James L. Thornton

1 Samuel 16:1. And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.
6. And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD'S anointed is before him.
7. But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.
8. Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this.
9. Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this.
10. Again, Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, The LORD hath not chosen these.
11. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither.
12. And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he
13. Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.

Some Months Later

1 Samuel 17:28. And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle.
29. And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause?

1 Samuel 17:49. And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.
50. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.

Two Victories In One Day

To Win A Victory Over The Devil Is An Accomplishment Any Day.

We Feel To Win One Victory A Week Is Something To Shout About.

How Many Feel Like They Won A Victory This Week?

Some Here Have Won Only A Few Victories In All Of Their Christian Life. It Don't Have To Be Like That. I Believe We Can Win Victory After Victory.

Our Reading Tells Us Of Two Victories In The Same Place On the Same Day.

When David Entered Into The Battlefield To Begin His Soldier Life, He First Showed His Power Of Mastery Of Himself.

He Then Went On To, What In Many Ways, Was An Inferior Triumph. The Conquest Of Goliath.

He Bore The Reviling Of His Own Brother With Meekness.

Victory Over Self, And In The Same Calm Mood He Faced The Dread Giant On The Battlefield. Thus Winning Two Victories On the Same Day.

The Second, The Victory Over The Giant, Is By Far The Most Famous Victory.

But Without The First, Victory Over Self, There Would Never Have Been The Second.

The Man Who Kills A Giant Will Always Get His Due Glory.

But How About The Man, Who Against Strong Temptations,

Controls His Own Temper
Shows The Spirit Of Meekness,
Never Returns Ridicule,
Doesn't Let The Root Of Bitterness Grow?

Proverbs 16:32 (The Wise Man) He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city. (KJV)

David Is One Of The Two Or Three Greatest Men Who Ever Lived Upon The Earth.

The Bible Speaks Of David As A Man After God's Own Heart.

What Makes David Such A Great Man In The Mind Of The Lord?

1 Corinthians 2:16. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. (KJV)

God To Samuel, "the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, But The Lord Looketh On The Heart. (1 Samuel 16:7b)

If We Were Going To Raise A King It Is Doubtful We Would Have Placed Him In The House Of Jesse.

From What We Read Of Jesse, David Did Not Inherit His Finest Qualities From Him.

Jesse, The Son Of Obed, Who Was The Son Of Boaz And Ruth.

Jesse Had An Illustrious Past To Look Back To.

Tenth In Direct Decent From His Father Jacob. More Than One Great Name Stood In Jesse's Ancestry.

But It Is Not The Great Names In His Past Which Makes Jesse Interesting To Us.

We Are Told So Little About Jesse. He Is Already An Old Man When He Appears In The Bible Story.

We Are Told Nothing At All About David's Mother, Not Even Her Name. The Extraordinary Abilities Of Their Youngest Son Came From Neither.

Jesse's Sole Interest To Us Is That He Had David Among His Sons, Without Which, We Would Have Never Known He Lived.

We Bow Before Him Because Of The "Branch" Which Grew Out of His Roots.

The Lord Had Said To Samuel,

"...Fill Thy Horn With Oil, And Go, I Will Send Thee To Jesse The Beth-lehemite: For I Have Provided Me A King Among His Sons." (1 Samuel 16:1.) (KJV)

God Sees Not As Man Sees, And God Works Not As Man Works.

We Would Not Have Committed Our Coming King To Jesse To Bring Up.

What A Place To Bring Up A King.
The Lonely Sheepfolds Of Bethlehem,
David Forgotten And Neglected By His Father,
He Was Scoffed At By His Older Brothers.
Just A Lad With His Harp And Sling,
Keeping His Father's Sheep.

But We Have Looked As Man Does, On Outward Appearances

1 Samuel 16:7. But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart. (KJV)

Now Let Us Look At His Heart. In His Heart Was A Song... (A New Song)

Psalms 8:3. When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;

4. What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? (KJV)

Psalm 23:1. ( A Psalm of David.) The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. (KJV)

Just A Drink Of Water From The Well Of Bethlehem, Even In His Old Age, Made Him Feel Young Again.

With His Harp He Made His Great Ancestry To Live Again, And Walk And Talk With Him.

