A Time of Preparation
Teaching
Having grown up in Pharaoh’s court, Moses had the education, training and skills needed to be a leader, but God wanted to work on his heart. Moses needed time to develop character, meekness and humility before he would be ready to lead an entire nation of God’s people through the wilderness for forty years.
Much later in Israel’s history the prophet Samuel anointed a young shepherd boy to be king over the nation. David’s beginning was just the opposite of Moses. He had the kind of heart and character God was seeking, but he lacked the training, the practical experience, and the maturity to be King. After Samuel anointed David, God arranged for him to spend some time in King Saul’s court where he was able to observe the king as he governed the land. He also spent several years in the army, learning to be a skilled soldier and leader of men, but he still was not ready to rule. God allowed David to be chased by King Saul for several years, while he learned to depend on God’s guidance day by day, and to maintain order and unity among his men under some very trying circumstances.
Unlike Moses, David never tried to take things into his own hands and force his way into the position God had told him he would one day have. Twice, King Saul was completely at David’s mercy, and David’s men urged him to kill the king, saying that surely this was the hand of God delivering his enemy up to him. But David was determined to leave everything in God’s control, trusting that God would work it all out in His own time and way.
Twenty years passed from the time David was anointed by Samuel until he was established as king over the nation of Israel, yet those years were not wasted because his heart was right toward God. God used him in many ways. He killed the giant Goliath, delivering Israel from the oppression of their Philistine enemies. He led Israel’s army into battle over and over, gaining experience and a reputation among the people as he did so. While hiding from King Saul’s pursuit, he and his band of men provided protection from their enemies for the people of the towns and villages that dotted Israel’s countryside.
By reading the Psalms he wrote, we can see that there were times when David felt quite desperate, yet he learned to turn to God for direction and help and comfort. As time went by, his faith became stronger and he became less susceptible to the influence of circumstances he faced in life. Experience taught him that God could be depended upon to supply what he needed in every situation. Eventually, just like Moses, David was ready to fulfill his divine calling as King over Israel.
God does not measure our spiritual growth in months or years. He is not in a hurry. The important thing to God is that we grow up to take our places as His mature sons and daughters, following the pattern of His first-born Son, Jesus.
Today I am no longer ashamed of the note in the front of my Bible. I know the call I sensed in my youth was genuine. God always provides a season of preparation for those He calls into His service, and it almost always takes longer than we expect it to.