, just like normal. And I was pretty close by. I was watching him very closely. But it wasn’t like I was standing in spotter position beneath him at all times.

All of a sudden I had the very intense conviction that he was about to have a seizure, and I needed to move to a specific spot. Not where he was at the moment, but a few feet over. I’ve learned to listen to those promptings, so I quickly stepped over to that spot and raised my arms. Just then, our son had a seizure, which made him stumble forward and fall off the pretty high playground equipment. Right into my outstretched arms. I’m not making this up!

What happened there? Well I see two possibilities. Option #1. Perhaps my brain’s subconscious pattern matching saw something in our son’s face or body position that tipped me off to a potential seizure. Perhaps my brain simulated possible outcomes and realized he would stumble forward instead of backward or to the left or to the right or just plop to the ground. If that’s the case, yay subconscious brain! But, frankly, I don’t have that much confidence in my subconscious pattern matching abilities.

Which brings us to Option #2. Perhaps the Holy Spirit gave me a heads up. Perhaps God gave me a warning and a very simple set of instructions: get to this spot quickly! I think that’s actually a better and more likely explanation for what happened. I strongly believe that was a powerful, timely example of God’s provision.

Have you ever experienced God’s provision? Maybe it was a word of warning. Maybe it was a simple set of inexplicable instructions. Maybe it was a vague feeling. Maybe it was much more tangible!

In our text today, we see the transforming power of God’s provision. David says he had battled lions and bears as a shepherd protecting his flock. Think about that for a moment. Because, maybe this disqualifies me from being a good shepherd, but if I were armed with a sling and one of my flock got carted off by a lion or bear, I would tip my cap to the carnivore and move along. But David went after the lion and bear. And he said he would catch them by the jaw when they tried to attack him, which I have to believe isn’t easy or normal, and then he would beat them then and there. So there’s that.

But interestingly, he doesn’t give himself credit for these amazing feats of strength and battle prowess. And he doesn’t say, “since I can kill a lion I can kill this Philistine.” No, he says, “The Lord, who saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine.” David had experienced God’s provision, God’s deliverance. And that experience of God’s provision gave him confidence that this was another of those God moments. Not every moment is a God moment when it comes to provision, but David was confident that this moment was definitely on God’s radar.

That’s the power of God’s provision! When you have experienced something that can only be explained by divine intervention, and when you learn to sense God’s presence, whole new possibilities are open to you. They aren’t open to you on your schedule. These possibilities are only available when God is ready to provide. If you miraculously survive jumping out of an airplane without a parachute, you should still pack a parachute next time! Or, you know, stop jumping out of airplanes. Either one. God doesn’t work on demand, made-to-order, and always the same! But there are times when you can sense God’s presence and provision.

Have you ever experienced God’s provision in some way? How did you recognize it? Do you have the ability to discern, to notice when God is very near and very ready to act through you? David had that sense.

Wearing the Wrong Suit

And he needed that sense. He needed that confidence. Because no one else believed in him, and no one else believed that God would work through him.

But, in all fairness, David had a couple of strikes against him. We know from other texts that David played the harp for Saul when he was troubled and upset. We don’t know for sure, but it looks like David was Saul’s therapeutic harpist before his battle with Goliath.

So let’s put this in modern terms. Imagine that the heavyweight boxing champion, Tyson Fury, challenged the world to come and fight his 273 pounds of muscle and lifelong training. And imagine the person who stepped forward to fight him was a bit scrawny and a bit young. And you ask this erstwhile fighter for his qualifications before stepping into the right against Tyson Fury. And he replies, “Well, I grew up on a farm. And in my spare time I also write soothing elevator music.” How would you bet on that fight? Tyson Fury, heavyweight champion, against the elevator music farmer boy. That was David!

So King Saul and David’s brothers and everyone else had legitimate reasons for doubting David’s ability. Nevertheless, Saul endorsed him for the battle after their little interview. Maybe Saul was desperate for someone – anyone – to fight Goliath so he wouldn’t have to. Maybe Saul sensed the presence of the Lord. We don’t know.

But we do know that Saul tried to get David to wear the king’s own armor. Was he trying to help David? What’s going on here?

