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David Part 3 - The Problem with Success - 1 Samuel Chapter 18 to 1 Samuel Chapter 24


David was chosen by God as the next king of Israel.  He had been anointed by Samuel.  He had just saved the Hebrew people from the Philistines by killing Goliath. (After that victory, I’m sure he would have been going to Disney World if it had been around back then).  It was pretty safe to say that David was on the fast track to success.  However, like so many people, David was about to experience one of the major problems with early success.....Jealousy from people around him.  The major problem in David’s case, is that the sitting king of Israel, Saul, was the person who was after him.  From the time that David killed Goliath until the death of Saul, David would learn how to be a leader through the school of hard knocks.

Lessons learned:

1. Don’t assume that everyone goes about things the same way you do.  David was a hard worker who was doing his best to follow the will of God.  Unfortunately he was working for a jealous, insecure, King, who was constantly trying to have him killed.

Saul made David the commander of a large number of men, not because he valued him, but because he wanted him to get killed in battle

Saul challenged David to bring him the foreskins (yikes) of 100 Philistines in order to win the right to marry the king’s daughter, Mikal.  Not because he loved his daughter, but because he thought that David would get killed while trying. (By the way, David brought twice as many than he was asked for)
 
The only reason that Saul was willing to give his daughter to David in the first place was because he hoped that she would distract his attention and it would be easier for him to get killed in battle.

However, with all of these cards stacked against him, David continued to work hard and accomplish his goals, the right way.  In the process, David learned how to command large numbers of men, and become an effective leader.  The people saw him as a hero and he became very popular. This all made Saul even more insane with jealousy and rage.

2. Build close friendships with people you can trust.  There were two relationships that David would truly have been lost without.  Jonathan and Mikal....The interesting thing is that both of them were the children of Saul.

Jonathan was instrumental in helping David understand what Saul was about to do.  He advocated for David as long as he could with his father, and then when the time came, and David had to leave, Jonathan kept him informed of what was going on.

Mikal was Saul’s daughter..She warned David when Saul had plans of sneaking into his house and having David killed.  This allowed David to escape into exile, until the time was right.
David was forced to leave Jerusalem, but if it wasn’t for his two trusted friends, he would have been killed before he ever became king.  During his time of exile David continued to learn lessons that would serve him later.

3. Don’t let your current situation dictate who you are.  David was on a roller coaster ride through this part of his life...He had been a quite shepherd, musician to a king, Savior of the Hebrew people, Mighty warrior for the king’s army....and then....lonely exile who was trying to survive while being hunted by a mad man.  Through all of this, David kept his wits and did not let this shake his faith or his confidence.  In fact, as people learned where David was hiding, they came to him and joined in his cause...

4. Take responsibility for your actions, even if no harm was intended.  David had stopped in Nob shortly after fleeing Jerusalem.  Ahimelek, the priest gave David and his men consecrated bread to eat, and the sword of Goliath as a weapon.  One of Saul’s servants witnessed this event, and David knew this.  When the servant told Saul about the priest, Saul went to Nob, a city of priests, and had everyone killed, including women and children...One man escaped, Abiathar, and found David.  When David heard the news, he took full responsibility for the deaths of the people, and took Abiathar into his group.  When David stopped in Nob, he had not wanted to bring trouble to the place, he even told the priest that he was on a secret mission for the king, but when bad things came of it, he was the one who took the blame.

5. Understand that God has a plan, and DON’T RUSH HIS PLAN.  The last point today revolves around one of the main differences between David and Saul, and why God chose the one he did.  The reason that Saul had lost God’s favor, was that he didn’t follow the plan, in fact, he disobeyed a direct order.  By taking things in his own hands, Saul lost everything.  David also had an opportunity to take matters into his own hands....Saul had been tormenting and harassing David all across the countryside.  One day, Saul went into a cave, to relieve himself.  David and his men were hidden in the same cave in the back....It would have been very easy for David to have killed Saul, right there.  In fact, he was able to sneak up and cut a piece of Saul’s robe off.  Even though David knew he was destined to be king, he was not going to take the life of the current king to get there.  He was willing to let God decide when the time was right, and for that, he would later be rewarded.

While there are some events that I think I will still cover in David’s journey to be king, I think that is enough for now.  The big take-away that I have through this part of David’s story is the amazing confidence that David had in the Lord’s promises.  Think about it.  How easy would it be to think that the Lord had forgotten him, or had changed his mind.  From hero of Jerusalem, to public enemy #1 of the king....Yet through the entire process, David continued to do things the way he thought was right, He created close relationships with people and trusted them to help, He didn’t let his current situation dictate how he felt about himself or his ability, he took responsibility for his actions, and he was willing to follow God’s plan on God’s time.  I am amazed at David’s ability to stay the course and continue on the right path....I know at times, that doubt about my own ability and future creep up on me when even the slightest things go wrong.  I pray that when I begin to feel that way next time, I will remember this part of David’s story draw strength from his experience.