When Trouble Starts.
Some say that trouble starts when the Holy Spirit enters your life. That certainly seemed to be the case when the Holy Spirit began to lead David.
The Spirit of the Lord
In 1st Samuel 16, verse 13 we read:
“The Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward.”
I Samuel 16:13
It was God’s spirit that fueled and fired the judges of Israel:
Othniel –
“The Spirit of the Lord was upon him, and he judged Israel.”
(Judges 3:10)
Gideon –
“The Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon.”
(Judges 6:34)
Jephthah –
“Then the Spirit of the Lord was upon Jephthah.”
(Judges 11:29)
Samson –
“The Spirit of the Lord began to stir [Samson].”
(Judges 13:25)
But the Spirit comes upon David in a way that he didn’t for those judges –
“And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward.”
I Samuel 16:13
Not for a moment, not for one task, not temporarily. From now on, David will always have a special relationship with the Lord’s Spirit. If you are a Christian, the Spirit is your power and resource, every minute, every day till you meet him in person.
The Name David
Here in 1st Samuel 16 is the first time that the name “David” appears in the Bible. It will occur 988 more times. He is an important guy. Probably he will have a blessed and peaceful life, right? Hmmm, I’d better hold that thought.
The gift of God’s Spirit is not automatically the gift of an easy life. As the Spirit rushes upon David, that Spirit slings him (pardon the pun) into trouble after trouble. David, the man with God’s Spirit, will be hounded, sabotaged, exiled and commissioned for death in revolving doors of trap and escape right to the end of the Book of Samuel. The Spirit rushes in — the trouble starts.
Things Look Good at First
But first, it’s looks pretty good. Saul takes him into his house; Jonathan, Saul’s son, becomes his best friend.
“As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. And Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father’s house. Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt.”
(1st Samuel 18:1-4)
Jonathan, the Crown Prince
This is amazing. Jonathan is the crown prince; he is about thirty years older than David. By giving David the robe, a symbol of the Israelite kingdom, and this kingly battle gear, he is basically giving the throne to David.
He and David are both on hero tracks and we would expect them to be rivals: Jonathan has been doing what should have been his father’s job – smoking the Philistines (1 Sam 13:3; 14:1-46) and had been marked as the nation’s Savior. Can you imagine this in today’s political world, a prince, president or prime minister who voluntarily gives his power and status to someone, simply because he admired his character?
Deal Kindly
David says,
“Therefore deal kindly with your servant.”
1st Samuel 20:8
David calls himself Jonathan’s servant. David is a renowned warrior. David is a song on women’s lips. David is the man of the people. But he calls himself the servant of the royal son, Jonathan.
When the Spirit of God rushes upon David, it does not make him proud; he is humbled, like the Lord Jesus, who read this prophecy about himself and the Holy Spirit:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.
Luke 4:18-19
We can come to the Lord, poor, captive, blind and oppressed by sin, and Jesus can set us free. The Spirit of God that rushed upon David one day came to rest on Jesus as the heavenly Father said,
This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.
(Matthew 3:17)
Put your faith in him and you will have your sins forgiven and the Holy Spirit within you … forever.
How have the words, “do not fear” helped you? Contact us at HopeStreamRadio, or comment below.
Brian Stapley
Brian Stapley is the husband of Margaret and “Christian-proud” father of Tabitha, Ben, Jeremy and Joel. He has been director of the Boys JIM Club of America since 1981 and a “JIM Clubber” since 1958, the year he became a Christian. The mission statement of the JIM Club is, “Discipling boys to love Jesus deeply and express him vividly.”
He has been an educator since 1970, primarily as a high school English Teacher. (Don’t dangle your participles.) He has been in fellowship at Scottlea Gospel Chapel, St. Catharines, since 1976 and travels to preach about three dozen times a year, in Ontario and New York State. He is a ventriloquist, in company with Casey, Theodore, Dodo, Grumpa, and a menagerie of others. Also, a bit of a magician.
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The Parable of the Wicked Tenants
Why Did Jesus Say “I am the Bread of Life.”
Images Courtesy of:
Friends – ha11ok
David in Church – falco
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