Life Seasons (Seasons in David’s Life) - Summer
Junior Level
The past few weeks we have been doing a study about being content in all things and in all seasons in our lives. I have been listening to the teaching of Sister Laurie Cole and God has really used her to give me a better understanding of the Seasons in my own life and the Lord has put it on my heart to pass along what I have learned.
Handout: Life Seasons
Now we know by reading God’s word that it is important to be content in all things. It is equally important to understand what Life Season we are in. We are all different and God brings us into different Seasons at different times because He has a plan and a purpose. We read in Ecclesiastes chapter 3 that there is a time and season for all things. The different seasons in our lives are for a purpose. God uses them to help us to grow in Him and to bring us to Himself. Christ has begun a work in those that believe in Him and the seasons of life are used to bring us closer to that work that He wants to complete in us. (Philippians 1:6)
In the last lesson, we looked at the first season of David’s life and that was Spring time. Today I want us to look at the Summer season in the life of David and compare it to the summer seasons we have gone through or for those that are in a different season, we can learn by David’s life to better recognize what season we are in so that we can live more effectively for the Lord in our walk with Him.
In the previous lesson we learned how God chose young David to be the King of Israel and how He sent Samuel to the house of Jesse to anoint David. David was a keep of his father’s sheep and God was training him to be a shepherd for Israel as well. Out in the fields alone with the Lord, David was in the Spring and growth time of his spiritual walk with the Lord. God was drawing David to himself.
1 Samuel 16:11-12 “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. 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.”
Reading on down in 1 Samuel 16 we find where David enters the life season of summer.
Let us read together.
1 Samuel 16:13-21 14But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him. 15And Saul's servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee.
16Let our lord now command thy servants, which are before thee, to seek out a man, who is a cunning player on an harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well. 17And Saul said unto his servants, Provide me now a man that can play well, and bring him to me. 18Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the LORD is with him.
19Wherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said, Send me David thy son, which is with the sheep. 20And Jesse took an ass laden with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid, and sent them by David his son unto Saul. 21And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he became his armourbearer.”
In reading these scriptures we learn a lot about the Summer Season. We learn that:
1. Summer is a Life Season of New opportunities
God is bringing David into the plans He has for his life. David wasn’t born from royalty but that didn’t matter. When God wishes to promote one, they will be promoted and it doesn’t matter where they came from or where they are now. It will come to pass. God sent a Spirit upon Paul and he needed someone to play the harp to sooth that feeling and send away those spirits to give him peace. It was no accident that David was skilled in harp playing. Any and all of the talents that God has given you and me, we should use them for His glory and do them the best that we can. God was bringing David into the Palace and setting the stage for his destiny as the King of God’s people Israel.
2. Summer is a Life Season of Increased Responsibilities
David is brought to the palace and it is now his responsibility to play for the king but also to bear his armor.
Armor-bearers were aides chosen by kings and high-ranking military commanders for their courage and loyalty. They did bear armor, but they were usually much more. Being an Armor-bearer meant protecting Saul and fighting right along beside him during war.
1 Samuel 16:18 “Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the LORD is with him.”
It was no accident that David was a mighty and valiant man. It was no accident that he was a man of war and prudent in matters. Nothing in David’s life as accidental, it was all working together for his destiny as King. David wasn’t born mighty, he grew by God’s grave into that man. Every thing that David experienced was for his training to be King. He didn’t know it at the times they were occurring but God had a purpose for all things in David’s life and He had a purpose for all things in our lives as well. What a blessing! God has a reason for all things He allows in our lives, even if we don’t understand, or even if they seem as if they cannot possibly be for our good, still Romans 8:28 is a promise of God and God’s promises are ALWAYS true!
Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.”
In the next chapter of 1 Samuel we read where David tells Saul of a time when he was keeping the sheep for his father, and a lion and a bear and took a lamb from the flock. David went after these and rescued the lamb, killing both the lion and the bear. (1 Samuel 17:34-36)
If there were ever times for David to be afraid, it was when a lion or bear was coming at him. Let me tell you, this girl would be running something fierce in those instances; you talk about your proverbial “fraidy cat” that would be me, Lord help me! David however was brave and he knew the lives of his father’s sheep depended upon him and so he had courage from the Lord and was able to defeat them. I believe this was also God’s way of training David in being brave and in trusting Him! God is so wise, and so very good. Praise His Holy name!
We don’t need to be afraid to fight the “lions and bears” in our lives, because the Lord is with us and we may just be in training for a higher calling!
Life Seasons of Summer are times of greater visibility and spiritual fruitfulness. They can be very busy times in our lives. Sometimes we can get tired and begin to complain in summer seasons. We should never complain, instead we need to embrace and enjoy the summer seasons in our lives and thank God for them!
Essentials for busy Summer Seasons:
A. We must Guard our Priorities
2 Corinthians 11:3 “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Even through is subtility, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”
B. Guard Motives- Ask why am I doing all that I am doing?
1 Corinthians 10:31 “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
We never want to be doing things in the wrong motive in order to promote ourselves or for our own personal selfish gain. Everything we do must glorify God our Father! That is what we are born for, to bring glory to Him! It is our most important reason for living. He alone is worthy!
1 Peter 4:11 “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
C. Guard Your Pride!
John 15:5 “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”
We cannot puff up in our own pride thinking we are something great. We have to remind ourselves and remember that Christ is our help, our strength, He is our everything. He is the main life giving vine, we are just branches. Branches are dead without the vine. We are dead apart from Christ. Through Christ we live! Do NOTHING apart from Jesus. Do all things By HIM, For HIM, and Through HIM! Praise You JESUS!
Dear Righteous Heavenly Father,
We come to You another day thanking You for Your Almighty Power, Love, and Mercy. We bow before You in praise and thanksgiving at who You are and all You do for us. Father we thank You for the many blessings that You have given to us each and every day. Even the things we take for granted sometimes and for the things we don’t even realize that You do, Father we thank You now and praise You for those things. Father we understand that apart from You we are dead, we are nothing and we ask You to help us to always abide in You. We ask that You help us to always abide in and live for Your Son, Christ. Father we ask today that You continue to bless, protect, and keep us in Your will. We ask that You help us recognize the seasons of life that we are in and that we help us understand and learn to be wise in how to walk in Your ways so that we can please You and praise You in all things great and small. Thank You for Your grace and for loving us so much. Father we love You and ask that You help us to love You more each and every day. We ask for wisdom and growing faith in You. We desire to burn with passion in service for You and to spread the good news of Jesus to a lost and dying world so that You will be glorified. Thank You for all things, in Jesus name we ask these things, we thank You for hearing and answering, and we praise You always Father, for You are worthy! Amen. Thank You Lord! We love You. You are our Everything! Thank You Jesus.
~*Cindygirl*~
March 29, 2020