Happy Doing God’s Thing

How to Be Truly Happy

Are you happy doing God’s thing? I am! Instead of being miserable, confused, depressed, or floundering, I am happy doing God’s thing-doing God’s work God’s way. I pray that you are too. If not, you have come to the right place. We find true happiness in hearing, believing, and doing God’s thing.

I want to speak to you from 2 Samuel 5:17-25, an episode in the life of King David. First, though, let us look at the first king of Israel. King Saul was unregenerate, self-willed, self-glorying, and insubordinate to the Lord, the true King of Israel. A thoroughly unhappy person, Saul died a miserable death by committing suicide. This is the destiny of those who seek happiness outside the will of God.

True happiness is found in doing God’s thing. The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. If one person refuses to do God’s will, God will seek another who will be happy to do his pleasure. Never think that God is limited to one person. God is always looking; his eyes range throughout the earth seeking those whose hearts are perfect toward him. God himself will come to save such people, guide them, strengthen them, and wage battle for them. He himself will destroy their enemies.

We must never think that God has no alternatives. Saul refused to hear and do the will of God, so God chose David to be king. Samuel told Saul, “The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command” (1 Samuel 13:14). Again, in 1 Samuel 15:28 Samuel said, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors-to one better than you.” And in Acts 13:22 we read, “After removing Saul, [God] made David [Israel’s] king. He testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.'” Oh, it is a high privilege to be chosen by God to serve him! But Saul was not a man after God’s own heart. He did not do what God wanted him to do, so God abandoned him and chose David.

There is always a neighbor, a better person, one after God’s own heart, who will be eager to hear and do the will of God. Such a person will be blessed by God. We find over fifty references to David in the New Testament, and note that David wrote over seventy-five psalms-psalms of joy, psalms of hope, psalms of faith, psalms of repentance, psalms of prophecy-while Saul wrote none. Saul was an unhappy, self-centered, self-glorying wretch who died a miserable death. But David rejoiced in the Lord. In Psalm 4:7 he declares, “You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound.”

God is calling us to be like David-people who are happy not doing our own thing, but God’s. What the Lord counseled Cain in Genesis 4 is still true: “If you do what is right, you will be happy.” What is right is the will of God as revealed clearly in the Scriptures. It is to the one who does the will of God that God will say on that great day, “Well done; enter into the joy of the Lord.”

The Lord invites us today to hear his will, do it, and thus be ever-happy. Happiness is built into serving Jesus. God’s approval gives great joy to our hearts, while his disapproval is the key to all human misery and depression.

The Obedience of David

When Saul fails him, God has a David who will obey. As the Bible says, “The first will be last and the last first.” By divine commission Samuel abandoned Saul and anointed David to be the king of Israel. From that day on, the Holy Spirit came on David with power, equipping him to do the will of God. Saul himself became afraid of this young man because he saw that the Lord was with him, giving him great success. If the Lord is with us, we shall succeed in all we undertake, as David himself said in Psalm 1: “Whatsoever he does prospers” (v. 3).

Unlike Saul, David waited for God’s guidance and did exactly what the Lord told him to do with all his might and determination. Let us, then, examine his prayerful life of obedience. In 1 Samuel 23 we read that the people of Keilah were being robbed and pillaged by the Philistines. Keilah belonged to Judah; thus, it was God’s people who were being harassed by God’s enemies.

Because he had been anointed king, the matter was reported to David. “When David was told, ‘Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are looting the threshing floors,’ he inquired of the Lord” (v. 1-2). He was praying, in essence, “Lord, what should I do? I am your deputy, your vice-gerent, your servant. Your people are being looted, harassed and robbed. What do you want me to do?” Knowing he was not the sovereign, David sought the will of God in this matter. He knew he was only a deputy to the Sovereign Lord, the King of Israel, so he must ask God’s counsel and do it. What was the Lord’s answer? “Go, attack the Philistines and save Keilah” (v. 2).

“But David’s men said to him, ‘Here in Judah we are afraid. How much more, then, if we go to Keilah against the Philistine forces?’ Once again David inquired of the Lord, and the Lord answered him” (vv. 3-4). When we come to God and pray sincerely, wanting to know God’s will, he answers and guide us. So if we are confused, we did not pray. Our heavenly Father is a God of revelation. Each step of the way he will guide us, if we will listen to him. But if we only want him to approve our own plans, we will be confused because we are unprepared to hear what he has to tell us.

