“I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.”
Psalm 27:14 (NIV)
David, the youngest of the eight sons of Jesse, was underestimated by his whole family. He was treated more like a servant than a son. His older brothers were proudly accomplished in military skills, viewing David as a mere musician/poet. David wrote his psalms, sang and played his harp, while doing his duty of tending the family sheep.
God sent the prophet Samuel to Bethlehem to the house of Jesse, to anoint one of his sons as king. The moment Samuel entered the city, the elders came trembling before him, inquiring whether he has come in peace. The authority of God rested upon the prophets in those days, so that whether they declared a blessing or a curse, it was received as a direct message from God.
Samuel arrived at the family home of Jesse, who brought out his seven sons, while deliberately excluding David from the group. Jesse might have thought Samuel was looking for heroic men of valiance, an image David didn’t fit, but the Spirit of God told Samuel that none of those brothers were chosen, so Samuel asked Jesse if he had any other sons. They finally sent for David and Samuel knew that he was “the one,” and anointed him as the next King of Israel.
Jesse didn’t see what God saw in his son, David. People often judge people by their esteem, worldly accomplishments or the most typically admired attributes, but God looks straight at the heart. David wasn’t even on the radar of his family’s thoughts that day, but he was on God’s.
Jesus told us that God exalts the humble, and humbles those who exalt themselves, which was a lesson that actually played out in the family of Jesse and his sons.
As exciting as that day was for David to be anointed by Samuel, and declared the next king, in front of his whole family, it still took him seven more years before he was crowned. Those seven years were waiting years, full of various tests and trials, but in God’s due time, the outcasted young poet finally was exalted and became king.
Along with humility, David had an inner confidence at a young age, as he learned through his own skills as a shepherd, that the Lord, who is the Chief Shepherd, was leading him in paths of goodness, and would do so all of his days. He was overlooked and under appreciated by those closest to him, but God saw David as someone after His own heart, with the potential to lead with faith, trust and courage.
Every believer’s life has its highs and lows, like David. We all have hope filled dreams and long periods of waiting and delays that challenge our faith and hope. We all wait, while going through many tests and trials, but we know that our due time will come. Confidence develops in knowing who we are in God’s eyes, not people’s. We bring our prayer requests to Jesus, in confidence, that our Chief Shepherd is leading us in good paths, and in due time will fulfill His promises.
Lord, give us the confidence of knowing you lead us only in paths that are for our ultimate good, as we keep our hope in you. We thank you that there is a due time for the fulfillment of our many prayer requests. Amen
