WestGate Church Teaching

Life is full of transitions, and one of the final transitions in life is moving from self-centeredness to responsibility, then from raw passion to harnessing your giftedness, and then finally moving into the the role of “wise sage.” In the final message of our sermon series on the life of King David, we’ll examine what it means to live a life that leaves a legacy, and truly makes an impact in the world.

Yale University has been around for 316 years and the most popular course in its long history explores a simple question: How to be Happy. The class is called “Psychology and the Good Life.” It’s an elusive topic. Near the end of his life, King David reflects on this question as well. In the midst of ups and downs, tragedies and triumphs, how can we ensure that we are happy? David’s conclusions might surprise you

There’s no shortage of outrage in our world. But is this a good thing? Does outrage, unleashed into the world, bring about good things? Yale theologian Miroslav Volf, once wrote, “Rage belongs before God. It is the only safe place for it.” And in Psalm 3, we see how David deals with his own outrage by bringing it before the LORD, and by dissecting this psalm, we gain insight into how we might, too.

Through the narrative of King David thus far, we have seen him make good decision that honors God after good decision. And then, in 2 Samuel 11 we see David make a catastrophic, life-altering decision that has disastrous consequences for not only David, but the nation of Israel. In this failure, however, we also learn many lessons about the insidiousness of sin, and also the overwhelming grace of God.

The life of King David shows us, if nothing else, that life doesn’t always go according to plan. In fact, several times throughout his life, David found that his hopes were dashed. So what do we do when God seems to say “no” to us? What do we do when dreams crash and burn? Campus pastor Corinna Girard gleans lessons from the life of David of how to move forward in times of deep disappointment - sharing her own story and the lessons of Scripture - on what it means to move forward with God when life is confusing and unfair.

In 1 Samuel 14, we find David fleeing from the murderous King Saul, and hiding out in a cave. And then, in a shocking (and funny) turn in the story, Saul comes in to the exact cave David and his men are hiding in to relieve himself. David's men are ecstatic, saying "God's delivered him into our hands! Kill him!" But David does not give into vengeance. And in this story, we learn about vengeance and the power of forgiveness.

Immediately after defeating Goliath, David becomes a national hero and celebrity. But the sitting king, Saul, views him as a threat and soon after David finds himself running for his life, hiding in the caves of the Israeli wilderness. And these caves are the most difficult to deal with: the caves of unwanted, unearned and unfair suffering. What did David possibly do to deserve this terrible turn of events? But this time in the caves teaches David and us some valuable lessons about what to do when life turns sour. And how to make it out of even the darkest of caves.

Easily the most famous story involving David is the one where he fights Goliath. Even today, the term “David and Goliath” denotes an underdog battling a heavy favorite. But the actual story found in 1 Samuel is not about an improbable victory - it’s about an impossible one. And the lesson is clear - there are giants that we face as humans that no amount of planning or luck could help us defeat. The story of David and Goliath screams a warning - there are some giants so big, we need rescue from someone bigger. And the lesson from David’s life is equally bold- that God is exactly that giant.

Rejection is not only an inevitable part of life, it’s one of the most painful. Rejection causes us to feel another powerful emotion called “shame” - where we feel that we’re unworthy of love. Just not good enough. The story of David actually begins with David’s rejection - even his own family overlooks him. But through the life of David, if we pay attention, we can see how life with God can help us face rejection, and overpower shame with a different sort of voice that says, instead, “You are more deeply loved than you can imagine.”

Of all the people mentioned in the entire Bible (who aren’t Jesus), no one is mentioned more than a man named David. He’s known as Israel’s greatest King. And he’s commonly thought of as a hero. And yet, David’s life has moments where he looks nothing like a hero. He’s a murderer. He’s an adulterer. He fails to confront a great wickedness in his own son. And yet, there are deep lessons from David’s life. If nothing else, the story of David’s life shows that God is not after perfect people, and wants to interact with flawed, messy people in ways that change them, and even change history.