There is so much packed in this story of David and Goliath, but I will just stay with one thing that struck me.
Saul tries to suit David up in armor. On the face of it, it is a very helpful gesture. But there is something below the surface – Saul is responding in a very reasonable but godless fashion. There is a standard template established by the world as to how to go into battle, any battle. So taking that template, he tries to fit David into it. It is one of the most comic scenes in Scripture. Poor David he complies obediently but he probably resembled Puss in Boots. You can see him trying to walk stiffly and wondering what have I got myself into? Fortunately David always looked for God’s will first in every situation.
And he says something very important to Saul ‘I cannot go in these, I have never tried them before’ Going into a fight unto death, you do not suddenly change your weapons or your character. If you fake it at such a time when you need every bit of focus and concentration, you will surely die. You have to be comfortable with yourself and your weapons for this fight unto death.
David decides to remain in his own skin for this fight. He is a shepherd and he will go into battle as a shepherd would with his sling shot. So this is one important piece for victory. We should always be true to who we are especially in the great battles of the spiritual life. There is no room for faking it or trying to posture as someone else. The Goliath who seeks our life will finish us off. In short we should be humble about who we are and confident that God will provide us with what we need. And this is the second important piece for victory.
David selects five smooth stones from the brook. The Hebrew word for brook is interesting. It can also mean to inherit, to bequeath. David does not depend on man made armor. He took his ammunition from the only trustworthy source – the living waters of the promises of God. So you have the two pieces together for victory. David’s slingshot which is David acting in character and fighting as God made him – as a shepherd and not as the warrior that Saul would have him be. And you have the five stones from the brook which come from the power of God. And this proves to be a devastating combination.
And there is a lesson for us here. If we are going to fight the good fight, we must first find out who we are and be comfortable in our own skin, rather than scrambling and trying to fake it as someone else. And above all we must draw our confidence from the promise of God that He will always with us and if we draw our ammo from Him, we will surely triumph over seemingly invincible foes.
There is so much packed in this story of David and Goliath, but I will just stay with one thing that struck me.
Saul tries to suit David up in armor. On the face of it, it is a very helpful gesture. But there is something below the surface – Saul is responding in a very reasonable but godless fashion. There is a standard template established by the world as to how to go into battle, any battle. So taking that template, he tries to fit David into it. It is one of the most comic scenes in Scripture. Poor David he complies obediently but he probably resembled Puss in Boots. You can see him trying to walk stiffly and wondering what have I got myself into? Fortunately David always looked for God’s will first in every situation.
And he says something very important to Saul ‘I cannot go in these, I have never tried them before’ Going into a fight unto death, you do not suddenly change your weapons or your character. If you fake it at such a time when you need every bit of focus and concentration, you will surely die. You have to be comfortable with yourself and your weapons for this fight unto death.
David decides to remain in his own skin for this fight. He is a shepherd and he will go into battle as a shepherd would with his sling shot. So this is one important piece for victory. We should always be true to who we are especially in the great battles of the spiritual life. There is no room for faking it or trying to posture as someone else. The Goliath who seeks our life will finish us off. In short we should be humble about who we are and confident that God will provide us with what we need. And this is the second important piece for victory.
David selects five smooth stones from the brook. The Hebrew word for brook is interesting. It can also mean to inherit, to bequeath. David does not depend on manmade armor. He took his ammunition from the only trustworthy source – the living waters of the promises of God. So you have the two pieces together for victory. David’s slingshot which is David acting in character and fighting as God made him – as a shepherd and not as the warrior that Saul would have him be. And you have the five stones from the brook which come from the power of God. And this proves to be a devastating combination.
And there is a lesson for us here. If we are going to fight the good fight, we must first find out who we are and be comfortable in our own skin, rather than scrambling and trying to fake it as someone else. And above all we must draw our confidence from the promise of God that He will always with us and if we draw our ammo from Him, we will surely triumph over seemingly invincible foes.
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