I have a theory, but it’s only a theory. It’s worth what you paid for it! My theory is that Saul did, in fact, realize that God was going to work through David. God had worked through Saul several times in the past, and I think he saw the hand of the Lord upon David. But we know from other texts that Saul was very jealous, and very self-centered. He wanted the glory himself! Stay with me here! So my theory is that Saul sensed that David would somehow win this battle. And if he wore Saul’s very distinctive armor, the Philistines would think it was Saul who had killed their champion. They would be afraid of Saul! After all, who else would have worn the distinctive armor of the king?!?

Saul’s move here reminds me of Patroclus and Achilles from the Iliad. Achilles refuses to fight against the Trojans, but Patroclus puts on Achilles’ armor and leads the troops into battle. The troops believe they are being led by their legendary leader Achilles, until Patroclus dies at the hands of Hector and the ruse is revealed.

But David had the confidence to say to Saul, “This won’t work. This isn’t me. I’m not used to this. I have to do it my way, because that’s how God has delivered me in the past.”

He could not have won the battle if he were wearing the wrong suit. He could not have won the battle if he had tried to fit the expectations of the king. He could not have won the battle if he had tried to be someone other than himself.

Have you ever felt pressure to be someone else? Have you ever felt the pressure to conform to someone else’s expectations?

I have had the privilege of working with many leaders and interns over the years, and one of them was about to give their first large group talk. This person wasn’t confidence in their abilities yet. And they said, “But I can’t say it the way you would say it!” To which I replied, “That’s fabulous! Because you need to say it the way you would say it!”

I went on to explain that anyone else trying to be me would be a poor imitation. But if I tried to be someone else, I would also be a poor imitation. We are built by God in particular ways. Some are built to wear armor. Some are built to wear a tunic. Some are built to wield a sword. Some are built to use their sling. Some are built to speak fluently, others to write, others to simply act! Some are built to rush in first, others to contemplate and plan.

David had two big secrets to his success at this point in his life. #1 he had experienced God’s provision and knew how to sense God’s presence. #2 he knew who he was and how God had designed him and he leaned into that design instead of outside expectations.

Tools

So how can we gain some of that Godly perspective? How can we gain some of that sense of calling that David had in abundance?

If you aren’t sure where God has been present in your life, let me share one tool we used in the “My Gospel” class earlier this year. I encouraged people to break their life into sections and consider the presence of God. “When I was a child, where was God? What did I think then, and what do I see now?” “When I was in middle school and high school, where was God? What did I think then, and what do I see now?” “When I was a young adult, where was God?” You get the idea. Break your life into chronological chunks, and try to see where God was present and where God was providing for you in some way. That’s a way to heighten your awareness of God’s presence and provision.

Here’s another tool to heighten your awareness of God’s presence and provision. Get a piece of paper, and on one side write down ten high points from your life. On the other side write ten hard times from your life. Looking at those ten high points and ten hard times, where do you see the presence and provision of God? It’s often in the hard times where we notice God.

If you aren’t sure how God designed you, what kind of armor to wear, we have an online assessment for spiritual gifts on our website – fpcl.org/gifts. The basic idea is to consider how God has wired you to serve – that’s your spiritual DNA. Then add to your spiritual DNA the ways you have seen God show up in your life – those are your God moments. And then add in your personality and passions. Your particular, designed sweet spot from God is when you are serving in a way that brings you life instead of draining you, when you are placing yourself in a position for God to work in you and through you, when you are doing something you are deeply passionate about, and when you are doing it in a way that resonates with your personality rather than swimming upstream. The online assessment has some of that, and you can email me if you want the rest! The key is that you want to learn when to say yes, and more importantly when to say no! If you don’t know when to say “no,” you don’t know yourself well enough yet!

Summary

Sisters and brothers, David had experienced God’s provision and he knew how to sense God’s presence. That was one major part of his sense of calling and purpose in life. David also knew who he was and how God had designed him. That allowed him to say yes to fighting lions and bears and Goliaths, and say no to wearing the king’s ill-fitting armor. How can you use these tools to better sense the presence of God in your past and in your present? And how can you use these tools to better understand how God has designed you to say yes to some things and no to others? That would give you, like David, a much stronger sense of calling. Amen.

