By way of review, the last couple of weeks I’ve focused on those who “can’t get themselves off their hands.” More problems than I can think of are a direct result of the inability to do that. Coming to church ought to help us in that regard. 2 weeks ago, we saw what “not being able to get himself off his hands” did to Samson, and the tragic end that came to his life. A guy who did so little with so much.

Then on Independence Sunday, we saw how this truth can be applied to nations as well as individuals. A lot of countries are in decline because “they can’t get themselves off their hands.” They wanta be on somebody else’s hands. Make us your “project.” Israel ignored Jeremiah the prophet till she was deported into Babylonian captivity for awhile, till she learned how to “get herself off her hands.” Shaped and re-shaped like a potter and his clay -- instilled with a new covenant, so she could be used by God for good once again. Today I’m doing a (180)...about a guy who DID get himself off his hands. There’s just something about David. He was the one Old Testament dude, said to be “a man after God’s own heart.” There’s an old nautical adage: “ no sailor ever distinguished himself on a smooth sea.” Rarely is greatness achieved in any realm, apart from hardship and conflict and setbacks.

The Book of Hebrews says the “best of the breed,” was “made perfect by the things he suffered” (2:11). Pressure and adversity have a way of bringing to the surface the best that’s in us, and this holds for David the King; one of the genuine all-time heroes of holy writ. He had a magnetic quality that attracted him not only to God, but his peers. Depending on “who you follow” you can look real good. David was anointed after the disastrous reign of King Saul and made Israel a dominant force to be reckoned with from the Nile to the Euphrates.

His life was full of incredible accomplishment. This is a “ruddy-faced shepherd boy” who took on Goliath and won with only a slingshot and his faith in God! He had the courage to challenge one 3 times his size!“You mock me with a javelin, sword and spear, but I come in the name of the Lord!” Something about David that made the Lord smile. There was a spiritual quality to his politics, because he was stiffened not with the starch of oratory but with the steel of prayer! The “sea on which he sailed” was anything but smooth. Always against great odds; often the underdog, besieged with great difficulties practically all his life, not the least being because he was the family runt.

But David rose above that because he’s one of those “git’er done guys,” who did so much with so little, overcoming great obstacles to put the people of God on the map. And that only makes this great leader that much more impressive; soon becaming a household word. You’d think that conquering Goliath, would put him on “Easy Street.” But King Saul’s jealousy caused him to resent David’s popularity and he fell into disfavor with the King, as fast as he came to prominence. It just galled Saul to hear the people gloat: “Saul has slain his thousands, but David his ten thousands!” There’s just something about David. But because of Saul’s paranoia, David had to live as a fugitive, fleeing for his life, from the very man he pledged his loyalty. It got so bad, David was more accepted by the Philistines, who sheltered him from the raging king. So David’s life was one-narrow-escape-after-another. But living in the tortuous wilderness has a way of curing a man of ambition.

During that time he surely questioned why God had Samuel anoint him, if his destiny is to be a hunted outlaw in the desert. Or maybe God has this idiot brother, whom he sometimes leaves to tend the shop! But David’s wilderness experience tested his faith and tempered his soul. He was no longer a national hero and favorite court-musician. And it was totally undeserved. Lesser guys would’ve collapsed in bitterness and despair, but there’s just something about David. Lookit! It was in his lowest moments that David’s most noble qualities surfaced as he made wise use of the unjust hand he was dealt, and never let it slow him down. He became a “desert rat,” making a hideout in a place called Ziklag, where he slowly began to gather an unlikely assortment of folks who were at odds with society (not unlike his ancestor Jesus did 1000 years later).

After Saul finally fell on his sword in battle, the southern kingdom of Judah, David’s home territory, drafted him to be their king when he was still in his twenties. But his goal as a leader was to unify the nation. Sevan years later the northern tribes, knew a good thing when they saw it, did likewise. And David seized the moment, continuing to conquer Israel’s foes, extending her boundaries in all directions. But this didn’t mean David had it made. It was one battle after the next. The most notable was Goliath, but with David, the giants keep coming; he fought and won against many giants. Then by the time middle-age hit, “when kings go forth to war,” that year David made perhaps his biggest mistake; when he stayed home and let his underlings do the fighting. So it turns out that David had a little Samson in him! That’s when the Bathsheba triangle darn near brought even David down.

And the only reason it didn’t was he was a bigger man than that. He had that spiritual quality, along with the good sense to repent when God sent Nathan the prophet to tell him, “Thou art the man!” There’s just something about David. At no time was he devoid of intense pressures; there were no “smooth seas” for him. But this champion of God grew in character by facing tremendous odds and overcoming insurmountable problems. For our benefit this morning, I’d like to help us understand how he pulled it off and what was it about David, that allowed him to “get himself off his hands?”

