Have you ever been overlooked?

One of the most popular Bible stories is that of David and Goliath. Goliath challenged the Israelites and no one was willing to fight the giant. Perhaps these soldiers were afraid of losing their lives, or maybe they knew they would loose their lives but the greatest fear was what would happen to the people of Israel. It does not matter why because there was a man named David.

David saw what was going on and was stirred up. Unlike many of us baptist, when he got stirred up he wanted to do something about it. David faced opposition from his own camp. King Saul said, And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth." 1 Sam 17:33 (KJV) Saul thought David was not qualified.

Have you ever considered who David was at this point of his life. We are aware of his argument. God delivered him from the lion and the bear. Both tremendous accomplishments. (I couldn't do it.) I purpose there was more to David than what Saul saw. David was overlooked.

Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the LORD is with him. 1 Sam 16:18 (KJV) This is the chapter before that great victory. Saul is in search of someone to play the harp for him. David was recommended. These were the qualifications David had.

He was cunning in playing the harp. Any person who is an accomplished musician is someone who understands the value of personal discipline. My sister is the piano player at our church, and she is one of the best I ever heard. I remember her as a little girl always playing the piano. She would practice and practice and practice. Now she plays and teaches. Have you noticed how little personal discipline people have? No wonder very little is being accomplished for God today. It's as if God gets in the way of our entertainment. David was a man of personal discipline, we can learn something from this.

The next characteristic mentioned is that he was a mighty valiant man. The word valiant speaks of his courage. Believers should be courageous. We must be willing to stand for what is right. The church is to be the pillar and ground of the truth. This takes courage. Anybody can compromise. It takes courage at work to not be ashamed of who we serve. It takes courage in the home to say as Joseph did, "as for me and my house we will serve the Lord."

David was also a man of war. What does it mean to be a man of war? A man of war knows what side he is on. A man of war understands the tactics of his enemy. A man of war is obedient. A man of war is self-sacrificing because he is serving a greater purpose. Are we men and women of war? There are many pew warmers. They are the Monday morning quarterbacks. They are not involved in the fight. A man of war is what we all should be.

The next characteristic is he was prudent in matters. Solomon is often given credit for his wisdom, but his father was wise as well. Wisdom is knowing how to apply the knowledge we have. We are under the preaching of the Bible, we read our Bibles. We have knowledge. Our problem is we do not use what we have.

Now we come to the fact he was a comely person. This means he was handsome. What makes us handsome in God's eyes? Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright. Psalms 33:1 (KJV) Praise is what makes us handsome to God. We often only praise God when He has done something for us. When it's testimony time at church we go through our Rolodex of "what have you done for me lately." We need to stop that because God is good. Yes, He is good to us, but He is good as well.

The last one is the Lord was with him. We may not be as talented as David was, but if God was with us then that is really what counts. Do we desire to have God's presence? We are doing the work of God. If God is not with us then we are working in vain.

David was overlooked by Saul. He did not see what we read in chapter sixteen. If you are a person in position of influence be careful not to overlook someone. You could be overlooking a man that God has chosen. If you are being overlooked do not be discouraged you will get your chance one day. Be faithful and God will use you.