Grace + Power

“Grace + Power”

By Pastor Kent Munsey

June 27, 2021

David went to Nob, to Ahimelek the priest. Ahimelek trembled when he met him, and asked, “Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?”

David answered Ahimelek the priest, “The king sent me on a mission and said to me, ‘No one is to know anything about the mission I am sending you on.’ As for my men, I have told them to meet me at a certain place. Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever you can find.”

But the priest answered David, “I don’t have any ordinary bread on hand; however, there is some consecrated bread here—provided the men have kept themselves from women.” David replied, “Indeed women have been kept from us, as usual whenever I set out. The men’s bodies are holy even on missions that are not holy. How much more so today!” So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence that had been removed from before the Lord and replaced by hot bread on the day it was taken away.

Now one of Saul’s servants was there that day, detained before the Lord; he was Doeg the Edomite, Saul’s chief shepherd. David asked Ahimelek, “Don’t you have a spear or a sword here? I haven’t brought my sword or any other weapon, because the king’s mission was urgent.” The priest replied, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here; it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want it, take it; there is no sword here but that one.”

David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.”

• 1 Samuel 21:1-9 (NIV)

In this passage, David was on the run from King Saul, who was trying to kill him. David was a shepherd boy whom God had chosen to become king. When Goliath showed up and intimidated the Israelites, David defeated him with God’s help. As a result, his popularity among the people rose above Saul’s, and Saul hated him for it. Saul decided to kill David because he didn't like God's plan for him. 

In one day David lost everything: his home, his title, and his family. On the day that David lost everything, he ran to the presence of God, which was tabernacled at that time in the Ark of the Covenant in the city of Nob. However, when David showed up at the sanctuary and encountered the high priest, he lied. He told the high priest that he was there on a special assignment. 

When all Hell broke loose in his life, David went to church. He needed a minister to minister to him. However, when he got there, he realized that he could not be honest. He needed God to show up. When we begin to lift up the name of Jesus and worship him, the presence of God shows up. The Bible says that God inhabits the praises of his people. 

In the presence of God, David asked for two things: first, he asked for food to feed himself and his men. The priest responded that all he had was face bread, which was the bread that was placed in the presence of God. Only a high priest could eat this bread after it had been placed in the presence of God. The second thing David asked for was a weapon. The priest offered him the sword of Goliath. David receives five loaves of bread and Goliath’s sword in the presence of God. Every time we go after God, we can count on two things: grace and power. 

1. Grace 

Every time we go after God, we can expect him to strengthen us supernaturally by his spirit and feed us with his grace. Grace is getting what we do not deserve. David did not deserve to eat the bread of presence. When we run after God, we do not get what we deserve; we get grace. Jesus is the high priest, and he is serving himself, the bread of life. He wants us to eat spiritual food. He wants us to receive grace and more grace. 

David didn't get what he wanted but he got what he needed, which was enough to take another step. There is a grace that comes from Jesus when we trust him to give what only he can give. David received five loaves of bread. It wasn't enough for the journey ahead but it was enough for that day. God has given us righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. It is only by the grace of God that we are able to receive what God has already given us. 

2. Power 

There is power in a testimony. The scriptures say that we overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony. David was carrying the sword of Goliath to remind himself that the thing that was meant to destroy him was what God used to give him the victory. The sword is a reminder of the victory that God accomplished through David in a battle that no one else was willing to fight. God gives us supernatural strength through our testimony.

Perhaps David was carrying the sword the same way that Jesus tells us to carry the cross. The cross was a weapon that was designed to kill Jesus, but the very thing that was meant to kill him was used to accomplish the greatest victory of all human history. Jesus won the victory so he could give us what we don't qualify for. We receive grace and power in God's presence. 

Reflection/Discussion Questions:

1. How has God fed you supernaturally by his grace? 

2. How has God strengthened and empowered you by his spirit?

3. Where do you run when loss and destruction start to surround you? 

4. How can you be more intentional in seeking the presence of God this week and inviting him into any challenging circumstances you may be facing? 

5. What testimony has God given you that can strengthen and empower you as you face future or current challenges?