Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed [David] in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.
Samuel 16:13, ESV
Chapter 4: David’s Approvedness–Chosen, Anointed, Trained, and Tested
This chapter shows us that for David (who, we should remember, was already a man after God’s heart) to come into his eventual pace, it took a long process. David was not simply anointed, then *boom* he was gained for God Himself. David’s process involved five steps:
- Chosen (all Christians are chosen)
- Anointed (we should seek such a filling by the Spirit)
- Trained (beginning with his shepherding of a small flock. We too should be faithful to small things in our hands)
- Tested (his purity and view. If he only wanted power or authority, he could have acted other ways. Yet he honored Saul. We too must learn to honor our leaders and the places in which the Lord puts us)
- Approved (especially when David realized he was on the battle lines for a purpose, and slew Goliath. We should also recognize these moments and stand for God without any self preservation.)
His approvedness initiated David into a life under persecution.
Chapter 5: Learning to Trust Only God
In this chapter, Titus paints the picture of David after he begins to be manifested. The victory and praise David received led him into experiences by which the Lord stripped everything away from him. David couldn’t rely on Samuel, Jonathan, or even the priests. He eventually found himself in a cave, surrounded by unimpressive men. Yet he had learned the lesson–in Psalm 34, he wrote that his boast was only in the Lord. We cannot have the depths of this experience, however, until we can actually boast in ourselves.
David’s life as a man after God’s heart was not just filled with good days and victories. We should not look for such days but should be willing to pass through whatever the Lord would bring us through to gain us and our full trust.
Chapter 6: Forming the Nucleus of His Kingdom–His Fighters
This chapter focuses on how David was able to raise up the discontented people about him. First, we should be encouraged that Christ is able to raise us up, even though we don’t have much. Second, we can take David as a pattern for how to raise others up:
- David did not gauge his success by victories but by whether he had the Lord’s presence. This was his greatest desire.
- David not only cared for those the Lord sent him, but invested himself into them.
- David was a pattern for those he was caring for, especially in experiencing the Lord and trusting in Him.
- David provided fields where all his army’s training could be tested and proved. Such fields make all our learning practical and tap into greater potential.
Chapter 7: Overcoming to Bring in the Kingdom
This chapter focuses on David’s moving around in response to Saul’s persecution, especially after the cave of Adullam. In short, this period was full of ups and downs, an indication of our own Christian experiences. However, these experiences tested and manifested in David a strong respect for God’s anointed and caused him to know and trust the Lord even more fully. When he returned to Gath for the second time, he was no longer the same as before. He reigned as a king with a fighting force, not needing to pretend to be someone else. His romantic journey had changed him.
