King David: God Chooses the Overlooked

David’s story is not a highlight reel, and that’s why it hits so hard. We sit down to talk through the life of King David, a shepherd boy from Bethlehem who gets overlooked by his own family, then chosen by God and named in Hebrews 11 as an example of faith. If you’ve ever felt like the least likely person in the room, we want you to hear this clearly: God looks at the heart, and he still builds leaders out of ordinary lives.

Transcript

Welcome And Season One Update

Dominique 0:00

Hey everyone, I am Dominique and I am joined by my husband Hodaiah. What's up, y'all? We'd like to welcome you to episode 17 of the Ordinary Doing Extraordinary Podcast. Y'all, we are almost done with season one. We have one more episode after this. Excited to get started with this episode today, where we will be talking about one of our favorite heroes of the Bible, King David.

Hodaiah 0:27

Yes, sir.

Dominique 0:28

Let's go. This is gonna be amazing, y'all.

Anchor Verse

Dominique 0:32

So uh let's go get started with our anchor verse for today is Hebrews 11:32. Yes, we are still in that verse, y'all. Uh, and this is what it says. And what more can I say? Time is too short for me to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jepthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets.

Hodaiah 0:56

Oh, Dominique, thank you for that. With that, guys, let's get it. Come on, let's go. Let's go. I'm bringing that fire. The fireman. He's in the house. Ah, all right, let's get into King

Summary

Hodaiah 1:09

David. Start off with a summary of his life. David was a shepherd boy born in Bethlehem. His father, Jesse, was a man of the tribe of Judah. David was the youngest and considered to be the least of his seven brothers, and was put in the field to tend the sheep. Although overlooked by his family, David was chosen by God and anointed by the prophet Samuel as a teenager to be the next king of Israel. Standing against the giant Goliath boldly with faith, David defeated Goliath. David trusted God instead of armor or any manly understanding of strength. David would be elevated in the ranks of King Saul's army and was successful in all he did to the point that King Saul eventually became envious of David. Eventually, Saul becomes so filled with envy and hatred towards David that Saul makes multiple attempts to take David's life. This leads to David spending many years on the run in the wilderness as a fugitive. Even while on the run as a fugitive, David remained faithful to the Lord. David eventually becomes king first over Judah and later over all of Israel. Under his leadership, Israel was united. Despite his deep devotion, David fell into sexual sin with a woman named Bathsheba, which led to David orchestrating the murder of her husband, Uriah the Hittite. The Lord still loved David, but there were consequences for David's sin. This sin affected his family and kingdom. In his old age, David prepared for the construction of the temple, though his son, Solomon, would build it. Before dying, David declared Solomon as his successor. David rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of David.

Faith In Action

Hodaiah 3:10

Now guys, next we're going to move into our faith in action. First, David confronted Goliath. David's faith was demonstrated when he faced the giant Goliath while the entire Israelite army was afraid. David trusted God rather than his own strength, armor, or military experience. His victory showed confidence in God's power. And our faith in action here is trusting God in the face of overwhelming odds. Next, David trusted God while fleeing from Saul. Although Saul repeatedly tried to kill David, David refused to take matters into his own hands. On multiple occasions he had the opportunity to kill Saul, but chose not to. David trusted God to fulfill his promise of kingship rather than seizing the throne by force. And our faith in action is waiting on God's timing instead of pursuing personal vengeance. God's timing, but not our timing. Remember that. Our next one is going to be how David sought God's guidance before battle. David regularly inquired of the Lord before making major decisions. Let that one sink in. Many of us we need to make sure that we're getting counsel from the Lord before we just make major decisions. It's stated in 2 Samuel 5, verse 19. David inquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up against the Philistines? And we see here in that verse, rather than relying solely on military skill, David sought God's direction. Our faith and action is seeking God's will before acting. That's good. Next, David brought the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem. The Ark of the Covenant was a sacred, gold-covered chest that served as a physical symbol of God's presence among the Israelites. David desired for God's presence to be central in the life of Israel. After learning the proper way to transport the ark, he brought it back to Jerusalem with worship and rejoicing. David danced before the Lord with all his might, and that's in 2 Samuel 6 14. Our faith in action is publicly worshiping God without concern for personal reputation. This act demonstrated David's faith by prioritizing God's presence as the central focus of Israel's national life. Next, David repented after his sin with Bathsheba. When confronted by the prophet Nathan, David did not make excuses. He confessed his sexual sin with Bathsheba and sought God's mercy. In 2 Samuel 12, 13, it states, I have sinned against the Lord. Psalm 51 records David's heartfelt repentance, our faith in action, humbly turning back to God after failure.

