The theme that jumps out is obedience from this scriptures- Obedience- bc surprise!
As Christians we need to be obedient to God, the scriptures and the Holy Spirit.
Luke 6:46 “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?
What we see in this story is the heart of David “a man after God’s heart” we see obedience
Obedience is Repeatable– 15 But David occasionally went and returned from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.
David was a sheep keeper. His dad Jesse had put him over the sheep.
16:11 he’s with the sheep and he gets chosen as king- where does he go after?
19 Saul sent messengers to Jesse, and said, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.”
David’s focus didn’t change just because something Changed about his
life. He was told to take care of his fathers sheep- he’s going to take
care of his sheep.
Jesus told the Disciples in Matt 28:19 Go therefore
and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
What did they do? They went and made disciples and are still doing it today.
What does it mean to you?
Are you walking in obedience to what God told you and asked you to do? Repeatedly?
The repetitive nature of life lends it self to burnout- but obedience is grounded in repetition
Mal 3:6 “For I am the Lord, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.
I can’t describe to you how many times people have said that
they heard from God and then somehow God changed his mind when things
God hard or difficult for the person
Marriage, church, outreach, fellowship,
Prov 24:21 My son, fear the Lord and the king; Do not associate with those given to change;
Keep doing what you were told to you- repeatedly- God rarely changes his mind- you do
Obedience is Specific v 17-18 Ten loaves and ten cheeses
Why ten and ten? Because that’s how much was needed to feed the men.
10 -242 times. “10th”- 79 times. Ten is as a complete and perfect
number. 10 signifies testimony, law, responsibility and the completeness
of order. In Genesis 1 “God said” 10 times, God gave the 10
Commandments to man. Ten therefore represents man’s responsibility to
keep the commandments. A tithe is a 10th of our earnings and is a
testimony of our faith in the Lord.
Passover, atonement, removal of satan, final kingdom, revelation- 10-10-10 its every where
So these guys are being Obedient to God- and its specific. They might not know- but God did
The number 10 being for obedience- God wanted a specific 10 for obedience.
Numbers that are clear. Directions that are specific. Build it this
way. Arrange it that way. Do it this way. Give this much. Only allow
this. Don’t allow this. All through OT, NT, Revelation
Specific things are going to happen at specific times to specific people. Its not general
Read Rev 9:1-12 SPECIFIC
Our God is a very specific God- He is not ambiguous. You may be ambigious- but he’s not
What does it mean to you?
If you’re not willing to carry cheese- don’t expect that you’ll get to carry the giants head
Often times- there will be very specific directions from God- and
you’ll try to adjust them to fit your needs- and then expect God to give
you specific results.
Eph 4:32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Don’t complicate clear instructions to defend your disobedience
Obedience is Immediate- READ V 20 So David rose early in the morning,
in Scripture men that were moved by the Holy Spirit did what was asked of them
Abraham Got up early in the Morning with Isaac because he wanted to be obedient
Mark 1:18 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
They immediately got the colt, took up their mat, stretched out their hand
And God immediately healed them
Why is it that people want God to move immediately but they don’t want to do it?
The people who got mentioned in the Bible were DOERS the walked the walk!
What does it mean to you?
Delayed obedience is disobedience- when you wait you are in rebellion
If you have heard from God specific instructions to do a specific thing- DO IT
Ecclesiastes 5:4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; For He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed—
Don’t be a person that delays! Its not good- the longer you wait- the worse it gets
Nu 30:2 If a man makes a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind
himself by some agreement, he shall not break his word; he shall do
according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.
No one likes someone who breaks a vow and takes their time- why would God like it?
Kids- I am getting ready for bed- S-L-O-W-L-Y
Obedience is Rewarding- V 25 and give his father’s house exemption from taxes in Israel.”
Now if this isn’t a reason for obedience I don’t know what is
If I told you that you would be exempt from taxes if you were obedient we’d have em lining up!
But I really think that the bible makes it clear that there are blessings from obedience
Isaiah 1:19 If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land;
READ Deuteronomy 30:15-16
I believe in the blessings of God- I don’t serve him for the
blessings- I serve him because he saved me- but what I’ve seen over the
past 30 years of serving him is that I live a blessed life
Obedient in the small stuff and the big stuff. Is it challenging? Of course! But I’m blessed
What does it mean to you?
Obedience always produces blessings if only the blessing of obedience
Being obedient to God always produces righteousness in you which brings you closer to God
Read Deuteronomy 28- there’s tons of blessings in there!
Isa 3:10 “Say to the righteous that it shall be well with them, For they shall eat the fruit of their doings.
What I find is that many times people say they are being obedient- but they aren’t
They want the blessings- but they don’t want the blesser- only serving to GET and cant understand why? Disobedience
I don’t reward disobedience in my children. I rebuke them for it. I’ve wanted obedient kids
Joel 2:26 You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
And praise the name of the Lord your God, Who has dealt wondrously with
you; And My people shall never be put to shame.
What is holding you back from obedience? There is blessings on the other side!
My credit score- why? Because we’ve never missed a bill since we’ve been married
Obedience is Courageous 26 who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
David wasn’t afraid even at this point to come up to Goliath- he was ready for the fight
Why? Because he had the courage of God on his side- anointed- chosen- obedient
Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and of good courage, do
not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who
goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.
David knew where his strength came from- he was obedient in all things- so he knew that God wouldn’t forsake him
Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do
not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I
will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
What does it mean to you
Are you being courageously obedient to what God is asking you to do? Are you leaning on him?
1 Corinthians 16:13 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.
It doesn’t take much courage to be a Christian that never has any conversations, never posts anything, never ruffles feathers-
But if you want to be a person who’s life makes a difference, it is going to take some courage
2 Tim 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
Walk in the courage that God has for you and in you and through through obedience!
Obedience is Challenged– 28 “Why did you come down
here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I
know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have come down
to see the battle.”
The men around David challenged his motives- his reason to come down
He’s the one who is going to win this battle- he’s just being obedient- and they question why he is even down there!
When you do things for God- people will always question what you are doing and why you are
They question David here- they question him, question his heart, and speak of his pride
They call him a spectator! How rude
What does it mean to you?
You must settle in your heart why you are being obedient and who you are doing it for
Galatians 1:10 For do I now persuade men, or God?
Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a
bondservant of Christ.
You can’t worry about what you are going to say to people who question your obedience
They wont understand and you don’t have to explain it to them.
Colossians 4:6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
There are times when you must speak up- but Jesus will guide you and the what and how
Just because someone questions your obedience doesn’t mean you’re wrong usually they are.
