Behaving Ourselves Wisely
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I Samuel 18: 5, 14-15, 30
5 Whatever mission Saul sent him on, David was so successful that Saul gave him a high rank in the army. This pleased all the troops, and Saul’s officers as well.
14 In everything he did he had great success, because the Lord was with him. 15 When Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him.
30 The Philistine commanders continued to go out to battle, and as often as they did, David met with more success than the rest of Saul’s officers, and his name became well known.
INTRODUCTION
As we read these verses of Scripture, did you notice any similarities in the text?
Three times we find that David behaved himself wisely.
Now I am convinced that if God says something one time, we ought to pay attention and heed His Word,
but if He emphasizes something again and again, we really ought to pay attention to what He has said.
This biblical truth is very needful in our day.
We live in the midst of some very trying times spiritually.
It is apparent that our world grows darker and more sinful with each passing day.
We may not realize it or want to admit, but the lives of Christians are being closely watched and scrutinized in our time.
Our testimony is the one thing that we cannot afford to compromise or lose.
We need to do as David did and behave ourselves wisely.
That phrase has the idea of “being prudent; circumspect; wise; prosperous; considerate; and giving attention to.”
I want to take a few moments to consider the principles involved in: Behaving Ourselves Wisely.
I pray as we think on that thought that God will speak to us and help us as we seek to live for Him in the midst of adversity.
These verses reveal three areas that we need to behave ourselves wisely.
SERMON
In our Work
(5) – And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely: and Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul's servants.
This verse deals with how David handled the duties he had been given.
We need to behave ourselves wisely in our work for the Lord.
Notice what that involves:
A. An Attitude of Readiness
David went out whithersoever Saul sent him.
David was a young man who had already enjoyed much success in the Lord.
At this stage in his life he had been
anointed king by the prophet Samuel.
He had already stood before the giant Goliath and emerged victorious.
It would have been easy to have grown
complacent
and arrogant after such success.
Many would have reached the point where they felt certain tasks were beneath them.
David developed an attitude of readiness.
He was prepared and willing to do whatever was expected of him.
There is no mention of David arguing or trying to pass his work off on someone else.
He readily embraced whatever was asked and went wherever he was sent.
We need those who behave themselves wisely in our day in that they have developed an attitude of readiness.
There are no unimportant and meaningless tasks when it comes to serving the Lord.
We ought to be happy to serve whenever and wherever the Lord desires.
May we never get to proud to humble ourselves in service to the Lord and others!
An Awareness of Responsibility
Saul set him over the men of war.
This was no small task that David had inherited.
He had proven himself courageous as he stood before Goliath while the others hid in fear.
Because of his bravery and God’s provision on his life, Saul promoted David to captain of the armies of Israel.
This was an enormous responsibility for a young man, but David behaved himself wisely in regard to his responsibilities
. He had been elevated to a place of position and authority, but he did not seek to use his position for personal gain.
David was the chosen heir to the throne and yet he waited upon the Lord to advance him rather than seeking to overthrow Saul.
We need those who are aware of the responsibilities they have.
God chooses certain individuals to lead, but He has not chosen them so that they might promote their own agenda and manipulate people.
He has not called us to lord over His heritage; we are merely servants of the Master!
I pray that we will be aware of our responsibilities and serve the Lord wisely, in a way that honors Him and encourages the church.
We need those who will seek the glory of God and the good of the church over their personal wants and desires.
An Admirable Reputation
he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul's servants.
As David behaved himself wisely he earned the respect of the people of Israel and even the servants of Saul.
He served patiently and faithfully in every aspect of life and he was noticed and respected for that.
How many times have we heard the expression, “I don’t care what people think of me.”
God has not called us to please men, but we ought to care how the world perceives us.
We are ambassadors for the King.
If you are a member of this church, you are a representative of this church.
That distinction goes with you wherever you go.
We have an obligation and responsibility to behave ourselves in such a way that it pleases and honors the Lord.
Every child of God should earn the respect of those around them.
I am not implying that world will embrace our faith, but they will notice the commitment and persistence of our faith.
Every believer ought to be recognized as one who lives above reproach.
(14-15) – These verses reveal the walk of David before men.
A Walk of Integrity (14a)
And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways.
At this point in his life David behaved wisely in all his ways
His life wasn’t hypocritical, behaving one way in public and another in private.
He was guilty of treating certain people fairly and others unjustly.
Every area of David’s life was handled with discretion and integrity.
He carried himself wisely among all who knew him and in every situation, a man of integrity.
Our nation as a whole is in desperate need of leadership.
We need those who will live a life of integrity before others and the Lord.
