A CUP FULL OF BLESSINGS

 

 

When Corrie Ten Booms was more than eighty years old, she recalled a vivid dream she had about her great – grandfather Gerrit. She told Carison, the author of her biography, details of the dream she had had when she was about eighteen. Corrie dreamt she was in the kitchen of her great grandfather’s house. As they sat at the table having some fruit , great grandfather stood up, took her by the hand and led her outside. “Come Corrie, I want to show you the garden”.

They walked together through a beautiful park. Corrie recalled ‘great grandfather talked about his flowers with great love. He told me “when I sow some seed, this seed will make a plant and this plant will give seed again. This will go on until the time when you (Corrie) will live, bringing more plants from this seed. You my dear Corrie are the daughter of my grandson, who is the son of my son. You are a plant, blooming from my seed”.

Corrie continued her memory sharp with the reality of the story. ‘We walked into the house again and great grandfather said, “girl I will show you something that will never be changed. It is the word of God” then he opened the Bible. He said “many many things will be different, but this book will be the same forever”. He told me to plant seeds from God’s Book, and they will grow from generation to generation’ (Corrie ten boom’s biography, 1983).

In psalm 23:5 David uses the metaphor of an overflowing cup to help us understand the abounding and overflowing nature of Gods presence, provision , protection and power. Not only is David’s cup described as full to the brim, but it is also running over. This imagery clearly teaches that God provides much more than expected. This is what David enjoyed in life.

As his story began, David was a shepherd boy taking care of his father’s few sheep in Bethlehem (1 Sam. 17:28). Then on what started as just a normal day he was summoned home and anointed as king. God rejected all his brothers and chose him something that not even his own father expected (1 Sam.16”6-13). His journey to the throne began that day, though he went back to take care of the sheep.

Sometimes later David’s father sent him to the battlefield with some food for his brothers. He got there just as Goliath was making his daily threats for the 40th time. Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified by Goliath. David killed the giant with only a small stone saving a whole nation. David arrived there in the morning a delivery boy; by sundown he was a national hero. For that one act of bravery, he was enshrined forever in history.

When King Saul started losing sanity, a search for a good harpist began. One of the servants said, ’I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the harp. He is a brave man and a warrior. He speaks well and is a fine-looking man. And the Lord is with him.” How did he know all this? He was watching David all the time even though David thought he was all alone with the sheep unnoticed in some wilderness. God was watching too. You never know who is watching you?

 David had not asked to be king, it was God’s idea. He was just out there on the hillside watching sheep and strumming away under the stars. But behind the scenes God had arranged to bring David to Saul’s palace-something that could never happen without divine intervention. And he was going to use Saul’s strange malady and David’s skill on the harp to make it happen.

The Bible clearly states that no one can exalt a man. But it is God who brings down one and he exalts another (Psalm 75:6-7). Proverbs 22:29 says “Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings”. God used David’s great skills to place him in Paul’s palace so he could learn how to be king. Along the way he had to serve the man he would one day replace (Prov.22:29).

David’s music was therapy; something about the music drove out Saul’s evil spirit. The psalms David wrote still do wonders in the hearts of men when they are read or sang. In the beginning of the story, David was out in the wilderness singing songs to God on his harp. He had never met Saul and Saul has never heard of him. By the end of the story, through some very odd circumstances God brought them together.

David‘s victories made him a hero, a reality Saul grew increasingly uncomfortable with. This culminated with Saul’s attempts at taking David’s life. Psalm 59 is a beautiful song where David recounts God’s faithfulness in protecting him from the hand of Saul. 1 Samuel 19 is a wonderful chapter that gives us the background to David’s song (Psalm 59).  God offered that protection through Jonathan, Michal and Samuel. To David, it’s God who had protected him “You, O God, are my fortress” (Ps 59:17).

David had his own failures; he was not a perfect man. Did God know about the failures? Yes! In the end, his family broken, his nation troubled, his closest friends mostly gone, he discovered that God was still there. God knew everything David did, and he never gave up on him. David never forgot-even in his best or worst moments- that he had come to the throne only by the grace of God.

Years later God said to David “I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock and I appointed you ruler over my people. I have been with you wherever you have gone and I have cut off all your enemies before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men on earth (2 Sam. 7-9). Today the Israel national flag has a symbol of the “Star of David.”

David’s blessings were not just for his life but it was designed to spill over so it could bless others. God told him “When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you. When he does wrong I will punish him but my love will never be taken away from him as I took it away from Saul. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me, your throne will be established forever” (2 Sam. 7).

The one time God became angry with Solomon and told him “I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you. Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son. Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant (1 Kings 11).

Jesus kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and he is a descendant of David. He was known as the “son of David” (Matt 12:23,15:22, 21:9)  fulfilling the promises God gave to David that he would make his name great and his kingdom would endure forever. God’s blessings spilled over to David’s descendants and God’s children in all generation will be inspired by the story of his life and enjoy his music both  recorded in God’s unchanging eternal book- the Bible.

God blessed David far beyond his expectations. He raised him from a very humble background to the throne. He gave him much wealth and an unprecedented fame. He gave him courage and special skills. David lived with a sense of a life overflowing with blessings. He knew he was chosen and deeply loved by God. He died a contented man full of gratitude to the God who had made his lot in life an overflowing cup of blessings.

David is a reminder that Gods supply will never run dry. His presence has no boundaries. His protection is all around and his power has no limit. His love is unfailing (Ps. 90:13-14) and it endures forever (Ps.136). The Lord would like us to look on our lives and remember our blessings because they are everywhere. He wants us to trace his fingerprints because they are everywhere.

we cannot comprehend all that he has in store for us (1 Cor. 2:9). We can never exhaust his rich resources. Jesus came so that we may have an abundant life (John 10:10). God seeks ways to bless us and use us to bless others. He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine (Eph. 3:20). There will be cloudy days and cold seasons. But, with God’s help, we’ll get through those seasons stronger and better We are blessed to have a life of overflow!