THE HARP and THE SLING
The Proximity Process
GOD WILL PUT YOU IN
TO PEOPLE AND SITUATIONS HE WANTS TO USE TO
YOUR
.
A platform without a process is precarious.
God wants to develop a character level to go with the talents He has given you.
Your talents can give you access to your assignment, but your character will give you long-term success.
When we accept the assignment of God for our lives, we are invited into a process. The purpose of the process is to move from independence to total dependence on God.
1Sa 16:14 But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the LORD troubled him.
1Sa 16:15 And Saul’s servants said to him, “Surely, a distressing spirit from God is troubling you.
1Sa 16:16 Let our master now command your servants, who are before you, to seek out a man who is a skillful player on the harp. And it shall be that he will play it with his hand when the distressing spirit from God is upon you, and you shall be well.”
1Sa 16:17 So Saul said to his servants, “Provide me now a man who can play well, and bring him to me.”
- ”Play well” sound good so I feel better.
1Sa 16:18 Then one of the servants answered and said, “Look, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the LORD is with him.”
1Sa 16:19 Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse, and said, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.”
- The Anointing will put your Gifting on the Radar.
1Sa 16:20 And Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine, and a young goat, and sent them by his son David to Saul.
- Jesse sent David to serve with time, talents and treasure, with an offering.
1Sa 16:21 So David came to Saul and stood before him. And he loved him greatly, and he became his armorbearer.
1Sa 16:22 Then Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Please let David stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight.”
1Sa 16:23 And so it was, whenever the spirit from God was upon Saul, that David would take a harp and play it with his hand. Then Saul would become refreshed and well, and the distressing spirit would depart from him. —NKJV
1. Proximity to the
of God prepared David to minister to the panic attacks of the King.
- The skill of playing a harp to calm sheep would develop the skill required to calm kings!
- If you give yourself to an instrument the instrument will give back to you.
- Worship in the wilderness brought David into God’s peace.
The anointing took David from the hills of Bethlehem to the house of King Saul.
1Sa 17:31 Now when the words which David spoke were heard, they reported them to Saul; and he sent for him.
1Sa 17:32 Then David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”
1Sa 17:33 And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.”
1Sa 17:34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock,
1Sa 17:35 I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it.
1Sa 17:36 Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.”
1Sa 17:37 Moreover David said, “The LORD, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you!”
2. Proximity to
and
prepared David to kill a
.
- The battles you face today are
1Sa 17:38 So Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail.
1Sa 17:39 David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.” So David took them off.
1Sa 17:40 Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine.
1Sa 17:41 So the Philistine came, and began drawing near to David, and the man who bore the shield went before him.
1Sa 17:42 And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking.
1Sa 17:43 So the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
1Sa 17:44 And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!”
1Sa 17:45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
THE WEAPONS OF OUR WARFARE
2Co 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.
2Co 10:4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, —NKJV1Sa 17:46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.
1Sa 17:47 Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give you into our hands.”
TRIUMPH
Col 2:12 having been buried with Him in baptism and raised with Him [to a new life] through [your] faith in the working of God, [as displayed] when He raised Christ from the dead.
Col 2:13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh (worldliness, manner of life), God made you alive together with Christ, having [freely] forgiven us all our sins,
Col 2:14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of legal demands [which were in force] against us and which were hostile to us. And this certificate He has set aside and completely removed by nailing it to the cross.
Col 2:15 When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities [those supernatural forces of evil operating against us], He made a public example of them [exhibiting them as captives in His triumphal procession], having triumphed over them through the cross. —AMP1Sa 17:48 So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.
1Sa 17:49 Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth.1Sa 17:50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David.
1Sa 17:51 Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.
1Sa 17:52 Now the men of Israel and Judah arose and shouted, and pursued the Philistines as far as the entrance of the valley and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell along the road to Shaaraim, even as far as Gath and Ekron.
1Sa 17:53 Then the children of Israel returned from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their tents.
1Sa 17:54 And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent.
1Sa 17:55 When Saul saw David going out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this youth?” And Abner said, “As your soul lives, O king, I do not know.”
1Sa 17:56 So the king said, “Inquire whose son this young man is.”
1Sa 17:57 Then, as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand.
1Sa 17:58 And Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” So David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.” —NKJV
David becomes a successful warrior and people take notice.
1Sa 18:6 Now it had happened as they were coming home, when David was returning from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women had come out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy, and with musical instruments.
1Sa 18:7 So the women sang as they danced, and said: “Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands.”
1Sa 18:8 Then Saul was very angry, and the saying displeased him; and he said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed only thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom?”
1Sa 18:9 So Saul eyed David from that day forward.
1Sa 18:10 And it happened on the next day that the distressing spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied inside the house. So David played music with his hand, as at other times; but there was a spear in Saul’s hand.
1Sa 18:11 And Saul cast the spear, for he said, “I will pin David to the wall!” But David escaped his presence twice. —NKJV