KASUMIGAOKA
2017/06/04
SERMON: “David Equipped by the Spirit” 「御霊によって整えられたダビデ」
TEXT: I Sam. 16: 14-23
I. INTRODUCTION イントロダクション
It is an interesting and surprising fact that the name of the most important character in 1 Samuel does not even appear until halfway through the book! Even in the account we looked at last week—the choosing and anointing of David to be Israel’s next king–David’s name is not revealed until the very end of the story, in 16:13. Notice how David’s name is first mentioned (1 Samuel 16:12b-13): “And the Lord said, ‘Arise, anoint him; for this is he.’ Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward.” David’s name is first mentioned at the moment that he is anointed and empowered by God’s Holy Spirit. It is actually the Holy Spirit who makes David’s name so significant in history. I think that is why David’s name is first revealed in connection with the work of God’s Spirit. “The Spirit of the Lord” enables David to fulfill his calling. That is why we know David’s name today.
After 16:13 David’s name occurs another 291 times in the rest of 1 Samuel. Whenever we see David’s name, we should remember that his greatness depends upon the mighty work of God’s Spirit. The Spirit of the Lord gives David boldness to carry out God’s plan, just as the outpouring of God’s Spirit in the New Testament gave courage to Christ’s apostles for their work. The story of David is the record of how God’s Spirit equipped this young shepherd from Bethlehem to rule a nation. How did He do it? How did the Spirit of the Lord lead young David from the sheepfold of Jesse to the throne of Israel? There were many steps in David’s preparation, and today we will consider just the first step.
II. INTRODUCTION OF DAVID TO THE ROYAL COURT
Our Scripture passage this morning explains the marvelous manner in which young David was first introduced to the royal court of King Saul. Ordinarily, of course, no ordinary citizen of Israel would ever have the opportunity to enter into the presence of the king, just as none of us can expect to be invited to tea by the Emperor of Japan or the Queen of England! But the preparation of David to be king was guided by the Holy Spirit from the beginning. That preparation includes his introduction to the court of King Saul. There are three things we should notice about the work of God’s Spirit in this first stage of David’s preparation.
A. First, notice that, just as the Spirit of the Lord begins to equip David for the office of king, the Spirit simultaneously removes the spiritual help that had enabled Saul to lead the nation. It is the Holy Spirit’s presence in David’s life that equips him to be king. And conversely, when we look at the life of King Saul, it is the withdrawal of the Holy Spirit that guarantees his defeat. From the moment of David’s anointing by Samuel, “the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward,” but the next verse tells us, “Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul.” Without the spiritual encouragement of God’s Spirit, Saul sank into doubt and depression. The burdens of responsibility were too much for Saul to bear without God’s spiritual help.
Not only did God remove His support from Saul, but He also sent an “evil spirit” to torment him. God raises up one man, and tears down another, according to His own holy will. In Isaiah 45:5-7, the Lord says concerning Cyrus, the future great king of Persia, “I am the Lord and there is no other; apart from Me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged Me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting people may know there is none besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other. I form the light and create darkness; I bring prosperity and create disaster. I, the Lord, do all these things.”
In our day, Saul’s condition might be described as depression or “mental illness.” But Saul’s servants recognized the true spiritual cause of the king’s mental suffering. “Behold now, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you,” they said (vv. 15-16). All leaders should recognize that their success depends on God’s spiritual help and blessing, and not only on their physical efforts or intellectual ability.
B. The second thing we should observe about David’s preparation is that God weaves together many different events and human plans in order to accomplish His purpose for David. This is sometimes called the doctrine of God’s providence. As the apostle Paul would write 1000 years later in his letter to the Roman Christians, “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28). Consider these three elements of God’s providence: First, no one outside of David’s immediate family knows that Samuel has anointed David to be the next king. In v. 13, it says that Samuel “anointed him in the midst of his brothers.” Not even the elders of Bethlehem were present at David’s anointing. And David’s brothers were not likely to tell anyone that Samuel had chosen “little David” rather than one of them. At this early stage in David’s preparation, it is vital that his anointing by Samuel not be known by King Saul.
Second, David had been endowed with various “gifts” or abilities, and he had developed many different skills as he grew up. Among these skills was his ability as a musician. He had become “a skillful player on the harp.” Soon this skill would serve a very important purpose. Also, even though David was quite young, he had already shown his skill and strength in warfare. In v. 18, he is described as “a brave man and a warrior.” In addition, David was known as a man who “speaks well” (v. 18). In other words, David spoke with wisdom and grace, just as the apostle instructs us in Colossians 4:6: “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” In God’s providence, each of these abilities would eventually be needed for David to carry out his office as king. The third element of God’s providence shown in today’s text is the fact that God brought together the people and the circumstances that allowed the name of an obscure shepherd from Bethlehem to be mentioned in the king’s presence. Saul’s mental suffering caused his servants to suggest “calming music” as a remedy. So, the king called for a suitable musician to be brought to him. David was not the only musician in Israel, but among Saul’s servants God had placed a young man who knew David and who recommended him, both for his musical ability and for his other attributes. That was not a lucky accident! God’s Spirit had brought together all of the pieces of His complex plan. Finally, God moved the heart of King Saul himself, so that when David came and stood before the king, “Saul loved him greatly” (v. 21). David’s introduction to the royal court was evidence of the truth taught in Proverbs 21:1. “The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes.” In God’s providence, David was brought to King Saul and was immediately hired as the royal musician. Verse 21 also says that King Saul made David his armor bearer, but that only happened later. For now, David served Saul in his royal house, but did not follow the king to war.
