Fit For Service (Part 2 – King David)

This is week two in our study on being fit for service. Today we will be looking at the life of King David to see what made him fit for service and usable by God.  

Through my study I have come to discover that the key to David’s usability was his humility. A little back story on David. He was the youngest of the 8 sons of Jesse. As the youngest he was given the task of caring for the family flock, while his older brothers served in the army of Israel. Then at the age of 17, the prophet Samuel anointed him King of Israel with no fanfare, no celebration, no crowd, no one outside his immediate family even knew he had been anointed. 1 Samuel 16:13a, Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed David in the presence of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. (AMP)  

It was not until he was 30 that he took the throne as King. During those 13 years between his anointing and taking the throne, David had opportunity to kill Saul, the reigning king. In 1 Samuel 24 and 26 we are given accounts of two times when David had opportunity and his companions encouraged him to kill Saul, however, in both instances David refused. In humility he said, “As the Lord lives, most certainly the Lord will strike him [in His own time and way], or his day will come and he will die, or he will go down into battle and be carried off [dead].  The Lord forbid that I would put out my hand against the Lord’s anointed; but now take the spear that is by his head and the jug of water, and let us go.” 1 Samuel 16:10-11. (AMP) 

From David’s humility flowed six characteristics that made him fit for service. 

First, He had heart after God. 

1 Samuel 13:14a, But now your kingdom shall not endure. The Lord has sought out for Himself a man (David) after His own heart...(AMP) 

Acts 13:22, And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ (MEV) 

Psalm 42:1-2, As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? (ESV) 

About Psalm 42, Matthew Henry in his commentary states: “The title does not tell us who was the penman of this psalm, but most probably it was David, and we may conjecture that it was penned by him at a time when, either by Saul’s persecution or Absalom’s rebellion, he was driven from the sanctuary and cut off from the privilege of waiting upon God in public ordinances. 

The strain of it is much the same with 63, and therefore we may presume it was penned by the same hand and upon the same or a similar occasion.” 

In these verses we are given testimony of David’s heart after God.  

Second, He was a ready worshipper. 

Psalm 63:1-3, O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; 
my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. (ESV) 

Psalm 146:2, I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. (ESV) 

Psalm 145:21, I will praise the Lord, and may everyone on earth bless his holy name forever and ever. (NLT) 

Psalm 40:3, He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. 
Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord. (NLT) 

Psalm 98:4, Shout to the Lord, all the earth; break out in praise and sing for joy! (NLT) 

Of the 150 Psalms in the Bible, David is credited with writing 73. He was a worshipper at heart. Even through the darkest times in his life, the Psalms reflect his understanding that God is worthy of praise no matter our circumstances.  

Thirdly, He had a heart of repentance. 

In 2 Samuel 11 we read about one of the worst decisions of David’s life. He not only took Uriah’s wife through adultery, but he also had Uriah murdered to cover up his sin. However, in chapter 12 we are given a deep look into David’s heart. When Nathan the prophet confronts David about his sins, David says, “I have sinned against the Lord.” (2 Samuel 11:13 NLT)  

Additionally, in Psalm 51 we read David’s Psalm of repentance. Verses 1-2, Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin.  

Verse 4, Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just.  

Verses 7-11, Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me— now let me rejoice. Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. (NLT) 

David was not without sin, however, he quickly acknowledged his sin and instantly repented and repositioned his heart to receive healing and forgiveness from the Father!!!  

Fourth, He was obedient.  

1 Samuel 13:14, But now your kingdom must end, for the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart. The Lord has already appointed him to be the leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.” (NLT) 

Psalm 119:34, Give me understanding and I will obey your instructions; I will put them into practice with all my heart. (NLT) 

Acts 13:22, But God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.’ (NLT) 

God chose David as the next king because he knew that, unlike Saul, David would do what He commanded him to do with an open and obedient heart.  

Fifth, he had absolute faith in God.  

1 Samuel 17:32-37 and 45-47, “Don’t worry about this Philistine,” David told Saul. “I’ll go fight him!” 

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Saul replied. “There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You’re only a boy, and he’s been a man of war since his youth.” 

But David persisted. “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!” 

45 David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!” (NLT) 

David understood that it was God who fought and won his battles through him. He never took the credit but was faithful to give God the glory. He put his total faith and reliance in/on God and through him God did big things.  

Finally, he valued God’s Word. 

Psalm 119:1-3, Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord. 
Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts. They do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in his paths. (NLT) 

Psalm 119:11, Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You. (MEV) 

Psalm 119:47-48, I will delight in Your commandments, which I have loved. My hands I will lift up unto Your commandments, which I have loved; I will meditate on Your statutes. (MEV) 

Psalm 119:105, Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (MEV) 

David valued the Word because he understood that it was his instruction manual from God.  

In closing, we, like David, must walk in humility before God. To be fit for service we need to have a heart after God, be a ready worshipper, have a heart of repentance, walk in obedience, have absolute faith in God, and value the Word.