Cave Gathering - Pt 3

Even though God has a plan and purpose for David, it took a while to actually achieve that position God had for him. The thing is, David knew what that was and he knew the man holding his intended position was not in the will of God. This put David in difficult position and I often wonder how others would deal with this situation. You can compare it with someone having a job that you have been promised, but the person currently in the role not doing it very well. What do you do whilst you're waiting for the role to become yours? How many of us would try and speed the process along? How many of us would make the person look bad or incompetent, or rally the other staff members in our favour and try and turn them against the other person? David did none of these things and the very way he handled himself just proves even more how competent he is, and how much reverence he has for God.

David was a wise man. In 1 Sam 18 v 5 it says So David went out wherever Saul sent him, and he acted wisely and prospered; and Saul appointed him over the men of war. And it pleased all the people and also Saul’s servants.
This was just after the Goliath victory, David was still a young man - probably in his late teens, yet he was placed in charge of the army of the king, and there was no one who objected to it. No one said "Oh he's too young and inexperienced to do that job!" Because of the way he handled himself, because of the anointing of God on him and the wisdom he walked in, he was a successful and well liked man. He's still not in his rightful place - Saul's still king, but he did the job he was appointed, and he did it well.

If you're not familiar with the story, the king gets insanely jealous of David because the people rejoice over the victory, and are basically singing the praises of David for defeating Goliath;  Saul gets cross that they're praising David, not him and he tries to throw his spear at David twice but David evades it. Despite the fact that now the man who had his job was trying to kill him, David continued just doing what he was doing -v 14 David acted wisely and prospered in all his ways, and the Lord was with him. When Saul saw that he was prospering greatly, he was afraid of him. But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he publicly associated with them.
David was wise, he acted with integrity and what he was appointed to do, he did well; he also got to know the people. He was a people person, he was very likeable. He formed a close friendship with Saul's son Jonathan and they became best buddies with Jonathan looking out for David when his own father wanted him dead. The men that he commanded were faithful and loyal to him.

Saul's jealousy became so overwhelming that he sought to kill David, who ended up having to evade Saul by moving around and hiding out in caves. Many may have given up on David at this point, for who would want to hang around with a guy the king wanted to kill? And you may start to question whether this guy really was called to be the king. He's not had it easy so far, and things are getting worse for him now the king was seeking his life. What would you do? Furtively go on the run with him? Help him out? Hide in caves with him? Or give up on him?

I just want to show you what happens if you follow the man (or woman) of God. We're in ch 22 now, verse 1.   So David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam; and when his brothers and all his father’s house heard about it, they went down there to him. Everyone who was suffering hardship, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him; and he became captain over them. There were about four hundred men with him.
Let's just analyse this for a moment. Adullam means refuge or sealed off place. So David's hiding, he's on the run but somehow his place isn't very secret as lots of people from his hometown heard of it!
But look who was gathered to him -now remember, he's in a cave, on the run from an insane king with a vendetta - everyone who was suffering hardship, everyone who was in debt, everyone who was discontent. Look at that....those in distress, debt and discontent gathered to David, the man of God. Doesn't matter where  - a big fancy building or a cave -  if God's presence is there people will gather. People need God, people need a refuge or a safe place. And a lot of people are in distress, debt or discontent so they will be the ones that will run to a cave to get to the place God is.

Isn't that a beautiful picture right there of God's heart? People need relationships and as I said earlier, David was a people person. He built relationships because he has a heart for God, and God loves people! David truly was a man after God's own heart, and because of that, the people were drawn to him. 400 men in a cave, just to be with the man who exuded God's personality.

The lessons from David's life are beautiful. We should all have a person like David in our lives. Some of you might be that person, you might be the David that those in debt, distress and discontent are looking to for some refuge. If you have a person like this in your life - maybe it's your pastor or a church elder, you need to pray for them, you need to get around them and you need to listen and learn from them. If you are that David figure, then you need to make sure you are continuing to act in wisdom, gentleness, compassion and love. Don't be surprised if your churches draw those in debt, distress and discontent, you're in good company! Those people shouldn't be remaining in those states, of course, but if those are the people you are drawing, you're doing a David! Amen.

