Today on the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. See, the people saw that David had a proven track record of leadership. Yes, he can defeat Goliath. Yes, he's a mighty warrior. but also a tender Shepherd.
Perhaps a rare combination in a man, but what a magnificent qualification. for a leader, a spiritual leader, and for a king. Welcome to the verdict. featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe. Throughout the centuries, there have been many fascinating rulers and kings.
some great and some terrible. And today on the verdict, we're looking at the legacy of Israel's greatest king, King David. And discussing how God used David's reign to accomplish His purposes in David's life and how He continues His work in our lives today.
So now, let's join Pastor John Monroe for today's lesson. As we near the conclusion of our series on David, I want us to think of David as a king. He was a warrior, he was a shepherd, he was an administrator, a husband, a father. but he was also the king of Israel. As well as being the sweet Samist of Israel, He was Israel's greatest king.
David comes from the kingly tribe of Judah. And as we've seen in this series, our Lord Jesus Christ is David's greater son. and he will rule over that kingdom which will never end. The question we're going to face is whether We're part of that kingdom.
So let's think of some of the background to David being king. As we look at 2 Samuel chapter 5 and think of the big picture of the life of David. For some important background, I ask you to open your Bibles. First of all, to Deuteronomy chapter. To think of some of the background of David the king because in the Mosaic law There was provision.
For a king. Deuteronomy, that's the fifth book. In the Old Testament, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. Uh the second reading of the law, it means Deuteronomy chapter 17. And I'm going to read from verse fourteen.
When you come to the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you possess it and dwell in it, and then say, notice this. I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me. you may indeed set a king over you, Notice the qualification: whom the Lord your God will choose. One from among your brothers. You shall set as king over you.
You may not put a foreigner over you who is not your brother. Only he must not acquire many horses for himself. Or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the Lord has said to you, You shall never return that way again. And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, that's the king. Lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold.
And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, Uh Listen to this. This is so important. He shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law Approved by the Levitical priests. And it shall be with him. and he shall read in it all the days of his life.
that he may learn To fear the Lord his God. By keeping all the words of this law and these statutes and doing them. We thought from Romans chapter 13 of the commandments. And people say, well, we're in the New Testament. Uh we don't need to be concerned about commandments, that's legalism.
Well our God hasn't changed. And surely his standards have not lowered. Here is the king. is told as he leads his people to fear the Lord. In what way is he going to fear the Lord?
By keeping all of the words of this law. at these statues and doing them. that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children in Israel.
So Moses anticipates a time, of course, he's inspired by the Lord here. When the nation is going to be in the promised land and they will have a king. The king, verse 15, is to be chosen by God. He's to be an Israelite. He's not to be a foreigner.
Do you remember at the end of Judges it says there was no king? In Israel in those days, and everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
So people need spiritual leaders. But this king, his trust is to be in God. He's to live in the fear of the Lord. His trust is not to be in his horses, not in his army. He's not to have many wives, he's not to be materialistic, as they would divert him from his responsibilities of leading his people.
And it was essential that he himself Write a copy of the law. The law is going to be given to him by the Levitical priests. And he's going to write it down. Not just write it, but he's going to read it all of the days of his life and to Keep it. And he's going to learn what it means to fear the Lord.
by keeping the law. of the Lord. And if you know anything about the history of Israel and Judah, What tremendous pain and trouble and disasters would have been avoided If their kings had obeyed The clear instruction in the law here in Deuteronomy chapter 17. Can I say That you and I will never mature. as authentic followers of Jesus.
without knowing and humbly obeying. This book. How are we going to experience God's blessing on our lives? Through reading. and knowing and obeying the word of God.
And can I say to those of us who are in leadership, to my fellow elders and deacons and pastors, and those of you who teach live groups and lead Bible studies, how important it is. that leaders Are biblically qualified.
So, in the New Testament, we're not surprised that the qualification for the elder, for the pastor, are clearly laid out. Being a leader of the Lord's people is a tremendous privilege, but it's also a very, very weighty responsibility. Why does the king have to come from the people? He's to know the people. Not chosen by them primarily, but chosen by God.
Not to be self-reliant, not depending on his materialism, his silver or gold or his horses, not longing to go back to Egypt, to paganism, but to be a humble individual, knowing and obeying the word of God, and to live in the fear. of the Lord. That's one thing we've lost today, isn't it? The fear. of the Lord.
Previous generations, two generations ago, even unbelievers knew something about the fear. Of the Lord. My mother used to say in the small village she lived all of her life, even the unbelievers had a respect for God, had a respect for the Word of God, even though they weren't saved by His grace. But now it seems, even those who profess the name of the Lord, We've lost. This concept of living in the fear of the Lord.
Proverbs says that's the beginning. of wisdom.
So there's the background to The kingship in Israel.
Now turn over. In your Bibles, to 1 Samuel. Chapter eight. Who is Israel's first king? Answer.
So First Samuel. Chapter Eight. Samuel is a wonderful leader. He's now old. And the people come to him before he dies and says, well, We want a king to judge us.
