David's Approvedness: Chosen, Anointed, Trained & Tested


	David's Approvedness: Chosen, Anointed, Trained & Tested When Saul became king, the small nation of Israel was in a desperate situation. The Philistines occupied the coast on the west and to the north, while the Ammonites threatened from the east. In fact, the Ammonites had already invaded and were commanding the surrender of Jabesh-Gilead, a city in Israel. As king, Saul surely was faced with a difficult situation. The people were not accustomed to having a king, and many things had to be set in motion. Therefore Saul faced a huge task. Saul Was Unable to Turn to God Samuel did instruct Saul in what he needed to do as king, but the task of setting up a new system of rule was a big undertaking. Saul should have turned to God, but it seems as though he did not know how to do that. He relied upon his own judgment, Samuel, and Samuel's God. He himself, however, did not seem to know God. Saul's Demise Saul had a good beginning, but due to the fact he did not know how to rely upon God, God departed from him, and Saul eventually became a different person. We must all realize how much God's mercy keeps us without our even realizing it. If God were to take His hand away from us, others would see another person! When the Lord withdrew Himself from Saul, Saul tried to kill David even though David was trying to help Saul by playing his harp for him. Saul became someone desperate to hold on to his own power rather than someone who cared about what was best for Israel. He became jealous when he heard the women singing David's praises, and began to view David as a threat. He even told his son and his servants to kill David (1 Sam. 19:1). To him, it was worthwhile to sacrifice David for the sake of maintaining his own place. This was not the same Saul as the one who began his reign as Israel's first king. Seeking to Kill David in Order to Preserve His Place Many people who gain a position of influence try to hold on to it, even if it means sacrificing others to do it. Even in the Lord's work, we can see how some at times have been willing to sacrifice others in order to protect what they feel is their place. Therefore, as we labor for the church and for the Lord's testimony, it is easy sometimes to feel that things would be much better if certain people were out of the way. And if they are finally driven out or moved aside, we are peaceful about it, thinking it will now be easier for us to go on! If something has truly been given to us by the Lord, however, we do not have to worry about someone taking it away from us. Instead, we should care for the profit of those who are with us and trust the Lord to carry out what He wants to do, for it is His work, not ours! At Gilgal, Saul disobediently offered sacrifices so that he might win the victory against the Philistines. Then, he kept the best of the Amalekites alive along with the best of their flocks and herds to be used as offerings to the Lord. Now we see him struggling that there would be no deviation from the Lord's original choice of him as king, even if it meant killing someone to do it! Watchman Nee wrote a hymn in Chinese, saying that when others stretched out their hands against him and began to struggle with one another, he shut his door and sang hymns to the Lord, realizing that it was the Lord who suffered the most. The Lord takes no joy when brothers fight among themselves over who should submit to whom, and what will happen if they do not. Forsaking God and Summoning Samuel with the Help of a Woman with a "Familiar Spirit" The Philistines had come against Israel, and Saul brought his army up against them. He became afraid, however, because of the size of their army (1 Sam. 28). The Philistines represent the flesh, so their presence in the days of Saul and David was a continual problem. Our flesh is a constant presence that always threatens! Therefore, Saul's heart "greatly trembled" when he faced their army. Samuel, the person he depended upon as his "god," had passed away (v. 3). So what did Saul do? He sought the help of a witch to bring Samuel back from the dead! Saul simply did not seem to know Jehovah, even though it was Jehovah who had made him king. He knew enough to order that all such spiritualists should be done away in Israel (he knew good from evil), but when he found himself in this situation, he himself used one of them (he did not know God)! Apparently he was surrounded by people who were familiar with such evil things, for one of his servants knew of a person with a "familiar" spirit in Endor. Today such a person would be called a medium. How sad it is that no one who served him was able to suggest that he try turning to the living God of Israel! Instead, Saul disguised himself and journeyed in the night with two others to this witch of Endor. How low Saul had fallen! When he met her, she was not easily persuaded to do what he wanted her to do, because he himself had commanded that all those who practiced such things should be put to death. How did she know that they were not spies of Saul?! Saul even swore by Jehovah's name that no harm would come to her if she did what he asked. In the name of Jehovah, he, the king of God's people, made a pact with a witch who worked with God's enemy! So the woman did what the man before her asked, and summoned the person of the name he gave her. When Samuel actually appeared, she was shocked, for at that moment she realized that the person asking her to do this could be none other than Saul himself. When Saul asked of what she saw, she replied she saw someone like gods ( Heb. elohim) coming up out of the earth. This is hard to understand if it is meant to be taken in the plural, but it must have been something to be wondered at. She told him that an old man was coming up, wrapped in a mantle. When Saul perceived that it must be Samuel, he bowed himself to the ground. Samuel, however, rebuked Saul, saying, "Why have you disquieted me, bringing me up in this way?" Saul replied