1Samuel 16:14-23
The Path to Greatness
Introduction
Only the Lord knows the plans He has for each of us- and if we were to be honest about it, it disturbs us at times knowing that we can’t know just what those plans might be. There are those of you today those lives have taken recent turns that you did not foresee or plan and those turns have disrupted what little security and normality you had.
We have read from time to time those wonderful Bible passages that speak of our futures-God is working all things out for our good, and He knows the thoughts that He has for us, and so forth. These kinds of Scriptures are fine and well, but very often reading those verses don’t do much to relieve the tension, ease the headaches and stomacach, nor do they always reduce our worry and anxiety. We mistakenly think that these isolated verses of Scripture are like painkillers a nurse might inject into your IV, instantly giving you that flood of calm assurance you need.
There is more to it than that. When your life seems to be out of your control, or when God suddenly decides you’ve grown too comfortable, or perhaps when He thinks that you are ready for the next level in your Christian life, we must have faith in God and His eternal character. We must have confidence that He is in absolute control of our lives because He is sovereign. It is God’s desire to take you from Point A to Point B- moving you in a Christlike direction that you may not understand or agree with.
God’s purpose is to make something great out of you! It is up to you whether you will fall in line with His leadership or resist it. Many have gone before you and the Scriptures give us multiple examples of men and women from which we can learn. Cain taught us to resist- Able taught us to follow. Noah taught us to follow- the drowning multitudes teach us resistance. Moses and Pharaoh, Abraham and Lot, and now Saul and David are all examples of resistance and submission. All were men through whom God wanted to work, but not all were willing.
God had David on a path that would lead to greatness- but it wasn’t an overnight journey. Rather instead David would endure many years of difficulty and testing, and we find that it was not the end result of being a king that was so important as the journey that molded him along the way. You see, the key to David’s intimacy with God was not that he was a great man who accomplished great things, but rather that he served a great God who would teach him utter, daily dependence on Him for every need he had,whether they were emotional, physical or spiritual.
If you want intimacy with God it will cost you something. It may be years of obscurity and pain, trials and tests, joys and sorrows as God moves you from A to B and breaks and molds your life and character until it resembles that of His Son. God will certainly do His part and assuming that you are not going to resist God, what is your part? If you are going to be used by God, if you are going to travel the road to greatness and be all God would have you to be, then you must possess certain traits that we find present in David’s life.
Availability (14-16)
Remember who David was when God chose him to be the next king? He was the youngest of 8 sons, a shepherd boy who knew nothing about what it meant to be king. He had no educational ability, no preparation, and no experience. He had never been a king before, had never been around a king, had never grown up in the home of a king or even had any aspirations of becoming a king. He was a nobody! He was just out there tending his sheep just like Moses on the back side of the desert, just like James and John, two fishermen working their trade.
What was that trait that made David so appealing to the Lord? What was it that made him so easy to make and mold? It was his availability to God. God is not interested in your abilities, whether you are experienced or qualified- He can give you those things. As a matter of fact, very often the very things you think you have to offer God can get in the way of something He may be trying to do through you.
How did David become the able young king he would be? He made himself available to God’s leadership. Verse 16 tells us that God’s directing and spirits of Satan to come in and trouble him. Saul’s servants, looking for ways to settle his mind, suggested that he allow someone to come and play some soothing music to him. Of all the 2-4 million people in Saul’s kingdom who was chosen? None other that our shepherd boy.
Was this coincidence? Was it luck? Not at all! God was at work carrying out His will- working to qualify and prepare David to be king under the wings of the very one he would replace. David was not handed a roadmap that pointed him along the way: he simply made himself available to God as the opportunities arose and God began to mold this young man into the great man he would become. God does not need your ability- He wants your availability.
Commendability (17-18)
Saul liked the idea the servants offered and requested that someone be brought to him. It is unknown to us how this servant in Saul’s court knew about an obscure young man who lived several; miles away, but we do see this: he was highly recommended in the king’s court. Even as a teen, David’s reputation preceded him. He was known as a young man with commendable character and talent.
Now you and I both know that many today have reputations that precede them. People know them for miles around, but for all the wrong reasons. He’s a drunk or she’s an unfit mother. We are fooling ourselves by thinking that our character and the way we use our talents doesn’t matter. They do matter.
