Praise the Lord! This week, we will be briefly focusing on king David’s life and see what are the spiritual lessons we can learn from his life that will benefit us in our day-to-day walk with God. David was one of the most powerful kings who ruled over God’s people Israel about three thousand years ago (approximately BC 1010-970). Let us walk through the pathways that portrays king David’s life-journey from the Bethlehem’s pasturelands to the Israel’s kingly throne in Jerusalem. God raised David, the youngest son of Jesse of Bethlehem (1 Samuel 16:1), from the Bethlehem’s pasturelands to the throne of Israel in Jerusalem in a marvelous way (1 Samuel 16:11-13; 1 Kings 2:11). When God saw that king Saul (who was chosen by God to be the king over His people Israel upon their demand for a king) had failed in several areas of his relationship with God and in not fulfilling God’s purpose in and through his life, He removed Saul from the kingship (1 Samuel 13:14; 15:28), and handpicked David to be the king over His people Israel (1 Samuel 16:10-12). Samuel, who faithfully served the Lord as a judge, prophet, and priest in Israel, upon God’s command, anointed David as the next king to rule over His people Israel (1 Samuel 16:13). Unlike king Saul, David was a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22) and he walked before the Lord his God with integrity of heart (1 Kings 9:4-5). David obeyed God’s commands wholeheartedly and reigned in Israel for about forty years (1 Kings 2:11).

Now, king David from his own experience declared that there is no God but Yahweh (2 Samuel 7:22). In several occasions, God Himself declared that there is no God besides Him. God said: I am the Lord and besides Me there is no God (Deuteronomy 32:39; Isaiah 43:10b; 45:5, 21-22; Joel 2:27). It is not only David who declared that there is no God but Yahweh, but also, Moses (Exodus 15:11; Deuteronomy 4:35, 39), Nehemiah (Nehemiah 9:6); Samuel’s mother Hannah (1 Samuel 2:2), king Hezekiah (2 Kings 19:15), prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 46:9), and the list goes on and on. Throughout the Holy Scriptures, from the very first book of Genesis to the very last book of Revelation, it is mentioned over and over again that there is no God but Yahweh, the One and only God – the Sovereign Lord who created the universe ex-nihilo (the Latin phrase Creatio ex-nihilo means ‘creation out of absolutely nothing’). We worship and serve a God who brought everything in this universe into being out of nothing – living or nonliving, seen or unseen; heard or unheard, and every other substance that is in existence in this universe (Revelation 4:11). He is the Lord God Almighty and He is worthy of all our praise, and glory and honor belongs to Him and Him alone (Psalm 145:1-3; Revelation 4:11a; 5:12). Moses who saw the glory of God acclaimed that Who among the gods is like you, Lord? Who is like you— majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders (Exodus 15:11). King David, who experienced God’s presence, protection, and providence, praised the Lord, the God of Israel, saying:

10 David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, “Praise be to you, Lord, the God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. 11 Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. 12 Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. 13 Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name (1 Chronicles 29:10-12).

The passage we chose for this week’s Scripture for the Week (2 Samuel 7:22-24 mentioned-above) is also well connected to the above discussion. Although, there might be several significant factors to highlight from the above-mentioned passage, two of the most important factors among them are: (i) there is no God but Yahweh, and (ii) there is no other nation like the nation of Israel (refer also Deuteronomy 4:7-8, 32-34; Psalm 77:13-15; Isaiah 64:4). From this passage we can understand that there is an exceptional relationship which existed between Yahweh and the people of Israel, a relationship beyond their bond as creator and the created being. If we trace the history of this deep-rooted relationship between God and the nation of Israel, it will take us to the covenant that God made with Abraham (if not to Adam [Genesis 1:26-28; 2:7] or Noah [Genesis 6:9; 9:8-17]). According to Genesis 12:1-3 God called and separated Abraham from all his kith and kin and promised him spiritual (heavenly) and material (earthly) blessings. In addition to the blessings promised to Abraham, God also made an everlasting covenant with him, saying:

7 I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 8 The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God (Genesis 17:7-8 [also refer: Leviticus 26:42; 1 Chronicles 16:15-18]).

Abraham obeyed and followed God faithfully and was called as the friend of God (2 Chronicles 20:7; Isaiah 41:8; James 2:21-23). The covenant God made with Abraham was extended and renewed to his son Isaac (Genesis 17:19; 26:23-25; Leviticus 26:42); and his grandson Jacob/Israel (Genesis 28:12-15; Leviticus 26:42). As years passed on, God remembered the covenant He made with Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3; 17:7-8), and He renewed it with king David, a descendant of Abraham. God said, I Myself took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be leader over My people Israel … Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever (2 Samuel 7:8-16). God reminded king David how he was chosen to be the ruler of Israel, His people.