Integrity is not measured by who we are in public, but who we are in private when no one else is around.
It isn’t enough to serve the Lord during a worship service; we must continue to serve him and walk uprightly among the world as well.
A Walk of Intimacy (14b)
And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the LORD was with him.
Of all that we’ve learned of David so far, this is the most profound.
The Lord was with him.
He did not walk alone.
He lived a life that honored God and the Lord honored David with His presence.
This would be invaluable to David in the days ahead.
He would face great adversity and need guidance and protection from the Lord.
His life was pleasing to God and He was already with Him.
David wouldn’t have to waste valuable time dealing with sin and shortcomings in his life.
This is likely the one thing that is most needful among believers in our day.
We need those who walk with God.
I realize that we are indwelt with the Spirit the moment we are saved,
but that doesn’t mean that we enjoy the presence and power of God at all times.
We need to live our lives pleasing unto the Lord so that we can experience His power on a daily basis.
We need to draw nigh to Him so that we can serve Him and prosper in His work.
A Walk of Influence (15)
Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him.
Saul was the king of Israel and David was but a youth and yet Saul feared David.
It wasn’t because of his stature or physical ability.
It wasn’t because he had defeated goliath.
Saul feared David because he behaved himself wisely in all his ways.
Saul knew that David was different. He knew that God’s hand was upon David. This young man influenced the life of a king.
I wonder if our lives are lives of influence.
Are we making a difference to those around us?
I am not interested in people being afraid of me,
but I would like to live in such a way that they can sense a difference.
I would like for them to recognize that I am a Christian with a desire to serve God.
In our Witness (30)
Then the princes of the Philistines went forth: and it came to pass, after they went forth, that David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was much set by.
Here we discover how David behaved himself wisely in his witness. He did so:
When Faced with Difficulty
Then the princes of the Philistines went forth.
He had defeated the mighty giant but that didn’t alienate him from difficulty.
Just because David had won a battle, didn’t mean he had won the war.
Difficulty and adversity remained even after a great victory.
He handled his difficulties wisely and with integrity.
It is often easy to get impatient and defensive when faced with difficulty.
We need to behave wisely even under intense pressure.
The adversary knows our weakness and if he can get us frustrated in difficulty, he will defeat us every time.
We can overcome by the help of the Lord.
11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
When Faced with Decision
and it came to pass, after they went forth, that David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul.
The enemy was advancing; they had already gone forth and David had to make a decision as to how he would respond.
He didn’t cave in to the pressure.
We have all had moments when we had to make a difficult decision.
We have stood at a crossroads in life and pondered what to do.
It is in our moments of decision that we need to behave wisely.
We need to know when to speak and when to listen.
We need to know when to move forward and when to stand still.
We need to know when to engage the enemy and when to refrain.
Sometimes the best action is inaction.
At other times we know we must stand and fight.
Only the wise will make the right decision!
When Faced with Distinction
Then the princes of the Philistines went forth: and it came to pass, after they went forth, that David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was much set by.
This was a difficult time for the people of God.
They faced a formidable adversary and many were consumed with fear.
Their lives were lived in the shadow of war and their joy was fading.
The people needed someone to rise above and give them hope.
They needed someone to lead them and offer guidance.
They needed one who would be an example unto them.
Through the help and guidance of the Lord David rose to the occasion.
As the nation looked on in fear, David took the lead.
He behaved himself wisely and the people took notice. He was esteemed highly among his peers.
A word of caution is in order here.
For a man of war, this was likely a time of temptation for David.
It would’ve been easy to have become proud.
David had experienced victory before, but it was God who gave the victory.
David was just used of the Lord.
Even as the people looked on and sang his praises, David continued to behave himself wisely.
He knew that apart from God he was weak and vulnerable.
David handled his prosperity and popularity wisely.
There is nothing wrong with enjoying our success and victories as long as we acknowledge God’s provision.
Apart from Him we are nothing.
We must be careful to give God all the glory, great things HE hath done!
If we will walk wisely in humility, God will honor our efforts.
If we get to the place that we think we can handle it on our own, He may just let us give it a try.
I can assure you that the results will not be what we desired.
We must behave ourselves wisely in every facet of life.
We must face each day with a desire and determination to live as God would have us to.
God honored David and blessed him as long as he behaved himself wisely.
Sadly there came a day when David made choices that were not wise.
He paid a heavy price for his departure from wisdom.
How are things in your life today?
Are you behaving wisely or have you decided to make you own choices and chart you own course?
Trouble waits those who stray from the paths of God.
If you need wisdom and help in your life, why not come and seek the Lord.
He stands ready to meet your need.