Day Four: The Principles of an Apostolic Command.

 

Listen on Spotify

 

1 Sam 17: 17Then Jesse said to his son David, “Take now for your brothers an ephah of this dried grain and these ten loaves, and run to your brothers at the camp. 18And carry these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand, and see how your brothers fare, and bring back news of them.”

Apostle means the send one. This is not a fancy title to hang on the wall but a person that receives instructions from a spiritual father. In a true apostolic move a son would react quickly once he received a command.

In 1 Sam 17 we see David’s reaction to his father’s command. He received five commands from his father, Jesse. He acted quickly on these commands. It showed the heart of David. He understood the apostolic command of the day and became the designated apostle of his time.

An apostle understand the urgency of a command and obeys that command without murmuring. An apostle doesn’t have to pray about it. Or go on a fast for 40 days; he simply acts on the command.

Part of an apostolic command is that you have to act quickly. There should be no delay in your actions. It is not the time to think about the next step; it is time to act.

What was the command from Jesse?

• He had to take an ephah of dried grain and ten loaves,
• He had to run to his brothers in the camp,
• And carry the ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand.
• He had to see how his brothers fare,
• And report back to Jesse. 

Meaning: He had to take the moral law back to his brothers. Israel needed the moral law to fortify their minds once more. The moral law showed them towards God’s word. It would direct their footsteps and fortify their heart.

They had forgotten what God had said and David had to remind them who they were, and Who they represented. They had to eat the word once more. They needed the proceeding word to remind them who they were. God’s nation.

The symbolism of the ten cheeses can be seen as:

1. Provision and nourishment: cheese, as a food item, symbolizes sustenance and nourishment. By bringing these cheeses, David was providing for his brothers and the soldiers. It reflects his care and concern for their well-being during the battle.

2. Offering of peace: in ancient times, sharing food was often a gesture of peace and goodwill. By delivering the cheeses, David may have been extending a message of peace or unity to the captain and his brethren.

3. Faithfulness and obedience: David’s obedience to his father’s instructions shows his faithfulness and willingness to carry out even seemingly mundane tasks. This faithfulness would later play a significant role in his life.

Sending the cheeses to the men brought nourishment to the soul, peace to the mind and reminded them to be obedient to the Word. Jesse acted as a “spiritual father” to all the men. He brought back hope in a time they needed it the most.

19Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. 20So David rose early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, and took the things and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the camp as the army was going out to the fight and shouting for the battle.

David’s obedience to the command shows us that David was a picture of a true shepherd. He left the sheep with a keeper. A person he trusted. A person who walked with him. 

21For Israel and the Philistines had drawn up in battle array, army against army. 22And David left his supplies in the hand of the supply keeper, ran to the army, and came and greeted his brothers. 23Then as he talked with them, there was the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, coming up from the armies of the Philistines; and he spoke according to the same words. So David heard them. 24And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were dreadfully afraid.

Goliath’s voice kept the Israelites in a state of fear and dread. Because of the apostolic command David was positioned accurately to hear the Philistines threat and Saul’s reaction. 

25So the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel; and it shall be that the man who kills him the king will enrich with great riches, will give him his daughter, and give his father’s house exemption from taxes in Israel.”

26Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

This compelled David to ask what the champion of God would receive to remove the reproach from Israel. David was compelled to act on behalf of the Lord. The zeal of God compels us to do mighty exploits.

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 (NLV)

14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

27And the people answered him in this manner, saying, “So shall it be done for the man who kills him.” 28Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger was aroused against David, and he said, “Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.”

Eliab represents the institution. The institution will always try to stop you from taking action. It will find fault with everything you do and who you are.

• Eliab didn’t understand the proceeding word and found fault with David. Remember; he was the accuser of the brethren. Though his name signified that God was his father, he wasn’t.
• Instead, he acted in haste and became angry.
• He didn’t enquire about David’s motives.
• They didn’t have a relationship, and, because of this, he didn’t know his brother, otherwise he would have known that there is no pride or insolence in David.
• He looked down at David because of his age.
• Eliab didn’t know about David’s exploits. He didn’t know that David had defeated the lion and the bear. 

29And David said, “What have I done now? Is there not a cause?” 30Then he turned from him toward another and said the same thing; and these people answered him as the first ones did. 31Now when the words which David spoke were heard, they reported them to Saul; and he sent for him. 32Then David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 33And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.”

The result was:

• • Saul made the same mistake as Eliab. They looked at the outer man and not the heart.
  • God looks at the heart and not the package.
  • David was unwavering in the face of danger. 

34But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, 35I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. 36Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”

And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”

It is a choice that you must make. Keeping your head up and standing up for what you believe is the only defence that you have. Be sure of who God is in your life. Take the bread and the cheese today and take nourishment from God’s word today. God’s peace is with you.

Today’s choice might safe your family. But you must enter this fight with the same conviction as David did. You cannot falter in the face of your enemy. You must know who you are in Christ. Christ defeated the lion and the bear on the cross. Therefore, you have the victory and can overcome this mocking Goliath.

Do not listen to the voices of those who wants to stop you.

Once you received an apostolic command you must act the same way that David did.

Grace and peace to you.

 

Day One / Day Two / Day Three / Day Four / Day Five/ Day Six / 

Day Seven / Day Eight / Day Nine / Day Ten / Day Eleven / Day Twelve