Hall of Faith: David
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
What kind of faith are we talking about?
There are a few figures who tower over the OT, namely Moses & David. We’ve talked about Moses in past weeks, but today we’re looking at David. Confusingly, it’s David before Samuel.
As God likes to do, he subverts expectations by working in a through David, building him up as a man of faith. He takes the youngest son, a shepherd, a musician, a warrior and makes him king.
There are too many examples of how David’s faith is revealed in in the scriptures. So I have taken a selection for our examination this morning. Here are 5 ways David’s faith is an example to us.
Faith in the face of Giants
Faith in the face of Giants
One of the most famous David stories is that of him facing down the giant Goliath.
This is early in his life, he’s a young man, probably a teenager. Not old enough to go to war.
His brothers are off at war with the Philistines, and when he come down to deliver some supplies he sees Goliath taunting God’s army.
Goliath is dreadful. He is between 2-3m tall, which was even more astonishing to people who were on average 1.7m tall. H is armoured, he is fearsome and he is calling for a bttle of champions to decide the battle.
The Israelites are afraid.
Yet young David has faith! God will prevail! And He sought to be the hand of God to bring it about:
But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”
David gathered stones to use in a sling.
Went out to meet Goliath
This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hand.”
David faced the “serpent”, the “dragon”. Goliath is probably Anakim - unusually tall people (giants) who were driven back to places like Gath. The Anakim are described as Nephilim. Goliath was an embodiment of the Satan - he represented rebelion against God by man and spirits.
David was anointed man of humble beginnings that slew the giant.
He is a foreshadow of Jesus - the anointed king of humble beginnings who slew the Dragon.
There was an unhelpful line of interpretation back in the day that just said: “David is great, be like david, go slay your giants”. Thankfully we have had a helpful corrective that says “Jesus is the better David who slays the giant for you.” Yet, even as we understand how this story foreshadows Jesus, we still should see David as an example worth following, that’s why he is lauded as a heros of the faith worth mimiking.
So yes, Jesus has slain the dragon, satan on your behalf, but you also are called to have the kind of faith that says “You should not defy the living God” take up your sword and go to battle.
Have faith in the face of giants.
Faith in the Shadow of Death
Faith in the Shadow of Death
Despite David’s great victories, he also had times of great suffering and oppression.
For many years he was unjustly accused of subverting the King and he lived in exile, perpetually on the run for fear of his life.
Even after he became King, he was one time overthrown by his own son and went on the run.
Yet even in his darkest hours, the Psalms David wrote expose in him a deep and unwavering trust in God. Even when things are most dire he was able to find reassurance with God.
An example of this is in Psalm 23
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
David is an example to us of faith in the midst of suffering and trials.
The righteous sufferer will always be restored and vindicated. If not now, on Judgement day.
Have faith in the Shadow of Death
Faith Under Authority
Faith Under Authority
David was anointed as king in his youth and as he had military victories he was a shoe in for king.
Saul was increasingly unstable and was unjustly hunting David across the wilderness.
It would be every natural for David to look for an opportunity to take out Saul and take his rightful place as King in Israel - yet he knew that it was not for him to take it by opposing God-given authority.
One time when Saul was hunting David and Saul went into a cave to go to the toilet. David & his men happened to be hiding in the cave.
While Saul was doing his buiness, unaware that the man whom he sought was in there with him, David cut the corner off Saul’s robe.
He could have killed Saul, but he just took the corner of the robe. Yet even then, he was convicted that he had gone too far:
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.”
Even though Saul was acting wickedly, even though the kingship was proimised to David, even though David had the opportunity to stab Saul in the back - he understood the limits, and that he could not lift his hand against God’s authorities in his life.
God would eventually bring down Saul, but it was in the right way at the right time.
We too have bad authorities in the civil realm, and sometimes there is bad authorities in families and churches as well. But we need enough faith to trust God under bad authority.
God has given us various means to deal with bad authorities, but sometimes we are under bad authorities without a way to escape without sinning. Like David we need to have enugh faith not to sin against our authorities, trusting that God will deal with bad authroitiy in the irght way at the right time.
Have faith under Authority.
Faith in Failure
Faith in Failure
David was not perfect. He sinned in several ways.
Most prominently was when he had an affair with Bathsheba and then murdered her husband to cover it up.
Yet even in this we can see an example of fiath. David is convicted of his sin, and he knows that the only way to find absolution, the only way to deal with this is to Go to God. He confessed his sin and repented.
David saw that the way out was through God cleansing him from sin, and he had faith that if he went to God he would find cleansing:
Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
We must have faith to go to Jesus for cleansing from Guilt.
We cannot cleanse ourselves, but you must trust that God will forgive, that he will be merciful, that you can find cleansing if you turn to Jesus.
Jesus died in your place to take away your guilt.
Have faith in your Failure - turn to Jesus.
Faith in the Promises
Faith in the Promises
The last way we see David’s faith is in his trust of God’s word.
He consistently trusts God’s word and relys on it, whether by preists, prohpets. He reveals it also in his psalms.
But David was also given promises that he trusted:
When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
David beleived this, and so he installed Solomon his Son as king after him, and instructed him to closely follow the Lord.
They did not, we unfaithful.
But the Lord was faithful even when David’s line was not, and he would put a king on the throne.
Jesus!
When Jesus promises, we take him at his word, we have faith:
Faith that if we come to him we will find redemption
Faith that we he will be with us to the end of the age
Faith that the Spirit will lead us to righteousness
Faith that God will bring in a great number of people to be saved from the coming wrath
Faith that Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead
Faith that you will live eternally and joyfully in the presence of God with a new body in a new earth
Have Faith in the promises.
So What?
So What?
Have faith in the face of giants (enemies)
Have faith in the Shadow of Death
Have faith under Authority
Have faith in Failure
Have faith in the Promises.