David - the Giant-Slayer (pt2)

In my last post I talked about how those called by God very often will not have worldly or visible qualifications or credentials. Year on year on a hillside, tending sheep, David was being prepared for a battle that no soldier or warrior would be bold enough or equipped enough to take on. A battle that freed his people from the oppression of the Philistines. David's life is an astonishing study, and I'm continuing with lessons from David's life.

Jumping straight in from his declaration to Saul that he could take on this "uncircumcised Philistine" David made sure that God got all the glory. In verse 37 David says "He will deliver me" (talking of the Lord). And this is key to our lives - will we trust in the Lord wholeheartedly to deliver us from whatever giants face us? And more importantly, will we give the glory to God, or take the credit ourselves when He does so? We come across example after example in David's life of Him glorifying God. He wrote a vast majority of the psalms, many in times of trouble, yet He never stops calling out to God, thanking God, worshipping God and seeking Him with his whole heart. David makes mistakes, but his early life especially, is a beautiful picture of not only a man after God's heart, but a great leader and a humble man best known for defeating Goliath, but that was just the first step into his destiny. While everyone else is concentrating on the great stature of this man, his physical appearance, David sees something different. He sees him as as uncircumcised Philistine. Now this isn't just a polite put down. In fact it's quite the opposite. Whatever your views on circumcision, we must remember that circumcision was a physical and outward sign and reminder of covenant. Covenants have lost their real meaning in this day and age, but back then, when you made covenant it was a bond, and it had huge significance. I won't go into the rituals and procedures here but if you research it, it is fascinating. Circumcision was more than just a sign of covenant, as it was covenant with God! So David is seeing something the others aren't - he's seeing that this man has no covenant with God! He sees beyond the physical appearance and strength of the opposition, he sees that the real weakness is that this man has no covenant with God. What a mindset David has! He's spiritually minded.

For reference, here are the verses to read from 1 Sam 17 as the story progresses

Then Saul dressed David in his garments and put a bronze helmet on his head, and put a coat of mail (armor) on him.  Then David fastened his sword over his armor and tried to walk, [but he could not,] because he was not used to them. And David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, because I am not used to them.” So David took them off.  Then he took his [shepherd’s] staff in his hand and chose for himself five smooth stones out of the stream bed, and put them in his shepherd’s bag which he had, that is, in his shepherd’s pouch. With his sling in his hand, he approached the Philistine.

David was prepared for this battle, but he didn't look prepared in the outward so Saul clothed David with his own armour, but David found it too cumbersome. It's a practical precaution for any soldier to wear their armour, and everyone saw this as a death sentence for David anyway. The whole army of Israel - burly, strong, trained men - were too afraid to go up against the Philistines. A young boy going alone was preposterous. Putting armour on is just good plain common sense, you'd think. David, however, found the armour so cumbersome and took it off. He's mad they must have thought. He's not even taking his sword or his shield! He's taking a Shepherd's staff and 5 stones. Now, most normal people skim over these details and carry on with the story. But I'm not exactly a normal person when it comes to God's Word. Every word in the Bible is God breathed, and every detail is significant. So first we'll look at why he took his staff because we see in the following verses that Goliath approached with sword, spear and javelin. In comparison, a shepherd's staff is not much use. The shepherd's staff had 3 uses :
1) It's used as a walking stick as hillsides are often rocky, uneven places so it keeps you steady
2) It keeps the sheep in line, and heading where you want them to go. The hooked shape at the end is used to gently steer wayward veering flock members. It's not used as a weapon against the flock - it's simply a steering tool to keep them on the right path
3) It can be used as an offensive weapon - to those that are a threat against the flock. But the staff was also a symbol of status and shows the responsibility of the shepherd to his flock. As we know, it's not an easy life as a shepherd. There's the elements to contend with, the flock to keep in line, the solitary, the long hours, and the predators to keep at bay. A staff is a symbol of the protector status, and many staffs will bear the scars to testify of this element of the job.
Just like our Great Shepherd - He keeps us steady on our feet, He gently corrects us and if we wander too far off, He will willingly come and find us, and He is our protector.