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First Reading = 2 Samuel 5:17-25

17When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, all the Philistines went up in search of David; but David heard about it and went down to the stronghold. 18Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the valley of Rephaim. 19David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you give them into my hand?” The Lord said to David, “Go up; for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand.” 20So David came to Baal-perazim, and David defeated them there. He said, “The Lord has burst forth against my enemies before me, like a bursting flood.” Therefore that place is called Baal-perazim. 21The Philistines abandoned their idols there, and David and his men carried them away. 22Once again the Philistines came up, and were spread out in the valley of Rephaim. 23When David inquired of the Lord, he said, “You shall not go up; go around to their rear, and come upon them opposite the balsam trees. 24When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then be on the alert; for then the Lord has gone out before you to strike down the army of the Philistines.” 25David did just as the Lord had commanded him; and he struck down the Philistines from Geba all the way to Gezer.

Introduction

We are continuing our series looking at the Gospel According to King David. In this series, we’re trying to see how the Old Testament King David demonstrates, receives, and desperately needs the grace of God – just like Jesus’ disciples. Last week we saw that David continually turned to God in prayer. He lived a life of prayer. We were encouraged to spend more time in conversation with Jesus this past week. Thank you to those who sent me your prayer triggers!

This week we are seeing how David prepared for his many battles. If you noticed, I’m bouncing around between 1 and 2 Samuel for our readings. David’s story can mostly be divided between 1 Samuel, where he is a boy and young adult while Saul is king, and then 2 Samuel is where David becomes king himself. Our first text was about a battle from his time as king, and our main text today is about a battle from his time as a young adult before he became king.

In fact, during this time, David was fleeing Saul, who was trying to kill him. David had a number of men who were loyal to him and followed him into his exile. And so we tune in to see how David behaves while he’s chased, harried, and threatened. That usually doesn’t bring out the best in people, but let’s see what David does.

Main Reading = 1 Samuel 23:1-14

23Now they told David, “The Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and are robbing the threshing floors.” 2David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” The Lord said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.” 3But David’s men said to him, “Look, we are afraid here in Judah; how much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?” 4Then David inquired of the Lord again. The Lord answered him, “Yes, go down to Keilah; for I will give the Philistines into your hand.” 5So David and his men went to Keilah, fought with the Philistines, brought away their livestock, and dealt them a heavy defeat. Thus David rescued the inhabitants of Keilah. 6When Abiathar son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, he came down with an ephod in his hand.

7Now it was told Saul that David had come to Keilah. And Saul said, “God has given him into my hand; for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars.” 8Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men. 9When David learned that Saul was plotting evil against him, he said to the priest Abiathar, “Bring the ephod here.” 10David said, “O Lord, the God of Israel, your servant has heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah, to destroy the city on my account. 11And now, will Saul come down as your servant has heard? O Lord, the God of Israel, I beseech you, tell your servant.” The Lord said, “He will come down.” 12Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?” The Lord said, “They will surrender you.” 13Then David and his men, who were about six hundred, set out and left Keilah; they wandered wherever they could go. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up the expedition.

14David remained in the strongholds in the wilderness, in the hill country of the Wilderness of Ziph. Saul sought him every day, but the Lord did not give him into his hand.

Going in the Right Direction

Thomas Huxley was in Dublin, Ireland, and he was running late. He had to get across town quickly or he would miss his train. So he flagged down a taxi and hopped in. He shouted to the driver, “Hurry, I’m almost late! Drive fast!” The driver nodded, and the taxi shot out like a cannonball. Relieved, Huxley closed his eyes and actually nodded off to sleep. When he awoke, he realized they were headed in the wrong direction. He cried out to the driver, “Don’t you know where you’re going?!?” “No, sir. You never told me where to go. But I am driving very fast just like you said!”

How fast are you moving right now? Some people I know are having to move even faster than ever during this time. Some people I know are grudgingly moving very slowly, unable to do their normal routine during this time. Some people I know are relishing the doldrums of inactivity! How fast are you moving right now?

And whether you are watching the snails pass you by or you are moving but you are stuck in a low gear or you are blazing faster than any space-bound rocket, do you know where you’re going? If we are ever to take two steps forward, even if it means taking one step back, we must first know which way is forward and which way is back. Do you know where you’re going?

