As we study the story, we often consider, “How might the character have felt in this story?” Usually, we don’t really know, it is conjecture, but a way to think about the story. The exception is David. Not only do we have the history of David, but we have the songs, or Psalms as we know them, that give insight into what David was thinking.
But first we need the story of David. The following is a summary of 1 Samuel 16:1-13:
King Saul has been flagrantly disobedient, and God has rejected him as king. God told the prophet Samuel to go anoint a son of Jesse of Bethlehem. Jesse called his sons together for Samuel, but even though there are seven sons there, God had not chosen them. David, the eighth son, the forgotten son, is out with the sheep. He is called and anointed by Samuel, and the Spirit of the Lord comes on David powerfully from that day on. Then David simply returned to his sheep.
The disobedience of Saul has its consequences. 1 Samuel 13: 13 “That was stupid!” Samuel said. “You didn’t obey the Lord your God. If you had obeyed him, someone from your family would always have been king of Israel. 14 But no, you disobeyed, and so the Lord won’t choose anyone else from your family to be king. In fact, he has already chosen the one he wants to be the next leader of his people.”[1]
Saul had started out following God, but then decided to do his own thing. God couldn’t allow Saul to lead His people at this point. God knows it is a heart problem and seeks out an individual who has the right heart. 1 Samuel 16: 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”[2]
Jesus gives us more insight into obedience in John 14: 15 “If you love me, obey my commandments.[3] Our obedience demonstrates our love for God, or what is in our heart. Samuel is obedient to anoint David, even when he feared for his life. When we obey God, it opens the door for God to work through us. Our disobedience is destructive to ourselves and affects those around us.
Have you ever considered your obedience to God to be a heart issue? The character on the inside comes out as action in our lives. We can try to cover up what is on the inside with religious rituals, but they don’t necessarily change the inner self. The good news is that Jesus came to restore a right heart. When we believe in Jesus and confess our sins, God forgives us and we become new people.
2 Cor.5: 14 Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life…17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
To hear more about David and his songs, listen here: https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/series/david-and-his-songs-the-early-years/today-sets-the-stage-for-tomorrow
[1] Contemporary English Version (CEV) Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society
[2,3] Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.