Dominique 6:17

That's a good one too.

Hodaiah 6:18

Yeah.

Dominique 6:18

So let me jump in here. I have a couple.

Hodaiah 6:21

Jump in.

Dominique 6:22

David trusted God during Absalom's rebellion. When David's son Absalom rebelled against him, David did not demand that the ark be brought with him for protection. Rather than treating the ark as a good luck charm or a weapon to guarantee his safety, he recognized that God's sovereignty could not be manipulated. We see in 2 Samuel 15, 25, it says, If I find favor in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me back. David submitted himself to God's will, whether he regained the throne or not. So our faith in action here is trusting God's sovereignty during personal hardship by surrendering control instead of clinging to symbolic security.

Hodaiah 7:10

And right there, it makes me think of just how the Lord can resurrect whatever may seem dead, he'll bring it back to life. I don't care what you've done. We have a Lord that works miracles. Yeah. Right? You may feel like you're dead. The Lord can bring you back.

Dominique 7:28

Yeah, the circumstances may look bleak.

Hodaiah 7:31

Yes, they may.

Dominique 7:33

Our next point here is that David praised God continually. Many of the psalms were written by David during difficult circumstances. Even while hiding from enemies, he worshiped God and declared his trust to him. We see in Psalm 23, 1, it says, The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. And in Psalm 56, verse 4, in God I have put my trust. I will not fear. Have faith in action, choosing worship and trust in the midst of trials. And let me say also, y'all, if you are having a difficult circumstance, reading the Psalms is a great place to start. Yes, it is. You will find something, I'm sure, that can fit your circumstance and what you're dealing with.

Hodaiah 8:17

Encouragement and so much knowledge.

Dominique 8:19

Yeah, it's great.

Faith Challenges

Dominique 8:21

So our next section here will be talking about the faith challenges, waiting for God's promise while Saul pursued him. Although David had been anointed king early in his life, Saul spent years trying to kill him. David lived as a fugitive, hiding in caves and wilderness areas. The faith challenge. Would he trust God's timing or take the throne by force? The outcome. David repeatedly respected Saul, spared his life, and waited for God to act. And our lesson is that faith patiently waits for God's promises to be fulfilled.

Hodaiah 9:01

And I had something dumb. Mm-hmm. I just have to say it's like, like I kind of had already talked about it earlier. God's time and not our timing. Yeah. Right? Waiting patiently. It can be so tempting from you know our perspective as human beings to want to take matters into our own hands, especially when what you're seeing just does not make sense, right? We talk about walking by faith, not by sight, when what you're seeing doesn't make sense. But I just want to encourage our listeners. Like lots of times when you're in that valley and things seem like it's at its darkest, you'll say it doesn't make sense, but little do you know you're exactly where you need to be. And that's hard to accept that you're exactly where you need to be. And I can speak to that because I've gone through that personally in life. And the Lord will rescue you. He's not just having you there just so you can suffer just senselessly. No. He lots of times you don't realize what he's working on with you, what he's maybe whatever sin he might be trying to wring out of your heart, what he's trying to develop. Have hope.

Dominique 10:16

Yeah. And a good point is that, you know, David, it says he lived as a fugitive. He was hiding in caves, y'all. I don't know about y'all, but I don't like no cave. Right. You know, some of y'all do. You know, some of y'all be doing little trips to caves and stuff. Yep. But not me. Okay. So David had to be in these uncomfortable spots, caves and wilderness areas, and he still had to wait patiently.

unknown 10:42

Yeah.

Dominique 10:43

And that's that's a lot.

Hodaiah 10:44

It's like really being in the spirit. It's like picture this, you're in a dark place, you're in a storm, yet still being able to rejoice.

Dominique 10:54

Yeah.

Hodaiah 10:55

And praise the Lord, even in your dark circumstances. And people on the outside look at you, your enemies look at you, and they're like, that doesn't make any sense. How are you rejoicing? Your money is gone. You're having issues with your car. All the things that make us happy have been stripped from you, yet you're still rejoicing. They're like how you still praise this Lord that you can't see. Yeah. But you know, those who live in the world, they're they're cold to the things of the Lord. It's like you're in a storm, but you are living in the eye of the storm, and Jesus Christ is that eye of your storm. Things around you may seem the same, but within you, there is a peace beyond understanding.

