IN THE MEANTIME

“Then the men of Judah came to Hebron and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah.”
II Samuel 2:4a

Last week I wrote concerning what God had been showing me concerning a moving from point A to point B. I shared how we receive our destiny at point A, and find the end result of the destiny at point B, but then questioned how we are to get from point A to point B. What are we to do in the meantime from when God gives us our destiny till the time God allows us to walk in this destiny? While we looked at the word service, I want to look again at a few additional factors God has shown me in the life of David.
In I Samuel 16:11-13 David is anointed as the next king. However, it is not until after 17 chapters have passed that we arrive in II Samuel 2:4, where David finally steps into his destined position. Looking within those 17 chapters, God has shown me five lessons, the first being a lesson in service. We find in I Samuel 16:14-23 that David is invited to play music for Saul, who recently had the spirit taken from him when he disobeyed, and is now being tormented by an evil spirit. David played his music and the spirit left Saul. It is for this that we read in verse 21, David entered into Saul’s service. David played music, but also became an armor-bearer for Saul. In I Samuel 17, though, we read that David’s defeat of Goliath also brought him into the military service of Saul as he joined in Israel’s army, taking the lives of many Philistines.
A second lesson I believe David learned in these 17 chapters has to do with the allowing of his self to be trained. With the spirit tormenting Saul, he became unstable and threw his spear at David, forcing David to flee for his safety. However, as David fled, Saul followed. In Psalm 18, we read within the intro of the LORD delivering David from Saul’s hand. And in verse 34 of this Psalm we read that God trained David’s hands for war. David allowed himself in these years to be trained. I believe that this training wasn’t only for physical combat, but for spiritual combat as well. In our time of moving from point A to point B, we to need to understand that both our bodies and our spirits need to be trained in order to be a complete warrior.
Following Goliath’s defeat by David, a friendship was entered into by Jonathan and David, and this is the third lesson. Who are we hanging around? David allowed himself to enter into a friendship with like-minded people. From Jonathan, to the men that fought alongside David, all were like-minded and shared in a covenant. All were in one accord, and lifted David up when the enemy tried to bring him down. Knowing this lesson the hard way, it is easier to move to point B when your friends are supporting your destiny.
Forth, David learned to fight off pride. After David’s victory a chant was heard, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands (I Sam 18:7).” David had every reason to allow pride to sneak in, yet he brushed it off. He had every reason to get big headed, yet he forbade the option. God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. God is looking for those He can move forward who will not become big-headed. In fact I will go so far as to say that pride will only delay our end result.
The last lesson I see within these 17 chapters is this, David learned not to usurp authority. Once anointed as a child he could have taken over, yet he allowed God to promote him in His time. On two occasions David had the opportunity to take Saul out. His men even cheered him on in doing so. Yet David did not. And in I Samuel 24, after cutting off the corner of Saul’s robe, David even admitted to feeling guilty for his actions. It would have been easy to promote his self and usurp Saul, but I question if God’s spirit would have rested on David much longer.
Once God has given us a destiny it can be hard to wait for it to pass. Trust me, I know this one first hand. But it is in this time of waiting that God sharpens us and prepares us for our destiny. It is just like in building a model car. I can glue a few pieces together and it may be okay, but how much better will it look with the wheels attached, the pieces painted, and the decals added. God is wanting the same for us, to train us in these moments now so that when His timing comes and our destiny can be walked out, that we are ready. You will get from point A to point B, but it needs to be in His timing and after His lessons have been learned.