The Blessings of "God With Us" from the Life of David

From the Life of David

Pr. Asap Singh

Psalm 46: 7, 11 "The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress”

The Psalmist understood the value of God's Protection and His presence in the life of the Believers. There is no need of any fear when God is our refuge; especially the indwelling presence of the LORD. Today we fear of many things, children fear of darkness, evil stories, ghosts etc. But the Devil, who troubles the people fear of the people of God/the indwelling presence of the Lord. (1 Jn. 4:4). The Lord of hosts with us, said in KJV

Psalm 46, a song of praise, was written by the Sons of Korah who were assistants in the Temple. It might have been composed as a celebration of God's deliverance, possibly when Jerusalem was invaded by the Assyrian army (2 King. 13:13-19:37 or 2 Ch. 32). The ideas conveyed show that humans have always lived in fear of a great destruction that would signify the end of the world. However, the Psalmist's words speak as clearly to us today as to the ancient Israelites. Those who place their trust in God need not fear of anything. God will protect and save us. Before God's greatness, we stand in reverence and awe, offering our praise with worship. 

As we see Joseph and the rested presence of God in him in earlier. Because of the presence of God he was prosperous, he was successful and he got favor in the sight of men. As for now we are going to see the key personality of the OT, King David. What happened in the Life of David because of the presence of God? The comfort of God's people is that, even though they may be least in their society, community nation but the specialty is God is with them,

An ordinary shepherd boy David, would never imagine that he would be in the palace of the King as such of Joseph in the patriarchs, God lifts us up from the dust and makes us to sit with the kings. We are going to see the power of God's presence in the life of David, which made ordinary shepherd boy into the king for the people of God. Read... I Sam.18:12, 14, 28-29 and 2 Sam 5:10. In all these verses we repeatedly see "the Lord was with David...." The second part of the verse says what the benefits are the blessings the presence of the Lord brought in the life of David.

1. IT BRINGS FEAR TO THE ENEMIES (V.12, 13 cf. 28-29)

V.12 says, "Now Saul was afraid of David, for the LORD was with him but had departed from Saul" when the Lord is with us we don't need to fear of the enemies if the presence of the Lord is not with us we must fear of everything.

Vv 28-29 again says, "When Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David, and that Michal, Saul's daughter, loved him, then Saul was even more afraid of David. Thus Saul was David's enemy continually."

Look at the small group of Israelites in the huge land Egypt, what made Pharaoh to hate the people of God and to treat them as enemies? The Lord was with the People of God but not with the Egyptians. Look at the declaration of the Lord, “‘But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the Lord, am in this land. ²³ I will make a distinction between my people and your people. This sign will occur tomorrow.’” (Exodus 8:22-23). There was plague upon Egyptians but not upon the Israelites. Pharaoh afraid of the people of God, it’s because of the presence of the Lord with Israelites.

There is a comfort and hope for the people of God, the enemy who is against you may be a great in the eyes of the world but God put fear on them, they may try to persecute you of their level best but the conqueror is with you. David might be thinking of the power of a King or the hand of the king against him but David did not have fear over Saul but Saul had fear over David.In Romans 8:31, "If God is for us, who is against us?" We are not in the side of timidity but on the side of conquest. The ruler of the world looks at you and fear you, not because of your appearance but the Lord who is with you.

In 1991, when my father started ministry in a place called Jakkampatti, an old woman came to pray for her infirmities. My father prayed and gave prayed oil to apply on it, she got cured. She removed her magic ropes in the church itself, which was thrown in a well. Exactly after a week, she came back with panic and said “Pastor I don’t want this prayed oil kept in my home” My dad asked what was happened since she got healed what made her to return the prayed oil. She expressed a dream that she got in that night where her old Hindu god, the demon standing on her door and not willing to enter into her home. She asked that god's hesitation to enter into her house. The demon answered, as long as the prayed oil kept in the house he cannot enter into the home. The reply made her sad and returned the oil the next day... my father was sorrow of her towards that. She said, “Even I am willing to go to the hell but return the magical rope to me - I don’t need the prayed oil anymore"

It shows that even demon afraid of prayed oil, not able to enter in to the house of that lady. If God is with us how much more we are protected and how much the demon have fear on us. The presence of the Lord gives fear to your enemy, whoever it may be. You may have many Sauls in your daily life but God put fear in them concerning you. This is the reason amidst of great political power and strength Christians often persecuted, even though they are minority and in defensive.

2. IT GIVES WISDOM (Vv. 14-15)

I Sam. 18:14-15 says, "And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways and the LORD was with him. Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him."

We see here, David behaved himself WISELY... The Lord is the one who gives wisdom to the fools, if God is with us we will be no longer counted as fools. May be in the point of world, Christian philosophy seems not sound enough. But the Lord chooses the foolish and makes them wise. David could be hardly 19 not aged enough to be a part of the army (age 20). It would be scornful for a man like him acting wisely, that too before a king. God's choice is always weak and rejected one to shame the strong and wise, I Cor. 1: 27 says, "But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong.”

Daniel and his friends were counted as captives in a foreign land, but God’s presence made them wise among the wise men. Daniel 1:17-20 says, "As for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and intelligence every branch of literature and wisdom; Daniel even understood all kinds of visions and dreams. Then at the end of the days which the king had specified for presenting them, the commander of the officials presented them before Nebuchadnezzar. The king talked with them, and out of them all not one was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, so they entered the king's personal service. As for every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and conjurers who were in his entire realm”.

 

It is the proof that God's presence will make people WISE. The Presence of the Lord gives wisdom and understanding to act wisely in any situation. The book of proverbs repeatedly declares that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (1.7). There can be millions of examples given how God makes a foolish person wise. The example of my past life shows God uses the foolish and makes them wise.

3. IT MAKES YOU GREATER (2 Sam 5:10 cf. 1 Ch. 11:9)

As we see in 2 Samuel 5.10, "David became greater and greater, for the LORD God of hosts was with him.” It is obvious that when great God is with us, we will be great too. David was king for only two tribes so far (up to 2 Sam. 4); but in this chapter the Lord exalted him to be the king over entire Israel.

Everyone wanted to be great in their lifetime; none want to be a useless person. The presence of the Lord makes ordinary man into extraordinary: weak into great; local into universal; powerless into powerful. David had a humiliated beginning, but great end it's all because of the presence of the Lord.

Jacob started his journey as a single man with lots of fears; but when he returned from his uncle he had two troops of wealth. The Lord promised him on Gen. 28: 15 that, Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will you back to this land for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." As a result of His presence in Jacob we see him later in 32: 10, "I am unworthy of all the loving-kindness and of all the faithfulness which you have chosen to your servant; for with my staff only I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two companies.”

David similarly became great because of the presence of the Lord in him, you are not an ordinary person and we should confess everyday in faith "I am Great, because God is with me.” I Sam. 2:8 says, He rises the poor from the dust, He lifts the needy from the ash heap To make them sit with nobles, And inherit a seat of honor…”

CONCLUSION:

When God is with us (Ps. 46: 7, 11), the following blessings will be evident in our lives,

• The Presence of God in you will give fear to your enemies.
• The Presence of God will give wisdom in all situations.
• The Presence of God will make you Greater.

Amen.