The David Example

   
     

David is referred to as a man after God's heart. Such relationship with God is one we all should strive to have. Being a man after God's heart is attributed to his forgiving nature, his total obedience to God, his constant acknowledgement of his sins and returning to reconcile himself to God, his beautiful praises and worship offered to God and his undaunted faith and courage.
David an ordinary shepherd boy with excellent skill in playing the harp that made him responsible for silencing evil spirits that tormented the King. When it came to his job as a shepherd, he could protect his sheep at all cost from bears and lions even if it meant running after the lions and killing it in order to keep his father's Sheep safe from its predators. David knew that to conquer a predator, one had to look it straight in the eye and Chase after it till the drops dead. This belief leads to his unplanned battle with the greatest oppressor of the Israelites on the battlefield.
Goliath, as he was called, was a terror to behold, a man that was victorious in all battles. His sight alone was enough to make the army of the opposite side flee to hiding, he was a gruesome man standing tall at 3meters and completely kitted from head to toe in his full armour made of bronze, his armour probably weighed more than David. Now a shepherd boy confronted with such a monster of a man, this wasn't the usual bears and lions he was used to chasing down and killing in the bush. His shepherd rod, sling and stone were the only weapons David had mastered. Though he was a warrior to his sheep, today he had to be a warrior to his people. Davids arsenal wasn't only an old rod, a Sling and a few stones, his greatest weapon was the knowledge of Psalm 44:3 he carried, he knew that to conquer Goliath he wouldn't win by his weapons even if he was fully clothed in an armour but by the hand of God. He had courage in the God he served such courage that made him say "...No one should be afraid of the Philistine, I will go and fight him" (1sam.17:32) with such undaunted faith he picked a stone and with just one shot he broke the skull of his predator Goliath.
After such victory over the Philistines, King Saul's jealousy and envy grew towards David, making him go back on his promise of giving his daughter in marriage to David that was the least of his showcase of envy. He constantly plotted and chased after David countless times to kill him, Saul practically turned David to a man on the run for his dear life. He killed everyone who tried to help David, he slaughtered 85 priests and wiped away every inhabitant in a village all to get to David, His new purpose in life was to make sure he killed David but David's forgiving nature lead to Saul's longevity; each time he had a chance to kill Saul he acted in forgiveness rather than in retaliation. This weakened Saul and made him give up on killing David, David used forgiveness to make his enemy's plans void.
David was no perfect man, he fell into sin countless times but each time he went back to cry to God in praises and asked to be reconciled to God.
The David Example is one we as Christians should emulate;
To forgive regardless of the wrongs done to us,
To have undaunted faith and courage at whatever obstacle maybe thrown out way,
To constantly reconcile ourselves back to God after we have missed our ways.