God has a magnificent plan, and He reveals it to mankind through His Holy Days. We understand that He has called us for a very special purpose—that we are in training right now to rule with Jesus Christ at His return. Everything that we go through is to prepare us for what comes next. God has chosen each of us individually and is actively working with us to prepare us for our specific role in the next step in His master plan.
If you have trouble relating to the idea that you will someday be a ruler, you’re in good company. Moses, too, had doubt and apprehension about the assignment God had for him, but God gave him everything he needed to be successful in that role (Exodus 3:11–12). So, how can we be qualified for rulership? We have been called to become kings and priests, but what qualities and characteristics does God require in us as we prepare to fulfill that future responsibility? What does God look for in a king?
A Tale of Two Rulers
King David represents the “gold standard” among the kings of Israel—the one against whom all the others are compared. When we are told about those known as righteous kings, we read that they walked in the way of their ancestor David and served the Lord (e.g., 2 Kings 22:1–2). Those who did wickedly were described as not having measured up to David, not having lived as he lived (e.g., 1 Kings 15:1–3).
But we know David was not the first king of Israel. When the Israelites demanded that Samuel establish a monarchy (1 Samuel 8:19–20), God gave them what they wanted—an impressive-looking king. We’re told of Saul, “There was not a more handsome person than he among the children of Israel. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people” (1 Samuel 9:2). Saul looked impressive. In fact, when he was introduced to the Israelites as their king, Samuel called attention to this fact, saying about Saul that “there is no one like him among all the people” (1 Samuel 10:24).
But Saul wasn’t king for very long before he became unsuitable. In 1 Samuel 13, we read of how he foolishly offered a burnt offering himself, instead of waiting on God’s minister. Consequently, Saul’s house would not continue as royalty. In 1 Samuel 15, we learn of Saul’s approach to following God’s instructions and the ensuing confrontation with Samuel. Saul was greatly concerned with appearances: When he was corrected for ignoring God’s instructions, his primary concern was the people’s approval. “I have sinned; yet honor me now, please, before the elders of my people and before Israel” (1 Samuel 15:30).
God chose David to replace Saul, but it would be several years before David’s reign would begin. The first king over Israel was chosen based on the people’s criteria; they wanted to be just like the nations around, and the warnings Samuel delivered from God fell on deaf ears. The next king was chosen based on entirely different criteria. Scripture gives us insight into why Saul was rejected as king and David was selected: “The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you” (1 Samuel 13:14).
God sent Samuel to anoint one of Jesse’s sons as the next king, giving us further insight into how God selects people for different roles. Jesse introduced his sons to Samuel, beginning with the firstborn. “So it was, when they came, that he [Samuel] looked at Eliab and said, ‘Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him!’ But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart’” (1 Samuel 16:6–7).
God calls attention here to the difference between the way people judge and the way He judges. Although Eliab looked impressive, God was looking for someone after His own heart who would do all His will (Acts 13:22). Let’s note some of the character traits and patterns of behavior that ultimately qualified David to serve as king over Israel.
Faithfulness
We’re told that King Saul did not faithfully follow God’s instructions, but that his replacement would strive to do God’s will. Faithfulness is a character trait that is evident in the little things. Christ tells us, “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much” (Luke 16:10).
Our character is not just the way we act when all eyes are on us; it is evident in our choices and behavior that no one else can see. We see this in David’s approach when his job was to shepherd his family’s flock of sheep. The shepherd’s job is to provide and care for the flock and keep it safe from harm. The job requires consistent care and attention to detail, regardless of the shepherd’s personal comfort.
We read that when David was a shepherd, “when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth” (1 Samuel 17:34–35). Instead of abdicating his responsibility out of concern for his own personal safety, David demonstrated that he was faithful even in dangerous situations when no one was around. He could have made excuses about how the lamb was lost and he couldn’t stop it, but he didn’t. David took his responsibility very seriously, and he conscientiously and faithfully cared for what had been entrusted to him, even when it involved great personal risk.
Trust in God
As the patterns that govern our lives, habits require effort; they are built one day at a time. Once established, they become automatic and don’t require deliberation. That is why it is so important to build the habit of looking to God and trusting in Him for the small things. That becomes our pattern—our automatic response to whatever situation we face. Our actions in the heat of the moment are in large part governed by our habits.
David built the habit of looking to and trusting in God. We see this in his response to being confronted by a lion and a bear. As the predator responded to David’s effort to retrieve a lamb, “when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. Your servant has killed both lion and bear” (1 Samuel 17:35–36).
David’s actions appear extremely bold and dramatic—and they are—but fundamentally they represent the actions of someone who deeply trusted in God and understood the source of safety. “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” (v. 37). David understood that safety is ultimately from God, and that if God is on our side the size of an obstacle is irrelevant—deeply trusting in God meant that he didn’t need to be afraid of the lion, the bear, or even Goliath. “In God We Trust” was a way of life for David, not just a nice-sounding phrase printed on currency.
Time Spent with God
This complete trust in God is not something we can work up by ourselves—it is the result of a relationship with God, and a good, close relationship is founded on quality time spent together. David spent time in building a lasting relationship that not only defined his life as a young man, but will ultimately define him for all eternity (Ephesians 5:15–16; Jeremiah 30:9).
At different stages of life, we face different distractions, and today we find many. However, David’s wise son noted that “there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). The particular nature of the distractions available to mankind has changed over the last 6,000 years, but our fundamental choice remains the same—is time spent with God a priority in our lives or not?