Samuel then warns them of what will happen if they choose a king, but they insist on a king. First Samuel. 8 verse 19. But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, no.
But there shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations. And that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles. They want a king who's a kind of hero. They want to be like the nations. They want to be like the tribes.
They have their king, and they feel we also need a king. And they are and they choose Saul. Saul's a very handsome man. He's very tall. He's head and shoulders above the rest of the Israelites, and he's appointed as the first king of Israel.
Now, he's not wrong. For Israel to want a king. We saw that in Deuteronomy chapter 17. But the timing wasn't right. And there was the Lord who should have told them when to have a king.
And as we know, Saul was a very, very bad king. Aman. Who acted according to the flesh, a man whose trust was not in the Lord. If you look at Over to chapter 13. of first Samuel Thirteen?
He's at Gilgal. And He knows what he should do. regarding sacrifices. And it says that he forced himself And offered a burnt offering, verse 12. That's not very good, is it, for a king?
That would be like someone who you gave your offering this morning or this evening. If you said, well, I forced myself. to give an offering? Verse 13, 1 Samuel 13, 13. And Samuel said to Saul, You've done foolishly.
You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. That's Deuteronomy chapter 17. Saul, you should know the commandments of the Lord. You're the king.
The priest would have given you the law to write down. and you have breached the commandments. Verse 14, but now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart. And the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people.
Reference to David. Because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you. Do you you see the importance of obedience? Would you say you're an obedient father. Oh, Jesus.
If you're a parent. You want your children. Two. Learn obedience. That gives you great joy, doesn't it?
One of the things which gives joy to her father. It's when we obey His word.
So Saul sins here, but Saul also sins in the matter of the Amalekites. and King Agag. If you look at 1 Samuel chapter 15. You remember Samuel tells Saul very particularly, that he is not to spare any of the Amalekites. He's to kill them all, including their animals.
But again, Saul is disobedient. He's not submissive. He's proud. He thinks his own way is better. 1 Samuel 15 verse.
Uh nine. But you kept the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fatted calves and the lambs and all that was good and would not utterly destroy them. And When Saul is challenged by Samuel as to why he did not obey the word of the Lord, he admits that he hadn't killed the king Agag. and he blamed the people for taking the best of their animals. And says, well, I kept the best because I'm going to offer them to the Lord.
That sounds so spiritual, doesn't it? And Samuel has to give him this brilliant reply in verse. 22 of 1 Samuel 15: To obey is better than sacrifice. And to listen than the fat of rams. Oh, it's wonderful.
To bring a sacrifice to the Lord. It's wonderful. To serve the Lord. But what the Lord wants, number one, Is that we are obedient. He wants that of the king, and he wants that of you and me, that we will be.
Totally obedient. to the Lord. And Saul as king should have modeled that. He should have been modeling to the people. The importance of obeying the law of God.
And note what happens in verse 26 of 1 Samuel 15. And Samuel said to Saul, I will not return with you. For you have rejected the word of the Lord. And the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel. He rejects the law.
God rejects him. Essential to a godly king is knowing the law Reading the law, delighting in the law, and obeying the law. And so Saul is set aside. And on to the scene comes this unlikely character. called David, the appointment of David as king.
David was a very unlikely choice as king. 1 Samuel 16. Verse 1, the Lord said to Samuel, how long will you grieve over Saul? since I've rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and go.
I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehem, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons. With Saul, the initiative seems to come from the people. Here, the initiative comes. From God. God has already chosen who's going to be king.
And he says, I want you to go to Bethlehem. And I have provided from Jesse, the man of Bethlehem, a king among his sons.
Now Jesse's father was Obed. Obad's father was Boaz, who was married to Ruth, you will recall.
So David had a Moabite as Ruth as his great-grandmother. And do you know the story? Seven of the sons come before Samuel. But the Lord didn't choose any of them. Samuel is told verse 7 The Lord sees not as a man sees.
Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the outward appearance. The heart.
So the sons come one after another after another And Samuel says, no, it's not him, it's not him, it's not him. And the Lord was reminding you, Samuel, don't be impressed by their appearance or their physique. They're very nice-looking, strong men, but don't choose them on their outward appearance. But it is God who searches the heart, and God is going to appoint a man who's a man after his own. Heart.
And Samuel then says to Jesse, well Is this all you have? And he says, well, no, th the youngest is out. Uh keeping sheep. And David is brought in. And Samuel realizes this.
is the Lord's Anointed. And he anoints him with oil in the midst of his brothers. Verse thirteen of first Samuel sixteen, verse Thirteen. Then Samuel Can you think of this in the little town of Bethlehem. Imagine what his brothers thought.
As the youngest Is now anointed by the godly Samuel, this old man who's soon to die. Samuel takes the horn of oil. and anoints him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that time forward. And Samuel rose up.
and went to Ramah. Verse 14.
Now the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul. and an evil spirit from the Lord. tormented Him. And so David is The Lord's choice. and is chosen.
as the next king. of Israel. And David Very quickly in the story, we don't know the exact Uh Years, but Very quickly it would appear from the text. that David demonstrates that the Lord's hand is on him. The Philistines are at war against the Israelites, and they have this amazing champion, this huge giant called Goliath.
who's a very impressive individual. And he's defying the armies of God. He wants to take them on, and no one, not one of the Israelites. is prepared to go Head to head with Goliath.