David has a fascinating understanding of where he’s going. In our text today, his ragtag “army” of 600 men had just narrowly escaped Saul’s much larger force. And they knew that Saul meant business, because when Saul heard that some priests had given David some food he killed them and their families. The priest in our text, Abiathar, was one of the few survivors of that massacre, and now he was on the run with David.

So, let’s try to imagine this. If you were on the run, if you were in hiding, if you were, to quote the musical Hamilton, “outgunned, out-manned, outnumbered, out-planned,” would you go pick a new fight with a new enemy? That is not a wise strategy! It seems like a dangerous distraction from their top objective: survive long enough to make David king over Israel.

But when David heard that that age-old enemy, the Philistines, were once again raiding a city of Israel, our text says, he “inquired of the Lord.” I don’t think that translation carries quite the right tone. It really implies he begged God for guidance. He didn’t ask politely for a few hot tips and maybe some stock picks, he begged God for guidance. And he did that, he begged God for guidance, because David knew where he was going. His destination wasn’t just the kingship of Israel. David’s true destination was wherever God was leading. David’s goal didn’t define his direction. God defined David’s direction.

And so he begged God for guidance. “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” Listen to the specificity of those words. “Shall I…?” Not, “Help me attack these Philistines.” “Shall I…?” Interesting and very specific choice of words.

Then he asks, “shall I go and attack…?” You see, Keilah was a walled city. He could have gone and defended. But instead he asked if he should go and attack. Interesting and very specific choice of words.

Then he asks, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” Not “all the Philistines.” Not “some Philistines.” “These Philistines.” Interesting and very specific choice of words.

And God responds to those interesting and very specific words with an affirmative reply. But David’s men don’t like it one bit. They are incredulous! “We are already afraid and on the run! Why should we take on the Philistines, too?!?” So David begs God for guidance again.

Getting It Wrong

Let’s stop there for a second. David is willing to listen to his men. David is willing to entertain the thought that he might have heard God incorrectly. He might have misinterpreted the signs. Have you ever done that? Have you ever gone in the wrong direction?

I heard an interview recently with Payal Kadakia, the co-founder of ClassPass which just reached a billion dollar valuation earlier this year. Basically they provide access to classes at boutique fitness studios around the country all in one place. And Payal told the early journey of what eventually became ClassPass. She told her boss that she was quitting to start this new company. And her boss loved the idea and gave her a $10,000 check to help her start it – while she was quitting his company! When she told her idea to her long-time friend, he asked if he could quit his job and help her launch it. They were connected with a tech startup incubator in New York City, and they emerged from that experience with a finished product and a half million dollars of funding. They were getting rave reviews from all over the tech world.

And then they finally launched the site! And as you might suspect from such a sure-fire, can’t-miss, well-funded startup…they had literally zero sales. They even tried giving fitness classes away, and no one took them up on the offer. They had clearly built a product that people in technology loved, but people who actually wanted to take fitness classes hated. They had totally missed their market despite all the good vibes! After six or seven total re-imaginings of their company, they finally found the right combo. But it took Payal admitting that several years’ worth of work and a half million dollars had been wasted heading in the wrong direction.

How do you know when you’re headed in the wrong direction? How do you know when you’ve sought God’s guidance, you thought you received that guidance, and yet you somehow heard incorrectly? David is aware that it’s possible that he got this one wrong. So he begs God for guidance again. And God confirms his earlier guidance.

This should be a great encouragement to all of us. God is generally fine if we ask him, “Are you sure, God?” I’ve taken it a step further a few times in my life. When I’m pretty sure I’m going where God is leading but it seems crazy, I actually pray, “God derail this if I’ve got it wrong!” And sometimes he has done exactly that. Other times I heard correctly even though it seemed crazy. If you’re in doubt, feel free to copy David and ask God, “Are you sure, God?”

David’s willingness to consider he was wrong actually saved his life here, too. Surely the residents of Keilah would appreciate being saved, right? Surely they would be loyal to David, their deliverer, right? Wrong! David thought to ask God if they would turn him over to Saul, and God warned him to leave. How do you check with God to see if you’ve gotten something wrong?