Some believers mistakenly think they can do anything they want and live any way they want and then they expect God to bless them and look for Him to do great things in their lives.
Six things were brought out about David, things that were true of him and should be true of you.
1. He was cunning in playing- he had a talent or an ability to play this instrument and he developed it. Develop your talents. Every one of you has been given certain talents and abilities that others don’t have. Develop those things and make them available for God’s use. Maybe it is woodworking or singing. Maybe it is writing or typing. Maybe it is painting or cleaning. Some of you are just oozing with talent- use it for the glory of God!
2. David was known as a mighty, valiant man. - He was courageous and brave. Don’t be scared to be available to God. Where is your faith? It is encouraging to see those of you who will do anything or try anything if you think it will help. God is looking for those who will be brave and courageous.
3. David was known as a man of war- we might say that David was patriotic and loyal. These things are good and right, things that are desperately lacking in my generation. We are a people today who are loyal to self first and then to God and country. Let’s put God and country first and then ourselves.
4. David was prudent in matters- He had good judgment and was ready to learn. There are some of you that God will never be able to use because you know too much. Know -it- alls are people who don’t listen- they just tell everyone what they think and believe. God can’t teach a know-it-all, and He can’t effectively use one either. Be ready to listen and learn and grow and if need be, change your mind.
5. He was a comely person- he was good looking and took pride in his appearance. Now everyone has not been blessed with good looks, but everyone can take pride in his or her appearance. You can do the best you can with what you’ve got. Don’t be a slob. Be clean and act like you care about the body you’ve been given. I’m talking about basic things- brush your teeth and hair, take a bath and use soap, keep your clothes nice and so forth. Remember this- you represent the Lord Jesus Christ with your appearance, so act like it.
6. The Lord was with David. How do you suppose these servants of Saul’s knew that God was with David? It is a question to ponder- and there may be many answers. I just have this question for you. Do the people of our community know that the Lord is with you? I’m not just talking about the people you’ve gone to church with or hung out with for years. I’m talking about the checker at Wal-Mart or the nurse at the doctor’s office; can they tell the Lord is with you?
David was a commendable young man- he gave the Lord something with which He could work. He took what he had, did the best he could with what he had, right where he was and he offered it to God and said, "I’m available God- use me."
Humility (19-23)
What do you suppose might have happened if the following took place? Saul summons David and David comes to stand before him. Saul says, "David, I want you to play for me." David looks at him and says, "Play for you" Who do you think I am? You’ve got to be kidding! I’m the new king- you should be
playing for me buddy!" Of course David didn’t do this.
Instead, he humbly accepted this place of service and was faithful to do it. He gave his best in this small place of service, knowing that he had been chosen to replace Saul, and patiently awaited God’s timing.
I want briefly to say just this: find your place of service- make yourself, your character and your talents, available to God and be humble enough to be used by Him in even the most insignificant ways, because if you will be faithful in the small things, then God can trust you with the bigger things. As an example, perhaps you have a strong desire to teach but you don’t know the Bible very well and you don’t have any experience. Be faithful to study and serve as a helper or sub for a while and wait.
Be faithful where you are today with whatever opportunity God gives you, whether in church or in your marriage or any other place for that matter, trust God and He will move you where you need to be tomorrow.
Humility- it takes a humble man or woman to get the work of God done so that God gets the glory. It takes a humble person to hang in there and wait on God, but if you want God’s blessing, if you want God’s approval, if you want intimacy with God and want to position yourself in such a way that God can do great things in your life, then it must begin with humility. What did James say? " God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble."
Conclusion
I don’t know what God is doing in your life today or what He has planned for your tomorrow. I wish I had those kinds of answers. People ask me all the time, " What is God doing in my life? What am I supposed to do?" I wish I had specific answers for those questions too, but I don’t.
I do know this though: God loves each of you and He wants a relationship with you. He is inviting you today to enter that relationship by accepting Christ as your Savior. I know this also- that God is doing something wonderful in your life. You may not see it, you may not feel it, and you may not even believe it. Have faith in God this morning, Don’t resist His leading, but respond today by making humbling yourself before God, surrender your life to Him by being available to Him today.
