1 Kings 11:34- “However I will not take the whole kingdom from Solomon’s hand but will let him be ruler all the days of his life because of My servant David, whom I chose and who kept all of my commandments and statutes.”
David built an inheritance that his son Solomon was supposed to steward and carry on, but Solomon messed it up. The relationship that David stewarded with God was so great that God would not let the seed of His promise die no matter how much David’s descendants forsook it. The root of this stewardship began long before Solomon was born. Or before David regained the kingdom from Absalom; long before David was crowned king; before David led his mighty men to many victories. It began in the heart of a shepherd boy from Bethlehem who would start a lineage and a kingdom that all who are co-heirs with Christ are a part of.
In 1 Sam 13:14 when God chooses someone to take Saul’s place he looks through the currently established timeline and sees someone “according to his heart” or “after God’s own heart.” God saw someone who would establish a connection between their heart and his. This was David. David carried something so great from his connection with God that it created an inheritance not only for his children and physical lineage, but also for those around him.
David’s experienced God while tending his sheep. His stewardship of that experience led to him killing the Philistine giant, Goliath.
34 David answered Saul: “Your servant has been tending his father’s sheep. Whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it down, and rescued the lamb from its mouth. If it reared up against me, I would grab it by its fur, strike it down, and kill it. 36 Your servant has killed lions and bears; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 Then David said, “The LORD who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”
The stewardship of his first experience led him to a greater experience. David then stewards that experience so that it becomes an inheritance for others. “15 The Philistines again waged war against Israel. David went down with his soldiers, and they fought the Philistines … 22 These four were descended from the giant in Gath and were killed by David and his soldiers.” (2 Samuel 21:15-22) And in 2 Samuel 23:21 Another account is given: ” He also killed an Egyptian, a huge man. Even though the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, Benaiah went down to him with a club, snatched the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and then killed him with his own spear.”
So because David stewarded the times he was alone with God and had victories against the Lion and the Bear he was able to kill Goliath. The stewardship of one victory led to a greater one. Then his stewardship of his greater victory over the giant led to an inheritance of multiple victories over even greater opponents for the men that he led.
All of this began within David in his personal time with God long before he knew he was going to be King. David’s heart for God led him to trust that God would give him victory over anything. David’s heart for God developed inside of him while he was out in the fields tending his father’s sheep. This heart and devotion to God is what grew an inheritance that we now carry today. It is the kingdom that is never ending. A kingdom was birthed in a field.
This shows that the time we spend stewarding what God has given us now is the most important time of all. It is a foundation that what comes after will grow upon. And after it grows it will become someone else’s foundation. If we do not build strong foundations now, how will we expect our buildings to stand- much less the buildings built upon our buildings? Steward now the things God has given you. Hold on to who he is and never let go. Build upon the foundation that has been laid out for you so that others will have a greater foundation to build on. It begins in your heart.
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