Getting Into Alignment

So to recap, David continually sought God’s guidance – in fact, he begged for God’s guidance. He lived a life of seeking God’s guidance. He didn’t assume he was on the right track. He checked in with God continually to see if he was on God’s right track. David was willing to double-check that he was right. David was willing to change course when God said he was wrong. David was willing to attack when God said attack, and run away when God said run away, and be sneaky when God said to be sneaky. David tried to stay in alignment with God. That didn’t keep him in alignment with God at all times. He messed up – big time. But even then he radically changed his direction when he was confronted with how out of alignment he was with God.

Being out of alignment with God is like the tires on your car being a little out of alignment. We have a Chevy Volt, and it is what I could call mostly electric. It has a gas motor as a supplement, but usually you drive it on battery power. And electric cars – even mostly electric cars – need much less mechanical maintenance. I can go a long time between visits to the mechanic for maintenance.

But that also means that my tires don’t get rotated like I do during an oil change. We have totally wrecked the tires on the Volt just by having them be slightly out of alignment and never rotating them. The car still goes where you want it to go. But it’s chewing the tires away.

When we’re out of alignment with God, we might still go where we want to go. But we’re chewing up our soul along the way. When we’re out of alignment with God, we’re burning the rubber of our souls.

So how do we get back into alignment? Well, how do you make sure a picture or mirror is hanging straight on your wall? You might eyeball it by stepping back a few steps to look. You might get a level to check it more precisely. And if it’s off, what do you do? You adjust it!

Aligning our souls with God is a process of checking and adjustment. Am I thinking more or less like Jesus over the last week? Am I feeling Godly emotions or human emotions over the last week? Is my internal monologue more or less like Jesus over the last week? Are my spoken words more or less like Jesus over the last week? Are my temptations subsiding or growing over the last week? Are my actions more or less like Jesus over the last week? Those are the check-ins. Questions like those are how you level your soul.

And then the scary questions: God, what do you want me to do about it? God, how do you need to adjust my thoughts, my emotions, my words, my temptations, my actions?

I encourage you to try to adjust your Godly alignment this week. Check in with God to see if you are trending more or less like Jesus on the inside and outside. And ask God to help you make the adjustments you need to get back into closer alignment.

Summary

Sisters and brothers, David continually checked his soul’s alignment with God. He double-checked to ensure he had heard God correctly. He double-checked to ask God where he was going in the wrong direction. He shifted his behavior when he needed an adjustment. Will you do the hard work of checking and adjusting your Godly alignment? Or are you content to just let your picture be crooked in God’s house? Amen.

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First Reading = 2 Samuel 1:17-27

17David intoned this lamentation over Saul and his son Jonathan. 18(He ordered that The Song of the Bow be taught to the people of Judah; it is written in the Book of Jashar.) He said: 19Your glory, O Israel, lies slain upon your high places! How the mighty have fallen! 20Tell it not in Gath, proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon; or the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice, the daughters of the uncircumcised will exult. 21You mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew or rain upon you, nor bounteous fields! For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, the shield of Saul, anointed with oil no more. 22From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan did not turn back, nor the sword of Saul return empty. 23Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely! In life and in death they were not divided; they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions. 24O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you with crimson, in luxury, who put ornaments of gold on your apparel. 25How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle! Jonathan lies slain upon your high places. 26I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; greatly beloved were you to me; your love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women. 27How the mighty have fallen, and the weapons of war perished!

Introduction

We are starting a new series looking at the life of King David in the Old Testament. For a quick refresher in case your Old Testament knowledge has been collecting dust, David lived during a transition time for Israel. After they arrived in the Promised Land, they relied on God to raise up leaders whenever they were threatened. But the people wanted a king just like the other nations, so God granted their wish after some severe warnings.

The first king was the tallest, handsomest man they could find. Saul. God was with him for a while, but then Saul forgot that he was supposed to lead on God’s behalf instead of for his own gain, and God stopped helping Saul.

Instead, God picked his own future king – a shepherd boy named David. Saul and David had a very…fraught relationship. It started off well – David killed Goliath, married Saul’s daughter, played music for Saul whenever he was upset. But as Saul perceived the threat to his own rule and that of his son Jonathan, he became violent toward David. David had to run away into hiding to avoid death at Saul’s hands. But eventually Saul was killed, and David was able to gain the throne as the true king of Israel.

David wasn’t just another king. He wasn’t some anonymous leader in Israel’s history. He wasn’t like…I don’t know…the 22^nd president of the United States. He was more like George Washington – the measuring stick of all future leaders. Side note – the 22^nd president was Grover Cleveland. I had to look it up.

