I Samuel 16:13
“Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah.”
What a great passage. Here we have the youngest son, who was left behind to watch the sheep. This was a special banquet in which Jesse and his family was invited to. This was a large family, David was the seventh son. The Sons greeted Samuel from oldest to youngest. Non of them was chosen by the Lord. Samuel was confused, so he asked Jesse, "Are these all you sons?" The answer was '“There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he is tending the sheep.” Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here”' (v.11). The entire occasion was put on hold to wait for David.
Initially David may have felt badly, as he was left out. God didn't forget him. He was to be the guest of honor at this banquet. Eventually David was to pen Psalm 23. In it there's the verse, "You prepareth a table for me in the presence of my enemies". This is what God does. He sees Him.
The Lord does so for us. He brings us honor as we serve him. I Samuel 2:30b says, "but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour".
The Lord wants to bring His children honor. This was difficult to accept. I was raised in a church that emphasized humility and being dour. Talk of honor seemed selfish and sinful. However, it's in scripture.
We aren't to seek honor. It's something the Lord gives. It doesn't mean we self loathe, but we aren't to host our own party. It's bestowed on us. It's a byproduct of serving Him.
What we are to seek is to love others and to serve them the best we can. Jesus spoke of turning the cheek and to go the second mile (Matt 5:39). We aren't to have the attitude, "Don't you know who I am?"
Jesus is our model. Philippians 2:7 says, "But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men". Jesus the creator laid aside position and honor and came to serve and to save. That's to be our attitude.
Philippians 2:9 tells us what the Lord did for Jesus, "For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name." Jesus didn't seek honor, but to serve. What the Father did for Him was to give Him honor.
That's the pattern. We serve and God honors. It even feels difficult to write that, but it's true. The Lord will honor his children. We need not shy away from it.
We should always be encouraged. There are times, like David, when he was left out of the banquet. David learned that God remembered him. He will remember us as well. There will be times when we feel forgotten. We are to know that God sees. Eventually, He will provide our banquet.
Psalm 23 applies to us as well. "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies". It won't be daily. But in time the Lord blesses us this way.
The message God wants to give is that He takes care of His own. It's to be an attractive message. God loves everyone and wants to bless them. However, to be in His family involves trusting and doing what He says. That's a big deterrent to many. Yet there are many other rewards. God's honor is one of them.
Thank You, Lord, that You care for us. regardless of the need, You'll help us with the remedy. Thank You for the ocassional banquet. A nice result of serving You. Help us to honor You in return.