DAVID’S IMPOSSIBLE JOURNEY
The story of how David, a shepherd boy, the youngest and least regarded even in his own family, went on to being the king of Israel is not only spectacular but also a testament to how a man seeking God’s will can be carried by God to impossible heights.
- David’s Origins: Everything about David had a humble beginning. His journey started with the menial task of carrying food for his older brothers, who were soldiers in the army of Saul, which led on to the encounter with and defeat of Goliath. David went on to lead the most ferocious and successful army ever owned by Israel, but it all started with an extraordinarily humble start of which we read about in 1Samuel 22:2;
‘All who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him’
This was the origin of the army that had a count of one million and three hundred thousand soldiers, that defeated any nation that threatened Israel, that expanded the nation of Israel to its greatest glory and accomplished Goliath-like feats many times over.
- David’s strength: Lasting success in life is characterized by how a man faces adversity. And David had plenty of them. When raiders came and carried off all he had including his family,
‘David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God’ (1Samuel 30:6)
Adversity has the peculiar feature of exposing a man’s most intimate beliefs. When your house is crumbling down around you, your lack of a foundational theology and your unwillingness to obey God will be the reason for your downfall. Because when natural circumstances turn for the worse, you need an anchor that goes beyond natural circumstances. David found strength in his God and came out of the adversity stronger than ever.
- David’s progress: Because the Lord was with him, ‘—–David grew stronger and stronger——’ (2Samuel 3:1).
The progression in David’s life was amazing. A journey that started in his teens culminated with him becoming king over Israel at the age of thirty. Those who stood with him were exalted, and those who opposed him withered away, because you cannot oppose a man who comes at you with the full force of heaven. And David was one king who never allowed his success to get to his head- he remained humble and continued to serve his people as the king of Israel, while keeping the kingdom firmly in his grip, taking decisions that honored God right up to his deathbed.
David’s impossible journey became a reality, because one man decided to dance to the tune of heaven.
