THE WARRIOR KINGS OF 2014

When I read and study Psalm 23 it is difficult to think of David as a person with the same struggles in life that you and I have. The tendency is to see David as a “super warrior,” almost like Spiderman or Superman or other comic book heroes.

But David was just a man—with the same struggles, the same fears and failures that we experience. Let’s take a moment and briefly look at his life.

David was a shepherd, the youngest of his father’s sons. When all his brothers went off to join King Saul’s army and fight the Philistines, David was required to stay home and look after the sheep.

David’s father sent him to take supplies to his brothers and at that time he made a brief appearance on the “big stage.” We are all familiar with the story of David and Goliath. As wonderful as this victory was, however, it did not win him a lasting friendship with King Saul who, within a short time, became insanely jealous of David. 

Saul’s carnality caused him to want to get rid of David and if he had to kill him to make him go away, then Saul was willing to stoop that low. David fled for his life and spent seven years running from Saul’s assassins. During those years of running and hiding, David’s character as a man of God began to be forged on the hot anvil of adversity.

Finally David became the king of Judah and, eventually, Israel. His kingdom extended far past the tiny bit of real estate the modern-day nation of Israel holds. It encompassed the Mediterranean Sea east to the Euphrates River (in eastern Iraq) and went from the Nile River in the south up to northern sections of what is Lebanon today.

The shepherd boy had become a powerful king and is considered the greatest warrior king in Israel’s history. In addition to his powerful leadership, David left a tremendous legacy of stories and writings. I don’t think any other individual dominates the Old Testament as David does.

When we briefly recount David’s life, it’s very easy to slip into the mind-set of focusing only on the victory side of things, quickly forgetting the rest. What am I talking about?

First of all, we see the chaos in David’s married life and among his children. David’s first wife, Michal, despised him for being an overt worshiper of the Lord. She was dismayed when she saw him publicly worshiping the Lord (see 2 Samuel 6:16-23). One of his sons, Amnon, raped his sister, Tamar, and David got angry but then just shrugged and turned away from the whole mess (see 2 Samuel 13).

Absalom, another of David’s sons, tried to take the kingdom away from his father. Again David turned a blind eye to the behavior of this son and ultimately had to run for his life. Absalom then mocked his father by openly engaging in sexual affairs with some of David’s wives (2 Samuel 16:20-22).

And then there is the moral failure of David. At a time when he should have been with his army protecting the kingdom, David instead stayed home and ended up in an adulterous affair with Bathsheba. From this affair, Bathsheba became pregnant and, in an attempt to hide his sin, David had Bathsheba’s husband killed (see 2 Samuel 11).

David tried to hide his sin, just as we sometimes do, and he seemed to forget that God knows everything; there is nothing we can hide from Him. When the prophet Nathan confronted David with his sin, the full revelation of his foolish behavior fell on him and he knew he couldn’t ignore it or hide anymore. So David did the right thing and repented (2 Samuel 12:13).

David was human just like us. He was not some kind of super warrior who lived on a spiritual level that we can never attain. He faced many of the same struggles that we do and did not live in victory all the time. Sometimes he failed and sometimes he gave in to temptation, but he always repented. He came clean with God and God forgave him and blessed him.

I think one of the most damning thoughts being pushed forward in segments of today’s contemporary church is that once you become a Christian you never have to repent again. This is the product of carnal Christianity that does not really teach believers how to live in victory, how to live a life that pleases God! In writing to believers in the church at Ephesus, the apostle John said, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9, NKJV).

King David was a warrior and you and I are called to be warriors, too. There is nothing magical about it—just a firm resolve that no matter what, “I am going to serve the Lord; I am going to please the Lord!”

You and I are the “warrior kings” of 2014!