Rev. Johnson V.
3rd July 2011

There are very few things that our Lord Jesus compared Himself to, when He walked on this earth. He compared Himself to the gate, to light, to the Great Shepherd and more. But in Mark 2:23-28, He compares Himself with what David did in 1 Samuel 21:1-10. In those verses, David ate bread that was not lawful for him to eat. Our Lord Jesus uses this incident to illustrate that He was Lord of the Sabbath.

The story of David is one that strengthens us – an imperfect man with a deep love for the perfect One. The people of Israel desired to have a king rule over them, just as their neighboring kingdoms did. Even though this was not in keeping with God’s will for them, He granted their desire and selected a man who looked like he was capable of wearing a crown – Saul. But through his own actions, Saul displeased God and was later rejected by Him. God then searched for someone who was after His own heart. God is still searching for one who will seek Him that way. D.L. Moody once said that ‘the world is yet to see what God can do with a man fully yielded to Him.’

God’s search led Him to a pastureland in the middle of nowhere, where David was. And God sent His trustworthy prophet to anoint the next king, a son of Jesse. Even today, God is sending His prophets to anoint and appoint those who are faithfully worshipping Him in the middle of their wilderness. So Samuel, the prophet, went to Jesse and asked to see his sons. As Jesse paraded them before Samuel, Samuel found them suitable but God had not selected any of them. Finally Jesse remembers David and calls for him to come and meet the prophet. Samuel meets a young, ruddy lad and senses God’s approval. God reminds Samuel that man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart. A confused prophet anoints an equally confused boy. And David returned to tending sheep in the wilderness.

A little later is when Bible records the incident with Goliath. David had his own way of dealing with it, not in the usual way with amour and sword, but with what God had trained him to use, a simple shepherd’s sling. God equips us differently, so that each of us can fulfill a specific calling in our lives. We are not mass produced beings, but uniquely created individuals. And God gave David much success, to the point that Saul became jealous. Saul thought that David had a similar spirit to his, which is why he sought to kill him sixteen times. And David had to run for his life.

And he ended up running for a very long time. Maybe some of us are like David, anointed and running.

Let us learn from him though. Rather than run to any other place, David ran to where the presence of God was, the Temple. This is the incident recorded in 1 Samuel 21:1-10. David was running away from Saul and ran to the Temple of God. David sought the help of Ahimelek, the priest, who gave his men and him, showbread to eat and a sword to fight the battle. All of David’s friends were anointed people. Your future depends on who you hang out with.

And then David did three things. Let us learn from them:-

• He asked for bread. The only bread that was around was the Shewbread. Ahimelek, trembled with fear and yet looked for a loophole to show compassion and not to condemn. God’s church is not His courtroom of judgement, but His garden of grace.
• He lied about his purpose. He said that he was out on the kings business. Frustration does not mean that your anointing has disappeared, it only reminds you that you are human.
• He asks for a sword. The only sword available in the temple was the sword of Goliath. David chooses a weapon that he previously rejected, when he defeated Goliath using nothing but a sling.

The House of God has bread that fills you and a sword to arm you, it has spiritual food for the soul and spiritual sword for warfare. Like David found strength in the temple, let us turn to God and find our Sabbath rest in Him. Let us not eat bread from the common things of the world, but let us desire to eat from His Holy Word. Let us draw strength, not from the carnal sword of the world, but from the Holy Spirit.