Mike Bickle discusses the anointing of David in Bethlehem as a pivotal moment in God's plan, following the rejection of Saul. He emphasizes that God's choice of David, a seemingly unqualified teenager, illustrates that God values the heart over outward appearances. Bickle highlights the importance of understanding one's calling as being for God and for the benefit of others, rather than for personal gain. He also notes that God's timing is often slow, requiring patience and faithfulness, as David would wait many years before becoming king. Ultimately, the sermon encourages believers to recognize their worth in God's eyes and to serve diligently, regardless of their current status or recognition.

28 session course. We're doing it for 14 weeks, two sessions each Friday night. Tonight we're looking at 1st Samuel 16 and we won't be able to cover all the passages verse by verse. I mean we're gonna go verse by verse but we're gonna be skipping some of them but there's a lot of information that's on the Internet and I have a longer document. This is a four page handout here of notes. The one on the Internet's quite a bit longer so if you want more notes you go on the Internet and you can get session 3 called additional notes. Well we ended in 1st Samuel 15 with the Lord rejecting Saul. Saul had been king for about 25 years or so and he had proven himself as stubborn in his rebellion. Not immature where he stumbled but stubborn, a refusal to repent. And so right here the very next verse is 1st Samuel 16. God is sending Samuel the prophet to Bethlehem to anoint a new king. So we have the rejection of Saul followed by the anointing of David. Now I believe that the high point of Samuel's entire ministry was anointing this young man. He's probably 15, 16 years old we don't know maybe 17. He's Israel's second king because Saul was the first king. Paragraph B now Saul's kingship comes to an end in terms of God's hand being on him. It's interesting that Saul went on for 10 or 15 more years as king but the difference was the Holy Spirit wasn't resting on him and the Holy Spirit wasn't blessing his labors. I mean what a terrible position to be in. To be in a position of leadership but not only is the Holy Spirit not helping you but a distressing spirit the scripture says came upon Saul and tormented him and disturbed him. So here in chapter 16 as David's being anointed the thing that strikes us is wow we're gonna see what David was like but this chapter is not as much about David as it is about the Lord because it's what the Lord's after. It's what the Lord is zealous for. It's what the Lord is highlighting. It's what the Lord is establishing. We see God's personality. We see what kind of leadership choices God makes. When you read chapter 16 you say in your heart well if God will choose a person as unqualified as David was in the natural. I mean here it is a teenager. He'd been working minimum wage out in the sheepfold. I mean literally a menial task like mowing lawns but I'm talking about the type of junior high kid could do because mowing lawns can be pretty sophisticated work if you get to the higher level but God is choosing this weak untrained unskilled person and saying you're the kind of material when I get you in my hands I will make you into that person that I want you to be because your heart's saying yes and so when you read 1st Samuel 16 accurately it gives you hope that you even you can be used by the Lord is as what we say in our heart Lord even I can be used by you if this is how it works. Paragraph C. God's rejection of Saul and his choice of David was very clear it was definitive it was final but it took another 10 years that maybe 15 years probably as he was probably closer to 15 years for the story to completely unfold. I mean you would have thought David's anointed he'll be king right away but it's another 10 to 15 years before it happens and again Saul continues in his position but he doesn't have grace on him. Beloved you want it never want to be in a position in the kingdom I don't mean just on the in the church ministries but in the marketplace whatever sphere God has you in in the kingdom of God you don't want to be in a place where it's not the will of God where the grace of God isn't strengthening and helping your heart in it. Well Saul was rejected and the purpose unfolds quite slowly 10 or 15 years but because God is usually working behind the scenes his plan unfolds but not as quickly as we want it and his sovereignty is established but often in context to the choices that we make meaning we'd like to say well God just chose David this was that's it but David had to continue to choose. God has this ability to combine his sovereign choice with I mean his sovereign choice of a vessel with our ongoing choice to submit to his leadership and if we don't submit to his leadership and David had a couple bad stumbles and he was disciplined by the Lord even though the Lord sovereignly chose him the Lord required that he responded in a personal way to the Lord. Roman numeral 2 so now Samuel the prophet he goes to Bethlehem and again this is a little village a small little town kind of out of the way verse 1 the Lord said to Samuel how long will you mourn over Saul because in the in the verse before in chapter 15 it closed out he was mourning over Saul because he'd been working closely with Saul for 25 years