Lessons from King Saul & David (part 1)

Recently, I've been scrubbing through the Old Testament and reading about the story of King Saul and David. I have often times heard this story in church but after reading it on my own, I have gained some new gems that I wanted to share with you.

1.) Disobedience, on more than one occasion, will cause you to lose the very thing that God entrusted you with. Yes, we can be forgiven but we will also be punished and/or chastened for what we did. Be careful with your choices. King Saul was disobedient more than once which led to his demise of being king.

2.) Go after pleasing and being obedient to God and not men. King Saul lost his reign over Israel because he did not follow the instructions to kill all Amalekites and their animals. Instead, he allowed the men who fought in the war to keep what they considered the "good animals." The people "were not willing" to kill all the animals. King Saul did not put his foot down and force the people to kill the oxen, sheep, etc. He also spared the life of the king who was over that particular group. In return, King Saul lost his kingdom because he was too busy trying to please people instead of being obedient to God. Pleasing humans can lead to your ultimate downfall and cause you to lose what God has promised for you. Be mindful of this and make wise decisions that relate to obedience.

3.) When people, who are close to you, begin to mistreat you or lash out at you, take a step back and pray about it. If you know deep in your heart you did nothing wrong, do not take it personal. At first, David was favorable in Saul's sight, this was until David started to receive praise and King Saul didn't like it. In his mind, all David needed to do was receive the kingdom from him. David only thought about serving King Saul and being obedient. But due to the distressing spirit that King Saul was dealing with and his internal battles, he began to lash out at David, to the point where there were attempts to kill David. There are people who suffer through the same things that David was suffering through and the best thing you can do is pray and take a step back from folks who are dealing with their own internal issues. Remember, things that people are fighting through are not about you.

4.) Lastly, every short term and long term season will have its wars and its waves. In order for God to move David to the position and promise of being king, a new season had to come about. The House of David and the House of Saul went from being friends to being enemies. This shift was needed to move David to the next temporary season of his life, before the season of him becoming King of Israel. And every season allows opportunity to produce more fruit that will add to your calling and purpose for your life. No season and shift is wasted. This happened with David, leaving King Saul's house, to then go fight for the Philistines (I believe one of their smaller groups), to then be pushed out of that land, and go back, to become King of Israel. The wars and waves happen but they are necessary to the development of your character, that is related to your assignment.

My bonus tidbit was that David cared and loved God. He was after God's heart. As we walk through life, we need to be after God's heart. You never know what God is preparing you for.

Love,

Chevy