King David teaches on prayer….

The narrative account of the biblical David is very popular these days. With an animated miniseries and a movie, there is still his real story in the real Book,The Bible.  

Everyone knows at least some of the story. You can refresh your memory starting in 1 Samuel Chapter 16. That’s where God sends the Prophet Samuel to go find a new king. 

Samuel makes his way to the house of Jesse. Jesse has eight sons, most are manly, strong, good looking young men. Samuel looked at the first seven and didn’t find them acceptable. Samuel asked if there were more sons and Jesse replied, “there remaineth yet the youngest and behold he keepeth the sheep.” (KJV)

Samuel said to Jesse, “Fetch him,” and it just so happens that the keeper of the sheep was the one Samuel had been seeking. The keeper of the sheep didn’t know it at the time, but he was destined to become Israel’s favorite, and arguably greatest, king. 

Out on the hills with his father’s sheep, the young boy became an accomplished player of the harp. The harp in those days had 10 strings and was played either with a pick or a finger. Ancient texts tell us David was also an excellent singer. His music comforted and refreshed even King Saul’s heart when he was afflicted by his “evil spirit”

In addition to his other great qualities, David, the ancient texts tell us in 1 Samuel, was “ruddy and withal of a beautiful countenance and goodly to look to.” (KJV) So, in addition to everything else he was handsome.

Here we have this good looking, talented young man, obediently tending and protecting his fathers sheep. He will kill with his slingshot and a stone, Goliath the giant whom even armies feared. He will comfort others with his music; and he will eventually be King of Israel.

What’s not to like? The plots abound for a good movie do they not? 

You may not know however as Paul Harvey liked to say, “The rest of the story.” There was great turmoil within King David’s family. He was personally involved in adultery and a murder, a daughter was raped by her half brother, Absolam a son rebelled against his father the king. Absalom later fell in battle bringing great sorrow to David. His family was dysfunctional to say the least. 

I tell you all this because I was reading recently in the Psalms. I found David now as the Psalmist, going to great lengths to explain to us his readers how and why he prayed, and why we should. 

At first glance it may not seem appropriate to have such a man, a fallen man with all his personal baggage teaching us about prayer? But on second thought, King David was not only a fallen man, he was a repentant one. That is the key.

In his Psalms we find the repentant David speaking with his God. Never mind all the bad he had done in the past, David agreed with God these things were wrong, he had confessed and moved on! His God, also our God, in His great mercy and grace forgave him. God now saw David just as if he had never sinned, or as we like to call it, justified. I believe this is what God likes most about King David. 

King David was a fallen man. He knew it. His God knew it. But God, in his infinite grace and mercy, does not see the failures. He moved David past his failures. In David’s story we get to see the bad, the ugly and then the good. That’s the kind of God David had and that we have.

That’s how a forgiven King David can speak through his Psalms to us about prayer.

I believe that is one of the best proofs of the Bible’s authenticity, you get the bad with the good. Much like life. 

God specializes in lifting a fallen man, even a King. And He can lift you!  God in both the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament calls David “a man after my own heart.” (1Samuel 13.14, Acts 13.22)

We can consider his Psalms as David’s personal Sticky Notes to us from somewhere in ancient Israel around the time of 1000 BC.

In Psalm 3, we find just 8 verses. The Psalm begins with this notation: “A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.” It speaks of heartbreak right from the start. It is one of 73, and possibly 75 Psalms attributed to David. In addition to his many great qualities, he was an accomplished writer and poet. He was also a humble, attentive human being.

In Psalm 3 King David writes as a troubled man. He looks around and sees his many enemies rising against him, his son Absalom being one of them. In addition, his enemies tell him there is no hope, and that even his God can’t help him now. Hope is a dreadful thing to lose.

As King David continues in his writing, he tells us where he found his help and his renewed hope.

Psalm 3

1 Lord, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me.

2 Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah.

3 But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.

4 I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.

5 I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me.

6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.

7 Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.

8 Salvation belongeth unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah. (KJV)

I have discovered that I also have, maybe not enemies, but situations where things aren’t going well for me. And when I next look around it sometimes seems there are even  more things going wrong. Have you ever said or thought, “What else can possibly go wrong?” It seems my own personal bad situations come in threes. Never just one or two, but usually at least three.

In verse three of Psalm 3, David’s enemies tell him that even his God cannot help him. In our day, no one actually says our God cannot help us, but it is strongly implied. Should  you believe in God, if you believe in the Bible, if you hold a Biblical world view, you are so out of touch in your thinking you might actually be considered a dangerous person. Believing in God is not a popular position to take in our day. You will find “they,” most of society, will be against you.

When we take a closer look at David’s writings, we discover his enemies as he further describes them, are also our enemies. They are “men perfectly lost to all virtue and honor,” says Matthew Henry the great 17th Century Bible commentator. An apt description even for our day. 

Psalm 3 is much like a film being developed to give us a complete picture of a forgiven and lifted up David.

So where do we turn?

Where did king David turn?

To his God!

To his merciful, forgiving God.

And so should we.

It tells us in verse 5 David was comfortable enough, even when surrounded by enemies, to lie down and sleep. In verse 6 he further states, “I will not be afraid!”

In verse 7 David finds his enemies are “smitten.” Breaking a cheekbone in the warfare of David’s time was tantamount to death. A soldier with a broken cheekbone was as good as dead.

Why should I take advice on prayer from a man who looked lustfully at a woman taking a bath, had her husband killed in battle, and had so many troubles within his own family. Should he be my example for prayer?

He should.

His first and most important example is that he prayed. He acknowledged his own sinfulness. He could see God taking care of him. He didn’t try to figure everything out for himself, he prayed.

David needed only 8 verses.

He’s our example.

Do you hear the harp?

Have a great and prayerful day….

don3518@gmail.com