Lessons from the Life and Reign of David

BQ No.0016 - WHAT MORAL LESSONS CAN WE LEARN FROM THE LIFE AND REIGN OF KING DAVID?

By Ezekiel Kimosop

The life and reign of David as the second king of Israel was both dramatic and captivating in equal measure. Here are some of the moral lessons that we can draw from the life and reign of this man of God.

1) THE FAVOR AND ELECTION OF GOD

David became a replacement king after Saul, a Benjamite, lost favor with God through his persistent acts of disobedience. There was however nothing special about the seven sons of Jesse family that could catch God's eye.

Prophet Samuel had hoped that God would settle for Eliab, Jesse's eldest son. He forgot to ask Jesse to assemble all the sons before God.  Jesse had perhaps thought the same way and that day sent David to tend the sheep even as his brothers queued for the coveted prize (1Samuel 16:1-13).

This story teaches us about the wonders of God's grace by which the least deserving are most rewarded. 

Is it any wonder that Jesus taught that the first shall be last and the last first?

2) THE IMMEASURABLE GRACE OF GOD

David's great grandmother Ruth, a Moabites, opened the paradox when she was graciously allowed by God to be crafted into Hebrew heritage, yet she belonged to one of the most despised Canaanite communities. The Moabites had been been excluded from the assembly of God's people under a divine decree.

This reminds us that we too who have been adopted into God's household were once enemies of God and were not part of the Abrahamic covenant. 

Ephesians 2:12 [NIV] says of us Gentiles, "remember that at that time [before Christ was revealed to us] you were separated from Christ,  excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world." 

Ephesians 2:13-22 goes on to illustrate the powerful change that Christ brought by uniting Gentiles and Jews through his atoning works of the cross.

3 THE MYSTERY OF GOD'S WAYS

Moving forward in the story of David, we learn that the little shepherd boy, was finally anointed king. This must have come as a great shock to the family but then God reminds us in Isaiah 55:8 that "your thoughts are not my thoughts, neither are your ways my ways..."

God's wisdom is pure and sharper than ours and this is the reason why we should not lean on our understanding but wholly submit to God's direction and leading. 

God knows the beginning from the end because He lives outside time (Rev.1:8).

4) THE POWER OF TRUE REPENTANCE AND BROKENNESS

David was no perfect man but he had a consuming love for God. He learnt to worship God in truth and to earnestly fear him and this touched the heart of God. When he fell in sin with Bathsheba and killed her husband, God judged him for his sin.

Unlike Saul who was stiffnecked,  David had a broken heart for his sinfulness. This is revealed in Psalm 51:3-4 where he confesses, "For I know my transgressions and my sin is always before me. Against you,  you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight."  

God is primarily the object of offense even though where we trespass against others.  

David's brokenness is further captured in Psalm 51:7-11 where he sought cleansing and forgiveness from God.

David's story here reminds us of our sinfulness and disobedience; that only the blood of Christ can cleanse and the fact that we can never please God in our sinful nature. 

Only his grace justifies us by the blood of Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9).

5) THE LOVING KINDNESS OF GOD

Notice that God overlooked David's sinfulness and failings and proclaimed him as "a man after my own heart..." (Acts 13:22). 

This further reminds us that God does not repay us as our sins deserve.  He is compassionate and gracious to us, seeing the righteousness of Christ in us without which we have no legal standing in His holy presence.

Think about the fact that we did nothing to earn God's favor and that there is nothing intrinsic or innate in us that could have attracted God to us. 

Our salvation is purely by God's grace. This is the loving kindness of God.

Through David's lineage, God chose that the Messiah would come so that his kingdom attains perpetuity through Christ.

This was a great honor to a man who never deserved it. God did not change His divine plans just because David fell. He forgave him and still used him! 

Just think about how often we fail God by our disobedience yet God does not sever his relationship with us. He uses us as we are; deficient,  weak,  fallen and sinful and makes us agents of His divine grace.

Psalm 103:8-10 says, "the LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love....he does not treat us our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. "

6) SACRIFICE AND COVENANT LIVING

One other thing that strikes me about David is his value for personal sacrifice and covenant faithtulness.

