Meet David, Before The Crown
Anointed, then sent back to the sheep.
On the long gap between promise and fulfilment.
The big idea
The gap between being chosen and being used is where character gets made.
Opening scripture
“God guides and cares for you like a good shepherd. With him, you have what you truly need.”
What does “Meet David, Before The Crown” walk through?
The Shepherd Who Was Shepherded
Psalm 23:1 · KJV
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In plain English
God guides and cares for you like a good shepherd. With him, you have what you truly need.
Back To The Field
David was anointed king and then returned to the sheep for years. The promise came first; the position came much later. Most of his psalms were written in that gap.
How Long?
Psalms 13:1 · KJV
How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me?
In plain English
How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?
“David wrote worship and complaint in the same book, sometimes in the same psalm.”
Create In Me A Clean Heart
Psalms 51:10 · KJV
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
In plain English
Create in me a clean heart, God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Not A Tidy Hero
He also failed spectacularly. The Bible does not clean him up, which is part of why his psalms still land.
Search Me
Psalms 139:23 · KJV
Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
In plain English
Search me, God, and know my heart. Test me and know what I am thinking.
Pray
God, form me in the waiting the way you formed him. Amen.
Write it down
What are you waiting on, and who are you becoming while you wait?
The gap is the work
Anointing first. Throne later. Character in between.
Which passages does this journey use?
4 passages, drawn from Psalm 23:1, Psalms 13:1, Psalms 51:10, Psalms 139:23. Every verse appears here in the King James text with a plain-English line beside it, so you can read it without a commentary open. Allow about 7 minutes for the whole thing, or 8 short sittings.
- Psalm 23:1
- Psalms 13:1
- Psalms 51:10
- Psalms 139:23
Read any of these in full on the complete KJV, or look the wording up independently at Blue Letter Bible.