that he was distressed because of the Philistines, and needed Samuel's help. Saul was really in a hopeless and helpless state - he had an enemy, but he had no God, and no one who could speak to God for him, or to him for God. Therefore, he felt compelled to seek out a ghost! Seeking Aid and Solace Far From God We should not think that what Saul did has no application today. If you do not experience a living Christ, one day you may find yourself standing besides the grave of some brother you used to look up to. Some saints do visit the graves of spiritual men, and though they are not able to call these men up, they feel comforted, as though they can tell the dead one the problems they seem unable to tell God. May the Lord preserve us from such an end. How we need to know the living Christ today! While you are young, you must practice to know the Lord and have His presence in big and small matters - your studies, your major, your career, your marriage, whatever you face…you have to tell the Lord, "I do not want to end up praying at someone's tomb someday; I want to learn to know you as my Lord in everything! Lord, I want to have Your speaking all my life, starting today!" We all must experience Jesus as our living Lord. Samuel's Reaction Samuel told Saul he could do nothing for him, for God had left Saul and had even become his enemy, and had given his kingdom to David (v. 16). Samuel had loved Saul, and had even mourned over him, but since there was nothing more he could do for Saul when he was alive, he certainly could do nothing more for Saul now that he was dead. The Slippery Slope of Religion Religion degrades people to such an extent that they would even get involved in things such as this. First, being religious caused Saul to feel he could go fight without God. Then, being religious caused Saul to feel he could make up for it by offering what God had condemned. Eventually, being religious brought Saul to the point that he only cared for his own kingdom. Finally, being religious brought Saul to the point that he sought advice from a ghost through a witch! We now see someone far from the presence of God. Once you get involved with religion, you have no idea how far it will eventually take you from God. This is why I refuse to compromise when I see anything coming in that might potentially become a substitute for Christ, regardless how good or necessary it may seem. Can we afford anything that makes it less necessary for us to seek Christ? Regardless if it is a "top truth," a "top ministry," or even a "top oneness," if the saints are not brought to Christ Himself, it is something of vanity. Anything that is apart from Christ Himself cannot result in what is according to God's heart. The only thing that will be produced out of such things is another denomination. David, A Man After God's Heart Having Saul as a Precedent After considering Saul's experience, we might feel that it would almost be better if we had never been saved, for then we could never be exposed to this matter of religion. God, however, has given us a way. Saul's life should be a warning to us, but another person reveals what God is after. David reveals to us that God Himself can be our way. 1. Chosen The first crucial factor God uses to gain such a person is His choosing. It was manifested even in his youth that David was someone chosen by God. When he killed Goliath, he must have been just a youngster. And how old was he when the women began singing his praises in Israel? He was still a very young man. How was it that such a young man could have become so manifested? First of all, he was chosen. But that in itself was not enough - he also had to be trained. 2. Trained After twenty years, where will any believing young person be? One possibility is that he will have gone nowhere. No young person believes he will come to nothing, but that does not mean that there is no such possibility. Another is that he will have become someone focused on his career with little interest in God. Another possibility is that he will have become a faithful Christian, going to meetings - if he is instructed to do a certain thing, he will do it. In other words, he is a good Christian! But what the Lord will be looking for twenty years from now will not be a lazy person who is living off his wife, nor a person who is absorbed in his career, nor even a person who is a "good" Christian; what the Lord will be looking for is someone who, whether holding a job or serving Him full-time, will be bearing something committed to him by the Lord Himself. Yet how many such people are there on the earth today? They, however, are the ones God is seeking after, they are those who are after His heart. Who on the earth today can declare that their lives have such a meaning and purpose? Only those who are carrying something before the Lord Himself. These are the ones whose lives have eternal value. I am seventy, but I do not feel old, for I have been bearing the Lord's commitment, and I am still bearing it. Our labor can yield something eternal! How high is such an existence! I hope that in a few years many who are now young would be able to testify that day in and day out, they have explored Christ, enjoyed Christ, partaken of Christ, fellowshipped with Christ, and let Christ flow through them and out of them. This is a life that is worthwhile. A Personal Testimony I graduated from Taiwan University, which is the best university in Taiwan. Many of my classmates became heads of corporations, professors, or involved in government. To my feeling, however, none of their careers have had any impact on what really matters. Even though many of them have become successful in the eyes of the world, their lives have been wasted! I received eternity into my spirit when I was seventeen, and that eternity has never departed! I am laboring on something eternal. Isn't that wonderful? I hope many who read this would determine, "I may be young, but something of eternity will be manifested through me! What I am giving