C. There is one more thing we should notice about the way the Spirit of the Lord equipped David to be king. This third matter is very important. It is that God’s Spirit upheld David’s moral character, so that he was not ruined by the temptations of pride or greed or ambition. History and literature show us many examples of people whose characters are destroyed by such flaws. William Shakespeare wrote a famous tragedy (play) about a man named “Macbeth,” who was told in a strange “prophecy” that he would become the next king in Scotland. Macbeth had been a faithful servant of King Duncan, but he and his wife were filled with evil ambition after hearing the prophecy. Together they murdered the king, and Macbeth did—very briefly—become king. But he was ultimately destroyed by the sin that devoured his soul. The Bible also contains a story of prophecy and temptation that leads a formerly faithful man to commit murder. Please look for a moment at 2 Kings 8:13-15. In this story the prophet Elisha is sent by God to Damascus, the capital city of Syria. Syria was an enemy of Israel, but Elisha brings a message to Hazael, a royal official in the court of Syria’s king. Elisha told Hazael that he would do terrible things to the people of Israel. “Then Hazael said, ‘But what is your servant, who is but a dog, that he should do this great thing?‘ And Elisha answered, ‘The Lord has shown me that you will be king over Syria.’ So he departed from Elisha and returned to his master, who said to him, ‘What did Elisha say to you?’ And he answered, ‘He told me that you would surely recover.’ And it came about on the morrow, that he took the cover and dipped it in water and spread it on his face, so that he died. And Hazael became king in his place.” Hazael decided to fulfill Elisha’s prophecy by treachery, so he assassinated the king who trusted him.
Many people who seem to have a good and faithful character have been destroyed by uncontrolled ambition. But David was not. The Spirit of the Lord gave him the moral strength to resist that temptation. Even after he was anointed to be the next king, David continued to use his gifts and abilities to serve others faithfully. He continued to serve his father by working in the pasture, shepherding Jesse’s sheep. And after he was hired to serve in the king’s house, David never turned against Saul. Even when King Saul was weakest, being “tormented by an evil spirit,” David continued to serve his king. At those times, “David would take his harp and play it with his hand; and Saul would be refreshed and be well, and the evil spirit would depart from him” (v. 23). David’s soul was strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit, so he was not “eaten up” with ambition. David served King Saul faithfully, as a humble and loyal servant, as long as Saul lived. David trusted God and lived by God’s moral law. He patiently waited for God to fulfill His promise in His own way and time. As long as David’s heart was turned to God, he was protected from evil temptations.
The story of David’s journey from shepherding sheep to leading a nation is a fascinating story, full of surprises. Maybe the biggest surprise of all is that David himself is not corrupted by the temptations of power, wealth, prestige, and personal comforts. According to His sovereign will and purpose God selected David, “a man after His own heart” (13:14), to become king of Israel. By God’s choice and anointing, David became a kind of “model” (or “type”) for a much greater Anointed King who would come to redeem and rule God’s people a thousand years later. David’s life is an amazing–and true—story; but it would not have happened without the work of God’s Spirit who equipped David to fulfill the role of king at the proper time.
III. CONCLUSION
What are the lessons that the Lord is teaching us through the Scripture passage we looked at today? First, and most obviously, God is teaching us that we can always depend on Him to keep His word. God’s word is truth. David trusted God and did not turn away from the path of righteousness. He did not follow the motto “Carpe diem!” That is, he did not seize the opportunity to make himself king by his own strength. He did not seek his own glory or worldly advancement by sinful methods. David simply believed God’s word and continued to live by God’s moral standard. And God blessed him, and kept His promise. We must trust God to keep His word, and be patient.
Second, God is teaching us that we need the help of the Holy Spirit in everything that we attempt to do in life. Jesus taught His disciples, “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15: 5). At the end of John 15, Jesus promised to send His Spirit, whom He calls “the Helper” (John 15:26). David needed the help of the Lord’s Spirit to equip him for his “calling,” and we need the same “Helper” (the Holy Spirit) to equip, to strengthen, and to encourage us to fulfill our daily responsibilities. Without the Lord’s Spirit in our lives, we can do nothing of lasting value. If you want your life to bear fruit that will remain after you are gone—as David’s did—you must walk by the Spirit, and seek the fruit of the Spirit in your life: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23).
Finally, I think the Lord is also teaching us how we should respond to “opportunity.” I am quite sure that none of us will ever have an opportunity to become king! (I could be wrong!) But I am sure that each of us will have an opportunity each day to serve others. If we are equipped by the Holy Spirit, we will be ready to serve capably and gladly, using the gifts and the talents that God has supplied to each one of us. We have been called by the Lord Jesus Christ to serve others in His name. Remember Jesus—an obscure young man who was anointed to become King of kings and Lord of lords! Yet Jesus Christ did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many (Mk. 10:45). This is the attitude we see in David’s life. We see it perfected in Jesus Christ. And we should have this attitude in ourselves, as well.