And many of the prophecies about the Messiah likened that future king to King David. The Messiah was supposed to be a King David 2.0 – the upgraded and perfected version! So David was a big deal. And he was a kind of precursor to Jesus so many years later.

But – and this is a significant but – but David was far, far, far from perfect! Rather than thinking of him as a precursor to Jesus, I find it easier to think of him more like one of Jesus’ disciples. They did some amazing things. They did some stupid things. They were better than many of their peers. They were far from being like Jesus. So for this series, we’re going to look at David’s life and imagine what his Gospel would have been like. If he were making an account of the grace of God as he had experienced it, demonstrated it, and desperately needed it, what would be the highlights of that account? That’s the Gospel According to David.

In our main text today, we see David’s response to a doubly surprising message from God. David received a surprising “No!” from God when he decided to build a Temple instead of the tent that had been housing the Ark of the Covenant for so long. But he also got a surprising “Yes!” from God. God promised to build David’s house and to make his legacy last forever. David was blown away by this promise, and listen to his response to this surprising “No!” and surprising “Yes!” from God.

Main Reading = 2 Samuel 7:18-29

18Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? 19And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord God; you have spoken also of your servant’s house for a great while to come. May this be instruction for the people, O Lord God! 20And what more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Lord God! 21Because of your promise, and according to your own heart, you have wrought all this greatness, so that your servant may know it. 22Therefore you are great, O Lord God; for there is no one like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 23Who is like your people, like Israel? Is there another nation on earth whose God went to redeem it as a people, and to make a name for himself, doing great and awesome things for them, by driving out before his people nations and their gods? 24And you established your people Israel for yourself to be your people forever; and you, O Lord, became their God. 25And now, O Lord God, as for the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, confirm it forever; do as you have promised. 26Thus your name will be magnified forever in the saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is God over Israel’; and the house of your servant David will be established before you. 27For you, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house’; therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. 28And now, O Lord God, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant; 29now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you; for you, O Lord God, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever.”

Triggers for Prayer

As I have shared before, prayer is one of my lowest spiritual gifts. That doesn’t mean I don’t pray. That just means I have to work at it. Prayer is a discipline, not a gift, for me. As a discipline, I have attempted many different approaches to praying habitually. For a while, I used bedtime as a trigger for praying. When my head hit the pillow, I would pray. Easy to remember that trigger, even for me. And I certainly remembered to pray. It worked great. With one…teeny, tiny exception. I fell asleep rather than praying. Whoops. Scratch bedtime off the list.

Then I tried waking up as a trigger for prayer. If I could remember to pray when my head hit the pillow, I could remember to pray when my head left the pillow in the morning. And that also worked pretty well. I could remember that trigger. Pray before breakfast. Easy. Nothing to it. With one…teeny, tiny exception. We had children! Mornings haven’t offered me the chance at prayer ever since. I tried getting up before them, but then they just got up earlier. No dice! Scratch waking off the list.

I have a different approach at the moment. I try to regularly check in with my spirit to see if I am “in tune” with the Holy Spirit or not. Have you ever heard a piano that has a few notes out of tune? Or even more screechingly noticeable, have you ever heard an out of tune violin? Yikes! That dissonance between what should be and what is, that’s being out of tune. Usually I can just check in and notice whether I am near or far from the Holy Spirit at the moment. But I also use the Fruit of the Spirit as a checklist if I need to think more deeply. Am I being loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, gentle, generous, controlled, good? I’ll be honest, the COVID life has not afforded me a lot of opportunities to invest in how “in tune” I am with the Holy Spirit. I bet many of you can relate. But when I’m out of tune, everything is off.

So those are some of my triggers for prayer. Some worked. Some didn’t. Some worked for a while, and then stopped. What are your triggers for prayer? When do you pray? How often? What times of day? What events trigger you? Are you reminded to pray when things go well? When things go poorly?

David’s Life of Prayer

Some of our people with a high spiritual gift for prayer are wondering why someone would need to remind themselves to pray! And David was kind of like that. He turned to prayer all the time. He lived in prayer. That did not make him holy all the time. But it kept returning him to God no matter the circumstances.

