David!... Part Three

I have this friend that I was all inspirational with (forming motivational speaker) #lol, and he started laughing profusely, okay... my initial thoughts were maybe He is trying to hold the tears back (as per what I'm saying  got to him,  lol!, I think so highly of myself sometimes)(but on a second thought though, I actually do laugh uncontrollably when I try to fight the tears), then he was like “Ko! It’s like you jotted down a list of things you tell yourself to make yourself feel good (lol, so rude), well! The truth is I actually come up with new things I tell myself daily to feel good (or rather say, “I intentionally make GOD’s voice the loudest in my life; you can too! Just reaffirm yourself daily with psalm 139 and shut the voice of the enemy) because whether I feel good or not, I cannot make God rush and nothing I do will make HIM rush because God is not in the business of translation but transformation.
Being translated is “I’m here, all of a sudden I am there", we just want to skip the process. But when we’re transformed, God arranges circumstances that force us to trust Him and be dependent on Him, and there’s a brokenness that has to take place in our lives. Only God knows how to gracefully break us; He breaks our pride, He breaks our stubbornness. 
So, I can only do as much as I can and wait on the LORD joyfully (Proverb 16:9; In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.) because even if I decide to be miserable it won’t change a thing so I’d rather feel good while I wait.
I also have another friend that would always say; “Na condition make crayfish bend” (if you know, you know*winks*). 
Oh yea! Least I forget I have another friend that whenever he feels I am fronting and not being sincere; he would always say “kuku! Say it four times” whenever he says that I just sigh and start blabbing the truth (I guess four times is my limit) and finally (or maybe not) that friend that always comment on my post “anonymously” just to boost my confidence (I see you and I love you).

Lol, this actually has nothing to do with this post; I just feel blessed having them in my life; they care and love me in the strangest ways and I cannot imagine my life without all these amazing people in it. (this appreciation should be at the bottom of the post but I know they will be too lazy to go through the post; so this is a way of guilt tripping them).

Oh yea! David my nigga...

DAVID HUMBLED HIMSELF BEFORE GOD.

2 Samuel 6:23
As the ark of the LORD was entering the city of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw king David leaping and dancing before the LORD, She despised him in her heart  ... When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, “How the king has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!” David said to Michal, “it was before the LORD, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when He appointed me ruler over the LORD’S people Israel. I will celebrate before the LORD. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be in honor.” And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.

I’m stunned!!! I am shaking at all the promises of God to David because of David’s love and fear of God (he even wanted to build a house for God; but God told him not to that his son who He’ll give rest to will build the house for HIM). The whole of chapter 7 elaborated all the jaw dropping promises of God even to David’s descendants. (You should really read 2 Samuel  7:1-29)

King David stored up silvers and gold and other valuable items gotten from the nations he had subdued and those he got from trades, and dedicated those articles to the LORD to be kept for the alter of God when built (2 Samuel 8:11)

The LORD gave David victory wherever he went. David reigned over all Israel, doing what was right and just for all his people.  (2 Samuel 14-15)

DAVID WAS A MAN OF INTEGRITY; HE WASN’T SELFISH

2 Samuel 9:1-13
David asked ‘Is there anyone still left in the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?  So Saul’s servant called Ziba was summoned to answer the question, then he told them about Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth who is crippled on both feet. So David had Mephibosheth brought to him. Then David told him not to be afraid that he (David) will surely show kindness for the sake of his father Jonathan; that he (David) will restore to him all the land that belonged to his grandfather Saul and he will always eat of his (David) table. Then David summoned Ziba and instructed him to always serve Mephiboseth. Mephiboseth lived in Jerusalem because he always ate at the king’s table with his son Mica.

2 Samuel 10:1-7
In the course of time, the king of the Ammonites died and his son Hanun succeeded him as king. David thought; “I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me”. So David sent delegate to express his sympathy.... (although it didn’t end well due to Hanun’s insecurities and wicked council) but David’s initial intent was just amazing.