Now (assuming you know the story - David uses a stone in his sling shot and knocks out Goliath) one could assume he took 5 stones in case he misses. But why 5? Why not 10? Why not 7? Well, if you know your bible, you'll recall that Goliath has brothers (or certainly close relatives of similar physical stature, and David and his men later encountered them)! It seems that David was prepared for the whole entourage to appear! So secure in His God was David, that he may have thought the giant would call for back-up!!
We are not sure exactly how old David is, but when the Philistine sees him, he's just an adolescent, and he taunts David, trying to put fear in him. But the giant has met his match, because David remind us that it doesn't matter what weapons the giant is armed with, it doesn't matter how much he threatens, the power is in the Lord - v 45 “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted." 

From v 48-

When the Philistine rose and came forward to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. David put his hand into his bag and took out a stone and slung it, and it struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone penetrated his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground.

So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and he struck down the Philistine and killed him; but there was no sword in David’s hand.

There's a bold confidence in God here that we all need to learn from. This is not David's battle - it's the Lord's. When the moment came, and the talking was done, Goliath rose up and David wasn't fearful. In fact he confidently ran towards the giant.

Sometimes we have to run towards the giant in our lives, whatever that giant may be, in the boldness and surety of the Lord. We can do all the talking and confessing of scripture we like, but the giant doesn't fall until we run towards the battle line and use the skills God has given us. We can dilly dally about trying to arm ourselves with the world's protection or the world's common sense, but if we're not clothed in His armour, we're defenceless. The giants in our own lives will keep taunting us and mocking us until we rise up and look them straight in the face and declare that the battle is the Lord's.
If there's one thing I've noticed about the examples we have in the bible, it's that people who triumph don't hang around. They don't say they'll see how it goes, or pray about it for a few weeks. They go and do what God's called them to do.

David won renown among the people for his victory that day but in reality his journey is just beginning. His destiny wasn't actually giant-slayer, his destiny was king.

The forgotten son (pt 1)

We can look at people and come to all sorts of conclusions and assumptions because of their outward appearance, social standing, education, attitude or status. This is what Samuel did when he was sent to anoint a new king of Israel. He was sent to Jesse's house, and God had told him one of his sons would be anointed as king. Not just any king - as there was already a king, Saul. But this was God's choice of king.
So when Samuel got to Jesse's house and he met Jesse's eldest son, he was tall and held the most esteemed position as firstborn. His name, Eliab, even means God is Father! Could he be any more qualified? He fits the bill, but we encounter one of the most reassuring verses in the bible in 1 Sam 16 v 7:
Look not at his appearance or the height of his stature.....For the Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. 

Do you know Who said this? God! I'm really glad God looks not upon the things people look at, because I would be disqualified for pretty much everything if we were going by man's standard. So although it seems like Eliab has everything going on that would make him fit the bill perfectly, God sees something different. He sees the heart of man and this is going to end up being such a poignant verse because (spoiler alert!) we will find that the king God chooses, David, is described as having a heart for God.

I find the next few verses quite comical, as I see in my mind's eye the scene playing out as Samuel dismisses son after son of Jesse (who parades 7 of his lads before Samuel), and Jesse getting more confused and frustrated as we go down the family line. In my head, Jesse has a huge white beard and he's scratching his head and stroking his beard, getting more and more irate as the rejections from Samuel keep coming. I can imagine Samuel himself wondering if God's got this right - He'd told Samuel His king would be a son of Jesse, but here He was rejecting each one of them. But as the story gets to verse 11, the amusement turns a little to sadness for me. There's a son who is an afterthought, only considered when his father is pressed on the matter of whether he has more kids. He does - he's a young lad, out in the fields tending sheep alone. Forgotten and overlooked by his own, but not by God. David, unqualified, unheard of, not honoured to be called along with his brothers by his father - but divinely called to greatness. David, the Giant Slayer.