We have an advantage that wasn’t available to David: access to the entirety of God’s word. Many of us have several printed copies of the complete Bible in our homes, but before the printing press, Scripture had to be copied by hand—to own a copy was a great luxury that was out of reach for all but the wealthiest. Not only that, but during David’s lifetime the only books of the Bible that existed were the Pentateuch, Joshua, Judges, and Job. Think about how much we can understand about God, His plan, and how He has worked with His chosen people through what is recorded in the other books of the Bible.
David didn’t have the complete Bible that we have today, but what he did have was a deep love for God. As a result, he wrote, “Oh, how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day” (Psalm 119:97). A deep love for God is more than mere words spoken in prayer or in conversation with others. Real love for God is demonstrated in our private thoughts and actions. Jesus Christ told His disciples, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). Loving God influences our thinking, which in turn directs our actions—it means loving His way of life, what it produces, and where it leads. In fact, loving God is a way of life.
Zeal
The opposite of zeal is half-hearted indifference, and when we consider that, we quickly see why zeal is required if we are to please God. Saul did not have a zeal for carrying out God’s instructions—and when things became uncomfortable he chose to cut his obedience short.
David, by contrast, was a man of great passion. His enthusiasm for God was obvious, and it showed throughout his life in different ways. His zeal for God led him to dance before the ark “with all his might” (2 Samuel 6:14). It led him to memorialize in songs God’s intervention and care for His people. It led him to dream of building a house for God and to write that “zeal for Your house has eaten me up” (Psalm 69:9).
Throughout David’s life, his passion for God was apparent. In fact, when God told him that he would not be allowed to build God a house, David wasn’t content to just move on. This was one of the great disappointments of David’s life, and we can learn much from his response. He yearned to do as much as God would allow him to—so, though Solomon constructed the temple, David prepared its drawings and gathered some of its materials (1 Chronicles 28:11–19).
Humility
David received an interesting opportunity after Samuel anointed him. We read about it in 1 Samuel 16:19, finding that King Saul gave instructions for David to be brought before him. David, the one anointed to replace Saul as king, was given a job working directly for Saul as his armorbearer. When Saul was troubled, David’s job was to play soothing music, at which Saul recovered. This was a great change for David—he went from being a shepherd watching over his father’s flock to holding an important position in the king’s court, working directly with Saul. During this time, David received quite the education, seeing from a unique vantage point how the government functioned. Imagine all that he would have witnessed and observed in that situation, so close to the king.
On occasion, David would return home and resume shepherding duties (1 Samuel 17:15). These were two very different stations in life—working in a royal environment, in the presence of the king of Israel, and tending his father’s sheep. One was outwardly impressive; the other was not. But instead of shunning the humble job of a shepherd in favor of his new glamorous position, David returned to shepherding when he was on leave from Saul.
David could have returned home solely to impress his friends and neighbors with stories about his important work with the king. He could have used his new duties as an excuse to leave the “lesser” task of shepherding up to someone else, but he didn’t. He humbly moved back and forth between these two very different positions, not letting his job with the king inflate his view of himself.
Our self-worth should not come from any of the passing things of this world. Rather, it should come from understanding that we are made in the image of God and called to be a part of His family for eternity. Real humility is a way of thinking that is reflected in our actions, and David’s humility showed in his actions throughout the course of his life.
Response to Correction
When Saul was corrected, his response was not rooted in humility. In fact, Samuel reminded him of an earlier time, saying that God had selected Saul as Israel’s king when he had been “little in your own eyes” (1 Samuel 15:17). Saul denied wrongdoing and made excuses for not carrying out God’s instructions as given. He heard the correction, but he didn’t take it to heart. As a result, God selected David to be Saul’s replacement. These two kings exhibited very different responses when corrected.
David was a righteous king, but he also made some terrible mistakes that are recorded for our education. For example, we have the account of the census and its consequences: “Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel. So David said to Joab and to the leaders of the people, ‘Go, number Israel from Beersheba to Dan, and bring the number of them to me that I may know it’” (1 Chronicles 21:1–2). David’s counselors advised against going through with this, but David didn’t heed their advice, and the census was taken.
Sin brings consequences that can both cause pain in the moment and have long-lasting effects. “And God was displeased with this thing; therefore He struck Israel. So David said to God, ‘I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing; but now, I pray, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly’” (1 Chronicles 21:7–8). David didn’t make excuses, try to justify himself, or blame others—he acknowledged his mistake and asked God for forgiveness and mercy.
Mistakes are a part of life—we all fall short for a variety of reasons. The most significant issue that arises from a mistake is what we will do about it. Is our response one of humility, repentance, and eagerness to change, or is it like that of King Saul? The consequences of a sin may last a lifetime, but the consequences of what we do about our sin can last for eternity!
An Awesome Future
The stories of the men and women God used throughout history are preserved so we can learn from them. Through God’s word, we learn about the results of the choices His people have made. Through their mistakes, we see our own humanity, and through their triumphs, we receive encouragement and inspiration. David’s life contains many lessons for all of us.
Especially in these troubled times, we recognize that the world we live in is passing away. The ills that we see—the wars, injustice, crime, poverty, sickness, corruption, loneliness, drug and alcohol abuse, suffering, pollution, and environmental disasters—are the natural consequences of civilizations built apart from God. However, we understand that God will intervene. Soon, a new reality will exist on the earth, and we will have the absolutely astounding opportunity to help establish God’s government and rule with Jesus Christ!
Rulers in God’s government will have a very different approach from that which mankind has used throughout the past 6,000 years. We are currently learning, developing, and practicing the character traits that are foundational to leadership in the administration of His government. What an awesome future we can look forward to!