In response to God’s covenant with him, king David praised God and placed God and God’s people ahead of his personal interests. If we break it into pieces, the passage 2 Samuel 7:22-24 will look as noted below:

• • The Lord is great (7:22a)
  • The Lord is Sovereign over all (7:22b)
  • There is no one like the Lord God our God (7:22c)
  • There is no God but Yahweh (7:22d)
  • The Lord is the only wonder working God – we have experienced it  (7:22e)
  • Blessed be the Israelites whom God chose for Himself (7:23a)
  • Blessed be the people of Israel whom the Lord God favored (7:23b)
  • Blessed be the nation Israel whom the Lord separated from all other nations (7:23c)
  • Blessed be the nation the Lord redeemed from of old (7:23d)
  • The Lord performed great and awesome wonders in Egypt (7:23e)
  • The Lord redeemed His people Israel from Egypt (7:23f)
  • The Lord blessed His people with land that became their inheritance (7:24a)
  • The Lord established a covenant with His people to make them His very own (7:24b)
  • The Lord will be their God forever (7:24c)

It is very definite that God chose the nation of Israel out of all other nations on earth for Himself (Deuteronomy 7:6). Moses, the servant of God, glorified God for His kindness and favor upon the children of Israel. Listen to what Moses said: What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him? And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today (Deuteronomy 4:7-8).

As a mortal, David had failures in his life, but he recovered from them by admitting and confessing his failures before the Lord and, in turn, God forgave his failures. He submitted his entire life before God and trusted in His power and authority. God blessed David and made him successful in everything he did. There are many spiritual qualities to share about king David regarding his trust in the Lord. We might not be able put everything in here, but a few of David’s spiritual qualities are mentioned below for our reference:

• • He was born into a God fearing family in Bethlehem (1 Samuel 16:1b, 5b),
  • He spent his boyhood in his father’s house tending his father’s sheep (1 Samuel 16:11; 17:28, 34),
  • He praised God since a young age (Psalm 71:17)
  • He obeyed his father in everything as a boy (1 Samuel 17:17-20a [16:11])
  • He loved God and obeyed His commands wholeheartedly (2 Samuel 24:19)
  • He walked before God with a sincerity of heart (1 Samuel 16:7; 24:6; 26:11)
  • He trusted the Lord with complete commitment and sincerity (1 Samuel 17:26, 45-46)
  • He served his country along with king Saul before he became the king (1 Samuel 17:32; 18:7; 1 Chronicles 14:16-17)
  • He faithfully served his country as a king and submitted to the will of God (1 Chronicles 29:10-13)
  • He shepherded them with the honor and integrity of his heart (Psalm 78:72a)
  • He ruled over God’s people in wisdom with strong and skillful hands (Psalm 78:72b)
  • He administered justice and equity to all people in Israel (2 Samuel 8:15)
  • He glorified God in response to every blessing he received from Him (2 Samuel 7:18-29)
  • He was honored as a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22)
  • He was a man who had served God’s purpose in his own generation (Acts 13:36)

David served the Lord God faithfully throughout his entire life. God raised him from the sheep pens to the throne of Israel to rule over His people Israel (2 Samuel 7:8; Psalm 78:70-72). David’s life was very fruitful because he sought after God’s heart’s desire and lived his life according to the will of God; and he came to be known as a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22). He obeyed God’s commands in its entirety and he served God faithfully. As a result, Scripture specifically noted that David had served God’s purpose in his own generation (Acts 13:36). Below mentioned is one of David’s noteworthy testimonies of how he waited upon the Lord and received God’s blessings in his life:

1 I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.  2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him (Psalm 40:1-3).

We have learned how David’s life was fruitful at every stage of his life (during his childhood, young age, as a grown up person, and in his old age) and that he brought the glory and honor to God’s name. Think about us – Will we be able to bring glory and honor to God’s name in and through our lives? Definitely, we can – if we intentionally try for it. As we begin our life in the New Year (2024), let us place our confidence in the Lord and follow the spiritual-principles that are recorded in the Scripture. Let us begin to trust the Lord wholeheartedly and cultivate some of the spiritual qualities in our lives and live a life worthy of His calling in our lives. Apostle Paul, who followed Christ so faithfully, was quite able to advise the Corinthian believers to imitate him just as he imitates Christ (1 Corinthians 4:16; 11:1). We should be able to tell our dear and near ones and those around us to imitate us as we imitate Christ the Lord! May the Lord God Almighty bless us all now and the days ahead! Amen!