Favour means gaining God’s approval, acceptance, and blessings — a divine ability to accomplish what is humanly impossible. When God grants favour, doors open, hearts align, and destinies unfold effortlessly. It is God’s supernatural endorsement upon a person’s life.
(A) David’s Season of Humiliation — The Time of Hiding
When David was fleeing from Saul, these were the kinds of men who joined him — not the mighty, not the noble, but the broken. This was a moment of humiliation and isolation.
1 Samuel 22:2 “All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their commander. About four hundred men were with him.”
David, though anointed, was not yet enthroned. He was hiding in caves, surrounded by men who reflected his suffering season. Yet, this was God’s divine training ground; the crucible where character was forged and destiny was tested.
(B) David’s Season of Approval — The Time of Recognition
When the appointed time came for David to be made king, everything shifted. The word of the Lord spoken years earlier through Samuel began to manifest. What had been humiliation turned into jubilation.
1 Chronicles 11 records this divine transition:
People came to him at Ziklag, where he had fled from King Saul, and they made him king at Hebron. Others also joined him at Hebron.
- Verse 3 – The elders of Israel anointed him king.
- Verse 5 – David captured Jerusalem from the Jebusites, who had refused him entry. Nevertheless, he conquered it with Joab his commander, and it became the fortress of Zion — the City of David.
- Verse 9 – “David became more and more powerful because the Lord Almighty was with him.”
- Verse 10 – The chiefs of his mighty warriors and all Israel gave him great support.
What a turnaround! The same man who was once rejected and hunted was now enthroned and celebrated. The word of the Lord never fails.
The Mighty Warriors Who Joined David (1 Chronicles 11:11–25)
At this stage, God surrounded David with extraordinary men of strength and courage — men with supernatural abilities:
- Jashobeam – Raised his spear against three hundred men, killing them in one encounter.
- Eliezer – Stood with David and struck down the Philistines when the rest fled.
- Three of the Thirty Chiefs – Broke through the Philistine lines to draw water for David from the well of Bethlehem.
- Abishai (Joab’s brother) – Chief of the three mighty warriors; he too raised his spear against three hundred men and killed them.
- Benaiah – In charge of David’s bodyguard; he struck down Moab’s two mightiest warriors, went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion, and defeated a giant Egyptian warrior armed with a spear like a weaver’s rod. Though Benaiah had only a club, he snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with it.
These men did not appear in David’s cave season — they appeared when his calling demanded manifestation. God attracts the right people in the right season.
The Mighty Warriors of Chapter 12 (1 Chronicles 12:1–22)
The anointing upon David’s life continued to draw powerful and diverse warriors:
- They helped him in battle — skilled archers who could shoot arrows or sling stones with either hand; some were relatives of Saul.
- The Danites were brave warriors, ready for battle, able to handle both shield and spear. Their faces were like lions, and they were as swift as gazelles in the mountains.
- The Gadites were army commanders — the least was a match for a hundred men, and the greatest for a thousand.
- Benjamites came and became leaders of his raiding bands.
- Men from Manasseh joined him and were made commanders in his army.
- Verse 22: “Day after day men came to help David, until he had a great army, like the army of God.”
- God’s promise was unfolding visibly. The once rejected fugitive now commanded an army that mirrored heaven’s strength.
Other Warriors Who Joined David (1 Chronicles 12:23–37)
- The momentum grew. Representatives from every tribe of Israel joined David to affirm what God had already decreed:
- From Judah, carrying shield and spear — 6,800 armed for battle.
- From Simeon, warriors ready for battle — 7,100.
- From Levi — 4,600.
- From Benjamin (Saul’s tribe) — 3,000, most of whom had remained loyal to Saul until then.
- From Ephraim, brave warriors, famous in their clans — 20,800.
- From half the tribe of Manasseh, designated by name to come and make David king — 18,000.
- From Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do — 200 chiefs, with their relatives under their command.
- From Zebulun, experienced soldiers prepared for battle with every type of weapon, loyal to David — 50,000.
- From Naphtali — 1,000 officers with 37,000 men carrying shields and spears.
- From Dan — 28,600 ready for battle.
- From Asher, experienced soldiers prepared for war — 40,000.
- From east of the Jordan — Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, armed with every type of weapon — 120,000.
Unified Purpose and Joy (1 Chronicles 12:38–40)
- “All these were fighting men who volunteered to serve in the ranks. They came to Hebron fully determined to make David king over all Israel. All the rest of the Israelites were also of one mind to make David king.”
- When God’s time comes, unity replaces division, and provision replaces struggle:
- “There was joy in Israel.”
Three days of celebration followed as food and drink poured in — flour, fig cakes, raisin cakes, wine, olive oil, cattle, and sheep brought on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen. - Where there was once hunger and exile, now there was abundance and joy.
Conclusion: The Power of Divine Favour
- What we need is not human approval but divine favour. When favour comes, all things fall into their rightful place without strain or manipulation.
- God had already spoken that David would be king — and no opposition, sabotage, or conspiracy from Saul could prevent it. Saul represents every system that tries to suppress destiny, but God’s word is unstoppable.
- Saul saw only a shepherd boy; God saw a mighty king.
When God speaks, it must come to pass — for no word from God will ever fail (Luke 1:37).
Reflection and Application
- David’s life teaches us that the word of God is never void. You may be in your “cave season” right now — a place of waiting, obscurity, or even rejection — but God’s favour will find you there. When His appointed time comes, He will elevate you, surround you with the right people, and establish you in your destiny.
- Stay faithful in the waiting; the promise is alive. What God has spoken concerning your life must come to pass.
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for Your unfailing promises and divine favour that cannot be stopped by human opposition. Just as You fulfilled Your word in David’s life, I believe that every promise You have spoken concerning me will come to pass in Your perfect timing.
Teach me to remain faithful in seasons of waiting and humble in seasons of victory. Surround me, Lord, with the right people, and strengthen me to walk in obedience and courage. May Your favour rest upon me, my family, and the work of my hands. Let every word You have spoken over my life manifest to Your glory. In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.
