The Spirit of God & Your Leadership!
David's Anointing!
I Samuel 16:13: "Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord (Ruwach) came upon David from that day forward. So, Samuel arose and went to Ramah."
I Samuel 16:14: "But the Spirit of the Lord (Ruwach) departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the Lord troubled him."
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The anointing of David is proof that the Spirit of God gives us more ability than just to speak with other tongues. Here in the above passage, we see Prophet Samuel anointing David to become the King of Israel. Notice while at the same time the Spirit of God descended upon David, King Saul lost his anointing to be left open for a distressing spirit (allowed by the Lord) to trouble him!
The following is a summary of David's Distinctions as the Lord's anointed and not his biography.
Samuel - King Maker!
It was Samuel who anointed Saul as a chosen leader of Israel. Saul could have listened and obeyed the prophet for his continued governance over Israel, but Saul disobeyed the command of Samuel and lost his place as a leader. Even after Saul was rejected, Prophet Samuel grieved for him for a while: "Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, for Samuel grieved over Saul. And the Lord regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel" (I Samuel 15:35).
How long do you pray for a situation? Until God intervenes! God intervened and stopped Samuel's burden for Saul: "The Lord said to Samuel, 'How long will you grieve for Saul, when I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have chosen a king for Myself among his sons'” (I Samuel 16:1). Samuel's assignment had changed, and he was on his next mission to anoint David as the next King. The moment Samuel stopped praying for him, Saul was wide open for a distressing spirit to trouble him.
It is particularly important that we stay under the covering of God's anointed teachers and leaders who have been given the task of anointing and training the future leaders in God's Kingdom. The leaders to follow are those who are devoted and dedicated to God. They have been charged with the responsibility to teach and train as long as the ones chosen by God stay obedient to heed the instructions. When they leave such a covering as Saul did, they are wide open to the attacks of the same familiar spirits and the curses of the bloodline they were once freed from by the same covering.
David's Anointing in Three Phases!
David was anointed three times:
1) Amidst his brethren: "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. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah" (I Samuel 16:13, Amplified Bible).
2) 7 years after he was anointed by Samuel, David was anointed King over Judah: "Then the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah" (II Samuel 2:4).
3) 7 more years later, David was anointed King over Israel: "Therefore all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord. And they anointed David king over Israel. David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah" (II Samuel 5:3-5).
The lesson we learn from the three phases of anointing upon David is this - The seed for greatness was planted in David by the first anointing long before he was anointed King over Judah first and Israel next. In between, he had to fight the battles - "the Lord's battles" - in waiting before he came into his calling as King! Know that God has called you long before He will place you in your assignment. Your assignment is His training ground for you to gain confidence in your battles before you are groomed in your position as the Lord's anointed.
David's Anointing for Communion with the Lord God!
David enquired of the Lord 7 times and God replied to him 7 times with a solution:
1) David received directions from the Lord to save Keilah from the Philistines: "Then they told David, saying, 'Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and they are robbing the threshing floors.' Therefore, David inquired of the Lord, saying, 'Shall I go and attack these Philistines?' And the Lord said to David, 'Go and attack the Philistines, and save Keilah'” (I Samuel 23:1-2).
2) David received assurance from the Lord that he would be victorious over Philistines: "But David’s men said to him, 'Look, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?' Then David inquired of the Lord once again. And the Lord answered him and said, 'Arise, go down to Keilah. For I will deliver the Philistines into your hand'” (I Samuel 23:3-4)
3) When David lost everything to the captors, David enquired of the Lord for His counsel: "Now it happened, when David and his men came to Ziklag, on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the South and Ziklag, attacked Ziklag and burned it with fire, and had taken captive the women and those who were there, from small to great; they did not kill anyone, but carried them away and went their way... So, David inquired of the Lord, saying, 'Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?' And He answered him, 'Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all'” (I Samuel 30:1, 2, 8).
4) David enquired of the Lord before he moved to Judah prior to his anointing as King over Judah and God directed him there: "It happened after this that David inquired of the Lord, saying, 'Shall I go up to any of the cities of Judah?' And the Lord said to him, 'Go up.' David said, 'Where shall I go up?' And He said, 'To Hebron'” (II Samuel 2:1).