This time God told David, “Go down to Keilah, for I am going to give the Philistines into your hand” (v. 4). In the Hebrew, “I” is emphasized, meaning “I myself.” David heard the will of God and understood what he should do. In verse 5 we read, “So David and his men went to Keilah, fought the Philistines . . . and saved the people of Keilah.”

Time went on, and David heard that Saul was pursuing him. Discovering that David was in Keilah, Saul gathered his forces to go there. In verses 9-11 we see David again praying: “O Lord, God of Israel, your servant has heard definitely that Saul plans to come to Keilah and destroy the town on account of me. . . . Will Saul come down?” What was the answer? “He will.” Again, David prayed: “Will these people of Keilah, whom I saved, hand me over to Saul to be killed?” “They will” (v. 12).

David was saying, “Lord, I helped these people. I fought their battles and saved them.” But God told him the people of Keilah would hand him over to Saul. So David left Keilah. Here we see a man who prays, discovers the will of God, and does what God tells him to do. A happy life is hearing and doing the will of God.

After Saul’s death, David needed guidance again. Samuel had anointed him king, but he did not want to take matters into his own hands. So in 2 Samuel 2 we read, “In the course of time, David inquired of the Lord. ‘Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?’ The Lord said, ‘Go up'” (v. 1). You see, God guides us step by step. But David did not know which town he should go to, so he prayed again. Notice the clear answer: “To Hebron.” The steps of a righteous man are ordered of the Lord; in the right time he reveals his will to us.

David went to Hebron, where the people of Judah came and anointed him king over Judah (2 Samuel 2:4). Then the people of Israel came and anointed him king over all Israel (5:3). What God planned for David was now fulfilled after many years of testing and proving. After Israel received David as their king, the Philistines united to oppose him. In 2 Samuel 5:17-21 we are told that they came and spread out in battle array in the Valley of Rephaim, which was located a few miles south of Jerusalem.

David had much experience fighting the Philistines. Many years before he single-handedly defeated Goliath, prompting the young women of Israel to sing, “Saul has slain his thousands, but David his tens of thousands,” a song which galled Saul. Now he was the king. Why should he waste time seeking the mind of God, when it was evident that he must go out against these enemies without delay? But David knew he was not the sovereign king; he was simply a deputy under authority to the Lord. Thus, he must consult the Sovereign God and know his plan. Only then would he go out to fight.

So David prayed, “Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?” (v. 19). And then we read, “The Lord answered him . . . .” Praise be to God! Our God is a prayer-answering God. “‘Go, for I will surely hand the Philistines over to you.'” The Lord is the Warrior-King of Israel. As Moses, Joshua, and Jehoshaphat also learned, the battle is the Lord’s.

God answers the prayers of his people who truly seek to know his will. He told David, “Go, for I will surely hand the Philistines over to you.” The Lord went before David in battle, and the Philistines were defeated. What Saul had failed to achieve on Mount Gilboa, David achieved in the Valley of Rephaim. Why? The Lord was with him. Woe unto us if we go anywhere the Lord has not gone before us!

The Futility of Trusting in Idols

We are told that the Lord broke out in anger against the Philistines and defeated them and their gods. The Philistines brought many idols to the battlefield, trusting in them to save them. But the idols failed them in the hour of battle. Only the God of Israel, the living and true God, can save. All idols are nothing. They are just a burden to those who trust in them. Because their idols did not help them, the Philistines abandoned them.

First Samuel 5:4-5 tells us what happened to the Philistine idols when the ark of Israel was placed in the temple of Dagon. The next day the Philistines came and found that Dagon had fallen on his face, so they straightened him up and put him back. But when they came the next day, he had fallen again. This time his head was severed and his hands broken. This was God’s way of saying that their idols were nothing. All idols are impotent; they cannot see, smell, move, or fight.

In Isaiah 2 we read, “In that day men will throw away to the rodents and bats their idols of silver and idols of gold, which they made to worship. They will flee to caverns in the rocks and to the overhanging crags from dread of the Lord and the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to shake the earth” (vv. 20-21). In Isaiah 46 we read, “Bel bows down, Nebo stoops low; their idols are borne by beasts of burden. The images that are carried about are burdensome, a burden for the weary. They stoop and bow down together; unable to rescue the burden, they themselves go off into captivity” (vv. 1-2). In other words, these idols of Babylon are burdens to the beasts, as well as to those who trust in them. But Jesus Christ tells us, “Come unto me, all those who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” No one else can give us rest. Idols only add burdens to us. Only Jesus can remove our burdens and give us rest.