Dominique 11:41

Yep. Ooh, you better preach. Hey.

Hodaiah 11:44

I can preach sometimes.

Dominique 11:45

Hey, okay. All right. And our next point here is living amongst the Philistines. David became discouraged during his feud with Saul and fled to Philistine territory for protection. In 1 Samuel 27, verse 1, it says, Now David said in his heart, I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul. And our faith challenge here is that fear caused David to temporarily rely on human solutions rather than God's protection. Our outcome? God remained faithful and eventually restored David. And our lesson here is that even strong believers can struggle with fear and doubt.

Hodaiah 12:26

Yes, and with that Dom, you can pass me the baton, I receive it.

Dominique 12:30

Passing it on.

Hodaiah 12:31

Yeah. Next, the loss of Ziklag. The Amalekites raided the city of Ziklag, burned it, and carried away the families of David and his men. David's own men considered stoning him because of what happened. Our faith challenge here is would he despair or seek God? So it's stated in 1 Samuel 30, verse 6. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. And our outcome was that David sought God's guidance and recovered everything. The lesson: Faith turns to God during crisis instead of giving up. It's amazing how David turned to God. Next we have the adultery with Bathsheba. David committed adultery with Bathsheba and arranged the death of her husband Uriah. Our faith challenge is after his sin was exposed, would he humble himself before God? What happened? Our outcome was David repented sincerely. It's written in 2 Samuel 12, 13. I have sinned against the Lord. And what we learn here is faith is demonstrated not by perfection, but by genuine repentance. Next, the consequences of his sin. David faced severe consequences, including the death of his child and turmoil within his family. Our faith challenge. Would he continue trusting God despite painful discipline? Our outcome, David accepted God's judgment and continued seeking him. What we learn is that faith trusts God's righteousness even when discipline is painful. And then our last faith challenge, the census of Israel. David ordered a census of Israel's fighting men, apparently placing confidence in military strength rather than God's provision. Our faith challenge, pride and self-reliance, tempted him to trust numbers instead of God. The outcome? David repented after recognizing his sin. What we learned is that faith depends on God rather than human resources.

Spiritual Lessons And Takeaways

Dominique 14:41

Yeah. So let's get started with our spiritual lessons and takeaways here. The first one is the stance of your heart. My goodness. We have a scripture here, 1 Samuel 16, verse 7, which says, The Lord does not look at the things people look at, the Lord looks at the heart. Our lesson is that David was not chosen based on his appearance or status. He was chosen based on his heart. The Lord values the proper heart posture over outward impressiveness. Our takeaway is make sure that you have a sincere heart that is focused on what the Lord wants. Make sure you fully submit to the Lord and not simply have an attitude of yielding to him or acknowledging him. James 4, verse 7 says that we are to submit to God. Wow. Our next one here is faith over fear. The lesson is that David trusted the Lord more than he feared Goliath. It was through faith he was able to act with great courage. Our takeaway? As Christians, it seems like we are always facing some giant in our lives, whether in our personal lives or at work. Trusting in the Lord's strength allows you to face life's giants with boldness and hope.

Hodaiah 16:05

Yes. Next, God's mercy is greater than our sin. Our lesson, David committed a serious sin of adultery and murder. But notice that in the end David repented deeply for his sin. The Lord forgave David, although there still would be consequences for David's sin. And our takeaway is that no one is beyond God's grace even after failure. True repentance leads to redemption. Next, leadership in servanthood. David served his people with a heart of humility. Even though he was a king, David had the heart of a shepherd. And our takeaway is that true leadership is about serving others. It is not as much about what you can do for yourself, but more about what you can do for others. Next, brokenness can be beautiful in God's hands. A scripture that comes to mind is Psalm 51, verse 17. The sacrifice pleasing to the Lord is a broken spirit. You will not despise a broken and humbled heart, God. David's greatest strength was not perfection, but humility and being open and honest with the Lord. Our takeaway. That is a worldly teaching. That is incorrect and that is a lie. But Jesus Christ absolutely will meet you where you're at in life. No matter where you're at, no matter what sin you're dealing with, the Lord will meet you where you're at. Bring your brokenness to him. Be open with him and have a humble heart. The Lord will use your brokenness to shape a heart that will be after his own heart, just as King David was a man after God's own heart.

