David's Approvedness (2)

1. Chosen

Before God can gain a person, that person must experience a number of things. Being chosen is not enough in itself. A person must also be anointed, trained, tested, and approved before he can begin to really begin to serve God as someone after His own heart.

According to Ephesians 1:4-5, if you are saved, you were chosen by God before the foundation of the world! Paul's realization was that he had been separated unto the Lord from his mother's womb (Gal. 1:15). This should be our realization as well. We are different from everyone else, for we have been chosen by God, and God has chosen us to gain us!

Whether or not we reach the goal God has prepared for us, however, depends upon our participation. It is somewhat like being chosen for entrance into a prestigious college program. If you accept that you have been chosen, you will take part in the program; and, if you are faithful to complete your course of study, you will graduate. There are other possibilities, however. You may not believe or care that you have been chosen, and thus not participate at all. Anyone in this category would not end up achieving the goal for which they were chosen (at least not through that program!). Another possibility is that you may begin to attend, but not study adequately, and thus find yourself disqualified from completing the program and receiving your degree. To be chosen is one thing, but to fulfill the purpose for your selection is another. Therefore, as those chosen by God we should not allow God's selection of us be something in vain (2 Pet. 1:10). As those who have been selected by God we should pray, "Lord, I am here to participate in whatever You have prepared for me. It is my desire to be faithful to Your selection!"

After God commanded Samuel to stop grieving and to choose another king from among the sons of Jesse the Bethlehemite, Samuel faithfully went, even though he feared Saul would kill him if he found out the reason for his journey. Therefore, God told him to tell Saul that he was going in order to offer a sacrifice. After he arrived at Jesse's home, he commanded that Jesse and his sons to attend.

Chosen to be a Sacrifice

This picture should impress us. To our understanding, we are being called to something so high, which is true. But we must also realize that we are being called to an altar of sacrifice. If we desire to be someone the Lord can use, we must be prepared to become a person who has no rights and no freedom to do our own things. Once you become a sacrifice, anything you had as a life outside of God is finished. We should also realize that at this place, most of those brought before Samuel as "offerings" were rejected. We should have the aspiration to be the sacrifice the Lord would choose.

A Shepherd Boy

God told Samuel not to be impressed with the stature and appearance of Jesse's first son, Eliab, for He looked not at the outward appearance, but on the heart. Therefore, Samuel called the next son, and the next, and so on. After seeing seven of Jesse's sons, however, Samuel realized that the Lord had not chosen any of them. Because of this, and because of the Lord's word, he realized that he must not yet have met all of Jesse's sons. Jesse indicated he had one more son, the youngest, but he was watching the sheep. (Watching sheep may have been a common responsibility for the youngest boy in a family, but having been a shepherd was of great significance to David's reign, as we shall see.)

Samuel may have hoped that God would choose the oldest boy, for he looked very promising. Some of us may have wished that God had chosen someone who had no skills at all, for then we might feel that a lazy person has hope! The one God looks for, however, is neither someone who appears promising nor worthless! Samuel must have been puzzled that God rejected all those that seemed so promising, yet he held out for the shepherd boy, saying no one would sit down to eat until the matter was accomplished. Therefore, Jesse sent for David, who must have been some distance away, meaning they all waited solemnly until he was finally brought into their presence. To Samuel, this was a very sober matter, and he made sure everyone else realized this as well. As the Lord's followers, we all need to be able to recognize when it is time to mean business with the Lord, and carry ourselves with such determination until the matter is accomplished. Perhaps there is a brother who is in a serious situation and we feel we should not to cease praying until he breaks through. I hope we all might learn to pray until our prayer is answered in this way. Too often we treat something in a light way when it really requires us to stand with urgency until the Lord has won the victory.

2. Anointed

When David was brought before them, Samuel saw that he was "ruddy" in appearance (which means of reddish complexion) and handsome. It does not say that he was tall, so he probably was a boy of average height. When others saw him, they realized he was an unassuming yet attractive young man. When Samuel saw David, the Lord told him, "Arise, anoint him, for this is the one." Therefore Samuel took the horn of oil he was commanded to bring, and anointed David in the midst of his brothers. From that day forward, the Bible tells us that David had the Spirit of the Lord upon him (1 Sam. 16:13). I hope each one of the Lord's believers would realize this should be their experience. If you have believed, you have been chosen from among all the other people before the foundation of the world. Before anything else existed, God chose us, and even marked us out for His satisfaction. Therefore, we should seek to experience the Spirit continually. David's experience of being anointed was different from Saul's. When Saul was anointed, Samuel encouraged him, saying, "Is it not because God has anointed thee to be a captain over His inheritance?" Samuel is not reported as saying anything at David's anointing. We are simply told that the Spirit came upon him from that day forward.