In Revelation 9 we read, “The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood-idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts” (vv. 20-21). Do you have idols? If so, I counsel you to abandon them today, for when the real fight comes, they will abandon you. If you repent of all idolatry and trust in the only Savior, Jesus Christ, you shall be saved, now and forevermore.

So David gathered the Philistine idols, and 1 Chronicles 14:12 tells us that he burned them, in accordance with Deuteronomy 7:5. Moses did the same with the golden calf, as did the people of Ephesus with their sorcery books-fifty thousand drachmas’ worth (Acts 19:18-19).

Idolatry cannot help anyone. Will you burn all your worthless idols today-all your trust in your brilliance, your health, your beauty, your philosophies, your money, and so on? Put your trust in Jesus Christ alone, the Savior of the whole world.

The Philistines Come Again

In 2 Samuel 5:22-25 we see the Philistines coming against David again. If we resist the devil, he shall flee from us. And we are told that God’s people overcame the devil “by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony” (Revelation 12:11). But let me assure you: Satan will persistently come against us until the day we die, for he is determined to try to turn us away from the true and living God. He is always looking for an opportune time, as we read in Luke 4:13: “When the devil finished all this tempting, he left [Jesus] until an opportune time.” He came back many times to Jesus-through Peter, through Judas, through the Pharisees, scribes, and high priests, through the Herodians, through Pilate, and others.

Even so, the Philistines came back again to wage battle against David. So again we find him facing the same enemy in the same location. We would think that David did not need to pray this time. Wouldn’t God’s will be the same, that he fight against the Philistines as before? (PGM) This is the problem of Western people: we are formulaic and mechanical. We want to do things just as we have before. We reason that we do not have to pray or seek the Lord because we already know what to do. It is the same enemy, the same location, the same strategy. Why waste time praying? We know the formula. When the Philistines come against the Lord’s people, go straight up and attack, and we will win.

But we are not sovereign; we are just servants. It is presumption to think we do not have to pray and seek the mind of God. We need to pray for every situation, to hear God’s new direction.

David was only a deputy who needed to hear and do his Sovereign Lord’s will. So David prayed again to learn the mind of the Lord for this battle, and the Lord answered. Our God is not bothered when we come and pray to him; he wants us to do so.

God’s word was different in this situation. He told David, “First, do not go straight up. Second, circle around behind them. Third, attack them in front of the balsam trees. Fourth, wait to hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees.” Listen, look up, and hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees! Complete, implicit, detailed obedience is required by the Lord if we want to be happy. “Fifth, as soon as you receive the signal, rouse yourself up. Move quickly!” There is a time to wait, and there is a time to act. Then the reason they needed to act so quickly was given: “Because the Lord has gone out in front.” Our God always goes out in front of his people. He is in front, he is behind, and he surrounds us. We are well-protected. “The Lord has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army.”

So the strategy this time was different from the first battle. And unlike Saul, David was obedient to God. David realized that obedience is better than sacrifice. He was led by the Spirit and the word. So verse 25 says, “David did as the Lord commanded him.” Can God say that about us, that we did as the Lord commanded us? This was never said of Saul. But David obeyed exactly, instantly, and gladly. He did not go straight up. Instead, he circled behind the Philistines, stopped in front of the balsam trees, and waited for the signal. He waited to hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, the sound of the marching of the heavenly hosts, the armies of God, the chariots of fire, led by the Warrior/King of Israel, the Lord of Hosts.

If the Lord does not go before us, we will never win. Instead, we will be defeated, as Saul was on the mountain of Gilboa. So wait for the leading of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 2:2 we read that on the day of Pentecost suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing, mighty wind, and it filled the whole house. Here, the wind was the Spirit of God on the tops of the balsam trees. And when the Spirit moves, we are to move.

David and his army heard the sound of marching in the tops of the trees. This was the sign that the Lord had gone ahead of them into battle. Moving out immediately, David attacked and decisively defeated the Philistines in a battle celebrated in Isaiah 28. The Philistines’ gods failed them again.

