So, Sophie’s Bible study group is doing Kay Arthur’s “Return to the Garden” study this summer and my group is doing “A Heart Like His” by Beth Moore.
She’s studying sex and I’m studying the life of David.
And judging by a little story about David and Bathsheba, I’d say David dealt with some sex issues.
But that’s not what I’m talking about today. My group just finished Week One, so we haven’t really gotten that far. We’re only to the part where he killed Goliath with a slingshot.
Of course everyone knows that story because it is a big hit on the Sunday School flannel board circuit, as opposed to the whole Bathsheba thing which doesn’t translate well to the Sunday School crowd.
It would raise some awkward questions from the six year olds.
Much better to stick with being thrown in a pit of fire or a den of lions. You know, family friendly stuff.
Anyway, as I finished my lessons last week, something really stood out to me about the life of David that I’d never thought about before.
In I Samuel 16: 1-13 God tells Samuel to go see Jesse of Bethlehem because He has chosen one of his sons to be the new king. Samuel went and when he got there He listened to God and anointed David with oil. Verse 13 says, “…and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power.”
Yeah, so that’s pretty cool.
But here’s what I thought about. What happened after that moment? David has just been anointed with oil in the presence of his brothers, did any of them realize the significance of that moment? Did they know what was in store for their little brother?
And what about David? Did he just head on back to tend his sheep? I mean, I’m sure he did because that was his job. He tended the sheep. It wasn’t as if he all of a sudden found himself sitting on a throne up in some sweet palace.
Haven’t you ever felt that way? Something big happens or you feel like you’ve had some huge life moment and then the next day or the next minute you’re back to scrubbing the toilet and cooking up some Kraft mac and cheese for the family.
Hopefully, you’re not doing both at the same time because EWWW.
And if you’re like me, you may wonder how God is going to bring you from where you are to where He wants you to be. How is He going to use you when you’re busy running carpool or cleaning out the fridge?
How is He going to provide for your family? How is He going to use something bad that happened for good?
How is He going to get a young shepherd boy from the pasture to the throne?
In I Samuel 16: 14-23 we begin to see the answer. Saul is tormented by an evil spirit and was in need of some harp music. And, really, who doesn’t benefit from a little harp music from time to time?
One of his servants happens to know a friend of a friend that knows David (I just made that up, I don’t know how the servant actually knew David) and Hey! He plays the harp.
So Saul summons David to the palace to play the harp.
From the pasture to the throne.
Not because of anything David did or any situation he tried to work to his benefit. He was doing what he was supposed to be doing, where he was supposed to be doing it and God was in control.
God knew how to get David to the throne.
I know I have days (okay, honestly, maybe weeks) where I wonder how God can use me when I’m playing Kids’ Cruise Director all day long.
“Welcome to your playroom. I don’t feel bad that you’re bored. Find something to play with or I will sell your toys to neighborhood children for $1.00.”
But what I realized doing this study this week is that God knows the plans He has for me (doesn’t it say that in the Bible somewhere?) and He is going to work in my life to fulfill those plans.
I need to listen to His voice and go when He says go, stay when He says stay, and pray when I’m not sure what He’s saying one way or the other.
He can take me from my pasture to my throne.
Because, you know, He’s God.