approximately. He says I've rejected Saul you need to line up your personal opinions about it my prophet Samuel line them up with my heart my choices are good and they're wise I need you to lay aside your own views and embrace mine. He's actually rebuking the prophet here. Samuel doesn't get any real rebukes in his long ministry but here's the hint of a rebuke. He goes I've rejected him for good reason. Now here's what I want you to do I want you to fill your horn with oil it was like a ram's horn an animal's horn they put oil in it and go and anoint the new king. I'm sending you to Jesse. He's a man that lives in Bethlehem. So the Lord gave the name Jesse ahead of time. Here's one of the key statements of the entire chapter. It's one of my favorite ones. I have provided for myself a king. This is one thing that marked David's life. David understood that he was called first and foremost for the Lord. He was a king for the Lord's pleasure and that was something that formed David's mind even in his youth when Samuel the prophet made this known. He goes David God went out of his way so to speak and chose you because he personally wanted something from you in relationship. He wanted to work through you and with you in a in a personal or direct way. Beloved when this touches your heart the Lord has called you for himself. Well David knew and later he says in 2nd Samuel 5 that David said God chose me and anointed me for the good of the people. He understood he was chosen first for God and second for the good of the people but what happens many times is people interpret their calling as for themselves. The guy thinks I've labored long. I want to break through. I deserve my ministry to go forth and the Lord says your ministry going forth isn't about you. It's about me says the Lord and it's about blessing my people and it takes a lot of folks quite a while to realign their heart where they view their ministry as for the Lord and for the people not mostly for their own satisfaction and well-being and when you make that adjustment then you can embrace hardship and disappointment in your ministry without constantly negotiating if you're gonna quit or not because you're not in it for you. It's not a small thing. This is a this is a real chronic prevailing problem in the body of Christ so much of the burnout in the ministry because the man the woman of God they view their ministry in the way they're received as mostly about how it makes them feel good about their life and how it enriches them and when that goes bad they begin to negotiate if they're gonna be zealous in their ministry or maybe I'll find another ministry I'll do something a little different that's a little easier that works better for me and the Lord told David day one I'm anointing you for me that's why I'm anointing you and David lined up with this this is remarkable it's one of the high I mean one of the the real a signature characteristics of David's heart but then Samuel verse 2 he says how can I go because I've been working with Saul for 25 years he's getting angrier and angrier as the years go by he's apparently more unstable at the 25-year mark Lord than he was when he was first called because when Saul was first called he was humble and he was pliable in the Lord's hand he was courageous but now he's got a lot of compromise he's cynical he's got bitterness in his life he's got fears driving his life Samuel said uh Saul will kill me I mean that's treason I mean to go anoint another king while the while the reigning king is still alive I mean that's that's treason in any country Lord says here's I want you to do take a heifer and say I've come to sacrifice to the Lord he goes because along with the anointing of one of Jesse's sons and Samuel doesn't know which son it is Jesse has eight sons he goes you're also going to have a sacrifice and a feast following the sacrifice that's related to devoting yourself to me and to establishing this new king and so the Lord says I want you then if if the court you know because Saul's court would surely be paying attention wherever Samuel went and it says well just a highlight that part because it is you are going to have a feast you are going to offer a sacrifice you are going to commit yourself to me in a fresh way with Jesse's family so highlight that part of what you're doing in Bethlehem verse 3 invite Jesse to the sacrifice to because the sacrificing of the animal had a big feast afterwards and again it was in context of devoting themselves to the Lord committing themselves in a fresh way to the Lord as well as establishing a new king he says now when you get there I'll show you what you're supposed to do now it's interesting because when he got there when Samuel got to Jesse's house he didn't know which of the eight sons he knew Jesse's name by the voice of the Lord he knew Jesse's name by supernatural information but he didn't have which son and the Lord says I just want you to go there and I'll show you as you go and Samuel could have said well Lord we're talking here we are just give me the kids name and then we'll just settle it and the Lord says no no I'm not gonna do it that way because the way I'm gonna show you I'm gonna be making a message in the way I show you who I'm choosing in itself there will be a truth that will be important to see he says and when you go there you shall anoint for me the young