David: Early Bar-Band Member?

So Saul said to his servants, "Provide for me now a man who can play well and bring him to me."  Then one of the young men said, "Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is a skillful musician, a mighty man of valor, a warrior, one prudent in speech, and a handsome man; and the LORD is with him."  So Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, "Send me your son David who is with the flock."  Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread and a jug of wine and a young goat, and sent them to Saul by David his son.  Then David came to Saul and attended him; and Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor bearer.  Saul sent to Jesse, saying, "Let David now stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight."  So it came about whenever the evil spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the harp and play it with his hand; and Saul would be refreshed and be well, and the evil spirit would depart from him. (1 Samuel 16:17-23 NASB)

When the church looks for a worship band member, what do they look for in a musician?  When an orchestra or even a personal party looks for a musician, what qualities are they seeking?  Traditionally, in our culture, the ability to play well especially the songs we like to hear.  So, when we see that David was a musician and poet (single most prolific writer of Psalms), we think 'wimp'.  But there is an exception in our culture.

Bands that play in bars learn to fight to survive.  Drunk people are just unruly, and fights are just a part of it.  In fact, the musician as an artist is almost eclipsed by the need of the musician as a survivor of bar brawls.  Even bands fight with other bands, and bands try to appear 'tough' whether they are or not (Backstreet Boys?).  But even so, rarely if ever do I find a requirement of a musician that he be "a skillful musician, a mighty man of valor, a warrior, and prudent in speech."

When the setting is considered this makes good sense.  This musician would be working for a raving battle chief trying to calm him down.  This is not the place for some pasty weak music nerd.  Music skill is necessary, but so is the ability to stand strong before the king. 

But there is more to what this reveals of David than normally is assumed.  David has 'range'.  He isn't a single dimensional character.  David is great at several things.  Great at one is normal, good at many isn't unusual, great at many and we have what became known as a 'Renaissance Man'.  These persons marked a change in recorded history in some way partly because of their varied sets of skills.  Not many were warriors though. 

Consider what kind of personality has the range of sensitivity that can create poetry that digs into the very soul of a people, and then, turn and brutally wipe out entire towns and villages.  It goes from very sensitive to none what so ever.  This is the 'man after God's own heart'.  David left no witnesses alive when he raided into the deserts north and east of Egypt.  And he wrote of his desire for God, to know Him, to be known by Him, to be found in the place of worship, to seek His face.  David had 'range' all right.

So, what do I take away from this?  I'm not sure.  I don't know that I qualify as a 'renaissance man', not really a warrior, and I only play the instruments of the radio and kazoo.  So that's not it.  But I too have range.  I can really be devoted to my Master, and I can really fail Him miserably.  I just don't think that's the sort of 'range' my Master is looking for.  David did exhibit this sort of range as well I suppose, but still, I'm not convinced of what the take-away is from David's qualifications to play before Saul.

One element that does sort of fit is that my Master calls people into situations in which He has 'designed' them to fit.  In other words, David was a musician by interest and a warrior by necessity to defend his flock (I refer you to his 'bear' and 'lion' fighting technique in the next chapter).  Perhaps in the cold boring nights and days of shepherding, he found playing the harp filled the time.  Looking at the stars filled his poetry?  I don't know.  But his circumstances were the tools used by my Master to make him what he was, what he needed to be for that time and place.

So, what have I been made by my Master, and what is my place to fill in His work?  That is the point of connection, the take-away.  The answer is that I'm not sure yet.  I'm not even sure that this question has one answer.  The answer may change over time as the circumstances change.  I suppose the summation is that my path has a purpose in the plans of my Master; therefore I have a place in those plans as well.  The challenge is to find it and submit to that plan rather than my own.  This is a worthy goal.