DAVID TOOK RESPONSIBILITIES FOR HIS SINS

2 Samuel 12:1-31
So we all know the story of how David sinned against God by committing adultery and eventually killing Uriah to clear his track. Well God was really infuriated, and then He sent Nathan to David to remind him of his sins and communicate all the dreadful things He will do to David and his household. Well unlike Saul that never took responsibility for his sins but rather blamed his soldiers, the bible recorded that David was remorseful and confessed his sins and asked for forgiveness; God forgave him (like He forgives everyone of us) and assured David that he won’t die (one of the reasons I believe that we can change God’s mind about us through prayer) but the son born to David by Bathsheba will die. Well David prayed (pleaded), fasted and penanced but to no avail. When the child finally died, David dressed up, worshipped God and went to his house and was properly fed. When asked by his servant “why are you acting this way? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept, but now that the child is dead, you get up and eat!” David answered, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, ‘Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me and let the child live.’ But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.” Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba and he went to her and lay with her. She gave birth to a son, and they named him Solomon. The LORD loved him...

DAVID WAS A HUMBLE MAN AND HE WASN'T VENGEFUL

2 Samuel 5-13
When David’s first son Absalom tried to kill David to over thrown him, David fled; as he approached Bahurim, a man from the same clan as Saul’s family came out from there. His name was Shimei son of Gera, and he cursed as he came out. He pelted David and all the king’s officials with stones, though all the troops and the special guard were on David’s right and left. As he cursed, Shimei said, “Get out, get out, you man of blood, you scoundrel! The LORD has repaid you for all the blood you shed in the household of Saul, in whose place you have reigned. The LORD has handed the kingdom over to your son Absalom. You have come to ruin because you are a man of blood!. But the king said, “What do you and I have in common, you son of Zeruiah? IF HE IS CURSING BECAUSE THE LORD SAID TO HIM, ‘CURSE DAVID; WHO CAN ASK, ‘WHY DO YOU DO THIS?” David then said to Abishai and all his officials, “My son, who is of my own flesh, is trying to take my life. How much more, then, this Benjamite! Leave him alone; let him curse, for the LORD has told him to. IT MAY BE THAT THE LORD WILL SEE MY DISTRESS AND REPAY ME WITH GOOD FOR THE CURSING I AM RECEIVING TODAY.” So David and his men continued along the road while Shimei was going along the hillside opposite him, cursing as he went and throwing stones at him and showering him with dirt.

DAVID WAS A MERCIFUL KING

2 Samuel 19:18-23
When David was finally vindicated by God, as he returned to the city of David, Shimei son of Gera crossed the Jordan, he fell prostrate before the king and said to him, “May my lord not hold me guilty. Do not remember how your servant did wrong on the day my lord the king left Jerusalem. May the king put it out of his mind. For I your servant know that I have sinned, but today I have come here as the first of the whole house of Joseph to come down and meet my lord the king.” Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said, “Shouldnt Shimei be put to death for this? He cursed the LORD’S anointed.” David replied, “what do you and I have in common, you sons of Zeruiah? This day you have become my adversaries! Should anyone be put to death in Israel today? Do I not know that today I am king over Israel?” So the king said to Shimei, “You shall not die. “And the king promised him on an oath.

The end...

God shapes our experiences to suit our lives

I once discussed this topic with a friend sometime last year; and he said something about God using our experiences to shape who we become.  According to him, David was a shepherd boy; In( 1 Samuel 17:33), when David told Saul he wanted to fight Goliath , Saul was skeptical because he was just a boy but David replied “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock,I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me , I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both lion and bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he defiled the armies of the living God.
So apparently David didn’t miraculously overnight learn how to sling a stone at his target. Basically, God trains us, every thing we go through prepares us for the next level.
Just like a game, each level unlocks as you win each stage.

Also isn’t it amazing how God plans these things, literally no one can fathom God and no one has the answer (we just keep trying).
1 Samuel 16:14-17 elaborated how the Spirit of God departed Saul and evil spirit tormented him to the extent of his servant scouting for someone who plays harp so as to soothe Saul (guess who they employed David!! So David learning how to play harps was for this day and David won't have gotten Saul's attention if Saul didn't know him,  so this was basically a way for David to enter their lives) Wooow! this GOD!!!

Okay, finally  David waited for 17 years to be king after he was anointed by Samuel; God knew he wasn’t ready so He trained him during the period he ran from Saul (the process). Everybody goes through a process and we should celebrate our little victories . the Bible says "Do not despise these small beginnings"

It's still your girl "Kosisochi"!!!