When he sought an altar to offer a burnt sacrifice to God as the plague devoured Israel,  he refused to take the land for free.

He said to Araunah in 1Chronicles 21:24 "...I will not take for the LORD what is yours or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing".

At one time David dared his soldiers to fetch water behind enemy lines during the conquest of the Jebusites who occupied Jerusalem. His brave soldiers risked their lives by breaking into the enemy lines to fetch the water for their master. David never drunk the water but instead poured out the water before God. 

He acknowledged God's mercy in sparing the lives of these brave men.

David was a covenant man. He honored his vow with Jonathan after his death recorded in 1 Samuel 31 and showed kindness to his sons despite Saul's evil against him.

This reminds us that we need to sacrificially serve God by investing our time and resources in God's kingdom. Nothing we do in Christ is in vain.  God will always reward our faithfulness (Hebrews 6:10-12)

7) COURAGE AND FAITH IN GOD

David was a man of exceptional faith. He risked his life to  protect his father's sheep against bears. Later he singlehandedly  faced Goliath, the giant Philistine warrior who had defied and mocked Israel.

God honored his courageous act. God is looking for men and women with a warrior spirit. This is the same spirit that was evident in Caleb and Joshua.

8) DAVID'S FAILURES AND RETRIBUTION OF WICKED MEN 

David had glaring weaknesses too. He failed to manage his large family well. 

He also failed to handle his royal succession well in advance, leading to power struggles in his palace so that Absalom [one of his ambitious sons] overthrew him under a short palace coup but died as he fled from David.

David also failed to control the excesses of some of his senior officers. 

Joab his military commander took the innocent life of Abner, Saul's commander who defected to David's camp after Saul's death  (2 Samuel 3:22-39).

David delegated the responsibility for punishing Joab and other evil men in his administration to Solomon (1Kings 2:1-12).

David passed the buck to avoid exercising royal authority vested in him.

Many of us avoid decisive action where God expects us to do so because of fear of offending others. God will hold us to account for our failed stewardship.

Remember that we are stewards of God's grace (1Cor. 4:1).

Are you a ministry leader? Pray for the wisdom to act judiciously and do not pass the buck to others. 

We must "bite the bullet" instead and make our stewardship count.

Ministry leadership may not always make us popular but if we do the right thing, we have nothing to fear before God.

9) THE PERIL OF POLYGAMY

David loved and married many women and this was partly contributed to his family problems. He married two widows, Bathsheba and Abigail the wife of Nabal and had several other women and concubines. 

The love of many women is biblically projected as perilous. Samson fell to a wicked woman. 

Jacob's family went into turmoil because of polygamy and so did Abraham's.

The culture of many wives was identified with the patriarchs but this was certainly not God's idea nor was it divinely approveď.

God created one wife for Adam and approved the chasing away of Hagar, the "strange woman" so that Isaac, Abraham's son born of promise to Sarah could could be heir to Abraham's heritage.

Solomon took the polygamous practice of his father to absurdity by marrying hundreds of women. This too caused his spiritual and royal downfall.

God designed one woman for one man as his perfect model for us (Genesis 2:24-26). Polygamy or polyandry [woman having more than one husband] violates God's divine order.

There are endless lessons from the life of David and we cannot exhaust them here but one more lesson is so compelling that I should place it in the closing remarks.

10) DAVID THE PASSIONATE WORSHIPPER

David worshipped God intensely and loved to devote his heart to seek God's face. Nothing perhaps illustrates this truth more than his statements in Psalm103 and 104, among many other psalms that he wrote.

David loved the LORD from a sincere heart and "stole" God's heart. 

Notice that on one occasion, David danced before God till his clothes fell off and Michal, one of his wives who watched him from a window as he danced and leaped before God, despised him in her heart. 

She was struck with barrenness (2Sam 6). Never despise those who worship God! 

This teaches us that God desires the deepest yearnings of our hearts to be directed to him. 

Is your heart anchored in Christ? 

Do you worship God in truth?

© Ezekiel Kimosop Teaching Series 2015

For more articles by this author, visit www.ezekielkimosop.blogspot.com