We can see that God was in control of the complex variety of circumstances in David's early life. As Christians, we believe in a God who is all-powerful and all-knowing. We believe that God directs our paths and we reject the notion of chance or coincidence. It is helpful to think about how God was directing David's paths leading him to become the king of Israel. So David was being prepared for his royal duties and God was teaching him vital lessons in the school of faith and obedience. David is described as a man after God's own heart' (1 Samuel 13:14) This does not mean that David was perfect - he had many weaknesses but he was committed to God and was prepared to allow God to direct his paths.
It was not a mistake that David spent his boyhood looking after the sheep. There in the solitude of the fields, he had direct dealings with God and he came to trust in the Lord at specific crisis points - when wild animals were attacking his sheep. The choice of Jesse's family of eight boys was all according to God's plan. David was the youngest and Samuel was guided not to choose any other son regardless of their appearance or stature. David spent some months probably in Saul's palace and this was arranged by our God to provide the young lad with training in the ways of the royal court. The decision to send David to the Valley of Elah was no accident either. There were only three of Jesse's sons fighting the Philistines so there were five boys who could all have been asked to make the journey. It was in the over-ruling of Jehovah that David would make this journey and that he would arrive just as Goliath was making his threats and presenting the challenge to the cowardly ranks of the Israelite army. God was directing things that enabled Saul to hear about a young lad who was eager to face Goliath and God worked in Saul's mind to convince him to allow David to descend to the valley to encounter the well-armed giant. The oft-recounted story is clear evidence of God's direction - using the skills he had taught this shepherd boy, the stone from his sling was effective in killing the giant with just one shot.
What happened thereafter was also in God's perfect plan. Jonathan's response to David was according to God's plan for David would need an ally in the enemy's household. Saul would become intensely jealous of David and would seek to harm him. God had so arranged things that Saul's own son would be the one who would protect and defend David - even though David could be seen as a personal threat to him.
I have not referred to the reaction of the Israelite women to the victory against the Philistines and their songs giving more credit to young David than to Saul. We saw in a previous Day Share [Jealousy is bad for our health and wellbeing 16/10/2024]] that this was what sowed the seeds of jealousy in Saul's mind and this seed grew into a deadly poisonous tree. Surely, this was not also part of God's plan for David. The women should have been more discreet and they should have been less inclined to celebrity worship. If they had recognised that it was the Lord who gave the victory in the Valley of Elah and that David was simply God's instrument, there might not have been these provocative songs that stirred up such a reaction in Saul's heart. However, we believe that everything is allowed to happen according to God's will. So these women were allowed to chant their songs and God allowed Saul to feel deep resentment and jealousy. It would be so harmful to David and would mean him having to go into hiding in caves. Yes, the bad things were all part of God's providence.
I am not sure that David saw it that way at the time. When he was sheltering in a cave instead of being in the palace as the rightful place for God's anointed, he might have felt that this was grossly unfair.
Remember the story of Joseph. The brothers were bitter and jealous and sold Joseph as a slave. He ended up wrongly accused and was imprisoned. Out of this injustice, God worked for not only the good of Joseph but for the good of Israel and Egypt. Remember the words of Joseph to his brothers after the death of their father, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." [Genesis 50:20 NIV]
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