5) When the Philistines came to attack David after he was anointed King over Israel, David enquired of the Lord: "Now when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. And David heard of it and went down to the stronghold. The Philistines also went and deployed themselves in the Valley of Rephaim. So, David inquired of the Lord, saying, 'Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?' And the Lord said to David, 'Go up, for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into your hand'” (II Samuel 5:17-19).
6) David inquired of the Lord about the timing of the attack and God clearly gave him directions: "Then the Philistines went up once again and deployed themselves in the Valley of Rephaim. Therefore, David inquired of the Lord, and He said, 'You shall not go up; circle around behind them and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees. And it shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly. For then the Lord will go out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.' And David did so, as the Lord commanded him; and he drove back the Philistines from Geba as far as Gezer" (II Samuel 5:22-25).
7) David was perplexed as King about the famine that was affecting his land and he inquired of the Lord for the reason and God gave him the answer: "Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David inquired of the Lord. And the Lord answered, 'It is because of Saul and his bloodthirsty house, because he killed the Gibeonites'” (II Samuel 21:1).
The "Sweet Psalmist" of Israel!
Here is David's resume in his own words: "Thus says David the son of Jesse; Thus says the man raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel: 'The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue'" (II Samuel 23:1-2).
David was a worshipper of God!
He was a psalmist!
He was a composer of music!
He played instruments of music!
He did it all by the anointing of the Holy Spirit!
The anointing upon the songs, arrangements and the instruments of David was so strong that when they were sung with the same arrangements of David and with his instruments, there was revival some 300 years later in King Hezekiah's reign! King Hezekiah restored Temple Worship prior to the National Passover with David's order of worship: "And he stationed the Levites in the house of the Lord with cymbals, with stringed instruments, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, of Gad the king’s seer, and of Nathan the prophet; for thus was the commandment of the Lord by His prophets. The Levites stood with the instruments of David, and the priests with the trumpets. Then Hezekiah commanded them to offer the burnt offering on the altar. And when the burnt offering began, the song of the Lord also began, with the trumpets and with the instruments of David king of Israel. So, all the assembly worshipped, the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded; all this continued until the burnt offering was finished. And when they had finished offering, the king and all who were present with him bowed and worshipped. Moreover, King Hezekiah and the leaders commanded the Levites to sing praise to the Lord with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. So, they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshiped" (II Chronicles 29:25-30). Here is the report of what happened at the end of the worship service and the Passover: "So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem. Then the priests, the Levites, arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard; and their prayer came up to His holy dwelling place, to heaven" (II Chronicles 30:26-27).
David's Heart of Repentance!
Unlike King Saul who demeaned the office of Samuel the prophet, David respected the order of God by adhering and yielding to the counsels of the prophets Samuel, Nathan, and Gad. When Prophet Nathan convicted him of the egregious crimes David had committed, David repented. He was so broken up that he cried out to God to not take His anointing and His presence away from him. Here are the words of repentance of David: "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your loving kindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.... Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and uphold me by Your generous Spirit" (Psalm 51:1-3, 10-12). God restored David and answered his prayer.
David's Respect for the God of the Anointing!
Unlike some leaders who may be boastful of their own anointing and regard not others who are anointed of God, David recognized and respected the people for their anointing and the God of the anointing. We see this twice when he spared King Saul for, he was the "Lord's anointed" and once on Saul's death!
When David had a chance to kill Saul, this is what happened: "Then the men of David said to him, 'This is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it seems good to you.’' And David arose and secretly cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. Now it happened afterward that David’s heart troubled him because he had cut Saul’s robe. And he said to his men, 'The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord'” (I Samuel 24:4-6).
David spared King Saul the second time for the same reason: "But David said to Abishai, 'Do not destroy him; for who can stretch out his hand against the Lord’s anointed, and be guiltless?' David said furthermore, 'As the Lord lives, the Lord shall strike him, or his day shall come to die, or he shall go out to battle and perish. The Lord forbid that I should stretch out my hand against the Lord’s anointed.’” (I Samuel 26:9-11).
Here is David's reaction to the Amalekite who reported to David that he killed Saul: "So David said to him, 'How was it you were not afraid to put forth your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?' Then David called one of the young men and said, 'Go near, and execute him!' And he struck him so that he died’'” (II Samuel 1:14-15).