In our first text today, David received news that Saul and his son Jonathan had died. This marked the transition between Saul’s reign as king and David’s attempt to gain the throne. The messenger who brought this information was elated! He thought David would be pleased to know that Saul, the man who tried to kill him, was dead. David was not pleased. The text says he “intoned this lamentation over Saul and his son Jonathan.” For good measure, David then killed the messenger. Not figuratively. Literally. Remember, I said David was not perfect. Very complicated. Mercurial. Sinful. Still… he’s worth getting to know.

But what an interesting response to his sadness! Jonathan, Saul’s son, was his best friend. It’s very understandable for him to be sad about Jonathan. But he is also sad that Saul is dead, because he was the anointed leader of God’s people. David was sad personally because of his friend Jonathan. David was sad for his nation that it had been defeated and its leader killed. And in response to those two sadnesses, David prayed. He wept as he prayed. He poured out his sadness to God in word and song.

He didn’t say, “Oh, God, it’s kinda sad that Saul and Jonathan died, but you know what you’re doing so I won’t be sad.” No, he lamented! He wept! But he did it in conversation with God. Do you converse with God when you are deeply sad? If not, take a page from David’s playbook and give it a try. Shout at God! Shake your fist at God! Ask God why? He can take it.

I already gave you the backstory on our main text today. Well into his reign as king, David wanted to build God a Temple in Jerusalem. But God surprised David and the prophet Nathan by saying, “No! Your son will build it instead.” David was deeply disappointed. But then God gave him some good news as well, and David was overwhelmed with joy!

In his deep disappointment, David prayed! In his overwhelming joy, David prayed! Are you picking up on the theme yet?

No matter the situation, David continually turned to God in prayer. David checked battle plans with God. David repented when he sinned, and he sinned deeply in his life. David prayed his anger. David prayed his sadness. David prayed his thanksgiving. David prayed his hopes. David lived a life of prayer.

Simone Weil was raised in a secular, agnostic home in France. She was a teacher, a philosopher, an intellectual. But in her late twenties, something happened. Here’s what she said: “In 1938…I was suffering from splitting  headaches; each sound hurt me like a blow…. I discovered the  poem…called “Love” [by George Herbert] which I learnt by heart. Often,  at the culminating point of a violent headache, I made myself say it  over, concentrating all my attention upon it and clinging with all my  soul to the tenderness it enshrines. I used to think I was merely  reciting it as a beautiful poem, but without my knowing it the  recitation had the virtue of a prayer. It was during one of these  recitations that Christ himself came down and took possession of me.”

An agnostic intellectual came to know Jesus by accidentally praying during her migraines. When you talk with Jesus, stuff happens! Not always what you want to happen, but stuff happens when you talk with Jesus. Even accidentally! Even in pain! Even stuck at home! Even when you’re confused or angry or joyful or thankful!

Challenge

So here’s a challenge for you. Pick a prayer trigger this week. Pick some situation, or some time, or some feeling, or some one that will remind you to converse with Jesus in prayer. Pick a prayer trigger.

Maybe that’s a place where you feel out of tune with the Holy Spirit. Maybe that’s a time when you feel absolutely in tune with the Holy Spirit. Pick a prayer trigger.

Converse with Jesus in prayer this week – more than usual. Give it a try. See if it helps. Remember, Jesus won’t always do what you want him to do. But he usually does something. Sometimes he changes your situation. Sometimes he changes your heart or how you’re thinking. Sometimes he brings the right person at the right time. You never know what will happen, but stuff happens when you talk with Jesus in prayer. And I bet you won’t regret whatever does happen.

So pick a prayer trigger this week. Converse with Jesus in prayer – more than usual. It might help if you tell someone else what your trigger is. When you speak it or write it, your brain tends to remember it more. If you can’t think of anyone more meaningful to tell about your prayer trigger, feel free to email me. Maybe my prayer trigger this week will be whenever someone tells me their prayer trigger! Give me a reason to pray this week!

Summary

Sisters and brothers, David turned to God in prayer every step of the way. In his victories. In his defeats. In his spiritual connection. In his spiritual distance. In his moral triumph. In his moral failure. In his sadness. In his pain. In his joy and thankfulness. Stuff happens when you talk with Jesus in prayer. How will you pray – more than normal – this week? Amen.