His years in obscurity weren't wasted however. This boy has a boldness of spirit, and a servant's heart. He has been faithfully looking after the flock in his care, and doing it with zeal. You see whilst his brothers were all training for battle, taking up positions of esteem and honour, he's unknowingly been preparing all those years in the field for his destiny. His seemingly lowly position of shepherd boy was actually a practising ground and preparation for his future, and the paths that God would lead him in. As a quick background, Samuel anointed David as king at the great parade of Jesse's kids scene, but the position of king was still Saul's for now. David was sent to Saul, became his armour-bearer and was favoured by the king. God's people had a bit of a problem with some their neighbours, called the Philistines who were opposed to Israel, and they had in their army a giant (not a tall man, we're not dealing with hyperbole here or some exaggerated folklore. We're talking 10ft deformed (in many cases), violent and not so nice beings, or nephilim, or giants. I'm not going into this matter here, but see Genesis 6 for the origins of these beings. The giant in the Philistine camp was 10ft tall). 

All of Israel were understandably terrified of this soldier - his armoured coat alone weighed 12 stone! Anyway, the giant, called Goliath, was taunting the Israelites and said they'd surrender and be their servants if anyone could take him on. David heard of this and wanted to take him on. So, King Saul challenged David on this ridiculous request of a young, untrained lad to take on a 10ft killing machine. Let's see what David says - 1 Sam 17 v 34-36

But David said to Saul, “Your servant was tending his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock,  I went out after it and attacked it and rescued the lamb from its mouth; and when it rose up against me, I seized it by its whiskers and struck and killed it.  Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted and defied the armies of the living God.”

Now that's fighting talk. But see how his seemingly lowly position on the hills has actually been his practise run for this very moment. The boy's been fighting bears and lions! He's a young kid, yet he's been fighting wild savage animals, and he's still around to tell the tale.
Not only that, he's been fighting them to protect a flock of sheep!! Not to save a person's life, but just for some daft sheep. If you're not seeing a parallel with Jesus, and His love for His sheep, take a moment and consider the picture here that God's painted for you. He's showing us His love for His sheep is worth seizing a lion or bear by its whiskers for. He'd go to any lengths to protect His beloved flock. For anyone who thinks the bible doesn't display God's love, I just want to encourage you that it does, and it's full of beautiful pictures of His love for us. He is the Great Shepherd Who leads His flock by the still and restful waters, protecting us with his rod and guiding us with His staff (Ps 23). 

The brothers of David were more qualified and equipped that him; they were soldiers, trained, prepared for battle, held the position of being further up the ranks in their career and family status but the world's ways can not prepare us for greatness the way that God does.

Maybe you're on your own 'hillside', doing your own seemingly lowly job, fighting all sorts of battles, getting no thanks or recognition and wondering what the heck life's all about. Maybe you see people every which way around you more qualified, better looking, taller, smarter, richer, more popular....

If we can learn one thing from David, it's to do what we're doing with all our heart as if we're doing it for the Lord. It's to act with integrity even if we feel overlooked and forgotten, as God may just be preparing us for greatness right where we are, doing the ordinary, the mundane, the jobs no one wants to do. But the lessons we learn on the hillside are the lessons that we'll use to step into God's plans for us.

A Trip Back in History?

Have you ever played the dinner party game? The one where you have to choose 3 people, alive or dead, whom you would love to have dinner with? This was on social media the other week. Many people choose a famous actor, or someone like Shakespeare or Einstein (I actually think he'd be a character and a very interesting dinner party guest). Sometimes people ask what period of time you would go back to if you could time travel. I'd want to go back to the day Jesus was baptised in the Jordan and then follow Him through His ministry. A bit pointless though really, as I wouldn't understand a word what with them all speaking another language!


But, language barrier aside, how many of us would long for a little trip back through history, to catch a glimpse of that era, meeting Jesus, seeing miracles, listening to Him teach, watching Him touch the outcast lepers, and heal the broken-hearted? How many would love to be high-fiving Him when He called the Pharisees a brood of vipers! It would have been a pretty amazing time. To be there for all those amazing miracles and wonders had to have been tremendous, but to actually sit and listen to Jesus teaching, I think that would have been the most phenomenal teaching I'd ever experience. Those few years when Jesus walked our planet must have been the earth's and mankind's most sacred and special point of history, surely? Don't we all want Jesus here on the earth? Yet He said it's better for us if He goes. Wait a minute....how could anything be better than Jesus being with us on the earth?