myself to will be manifested in eternity! I am a person in time, but what I am doing is unto eternity!" All other lives have very little meaning in comparison to this. I hear about this schoolmate or that one having died, and I am sad, for I feel they lived wasted lives, even though they had been selected from among many thousands to attend the best university in our country. Everyone who becomes anyone in our country started with a degree from Taiwan University, and now those who graduated with me are retiring. When one of them sees me, they invite me to their reunions, but I must decline, for I am simply too burdened and occupied with what God has committed to me. Even at my age, there is more and more to be done for the Lord's interest. How good is this life! Not a Perfect Man, But a Man After God's Heart Willing to be Trained This was the kind of life David lived. He had his problems. Still God would say, "Yes, he is weak and has his flaws, but his life is for Me and My economy! This is why he satisfies Me." In order to become a person who can satisfy God's heart, however, we must be trained. This is a most difficult thing for Americans to get through, for typically Americans want to be left alone, even by God. Our feeling is that training violates our right to take it easy. Therefore, many resist giving themselves to be trained. If we are not trained, however, even though we may be very gifted, we will not accomplish for God what we might have. Training Develops Our Ability to Carry Out What God Wants to Commit to Us I am always impressed with people who have musical talent. Some can play piano by ear without any formal training. They can play beautiful music, yet without training their ability to develop any further is limited. If they wish to discover their real potential, they need to be trained. When I was traveling through a third-world country one time, I was approached by a brother who heard me speak. He wanted to check with me to see if he had understood my message correctly. He was very bright, and had captured my message in his memory. He told me he would turn my message into song and sing it throughout the various villages. He was a young man with a good memory and an excellent talent, but without training, I am afraid he will not be able to develop much further. He has a desire to do carry out something as a commitment from the Lord, but even a gift such as this requires further training. 3. Anointed Everyone who serves the Lord must be trained. Then, he must also be anointed. Being anointed is the manifestation of being chosen. If you were chosen by God in eternity, one day you will experience being anointed. This experience of being anointed before God is something very particular, and unforgettable. Every believer should have experienced the weighty and marvelous matter of being anointed either at the time they were saved, or soon afterward. The experience of being anointed is something of the operation of the Spirit upon you which sets you apart unto God for His purpose. After such a marvelous experience, however, be prepared to be tested, for only after testing can one who is chosen, trained, and anointed be approved. 4. & 5. Tested And Approved Young people usually have a difficult time passing through the time of testing. Few are able to make it, for it goes against what seems to be reasonable. For instance, after a time of training, and after you experience being anointed, you may feel that you should immediately be put to use. Instead, you may instead be put aside, and even blockaded by someone. Instead of giving you the opportunity to show what you are capable of doing, it seems you become stuck in a place where you will never be appreciated. What should you do? You must pass through the testing time before you can be approved. Instead of complaining about the elders or serving ones, and instead of feeling they are incompetent for not putting your talent to use, you should realize that the Lord is not making a mistake. Every spiritual thing you think you possess has to be tested to see if it is real or not. Therefore, not only must you be chosen, tested, and anointed, but you must also be tested to find out where you really are. Many who love the Lord simply cannot make it through the period of testing that leads to approvedness. There was a full-time brother who migrated to a certain part of the United States and was made an elder in a large church. A number of other workers heard of this, and began moving to the same area, thinking they might also become more manifested in this way. Instead, many got disappointed and eventually moved back. Testing is not an easy matter! If the Lord leads you to move somewhere, you had better go, with no expectations other than to find the Lord Himself there. Too many saints who "have" something also expect that they would be appreciated and put to use so that they might do great things. They feel ready! Are they not more capable than those who are already serving? Why should they not expect to be recognized? Why should it be that others just seem to be in their way? "Oh, if only these brothers who are blocking me would only step aside and give me a chance to operate!" The Lord just doesn't seem to cooperate; He allows them to continue on to see what is in your heart. Brothers, if you feel something is in your way, you are looking at things as though you are in an institution rather than in the Lord's organic Body. If you feel someone is in your way, it means that he is the one you should be standing and serving with! You should be helping him! If this becomes your way, you will become fruitful, and you will find you possess approvedness. But if you just feel you are being prevented from doing what you can do, then you will not find approvedness no matter how trained you are. You will wonder why no one says amen to you. Brother, they are not cold; they are healthy - the whole situation is to test you. Only through such testing will you find the opportunities to be approved.