Psalm 18:28; Acts 13:22
Pastor James Park’s sermon from Shiloh's Lord’s Day Service on August 18, 2019
David, the Lamp of God
David, in the original Hebrew language is דָּוִד (Dawid) meaning “beloved,” or “friend.” Thus David was a man loved by God because he had a clean heart and the desire to do God’s will and was used by God to fulfill His will. David’s emergence came after Israel conquered Canaan, through the dark ages of the judges and wars until King Saul. However, Saul was disobedient to God, but He found David to be after His own heart. Because David had the heart to follow God’s will and to build His temple, God established the Covenant of the Lamp with David (Prov 20:27). The “spirit” of a man is the lamp of the Lord, and David was the “lamp” for Israel (2 Sam 21:17). He was the lamp shining for the nation of Israel as a king. It was God who illumined David’s darkness and he confessed that after all of the years of suffering in darkness, God had illumined his darkness and raised him up to be a king. Jesus Christ came as a descendant of Abraham and David; thus, we can see how David was truly important in fulfilling God’s will. Additionally, David foreshadowed Jesus Christ’s sufferings and His ascension to glory. As we examine our lives of faith today, what kind of attitude and posture do we need to be recognized and used by God? The Bible declares that the Word works through those who believe the Word (1 Thess 2:13). Many people hear, but they don’t believe. Therefore when we truly believe in God’s Word, He will raise us up to be a lamp and work through us in these dark times.
Summary of David’s Life
David was born in 1040 BC and was anointed for the first time in 1025 BC by the prophet Samuel at the age of 15. From 1020 BC – 1010 BC is the ten years of refuge of David as he fled from King Saul who wanted to kill him. In 1010 BC, David becomes king of Hebron (divided nation) which is his second anointing at the age of 30. Then in 1003 BC David receives his third anointing and becomes king of all Israel of the united Monarchy at the age of 37. King David rules and lives until 970 BC and dies at the age of 70. When David became king over all Israel, he wanted to build a temple, but God said to David that his son Solomon will build the temple. God saw that David was after His heart and created a covenant with David called the Covenant of the Lamp. God does not raise us up right-away but takes us through a process of wilderness training in order to learn His ways and His heart and humble us and then He promotes us. This teaches us that unless the Lord builds the house, the workers labor in vain (Psa 127:1). When God raises us up, we will become the light and the lamp that will shine in the world and it will stand forever.
David’s early childhood and first anointing
David became a man of God, but we need to understand his early childhood. First, David had godly parents who transmitted faith to him. David’s mother transmitted faith to her son David (Psa 86:16). David always referred to himself as “thy servant” or as “God’s servant.” Thus, David had this humble attitude and knew his place and what his role and mission were according to the right season and time. David never got ahead of God but always understood the season that he was in. Likewise, we need to understand the season that we are in so that we don’t go beyond what God is trying to do in our lives now. David referred to his mother as a “handmaid,” which is a female servant (Psa 116:16). This attitude of humbleness and servitude comes through his mother. Thus David learned this servitude through the servitude of his mother. David learned this attitude of servanthood and humility, which was always lowering himself before God and others. Likewise, we need to be godly parents in transmitting our faith.
Secondly, David lived with the prophet Samuel for 25 years. This is important because Samuel was a man of prayer, a man of the Word, and he was like the father of Israel and a type of “lamp.” This teaches us that David was greatly influenced by the prophet Samuel. He sought Samuel for advice and Samuel was like a spiritual father to him. However, in the middle of David’s refuge, Samuel dies at the age of 117 years old. Therefore, David experiences a big loss in that his spiritual father, the prophet Samuel, passes on. When Samuel started his public ministry in 1102 BC, the Bible proclaims that the word of Samuel went to all of Israel in which all acknowledged that Samuel’s word was right, true and from God (1 Sam 4:1). Samuel’s ministry and the Word of God had an extreme impact on Israel in raising it up from the dark period of the judges, which was the darkest period in the history of Israel. Through Samuel’s ministry, others such as Boaz, Obed, Jesse, and finally David were all influenced by the ministry of Samuel. Likewise, through our founding pastor Reverend Abraham Park, who mentored and transmitted his faith through the preaching of the Word of God and through the History of Redemption, we too have come closer to the Word of God in these end times.
David tended sheep
Prior to his first anointing, David tended sheep. Through the caring of sheep, David learned to have the heart of a pastor, for he was faithful in the little things given to him (Matt 25:21). Likewise, we need to be faithful in the little things within the church and service and work as a whole, and then God will put us in charge of many things (Luke 17:10). If we are faithful servants, we will not want to receive praise but in humbleness give glory to God for we have only done what we are supposed to do which is our appointed duty and the father’s command which is eternal life, for God looks at the heart (1 Sam 16:7)
Conclusion: Our founding Pastor Reverend Abraham had a love for cameras because in the old days, you had to ensure that the distance, shutter, lighting and “focus” were correct in order to have a clear picture. Thus, he comes to understand that he had to have a heart that matches God’s heart. We too need to have this kind of heart for missions and for His work so that God recognizes us in all that we do and raise us up amongst all the nations.
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