WHY WAS DAVID SUCCESSFUL? Part 1

WHY WAS DAVID SUCCESSFUL? Part 1

          Sometimes when we observe a successful professional church musician we wonder what the secret to this person's success really was.  How did the musician get started?  Was success the result of some special "break" in life or was it based on the church musician's great talent?  What about David the "sweet psalmist of Israel?"  Did you ever wonder what the secret to his success really was?  David's successes were phenomenal.  He became King of Judah (II Sam. 2:4), King of Israel (II Sam. 5:3), developed and organized the system of music for the first Temple (I Chron. 25:1-31), performed the first recorded music therapy of the Bible on King Saul (I Sam. 16:14-23), wrote about half of the "Book of Psalms" (see Chapter VI on the Psalms), killed a lion and a bear (I Sam. 17:34-36) and killed the Philistine giant with a stone from a sling (I Sam. 17:38-49).

          A look at the early life of the man who accomplished all these things reveals that he had a very humble beginning.  He was the youngest of the eight sons of Jesse the Bethlehemite.  In I Samuel chapter sixteen, Jesse had seven of his sons to pass before Samuel for blessing to become King, but Samuel the prophet knew immediately that God had refused them all.  Verse eleven of that chapter says, "And Samuel said unto Jesse, are here all thy children?  And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold he keepeth the sheep."  So, Jesse sent for his youngest red-haired son.  Verse twelve states, "And he sent, and brought him in.  Now he was ruddy (132)¹, and withal of a beautiful (3303)^A countenance and goodly (2896)^A to look to.  And the LORD said, Arise, anoint (4886)^A him:  for this is he."