Is God Our Passion? Part I

Then 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?”                      -I Samuel 17:26

³² Then David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” ³³ And 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.” ³⁴ But 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, ³⁵ I 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. ³⁶ Your 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.” ³⁷ Moreover 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!” -I Samuel 32-37

David’s confidence was born out of the experience of the Lord’s previous deliverances on his behalf. Further, since God would not allow His reputation to be damaged by this Philistine, David was certain that God would again deliver him in this trial by conflict. 

David had a great passion for God even though he was so young.

¹² Now it was told King David, saying, “The LORD has blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with gladness. ¹³ And so it was, when those bearing the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, that he sacrificed oxen and fatted sheep. ¹⁴ Then David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was wearing a linen ephod. ¹⁵ So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet. ¹⁶ Now as the ark of the LORD came into the City of David, Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked through a window and saw King David leaping and whirling before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart. ¹⁷ So they brought the ark of the LORD, and set it in its place in the midst of the tabernacle that David had erected for it. Then David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. ¹⁸ And when David had finished offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts.  -II Samuel 6:12-18

The moving of the ark was accompanied by sacrifices, pomp, and great rejoicing. David’s dancing or whirling about was expression of spiritual joy. 

 ¹ LORD, remember David and all his afflictions; ² How he swore to the LORD, and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob:  ³ “Surely I will not go into the chamber of my house, or go up to the comfort of my bed; ⁴ I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids,  ⁵ until I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”  ⁶ Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah; We found it in the fields of the woods. ⁷ Let us go into His tabernacle; Let us worship at His footstool. ⁸ Arise, O LORD, to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your strength. ⁹ Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness, and let Your saints shout for joy.  -Psalm 132:1-18

Are we this excited about worshipping and being in the presence of God? Do we rejoice at the thought of praying, and reading His word? My sincere prayer is that we would find delight in the thought of meeting with God.