In recognizing God's anointing upon Saul, David recognized greatness in a leader even though he was running for his life from the same leader. Here is a secret – Recognition of greatness paves way for greatness. The very fact that you recognize greatness in someone is the key that God has called you for greatness. Your recognition of greatness is an indication that you possess it yourself!
David, a Shepherd, Priest, Prophet, and King!
David is only person in Old Testament Scriptures who operated as a Shepherd, Priest, Prophet, and King!
Here is a summary of David's calling from Psalm 78:70-72: "(God) also chose David His servant and took him from the sheepfolds; from following the ewes that had young He brought him, to shepherd Jacob His people, and Israel His inheritance. So, he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands."
David was a shepherd taking diligent care of the sheep committed to him by his father Jesse and when he was anointed King over his nation, he never departed being the Shepherd over Israel. He wore the ephod (I Samuel 23:6-9; I Samuel 30:7; II Samuel 6:14) signifying he was priestly and some of his psalms are prophetic and Messianic (Psalm 2, 16, 22).
David's Kingdom is eternal, and His throne succeeds with the Son of David, Messiah, Lord Jesus Christ!
David, Man After God's Own Heart!
God called David "a man after His own heart." Here are the words of Prophet Samuel to King Saul: "But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you” (I Samuel 13:14).
There are two instances where the Bible records that "David's heart smote him (KJV)" - that his heart troubled and condemned him deeply for his actions:
1) When David had occasion to kill Saul, he could only cut his robe but that troubled him so deeply: "Now it happened afterward that David’s heart troubled him because he had cut Saul’s robe" (I Samuel 24:5). God loved the heart of David that will not compromise and yield to the pressures of the world to harbor bitterness and envy against those who thought ill of him and wanted to destroy him.
2) When he ordered Joab to number his army, his heart condemned him: "And David’s heart condemned him after he had numbered the people. So, David said to the Lord, 'I have sinned greatly in what I have done; but now, I pray, O Lord, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly'” (II Samuel 24:10). Right after David fell into Satan's enticement to number his army, his heart "smote him" and yielded to God with a heart full of repentance. He bought the land where the plague stayed and dedicated that place for the building of the Temple Solomon built (II Chronicles 3:1).
The anointing of David was an anointing to function as a King, but David also functioned at times in the offices of a priest and a prophet. The anointing of God enabled him with an intimate relationship with God and His Holy Spirit. The "sweet Psalmist of Israel" was a true worshipper of God! David was taken out from watching his sheepfold and given responsibility by God Almighty to watch over Israel. He was a King while he was a shepherd and a Shepherd while he was King. His throne through the Son of David, Jesus Christ, is established forever and ever!
Lessons We Learn from David’s Life!
· Faithfulness and zeal for God were David’s strong characteristics! David was a faithful son to his father Jesse. David was a faithful shepherd over his flock to protect them from the lion and the bear.
· David had the zeal for God that made him defend Israel from the harassment of Goliath.
· Even after the anointing and the victory over Goliath, David had to wait for years for the throne of Judah and Israel, but there was no bitterness in him against Saul who wanted to kill him.
· David respected “the Lord’s anointed,” King Saul, even though Saul lost his anointing and pursued after David.
· David fought for the citizens of the cities even before becoming King.
· David’s army of four hundred grew to six hundred and to 1.2 million at the end.
· David’s heart was broken when sinned, and he repented before God, and paid sin-offering that cost him.
· David was a shepherd, king, prophet, and priest, all under his anointing!
· David donated a sizable portion of wealth to the Temple he was not even allowed to build because of his love for God. But God released the pattern of the Temple to David.
· David’s resume was given by God: “A man after (mine) own heart!” In the words of Abigail, David’s character was defined: “For the Lord will certainly make for my lord an enduring house, because my lord fights the battles of the Lord, and evil is not found in you throughout your days” (I Samuel 25:28).
Prayer
"Heavenly Father, You are my Father and You are my God. I yield my life to You in all that I am and in all that You have called me to do. Let Your anointing make the difference in my life. I pray that You grant me a grateful heart all through the days of my life to cleave to You and adhere to Your Word and follow You with all my heart, spirit, and soul. In the most wonderful and matchless Name of my Lord Jesus, I pray. Amen! Amen!!"
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John Jeyaseelan
Global Prayer Center | prayer | 701 Bill France Boulevard, Daytona Beach, FL, USA
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