David was one of the more dominant people in the Old Testament. He wrote several Old Testament books. He was one of Israel's kings. But King David’s life was an absolute roller coaster. When you think of a king, sometimes you think of someone who has it made and that everything is perfect. It was not the case with David.
David’s ascension to being king
Samuel was a prophet in the Old Testament who was responsible for anointing the different kings of Israel. Before David, Saul was the first king of Israel. This is different than Saul in the New Testament, who became Paul and then wrote the majority of the New Testament. But he's currently the king.
If you back up to 1 Samuel 15, you read the story of how God rejected Saul as king because of his disobedience. What you can gain from this chapter is that Saul was a dangerous dude. He was not a king to be messed with. So, if Saul found out that the prophet Samuel was in the process of anointing a new king, he would want to kill him.
God told the prophet Samuel to go to Jesse’s home and God would show Samuel who the new king was going to be.
Here’s what we read in 1 Samuel 16:6. “When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.’ But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him.’”
Jesse had seven of his sons pass by Samuel, but Samuel said, in verse 10, “The Lord has not chosen these. So he asked Jesse, ‘Are these all the sons you have?’ ‘There is still the youngest,’ Jesse answered. ‘He is tending the sheep.’”
In verse 12, we read, “Then the Lord said, ‘Rise and anoint him; this is the one.’”
The important part of this story is that David was the last of Jesse’s sons to be presented to Samuel.
David overlooked
Jesse didn’t even consider that his youngest could be king. He didn't even think to get the youngest out of the field. And then he brought Samuel over to the corner and was like, Hey, listen, I all my sons are here. But the youngest, he's probably not going to be the one, but he's here, you know, he's here just kind of just pass him over, do what you're going to do with everyone else. They literally left him in the field.
Tending the sheep was often the task of the youngest in the family and often the youngest daughter. Think of the way that David was pushed out to the corner and the way that he was left and he was forgotten, it's almost hard to wrap our heads around. This is how it all got started.
God doesn’t see things the way we do. When Jesse brings out his first three sons, the Bible tells us they were big and strong. But God wanted a king whose heart was turned toward Him.
3 Ways David overcame rejection
After David was anointed by Samuel, he had to wait several years before becoming King. He still had to deal with the fact that he was chosen last. How did he deal with that?
1. David was not oblivious to the fact that he was the smallest. When you're not invited to the table for dinner like that, those are cues that a lot of people would normally pick up on. For David, he had to first acknowledge the fact that he wasn’t chosen first. David had to look to God to get over the feeling of being passed over.
2. David rejected the lie that he wasn’t good enough to be chosen first.
3. He replaced the lie with God’s word. He wrote songs of praise to the Lord. He focused on the things of Heaven and not on his circumstances.
Practical application
When we’re experiencing rejection and when we’re feeling worthless, look at what David said in Psalm 139:14, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”
The way God sees me is not that way. I don't have the right to determine my value. David heard the lies. I promise you he knew he was the smallest. He knew he was the youngest. He acknowledged it. He rejected it. And then, according to the way he lived his life, he filled it with the truth found in God's word.
Throughout the New Testament, we are given these different promises, such as we are God's very own possession. We're chosen for the praise of His glory, and we have an inheritance waiting for him as his children. Paul says in Ephesians 2:10 that we are God's masterpiece and he created us anew in Christ Jesus.
We are God's masterpieces so that we can do the good things that He planned for us long, long ago. Don’t allow the wrong voices to disrupt the direction of your destiny. God has called you to this family and to this destiny, and God has equipped you. He has good, good things planned for your life before you were even a twinkle in your mother's eye.
Next steps
There are three specific things to pray for.
1. Healing for the person who has spent too long believing a lie that they are worthless.
2. Protection for God to place a special hedge of protection around each and everyone who suffers from rejection.
3. That the truth of God's Word will be louder than the lies of the enemy.