1Sa 18:5-12 (5)And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely: and Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Sauls servants. (6) And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick. (7) And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands. (8) And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, they have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom? (9) And Saul eyed David from that day and forward. (10) And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in Sauls hand. (11) And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall with it. And David avoided out of his presence twice. (12) And Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, and was departed from Saul. The Bible teaches us that David was a man after God’s own heart. He was submissive to the king who the Lord had anointed to rule over Israel. He was courageous, and fearless, because he was a man of faith. David had developed a great relationship with the Lord as a young man while caring for his father’s sheep. The various trials and dangers David experienced while tending to the sheep, was the fundamental steps in the building of his faith. But the main focus of David’s life was that he was a team player. To David, recognition for achievements was not as important as giving the Lord the glory and praise for what was accomplished. Saul, on the other hand, who had been selected by God to be the first king over Israel, did not have the same mindset as David. There are three things that stand out in these verses that lead to the dysfunction of Saul’s leadership ministry, and ultimately to losing the throne to David. Where the Bible tells us in Acts 2:44 and Acts 4:32 that all believers had all things in common, we are to work together under the authority of God’s Word to bring Him honor and glory as Ambassador’s for Christ. Saul did not have a team player concept when it came to David. David killed Goliath for Israel’s sake and for God’s glory, because he believed God gave him the victory. Many families, individuals, teams, and nations are unsuccessful today because of these three deceitful attitudes: jealousy, anger, and fear. When the people sang out thanks to David and Saul for the victory over the Philistines, Saul began to be jealous of him because the Lord had blessed and anointed him. Saul had failed to lead the people by faith against the enemy, plus he had failed to obey the Lord’s commands in how he should lead. When Saul began to be manipulated by jealousy, next he was consumed with anger. The destructive nature of anger can bring ruin to any person or group as the emotions are plagued by rage and an uncontrollable desire to cause harm or physical damage. The two of these ill fated emotions together lead to a life of fear for Saul. He greatly feared David because the Lord was with him. Saul let these three emotions control to the point that it cost him his career, his family, and his life. It is amazing how much we can get done together when it does not matter who gets the credit. As long as we give God the credit, because we live and operate in His economy, we will not be moved to destruction because of jealousy, anger, and fear. A practical way of keeping personal purity unsullied in relation to other people is to say to yourself: that man, that woman, perfect in Christ Jesus! That friend, that relative, perfect in Christ Jesus. Oswald Chambers Have a great week and I love you! Pastor Mark
Posted on: Mon, 02 Dec 2013 13:02:35 +0000
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