man that I point out to you and again here it is again you're gonna anoint him for me that's the second time the Lord has said it he's emphasizing I want this young man to know I'm anointing him for me that's why I'm anointing him I mean this is an easy point statement to make but how rare it is that people really line up and interpret their life and approach their ministry through that lens that were anointed for the Lord first paragraph B I'm just gonna develop this because I love this part of chapter 16 it's the Lord's zeal for partnership with his people it's the Lord's desire for David's zeal for David he's letting David know that he's raising him up as King for God's pleasure for God's own purpose and Samuel would emphasize this point to David but David had a heart already in line with that truth I mean David was inclined in that way already how many of you are in Bible school you're young and and you're forming your core values and I want to tell you what Samuel would have told young David you you're calling your future your ministry as for the Lord and not for yourself and you'll interpret setbacks and challenges and difficulties in a very different way if you make that adjustment on the front end look what he says first Samuel 13 let's just just I know it's a little repetitive but I just love this truth the very first thing that God ever said about David back in chapter 13 the Lord sought for himself a man then in chapter 16 verse 1 I provided for myself a king then in verse 3 you shall anoint for me the one I point out paragraph C David would write some years later in Psalm and the fourth Psalm David wrote but know this the Lord has set apart for himself the godly man the godly woman David was talking about himself I mean it was limited to him but he goes I have this dignity about my life I have this confidence I have this focus I have this this centering of my life I've been called and set apart for the Lord for him I get what I'm about not about establishing my name or my breakthrough ministry it's about him and David wrote that in Psalm 4 verse 3 beloved put your name on that verse see yourself and the way that David saw himself because David sees himself here in Psalm 4 verse 3 well paragraph D now Samuel goes to the city and it's pretty dramatic because in verse 4 Samuel went to Bethlehem but the elders of the city they're trembling here's this old man I just imagine he has real long hair because he's had a Nazirite vow since his youth I mean maybe he's 80 I don't know and I picture he's got piercing eyes probably just a little bit over big smile on his face maybe and this man comes walking into the town I mean the most renowned man the most respected and feared man in the nation of Israel he comes into little Bethlehem little village town Samuel I mean it's the president you know pulls up with you know into a little village and stops over to someone's house for dinner unannounced so he comes into the town of the elders go well we know who you are why are you in Bethlehem and the first thing of course the elders are thinking is that Samuel's coming to bring a correction he's coming to point out something that's been deficient or wrong he goes are you coming peaceably is there trouble is God mad at us I mean isn't that interesting that the first thought that many people think of if they think of God standing before them speaking the Word of the Lord I mean God sending a prophet to stand before them to speak the Word of the Lord you know I've had some close relationship with some pretty strong prophetic ministries over the last 30 plus years and have a close friendship with a number of them and one of the things I've always enjoyed this is kind of not that great that I enjoy this but I would introduce some of these well-known prophetic guys to other leaders in the body of Christ and you know and other people not always leaders and and almost always I say you want to meet this prophetic man or both of them and almost always over the years they'd go ah you mean right now today I go yeah yeah I could have him come over in the next half hour ah are you sure are sure and they just go through this kind of momentary I remember when Alan Hood he loved to tell the story when he picked up one of these men from the airport he said I was scared to death I was repenting of everything I could possibly think of he was only you know maybe in his 20s and he was just terrified picking up one of these prophetic guys and and so often the word is positive well anyway verse 5 Samuel the prophet said yeah I've come I come peaceably I come to offer a sacrifice to the Lord again it's in context to a new devotion and I mean a recommitting of ourself to the Lord and to his purposes and we're gonna offer the animal and then we're gonna have we're gonna have a feast afterwards so sanctify yourself and there were various ritual things that the elders would do then he went to Jesse I mean Jesse's you know thinking how do you know my name how do you know my name the prophets as well the Lord told me directly your name I've seen that over the years a number of times where the Lord gave the prophetic person the the I've seen it like I'd say well over a hundred times I don't mean three or four times many many times where the Lord spoke the name of a person ahead of time without the prophetic person knowing the Lord does these kinds of things even today and I know that some of you are very aware of that so they come in and they have the feast and they get into Jesse's house and Jesse again he has his eight sons and the eight the sons are all called to the dinner seven of them not the youngest one we know little Davey the peewee the little guy he's out in the menial task of taking care of the sheep so they come into the house verse 6 or they come to his house and when they came they're having the feast and the feast is now over they've they've eaten the meal or I actually I think they're preparing to eat the meal because it takes quite a while to kill the animal and get it ready I and so they call Eli up the oldest son and Samuel says I mean should have known better I mean he's a seasoned prophet this is clearly the one the Lord told him remember back in verse 1 he said now don't do anything till I tell you I have very specific person in mind and even the way I'm gonna show you is gonna highlight a truth about how I established my people and what kind of God I am so the Lord said verse 7 to Samuel no don't look at his appearance don't look at his stature I haven't chosen him because Eliab was very much like Saul he was tall dark and handsome for real and he just saw in the prophets said hey man I mean a cool guy I mean look he's got that confidence and all those physical abilities and Lord says no we already did that before remember with Saul 25 years has been a disaster not the tall dark and handsome's bad guys um that's not a put-down and girls you can still go for that guy okay but he says the Lord says that's not I'm not picking a man I don't anoint somebody by their externals that's good news for the Lord doesn't see the Lord doesn't evaluate in the way that man sees or the way that man evaluates for man looks or evaluates the outward appearance the Lord evaluates the heart see the enemy wants you to see yourself through the lens of just what you are in the flesh your abilities how popular you are how gifted you are the enemy wants you to evaluate your life based on your externals your physical beauty your giftings your intelligence your popularity your financial status and he wants to get you to evaluate others that way because if you'll evaluate yourself that way you'll constantly be in fear and condemnation and if you evaluate others that way you'll be in criticism against them all the time the enemy wants you to see yourself different he went through the flesh he wants you to see others he wants you to see the enemy I mean the enemy even want you to see the enemy in the in the next session Goliath all of Israel saw Goliath on Goliath's terms not on God's terms because if I can see myself through God's eyes then I have a lot better position to see you through God's eyes then I have a lot better position to see the enemy attacking me through God's eyes but that shift is is right is radical it's not a small thing and it doesn't happen really quickly and then we see our own ministry and the purpose of our ministry through God's eyes not through what it does for us so God says no no it's not the oldest son not the tall dark handsome popular son the you know the favorite of the family verse 8 so Jesse looks at the second son Abinadab Samuel goes ah must be the second one he goes that makes sense and the Lord says no Samuel not him and then verse 9 Jesse makes the third son come and the Lord says no not him Samuel's about to pour the oil and the Lord says no no all seven sons and every time the Lord says no again the reason the Lord wouldn't give him David's name on the front end because this very the way this thing unfolds in itself is a message about how God sees his people and what God values Samuel said to Jesse this is a real bad mistake he goes 0 for 7 and you know Samuel's reputation is he's been prophesying for many years I mean for decades from before Saul and Saul's been king for 25 years so add you know some more years on onto that and it says in 1st Samuel that none of Samuel's words were ever false he was a hundred percent accurate and he sits there a little bit perplexed he goes it's none of them because I missed it I don't know what just happened I don't know if he said that but verse 11 he goes are all your sons here is there any chance at this most dramatic moment this most important moment in your family's history that you didn't invite one and Jesse the father he said well I actually there is one the youngest Davy there he is and then the reason that's important that there he is because he was to within view of these seven sons and the feast and and the gathering he's within view of them I mean he's right there down the way just working with the sheep again a menial task I mean minimum wage somebody could have easily covered that for him at this most historic moment in their family life Samuel said bring him well not sit down till he comes here you know what I love about this verse God's database is always up to date here is this little guitar player teenager in a little village outside of nowhere forgotten not in a big mega ministry nobody's paying attention to him and when God sends the prophet to the little village the family won't even let you come but God still sees the young man beloved when it dawns on us when it connects with the God actually sees us that's the power to overcome fear right there I'm talking about the fear of being left behind the fear of not being recognized the fear of not getting what we deserve the fear of not getting the promotions and I mean there's so much anxiety in the body of Christ it's very natural I'm not saying this in some big negative I mean it is negative but it's so normal I've I've done it in my day over the years I understand it where we're trying to get the attention so that we can get the promotion and the open door beloved the Lord knew where David was and he said you're not gonna go forward till the kid is here the Lord says I know who I've chosen I can go out of my way to get that young guy into the place where God wants him paragraph B just to emphasize this again God says he says Samuel tell David this I want his foundation built around this truth I don't see and evaluate like men do tell David tell the young man that I want him to build his entire kingship his ministry around that value that I called him for me and I don't evaluate him like others evaluate him I'm different than others God looks at the decisions that we make God looks at the intentions of our heart not just our intentions but our decisions but not just our decisions but our intentions but the glorious thing he looks at that far more than he looks at your ability as many others the preaching saying goes God's not looking for your ability but your availability he's looking for the yes in your heart but you can lack all kinds of giftings and positioning and networking and not have the money of the resource and all these things but the make right decisions in your heart to obey me and even when you're struggling you're resigning back up the intention is to obey me the Lord says I can find you that's what I'm after you can get the leader of the biggest business or the mega ministry or the TV or the magazine guy or whatever the social media guy and get you center stage but beloved you haven't gained even one step forward in the kingdom in reality if God didn't set that up and folks have so much angst and anxiety about getting the intention of people to get that door open and they get into that door and it's not even the will of God because there is human networking that makes a lot of things happen but then they don't have grace for it they're just constantly under pressure because they don't know if God did it or they kind of made it happen themselves but when you know God did it you could rest in the storm when you know God puts you in place when people are attacking you you know you're solid you're you're gonna do you're gonna be there but if you're not sure God put you there a little bit of manipulation a little bit of clever networking and you got there you never know if you can stay in place I met this is probably not the best time to bring this up but I am anyway but some years ago I mean I probably won't say the story just right but I met a couple ladies that were on the cover of magazines like beauty queen type people a couple of them I mean they were on magazines I went to their house and they had magazine covers and I mean just beautiful beautiful beautiful I was talking to them and here's what struck me there's a few of them living together what struck me is how incredibly fearful they were about losing their beauty here they are on the magazines a handful of them and they were so preoccupied at age 22 and 23 of losing it I mean they got 58 60 years to go and they're in they're absolutely fixated in fear they spent all of their energy getting there and they're frozen in fear when they're quiet on the inside about losing it already I thought wow as it looked like Liberty or promotion to me that looks like bondage and I'm not picking on beauty queens because I've seen the same thing in the sports world in the economic world in the ministry world but here's the point people put all this energy to get there and then they live in fear to make sure they stay there and that's a horrible way to spend your few years on the earth hope that came off right anyway paragraph C the Lord looks at the heart he measures people measure themselves by their externals God measures us by the internals and I have those things written there you know David was formed paragraph 1 his understanding of God's heart for him was formed by this ordination service they thought well if God found me when everybody else overlooked me wow that's security point number one if God saw me and I didn't have all these great royal abilities okay I'm a teenager and I haven't developed my skills but he still chose me David said I can he looks at my heart and I know I love him but that's what he wants most most David started doing the math that says I could do this I can live this way this works for me paragraph 2 David saw himself and you just read the Psalms as God's beloved as the apple of God's eye as the one God delighted him as the one God treated with gentleness and on and on and on David didn't see himself as the only one like but he saw himself that way how do you see yourself before the Lord because of the nature of his heart and because of what the cross of Christ accomplished in his resurrection for us paragraph 4 it's very easy to be tempted I mean to be tempted by looking at the negative externals like our lack of gifting well we don't have the gifting we're never going to be used I'll use you the way I designed you and you will touch my heart and I'll touch your heart and I will reward you the same for your faithfulness not by you for your impact but by your I'll reward you for your responsiveness we look at our lack of opportunity our lack of position in the body of Christ well I guess God passed me by he goes no no no no I'll use you a vessel in the kingdom I'll use you as a vessel in exactly the way that pleases me and it will touch your heart and we'll be connected together and you'll touch those few people and I will remember even the cup of cold water you gave in my name forever I will reward you remember it will move me paragraph D God thundered to Samuel after seven sons in a row no not him not him not him the fourth one not him the fifth one not him the sixth one not him the seventh not he thunders I don't look at men's externals that's not what I choose in light up and the Holy Spirit is thundering that word through the Holy Spirit to the church today get your eyes off your externals and knit your heart your eyes on how I see you and what my heart is like and we can enjoy the journey together if we lock into this reality let's go to top of page 3 chapter 16 verse 12 so Jesse the father sent and he brought David in I mean just right there and down the way he was ready I mean he had a red hair and that fair complexion with bright eyes he was a good-looking little guy and the Lord said anoint him this is the one and I can picture all seven brothers Davey are you kidding why would God use him it wasn't obvious to anybody that that was the person whose heart was moving God's heart so Samuel took the oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers he wanted his brothers God wanted the brothers to know that God evaluates people different than they do but we'll see in our next session Eliab the oldest brother was a little jealous and bitter at David by this because then the next chapter chapter 17 Eliab rebukes David and and insults him and he's got this unsettled issue about this situation and the Lord the prophet is saying I want all of you to know this is the basis of how I choose people they may not be they may not have the beauty or the money or the giftings or the external appearance or presentation in the way that somebody else does but their heart responds to me they get who I am says the Lord they understand I'm choosing them for my sake not for their sake and that moves my heart now it's interesting paragraph B that one of the principles that has been promoted in several commentaries that I read was that there was a understanding that the one who the leader that anointed the person was making a pledge to that person so when the elders of Judah anointed David in 2nd Samuel we'll get there a little bit I mean in some weeks down the road when the elders of Judah anointed David the elders of Judah were saying we are committed to you David there was a understood commitment to the one was anointed to the one that is anointed by the ones that were doing the anointing service when they poured the oil they were saying we're with you then the elders of Israel which were different group than the elders of Judah when they anointed David they were saying the same thing we will be loyal to you well in this occasion it was by the command of God and what was happening is God was saying David I am committed to you I will be loyal to you in this relationship and I don't know that David understood that for a while but that became one of the pillar truths of David's life he understood the Lord was saying I'm the one that is committed to you like the elders of Judah in the elders of Israel the statement they made when they anointed you and that was a legitimate anointing but that's why this anointing was different than those the Lord was saying I myself am committed to you I'm making that statement to you paragraph C one of the leadership lessons and there's so many that we're not identifying because of just the so much area we're getting territory we're going to cover in first and second Samuel God's timing is never too late you're never out of the way all of the leaders of the ministry all of the leaders of your family all the leaders of the business in the marketplace all the leaders on the team all the worship leaders they may all overlook you but if God's chosen you just hang in there just hang in there God's never late he gets it you can rest assured of what's happening but paragraph one I have found over the years of pastoring that a lot of folks they misapply this principle that they get into this place of peace that God will choose them when they want and this is talking about this is a relationship their service because God loves everybody equally there's equal significance there's equal acceptance is what I'm trying to say but there's varying significance of responsibility every believer has equal acceptance before the Father's heart everybody's love the same but we have various significance in terms of our roles of impact but God doesn't reward us on the last day by our impact it rewards us by the response of our heart but anyway I've had people they get real excited about this truth and they go okay and they and they actually misapply and they become very passive and so when there's the need for service they sit at the back of the room and says well I do it if God calls me out the Lord says no I'm not gonna send a prophet to get you to serve David was serving diligently without the aid of a prophet calling him out what you don't want to promote yourself and push is when that someone is not giving you the promotion you want you don't insist on it and become bitter and then I began to speak against them so when when somebody asked for somebody to serve go and serve volunteer promote yourself to serve but when they don't recognize you and bring you to the next position don't resist them and don't have a bad attitude so so you can be aggressively knocking on doors but when the door doesn't open you don't insist on it you say well the Lord's will be done and you don't get bitter you don't get argumentative you don't complain against that leader behind their back so it's the non-insisting on promotion that this principle is applied in that context but don't apply this wrong and draw back and don't serve till a prophet calls you out or say well I'm here and if they they knock on my door I'll serve no serve diligently there's a hundred Bible verses serve diligently but don't demand your promotion and don't demand the recognition that you want serve in the lowest spots and keep on serving like David did and let the promotions come and let the promotions go because David was promoted then demoted promoted demoted but he continued a servant each season of his life Roman numeral five now it's probably as some years later a couple years later we don't know for sure I mean it's not 10 or 20 years but it's probably a couple years later or so we go to this next up part of the second part of 1st Samuel 16 and we are noticing there's two parallel statements that are really in a strong obvious contrast the Holy Spirit resting on David and the Holy Spirit departing from Saul I mean you can't miss the contrast and the theme of David of the David story is repeated a number of times the Lord is with David we see it four times emphasized in the David story in 1st Samuel well it starts off now David's anointed now here he is anointed King but he goes back to mowing the lawns he goes back to the menial tasks he's the little brother serving at home but anointed and the spirits on him I mean the power of God's on him at a whole other measure every believer has the Holy Spirit but there's those moments where there's a an unusual manifestation of power that happens on various occasions and these manifestations of power were beginning to happen we'll find out in the next session when a lion and a bear attacked the sheep David a teenage boy rose up and grabbed the lion and killed him I mean with a sword just stuck it in and was fearless David began to sing songs and felt the presence of God and felt the power of God in his singing he didn't have much of an audience I don't believe in a little town out of you know out nowheresville the backside of nowhere but he was feeling the presence of the power of God in a new way verse 14 the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul he remained King another 10 or 15 years but without power I mean what a horrible position but it was not only that the positive dimension the Holy Spirit that a unusual anointing was lifted but another thing happened another condition far worse a depressing a distressing spirit troubled him a distressing spirit there's different translations of the Bible use different words he was tormented with his dark distressing I think that's a fair word distressing but you could put a number of words in there he had this melancholic depression deep would come over him but I mean it was terrorizing it wasn't uh just a natural personality there's a lot of people they're just natural have melancholy the personality this is far beyond that this is a deep heavy darkness would set upon him and it would trouble him and he couldn't get free of it and Saul's servant said Saul we're gonna be straight with you this is from God I mean it's we know it's the enemy's hand being used but when God allows the enemy to rush in because of Saul's stubbornness because of Saul's resistance to God and it's not you somebody say what you mean if you resist God you get a distressing spirit well if you're anointed in an unusual way like Saul and set in place by prophets like Saul and then you cast off that remarkable privilege there is a judgment there is a corresponding reality that happens I mean you can't get anointed and then decide after you've been anointed I'm talking about in the unusual way and just can't I mean every believers anointed in the general sense but just cast off that anointing and just start doing your own thing there is a it's like the one preacher said new levels new devils you're in a new sphere you're in a new level of usefulness in the kingdom and you just cannot disregard the Lord's leadership and cast it off in the stubborn way I mean there's weakness yes but there isn't this persistent resisting of the Lord they said Saul it's from God God's allowing this to happen it's a judgment is what that means I mean it's the enemy that's actually causing the torment but God's allowing it as a judgment because you so disregarded the high privileges he gave you beloved when they're to Jesus said with his own lips it goes to him that's given much much is required and that principle was in place right here verse 16 they his servant said let us let our master Saul talk about Saul Saul you're our master