Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward.
The Word shares so many life experiences for us to use as reference points. Take the example of David, a simple farm boy who became king of a nation and the people in it.
When I write about David (son of Jesse) there are many things that are difficult to take, and can be understood only when taken as a whole with the period of human history they occurred in; some 3000 years ago. We are no longer warriors, conquerors or held in high regard because of our wartime body count totals. But there was a time when that mattered. The greatest conquerors were known throughout their region, much like movie stars or professional sports figures. That was David.
In everything he did he had great success, because the LORD was with him.
What set this fellow apart was not his exceeding valor or his ability to conquer. It had nothing to do with his looks or even his many mistakes. Would you agree that it was his humility before God that set the tone for everything David did?
In all things he asked God what to do, all the while maintaining a heart of worship. Here was a man who became king but knew inside that he was living under the REAL King and the leadership from Him. It sets a great framework and display on how to succeed in life. Let God be God. Submit and take the direction He gives, returning thanks for all things and then acknowledging His love by offering worship & praise.
And he became more and more powerful, because the LORD God Almighty was with him.
A very telling section that shows how this plays out is written in Samuel 2; where David and his men carried the ark into the city. Here the king of a nation dances ‘before the LORD with all of his might’ in front of the procession. David wears only a linen ephod. It is an open display of humility to dress down to just one article, a pouch that carried direction from God. No royal robes or protection for his regal feet were on the ‘what to wear’ list. David was the absolute picture of an undignified slave, wholly in worship and serving God.
becoming even more undignified than this
I love this.
That one of his wives shuns him for it only adds to the picture. She sees only what she wants to see, just like any of us would. Her eyes cannot quite capture the truth behind it all. That David is a servant of the living God and gets all of his direction direct from God. She has no clue that the success of her people, the riches and peace are all fruit from God. This fruit is given because her king is living an active life of worship. Who could know that once this alliance is broken, all hell would break loose and the fruit would go bad. Micah is like anyone else who sees only what her eyes show her. She saw an undignified man dancing nearly naked in the street and it made her sick. In her mind this was no way for a king to behave.
I love how David responds.
The bit about ‘becoming even more undignified than this’ is the stuff of legend. He desires to die to self. Even if it only for the hour is it not exactly what God asks of us? Powerful lessons are in here.
David said to Michal, “It was before the LORD, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the LORD’s people Israel. I will celebrate before the LORD. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor”.