The Importance of Obedience

David did as the Lord commanded and defeated the Philistines. We can imagine the great celebration at this victory God had given.

Numbers 9:15-23 speaks about moving when God moves and encamping when God settles down. Seven times we see the word “command of the Lord” in that passage. So let me ask you: Are you commandable, as David was? At his command, do you set out, and at his command, do you encamp? A happy life, let me tell you, brothers and sisters, is a life of implicit obedience to Jesus Christ. It is not a life of paralysis or convulsion. What is paralysis? It is when God tells us to do something and we do not do it. What is convulsion? It is when God does not tell us to do something, but we go ahead and do it. We read about this in Numbers 14, beginning with verse 41. So we must make sure we go where God goes and do not go where God does not go. “Where he leads me, I will follow.” Go where he leads you, and you will be happy and successful. Go where he does not lead you, and you will fail and be miserable.

Jesus calls us to follow him. He says, “Deny yourself-your will, your affections, your idea of things-take up the cross daily, and follow me.” We must follow him in the narrow way of his word, for it is the way of life eternal and eternal happiness. When we do this, the Lord will break out against our enemies and grant us mighty deliverance. But if we do not wait on God to know his will and do not do his will, the same God who broke out in anger against the Philistines will break out against us. There is a Baal Perazim and there is a Perez Uzzah. Baal Perazim (2 Samuel 5:20) speaks about God breaking out against the Philistines. Second Samuel 6:8 speaks about Perez Uzzah, where the Lord’s wrath broke out against the Levite Uzzah, who touched the ark against God’s revealed will. So the same God who breaks out against our enemies when we walk in his will also breaks out against us when we refuse to hear and do his will.

David’s Disobedience

Sad to say, even David failed to obey God at times. Just listen to the language of this great man of God in 1 Samuel 27:1: “David thought to himself, ‘One of these day I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul. The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines.'” Oh, that was complete unbelief. Here David did not pray to God, and that move brought him severe misery.

Then David desired to bring the ark to Jerusalem. He didn’t pray or consult the Scriptures. He didn’t check with the priests. He said, “Put it on a new cart and bring it over.” This plan ended in disaster. Then in 2 Samuel 11 we see that David stayed in Jerusalem, even though there was a war going on. Now in his fifties, David had experienced much success. But he became lazy, carnal, and worldly. He was not praying and seeking God. People even told him that Bathsheba was the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah. What was his response? “That’s all right. Forget about it. I am king.” But thank God, he repented and did so truly, as we read in Psalm 51. This is why David is different from Saul. But notice how his joy had left him. In verses 7 and 8 he says, “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness. . . .” When we do not do the will of God, we lose our joy. And in verse 12 he says, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation.”

The Perfect Obedience of Christ

Thank God, David repented. But there is another-Jesus, the Son of David-who perfectly obeyed the Lord. Isaiah prophesied in Isaiah 53 that the pleasure of God will prosper in his hands. The will of God was fulfilled perfectly by Jesus Christ. So we read in Hebrews 5:7-8: “Although he was [the Son], he learned obedience by what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.” No one could prove him guilty of any sin. He said, “The One who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone because I always do what pleases him.” The pleasure of God prospered in his hand as he bore our sins. He was in anguish, yet he prayed more earnestly. His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. Yet he prayed, “Not my will but thine be done.” What was his will? Isaiah says “it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer” (Isaiah 53:10). He was crushed and suffered on the cross, drinking the cup of God’s wrath, not for his own sins, but for ours. . In Hebrews 12 we read, “Jesus . . . for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame” (v. 2). He died in our place that we might believe in him and might live forever in God’s presence in eternal joy

Thank God for Jesus, who always obeyed perfectly. He was the most happy person who ever lived on the face of the earth. So happiness is doing God’s thing God’s way, while misery is doing our thing our way. Show me a man who boasts, “I did it my way,” and I will show you a man of untold misery and depression.

Repent and believe on the Lord Jesus, the Son of David. Hear and do his will, for this is the way of joy everlasting. Abandon your trust in idols and trust instead in the God of truth who alone is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin because of his death on the cross. Our God can do this because Christ died for the sins of all who repent and believe in him. So don’t worry; be happy in Jesus Christ.

May God help us not to be like Saul, but to be like David. More than that, may we walk in the footsteps of Jesus, that we may live fulfilled, happy lives. Amen.