The last thing anyone would ever want to hear; is that the LORD regretted using you. This is what the LORD said of Saul:
1 Samuel 15:35 ESV And Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the LORD regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.
The LORD’s love and mercy are so great that they are beyond our comprehension. Psalm 103 begins to describe the benefits of the LORD.
Psalms 103:11 ESV For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
The key is that we must fear the LORD, not by being afraid, but fear as in reverence, love and respect. That means to believe the LORD and to follow the LORD. We must trust the LORD and lean upon HIM; making HIM our first response and not our last resort. Magnify Him in our lives; make ourselves small, for so we are. We are called to be children of God; to look up to Him in reliance; sharing our thoughts and communicating with Him; through prayer and reading the WORD; meditating upon the things of God and putting the WORD in our hearts.
Saul fell from grace because he magnified himself and diminished the LORD! Samuel’s last words to Saul were that his kingdom was doomed. His sons would not sit on the throne of Israel; although the LORD didn’t immediately remove Saul, He sent Samuel on a mission to anoint the next king of Israel. Samuel had been lamenting Saul and the LORD said to Samuel, “Stop grieving over Saul;” and He sent him to the house of Jesse to anoint a new king.
1 Samuel 16:1 ESV The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons."
The LORD sent Samuel to the house of Jesse to anoint one of his sons as the next king of Israel. Samuel feared that Saul would kill him if he found out, but the LORD told him to take a heifer and go make a sacrifice and invite Jesse to the sacrifice. Then the LORD would show him which son to anoint as a king.
Jesse presented all seven of his sons to Samuel, but the LORD said that it was none of them. Then Samuel asked, “Are these all of your sons?” Jesses replied, “There is still the boy who is out in the fields tending to the sheep.” So David was brought in from the field. He was healthy with the life of youth; beautiful bright eyes and very handsome. The LORD told Samuel that he was the one saying, “Arise and anoint him.”
1 Samuel 16:11-12 ESV Then Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your sons here?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here." (12) And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the LORD said, "Arise, anoint him, for this is he."
Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed David in the presence of his brothers and the Spirit of the LORD fell upon him powerfully.
1 Samuel 16:13 KJV Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.
Meanwhile, Saul was still being troubled by an evil spirit. The Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul and he was most miserable. Saul’s servants thought that if they brought a skilled musician to play peaceful music on the harp, that the nerves of the king might be soothed and that the evil spirit may depart. Saul agreed and asked for his servants to find a musician. One of his servants knew of David, the son of Jesse who was very skilled on the harp, a poet who also wrote his own songs; furthermore, he was a brave warrior and man of war; one who exercised good judgment and he was a fine-looking young man.
David was brought before King Saul. Whenever the evil spirit was upon Saul, David would play the harp and soothe Saul’s soul and the evil would depart and he would be comforted. So David began to serve in the king’s court and he stayed close to Saul serving as both his armor-bearer and musician, and Saul loved David.
1 Samuel 16:21-23 ESV And David came to Saul and entered his service. And Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor-bearer. (22) And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, "Let David remain in my service, for he has found favor in my sight." (23) And whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him.
We seldom ever know or see how the LORD works behind the scenes of our lives; placing people and circumstances just right for blessings to come into our lives in mysterious and marvelous ways. Those who walk with the LORD are always in awe of the LORD’s hand in their life. Usually it is never the way we could have predicted and if we try, in advance to figure out how the LORD is going to rescue us or add a blessing; it is assuredly not going to be that way. The courage that the youth, David, developed while facing lions and wolves as he tended the sheep in the field along with the gift of music, meditation, prayer and poetry that filled his days and nights in the field had all prepared him years in advance to be the one chosen to sooth the king’s spirit. The LORD’s preparation placed David in a position of prominence. It also put him at the right hand of an evil king to see the law of cause and effect first hand. It was advanced training in how to be a righteousness king by learning what not to do. His loyalty to Saul was preparing him to be one that could be trusted as a king. The LORD had placed people and circumstances just right for David to prepare for his life’s calling.
Romans 11:33 KJV O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
Prayer: Heavenly Father, Almighty God, my LORD, thank you for showing me your truth through your WORD, thank you for speaking to me and for moving my heart and soul. Fill me with your Holy Ghost and lead me to what you are blessing, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment