From Despair to Destiny
Text :1 Sam 21:7-9
7 Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the LORD; and his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of the herdmen that belonged to Saul.
8 And David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thine hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s business required haste.
9 And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me. —1 Sam 21:7-9
King David of Israel is one of the most pivotal characters in the bible. He was described as a Man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22)
In fact, there are 141 chapters of the Bible devoted to the life of David. That is more than any other individual next to God himself!
Have you ever felt worthless or that you had no value?
David was in the field
Now the Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have selected a king for Myself among his sons.” —1 Samuel 16:1
And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are these all the children?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he is tending the sheep.” Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.” —1 Samuel 16:11
Because for Your sake I have borne reproach; Dishonor has covered my face. I have become estranged from my brothers And an alien to my mother’s sons. —Psalms 69:7-8
You know my reproach and my shame and my dishonor; All my adversaries are before You. —Psalms 69:19
“Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.” —Psalms 51:5
Many interpret this verse as David’s explanation of the sin nature that plagues all mankind because of Adam and Eve’s original sin. However, this does not explain why David committed adultery. Though all humans have the same sin nature, not all commit adultery.
When David tells us in Psalms 51:5 “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,And in sin my mother conceived me.”
Is it possible that David was an
Ashamed by one, but not
If you take the time to study the life of David you see that he was able to do great things for God. From killing giants, to bringing back the presence of God to Jerusalem. Did David make mistakes? Absolutely! However, you have to understand that at one time in his life, David was being robbed by an illegitimate spirit. There would be times in his life where he was being tormented with feeling worthless, having no value in life (Remember to read Psalms 69 to get a better picture of this).
There was a time that David was living a life of shame and despair because of how he was brought into this world and how his father, Jesse, felt about him. And yet, there would be a day that David would realize that his identity was not illegitimate. God created him for a greater purpose than that of a servant, or even a shepherd. God had a greater destiny for David!
When God enables you to knock your giant of despair down, you need to cut his head off so it wont come back to keep you from your destiny later in life.
God had a purpose for him.
Do you ever feel rejected by those around you,
God has a destiny for your life
Do you feel like you just don’t measure up
Let me remind you that you are the child of the King of Kings
There is nothing that is too great for our God
THE SWORD THAT REPRESENTED THE
DAVID DID NOT KNOW THE WHEREABOUTS OF THE VERY SWORD USED TO SEVER THE HEAD OF THE GIANT AND BRING GREAT VICTORY TO ISRAEL.
While the sword had not been surrendered to others, and given away, David was unaware where it was
IT WAS A VERY LONG TIME SINCE HE FELT THE FEEL OF
The feelings of despair had slipped in again
8 And David said unto Ahimelech and is there not here under thine hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s business required haste. 9 And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me. —1 Samuel 21:8-9
Just where was the sword: It was wrapped in a cloth, out of use, and covered by a priest’s garment called an ephod
What is an ephod?
EPHOD
This word represents a close-fitting outer garment associated with worship.
(from Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright (c)1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers)
When you allow your garments of praise to be discarded and out of reach, you will cover up the the victories of your past.
The best way to keep the victories of God fresh in your life is to put back on the garments of praise.
The sword of Victory was wrapped in a cloth and out of use. Unavailable to perform the purpose that its maker had intended.
In the day of great need, where is the sword of victories past? Forgotten, wrapped up and covered by an out of use garment of praise.
How tragic, what does the bible say about the sword?
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit , which is the word of God: —Eph 6:16-17 KJV
The sword is the only offensive part of the armor of God. It is left covered out of use.
The Sword of the Spirit is The Word of God.
Is the Word of God in your life wrapped up in a cloth, out of use?
Is it covered over and misplaced under the unused garments of praise?
Do you come to church service after service and leave your garments of praise at home?
The answer tonight to all our challenges is to put on the garments of praise.
The good news is that you don’t have to stay in the spirit of heaviness
Remember what Isaiah said about the spirit of heaviness!!
To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. —Isa 61:3 KJV
Do you want to know God’s will for your life?
David had been given a destiny by God but he was in a place of despair.
Let’s leave fear behind, leave feelings of failure behind and come to Jesus and allow him to turn your despair into his destiny for your life.
Put on the garment of praise today!