By Doug Carroll
GCU News Bureau
Dr. Peter Williams shined a light on the life of David — and on himself — in talking about the topic of faithfulness at Monday’s Chapel in GCU Arena.
Williams, 43, is the CEO of Tyndale House Cambridge, a residential center in England for biblical research. He spoke to Grand Canyon University students last week on the topic of “Can the Gospels Be Trusted?” At Chapel, he chose David’s story to illustrate how “God is the one who gives success.”
As David evolved from a modest shepherd boy into Israel’s mighty king, his reliance on himself (and not on God) grew proportionately, Williams said.
David’s story, found in the Bible in 1 and 2 Samuel, tells of how he was anointed as the next king while still a boy and then landed a part-time position in the king’s palace. His defeat of Goliath (1 Samuel 17) demonstrated his trust in God to deliver him in the ultimate battle of small versus tall.
As David’s star rose and Saul’s faded, God repeatedly rescued David from life-threatening encounters with the jealous king. But after Saul’s death and David’s ascension to the throne, things changed dramatically.
“David turned a corner from caring about a little lamb to wanting another man’s wife,” Williams said, referring to David’s affair with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11) and its subsequent cover-up. “He went from shepherd to wolf. He had begun so well, and then he drifted away.”
Williams noted that David was set straight when confronted with the truth by the prophet Nathan. And he said a friend had helped him in a similar way during “a period of doubt” more than 20 years ago when he was “ready to walk away” from his faith.
“He phoned me up and just wanted to talk,” Williams said. “He put me in touch with people who could really help. He’ll remain anonymous, because I want him to get his full reward in heaven.
“God rescued me. Any success in my life has been through God.”
God wants faithfulness, not success, from those who follow Him, Williams said.
“You can mistake the success God gives you for success you have achieved yourself,” he said.
“God is the one who’s completely faithful. Friends will let you down, but God won’t. We should seek to be as faithful as Him.”
Contact Doug Carroll at 639.8011 or [email protected].
