Moses in Exodus 3:11 said, "Who am I?" And Solomon said, "Who am I?" in 2 Chronicles 2:6. I wish now only to look at the three times David used this expression. Perhaps we will look at it from the perspective of Moses and Solomon another time.

David said, "Who am I?" as a young soldier in Saul’s army; as a powerful king at the height of his reign nearing middle age; and as an aging, wise and godly king shortly before his death. Following this phrase through David’s life gives us an interesting outline of not only David’s life, but of a Christian’s. The Holy Ghost has recorded every incident in the Bible not only to give us accurate historical facts, but to give us wonderful illustrations we can relate to spiritual truths that will have a marvelous impact on our understanding of God and our relationship to Him.

Who am I?—In Salvation

And David said unto Saul, Who am I? and what is my life, or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be son in law to the king?—1 Samuel 18:18.

King Saul was extremely jealous of David. David had proved himself mighty in battle and the people of Israel gave him due honor. Saul did not like that and was out to kill David. David did not yet know that Saul was out to get him, so he looked at the prospect of marrying the king’s daughter as a great honor and not as a trap. So, in all humbleness David said, "Who am I...that I should be son in law to the king?"

When we think of David we remember his great battle with Goliath. Did you ever wonder why David was so willing to face this giant Philistine that no one else in Israel’s army—including Saul—would dare face? David had killed both a lion and a bear, but he was not depending on those past victories. David believed God, that’s why he would face Goliath. Nowhere in the Scriptures will you find God promising David victory over this uncircumcised Philistine. But David believed God’s promise that he would someday become king over Israel. This is recorded for us in 1 Samuel 16. David had not yet become king so he knew he was invincible. David was not being foolish in that he was presumptuous in thinking he could do whatever he pleased, but he knew God would not have Goliath and the Philistine army "defy the armies of the living God." David bravely faced Goliath and won a great victory for God and Israel. The account is recorded for us in 1 Samuel 17.

"David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the LORD was with him."—1 Samuel 18:14. But this was not good enough for Saul. He became more and more jealous. Again, David was honored and humbled to be considered worthy to marry the king’s daughter, not realizing it was intended to be a death trap.

Do we see the meek spirit of David here? He had already been anointed to be king over Israel; he had killed a lion and a bear; he had single handedly defeated Goliath and brought great victory to Saul and to Israel. Instead of being proud and boastful thinking he was worthy of such an honor because of his great abilities as a warrior, he meekly says, "Who am I that the king should consider one such as I to marry his daughter and to become part of his family?" That is meekness. That is a humble spirit. As famous and powerful as David became he never forgot that he was once a lowly shepherd boy, the son of Jesse.

By now you are wondering, "What does any of this have to do with salvation?" Let me explain it this way: Who am I that the great God of creation should send His only begotten Son, who is Lord of lords and King of kings to die on a cruel cross to save me from my sins and the eternal damnation in Hell I so richly deserve? Who am I and who are you that God would love us so much that He would bother to save our souls? As David said, "Who am I that King Saul should show an interest in me?" So must we say, "Who are we that God Himself would show an interest in the salvation of our souls?" How it must break the heart of God to hear professing Christians speak with their lips that they are saved and yet they live lives that prove they know nothing of God’s amazing grace.

Friend, if you are a true believer, are you ever thankful to God for "the gift of God [which] is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord"?—Romans 6:23. If you are not a believer make haste to get into the family of God. It is not hard; God is ever searching for those who will come to Him. "Repent ye," said the Saviour, "and believe the gospel." —Mark 1:15. God promises to make you a new creature and give you a more abundant life. These promises are for the here and now, and not just for the hereafter.

Some would put off salvation to a later time. This is so foolish. If it is worth getting saved it is worth getting saved now. There are hundreds of promises in the Bible, but not one guarantee for tomorrow for you or anyone else. "For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time, behold, now is the day of salvation."—2 Corinthians 6:2.

Who am I?—In Service

Then went king David in, and sat before the LORD, and he said, Who am I, O Lord GOD? and what is my house that thou hast brought me hitherto?—2 Samuel 7:18.

