Sunday Morning Leftovers - September 15th, 2013

Clarification...

I mentioned in one of the services today that King David reminds me of James Bond, Bill Clinton and Billy Graham all rolled together.  Here is why: In some ways David is like James Bond: always victorious in battle and with many beautiful women by his side. He is like Bill Clinton -reaching the political pinnacle of success, but unable to control his personal lusts. David also reminds me of Billy Graham in that he has a unique connection to God.

Today's sermon covered a couple of chapters in First Samuel, setting the stage for David to be King. One of the things we learned today is, 'God may give us what we want, even if it is not what we need.' The challenge for us is not to present God with our list of wants/needs; but instead seek God's desire for our lives and then we follow.

I love the fact that God chose David for a Purpose and a Destiny.  David was as insignificant as humanly possible.  His own father didn't even think that he was worthy enough to come and visit when the Prophet Samuel arrived.  He lacked everything that a leader needs, except one thing: David had a heart for God.  David's Purpose was to experience God's love and his Destiny was to reflect God's love to his people.

As I think of young David being chosen to be the next King, it hits me that there are some similarities between David and Jesus... Can you think of some similarities between David being chosen to be king and Jesus' early years?

Send in your answers or any questions in the Comments section below...

King David Series -Starts this Sunday at Southbrook Church

I can't wait for Sunday, as we will start our fall sermon series, 'King David.'

Let me tell you, I am so excited about teaching through David's life!  I have been attending the Thursday morning Any Given Men's Bible Study group for a little while now, and recently we have been studying the books of First and Second Samuel.  I have learned so much from these men, as exploring the Bible is so much richer when doing so in the company of others.

David's life is just flat out crazy.  He is chosen to be king and then has to wait for 15 years until taking the throne.  He shows up at a battle armed with cheese-sticks for his brothers, and ends up killing a giant warrior.   He has many wives, and one of his father-in-law's is out to kill him.  He is the hero of the nation, and yet is forced to run and hide in the wilderness for years. He is called a 'Man after God's own Heart', yet he murders others, sexually assaults whom he wants, and once pretended to be insane in order to escape an enemy king.

This Sunday we will mark his ascent to the throne by looking at a few key passages.  In First Samuel 10, the prophet Samuel warns the people to stick to God and not in their desire for a King. In Chapter 13 Israel's first king -Saul- is about to face a huge battle, and instead of waiting for the prophet Samuel, Saul tries to manipulate God.  As you can guess, this does not go over well with God. Read through Chapter 16 where God chooses the young David to be the next King.  First Samuel 16 is a chapter that is rich in dysfunctional family dynamics, a scared prophet, and which also reveals God's counter-intuitive leadership methods.

I hope that you follow along with this series and come to love the study of King David as much as I do. Each episode in David's life is packed with lessons that relate directly to us today.  May God bless the study of His Word and may our lives be transformed...