Foremost was our most basic human problem, the ego problem, was resolved by David early in his life. Maybe it was Jesse’s fathering, but David saw himself as a “means, not an end.” A servant, not a Messiah; an instrument, not the ultimate. He realized he belonged to something larger than himself. And this, I believe more than anything else about David, allowed him to do what he did.

There are two kinds of leaders: Momentarians, who live for now, and those who act on behalf of future generations. Those who wanta be something; and those who want to do something. Whatever issues the Momentarians face will always be framed: “How can I make this a stepping stone for me now, to climb the ladder today, and make a name for myself.” Me, myself, and I. They never risk anything that would make them look bad, or make any hard decisions because their vision is limited by self-concern. They can’t see beyond their own ego. Those who wanta do something have dealt creatively with their ego needs in a healthy manner. They’re free to take risks, challenge giants, and ask what is to be done here, regardless of me. That’s at the heart of what made David “a man after God’s own heart.”

I can’t think of any other biblical character, except Jesus, who wanted to do something for a larger purpose, rather than just be something. David made key decisions, that were difficult, but turned out to be for the larger good of his country, like making Jerusalem the capital city of Israel. Regionalism operated then like it does now. He’s a southerner who took over the northern tribes. The safe bet was to make Hebron the capital to appease the northerners because it was closer. But David kept his ego out of it, thinking of his country’s best interest. And Jerusalem, a tweener, turned out to be a sound choice as a neutral site the center for uniting a divided nation. The people of God were offered a new beginning because their leader was more interested in doing than being. He worked for the common good of all.

How did such a man become king without having to resort to manipulative methods to enhance himself – as other kings do? All of our egoes have to be dealt with or else they’ll deal with us. Just like our bodies have to be fed when we’re hungry. We do “live by bread alone” if we’re starving! When a need is not acknowledged it becomes an obsession, much like what happened to King Saul, who ended up committing suicide for losing one battle too many. Early in his life David found the way to ego-health and we see it in a Psalm he wrote: “It is he that hath made us and not we ourselves” 100:3. Something about David. He recognized the most basic fact about who he was, was -- he belonged to God. This is why he didn’t have to spend his life trying to be something. By the grace of God, he believed he already was something; he belonged to Someone larger than himself; he was set free to do something, in the service of God because the “being issue” was already resolved.

Need I remind us that a lot of folks never get that done their whole lives? David’s life was lived in light of the one who’d made him, so it wasn’t about what he had to make of himself. That explains how he danced himself into a frenzy when the symbol of the presence of God, the Ark of the Covenant was brought back to Jerusalem. In the words of the Psalm 103: “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that lies within me, bless his holy name!” This is that spiritual quality that allowed him to get himself off his hands; how he was able to spend his days and nights doing something, instead of jockeying around trying to be something.

David’s secret, unlike Samson’s was an open one. Transparent and available for all with eyes to see. There is a way to get ourselves off our hands. Learn from David: we can’t ignore ourselves or despise ourselves, or even work ourselves off our hands. The only way to do it healthily, is to let God love us off our hands! Which is why we come to church, is it not? To become like David, sons and daughters “after God’s own heart.” If you believe what David believed, then what happened to him can happen to you too: “It is he that hath made us and not we ourselves; We belong to Another: “We are his people and the sheep of his pasture” (Ps 100:3). We serve a power higher than our own, therefore we will stand up to life and not allow ourselves to be waylaid by any adversity. Including our worst enemy of all -- ourselves!

Providence Prayers: (July 11, 2010)

Dear God, may this hour of worship inspire us to live better and get in tune with the rhythm that Jesus was talking about when he spoke of “abundant life.” We would also pray for those who no longer have anything to look forward to. For those who put spiritual growth at the bottom of their priorities; as well as those whose desires put self at the center.

We live in a society that’s not burdened by too little, but too much. Those with too much power, that they’ve grown indifferent to the rights of others and find themselves becoming something they wish they weren’t; those with too much health, that they can’t understand the sick or accept their own mortality; those with too much wealth, that they prize what they possess more than using it to help people and have to worry into the night about being able to hold onto what they own, so that what they own, owns them. Those who care too much, that they have to be in control of things that can’t be controlled. And those with too much knowledge and virtue, who are too good to see their own sins and have become too blind to appreciate your grace.

We thank you for your patience that helps us bridge our desires with realistic fulfillment. For unwise prayers that went unanswered, sparing us a lot of pain; for the unwelcome new experiences that lead us to discover in ourselves capacities that we never realized were there; for the ancient words of scripture that blaze with light and meaning as our circumstances change; for the winsomeness of loyal friends, who restore our hope when things look bleak; and for your mercy that holds us steady, even when we don’t deserve it.

May the joy of your Spirit indwell our souls, so that in the worst of times, we will be inspired to do the best of things. May this worship experience enable us to want what you want, to become who you want, and to do as you want...a congregation “after your own heart.” Through Christ our Lord, Amen.