This chapter contains what the theologians call the "Davidic Covenant." It contains God’s promise to David that his kingdom would last forever and ever; it would have no end. David understood that some day the Messiah—Jesus Christ—would be one of his descendants. David is overwhelmed with these words from God. David knows fully that God is not the least bit impressed that David is king—it was God who made him king. David was one of the most spiritual men who ever lived and yet God was not impressed with that either. God chose David to be the ancestor of the Messiah because that is what God chose to do. That may not be too impressive of an answer, but that is the answer.

David was king, but he knew full well that to worship God he—even as king—must do so with a meek and humble spirit. If he did not know this before he knew it after God’s judgement fell upon Uzzah for Uzzah’s apparent unintentional carelessness in touching the ark of the covenant as recorded in the previous chapter. It fascinates me to read, "Then went king David [into the temple], and sat before the LORD..." Instead of falling to his knees or falling on his face before God in God’s holy temple, David just kind of "plopped down" in the presence of the Lord. He was not being rude or disrespectful; he was so overwhelmed by God’s promises that he seemingly forgot where he was and what he was doing.

Certainly, reading the genealogies recorded for us in the Bible is not nearly as interesting as reading about the life and times of Noah, Moses, Elijah, or the Lord Jesus, but they are there for a purpose. Jesus had the right to Israel’s throne for two reasons: First, He had the legal right. As the adopted son of Joseph he was legally entitled to the throne; and secondly, as the son of His earthly mother He had the birthright to the throne. You can read Joseph’s genealogy in Matthew chapter 1 and Mary’s genealogy in Luke chapter 3. Now look back to 1 Chronicles 3:5. Notice two of David’s sons; Nathan and Solomon. Their mother was Bathshua. We know her better as Bathsheba, the woman of 2 Samuel 11 who later became David’s wife and the queen of Israel. Joseph connects to David through Solomon, and Mary connects to David through Nathan.

Had the nation of Israel not gone into sin and brought God’s judgment upon themselves Joseph would have been king and Mary his queen. The Lord Jesus would have inherited the throne because of His stepfather and his earthly mother. Jesus had the right to be King of Israel because of Joseph and Mary.

And who was David that he should find such service and usefulness in God’s kingdom? David didn’t know either, for that is why he said, "Who am I?" And who are we Christian friend that God would not only save our sin filled souls, but would find an area of service for each of us? If all God wanted out of you and I was to just "get saved" then He would have taken us home to Heaven right then and there. God has a work for each of us.

Look for an area of service. Pray about it. Seek the Lord’s leading. Do something! AND DO NOT LOOK FOR AN AREA OF PROMINENCE! Stay in the background. Let others take the so called "important positions." God knows of no unworthy jobs in His kingdom. The Lord Jesus thought it honorable to provide a child with a cup of cold water. In fact that person who provides the cold water will receive a reward—and in Heaven I presume. See Matthew 10:42. Jesus Himself was not to proud to wash the feet of His disciples—a job normally reserved for the lowest slave. See John 13:1-10.

Sadly I have seen inmates whom I believed to be promising Christians get out of prison walk into a church and the pastor put them into an area of prominence almost immediately. It should be of no surprise that these folks (former prisoners or otherwise) almost always fall flat on their faces. This is a great embarrassment and disgrace to Christ, His church, His loyal followers and it shows a great lack of discernment on the part of the pastor.

There is an area of service for you, even in prison.. Can you invite others to the chapel services? Can you hand out tracts and Christian literature to others? Does the chaplain or guest preacher need someone to help hand out song sheets or bulletins? Does the chaplain need someone who is not to proud to use a broom and a dustpan? Does that new fellow who is in chapel for the first time, and perhaps the first time in any type of church service need someone to make him feel welcome? Does that new fellow need someone to sit next to him so he can follow along in your Bible? Are these things as important as offering cups of cold water or washing someone’s feet? The King of Glory would think so.