Every Chosen One Should Experience the Lord's Anointing

In your Christian life, there should be a time you realize you have been chosen by God. This may have occurred at the time of your salvation, or it may take place when you really begin to love the Lord. If you are faithful to follow the Lord for a period of time, you eventually will come to the point where you sense you have experienced something further before the Lord. When you experience being anointed, you know you have received something very authentic and very substantial from the Lord; it is something that will stand out very clearly to you. In the Old Testament, as in David's case, man's role is fairly passive in this matter; but in the New Testament, it involves both God and man working together.

Being chosen and being anointed are two different things. You were chosen in eternity past. Your experience of being anointed refers to that moment in time when you and God mutually move to substantiate a spiritual reality.

A Personal Testimony

I received the Lord on January 1, 1953, at about 9:30 p.m. Although for a while I left the church life, soon afterwards I was revived. At that time I became a person who read the Bible, who preached the gospel, and who served in the church life. I became known as a crazy Jesus-lover. During the ten minute break-time in school, a few of us would run to the junior high section and stand right at the podium and preach to them about Jesus. They listened, because they did not know whether or not the school had sent us or not. Before and after school we would stand at the gate and pass out tracts. The teachers allowed us to do these things because they knew of how responsibly we carried ourselves. Everyone at that school eventually knew that I was a person on fire for Jesus Christ.

That may seem like that would have been enough to satisfy my desire to serve the Lord, but in the year 1955 I felt strongly constrained to completely give my life to Him. I shared my desire - that my life would be for nothing but Christ alone - with the elders. They considered my desire and responded that they would receive my consecration on behalf of the church. That Saturday night there was a meeting, and they asked me to testify how I wanted to live for Christ and Christ alone. After reading a letter of consecration I had written and giving my testimony, I knelt down, and four elders of the church laid their hands on me. At that time I experienced what Psalm 133 mentions about the Lord's anointing descending from on high. I began to weep so strongly that I could not stand. The brothers had to lift me up and walk me to my seat. I could not stop weeping until the following day. I was just so touched by the Lord's love. I believe it was as the verse that says, "The Lord's love constrains us…" I just felt that the Lord was so good, so lovely, and so precious. I do not want to promote something, but I strongly feel this is something every Christian should experience. It does not have to happen publicly, but there should be a time when you experience or have experienced kneeling down before the Lord where you have a deep sense of His presence and consecrate yourself to Him, confessing your sins, evaluating your life before Him, declaring that you are His, and allowing His Spirit to fill you.

After that day, I became a different person. I became so bold before God and man. Everyone should experience the Lord's infilling to the point that it becomes an inner reality. You cannot be satisfied with just some sensation. You must experience the Spirit coming upon you and covering and filling you utterly. Once you experience being anointed in such a way, your life will be changed. You will know what it means to be filled and satisfied. After I experienced the Lord's anointing in this way, I felt as though I must be the happiest person on the globe, for at that moment God and I were totally one.

Of course, it has taken me fifty years to apply what I experienced on that day. It was not simply a "one-time deal." David, after his anointing, experienced the Spirit being with him all his days. I hope that everyone who has received Christ as their Savior would go on to experience Him in this way. Go before Him even for a number of hours to confess any sins or shortcomings as He reveals them to you, and ask Him to fill you. Tell Him you need His Spirit to saturate you so you might become an anointed person.

3. Trained

Once we realize we are chosen and anointed, we should also realize we have to be trained. David's being a shepherd was part of his training, although he may not have realized it at the time. David was the only king of Israel who was called while he was a shepherd. Because he was a shepherd, he could write Psalm 23. He used many of the principles he learned as a shepherd as he ruled over God's people.

The Principle of Shepherding

When I traveled to Inner Mongolia, I wanted to see the vast grasslands. After we arrived, I saw a large flock of sheep being watched over by a man and his dog. The sheep dog was very busy, running to and fro to keep the sheep where the man wanted them. Gradually, as they finished eating the grass in one area, he moved on to a new pasture, and the sheep followed. Most of the time, however, the shepherd simply sat and watched until the sheep needed to move on. David developed in this way. He was not someone who grew up involved with paperwork or working on some thesis for a Ph.D. He developed a capacity for viewing things based upon his patient watching over the situation of the flock and the surrounding environment. At night he considered the heavens and wondered about God (Psalm 8). Night or day, he had to be watchful over the condition of the flock, and be on guard against any beasts that might try to steal one of them. Surely this explains why he was such an expert with his sling when he faced Goliath! Since he was responsible for the flock, he could not run from a bear or a lion. He had to face them, and through his triumph over them he discovered how faithful God was to watch over him and his sheep. This was the kind of person who could rule over Israel as God's flock. In fact, Psalm 23 displays the principle of his rule. Whatever challenged the flock he was shepherding, whether it was a beast, a Philistine, or a strong nation, he stood firm, for he realized that the Lord was the real Shepherd, both his and the nation of Israel's.