Dominique 18:02

Yeah, yeah. And like you were saying, we bring our brokenness to him. We don't, he doesn't want us to just come to him and then just stay in that same sin, same, he transforms us.

Hodaiah 18:15

He transforms us. And I've heard before, it's not even as much that people hate Jesus Christ. They love the forgiveness aspect, the mercy. But the real issue is that people don't want to let go of their sins. The moment the gospel confronts their sins, all of a sudden it's an issue. All of a sudden, no, and it's like, nah, you don't want Jesus. You wanted your idea of Jesus. But the moment the gospel was convicting your heart, all of a sudden it became an issue. It's like, well, a real gospel, the real gospel is supposed to confront sin. It's supposed to. That feeling you feel in your heart, that's conviction.

Dominique 18:57

Yeah, and with David, when he sinned, he acknowledged his sin. Right. He didn't just say, Oh, I did that, and let me just move on and act ignore it, act like it didn't happen. Like he oh well. He he felt remorse for it and he was open and honest with God. Now he did have to face some consequences.

Hodaiah 19:17

But God still loved him.

Dominique 19:19

Yeah.

Hodaiah 19:19

Honestly, God still loved him, and it's the same thing with you.

Dominique 19:24

Yeah.

Hodaiah 19:24

Like it's it's said, like what loving parent doesn't discipline their child. That is love. Discipline is love. And the same way, sometimes God will discipline us. Yeah. But it doesn't mean he doesn't love you.

Dominique 19:40

Yep.

Hodaiah 19:41

He will take your broken heart. He sure will. All right.

Closing Thoughts And Reflection Questions

Hodaiah 19:45

All right. Moving on into our closing thought. This has been amazing. Have loved every second of this. The life of King David is a perfect example of God taking a person who is viewed as ordinary and doing extraordinary things. In the eyes of David's family, he was very much ordinary. He was viewed as being the least of his brothers. In the eyes of the world, God's people are ordinary, but God hides his diamonds in plain sight. It is written, The last will be first, and the first will be last, and that's stated in Matthew 20, verse 16. Through adversity, through the wilderness, and through moral failures, David was God's chosen. Even when David fell, because he had a humble heart and repented of his sins, the Lord forgave him. In the same way the Lord will forgive all of his children if we repent and turn away from our sins. The Lord will redeem you and do extraordinary things with you. The grace of Jesus Christ always stands. You are covered in the blood. We just have to choose to accept that grace daily. No matter what you have gone through or are currently going through in your life, you are not too far gone to be redeemed by Jesus Christ. There is hope and victory in his mighty name and in his redeeming blood. And now for our two reflection questions. Our first question How did David's heart for God set him apart as a leader, even though he made serious mistakes? And our second reflection question In what way does David's life show the importance of trusting God's timing and guidance?

Dominique 21:37

Thank you so much for that closing thought and the reflection questions.

Hodaiah 21:42

Yeah.

Prayer

Dominique 21:43

Now we're going to go ahead and close out in prayer. So bow your heads and we will end this episode here in prayer. Father God, we thank you for this time exploring the life of David and how you can use even a shepherd boy for your glory. You take the unexpected, the least likely, the ordinary, and do wonderfully extraordinary things in their lives for your glory. Lord, we are so thankful for that truth because it gives us hope. It gives us the strength to believe that you can even use us for your purpose and plan. Jesus, encourage us to move in the direction you want us to move. Embolden us to be courageous and faith-filled in a world full of darkness. Let our light shine brightly amongst the dying world, Lord. And like David, let us be examples of faith and holy commitment for generations to come. We love you and we thank you for your mercy and your grace daily. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Hodaiah 22:46

Amen and amen. Fire prayers.

Dominique 22:49

Fire.

Hodaiah 22:50

Yeah, fire.

Dominique 22:53

Alright, y'all. Thank you so much for listening to episode 17. We'll see y'all in the last one.

Hodaiah 22:58

Man, it hurts me, man. We just already about to be done. But I tell you, going towards the end, one thing ain't gonna change. Y'all gonna join us for episode 18. You as a face.

Dominique 23:11

Alright, alright. Thank y'all.

Hodaiah 23:14

Now I gotta get in my laps for him.

Dominique 23:16

Okay. Thank y'all so much for listening.

Hodaiah 23:19

Thank y'all. Love y'all.

Rapper Voice (Music) 23:21

Musical Outro

Children's Choir (Music) 23:50