Session 3 - Delayed Gratification

David & Saul

1 Samuel 24:1–7 ESV

1 When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.” 2 Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Wildgoats’ Rocks. 3 And he came to the sheepfolds by the way, where there was a cave, and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave. 4 And the men of David said to him, “Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.’ ” Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. 5 And afterward David’s heart struck him, because he had cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. 6 He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord’s anointed.” 7 So David persuaded his men with these words and did not permit them to attack Saul. And Saul rose up and left the cave and went on his way.

In the last session we spoke of Job, who’s suffering was to test his integrity. We saw how in life as a leader, hard times come to all, and in those times there is temptation to forsake our integrity and chase after pleasure.

Now we turn our attention to David - a man who was said to be after the very heart of God.

We will now see the perils of naked ambition - a desire that dogs many leaders. The temptation push the fastforward button on God’s timing for your life.

David was a teenager when he was anointed as the next king of Israel but he would end up having to wait 15 years before actually becoming king.

One of the greatest tests of integrity is delay. How are you when you are made to wait for something?

David had been promised the crown. God had promised it to him! Surely it was rightfully his? And Saul, Saul had sinned, he was in the wrong, and he was seeking David’s life! If the roles were reversed in that cave surely Saul would have killed David without a second thought. Now was David’s chance - this was his moment - seize the opportunity David! Take it now, Kill Saul and the crown is yours! Said David’s men. It was God who sent Saul into the cave anyway, surely it was God’s will for David to kill him now!

It would have been all too easy for David to reason like this - to convince himself that killing Saul was unfortunate, but it was the only way to God what God had promised him. After all - he had gone from being Israel’s hero to a fugitive, running for his life and living in caves, if ever he was going to take the throne surely his opportunity was now. If he let Saul get away what hope could he have?!

Revenge, lust, ambition, pride, and self-will are too often exalted as the gods of man's idolatry; while holiness, peace, contentment, and humility are viewed as unworthy of a serious thought. - CH Spurgeon

A good leader always holds to his principles - whatever opportunities present themselves.

Everyone wants to succeed in life - no one wants to stagnate or see their career slide backwards. This is the same in the church as it is in the world. But what happens when we experience delay, or even declension in our profession? What if the promotion that we thought would be ours is suddenly taken off the table. What if the ministry down the road suddenly starts growing and people begin to leave your church and head there?

Do you change your modus operandi? Will you re-evaluate your principles in order to win what you feel should be yours?

I once knew a pastor, a man of great ability both as a minister and as a leader. He had grown his church successfully over 20 years and had moved into a purpose built facility. He had also raised up a younger couple as potential successors. After a long trial period he handed over senior leadership to the younger couple. But after just 6 months he found himself dissatisfied. Though the church had continued to grow under his successor, he struggled with their style and methods. So he began to go over the top of his successors heads and make leadership decisions without including them, he began to harshly criticise them and undermine trust in them to the staff and the other leaders. Eventually when the younger leaders brought their concerns before him he claimed they were lying and attacking him. When they reported their concerns to the board of directors the former leader convened the board, many of them his friends and family, and poisined them against the young couple. Eventually the young couple were forced to resign in disgrace and were silenced from telling the church. That leader held on so tightly to the role and profile that he felt should be his, that he was prepared to let go of his principles in order to keep it.

David was willing to let oppotunity pass him by. He was not willing to abrogate his principles to fastforward his interests.

Here is the lesson - if an opportunity to progress presents itself, and all it requires is a little comprimise here or there - it is not an opportunity that came from God, it is not an opportunity that you ought to take.

Had David taken that opportunity and killed Saul do you think God would have established his throne? I don’t think so - the record shows that God did not give the Kings of Israel and Judah a free pass to practice iniquity just because they were kings. I often think that’s how Christians think these days - “Well, God understands that I really needed this promotion, I really needed that extra bonus - He knows I’m not perfect, He’ll forgive me even though I did slightly break the rules...” God shows no partiality!

Sometimes God will test you with an opportunity to fast track your success to see if you’ll snatch at it - remember this story!

Philippians 2:3–7 ESV

3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

DAVID & BATHSHEBA

We have looked at an example of success in the life of David, now we’re going to take a brief look at David’s biggest failure - the incident with Bathsheba.

God had given David the thone of Israel and united the whole nation under him - he was seeing victory over his enemies and favour with God and men.

2 Samuel 11:1–5 ESV

1 In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. 2 It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. 3 And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” 4 So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she had been purifying herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned to her house. 5 And the woman conceived, and she sent and told David, “I am pregnant.”

David was ensnared by lust. And within one afternoon he had committed adultery.

Lust moves fast - if you give it the opportunity, lust will ruin you quicker than you can say moral failure!

We see here the dangers of idleness. David sent his armies out but he remained at home. He didn’t get out of bed until the afternoon we’re told.

27 Idle hands are the devil’s workshop; idle lips are his mouthpiece. - Prov 16:27 - TLB

The more we indulge the flesh, the stronger it gets. Too much rest, too much netflix, too much feasting is not good for the soul. A leader is actually safest on the frontlines rather than at home.