Be Faithful to Whatever Thing is in Your Hand

How should we be trained? Begin by being faithful to the seemingly little thing that is now in your hand, whatever it may be. The flock his father had given him to watch over was a small one (1 Sam. 17:28), yet David was faithful to his responsibility. We like to do something only if it has some prestige to it, but if we do not know how to give ourselves to what has already been committed to us, we are not going to be able to carry anything greater. David was committed with those few sheep; his life was linked to theirs as long as he was their shepherd. That was why he was strong to defend them. If he was resentful or careless, he would not have cared whether those sheep were eaten by beasts or not; and if he had not learned what he learned defending his flock, he would not have been bold to engage Goliath or the other enemies that threatened God's flock! A person with a "whatever" attitude is not someone who can carry God's commitment.

When I began to love the Lord, the first thing He told me to do was to take care of the children of the saints. This is one reason I know the Old Testament as well as I do, because for ten years I taught children the Bible. After attending four months of military training, I returned and was still involved with children's work. When I began college, I began to work with a small church for a few months. During that time I was not working with children, but with the saints. After I transferred to another college, I was with children again. Therefore, when I was in high school, the military, and as a college student, from ages 17 to 27, I worked with children in the church. I am very glad that I was able to serve in that capacity for all those years. It really helped me become familiar with all the stories in the Bible. As a believer I practically grew up serving children!

4. Tested

Immediately after he was anointed, David entered his time of testing. He was not instantly received as the new king. Before he could become the king approved by all, he had to pass through a long period of testing. We all must appreciate the times of testing, for they are precious.

A Personal Testimony

Immediately after I experienced being anointed by the Lord, I began to seek the Lord regarding where I should go to college. I wrongly assumed I would never be able to go to Taiwan University, so riding by Normal University (then Normal College) on my bike, I asked the Lord to please send me to that school. I was indeed admitted there, but into the Boy Scout program, which was a two year program with no degree. I realized that the Lord had given me what I had asked, but I had not specified which program I desired to get into. Therefore, I took the university examination test again, and qualified for Taiwan University. There was a bureaucratic mix-up, however, and my name was overlooked. My father, who was a general, went in and demanded that the wrong be righted, but it was too late by then; I had to take the test once more! This time, I took the test with my brother, who was five years younger than I. We knew someone who could notify us of our score a day before the public posting, so we waited by the phone at the arranged time. I answered it when it rang, and the brother on the other end said, "Congratulations to your brother! He made it into Taiwan University." I then asked, "How about me?" He responded, "You were one point short." At that moment I really saw how real God was. My mother was upset at my failure, so the whole family had to act as though they were also disappointed, but I was rejoicing and singing songs to the Lord. My mother asked how it was I could be so happy, and I told her that it was because the Lord was with me. Who else could boast that they had experienced such things on the island of Taiwan?

When I look back, I have to marvel. I was allowed into an officers' language school to learn English, even though I was only a high school graduate at the time. There I worked with American officers as an interpreter for a year before I entered college. Honestly speaking, I am not a good student. I had difficulty with math, and I often did not even bother going to classes after I finally made it into Taiwan University as a transfer student. If I was in a class on Shakespeare, before taking a test I would get the Chinese translation of the play! While learning English, I did not study formal grammar. Yet the Lord prepared me to serve Him in the United States. I had no plan to come to the USA, yet He put me into a military language school to learn English whether I wanted to or not. I became, in fact, the English interpreter for my own father! Just consider how enjoyable that was! Therefore, when a time of testing comes, do not be discouraged by the tests, for there is nothing to be discouraged about, for the Lord is at work.

Bearing The Armor And Playing His Harp For The First Anointed One

Someone in David's position might have been tempted to allow the evil spirits to do their work and continue to torment Saul. David, however, knowing that he was anointed to be king, still served Saul and sought to do what he could for him, including playing his harp to soothe him. David was anointed to be king after Saul, but he did nothing to hasten Saul's downfall; instead, he served him and fully honored him.

