I am weary with my crying;
My throat is dry;
My eyes fail while I wait for my God.
Those who hate me without a cause
Are more than the hairs of my head;
They are mighty who would destroy me,
Being my enemies wrongfully;
Though I have stolen nothing,
I still must restore it.
Because for Your sake I have borne reproach;
Shame has covered my face.
I have become a stranger to my brothers,
And an alien to my mother’s children…
(Psalm 69:3-4, 7-8)
Why was David overlooked originally? Why didn’t Jesse call David with the other seven sons?
In Jewish history it has become an accepted fact that David was not called because he was the illegitimate son or thought to be an illegitimate son of Jesse. He was thought to have been born out of adultery, which cut him off from all the benefits of naturally born sons. He couldn’t rightly inherit anything of his father’s.
He was bypassed, shoved to the side, and relegated to being a shepherd. Most commentators agree that these passage in Psalm confirm this fact. His brothers and his father hated and looked down on him because he had no pedigree. He was treated like a second class citizen.
This drove David to God.
He grew closer and closer to God because of it.
The harshness of life made David dependent on God’s goodness and love.
Reflect.
Why is this important to our study? No matter how you came into this world, no matter the circumstance of your family origin, God wants you here. He wants you to fulfill the mighty call on your life. Just like David did. Your beginnings do not have a bearing on your end. How have they hindered you at this point?
Respond.
Father, I bring to You my past. I bring to You the situations and events which caused me to feel alone and isolated. That hurt me. I ask for Your healing power to touch my life and for the lessons I learned through all the pain to fuel my empathy and ability to help others in pain. Amen.