your leader command us commission us we'll go out and find a skillful player on the harp and it shall be that when this player plays this oppressive spirit that torment you comes on for hours at a time that thing will lift off of you when the anointing of the spirit related to prophetic music is in place beloved the Lord is raising up this David spirit as oppression is gonna fill the nation's God already has a preemptive strike he's raising up anointed singers and musicians houses of prayer but more than houses of prayer anointed music and singers and musicians all over the body of Christ whether they're involved in a specific house of prayer or not but all but they're leading in prayer they're leading in worship and God is cultivating this whole reality as a preemptive strike of what the the oppression the enemy is about to vomit on planet earth across the year across the nation God has already a remedy that part of the remedy is already in place he's raising up these Davidic singers that will cause even the insane King the spirit that's tormenting the King to to take leave and for that King to come to peace I believe the rulers of the earth whether it's mayors or governors or senators or presidents we're gonna find leaders of the earth they're going to find their refreshment through the prophetic singers in the days to come I mean they're already doing it but I mean in a far greater level verse 17 Saul said well if you could find that guy go find him that would be great page 4 we'll just bring this to an end here paragraph 8 verse 18 one of the servants said hey I already know this guy he lives in Bethlehem he's this young guy great musician even he's been playing his instrument for the last number of years I mean hours a day and the words getting out about him that again this is a couple years later after he's been anointed is the assumption we don't know for sure but that's what most agree he's skillful I mean that 15 year old now has been he's been staying with his instrument and he's developing beloved there's a place to be skillful the skill isn't the anointing and the anointing is the skill but the two can go together when we learn our craft and we excel in the area that God points out to us the Lord will use that the Lord's not dependent on it but he will use it and he says this man is a mighty man of valor we heard some stories about things that he does we heard about you know this lion attacked the sheep and he killed the lion I mean this teenager did it's the reputation about David was spreading you know just do the you know the talk of the town the little villages and and the songs he was singing there was an obvious anointing of the Holy Spirit on him in his music he said he's prudent in his speech he knows how to talk he knows how to speak in a grace with the right tone and the right positives I don't mean flattery but the cynicism sarcasm the bitterness speech that is so filthy earth he says he doesn't have that on him he has a clean spirit in his speech speech is wholesome he finds the redemptive truths and he magnifies them and he's not sarcastic and caustic and critical when he's bothered he knows how to talk when he's bothered instead of writing off and putting down because he saw how God sees people and his speech flows out of that it's remarkable young man maybe he's 18 19 20 it's hard to say by now he goes the Lord's with him the Lord's with him there's there's a presence on his life I mean when he sings when he talks the way he carries himself there's he's he's got this confidence this interaction with the Lord that's obvious it's he's different the way he carries himself verse 19 I love this Saul sent a message to Jesse send your son he's still mowing the lawn he's still doing the menial task I mean loving God says I'll be king when I'm king I'll be whatever when I'm winning whatever I'm connected to God I could know how God sees me I know how God feels about me I love him I'm not worried about making it happen he's still with the sheep with all of these dynamics happening and so he went and joined Saul and Saul loved him and it was successful you can read the the rest of the chapter on your own here and the end of page four David would go in and play for him and he would be at the the Saul's court in the royal court for a K of four seasons for different periods of time then he would go back to his father's they would come and play wasn't very far away the distance was uh was not so far in and David would come when the king was torment and play for him and he was as one of his uh armor bearers undoubtedly the king had many servants many different people that were serving him in different capacities but David would come and go I love this this willingness to be faithful in menial things beloved Jesus said on the last day he goes I will say to those that were faithful in very little things they gave their word and they did what they said when nobody was watching because they knew that God cared and they kept their word but love you can do that in your family life if you can do that in your friendship you do that with your work life in your ministry you're working in ministry often will go together in your school you can actually do what you say you will do without anybody making sure and nobody looking you have the heart like David amen let's Lord we say thank you that your eyes are on your