Lessons from a King

Recently I have been studying the life of King David and this is what I have learnt.

LESSON ONE: If you've got it - you've got it!
The story of David and Goliath is one that is been told throughout time and places and is one that has so many lessons to it. The first lesson I learnt is that when someone is chosen to do something - who are we to argue? Really - who are we to know better? The prophet Samuel was sent to look for a son of Jesse, and Jesse, trying to protect his youngest - had David do some errands to evade detection. Despite those attempts - David whilst doing his fathers' bidding, was discovered by Saul and fulfilled his part in the fight against the giant Phillistine - Goliath.

LESSON TWO: Teenagers are invincible ;-)
Years ago I taught Human Development and was most intrigued by the adolescent part of a human life. At the time my children were only little and read where tenagers view themselves as being invincible as most disturbing given the dangers that this particular agegroup encounter such as, navigating through the onset of hormones, resisting peer pressure and other social conforming attitudes. Today I realised besides the most important fact that when David stood before Goliath, his God was with him that day, this child, who with very little resources at his disposal - had in fact a healthy dose of invincibility. He had faith in God, but he also had no fear. This will help me raise my sons to know that they can walk with no fear during these teenage years, and even think they are invincible - but only with the back up from their God.


LESSON THREE: True Friendship
Today we talked about Jonathan. We don't know much about him except he was a true friend to David who is described to have loved David "as his own soul". You and I would be blessed to have such a friend, however what makes this remarkable is that  Jonathan had a plethora of reasons to hate and despise David. You see, Jonathan was the son of the King Saul and should have been the next in line for the throne - however David was chosen instead. He should have been in charge of the Kings armies - but again David was chosen. We read that David reaps praises of the people that even surpass that of Jonathan's father - the King, yet Jonathan does not turn away from their friendship. Instead, Jonathan is such a true friend that he talks of David's achievement and greatness to his own father, and where Saul kills priests who show David kindness, Jonathan shares the King's intelligence with David and helps him elude the murderous King. This all done at risk to his own life. Jonathan is a true friend.

LESSON FOUR: Jealousy can happen to all of us... 
David was chosen to be the King to follow after Saul. Yet after David had won one too many battles and the love of the people started to include David, King Saul became jealous. His jealously grew so much that he tried to kill David not once, but three times. First he arranged to have him sent to war where he would be most vulnerable, the second with a javelin aimed at David and missed, and the third when he arranged for David to be killed in the morning, only for his daughter (David's wife) to have forewarned David and helped him to escape. The lesson here is that jealously can happen to all of us, and need to be aware of it and not let it stay in our hearts otherwise added to pride and other emotions, it will make us bitter, twisted and unproductive - and even lead us to make wasteful decisions.

LESSON FIVE: Revenge 
When David is presented an opportunity to exact his revenge on King Saul - he doesn't. Instead when he sees King Saul again, David bows before him and says "My lord the King". David goes on to tell King Saul that although his men were telling him to kill the King, he refused because that judgement was for God to make - and he spared his life. Saul realises what David has done, or rather not done, and cries and knows that he has in fact committed a far greater wrong against David and is broken. Today we were asked: What does David's example teach us about revenge?  I hear often of how revenge is rewarding, but in this instance I learnt 1) it is better, once you are in the position, to let your offender know that if you wanted, you could exact revenge, but more importantly, 2) the judgement of the offender is perhaps not ours to make - and that there is a higher judgement that will come.

There are so many lessons from a King who lived so many years ago, yet just as relevant today as then. Hope there is something there for you too...


Yours in friendship,

Mxox