David Understood that Everything Is According to God's Sovereignty and Timing

The Lord allows things to happen to us so that we may grow. If we did not encounter any difficulties or experience any failures, our training might help us to appear to be very prevailing, when in fact we are not experiencing anything real. Therefore, God cannot always allow things to go smoothly for us. When difficulties came to David, he trusted the Lord and rested in Him. As he played his harp to soothe Saul, he knew that the Lord was at work to carry out what He desired for David. We all should be able to tell the Lord, "I know everything is in Your hand," and be restful.

5. Approved

Defeating Goliath

David Visits His Brothers at the Front and Sees the Situation

David did not originally go to the battlefield to fight Goliath; he went because his father sent him with some supplies for his brothers. Upon arriving, he found there were two "giants": one who was an Israelite hiding in his tent, and the other who was a Philistine mocking Israel. Saul was considering how to save himself, his army, and the country. Why would he not at least order his archers to shoot down Goliath? If David could strike him in the forehead with a stone, couldn't an archer have struck him down while he was mocking God and His people? Yet it seems that among all the Israelites, only David was upset that Goliath was allowed to defy the armies of the living God. To David, the people of Israel were not simply Israelites; they were the people whose God was the living God. Where were those among His people who would challenge these idol worshippers on behalf of the true and living God?

David's Realization: "Is there not a cause?"

David was God's anointed. To his brothers, he was just a little kid who had snuck off from his duties at home to see the battle. David's brothers were probably not too happy that Samuel had anointed him instead of one of them. Furthermore, it probably annoyed them when he asked why no one was going out to defeat Goliath. His oldest brother said, "I know why you are here. You just want to be where the excitement is." Yet David answered, "Is there not a cause?" (1 Sam. 17:28). David knew there was a reason for his coming at that specific time. He was God's anointed, and his being there meant something. He had an inner realization that God had sent him for this very reason.

Like David, we should also be able to recognize when such a time arrives. It is not unusual for people to "chicken out" as the Israelites did in this situation. If, however, the Lord has revealed something to you, shouldn't you have the same boldness that David had? You should be able to say, "Is there not a cause for our being here at this moment? We are here for the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ!" David testified to Saul that the Lord had delivered him from the paw of the bear and the lion, and that the Lord would deliver him out of the hand of the Philistine giant. In the past, David had seen how the Lord had been his protection, and realized that the Lord was still his protection. David realized that the Lord would be with him in this fight.

Taking His Own Sling Rather Than Saul's Armor

Saul offered David his armor, but David ultimately refused it. He fought according to who he was and using what he knew. The secret of fighting is not to borrow someone else's material, but to use what we ourselves have learned and applied. You may repeat someone else's message, and there is nothing wrong with doing that, but if you want to war the genuine warfare, what you wield has to be something that eventually comes from you. Saul's armor might have been of use if David was only interested in protecting himself, but his intention was to attack the enemy, not to set up a defense. When David went out to meet Goliath, he carried no protection, he just went out. In his mind there was only, "Either he dies, or I die."

If you are a person who is after the Lord's heart, when the time comes to fight, you will not consider how to protect yourself or your interests; your only desire will be to see that the Lord's interest is taken care of. David was not interested in self-preservation; his desire was to see God's testimony lifted up on the earth. We all should be so firm when it comes to this matter.

The Anointed Shepherd Boy Deals With The Philistine Dog

Goliath mocked when he saw David, saying, "What? Do you treat me as a dog by throwing sticks at me?" Actually, David was probably used to fighting wild dogs and jackals as he guarded his father's sheep. Since such animals often attacked in packs, probably David had learned that the secret was to attack them before they could get set themselves. Therefore, Goliath was right. David probably thought to himself, "I am dealing with dogs like you all the time," and then killed him with one stone from his sling, winning a great victory for Israel that day. Saul really appreciated David at this point, and eventually set him over all his men of war (1 Sam. 18:5). David's approvedness among the people, however, eventually earned him Saul's suspicion. After Saul heard how the women praised David more than they praised him, Saul began to look upon David as a threat (1 Sam. 18:6-9).

Thus, as we have seen, David's approvedness introduced him to a life under persecution. Saul demoted him, personally tried to kill him, took his wife from him, and even hunted for him after David fled to the wilderness. During those years he was fleeing from Saul all kinds of dispossessed people and other hopeless cases came to him, and he had a way to work with them and form them into a loyal and effective fighting force. David provides us one of the best examples in the Bible of what it means to be chosen, anointed, trained, tested, and eventually approved.