genesis of davidic generation

7/29/2019 Genesis of Davidic Generation

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Genesis of the Davidic generation

God favours the underdog : The early life of David

The era of the Judges of Israel was almost over. Samuel provided

spiritual guidance to Israel for a long time since he was born in 1105BC.

Samson had met with a tragic but heroic end and the Israelites did what

was right in their own eyes. Soon after the death of Samson, Saul was

anointed as king. God's original plan was a theocracy and not a

monarchy ruled by a king. God let the people of Israel have their way

since they wanted a king. As a king, Saul was insecure in his position.

Because of his presumption, his sins disqualified him as a king. God

rejected him.

Here enters David: he was the last of the sons of Jesse. He was a

sheep-keeper. It was not the noblest of professions in Israel; in fact it

was one of the lowliest occupation in Israel. Nobody expected the next

king to come from the house of Jesse, and certainly not the youngest

son who kept the sheep company. David was an underdog. Moreover,

David descended from Judah, and he was not from a priestly family.

What was it that God saw in David?

I believe God saw a pure and simple heart in David. In the wilderness

where David kept sheep, David played harp music unto God. In the

wilderness, he could hear God speaking to him. It was possibly a still

and small voice that had spoken to David. David pursued the presence

of God in the wilderness. He had read the Torah; he meditated on the

Torah. He peered into the Law; he could understand spiritually what

many priests of his times could not understand : the heart of God. He

delighted in the Law. He internalised the Law of Moses. Added to that

was his bravery: he killed beasts that attacked his sheep. These were

qualities that made God choose David, despite his youth. David had

integrity of heart, singleness of mind and heart and he practised God's

presence in the wilderness.


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David was not from a priestly family. He was not a Levite. Yet he

understood worship, prayer and meditation well. Anyone with a heart of

approaching God, God will not cast him off. God could bless a non-

Levite with an extraordinary understanding of worship.

There is something special about the wilderness. God's voice could be

heard audibly if one strains to listen to His voice in the desert. God's

presence followed David in the wilderness. David also learned

obedience from the sheep he tended. He was the faithful shepherd.

Perhaps, Jesus, about 900 years later, drew his sermons based on

David, the faithful shepherd and psalmist.

I speculate that David danced to God in his years as a shepherd. Moses

may not have danced to God. The great Judges may not have danced to

God. David transcended the Old Testament and saw the heartbeat of

God. He communed with Him, so much so that his worship was heartfelt

worship, a wild abandonment and total surrender. He danced and

swirled. He played the harp. He read the Torah. He played with the

sheep. He bowed, yadah, and surrendered in adoration. He was the

forerunner as a mighty worshipper. His worship serves as a blueprint for

modern day Pentecostals. Not many people worshipped the way as in

David's days.

David pursued the presence of God. God was pleased with him and He

was delighted to anoint him as king. God's presence surrounded David.

In later years when David was king, after being chastised by Saul and

pursued by Saul for umpteen years, his trials were over. He officially

became king after the death of Saul. Later, he sacrificed to God and

danced in the presence of God. David always yearned for the presence

of God. He may have prayed : "God, manifest yourself. I want to see

you." He had such an intimacy with God. He always consulted with God

before going into warfare.

Such was the greatness of King David. He had many talents and a heart

for the people, and he was tempered and restrained by humility through

his trials. He adored the presence of God more than the praises of men.


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The psalms that he left and his chronicles have served as a blueprint for

Christians in the New Testament. David could out-worship many New

Testament Christians at any time. He left a good legacy for Solomon, his

beloved son. But his sins sowed the ruin of his kingdom later on after

Solomon's demise. Despite this, David is a man after God's heart.

genesis of davidic generation

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