Being the preacher or a Sunday school teacher are not the only jobs in the church. Other than washing feet I have done all the jobs listed above and a lot more. I have been in prison ministry since 1984 and for only four of those years was I full time and received a paycheck. Other than those four years I have either worked two part time jobs or one full time job. With those I tend to fellowship with (fundamental Baptists) being in full time service is a big deal, so for a while it was a big deal for me to be in full time service also. For a long time now I have had no real interest in being full time. Am I any less a missionary because I have an outside job? I don’t think so. I was recently reminded by a full time missionary to Ireland that America has 95% of the full time Christian workers and just 5% of the world’s population. Somehow that doesn’t seem right. It is clear in the Scriptures that the apostle Paul was a tentmaker and he worked his craft wherever his travels led him. If Paul the great missionary/writer could work a secular job why can’t the rest of us at least consider it?

To fulfill Bible prophecy the Lord Jesus needed enter Jerusalem "riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass."—Zechariah 9:9. Jesus sent His disciples to find the colt and to tell the owners of the colt, "The Lord hath need of him."—Luke 19:31. A lowly donkey was needed by the Master and will be remembered in God’s Word forever because of it. Many donkeys, mules, horses and other beasts have been used and are still being used by Christians for God’s glory. Almost none of them are recorded in Scripture, but their importance is not diminished because of that. Many Christian people have been greatly used of God. Their names are not recorded in the Bible, or in any other book. But their labors be they great or small are not forgotten by God. Christian friend, God has an area of Christian service for you to fill. The Lord hath need of you.

As Jesus Christ was dying on the cross. He took time to appoint the apostle John to the seemingly unimportant job of taking care of Mary. "And from that hour that disciple took her into his own home."—John 19:27. Less than two months later Peter was the principal preacher on the day of Pentecost. Three thousand souls were saved. Every man who ever preached would love to say that 3,000 folks were saved under the influence of his preaching. But how many would want to take care of an elderly widow? With His dying breath the Lord Jesus spoke not a word about revival, but He did not overlook care of the woman who served as His earthly mother. Perhaps we would be better fishers of men if we cared more about the things the Lord cares about.

If God wants me to be full time I’ll go full time; if not I am content. It would be sin for me to drain money away from a worthy cause just so my life would be a little easier. If God wants you to preach or teach, wonderful! But you are not any less of a Christian if He has other plans for you. Do whatever you can do as a Christian in prison. Once you get out do what you can, but take your time. Let God move you along. It would be sin for you to do it on your own. Billy Sunday was one of the greatest of the American evangelists. He had been a professional baseball player so being in the spotlight was nothing new to him. He had the calling and the ability to preach but he was slow to get behind the pulpit. When he started in evangelism he preached only in small rural areas. He did not believe himself worthy or capable of preaching to the larger crowds the big cities would offer. Christian leaders had to all but drag him to the big cities. Tens of thousands were soundly converted by his powerful preaching. Some would say he should have moved himself ahead faster. I think he was very wise. Many push themselves forward only to fail. When other responsible Christian leaders begin to promote someone after they have had time to watch that person and see his strengths and weaknesses it would be good evidence that God is in it.

Do whatever you can for God. He knows of no unimportant jobs in His kingdom. I know a pastor’s wife who is a work horse. She is no longer a young lady, but there is no job that needs to be done that is beneath her. If there is a job that needs to be done Mrs. Kerr will do it, and brother, you better not get in the way! How many of us men need to have the attitude of service this lady has. Find an area of service and do it "as to the Lord."

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.—Colossians 3:23-24.

Who am I?—In Sacrifice

But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.—1 Chronicles 29:14.

David longed to build a temple for the Lord. God commended him for his desire, but would not allow him the privilege because of his bloody past. God let David know that his son Solomon would build Him a temple. David was permitted to gather much of the raw material that would be used in the temple. Gold, silver, brass and iron—a fortune was collected for this sacred building. Many would criticize David for wasting his fortune and the fortunes of others for this important work. This was a temple that God allowed and wanted so it was a good use of the money involved. I must tell you I am not the least bit for the money spent on many of our modern church buildings. The building should be attractive, functional and comfortable. No one is saved because of gold crosses and ornate buildings. But God wanted this fabulous temple in Jerusalem. It was a unique place for the people of Israel to worship the one true God. David spared nothing. Years later when Solomon finished the work his father had started God was very pleased. Read about it in 1 Kings chapters 6, 7 and 8.