John 16 v 7 But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him (the Holy Spirit) to you [to be in close fellowship with you]



Jesus said that sending the Holy Spirit to us was better than Him being here with us. Now Jesus doesn't lie, and He doesn't exaggerate either. When Jesus was here on the earth, He was limited by the physical - His physical body, the laws of physics. Although He operated via the Holy Spirit, He still was only able to be in one place at a time. Just like when He was on His way to Jairus' daughter, but He was delayed by the woman with great faith with the issue of blood. He still healed, but He could physically only be in one place at a time. When He taught, He taught to many different types of people, and many didn't understand His teachings. Not even the disciples understood much of the time! He was able to further expound afterwards in His private time with them.

But the Holy Spirit is in every single believer. Everywhere. At the same time. All over the world. His role is to help us, to comfort us, advocate for us, intercede, strengthen us and teach us in all things (see John 14 v 26). He is there to help each one of us understand the scriptures where ever we are in our understanding and revelation, He will pitch it just right for us individually. He will encourage us daily, in every moment if we let Him. He is always with us, and doesn't need to leave us to help another as He's not bound by a physical body. He is our ever present help. Basically, He's the power that worked through Jesus and now He's not limited to just one Body (Jesus), but He's ALL OVER THE WORLD!

Really think about that for a moment. The same power that operated in Jesus when He walked the earth - healing, teaching, working miracles, displaying the love of God - is within you, me and all the rest of the Body of Christ all over the world. No wonder Jesus said it was better that the Holy Spirit come! Imagine 100,000 apostle Peters or Pauls all over the world. Imagine all those people in every country, in every city, in every town just loving people the way God loves, serving people the way Jesus served, ministering to people the way Jesus did - healing those who were sick, and telling broken people the good news that God loves them, and forgives them!!! Imagine how amazing that would be.

Well that's what supposed to be happening, right now, through every Christian who is filled with the Holy Spirit!! The prophets in the old testament would have revelled in what we have in Christ today! The power that has been bestowed upon the Church, and the very Spirit of God Himself dwelling in us - it's utterly phenomenal. They had the Holy Spirit come upon them - but He didn't dwell within them continually like He does the church. They would have loved to step in our shoes.

So how many Christians are there in the world? A quick google for an estimate says around 2.19billion. How many of those are filled with the Holy Spirit? I don't know. But even if it's only half, that's still over 1 billion people filled with the same power that Jesus was filled with. Yet how many of those 1 billion are walking their lives like Jesus? Or Peter or John or Paul? Jesus didn't send the Holy Spirit so we could leave Him dormant within us. He didn't send Him so we could occasionally pray in tongues once a week on a Sunday morning. Church, we are Jesus' body, here on earth, each one of us filled with His power. It's like Jesus walking about on the earth today still through us. That's the point. That's the vision. That's the purpose. Amen! We're here to display Jesus to the world - His love, compassion, power and glory. Not because we are special, but through the Power and grace He's bestowed upon us.

If every Christian was doing this, in every town, in every city, in every country all over the world, then the world would be transformed. People's lives would be transformed. We wouldn't long to go back to the days when Jesus walked the streets of Capernaum, we'd be living it right here and now. The Lord is calling His church to be His hands and His feet. He has chosen you to reach out and show HIS love and kindness to that person who needs it today. Amen.

We need to tap into the power within us. We need to walk in the vision and purposes that Jesus has for us. When He said it would be better for the Holy Spirit to come, He meant it because everyone who receives the Holy Spirit should be walking in the power and grace of that Spirit. That doesn't mean forcing things upon people, or being "bible bashers", it means being sensitive to the guiding of the Holy Spirit, listening to His counsel and following His lead. Jesus healed those who came to HIM. He never forced Himself upon people. The very reason people were drawn to Him was the love that He walked in. No one had heard anything like it before. But that wasn't supposed to end with Jesus, it is to continue through His church walking in the Holy Spirit.
Let's do it. 
AMEN!

AMEN!