Faithfulness (a study of David's life)

God’s Faithfulness is one thing in the bible that is never disputed. David is found declaring this in psalm 57:10 (NIV): “your faithfulness reaches to the sky”, meaning that God’s faithfulness will never end. He declares this faithfulness over and over in each psalm that he writes. What evidence did David’s life have that made him feel so strongly about this fact? While looking at the root of “Faithfulness” you will find the word “Faith.” Faith translated In Greek is πιστι, pronounced “pi’stis” and in Hebrew אֵמוּן, pronounced “'emuwn” (Strong’s Concordance). In the dictionary, Faith is defined: “Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence.” Jesus says that “faith as small as a mustard seed will move mountains” (Mt 17:20 NIV). But how can you move mountains when that little mustard seed is a little defective; in other words what happens when your faith is shaky and weak? Is it still possible to move that mountain in the distance? A better question is: how do you grow your mustard seed strong enough to move that mountain?

On the day that Samuel the prophet was sent to Israel to anoint a new king, it was great news for David, a shepherd boy and the youngest of his brothers. To anoint someone is to make a covenant (בְּרִית [bĕriyth]) with that person or in other words make a binding promise (Strong’s concordance). As history states it is always the oldest to inherit a father’s lands or be next in line to rule a kingdom. Yet, David is granted an incredible honor, anointed king and given the gift of God’s presence and power; “… from that day on the spirit of the lord came upon David in power.” (1Sam 16:13 NIV) Little did David know that he would have to endure extreme hardships.

David was a loyal servant in King Saul’s court and Army for many years and he befriended Saul’s son, Jonathan in such a way that they considered each other brothers; “Jonathan became one in spirit with David and loved him as himself” (1sam 18:1). Despite his fervent loyalty, from the first attempt to end David’s life until Saul’s death, David was on the run. Because of the sin in Saul’s life (jealousy, Murder, and witchcraft [consulting a witch to bring Samuel from the dead (1sam 28)]) God chose to harden Saul’s heart, and put an evil spirit on him. Even after King Saul’s death, David struggled to obtain his inheritance; the very thing that God promised over his life was at steak. Somehow through all of this David’s faith never wavered.

James, the Older of Jesus’ younger brothers, is firm in saying “…for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven by the wind and tossed” (James 1: 6 KJV). This confirms that without faith it is not possible to move mountains, Mountains being figurative language for circumstances that you face. There is no real formula for fully having faith in God. I think that the reason why David had such a strong faith was because God is faithful. While David was on the run from Saul, God provided him with shelter, food, and God paved a way for David to receive his inheritance. In Order for him to receive this inheritance it required a few things.

The first thing that needed to happen is he needed to see that God would provide in even the most difficult situations. In many psalms David is seen hopeless and desperate to see God come through and in exactly 2 psalms back to back, David is seen to even lament the day of the his birth. David needed to see that God is really the one who needs to rule over Israel. The second thing that needed to happen was the death of both Saul and Jonathan, without this it would be impossible for David to take up the throne. As I said before to take up the throne he would have needed to be a relative to Saul, which David wasn’t. Despite this, God remained faithful to his covenant with David and after learning what he needed to he finally gained his inheritance.

In each psalm David is found declaring the faithfulness of God. Could this have been because he needed to reassure himself that God is in control? I find this true in my own life I always have to reassure my self on a daily basis that there is a reason for everything I go through and that all will turn out for my good because I love God. Paul says in Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him...” The brain is a spectacular creation. Psychologists agree that the more someone repeats words the easier they are going to remember. Perhaps the more that I repeat to myself that God is faithful; I’ll start to have a strong belief that this is true.

I noticed that in David’s life, he always said “yes” to God even though he knew that this would be costly. Because of David’s yes’s he was given the chance to grow his faith even more. Jesus says “who ever finds his life will lose it, but who ever loses his life for my sake will find it,” This says a lot about sacrificing your desires getting a reward for it. Maybe that reward is gaining your inheritance?