And what can we do for God so that we can please Him as David did? Who are we to offer anything unto the Lord? With all of my readers combined I am sure we could not even begin to match the financial resources of King David. But aren’t our "two mites" as much as the widow’s that is recorded for us in Luke 21:1-4? God does not look at how much you give, but how much you have left after you have given. We are all expected to give a tithe (ten percent) and an offering of our income back to the Lord’s work. Those who don’t tithe say they cannot afford to; those of us who do tithe say we cannot afford not to. The old saying is true; "Put your money where your mouth is." Oh, you are all to willing to believe the Bible when it talks about salvation and the hope of Heaven. But bring up giving back to the Lord a portion of what He has given you, well, that is just too much. Why are you so quick to believe the parts of the Bible that obviously benefit you, but when it comes to taking something out of your pocket that suddenly does not apply to New Testament believers? In public school math class I was taught that 90% is less than 100%. In God’s math class I was taught that 90% is more than 100%. Don’t ask me how it works; I just know that it does. Subtract offerings from the 90% and it even works better!

Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me...But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse...and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing...—Malachi 3:8-10.

We are to give God our tithe and we are to give God our talents. I can probably do some things you can’t and you surely can do many things I can’t. My wife Shirley has a love for computers. She works very hard on producing The Liberator, LPM tracts, books and so forth for our ministry. Her work is not perfect, but it is generally better than much of the work I have seen by college trained folks. Shirley taught herself. She puts a lot of work into her flute, piano and singing. I think she is the greatest musician and vocalist in the world; most people wouldn’t. But I know the effort she puts into it; they don’t.

Some of the greatest soul winners and preachers have been men with little or no education. Part of that is God choosing to bless whom He will bless, and part of that is folks doing the best they can with what they have. God honors those who do what they can. Your talents may be few; your talents may be small; your talents may be unpolished, but you have some ability to use for the glory of God.

In Acts 9:36-43 we read about a woman named Dorcas who "was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did...and all the widows stood...shewing him the coats and garments which Dorcas made... And we say, "Well, so what?" Well, God thought it important enough to tell us about it 2,000 years later. The song writer said;

Little is much when God is in it;
Labor not for wealth or fame.
There’s a crown and you can win it
If you’ll go in Jesus’ name.

Now, what about your time? Each of us have the same amount each day. We must use it wisely. Time spent in the Bible, time spent in prayer, time spent reaching others for Christ is never wasted time. Use your time for furthering God’s kingdom and your own spiritual improvement. We waste so much time. Time that we will never get back. Guard your time. Certainly, there is time for rest and relaxation, but so many find time for nothing else. Entertainment should be but a minor use of your time.

Godly Abel lived a short life. Cain, his wicked brother appears to have lived a long life. Abel did much for God in his few years; Cain did only damage with his many years. Some folks live a long time before they trust Christ and surrender their will to God. Many never do. Don’t you be so foolish. Little matters as much as the wise use of our time.

I was age 29 when I first read, "Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away."—James 4:14. I took that verse as the Truth of God then as much as I did any other verse in the Bible. I understood it 21 years ago; but I understand and appreciate James 4:14 a whole lot better now at age 50. If God allows me to live a full life I might have 25 years left. Maybe a little more; maybe a lot less. The longer people live the shorter life becomes.

Only one life twill soon be past;
Only what’s done for Christ will last.

A preacher friend of mine says, "Time for Eternity." He is right. We like to think we sacrifice for God. We leave a good job for a lesser one so we can make it to all the church services or have more time with the family. We leave a wicked environment for a lesser house in a better neighborhood hoping to keep some sense of sanity. We spend a lot of time working on the church building or in some effort to reach the lost and think we are really sacrificing for the Lord—and all this is wonderful. While we are giving of our tithe, or talents, or time what are we really giving but that which we received first from God?

As David said, "and of thine own have we given thee." Everything that we have ever had or will have has come to us directly or indirectly from God. "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."—James 1:17. God help us not to be negligent in sacrificing our tithe, talents and time to the One who has blessed us so.

Who am I and who are you in the sight of God? As believers in Christ we have salvation through Him; we have a service to fulfill for Him; we have a sacrifice to offer to Him.

If you have a spiritual concern or a Bible question, please write us. lpm8998@core.com

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Revised: August 03, 2000