Now who should have been doing that?
So He's bigger than anyone else for a start. And the king, we're told, is the one who should lead the people into war. Saul himself should have stepped forward, but he's afraid. And so this young man David. Steps forward.
And comes against Goliath, and that wonderful story in 1 Samuel 17: in the name of the Lord. of hosts. No wonder he's a man after God's own heart. He's a man, a young man who knows God. Verses 45 and 46 of 1 Samuel 17, David is confident that this day, The Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head.
There's going to be no doubt that you're going to be killed. Glive? How can he speak with such confidence and trust while the Spirit of the Lord is upon him? And he realizes that his strength is not in himself. This shepherd boy, but his strength is in the Lord.
And so he comes. Verses 46 and 47. He doesn't come in self-reliance, he comes in humility, and he knows. That the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hand.
Or David is a humble man, unlike Saul. A man after God's own heart, a man who obeys the word of God, a man who is sensitive to the spirit. And so Victory is given. to the people of God. And David then becomes well known obviously.
And much to the chagrin of Saul, It is clear that David, this young man, is a better warrior. And then Saul himself. And when Saul realizes that the Lord is with David and not with him, he's afraid of David. He's bitter against David. He's angry against David and he tries to kill him.
And for many, many years, David is hunted as an animal in the wilderness. We thought of the interaction between Saul and David some time ago. And many of the Psalms. According to the superscription of the Psalms, as written when David is being hunted as an animal in the wilderness. And even when Saul is given into the hands of David, and when David and his men could have killed Saul so easily, he refuses to kill Saul as he realizes that the time of his appointment as king is not yet at that moment.
He waits. On the Lord. Psalm 37, verse 34. Wait for the Lord. You ever Get a little impatient.
About God's timing. You think God isn't acting fast enough? You want to do something, you've planned something. You're impatient. Why doesn't God Use you in this situation?
Why doesn't God bring someone into your life? Why doesn't God act in a certain way? We've all been there, haven't we? Listen to David. Psalm 37, 34, wait for the Lord and keep his way and he will exalt you to inherit the land.
You will look on. When the wicked are cut off, That's what David says. And David experienced that. David is not a man. of the flesh.
David is not a man of carnal lust normally. He's a man who waits. on the Lord, who is patient. who realizes that the Lord's timing Is perfect. As he himself writes in one of the Psalms, as for God, his way.
It's perfect. And so here is David anointed king, but for many years rejected. Rejected as king. And it reminds us, doesn't it, of the rejection of our Lord Jesus Christ. John 1.
Reminds us that he came unto his own. And his own received him not. Hebrews 13, verse 12.
So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Blood. Anointed the Messiah. But rejected. By his people.
And those of us who follow Jesus, We'll know something. of rejection.
Some of you know what it is to be rejected by your own family because you're following Jesus.
Some of you know what it is to be rejected by friends. people you thought were your friends, but as you have given your life to Christ, They isolate you. Perhaps Colleagues at work.
Now that you're working ethically. You're working honestly. There is often a rejection, isn't there? Don't be surprised. In a sense, be glad of it because it means that you're making an impact, and David knew what it was.
anointed by God to be rejected. But then finally in God's timing He becomes king. This is the verdict with Pastor John Monroe and part one of a message titled David the King. If you want to revisit any of today's lesson or find more from our current series on the life of David, Just visit our website at the verdict.org. While you're there, we also encourage you to get your free copy of the printable listening guide that goes along with the study.
Full of keynotes, thoughtful questions, and practical applications for daily life. This handy resource is a tool you'll want to use as we go deeper in our study. And you can download your free copy of the Life of David Listening Guide today. by going online to the verdict.org. Don't forget to sign up for John's monthly email updates while you're online.
It's a simple way to stay connected with what's happening here at The Verdict and receive John's personal reflections on ministry and life. And here's something you'll want to know about. The Verdict Podcast also includes John's distinctive avizandam segments each Tuesday. In these episodes, John applies biblical wisdom to contemporary issues, taking the time for careful reflection that the Scottish legal term Avizandam represents. It's quickly become a highlight for many of our regular listeners.
And if you find yourself in Charlotte, North Carolina, we'd love to have you join us for Sunday worship at Calvary Church and hear the same strong biblical preaching. Our congregation shares the same love for God's word that brings you to the verdict. and we'd love to connect with you in person. Visit theverdict.org for all the details about our services and location.
Now, here's Pastor John Monroe.
Well, what's your verdict? Americans find the concept of kingship difficult. After all, the United States is a republic. But I think we can understand that King Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth. And the question you must face is whether you have voluntarily bowed to this king.
If you don't do it voluntarily now, There will be a time in the future when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Bo to that Lordship today. Bow to that Lordship now. and receive the Lord Jesus as your Savior. Thanks for joining us today on The Verdict.
I'm Michelle Davies. Today's program with Pastor John Monroe was produced and sponsored by Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