In His Psalms Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Jephthah, And Samuel Walked Among His Sheep. Plenty Of Shepherd Boys In Israel Had Harps.

But There Was No Man In All Israel Who Could Make His Harp Play, And Work Cures Of Mind And Soul Like David.

David's Harp Sounded Farther Than He Ever Dreamed.

With Harp, Or Sling, Or Sword, Or Scepter, Or Pen, It Was All The Same, With All His Might He Was God's Man.

All The Men In Saul's Army Had The Best Slings Made Hung At Their Belts.

But None Could Deliver The Smooth Stone Into Goliath's Forehead.

Whether It Be Getting Our Lessons,

Preparing A Speech,
Or Singing A Song,
Or Preaching A Sermon,
Or Praying A Prayer,
Or Teaching A Class,
Or Visiting A Sick Person,
Or Plough A Furrow,
Or Sweeping A House,

Lay It Not Down Until You Can Say It Is Finished, Do It The Best You Can.

Anointed King

1 Samuel 16:11. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither.
12. And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he.
13. Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah. (KJV)

That Day There Was A Root Of Bitterness Planted In The Heart Of Eliab. He Allowed It To Grow And Poison Him.

The Cruel Spirit Of Envy Turned Him From A Brother Into A Foe.
Like Cain, Eliab Became Unforgiving.

As Eliab Witnessed The Anointing Of His Younger Brother That Day, He Felt That It Should Have Been Upon His Own Head.

Even Jesse, His Father, Was Surprised, And No Doubt Disappointed, That Neither Of His Older Sons Were Chosen, Even Though They Were Warriors In Saul's Army.

The Fiendish Passion Of Envy And Jealously Turned Towards Hatred And Anger.

A Short While Later David Was Sent By His Father To Inquire Of The Welfare Of His Brothers And Take Some Food For Them.

David Was Surprised To Hear Goliath's Challenge, And More Surprised That No One Took Up The Challenge.

And As David Made Inquiry Into The Matter His Older Brother, Eliab, Overheard Him Speaking To One Of The Soldiers, Began To Berate Him In Front Of Everyone.

1 Samuel 17:28. And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle. (KJV)

I Have Known Brothers In Christ Who Have Cut One Another Down Because Of Envy.

The Taunts And Insinuation Must Have Cut David To The Heart. If He Had Said This In Private It Would Have Hurt.

But Eliab Publicly Slandered David In Front Of All Those Around Him, And Sought To Do Damage To His Reputation.

No Doubt It Was The Listening People He Wanted To Impress.

No Doubt Years Later Eliab Would Have Given Anything To Have Those Words Back, When He Joined David In His Desperate Struggle With King Saul. (1 Samuel 22:1)

The Temptation Must Have Been Strong To Answer Eliab With Words Of Indignation.

Only The Great Self Control Of David Kept Him From Blasting Back At His Brother.

No One Likes To Be Accused Of Vile Motives Which Are Untrue.

The Worst Hurt Comes From A Brother Or Someone Close.

Zechariah 13:6b. ''...., Those With Which I Was Wounded In The House Of My Friends.''

But The Gentle Spirit And ''Soft Answer Turneth Away Wrath.'' (Proverbs 15:1) (KJV)

We Have All Been Wrongly Accused. The Best Answer Is Our Conduct.

''By Their Fruits Ye Shall Know Them." (Matthew 7:20) (KJV)

The Second Victory Could Never Have Been Achieved Without This Great Victory.

If David Had Given Way To Stormy Passion, Even For A Moment, It Would Have Lingered A Lifetime

A Defeat By Our Spirit Renders Us Unfit To Battle A Giant.

Matthew 7:16. (Jesus) Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? (KJV)

1 Corinthians 13:4. (Paul) Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not,.. (KJV)

To Conquer Self And Pride Is Life's Greatest Conquest.

The Giants Will Fall Before That Person Who Conquers Self.

I Do Not Have Go Into Great Detail About David's Skill With A Sling.

1 Samuel 17:49. And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth. (KJV)

He Also Had Great Skill With The Harp And The Pen. But His Greatest Skill Was In Handling Self.

Hope You Enjoyed Reading This Study On The Life Of David.
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